“OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS Monday April 07-2008

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

WELCOME TO “OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS

Monday April 07-2008


Dave Matthews, right, performs with guitarist Tim Reynolds during a
free concert at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., in support
of Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Sunday, April 6, 2008. The concert was held to promote voter registration
which ends in the state on April 7.

Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment to graciously participate
by posting news and announcements about the Obama campaign on this thread.
You can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web. :think:

2. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU,
providing a link to the original thread :applause:

3. Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page :thumbsup:

4. Clinton supporters or “anti Obama posters please start your own
“Clinton Daily News Thread”.

Get your DU-o-matic codificator (to format your posts) here
Read the Daily News Archives here

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. 14 Days post Bosnia - 7 negative Clinton stories - 4 PA polls show HRC support plummets

read and recommend please:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5413287

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. Clinton's new fable: I criticized Iraq war before Obama did

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x115279

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

30. my reply

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5415300&mesg_id=5415300

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Breaking on CNN: Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Stategist for the Clinton Campaign

(Flop sweat and jowls loses title but isn't gone)

Breaking on CNN: Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Stategist for the Clinton Campaign
so far just a Breaking News Banner: The chief strategist for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, Mark Penn, is giving up that post, the campaign says.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3257857

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. THE CLINTON'S ARE A LEGEND IN THEIR OWN MIND / AND IT'S GETTING OLD

THE CLINTON'S ARE A LEGEND IN THEIR OWN MIND / AND IT'S GETTING OLD

by Allen L Roland April 5, 2008 at 15:25:38

The Clinton's harsh treatment of their close friend Bill Richardson, who voted his conscience, in endorsing Obama, is a good example of how badly the Clinton campaign is floundering.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Pennsylvania shows Clinton leading Barack Obama by just five percentage points, 47% to 42%. For Clinton, that five-point edge is down from a ten-point lead a week ago, a thirteen-point lead in mid-March and a fifteen-point advantage in early March.

...In 1996, New York Times columnist William Safire called Hillary Clinton " A congenital Liar " and he made it stick as we have recently seen with her blatant "under fire at Bosnia" lie . Both the Clinton's and Bush have a deep FEAR OF FAILURE ~ which is one of the reasons they continually lie and why Hillary continues to avoid the reality of the Obama movement as well as an obvious Obama victory.

Bill Clinton's true legacy, besides the stain on Monica Lewinski's dress, has been the triangulating of a true opposition party into the passive centrist DLC establishment party of the status quo and Joe Lieberman. Make no mistake about it, Hillary is a charter member of that establishment party as well as the status quo.
The Superdelegates sense that the Clinton's days are numbered and are rapidly moving toward Obama ~
In December, according to an Associated Press tally, Clinton led Obama by 106 superdelegates. In February, her lead had been cut to 87. As of Thursday, it was 30.

...And in an embarrassment for Clinton, one of the superdelegates supporting her, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), predicted in an interview with a Canadian radio station over the weekend that Obama would win both the nomination and the presidency.

"I will be stunned if he's not the next president of the United States," Cleaver said.

more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. Virginia Democrat foresees a fight for N.C. (says NC like Va in demographics)

Virginia Democrat foresees a fight for N.C.

Ryan Teague Beckwith, Staff Writer Apr 07, 2008 01:24 AM

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott says that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama could put North Carolina in play.

The Virginia Democrat, an Obama supporter since before the Iowa caucuses, says North Carolina has similar demographics to his home state, which Obama won in the Democratic presidential primary.

In Elizabeth City for a voter registration drive, Scott told Dome he thinks Obama would carry the same vote that Sen. Jim Webb and Govs. Doug Wilder and Tim Kaine have gotten in Virginia, and that could mean a general election fight for North Carolina as well.

That would cut against the grain of recent elections. Virginia hasn't gone for a Democrat for president since Lyndon Johnson; North Carolina since Jimmy Carter.

"If we can carry one or two southern states, it would be hard to write a list of states the Republicans could win to add up to 278 electoral votes," he said.

....

[grantcart]

6. Major Delegate Surge *****Obama gains 5 Delegates in two days*******

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5411794

[grantcart]

7. Obama said he can win ND 17,000 cheer him on

Grand Forks, N.D. — About 17,000 people jammed an arena in Grand Forks, N.D., to hear Sen. Barack Obama speak. Most of the crowd stayed a couple of hours longer to listen to Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Sen. Obama mentioned Clinton only briefly, saying some Democrats don't believe they can win in North Dakota, comments attributed to his opponent.

Obama spent most of his half hour speech targeting President Bush and Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.

The last Democrat to carry North Dakota in a presidential race was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Obama said he can win the state's three electoral votes.

"We have to be the party that rallies not just Democrats, but Independents and yes, Republicans to a common purpose. I don't want to just be the president of red states or blue states. I want to be the president of the United States. That's how we'll change this country," Obama told the crowd.

[grantcart]

8. McCain camp demanding apology on 'Warmonger'

Sen. John McCain called on potential fall rival Sen. Barack Obama to condemn comments made in a Democratic party fundraiser in North Dakota on Friday night where liberal radio talk show host, Ed Schultz, called McCain a “warmonger.”

After he was introduced, Obama thanked Schultz and called him the voice of progressive radio.

“It’s a free country and we have freedom of speech in America and Mr. Schultz is entitled to his views. I would hope that in keeping with his commitment that … Sen. Obama would condemn such language since it was part of his campaign,” Mr. McCain told reporters in Prescott, Ariz. “That kind of thing I don’t think is necessary at all in this campaign. I’ve made very clear how I feel about war and my experiences with it.”

Left unsaid was that, unlike Obama, McCain does not allow reporters into his fundraisers so the press does not know what supporters may be saying to the crowds there.

In February, McCain was introduced at a rally by conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham, who harshly attacked Obama and repeatedly used his middle name, “Hussein.” McCain immediately apologized and condemned Cunningham’s remarks.

[grantcart]

9. Obama campaign: McCain not a ‘warmonger’

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23972398/

WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign on Saturday repudiated a liberal talk show host's description of Sen. John McCain as a warmonger, a comment made to an audience that Obama later addressed.

Ed Schultz, host of a nationally syndicated radio program that is based in Fargo, N.D., was warming up the crowd Friday at a $100-a-person fundraiser for the North Dakota Democratic party in Grand Forks when he tagged the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting as a "warmonger," Schultz acknowledged in a telephone interview Saturday.

He said he has used the term many times on the air to refer to McCain because of his support for the war in Iraq.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. When people walk out of a Clinton rally, here's what they think

When people walk out of a Clinton rally, here's what they think.

By Gary Cohen - April 6, 2008, 1:56PM

1) Hillary and Barack are tied in this race so far.

2) Obama is trying to disenfranchise millions of voters in FL and MI, and doesn't want the voice of the people to be heard.

3) Hillary opposed the war before Obama did. Then he flip-flopped.

4)Hillary has the only universal health care plan.

5) Hillary has been against NAFTA from the start.

6)Hillary is the only one who bothered to put together an economic stimulus proposal that offers mortgage relief for people struggling to pay their bills.

7) Hillary is the only one ready to be C.I.C. because she and Bill were dealing with national security issues for 8 years.

8) Hillary has won all the big states. Obama hasn't won any big states, and if a democrat can't win those, the Republicans will win.

9) Hillary's the only one who can beat McCain in the general election.

[grantcart]

11. Ovations at Muhlenber College in Allentown

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/05/obamas_complex_campaign_answers_the_call/

THE OVATIONS of 4,000 people at Muhlenberg College in Allentown clearly inspired Barack Obama into theatrics. In bringing up Hillary Clinton's "3 a.m." television ad that attacks Obama's readiness to be commander in chief, Obama raised his hand to his head, thumb by the ear, pinky by his mouth. To more roars and laughter, he said, "John McCain and Hillary Clinton, they had a chance to make a good decision on the most important foreign policy issue of a generation and they got it wrong. There's only one candidate left who got it right and that's who you should want answering that phone call at 3 o'clock in the morning."

Asked whether there was a silent double standard that forced him to address the issue of race before any of the other candidates, Obama said, "I'm not sure it's a double standard. My former pastor said some very offensive things for a broad cross-section of the American people and I think any candidate for president would have had to deal with that at some level. I do think that talking about race is something that people try to avoid, although there's this fascination with it, which is part of the reason why we saw so much attention paid to these comments.

"But I think that what people want is common sense. They don't appreciate whether it's coming from my former pastor or from talk radio hosts sensationalizing the issue, overstating the issue, using it for political purposes. . . . There are obviously some wounds that have to be healed and there's some very concrete issues that have to be dealt with in terms of disparities in healthcare, or income or joblessness, legacies of the past. So we don't want to paper those issues over. . . . My speech tried to avoid some of the simplicities that somehow widen division instead of bringing people together."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. Mark Penn Loses Title (not fired)

Mark Penn Loses Title

Jed Report Sun Apr 6

Long overdue. Also, last week Charlie Black, who was not only McCain's top campaign adviser but also the long-time chairman of Mark Penn's lobbying firm, resigned from Penn's firm to go work full-time on the McCain campaign.

Update: Changed title from Mark Penn Resigns to Mark Penn Sidelined. Sidelined (Ben Smith's words) is better way to put it. Penn is still with the campaign -- just in a less powerful role (at least officially).

Update 2: Changed "Sidelined" to "Loses Title." I like the way Ari Melber puts it best -- Mark Penn has lost his title. I tend to agree with dawnt: it's smoker and mirrors. Penn will continue to hold at least as much power as he did before losing the title.

[grantcart]

13. Obama: I want to win the West

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080406/ap_on_el_pr/obama


BUTTE, Mont. - Hunting for votes out West, Democrat Barack Obama on Saturday rejected the idea that the region's sparsely populated states aren't important in the presidential race and renewed his promise to appoint a high-level adviser on Indian issues if elected.
ADVERTISEMENT

Obama also cast his usual message in more Western-friendly terms, talking about clean-coal technology as a way of protecting Montana's beautiful mountains and civil liberties as part of the state's tradition of independence.

An Obama supporter had scolded all the presidential candidates earlier for not addressing Western issues.

Montana and neighboring states have only a handful of delegates, but every one of them is valuable as Obama seeks to keep Hillary Rodham Clinton from narrowing his lead heading toward the nomination convention.

Obama, speaking at the Montana Democrats' annual Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner, mocked the suggestion from Clinton's campaign earlier this year that his lead is suspect because he won lightly contested small states that hold caucuses while losing some big states with primary elections.

"There are people saying Obama wins all these little states, all these caucus states, these small little Western states. I don't know about you, but I think they're pretty important," Obama told the crowd of 4,000.

Montana's primary is June 3 and will decide 17 delegates. Two of the state's eight superdelegates have endorsed Obama, and the rest say they will decide after the primary.

Obama picked up the endorsement of Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a former Clinton administration appointee, on Wednesday — his latest from a Western governor. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former energy secretary and UN ambassador under Clinton, announced his support for Obama in March and at least two other Western governors also have come out in favor of Obama.

Freudenthal had complained earlier that none of the candidates, Republicans or Democrats, were addressing Western issues.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. Face the Nation: Dean warns Dems of divided danger

Dean warns Dems of divided danger

By VICTORIA MCGRANE |Politico 4/6/08

Howard Dean warned on Sunday that a Democratic Party that’s still divided come convention time could hand the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presidency. But Dean said he's not going to pressure undecided superdelegates to pick a side.

Speaking on both CBS’s “Face the Nation” and ABC’s “This Week,” Dean sounded confident that the superdelegates themselves would make their decisions quickly enough to avoid disaster.

“The only thing that is going to make John McCain president is disunity among Democrats. And we cannot afford four more years, essentially, of George W. Bush,” Dean said on “Face the Nation.”

“I think the remaining 300-some-odd superdelegates, or unpledged delegates, will continue to do what the 470-odd have already done, which is to make their views known, in drips and drabs, between now and the end of June. And I think that's the right thing to do for the country, never mind just the party.”

....more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. MUST SEE: Fox News Smack-Down Regarding Rev. Wright

107 recs · by jazzy062
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5402770

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. I really thought it was going to be Obama that unraveled.

218 recs · by cliffordu
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5403029

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

17. Clinton campaign, Ickes has 10 staffers directly working to forestall superdelegate defection.

madfloridian

Apr 06 · At least according to this NYT article tonight. I know they have moving toward Obama, but I
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/?az=hp_redir&forum=132&thread=5411677&author=112793

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. New ARG poll has Obama tied with Clinton in PA

New ARG poll has Obama tied with Clinton in PATPM Cafe April 6, 2008, 10:43PM

The latest ARG Poll has it

Clinton: 45%
Obama: 45%

This is the third poll that has it this close.

You will remember that there was the PPP poll that had Obama ahead 45% to 43% and this InsiderAdvantage Poll that had Obama just 2pts behind ...

I guess this means that the PPP poll might not be the outlier most people thought it was.

It will be interesting to see how the other polls (Rasmussen, Zogby et al) come out after this.

[grantcart]

19. Obama's sister speaks out

Maya Soetoro-Ng, who grew up with the Democratic White House frontrunner in Hawaii and Indonesia, has told The Sunday Telegraph her brother exhibited presidential potential even when he dealt with family disputes in his formative years.And she revealed that their white grandmother, who was thrust to the forefront of the election campaign when Mr Obama used her as an example of a "typical white person" troubled by black men on the streets, had no complaints about the way he described her in his now famous speech on America's racial divide.

In the first comments by a member of the Obama family about the senator from Illinois's approach to racial questions, she said: "Our grandmother loves Barack a great deal and is entirely supportive."Mr Obama had been accused of using his grandmother, Madelyne Dunham, as an election tool to win support after revelations that his Chicago preacher, the Rev Jeremiah Wright, had spouted anti-American slogans from the pulpit.

In his speech on America's racial divisions, Mr Obama recounted how she had made racial comments that "made me cringe". But his sister, who lives near to their grandmother in Hawaii, says the frankness of these words was typical of Mr Obama's honest approach to life."I know that I have only ever known him to tell the truth and he has done this time and again when doing so was difficult," said Ms Soetoro-Ng, who works as a teacher in Honolulu.

"Even when it wasn't convenient or when it would generate discomfort with family, friends, or co-workers.
"I know that in the context of the campaign he has told teachers, car manufacturers, and others the truth even when it was politically inexpedient."

Ms Soetoro-Ng spoke out in the week that race was thrust back to the forefront of the campaign as Americans marked the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination. She did admit that attacks he has endured from Democratic presidential nomination rival Hillary Clinton and her allies have hurt.

"Of course I feel protective," she said, "but he is so incredibly strong and weathers such storms with so much more grace than I could."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

20. Welcome back, Grantcart

we missed you!

I used this crazy photo to lead off yesterday's news:


Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., second right,
jokes with 16-year-old Joe Kirk, of Billings, Mont., during a sponsor
(AP Photo/The Montana Standard, Lisa Kunkel)

Check out Obama has spikes!

[grantcart]

23. I went back to your journal and saw it lol - that was Friday

[grantcart]

21. My fellow Clintonites, it's time for Obama

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/05/my_fellow_clintonites_its_time_for_obama/
FOR SUPPORTERS of Senator Hillary Clinton, like me, it's time to get behind her rival, Senator Barack Obama.
more stories like this

Obama has run a positive and inspiring campaign, and has attracted a majority of pledged delegates. It is hard to envision a scenario in which Democratic superdelegates override the will of millions of primary voters and caucus participants. Obama will be the nominee.

Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Wright presents Republicans with a polarizing wedge issue to exploit with general election voters. This approach not only risks an Obama loss in November - denying us a fresh, capable leader - but it would set the country back in its racial reconciliation process. Americain 2008 should be better than that.

As we have done at many key junctures in our nation's history, Democrats and other progressive-minded voters must lead the way. The current firestorm is an opportunity to move beyond the anger and resentment that have characterized our nation's dialogue on race. By throwing our enthusiastic support behind Obama now, voters of all political stripes can echo the candidate's refrain, "Not this time."

Not this time. We have an opportunity to show that we have learned from our mistakes. The first step, which Obama took in his recent speech on race, was to condemn Wright's offensive rhetoric.

The second step is in our hands: Strengthen Obama as the Democratic nominee by uniting behind him now. Amplify his postpartisan message to American voters. Families in Pennsylvania, like those across America, are feeling insecure about their jobs, healthcare, their children's education, and the safety of the nation. They want leaders to be bold and practical in addressing our most serious challenges, and to work across party lines to achieve results. Obama promises to do that.

Those of us who have supported Clinton and continue to believe that she would be an excellent president can play an important part in moving our nation forward by supporting Obama. We can spread the word that he offers the right leadership for these challenging times.

Our support would send a powerful message that the United States is headed in a new direction - on race relations, certainly, but perhaps most importantly, on what it means to be an American.

Tripp Jones is cofounder of MassINC.

[rufus dog]

22. I am a HUGE Dave Matthews Fan

It was a great concert I am sure.

So I am glad that my favorite musician and band are Obama Supporters!

Now for a moment of levity. The Dave Matthews Band played at the Clinton 96 inaguration. It was classic, the played Too Much. First verse is listed below. I rolled on the floor laughing, I thought it was classic for the Clinton's


Straight in, suck up and go,
Cool it, swallow, swallow
Breathe deep, take it all
It comes cheap
Push it through the doors
Because in between the lines
Im gonna pack more lines
So I can get in
Ooh traffic jam got more cars
Than a beach got sand
Suck it up, suck it up, suck it up,
Fill it up until no more
Im no crazy creep, Ive got it coming
To me because Im not satisfied
The hunger keeps on growing
I eat too much
I drink too much
I want too much
Too much











1

[grantcart]

24. A very well written story from the trenches in PA

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/04/america/levittown.php?page=1

[grantcart]

25. Barr forming presidential exploratory committee

April 5, 2008
Barr forming presidential exploratory committee
Posted: 04:00 PM ET

(CNN) — Former GOP Congressman Bob Barr told reporters in Kansas City Saturday he is forming a presidential exploratory committee, and will make the final decision on whether for run for the Libertarian Party’s nomination before the Memorial Day weekend.

Barr represented Georgia's 7th congressional district from 1995-2003. Barr formally left the Republican Party in 2006.

From: CNN's Steve Brusk

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/05/barr-forming-presidential-exploratory-committee/

[grantcart]

26. Pittsburgh paper: View from the bus

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_560943.html

[grantcart]

27. Breaking **** McCain: Obama 'Absolutely' Qualified to Be President

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5413782

[grantcart]

28. morning kick

[grantcart]

29. CNN Polititcal Ticker: Clinton loses 4 points in PA over the weekend

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/07/poll-of-polls-race-tightens-in-pennsylvania/


Poll of polls: Race tightens in Pennsylvania
Posted: 10:49 AM ET

The race appears to be narrowing in Pennsylvania.
(CNN) — The Democratic presidential race is tightening in the key state of Pennsylvania, according to a new CNN analysis of recent polls there.

In the latest CNN "poll of polls," Hillary Clinton now holds a 7 point lead over Obama, 49 percent to 42 percent. Nine percent remain unsure of their vote.

That gap is 4 points narrower than a similar CNN poll of polls conducted Friday. In that average, Clinton held an 11 point lead, 51 percent to 40



Expect to see CNN focusing on this all deay long - the sharks will begin to circle.

[grantcart]

34. Something big is happening

[ORDem]

31. Kick

:kick:

[Scurrilous]

32. K & R

:thumbsup:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

33. Clintons Taxes: Common thread - crossover of fundraising and personal profit

Clintons Earned $109 Million in 8 Years

Senator Releases Tax Returns as Part of Presidential Battle
By Matthew Mosk, James V. Grimaldi and Joe Stephens
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, April 5, 2008; Page A01

In the past eight years, Bill and Hillary Clinton earned a combined $109 million, with the former president collecting nearly half of that money as a speaker hired at times by companies that have been among his wife's most generous political supporters.

....A common thread running through the couple's personal finances is the presence of many of the same figures who helped bankroll the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton, and now that of his wife.

Major donors to both Clintons' White House bids hired the former president as a consultant, joined him in lucrative investment ventures and paid him six-figure sums to speak at corporate gatherings.

The considerable crossover between the couple's decades of political fundraising and their personal profit also extended at times to the former president's charity work and his presidential library, though many records related to those remain secret. What is clear is that numerous financial patrons -- individuals as well as large corporations -- repeatedly emerge in the Clintons' circle.

Chief among them is Burkle, the founder of the Yucaipa investment firm, who not only has provided Bill Clinton with a hefty source of income during his post-presidency but also ranks as one of Sen. Clinton's "Hillraisers," a title given to those who raise more than $100,000 for her presidential bid. Burkle has held fundraisers for her at his Beverly Hills estate, and also made six-figure donations to independent political groups, such as Emily's List, that are supporting her.

more at the link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/04/AR2008040403927.html?wpisrc=newsletter

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

35. Is Obama damaged goods? Doesn't look that way

(((( The RBC Update: Is Obama damaged goods? Doesn't look that way ))))

2008.04.07 08:14:19


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

His favorable/unfavorable numbers haven't moved much since the
Wright flap.

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

http://WWW.samefacts.com/archives/campaign_2008_/2008/04/is_obama_damaged_goods_doesnt_look_that_way.php

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

36. Poll: N.C. voters' top concern - Trust - McCain ranks highest, Obama next, Clinton last

Dems need to unite behind one candidate and campaign against McCain.
Many of those who support McCain would change their minds if they knew he wanted to privatize social security, or his other views. It tells you alot about Clinton that her supporters would prefer McCain to another democrat besides Hillary.

N.C. voters' top concern: Trust

McCain ranks highest, new poll finds JIM MORRILL Charlotte Observer 4/05/08

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama leads rival Hillary Clinton among N.C. voters, in part because voters say they value trustworthiness over experience.

...The poll found that trust is the top consideration for most voters. Nearly nine in 10 said it would play a big role in determining their vote.

...Only 25 percent of voters gave Clinton high marks for trustworthiness, compared with 54 percent for McCain and 48 percent for Obama. Even Democrats ranked Clinton lower.

"I don't trust her because of the fact that she's having Bill (Clinton) pretty much run the race for her," said Sarah McClary, a 33-year-old nurse from High Point. "And all her stories are pretty much coming back to bite her in the butt."

...Other polls have shown a similar "honesty gap" between Clinton and Obama.

Clinton's claims of experience don't appear to be helping her among N.C. voters

The poll also found:

• Two out of three voters give Obama high marks for his ability to connect with voters. That compares with a third who gave McCain and Clinton high marks.

• Three of four voters ranked Obama high in intelligence. That's more than the two-thirds who gave his rivals high marks.

• N.C. voters say they're also looking for candidates who aren't afraid to take tough stands, who offer the ability to unite the country and who hold the promise of change.

....more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

37. How the NC poll was conducted

How the NC poll was conducted

Mon, Apr. 07, 2008
The North Carolina Primary Poll was conducted for The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, WCNC-TV and WNCN-TV.

The poll is based on 803 telephone interviews conducted March 29 to April 1 by Braun Research of Princeton, N.J. Respondents said they were registered voters and intended to vote in the N.C. primary. 403 respondents said they would vote in the Republican primary and 400 in the Democratic primary.

Polltakers used random digit dialing, which provides each household in a telephone exchange an equal chance of being selected. Data are weighted to reflect N.C. voter registration.

The maximum sampling error for 803 interviews is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. This means the results in 19 of 20 similar samples would vary no more than 3.5 percentage points from the results obtained if every N.C. primary voter were surveyed. The sampling error for Democratic and Republican primary voters is 4.9 percentage points.

The practical difficulties of conducting public opinion surveys may introduce other sources of error that cannot be measured, such as individuals who refused to be interviewed, households not included because they do not have land lines and respondents who give "socially desirable" answers.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

38. Behind the battle between Hillary and Obama, there's something else going on

Headlined on 4/7/08:

Behind the battle between Hillary and Obama, there's something else going on.

Diary Entry by Rob Kall April 7, 2008

I have my thoughts on it-- that it's a power struggle between the old power holders-- Clintons, Schumer, Corzine, Rendell and the DLC, versus the new order-- and I'm not sure who that is yet, though the people supporting Obama are a good start.

::::::::

I'd like to hear from you on your thoughts.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

39. Hillary Clinton in Eugene, Oregon: demographics.."mostly white women, and older people."

Hillary Clinton in Eugene, Oregonby Nezua OpEdNews April 6, 2008

COVERED THE HILLARY CLINTON campaign stop in Eugene yesterday, at the South Eugene High School. While there was a smattering across a few demographics (there were young people, too), it seemed to my eye to be mostly white women, and older people. (You can't judge by who is behind HRC in the monitor; these people are picked purposely, and often for the very traits I discuss now: sex, age, skin color, and "ethnic" appearance.) However, I did no formal tally, and when the video is made, you can make a judgment for yourself on that aspect.

The truth is, Clinton did her best (even pushing through a tired and "froggy" sounding voice), and her supporters cheered their loudest, and I appreciate her (and their) spirit and ambition and Clinton's manner of laying out her platform. But it was inarguably not a good day for Clinton.
She was late, she made everyone wait in the rain longer than we were supposed to, and then inside we waited longer than scheduled.
She was heckled about her vote authorizing the Iraq invasion and No Child Left Behind, and about two out of five (I have to check my tape to be sure) questions came to her from Obama supporters. Not to mention the press pass was a cheap xerox instead of a printed and designed document (campaign budget), the gymnasium could have fit, along with nine others the same size (rough guess, probably on the low side, actually) in the venue Obama spoke in when he was here March 21 of this year. I can't help but compare, and I guess in a race like this, that's the point.

It felt a bit sad to me. I can't even count how many times speakers tried to get everyone to cheer louder or longer. At one point, this anchorwoman (in the foto to the right) was telling her cameraman about speaking purposely fast and breathless to give the feeling that the energy in the room was very high. I overheard it, and tried to catch some with the shotgun mic attached to my sound recorder, but pointing one of those at someone (especially a media person) has the result of them quieting down a lot. By the time I had it on and pointed, she was whispering. But truthfully, there was this sort of effort in a few places. Ted Kulongowski, Oregon's governor (who introduced Clinton) seemed absolutely possessed, bobbing and stooping and dancing around trying to rouse the crowd, trying to pass on his frenzy. It was almost as if the campaign/event was competing with the ghost of Obama's recent appearance, which had raised the rafters and blew out the town with buzz.

...Ultimately, while I gained some respect for Clinton and her supporters that I did not previously have, what I have confirmed for myself that remains true of Clinton is this type of behavior that anything goes, that she can do or say anything to opponents, that she can tell whatever stories she wants because it is all excused by the chase for power, that its part of the game, and that if you can't take that, you oughtta not be in politics.
That is, she defends old schools biznass as-is. In fact, she excuses too much with the same line (almost verbatim) we've been hearing from the current resident of the White House who also subscribes to "Ends justify the means" philosophy. Clinton tells us to "leave it to the history books" to decide right and wrong. But we don't live in history books. We live here, now. I have to say when I hear Bush and Clinton say "leave it to the history books" it sounds to me a lot like "I can do what I want and maybe one day it will seem honorable, because now it sure doesn't." And I'm hard-pressed to think of how this thought ever came to be an acceptable defense for anything.

...more at the link