Hillary’s Voice

Argus Leader endorses Clinton (War Room, Salon)
Hillary Clinton got slammed for her comments referencing RFK’s assassination, but at least she got something out of them.

Protests Planned for Rules Committee Meeting (The Caucus, New York Times)

The Democratic National Committee is bracing itself for protests outside its Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on Saturday in Washington, where the fates of the Florida and Michigan primaries could finally be decided. Supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton are organizing to march and then gather on the street outside the panel’s meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning at a hotel in Northwest Washington. “They’re coming up on buses, they’re taking the train, they’re Metro-ing, they’re coming up with friends,” said Allida Black, a professor at George Washington University and an event organizer. “We’re trying to flood it.”… Besides their goal of pressuring the committee into counting the votes from Florida and Michigan, Mrs. Clinton’s supporters are hoping that an en masse gathering will demonstrate widespread support for her candidacy — and perhaps persuade a superdelegate or two.
Per the WomenCount PAC, “To join in this history making event, or to find out more, visit www.floridademandsrepresentation.org/ or blog.enablemyself.com.”  C-SPAN is expected to broadcast the meeting.  Three bloggers at TalkLeft will be live blogging the events.

Michigan Calls Out DNC For Its Hypocrisy On “The Rulz” (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
Great letter from Michigan to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee: “[A]t a press conference in Dover, New Hampshire last August 9, the New Hampshire Secretary of State indicated he was going to schedule his state’s primary before the date specified in the DNC rule, clearly defying the sequence and timing the Rules and Bylaws Committee had set… The Democratic National Committee then proceeded to selectively enforce its calendar rule…” Exactly. Call em out Michigan!! Let Donna Brazile explain that. Rulz are Rulz!!! Except when they are not.
Click through for a link to the letter.

Pelosi’s vow to ’step in’ doesn’t sit well with Clinton supporter (On Politics, USA Today)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s vow yesterday that she will “step in” to settle the Democratic presidential contest if the nominee hasn’t been determined by late June isn’t making one of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s more vocal supporters very happy.
If she steps in, she will step in IT.  Let her know what you think: americanvoices@mail.house.gov.

Obama prepares to declare victory after Tuesday primaries
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama is preparing to claim victory in the Democratic presidential nominating contest after next Tuesday’s final primaries in Montana and South Dakota.
Well, that’s certainly a transformative and uniting action.  I say, let’s have a HUGE fundraising day for Clinton on Tuesday.

Buyers Remorse Part Two–Exploding Class-Related Myths: Income & Education (by Paul Lukasiak at Corrente)
When comparing the February primaries to those held in March, April, and May
· Obama only gained supported among the lowest income (up to $15K) and least educated (not a High School graduate) demographic categories.
· Clinton’s gains came primarily from middle, upper-middle, and upper income voters, and the “Some College”, College Graduate”, and “Post Graduate” education cohorts. Obama lost considerable support within these same groups.
· Increased support for Clinton from “working class” voters ($15K to $50K income demographic) made up less than 8% of Clinton’s increased support…
Neither “racism” nor “lack of knowledge” is driving voters away from Obama; rather it is the realization among rank and file Democrats that Hillary Clinton is far better prepared, more experienced, and more competent than Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton, the Electoral College Map & the Democrat’s Dilemma (by bringiton at Corrente)
The Democratic Party has a difficult dilemma. Should they choose the more experienced, more popular, more electable candidate or the less experienced but charismatic candidate with a decidedly uncertain path to Electoral College victory? Sounds like a really tough decision, doesn’t it? What to do, what to do? In a few weeks, maybe less, we’ll know what the Leaders have decided they want to do. Come the end of August we’ll know if the presumptive nominee has been successful in healing the Party… After that, the consequences of their decision will fall directly on the shoulders – and the careers – of Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Now would be a good time to remind them of that, and what you plan to do about it if they make the wrong decision.

Blog Nightline (by Grey at TaylorMarsh.com)
Obama has benefited from some embarrassingly obsequious media coverage, and Clinton from some of the roughest treatment a candidate’s experienced since the Nixon years. Two points on that; one, even with the rough treatment Clinton has been getting and the “obsequious coverage” Obama has enjoyed, Clinton is still projected to clean McCain’s clock in November while Obama, on the other hand, is not. Everyone gets to vote in November, not just the base. Two, we’re all fairly well aware of Clinton’s “scandals” and she already carries that weight around; the negatives have been factored in for sixteen years now and she’s already been attacked for all of it. Obama, on the other hand, has barely been touched and they’ll go at him with a fervor I don’t think we’ve seen before. Guess which of the two can be painted as anything the Republicans want? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the woman in the race.
And the Republicans will have a lot of help from Obama’s past associates.

Obama distances himself from another clergyman (Associated Press)
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that he was “deeply disappointed” by a supporter’s sermon at his church that mocked Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Chicago activist, also apologized for last Sunday’s sermon at Obama’s church, in which he said Clinton’s eyes welled with tears before the New Hampshire primary because she felt “entitled” to the Democratic nomination and because “there’s a black man stealing my show.”

Obama’s Church: Why Hillary Cried - Father Michael Pfleger (video)

Father Pfleger Should Save His Breath (by Truthteller at No Quarter)
What I find troubling about Pfleger’s statement is the following: “These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama’s life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them.” No, they are consistent with Obama’s life and message… Pfleger is not the first person to discuss Hillary in Trinity… In [the sermon] “Bible country,” Wright informs his audience how the Clintons, the “rich white people,” the Europeans, are responsible for the negative press on Barack Obama, who does not fit the model of “white, rich and privileged.” Hillary fits the mold, while Obama does not. Hillary will never understand oppression, while Obama, who led a life of privilege, does. Hillary is entitled, while Obama is not. Obama is the black Jesus, while Hillary is the Roman oppressor. Hillary must be destroyed. Hillary is a product of white entitlement… Save the apologies for the Vatican, Father. We know the Chicago Archdiocese will only slap you on the wrist, for Daley, Obama, Wright, Axelrod and Giannoulias will ensure that St. Sabina will remain intact. After all, you earned it last Sunday.
Click through to see several videos.

The Democratic Party is dead. (by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Obama is still a member of that church. It is clear, based on the adulation of the new minster, that what Pfleggers said Sunday was the norm there, not an exception… We can and must judge Obama by the company he keeps. We can and must do whatever we can legally to stop Obama from gaining power. Should the worst happen - we must stand guard, watch, and be ready to oppose. My opinion - based on observations of the disappeared media, of blogs like Kos-Co, the behavior of Obama’s campaign, the bizarre and inexplicable behaviour of many of the super delegates, and the DNC - that underneath the surface froths a deep hatred of democratic values - a desire to shut the opposition up - and a desire not to win power, but to seize it.
Follow the money.  See below.

The Amazing Money Machine (by Joshua Green, The Atlantic)
The story of Obama’s success is very much a story about money. It provided his initial credibility. It paid for his impressive campaign operation. It allowed him first to compete with, and then to overwhelm, the most powerful Democratic family in a generation—one that understood the power of money in politics and commanded a network of wealthy donors that has financed the Democratic Party for years. What’s intriguing to Democrats and worrisome to Republicans is how someone lacking these deep connections to traditional sources of wealth could raise so much money so quickly. How did he do it? The answer is that he built a fund-raising machine quite unlike anything seen before in national politics.
Yes, a lot of people used to admire George Bush’s money-raising abilities, too.  Look how well that turned out.

The teats on that cow are gonna run dry … (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
Harry and Nancy are eyeing Obama’s donors and they think they’ve got themselves a young, fat, and healthy cash cow. Thing is, in the general election, Obama’s gonna have to spend money on HIMSELF ALONE like there’s no tomorrow… On the other hand, Hillary’s donors are just getting started in raising money for her. Hillary’s problem — despite the genius Jonathan Alter’s opining back in February that she’d run out of funding resources because her few supporteres had maxed out — wasn’t that she had too few donors, it was that her millions of supporters just didn’t realize how much they needed to pitch in for her. Then the money began pouring in, from people donating $5-25 per month — even to that lovely boy who sold his bicycle to help her campaign. And they are ready, willing, and ABLE to donate in huge sums — just as they did in April… I’ve never been around such a motivated, energized group of people EVER!

WaPo Reporter: No McCain -Clinton Polling Because Nobody Cares (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Washington Post reporter Paul Kane had an online chat [Thursday]. He was asked a few times why the Post didn’t report on Rasmussen daily tracking polls and the recent Gallup poll showing Hillary doing better than Obama against McCain in the swing states. His answer: He’s covered the superdelegates extensively and he knows they don’t care.

Obama played hardball in first Chicago campaign
(CNN) — In his first race for office, seeking a state Senate seat on Chicago’s gritty South Side in 1996, Obama effectively used election rules to eliminate his Democratic competition. As a community organizer, he had helped register thousands of voters. But when it came time to run for office, he employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers. The move denied each of them, including incumbent Alice Palmer, a longtime Chicago activist, a place on the ballot. It cleared the way for Obama to run unopposed on the Democratic ticket in a heavily Democrat district.
Alice Palmer was Obama’s political mentor before he knocked her off the ballot.  THAT’s the kind of “transformational politics” he practices.  Palmer campaigned for Hillary in Indiana just before this year’s primary.  Why wasn’t CNN exposing this kind of crap in December or January?

Obama hasn’t had a better ride in the press than Clinton
During the height of the primary season, the dominant personal narratives in the media about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were almost identical in tone, and were both twice as positive as negative, according to a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy.
IF this is true, and I have a hard time believing that it is, it’s only in the last couple of months that the media have been tough on Obama.

Obama Will Be Rupert Murdoch’s Next Tony Blair (Gawker)
Lovable media mogul Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp, has been going around predicting a landslide victory for the Democrats this November and also big-upping Senator Barack Obama—he called Obama a “superstar” and a “complete phenomenon” at a conference yesterday. He apparently nudged his pet tabloid the New York Post toward an Obama endorsement in the New York primaries (despite his early attempts at making friendly with the Clintons). And as the Post goes, so goes, well, other News Corp holdings. So maybe Fox News will let up on Barry a bit? They’ve never been terribly friendly to McCain anyhow. But why would this noted conservative tyrant endorse Mr. Liberal Hope? He’s done it before—with a friendly little weasel named Tony Blair.
And look how well THAT turned out.

Did Editor’s Scolding Wife Spike Newsweek Obama Cover? (Gawker)

In this week’s cover story about Barack Obama, Newsweek … had originally planned to run the suitably stark cover above and on the left, according to the person who supplied us with a copy. But that cover was “killed” late Friday night, we are told, and replaced with the bright and sunny front at right — a bizarre choice given the gritty lead article and stark collection of supporting pieces on racial division. More outlandish still is the purported reason for the cover switch: “After working on the attached cover all week and making multiple modifications, the cover was killed late Friday night. Why? The wife of the editor stopped by, apparently saw the cover and expressed her disapproval.”

Healing the wounds of Democrats’ sexism (by Geraldine A. Ferraro)
[T]ens of thousands of women have watched how Clinton has been treated and are not happy. We feel that if society can allow sexism to impact a woman’s candidacy to deny her the presidency, it sends a direct signal that sexism is OK in all of society. In response, a group of women … have requested that the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University and others conduct a study, which we will pay for if necessary, to determine three things. First, whether either the Clinton or Obama campaign engaged in sexism and racism; second, whether the media treated Clinton fairly or unfairly; and third whether certain members of the media crossed an ethical line when they changed the definition of journalist from reporter and commentator to strategist and promoter of a candidate. And if they did to suggest ethical guidelines which the industry might adopt.

That sexism impacted Clinton’s campaign, I have no doubt. Did she lose a close election because of sexism? I don’t know. But I do know that it will never happen again as long as women are willing to stand up and make sure that it is just a one-time bad experience.

Blow-back from Clinton supporters hurting Obama?  (War Room, Salon)
A Pew survey has some evidence that Barack Obama’s image is slipping, and disaffection among Hillary Clinton’s voters may account for at least some of the drop.
The conclusion, of course, is that we’ll all come home.  But I’m here to tell you that it won’t be without some ironclad promises.  As far as we can tell, he doesn’t plan to do a damn thing to help ordinary citizens.

Obama’s New Politics Doesn’t Encompass New Policies (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
The Washington Post analyzes Barack Obama’s campaign from an issues standpoint and finds he breaks little new ground… His “new politics” mostly refers to tone and leadership style. I found this statement by a campaign aide quite telling: “Obama aides, however, say their approach will work because most voters are looking not for a new vision for expanding health care but rather for a reformed political system such as the one Obama calls for, one that would solve problems rather than resort to bickering.” I think a new vision for expanding health care is exactly what Democrats are looking for.

McCain, Bush largely similar on nuclear policies
WASHINGTON - John McCain’s nuclear proposals are largely in line with those of the unpopular President Bush, and even where the two disagree, the Republican presidential candidate has waffled.

McCain proposal for joint action gains support (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON - Gaining ground this political season is a proposed League of Democracies designed to strengthen support for the next president’s overseas agenda and ensure a global leadership role for the United States.

Team McCain: Ready for Prime Time?
Aides who were lobbyists, preachers who are controversial, a murky message. Can McCain get back on course?

Despite Claims Of Being A ‘Leader’ On The Issue, McCain Plans To Skip Vote On Landmark Climate Change Bill (Think Progress)
Earlier this month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) sought to distance himself from President Bush by calling for a mandatory limit on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. “I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears,” McCain said in a speech at a wind power company. On his campaign website, McCain (R-AZ) calls himself “a leader on the issue of global warming,” which he says is “an issue we can no longer afford to ignore”… But apparently McCain’s idea of leadership goes only so far. In a press conference yesterday, McCain said he would skip an upcoming vote in the Senate on “a landmark bill imposing mandatory limits on greenhouse gases”.

McCain’s scary economic advisor (by Joe Conason, Salon)
Not only is former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm a shill for special interests, his deregulation policies helped spur the mortgage crisis, among other financial disasters.

Crossing Jordan: Iraq fuel deal sparks lawsuit (NBC News)
A little-noticed civil lawsuit in Florida is shining a light on an unusual but hugely profitable Pentagon contract to ship millions of gallons of aviation fuel to U.S. bases in Iraq through the kingdom of Jordan. The deal involves a cast of influential characters, including the king of Jordan’s brother-in-law, who is suing Harry Sargeant III, a top Florida-based fundraiser for Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid.

McCain Reacts To McClellan: ‘Every Intelligence Agency In The World And Every Assessment’ Said Iraq Had WMD (Think Progress)
In his new book, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan charges that the Bush administration manipulated information in a “propaganda” campaign before the Iraq war, making the faulty claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Asked about the book today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defended the administration’s actions in the run-up to the war, suggesting there was no manipulation involved. McCain claimed “every intelligence agency in the world” thought Hussein had WMD:  “I have not seen the book or the comments. But I know why I supported it [the war] because I believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction as did every intelligence agency in the world and every assessment.”
Click through to watch the video.

McClellan: Bush ’secrectly declassified’ 2002 NIE on Iraq to selectively leak to reporters. (Think Progress)
During his “Today” show appearance [Thursday] with host Meredith Viera, former press secretary Scott McClellan confirmed that President Bush himself had authorized the leak of the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq: “MCCLELLAN: But the other defining moment was in early April 2006, when I learned that the President had secretly declassified the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq for the Vice President and Scooter Libby to anonymously disclose to reporters. And we had been out there talking about how seriously the President took the selective leaking of classified information. And here we were, learning that the President had authorized the very same thing we had criticized.”
Of course, we knew all this, but it’s good to have confirmation.  Click through to watch the video.

Nick Anderson

McClellan, Right and Wrong (Political Wire)
Matt Cooper, who was “somewhat infamously” involved in the C.I.A. leak case, writes about his dealings with White House press secretary Scott McClellan and the reactions to his new book, What Happened. “In a way, both McClellan and his critics are right. Certainly everything McClellan says about the rush to war and the incompetence of the administration has held up over time. He now finds himself with the nearly three quarters of Americans who disapprove of the president’s job performance. But the Bushies do have a point when they note that McClellan did not raise these objections while he was in the White House. There is something unsettling when a George Stephanopoulos or Scott McClellan rides a presidential candidate and then a White House to fame, and then dumps a critical memoir out there.”
He has a point.  But maybe Scotty didn’t get his millions like so many other Bush advisors.  See below.

Former high-ranking Bush officials enjoy war profits (by Tim Shorrock, Salon)
Now working inside America’s “shadow” spy industry, George Tenet, Richard Armitage, Cofer Black and others are cashing in big on Iraq and the war on terror.

Fox News Meme: Publisher ‘Got To’ McClellan, Forced Him To ‘Spice It Up A Little Bit’ (Think Progress)
In response to Scott McClellan’s scathing new memoir criticizing the Bush administration’s deception, current and former White House officials have blanketed the media to bash the former press secretary. They have called him a “traitor” and dismissed him as “disgruntled.” Fox News and its guests, however, have put the blame on McClellan’s publisher. According to this new Fox News meme, McClellan isn’t responsible for the revelations in the book because his publisher made him do it.
Click through to watch the video.

McClellan: WH wanted him to stay silent
Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, speaking out for the first time since publication of his searing memoir, told NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday that he erroneously believed what President Bush was saying about the war but now is answering to a higher loyalty: “a loyalty to the truth.”

Fleischer: Scooter Libby was ‘justly convicted’ for perjury. (Think Progress)
In March 2007, a federal jury convicted Scooter Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, on four charges of lying and obstructing an investigation into the leaking of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame’s identity. At the time, conservatives claimed that the trial “should not have resulted in perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges against Libby.” But on MSNBC’s Hardball last night, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who testified during Libby’s trial, disagreed, saying that the jury made the right decision: “MATTHEWS: Do you believe that Scooter Libby was justly convicted on the charges he was convicted of? That’s another point in the book. FLEISCHER: I do. MATTHEWS: Because you believe he did lie under oath and he obstructed justice. You believe that. FLEISCHER: I do.”
It must be truth telling time for former press secretaries.  Click through to watch the video.

CNN’s Yellin: Network Execs Killed Critical White House Stories (Politico)
CNN’s Jessica Yellin revealed that news executives actively pushed her to not do hard-hitting pieces on the Bush administration.

Is Pentagon pushing for 9/11 trial during presidential campaign?
Defense lawyers for the alleged 9/11 conspirators on Thursday accused the Pentagon prosecutor of rushing to begin the complex Sept. 11, 2001, mass murder trial in the height of the presidential campaign season.
Bush will use every function and feature of government to get McCain elected, to keep his butt out of prison.  Ignore all this at your peril, Democrats.

Colorado’s Purple Status Gets a New Wrinkle (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Colorado will be a hotly contested race in November. It’s considered a toss-up, a red state that has trended bluer in recent years, although Bush won it in 2000 and 2004. How will this affect voter turnout, and which way? “In November, Coloradans will be asked whether they favor amending the state constitution to include a provision that defines a ‘person’ as ‘any human being from the moment of fertilization…’” The amendment would not make abortion illegal, but supporters and opponents alike believe it could lay the legal framework to legislate against abortion… Will it bring out the radical right who might otherwise not vote since they don’t think McCain is conservative enough, boosting his chances since once at the voting booth, they’ll vote for him over the Democrat, or will it bring out more of the pro-choice voters who are likely to vote for the Democratic nominee?
But McCain CAN’T beat The Obama, ‘cause he’s all old and wrinkly and everything.  I know, because Democratic Underground commentors told me so.

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com