Obama supporters! The cover of this week's The Economist (UPDATED)

[bicentennial_baby]

I'm an Econ nerd (and major), so I was psyched to see this when I picked it up today! Haven't read the article yet, I'll let you know how it is

:hi:

UPDATE: Here's the article:

ON SATURDAY February 9th an overflowing crowd of Virginians got a chance to see the Democratic presidential candidates giving duelling speeches at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond. More interesting than anything the candidates said, however, was the detritus afterwards. The crowds stripped the place clean of Obama signs, tearing every last one off the walls. Hillary signs were abandoned on chairs and trampled under foot.

Abandoned and trampled upon: that has been the story of Mrs Clinton's week. Since her successes on Super Tuesday, Barack Obama has won eight primaries and caucuses by wide—sometimes astonishing—margins. He won the Washington state caucus by 37 points. In Garfield County 100% of voters plumped for him. He won Maine by 19 points, Louisiana by 21 and Nebraska by 36.

The so-called Potomac primary completed his winning streak: he won Virginia by 29 points, Maryland by 23 points, and the District of Columbia by the minor matter of 51 points. He has now won 22 of the 35 races, beating Mrs Clinton in the last eight. In the delegate count estimated by CNN he leads by around 120 if you count only pledged delegates and over 40 if you include “superdelegates” (bigwigs with ex officio vote at the convention). He is ahead of Mrs Clinton for the first time in national polls.

The Clinton machine has done its best to minimise Mr Obama's victories. He can only win in caucus states, the argument goes; or only in small states; or among young voters; or in states with large black populations. Mr Obama has crushed all these claims. Maine and Washington are white states with older than average voters. Virginia and Maryland both hold primaries. Virginia is exactly the sort of big Southern state that the Democrats would dearly love to win in November (it voted for George Bush in 2000 and 2004).

More at the link: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10697083

[lisa58]

1. so is my husband....

...his copy hasn't arrived yet - probably tomorrow

[babylonsister]

2. Thanks for sharing-that's beautiful! nt

[Armstead]

5. Jeezus -- All those hearts...

Maybe you should run for office

[babylonsister]

9. LOL!

Trust me, bad idea. :evilgrin:

[Cha]

3. I'm betting Obama

can "deliver" better than anyone else running right now..and it won't be through a tunnel of smoke and mirrors that end up hurting the country and hugely benefitting campaign contributors.

[jxh261]

6. I hope your right

His support for liquid coal does scare me though. I know...I know he's from Ill..

[Cha]

10. Obama learns from life..

this might be something that can be Changed. :)

[jackson_dem]

8. The Economist knows who he will deliver for as the most right-wing Democrat

http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9163589

Before getting euphoric over them liking him we should ask why they do. So yes, he is using a tunnel of smoke and mirrors on supporters when he will benefit his campaign contributors and corporations the most when elected.

[Straight Shooter]

26. They endorsed bush in 2000.

They endorsed Kerry "with a heavy heart" in 2004, but their endorsement was as enthusiastic as a wet noodle.

The first time the phrase "high-flown rhetoric" was applied to Obama, it was in the Economist Feb 2-8 issue, "Where will the wind blow," the issue with the cover, "Has Iran Won?"

The Economist leans right, right, and then a little bit further right. Still a great magazine. :)

[NMMatt]

4. It was a good article

Mainly talked about the magnitude of the challenge facing him.

[jackson_dem]

7. They like him because they have judged him the most economically RW out of Hill, Edwards, and him

http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9163589

[ElsewheresDaughter]

13. exactly...when in history has an unknown risen so fast to such a high place without corporate money

[Cant trust em]

11. I love the Economist

best news/current events magazine around, IMO.

[elixir]

12. And check out this article in Newsday "Obama sounds good but words aren't enough"

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-opklu155577880feb15,0,102266.column

[NYCGirl]

18. Check out this cover!

[Coexist]

22. I don't think you can compare him to Spitzer

but any press is good press!

[elixir]

14. And the answer? Can he deliver? We'll never know.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. anybody, anybody can be better than Bush!

if you are looking at delivering?

[TheDoorbellRang]

15. This point is quite important, I think

It also undermines her claim to be a CEO-type figure who will be ready to run the country on day one. Mr Obama has run a steadier campaign. He has consistently out-organised and out-planned his rival.

[MethuenProgressive]

16. Time: "The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is."

TIME's Joe Klein: "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism"
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1710721,00.html

[cboy4]

17. Shouldn't babylonsister be on the cover by virtue of

the enormous number of hearts she's received.

I just feel bad for her that she's going to pay hella bank in taxes on those things!!! ;)

[Abacus]

19. Every time I read a behind the scenes report

about the Hillary campaign, it sounds a lot like the last 8 years.

Over the weekend Mrs Clinton fired her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, and replaced her with Maggie Williams, her former chief of staff. On Tuesday night her deputy campaign manager, Mike Henry, also resigned. This housecleaning was a bid to shore up support among panicky donors and superdelegates. But it also reflects a troubled organisation. Mrs Clinton's campaign has been riven by faction-fights between the “white boys” who are close to her husband and “the Hillary girls” who are close to her. It has also been hobbled by the reluctance of her advisers to bring the boss bad news. Mrs Solis Doyle's departure was reportedly precipitated by her failure to tell Mrs Clinton that her campaign was running out of money.

[Divernan]

20. The Clintons & their supporters are in a tough spot.

If they claim Obama can't run against McCain how do they explain they're losing to the guy that can't beat McCain?

If they claim to be ready on day one, how do they explain that their campaign wasn't ready against a freshman Senator?

How do they use words and speeches to say that Obama is just a bunch of words and speeches?

How do they say they're against the war when she voted for it?

How do they say her health care is better when she already messed up a health care plan as first lady?

How do they criticise Retzko, when they have a far longer list of shady donors?

How can she claim better experience at running things when her campaign is falling apart?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

21. His top advisors are Corp Lobbyists Why would they need to give money they WORK FOR HIS CAMPAIGN

[burythehatchet]

25. Her fricking strategist is the mother of all corporate lobbyists. But I understand

the objective is to keep the smear out there.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

29. Here is the difference that Obamanites refuse to acknowledge...............

Hillary is open about her lobbyist connections.

She doesn't campaign against lobbyists, or claim to be the champion of reducing lobbyist influence in Washington.

Obama DOES! Which is why his campaign being full of corporate lobbyist advisors for companies like Pfizer, Carlyle Group, Verizon, Monsanto, The NRA and others is an issue.

"You've got to have a president in the White House who is not simply subject to the whims of corporate lobbyists" Barack Obama

[Straight Shooter]

23. Their 2/15 online article closes with the analysis that the bar has been lowered for Obama.

That's a polite way of saying he's had it easier than the other candidates.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=10689547

"None of this is to take away from Mr Obama's achievement—or to imply that he could not rise to the challenges of the job in hand. But there is a sense in which he has hitherto had to jump over a lower bar than his main rivals have. For America's sake (and the world's), that bar should now be raised — or all kinds of brutal disappointment could follow."

[Yael]

27. K&R -- thanks for the post!!

[jefferson_dem]

28. Magnificent cover.

:kick: