The Clintons blustered and bellowed, moaned and groaned, and cried all sorts of foul, but at the end of the day the DNC Rules Committee did not give them what they wanted. Their votes on Michigan and Florida showed that there is a new leader of the party, and his name is Barack Obama.
The Chicago Tribune website is reporting that Obama spokesperson Ben LaBolt confirmed that Obama is in essence resigning from the church after the latest controversy surrounding a video of Rev. Michael Pfleger mocking Hillary Clinton while he was speaking at Trinity United. The spokesman said that Obama has not attended the church since the Wright controversy erupted in mid-March.
Even though both Michigan and Florida screwed themselves, they are both appealing to the DNC Rules Committee to get their full delegations seated. There are three different questions being decided at today’s meeting.1). Should the delegates be seated? 2). How should the delegates be awarded to the candidates? 3). Will the popular vote count?
Both the Obama and McCain camps are involved in heated exchange over whether or not John McCain intentionally distorted, or just didn’t know the troop levels in Iraq. The McCain camp’s defense seems to be to blame Obama, and say that he knew what McCain meant.
Here is the video of what McCain originally said:
In this edition of Pros and Cons we take a look at Wesley Clark whose name often gets mentioned when the subject of Clinton supporters who could be Barack Obama’s running mate is discussed. We’ll take a look at who Wesley Clark is and what he might bring to the ticket.
This morning Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie and DNC member Betty Richie announced that they are endorsing Barack Obama for President. “Too many Texas families find themselves unable to make ends meet, much less save and invest in the future, due to Republican policies that burden the middle class and divide Americans,” Boyd Richie said.
After the US Army announced today that the soldier suicide rate had reached an all time high in 2007, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said, “Today’s news is a tragic reminder of the staggering and ongoing costs of the Iraq war, particularly on our troops and their families.
Barack Obama has a wide range of Democrats to choose his running mate from. In recent years the Democratic Party has been able to elect 28 of the nation’s 50 governors. These state executives represent some of the party’s best talent. If Obama decides to add a governor to his ticket, here are five excellent choices.
A new Survey USA poll of the state of Kansas found that John McCain leads Obama 49%-39% in the state, and even if Obama chose Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as his running mate, John McCain would still be leading the state.
Would it be possible that Barack Obama would take his message of a new kind of politics as far as selecting a Republican as his running mate? In this edition of Pros and Cons, we take a look at Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and what he would bring to a potential ticket with Obama.
In this edition of Pros and Cons we take a look at one Hillary Clinton supporter who might be a very logical choice to be Barack Obama’s running mate, Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH).
The Democratic National Committee released a statement today about a 17 page memo they sent to members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee that laid out the challenges to the sanctions imposed on Michigan and Florida for violating the agreed upon 2008 primary schedule.
Deservedly, much of the mainstream media is talking about the bombshell quotes from former press secretary Scott McClellan’s new book about the attitude and actions of the Bush administration prior to and during the Iraq war, but what they leave out is an interesting piece of media criticism that demonstrates how the media isn’t so liberal and has
Today Barack Obama continued to try to link George W. Bush and John McCain together on the issues of the economy and the foreclosure crisis. First Obama blamed Bush for inaction on the foreclosure crisis, “For President Bush, the answer was to do nothing until the pain out on Main Street trickled up to Wall Street.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has been mentioned by some in the media as a potential running mate for Barack Obama, so in this edition of Pros and Cons we look at how Rendell might help or hurt if he were to share the ticket with Obama.
Today at a campaign stop in North Las Vegas, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama laid into John McCain for closing the doors to the public of a fundraiser he is holding with George W. Bush tonight. “Today, John McCain is having a different kind of meeting. He’s holding a fundraiser with George Bush behind closed doors in Arizona. No cameras. No reporters.
On the 20th consecutive day when gas prices reached a record high, John McCain gave a speech about nuclear proliferation. Can this campaign be any more out of touch with the issues that matter to American voters?
Citing Barack Obama’s advocacy for unions and veterans’ issues, Wyoming Democratic Party Vice Chair Nancy Drummond endorsed Obama today. “His position on education, his work with senior citizens and his advocacy for union members and veterans make me proud to support Senator Obama,” Drummond said.
Last week, video surfaced of an August 2007 town hall meeting featuring Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (D-PA), in which the Congressman said that Democrats “stretched the facts” about their ability to stop the Iraq war during the 2006 election season.
There has been some talk among Democrats that Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) might be the ideal choice as a running mate for Barack Obama, so in this edition of pros and cons we look at what Jim Webb might bring to a ticket with Obama.
Over the last few days Survey USA has done polls of swing states Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The polls not only matched up the two presidential candidates head to head, but also looked at different ticket combinations and how they matched up against each other.
In the third part of our continuing series profiling the potential running mates for Barack Obama, I take a look at Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE). Biden is a popular Democratic senator, but would he be the perfect running mate for Obama?
One of the most divisive questions currently among Democrats is the matter of the so called “Dream Ticket” with Hillary Clinton as Barack Obama’s running mate this fall. On average 60% of Clinton supporters favor it, and 60% of Obama supporters oppose it, but what are the pros and cons to having Hillary on the ticket with Obama?
It may not have been the first time that she said it on the campaign trail, but Hillary Clinton’s remark about staying in the race because Barack Obama could be assassinated like Robert F. Kennedy was in 1968 was wrong on many different levels.
As Barack Obama and John McCain formerly begin their searches for running mates, over the next few weeks we will be profiling the potential candidates for the VP slots. First up is current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
It all started today with a disagreement over the 21st Century GI Bill. Now Barack Obama and John McCain have spent the day exchanging insults. This evening the Obama campaign released a statement from their candidate saying that McCain’s endless diatribes and schoolyard taunts do nothing to advance the debate.
Despite the fact that America has faced a looming entitlement crisis for decades, politicians have been short on concrete proposals. Any genuine attempt at entitlement reform would necessitate asking voters to make sacrfices, and most politicians can’t win elections by doing that.
Despite the fact that President Bush has already threatened to veto it, 25 Republicans sided with the Democrats today in passing a war spending bill. By a veto proof vote of 75-22, the Senate agreed to spend an extra $10 billion to strengthen the GI Bill, add 13 weeks of unemployment benefits, and provide heating subsidies to the poor.
There was some good news and some bad news for Barack Obama in the latest Quinnipiac University poll of swing states Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The good news is that Obama is beating McCain in Pennsylvania. The bad news is that he is losing to McCain in Ohio and Florida, and working class white voters are the difference.
Try this on for size: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States, Bobby Jindal! How about Vice President Mitt Romney?
Hillary Clinton is either looking to make sure that the Democrats don’t win Michigan and Florida in the fall, trying to incite a populist outcry in these states that she hopes will carry her to the nomination, or make sure that every Democrat hates her by comparing the primary mess in Michigan and Florida to the 2000 election.
While speaking in Tampa, FL today, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama launched his most pointed attack at John McCain yet for having lobbyists run his presidential campaign.
The president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Cecil E. Roberts announced today that his organization is endorsing Barack Obama for president. “He understands and will fight for the needs our members have today and the hopes our members have for a secure future for themselves and their families,” Roberts said.
According to calculations done by the Center for Responsive Politics, in March 113 Clinton donors switched their financial support to Barack Obama.
Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama may have gotten blown out in Kentucky, but he is cruising to big win in Oregon tonight, and earlier this evening at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Obama promised that change is coming to America.
Hillary Clinton delivered a rather odd victory speech in Louisville, KY tonight after her primary win in the state. Part of her speech vowed to fight on, while the other part called for party unity.
In a bit of ho-hum breaking news, Hillary Clinton has won the Kentucky Democratic primary. Clinton was powered to victory by the same two demographics that have carried her to victory in similar states. White voters and voters who did not graduate from college went strongly for Hillary Clinton.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both released statements this afternoon about the news that Sen. Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.
If there is one word that can be used to describe both Democratic and Republican reaction to the news that Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, it is sadness. Below are some of the reactions from all over the U.S. political world.
This morning the soon to be Democratic nominee Barack Obama picked up two more superdelelgates. Iowa Democratic Chairman Scott Brennan and Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo both endorsed him. “Senator Obama offers us the leadership needed to address the challenges Guam and our nation will face in the coming years,” Bordallo said.
Barack Obama was in Oregon this past weekend, campaigning in a state he’s certain to win in November. Obama responded to attacks by John McCain on his intention to meet the leaders of Iran without preconditions. He also emphasized his environmental policies, because Oregonian voters are particularly green-friendly.
While the media is going on and on today about the war of words between McCain and Obama over Iran, they missed the not so subtle subtext that McCain is making the same failed experience argument that doomed Hillary Clinton. McCain seems ready dredge up the tired argument that Obama is too reckless and inexperienced to be president.
Late this afternoon Barack Obama picked up his 303.5 and 304.5 superdelegates as Cindy Spanyers and Blake Johnson endorsed Barack Obama. Spanyers and Johnson stressed Obama’s commitment to Alaska issues, “Senator Obama is committed to Alaskans and establishing important ties to the state.
The dean of the Senate, Robert Byrd of West Virginia has endorsed Barack Obama today. Byrd focused on ending the Iraq war, “As people all across this great nation know, I have been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Bush administration’s misguided war in Iraq and its saber rattling around the globe.”
A new Suffolk University poll of Kentucky Democrats reveals that Hillary Clinton holds a 26 point lead over Barack Obama. Clinton leads Obama 51%-25% with 6% for John Edwards, 5% uncommitted, and 11% undecided. While Obama has a 73% approval rating in Oregon, his rating is only 43% in Kentucky.
What had looked it would be a laugher, has turned into a tight primary for Barack Obama in Oregon. Obama now leads Clinton 45%-41% with 8% undecided and 6% refusing to answer. Obama had in recent weeks maintained a steady double digit lead.
Hillary Clinton was on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer today, and she is starting to sound an awful lot like a team player. Check out her response to a viewer question about why so many of her supporters say they would vote for McCain over Obama if she isn’t the nominee.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Saturday to meet with various U.S. and Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Even though she acknowledged that Iraq has made progress, Pelosi continued to emphasize that the war must be brought to an end.
Sen. Barack Obama accused President Bush of making a “dishonest, divisive attack” on him last week during a speech to the Israeli Knesset.
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) was on Meet The Press this morning and said not only was he not interested in the Vice President slot, but he would discourage the Democratic nominee from even asking him. Host Tim Russert broached the question asking Webb about the press release his publisher sent out for his new book.
I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and know a few things about Kentucky politics. Kentucky did not jump at the idea of frontloading its primary in 2008. I think this is a smart idea due to what that would have meant for local and statewide office holders.
With energy prices being at an all time high, Republicans have returned to arguing that the key to energy independence is drilling for more oil. I am here to tell you why this view is not only wrong, but also incredibly stupid. Here are the basic numbers from the U.S. government’s own Energy Information Administration….
A statement from the office of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) clarified that the Senator did not have a stroke, but is instead undergoing tests after suffering a seizure.
Maryland superdelegate Greg Pecoraro endorsed Barack Obama for president today. His endorsement leaves Obama only 119.5 delegates short of clinching the Democratic nomination.
Click here for the updated story The Boston Globe is reporting that family members have been summoned to Boston after Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital from Hyannis Port after he suffered a stroke this morning.
Mike Huckabee put his foot firmly in his mouth today when while speaking before the national convention of the National Rifle Association, when during his speech there was a loud noise backstage, which led Huckabee to joke, “That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair.
The editorial board of the Lexington Herald-Leader endorsed Barack Obama today, just days short of Kentucky’s Democratic primary. “The opportunity for national renewal will be even greater if, as appears almost certain, Sen. Barack Obama is the nominee,” the paper said in its endorsement.
On the Today show this morning John Edwards said that he is not interested in being Barack Obama’s running mate. He also put to rest the speculation that Obama had his endorsement in his back pocket and was waiting until after West Virginia to roll it out.
This morning Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) announced his endorsement of Barack Obama. He pointed out that Obama delivers a message that transcends politics.
As much as the GOP needs a wedge issue to energize its base, and have any chance at all of not suffering an embarrassing defeat in November, it looks like yesterday’s California Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage in the state, won’t do the trick.
“Not surprisingly, the engineer of the worst foreign policy in our nation’s history has fired yet another reckless and reprehensible round.
Earlier this week, Barack Obama told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that it’s “offensive” for John McCain to say that Hamas supports Obama’s candidacy. Obama said that McCain was “losing his bearings,” which McCain’s campaign denounced as an unfair attack on their candidate’s age.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released today revealed that 82% of those surveyed are dissatisfied with the direction that the nation is heading in. Voters in red, blue, and swing states all also agreed that the federal gas tax holiday proposed by Republican presidential candidate John McCain is a bad idea.
Today speaking before the Knesset in Israel, President Bush compared Barack Obama’s foreign policy to those who wished to appease the Nazis before World War II. This brought about a strong rebuttal from Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE).
California’s new motto: we do more before 10am than most people do in a day.
The New York Times has been reporting that contrary to his public statements, John Edwards would consider, if asked, being Barack Obama’s running mate. Buried on page 2 of their story about the Edwards endorsement was the following little gem.
Overshadowed by the John Edwards endorsement is the fact that Barack Obama spent the day campaigning in Michigan and talking about jobs.
Though Hillary Clinton trounced Barack Obama in West Virginia last night by 67% to 26%, it doesn’t seem like anyone is talking about her. Most of the news from this morning centers around when she will finally exit the race—not on her victory, and certainly not on what she will do once the race is over.
The surprise endorsement of Barack Obama by John Edwards more than anything helps Barack Obama put an exclamation point on the Democratic primary. In one swift move Obama has trumped Hillary Clinton’s win in West Virginia last night.
Ralph Nader continued his tour of the West Coast recently in Oakland, CA. Nader declared that the United States is running under a corporate fascist economic system. “We’re living in a country whose democracy is beyond the breaking point. The extent of corporate control has developed into corporate fascism,” Nader said.
A new Public Policy Polling poll of Democrats in the state of Oregon released today found that Barack Obama is enjoying a 14 point lead over Hillary Clinton. Obama leads Clinton in the state 53%-39%. Obama leads with voters in every racial category, and every age group except those over age 65.
Hillary Clinton had hoped that her big win last night among white working class voters in West Virginia would give the superdelegates pause about endorsing Obama, but if this morning is any indication, the superdelegates keep flowing towards Obama.
So far today, Obama has added two more
The Senate Democratic leadership sent a letter to President Bush today asking him to talk to Saudi Arabia during his Middle Eastern trip about increasing the supply of oil in the current market. Saudi Arabia has an excess capacity of 2 million barrels of oil per day that they aren’t using.
In her victory speech tonight, Hillary Clinton tried to use her victory in West Virginia to make a claim to the superdelegates that she is the Democrat who can be the strongest candidate in the fall.
The polls just closed in West Virginia, and already Hillary Clinton has been declared the winner. This is not shocking or surprising as she was expected to blow out Barack Obama in a state where he didn’t make much of an effort to connect with voters.
The Democratic voters in the state of West Virginia are doing a fine job of making their primary completely irrelevant. The Mountaineer State has decided that they will support Hillary Clinton, but is their strong vote for Clinton a vote against Obama?
The Dark Sith of Clinton campaign, James Carville finally admitted that the Democratic primary is over, well almost over. Carville told an audience at Furman University that Clinton should stay in until the last dog dies, but “I still hear some dogs barking. I’m for Senator Clinton, but I think the great likelihood is that Obama will be the nominee.”
Senate Democrats and Republicans alike called on President Bush to stop buying 70,000 barrels of oil a day at $120 a barrel to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The Senate voted 97-1 to stop buying oil for the reserve until the end of the year.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin endorsed Barack Obama this morning. In his statement, he made it clear that his top priority is rebuilding his city, “In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Senator Obama worked to help address the needs of our Gulf Coast communities. As the Gulf Coast continues to rebuild, other cities have faced tragic disasters across this country.”
Sometimes when I write about Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s age in a less than flattering way, I get accused of ageism, so is it fair to call John McCain old? John McCain was born on August 29, 1936. By the time he accepts the Republican nomination in September, he will be 72 years old.
While speaking today in Charleston, WV Barack Obama addressed veterans’ issues and specifically criticized John McCain for not supporting the 21st Century GI Bill.
Barack Obama needs only 150 delegates to ensure the Democratic nomination after he picked up the endorsements of Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Idaho superdelegate Keith Roark, and Hawaii superdelegate Dolly Strazar.
A new Suffolk University poll released today of Democratic primary voters in the state of West Virginia found that Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama by 36 points in the state. Democrats favored Clinton over Obama by a 60%-24% margin. Sixty seven percent of Democrats surveyed said that Clinton should stay in the race.
Democratic front runner Barack Obama is now only 154 delegates short of wrapping up his Party’s nomination after Maine Rep., and 2008 Senate candidate, Tom Allen endorsed him this morning.
Today superdelegate Crystal Strait who is board member for the Young Democrats of America endorsed Barack Obama. “Barack Obama has shown a real commitment to young voters in his campaign and in response young people have overwhelmingly voted and caucused for Obama in these primary contests.”
An interview Wolf Blitzer did with Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama aired on CNN’s Late Edition program today. During the interview Obama was asked about Mitt Romney’s remark that Obama had never done anything with his life and has no experience.
According to a story in the upcoming issue of Newsweek, both Barack Obama and John McCain are expecting the Swift Boat campaign that was carried out against John Kerry in 2004 to look like child’s play compared to the general election this fall.
The constant and farfetched attempt by the Hillary Clinton campaign to lend the appearance of a still competitive Democratic primary continued on Sunday morning. Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said on Meet the Press that she is only 100,000 popular votes behind Barack Obama.
Hillary Clinton’s last lead in the Democratic primary race was shattered today by two superdelgates from the Virgin Islands. With the endorsements from Carole Burke and Kevin Rodriquez, Obama now needs only 157 delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination.
Now that Barack Obama looks to be the Democratic nominee, speculation is growing about who he will select as his running mate, so I have compiled a list of the top 5 likely candidates to get a good long look from the Obama campaign.
This week’s Democratic radio address was delivered by Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Her topic was the record high price of gasoline.
Now that Barack Obama is on the verge of wrapping up the Democratic nomination, discussion has once again started swirling about an Obama/Clinton “dream ticket.”
Today Obama picked up a whopping nine superdelegates, and is now only 160 delegates short of clinching the Democratic nomination. Here are some quotes from, and links to today’s endorsements.
The Democratic National Committee recently put out a statement calling on millionaire beer heiress, and wife of the soon to be GOP nominee, Cindy McCain to release her tax returns.
DNC Chair Howard Dean wants to know what John McCain is hiding from the voters, and why he speaks about openness and reform on the campaign trail, but the same rules don’t apply to him.
Today in Bearverton, OR Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama gave a speech on the economy, but Hillary Clinton was not mentioned once. Instead, Obama fired the first salvo of the general election campaign by contrasting himself with John McCain.
Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama has picked up three more superdelegates today, now leaving him only 164 short of clinching his party’s nomination. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon is expected to endorse Obama later today at an event in the state.
A new study has revealed that conservatives are happier than liberals. Researchers have pinpointed exactly why right-leaning Americans are in such high spirits – conservatives don’t care about social justice. This conclusion conveniently reinforces liberals’ smug sense of moral superiority, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
Well, another primary Tuesday came and went, and with it Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) came even closer in gaining the Democratic nomination. He won North Carolina handily and barely lost out in Indiana, but gaining enough delegates there that
Today, Barack Obama’s superdelegate march to the Democratic nomination continued with the endorsement of Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC).
Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe was on NBC’s Today show this morning and flat said that the Democratic race will be over by early June, “It’ll be over early June. We’ve all said we’ll be together at the end. If Hillary doesn’t win, Hillary, President Clinton, myself, we’ll be over there helping Senator Obama.
