OBAMA DAILY NEWS Monday Feb-25-08

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WELCOME TO THE OBAMA DAILY NEWS THREAD

Monday Feb-25-08



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1. Saturday Night Live - Obama and Hillary face off

Saturday Night Live - Democratic Debate

Obama and Hillary face off
The opening skit from the Feb 23 Saturday Night Live show pokes fun at the mainstream media's
oogling over the Obama candidacy

Watch the video here

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2. Clinton Tests Out Populist Approach - tries to channel Edwards

Hillary's campaign tactic of the hour/day/week:

Clinton Tests Out Populist Approach

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 24 -- Blasting "companies shamelessly turning their backs on Americans" by shipping jobs overseas and railing that "it is wrong that somebody who makes $50 million on Wall Street pays a lower tax rate than somebody who makes $50,000 a year," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton...

read more on how Hillary (of all people) bashes NAFTA at the link

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3. Kerry seeks to fend off "swift-boating" of Obama

Kerry seeks to fend off "swift-boating" of Obama

Lessons Learned, Kerry Hits Trail for Obama

DALLAS, Feb. 24 -- Sen. John F. Kerry is attending to some unfinished business.

Four years ago, his bid to topple President Bush fell short, damaged by a series of Texas broadsides that became known as the Swift boat attacks. His demise spawned a term that came to signify a political low blow. Now Kerry has returned to the campaign trail, this time as a spirited foot soldier for Sen. Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat who aims to succeed where Kerry did not.

...Kerry, who is seeking reelection, is making time to travel to Texas and Ohio for Obama. He dearly wants Obama to succeed, saying he sees a chance for the first spate of "progressive legislation in this country since Kennedy and Johnson."

"The Republican attack machine has proven that it's willing to do and say anything," said Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran slow to answer the Swift boat attacks on his war record. "If you have any indication that there is something out there that can cut, you have to go at it."

Dollar for dollar, news cycle by news cycle, Kerry said, the Democratic nominee must parry attacks.

"Look, our mistake was not understanding it. Our mistake was that we didn't answer it," Kerry said, referring to the damaging summer of 2004. "I am confident that will not be repeated by any candidate."

We should applaud Senator Kerry for his efforts on behalf of the Democratic Party, and more specifically, Senator Obama. Note, that he is not attacking Hillary Clinton; just speaking out about Senator Obama, a man he very much believes in. There is no doubt in my mind that John Kerry will do more to promote the Democratic nominee (regardless of who that is) in 2008 than Hillary and Bill did combined in 2000 or 2004.

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4. The Audacity of Hopelessness - a postmortem

A postmortem on the politial demise of Senator Clinton.
I know this was out yesterday, but in case some of you missed it, it IS a must read.

The Audacity of Hopelessness

By FRANK RICH Published: February 24, 2008

WHEN people one day look back at the remarkable implosion of the Hillary Clinton campaign, they may notice that it both began and ended in the long dark shadow of Iraq.

It’s not just that her candidacy’s central premise — the priceless value of “experience” — was fatally poisoned from the start by her still ill-explained vote to authorize the fiasco. Senator Clinton then compounded that 2002 misjudgment by pursuing a 2008 campaign strategy that uncannily mimicked the disastrous Bush Iraq war plan. After promising a cakewalk to the nomination — “It will be me,” Mrs. Clinton told Katie Couric in November — she was routed by an insurgency.

The Clinton camp was certain that its moneyed arsenal of political shock-and-awe would take out Barack Hussein Obama in a flash. The race would “be over by Feb. 5,” Mrs. Clinton assured George Stephanopoulos just before New Year’s. But once the Obama forces outwitted her, leaving her mission unaccomplished on Super Tuesday, there was no contingency plan. She had neither the boots on the ground nor the money to recoup.

That’s why she has been losing battle after battle by double digits in every corner of the country ever since. And no matter how much bad stuff happened, she kept to the Bush playbook, stubbornly clinging to her own Rumsfeld, her chief strategist, Mark Penn. Like his prototype, Mr. Penn is bigger on loyalty and arrogance than strategic brilliance. But he’s actually not even all that loyal. Mr. Penn, whose operation has billed several million dollars in fees to the Clinton campaign so far, has never given up his day job as chief executive of the public relations behemoth Burson-Marsteller. His top client there, Microsoft, is simultaneously engaged in a demanding campaign of its own to acquire Yahoo.

....
The gap in hard work between the two campaigns was clear well before Feb. 5. Mrs. Clinton threw as much as $25 million at the Iowa caucuses without ever matching Mr. Obama’s organizational strength. In South Carolina, where last fall she was up 20 percentage points in the polls, she relied on top-down endorsements and the patina of inevitability, while the Obama campaign built a landslide-winning organization from scratch at the grass roots. In Kansas, three paid Obama organizers had the field to themselves for three months; ultimately Obama staff members outnumbered Clinton staff members there 18 to 3.

go to the link to read the rest

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5. Bill Clinton a Liability? Obama Attacks Clintons on NAFTA

Bill Clinton Liability? Obama wants to make it so.

Obama Attacks Clintons on NAFTA

Former President Proves Liability as Well as Asset in Hillary Clinton's Campaign By JAKE TAPPER Feb. 24, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has been trying to chip away at Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead in Ohio primary polls by attacking the North American Free Trade Agreement, one of former President Clinton's major legacies — which unions in Ohio say has cost them jobs.

"She has essentially presented herself as co-president during the Clinton years," Obama told supporters in Loraine, Ohio. "The notion that you can selectively pick what you take credit for and then run away from what isn't politically convenient doesn't make sense."

...President Clinton was supposed to be Hillary's not-so-secret weapon, but Obama has belittled his legacy — and the former president has done so, as well, in his own way, seeming to marginalize Obama as "the black candidate" last month in South Carolina. Since that January primary, Clinton, D-N.Y., has badly lost the black vote to Obama in every primary or caucus.

...

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6. Oy Obama - Obama rebuts efforts to smear him

Obama rebuts Clinton operatives efforts to stir up negative feelings in the Jewish community

Oy-bama

February 24, 2008 10:26 PM

This morning in Columbus, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., met with some local Jewish leaders where he discussed Israel, his church, the Middle East, and rumors being spread about him.

Interestingly, just yesterday, Newsweek took a look at how "Clinton campaign operatives have sent around negative material about Obama's relations with Israel...In an e-mail sent Feb. 4 -- a day before Super Tuesday -- Clinton finance official Annie Totah passed along a critical essay by Ed Lasky, a conservative blogger, whose own anti-Obama e-mails have circulated in the U.S. Jewish community. Totah wrote: 'Please read the attached important and very disturbing article on Barak (sic) Obama. Please vote wisely in the Primaries.'"

...Obama likened Wright to "an old uncle who sometimes will say things that I don’t agree with. And I suspect there are some of the people in this room who have heard relatives say some things that they don’t agree with. Including, on occasion, directed at African-Americans -- that's maybe a possibility that’s just, I am not suggesting that’s definitive."

...Obama then said, "the point I make is this: that I understand the concerns and the sensitivities, and one of my goals, constantly in my public career, has been to try to bridge what was a historically powerful bond between the African-American and Jewish communities, that has been frayed in recent years. For a whole variety of reasons. I think that I have served as an effective bridge, and that’s the reason I have overwhelming support among the Jewish community that knows me best, which is the Jewish community in Chicago. And I think that anybody who has friends among the Jewish community in Chicago should check out those credentials."

more at the link

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7. Obama: McCain Aides Lobby On Campaign Bus

Obama: McCain Aides Lobby On Campaign Bus

Illinois Senator Criticizes McCain For Having Active Lobbyists On His Campaign Staff
Comments 360
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2008


CBS/AP) Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that the Republican presidential nominee in waiting, Sen. John McCain, has lobbyists as top aides and "many of them have been running their business on the campaign bus while they've been helping him."

The Democratic presidential hopeful also said McCain's health care plans reflect "the agenda of the drug and insurance lobbyists, who back his campaign and use money and influence to block real health care reform."

"He takes their money and has put them in charge of his campaign"

- Barack Obama, criticizing McCain's ties to lobbyists.
...

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8. Indian Officials Worry Obama's Anti Nuclear Proliferation Goal

Indian Officials Dread Obama Presidency
Senators Biden, Kerry, and Hagel are in New Delhi trying to close the US-Indian nuclear energy deal --
one that's unlikely to be completed if the antiproliferation Obama is elected president.

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9. Hillary's Leadership and Her Two Failed Attemps at Universal Health Care

Hillary's other two attempts at Universal Health Care and why they failed.

Hillary's Past Leadership Failure in Health Care Repeated In Plan for Universal Insurance Company Prosperity. February 24, 2008

...Hillary and Magaziner Were Blind-Sided by Predictable Reaction of Vested Interests

Any leader, executive or manager understands that planning and implementing organizational change are among the primary challenges of leadership. Innovation, anticipating issues, co-opting parties with differing perspectives, finding winnable compromises, shaping coalitions for change—these are all bread-and-butter skills that differentiate real leaders from “bosses”.

But in 1993 Hillary Clinton and Ira Magaziner chose to exclude any physician, hospital, insurance and pharmaceutical industry players from their preliminary discussions. Guess what? Faced with exclusion from the discussions, these powerful industries marshaled massive advertising and lobbying campaigns to protect their vested interests.

The resulting debacle was both predictable and avoidable. Experienced leaders would have anticipated and planned for the inevitable reaction, but not Hillary and Ira. Instead, they were flattened by the “Harry & Louise” ads and the ridiculous phrase, “They choose, we lose.”

....

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10. NY Times Use Racially Charged Phrases in Attempt to Diminish Obama

The New York Times, for the first time ever, used a racially charged phrase, "talks smack," to characterize a prominent politician's criticisms of his or her political opponent. Dean Powers writes about it:

NY Times: Obama "talks smack" about Bush 2/24/08

The New York Times, for the first time ever, used a racially charged phrase, "talks smack," to characterize a prominent politician's criticisms of his or her political opponent

The phrase appeared in The New York Times in a "Reporter's Notebook" opinion by Mike Powell, published on Sunday, February 24th. Senator Obama, Powell writes, "talks smack about President Bush, who served two terms in that capitol building that looms behind him."

The entire sentence paints Obama in a starkly uneducated and unrefined light against the backdrop of a looming, dignified establishment. Moreover the article refers to his supporters as "rave" attendees, a type of dance party associated heavily with drug use, giving the impression that the black man is winning over a following of druggies and hooligans.

The opinion entitled "On Center Stage, A Candidate Letting His Confidence Show," includes this racial dig in reference to an Obama rally last Friday in Austin, Texas.

A search of the Times' archive using the words "talk" and "smack," "talking smack," "talk smack" and "smack talk" reveals that the Times has never used the slang phrase in reference to a white politician's remarks about a political rival.
...
more at the link

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11. Ralph Nader, ‘Unsafe at Any Age’

Satire.

Ralph Nader, ‘Unsafe at Any Age’ Sunday, February 24th, 2008 By Don Davis

“TIM, EVEN AFTER I’M DEAD, I’M GONNA’ DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS DEAD.”

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12. Nader Who Doesn't Deserve Attention - and why the media does it

When Politics Gets Clinical - How to deal with a Nader.

Nader Who Doesn't Deserve Attention

Reed Hundt on how Obama should deal with Nader.
By Reed Hundt - February 24, 2008, 9:06PM

In 2000 and 2004 Democrats thought for quite a long time that it was wise to ignore Nader. Everyone knew he ran with clear intent to elect a Republican president. Everyone understood that according to his twisted logic it was better to have George Bush be president than to have a very different foreign and domestic policy, than to attend in a timely manner to climate change, to have wise and courageous people occupy the Oval Office -- for the reason that if the country were led in the wrong direction for a long time then somehow redemption could arrive in 2008.

But now in 2008 Nader is not the name of redemption. People can disagree about whether the corrective leader is Clinton, McCain or Obama,
yet all but extreme, angry, illogical, and utterly estranged people will agree that Nader has no business again trying to tilt an election in a
divided country to someone with whom he surely disagrees, namely, John McCain. So why is the press covering him?

....The Post, perhaps, thinks they should write about Nader to see if the coverage will provoke Obama or Clinton.

Naturally, Nader is going after Obama, because it is always his purpose to make sure that no Democrat will win.

He can't get to Armageddon if a leader who seeks a broad base of support for reform is elected. So the Post presumably thinks that by writing about Nader they can get Obama's goat.

Obama has reacted wisely by immediately and directly explaining that Ralph Nader does not deserve even one vote. Obama is right not to ignore Nader any more than he should ignore Clinton or McCain -- he can't ignore any attack from any direction. Kerry taught that.

What we are seeing is that the media will enable any sort of attack against Obama. It will reiterate preposterous charges that he is not a Christian, not patriotic, not this, not that. Anything can be claimed, and the media will repeat it, just to watch for his reaction.

......more at the link

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13. Nader 2008 Paid for by John McCain

Nader 2008 Paid for by John McCain

[babylonsister]

14. Bookmarking. Thanks again for doing this! nt

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15. Nader = Evil Bert!

Nader = Evil Bert!

Nader To Run For President As The Evil Bert Party Candidate

link

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16. Hillary's Vulnerability Dilemma Shown in Ad

Hillary's choice? Attack or be pitiful? This pathetic effort to employ emotion and a sympathy vote is antithetical to the goals the over-50 women supporters (only demographic still hanging in) hoped to see realized with Hillary's candidacy.

Ad shows Hillary's vulnerability dilemma
By: KENNETH P. VOGEL | 02/24/2008 10:58 PM
Emphasis on Clinton’s softer side reflects a staff that has been at war with itself over how to present her.

..The Clinton campaign’s late — and inconsistent — emphasis on Clinton’s softer side reflects a staff that has been at war with itself over how to present her and over how to fight back the unexpectedly resilient onslaught by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s rival campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

...Clinton aides are hoping for a strong sympathy vote from women in the pivotal March 4 contests in Ohio and Texas,
but she continues to mix emotional appeals with ferocious attacks on Obama.

....

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17. Obama projects confidence on coming conservative attacks

February 24, 2008
Read More: Obama

Obama projects confidence on coming conservative attacks

"...The way I'll respond to it is with the truth," Obama said at a press conference in a factory warehouse in Lorain, Ohio. "That I owe everything I am to this country."

He noted that his national debut speech from the 2004 Democratic convention amounted to a paen to America.

But he also offered a tough counterpunch, saying the patriotism debate was one he was "happy to have."

..

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18. Obama to Hillary: All Bill's Record Are Belong to You

Obama to Hillary: All Bill's Record Are Belong to You

Obama To Hillary: You Can't Pick And Choose From Bill's Record
By Eric Kleefeld - February 24, 2008, 8:36PM
Barack Obama rebutted today the charge that it is unfair for him to attack Hillary Clinton over her husband's NAFTA policy in the 1990s. At a press conference in Ohio, Obama said that since Hillary has used "35 years of experience, including eight years in the White House" as a premise for her candidacy, she can't claim just the good parts of Bill's administration as her own, and declare other issues off limits.

"The notion that you can selectively pick what you take credit for and then run away from what isn't politically convenient, that doesn't make sense," Obama said. "If she suggested she had nothing to do with economic policy in the Clinton White House, then it would not be fair for me to bring it up but as you know, that's not the claim that she is making."

[Bread and Circus]

19. Thanks for doing this. I take the time to read the articles so I appreciate your work.

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20. "In Painful Past, Hushed Worry About Obama" - Obama says stop worrying

In Painful Past, Hushed Worry About Obama

Secret Service agents with Senator Barack Obama last month

By JEFF ZELENY
Published: February 25, 2008

DALLAS — There is a hushed worry on the minds of many supporters of Senator Barack Obama, echoing in conversations from state to state, rally to rally: Will he be safe?

In Colorado, two sisters say they pray daily for his safety. In New Mexico, a daughter says she persuaded her mother to still vote for Mr. Obama, even though the mother feared that winning would put him in danger. And at a rally here, a woman expressed worries that a message of hope and change, in addition to his race, made him more vulnerable to violence.

“I’ve got the best protection in the world,” Mr. Obama, of Illinois, said in an interview, reprising a line he tells supporters who raise the issue with him. “So stop worrying.”

...Mr. Obama has had Secret Service agents surrounding him since May 3, the earliest a candidate has ever been provided protection. (He reluctantly gave in to the insistent urging of Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and others in Congress.) As his rallies have swelled in size, his security has increased, coming close to rivaling that given to a sitting president.

...Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, raised concerns in a letter in January to officials who oversee the Secret Service. While Mr. Obama was already receiving protection, Mr. Thompson said that the intense interest in the election prompted him to make sure that Mr. Obama and the other candidates were offered adequate security.

...

more at the link

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21. IF YOU READ THE DAILY OBAMA NEWS

if you are reading this, I hope you will be able to post an article, announcement, event
or even cross post a link to another news article here.

Its hard to keep the news thread visible, so additional posts or kicks throughout the day help.

Thanks!

:yourock:

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22. Clinton Camp Circulates Picture Of Obama Dressed As Muslim

BREAKING: Clinton Camp Circulates Picture Of Obama Dressed As Muslim

Other leaders have worn local costumes:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4757369

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23. Hillary's "Bozo" moment

Hillary's "Bozo" moment
cross posted at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4756750

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24. Clinton: "Saturday Night Live" Shows Media Bias Towards Me

Hillary Clinton Says Watch "Saturday Night Live" To See Press Biases Toward Me
Huffington Post | February 25, 2008 08:33 AM

Attempting to reassure anxious donors, Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday outlined a road map she said she will follow to beat Barack Obama in the Ohio and Texas primaries March 4...

...Clinton blamed her woes in part on unfair press coverage but said she believed Obama had come under increased media scrutiny in recent days. She urged the group to watch the latest episode of "Saturday Night Live," which featured a skit mocking last Thursday's CNN debate as little more than a love fest for Obama.

"People are starting to say, 'Hey, you know, we've got two candidates. We've been a little more focused on one than the other in terms of asking hard questions. Let's start looking at both of them. The voters of this country deserve to have a real election,'" she said.

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25. Video Shows Desperate Clinton Mocking Obama - (her voice about gone)

Its not a woman thing, (I am a women)but when someone's voice sounds like this,
its painful to listen to it.

Video of Clinton Mocking Obama: "The Sky Will Open, The Light Will Come Down"

Hillary Clinton's campaign is on its last legs after suffering a string of defeats to her rival Barack Obama. Clinton made the decision to go negative in an effort to halt Obama's rising momentum. On Saturday, she also accused Obama's campaign of using negative tactics "right out of Karl Rove's playbook" in mailers that misrepresent her positions on NAFTA and healthcare. Obama called the mailings accurate.

Today, Clinton was at a campaign rally in Providence, Rhode Island, and she mocked Obama and his message of hope and change in a very theatrical, over-the-top manner.

Watch the video from CNN below, see link and tell HuffPost whether you think Clinton's line of attack against Obama will help or hurt her campaign:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

26. Obama is Right, Right Wing Is So Wrong - Military Equipt & Afghanistan

Issues in Afghanistan? Obama's Right, Right-Wing Is So Wrong Jon Soltz, 02.23.2008

Senator Warner and the rest of the Bush supporters should start taking troops at their word and pressure the president to address the equipment issues in Afghanistan

Boy, it must absolutely suck to be the neo-con blogosphere or Senator John Warner today.

The other night in the debate, Barack Obama passed on a story from an Afghanistan veteran, who detailed the severe issues our troops over there have with shortages in artillery and equipment and force levels. It took no time for the right-wing blogs to spring into action, saying there's no way such issues could happen -- not under President Bush's superb leadership! Senator John Warner got into the act, saying he was shocked -- SHOCKED -- to hear this story, and implied that Obama was peddling a false story that could never have happened, especially not with Senator Warner on the Armed Services committee.

Well, turns out that it is true, and has been true for a long time. ABC verified the story. Not only that, but over at VetVoice.com, story after story from Afghanistan veterans have started to be posted, with similar stories. Keep going to VetVoice.com for more.

Then, in a major story in the New York Times that followed troops in Afghanistan, posted today, a soldier in Afghanistan repeats an identical feeling to what Obama had talked about:

And they felt eclipsed by Iraq. As Sgt. Erick Gallardo put it: "We don't get supplies, assets. We scrounge for everything and live a lot more rugged. But we know the war is here. We got unfinished business."

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27. The numers don't lie: Barack Obama is the strongest candidate against McCain

Do you want to beat John McCain in November?

Mon Feb 25, 1:22 AM

The numbers don't lie: Barack Obama is the strongest candidate against John McCain.

It's more than just numbers, however. Obama also provides the clearest contrast with
McCain on everything from Iraq to ethics.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

28. Clinton Campaign Advisor Shop Headed by McCain Top Advisor

CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR DEMOCRATIC PARTY, ANYONE?

Hillary's attacks on Obama HELP McCain, oh wait, her advisor's shop is headed by McCain's Top Advisor!

Mark Penn's lobbying shop is headed by John McCain's top adviser

by JedReport Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 08:14:08 PM PST

Let's say that the Democratic nomination battle had been winnowed down to two candidates, and that one of those two candidates (let's call him Barack Obama) was a huge favorite to win. Meanwhile, the GOP nominee has been all but decided. (We'll call him John McCain.)

Now let's imagine that Obama's opponent (we'll call her Hillary Clinton) was desperately slinging every piece of mud she could at him without regard to whether or not her attacks would help John McCain.

Finally, imagine that you found out that Clinton's chief strategist was not only her campaign's leading advocate for these attacks -- but was also the CEO of a public affairs firm whose DC-based lobbying subsidiary was headed up by John McCain's top adviser.

Would you say this posed at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for the strategist in question?

What would you think if you found out that it's all true?

JedReport's diary :: Permalink :: There's more...

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29. The Utility Workers Union of America endorses Barack Obama

2.25.08 The Utility Workers Union of America has announced their endorsement of Barack Obama
cross posted at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4757758

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30. Million Dollar Democratic Fundraiser Behind "Grassroots" Hillary Clinton Site

Oliver Willis: Million Dollar Democratic Fundraiser Behind "Grassroots" Hillary Clinton Site

I noticed that the official Hillary Clinton blog was directing folks to check out HillarySpeaksForMe.com as a grassroots site supporting the candidacy of Sen. Clinton
.
I'm not alleging any wrongdoing or shady behavior here, it's just that when something is labeled "grassroots" a person with the profile like Reshma Saujani is not what leaps first to my mind.


I think of grassroots as regular folks getting involved in politics, and not necessarily people who have done this sort of thing before. She seems like a dedicated Democratic activist and fundraiser who has been quite effective and a part of the existing Democratic infrastructure for some time.

This came about because I noticed that the official Hillary Clinton blog was directing folks to check out HillarySpeaksForMe.com as a grassroots site supporting the candidacy of Sen. Clinton.

The domain is registered to Reshma Saujani.

Reshma Saujani served in 1996 as an intern in President Clinton's White House.

...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

31. Monday Obama photo news helping distract from Clinton Failures

Don't Look at How Badly Hillary's campaign is sinking (or how low)

look at this instead:

There have been 12 duplicate threads posted about the Clinton campaign circulating a photo of Obama in "muslim" garb
6 duplicates trying to defend Hillary Clinton for this, and 6 duplicates condemning this smear campaign.

Absolutely NO PROOF anyone from Clinton camp connected in anyway to 'the photo' Mon Feb-25-08 11:02 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4758267&mesg_id=4758267

There's NO proof the Clinton campaign approved of the Drudge pic. So, he's a legitimate source now?? Mon Feb-25-08 11:18 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4758517

*WHY* is it a "smear photo"? Mon Feb-25-08 11:30 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4758733&mesg_id=4758733

To address the recent Drudge photo...Mon Feb-25-08 11:49 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4759060

Hillary doesn't mind pictures of her in traditional clothing being published. Why is Obama so upset? Mon Feb-25-08 11:26 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4758646

RETHUGS sent the Photo! Mon Feb-25-08 11:57 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4759207&mesg_id=4759207

rebuttal

Politico: Obama slams smear photo Mon Feb-25-08 10:11 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4757652&mesg_id=4757652

The Clinton goes ON RECORD re: PHOTO SMEAR and DOES NOT DENY, just change subject Mon Feb-25-08 11:18 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4758523&mesg_id=4758523

in addition to being a low political move, distributing that photo would be an offense to muslims Mon Feb-25-08 11:37 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4758867

Hillary's use of Islamophobia against Obama, will hurt our Democratic candidate for Congress Mon Feb-25-08 11:21 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4758564

As long as Clinton supporters can blame Drudge the HRC camp will never be called on race baiting Mon Feb-25-08 10:10 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4757636&mesg_id=4757636

Why is there so much spectulation as to where the photo came from? Mon Feb-25-08 11:41 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4758939

People should be worried to hear of the connections between the Clinton and McCain campaign advisors, or the fact that Obama has won 25 contests, Hillary only 11. This cute distraction seems to be working.

[babylonsister]

32. Samuel L. Jackson Stumps for Obama in East Texas to Huge Crowds

http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5135

Samuel L. Jackson Stumps for Obama in East Texas to Huge Crowds
by: Cody Yocom
Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 09:17 PM CST

Samuel L. Jackson came to East Texas today, spreading the message of hope and reminding voters to get out and vote for Barack Obama. Jackson made stops in Texarkana and Longview before rounding out his visit in Tyler where he spoke to over 600 people.

I was there tonight within the Obama headquarters, a large office recently vacated by a furniture store, and watched as Obama supporters began arriving to see Samuel L. as early as 2:00 for a scheduled 5:45 stop. The energy, the excitement was more than evident as people came in ready to help out. Tables were set up so that as people arrived they could sign up to be precinct captains, block walkers and phone bankers. Before the night was over, we were looking for more sign in sheets.

As happens so often with these events, Samuel L. was a tad late, but received an incredible reception upon his arrival. He spoke for about 15 minutes before moving on the press pool before finally staying late to take hundreds of pictures and sign lots and lots of autographs.

Six hundred people in Tyler, Texas for an Obama event only begins to paint the full picture of excitement. Early voting numbers show that Democratic voters are actually outpacing Republican voters at the ballot box. Here's to hoping that trend continues!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

33. AGAIN! Clinton Aide Compares Obama to Jesse Jackson

The Clinton Campaign is trying to diminish Obama's wins again.

February 25, 2008, 11:12 am
Clinton Aide Compares Obama to Jesse Jackson
Amy Chozick reports on the presidential race.

Despite the backlash against President Clinton when he compared the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama to that of Rev. Jesse Jackson after the South Carolina primary, a top Clinton adviser evoked that comparison again today.

Long-time Democratic National Committee member Harold Ickes, who served as deputy chief of staff for President Clinton and is a top aide to Sen. Hillary Clinton, made the comparison at a breakfast with reporters today when asked if he thinks stretching the Democratic primary on for three more months will hurt the Democrats in a general election.
...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

34. They're Republican red, and true blue to Obama

They're Republican red, and true blue to Obama
cross posted at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x340577

[cali]

35. This needs its own thread:

Obama is at 45% in TX, only one point behind Hillary.

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/texas/texas_democratic_presidential_primary

[thevoiceofreason]

36. Houston Harris County keeps up blistering pace

After six days of the eleven day early voting cycle, Harris County has experienced an overwhelming number of early voters in the democratic primary. Through Sunday, there have been 64,375 votes cast in the democratic primary already. In 2004, there were 18 thousand cast in early voting throughout the entire 11 days. The voting continues to be very heavy in those locations nearest the heavily African-American precincts and the deep red areas on the edge of town.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

37. Meet Hillary's Acting Coach

Meet Hillary's Acting Coach
cross posted at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4749751&mesg_id=4749751

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

38. Hillarious! shame on you mashup

"shame on you" mashup video with the Pink Floyd tune, Brick in the Wall
http://www.obamaiswinning.com/2008/02/the-attackmashe.html

sounds like she thinks she is married to Obama.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

39. Video of Bill Clinton the Hope Monger & Hillary Mocks Obama Hope Monger

Sun Feb 24, 6:30 PM | Permalink
A story of hope and pessimism
Here's a video response to Clinton's derisive commentary today in Rhode Island:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt_r0X5rSKk&eurl=http://www.obamaiswinning.com/

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

40. Newsweek "Hillary Should Get Out Now" She won't, of course...

Hillary Should Get Out Now

Clinton has only one shot—for Obama to trip up so badly that he disqualifies himself.

Mar 3, 2008 Issue

If Hillary Clinton wanted a graceful exit, she'd drop out now—before the March 4 Texas and Ohio primaries—and endorse Barack Obama. This would be terrible for people like me who have been dreaming of a brokered convention for decades. For selfish reasons, I want the story to stay compelling for as long as possible, which means I'm hoping for a battle into June for every last delegate and a bloody floor fight in late August in Denver. But to withdraw this week would be the best thing imaginable for Hillary's political career. She won't, of course, and for reasons that help explain why she's in so much trouble in the first place.

Withdrawing would be stupid if Hillary had a reasonable chance to win the nomination, but she doesn't. To win, she would have to do more than reverse the tide in Texas and Ohio, where polls show Obama already even or closing fast. She would have to hold off his surge, then establish her own powerful momentum within three or four days. Without a victory of 20 points or more in both states, the delegate math is forbidding. In Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22, the Clinton campaign did not even file full delegate slates. That's how sure they were of putting Obama away on Super Tuesday.

The much-ballyhooed race for superdelegates is now nearly irrelevant. Some will be needed in Denver to put Obama over the top, just as Walter Mondale had to round up a couple dozen in 1984. But these party leaders won't determine the result. At the Austin, Texas, debate last week, Hillary agreed that the process would "sort itself out" so that the will of the people would not be reversed by superdelegates. Obama has a commanding 159 lead in pledged delegates and a lead of 925,000 in the popular vote (excluding Michigan and Florida, where neither campaigned). Closing that gap would require Hillary to win all the remaining contests by crushing margins. Any takers on her chances of doing so in, say, Mississippi and North Carolina, where African-Americans play a big role?

The pundit class hasn't been quicker to point all this out because of what happened in New Hampshire. A lot of us looked foolish by all but writing Hillary off when she lost the Iowa caucuses. As we should have known, stuff happens in politics. But that was early. The stuff that would have to happen now would be on a different order of magnitude. It's time to stop overlearning the lesson of New Hampshire.

more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

41. Clinton seeks to regain standing among black voters

Clinton seeks to regain standing among black votersBy William Douglas | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Saturday, February 23, 2008 email | print tool nameclose
tool goes here
NEW ORLEANS — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sought to regain the support of African-American voters Saturday, even as the Rev. Al Sharpton accused her campaign of using racially charged rhetoric and of trying to alter party rules to an unfair advantage.

Speaking at the State of the Black Union forum here, Clinton said she understood that the heated race between her and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has taken the African-American community and the rest of the nation into sometimes uncomfortable, "uncharted territory as a party, as a nation, as individuals."

"But uncharted territory means the way forward isn't always easy," she said. "Those us of us who have fought together for decades to right wrongs and break barriers cannot allow differences in our choice of who should be elected to undermine our fundamental unity and determination to change the course of this country starting in November."

Before she spoke, Sharpton, participating in a panel at the forum, said her campaign undermined that unity through surrogates' use of racially charged rhetoric during the primaries...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

42. New polls from ARG breaking now in TX and OH -Obama leading Clinton

New polls from ARG breaking now in TX and OH
http://www.americanresearchgroup.com

ARG Poll: Obama Leads in Texas, Clinton Ahead in Ohio
Two new polls from the American Research Group:

Texas: Obama 50%, Clinton 42%
Ohio: Clinton 49%, Obama 39%

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

43. Rasmussen - Shows Obama only 1 % below Clinton in TX

Texas Democratic Presidential Primary
Texas: Clinton 46% Obama 45%
Monday, February 25, 2008


The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Texas finds Senator Hillary Clinton clinging to a one-point lead over Senator Barack Obama. With just over a week to go, it’s Clinton 46% Obama 45%. Nine percent (9%) of voters remain undecided and another 14% say it’s possible they could still change their mind.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/texas/texas_democratic_presidential_primary

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

44. Edwards and Obama Endorsers, MoveOn & SEIU, Launch "Iraq/Recession" Campaign

Edwards and Obama Endorsers, MoveOn & SEIU, Launch "Iraq/Recession" Campaign
by NCDem Amy
Mon Feb 25, 2008

When John Edwards suspended his campaign for the Presidency, he didn’t suspend his fight for economic justice and to promote a progressive agenda, something he's described as the cause of his life. Determined to continue to drive the debate, pushing economic justice to the forefront, upon his suspension, Edwards requested that both of the remaining candidates pledge to not only make economic justice central to their campaigns but more importantly, to their prospective Presidencies. Both agreed.

Edwards has raised the bar in this campaign, positioning progressive issues front and center. From ending the war in Iraq to promoting social justice and strengthening our economy, Edwards stood up..

...The "Iraq/Recession" Campaign is an intiative that will amplify Americans call to end the war in Iraq and issue a mandate to "100 Year War" McCain, that we are not backing down.

...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

45. KOS - about that "African garb"

KOS: African garb

by kos
Mon Feb 25, 2008

So this picture of Obama in Somali (or Kenyan) garb has everyone in a tizzy right now.
Me, I think it's kind of cool to see Obama in tribal clothing. Then again, I'm a sucker for ethnic garb,
whether it's African, Latin American, Asian, Native American, Indian, Irish, Scottish, or whatever.
I know, I know, respecting other cultures is soooo out of style in this country right now, but nevertheless,
I think it's pretty cool.

Now the screaming headline on Drudge this morning is that, well, Obama respected another culture,
and that's apparently a firing offense these days. Worse than that, Drudge claims it's the Clinton campaign
that's trying to score points off Obama's tolerance.

Now I don't know when we started taking anything Drudge says at face value, but that hysteria could use
a little calming down. In fact, I tend to believe the Clinton campaign when it claims that there hasn't been a
campaign decision to push the, er, accusations

...In any case, as I said a few days ago, I want to see how Obama responds to ridiculous attacks, and whether this was a Republican dirty trick or the work of a free lancing Clinton campaign operative is irrelevant. Obama's campaign has responded forcefully and with little hesitation. That bodes well for the campaign ahead.

...

[Ravy]

47. Respectfully, here is what I don't understand.

And I do greatly admire you providing this service, btw.

but when kos says:

"Obama's campaign has responded forcefully and with little hesitation. That bodes well for the campaign ahead."

and his goal is to unite everyone, how does labeling opponents as "racist" help?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

46. USA Today/Gallup: Obama Leads New National Poll: 51%-39

Obama Leads New National Poll: 51%-39%

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Obama leads Clinton 51%-39% nationally, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll. McCain leads Huckabee 61%-23%.

In the last poll, conducted Feb. 8-10, Obama and Clinton were in a statistical tie with Obama ahead 47%-44%.

The poll was conducted Feb. 21-24 and has a margin of error of +/- 3% for Democrats and +/- 4% on the GOP side.

NOTE: This is the USA Today/Gallup poll, not the Gallup Tracker poll, which shows a slimmer margin.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

48. Governor Rendell's solution to the FL MI fiasco..."shoot Howard Dean."

MadFloridan posts

Governor Rendell's solution to the FL MI fiasco..."shoot Howard Dean."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4763930

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

49. POLL: Is election theft an issue this year?

Poll question: Is election theft an issue this year?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4761208&mesg_id=4761208

[grantcart]

50. Strictland is worried about Ohio

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4764079

[grantcart]

51. Help please

The campaign in Texas needs miles and points to bring in more volunteers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4751621

[Scurrilous]

52. K & R

:kick:

[Tarheel_Dem]

53. another k&r...........

:kick:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

54. Obama Rises in Voter Popularity ---- NYTimes/CBS Poll

Obama Rises in Voter Popularity ---- NYTimes/CBS Poll

February 25, 2008, 2:58 pm

Poll: Obama Rises in Voter Popularity

By Megan Thee

Voters’ opinions of the top three presidential candidates have shifted significantly over the past two months, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

Currently Senator Barack Obama is viewed more favorably than both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator John McCain among all registered voters. Forty-five percent of voters said they have a favorable opinion of Mr. Obama, while about 35 percent have a favorable view of Mrs. Clinton and 36 percent said the same of Mr. McCain.
Mr. Obama is personally more well-liked than is Mrs. Clinton among those who vote in Democratic contests. Nearly 7 in 10 say they have a favorable opinion of Mr. Obama, the highest rating for him in a New York Times/CBS News poll since the start of the primaries. In contrast, Mrs. Clinton is viewed favorably by 61 percent of the party’s voters, down from 68 percent in December.

On the Republican side, Mr. McCain is enjoying a large boost from his party’s voters with 57 percent reporting they now have a favorable opinion of him, up 20 points from a December reading taken before the primaries and caucuses began.

Full poll results will be released later today.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

55. "A stunt like this is almost guaranteed to backfire on Clinton..."

Clinton Camp Wraps Obama in Muslim Garb

The Nation -- Barack Obama has had to spend hours on the campaign trail debunking the lie that he is Muslim. This story first circulated via a right-wing email smear campaign, as my colleague Chris Hayes documented, but has since taken on a life of its own, spawning more and more fantastic conspiracies about Obama.

Today the story took an even more bizarre turn, when Drudge posted a picture of Obama dressed as a traditional Somali elder on a trip back to Kenya in 2006. The photo of Obama, in a white sash and white turban, was clearly meant to stoke the "Obama is a Muslim" flames. More worrisome, Drudge says he received the photo from "Clinton staffers."

That revelation prompted one of the most bizarre non-denial denials in recent political history. "There are 700 people in our organization," the Clinton campaign told blogger Marc Ambinder. "We can't be sure that it didn't come from us. It is not the intent of the campaign to release this picture to tarnish Senator Obama in any way, but if someone in the campaign thinks the Obama camp gets treated differently by the media, well, they're right."

So essentially camp Clinton is saying: it may or may not have been us, but even if it was us, that's fine, because the media is biased in favor of Barack Obama. Does the end always justify the means?

A stunt like this is almost guaranteed to backfire on Clinton,

like so many of the campaign's previous attacks. It was in poor taste to begin with, and the spin thereafter was clumsy and incoherent, reinforcing the fears among many Democrats that Clinton may attempt to tear apart Obama on the road to defeat.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

56. For Best Performance by a Democratic Candidate . . .

For Best Performance by a Democratic Candidate . . .
By: Scarecrow Monday February 25, 2008 5:00 am



Hillary Clinton showed a range of emotions from anger to mockery
towards the upstart, pretentious Barack Obama.

Reacting first to an Obama campaign mailing on health care:

more at the link

http://firedoglake.com/2008/02/25/for-best-performance-by-a-democratic-candidate/

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

57. CNN Poll: Obama Moves Ahead in Texas, 50-46

CNN Poll: Obama Moves Ahead in Texas, 50-46

A CNN poll puts Barack Obama above Clinton in this important March 4 primary. But the race is still a statistical tie.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/cnn_obama_up_4_points_in_texas.php

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

58. Obama on Nader:"But his function as a perennial candidate is not putting food on the table..."

Obama is clever: "But his function as a perennial candidate is not putting food on the table of workers."

Nader Runs, Obama Responds Wisely

..."Ralph Nader deserves enormous credit for the work he did as a consumer advocate," Mr. Obama said while campaigning in Ohio "But his function as a perennial candidate is not putting food on the table of workers."

...Obama seems to understands this. Unlike Gore or Kerry, who never quite "got" the point of Nader's runs in 2000 and 2004, the Illinois senator appears to recognize that it is pointless to grumble about Ralph Nader as a "spoiler." Rather, the point is to be more appealing to progressive voters who might consider voting Green or independent.

..."I think the job of the Democratic Party is to be so compelling that a few percentage of the vote going to another candidate is not going to make any difference," says Obama.

...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080224/cm_thenation/1289744

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

59. Sen. Clinton struggles in party’s strongholds

Sen. Clinton struggles in party’s strongholds

By Alexander Bolton and Jessica Malmgren
Posted: 02/25/08

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has not won a single Democratic congressional district since Feb. 5 and has won only one Democratic district in states carried by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), a sign that she is less popular among the party’s most loyal voters, say political experts.

...Clinton’s lack of popularity among the nation’s most hardcore Democratic districts may result from the lingering resentment among liberals over her 2002 vote to authorize President Bush’s invasion of Iraq. In addition, many of the most loyal Democratic districts are overwhelmingly African-American.


“The pattern shows that she isn’t winning big confidence from the Democratic Party,” said Bruce Cain, a political science professor at the University of California at Berkeley and director of the University of California’s Washington Center. “Even in the states she won, the areas that are the most hardcore Democratic went for Obama.


“In the areas where the Democratic Party has been strongest, the support is greatest for Obama, which gets to the whole issue of, Who is the true nominee of the party?” said Cain.


A Clinton spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

more at the link
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/sen.-clinton-struggles-in-partys-strongholds-2008-02-25.html

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

60. Hillary All Hat?

Weyant's World: February 26, 2008
By Chris Weyant
Posted: 02/25/08