Hillary’s Voice

Electoral-Vote.com, April 29, 2008
Clinton     291        McCain     247        Tie      0
Obama     243        McCain     269        Tie     26
Click through to see the maps.

Obama denounces Rev. Wright (by Ben Smith at Politico)
Obama sharply attacks Reverend Jeremiah Wright and the substance of his remarks [Monday], a far sharper disavowal than he gave in Philadelphia… “I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday,” he said.
Hmmm… From crazy old uncle to I am outraged.  What he’s outraged about is Wright’s attacks on HIM, not the attacks on America.

Matt Davies

Round-Up of Blog Responses to Obama Presser (and buzz about a N.C. poll last night) (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
RightTriangle, N.C. blog: “I’m watching MSNBC and Andrea Mitchell is asking NBC correspondent Athena Jones why Obama chose now to finally, unequivocally, part ways with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In her reporting wisdom, Jones is talking about how Wright offended Obama with his remarks yesterday at the National Press Club. I don’t think so. My guess is it had something to do with the poll call I got last night. All questions were about the Obama-Wright relationship and whether that made me think more unfavorably about Barack Obama [and if] I was more inclined now to vote for Hillary since this blew up. Due respect to Athena, but she should do a little more reporting and actually ask Obama why he did what he did a few minutes ago. I would put money on the fact that Obama saw the results of that snap poll and said, ‘My God, I’ve got to ditch this guy.’”
Click through for more reactions.

Uncle Jeremiah Wright was Right (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
Boy did Reverend Wright call it correctly the other day. He indicated that Barack is the kind of guy who will say politically what needs to be said regardless of what he believes. Well, Barack proved him right. Two months ago he had never heard Wright say anything objectionable in 20 years. Now, apparently, in the last eight weeks, aliens have taken over the body and mind of Wright and he is saying things he has never said before. Right? Wrong.

When it suits his all-consuming political ambitions, at the time … (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Obama has over-emphasized his Christian faith to fend off accusations from the right that he is a secret Muslim. That suits his ambition to become the Democratic nominee and to become president. But, it’s a delicate dance to claim he’s a devout Christian when he also claims that he never heard Wright’s rants — which would LOGICALLY mean that he rarely attended Wright’s Trinity church. Which is it, Barack? Did you carefully select to attend only on the Sundays when Wright never railed against America and white people? Or is this another of your cover-ups?
Some folks have the audacity to think that the only reason Obama, formerly a skeptic if not a full-blown atheist, joined the church to gain political juice.

Obama will do anything to win.  (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Obama is a liar. He stayed in that church for 20 years. He listened to Wright for 20 years. Wright said nothing new yesterday. Obama is lying to save his fraudulent ass. Obama went after Wright and “repudiated” him today because he poll numbers are falling in N.C. End of story. Any tall tale from Obama now about how surprised he is by Wright is BULLSHIT. Barack Obama has no integrity. Zero. Obama cannot be trusted to walk the dog, much less run the country. CNN said Obama looked “hurt”. Good God. What’s next- Keith Olberman brings him a blanket while Huffington rubs his shoulders, and Ducky at the Cheetos blog plays patty cakes with him to cheer him up? THIS MAN CANNOT BE PRESIDENT. Obama is poison. By taking deception and deceit to new levels Obama now represents the opposite of hope. He represents a contempt for the process that rivals Nixon.

Obama’s quandary over preacher reflects supporters’ divide
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Thirteen hours after his former pastor startled some with a defiant performance that was televised nationwide, Barack Obama urged 18,000 supporters to stay calm and shrug off such “distractions.”

Obama’s ‘Race Neutral’ Strategy Unravels of its Own Contradictions (by Glen Ford at the Black Agenda Report)
The worldviews of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Sen. Barack Obama were incompatible from the start, just as the mythical American Manifest Destiny worldview is directly at odds with the facts as perceived by Blacks in the United States. Wright finally forced Obama to choose sides in the conflict of racial/historical visions, and in doing so, performed a service on behalf of clarity. Obama lashed out in a startlingly personal manner, calling Wright a “caricature” of himself and linking the minister to forces that give “comfort to those who prey on hate.” Rev. Wright exposed the flimsy tissues of so-called “race neutrality” in a nation founded on racial oppression.
What is so seriously pitiful about all this is that Obama had the chance to bring race to the forefront.  In fact, we had the chance to really hash out issues of race AND sexism.  But it turns out that Obama’s just a politician.  He wants to win, not to change the world.

Obama’s ‘Race Neutral’ Strategy Unravels of its Own Contradictions (by Glen Ford at the Black Agenda Report)
The worldviews of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Sen. Barack Obama were incompatible from the start, just as the mythical American Manifest Destiny worldview is directly at odds with the facts as perceived by Blacks in the United States. Wright finally forced Obama to choose sides in the conflict of racial/historical visions, and in doing so, performed a service on behalf of clarity. Obama lashed out in a startlingly personal manner, calling Wright a “caricature” of himself and linking the minister to forces that give “comfort to those who prey on hate.” Rev. Wright exposed the flimsy tissues of so-called “race neutrality” in a nation founded on racial oppression.
What is so seriously pitiful about all this is that Obama had the chance to bring race to the forefront.  In fact, we had the chance to really hash out issues of race AND sexism.  But it turns out that Obama’s just a politician.  He wants to win, not to change the world.

Michael Ramirez

The press and Obama: (by Bob Somerby at The Daily Howler)
For better or worse, it was always clear that Reverend Wright would be a part of this campaign. But the press corps was very slow to go there, even though it was clear that Wright—a key figure in Obama’s life—was, for better or worse, well outside the political mainstream… “This is as openly radical a background as any significant American political figure has ever emerged from,” Rolling Stone judged [in February of 2007]. But for the next year, the mainstream press corps made little attempt to explore this… [I]t was always clear that Reverend Wright would play a role in this campaign. The press corps walked away from this for a very long time.

Nobody knows anything (by lambert at Corrente)
The polls are wrong, the campaigns are wrong, the DNC is wrong, the RNC is wrong, and especially, especially our famously free press is wrong. (The conservatives are always wrong about everything, so this state of affairs is normal for them.) It’s as if there’s an undiscovered planet that’s throwing off the orbits of all the known planets. It’s as if there’s a huge but untracked source of narratives that’s throwing off all the other narratives. Could it be…. The blogosphere? (And, even more radically, the B, C, and D listers in their tens of thousands of writers and millions of readers?)

Insiders Say Obama Has Won Elected Superdelegates (Political Wire)
“Capitol Hill insiders say the battle for congressional superdelegates is over,” according to The Politico, and Sen. Barack Obama appears to have won the majority. A Wall Street Journal story yesterday came to the same conclusion. “While more than 80 Democrats in the House and Senate have yet to state their preferences in the race for the Democratic nomination, sources said Tuesday that most of them have already made up their minds and have told the campaigns where they stand.”
Those wouldn’t be insiders OF THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN saying this, would they?

From Reba Shimansky, via email: Super Delegates Should Think Twice Before Endorsing Obama
After Kentucky Congressman Ben Chandler  endorsed Obama the congressman’s offices in Lexington and Washington had received about 300 phone calls opposing his decision — and only five in favor — by about 2:30 p.m. [Tuesday].

Where the Dem Rules Really Lead (by Craig Crawford, CQ Politics)
The mandatory penalties set forth by the Democratic National Committee’s delegate selection rules call for outlaw states like Florida and Michigan to only lose half of their delegates to the national convention. And yet the DNC went beyond its own rules to add further penalties, stripping those states of all delegates. The DNC rules also prohibited public appearances and electronic advertising before the polls closed by candidates in states that had jumped the approved primary calendar. Barack Obama made a public appearance in Florida in September 2007, talking to reporters after a fundraiser. His campaign also bought television ads on cable news outlets that ran throughout Florida before its renegade primary. Strictly speaking, if the DNC rules were tightly construed in this case, Hillary Rodham Clinton would receive half of the Florida delegates she won and Obama would receive none — the penalty for violating the campaign ban.

Obama’s money advantage over Clinton may not matter
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama is poised once again to dramatically outspend Hillary Clinton, this time in North Carolina and Indiana before next Tuesday’s primaries there — and once again, the imbalance may not matter.

POLL: PPP Indiana (4/26-27)
Clinton 50, Obama 42

In North Carolina, Clinton Closes To Within 5 Of Obama
In a Democratic Primary in North Carolina today, 04/29/08, one week till votes are counted, the 10-point lead that Barack Obama has had for two months is halved, to now 5 points, Obama 49%, Clinton 44%, according to SurveyUSA’s 7th tracking poll, conducted exclusively for WTVD-TV Raleigh. In SurveyUSA last four polls, over the past two months, Obama has led by 10, 8, 10, and 9 points. Today: 5.

No Change in Democratic Presidential Contest in Kentucky — Clinton Still 2:1 Atop Obama
In a Democratic Primary in Kentucky today, 04/29/08, three weeks until votes are counted, Hillary Clinton decisively defeats Barack Obama, 63% to 27%. In three SurveyUSA tracking polls over the past 30 days, there is no movement in the contest. Obama gains a little bit of ground in Greater Louisville, but loses an equivalent amount in other portions of the state.
That’s 36 points.  Mighty impressive.

Oh, now it’s blackmail (by lambert at Corrente)
Charlie Cook: “One of the most salient arguments made these days by superdelegates is the fear of what would happen to the party if Obama were to be spurned. Even if they wanted to nominate Clinton, the fear of damage to the party is sufficient to argue against it. Between the newbies — the young and new voters who are so enthusiastic for Obama — and the black community — who ironically were somewhat late to join the Obama bandwagon after his Iowa win — the fallout from a spurning of Obama would be profound.” Well, splendid. Vote for me, or I take my ball and go home. Hey, remember when there used to be actual reasons — however weak — to vote for Obama? Happy days. Now, it’s just a straight power play.
And what does Senator Clinton say?  She cares about party, not about personality.  See below.

Hillary’s Interview With the Indianapolis Star (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
From Hillary’s interview with the Indianapolis Star today… “Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said [Tuesday] that it would be ‘the height of political foolishness’ for Democrats to back a Republican, or not vote at all, if they’re disappointed by the outcome of the long-running nomination battle between her and Barack Obama. ‘Anyone, anyone, who voted for either of us should be absolutely committed to voting for the other’ in the general election, Clinton said… “no matter what the differences are between Senator Obama and myself, they pale in comparison to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.”
Click through for a link to the video.

Senior Hillary Adviser On Whether She’ll Take On O’Reilly: “That’s Not The Plan” (by Greg Sargent at TPM Election Central)
So why did Hillary agree to go on The O’Reilly Factor and will she be taking on O’Reilly in some way, as Obama was criticized for not doing during his interview with Fox’s Chris Wallace? I just posed these questions to Hillary spokesperson Howard Wolfson. He would only say: “We’ve had a standing offer from them for a while — Hillary obviously doesn’t agree with Bill O’Reilly on many issues, but he has a large audience of politically engaged people.” They may be politically engaged, but are they persuadable in any way?… Meanwhile, a senior adviser to Hillary, asked whether she’d be taking on O’Reilly in some fashion, said, on condition of anonymity: “That’s not the plan.”

Late Update: MoveOn, a major Obama supporter that hit the Illinois Senator over his Fox appearance and has led the charge against Fox, emails over this response… “With no plan to call out Fox’s Republican agenda, Senator Clinton’s appearance on ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ does nothing more than legitimize a network that will then use that credibility to smear Democrats and progressive ideas in 2008. She’s pandering to a small audience that is not persuadable.”
She’s once again showing that she can speak to people who hold different views from her.  When Obama CLAIMS he can do it, everyone falls all over themselves admiring him.  When Clinton does it, she’s being very, very bad.

Schism Grows Between Obama and Liberal Bloggers (Wired)
Liberal bloggers are expressing outrage over Barack Obama’s appearance this weekend on Fox News, accusing the Democratic presidential front-runner of kowtowing to the network’s conservative viewers, and throwing his online supporters to the wolves… Ahead of the appearance, an Obama spokesman told TPM Election Central that Fox has “been the tip of the spear when it comes to repeatedly broadcasting some of the most specious of rumors about Obama.” Promising on-air fireworks, the spokesman said that Obama “is going on their Sunday show to take Fox on.” Instead, Obama was decidedly non-combative, and calmly addressed all of the issues thrown his way by the show’s host. He even highlighted some of his differences with liberal blogs, singling out Daily Kos by name while discussing John Roberts’ nomination to the Supreme Court.
Break out your tiny violin and click through for the reactions.

Skelton backs Clinton for Democratic nomination (Kansas City Star)
Democratic superdelegate and veteran Congressman Ike Skelton of Missouri said Tuesday he will back Hillary Clinton for president. In a brief statement, Skelton of Lexington said he backed Clinton “because of her support in rural America, her commitment to national security, and her dedication to our men and women in uniform.”

New Clinton supporter is a potent symbol (Politico)
NC Gov. Mike Easley’s endorsement offers Clinton a potent symbolic and electoral boost in biggest state left to vote. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley’s scheduled endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton today offers her a potent symbolic and electoral boost in the biggest state left to vote. Easley is a meaningful ally in the culture war she’s waging against Senator Barack Obama, as she seeks to cast him as a hopelessly unelectable liberal elitist and to persuade the Democratic Party leaders who will decide the nomination – the “superdelegates” – to choose her instead… Easley had endorsed Edwards for president, but again became a heavily sought superdelegate once Edwards bowed out of the race.

CNN: Hillary is a Bunny Cooker (by TexasDarlin at MyDD)
Well, these blokes on cable TV just keep drivin’ up the female vote for Hillary…Go for it, guys!  You have know idea how your sexism helps our GOTV efforts.  Dumbos. Here’s Ken Rudin, “NPR Political Editor” sharing a long guffaw with CNN’s “Media Matters” moderator (sorry, don’t know his name) after comparing Hillary to the stalker character played by Glen Close in “Fatal Attraction”…. Ok, all you gals (and enlightened guys)….donate your latte funds today, in honor of the Cable TV Asses (CTAs): [Contribute!  Until midnight tonight, your donation will be matched.]

Obama: The know-too-much candidate? (by Roger Simon at Politico)
The superdelegates, the party insiders who will decide the nomination, are watching events very, very closely. And what do they see? Obama has now lost the popular vote in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania. He has been hurt by the irresponsible statements of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and Obama insulted small-town Americans when he accused them of “clinging” to guns and religion… Comparisons are already being made between Obama and Adlai Stevenson, who was an intellectual (read: loser)… And Americans don’t want presidents who are too brainy. (Obviously.) We would rather plunge into foreign wars or fall off economic cliffs than have presidents who know too much. That is because braininess is elitist, and being an elitist is the worst thing you can be if you want to be president.

Eyes on Blue-Collar Voters, Obama Shifts Style (New York Times)
ANDERSON, Ind. — Senator Barack Obama is making subtle changes to his campaign style and message in an effort to strengthen his appeal to blue-collar voters and to avoid a defeat in Indiana that aides fear could give Democratic Party leaders further pause about his viability in a general election.
Clinton PANDERS, but Obama SHIFTS STYLE.  The article also goes on to say, “In interviews with several associates and aides, Mr. Obama was described as bored with the campaign against Mrs. Clinton and eager to move into the general election against Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee.” I’m telling you, just as I’ve BEEN telling you, this guy is an amateur.

Hope for Corporate America (by Chris Hedges at Truthdig)
The corporate state is our shadow government. Candidates who aspire to higher office get corporate money if they promote corporate interests. Barack Obama’s campaign message, filled with lofty promises of change and hope, is also filled with repeated reassurances to the corporate elite.

Clinton: $2.3B in earmarks (The Hill)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has requested nearly $2.3 billion in federal earmarks for 2009, almost three times the largest amount received by a single senator this year. The Democratic presidential candidate’s staggering request comes at a time when Congress remains engaged in a heated debate over spending federal dollars on parochial projects… The money is needed for homeland security, emergency response and health projects throughout New York, according to documents provided by her office.
In case anyone has forgotten, New York was hardest hit by the 9/11 attacks.

Obama to donate funds received from Rezko friend (Chicago Sun-Times)
Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama is giving $2,300 in presidential campaign contributions to charity — money he got from Aiham Alsammarae, a dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen who posted more than $2.7 million in property to help spring Tony Rezko from jail. Alsammarae, Iraq’s former electricity minister, gave to Obama’s presidential campaign six times in January, February and March.
Also, do not forget that money lent to Tony Rezko made it possible for him to buy part of the property that made Obama’s mansion purchase possible.

The McCain Leadership Test (By Mario Solis-Marich of Neustra Voice, writing at the Huffington Post)
While the Democrats have been tested in a game drawing a level of national attention that rivals America’s addiction to the most viciously intimate reality shows, John McCain has not been pressured at all… Recently, a new test of McCain’s leadership has emerged. Rush Limbaugh, lead propagandist of the right, has made it clear that the objective of his newest media project “Operation Chaos” is to create riot conditions in Denver at the Democratic convention… John McCain has positioned himself as a moderate Republican and has promised “maverick” leadership. If McCain is truly not beholden to the divisive ugly side of GOP politics, here is his moment to make that clear. John McCain should denounce the words of Rush Limbaugh quickly and immediately.

Decision Making: Is It All ‘Me, Me, Me’?
ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2008) — People act in their own best interests, according to traditional views of how and why we make the decisions that we do. However, psychologists at the Universities of Leicester and Exeter have recently found evidence that this assumption is not necessarily true. In fact the research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, shows that most of us will act in the best interest of our team — often at our own expense.
Unfortunately, however, the right wing has mounted an extremely successful multi-billion-dollar campaign over the last 30 years to convince Americans that “me, me, me” is what’s best for all.  Too bad progressives haven’t caught on and developed an infrastructure to counter that message.

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com