It is written:  Dean is first.

Obama's popular vote lead is now in the neighborhood of 1MM. News outlets have neglected to count raw votes out of caucuses. Here are the numbers from the campaign:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/12...

If you include Florida - he still wins. This appears insurmountable for Clinton.

I noticed Ferraro"s statement to ABC that she is "not part of the [Clinton] campaign" and is "not a surrogate."  She has used this status as a license to make a whole host of condescending comments towards Obama, which makes me believe that Samantha Power now is free to come to the media to promote her ideas about Clinton without the threat of any recrimination from her campaign.  All the Obama camp has to do is disavow any of Power's sentiments as reflecting those of the candidate and there you go.

From TPM:

Shoring Up the Financial Base
Hillary's top fundraisers will be sitting down to a private meeting with her today in D.C. for a pep talk and a wide-ranging look at the state of the race, TPM Election Central has learned.

--David Kurtz
--------
These financial geniuses should be able to figure out the math with respect to this election.

12:38 PM EST

super delegate movement since last night:

http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/01/superdelegate-list.html?commentPage=2

...

3-12-08 - Moved DNC David Hardt (TX) from Clinton back to uncommitted.
- Removed Gov. Eliot Spitzer (NY) from Hillary Clinton's endorsement list after he resigned today.

Stay tuned... we'll update this list as we find out more.

What I wan't to know is: While they're ripping each other apart, why arenm't the Dems going after McCain?

Gore failed to go after Bush in 00, ditto Kerry in 04.

 Here we have a tired old putz who flip-flops on every issue, who hasn't a clue how to deal with the economy (not that HC or BO do either), who wants to keep us in Iraq forever, who supports torture, who is in bed (at least figuratively) with a slew of Lobbyists, and who is going to town on the politics of fear--To the extent that even anti-war people prefer him to HC or BO.

What did Einstein say? Insanity is repeating the same mistake over and over, and expecting a different result.

The Dems blew a generational opportunity in the 110th Congress. They can always find a way to lose.

Obama adapts war room tactics to hit Clinton back

By Sam Youngman
Posted: 03/11/08 07:51 PM [ET]
Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) campaign has signaled in recent days it will hit back harder and more quickly to criticism from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) campaign, mirroring the rapid response efforts of President Bill Clinton’s 1992 war room.


Senior Obama officials have said they intend to respond to Clinton’s professed strategy of throwing the “kitchen sink” at the Illinois senator. And even though Obama supporters say they are still running a positive campaign, the responses have been more intense...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obam...

Rachel Maddow is saying the same thing about the Dems not going after Barack. There's a little problem with the kitchen sink philosophy that's going on right now. Barack is trying to fight both Clinton and McCain. And Clinton would prefer to see a President McCain than President Obama.

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/

 National Poll of PollsLikely Democratic primary voters' choice for nomineehttp://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/

Rachel Maddow was referring to the Dems going after MCCAIN not Barack. Not paying attention.

12:56 PM EST

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/barack.obama.chicago.2.675636.html

Mar 12, 2008 11:38 am US/Central

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Sen. Barack Obama is back in Chicago on Wednesday, and he is getting the endorsement of some retired military brass.

...

and is expected to talk about the War in Iraq in a news conference.

Watch Obama's news conference live on cbs2chicago.com, and find out more on the CBS 2 News at 5 and 6 p.m.

the media can't even get it straight that Obama won Texas

1:02 PM EST

a currently open online poll:

http://www.cnn.com/

Yes

24537 

Total Votes: 51664

It's frightening how much George Bush likes John McCain, and it should tell you all you need to know.

We've had a few late nights around here, and I'm sure we'll have a few more. We're working non-stop to beat John McCain and George Bush. Now that McCain is formally the Republican nominee, he has the Republican establishment lined up firmly behind him.

 While Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama continue their campaign, we have to be focused on John McCain. We can't afford to let him get ahead:

http://www.democrats.org/BushEndorsement

Governor Dean will be in touch soon, but I wanted to send you a note right away. This election is just too important to let John McCain and George Bush get a head start.

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

Obama gets   61% of the vote in Mississippi

Clinton gets   37% and yet according to MSNBC

he gets only 15 delegates

she gets       12 delegates

Does anybody know how that happens?  It seems disproportionate

Obama also finished first in the Texas Democratic caucuses. The caucuses were held last week, but the race was not called until Tuesday night. Watch Obama talk about his win »

Obama will get more delegates out of the state than Clinton, who won the state's primary.

Under the Texas Democratic Party's complex delegate selection plan, Texas voters participated in both a primary and caucuses last week.

Two-thirds of the state's 193 delegates were at stake at the primary, while the remaining third were decided by the caucuses.

Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count 1,597-1,470, but neither candidate is close to the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

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

CNN called Texas for Obama in the Mississippi story http://www.cnn.com/

the media can't even get it straight that Obama won Texas

=============================

Or at least tie MSNBC has the delegate count at 92 to 92

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660914#MS

(be patient, it takes a while to download)

the media can't even get it straight that Obama won Texas

=============================

Or at least tie MSNBC has the delegate count at 92 to 92

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660914#MS

(be patient, it takes a while to download)

Nobody knows what kind of campaign McCain will run yet.  The first indication we will get will be his speech at the Republican Convention, but even that will be colored by the audience in the hall.

I think he'll run for the middle, looking to build the coalition, or at least some of it, he had in 2000.  And if he can approach being that candidate, any Democrat should be concerned, because that is a very tough John McCain to beat.

If you think he's going to stand up like a Kewpie doll of GWB, you will be sadly mistaken.

Until now, he's been running for the nomination, and that's even true right up to the convention, vote counts or no vote counts.

I can't vote for any Republican for President, for the court appointments if nothing else, but don't think John McCain is going to be easy. 

Fred

all contests have the number of delegates at stake in each state pro-rated among the voting units by a formula that credits past Democratic votes cast, so when a result like that happens it means Clinton did better in the more traditional areas, while Obama did better drawing new voters in more Republican areas

what I want to know...

these DFA people, who are they and are they willing to sign a form stating they will adhere to the dfa principles if elected??

Not condoning Spitzer's behavior, but the reason the rethugs have *fits* is because the Dems have all the fun, most of the time!

'k, quit throwing things at me... MY BAD!!  :o)

rich

you are right but It doesn't hurt for the DNC to try and join MCCain and Bush at the hip right now

Southwest Airlines just grounded 41 or it's planes.

They had been warned over a year ago to check for stress cracks. But the FAA gave them a bye.

More bush crap.

the media can't even get it straight that Obama won Texas

=============================================

YOU'RE RIGHT, Phil - Here's what CNN is saying about Texas delegate count

Primary

Clinton 51%  - 65 delegates

Obama 47% - 61 delegates

---------------------------------------

Caucus

Obama 56% - 38 delegates

Clinton 44% - 29 delegates

DO THE DELEGATE MATH

Obama  61 + 38 =  98    - Obama wins the delegate count

Clinton  65 + 29  =  94

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#TX

Mississippi 100% reporting

Obama 61%         19  delegates

Clinton 37%          14  delegates

Phil Specht
Wed, 03/12/08

Reply to this
===================

Thanks, Phil.

I guess that's good.  People cannot say Obama is being put in by non-Democrats, and Republicans cannot boost Hillary much - insidiously, now that they don't really need to vote in their own primary anymore.

who wins Iowa will be determined an Sat. as the Edwards delegates have to choose

Obama staffers are at work here. as are Clinton volunteers. Clinton is trying to steal one with a stealthy effort larger than it looks

Phil,

I understand the politics of it.  It's just important we don't believe our own propoganda to our own detriment.

New movie damns Monsanto's deadly sins

Greenpeace
07 March 2008

A new movie has dealt yet another severe blow to the credibility of US based Monsanto, one of the biggest chemical companies in the world and the provider of the seed technology for 90 percent of the world’s genetically engineered (GE) crops.

The French documentary, called “The world according to Monsanto” and directed by independent filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin, paints a grim picture of a company with a long track record of environmental crimes and health scandals.

The story starts in the White House, where Monsanto often got its way by exerting disproportionate influence over policymakers via the “revolving door”....

http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1126

I have been looking for an article on the Air Force I saved, but i keep being distracted.  Isn't this fun?

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE - Frequent flying by Russian strategic bombers near American airspace - drawing U.S. fighter jets - has military officials at this base near Colorado Springs on guard and angling for greater openness and cooperation.

While odds are low that these increasing Russian forays will cause a catastrophe, "there's more of a risk of something accidental happening," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Monday after meeting here with homeland defense commanders.

"We will clearly watch this evolution," Mullen said of Russia's flights - not detected in such numbers since the Cold War.

[...]

Russian officials have linked the flights to U.S. plans to install a missile defense system with bases in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The Russian bombers "are not on any flight plan. They are not complying with the internationally-accepted rules of operation. In the post-9/11 environment, it is difficult to have unidentified aircraft flying toward your airspace if you don't know who they are or what their plans are," Air Force Gen. Victor Renuart, commander of NORAD and Northern Command, said in an interview.

[...]

Russia's leaders "have this internal dynamic that is propelling their annoyance with us. If they don't spend a lot of money re-equipping their military, their military is going to be a laughing stock. And that's just contrary to their image of who they are," Pike said.

[...]

Mullen said in a press conference that military leaders have plans for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq. "We plan all the time." If a new U.S. president orders a quick withdrawal, he would be ready, he said.

Just back from Iraq, Mullen said security progress since December "was palpable." It "creates the kind of head-room," he said, "where political reconciliation can continue."

Childhood leukemia development and correlation with traffic air pollution in Taiwan using nitrogen dioxide as an air pollutant marker.

...The results showed that there was a significant exposure-response relationship between exposure to traffic exhaust pollutants and the risk of leukemia among young children after controlling for possible confounders. The findings of this study warrant further investigation of the role of traffic air pollution in the etiology of childhood leukemia.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18306090?dopt=AbstractPlus

26.
rich^kolker
Wed, 03/12/08

...I can't vote for any Republican for President, for the court appointments if nothing else, but don't think John McCain is going to be easy.
----------
30.
rich^kolker
Wed, 03/12/08

...It's just important we don't believe our own propaganda to our own detriment.

********
Agree with Rich here, on both counts..., lol.
McCain won’t be easy to beat (even for BO) for one primary reason: his enemies and BO’s enemies are the same – Al-Qaeda.

Until Demos redefine America’s enemies their win won’t mean any significance and therefore can’t bring any fruit to People.

Beijing's smog forces champion out of Olympic race

The world's fastest long-distance runner said yesterday he will not compete in the marathon at the Beijing Olympic Games because of the city's choking air pollution,

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080311.wlrunning11/BNStory/lifeMain/home

1:54 PM EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-j-davis/barack-obama-the-musical_b_91150.html

Ryan J. Davis

Posted March 12, 2008 | 12:15 PM (EST)

When Joe Drymala and I first began working on what would become Street Lights over two years ago, Barack Obama was barely known to us. Like many other Democrats, we'd both flipped out over his 2004 convention speech, but we figured he was probably a nice, smart young candidate with a bright future in 2012 or beyond.

...

we had many hours of conversation about the Obama campaign -- could they do it? Would he flame out in Iowa? Would he get crushed by the mighty Clinton machine? Joe and I had met on Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid (I was a videographer, and Joe was a speechwriter), and we were terrified of getting our hopes up. But we began to hope anyway.

...

If you like it, check out more songs from Street Lights at the Street Lights myspace page, www.myspace.com/streetlightsmusical. Download the MP3. Share it with a friend. And please visit www.barackobama.com if you haven't already. This campaign is doing some amazing things across this country -- things that Joe and I had once thought would never be possible in American politics. What we learned the hard way on the Dean campaign is, cynicism almost always wins...almost. Sometimes, though, the country is ready to believe in the future. Sometimes hope beats fear. Sometimes the better angels of our nature push this country forward.

We can change America. Yes, we can.

Consumer Alerts Aren't Enough To Protect Kids, Survey Shows 

...The majority of American adults think the government isn’t doing enough to ensure products are safe for kids, and want the government to take action. More than half of Americans feel the government is doing too little to ensure children’s medicines are safe, and nearly two-thirds feel the government isn’t doing enough to keep kids’ toys safe, the poll shows.

Should legislators at the state and national levels move forward with several proposed consumer safety laws, they will have a great deal of support from American adults:

93 percent support laws that would require producers and importers to certify that products meet FDA standards.
94 percent favor laws requiring country of origin labeling of food, drugs and devices.
94 percent support laws to increase penalties for manufacturers and importers that violate U.S. safety standards...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311083515.htm. 

By SEAN POULTER - More by this author » Last updated at 21:30pm on 11th March 2008

Potentially toxic chemicals are being incorporated into food, packaging, health supplements and other products by stealth, it is claimed.

Manufacturers boast that nanoparticles can deliver drugs or vitamins more effectively, kill harmful bugs in food or create self-cleaning windows.

But scientists, consumer groups and green campaigners fear the technology is being introduced into the diet, body and environment without proper safety checks.

Nanoparticles are 80,000 times thinner than a human hair - so small they can cross membranes protecting the brain or a baby in the womb. ...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=531128&in_page_id=1770

If you include Florida - he still wins. This appears insurmountable for Clinton.

Mary, 

I know you meant it as only a hypothetical, but just to be clear the Florida non-binding vote will not count -- ever.

However, if we should have that mail-in vote the Hillary critters think will help her, those votes will count but there should be a lot more of them in Obama's favor by that time -- if it ever happens.

The Obama people, I presume, are taking no chances and gearing up for some probable campaigning down here for only the second time. Jim and I are heading over to an Obama meeting the end of this month for some organization and structing. I believe it is an extension of an Orlando group. It's an hour away for us but that's what we get for living in the boonies:))

However, if we should have that mail-in vote the Hillary critters think will help her, those votes will count but there should be a lot more of them in Obama's favor by that time -- if it ever happens.

Joan~  It's looking like Barack would win here in Michigan. That said, there will be no do-over here.

OT:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/special/f...

"In September, Fumo is scheduled to go on trial on a massive 139-count indictment charging him with defrauding taxpayers and two nonprofit organizations, and with attempting a coverup to obstruct the FBI investigation."

Yikes!

Episcopal Church vote on sanctions for Fresno bishop

FRESNO — National leaders of the Episcopal Church have voted to oust the bishop from the Diocese of San Joaquin for breaking from the U.S. denomination in a fight over the Bible and homosexuality .

Bishop John-David Schofield urged his congregation to become the first full diocese to secede from the national church last December.

Clergy and lay members severed their ties and affiliated instead with an archdiocese in Argentina that shares Schofield's view that ordaining gay clergy is heresy.

National church leaders are expected to vote today on whether to depose Schofield from his role as bishop and bar him from performing any religious rites. ...full article: http://www.modbee.com/local/pmupdates/st...

---

Episcopal Church leaders vote to oust Fresno bishop

Leaders of the Episcopal Church have voted to oust the bishop from the Diocese of San Joaquin for breaking from the U.S. denomination in a fight over the Bible and homosexuality.

National church leaders on Wednesday removed Bishop John-David Schofield from his role as bishop and barred him from performing any religious duties. ...full article: http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/story/4...

Election workload rises as voters wait to decide By John Ellis / The Fresno Bee

Election officials report a surge in the number of provisional ballots issued to central San Joaquin Valley voters for last month's presidential primary.

Fresno County handed out 13,100 provisional ballots -- more than double the number issued for the November 2006 general election and four times higher than were issued in the June 2006 primary. In Tulare County, provisional ballots from the Feb. 5 election were up 50% over November 2006.

Local election officials have plenty of theories for the high number of provisional ballots, which are given to people when there is a question about their voting status.

Some think it was largely because more people who usually vote absentee waited until Election Day -- when they would have a better idea of who was still on the ballot -- to make up their mind.

"A lot of [voters] were hedging this time," Fresno County Clerk Victor Salazar said. "You didn't know if a candidate was going to back out."

Indeed, two heavyweight contenders ended their campaigns leading up to the California presidential primary: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the Republican side and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards on the Democratic.

Years ago, the state began allowing voters to register as "permanent absentee," which means they automatically receive their election ballots by mail. Hoping to increase turnout, election officials encouraged the trend.

Now, Salazar said, about 45% of Fresno County's voters are permanent absentee. But instead of marking their ballots and mailing them back before the Feb. 5 election, he said, many of these voters held on to their ballots. ...full article: http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/45809...

New thread.

San Joaquin Valley, CA

Farmers may take big risk backing away from settlement

If agreement collapses, judge could take even more of their river water.

The departure of a single water district from the historic San Joaquin River water settlement is not likely, all by itself, to derail the entire process. But it is a disappointing and potentially disturbing development.

The Madera Irrigation District has signalled its intention to back out of the agreement. It's the first water district to do so, though doubts have arisen among many of the farmers who originally joined the settlement covering the restoration of water flows to the river.

There's a 30-day cooling-off period before the Madera district's action becomes official. So there's a chance that during that time, after meeting with other water districts, environmentalists and the federal government, the district could reverse its field and join the settlement again.

The farmers and the water districts that serve them were never enthusiastic about the settlement. They would lose as much as 20% of the water they've been getting under terms negotiated with environmental groups that sued over the diversion of the river's natural flow to serve farms on the east side of the Valley. In addition to restoring water flows nearer the historic norm, the environmentalists also hope to re-introduce two ancient salmon runs to the San Joaquin River.

The settlement requires legislation from Congress, which is where the matter now rests. There are difficult issues to resolve there, such as how to replace at least some of the water farmers would lose, and how to pay for that. The area's delegation is divided: Reps. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, are supporters of the process; Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, has emerged as the principal congressional foe of the settlement. ...full article: http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/story/4...