JOAN: Does the deliberate dumbing down of the news have the same effect as censorship, by cutting the public off from information that we need to make our decisions?
MARY: I say this as an old advertising pro: The news is for sale. The news is just a factor, like entertainment. The ultimate person who is responsible for whether the news is good, bad or indifferent is the viewer, because if the news is not good, fewer and fewer people will watch it.
"I don't who was responsible for the you tube video "What Happens Tomorrow" on our website, but thank you. I could not imagine anything more appropriate or moving."
Carmina
Carmina, it came from "UncleKracker". It is moving.
Clintons Tagteam North Carolina Undecideds; Little Sign Of Obama . . .
** ** **
Mayhill Fowler | Posted May 5, 2008
"Our friends in the media like to show all those people telling Hillary Clinton to quit," the field organizer tells Lenoir, North Carolina Sunday afternoon. "But you're going to be the next Rhode Island." The town of Lenoir chuckles at quit and stares blank-faced at Rhode Island, likely thinking, he said he weren't from these parts. I'm thinking whoa! this is ambitious. But then I've known ever since April 18 when Ace Smith, Clinton's North Carolina state director, spun "lowered expectations" in a revealing way that she was going for gold here. Winning North Carolina "would be the biggest upset of the century," Smith told reporters. Smith, who engineered Clinton's wins in California and Texas, clearly had been engaging in some pleasant woolgathering. But now that the race has tightened to under ten points, perhaps three is indeed a lucky number.
When Bill Clinton finally (as usual, hours late) greets Lenoir, he says much the same thing. "Hillary is in this race today with a genuine chance to win because of people like you and places like this. It has been one of the great honors of my life to campaign on her behalf in small-town America from the beginning. It's towns like this that brought her back from thirteen points down in a miracle victory in just two days in New Hampshire. Towns like this."
Towns like this. Here is the Clinton strategy for winning North Carolina. Although Barack Obama had television ads running in NC by the end of March, Hillary Clinton was already campaigning on the ground in the Tar Heel State during the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary. This late in the race, the law of inexorable consequence has set in. The way one primary unfolds determines the parameters of the next. Therefore, because Senator Clinton was always going to win Pennsylvania, she could afford to begin her North Carolina campaign early. By now she has stumped in three to four times more North Carolina cities and towns than Senator Obama. Moreover, Bill Clinton, widely disparaged in the national media and outside states in-play, is Hillary Clinton's stealth weapon in North Carolina. As Bill says to Lenoir, "I went to 47 towns in Pennsylvania, 39 in Indiana, and by the time I've done here, I'm gonna top 50 in North Carolina." That's right, fifty, at the rate of five to seven a day. The day before primary, Bill Clinton will make nine--yes, nine--campaign stops in small towns across northern North Carolina. After the Jefferson-Jackson dinner Sunday night in Indiana, Senator Clinton flew back to the Tar Heel State. The three Clintons (Chelsea has been here, too) are campaigning so fiercely because they think Hillary can win North Carolina--or at least achieve a narrow loss. . .'
The North Carolina polls have the undecided vote for the Tuesday Democratic primary at ten to twelve percent. That has felt about right to me. Over the weekend, just like in Iowa, many of the undecideds decided at the eleventh hour it was about time to make up their minds and headed out to do so. Saturday and Sunday provided opportunities to see a Clinton; Obama, however, was not in the state. At several events, I met undecideds who settled on Clinton once they had seen her, none of whom had yet seen Senator Obama. At the race car rally in Mooresville, for example, a group of school teachers told me that they had wanted to see both candidates in person before deciding. But having just watched Clinton, and with no chance of seeing Obama in the flesh, they were going to vote for Clinton. This is the dynamic in Lenoir, as well. Obama is a rara avis--people just don't know much about him, although one lady says that she knows "one or two people for him." As a consequence of his absence from the state over the weekend, the undecided vote in North Carolina is therefore likely to break for Clinton. . .'
Read more at link ===>
_huffpo.com/mayhill-fowler/clintons-tagteam///_
I quote the 4 MAY edition of the OregonStatesman Journal, a newspaper with a readership largely located in the suburbs south of Portland, an area the winner of the Oregon Primary on 20 MAY will have to carry:
"Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? That choice divides friends, families, states — and the Statesman Journal Editorial Board.
"On the Republican side, the endorsement in Oregon's May 20 election was easy. ArizonaSen. John McCain has the national nomination sewn up.
"Although TexasRep. Ron Paul remains on the Oregon ballot, the only question is whom McCain will choose as his vice presidential candidate.
"But the Democrats have made the Oregon presidential primary relevant for the first time in decades.
"Complicating voters' decision is that Sen. Clinton of New York-via-Arkansas-and-the-White-House and Sen. Obama of Illinois have nearly as many liabilities as assets.
"Obama has inspired a sense of hope across this beleaguered nation. He represents a new generation of leaders who can cross racial, social and economic lines.
"He doesn't have much political experience, but neither did a 19th-century candidate named Abraham Lincoln, who ranks as one of America's great presidents.
"But the Editorial Board keeps stumbling on two key questions: What has Obama done, either as an Illinois legislator or a U.S. senator? And will his missteps in speaking lead to destructive missteps in action?
"Clinton seems willing to say anything to get elected. She also has the baggage of husband Bill Clinton, whose weak character dragged down a promising administration and caused this newspaper's Editorial Board to call for his resignation (not that he listened).
"But Hillary Clinton does get things done.
"After leaving the White House, she handily won election in New York, where she proved that she's not simply an urban lawmaker. Rural New Yorkers speak highly of Clinton, praising her for paying attention to their parts of the state.
"In the Senate, she has achieved influence much greater than one would expect for her seven years on Capitol Hill.
"Clinton "gets" the concerns of the middle class that dominates the Mid-Willamette Valley.
"She was the first candidate to offer Oregon a "compact" of campaign promises on state-specific issues such as restoring county timber payments and giving the state say about siting of liquefied-natural-gas terminals.
"As for McCain, his chief liabilities are his age and his temperament, but he has distinguished himself in a lifetime's service to the country.
"Through four years in the U.S. House and 22 in the Senate, he has built a reputation for driving good ideas into law.
"Not all Republicans will agree with McCain's support for the Iraq war. But they can appreciate that as a former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war, he has an informed opinion — and has stuck to his convictions.
"McCain will be on the ballot in November, and a divided Editorial Board thinks that Clinton would be his strongest opponent.
"In the end, Clinton and McCain are the best choices for Oregonians in the May 20 primary election."
I hope everyone is doing well. And please remind your friends and relatives to vote for Hillary Clinton, for there is so much to accomplish both in our country and in the Democratic Party. Indeed, this article on the antics of Obama supporters at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Indiana illustrates why we must elect Hillary Clinton President of the United States:
The Observer's endorsement of Obama does not surprise me: their
reporters were belligerent during the Clinton campaign's conference calls; and
they have consistently provided negative coverage of Hillary.
But I do find their repetition of falsehoods propagated by the Obama
campaign somewhat vexing. Read their endorsement, and be prepared to
refute it when you speak with friends, family and colleagues before the
primary. Also view it as motivation to work twice as hard for Senator
Clinton.
"But in the campaign, as in the Senate, he has shown the ability to
learn."
How does one respond to this statement? Should one respond to this
statement? Is this a newspaper or a comedy club?
The deck has been stacked, and the cards have been dealt. And yet, she
still manages to win the game. Now let us prove the Charlotte
Observer wrong by delivering this county to Hillary.
Nancy, who is also a member of Amigos de Hillary, asked me to forward
the following to Hillary supporters in Charlotte. I quote:
"Please join us at the luncheon tomorrow at the Marriott Hotel (Tyvola
Rd. and I77) at 11:30 am.
I encourage all our friends to come and share with our amigas Maria
Echeveste and Andrea Bazan. The more visible support, the more energy we
continue to create, so Amigos de Hillary, please join us tomorrow. And
friends who are still undecided, we also want you there to learn more
about why we support Hillary. RSVP to vsmoser@aol.com to have a count.
See you all tomorrow.
"About our special guests and Hillary supporters:
Maria Echeveste is an attorney. Her firm Nueva Vista advises
corporations and non-profits on public policy, advocacy, and strategy. Maria
appears regularly on such TV shows as "To the Contrary" and "Inside
Politics." Also, for almost three years she served as President Clinton's
deputy chief of staff.
"Andrea Bazan is President of the Triangle Community Foundation in
Durham, NC, a philanthropic organization. Andrea is former Executive
Director of El Pueblo, the largest Hispanic organization in NC, and Vice
Chair of The National Council of La Raza. She is an accomplished Latina
dedicated to the community."
Today I placed telephone calls from the office from 11am-8pm. I cannot
emphasize enough the importance of our full participation in the
activities of the office during the final 72 hours of the campaign: voters
must be contacted either by telephone or at their front doors; voters
must be provided with all the information required for them to cast
informed votes on Tuesday; and voters must be reminded of Tuesday's election.
There is plenty of space in the office, and there are plenty of tasks
for everyone to complete. Working in the office also affords one the
opportunity to meet supporters who hail from other areas of the country.
Jyoti, Grace and Deborah asked me to schedule a Honk4Hillary event
tomorrow at the intersection of Ballantyne Commons Parkway and Rea Road at
1pm. Please consider attending this event, as this is a busy
intersection frequented by undeclared voters of south Charlotte. I plan to attend
this event, and at least one other member of our group intends to
participate.
RALEIGH,
NC — Hillary Clinton wrapped up a grueling day at the end of a grueling
week on the campaign trail with a free-wheeling mini-rally at the state
fairgrounds — giving the crowd some hope that she’d be able to pull off
what her state director has called “the upset of the century” in North
Carolina on Tuesday.
“Three weeks ago we were 39 points behind, and those were the best
polls,” she said. “We’ve made some progress, we have a long way to go
just to get within the ballpark.”
She faces distinct demographic disadvantages in the Tar Heel state.
35% or more of the Democratic electorate is African American, and North
Carolina has as many public universities as any state in the union.
Black and highly educated voters have been bastions of support for Sen
Obama. But Clinton is targeting veterans and soldiers in the state full
of military bases, and hitting as many small towns and rural areas as
she can — hoping big margins among white, working class voters can make
up the difference.
The New York Senator’s advantage here could just be old fashioned
hard work. At this her fifth event of the day, Clinton admitted that
she and campaign partner Governor Mike Easley were “running on fumes.”
“But we’re working hard, we’re traveling across this state,” she said. “I’ve lost track of how many towns we’ve been to.”
Another not-so-secret weapon for the Clinton campaign: an equally
indefatigable surrogate in President Bill Clinton. “My husband is going
to visit every place where 2 or more people gather in North Carolina
before Tuesday,” she told the crowd. “This makes him feel like we’re
back in Arkansas, where we campaigned across Arkansas all the time.”
Recalling driving across Arkansas during Clinton’s successful 1982
campaign to retake the Governorship he lost in 1980, Clinton said “it
was a bit like my campaign. People didn’t think he was ever going to be
able to pull it off.”
HAGATNA, Guam - Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton by seven votes in the GuamDemocratic presidential caucuses Saturday. The count of more than 4,500 ballots took all night.
Neither
candidate campaigned in the U.S. island territory in person, but both
did long-distance media interviews and bought campaign ads for the
caucuses.
Results of the count completed Sunday morning Guam time show
delegates pledged to Obama with 2,264 votes to 2,257 for Clinton's
slate. That means they'll split the pledged delegate votes. Obama's
slate won in 14 of 21 districts.
Eight pledged delegates will attend the convention, each with one-half vote.
U.S. citizens on the island, however, have no vote in the November election.
Officials Say Recount Is 'Imminent'
Pacific News Center Staff Reporter 04.MAY.08
9:30 a.m. Guam - The Democrat Party Nominating Committee said officials will look over the large amount of "spoiled ballots" in the coming days.
At issue is the small margin of victory of Senator Barack Obama. He beat his rival, Senator Hillary Clinton by 7 votes, but well over 500 ballots were deemed invalid during the tabulation process.
Herbie Perez, chairman of the nominating committee, said she will not certify the results because the Committee needs to ensure that all the uncounted ballots were properly identified as "spoiled."
She said officials from the Party and representatives from both candidates will meet probably Monday or Tuesday to address that issue.
Perez revealed she is also looking into the missing ballots.
More than 8,100 were printed in response to reports of shortages at precinct sites. But when the final tally came in, only a little over 4,500 ballots were used. - Pacific News Center - Guam, Saipan, CNMI, Asia-Pacific
Hillary is hitting the airwaves -- on TV and cyberspace -- in the coming days!
HILLARY TAKES QUESTIONS FROM MOMS SATURDAY
Hillary sat down with MomLogic.com this morning in Cary, North Carolina,
at Cary High School to discuss the concerns of moms and their families
in this important campaign.
Hillary spoke personally with the hosts on Saturday asking a variety of questions submitted to Momlogic.com moms about issues affecting them and their families.
Hillary will participate in a live one-hour Town Hall on a special edition of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" from Indianapolis on Sunday, May 4. Just two days before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, Hillary will take questions from Stephanopoulos and voters in studio in Indianapolis and others via satellite from North Carolina.
Hillary will be appearing on "The Late Show with David Letterman"
on Monday, May 5 to deliver the Top 10 list. Tune in to your local CBS
affiliate at 11:30 p.m. ET/10:30 p.m. CT.
In this extraordinary
election year, Indiana's Democratic voters have been presented with an
extraordinary opportunity: Choose for their party's presidential
nominee between a gifted senator from Illinois who has enthused
millions of new voters and an equally talented senator from New York
with years of high-level experience.
It's been difficult for
voters in other states to decide a clear favorite between Barack Obama
and Hillary Clinton. It's also a difficult choice for The Star's
Editorial Board, which recently questioned each candidate in person
about key issues facing the nation.
Obama offers an attractive vision for the way things could be. He
speaks eloquently of hope and change. He connects with voters, many who
formerly felt disenfranchised, on a level few political leaders have
attained.
Clinton offers a clear-eyed view of the way things are.
She offers nuanced positions on how to address the war in Iraq, trade
with China and economic expansion. Her depth of knowledge is remarkable.
An obligation requires me to travel today. Please participate in GOTV efforts at the office, and also consider joining Jyoti, Grace, Sharon, Tiffany, Deborah, Marguerite and and others at the Honk 4 Hillary event to take place at 5:30pm tonight at Tryon Street and Arrowood Road.
"In this extraordinary election year, Indiana's Democratic voters have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity: Choose for their party's presidential nominee between a gifted senator from Illinois who has enthused millions of new voters and an equally talented senator from New York with years of high-level experience.
"It's been difficult for voters in other states to decide a clear favorite between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It's also a difficult choice for The Star's Editorial Board, which recently questioned each candidate in person about key issues facing the nation.
"Obama offers an attractive vision for the way things could be. He speaks eloquently of hope and change. He connects with voters, many who formerly felt disenfranchised, on a level few political leaders have attained.
"Clinton offers a clear-eyed view of the way things are. She offers nuanced positions on how to address the war in Iraq, trade with China and economic expansion. Her depth of knowledge is remarkable.
"As impressive as Obama appears, he is still in his first term in the U.S. Senate, and only four years ago was serving as an Illinois state senator. His inexperience in high office is a liability.
"Clinton, in contrast, is well prepared for the rigors of the White House. She is tough, experienced and realistic about what can and cannot be accomplished on the world stage.
"Clinton regrettably has pandered more to voters, particularly on gas prices, than Obama. Both have taken stands on free trade that give in to protectionism.
"Clinton also was an integral part of her husband's political machine, which earned a reputation for flattening opponents. That factor understandably gives many voters pause about whether another Clinton should serve as president.
"Yet, one thing is clear: The next commander in chief will take office at a time of extraordinary risk for this nation, both at home and abroad. The challenges -- including those posed by a sagging economy, rising energy and food costs, the gap in health care, wars in two countries and threats from Iran -- are complex.
"On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is the better choice, based on her experience and grasp of major issues, to confront those challenges. She earns The Star's endorsement in Tuesday's primary."
This will hopefully catapult her to a decisive victory in Indiana, where she already leads Obama in recent polls.
Polling of the Democratic Primary in NC sketches an ambiguous scenario
that can only be interpreted as a statistical dead heat: Insider
Advantage claims Clinton leads Obama by 2; Research 2000 places Obama ahead
of Clinton by 7; Mason-Dixon reports a lead of Obama by 7; and the
results of the latest Survey USA poll indicate a late surge for Clinton that
places her within 5 points of Obama. Because the results of these
polls situate the candidates within these surveys' margins of error, only
one variable will determine who will emerge the victor of the NC
Democratic Primary: turnout.
Carmina asked to alert the group to the deadline of tomorrow, April 1, at midnight for all letters regarding the 6 MAY primary to the editorial board of the Charlotte Observer. Please write them, and please explain why you support Clinton in 150 words or less. Submit all letters to the editor to opinion@charlotteobserver.com.
Insider Advantage, North Carolina Democratic Primary 571 Likely Democratic Primary Voters 29 APR 2008 Margin of Error +/- 3.8%
Clinton 44 Obama 42 Undecided 14
Our efforts will hopefully convince the large number of undecided voters to support Clinton on 6 MAY. Be sure to participate in one of the events published at Hillary's website, as we have the chance to deliver this state to Hillary Clinton.
Tiffany asked me to relay the following information about the AIDS walk on Saturday, 3 MAY, at Gateway Atrium Village at 800 West Trade St, Charlotte, NC:
"Participants are asked to sign in around 8:00 am. Brad and Nate will be there to greet group members. Wear Hillary gear and be ready to walk. The event should be over by 11:00 am.
A Google Map is provided at Hillary's website for your convenience. According to one source, Chelsea Clinton and a certain Sophie Hawkins will attend the event.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama
accuses his presidential rivals of pandering to voters by supporting
the "gimmick" of temporarily lifting federal taxes on gasoline, despite
his own past support for a similar tax holiday.
As
a state legislator voting for a tax break, Obama even joked that he
wanted signs on gas pumps telling motorists that he was responsible for
lowering prices.
Most experts criticize the idea of a federal tax suspension, but
Obama's political opponents accuse him of flip-flopping and ignoring
the financial pain caused by today's rising gas prices.
THE SPIN:
Obama argues that Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain — he calls them "the two Washington candidates" — are pandering to voters by proposing to suspend the federal gas tax
of 18.4 cents a gallon for three months. He says a tax holiday would
provide consumers little real relief, ignore the country's energy
problems and take money from road and bridge repairs.
"This is the problem with Washington. We are facing a situation
where oil prices could hit $200 a barrel. Oil companies like Shell and
BP just reported record profits for the quarter. And we're arguing over
a gimmick that would save you half a tank of gas over the course of the
entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the
back and say that they did something," Obama says.
Clinton says Obama is turning his back on people who need relief
from rising gas prices. Republicans, including the campaign of rival John McCain, question his switch.
THE FACTS:
In 2000, gasoline prices were climbing quickly, reaching $2 a gallon in the Chicago area — a remarkable price back then. Illinois legislators scrambled to offer some election-year relief to angry motorists.
Obama voted three times for a tax holiday.
The version that ended up becoming law required a six-month
suspension of the state's share of the sales tax on gasoline, a 5
percent tax paid directly by consumers rather than gas stations. It
also required gas stations to post signs on their pumps saying that the
Illinois General Assembly had lowered taxes and the price should reflect that cut.
The impact of the tax holiday was never clear.
A government study could not determine how much of the savings was
actually passed along to motorists. Many lawmakers said their
constituents didn't seem to have benefited. They also worried the tax
break was pushing the state budget out of balance.
At the end of Illinois' tax holiday, there was a failed push to eliminate the sales tax permanently. Obama was among those voting against eliminating the tax.
Obama's presidential campaign says the lessons of that Illinois tax holiday
influenced his decision to oppose a national tax holiday. The lack of
clear results then make him dubious about suspending the national tax
now.
In addition, the Illinois tax was paid directly by consumers and
increased as gas prices increased. Obama's campaign points out the
national tax is a flat 18.4 cents (24.4 cents a gallon for diesel) and,
therefore, isn't climbing as gas prices climb. It's also paid by
producers, raising more questions about whether they'd pass the full
savings along to customers.
During a three-month suspension, the average driver would save only
about $28, according to the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials.
"That assumes the oil companies are going to give it to you. That's
probably not a likely outcome," said Jack Basso, the association's
director of management and business development.
If oil companies did pass along the savings, tax experts say,
the lower prices would increase demand. Since refineries are already at
maximum production levels, the increased demand probably would drive
prices back up.
The association also estimates that suspending the tax would
divert about $8.5 billion from the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for
road and bridge repairs and already faces a shortfall of $3.2 billion.
Taking that tax money from the trust fund could endanger hundreds of
thousands of jobs — every $1 billion in highway money supports 33,000
jobs, by one estimate — and would push more maintenance and
construction costs onto the states.
"The federal gas tax
is a piddly little 18 cents. If that is eliminated, it isn't going to
make an iota of difference to the average gasoline purchaser, yet it's
going to hasten the bankruptcy of the Highway Trust Fund," said Rod
Diridon, head of the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University.
McCain suggests avoiding that problem by replacing the lost money with
unspecified funds from elsewhere in the budget. Clinton wants to impose
a new tax on oil company profits to make up for lifting the gasoline tax.
ABC News' Ed O'Keefe Reports: Barack Obama's recent woes may be having an effect in the polls.
A
new CBS/New York Times poll released on Wednesday shows Sen. Obama,
D-Ill., and presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.,
tied in a hypothetical general election match-up, while Sen. Hillary
Clinton, D-N.Y., edges out McCain by a five-point margin.
Here are raw CBS/New York Times numbers now (among registered voters):
If the candidates were Obama and McCain, who would you vote for? Obama: 45% McCain: 45% Undecided/Don't Know: 6%
If the candidates were Clinton and McCain, who would you vote for? Clinton: 48% McCain: 43% Undecided/Don't Know: 5%
Since
their last poll four weeks ago, unfavorable views of Obama have risen
10% -- from 24% a month ago to 34% at present. Obama's woes also
appear to know few demographic bounds -- unfavorable views of Obama
have risen among women, whites, independents and Democrats, according
to CBS News and the New York Times.
Here are the raw CBS/New York Times numbers as of their last poll on April 3, 2008 (among registered voters):
If the candidates were Obama and McCain, who would you vote for? Obama: 47% McCain: 42% Undecided/Don't Know: 7%
If the candidates were Clinton and McCain, who would you vote for? Clinton: 48% McCain: 43% Undecided/Don't Know: 5%
In
that poll, Clinton leads McCain by 9-points, 50-41, in a hypothetical
general election match-up. Obama, on the other hand, is "virtually
tied" with McCain, at 46-44 percent.
Obama strongly condemned recent comments
made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, on Tuesday, a move
that many political pundits consider high-stakes but necessary gamble
by his campaign to control a spreading political firestorm.
Reacting
to what he called the "spectacle" of his former pastor at the National
Press Club, Obama denounced Wright saying, "What Rev. Wright said
yesterday directly contradicts everything I have ever done or said in
my life."
"Whatever relationship I had with Rev Wright has changed as a result of this," Obama said.
The
candidate went considerably further than he has in the past in
distancing himself from Wright, accusing him of "insensitivity and
outrageousness" in his Monday appearance at the National Press Club in
Washington.
"The person I saw (on Monday) was not the person I met 20 years ago," Obama said.
So, let's focus on Barack Obama and his campaign and see where things stand in aftermath of latest Rev. Wright events.
In his exclusive blog on ABCNews.com, former Bush campaign strategist and ABC News political contributor Matthew Dowd
opined that "Obama's statements in last 24 hours of being passionately
critical of Wright and saying he was out of step with America were the
only choice he had left. It was his only option and he seized it well."
Dowd laid out four points he views as critical to an Obama comeback
emphasizing, "The biggest damage to him is that he held a brand of
being an unconventional candidate in a time America wants a shift from
the conduct of politics as usual. But he and his campaign have seemed
very conventional of late."
ABC
News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Back on the campaign trail, Barack Obama
reitereated his disappointment in the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, defending
his denoucement of his former pastor in a press conference on Tuesday.
"Frankly,
what he said over the last few days and in some of the sermons that
have been excerpted were unacceptable and weren't things that we
believed in or cared about or cared to believe in," Sen. Obama, D-Ill.,
said in response to a voter's question at a campaign event in
Indianapolis, Ind., "I've made a statement (on Tuesday) that was hard
to make but it was I believed."
The questioner had asked about
"turning his back on someone who had been a good friend" but Obama,
with his wife Michelle by his side, did not take issue with the tone.
"I
mean, it is true that part of the job when you're running for president
is that anybody who is tangentially, you know, even remotely associated
with you is somehow fair game and that's unfortunate because most of us
in our lives –- we meet people, we know people, some people we work
with or we sit on a board with -- we don't really go vet them and find
out all the terrible things they might have done because, you know, we
don't know or what they said to see if it's politically correct," Obama
continued.
Obama changed the subject rather quickly to talking
about how he and Michelle came from modest backgrounds, but when
wrapping up, the candidate looked at his wife seated on a picnic table
next to him and asked, "So Michelle, do you have anything to add to
that?"
Mrs. Obama shook her head indicating no.
"You do
but," the Senator said, trailing off, leaving the incomplete thought in
the air before adding, "Remember there are a lot of reporters around
though."
Ask John and Elizabeth Edwards to endorse Hillary. Fran did!
Dear Mr. & Mrs. John Edwards, > > The NC primary is next week and we need your support for Hillary Clinton for President. > I want to commend you and Mrs. Edwards for all you have done for North Carolina and the vision you portrayed in all the debates throughout the campaign on the future of this country. > > Your vision is very close to Hillary's. Both you and Hillary have similar roots, realize Universal Health Care should be for everyone, eliminate poverty, jobs for middle America, the foreclosure crisis and more. > > With you and Mrs. Edwards support for Hillary's campaign the world will know that the United States is truly a country united. > Thank you.
Remember to thank Gov. Easley: Fran also wrote:
This is the comment I made on Governor Easley's website. > > Dear Governor Easley, > > I want to thank you for supporting Hillary Clinton for President. > > Your endorsement will have a major impact on the future of this country and the path the government will follow.
Survey USA, North Carolina Democratic Primary 26 - 28 APRIL 2008 727 Likely Democratic Primary Voters Margin of Error +/- 3.7%
Obama 49 Clinton 44 Other 4 Undecided 3
Obama's advantage has evaporated, which may explain why his campaign has asked all of its supporters to swarm the state. But even worse for Obama, this poll does not measure the effects of the Easley endorsement or the seemingly endless press coverage of Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Continue to volunteer, and participate in our events, as we can deliver this state to Hillary, even if thousands of Chicagoans invade the state before the 6 MAY primary.
Clinton, by the way, enjoys a statistically significant lead in Indiana. Perhaps those Chicagoans should cancel their plane tickets and ride the South Shore train into northwest Indiana, where Clinton is appealing to voters in the Chicago media market.
The leadership of great Democrats such as yourself are what continues
to give me great hope for our State and the Nation. Thank you for your
endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton for President. While many may
equally complain about your endorsemet, rest assured, there are many
reasonable, engaged, informed voters here in the great state of North Carolina
who remember who our friends are, and that includes the great
friendship of Sen. Clinton.
I have been dismayed by the endorsements of the candidates seeking
higher office in the Primary Elections in North Carolina, who see Mr. Obama
as a coattail candidate and are ignoring the great history and
leadership of Sen. Clinton. We call this pandering, and that is not the way
Democrats are supposed to behave.
We are better than that. I have long said that the Party is not being
"torn apart" as some in the media, and especially supporters of Mr.
Obama, have portrayed our Party. The Party will be united, if the best
candidate is finally endorsed by great leaders such as yourself, who will
put aside their bias and make a wise, intelligent decision about the
future of our country. Thank you for making such a decision.
Kindest Regards,
Nathan Wolf
Precinct Member, Precinct 19, Mecklenburg County
Delegate to the District Convention
Survey USA, Indiana Democratic Primary
25 - 27 APRIL 2008
628 Likely Democratic Primary Voters
Margin of Error +/- 4% Survey USA, Indiana Poll April 25-27
Clinton 52
Obama 43
"In a Democratic Primary in Indiana today, 04/28/08, 8 days until votes
are counted, Hillary Clinton finishes ahead of Barack Obama, according
to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for WHAS-TV in Louisville and WCPO-TV in
Cincinnati. The results are identical to a SurveyUSA TV poll released
4 weeks ago, on 04/01/08. Clinton led then 52% to 43%, leads now 52% to
43%. Other polls show the contest closer; some polls show Obama ahead.
SurveyUSA tracking graphs show movement toward Clinton in the middle
of April but offsetting movement to Obama at the end of April. This
back-and-forth can be seen clearly on the interactive tracking graphs for
males, for Democrats, for pro-choice voters, and for residents of
greater Indianapolis. Clinton's advantage is steady among women, steady among
voters age 50+, and steady in Southern Indiana, which borders
Kentucky. Obama is gaining ground among voters under 50, where he leads for the
first time; among liberals, where he leads for the first time; in
Northern Indiana, where he is tied for the first time; and in Central
Indiana, where he has cut Clinton's lead in half. Clinton, by contrast, is
making steady inroads among Independent voters."
By Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
April 27, 2008
WASHINGTON -- After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000, Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama faced serious financial pressure: numerous debts, limited cash and a law practice he had neglected for a year. Help arrived in early 2001 from a significant new legal client -- a longtime political supporter.
Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. paid Obama an $8,000-a-month retainer to give legal advice to his growing technology firm, Electronic Knowledge Interchange. It allowed Obama to supplement his $58,000 part-time state Senate salary for over a year with regular payments from Blackwell's firm that eventually totaled $112,000.
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton 51% to 43% among men (43% of likely Democratic primary voters). Among women, Clinton leads 56% to 40%.
Clinton leads 55% to 39% among white voters (85% of likely Democratic primary voters). Obama leads 91% to 7% among African American voters (11% of likely Democratic primary voters).
Obama leads 55% to 41% among voters age 18 to 49 (51% of likely Democratic primary voters) and Clinton leads 59% to 35% among voters age 50 and older.
25% of likely Democratic primary voters say they would never vote for Hillary Clinton in the primary and 34% of likely Democratic primary voters say they would never vote for Barack Obama in the primary.
It would seem that by now the chief strategists of the Obama campaign would understand that spending more money on advertising that does not work will not increase the effectiveness of that advertising with targeted voters.
But with advice like this to keep spending the money, perhaps not.
Our group has been a driving force in the Charlotte Headquarters. They
still need our help. There are plenty of ways to get involved this
week, and we all need to make ourselves available as much as possible.
Five donors stepped forward this week with money to help place a
Charlotte4Hillary advertisement and print Charlotte4Hillary flyers
which the Campaign could not make happen in time for Get-Out-The-Vote
Canvassing at Local Bars on Friday Nite. We printed 1,000 flyers and
are looking to print 3,000 more this week. If you want to help with
donations of printing or you want to help distribute flyers at bars
and events this week, call Nathan: 704-606-7268. For about $48 we can
print 1,000 flyers.
WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama is starring in a growing number of campaign commercials, but the latest batch is being underwritten by Republicans.
In a sign that the racial, class and values issues simmering in the presidential campaign could spread into the larger political arena, Republican groups are turning recent bumps in Mr. Obama’s road — notably his comment that small-town Americans “cling” to guns and religion out of bitterness and a fiery speech by his former minister in which he condemned the United States — into attacks against Democrats down the ticket.
“The public, week by week, is becoming more familiar with his big-government, far-left vision for America,” said Ed Patru, a spokesman for Freedom’s Watch, an advocacy organization that is portraying Mr. Obama as ultraliberal in an advertisement running in Louisiana before a special election for a House seat.
Republicans say the new focus on Mr. Obama reflects their view that he remains the more likely Democratic presidential nominee since he continues to lead Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in convention delegates. It also shows that Republicans, who have for months characterized Mrs. Clinton as the contender who would most energize Republican voters, now see vulnerabilities in Mr. Obama that could be liabilities for other Democrats on the ballot.
“There were times when Republicans reacted with just horror that he would lead the ticket,” said Stuart Rothenberg, a nonpartisan political analyst. “Now there is not the sense of him being invulnerable, the magic bullet. I think there has been a major change.”
The growing Republican emphasis on Mr. Obama could also help Mrs. Clinton plead her case that she is more electable, bolstering her argument to superdelegates that Republicans are poised to pounce on her relatively untested opponent. Her advisers have been frustrated that some top Democrats rate Mrs. Clinton a greater liability for the party’s candidates in conservative parts of the country — a view still held by some strategists — even though she has shown a capacity to withstand Republican attacks.
At the same time, some Democrats privately said the new Republican push could be a backdoor effort to buoy Mrs. Clinton, the candidate Republicans initially saw as the Democrat who would most rally Republicans and spur fund-raising. It has not been lost on Republican strategists that they can give pause to superdelegates leaning toward endorsing Mr. Obama.
Clinton continues to reduce Obama's lead in North Carolina. According
to Survey USA, Obama's lead in NC lies 1.6 points outside the poll's
margin of error of 3.7%.
Survey USA, North Carolina Democratic Primary
19 APR-21 APR 2008
734 Likely Democratic Primary Voters
Margin of Error +/- 3.7%
Clinton leads Obama by 5 points in Charlotte metro, which I believe
includes the western portions of the state, while Obama performs well in
the Research Triangle and Raleigh. The eastern and southern portions of
North Carolina are competitive: both candidates garner 44% of the vote
in those areas of the state.
Turnout will ultimately determine the outcome of the North Carolina
Democratic Primary. Visit the office and place telephone calls, and
continue to distribute tickets for the Club 44 event to take place on
Monday, 28 April, at 4pm at BOBCATS ARENA. Yes, the location has changed.
Be sure to alert your friends and colleagues.
There are many other events in Charlotte in which all of us should
participate. Visit Hillary's website in order to locate and plan events in
Charlotte.
Also feel free to telephone the office in Charlotte if you have any
questions. The telephone number is 704.364.3448. And you are always
welcome to write me if you have any suggestions for Hillary events in
Charlotte. We are committed to Hillary, and we will engage in any activity
that will secure a victory in NC.
We have worked too hard, We have come too far, and We have fought too long to allow our candidate, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to get unjust treatment in the media and on the internet.
This has not been a fair fight when it comes to how our candidate's words and actions are misrepresented and misconstrued to voters. The other candidate has been given a "pass" and handled with "kid gloves" while our candidate is consistently damned if she does and damned if she doesn't.
The time is now to join the HILLARY RAPID RESPONSE team and fight the factual untruths.
* Someone who speaks the truth, to all forms of media, about our candidate's message and positions.
* Someone who counters the attacks with factual truths.
* Someone who stands up against the constant and negative bashing of our candidate.
What do you get as a RAPID RESPONDER:
* Daily talking points about our candidate's positions.
* Daily talking points about how the opposition is misleading voters with false statements.
* The satisfaction that you ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE on the campaign.
TOGETHER, speaking the truth about our candidate is the only way that we can make voters understand why we STAND behind and SUPPORT Senator Clinton.
With the help of Hillary volunteers, we can make a difference.
This site operates as an independent grass-roots org. out of Charlotte, N.C. which is not associated in any way with the official campaign of Hillary Clinton.
Geraldine Ferraro
"We've chosen a path to equality, don't let them turn us around..."