It's the message, the movement and the management

[ProSense]

After Hillary's repeated challenges, implying that Obama would "prefer to give speeches than have to answer questions," Obama went head to head with Hillary and won:

MSNBC (Jonathan Alter): Obama won.

Hotline – On Call: …Barack Obama wins the night -- and the momentum in his direction continues.

Atlantic (Marc Ambinder): … The Debate Belongs To Obama LINK

TIME (Mark Halperin): Mark Halperin’s Grades: Obama B+, Clinton B

NBC (Chuck Todd) : …Obama set the tone LINK

CNN (Donna Brazile): …And look, Barack Obama tonight was exceptional- he was presidential, he was poised, he was calm. He had the poetry, but he also had the prose. He put the substance ahead of, you know, perhaps some of the rhetorical flourishes that he's capable of giving. He was good; so, you can’t deny him that.

CNN (Gloria Borger): …Tonight, you saw Barack Obama as a very credible commander in chief.

Politico (Ben Smith): Obama has come prepared to talk about substance, and offers detailed personal anecdotes, not more abstract oration, for most of his opening statement, before pivoting to the question of who can unify the country to get it done. LINK

CNN (David Gergen): … Barack Obama is dramatically better as a debater than he was a few months ago. I thought he was excellent.

more

On substance, Obama explained why he's no slouch:

SEN. OBAMA: Well, I think actions do speak louder than words, which is why over the 20 years of my public service I have acted a lot to provide health care to people who didn't have it, to provide tax breaks to families that needed it, to reform a criminal justice system that had resulted in wrongful convictions, to open up our government, and to pass the toughest ethics reform legislation since Watergate -- (applause) -- to make sure that we create transparency -- to make sure that we create transparency in our government so that we know where federal spending is going and it's not going to a bunch of boondoggles and earmarks that are wasting taxpayer money that could be spent on things like early childhood education.

You know, I think if you talk to those wounded warriors at Walter Reed who, prior to me getting to the Senate, were having to pay for their meals and have to pay for their phone calls to their family while they're recovering from amputations, I think they'd say that I've engaged not just in talk, but in action. (Cheers, applause.)

Now -- now, I think Senator Clinton has a fine record, and I don't to denigrate that record. I do think there is a fundamental difference between us in terms of how change comes about. Senator Clinton of late has said "let's get real." And the implication is, is that, you know, the people who have been voting for me or involved in my campaign are somehow delusional -- (laughter) -- and that -- (chuckles) -- that, you know, the -- (laughter) -- you know, the 20 million people who have been paying attention to 19 debates, and the editorial boards all across the country at newspapers who have given me endorsements including every major newspaper here in the state of Texas -- (cheers, applause) -- you know, the thinking is that somehow they're being duped and that eventually they're going to see the reality of things.

Well, I think they perceive reality of what's going on in Washington very clearly. And what they see is that if we don't bring the country together, stop the endless bickering, actually focus on solutions and reduce the special interests that have dominated Washington, then we will not get anything done. And the reason that this campaign has done so well -- (applause) -- the reason that this campaign has done so well is because people understand that it is not just a matter of putting forward policy positions.

Senator Clinton and I share a lot of policy positions. But if we can't inspire the American people to get involved in their government, and if we can't inspire them to go beyond the racial divisions and the religious divisions and the regional divisions, that have plagued our politics for so long, then we will continue to see the kind of gridlock and non-performance in Washington that is resulting in families suffering in very real ways.

link

This Daily Kos diary, "I found the BEEF - Obama's Senate Record," shows why he's no slouch:

Below I summarize Senator Obama's legislative record in the US Senate.

First I list the bills he sponsored that have become law.

Next I summarize the bills that he has sponsored or cosponsored since he became a US Senator in 2005.

I have only included major pieces of legislation and have not summarized continuing resolutions or naming post offices, for example.

His record suggests several priorities and the bills he supports address many of our most pressing problems.

Most of his legislative effort has been in the area of Energy Efficiency and Climate Change (25 bills), health care (21 bills) and public health (20 bills), consumer protection/labor (14 bills), the needs of Veterans and the Armed Forces (13 bills), Congressional Ethics and Accountability (12 bills), Foreign Policy (10 bills) Voting and Elections (9 bills), Education (7 bills), Hurricane Katrina Relief (6), the Environment (5 bills), Homeland Security (4 bills), and discrimination (4 bills).

Of the 15 bills Senator Obama sponsored or co-sponsored in 2005-7 that became law:

Two addressed foreign policy:
Promote relief, security and democracy in the Congo (2125)
Develop democratic institutions in areas under Palestinian control (2370).

Three addressed public health:
Improve mine safety (2803)
Increased breast cancer funding (597)
Reduce preterm delivery and complications, reduce infant mortality (707).

Two addressed openness and accountability in government:
Strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (2488)
Full disclosure of all entities receiving federal funds (2590)

Two addressed national security
Extend Terrorist Risk Insurance (467)
Amend the Patriot Act (2167)

One addressed the needs of the Armed Forces
Wave passport fees to visit graves, attend memorials/funerals of veterans abroad (1184).

Of the 570 bills Senator Obama introduced into the Senate during the 109th and 110th Congress (Senate Bill numbers are in parentheses), they can be summarized as follows:

25 addressed Energy Efficiency and Climate Change
Suspend royalty relief for oil and gas (115)
Reduce dependence on oil; use of alternative energy sources (133)
Increase fuel economy standards for cars (767, 768)
Auto industry incentives for fuel efficient vehicles (1151)
Reduce green house gas emissions (1324)
Establish at NSF a climate change education program (1389)
Increase renewable content of gasoline (2202)
Energy emergency relief for small businesses and farms (269)
Strategic gasoline and fuel reserves (1794)
Alternative diesel standards (3554)
Coal to liquid fuel promotion (3623)
Renewable diesel standards (1920)
Reducing global warming pollution from vehicles (2555)
Fuel security and consumer choice (1994, 2025)
Alternative energy refueling system (2614)
Climate change education (1389)
Low income energy assistance (2405)
Oil savings targets (339)
Fuel economy reform (3694)
Plug-in electric drive vehicles (1617)
Nuclear release notice (2348)
Passenger rail investment (294)
Energy relief for low income families (2405)

21 addressed Health Care
Drug re-importation (334)
Health information technology (1262, 1418)
Discount drug prices (2347)
Health care associated infections (2278)
Hospital quality report cards (692, 1824)
Medical error disclosure and compensation (1784)
Emergency medical care and response (1873)
Stem cell research (5)
Medical Malpractice insurance (1525)
Health centers renewal (901, 3771)
Children’s health insurance (401)
Home health care (2061)
Medicare independent living (2103)
Microbicides for HIV/AIDS (823)
Ovarian cancer biomarker research (2569)
Gynological cancers (1172)
Access to personalized medicine through use of human genome (976)
Paralysis research and care (1183)

20 addressed Public Health:
Violence against women (1197)
Biodefense and pandemic preparedness and response (1821, 1880)
Viral influenza control (969)
End homelessness (1518)
Reduce STDs/unintended pregnancy (1790)
Smoking prevention and tobacco control (625)
Minority health improvement and disparity elimination (4024)
Nutrition and physical education in schools (2066)
Health impact assessments (1067, 2506)
Healthy communities (1068)
Combat methamphetamines (2071)
Paid sick leave (910)
Prohibit mercury sales (833, 1818)
Prohibit sale of lead products (1306, 2132)
Lead exposure in children (1811, 2132)

14 address Consumer Protection/Labor
Stop unfair labor practices (842)
Fair minimum wage (2, 1062, 2725, 3829)
Internet freedom (2917)
Credit card safety (2411)
Media ownership (2332)
Protecting taxpayer privacy (2484)
Working family child assistance (218)
Habeus Corpus Restoration (185)
Bankruptcy protection for employees and retirees (2092)
FAA fair labor management dispute resolution (2201)
Working families flexibility (2419).

13 addressed the Needs of Veterans and the Armed Forces:
Improve Benefits (117)
Suicide prevention (479)
Needs of homeless veterans (1180)
Homes for veterans (1084)
GI Bill enhancement (43)
Military job protection
Dignity in care for wounded vets (713)
Housing assistance for low income veterans (1084)
Military children in public schools (2151)
Military eye injury research and care (1999)
Research physical/mental health needs from Iraq War (1271)
Proper administration of discharge for personality disorder (1817, 1885)
Security of personal data of veterans (3592)

12 addressed Congressional Ethics and Accountability
Lobbying and ethics reform (230)
Stop fraud (2280)
Legislative transparency and accountability (525)
Open government (2180, 2488)
Restoring fiscal discipline (10)
Transparency and integrity in earmarks (2261)
Accountability of conference committee deliberations and reports (2179)
Federal funding accountability and transparency (2590)
Accountability and oversight for private security functions under Federal
contract (674)
Accountability for contractors and personnel under federal contracts
(2147) Resctrictions awarding government contracts (2519)

10 addressed Foreign Policy:
Iraq war de-escalation (313)
US policy for Iraq (433),
Divestiture from Iran (1430)
Sudan divestment authorization (831)
Millennium Development Goals (2433)
Multilateral debt relief (1320)
Development bank reform (1129)
Nuclear nonproliferation (3131,977,2224).

9 address Voting/Elections
Prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections (453)
Voter access to polls and services in Federal elections (737)
Voter intimidation and deceptive practices (1975)
Senate campaign disclosure parity (185)
Require reporting for bundled campaign contributions (2030)
Election jamming prevention (4102)
Campaign disclosure parity (223)
Presidential funding (2412)
Integrity of electronic voting systems (1487)

11 addressed Education
Increase access of low income African Americans to higher education (1513)
Establish teaching residency programs (1574)
Increase early intervention services (2111)
Middle school curriculum improvements (2227)
Public database of scholarships, fellowships and financial aid (2428)
Summer learning programs (116)
TANF financial education promotion (924)
Higher education (1642)
Build capacity at community colleges (379)
Campus law enforcement in emergencies (1228)
Support for teachers (2060).

6 addressed Hurrican Katrina
Hurricane Katrina recovery (2319)
Emergency relief (1637)
Bankruptcy relief and community protection (1647)
Working family tax relief (2257)
Fair wages for recovery workers (1749)
Gulf coast infrastructure redevelopment (1836)

5 addressed the Environment
Drinking water security (218, 1426)
Water resources development (728)
Waste water treatment (1995)
Combat illegal logging (1930)
Spent nuclear fuel tracking and Acountability (1194)
Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act (Introduced in Senate)

4 addressed Discrimination
Claims for civil class action based on discrimination (1989)
Domestic partnership benefits (2521)
Unresolved civil rights crimes (535)
Equality or two parent families (2286)

4 addressed Homeland Security
Judicial review of FISA orders (2369)
National emergency family locator (1630)
Amend US Patriot Act (2167)
Chemical security and safety (2486)

Next time someone asks you "where's the beef" in Senator Obama's Senate record, please feel free to send the link to this diary.

This analysis shows why he's no slouch, and clearly distinguishes Obama from Hillary:

OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY...

In last July's CNN/You Tube debate, Hillary Clinton posed as the foreign policy sophisticate to Barack Obama, the bold leader who did not hesitate to say that he would meet with the leaders of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. Some argued that Obama had committed a major blunder reflecting his lack of foreign policy experience.

But I argued that such "sophistication" can also be a trap. Witness how far Clinton's nuanced experience got her when confronted with the 2002 Iraq war resolution.

Obama's opponents tried to exploit his response. But they didn't get far. And from a foreign policy point of view was Obama's response so wrong and Clinton's so right? Her husband's administration generally followed Hillary's approach; during his two terms President Clinton did not meet with Fidel Castro or with Hugo Chavez or with the leaders of Iran, Syria, and North Korea--while generally pursuing a policy of trying to isolate these countries. But what did the Clinton approach actually accomplish? The Cuban regime, now in a transitional era, and Chavez in Venezuela have only grown stronger and more influential in Latin America. Although Syria was forced to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon in 2006, the regime of Bashar Assad is as firmly entrenched in power as was his father's. And in spite of the odious politics and qualities of Ahmadinejad, Iran carries more weight in the Middle East than it did doing the early 1990s while American power and standing has declined considerably.

Indeed, both Clinton and Bush may have missed a historic opportunity to open a new chapter with Iran when reformer Mohamed Khatemi was elected in 1997. Had President Clinton taken the bold step Obama suggested and had met without precondition with President Khatemi in 1998 or '99 instead of pursuing sanctions, might not the democratic reformers be in power in Iran? Might we not have a healthy and growing trading relationship with an economically reformed Iran? Might Iran have capped its nuclear program and cooperated with us in managing regional relations including the peaceful downfall of Saddam Hussein? We do not know because the foreign policy sophisticates thought it was too politically risky for President Clinton to make such a bold move.

Above all, foreign policy is a matter of simultaneously projecting American confidence and American humility. In signaling that he was willing to meet with the leaders of these countries, "with preparation but no preconditions," Obama was signaling that the United States has the confidence in its values to meet with anyone. But he also signaled a certain humility that reflects the understanding that the next president must reach out to the rest of the world and not merely issue conditions from the White House and threaten military force if it does not get its way.

Today, a survey of the polls show Obama eroding Hillary's lead in must-win states for her:

Friday, February 22, 2008

Mind the gap -- it's closing

By Michael J.W. Stickings

New poll numbers, via The Plank: "The new ABC News/WaPo poll has Clinton ahead of Obama by 7 in Ohio and 1 in Texas. She had double-digit leads in both states last week. Meanwhile, Rasmussen has Clinton up three in Texas (last week he had the New York senator up 16)."

RealClearPolitics is a good resource for state-by-state polling. Here's Ohio and Texas. The trend in both states is clear: Obama is closing the gap in dramatic fashion. Note, too, that ABC News/WaPo has Clinton up by just one point in Texas.

Clinton continues to have a double-digit lead in Pennsylvania, which will hold its primary two weeks from today, but the trend is the same there as in Ohio and Texas: Obama seems to be catching up.

Elsewhere, Obama is up by ten in North Carolina, another fairly big state that hasn't been getting much attention (because it is expected to go for Obama and because Clinton has been ignoring it, like so many other states).

link

Remember that list of feminists for Obama, it has grown from 100 to 1,200:

More than 1,000 feminists have signed a statement criticizing Hillary Clinton and supporting Obama for president - evidence that Clinton's support among women activists continues to decline. The group, "Feminists for Peace," started out with 100 signers before the super-Tuesday primaries, and has 1,200 signers two weeks later.

Clinton's support for the war in Iraq was the leading reason she lost the support of the feminists, along with the fact that "until quite recently (she) opposed all legislative efforts to bring the war and occupation to an end." The group added, "We urgently need a presidential candidate whose first priority is to address domestic needs."

Those endorsing Obama include writer Barbara Ehrenreich; longtime peace activist Cora Weiss; Katha Pollitt, columnist for The Nation; Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times writer Margo Jefferson; women's rights historians Alice Kessler Harris and Linda Gordon; political scientist Frances Fox Piven and actor/activist Susan Sarandon.

Then there is the issue of campaign management, fund raising:

Process vs Policy: Fundraising

by Shaun Appleby, Thu Feb 21, 2008 at 04:51:03 PM EST

A candidate supporter diary for MyDD

Fundraising is an essential, and early, component of any successful campaign. In Senator Obama's case, an unexpected and relatively late decision to run against an established and well resourced opponent, it formed a vital part of his campaign strategy. From the beginning, he was confidently able to tap a large pool of institutional donors in his native Illinois, but his first major coup was to acquire not only key staff but the bulk of the existing, and substantial, donor base of Senator John Kerry, who declined to run:

Kerry's loss has primarily been Obama's gain. The newcomer has secured commitments from 27 of the 41 former Kerry backers who have thus far declared allegiance to a new candidate, says a Kerry fund-raiser who is not aligned with either Clinton or Obama. Clinton has nabbed the other 14. None of the backers has yet joined any of the other Democratic hopefuls. "Senator Kerry told people that they ought to follow their own conscience," says Jay Dunn, national finance director for Kerry's political action committee.

Pinning down fund-raisers early is one sign of a campaign's viability. Obama's success has surprised some, given his relative inexperience and Clinton's deep ties to the Democratic Party.

Cranking Up The Money Machine Business Week 12 Feb 07

But that was just clever tactics, and an indication that Obama had put together a professional and experienced campaign team. The next move was strategic and implied a cleaner, more process-oriented political philosophy which resonated with voters:

<...>

Herein lay the seed of one of the process messages which both Obama and Edwards would use to distance themselves from the traditional 'top down' fundraising planned by Hillary. This was followed up with a surprisingly successful fundraising campaign in direct competition to Hillary in California and even her native New York. An early investment was the infrastructure for the kind of grass-roots fundraising machine which Howard Dean had pioneered in 2004, leveraging the Internet and his populist appeal and doubling Hillary in the first quarter for number of contributors. This made important early news for his campaign and set the narrative of a populist candidacy as distinct from Hillary's institutional support:

<...>

It is now apparent that the Clinton campaign had seriously miscalulated their financial position in the critical first months of caucuses and primaries:

She simply did not have the cash to compete in the post-Feb. 5 states, mostly because her campaign spending blueprint was built around two flawed premises: that no one would be able to match her fundraising and that the nomination would be decided on Super Tuesday.

Kenneth P Vogel - Consultant spending saps Clinton campaign Politico 21 Feb 08

The seeds of this dilemma, however, were planted through the fundraising strategy she had adopted in the previous year, by the fourth quarter of 2007 a stunning 47% of Obama's fundraising was coming from individual donors contributing $200 dollars or less while the majority of Hillary's loyal donors were 'maxed out:'

Hillary Clinton raised about half of her primary money from donors who gave in amounts of $2300 or more. Since these donors have given the legal maximum, the candidate could not go back to them again in January to help her primary campaign. Barack Obama raised only about one-third of his funds from these "maxed out" donors. For both candidates, these percentages held steady between the third and fourth quarters. This clearly suggests that Obama had more room than Clinton to seek additional support from his donors under the law's contribution limits.



<...>

To make matters worse, Hillary's campaign had burned through their war chest at an alarming rate:

Hillary Rodham Clinton ended January with $7.6 million in debt -- not including the $5 million personal loan she gave to her campaign in the run-up to the critical Super Tuesday elections, according to financial reports released Wednesday.

In contrast, Democratic rival Barack Obama's campaign's finances continued to be robust.

He reported raising nearly $37 million and spending nearly $31 million. His cash balance was $25 million, of which roughly $20 million can be spent on the primary. He reported a comparatively small $1 million in debts, owed largely to just three vendors.

The January monthly financial disclosure reports glimpse a behind-the-scenes imbalance that has had a significant impact on the primary contest -- one that continues in the days leading up to the critical March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio.

As the Clinton campaign scrambles for cash, Obama appears on track to raise more than $30 million again in February.

Kenneth P. Vogel and Jeanne Cummings - January yields debt for HRC, cash for Obama Politico 20 Feb 08

<...>

Wow. Not only has Obama's strategy paid off but it positions him favourably for the general election. Hillary, on the other hand, already feeling the effects of bad financial management, is now facing not only a cash shortage as critical expensive races loom but potentially the narrative that this predicament erodes her core message of being a capable and experienced executive manager.

NYT: Hillary Donors Upset With Campaign's Management

By Eric Kleefeld - February 22, 2008, 8:59AM

With Hillary Clinton's campaign going downhill, a lot of big donors are now expressing their discontent with the way the finances have been handled, from the high-paid political consultants to the ostentatious spending on luxury hotels.

Former campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle came under particular scrutiny for some of the big spending, not only in the presidential race but in Hillary's easy 2006 re-election, which managed to spend $30 million without having a major opponent. "The Senate race spending in 2006 was an omen for a lot of us inside the campaign," said one anonymous fundraiser, "but Hillary assured us that her presidential bid would be the best run in history."

link

It's not just poor money management, Hillary's entire campaign strategy has been strange

[bunnies]

1. K&R.

Another awesome post. :thumbsup:

[NC_Nurse]

2. Thanks for another Great post FULL of information.

:yourock:

[ProSense]

21. Well, Hillary hasn't learned what it takes to win

votes, not dirty tricks (unless she aspires to be Rove).

[Bread and Circus]

3. "Hillary assured us that her presidential bid would be the best run in history"

Something tells me she was wrong.

[ProSense]

10. "in history"

That's arrogance!

[Medusa]

4. This should be required reading for every single person on this board

n/t

[ProSense]

13. It will be

ignored by those who prefer spin!

[Carolina]

5. K&R, another great post !

[Voice for Peace]

6. thanks!

K&R (finally learned what Kicked means thanks to somebody posting the link to the DU glossary.)

[RandomKoolzip]

7. All right! Good stuff. Thanks for posting this.

[Colobo]

8. President Obama, Jan 09!

[ProSense]

16. For now,

I'd settle him winning the primary!

[ProSense]

9. Wolfson $266K/mo, Gibbs $144K/yr; Penn $10.1 million, Axelrod $1.2 million

Clinton paid $266,000 to communications director Howard Wolfson last month. Altogether, she has paid Wolfson's firm, Gotham Acme, $688,000 since the campaign began. Obama's communications director, Robert Gibbs, receives $144,000 a year.

<...>

Clinton does not directly pay her chief strategist, Mark Penn. But since the campaign began, she has paid almost $8 million to the firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates. She has another $2.1 million in unpaid bills to the firm, according to a campaign finance filing earlier this week.

Penn receives payment from the firm and is its president, although he said he had no ownership interest in it. The firm's billings include consulting, polling, direct mail, printing and postage. Obama's campaign subcontracts out its mailings and polling.

Obama has paid $1.2 million to the firm run by his chief strategist, David Axelrod, over the last year. Axelrod collects a percentage of the broadcast and cable ads, but the Obama campaign would not disclose the size of his take.

There are several other differences. Clinton paid her main field organizer $220,000. Obama paid his field organizer $109,000, plus an additional $68,000 to his firm.

Clinton paid $154,000 to Patti Solis Doyle, the campaign manager who left the campaign in a shake-up earlier this month. Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, who oversees spending, is paid $144,000.

link

Field organization? Hillary is ignoring half the states.





Thanks for the comments and recs!

[doni_georgia]

11. Hillary's campaign spending reminiscent of pentegon

Her campaign has been a mess. No doubt about it.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

17. talk about getting screwed! Is she trying to lose on purpose?

pirates!

And they are giving her horrible advice. Horrible.

Is she trying to lose on purpose?

[ProSense]

19. She's definitely

not getting her money's worth.

[ProSense]

12. McCain Hits Obama on Cuba (Obama fires back)

February 22, 2008, 2:16 pm

McCain Hits Obama on Cuba

By Kate Phillips

With an eye on the general election and presumably those Cuban-American voters in Florida and their supporters around the country, the Republican party and Senator John McCain quickly seized on remarks made during last night’s Democratic debate by Senator Barack Obama.

From Mr. McCain:

Not so along go Senator Obama favored complete normalization of relations with Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Last night, he said that as president he’d meet with the imprisoned island’s new leader ‘without preconditions.’ So Raul Castro gets an audience with an American president, and all the prestige such a meeting confers, without having to release political prisoners, allow free media, political parties, and labor unions, or schedule internationally monitored free elections.

“Instead, Senator Obama says he would meet Cuba’s dictator without any such steps in the hope that talk will make things better for Cuba’s oppressed people. Meet, talk, and hope may be a sound approach in a state legislature, but it is dangerously naive in international diplomacy where the oppressed look to America for hope and adversaries wish us ill.”

Senator Obama’s campaign fired back just a short while ago, issuing this statement from him:

“John McCain would give us four more years of the same Bush-McCain policies that have failed U.S. interests and the Cuban people for the last fifty years. My policy will be based on the principle of liberty for the Cuban people, and I will seek that goal through strong and direct presidential diplomacy, and an immediate change in policy to allow for unlimited family visitation and remittances to the island. In November, the American people will have a clear choice: a new direction versus more war in Iraq, more not talking to leaders we don’t like, and more of a Cuba policy that has failed to achieve freedom for the Cuban people. I am confident that the American people will choose the promise of the future over the failed policies and predictable political attacks of the past.”

more

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. I like Obama's willingness to talk to other countries

The media wants to continue the policy of agression, but it is wrong!

And I am sick of the tit for tat attitude some have towards Cuba.

If we don't talk first, nothing will change.

If we demand change before we will talk, then there will not be any talk.

[ProSense]

20. Agree! n/t

[Island Blue]

14. K & R. Thanks for all of the info here.

Looks like I have a lot of reading to do tonight. ;)

[ProSense]

15. Thanks!

:)

[ProSense]

22. "In retrospect, they probably should have taken him more seriously."

The Clinton campaign’s morale problem

Posted February 24th, 2008

As yesterday’s spirited offensive should have made clear, Hillary Clinton is not about to fade away. The race for the Democratic nomination clearly isn’t going her way right now, and her overall chances may be slipping, but there’s no way in the world the senator is going to just fade away.

The NYT notes today, however, that Clinton is soldiering on amidst weakened morale and dashed hopes. She no longer uses phrases like “when I’m president,” and she’s “begun thanking some of her major supporters for helping her run for the Democratic presidential nomination,” which sounds a bit like someone who doesn’t plan on running for much longer.

Over take-out meals and late-night drinks, some regrets and recriminations have set in, and top aides have begun to face up to the campaign’s possible end after the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4…. There is a widespread feeling among donors and some advisers, though, that a comeback this time may be improbable. Her advisers said internal polls showed a very tough race to win the Texas primary — a contest that no less than Mr. Clinton has said is a “must win.” And while advisers are drawing some hope from Mrs. Clinton’s indefatigable nature, some are burning out.

Morale is low. After 13 months of dawn-to-dark seven-day weeks, the staff is exhausted. Some have taken to going home early — 9 p.m. — turning off their BlackBerrys, and polishing off bottles of wine, several senior staff members said.

Some advisers have been heard yelling at close friends and colleagues. In a much-reported incident, Mr. Penn and the campaign advertising chief, Mandy Grunwald, had a screaming match over strategy recently that prompted another senior aide, Guy Cecil, to leave the room. “I have work to do — you’re acting like kids,” Mr. Cecil said, according to three people in the room.

Others have taken several days off, despite it being crunch time. Some have grown depressed, be it over Mr. Obama’s momentum, the attacks on the campaign’s management from outside critics or their view that the news media has been much rougher on Mrs. Clinton than on Mr. Obama.

And some of her major fund-raisers have begun playing down their roles, asking reporters to refer to them simply as “donors,” to try to rein in their image as unfailingly loyal to the Clintons.

Oddly enough, a story like this one about weak morale tends to contribute to even lower morale.

This paragraph also stood out for me:

In interviews with 15 aides and advisers to Mrs. Clinton, not a single one expressed any regrets that they were not working for Mr. Obama. Indeed, some aides said they were baffled that a candidate who had been in the United States Senate for only three years and was a state lawmaker in Illinois before that was now outpacing a seasoned figure like Mrs. Clinton.

It doesn’t surprise me at all that Clinton aides don’t regret joining Clinton’s team over Obama’s — campaigns are like that. I suspect if you’d asked 15 aides and advisers to Chris Dodd in early January, not a single one would express any regrets that they were not working for another candidate either.

But I’m not entirely sure why Clinton aides are “baffled” by Obama succeeding despite his relative inexperience. Matt Yglesias’ take was uncharitable, but accurate: “Whether or not you think the more ’seasoned’ candidate ought to win presidential elections, it seems to me that any campaign staffer who could be genuinely ‘baffled’ by experience not proving to be a winning issue is demonstrating a scary ignorance of how things work. Is her staff baffled that Joe Biden didn’t win the nomination?”

It does also speaks to what I think that has been apparent for quite some time — Clinton and her team not only underestimated Obama, they dismissed him as someone who shouldn’t have even run in the first place. Perhaps that’s why they’re baffled — they’re losing to someone whose very campaign they consider presumptuous.

In retrospect, they probably should have taken him more seriously.

[ProSense]

23. Sen. Dodd to endorse Obama

Sen. Dodd to endorse Obama


Excellent!

[ProSense]

24. Photo

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,
left, shares a laugh with Sen. Christopher Dodd,
D-Conn., during their news conference in Cleveland,
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, where Dodd endorsed Obama,
his former rival, in the Democratic presidential race.

[ProSense]

25. Former Clinton administration official John Holum on Obama's foreign policy

Former Clinton administration official John Holum on Obama's foreign policy

John Holum -- who served for eight years under the Clinton administration, first as Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and then as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security -- writes about why Obama is the best candidate on foreign policy...

As a long time friend of the Clintons and a member of President Clinton's foreign policy team, I naturally assumed I'd be firmly in Senator Clinton's camp in 2008. Instead, by last fall I'd become an enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama. Why?

There are two good reasons: The first comes from who Barack Obama is.

It will take at least a generation to repair the damage to U.S. international interests inflicted by George Bush and the far-right ideologues whose pet theories became his lodestars. After the debacle in Iraq, hawked through exaggerated intelligence and minimized dangers, we'll have to struggle uphill just to regain American credibility, so other nations and institutions will at least trust what we say. Then we'll need to rebuild alliances fractured by Bush's arrogant go-it-alone mentality, and forge new friendships and coalitions effectively to address challenges as diverse as climate change and radical Islam, which even the world's strongest nation can't resolve by itself. In short, we'll have to re-connect with the world, through means other than arms and bluster.

The election of Barack Obama will, in and of itself, jump-start those endeavors. His heritage and extraordinary life story will capture the imagination of people all over the world, and be seen as a confirmation, more powerful than any words, that America has returned to our best ideals. In one stroke, it will propel us out of the hole Bush has dug for us and onto the high ground, where we can engage from strength and respect.

The second reason for supporting Obama is change -- a word lately so widely cribbed and overused as to be nearly drained of meaning. But in Obama's case it carries profound content -- indeed, on some of the very issues on which he's been assailed, he's shown a way of looking at foreign and national security policy that breaks through tired old talking points and opens up new avenues for progress. Some examples:

When Senator Obama said in a debate he'd be prepared to talk directly with the heads of rogue states such as Iran, North Korea and Cuba, it was widely described as a mis-step. Senator Clinton, instinctively lining up with settled precepts, called him naïve, a charge recently echoed by the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain. Obama is the only one prepared to look at things in a new way.

When Obama suggested he wouldn't brandish nuclear weapons against Osama bin Laden, Senator Clinton chastised him again, declaring that we shouldn't signal the circumstances in which nuclear weapons might be used. That's the old formula, all right, but to adhere to it blindly in this case is both unrealistic and foolish, conveying the message that we place no value on the tens of thousands of other lives that would be extinguished if we decided to "nuke" one despicable person.

There was more tut-tutting when Senator Obama said if we knew where bin Laden was hiding and Pakistan's leader wouldn't allow us to go after him, the U.S. would act on its own. Then the bipartisan co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission, Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean, said the same thing, and soon the other Democratic candidates were following suit -- although Senator McCain still thinks otherwise.

On the spread of nuclear weapons, Senator Obama has grasped the core truth that to enforce the global agreement against proliferation, the U.S. must live up to our side of the bargain and move toward a world entirely free of such weapons. That, too, challenges much orthodoxy, and it's a pledge Senator Clinton has not yet made. But it's where a wise President must lead if we are to avert an even more dangerous world.

On each of these issues the other candidates and foreign policy experts have become increasingly receptive to Senator Obama's views. But as with his 2002 opposition to the Iraq war, it has been Barack Obama demonstrating the judgment, foresight and courage to lead the way.

In sum, because of both who he is and what he believes, Senator Obama offers the hope of a rapid recovery from the Bush years, and a liberation from the foreign policy conformity that too often holds us back. He is our best hope for not just the terminology of "change," but the reality -- and embodies an opportunity America cannot afford to pass by.

[ProSense]

26. Clinton Camp Presses Super Delegates Not To Take Sides

Thomas B. Edsall

Clinton Camp Presses Super Delegates Not To Take Sides

February 27, 2008 12:03 AM

For weeks, the Barack Obama campaign has warned that Hillary Clinton would try to use her ties to the Democratic establishment to muscle 'super delegates' into backing her presidential bid, overriding a popular vote majority and Obama's plurality of pledged delegates elected in primaries and caucuses.

Now, however, as Obama has gained steadily in the polls, the Clinton campaign has reversed field. Top Clinton aides are pleading with uncommitted super delegates to hold off making any commitments, fearful that any commitments they make would be to back Obama, not Clinton.

A set of talking points emailed to Clinton supporters within organized labor describes the arguments to use on uncommitted super delegates. In the email, the Clinton campaign suggests telling the uncommitted delegates that "it would be unfair and unjust to cut off the nominating process now. There might come a time when the process needs to come to a close, but that time is not now."

In language that could have been lifted from the Obama playbook just a few weeks ago, the email says Clinton backers should make the case to super delegates that: "If House, Senate and DNC members try to end this process now, it would be very damaging to those institutions, the Democratic Party and our chances in November."

more

[ProSense]

27. Obama's brilliant answer on liberalism

Obama's brilliant answer on liberalism:

We've criticized Democrats for years on triangulation: moving themselves to the middle. What I love about Obama is that he does the reverse: moving the middle to our values. Whether it's in explaining his positions or getting them passed as laws, he is attracting independents and Republicans to our party and our beliefs through both words and action. And the end effect will be an ascendant, mainstream progressive party that enacts its values into laws -- and the final banishment of backward conservatism to the wilderness.

It's one thing to just fight for our values and goals. It's quite another to also achieve them for the long term.

(emphasis added)

Read the whole thing, simply awesome!

[KoKo]

28. "Neo-Gore" is THE ONE!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4779988

[ProSense]

29. Obama is the first and only presidential candidate to come out with a specific statement...

Barack Obama Opposes the Diversion of Federal Small Business Contracts to Corporate Giants

Barack Obama Opposes the Diversion of Federal Small Business Contracts to Corporate Giants

PETALUMA, Calif., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sen. Barack Obama is the first and only presidential candidate to come out with a specific statement opposing the diversion of billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 companies during the Bush Administration.

In a statement released yesterday, Senator Obama stated, "98 percent of all American companies have fewer than 100 employees. Over half of all Americans work for a small business. Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy and we must protect this great resource. It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants."

There are nearly 26 million small businesses in the United States. According to the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997, 23 percent of the total value of all federal prime and subcontracts should be awarded to small businesses.

Senator Obama's statements were made in response to a series of federal investigations conducted during the Bush Administration, which found that billions of dollars in federal small businesses contracts had been diverted from American small businesses to many of the largest corporations in the U.S. and Europe.

In Report 5-14 (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-14.pdf), the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General found that even the SBA had included awards to large businesses in their small business contracting statistics. Additionally, in 2005 an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity (http://www.publicintegrity.org/pns/report.aspx?aid=387) found the Defense Department had awarded more than $47 billion in federal small business contracts to many of the nation's top defense contractors.

Since 2006, investigative reports by ABC (http://www.asbl.com/abc_evening_news.wmv), CBS (http://www.asbl.com/cbs.wmv) and CNN (http://www.asbl.com/lou_dobbs_20070114.wmv) reported that the Bush Administration had intentionally inflated the government's small business contracting statistics by including billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to firms like: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Wal-Mart, L3 Communications, Microsoft and Rolls Royce.

Small business advocates anticipate that Sen. Obama will support legislation and specific policy changes to halt the flow of federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms and other large businesses. California Senator Barbara Boxer and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry have both drafted legislation to address the issue.

[ProSense]

30. Wow!

But Mr. Obama’s fundraising appears once again to have dramatically outstripped Mrs. Clinton’s, just as it did in January, when Mr. Obama brought in $36 million and Mrs. Clinton raised just under $14 million. After spending enormously to compete in Iowa, New Hampshire and heading into the 20-plus Feb. 5 nominating contests, Mrs. Clinton finished the month essentially in the red, forcing her to loan her campaign $5 million.

Mr. Obama’s total is expected to exceed the $44 million that Senator John Kerry raised in March 2004, a month that set a record in a presidential campaign. Mr. Kerry, however, was already clearly the Democratic Party’s nominee when he raised the then-extraordinary sum.

link

[ProSense]

31. Amateur Hour

Amateur Hour

29 Feb 2008 05:44 pm

Slate's John Dickerson asks an obvious question on a conference call with Hillary Clinton's campaign: "What foreign policy moment would you point to in Hillary's career where she's been tested by crisis?" After an uncomfortably long moment during which neither Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson and Lee Feinstein have anything to say, and then Lee Feinstein tries to step in with a save and starts talking about Clinton's endorsement by high-level military officials. Give it a listen:

(Audio)

That's a hat tip to Jennifer Skalka. Feinstein, the campaign's foreign policy guy, is making the best of a bad situation here. But the more strictly political people walked into a debacle. How could they go forward with that ad without having a good answer to the question on hand? It's inept in the extreme.

[TheDoorbellRang]

33. Thanks for all the info. K&R n/t

[ProSense]

32. Obama's Statement on Women's History Month

Obama's Statement on Women's History Month

by Sarah RameySaturday, March 01, 2008 at 01:48 PM

Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on Women's History Month:


Women's History Month isn't just a chance to celebrate women's history; it's a chance to honor the extraordinary role women have played in shaping American history. From midnight journeys on the Underground Railroad to marches for women's suffrage and civil rights, from the bomber assembly lines of World War II to the boardrooms of today, women have always shown us what we can achieve when we refuse to settle for the world as it is and choose to remake the world as it should be.

But despite the achievements we honor this month, we know we still have challenges to overcome. We need to build an America where women earn the same pay as men for the same work, and have time off to care for a loved one who's sick; where women have control over the health care decisions that affect their lives, and don't have to choose between their kids and their careers. It's not enough to have a holiday that honors women if we don't also make sure our laws value women.

This holiday is particularly meaningful to me because I would not be the person I am without the women in my life. I was raised by a single mother across two continents, and by a grandmother who instilled in me her own Midwestern values. And my wife Michelle - a woman who's overcome a number of challenges as a lawyer and hospital executive - continues to make me a better man.

Every night I'm home, Michelle and I tuck two little girls into bed. And we want to make sure that they have the same opportunities as every little boy in this country. That's the dream that women have fought for throughout our nation's history, and that's the dream I'll fight to make real as President of the United States.

[ProSense]

34. Real Change in Rhode Island

Real Change in Rhode Island:

If we want real change, we need leaders in Washington who say what they mean and mean what they say. I don’t want to just tell everyone what they want to hear, I’ll tell people what they need to know. Because real change isn’t about changing your position to fit the politics of the moment. And that’s the choice in this election.

Real change isn’t calling NAFTA a victory and saying how good it was for America until you decide to run for President, like Senator Clinton did. I won’t stand here and tell you that we can stop every job from disappearing because of trade, but I will tell you that when I am President, we will end the tax breaks for corporations who ship our jobs overseas and give them to companies who create good jobs right here in America. That’s real change.

Real change isn’t saying that you’ll stand up to lobbyists and special interests when you’ve taken more money from Washington lobbyists than any Democrat or Republican running for President, like my opponent has. I’m the only one in this race who’s actually passed laws to take power away from lobbyists, they haven’t funded my campaign, and they will not drown out the voices of working Americans when I am President. That’s real change.

Real change isn’t voting for a bankruptcy bill that makes it harder for working families to climb out of debt and then saying that you’re glad it didn’t pass once you start running for President. One of the first things I did when I got to the Senate was fight against the credit card industry’s bankruptcy bill, and when I am President, we’ll reform our bankruptcy laws so that CEOs can’t dump your pension with one hand while collecting their bonus with another. That’s real change.

And real change isn’t voting for George Bush’s war in Iraq and then telling the American people it was actually a vote for more diplomacy when you start running for President. The title of the bill was “A Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq.” What else were you voting for? I knew what it was, and that’s why I opposed this war from the start, and why I will bring our troops home when I am President. That’s real change.

You know, I am reminded every day, if not by events than by my wife, that I am not a perfect man. And I will not be a perfect President. But I promise you this – I will always tell you what I think and where I stand. I will be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, even when we disagree. And I will wake up every day in that White House thinking and working and fighting to make your lives a little bit better. That’s real change, and that’s the change we’ll have when I am President.

Here's an inside shot:



"Here's a shot of Barack and Rep. Patrick Kennedy addressing the overflow crowd..."

[ProSense]

35. Women for Obama

Videos: Women for Obama

[ProSense]

36. Former NY Gov. Carey endorses Obama over Clinton

Former NY Gov. Carey endorses Obama over Clinton

11:33 AM EST, March 3, 2008

NEW YORK - Former Gov. Hugh Carey has endorsed Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination over fellow New Yorker Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Carey praises Obama's judgment, inspiration and leadership while saying either candidate would be a major improvement over the current administration.

He says Obama can deal with crisis and think globally to protect national security. Carey also cites Obama's call for bipartisanship and coalitions to address issues facing the nation.

Carey was a seven-term congressman from Brooklyn and was twice elected governor from 1975 to 1982.

Hugh Leo Carey (born April 11, 1919) was the Governor of New York between 1975 and 1982.

Carey was born in Brooklyn, New York. Carey joined the U.S. Army as an enlisted man during World War II, served in Europe, and reached the rank of major. He received his bachelor's degree in 1942 and law degree in 1951 from St. John's University and was admitted to the bar that same year.

Mr. Carey was a partner in the law firm of Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey.

Running as a Democrat, Carey was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1960. He served seven terms. He served on the House Ways and Means Committee and led the effort to pass the first Federal Aid to Education program. He was elected Governor of the State of New York in 1974 and resigned his Congressional seat on December 31, 1974. Carey was re-elected in 1978. He served two full terms as Governor. On January 1, 1983 he was succeeded by his lieutenant governor, Mario Cuomo. Carey returned to private law practice with the firm of Harris Beach in New York City, where he still resides. He was the first congressman from Brooklyn to oppose the Vietnam War.

Carey was married in 1947 to Helen Owen. They became the parents of Alexandria, Christopher, Susan, Peter, Hugh, Jr., Michael, Donald, Marianne, Nancy, Helen, Bryan, Paul, Kevin, and Thomas. Helen Owen Carey succumbed to breast cancer in 1974. Peter and Hugh, Jr. died in an automobile accident in 1969. Paul, who served as White House Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton as well as 77th Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission, died of cancer in 2001.

Governor Carey was elected by a landslide in 1974, becoming the first Democratic Governor in twenty years. Carey considered running for President in 1976 and 1980. Carey is best remembered for his successful handling of New York City's economic crisis in the late 1970s. As Governor he was responsible for building the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center; Battery Park City; the South Street Seaport and the economic development of the outer boroughs of NYC. He also helped provide state funding for the construction of the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University. He is also remembered for preventing conservative legislators from reinstating the death penalty and preventing such legislators from taking away liberal state abortion laws. Carey came into office with New York City close to bankruptcy. He brought business and labor together to help save New York City from the fiscal crisis that befell it in the 1970s. Carey also fought hard to create an economically favorable climate for entrepreneurial and other business in New York State, primarily through substantially reducing, and in some cases eliminating certain categories of, state taxes.

Governor Carey signed the Willowbrook Consent Decree, which ended the warehousing of the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled. His vision and leadership led to the community placement of the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled. He also made major strides in community programs for the mentally ill.

Carey's tenure in office was marked by a growing awareness of the environmental consequences of New York's strong industrial base, including the designation by the federal government of the Love Canal disaster area. Carey's own approach to environmental issues was unorthodox: he once offered to drink a glassful of PCBs. <1>

[ProSense]

37. Sen. Obama helps to cultivate another superdelegate

Obama Ad For Bill Foster! Yes. We. Can.

Go Dems!