It's a story that the American media, save for Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Pat Buchanan (in the post debate clips I posted) totally ignored. Our wonderful "independent" reporters collectively decided last week that it simply wasn't news that Hillary revealed she'd be nuking Iran if they attacked Israel, and that it wasn't news that she'd like to extend the US nuclear umbrella to Israel's neighbors. That means we'd be nuking Iran if they attacked Jordan, Egypt, maybe even Saudi Arabia. Show of hands: How many Americans are willing to start a nuclear war for the Saudis?
Well, it seems even the Saudis aren't too keen on the idea. They criticized Hillary this week, we learn via a Boston Globe editorial entitled "Hillary Strangelove" (the Globe is one of the few American papers to even write about this issue). They said she was as stupid as Bush:
Quote:
The Saudi paper called Clinton's nuclear threat "the foreign politics of the madhouse," saying, "it demonstrates the same doltish ignorance that has distinguished Bush's foreign relations."
A British Foreign Ministry official wasn't very pleased either:
Quote:
"While it is reasonable to warn Iran of the consequences of it continuing to develop nuclear weapons and what those real consequences bring to its security, it is probably not prudent in today's world to threaten to obliterate any other country and in many cases civilians resident in such a country."
The Globe says that Hillary has done real damage to the reform effort in Iran:
Quote:
While Clinton has hammered Obama for supporting military strikes in Pakistan, her comments on Iran are much more far-reaching. She seems not to realize that she undermined Iranian reformists and pragmatists. The Iranian people have been more favorable to America than any other in the Gulf region or the Middle East.
A presidential candidate who lightly commits to obliterating Iran - and, presumably, all the children, parents, and grandparents in Iran - should not be answering the White House phone at any time of day or night.
One Defense expert, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis Director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative at the New America Foundation, commented on Hillary's nuke-Iran proposal: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."
I noted yesterday that Clinton's top donors are now fleeing to Obama. There was a particular telling detail buried in the story, below - 70 of her top donors are now giving to Obama. TIMBERRRRRRRRR!
Quote:
More than 70 top Clinton donors wrote their first checks to Obama in March, campaign records show. Clinton's lead among superdelegates, a collection of almost 800 party leaders and elected officials, has slipped from 106 in December to 23 now, according to an Associated Press tally.
"If you have any, any kind of loyalty to the Democratic Party, perhaps you need to rethink your strategy and bow out gracefully in order to save this party from a disastrous end in November," Rep. William Lacy Clay (Mo.), an African American Obama supporter, said in an appeal to Clinton....
There are signs that the anger voiced by some African Americans is beginning to extend to the Democratic donor base. Campaign finance records released this week show that a growing number of Clinton's early supporters migrated to Obama in March, after he achieved 11 straight victories. Of those who had previously made maximum contributions to Clinton, 73 wrote their first checks to Obama in March. The reverse was not true: Of those who had made large contributions to Obama last year, none wrote checks to Clinton in March.
But I'm sure MEM will Say that Clinton doesn't need any money. Her perseverance and general bitchiness will see her through.
A lot of people, including too many Democratic party leaders, sat back and watched Hillary and Bill plot and carry out their plans to destroy Obama. The pundits and a lot of Democratic strategists oohed and aahed at how aggressive the Clinton campaign had become. We've all been warned not to underestimate them as the Clinton team contocted new rules and new negative ads. The Clintons have an enemies list. The Clintons hold a grudge. Oh, and the latest is the Bill himself is the campaign's "strategist-in-chief" and he's pushing the negative attacks, just like his predecessor, Mark Penn. It seems it's Bill that has a real Hard-On (pardon the pun) to get back in the White House.
This whole drama -- and it is always, always drama with the Clintons -- has played out as if we're in some kind of Clinton vacuum. It's as if there were no political consequences beyond those relating to Bill and Hillary.
There are.
This week, the Clintons and the Democratic party learned that there will be serious political consequences for the Clintons' bad behavior.
Rep. James Clyburn laid out very clearly what is at stake. The interviews Clyburn has done with several majornews outlet should be sending shock waves through the Democratic hierarchy:
Quote:
"If this party is perceived by people as having gone into a back room somewhere and brokered a nominee, that would not be good for our party," House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (S.C.), the highest ranking African American in Congress, warned yesterday. "I'm telling you, if this continues on its current course, [the damage] is going to be irreparable."
That fear, plus a more general sense that Clinton's only route to victory would be through tearing down her opponent, has led even some black Democrats who are officially neutral in the race, such as Clyburn, to speak out.
Clyburn isn't bluffing.
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) backed up Clyburn's warning according to the Huffington Post:
Quote:
"Jim Clyburn is my very best friend in the U.S. Congress and he and I talk on and off the record every day of the week," said Butterfield, who predicted that the race in North Carolina would ultimately be decided by single-digits. "That said, I had not read his comments... But politics by its very nature is a competitive process and there have been times when Sen. Clinton has walked up to the line and there has been a time or two when she has stepped over the line in terms of her comments... Whether there is an irreparable breach, I don't think we are at the point right now where we are at an irreparable breach, but it is foreseeable and that is why I encourage civility."
The likes of Mark Halperin and Chris Matthews and VandeHei/Harris and CNN's hapless political crew have been trying to tell us what these election results mean, but it's not really for them to say. The punditry was in a frenzy after the PA primary, but as Taegan Goddard noted "the chances of a Clinton victory are actually lower than ever."
And, in typical fashion, the pundits have ignored -- or more accurately missed -- what's really going on. If Clinton steals this election or decides to destroy Obama, she and her husband and her campaign are laying the groundwork for the destruction of the Democratic party.
Eric Schmeltzer ran some numbers for Ohio in a diary at DailyKos. It's worth a read, but here's Eric' conclusion:
Quote:
So any way you slice it, winning over enough of the white-male-working-class vote that Kerry could not get, to just squeak by in Ohio in 2008 is a pretty tall order. Doable, but tough. Add into that even a slight African American problem, and Hillary Clinton pretty much loses Ohio in 2008.
Conversely, assuming Barack Obama does just as "poorly" with white men as Kerry in 2004, as the Clinton team seems to be saying, he actually has an EASIER time winning Ohio, on account of the fact that he has no African American problem.
Why no one has examined this is beyond me.
As we've been learning this week, Hillary has more than a "slight" African American problem. She is precipitating a crisis that cannot be ignored.
Hillary Clinton's campaign has become delusional and destructive. For me, the moment she jumped the shark was her NPR interview claiming Michigan was a fair election.
Yeah, it might have been in the Soviet Union or Iran, but in America, an election in violation of the rules with only one name should never count.
The pundits can continue to game out the different ways Hillary can steal the nomination. That's all fun and games for them. For the rest of us, this is too serious. The Democratic Party needs an intervention before Bill and Hillary march us off a cliff.
The only stealing that I see is Whomod posting someone elses work as his own. Elected leaders like Clyburn & other Obama supporters who want to make divisive threats to try to force the superdelegates to vote for their guy "or else" just make me more steadfast in my decision to support McCain if it's Obama.
What's funny about this is Obama is still selling himself as a unifier.
...as unpopular as the Michigan and Florida decisions are....
Apparently, former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, who was handpicked for the job by Bill and Hillary, is the one who started this whole "Michigan should't be counted" plan.
...as unpopular as the Michigan and Florida decisions are....
Apparently, former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, who was handpicked for the job by Bill and Hillary, is the one who started this whole "Michigan should't be counted" plan.
Holy irony, Batman.
The circumstances are different though. The whole matter wouldn't be as big of a deal except Hillary & Obama are practically tied. 4yrs ago Kerry had the nomination wrapped up fairly quickly. His nomination didn't hinge on a state being kept out of the convention. Now it may be a case that Obama wins the nomination because two states were kept out. That's also a recipe for chaos & probably an eventual loss when its general election time.
However this turns out the party really needs to go back to winner takes all when it comes to states. It's how the general election works & it's just dumb using such different rules for the nominating process.
...as unpopular as the Michigan and Florida decisions are....
Apparently, former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, who was handpicked for the job by Bill and Hillary, is the one who started this whole "Michigan should't be counted" plan.
Holy irony, Batman.
The circumstances are different though.
Yes. Now the rules don't favor his benefactor.
Quote:
However this turns out the party really needs to go back to winner takes all when it comes to states. It's how the general election works & it's just dumb using such different rules for the nominating process.
It's a story that the American media, save for Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow and Pat Buchanan (in the post debate clips I posted) totally ignored. Our wonderful "independent" reporters collectively decided last week that it simply wasn't news that Hillary revealed she'd be nuking Iran if they attacked Israel, and that it wasn't news that she'd like to extend the US nuclear umbrella to Israel's neighbors. That means we'd be nuking Iran if they attacked Jordan, Egypt, maybe even Saudi Arabia. Show of hands: How many Americans are willing to start a nuclear war for the Saudis?
Well, it seems even the Saudis aren't too keen on the idea. They criticized Hillary this week, we learn via a Boston Globe editorial entitled "Hillary Strangelove" (the Globe is one of the few American papers to even write about this issue). They said she was as stupid as Bush:
Quote:
The Saudi paper called Clinton's nuclear threat "the foreign politics of the madhouse," saying, "it demonstrates the same doltish ignorance that has distinguished Bush's foreign relations."
A British Foreign Ministry official wasn't very pleased either:
Quote:
"While it is reasonable to warn Iran of the consequences of it continuing to develop nuclear weapons and what those real consequences bring to its security, it is probably not prudent in today's world to threaten to obliterate any other country and in many cases civilians resident in such a country."
The Globe says that Hillary has done real damage to the reform effort in Iran:
Quote:
While Clinton has hammered Obama for supporting military strikes in Pakistan, her comments on Iran are much more far-reaching. She seems not to realize that she undermined Iranian reformists and pragmatists. The Iranian people have been more favorable to America than any other in the Gulf region or the Middle East.
A presidential candidate who lightly commits to obliterating Iran - and, presumably, all the children, parents, and grandparents in Iran - should not be answering the White House phone at any time of day or night.
One Defense expert, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis Director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative at the New America Foundation, commented on Hillary's nuke-Iran proposal: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."
It'll be fun to hear MEM spin this one.
While Hillary Clinton's diplomatic skills can be questioned, extending the nuclear umbrella to the Middle East is an excellent idea. A pity no one came up with that before Israel, Iran and Syria started their nuclear programs. (One of the reasons Sweden and Germany stopped our respective atom bomb programs was the US nuclear umbrella.) While Israel and Saudi-Arabia can be critizised for numerous things, they're still "your" (and therefor "our") allies, and should get equal treatment as other allies (read: NATO) when it comes to defending their country.
"Batman is only meaningful as an answer to a world which in its basics is chaotic and in the hands of the wrong people, where no justice can be found. I think it's very suitable to our perception of the world's condition today... Batman embodies the will to resist evil" -Frank Miller
"Conan, what's the meaning of life?" "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!" -Conan the Barbarian
"Well, yeah." -Jason E. Perkins
"If I had a dime for every time Pariah was right about something I'd owe twenty cents." -Ultimate Jaburg53
"Fair enough. I defer to your expertise." -Prometheus
Poll: Clinton does better vs. McCain than Obama RAW STORY Published: Monday April 28, 2008
A new poll shows Hillary Clinton with a margin of victory over John McCain that is nearly five-times greater than the margin Barack Obama holds over the GOP nominee.
The Associated Press-Ipsos poll bolsters her argument that she is more electable in the fall than her rival for the Democratic nomination.
The survey released Monday gives Clinton a fresh talking point as she works to convince pivotal undecided superdelegates to side with her in the drawn-out Democratic primary fight.
Clinton, who won the Pennsylvania primary last week, has gained ground this month in a hypothetical head-to-head match up with the GOP nominee-in-waiting; she now leads McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent.
The AP poll gives Clinton her widest lead over McCain so far this year, according to Real Clear Politics' poll compilation. It also is the first to show such a wide gap between Clinton's and Obama's margins of victory over the Arizona senator in a general election.
I think that Hillary is gradually proving to be the stronger Democrat candidate. But if they give the nomination to her, Obama supporters will tear apart the party.
Conversely, in the aftermath of Hillary's victory in the Pennsylvania primary, Bob Schieffer on CBS Evening News reported a survey of Hillary supporters that shows "6 in 10 Hillary Clinton voters would 'not be satisfied' with Obama as a candidate"
And that "26% say if Obama is the nominee, they will vote for McCain."
I think that Hillary is gradually proving to be the stronger Democrat candidate. But if they give the nomination to her, Obama supporters will tear apart the party.
Conversely, in the aftermath of Hillary's victory in the Pennsylvania primary, Bob Schieffer on CBS Evening News reported a survey of Hillary supporters that shows "6 in 10 Hillary Clinton voters would 'not be satisfied' with Obama as a candidate"
And that "26% say if Obama is the nominee, they will vote for McCain."
That could happen. I doubt Obama supporters will tear apart the party though. At worst their anger will be focussed on Hillary this election mostly. It won't take them long to reallize if they want Obama in after this, they need the party.
Clinton gaining on Obama as key primaries loom 3 hours ago WASHINGTON (AFP) — Hillary Clinton appeared Wednesday to be gaining on Barack Obama in two key primary states, after her Democratic foe tried to quell another damaging uproar sparked by his fiery former pastor. The White House rivals fought another day of fierce turf battles in midwestern Indiana and North Carolina on the east coast, which hold Democratic primaries on Tuesday in a crucial phase of the end-game in their gripping race. Though Obama leads in nominating contests, elected delegates and the all-important fundraising stakes, Clinton's message seems to be hitting home after her campaign-saving victory in Pennsylvania last week. But she needs to capitalize on Obama's recent struggles, as she tries to convince "superdelegates" -- the professional Democratic politicians who effectively hold the nomination in their hands -- that Obama is unelectable. A Howey-Gauge poll in Indiana released Tuesday had Obama up by just 47 to 45 percentage points, well within the margin of error, with eight percent of likely primary voters undecided. Clinton had trailed by 15 points in the same poll in February. A Public Policy poll had Clinton up eight points, weighting the average of recent polls in the state by RealClearPolitics.com in her favor, showing her up two points. Indiana is a true battleground between the rivals, as it is packed with blue-collar white voters feeling the economic pinch who normally favor Clinton, but much of it is blanketed by the media market in Obama's hometown of Chicago. In North Carolina, a state where Obama hopes a large African-American population will help carry him to victory, he leads the RealClearPolitics average by 10 points, but a Survey USA poll Tuesday had him up by only five. ...
AFP Indiana has always sounded like one Hillary could win but I really was surprised to see her closing the gap in North Carolina too.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, a former first lady who hasn't driven a car or pumped gas in many years because of Secret Service restrictions, joined a blue-collar worker at a filling station Wednesday to illustrate how the high price of gasoline is squeezing consumers.
The Democratic presidential candidate and sheet metal worker Jason Wilfing, 33, pulled into the station in a large white Ford 250 pickup truck, Clinton riding shotgun. Never mind that it wasn't even Wilfing's truck — he had borrowed his boss's larger vehicle to accommodate Clinton's security agent and personal assistant, who rode in the back.
Trailing Wilfing and Clinton was a Secret Service motorcade consisting of six gas-guzzling Suburbans, two squad cars and a green SUV bearing photographers and TV cameras. Several other reporters and cameramen stood shivering in unseasonably cold temperatures, ready to capture the multi-vehicle arrival.
Clinton and Wilfing stepped out of the car and approached the pump. Wilfing chose regular unleaded gasoline, and began filling the tank. The two engaged in chit chat, with New York senator mentioning her proposal for a temporary gas tax holiday to ease the price pinch on consumers.
The tank filled, Clinton looked at the price recorded at the pump and shook her head.
"Sixty-three dollars," she said. "For just about half a tank."
Shutters clicked, cameras whirred. Point made.
But that's OK, I guess staged imagery matters more than the truth.
that's better than George HW Bush at the supermaket scanner.
It's also reported that she was also trying to get a cappuccino and not coffee. Apparently besides pumping her gas, the Secret Service have been making her coffee for the past 2 decades.
His presser on Monday though and today though was heartfelt and emotioally resonant.
Only a cynic can think that it wasn't genuine.
Oh I'm sure Obama didn't enjoy throwing Wright under the bus but he was willing to do so now that his numbers are down.
You may have missed Wrights shameless self promotion tour this past weekend to which Obama angrily responded to.
Wright was saying pretty much what he has been saying for the last 20yrs. The only difference is now instead of helping Obama, Wright now hurts his candidacy.
that's better than George HW Bush at the supermaket scanner.
It's also reported that she was also trying to get a cappuccino and not coffee. Apparently besides pumping her gas, the Secret Service have been making her coffee for the past 2 decades.
No, no elitists here...
what is this elitist shit? why is anyone surprised that a senator with a whole gaggle of bodyguards and assistants doesn't pump there own gas? what college educated lawyer making six figures and working a high pressure is any different? do we really want to elect someone based on their ability to do simple everyday tasks or do we want to elect someone based on bigger issues? and if drinking fancy coffee makes one elitist than what applies to the millions of people who stop into starbucks or any coffee shop daily.
The former president has privately told people that his wife's campaign has committed "political malpractice," according to Time magazine.
He is "appalled" that the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign burned through cash and didn't plan for races past the Super Tuesday states on Feb. 5, the magazine said.
And the magazine claims Bill, who has made headlines for going on red-faced tirades as he stumps for his wife, didn't have a direct hand in running the campaign.
The former president has privately told people that his wife's campaign has committed "political malpractice," according to Time magazine.
He is "appalled" that the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign burned through cash and didn't plan for races past the Super Tuesday states on Feb. 5, the magazine said.
And the magazine claims Bill, who has made headlines for going on red-faced tirades as he stumps for his wife, didn't have a direct hand in running the campaign.
Actually that had been the overall consensus that after super Tuesday the campaign didn't have it's act together. I think their blaming the campaign as sort of a seperate entity from Hillary but I would agree with you G-man that it comes down to her going along with whatever stratagy her campaign came up with.
A bevy of new national polls, plus surveys in Indiana and North Carolina -- which hold key primaries on Tuesday -- suggest that Hillary Clinton is closing the gap since her campaign-saving victory in Pennsylvania last week, and that the controversies dogging Barack Obama are having an impact.
In a national Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, Clinton leads Obama 44 percent to 41 percent. The Illinois senator is viewed unfavorably by 42 percent of all voters, up 9 percentage points since February. Clinton's unfavorable rating is still slightly higher than Obama's, but it has dropped slightly. And by 10 percentage points, Democrats now view Clinton as likelier than Obama to beat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Democrats gave Obama a 4-point edge last month.
In a national NBC/Wall Street Journal survey, Obama's lead has narrowed to 46 percent to 43 percent, and his unfavorable ratings have also risen. In March, 51 percent of voters viewed him positively and 28 percent saw him negatively, but in the new poll 46 percent view him favorably, but 37 percent negatively.
In a national New York Times/CBS poll, Obama leads 46 percent to 38 percent among Democrats, but 51 percent say they believe he will be the eventual nominee, down from 69 percent a month ago. And 48 percent of Democratic primary voters said they believe he would be the strongest candidate against McCain, down from 56 percent a month ago.
And in a Quinnipiac University poll, Clinton runs stronger than Obama in match-ups against McCain in the general election swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Clinton would get 49 percent to McCain's 41 percent in Florida, leads 48 percent to 38 percent in Ohio, and 51 percent to 37 percent in Pennsylvania.
Obama is statistically tied with McCain in Florida and Ohio, while leading him in Pennsylvania by 47 percent to 38 percent, according to the poll.
The polls were being conducted as Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., was making a series of highly publicized speeches and as Obama repudiated him.
In North Carolina, a new WRAL-TV poll says that Obama's lead has narrowed to 49 percent to 42 percent, down from double digits in most prior polling.
In Indiana, where the race had been a toss-up in surveys last week, Clinton now leads in the three most recent polls. She is ahead 46 percent to 41 percent in a Rasmussen survey, 50 percent to 42 percent in Public Polling Policy survey, and 52 percent to 43 percent in a SurveyUSA poll.
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - A leader of the Democratic Party under Bill Clinton switched his allegiance to Barack Obama on Thursday and urged fellow Democrats to end the bruising nomination fight.
"This has got to come to an end," former Democratic National Committee Chairman Joe Andrew told reporters in his hometown of Indianapolis just days before Tuesday's crucial state primary. He said he planned to call all the other superdelegates he knows and encourage them to back Obama.
Bill Clinton appointed Andrew chairman of the DNC in 1999, and he led the party through the disputed 2000 presidential race before stepping down in 2001. Andrew endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton last year on the day she declared her candidacy for the White House.
In a lengthy letter explaining his decision, Andrew said he is switching his support because "a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists (Republican) John McCain."
"The ship is taking on water right now," Andrew said at the news conference. "We need to patch those holes, heal the rift and go forward to beat John McCain."......
Andrew said the Obama campaign never asked him to switch his support, but he decided to do so after watching Obama's handling of two issues in recent days. He said Obama took the principled stand in opposing a summer gas tax holiday that both Clinton and McCain supported, even though it would have been easier politically to back it. And he said he was impressed with Obama's handling of the controversy surrounding his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.....
"He has shown such mettle under fire," Andrew said in the interview. "The Jeremiah Wright controversy just reconfirmed for me, just as the gas tax controversy confirmed for me, that he is the right candidate for our party."
Andrew's decision puts Obama closer to closing Clinton's superdelegate lead. Clinton had a big advantage among superdelegates, many of whom like Andrew have ties to the Clintons and backed her candidacy early on. But most of the superdelegates taking sides recently have gone for Obama, who has won more state contests........
Obama now trails her by just 20 superdelegates, 248-268. This week, he picked up nine superdelegates, plus three add-on delegates named by the Illinois Democratic Party. She netted four new superdelegates, while also picking up four add-on delegates from her home state of New York......
Obama now leads in the delegate count overall 1736.5 to 1602.5 for Clinton. A candidate needs 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. About 230 superdelegates remain undecided, and about 60 more will be selected at state party conventions and meetings throughout the spring......
It's the second endorsement for Obama this week that could be influential in Indiana. Rep. Baron Hill, who represents a crucial swing district in the state, endorsed Obama on Wednesday. Clinton has the backing of Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, who has a vast organization in the state and has been campaigning aggressively with the former first lady.
Again, so much for that big superdelegate lead. But this again proves that Hillary is the better candidate because the party leaders are right there behind her, albeit in increasingly shrinking numbers, right?
Originally Posted By: Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man
Originally Posted By: whomod
that's better than George HW Bush at the supermaket scanner.
It's also reported that she was also trying to get a cappuccino and not coffee. Apparently besides pumping her gas, the Secret Service have been making her coffee for the past 2 decades.
No, no elitists here...
what is this elitist shit? why is anyone surprised that a senator with a whole gaggle of bodyguards and assistants doesn't pump there own gas? what college educated lawyer making six figures and working a high pressure is any different? do we really want to elect someone based on their ability to do simple everyday tasks or do we want to elect someone based on bigger issues? and if drinking fancy coffee makes one elitist than what applies to the millions of people who stop into starbucks or any coffee shop daily.
Well, the video, s you can see is # 1 in YouTube, is top of Drudge's page, and has had over 300,000 views in just 18 hours. LikeI said when I posted it, it's remeniscent of when George HW Bush was amazed at a supermarket scanner. It tends to reinforce an image of being out of touch with common people and elitist. Which if I recall, is what people have been trying to pin on Obama for weeks now.
what college educated lawyer making six figures and working a high pressure is any different?
Actually:
1. All lawyers are college educated, even those of us who practice in traffic court; it's a requirement of passing the bar; 2. Every lawyer I've ever met, including the ones who earn six figures and work a high pressure job, get his or her own coffee. You ask a secretary to do so and you're looking at a sexual harassment claim.
That being said, I can see your point. Hillary's been in public life for about twenty years and probably hasn't gotten her own coffee in that time. So her unfamiliarity with the device isn't surprising.
At the same time, whomod's point about the importance of image is well taken, especially since she agreed to this photo op precisely in an effort to convey a "I'm just like you" message.
Indiana's largest paper picks Clinton Email|Link|Comments (3)Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 2, 2008 09:47 AM
In the stretch run of the Indiana primary race, Hillary Clinton picked up the endorsement today of the state's largest newspaper, which called her "well prepared for the rigors of the White House" and "tough, experienced, and realistic about what can and cannot be accomplished on the world stage."
The Indianapolis Star praised Barack Obama's eloquence and his ability to connect with voters "many who formerly felt disenfranchised."
It also criticized Clinton for pandering to voters by proposing a summer gas tax holiday -- an idea panned by most economists and unlikely to pass in Congress.
But in what it described as a "difficult choice," the newspaper's editorial board said that Clinton's "years of high-level experience" gives her the edge.
The next president "will take office at a time of extraordinary risk for this nation, both at home and abroad," including "a sagging economy, rising energy and food costs, the gap in health care, wars in two countries and threats from Iran," the endorsement editorial said. "Clinton is the better choice, based on her experience and grasp of major issues, to confront those challenges."
Of Obama, the editorial said, "His inexperience in high office is a liability." ...
Boston.com The polls seem to be showing Hillary with some momentum. It was unthinkable not to long ago that she could win NC & now it appears Obama's double digit lead evaporated.
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton stood in a Washington Township gymnasium last month and publicly said President George W. Bush was forcing the American military to rely on "Chinese spare parts" by allowing the sale of a Valparaiso defense contractor.
But fresh questions are being raised in the wake of Hillary's much-publicized comments questioning why Bush failed to stop Chinese investors from moving Magnequench to China and closing the Northwest Indiana plant.
For example, if the sale of the company to Chinese investors was going to jeopardize national security, why did President Bill Clinton's administration approve it in 1995?
Magnequench made the sophisticated magnets needed to guided "smart bombs." Today, bomb-makers have to buy the magnets from the Chinese.
Democratic National Committee members work tirelessly to elect Democrats locally, and they serve as strong advocates for finding solutions to our nation's most pressing problems. As former DNC Chairs, we are proud to be leaders in a Party that seeks to alleviate the burden of limited access to health care, fix broken systems of public education, improve working conditions for middle-class men and women, and ensure America's safety and security, at home and abroad.
Those of us who support Hillary Clinton for president do so with the knowledge that she, just like us, has dedicated her life to improving the standard of living for others, and she has worked to make our Party the strong force that it is today. Her values are our Party's values. Her record of fiscal prudence is matched by her commitment to social responsibility. Her accomplishments in the area of strengthening America's security are a matter of public record.
Hillary has run one of the most formidable campaigns in the history of our Party. Her wins this primary season are significant - Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas. Her base of support includes women, Hispanics, seniors, Catholics, middle and low income Americans, and rural, suburban and urban voters. That's a formidable coalition tailor-made for victory in a November general election.
In fact, if the election were held today, Hillary would beat Senator McCain, but Senator Obama would lose to the presumptive GOP nominee. According to the most recent polls available, Hillary would beat McCain by a margin of 279 to 259 Electoral Votes. But McCain would beat Obama by a margin of 291 to 247 Electoral Votes.
In a hypothetical general election matchup with McCain, Clinton is winning handily (50%-41%) while Obama is statistically tied with McCain (46%-44%), according to the AP-Ipsos poll released Monday. In the days following the Pennsylvania primary, Gallup Poll Daily tracking showed Hillary pulling even with Senator Obama. As of Thursday, Hillary was ahead 49%-45%.
Hillary can win our Party's nomination. She is neck and neck with her opponent in Indiana and North Carolina. Both states have sizeable voting blocs that resemble constituencies who supported Hillary by large margins in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other contests.
Years of job loss and the recent economic slowdown mean that most Indiana and North Carolina voters are more concerned about the economy than anything else. Hillary has consistently garnered the majority of support from voters who say the economy is the most important issue facing our country.
Hillary's campaign is currently operating at full capacity in Guam, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota.
As in states that have already voted, election official are expecting record turnouts. Pennsylvania registered more than 215,000 new voters ahead of its April 22 primary. More than 200,000 new voters have registered in Indiana since the start of the year. And in counties across North Carolina, registration numbers are double - or triple - what they were in 2004.
More than 30 million Americans have already cast a ballot in our Party's nomination contest and millions more will go to the polls between now and June 3. The record numbers of Americans who are registering and coming out to vote reflect the excitement about our candidates and the strength that our nominee will have behind him or her in the fall. The primary process will make our nominee stronger and better prepared to take on John McCain. Our Party only gains from having more voters - including more new voters - all across our country.
We encourage you to continue to fully consider Hillary Clinton and the fact that she is qualified and accomplished. Too much is at stake for us not to consider deeply the choice we must make for our Party and our country.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Curtis Former DNC Chairman (1977-1978)
Charles Manatt Former DNC Chairman (1981-1985)
The Family of the late Ron Brown Former DNC Chairman (1989-1993)
Mrs. Alma Brown, Michael Arrington Brown & Tracey Brown James
Debra DeLee Former DNC Chair (1994-1995)
Don Fowler Former DNC National Chairman (1995-1997)
Steve Grossman Former DNC National Chairman (1997-1999)
Governor Edward Rendell Former DNC General Chairman (1999-2001)
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Why is there always at least one handler standing behind Hillary at these public appearances nodding in agreement to the lines that he himself wrote??
I find it amazing that in light of that, the press still asks why Obama is more halting in his speech than Hillary..
Um.. perhaps it's because he actually is speaking for himself rather than getting two nodding handlers to write crap for him that they think people want to hear.
I find it amazing that in light of that, the press still asks why Obama is more halting in his speech than Hillary..
Where have you heard the press say that? Whenever I hear the press discuss the way they speak, the general consensus is that Obama is a much better speaker than Hillary, what with her poorly modulated voice and tendency to cackle nervously.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Why is there always at least one handler standing behind Hillary at these public appearances nodding in agreement to the lines that he himself wrote??
I find it amazing that in light of that, the press still asks why Obama is more halting in his speech than Hillary..
Um.. perhaps it's because he actually is speaking for himself rather than getting two nodding handlers to write crap for him that they think people want to hear.
Mrs. Clinton’s advisers acknowledged that the results of the primaries were far less than they had hoped, and said they were likely to face new pleas even from some of their own supporters for her to quit the race. They said they expected fund-raising to become even harder now; one adviser said the campaign was essentially broke, and several others refused to say whether Mrs. Clinton had lent the campaign money from her personal account to keep it afloat.
The advisers said they were dispirited over the loss in North Carolina, after her campaign — working off a shoestring budget as spending outpaces fund-raising — decided to allocate millions of dollars, some key operatives and full days of the candidate and her husband there.
The Clinton people were stilL trying to make the Florida and Michigan argument. The only problem now is that it's become irrelevant. Even if she gets BOTH states, it's not enough. IT'S OVER!!!!!
Hillary's people tried to argue that even if Obama reaches the 2,025 delegates he needs to become our nominee, Hillary will continue to contest the election until Florida and Michigan are seated. Yeah, only one little problem. NBC's Chuck Todd, who is brilliant and highly respected on such things, just said that you can give Hillary Florida and Michigan - on her terms - and she still loses the nationwide delegate count and the popular vote. She still loses the nomination.
Quote:
"If you threw in both Florida and Michigan, you will still look at a popular vote lead of some 150 to 200,000. If you throw in those delegates in her math you will have almost 100 delegate lead there for Obama. This was a big night because it really almost erases the doubt as far as Florida and Michigan is concerned too. You can throw those numbers in there and they really don't change the math that much for Obama." - Chuck Todd, NBC, May 6, 2008, 11:40PM
The petulant tantrum of perceived entitlement is finally over!
FUCKING BITCH.
Now her only avenue is to still stay in the running and do nothing but try to destroy Obama's fall chances so she can run again in 2012. Which as she and her husband have shown them,selves to be selfish egotists, I actually half expect her to do. That or start the Hillary For President Party.
I find it amazing that in light of that, the press still asks why Obama is more halting in his speech than Hillary..
Where have you heard the press say that? Whenever I hear the press discuss the way they speak, the general consensus is that Obama is a much better speaker than Hillary...
I heard it on Monday actually. They were running video of weekend appearances where Hillary was throwing assertions and prefab zingers to the crowd and Obama was pausing in mid sentence as he searched for the correct words to discuss the campaign.
A panel of pundits on TV were tearing him apart on it. And thru it all I couldn't help but to notice in the Hillary video that she had those same 2 stooges behind her and then Bill Clinton had the very same strategist stooges behind him at his small town events furiously nodding in agreement to the expected zinger sound bite.
Originally Posted By: G-Man
... what with her poorly modulated voice and tendency to cackle nervously.
Y'know.. I can't argue with that at all. I can only add to it. She is grating to the ears and the pantsuits are fucking ugly and masculine. Plus her tendency to try to drum up enthusiasm by assuming a half squat and clapping her hands and egging her audience to enthusiasm like a bad metal cover band whereas Obama generates it spontaneously is IMO quite sad.
NBC reported that Hillary cancelled her appearances on the morning shows tomorrow.
That means she isn't sure what she's doing, staying or going. Ben Smith at Politico says "It's a sign of weakness she can ill afford at a moment when questions about whether she can continue are mounting."
The Family of the late Ron Brown Former DNC Chairman (1989-1993)
Mrs. Alma Brown, Michael Arrington Brown & Tracey Brown James
Debra DeLee Former DNC Chair (1994-1995)
Don Fowler Former DNC National Chairman (1995-1997)
Steve Grossman Former DNC National Chairman (1997-1999)
Governor Edward Rendell Former DNC General Chairman (1999-2001)
Terence McAuliffe Former DNC Chairman (2001-2005)
So i guess that cynical stunt to try to minimize the heartfelt defection of a former Clinton supporter to Obama FOR THE GOOD OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, by concocting a bs counter letter by a bunch of already committed Clinton loyalists fell flat, eh?
All politicians adapt and mold themselves to fit their audience, but Hillary Clinton has elevated the art of identity politics to a science of morphology.
She doesn't just show people what they want in order to convince them that she's their "man" -- and we no longer use that word entirely metaphorically. She becomes the people she wants to sway.
Which prompts the question: Is she human or is she ... cyborg?
In James Cameron's "Terminator II: Judgment Day," the T-1000 android was made of liquid metal and could duplicate others. He "learned" a person by touching him and absorbing his data.
Hillary's life as a political spouse and candidate has been a kaleidoscope of shape-shifting and morphed identity. In the past 15 years, Americans have witnessed her transformation from a more feminine first lady to lately becoming a manly whiskey slugger with "testicular fortitude," as an Indiana labor leader recently described her.
throughout the campaign, Clinton has been whatever and whoever she needed to be. She's shown that she can speak in gerunds with or without g's. She can summon an African-American pastor's cadence in church or produce tears in a coffee shop surrounded by working gals who are tired, too.
She's just Regular People and feels their pain in ways husband Bill could only whimper about. She touches her targets and becomes them.
Trying to appeal to the Second Amendment crowd, she remembers learning to shoot with her daddy and criticizes Obama with a mailing that features a type of gun that experts say does not exist. Trying to establish her regular-guy bona fides in Crown Point, Ind., she drinks with two fists, sipping a beer followed by a shot of Crown Royal.
In Pennsylvania, where Clinton successfully courted the Catholic vote, she wore a saints bracelet easily recognizable to Catholics.
Impressive, if appalling. But most impressive of all has been Clinton's metamorphosis into a man. She isn't only the alpha dog. She's Cujo.
Should Clinton continue her run, Americans have a feast before them as primaries remain in such manly states as Montana and South Dakota.
Think of the possibilities: Clinton recalling her family heritage as big-game hunters. Her great, great, great uncle Buffalo Bill? Or perhaps she might discover DNA linked to Crazy Horse. In Montana, Hillary astride a horse smoking a Marlboro is an irresistible, if improbable, image. But some dust-kickers and a little chaw might be in the cards.
Symbolism, gesture and style aren't everything in politics, but they're plenty, especially after more than a year of rhetoric and meaningless stats. The conscious mind can only absorb so much information, and public speakers know that what matters most is the impression they make, not the words they say.
Clinton has successfully established herself as the man in charge while the lithe and willowy Obama seems too elegant for the trenches. But even cyborgs are imperfect.
The T-1000 could duplicate appearances and voices, but he couldn't capture the soul of the human being. Eventually, people realized something wasn't quite right.
