Education. Health care. The economy. Voters.
We heard these words in the opening statements from Sens. Clinton and Obama at the Democratic debate in Philadelphia last Wednesday — but don't be fooled. The debate's primary concern, the moderators made clear, was to hash out other, more important issues: Was Hillary really dodging sniper fire in Bosnia, and why doesn't Barack like his flag pin?
Keith Olbermann called this first debate in 7 weeks "startlingly tabloid," but multiple commentators and thousands of viewers gave moderators George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson both a deserved amount of criticism for what they believed was a petty opening round of questions.
Issues like Rev. Wright and the "religion and guns" remark were slung at Obama, while Clinton took hits for her ego and trustworthiness. All in all, the initial trivia (as in trivial) questions ate up the first 30 minutes of the 90-minute debate. It was only after the first commercial break that we finally get a moderator to combine the word "Iraq" with a question mark.
With the Pennsylvania primary so close, the debate really could have — and should have — offered the voters more. It's generally accepted that Clinton will take the primary (she consistently lead state polls in the double digits until March), but the same was said about Ohio and Texas. And like then, her numbers have made a slow and steady decline leading up to Election Day.
She could have used the oppurtunity to make a solid case on a statewide platform on issues that really matter to Pennsylvanians; instead she nodded along to Stephanopoulos' question about Obama's obscure connection to the radical group the Weather Underground, agreeing that it was a very thoughtful question. But then, I guess it's not really surprising to think that cheap shots might be her only chance at taking back her 16 point lead in the state. Yet again we have another do-or-die election for the Clinton camp.
And on the other side, McCain finds himself with a lot of spare time. I can't see Pennsylvania primary crystallizing either Democratic candidate, so I imagine it'll be a relaxing summer for John. He's currently trying to court his allusive conservative base by laying out a firm and convincing economic plan, and is visiting states outside the traditional GOP boundaries, like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to FOX News. He also seems to be mulling over his vice presidential pick as slowly as possible.
Columnists and commentators keep talking about McCain's top prospects, but listening to their responses makes him seem like the prom date nobody wanted:
"I don’t want to be, don’t intend to be, won’t be on the ticket," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Associated Press last week. Many said that a McCain-Rice ticket would be a sure dream ticket for Republicans.
"For the 900th time, I am not running for vice president," said Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a young conservative that many saw as the perfect balancing partner for McCain.
All that's missing is "I wouldn't run with John McCain if he was the last president on Earth."
To me an exciting prospect on the field is New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. According to a UK Guardian article, Bloomberg had potential to run for president as an independent, but all hopes were dashed when McCain won over the majority of what would have been his base. Bloomberg's economic prowess would serve anyone well as a vice president, but for the time being he has "a stance of political neutrality by keeping his hands in his lap" throughout the speeches by Obama, Clinton and McCain.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Something that should make Obama fans cringe.
I'm surprised to say I actually agree with a statement from Sen. McCain's camp:
"It shows an elitism and condescension toward hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking."
I'm surprised to say I actually agree with a statement from Sen. McCain's camp:
"It shows an elitism and condescension toward hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking."
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Gov. Richardson edorses Obama
It seems like there's a new death knell every week in the Clinton-Obama race, but here's one more chiming in: Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who dropped out of the Democratic presidential race in January, threw his support to Sen. Barack Obama at a rally in Portland, Oregon Friday.
His choice comes just days after Obama's speech on American race issues and politics, and Richardson spent much of his endorsement announcment praising Obama for making a brave and bold statement on the nation's racial divisions.
"Senator Obama could have given a safer speech," Richardson said. "He spoke to us as adults. He asked us to ponder the reign of our racially divided past [and] to rise above it."
Richardson's endorsements praised Obama's stances on economic policy, stance on the Iraqi war, and global leadership potential, calling him a "once in a lifetime leader."
His choice comes just days after Obama's speech on American race issues and politics, and Richardson spent much of his endorsement announcment praising Obama for making a brave and bold statement on the nation's racial divisions.
"Senator Obama could have given a safer speech," Richardson said. "He spoke to us as adults. He asked us to ponder the reign of our racially divided past [and] to rise above it."
Richardson's endorsements praised Obama's stances on economic policy, stance on the Iraqi war, and global leadership potential, calling him a "once in a lifetime leader."
Thursday, March 20, 2008
YouTube brings down Obama
The mighty sword of YouTube hath again fallen: This time on Sen. Barack Obama.
Sermon recordings of Obama’s longtime pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, that surfaced on YouTube have have caused a storm of controversy over issues of race and patriotism that have dogged the Obama campaign from the beginning. Only after increased political and media pressure did Obama speak in detail on the Reverend’s defamatory remarks.
Rev. Wright’s statements quickly became sensational sound bites syndicated by media outlets. His more startling statements were that the government released the AIDS virus to kill blacks, and his now-infamous line that “God damn America” for its treatment of the black community.
In a speech compared to the oration of Martin Luther King, Jr., John Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln, Obama addressed the press corps in Philidelphia on race in politics Tuesday morning, saying that only recently had the topic led the campaign down a “particularly divisive” road. The speech also served to put Obama at a far distance from Rev. Wright’s social commentary.
“The fact is,” Obama said, “that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through — a part of our Union that we have yet to perfect.”
While the Obama campaign has tried to stay decidedly separate from race issues, his speech was hailed as the boldest confrontation by a politician on race problems in America in decades, it hasn’t helped his numbers recover.
Reaction has not all been positive, however. Geraldine Ferrraro, who this month resigned from Hillary Clinton’s finance committee over criticisms of her perceivably racist comments against Barack Obama.
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro told the Torrance-based Daily Breeze in a March 7 article. “And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”
Obama singled out her comments on his list of racial criticisms during his speech.
“We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue,” Obama said in his speech. “Just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.”
Ferraro objected to the mention, saying that her comments did not bear the same sentiments as Rev. Wright’s.
“To equate what I said with what this racist bigot has said from the pulpit is unbelievable,” Ferraro said the day after Obama’s spoke. “He gave a very good speech on race relations, but he did not address the fact that this man is up there spewing hatred.”
Some were irked and some were inspired, but the numbers speak for themselves. Even after Obama’s speech Tuesday, his numbers have been on the decline.
The backlash from Rev. Wright’s statements chipped away at his percentage points these past weeks. According to AFP, the latest Gallup poll as of last Thursday puts Sen. Hillary Clinton ahead by a seven-point lead nationally over Obama, 49 percent to 42 percent — her first statistically significant lead over Obama in more than a month.
Polls on RealClearPolitics.com also placed Clinton as a near-lock to win the keystone state, Pennsylvania, putting her at a 16 percent lead ahead of Obama.
You can view Obama's speech here, and excerpts from Reverend Wright's sermons here.
Sermon recordings of Obama’s longtime pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, that surfaced on YouTube have have caused a storm of controversy over issues of race and patriotism that have dogged the Obama campaign from the beginning. Only after increased political and media pressure did Obama speak in detail on the Reverend’s defamatory remarks.
Rev. Wright’s statements quickly became sensational sound bites syndicated by media outlets. His more startling statements were that the government released the AIDS virus to kill blacks, and his now-infamous line that “God damn America” for its treatment of the black community.
In a speech compared to the oration of Martin Luther King, Jr., John Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln, Obama addressed the press corps in Philidelphia on race in politics Tuesday morning, saying that only recently had the topic led the campaign down a “particularly divisive” road. The speech also served to put Obama at a far distance from Rev. Wright’s social commentary.
“The fact is,” Obama said, “that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through — a part of our Union that we have yet to perfect.”
While the Obama campaign has tried to stay decidedly separate from race issues, his speech was hailed as the boldest confrontation by a politician on race problems in America in decades, it hasn’t helped his numbers recover.
Reaction has not all been positive, however. Geraldine Ferrraro, who this month resigned from Hillary Clinton’s finance committee over criticisms of her perceivably racist comments against Barack Obama.
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro told the Torrance-based Daily Breeze in a March 7 article. “And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”
Obama singled out her comments on his list of racial criticisms during his speech.
“We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue,” Obama said in his speech. “Just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.”
Ferraro objected to the mention, saying that her comments did not bear the same sentiments as Rev. Wright’s.
“To equate what I said with what this racist bigot has said from the pulpit is unbelievable,” Ferraro said the day after Obama’s spoke. “He gave a very good speech on race relations, but he did not address the fact that this man is up there spewing hatred.”
Some were irked and some were inspired, but the numbers speak for themselves. Even after Obama’s speech Tuesday, his numbers have been on the decline.
The backlash from Rev. Wright’s statements chipped away at his percentage points these past weeks. According to AFP, the latest Gallup poll as of last Thursday puts Sen. Hillary Clinton ahead by a seven-point lead nationally over Obama, 49 percent to 42 percent — her first statistically significant lead over Obama in more than a month.
Polls on RealClearPolitics.com also placed Clinton as a near-lock to win the keystone state, Pennsylvania, putting her at a 16 percent lead ahead of Obama.
You can view Obama's speech here, and excerpts from Reverend Wright's sermons here.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
McCain takes GOP nomination; Huckabee is out
Arizona Senator John McCain seizes Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island primaries, and will be the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee. His only formidable competition Mike Huckabee subsequently ends his campaign.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The "Big Mo" pushes Obama ahead in Texa$
Momentum.
The "Big Mo," as one CNN political analyst put it, is what pushed Sen. Barack Obama to lead in the Texas polls this weekend, and it may cost Sen. Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination tomorrow. Obama now maintains a (narrow) lead in Texas, and is catching up to Clinton's numbers in Ohio according to realclearpolitics.com. McCain still commands a dominating lead over Huckabee and Paul, and actually took some time off at his Arizona home.
Democratic candidates turned up the heat last week for (what seems to be the third or fourth) final push for delegates, with some important developments:
To which Obama responded:
The "Big Mo," as one CNN political analyst put it, is what pushed Sen. Barack Obama to lead in the Texas polls this weekend, and it may cost Sen. Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination tomorrow. Obama now maintains a (narrow) lead in Texas, and is catching up to Clinton's numbers in Ohio according to realclearpolitics.com. McCain still commands a dominating lead over Huckabee and Paul, and actually took some time off at his Arizona home.
Democratic candidates turned up the heat last week for (what seems to be the third or fourth) final push for delegates, with some important developments:
- The Clinton campaign reported $35 million in fundraising dollars for the month of February, while speculation on the Obama camp places their mark at over $50 million.
- Obama has outspent Clinton for advertising by $1.3 million in Ohio, and by $2.3 million in Texas, according to the New York Times.
- Something something, placeholder.
To which Obama responded:
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