Hillary's "scorched earth" strategy gets her nowhere. Obama widens the margin

[ProSense]

Obama Wins Wyoming, Networks Say

By Greg Sargent - March 8, 2008, 6:05PM

CNN and NBC call Wyoming for Obama. With 91% reporting, it's 58%-41%.

CNN's estimate has it that seven delegates go to Obama, and four to Hillary, with one left. So what's outstanding is whether Obama has a net gain over her of two delegates, or four.

More soon.

Late Update: On a conference call with reporters, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe argued that tonight's results put Hillary in a deeper hole.

He noted that given tonight's results, Hillary has to win 63% of the remaining pledged delegates, which "would mean getting 68% or 70% of the vote everywhere."

"We're getting down the field," Plouffe said.

Plouffe also made some of his most aggressive comments yet about Hillary's assault on Obama, saying outright that she has chosen a "scorched earth" strategy designed to "destroy Senator Obama in some way" in order to get the super-delegates to see him as un-electable and hence support her.

Not even Hillary's media shills can help her now



The big-state myth debunked:

State................Obama..............Clinton

California...........2,126,000..........2,553,000

Texas ..............1,358,000..........1,459,000

New York.............698,000..........1,003,000

Illinois...............1,302,000............662,000

Ohio...................982,000..........1,212,000

Georgia...............704,000.............330,000

New Jersey..........492,000.............603,000

Virginia...............627,000.............350,000

Washington.........354,000.............316,000


Total................8,643,000 ........8,487,000

On the popular vote, Obama by more than 150,000 votes.
h/t Grantcart

OK, Let's Total It Up

by Granny Doc
Sat Mar 08, 2008 at 02:17:31 PM PST

This diary is intended for the media. I want to compile every misstatement, misrepresentation, and just plain election changing duplicity that we know of, to this point.

I will list those things that get my goat and I encourage you to add your findings, in the comments section.

Then, if you feel it to be worth while, recommend this diary so that as many people as possible can join in the slam fest. <g>

1. Barack Obama won the delegate race in Texas by picking up 4 more delegates than Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton did NOT win Texas, inspite of CNN's constant repetition of her "3 state sweep" meme. The results of last Tuesday were Clinton 2 states (Ohio and Rhode Island), and Obama 2 (Vermont and Texas). Each candidate won one large and one small state. It was a tie.
   
   (I am using a technique of small words, oft repeated, because they keep telling us how complicated it is, how we don't understand, and how unfair this damned caucus process is. In other words they're stupid so we must be stupid too.)
   
   
2. NAFTA-gate is a prime example of chanting the media line, having settled on a script and being unwilling to adjust that script, in spite of the many conflicting bits of information that keep leaking out of the Canadian Government. Senator Obama's unpaid campaign economic advisor told the Canadian consulate that the Senator was not going to abandon NAFTA, but would require renegotation of several aspects of the treaty.
   
   Someone took some variant of "minutes" of that conversation which were then leaked as a "memo" at the instigation of a fellow in the Prime Minister's office. When challenged PM Stephen Harper denied any intentions to interfer with the US elections. Turns out that was not true. Those minutes were written to contain statements that all of the principles have denied, but served to give a boost to uninformed voters who favor the Clinton campaign.
   
   
3. The Clinton campaign has cast this primary as one of experience. Senator Clinton has no more experience with the day to day details of running the Executive Office than any other Presidential spouse. Standing around with Chelsea while dance groups perform in exotic costumes, staying in palaces, and using the military and Secret Service agencies in droves to protect their persons, and generally making her way around the stage of public appearances, is NOT experience in executive management. It does provide diplomatic experience, however. Maybe Hillary could be made Ambassador to Urdustan?
   
   
4. Hillary Clinton has brow beaten the media into recasting her failures as success. Hillary Clinton does not lead in the popular vote, she did not win Michigan, as she was the only name on the ballot, and her name recognition in Florida (in early January) does not constitute a "win". Given that tens of thousands of voters did not participate in either state since they knew that the primaries, and subsequent delegate selections, would not count at the convention, to claim these as wins is the height of arrogance. Senator Clinton spins reality with the same lack of respect for truth as George Bush. And, the media continues to repeat her fantasies, unquestioningly.
   
   
5. Hillary Clinton is the ultimate example of the "old politics". She brings nothing new to the table. She has been in the pocket of big pharma, the health insurance industry, and the MIC for the past 20 years. She has taken much of her financing from these industries, and she will not be able to effect change that cuts off the spigot to the contracts, activities, and control of the legislative agenda, that these power players demand. Her compaign is working valiently to conceal and distort this record, and present Ms. Clinton as an agent of "change". Can't happen, media. Get out there and track down her real history. Not just the spin of Penn and Wolfson.

You are failing us once again.

You screwed around with your love affair with George Bush, destroyed Al Gore, and are directly responsible for the past 7 years of horror. It's on your head. But, you can redeem yourselves, if you revert to journalism, rather than these Heather infatuations that float your boat.

Obama: Positive momentum

Hillary: Negative momentum

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DJ13]

6. When you get an original thought try posting it instead of repeating the same crap

[Kittycat]

12. Alerted again...

You're allowed 3 new topic posts in GDP, if you've used them already - too bad. Stay on topic, or suck it up until tomorrow.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bleowheels]

3. Please edit your post. It does not include pledged delegates. Or did you...

mistakenly omit the pledged delegates? Me thinks you included the popular votes of Florida and Michigan as well. Nice fuzzy math.

[ProSense]

4. You are losing it! n/t

[rocktivity]

10. Do the math (total non-story)

Hillary is leading the popular vote by an average of .0002!

Primaries are delegate contests, not popularity contests.

What Obama is missing in Dem votes, he is obviously picking up in independent/disgusted Repub votes.

Hillary did not win Texas. Obama ended up with the majority of the delegates. He picked up a few more in California, too.

:boring:
rocknation

[ProSense]

11. Hillary is not leading in the primary vote. Obama is leading by nearly 600,000 votes.

Obama: 13,000,655

Hillary: 12,411,705

[Gore1FL]

14. She isn't even leading by that much!

at least four caucus states haven;t reported totals, the numbers where she has a lead included 2 improper elections, and primary voters are inherently disproportionalto caucuses,and thus inneed of a multiplier to make an argument worthy of it.

But I like your ratio of all the numbers slanted in Hillary's favor being so miniscule!

[rocktivity]

18. I relied strictly on the data that the story provided

and I see that the story has since been removed!

:evilgrin:
rocknation

[Kittycat]

13. Liar without a link... here are the real numbers.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html

2008 Democratic Popular Vote

Popular Vote Count
State Date % Vote In Obama Clinton
Popular Vote Total - - 13,005,114 12,414,786

[rocktivity]

21. I stand corrected.

Even in the best case scenario for Hillary (including FL and MI) her lead is a whopping .11%!

:evilgrin:
rocknation

[ProSense]

5. Update Wyoming : Obama 61%, Hillary 38%

Obama 61%, Hillary 38% (100% reporting)

[Tom Joad]

8. hah! you see, it was within 30% again. obviously Obama is losing momentum.

[Az_lefty]

7. Congrats to Obama...and you guy's can save all the Hillary crap.

she's still in second place.

[HeraldSquare212]

9. It is kind of amazing - the longer this goes on, the clearer her defeat will be.

[Gore1FL]

15. yep...

Every contest she doesn't make up a huge amount of delegates, the slope gets steeper for her.

To catch up in pledged delegates after today, she has to win PA 67-33 and the other contests by 60-40%

Talk about a candidacy based on hope....

[Medusa]

17. Why do you think she's trying to negotiate a VP slot?

for herself?

[ProSense]

16. Hillary spins disastrous showing as a victory

Hillary Comes in Second in Wyoming

March 08, 2008 8:41 PM

Hillary Clinton's campaign is casting her not-entirely-disastrous showing in the Wyoming caucuses as a victory.

Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "We are thrilled with this near split in delegates and are grateful to the people of Wyoming for their support. Although the Obama campaign predicted victory in Wyoming weeks ago, we worked hard to present Senator Clinton’s vision to the caucus-goers and we thank them for turning out today."

Waitasec...

I thought victories in red states, small-population states and caucus states were irrelevant...?

I guess losses there somehow rock the house?

Obama 61% Hillary 38%

[AtomicKitten]

20. "But, it's only a flesh wound!"

Great toon. :)

[Cha]

23. The phone rings at 3am...

[dailykoff]

19. Wait, some has-been comedy show is pimping for Hillary!

She's got the rerun mo!

[Cha]

22. Talking to my son on Kauai..

he says if one more person on tv says that hilary "won" Texas he's going to unplug it..he says even bill maher is saying hilary won Texas and the only one who isn't saying it is Keith Olbermann. I said that's why Keith is ahead of the pack, he does his homework and doesn't use someone else's soundbites to use as his own.

[slinkerwink]

24. kicking and recommending your post

[ProSense]

25. The Iron Lady (and Mark Penn)

The Iron Lady

The Clinton campaign returns from the dead, again.

by Ryan Lizza

<...>

By early February, Clinton’s campaign seemed to be flailing. On one day, she accused Obama of plagiarizing part of a speech (actually a few lines borrowed at the suggestion of an Obama friend, the governor of Massachusetts), on another of reneging on a campaign-finance pledge (which would have applied only to the general election). In a series of debates (twenty in all, for anyone counting), Clinton kept accusing Obama of advocating a health-care plan—not very different from hers—that she insisted failed to insure fifteen million Americans. None of these arguments slowed Obama’s victory streak, which started on February 9th with wins in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, and the Virgin Islands.

The Clinton campaign finally succeeded in tripping up Obama as reporters began to raise the questions put to them in daily conferences by the war-room managers: Why, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs, had Obama never held a hearing about NATO’s role in Afghanistan? And, come to think of it, what was the full nature of Obama’s relationship with Tony Rezko, his onetime fund-raiser and friend, who happened to be on trial in Chicago for extortion, money laundering, and fraud? There was also that curious business with the Canadians. Was it true that Obama’s top economic-policy adviser, Austan Goolsbee, had told someone at the Canadian consulate that Obama was not entirely serious about renegotiating NAFTA? The Clinton campaign acted utterly shocked by this possible revelation. (Never mind that in an interview last year Clinton told me that the problem with NAFTA was “not necessarily the framework” but “the way that it was implemented and enforced.”)

The attacks were working. Last week, Penn told me, “If you look at the Gallup tracking poll, we moved even after just a few days of opening a couple of basic questions on him. So it really shows that he’s much weaker as a potential nominee.” (The poll in question showed Obama leading nationally 50–42 on the Saturday before primary day, and the race tied, 45–45, three days later.)

The newfound strength of Clinton’s war room is vital for her going forward. Her campaign realizes that if it is unable to overcome Obama’s lead in pledged delegates, there may be only one other path to victory: to make the case to superdelegates—and the Party establishment—that Obama could not defeat John McCain in the general election, and that, therefore, the will of the voters should not be binding. Mark Penn has been trying to make that argument for weeks, but few paid attention while Obama was winning. (How could the Illinois senator be unelectable if he was on his way to being elected?) But people are listening now, despite polls consistently showing that Obama does better than Clinton in a head-to-head race with McCain.

Penn, regardless of the success of his tactics, has become a lonely figure in the Clinton campaign. “Mark Penn does not have many friends,” one Clinton adviser told me when I asked which camp in the notoriously balkanized Clinton campaign he represented. But Penn has the two friends that matter: Bill and Hillary Clinton, who have relied on his instincts and wisdom since he was brought into the White House with Dick Morris after the Republicans, led by Newt Gingrich, took control of Congress in the 1994 midterm election. Hillary Clinton wrote in her autobiography that the weeks after that defeat were “among the most difficult of my White House years” and she “wondered how much I was to blame for the debacle: whether we had lost the election over health care.” But with help from Morris and his protégé, Mark Penn, President Clinton saw his approval ratings rebound, and by the fall of 1996, after Morris resigned in the wake of his own sex—or, to be precise, toe-sucking—scandal, Penn had taken charge of Clinton’s successful reëlection campaign. In 1998, Bill Clinton’s affair with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky was disclosed, and by that time Penn’s place in the Clinton circle of friends, enablers, and strategists was fixed. He gave advice to the President throughout his impeachment ordeal and to Mrs. Clinton as she recovered from public humiliation. Penn served as the chief strategist for her successful 2000 and 2006 Senate campaigns. More than any other senior adviser, Penn has guided both Clintons through their most treacherous political troubles––and has encouraged Hillary Clinton’s almost unnerving survival instincts.

<...>

Clinton’s victories and her rhetorical tactics have challenged Obama’s principled refusal to play the rough-and-ready game which he brands “old politics.” Her disingenuous remark on “60 Minutes” that Obama was not a Muslim “as far as I know” was especially galling. One foreign-policy adviser, the professor and author Samantha Power, betrayed a taste of the Obama campaign’s anger at Clinton when she told The Scotsman that Clinton was “a monster. . . . The amount of deceit she has put forward is really unattractive.” (Power, who also writes for The New Yorker, apologized and resigned from the campaign last Friday.)

more

What a great strategy for going nowhere: slinging shit!

[ProSense]

26. Hillary's campaign is pushing MI, FL in attempt to cheat, but it will not work

Fun with math:

Actual Popular Vote Total
Obama 13,007,968 (+ 592,682)
Hillary 12,415,286


FL
Obama 576,214
Hillary 870,986

Popular Vote (w/FL)
Obama 13,584,182 (+297,910)
Obama 13,286,272


MI
Clinton 328,151
Uncommitted 237,762

Let's say Obama got half (118,881) the uncommitted MI votes

Popular Vote (w/FL and MI)
Obama 13,703,063 (+31,482)
Clinton 13,614,581


Of course, Hillary cheating campaign wants to count MI with no votes going to Obama.

Obama would likely have gotten more than half the uncommitted votes, and possibly even more votes had the FL primary counted.

[apocalypsehow]

27. K & R.

:thumbsup:

[ProSense]

28. Wonder if she will tone it down now? n/t

[ProSense]

29. Ferraro: Obama is lucky he's black

Ferraro: Obama is lucky he's black

by kos
Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 01:47:44 PM PDT

More classiness, from one of Clinton's top surrogates, Geraldine Ferraro.

If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.

Ferraro isn't some unknown lower-level or obscure advisor, but one of her top fundraisers, member of Clinton's finance committee, and a former Democratic vice presidential nominee.

[ProSense]

30. Damage

Damage

Kos spots this stunner in the Mississippi exits:

Is Clinton honest and trustworthy? 52 Yes, 48 No

Obama's at 70-30. And this is among Democrats.

[AtomicKitten]

31. K&R

:thumbsup:

[ProSense]

32. "... on NPR, Senator Clinton admitted to breaking her pledge to the DNC."

This morning, on NPR, Senator Clinton admitted to breaking her pledge to the DNC. She stated:

"... we all had a choice as to whether or not to participate in what was going to be a primary. And most people took their names off the ballot, but I didn't. And I think that was a wise decision because Michigan is key to our electoral victory in the fall.

This is a direct and unequivocable violation of her pledge to the DNC and Democratic voters. She signed a pledge not to campaign OR PARTICIPATE. Here's the relevant section of the pledge (pdf):

THEREFORE, I (Hillary Clinton), Democratic Candidate for President, in honor and in accordance with DNC rules, pledge to actively campaign in the pre-approved early states Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. I pledge I shall not campaign or participate in any election contest occurring in any state not already authorized by the DNC to take place in the DNC approved pre-window (any date prior to February 5, 2008).

link

Imagine if Obama and Edwards had taken their names off the Florida ballot after Hillary broke her pledge in MI, she would now be claiming the right to MI and FL votes and advocating the disinfranchisement of voters who aren't among her supporters.