Hillary’s Voice

Despicable Sexist Sign Outside Indiana Dinner… (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)

This abhorrent, sexist sign is being held proudly by OBAMA supporters outside the Indiana Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where Hillary Clinton just spoke and Barack Obama is speaking… IN PLAIN VIEW of OBAMA STAFF, an Obama supporter is holding up this sign, and NONE of the Senator’s staff is doing a thing about it… HERE’s a report from a person outside the event, and what this person witnessed: “The kids with this sign were on the same side of the street (but across another street) from the obama people. They put the sign towards cars and towards Obama supporters more than towards our side of the street.”… Obama supporters were taking pix of it from across the street and laughing. GO TO Obama’s campaign site and register a protest…
Gee, where could that kind of talk be coming from?  Not the Obama campaign, surely?  See below.

Hillary doesn’t look like the familiy that Michelle wants in the White House (by jeqal at Corrente)
Michelle [video] “rolemodeling what families should look like” then brings up Bill Clinton’s infidelities in a speech at Southside Black Women’s event: “if you can’t run your own house you can’t run the white house” White women and all women who have ever been cheated on by their spouses can crawl under the bus now.
So how about the Obamas’ family values?  See below.

Presidents and Young Children (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
When Hillary Clinton appeared on Nightline this week, Cynthia McFadden asked her (from the transcript, ABC News, May 1, 2008, Clinton on the Rise, available on Lexis.com): “Would you be running for president if Chelsea were 10? Hillary: No. Not a chance. I just couldn’t have done it. I could never have run for office if I had young children. I just couldn’t have done it.” Barack Obama brought his daughters, ages 6 and 9, along to campaign events in Indiana today. Michelle said it was an exciting time for the girls, a special treat. Obama often mentions how he misses his children while campaigning… I’m curious. Does anyone have feelings about the time Obama’s daughters will lose with their father if he’s President or is this a non-issue?

Bingo! Malicious YouTube Hoaksters Exposed (by SluggoJD at No Quarter)
The Internet was ablaze with You Tube videos early Friday (5/1/08) showing footage from The War Room, Part 9, a documentary about Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, that supposedly depicted Clinton aide Mickey Kantor referring to folks in Indiana as “shit.” More outrageous versions were spawned later that also claimed that Kantor called people “white nig**rs.” None of it was true. By late Friday, it had been completely debunked, and Mickey Kantor vowed to take legal action against the culprits… Based on my research, I recommend that Kantor’s legal team immediately contact Jamal Brown of Venice, CA (Brown owns a small business that specializes in videos); Dietrich Cusseaux of Spring, TX; JedReport.com out of Las Vegas; Markos Moulitsas, owner of Daily Kos; and the Barack Obama campaign.
Click through for more details.

Thanks for covering the news, “Josh” (by lambert at Corrente)
WKJM [Whoever Kidnapped Josh Marshall] burbles happily: “If you missed the two-night Hillary-O’Reilly lovefest extravaganza (as I did, deliberately), we’ve got an easier-to-digest six-minute highlight reel just for you… “ Yeah, with a lead-in like that, I’m sure I can totally trust the highlights to represent the event accurately. No doubt about it. None. Seriously, you’d think Obama supporters like “Marshall” would have learned something from about the perils of doctoring “editing” videos from their recent experiences, but n-o-o-o-o! Which reminds me: ABC called the doctored video of “War Room” that smeared the Clintons a “the definition of a dirty trick”; in other words, Ratfucking [age impaired: see Wikipedia]. And not only do we know that an Obama supporter created it, the Obama campaign has issued a classic “non-denial denial.” Sounds to me like there just might be a story here!
Click through to read Lambert’s questions for “Josh”.

The Clinton Wars, Part II (by eriposte at The Left Coaster)
Peter Dreier has a breathless post at The Huffington Post titled “Sidney Blumenthal Uses Former Right-Wing Foes to Attack Obama”… At the end of the day, Dreier’s horribly misleading screed against Sidney Blumenthal is more revealing of the mindset of the Obama campaign and some of its prominent supporters than it is of Sidney Blumenthal. Blumenthal forwarded articles and blog posts that were both positive and negative with respect to Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton. You can criticize him all you want for some of the sources he chose (to me some of the fake “progressive” blogs have turned out to be no different from the Free Republics, World Nut Dailies and Accuracy in Medias of the Right when it comes to their common embrace of character assassination) but it is not in any way outrageous for Blumenthal to use some of the articles - as long as he does not endorse false claims or smears - as a way of rebutting claims that Sen. Clinton is somehow going to face much more vile attacks from the right-wing machine than Sen. Obama… Actually, I think the accusations will help Sen. Obama online - to keep the Clinton-hatred going as they continue their attacks on the Clinton legacy.
Keeping the Clinton hatred going is certainly what the Obamalites have been doing.  Click through for more detail

Was WV[WV] smeared because the Obama movement wants to destroy a competing registration effort? (by lambert at Corrente)
When the WVWV [Women’s Voices Women’s Vote] wankfest was at its height, I got this mail from Michelle [Obama]: “lambert — In every state across the country, there are thousands of qualified voters who are not registered to vote. Some believe their vote doesn’t matter, some have been actively disenfranchised, and some have been overlooked or excluded by a broken system that has lost touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans. Barack and I entered this race because we believe there’s a chance to change that… That’s why I’m excited to announce a 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive we’re calling Vote for Change.”…

Treating Obama’s campaign as a movement, rather than as a party faction, would explain why they’re so willing to burn what we regard as Democratic Party assets for the general — by trying to drive the Clintons from public life by smearing them as racists, or by smearing parts of the Democratic base that don’t support Obama as racists, or Archie Bunkers, or low information voters — not to mention the Hillary hatred and the relentless misogyny. What we Democrats regard as assets, movement Obama supporters regard as obstacles to control of the party by their movement. Obviously, if the Obama Movement has a real institutional presence — and what’s more institutional than a massive database combined with a voter registration drive — that has implications for the drive for “unity” when the Democrat nominee is chosen.

How does a party “unify” with a movement?…

UPDATE One of the hideous consequences of this line of thinking is that we’re going to be dealing with the OFB [Obama Fan Base] for years.

Superdelegates Must Tell Color of Change What it Can Do With its Silly Vote for Obama Petition (by Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an African American, writing at the Huffington Post)
Color of Change which presumptuously bills itself as the premier national grassroots organization is the latest to jump into bully the super delegates for Obama game. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNC Chair Howard Dean tried their hand at it and failed. Now Color of Change says it will urge the alleged legions of activists it claims to speak for to petition and flood Pelosi, Reid, and Dean with letters demanding that they stop Clinton from hijacking the nomination. Reid, Pelosi, and Dean should toss this silly petition and their letters in the can. Here’s why. The group claims that Clinton thumbs her nose at blacks, plays the race card (figure that contradiction out), sows divisions, and disenfranchises millions of voters. She also, they assert, falsely says that the Democratic race is a tie. This thwarts the will of the pledged delegates who overwhelmingly back Obama. These are all self-serving myths.
Click through for more information

How this story was posted to Digg: Another House Slave Attacks Senator Obama
huffingtonpost.com — I wonder how much Earl Ofari Hutchinson owes the Clintons?

Race-Card Nonsense: Why Dr. Maya Angelou Supports Hillary (by D. Cupples at Buck Naked Politics)
Most Americans who watch Oprah know of Dr. Maya Angelou [who is also African American] as Oprah’s mentor, but Dr. Angelou earned acclaim years ago through her civil-rights leadership, poems and books.  Dr. Angelou is a national treasure, as Bill Clinton acknowledged when he invited her to recite a poem during his 1993 inauguration. While some Obama supporters — e.g., Rep. James Clyburn — are busy trying once again to “play the race card” in some strange hope of benefiting Obama, Dr. Maya Angelou (who turned 80 last month) has been busy positively campaigning for Hillary Clinton. “…I am inspired by her courage and her honesty. She is a reliable and trustworthy person. She is someone I not only admire but one for whom I have profound affection. Hillary does not waver in standing up for those who need a champion…”

Obama, Clinton talk post-primary unity at North Carolina Dem dinner. (by Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times)
“We are going to be united in the fall,” said Obama, who went on to give one of his stem-winders, updated with a mention of the crisis triggered by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Clinton, who went on to talk about “real and immediate solutions,” said, “I will tell you this. If Sen. Obama is the nominee, you better believe I’ll work my heart out for him. And if I’m the nominee, I know Sen. Obama will do the very same for me.”
One of his stem-winders!  Lynn, I think I love you!

Analysis: Candidates use news shows to woo superdelegates (AP)
NEW YORK - Two presidential candidates, two celebrity interviewers, two agendas, one audience: the undecided superdelegates likely to select the Democratic nominee.

It may seem obvious, but: No Super Delgate has voted yet. They can’t vote until the Convention. (by JohnnyB at MyDD)
Alternate Delegates (Super Delegates) can’t vote until the Convention. All 750 of them could cast their ballot for either Hillary or Obama.  There’s no way to know who will be the nominee until the Convention seats Michigan and Florida and the Alternate Delegates cast their vote at that time… There’s no OFFICIAL way for the Alternate Delegates to vote PRIOR to the Democratic Convention. The Alternates will vote for the MOST ELECTABLE candidate, that is their only FUNCTION… Hillary has the Big MO (momentum),and should take the majority of the states left to vote. The questionis Electability. Who can win against McCain in November. That is who the Alternate Delegates have to vote for.

Count WHOSE Vote 3: Separate AND Unequal (by Paul Lukasiak at Corrente)
Or Why Obama Supporters Want Super-Delegates To Think That One Person In Anchorage Is Worth More Than 36 In Akron
Click through to read Paul’s enlightening explanation.

Popular Mechanics (by Rhodes Cook, author of “Race for the Presidency: Winning the 2008 Nomination.”)
WHILE Hillary Clinton probably can’t catch Barack Obama in the race for most pledged delegates at the Democratic presidential nominating convention, she does have a shot at overtaking him in the popular vote. Whoever triumphs in that symbolic total will have a persuasive argument to use with the wavering superdelegates who are likely to decide the race this summer… If Mrs. Clinton can catch Mr. Obama in the popular vote, she could paint the race as a repeat of the election of 2000, with herself in the role of Al Gore and Mr. Obama as George W. Bush — a desirable position, needless to say, for a Democratic candidate.

The Nuclear Option: Count the Votes (by bostonboomer at The Confluence)
[A]t Huffington Post, Thomas Edsall reports that if Hillary campaign staffers are discussing the possibility of going “nuclear” by convincing her supporters in on the Rules and Bylaws Committee to force the DNC to seat the Florida and Michigan Delegates. While the warlike imagery is a little offputting, it sounds to me as if Edsall is acting as a stalking horse for the Clinton Campaign.  With at least 50 percent of the Democratic Party’s 30-member Rules and Bylaws Committee committed to Clinton, her backers could — when the committee meets at the end of this month — try to ram through a decision to seat the disputed 210-member Florida and 156-member Michigan delegations. Such a decision would give Clinton an estimated 55 or more delegates than Obama, according to Clinton campaign operatives.

Edsall goes on to say that the Clinton argument will be that the economy, rather than Iraq, is now the most important issue in the campaign, and this “shift” is what led to Clinton’s strong showing in Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Clinton people also make the case that the past six weeks have seen examples of Obama’s political vulnerabilities… I see this article as a sign that Hillary and her campaign are getting more confident with each passing day.

Bonus Quote of the Day (Political Wire)
“If she gave him one of her cojones, they’d both have two.” — James Carville, quoted by Newsweek, on how “Hillary is the tougher of the two, the candidate you want on your side in a knife fight.”

Setting the Record Straight on the Gas Tax (by alegre at MyDD)
Hillary really does understand what working folks and families watching every penny worry about and need from our next leader… Her plans to rebuild the middle class, develop green color jobs that can’t be off-shored, help young people go to college, and reform our horrendously broken health care system are all designed to help ease those worries and rebuild the economy Bush has neglected for the past 7 years.  So for anyone to pretend that her gas tax holiday this summer is the only thing she’s offering up to help folks hit by the skyrocketing price of gas is just trying to pull the wool over your eyes folks… Hillary would shift the tax from us to the big oil companies who’re raking in record profits, keeping the funds flowing to those much-needed projects. And Obama would do… nothing.

The Gas Tax Brouhaha (by eriposte at The Left Coaster)
Aside from the usual jokers rending their garments over it, I don’t find the gas tax holiday back-and-forth to be particularly earth-shaking. I already linked to two Paul Krugman posts that touched on the gas tax issue in previous posts; one of Krugman’s posts was a specific critique of Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain’s different proposals and another was an op-ed where he again mentions the gas tax issue in a broader context. I agree with Krugman’s view that Sen. Clinton’s proposal is “pointless not evil”. All politicians pander and I’ve never said Sen. Clinton is above pandering. That said, her proposal has been misrepresented or distorted by the Obama campaign … and by some in the media… Sen. Obama’s own history of pandering and his repeated voting in favor of a gas tax holiday in 2000 (when gas prices were much lower) make his current pronouncements on this matter, um, amusing.

Well, she’s got my vote! (by lambert at Corrente)
WKJM [Whoever Kidnapped Josh Marshall] appears to have gone tone deaf. If he was not always tone deaf. Great and unintentionally revealing headline: “Clinton Attacks ‘Elite Opinion’ On Gas Tax Holiday” And your point would be, Josh? What is it, 70% think the country’s on the wrong track? Clue stick: That’s not a Bush problem, because those numbers say the rot goes farther. It’s a ruling class problem; a problem of the elites that “Marshall” and his ilk would have us trust and are doing whatever they can to join… Get ’em, Hillary. Get ’em.

Clinton, Obama press to show personal side in final days (McClatchy)
INDIANAPOLIS — Barack Obama told voters on Saturday the only way he can win the presidency is “if you decide that this election is bigger than flag pins . . . or the comments of a former pastor” as he and rival Hillary Clinton began closing arguments in two states with high-stakes Democratic primaries on Tuesday.

HRC at the DQ (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton veered off the campaign trail Sunday afternoon and stopped at a Sotuh Bend, Ind., Dairy Queen for a Snickers Blizzard and to chat with startled customers. Clinton’s motorcade pulled into the driveway of the ice cream emporium and the New York Sen. and Democratic Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh stepped inside the place to view the extensive menu. Bayh ordered an Extreme Chocolate ice cream treat, which Clinton sampled. Clinton called the Snickers treat “my favorite thing.” Clinton  greeted children in the DQ and asked them to be her helpers. “C’mon everybody, come get something,” she said. She posed for pictures and signed authographs, even signing one little boy’s Barack Obama for President button.
Me, I love the hot fudge sundae—TOO MUCH!

Obama says Clinton’s talk on Iran too much like Bush’s
INDIANAPOLIS - Barack Obama likened Hillary Rodham Clinton to President Bush for threatening to “totally obliterate” Iran if it attacks Israel and called her gas-tax holiday a gimmick as he tried to fend off her challenge ahead of two pivotal Democratic primaries.
Okay, Obamaphiles, where’s the outrage?  How dare your candidate compare my candidate to the most despised president ever?

ID law could depress black turnout in Ind. (Politico)
Experts say Supreme Court ruling upholding law could disenfranchise minorities, youth and the elderly.

Polls Can Be Funny (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
[A new CBS News/New York Times poll] is going around. This part is hilarious: “Among Democratic primary voters (those who have voted or plan to vote in a Democratic primary) Obama’s lead over Clinton has increased… However, among all registered voters who identify themselves as Democrats (regardless of whether they have voted or plan to vote in a Democratic primary) Obama and Clinton are virtually tied — 45 percent for Clinton and 44 percent for Obama…” What pollster comes up with the “likely to have voted” screen? Even better, what are the numbers for the people who will vote in the upcoming primaries?… The funny thing is there is good news for Democrats in this poll - Obama beats McCain by 11 points. Oh by the way, Clinton beats him by 12 points. Somehow you will not be hearing that part of the story I think. Moral of the story, be careful with polls. Most of them are useless. This one surely is.

NC: Lessons From VA, SC and GA? (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
For North Carolina, SUSA is predicting, as of now, the following, Obama will get 30% of the white vote (61%) and 87% of the African American vote (33%). Obama by 5. If SUSA has the same errors as in Virginia, Obama takes 35% of the white (59% of the vote) and 90% of the A-A vote (34% of the vote.) What does this translate into? 54-46 Obama. SUSA is the best pollster in this cycle. I think an 8 point Obama win in North Carolina is what we should expect.

Poll: Flap over pastor hurts Obama (USA Today)
Barack Obama’s national standing has been significantly damaged by the controversy over his former pastor, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, raising questions for some voters about the Illinois senator’s values, credibility and electability. The erosion of support among Democrats and independents raises the stakes in Tuesday’s Indiana and North Carolina primaries, which represent a chance for Obama to reassert his claim to a Democratic nomination that seems nearly in his grasp.

Hypnocrites

Chris Matthews Show: Doesn’t Matter What You Do, The GOP (And The Media) Will Make Wright An Issue (by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
Reality clearly has no place in politics.  Because no matter how many times Barack Obama disavows Rev. Wright’s words, the GOP and by extension, their complicit allies in the media (that’s right, Russert, I’m talking about you) will not let it go and will continue to measure Obama by Rev. Wright’s words.  The crazy part about it is how for the most part, Wright hasn’t said anything that most Americans–if they ever got to hear the full thing in context–would disagree with.  Nor are they any more inflammatory than words spoken by conservative Christians leaders like Hagee, Robertson or Falwell.  Yet, despite these facts, as the Meter Question on The Chris Matthews Show prove, the media is not ready to let this one go.
Um, Nicole, you’ve been at this for a while.  When has reality EVER played a part in our media circus?  Click through to watch the video.

Republicans Gleeful at Obama’s rocky period
WASHINGTON - Republicans can hardly contain their glee as they watch Barack Obama battle through a rocky period. And why should they? Nothing else is breaking the GOP’s way this year. But, at least now, the Democrats’ political phenom is tarnished, and, if he defeats Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, will enter the general election campaign not only bruised and battered — but also carrying baggage as he faces Republican John McCain.
If Obama had come clean from the beginning about his associations, and given better (and true) explanations early on, he wouldn’t be in this mess right now.

Exclusive: NRCC Memo Reveals GOP Plan to Hit Candidates Who’ve Endorsed Obama (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
From North Carolina to Washington state, the GOP is already running TV ads that tie Barack Obama’s negatives to down-ticket Democratic candidates. So far, the GOP ads favor tying local candidates to Obama’s longtime association with his radical, anti-American, racist preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. No Quarter has obtained a memorandum from the NRCC Communications Division on its strategy:
Click through to read the memo.

The True McCain Health Plan: Wealth Transfer From Voters to Corporations (by RJ Eskow, writing at the Huffington Post)
The McCain plan, if enacted, would result in an enormous transfer of wealth from the general public to large American businesses. In that sense, it reflects a lot of what passes for “conservative” ideology nowadays. There is no underlying belief system, just a mixed bag of policies - some “pro-big government” and some “anti big-government” - that share only the ability to enrich the large corporate donors that finance Republican campaigns. So Republican political platforms are often little more than ideological smokescreens for policies that benefit these special interests.

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com