Hong Kong shares firsties with the Deans!

Nice e-mail from the Obama campaign:

Friend --

We may not know the final outcome of today's voting until morning, but the results so far make one thing clear.

When the dust settles from today's contests, we will maintain our substantial lead in delegates. And thanks to millions of people standing for change, we will keep adding delegates and capture the Democratic nomination.

We knew from the day we began this journey that the road would be long. And we knew what we were up against.

We knew that the closer we got to the change we seek, the more we'd see of the politics we're trying to end -- the attacks and distortions that try to distract us from the issues that matter to people's lives, the stunts and the tactics that ask us to fear instead of hope.

But this time -- this year -- it will not work. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high.

Americans need real change.

In the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century.

John McCain has already dismissed our call for change as eloquent but empty.

But he should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It's the resounding call from every corner of this country, from first-time voters and lifelong cynics, from Democrats and Republicans alike.

And together you and I are going to grow this movement to deliver that change in November.

Thank you,

Barack

Obama probably won Texas when the delegates are added up.

I've been listening to the Clinton surrogates out there saying *see, Obama can't win in OHio, NY, etc*. Well, guess what - does that mean that the African American population just won't show for Hillary in November should she wrest this nomination from Obama in an un-democratic way? Just my thoughts.

We benefit by having a race where each candidate has to work to get the nomination. I can't stand Hillary but if Obama can't seal the deal then she will get a shot at the title. If Obama wins the nomination, there is nothing McCain can do that Hillary hasn't done. Obama wins easily.
This makes Howard's 50 state strategy more important then ever as McCain has a pretty good chance at winning if Hillary gets the nomination. To stop Repub excesses, we need 60 plus seats in the Senate.

Sadly, racism (the Muslim smear? and Hillary's *as far as I know* comment) seems to have worked in Ohio. I just read the exit polls. Very sad that this is how a *Democrat* played and *won*.

No scruples or values.

Phil from last thread:

"I have no idea why so many women are voting for Hillary other than they see paychecks three fourths of men and remarks about appearances that men would never put up with and are taking it out at the polls.

"the gender gap is very real and the only reason Hillary is staying close"

Phil, this is true, and what makes me sad about it is the fact that women in power inevitably turn their backs on all women's concerns that cost money, most especially the pay gap.

I have worked in major corporations with women CEOs who were really good people and socially responsible, but when it came to spending money on women, the CEO in them took over.

Hillary will disappoint any women who put faith in her to spur legisative fairness. As you see, she's not campaigning on gender equality one little bit and there's a reason why. She has no intention of rocking the boat.

-- volney

"Sadly, racism (the Muslim smear? and Hillary's *as far as I know* comment) seems to have worked in Ohio."

Don't think it's going to work with the remaining uncommitted superdelegates. They don't want the party going down that path of destruction.

rich wrote "In a year that should be a slam dunk for Progressives, we got two of the least Progressive candidates."

I categorically disagree.  Before this summer, Democrats must come to recognize what they have in Obama as a candidate.  The analogy to Reagan, despite the risible misinterpretation by may progressive voters, is particularly apt.  You should recall the phenomenon of the so-called "Reagan Democrats," a group composed basically of little more than moderate Republicans and ethnic, blue-collar Democrats who saw in Reagan a reflection of their values and what they regarded as a more common sense approach to government.

When you analyze it, these people were essentially dupes.  The darling of Regan Democrats was a reactionary hack and a demagogue who single handedly reduced government to a pauper, rendered it inept with his selection of worthless sycophants as cabinet and agency heads, and helped lead the movement to produce a government exclusively beholden to the rich and connected.  In other words, moderate and crossover voters were willing to vote for and support a conservative figurehead.

Let me be clear if it's too hard for some to discern.  Obama is among the most progressive memebers of the legislature.  His support comes from young, minority and socially aware liberals in his party, the Democratic base.  The independent and moderate Republicans who support his candidacy are the disaffected voters who recognize the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the current Republican Party.  Their support does not come from some identity with Obama's agenda, which Republican Party zealots will portray as the platform of a wild-eyed left leaning liberal.  Open your eyes and witness it for yourself.  The campaign has already begun.

Stated otherwise, Obama will be the mirror image of Reagan, i.e., a progressive Democrat whom independent and swing voters will trust more than the hidebound conservative idealogue and Bush acolyte Republican nominee to move the country forward.  They have a blind spot with respect to Obama's liberal policy platform.

Phil is right, Obama won TX, not Clinton.

I guess after 12 straight loses the Clinton camp can spin they won, but they didn't gain anything.  They claim momentum, but where will the momentum take them?

It's about the delegates stupid.

She didn't make a come back, she barely hung on.

s m - Look how Hillary did it. It's a huge turn off. She was relying on that *low information voter*.

hey s.m. I said that first. but it is ok to repeat. IT IS THE DELEGATES.

SPIN , REPEAT. BURP.

6.

When you consider that there's a high level of KKK membership and activity in Ohio, that the smears worked is not surprising.

An interesting bit of information about how the delegates were allocated in Texas by the primary alone.

http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/08/03/04/a0305demgop.pdf 

Here's how I see things right now...

Last place team defeats first place team with a few games remaining in the season. Last place team's fans break out in a euphoric frenzy and celebrate into the night and next day.

Dust settles. A month later, first place team goes on to win championship. (Last place team disappears off face of the earth).

BLOG IS FLITTING AROUND AGAIN.

hill is going down in history as a bigot. she led the racism thing against obama. I won't forget it,  the youth vote won't come out for her, and people will stay home. but it ain't gonna happen.

obama is the one who will get the nomination.

And here are the results coming in of the Texas caucuses.  As you see, most aren't in yet, and there is no easy way to translate caucus results to delegates.

http://precinctconventionresults.txdemocrats.org/election08district 

linda b - sorry.  You did say it first.  Was copying you.  I should have recognized that in my post.  Sorry.

Here is a link to Kos, right now she has 1 more delegate, without the caucas being included.  Obama may end up with more delegates.

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/5/3265/76888/604/469268

It would be interesting (although very difficult) for someone to look back through this and other progressive blogs over the past couple of years, to revisit the complaints I remember about Obama's votes on specific pieces of legislation.  There was quite a bit of "we supported him and he voted for that!"

No matter the candidate, among his or her supporters there's a lot of self-justification when they wander "off the ranch".  There was, from time to time, for the Doc, but we need to look at these things with clear eyes, no matter our affiliation. 

Clinton can't claim any kind of fair and graceful win. I agree, "low information" voters won this one for her.

And yes, linda b, it IS the delegates. Let's hope those Supers hold for him, and even walk over his way. And thanks for leveraging the blog with some humor yesterday and this morning :)

Remember this...

Barack was behind a couple weeks ago in both TX and OH by huge double digits. He never had a lead in OH and was barely tied with her in TX going into yesterday's primaries.  So, he exceeded expectations and is still leading and will continue to lead. The math's not fuzzy, there's no way she can pass him in pledged delegates.  

rich wrote "It would be interesting (although very difficult) for someone to look back through this and other progressive blogs over the past couple of years, to revisit the complaints I remember about Obama's votes on specific pieces of legislation.'

You could engage in the same exercise with Dean, you could do it with Gore, you could do it with Feingold, Leahy, Sanders or Harkin.  I know because I've seen it all right here.  Complaints with specific votes simply don't constitute the test of whether a candidate who is a legislator is progressive, because of the circumstances that surround votes on certain legislation and the rationale pertaining to them.

Atta girl Karen!

Good attitude :)

Rich, great Texas caucus page, thanks!

So right now Obama leads in 20 of 31 districts and many of them are still very close with lots of counting yet to do.

This is like New Mexico, we won't know who won Texas for awhile yet.

-- volney

Rhode Island, Ohio and TX were supposed to be big states for her.  Obama will receive more delegates than her. She didn't win anything.

Someone told me she said in her speech last night that she had won FL and Michigan.

The hapless Democratic Party is well into one of its periodic orgies of self -destruction. The treacherous, cowardly congressional dems have thrown the "Democratic Wing" under a bus with their enabling of Bush-Cheney crimes.

The tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee presidential candidates are eviscerating each other so that no matter who gets the nomination, he/she will go into the General severely, perhaps fatally, wounded.

 What should be a cakewalk will be a very difficult contest with the Repug smear-machine in full flight.

10:38am

Complaints with specific votes simply don't constitute the test of whether a candidate who is a legislator is progressive, because of the circumstances that surround votes on certain legislation and the rationale pertaining to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not letting Hillary off the hook for her war vote that easily.

Phil wrote "I'm not letting Hillary off the hook for her war vote that easily."

Fair is fair.  I wouldn't do it for Edwards.

Huron John

Hillary would have to destroy Obama to win the nomination but the reverse is not true.

With a solid grassroots base across the nation Obama can win the nomination and November by running a hope based change campaign against the status quo and then when he wins have the means to deliver with the Congress that will come along on that kind of ride..

John wrote "What should be a cakewalk will be a very difficult contest with the Repug smear-machine in full flight."

So true, but it's hardly a novel development.

[. . .]

What exactly did Clinton gain with her extraordinary win? The Democratic race has come down to a contest of numbers versus narrative. The numbers are on Barack Obama's side. Clinton won three of four primary contests but did little, or perhaps nothing, to eat into Obama's pledged-delegate lead of more than 100.

Barring a cataclysmic event, Clinton isn't going to take the delegate lead from Obama, which means he can still make the case that he is the candidate of the people. He will argue that the 800-odd superdelegates who will determine either candidate's victory should side with the voters. When Georgia superdelegate Rep. John Lewis this week switched from supporting Clinton to Obama, he said he wanted to be with the people and on the right side of history. Obama will bank on the fact that the party of voting rights is not going to overthrow the will of the people to deny the nomination to the first African-American candidate.

Exit polls show Obama has support for his argument. Roughly two-thirds of voters in the four contested states said that superdelegates should vote with the people and not their own priorities.

http://www.slate.com/id/2185819/

One bright spot in yesterday's primaries (unreported by the media, and unnoticed by those supporting one or other of our corporate Dem candidates) was that Dennis Kucinich successfully staved off a brutal attempt by the Democratic establishment to deprive him of his house seat.

Way to go Dennis!

3,982

 The math's not fuzzy, there's no way she can pass him in pledged delegates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It isn't impossible. Kind of like being down 3-0 in a 7 game series and squeaking out game four in overtime. We all know who the better team is at that point but the ring still has to be won on the court.

s.m. I was just joshing with ya.

How bout that texas caucus? Obama is up by 4%. where is THAT on the faux news.

just got off the tel. with someone from our next governor's office and am working on being an obama delegate.

expensive to go to denver. but I will just have to sell one of my kids. lol

Roughly two-thirds of voters in the four contested states said that superdelegates should vote with the people and not their own priorities

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BTW what is the running total of voters nationwide for the two.? Isn't that the easiest way for her to win?

HRC suggesting a Clinton-Obama ticket is a measure of both her desperation and her tin ear.

She has a nearly insurmountable delegate deficit, yet puts herself forward as the logical top-of-ticket choice??? Illogical and arrogant.

Discussing this in public at this time??? Tacky and opportunistic, since the real Texas winner won't be known for a week or two.

Not envisioning the inevitable political cartoons of her telling the "boy" to sit at the back of the bus, and the ensuing fallout with the African-American voting base (13% of the electorate, last I checked)??? Stupid.

She is a danger to herself and others. This needs to stop.

-- volney

MSNBC still showing Michigan and  Florida in light blue = Clinton.

~~~~~~

Charlie Crist is still trying to interfere with the Florida vote saying he would be willing to have a repeat primary. The cost is estimated to be $18 million. Florida's constitution requires the state to always have a balance budget. Right now they are stealing from conservation reserves to stay alive, so I'm sure there would be a lot of flack about spending more money on a primary.

~~~~~~~~

Jonathan Alter (Newsweek, CNN) telling C-Span pundits during a phone call last night that he had punched the numbers into a special software program made for elections. Giving Clinton the benefit of winning Vermont which had already been lost, and a 60% or more win in all the remaining 12 contests, she would still come up 58 delegates short.

In other words, she cannot win, the party is over.

~~~~~~~~

McAuliffe looking and talking like a madman this morning on MSNBC. Glad to be rid of his face when Clinton folds.

Obama can win the nomination and November by running a hope based change campaign against the status quo

Phil, Obama represents the status quo-- that's why he's the darling of the white, moneyed classes, AIPAC, Big Pharma, Big Health, etc.

 McCain and the rethugs are going to shred "hope and change".

The politics of fear will carry the day, in tandem with all of the usual Republican vote-stealing techniques and (as Howard so wisely observed) their racial code words.

White trash will continue to vote against their own economic interests.

10:54 am

(Repost, but relevant) I listened to the news as I got ready for work this morning, Barack Obama was being interviewed.  I didn't hear the entire interview but I did hear the commentator state something along the lines of "since he did not 'win' in Ohio didn't that show that he would not be able to win Ohio in November".

Then listening to NPR on the way into work they talked about the fact that there were a lot of 'crossover' voters in Ohio.  So many that precincts were running out of Democratic ballots.

So, my thought is, the primary results do not reveal much about who could win in November - because we do not know how many of those crossover votes were from people who were encouraged by the Republican Party to vote in the Democratic primary to affect who would end up as McCain's opponent in November - and who will ultimately vote for John McCain in November.

And, because of those 'crossover' voters, I don't know that Ohio's preference for the Democratic nominee was truly revealed last night.

Lynn in Cincinnati, Ohio

If this comes true Seashell gets to say "I told you so" 1000 times.

Clinton hints at shared ticket
By JIM KUHNHENN and CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer
22 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton, fresh off a campaign-saving comeback, hinted Wednesday at the possibility of sharing the Democratic presidential ticket with Barack Obama — with her at the top. Obama played down his losses, stressing that he still holds the lead in number of delegates.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/campaign_rdp

(Someone above already posted this.)

linda wrote: expensive to go to denver.

Bake sales:))

Our state rep who was a delegate in 2000 said to plan on at least $1500 for room, food and travel. She said it was a thrill of a lifetime, one she would never forget, undescribable.

The Rules aren't too bad a way to fill out a ticket.

On the one side of a ballot is the Party (it's history, infrastructure) and on the other the Candidate (campaign team, platform,person).

and the allocation takes into account the actions of past Democratic efforts by awarding National Delegates in proportion to past votes (tilts slightly toward blue areas)

so you have the contests for the delegates and the role of the super delegates balanced against each other to make sure both sides of the ballot are represented; the Party (by name and history) and the Candidate( by effort and success)

it is about the pledged delegates not who can run up the score on a home court

and if it comes down to super delegates a candidate that can't win a majority of them after winning a majority of the pledged delegates is going to have a hard time winning the general and governing anyway 

John wrote "McCain and the rethugs are going to shred 'hope and change'."

Keep telling yourself that if you really want to believe it.  "Screw Hope, 100 more years of Bush policy" should work about as well as it did in 2006.

If anyone is interested, here is a link to the TX caucas.  Sorry if this has been posted.

http://precinctconventionresults.txdemocrats.org/election08district

linda, I hope you make it to Denver.

Where are these 50 super delegates Brokaw said he was told by an "insider" who were to endorse BO? Hope they appear soon and end this needless bloodshed. Clinton will have no future because of her attempt to break the party.

I just heard it may cost over $4000 to go to denver. That is a lot of cakes.

Phil - I don't have the exact number but Barack is still ahead even after last night by several hundred thousand votes. Phew.

 Obama represents the status quo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He might have six months ago but now he is the movement candidate and he has to play that hand all the way to the Oval Office and beyond.

He has cast himself as the outsider who will change the way business is done in Washington and that has given millions of people hope.

It is a way to turn his short stay there into an asset.

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton scored three victories in a night of revival that denied Barack Obama a ripe opportunity to drive her from the Democratic presidential race. Clarity came only to the Republican side, where John McCain made the nomination his own.

Meanwhile, Clinton, fresh off big primary victories, hinted Wednesday at the possibility of sharing the Democratic presidential ticket with Obama — with HER AT THE TOP.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Brothers and sisters, and all the animals on the planet.........is everyone gonna "unify" behind this potential ticket?   This, Id like to see..............................

----
NO MONEY.

The good news is that Clinton threw all her resources (and resources she didn't have) at TX and OH. She's broke and in debt.

I doubt she can generate the funds necessary to compete.
----

She can only dream about being on Obama's ticket. Aint gonna happen. She brings zippo but the status quo to the change candidates ticket.

huron john.....

Yeeeaahh, for Kucinich. That is good news. Thanks.

linda b
Wed, 03/05/08
___________________________________________________________________________

Linda,

For that amount of $.............take a nice vacation with your husband somewhere............

Hillary has been talking about having experience, but has not been talking about her experience. What has she done in the White House? This is somewhere she doesn't seem to want to go.

Dayton Mayor endorses Obama.

http://1290whio.com/includes/news/indepth/5279860_Dayton_Mayor_Endorses_Barack_Obama_104020.html

"Sadly, racism (the Muslim smear? and Hillary's *as far as I know* comment) seems to have worked in Ohio."

I don't see it that way at all. Remember that just 2 weeks ago Obama was down by 20% in OH and TX. But instead of getting 60% of the delegates, The Clintons just managed to spin their wheels yesterday. 

Investigation Launched Into Vote Stealing in Texas

Stephen Dean
Click2Houston.com
March 5, 2008




"I would be furious," said a voter. "What’s the world coming to where you can’t even go vote anymore? Somebody would even steal your right to vote."

HOUSTON — Voters reported being turned away from the polls, prompting a criminal investigation into vote stealing, Local 2 Investigates reported Tuesday.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed it is contacting the victims, all centered around Precinct 219 in southeast Houston.

“I feel really hurt,” said Garland Boone, a voter in the Third Ward neighborhood off Yellowstone, where the scam was reported.

He said his neighbors who are victims “don’t have a chance to express their vote. Everybody needs to express their own vote.”

Precinct Judge Edna Russell told Local 2 Investigates that some senior citizen voters had to be turned away because absentee ballots had already been mailed in using their names.

“Somebody had already voted for me,” said Georgia Ireland.

She and the other victims reported that people were going door-to-door, offering help to seniors with filing voter registration forms.

Some victims signed the paperwork, while others did not, but the scammers then used the information to mail absentee ballots in their names, meaning their votes were stolen from them.

“I thought that was horrible,” Ireland said. “I really wanted to know how they could do that (because) I never signed nothing. Not a thing.”

Witnesses inside the voting location at Mount Olive Baptist Church said some of the victims cried and others yelled, “This is how they’re going to steal the election from (Presidential candidate Barrack) Obama.”

Hillary would have to destroy Obama to win the nomination but the reverse is not true.

The Clintons will try to destroy Obama whether they can win or not so as to remain sole proprietors of the family store. 

linda b

If I make it to Denver it is because I won the most competitive race in the State Party by being elected the only super delegate chosen at the State Convention. We elect one and one only and the slot is left in  there by the rules to make sure the final delegation is balanced by gender and race if it isn't already (out of the "Party Leader" category, which I do qualify for). I am not however a woman from a minority caucus which may be all that are allowed to run.Remember in Iowa whoever picks up the most Edwards representatives will be the winner between Clinton and Obama. Most likely instead of seeing you in Denver I'll be seeing the rest of the gang at Deanfest instead, I won't be able to get away for both. The Convention is quite a bit more pricey than Jessica's effort and the company the best at Dulles so it is hardly a consolation prize.

New Thread:

http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/24107

Danny
Communications Director

I read somewhere on some blog that if there were ever an Obama/Clinton ticket, he had better sleep with one eye open and get a food tester.

John wrote "McCain and the rethugs are going to shred 'hope and change'."

SHOO! You old Fraidy-crat!