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Posted on 05.15.08 by Lisa Mancini @ 2:12 am
“Sweetie,” huh? Good thing McCain didn’t say this…cause you know if he did, it’d be string-up-the-white-man time. Yep. Filed under: Barack Obama and Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Media Comments: None |
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Posted on 05.14.08 by Stephen Covington @ 4:16 am
Out where the blue ticks bay and the cardinals sing, where mountaineers roam and the banjos twang, Hillary Clinton has won what might be one of her last few significant victories ahead of similar small states like Montana and South Dakota in June. West Virginia has gone to Clinton. Yep, West Virginia, a fairly conservative state which wouldn’t vote for Barack Obama even if he paid everyone with pure gold ingots and delicious snacks. WV is pretty heavily Democrat at the state level, but national elections are another tale entirely - Bush won in 2000 and 2004. Clinton probably didn’t even have to don a pair of overalls to pull this one off. It doesn’t change the fact that she’s still going to get smashed. I would say it’s time to hang it up, but it can’t hurt to have her keep slinging at Obama. Filed under: Barack Obama and Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Election Results and Hillary Clinton Comments: None |
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Posted on 04.27.08 by Stephen Covington @ 4:08 pm
Recent campaign expenditure reports show that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have spent a combined $110 million vying for the Democratic nomination. Obama alone is near $70 million as compared to Kerry’s $20 million in 2004, and is outpacing Clinton 2-1 in television spots in the key states of North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold primaries on May 6. Obama already stands to outdo Clinton in North Carolina, which has significant numbers of liberal voters in specific enclaves, and a large black population. Areas around Raleigh have seen significant growth in the last decade as younger voters have moved into the state seeking jobs in the “research triangle” region that focuses on the high-tech and bioscience sectors. Indiana, although politically dominated by Democrats, is fairly conservative and has a long history as a “red state” in Presidential general elections, which could play in favor of Clinton. Her convincing win in Pennsylvania shows that she is still relevant in the eyes of conservative Democrats who haven’t gone over to the Obama camp. Indiana could either reinforce this, or be a coup for Obama if he can garner more of the traditionalists in the party. An Obama win in NC and Clinton taking Indiana would allow Hillary to hang on, but barely. Filed under: Barack Obama and Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: None |
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Posted on 04.20.08 by Stephen Covington @ 12:20 am
With 188 delegates at stake, this coming Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Pennsylvania is shaping up to be a make-or-break event for the Clinton campaign, which has recently seen a string of strategic endorsements go to Obama. The list includes former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, former senator Sam Nunn, Nebraska Democratic State Chairman Steve Achelpohl and even singer Bruce Springsteen. Pennsylvania is seen as a stronghold state for Clinton, with large numbers of working class voters, high levels of union membership and a labor force that has seen significant displacement from manufacturing and industrial jobs. A Zogby poll on 4/18 has Clinton at 47% to Obama at 42%, with a 5-point margin of error. A Rasumussen taken on 4/17 seems to agree, with Clinton at 47% and Obama at 45%, with a 3% margin of error. Obama is running competitively in the state, maintaining at least 30 field offices and blasting the airwaves with TV ads. Geographically, the candidate’s strong areas in the state are divided; Clinton has a lot of support in the western area of Pittsburgh, traditionally associated with heavy industry. Obama has a great deal of momentum in Philadelphia, with its large numbers of black voters who traditionally vote Democrat. The rest of the state is pretty much up for grabs. This is the first time that Pennsylvania has played a decisive role in any presidential election since 1976. Clinton needs to win the state somewhat decisively; a slim margin of victory would be considered a plus for Obama, showing that Clinton’s support is eroding quickly. A win for Obama would almost certainly knock Clinton out of the race as a serious contender. Many superdelegates may make up their mind based on what they see on Tuesday, or in the early-May primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. Filed under: Barack Obama and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: 3 Comments |
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Posted on 03.26.08 by Stephen Covington @ 6:13 pm
At a recent campaign stop for her mother, Chelsea Clinton was asked whether the Lewinsky affair had damaged her mother’s credibility. Clinton swatted the question away by remarking that it was not anyone’s business. The resulting storm of media attention to the topic has reminded everyone about the overbaked scandal from the late 1990s, an unfortunate and tired memory which it seems we may never leave behind us. A better question is: Why does Lewinsky even matter? Who actually has the time to care about such a trivial issue? The whole situation seemed like a waste of time from the beginning - but now we’re bringing it up again? Why curse the next generation with this well-worn topic? Most people have moved on - Lewinsky herself now has a degree in social psychology, Kenneth Starr is back to private practice (he’s representing Blackwater), and Bill Clinton hasn’t been the president for nearly a decade. Surely there must be more important topics to discuss than this personality-driven morass we now find oursevles in. If there aren’t, then that’s a statement of the shabby level of discourse in American politics. We have a troubled economy, energy policy is quite a pressing issue, China is growing incredibly quickly and we have a rapidly aging Boomer population. Even reporting darkened streetlights to the local utility would be more of a contribution than discussing the Lewinsky scandal. Find something worthwhile to talk about! Filed under: Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 03.08.08 by Stephen Covington @ 9:09 am
Aware that she might not do extremely well against Obama in a state with a rapidly growing population of young and middle-aged urban transplants, Hillary Clinton has reevaluated her expectations for Wyoming’s primary, scheduled for later today.
Clinton has recently gained traction against Obama in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, where she significantly made up for her previously stunning losses in delegates. The race between Clinton and Obama is still tightly contested, and in the end may be decided almost solely by “super-delegates”, high-profile members who are not expressly pledged the way that normal delegates are. A win by Clinton is considered favorable for Republicans, who may be better able to summon their ranks against her, versus opposing Obama, who seems to be able to pull from the center more effectively. Filed under: Barack Obama and Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: 7 Comments |
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Posted on 02.14.08 by Stephen Covington @ 2:41 pm
Illinois Senator Barack Obama now leads New York Senator Hillary Clinton by 100 delegates in the race for the Democratic presidential primary nomination. Superdelegates, who include VIPs such as governors and state party leaders, still hold sway as 796 other delegates who are not obliged to either candidate until the convention actually arrives. This marks a turning point in the campaign, placing Clinton squarely as the underdog, and showing a retreat of some of her most valuable constituencies - many more women and low-income Americans voted for Obama than expected on Tuesday. While small, the gap is significant this late in the race, and it may be something that Clinton can make up next month in the big primary states of Texas and Ohio - but these may represent a last stand for the beleaguered, less nimble campaign. Obama has had strong, almost unrelenting momentum through the entire campaign, and a continuation of that may well deliver him to the nomination. Although it’s unlikely Clinton would drop out before the convention, she may have a hard time lobbying the Democratic superdelegates if she can’t show solid support among the constituents of her own party. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but right now all eyes are on Obama. Filed under: Barack Obama and Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Hillary Clinton Comments: 7 Comments |
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Posted on 02.03.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 9:34 pm
While Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are flying across the nation and slugging it out for delegates and momentum on Super Tuesday, the third Democrat still hanging in the race is taking it a little bit easier. Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel is working the liberal San Francisco and Berkeley areas for the next few days. With John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich out of the race, the extreme leftist vote in the Democrat party is up for grabs and Gravel is hoping to pick up a little bit of a share for himself. On election night there will be no giant rally for Gravel, but rather he and some of his supporters plan to hang out at Spud’s Pizza in Berkeley…
Gravel has barely registered in any of the early primary states. He’s often beaten by candidates who have already dropped out of the race. But, like Alan Keyes in the Republican race, Gravel is banking on a thinning of the field to allow him to win some protest votes and possibly even accumulate a few convention delegates. Personally, I would love nothing better than for Gravel to win some delegates and secure himself a speaking role at the Democratic convention. The Democratic establishment has tried to distance themselves from Gravel’s fiery leftist rhetoric. But if he can win delegates and support, he’s sure to be an amusing sideshow when the Dems meet in Denver. Gravel is hanging out in California because many of the state’s Democratic delegates are awarded proportionally by Congressional District. So Gravel’s strategy seems to be to try and pick off a couple of delegates in the extremely liberal districts on the northern coast. In 2004, Dennis Kucinich snuck into the double-digits in Marin and San Francisco counties. Not quite enough to win delegates there, but pretty close. We’ll have to see if Gravel fares any better in California, or elsewhere, on Tuesday night. But here’s hoping the Gravel finds himself a few delegates to go along with his slice of pizza. Filed under: Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Super Tuesday Comments: 8 Comments |
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Posted on 02.02.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 8:49 am
Ralph Nader has decided to run for President yet again. The consumer advocate, liberal activist is launching his fourth straight campaign for the nation’s highest office. Although Nader has a loyal following among some, many in the Democratic Party feel that he acts as a spoiler. The election in 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore featured Nader drawing over 90,000 votes from the former Vice-President and handing the election to Bush. Now 73, Nader says that he was unfairly blamed by Democrats who lost a critical election. “They scapegoated me,” said Nader in an interview with Agence France-Presse. “Instead they should look in the mirror and ask why they lost.” A longtime advocate for consumer rights and onetime candidate on the Green Party ticket, Nader feels that the two party system is inadequate and does not give sufficient choice to voters. “When 98 percent of people voted for the president in the Soviet Union, whose name was the only one on the ballot, everybody laughed,” said Nader. “But in 90 percent of votes for the House of Representatives there is essentially only one candidate.” Nader’s effect this election depends largely on which way the Democratic primary goes. Hillary Clinton’s base of support is not strong among young voters; if Obama is defeated for the nomination, many 18-25 year olds may not be motivated to vote for his most virulent opponent. Instead, those heading to the polls in November may choose Nader, especially if the GOP candidate is not a polarizing figure. Super Tuesday on February 5 will largely determine whether he gets another fifteen minutes in the spotlight, or continues to gather dust in the annals of history. One thing is sure: Ralph Nader is always bad news for the Democratic Party. Visit Nader’s website - http://www.naderexplore08.com Filed under: Campaign 2008 and Democrats Comments: 7 Comments |
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Posted on 02.01.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 2:20 am
Hilliary Clinton’s campaign has taken an unusual step and purchased an entire hour of airtime on the Hallmark network, a channel that airs mostly family-oriented prorgramming that appeals to a female audience. The hour will be used to broadcast a portion of a town hall event she’s calling “Voices Across America.” The broadcast will take place on February 4th, the eve of next Tuesday’s national primary day. It’s part of the many national media buys that candidates are placing in advance of the day with more than half the nation’s voters will be able to go to the polls. It’s widely expected that the two nominees will be known by Wednesday morning. Hallmark’s family-friendly audience seems like both an ideal fit for Clinton, and also a bit confusing. While the channel does draw in many female viewers, they’re probably more likely to be Republican housewives than the single working women or retirees that Hilliary needs. It’s hard to imagine many liberal New York Democrats sitting down to watch episodes of the Waltons or 7th Heaven. I wonder if we’ll now see John McCain buy an hour on The Military Channel, or Mitt Romney on CNBC, or Barack Obama on BET, or Mike Huckabee on RFDTV. Maybe Ron Paul can pick up an hour on the Sci-Fi Channel. Filed under: Campaign 2008 and Democrats and Super Tuesday Comments: 1 Comment |
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