OBAMA DAILY NEWS Thursday March-20-2008

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WELCOME TO THE OBAMA DAILY NEWS THREAD

Thursday March-20-2008


Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) visited Charlotte
North Carolina on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, speaking to a packed house at the
Grady Cole Center on the Central Piedmont Community College campus.


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1. Obama Visits Charlotte North Carolina -slide show

Here is the slide show
http://www.charlotte.com/multimedia/galleries/gallery/544284-a544307-t3.html

And here is just one picture that is really cute:

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2. Ding-Dong, Do-Over Primary Is Dead (Michigan Senate does not support)

Ding-Dong, Do-Over Primary Is Dead

"Time of death for the do-over Michigan primary? Call it at about 11 a.m. today."March 19, 2008

A Lansing insider IMs to explain the latest development:

The Senate Dems just had a long caucus meeting following their long phone call with the Gang of Four , and the result is that no one moved. Votes aren't there. Thus, it will not go to a vote in the Senate. And barring some other last minute miracle that doesn't involve those four, the governor and Hillary traveling to Michigan, it is dead as a doornail.

UPDATE: State Sen. Tupac Hunter, an Obama supporter, confirms the outcome of today's meeting.

"The caucus has expressed again today that there is concern about the proposal and a great deal of unreadiness,"
he said, saying that sentiment is still "overwhelming."

"We informed the four great Democrats who have worked very hard to come up with a solution," he said.
"It’s one of those things where you can agree to disagree. The question then becomes, What do we do now?"

link

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3. Florida & Michigan: The hypocrisy of Hillary Clinton's position (her old statements vs new)

Florida & Michigan: The hypocrisy of Hillary Clinton's position

by mecarr, Tue Mar 11, 2008

"It's clear, this election they're having is not going to count for anything," Clinton said

Clinton said Thursday during an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio's call-in program, "The Exchange."
"But I just personally did not want to set up a situation where the Republicans are going to be campaigning
between now and whenever, and then after the nomination, we have to go in and repair the damage to be
ready to win Michigan in 2008.

Nearly as hysterical as Hillary's position on Florida and Michigan is that of her top advisor, Harold Ickes.
As a member of the DNC, he voted to punish Florida and Michigan.
Recently he argued for seating the Florida and Michigan delegations.

...-At a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, the former Clinton White House aide and consultant
to Hillary Clinton’s campaign noted that as a member of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, he voted last year
to strip the two states of their delegates as punishment for moving their primaries up too early on the calendar.
He said the move was designed "to prevent the gaming of the system."

Now that Senator Clinton has won those states, however, he supports seating the delegates.
"When I voted on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, I did that as a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee,
not as a member of the Hillary Clinton campaign," he explained.

...

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4. Straw poll: Progressives favor Obama

Straw poll: Progressives favor Obama

By DAVID MARK | 3/19/08

Barack Obama is the overwhelming favorite for president among progressive activists, according to a Politico.com straw poll conducted at the Take Back America conference held in Washington this week.

Seventy-two percent of those polled preferred to see Obama nominated as the Democratic party’s presidential candidate, with rival Hillary Rodham Clinton claiming a scant 16 percent of support and 12 percent of respondents saying either would be fine in the general election against Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain. The poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, surveyed 413 respondents from March 17 to 19.

Obama is also viewed as the Democrat most likely to defeat McCain, with 69 percent of respondents believing he has the best chance of beating the Arizona Republican, compared to just 15 percent who believe Clinton can defeat McCain.

Though support for Clinton’s candidacy was tepid, 48 percent of those polled said they would be “satisfied” with Clinton as the nominee. Forty-one percent said they would be “dissatisfied” with her candidacy, and an additional 9 percent said they hadn’t decided. Obama, on the other hand, claimed near complete fealty from conference participants:
86 percent said they would be satisfied with him as the Democratic nominee, compared with only 8 percent who said they would be dissatisfied.

The anemic support for Clinton at the conference reflects lingering discomfort with the New York senator among attendees. Two years ago while speaking at the event, she was booed in large part for her 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war. Neither Clinton nor Obama spoke at the convention this year.

... more at the link

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5. BREAKING: Hillary's Schedule proves she Worked On NAFTA!!! (scammed Ohio voters)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5160833&mesg_id=5160833

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6. Huckabee defends Wright

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5158394&mesg_id=5158394

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7. Slate Magazine: With revotes unlikely in Florida and Michigan, Hillary Clinton's hope is fading.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5163341&mesg_id=5163341

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8. Bill Clinton & The Telecommunications Act of 1996, Murdoch & HRC connection ....

How and why right wing radio owns us
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5162271

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9. Hillary Was in White House on 'Stained Blue Dress' Day - "Private meetings" around pardon time

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5158967&mesg_id=5158967

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10. NAFTA Attendee: For her to repudiate that now seems pretty phony

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5162513

[catgirl]

18. Kick!!

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11. NYT article DEBUNKS Hillary's claims of experience!!!

She's FAKE FAKE FAKE!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5161407&mesg_id=5161407

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12. Hey Hillary, next time you pander to Petraeus, remember what your husband said a few months ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5166859

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13. Bill Clinton and Rush Limbaugh. It's true and perverse.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5166210&mesg_id=5166210

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14. BILL CLINTON ON RUSH LIMBAUGH SHOW 3/4/08 (for the deniers, a screenshot)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5134970&mesg_id=5134970

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15. Barack Obama Crosses the Swiftboat Threshold

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5165978

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16. It might be working!...NYT: Various Groups Responding to Obama’s Call for Discussion About Race

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5167433

[grantcart]

17. kick

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19. Obama speech.."astonishing display of grace under pressure"

Obama speech.."astonishing display of grace under pressure"

Hearing the Obama Speech

By Richard Reeves Real Clear Politics March 20, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- If Barack Obama is elected president, his speech on race in America will be remembered as one of the greatest in the country's history. If he loses, it will still be remembered as a terrific speech, an astonishing display of grace under pressure.

Those who care about the American dilemma -- a racial history that contradicts our stated beliefs -- will filter their perceptions through their own life experience, their own political bias, their own emotional stake in this particular election. Whatever the political effect, however, the man obviously said what he really thought

He told the truth: We are all racists. That does not mean that we are all prejudiced, but it does mean we notice the color of the people around us, and that affects the way we think and talk and act. And he was probably right about most of us, black and white, when he asserted that our racism is generational, that old men like Pastor Wright and me have more trouble dealing with race than do our children and, I expect, than our grandchildren will.

That's the way it is. We are on a long trail to a post-racial society -- we may never reach the end -- and this election will give some indications how far along we really are.

more at the link

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20. Why Florida and Michigan Superdelegates Should Not Be Seated

It is inescapable that these two states violated the agreed-upon rules.
Without some associated penalty, the next competitive Democratic primary will tend toward chaos
since the precedent of absolute forgiveness will have been set.

The Silent Superiority: Why Florida and Michigan Superdelegates Should Not Be Seated

Mark Myers Posted March 19, 2008

....So the leaders of Michigan and Florida put their markers down a long time ago. They figured that the best way for their states to influence the primary was to forfeit their delegates in exchange for shaping early perception of the candidates. And it's worth noting here that John Edwards suspended campaign operations the day after the Florida vote.

But the supers never envisioned a wire-to-wire primary nor considered how jilted their voters would feel if they had no actual voice in such a contest. They never foresaw even their own reactions to such an eventuality.

Among those who had a direct hand in the decision to move these two primaries to January and among the other 'leaders' who, if anyone, voiced concern last year that this could lead to disaster? Who, if anyone, voiced concern that the voters of these two states wouldn't have a voice in the primary?

This is one reason these 'wise' leaders should have their status stripped and should not be seated at the convention. If the premise behind the superdelegates is that they possess superior vision, leadership and judgment, the Florida and Michigan supers have collectively failed. This train wreck is a direct result of their lack of judgment and lack of vision and a lot of the subsequent sniping is a result of their refusal to acknowledge their dominant role in the entire ordeal. Blaming the DNC for their own decisions constitutes neither leadership nor vision.
....
more at the link

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21. Clinton Campaign Has Been Pushing Rev. Wright Issue To SuperDelegates

Clinton Campaign Has Been Pushing Rev. Wright Issue To SuperDelegates

By TM- March 19, 2008

Taz man at DailyKos found the NYTimes article for tomorrow's paper describing the
Clinton Campaign's efforts to use, among other things, the Rev. Wright flare up
to convince SuperDelegates that Obama is not electable.

Finally, Mrs. Clinton’s aides hope that disclosures about Mr.
Obama’s past like the one involving Mr. Wright could give
superdelegates’ pause. Mr. Devine said he thought that at least in
terms of Democratic primary voters Mr. Obama had turned the furor to
his advantage with his speech on race.
“Obama, confronted by an issue that was boiling, seemed to wade into
it with a speech that was in many ways profound,” Mr. Devine said. “As
a result, now these people who were so interested and awakened by his
candidacy are back with him again. Instead of this being a setback, it
becomes an opportunity.”

But the audience now is as much the Democratic superdelegates, who
are especially attuned to politics and questions of electability in the
fall, as it is rank-and-file voters.

Mrs. Clinton’s advisers said they had spent recent days making the
case to wavering superdelegates that Mr. Obama’s association with Mr.
Wright would doom their party in the general election.

That argument could be Mrs. Clinton’s last hope for winning this contest.

link

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22. DU: Hillary's Nasty Pastorate - "The Family" er... "The Fellowship" (on edit)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5169059&mesg_id=5169059

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23. Voters To Superdelegates: Support Obama

Voters To Superdelegates: Support Obama

Since President's Day, a coalition of voters has been calling for Democratic elected officials and
other superdelegates to support Barack Obama. Our website, www.votersforobama.com,
has sparked petition drives to superdelegates in four states including North Carolina,
where we first organized. The site contains everything voters need to contact superdelegates
in their states

link

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24. DU: The Real Risk Obama Took

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5157337&mesg_id=5157337

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25. DU: Clinton campaign working Wright with superdelegates

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5170499&mesg_id=5170499

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26. Madfloridian: The Clinton campaign appears to be trying to undermine the authority of the DNC

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5108391&mesg_id=5108391

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27. Obama Haters: The Republican Party LOVES You!!!

Obama Haters: The Republican Party LOVES You!!!

By Thomas M. Hyde - March 19, 2008, 9:58PM

Dear Clinton Lovers/Obama Haters:

Keep up the good work. Rush, Sean, Laura, and the rest of the wing-nuts love the thoughtful posts that you are providing the TPM, myDD, and TaylorMarsh.com.
Obama is a phony. Oh sure, he graduated from Columbia and Harvard. Oh sure he was a lecturer at the University of Chicago. Oh sure he was a community organizer for the disenfranchised and poor in Chicago, turning down lucrative law firm offers. Oh sure he is just the third black senator elected to US Senate in US history. He is just a phony.

Obama threw his grandmother under the bus. Oh sure, he successfully worked to find his identity in a chaotic mixed race household. Oh sure, he turned his back on drugs and embraced education. Oh sure, he has been a role model to millions of black and white and mixed race children in this country and around the world. Oh sure, his revelation of the painful details of his upbringing forged his character. But that doesn't matter, because he told the truth of his grandmother's difficulties with race.

more here

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/obama-haters-the-republican-pa.php

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28. DU: The Despicable Hillary Clinton

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5168167&mesg_id=5168167

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29. DU & Kick this: Hillary Clinton's Released White House Records show she Lied about Opposing NAFTA

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5171691&mesg_id=5171691

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30. DU: Here is proof the Clinton camp has been playing (Race Card)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5173607

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31. DU: FL and MI are now being used as tools by the Clinton campaign

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5178153

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32. MadFloridian: DCCC director defends Wasserman Schultz...says bloggers make "much ado about nothing."

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1923

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33. Obama ticket frenzy on Craigslist

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3236234

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34. DU: Cuyahoga County Board of Elections begins investigation of (Ohio)primary crossover voters

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3235250