Today is Monday, September 06, 2010 4:19AM
Black politicians gaining little capital after Obama's election. Sixteen months after Barack Obama's presidential win seemed to usher in a new era in racial politics, a different reality has emerged.
June 03, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) Sixteen months after Barack Obama's presidential win seemed to usher in a new era in racial politics, a different reality has emerged: Black candidates in races around the country are struggling so much that the number of African Americans in major statewide offices is likely to drop from the already paltry three. And the possibility exists that there will be no black governors or senators by next year.
The drubbing Tuesday of Rep. Artur Davis (D), who was running to be the first black governor of Alabama, was the latest in a series of defeats of black politicians in primaries this year for statewide office. And some of the blacks who already hold such posts aren't staying in them. More...
Black Hopefuls Pick This Year in G.O.P. Races. At least 32 African-Americans are running for Congress this year as Republicans, the biggest surge since Reconstruction.
May 04, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Among the many reverberations of President Obama’s election, here is one he probably never anticipated: at least 32 African-Americans are running for Congress this year as Republicans, the biggest surge since Reconstruction, according to party officials.
Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times
Allen West, running in Florida, says the notion of racism in the Tea Party movement has been made up by the news media.
Interactive Map: Tracking the Races
An interactive map provided a dynamic look at the midterm elections across the country.
Blog
The Caucus
The latest on President Obama, his administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. More...
(NY) Allies of Gov. Paterson, Rep. Charles Rangel plotting to oust 'Judas' Sen. Bill Perkins.
April 05, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Allies of Gov. Paterson and Rep. Charlie Rangel are plotting to oust a state senator who dared to speak out against the embattled duo.
The Democratic machine is actively shopping for a primary challenger to Sen. Bill Perkins, framing his independent stance as a biblical betrayal of Harlem's elder statesmen. More...
Excellent song
March 31, 2010 by Wotanskrieger
L. B. J. was a-flyin' one morn'
Over south Louisiana. . More...
"In a Challenge to Rangel, an Echo of His Rise." Is it time for Congressman Charles Rangel (NY) to go after serving decades?
February 17, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) A 40-year-old challenger wages a grass-roots Democratic primary campaign against a popular Harlem congressman who has been entrenched for decades and for whom he once worked. The upstart says the incumbent, who has been dogged by a Congressional ethics investigation, is “still living in the realm of his past accomplishments” and that distractions have left the 15th District “unrepresented. ” Sound familiar? It would, perhaps painfully so, to Representative Charles B. Rangel.
In 1970, that same scenario ended with Mr. More...
'Game Change' Excerpt: Bill Clinton On Obama: 'A Few Years Ago, This Guy Would Have Been Getting Us Coffee'
January 11, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(hupo) In lobbying the late Sen. Edward Kennedy to endorse his wife, former President Clinton angered the liberal icon by belittling Obama. Telling a friend about the conversation, Kennedy recalled Clinton had said "a few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee," the authors paraphrase. A spokesman for the former president declined to comment on the claim. . More...
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) will face a 2010 primary challenge from one of his own former campaign directors.
October 12, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(thehill) Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N. Y. ) will face a 2010 primary challenge from one of his own former campaign directors.
Vince Morgan, a New York banker who once worked for Rangel as a special assistant and subsequently as a campaign director, announced Monday that he would challenge Rangel for reelection. More...
Politics and the Age Gap
September 13, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) AMERICAN politics has been defined by gender gaps, racial gaps, geographic gaps and the gap between the religious and the secular.
Now comes the geriatric gap. As the population ages and the nation faces intense battles over rapidly rising health care and retirement costs, American politics seems increasingly divided along generational lines.
The question is how real and defining this gap is going to be — whether in 10 or 20 years it will prove as consequential or intense as, say, the gender divide, particularly as it was played out last year with the presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
As distasteful as the notion of intergenerational conflict may seem, the fight over health care — not to mention the election of health care reform’s current chief proponent, President Obama — suggests that something is going on. More...
South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson shouts 'You Lie' at Obama during the President's address to Congress.
September 09, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(cnn) A Republican House member shouted "you lie" during President Obama's health care speech to Congress on Wednesday, and members of both parties condemned the heckling. When Obama denied that proposed health care legislation would provide free health coverage for illegal immigrants, South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted, "You lie!"
The outburst caused Obama to stop and look toward the heckler.
"That's not true," the president responded.
Behind him, U. More...
CA GOPer Caught on Tape: "So, I am getting into spanking her," says the Orange County Republican. "I like spanking her. "
September 09, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(KCLA9/Youtube) 54 yr old Family Values advocate California Assemblyman Michael Duvall (R) Orange County is caught on a hot mic speaking about spanking and more; talks about relationship with woman 19 yrs younger than the married father; runs from reporter than avoids him. . . . . More...
Governor Paterson of New York under mounting pressure over racially-charged remarks
August 25, 2009 by jimharney (View Source)
(NYDN)
He's still gotta go, say critics.
Gov. Paterson's rant that he's a victim of racist media trying to stop him from running did little Sunday to stifle demands that he step aside.
At the same time, aides sought to move beyond the stunning remarks by turning their guns on a fellow Democrat who told a reporter that Paterson's blindness cripples him as a leader.
Paterson's race remarks smack of "desperation" and are another reason he won't head the party's ticket next year, predicted a major labor official. More...
BET co-founder, Sheila Crump Johnson, endorses Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell
July 21, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(politico) The co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, Sheila Crump Johnson, endorsed Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell on Monday.
“We need bold and innovative leadership to move our state forward, and that's why I've chosen to support Bob McDonnell for governor,” said Johnson, a Democrat, during remarks in Richmond, Va. “He has shown me that he has the right vision and the executive leadership skills that will guide Virginia through these challenging times. ”
McDonnell, a former state attorney general, told POLITICO that he was “thrilled” to have the support of someone with Johnson’s record as a “supporter of free enterprise. ”
“That’s exactly the message I’ve been trying to foster,” he said. More...
South Carolina Governor Sanford Admits Affair, Resigns As Chairman Of Republican Governors Association
June 24, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(abc) Apologizing profusely to his staff, family and friends for disappearing unexpectedly, a teary-eyed South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said he had been "unfaithful" and admitted affair with a woman in Argentina. "I've been unfaithful to my wife," Sanford said at a press conference this afternoon, adding that his affair was with a "dear, dear friend from Argentina. "
The affair, Sanford said, began "casually" but "last year developed into something much more. "
"We developed a remarkable friendship over those eight years and then as I said about a year ago it sparked into something more than that," Sanford explained. More...
Blacks at Odds Over Scrutiny of President. Some want to continue to praise Obama, and others want to examine him more critically.
April 07, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) As the nation's first black president settles into the office, a division is deepening between two groups of African Americans: those who want to continue to praise Obama and his historic ascendancy, and those who want to examine him more critically now that the election is over. A growing number of black academics, commentators and authors determined to press Obama on issues such as the elimination of racial profiling and the double-digit unemployment rate among blacks.
But doing so has put them at odds with others in the black community. Love for the Obamas is thick among African Americans -- 91 percent of whom view the president favorably, compared with 59 percent of the total population, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted last month -- and as a result, the African American punditry finds itself navigating new ground.
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The Real Republican Road to Recovery. (See the Diagram to recovery)
March 26, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(538. com)The Republican "Road to Recovery" budget alternative, rolled out today by John Boehner, has been criticized by left and right for its lack of specificity and its promise to eliminate the national debt while significantly cutting taxes. FiveThirtyEight. com, however, has received an advance copy of additional details prepared by the Minority Leader's office. Although some elements of the proposal are still under discussion -- Eric Cantor is said to want to eliminate North Dakota rather than Idaho, while Thaddeus McCotter has suggested using the balance of TARP funds to purchase scratch-off tickets -- the final plan can be expected to contain most or all of these components. More...
Done Deal! "Senate Confirms Eric H. Holder, Jr. as First African American Attorney General"
February 02, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) The Senate this evening confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation's first African American Attorney General in a vote of 75 to 21, opening a new chapter for a Justice Department that had suffered under allegations of improper political influence and controversial policy decisions on wiretapping and harsh interrogation practices.
Holder, 58, will arrive at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington tomorrow for a swearing in ceremony and to greet some of the department's 110,000 employees.
"The need for new leadership at the Department of Justice is as critical today as it's ever been," said Sen. More...
10 Things You Didn't Know About Michael Steele, The GOP’s first African American National Chairman. (originally published in April 2007).
January 31, 2009 by editor (View Source)
The GOP elected its first Black national party chairman yesterday. In April 2007 US News and World Report published a brief profile on the former Maryland Lieutenant Governor. View source for the list. Here is one tidbit not on the list: His sister, Monica, was married to Mike Tyson.
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President Obama’s Attorney General Pick, Eric H. Holder, Jr., Is Approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Next Step in Process: Full Senate.
January 28, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning approved the nomination of Eric H. Holder Jr. to serve as the nation's first African American attorney general.
Holder, 58, ultimately won support from all of the Democrats on the panel; many cited his credentials and backing by 130 law enforcement groups.
In a surprise, given comments over the past two months, several GOP lawmakers also cast their votes for Holder. More...
GOP Considers Electing Its First Black Chairman.
January 11, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(sfgate) As the nation is on the verge of inaugurating its first black president, the Republican Party is facing a telling choice: whether to elect its first black chairman.
The contest for Republican Party chairman comes as Republican leaders seek to figure out what the party stands for, as well as what face to put forward as it struggles to avoid shrinking into a party of Southern white men as the country grows increasingly diverse. Among the six candidates are four white men, including two from the South, and two African Americans: Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, and Kenneth Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state.
Because it is a six-way race in which ballots are cast anonymously, it is impossible to project who might win. But party leaders said Blackwell and Steele were viable candidates, particularly Blackwell, who has strong support from social conservatives. More...
Bill Richardson withdraws his nomination as Commerce Secretary. Gov. under grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract.
January 04, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Bill Richardson withdraws his nomination as President-elect Barack Obama's Commerce Secretary. Governor is under grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract.
Richardson's withdrawal was the first disruption of Obama's Cabinet process and the second "pay-to-play" investigation that has touched Obama's transition to the presidency. The president-elect has remained above the fray in both the case of arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the New Mexico case. More...
Liberals, it takes two sides to bring America together.
January 04, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Liberals are not going to win every battle with the new President, nor should they. They would be wise to understand that now. Put aside unrealistic expectations that Obama will adopt a nakedly progressive agenda and recognize that reaching across the aisle is not betrayal. It's leadership. (view source for the full article/opinion). More...
Obama Brings Firsts for Black Press.
January 03, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(politico) Barack Obama’s election as president is prompting major changes in the nation’s black press, ushering in a series of firsts that editors say will reshape print, Internet, radio and television coverage aimed at African-American audiences.
Essence, the top-selling magazine among black women, will have a full-time White House reporter for the first time. Ebony magazine will add a White House reporter, either full time or as needed. Its sister publication, Jet magazine, will have a weekly two-page Washington report in every issue.
And Black Entertainment Television is scrapping its usual fare of videos and sitcoms for a four-hour live broadcast of Obama’s swearing-in — just as the leading cable network in black households did for both party conventions last summer, and on Election Day. More...
Early Test of Obama View on Power Over Detainees.
January 03, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Just a month after President-elect Barack Obama takes office, he must tell the Supreme Court where he stands on one of the most aggressive legal claims made by the Bush administration — that the president may order the military to seize legal residents of the United States and hold them indefinitely without charging them with a crime.
The new administration’s brief, which is due Feb. 20, has the potential to hearten or infuriate Mr. Obama’s supporters, many of whom are looking to him for stark disavowals of the Bush administration’s legal positions on the detention and interrogation of so-called enemy combatants held at Navy facilities on the American mainland or at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
During the campaign, Mr. More...
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is 'Senate Candidate 5' in Blagojevich criminal complaint , which indicates emissary approached Ill. Gov. -- Not Jackson Himself.
December 10, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cstimes) U. S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is “Senate Candidate 5,” whom Gov. More...
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich taken into federal custody. Gov. Charged with Corruption.
December 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cst) The charges also include alleged attempts by the governor to influence the Tribune editorial board, threatening, that if the Tribune didn’t support him, he wouldn’t approve the sale of Wrigley Field.
Gov. Blagojevich got the call at 6 a. m. It was the head of Chicago’s FBI office to tell him he was being arrested. More...
Steve Hildebrand: A Message to Obama's Progressive Critics.
December 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(hupo)This is not a time for the left wing of our Party to draw conclusions about the Cabinet and White House appointments that President-Elect Obama is making. Some believe the appointments generally aren't progressive enough. Having worked with former Senator Obama for the last two years, I can tell you, that isn't the way he thinks and it's not likely the way he will lead. The problems I mentioned above and the many I didn't, suggest that our president surround himself with the most qualified people to address these challenges. After all, he was elected to be the president of all the people - not just those on the left. More...
Birmingham, AL Mayor Indicted on 101 counts for taking bribes etc.
December 02, 2008 by TexasFjord (View Source)
Birmingham Mayor Accused of Trading County Deals for Cash and Clothes
By KYLE WHITMIRE and ADAM NOSSITER
Published: December 1, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The mayor of this city, Larry P. Langford, was arrested by federal agents Monday and charged with taking bribes in exchange for doling out county financial business to a favored firm when he led the Jefferson County Commission from 2002 to 2006.
Bob Farley Mayor Larry P. Langford of Birmingham, Ala. More...
Will Growing Number of Latino Voters Turn Texas into a Blue State?
November 30, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(abc) Dallas is controlled by Democrats; Houston is in their hands, too. It's all largely because of the state's growing Hispanic population, which overwhelmingly sided with Democrats this year.
"The tide of demography in Texas is moving against the Republicans," says Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "All the major cities are Democratic and are likely to become more so over time. "
The Pew Hispanic Center reports that Latino voters sided with President-elect Obama over Sen. More...
Latinos helped elect Barack Obama and hope he won't forget them.
November 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) On his first full day as President, Barack Obama will be greeted by salutes, good wishes - and throngs of protesters on the National Mall demanding immigration reform.
It will be a thunderous welcome, delivered mostly by Hispanic voters who - having provided a critical edge to Obama on Election Day in several key states - are looking for payback.
"We voted in the millions, and now we're going to demand progress in the millions," said Angelica Salas, an organizer of the Jan. 21 protest and director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
To put it mildly, expectations are high that Obama - himself the product of an immigrant father - can deliver on the dicey reform proposals that divided Congress and the nation a year ago. More...
Latino voters bolted to Obama in key states after McCain dropped own immigration reform plan.
November 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Barack Obama spent much of his campaign exhorting Hispanics with chants of "Si se puede," or "Yes we can. " Now, he might want to say gracias.
Exit poll data show Hispanic voters backed Obama by a whopping 2-to-1 margin, helping to deliver much of the Southwest and also Florida, Virginia and other big battlegrounds where Republicans have long held sway.
"Latinos are reshaping the future of the political landscape," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund.
Hispanics as a group have always tilted Democratic in presidential contests, but the degree to which they choose to back the party's nominee can vary a lot - with important consequences. More...
Holder Nomination Signals Obama's True Anti-Gun Rights Agenda, says Second Amendment Foundation.
November 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(mktwatch) The nomination of Eric Holder for the post of attorney general of the United States sends an "alarming signal" to gun owners about how the Barack Obama administration will view individual gun rights, as affirmed this year by the Supreme Court, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
"Eric Holder signed an amicus brief in the Heller case that supported the District of Columbia's handgun ban, and also argued that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right," noted SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "He has supported national handgun licensing and mandatory trigger locks. As deputy attorney general under Janet Reno, he lobbied Congress to pass legislation that would have curtailed legitimate gun shows.
"This is not the record of a man who will come to office as the nation's top law enforcement officer with the rights and concerns of gun owners in mind," he observed. More...
Recommended Reading for Political Junkies from BBN Editors: Secrets of the 2008 Campaign
November 17, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(newsweek) The disclosures are among many revealed in "How He Did It, 2008," the latest installment in NEWSWEEK's Special Election Project, which was first published in 1984. As in the previous editions, "How He Did It, 2008" is an inside, behind-the-scenes account of the presidential election produced by a special team of reporters working for more than a year on an embargoed basis and detached from the weekly magazine and Newsweek. com. Everything the project team learns is kept confidential until the day after the polls close.
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Voters judge Elizabeth Dole's (REP-NC) ‘godless' ad aimed at her Dem opponent. Churches also react to Dole ad about Hagan.
November 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(charlotte observer) U. S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan said she came to talk about issues, but it wasn't long after arriving at an early voting site in Charlotte that a few voters brought up what's become the focal point of the race – the “godless” ad that Sen. Elizabeth Dole is running against her.
“What a nasty campaign this has turned into at the last moment,” Doug Gubbins, a retired computer programmer from Charlotte, said to Hagan as she worked the voting line at Marion Diehl Recreation Center. More...
(MUST READ) 7 Things That Could Go Wrong on Election Day
October 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(time) As it stands, the American voting system is a worrisome mess, a labyrinth of local, state and federal laws spotted with bewildered volunteers, harried public officials, partisan distortions, misdesigned forms, malfunctioning machines and polling-place confusion. Each time, problems pop up on the margins; if the election is close, these problems matter a great deal. Republicans and Democrats predict record turnouts, perhaps 130 million people, including millions who have never voted before. The vast majority will cast their votes without a hitch. But some voters will find themselves at the mercy of registration rolls that have been poorly maintained or, in some cases, improperly handled. More...
Former Bush Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, Will Vote for Barack Obama
October 23, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(afp Former Bush White House spokesman Scott McClellan is backing Democrat Barack Obama for president, CNN reported Thursday.
McClellan, who was the face of the Republican administration of President George W. Bush for three years, told CNN in an interview that Obama has the best chance of getting things done in Washington, compared to his rival, Republican Senator John McCain.
"From the very beginning I've said I'm going to support the candidate who has the best chance of changing the way Washington works and getting things done," McClellan said, according to a transcript of the interview to be broadcast on Friday.
"I will be voting for Barack Obama," he said. More...
Pay Attention, Voters! New Mexico Woman Wearing Obama T-Shirt Turned Away From Polls.
October 21, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(koat) Some voters in New Mexico are running into problems.
The same day one Bernalillo County woman was allowed to vote under the influence of alcohol another woman, who was completely sober, was turned away.
When she went to cast her ballot on Saturday, election workers took one look at her and asked her to leave.
The woman said she didn't do anything most of us would think is against the law and it isn't, unless a voter is inside a polling place in New Mexico.
Getting to an early voting site was the easy part, Samantha Rasmussen said, but it was once she got inside that her trouble began. More...
GOP Busted for Voter Suppression
October 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nation) While the GOP continues to accuse Democrats of voter fraud, top Republican operatives are getting busted for voter suppression.
The executive director of the Montana Republican Party, Jake Eaton, resigned Tuesday "after a failed attempt to challenge registration of voters in some Democratic strongholds," the Helena Independent Record reported.
According to the paper:
Republicans raised concerns with registered voters who live at addresses that differed from the addresses listed on their voter registration information. The party asked that county election officials ask voters to prove their current addresses.
Montana Democrats, charging it was an attempt to suppress voter turnout, went to federal court to block the effort. More...
Sen. Barack Obama shattered, by a country mile, the record for dollars raised in a single month, pulling in $150 million in September.
October 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) Sen. Barack Obama shattered, by a country mile, the record for dollars raised in a single month, pulling in $150 million in September, according to an e-mail the campaign sent out this morning.
"In the month of September, we raised over $150 million and added 632,000 new donors for a total 3. 1 million donors to date," the campaign announced.
"The average donation for the month was less than $100. More...
Voter suppression in Nevada. Millions of new voters have registered this year, and Republicans are claiming fraud.
October 15, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(guardian) The situation in Nevada is ripe for what has become a primary Republican strategy in the election. Millions of new voters have registered this year, many of them from traditionally disenfranchised groups: the poor, the young, and people of color. A majority of these new voters are clearly fall into the Obama camp, so the GOP has mounted a campaign to root out what it claims is widespread voter fraud.
They claim that people are registering to vote multiple times, or under false names, or in the wrong jurisdictions, or are not entitled to vote (for example, because they are have no home address or are undocumented immigrants or convicted felons).
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Playing with Fire. McCain Knows Better. A number of people are afraid that the ugly tactics of the McCain-Palin campaign are going to incite violence, maybe assassination.
October 12, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(new yorker) A number of people are afraid that the ugly tactics of the McCain-Palin campaign are going to incite violence, maybe assassination. Joe Klein, Andrew Sullivan, McCain’s former adviser John Weaver—even the ultimate sober-sided moderate David Gergen last night on CNN. I hope they’re wrong. It’s a big leap from hateful talking points and shouted epithets to vigilantism and the lone gunman. What’s undeniably true is that Republican rallies and the incendiary language of party leaders are stirring up the darker, destructive mob passions that have a long history in American politics. More...
GA. Congressman John Lewis compares John McCain to Former AL. Gov. George Wallace. Recent GOP, McCain-Palin Violent Rhetoric Reminiscent of Racist Wallace.
October 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) Name-calling in the 2008 presidential campaign just took a highly serious turn.
This morning, U. S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Atlanta) issued a statement on the recent tone of the John McCain campaign, declaring himself “deeply disturbed. More...
Upstate NY County lists Obama as 'Osama' on absentee ballot. County claims it was a "Typo"
October 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(timesunion) It could have been Ovama or Ofama. Or even Olama.
But with one "s" the Rensselaer County Board of Elections turned a single wrong letter into a national embarrassment Friday.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's last name is spelled "Osama" on some 300 absentee ballots mailed out this week to voters in Rensselaer County hilltowns.
Is it a Freudian slip, intentional gaffe or a mistake? Voters are sure to have opinions, and one politician pointed out that the letters "s" and "b" are not exactly keyboard neighbors. More...
States’ Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal. Eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering.
October 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law, according to a review of state records and Social Security data by The New York Times.
The actions do not seem to be coordinated by one party or the other, nor do they appear to be the result of election officials intentionally breaking rules, but are apparently the result of mistakes in the handling of the registrations and voter files as the states tried to comply with a 2002 federal law, intended to overhaul the way elections are run.
Still, because Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year, according to state election officials, any heightened screening of new applications may affect their party’s supporters disproportionately. The screening or trimming of voter registration lists in the six states — Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina — could also result in problems at the polls on Election Day: people who have been removed from the rolls are likely to show up only to be challenged by political party officials or election workers, resulting in confusion, long lines and heated tempers.
Some states allow such voters to cast provisional ballots. More...
'Foo Fighters' Tell McCain to Stop Using Song in campaign. Artists including Van Halen, John Mellencamp, Heart, Jackson Browne also complained. Browne even filed lawsuit against McCain.
October 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(AP) Yet another band is complaining about John McCain's use of their song to promote his campaign. This time, it's the Foo Fighters.
The rockers sent out a missive telling the Republican presidential candidate to stop using "My Hero. " They said they learned it was being use through news reports.
"The saddest thing about this is that `My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential," the band said in a statement. More...
McCain linked to group in Iran-Contra case. Organization had ties to former Nazi collaborators, right-wing death squads.
October 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) GOP presidential nominee John McCain has past connections to a private group that supplied aid to guerrillas seeking to overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua in the Iran-Contra affair.
McCain's ties are facing renewed scrutiny after his campaign criticized Barack Obama for his link to a former radical who engaged in violent acts 40 years ago.
The U. S. Council for World Freedom was part of an international organization linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America. More...
GOP files FEC complaint about Obama's fundraising
October 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) The Republican National Committee filed a complaint Monday alleging that Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign has received illegal contributions from foreigners and donations that exceed federal limits.
The complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission is based largely on media reports, including one from a conservative news Web site that suggests donors who listed their state as "IR" may have been from Iran. In FEC reports, the designation "IR" typically stands for "information requested" because the donor did not supply it.
In the complaint, the RNC asks the commission to audit Obama's campaign fund to determine whether it has violated the law by accepting money from non-citizens and whether individual donors have exceeded contributions to the campaign.
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Palin hits Obama for 'terrorist' connection
October 05, 2008 by kevinjcharles (View Source)
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado (CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday slammed Sen. Barack Obama's political relationship with a former anti-war radical, accusing him of associating "with terrorists who targeted their own country. ". . More...
Obama gaining crucial ground. Polling shifts in some key states.
October 04, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Boston) With 31 days until the election, Democrat Barack Obama\'s road to the White House is widening, and Republican John McCain\'s electoral path is narrowing.
The McCain campaign\'s decision this week to abandon Democratic-leaning Michigan is the most obvious and dramatic sign, a major tactical retreat that limits the ways he can reach the magic number of 270 electoral votes on Nov. 4.
But McCain is in as bad or worse shape in other battleground states. Barring a dramatic change, he is on course to lose Iowa and New Mexico, both states barely won by President Bush four years ago in his narrow victory over Democrat John F. More...
Black and Hispanic Caucuses Resisted Pelosi on Bailout. Xavier Becerra (CA), Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (IL), José E. Serrano (NY) voted against the bill.
October 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Speaker Nancy Pelosi normally enjoys warm relations with members of the House’s black and Hispanic caucuses, but a large number of them revolted Monday against legislation, which she supported, to rescue the financial industry.
Class differences were laid bare by the vote. Several members of the two all-Democratic caucuses, who are now working among themselves and with the House leadership to put forward a compromise, characterized the defeated bill as one that would have provided assistance to the rich at the expense of middle- and lower-income voters. And it is to those voters that the lawmakers must answer.
Representative Xavier Becerra, whose district includes some of Los Angeles’s poorer precincts, said, “The last thing I need to do is go back home and tell people I voted for $700 billion, some of which will touch the same people that caused the problem, and I can’t guarantee taxpayers will recoup those costs. More...
Poll: Barack Obama could lose six percentage points on election day for being black
September 23, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Six percentage points is the price Barack Obama could pay on election day for being black.
That disturbing calculation was found in a groundbreaking new Associated Press-Yahoo News poll conducted with Stanford University which probes the effect of the Democratic presidential candidate's race on his historic campaign for the White House.
"There's a penalty for prejudice, and it's not trivial," Stanford University political scientist Paul Sniderman told the AP. In a close contest, racism "might be enough to tip the election," Sniderman said.
Still, the Illinois senator seems to be making some headway even with white Americans who don't have much good to say about African-Americans. More...
Joe Klein/Time Mag: John McCain and the Lying Game. McCain has raised serious questions about whether he has the character to lead the nation.
September 18, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(time) Politics has always been lousy with blather and chicanery. But there are rules and traditions too. In the early weeks of the general-election campaign, a consensus has grown in the political community — a consensus that ranges from practitioners like Karl Rove to commentators like, well, me — that John McCain has allowed his campaign to slip the normal bounds of political propriety. The situation has gotten so intense that we in the media have slipped our normal rules as well. Usually when a candidate tells something less than the truth, we mince words. More...
Palin's Favorability Ratings Begin to Falter. To know her, it seems, is not necessarily to love her.
September 16, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(newsweek) When John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate late last month, the Alaska governor quickly became a media phenomenon. Largely unknown, she existed at first in something of an information vacuum, and due to the shock of her selection--everyone loves a surprise--the press rushed to fill the void with whatever data was easily available. Mostly this consisted of human interest material; Palin had plenty to go around. Mooseburgers. Float planes. More...
Thousands of women in Alaska protest against Sarah Palin’s candidacy for VP. One Republican Resident: "She's so unbelievably inexperienced."
September 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
Alaska women reached across political boundaries to reject Sarah Palin Saturday afternoon.
But they were joined by a group who support the governor.
Both sides gathered at a rally in Midtown right outside the Loussac Library, which is usually a pretty quiet place. The crowd of demonstrators cheering and chanting at the rally numbered more than a thousand at its peak.
What started as a gathering of eight women over coffee last week turned into a massive demonstration. More...
Obama raises $66 million in August
September 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) Sen. Barack Obama raised $66 million in the month of August, making it his best month ever and the best in American political history, an aide said Sunday morning.
Obama is releasing that number after suggestions that his fundraising was failing to meet expectations. It puts him on pace to substantially outspend John McCain in the last two months of the race, in which McCain will be limited to spending the $84 million supplied by the Treasury under public financing rules.
Obama's large take, and the expectation that he'll raise even more in the race's final two months, may put to rest some Democrats' worries that he'd made a mistake by opting out of public financing. More...
Bob Herbert: She's Not Ready.
September 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Bob Herbert/NYT) While watching the Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson Thursday night, and the coverage of the Palin phenomenon in general, I’ve gotten the scary feeling, for the first time in my life, that dimwittedness is not just on the march in the U. S. , but that it might actually prevail.
How is it that this woman could have been selected to be the vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket? How is it that so much of the mainstream media has dropped all pretense of seriousness to hop aboard the bandwagon and go along for the giddy ride?
For those who haven’t noticed, we’re electing a president and vice president, not selecting a winner on “American Idol. ”
Ms. More...
“The Price of Being Black.” Obstacles to getting blacks to vote have always been formidable, but this year there will be barriers that previous campaigns have not had to face.
September 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nybooks) In May, Hillary Clinton described many of her core supporters as "hard-working Americans, white Americans. " Primary voting in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia confirmed her surmise. Her remark seemed, without saying so, to claim an advantage over Obama that was due to his race. But there's more we need to know. We can see how being a farmer or a bond trader or a gun collector might influence your vote. More...
Sarah Palin: “So Sambo beat the bitch!” Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper): Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean”
September 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(lap) “So Sambo beat the bitch!”
This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
According to Lucille, the waitress serving her table at the time and who asked that her last name not be used, Gov. Palin was eating lunch with five or six people when the subject of the Democrat’s primary battle came up. The governor, seemingly not caring that people at nearby tables would likely hear her, uttered the slur and then laughed loudly as her meal mates joined in appreciatively.
“It was kind of disgusting,” Lucille, who is part Aboriginal, said in a phone interview after admitting that she is frightened of being discovered telling folks in the “lower 48” about life near the North Pole. More...
Three States Accused of Illegally Purging Voter Lists
September 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(alnet) Election officials in a handful of states appear to be ignoring the federal law dictating the way registered voters may be purged from voter rolls, civil rights attorneys say.
National voting rights groups have contacted officials in Kansas, Michigan and Louisiana in recent weeks because those states appear to be purging registered voters after election officials found duplicate names and birthdays of people on their voter lists and in out-of-state databases, such as driver's license records.
The states are assuming that a more recent driver's license or voter registration in another state indicates that the voter has relocated, meaning the voter registration tied to their prior address is no longer valid. While purging voters who move, die or are imprisoned is a routine part of managing elections, the federal law governing purges -- the National Voter Registration Act -- lays out a multiyear process of trying to contact voters to confirm a change of address before deleting them from voter rolls.
The election attorneys say the NVRA process seeks to err on the side of protecting voting rights and cannot be circumvented by what appears to be a duplicate voter registration. More...
Republican National Convention: Lowest Black Representation in 40 Years.
September 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Joint Center) After seating a record number of African American delegates in 2004, next week’s Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul will have the lowest black representation in 40 years, according to a convention guide that will be distributed next week to delegates at the Republican National Convention by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint Center).
Blacks and the 2008 Republican Convention, released today by the nonpartisan research institution that focuses on minority issues, notes that African Americans will comprise only 1. 5 percent of the total number of GOP delegates, substantially below the record setting 6. 7 percent in 2004. More...
A Hot Mic Jessie Moment: Peggy Noonan, Mike Murphy Caught On Tape Disparaging Palin Choice: "It's Over," "Political Bullshit," "Gimmicky"
September 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(huffpost) Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan and former John McCain adviser, Time columnist, and MSNBC contributor Mike Murphy were caught on tape disparaging John McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate.
"It's over," Noonan said.
When Chuck Todd asked her if this was the most qualified woman the Republicans could nominate, Noonan responded, "The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives. Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and that's not what they're good at, they blow it. More...
Study: Large Drop in Number of Black Delegates to GOP Convention. "Lowest black representation in 40 years."
September 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(JCFPES) After seating a record number of African American delegates in 2004, next week’s Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul will have the lowest black representation in 40 years, according to a convention guide that will be distributed next week to delegates at the Republican National Convention by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint Center).
Blacks and the 2008 Republican Convention, released today by the nonpartisan research institution that focuses on minority issues, notes that African Americans will comprise only 1. 5 percent of the total number of GOP delegates, substantially below the record setting 6. 7 percent in 2004. More...
Black Republicans Explain GOP Appeal. (BBN Recommends listening to this NPR interview)
September 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(npr) Since the 1930s, most African Americans have cast their ballots for the Democratic Party. But the party of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass offers a platform that some black voters find appealing.
For more, NPR's Tony Cox speaks with Ron Christie — former special assistant in the Bush-Cheney administration — and Renee Amoore, deputy chairman of Pennsylvania's Republican Party. (BBN Recommends listening to this interview). . More...
Youngest African American Senator in the U.S. History running for Congress.
August 27, 2008 by Betts4Congress (View Source)
Senator Donald Betts Jr. has made history both in the state of Kansas and the United States. Elected at age 25, Senator Betts becaome the youngest Senator to serve in the Kansas Senate and the youngest African American in the history of the United States. His journey in life has taken him from the streets of homelessness to the projects of Las Vegas. Now as a strong leader in Kansas he embarks on another challenge, the United States Congress. More...
Senator Clinton Speech A Hit !!
August 27, 2008 by New_Leader
Senator Hillary Clinton scored a home run with her speech to her supporters at the Democratic convention. Even before she even thanked her own supporters she wasted no time in making it clear that she strongly endorses Barack Obama and forcefully challenged her supporters to "get going" with no time to spare in organizing support for the election of Obama and the next President. She clearly answered to those pundits who had been saying that her recent comments of Obama were just casual comments and even timid in tone, but her convention speech was the strongest and most powerful I've seen, and crystal clear in her support of Barack Obama. Clinton's message was electrifying, brought the entire audience to their feet, and absolutely proved she is a strong member of the team who came through in the clutch. Her serious call for unity was exactly what the Obama Campaign
needed. More...
The Danger of Hardcore Clinton Supporters
August 26, 2008 by New_Leader
As a former national staff member on Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr's 1988 Presidential staff, and the youngest member of Jackson's Illinois Delegate slate, I watched how many of our key national field staff and supporters did not support the Democratic nominee Dukakis after Rev. Jackson as the number two vote getter was not on the ticket. Rev Jackson made more appearances on behalf of Dukakis than the candidate himself but it was not enough for those who withdrew their support of Dukakis. More...
Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones has died after suffering a brain aneurysm.
August 20, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cpd) U. S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress, has died after suffering a brain aneurysm, said sources familiar with the situation.
She was removed from life support at 12:19 p. More...
Republican National Convention Events / College says 'no' to students' camping. Anti-war group says it's singled out.
August 16, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(twincities) (twincities) Hundreds of out-of-town students are expected to descend on Macalester College next month for lectures, workshops, performances and other events related to the four-day Republican National Convention. But they better not pitch tents.
Administrators have denied a student group's request to allow an estimated 400 to 500 people from around the country to camp on the school's green or bunk together indoors.
The visitors will be allowed to stay in residence halls with individual Macalester students under the rules that apply to any overnight guests, including that they must be gone after three days.
Officials say there would be too many health and safety concerns involved with putting up an unknown number of strangers in some large space on campus, not to mention that it comes at a time when the school is trying to welcome new students and launch the academic year. More...
NYT Mag: Is Obama the End of Black Politics? The generational transition that is reordering black politics didn’t start this year.
August 13, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(NYT) The generational transition that is reordering black politics didn’t start this year. It has been happening, gradually and quietly, for at least a decade, as younger African-Americans, Barack Obama among them, have challenged their elders in traditionally black districts. What this year’s Democratic nomination fight did was to accelerate that transition and thrust it into the open as never before, exposing and intensifying friction that was already there. For a lot of younger African-Americans, the resistance of the civil rights generation to Obama’s candidacy signified the failure of their parents to come to terms, at the dusk of their lives, with the success of their own struggle — to embrace the idea that black politics might now be disappearing into American politics in the same way that the Irish and Italian machines long ago joined the political mainstream.
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For Those Once Behind Bars, A Nudge to the Voting Booth. Activists work to register Felons to vote.
August 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) Democrats and civil rights activists who are trying to register tens of thousands of newly eligible felons. They have taken up the cause on their own, motivated by the belief that former offenders have been unfairly disenfranchised for decades. Despite massive registration efforts, the presidential campaigns of Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have not designated anyone to go after the group.
In Alabama, Al Sharpton's younger brother, the Rev. More...
McCain Losing Big with Latino Voters
July 24, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) John McCain is winning a paltry 23 percent of the Hispanic vote compared with 66 percent for Barack Obama, according to a large poll released Thursday by the Pew Hispanic Center.
While Obama’s lead among Hispanics is not drastically ahead of where Democratic nominee John Kerry stood in the summer of 2004, McCain trails President Bush’s standing at this point four years ago.
At that time, Pew found that Hispanics broke 62 percent for Kerry and 32 percent for Bush. Exit polls later found that Bush earned the support of about four in 10 Latino voters.
That difference — from Hispanics breaking 2-to-1 for Democrats to nearly 3-to-1 today — is enough to send shockwaves through GOP circles. More...
Obama camp says it raised $52 million in June. Total is more than double the $22 million raised by Republican rival McCain.
July 17, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) Democrat Barack Obama raised $52 million last month, boosting his presidential campaign's fundraising while building up his financial cache for the fall campaign.
The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee ended June with a combined total of $92. 3 million in the bank. The figure represents a notable fundraising jump, especially for the DNC.
Obama reported $72 million cash on hand and the DNC $20. More...
Caught On Tape: Jesse Jackson Disparages Barack Obama.
July 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(huffpost) The Rev. Jesse Jackson issued an apology to Barack Obama Wednesday for making what he called a "crude and hurtful" remark about the Illinois senator's recent comments directed toward some members of the black community.
According to Jackson, a Fox News microphone picked up comments he meant to deliver privately that seemed to disparage the presumptive Democratic nominee for appearing to lecture the black community on morality.
Jackson didn't elaborate on the context of his remarks, except to say he was trying to explain that Obama was hurting his relationship with black voters by recently conducting "moral" lectures at African-American churches.
Jackson's apology came a few hours before Fox News planned to air the remarks. More...
Obama regrets putting daughters - 10 and 7 - on TV. Calls ‘Access Hollywood’ interview a mistake, and he and Michelle won't do it again.
July 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nbc) Barack Obama said it was a mistake to allow his daughters to be interviewed extensively by “Access Hollywood,” and he will not allow it to happen again.
“I think that we got carried away in the moment,” the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Wednesday. “We were having a birthday party, and everybody was laughing. And suddenly this thing cropped up. I didn’t catch it quickly enough. More...
For Republicans, the Senate outlook is bad. Mississippi and other longtime strongholds could go Democratic this fall. Obama's candidacy is a boost.
July 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(lat) Mississippi, one of the nation's most conservative states, has not elected a Democratic senator in a quarter-century. It has voted for Republican presidential candidates in the last seven elections.
But this year, there is a real chance that the state will send a Democrat to the Senate.
That prospect is a window onto a remarkable political trend that has been eclipsed by the fireworks surrounding the 2008 presidential contest: Democrats are running strong Senate campaigns in states such as Mississippi, Alaska and North Carolina that Republicans have long taken for granted.
The outlook for the GOP is so grim that party leaders have readily conceded there is no chance they can regain control of the Senate in 2008, even though Democrats' current majority is slim, 51-49. More...
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez: Stop forgetting that millions of us are both black, and Latino. En punto, y ya.
July 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(BBN Editors: The following article from Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is dated Jan. 16, 2008, but it's still timely. She takes aim at a New York Times article on the Latino vote and Barack Obama. We recommend reading her full blog entry on this issue). . More...
Thomas Edsall: Some say Bill (Clinton) wants Obama to promise to lift the cloud of alleged racism.
June 28, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(huffpost) "What does Bill Clinton want?"
Barack Obama quickly determined what Hillary Clinton wants in the aftermath of defeat: a major role in the general election campaign, a star turn at the convention, help with her debt, and Obama's support for elected officials who backed her. The big-time holdout turns out to be her husband.
Bill is more complex. He wants respect, absolution and love.
The former president and Obama have not talked, and, by all accounts, the man of the Clinton household remains hurt and resentful. More...
John Ridley: When Rove Calls Obama Arrogant, He Means "Uppity"
June 28, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(huffpost) Karl Rove says Barack Obama is arrogant.
We've heard that; we've heard the pejorative "arrogant" before. When I say "we" I mean those of us who are "others" in America; people of color. Minorities. Women. More...
Clinton urges Latino voters to back Obama
June 27, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) In her first public appearance since folding her presidential campaign, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Latino voters, who favored her in the primaries, now need to unite and vote her former rival into the White House.
“Every issue [the Latino community] is fighting for is really at risk. We cannot afford four more years of the same,” she told the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials’ 25th annual conference on Thursday. “We have to be determined to chart a new course and we cannot do that without electing [Sen. More...
Black Voters Strain to Hear What Presidential Candidates are Not Saying
June 23, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(amnews) The day after presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama announced his historic victory, the monthly jobs report showed the African-American jobless rate as beng once again higher than all other racial groups.
At 9. 7 percent, Black unemployment is almost five points above the White rate of 4. 4 percent; three points above the Hispanic-American rate of 6. 9 percent, and more than four points above the national average of 5. More...
Congressional Hispanics pledge to help Obama win
June 19, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(usat) Most of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have shifted their support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama and are vowing to help Democrats win the Latino vote.
Obama met with the caucus Tuesday evening in what attendees said was a cordial meeting and the first time many had met or had any significant discussion with Obama. Only one of the four female Hispanic caucus members attended.
Hispanic voters heavily favored Clinton over Obama during the Democratic primary season.
"I told him I worked my heart out against you and I'm ready to work for you now," Rep. More...
Obama to meet with Hispanic lawmakers
June 17, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) Sen. Barack Obama returns to Washington tonight to meet with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the campaign announced today. He will be joined by Federico Pena, the former transportation secretary and Obama's campaign co-chairman, and Temo Figueroa, the campaign's national Latino outreach director.
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in an email statement that the meeting is a chance to brief members and "an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and provide input. ” Psaki said the campaign plans to hold “regular meetings” with the CHC in the coming months. More...
Clinton’s Taking Note of Who They Think Hurt Them. Gov. Bill Richardson and Rep. James Clyburn on Clinton’s “Bad People List”.
June 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was gracious in her full-throated endorsement of Senator Barack Obama. But that does not mean all is forgiven by others in the Clinton universe.
For proof, look no further than Doug Band, chief gatekeeper to former President Bill Clinton.
Mr. Band keeps close track of the past allies and beneficiaries of the Clintons who supported Mr. More...
GOP Insiders Worry About McCain's Chances
June 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(huffpost) For four months John McCain had a clear field while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were at each other's throats. Given the opportunity, the Arizona Senator failed to define the debate in favorable terms, spending much of the valuable primary months defending himself on charges that his campaign staff was top heavy with lobbyists.
Conversely, McCain has so far eluded the anti-Republican tidal wave that threatens to sweep away the party's candidates at every level, from county councils to the U. S. Senate. More...
Obama Has A Man-to-Man Chat with wishy-washy Dem-Ind-Rep Joe Lieberman on Senate Floor.
June 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(abc) Sen. Joe Lieberman, the self-described "Independent Democrat" who caucuses with the Democratic party in the Senate even though he has endorsed Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, got some tough talk from Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, yesterday about his advocacy for the presumptive Republican presidential candidate and the general tone of the campaign, Democratic sources tell ABC News.
Returning to the Senate after his securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama and Lieberman greeted each on the Senate floor in the Well as they were voting on the budget resolution. More...
Ruben Navarrette: Latinos will stick with Obama. The idea that Obama can't win Latino votes. is a myth
June 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(rn/indystar) Some suggest that Barack Obama should pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate because she can help him do something he has trouble doing on his own: winning Latino votes.
I think an Obama-Clinton ticket is a disastrous idea. Even if that combination made it easier for Democrats to win, it would make it impossible for them to govern. There's a certain meddlesome former president who comes with the deal. And how uncomfortable do you suppose it would be to tap as your vice president the person who invoked the assassination of Robert Kennedy to explain why she was staying in the race?
It is true that Obama has struggled with the Hispanic demographic. More...
Obama's Right Hand Man...On the Court and on the Trail, Reggie Love Looms Over Obama
June 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) In the last year, Barack Obama has learned a thing or two about running for president, and Reggie Love has learned a thing or two about Barack Obama.
Mr. Love now knows that when it comes to food, Senator Obama “eats pretty much anything, from chicken wings and barbecue and ribs to grilled fish and steamed broccoli. ” But when he is campaigning in a small town with limited options, a cheeseburger is always a good bet. (“Cheddar is the cheese of choice,” Mr. More...
Will Black voters forgive elected officials for not backing Obama? Clinton wants Obama to help Black officials who endorsed her.
June 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(huffpost)Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her New York speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to soon suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama - not tomorrow night but within a day or two.
Obama and Clinton spoke Sunday night and agreed that their staffs should begin negotiations over post-primary activities, according to reliable sources. In addition to seeking Obama's help in raising money to pay off some $20 million-plus in debts, Clinton is known to want Obama to assist black officials who endorsed her and who are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians.
"This has never happened before," one donor said, referring to the personalized request by email to attend the event in New York Tuesday night.
Obama is expected to claim enough delegates to put him over the top that night at a separate event in St. More...
“Hard Working” Americans in W. Va. Aren’t Amused by Dick Cheney’s Incest Remark.
June 03, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cg)Vice President Dick Cheney joked about West Virginians during a Monday talk at the National Press Club in Washington, D. C. - and many West Virginia leaders didn't find it funny.
Cheney was responding to his distant relationship to U. S. More...
Name Recognition helps Clinton in Puerto Rico. Survey of PR Voters: neither side's voters had a particularly harsh view of the other candidate.
June 01, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Hillary Rodham Clinton had far greater name recognition than Barack Obama in Puerto Rico, giving her a big advantage in the Democratic presidential primary Sunday, according to a poll for The Associated Press and television networks.
The survey also found that — unlike in recent primaries on the U. S. mainland — neither side's voters had a particularly harsh view of the other candidate.
Overall, Clinton got 65 percent and Obama 35 percent among likely Democratic primary voters who expressed a preference for a candidate in a telephone poll conducted Tuesday through Saturday by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. More...
UPDATE: Democrats Make Their Deal. Party seats Florida, Michigan delegations. Clinton “Riled”; Obama Closer to Nomination.
May 31, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc/FirstRead) Out of the day, Clinton got 87 pledged delegates to Obama's 63 for a net of 24. (52. 5 to 33. 5 out of Florida; 34. 5 to 29. More...
Obama Resigns From Trinity Church
May 31, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) Barack Obama resigned his membership at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, campaign communications director Robert Gibbs confirmed this afternoon.
The resignation came just more than a month after Obama denounced former Trinity pastor and friend the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and days after another long-time Obama associate, the Rev. Michael Pfleger, had delivered a sermon at the church ridiculing Hillary Clinton. Both men's comments were captured on video. More...
NewsCorps Giant, Rupert Murdoch is "Cautiously intrigued by Barack Obama. Open to Voting for him." And, John McCain "Has A Lot of Problems."
May 29, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(allyinsider) News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, who started becoming pessimistic about the U. S. economy earlier this spring, is now downright gloomy: At his company's D conference Thursday, he predicted that "for the next 18 months, I think this country is in for a very hard time," and that America's woes are spreading to Europe.
So is he optimistic about anything? Yes, he is: He's cautiously intrigued by. More...
John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama!
May 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(co/ap)Democrat John Edwards endorsed former rival Barack Obama on Wednesday, a move designed to help solidify support for the party's likely presidential nominee even as Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to give up her long-shot candidacy.
The surprise endorsement came a day after Clinton defeated Obama by more than 2-to-1 in the West Virginia primary, and it helped the Obama campaign steer much of the evening news coverage away from a painful subject. The West Virginia outcome highlighted Obama's challenge in winning over "Hillary Democrats" - white, working-class voters who also supported Edwards in significant numbers before he exited the race in late January.
Edwards made the carefully timed announcement at an Obama rally here, as the Illinois senator campaigned in a critical general election battleground state.
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Black Community Is Increasingly Protective of Obama
May 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Darryl Fears/wapo) In black America, oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Bill Clinton is no longer revered as the "first black president. " Tavis Smiley's rapid-fire commentaries on a popular radio show have been silenced. And the Rev. Jeremiah A. More...
GOP Worry: Representative Vito Fossella (R - NY) admits he has love child with Virginia woman. Drunk Driving Arrest Doesn't Help Situation.
May 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Rep. Vito Fossella today admitted he fathered a love child in a longtime secret affair with the woman who rescued him from the drunk tank.
Fossella, who is married and has three children in New York, did not say if he would step down or seek re-election.
"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a 3-year-old daughter," Fossella said in a four paragraph statement.
"My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry. More...
Truth Challenged Hillary Clinton "Decries China's Acquisition of Indiana Company -- Ignoring Her Husband's Role in the Sale."
April 30, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(abc) As she campaigns throughout Indiana, Sen. Hillary Clinton has been talking quite a bit about Magnequench, a Valparaiso, Ind. , factory that moved to China.
"We've got to elect a president next January who's going to remember Magnequench," Clinton told voters in Valparaiso on April 12.
It seems, however, that when it comes to Magnequench there's quite a bit that Clinton has conveniently forgotten. More...
Oscar-winning writer and director Michael Moore supports Barack Obama’s candidacy. He says: Hillary is "stoking the fears of white America" against the mixed-race Obama.
April 29, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(michaelmoore. com) Outspoken documentary film-maker Michael Moore Monday endorsed Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama, decrying the "downright disgusting" campaign tactics of Hillary Clinton.
Moore, whose latest movie "Captain Mike Across America" tracks John Kerry's doomed 2004 bid for the presidency, said he had not given a "rat's ass" who won the nomination this year as long as a Democrat triumphs in November.
But having excoriated Clinton for her 2002 vote in support of the Iraq war, the Oscar-winning writer and director now accused the New York senator of "stoking the fears of white America" against the mixed-race Obama.
Writing on his website on the eve of the Pennsylvania primary, Moore said that in recent weeks, "the actions and words of Hillary Clinton have gone from being merely disappointing to downright disgusting. More...
Errol Louis: Is Jeremiah Wright a colossal disaster for Barack Obama or a press trick? Clinton Operative Organized Rev. Wright’s Press Club Appearance.
April 29, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that's just what one friend of Wright wanted.
Shortly before he rose to deliver his rambling, angry, sarcastic remarks at the National Press Club Monday, Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds.
A former editorial board member at USA Today, she runs something called Reynolds News Services and teaches ministry at the Howard University School of Divinity. More...
Rep. James E. Clyburn: Clinton’s conduct in this campaign had caused what might be an irreparable breach between Mr. Clinton and an African-American constituency that once revered him.
April 27, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) One of the nation’s most influential African-American political leaders sharply criticized former President Bill Clinton on Thursday afternoon for what he called his “bizarre” conduct during the Democratic primary campaign.
The black leader, Representative James E. Clyburn, an undeclared superdelegate from South Carolina and the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said “black people are incensed over all of this,” referring to statements Mr. Clinton has made in the course of the heated race between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
In a radio interview in Philadelphia on Monday, Mr. More...
UNBELIEVEABLE! ABC hosted the WORST debate this campaign season, and lost credibility for letting George “former Clinton Aide” Stephanapolous host the debate.
April 16, 2008 by kirbyny
Whatever remaining ounce of respect I had for ABC as a news source was lost on their handling of the debate tonight between Obama and Clinton. Boring, warmed over questions, bad journalism, awful hosts who were just bad, bad, bad, awful! Even Barack and Hillary looked out of it, but they at least have an excuse for being tired and sick of so-called journalists asking the same questions and going over the same weeks old stories. I’m almost embarrassed for Charlie Gibson. BUT what I will never get is how in the world did anyone who is a boss at ABC co-sign George Stephanapolous hosting the debate. George was a former Bill Clinton aide, and not just any aide. More...
Bill (Hillary too) Clinton forgot about his own “Bitter” “Elitist” comment about middle-working class folks.
April 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politicalwire) "If [Republicans] could cut funding for Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment, middle-class Americans would see fewer benefits from their tax dollars, feel more resentful paying taxes, and become even more receptive to their appeals for tax cuts and their strategy of waging campaigns on divisive social and cultural issues like abortion, gay rights, and guns. "
-- Bill Clinton, in his 2004 memoirs, My Life, making the same argument as Sen. Barack Obama. . . More...
Clinton Chief Strategist Gets Fired-Resigns from Two Gigs Over Trade Flap. Colombian Gov't Fires Him First, then He "Resigns" from Clinton Campaign.
April 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(npr/ap)Mark Penn, the pollster and senior strategist for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid, left the campaign Sunday after it was disclosed he met with representatives of the Colombian government to help promote a free trade agreement Clinton opposes.
"After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton Campaign," campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement released Sunday. "Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign. "
According to Justice Department filings, Colombia agreed last year to pay Burson-Marsteller $300,000 to help "educate members of the U. More...
SEMANA LATINA! Week of April 13th, Latinos across the country Plan low dollar fundraisers to support Barack Obama.
April 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(National Latinos Por Obama). . . On the week of April 13th, Latinos across the country are planning low dollar fundraisers nationwide to support the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama. During "Semana Latina", Latinos nation-wide will say in one collective voice - Sí se puede por Obama. More...
Comedian, Sinbad, Calls Out Hillary Clinton on Her Lie About Being Under “Sniper Fire” and enduring a “Corkscrew Landing” during 1996 Bosnia Trip with Daughter Chelsea and Singer Cheryl Crow. It Didn
March 25, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Sleuth) Finally, the Barack Obama campaign has found a big gun to help shoot down Hillary Rodham Clinton's self-proclaimed foreign policy experience. And he may be the wackiest gun of all: Sinbad, the actor, who has come out from under a rock to defend Obama in the war over foreign policy credentials.
Sinbad, along with singer Sheryl Crow, was on that 1996 trip to Bosnia that Clinton has described as a harrowing international experience that makes her tested and ready to answer a 3 a. m. phone call at the White House on day one, a claim for which she's taking much grief on the campaign trail. More...
POLITICO: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning. The notion of the Democratic contest being a dramatic cliffhanger is a game of make-believe.
March 22, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning.
Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates. That means the only way she wins is if Democratic superdelegates are ready to risk a backlash of historic proportions from the party’s most reliable constituency.
Unless Clinton is able to at least win the primary popular vote — which also would take nothing less than an electoral miracle — and use that achievement to pressure superdelegates, she has only one scenario for victory. An African-American opponent and his backers would be told that, even though he won the contest with voters, the prize is going to someone else. More...
Bill Richardson Endorsement Does Matter.
March 22, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(politico) First, Richardson is a big name among superdelegates, who may have to decide the almost-tied nomination fight. He has given the Obama campaign a morale boost, especially during a time when the Illinois senator has been dogged by controversy over the racially charged sermons of his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
To those Obama supporters who might have become skittish because Wright’s angry words undermined Obama’s optimistic message of “hope,” Richardson tried to offer reassurances about the candidate’s character. Obama could have given a “safe speech” but instead spoke directly to the issue, Richardson noted. More...
On This Holy Weekend Clinton Mouthpiece, James Carville, Links 'Judas' and Bill Richardson. Carville Angry that Richardson is Endorsing Obama Instead of Hillary.
March 22, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(heraldtribune/nyt) James Carville: "An act of betrayal," said James Carville, an adviser to the Clintons.
"Mr. Richardson's endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic," Carville said.
(BBN Recommends reading the entire article)
. . More...
After primary, Pennsylvania GOP looking to win back party-switchers. State GOP Chairman says of DEMs: "The fact that they're beating each other up is good for us."
March 22, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) These are tough times for the state's Republican Party.
Republican voters are defecting by the thousands in Pennsylvania, all while the national media spotlight remains trained on the Democratic presidential candidates heading into the state's primary next month.
Rob Gleason, the state GOP chairman, acknowledges the difficulty of trying to rebuild the party, but sees a silver lining in the frequent rhetorical clashes between the would-be Democratic nominees, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
"The fact that they're beating each other up is good for us," he said, arguing that such conflict shores up the GOP base. More...
Detroit City Council Votes 7-1 for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to Resign. Mayor Vows to Stay Put After Lying Under Oath About Extramarital Affair.
March 18, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(freepress) The Detroit City Council has just voted to call for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s resignation, an extraordinary rebuke as Kilpatrick seeks to survive the text-message scandal.
The vote was 7-1. Voting yes were Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. , Sheila Cockrel, Barbara-Rose Collins, Brenda Jones, Kwame Kenyatta, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi and JoAnn Watson. Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers voted no. More...
Clinton Supporter, Geraldine Ferraro: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position".
March 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(dailybreeze) Geraldine Ferraro: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she continued. "And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept. ". More...
David Paterson, New York's First Black Governor (Spitzer will have to resign or face impeachment at some point, we speculate). BBN wants you to know who will take Spitzer's place.
March 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ny. gov) David A. Paterson was elected New York’s lieutenant governor on November 7, 2006.
Elected to represent Harlem in the New York State Senate in 1985, David Paterson has demanded and achieved change at every level, not simply by what he stands for but by who he is.
In 2002, David Paterson was elected minority leader of the New York State Senate, the first non-white legislative leader in New York’s history. More...
Girl in Clinton Ad Supports Obama
March 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wral) Casey Knowles didn't much like a recent campaign commercial for Hillary Clinton - even though she's in it as a sleeping 8-year-old.
After all, she about to turn 18 now and is a big supporter of Barack Obama.
"What I don't like about the ad is its fear-mongering," Knowles told ABC's "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" on Sunday. "I think it's a cheap hit to take. I really prefer Obama's message of looking forward to a bright future. More...
Obama Wins Wyoming Democratic Presidential Caucus!
March 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(np) Democrat Barack Obama beat rival Hillary Clinton in Wyoming's nominating contest on Saturday, bouncing back from a string of losses that gave Ms. Clinton new life in their hotly contested presidential battle.
Mr. Obama's victory in the nominating caucus in sparsely populated Wyoming slowed Ms. Clinton's momentum after she won three of four contests on Tuesday in their tight duel for the right to face Republican John McCain in November's presidential election. More...
Whoa! Obama Raised $55 Million in the Month of February. To Date Total for Obama Fundraising is $193 Million
March 06, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(AP) — Democratic Sen. Barack Obama raised a record $55 million in February for his presidential campaign, eclipsing rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's own substantial fundraising for the month. All told, Obama has raised $193 million during his yearlong bid for the White House.
The campaign's announcement Thursday came two days after Obama lost three of four primaries to Clinton. More...
Huckabee Out, McCain Official Frontrunner, Barack Obama Wins VT and Leads in Delegates, Hillary Wins OH and Barely TX.
March 05, 2008 by editor
The Democratic race in Texas and Ohio was tight. Hillary Clinton barely won Texas and Ohio delivered for her. But Barack Obama still leads in the delegate count. The race is still on. Both Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have seven weeks to win over Pennsylvania voters before the April 22nd primary. More...
Journalisms: Latino Media Primed for Texas Primary
March 04, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(journal-isms)If the predictions come true for a record turnout Tuesday for Texas' political primaries and caucuses, especially among Hispanics, you can give some of the credit to the news media.
A spot check of Spanish-language media found a strong desire to educate Latinos, many of them first-time voters, about the election process, building upon the pro-immigration rallies of 2006 and 2007 and capitalizing on a disposition to support Sen. Hillary Clinton in her fight for the nomination.
"Two years ago, there were massive rallies saying, 'Today we're marching; tomorrow we're voting,'" Alfredo Carbajal, editor in chief of Al Dia, the Spanish-language publication of the Dallas Morning News, told Journal-isms. "We're trying to say, 'now is the time to fulfill your citizen responsibilities to the political advancement of Latinos. More...
It's Official...Ga. Congressman John Lewis Switched His Support From Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama.
February 27, 2008 by editor (View Source)
It's official. . . Georgia Congressman John Lewis switched his support for the Democratic Presidential nominee from Senator Hillary Clinton to Senator Barack Obama. The Civil Rights Icon and Congressman is also one of 800 Super Delegates who could determine the nominee if candidates go to the convention without a clear choice. More...
'Clinton Campaign Starts 5-Point Attack on Obama .' Will Hillary Clinton's Strategy Work? Or Will Voters See Her As Desperate?
February 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) After struggling for months to dent Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy, the campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is now unleashing what one Clinton aide called a “kitchen sink” fusillade against Mr. Obama, pursuing five lines of attack since Saturday in hopes of stopping his political momentum.
The effort underscores not only Mrs. Clinton’s recognition that the next round of primaries — in Ohio and Texas on March 4 — are must-win contests for her. It also reflects her advisers’ belief that they can persuade many undecided voters to embrace her at the last minute by finally drawing sharply worded, attention-grabbing contrasts with Mr. More...
One Week Before March 4th Primaries, Poll Shows Obama Surges Ahead Nationally
February 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(cbsnews) A new CBS News/New York Times poll finds Barack Obama with a 16-point lead over rival Hillary Clinton among Democratic primary voters nationwide.
Obama, coming off 11 straight primary and caucus victories, had the support of 54 percent of Democratic primary voters nationally. Clinton had 38 percent support.
In a CBS News poll taken three weeks ago, shortly before Super Tuesday, Obama and Clinton were tied at 41 percent. Clinton led by 15 points nationally in January. More...
Gennifer Flowers is putting the tapes of her recorded conversations with Bill Clinton during their 12-year affair on the auction block.
February 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(lvc) Gennifer Flowers is putting the tapes of her recorded conversations with Bill Clinton during their 12-year affair on the auction block, Vegas Confidential learned Monday.
Flowers, who came forward during Clinton's 1992 Presidential election campaign with details of the relationship, said she decided to part with the tapes after renewed interest surfaced. She was offered $5 million by a Japanese collector in the 1990s, she said.
Asked about the timing of her announcement coming out as Hillary Clinton continues to slide in her presidential bid, “I don’t need to hurt Hillary. She is doing a fine job of that herself, along with her idiot husband. More...
Clintonite Stabs Obama Supporter. Cops: Man assaulted brother-in-law during political argument
February 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(tsg)Meet Jose Antonio Ortiz. The Pennsylvania man allegedly stabbed his brother-in-law in the stomach after the pair quarreled about their respective support of Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. According to cops, Ortiz, 28, stabbed Sean Shurelds last Thursday night in the kitchen of an Upper Providence Township home. According to a criminal complaint, a copy of which you'll find here, the 41-year-old Shurelds, an Obama supporter, told Ortiz that the Illinois senator was "trashing" Clinton (apparently in regard to recent primary and caucus results). Ortiz, a Clinton supporter, replied that "Obama was not a realist. More...
Ralph Nader enters U.S. presidential race
February 24, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(canada) Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, blamed by many Democrats for their loss of the White House in the 2000 election, said Sunday he is launching another independent campaign for the White House.
Nader, who will turn 74 this week, announced his longshot presidential bid on NBC's "Meet the Press" saying that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans were addressing problems facing Americans.
Nader called Washington "corporate occupied territory" that turns the government against the interests of the people. "In that context, I have decided to run for president," he said.
Democrats said they do not expect Nader, who also ran as an independent in 2004, to have much of an impact. More...
By Double-Digit Margin, Barack Obama Wins Wisconsin and Hawaii!
February 20, 2008 by editor
Continuing his winning streak, Barack Obama won by wide margins, Wisconsin and his home state of Hawaii. Results: Wisconsin, Obama 58%; Clinton 41%; Hawaii: Obama 76%; Clinton 24%. . . On the Republican side, John McCain, John Mcain won 55% of the vote while Mike Huckabee won 37%. More...
Clinton on the Defensive. She Accuses Obama of Lifting Words. But Clinton Also Used Language from Barack and Newt Gingrich.
February 18, 2008 by editor (View Source)
Hillary Clinton accused Barack Obama of plagarism. But then Clinton, herself, didn't start using "Change" and "Hope" phraseology until she started struggling in the race. This say's nothing of her and her husband's new line of "solutions for America. " Well, as it turns out, "Solutions for America" sounds very close to "American Solutions," a Think Tank started by Conservative Newt Gingrich. Did the Clinton's life Newt's words? . More...
The Ego Has Landed. Commentator Tavis Smiley Gets a Dose of Criticism for Bashing Barack Obama for Not Coming to His Annual 'Intellectual' Black Folk Affair.
February 16, 2008 by Editor (View Source)
(wapo) Tavis Smiley, the bestselling author of the "Covenant With Black America," is in a world turned upside down. He said he's being "hammered," "barbecued," and is "catching hell" from black Americans for suggesting that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill. ) made a major mistake by declining to speak at the State of the Black Union event that Smiley plans to host next week in New Orleans.
"There's all this talk of hater, sellout and traitor," Smiley said to me in a telephone interview. More...
Puerto Rico's Governor Endorses Barack Obama. 63 Delegates at Stake.
February 14, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(prnewswire) SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor
Anibal Acevedo-Vila of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico today announced his
endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President.
Governor Acevedo-Vila praised Senator Obama as the leader to unite
America and move forward on a progressive agenda for change, while
advocating for the interests of Puerto Ricans and Hispanics in particular.
Citing Senator Obama's commitments on several key issues, including
economic development and job creation in Puerto Rico, and the future
relationship of the Commonwealth and the United States, Governor
Acevedo-Vila today issued the following statement.
Today I announce my endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President of
the United States. More...
Clinton Ally: Some whites 'not ready' for Obama. Pa. governor says that was a factor in his race against black candidate
February 12, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.
"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," Rendell told the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday's paper.
To buttress his point, Rendell cited his 2006 re-election campaign, in which he defeated Republican challenger Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, by a margin of more than 60 percent to less than 40 percent.
"I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann been the identical candidate that he was — well-spoken, charismatic, good-looking — but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so," he said. More...
For Clinton, Latino vote could swing the deal. But Obama is pushing hard: ‘As Latinos get to know me, we do better’
February 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nbc) For decades, much has been said about the potential power of Latino voters, but rarely has their impact lived up to expectations.
This year is different, according to political analysts and leaders of Latino activist organizations. While many Latinos like and admire both of the leading Democratic candidates for president, these authorities say, their years-long connection to former President Bill Clinton could deliver the party’s nomination to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
The problem is not with Sen. More...
Did Hillary Clinton dupe the 'People' and 'Press'? News report suggest the whole story about loaning her campaign $5m and staff forgoing pay was untrue.
February 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(abcnews) So it turns out the Clinton campaign may not be so cash-strapped after all — at least not at this very moment.
After offering on Wednesday to go without paychecks to help save precious campaign resources, senior staff members on Hillary Clinton's campaign are in fact not going without pay during the month of February, ABC News has learned.
"It's not happening," said a source familiar with the situation.
Clinton's campaign has been shouting from the rooftops all day about its online fundraising efforts since Super Tuesday.
The campaign announced today that it raised more than four million dollars online in the 24 hours after polls closed on Tuesday — the biggest single haul in one day ever for the campaign. More...
'Obama leads money race with $7m raised in 24 hours.' Clinton Fundraiser: "She is not going to catch up. He is outraising her."
February 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(guardian)Barack Obama today declared a new front in the Democratic battle for the White House - the money race - announcing that he had raised more than $7m in less than 48 hours.
Obama's ease at raising funds was seen as a sign of strength for his candidacy as the contest moves through the next phase of primary contests.
The announcement comes as both the Obama and Clinton camps try to demonstrate momentum ahead of primary contests in Louisiana, Washington state and Nebraska on Saturday, and Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC, next week.
The Clinton team tried to exert its own pressure on Obama, challenging him to debate once a week through the next round of contests. Obama refused. More...
Mitt Romney Drops Out of GOP Race
February 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney announced today he will suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
He revealed his decision during a a speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee conference in Washington, D. C.
"I must now stand aside, for our party and our country," Romney said. "If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. More...
State of the Union reflection of Bush’s tarnished legacy
February 04, 2008 by ChuckHobbs (View Source)
By Chuck Hobbs One of the grand spectacles of our Republic is the annual State of the Union address. For a few hours, America listens attentively to our president who, like the Roman God Janus, reflects on our past while looking forward to the future.
George W. Bush’s final address was greeted with the usual plaudits from his supporters and pessimism from his opponents. As a Democrat that has long criticized the Bush administration, I was surprised that my gut level reaction to his speech was not one of joy, but frustration at the opportunities that this administration squandered. More...
'A President Like My Father,' By Caroline Kennedy. Endorsement of Barack Obama for President.
January 30, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt, By Caroline Kennedy) OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. More...
John Edwards Bows Out of Presidential Race. Calls on Obama and Clinton to Do the Right Thing and Make Poverty a Priority.
January 30, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(BBN Editors: John Edwards will be missed in the presidential race. He has heart and he was the only candidate talking about poverty and healthcare. That he started and ended his campaign in New Orleans speaks volumes. We hope we've not heard the last of him. )
(wapo) It was here in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward that John Edwards launched his campaign for president a year ago, and it was here Wednesday that he ended it, vowing that his quest for economic justice would be carried forward by his fellow Democrats. More...
Obama's Road to Victory & History
January 29, 2008 by Chuckhobbs (View Source)
By Chuck Hobbs
Words can hardly express the excitement that I felt as CNN’s Wolf Blitzer announced that Barack Obama was the Democratic victor in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. After a year of skepticism about whether Obama’s message of hope would have mainstream appeal, his rousing victory over presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton sent a clear message that Democratic voters may not be as excited as the experts have predicted about the Clinton family returning to the White House.
Or maybe it didn’t. Barely a week after Obama’s triumph, Senator Clinton stormed back in New Hampshire, defeating Obama by three percentage points while claiming to be the “comeback kid. ”
After the first week of the 2008 election season one thing is certain---this will be a bitterly fought campaign to determine whether the nation’s first black, or first woman, will carry the Democratic standard into the general election. More...
Presidential race brings dark side of Clinton duo to light
January 29, 2008 by Chuckhobbs (View Source)
By Chuck Hobbs
This week’s Florida Primary will provide keen insight into the likely Democratic Party nominee for president. Florida Democrats form an eclectic mix of ethnic and social interests from northern retirees to blacks and non-Cuban Hispanics to laborers. While Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean was infuriated last year when Florida legislators voted to move the primary to January, the wisdom in the move is that Florida’s diversity comprises a terrific sampling of which candidate resonates most with party loyalist.
A week after the Florida Primary looms Super Tuesday, where 22 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee will go to the polls. In each of these states black voters will prove critical in determining the outcome. More...
Glass House: Hillary and Bill Photographed with Same “Slum LandLord” She Slammed Barack Obama On.
January 25, 2008 by editor (View Source)
It seems Hillary and Bill Clinton and Barack Obama know the same bad guy in Chicago. The one Hillary slammed Barack on during Monday’s television debate. But she forgot about the photograph she and Bill took with the same bad guy ‘Slum LandLord. ’ Is it silly to think that the same guy who contributed to Barack Obama in his beginning days as a politician had the brains to funnel money to the Clinton’s in their beginning political days (look at the photo. It’s not recent)? We at BBN get the Clinton Camp strategy on this one, but they might want to stay away from opposition research that they too have a problem with – like shady land deals and taking money from criminals. More...
Huckabee endorsed by some conservative black leaders
January 21, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(houstonchron) Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. at a lengthy memorial service Monday at King's old church and was endorsed by several black religious leaders.
While his main GOP rivals campaigned in Florida, Huckabee sat quietly through a nearly four-hour King ceremony at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He was overshadowed by fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton, who received a long ovation for his 18-minute address. More...
Two Key White Leaders Tell Bill Clinton To "Pipe Down." Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Rahm Emanuel Tell Bill To Change His Tone.
January 21, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(newsweek) Prominent Democrats are upset with the aggressive role that Bill Clinton is playing in the 2008 campaign, a role they believe is inappropriate for a former president and the titular head of the Democratic Party. In recent weeks, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, both currently neutral in the Democratic contest, have told their old friend heatedly on the phone that he needs to change his tone and stop attacking Sen. Barack Obama, according to two sources familiar with the conversations who asked for anonymity because of their sensitive nature. More...
Key Black Leader tells President Clinton to 'Chill' on Obama
January 21, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(greenville) Chill out is the message South Carolina's most influential -- and publicly uncommitted -- black politician had today for former President Bill Clinton over his vociferous defense of his wife, Democratic presidential front runner Hillary Clinton. U. S. Rep. James Clyburn of Columbia, the House majority whip, told The Greenville News that he'd advise the former president to ?chill. More...
Hillary Clinton (D) and Mitt Romney (R) Win Nevada Caucus. McCain Barely Wins GOP So. Carolina Primary.
January 21, 2008 by editor
With 85% of the Caucus Precincts reporting, Senator Hillary Clinton (D) and Governor Mitt Romney (R) are the victors in the Nevada Caucus. Clinton wins with 51%; Obama 45%; Edwards 4%. On the Republican side…Romney wins with 53%; McCain 13%; Paul 13%. In the South Carolina Republican Primary the results: McCain 33%; Huckabee30%; Fred Thompson 16%; Mitt Romney 15%. . More...
Latinos Test Voting Muscle. Nevada caucuses could demonstrate demographic's influence
January 18, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(bostonglobe) Fifty-seven stories above the glittering Strip, Elodia Hernández makes her living by staying behind the scenes.
The housekeeper fluffs pillows and mops floors in the Wynn Las Vegas hotel after guests have decamped to the slot machines, blackjack tables, four-star restaurants, and glamorous shows. She disappears to a hidden workroom for lunch, and slips out a back door at the end of her shift.
But now Hernández and thousands of Latino voters find themselves squarely in the spotlight in Nevada's presidential caucuses tomorrow, hoping to capitalize on newfound clout that could help tilt a state that went for President Bush the past two elections toward the Democrats in November. The caucuses, closely contested by Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, will also offer a first look at the influence of Hispanic voters on a national campaign and a hint of how the race in other Western states with burgeoning Latino populations might unfold. More...
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin Thinks for Herself and Backs Obama '150%,' While Old Guards Andrew Young, John Lewis, Maynard's Folk Go with Clinton.
January 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) With New Hampshire over, the Georgia primary began in earnest this morning.
On an Atlanta morning radio show, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin just declared Barack Obama to be her choice in the Democratic race for president — putting herself opposite John Lewis, her mentor Andrew Young, and members of the Maynard Jackson clan. They’re on the side of Hillary Clinton.
Here’s the two-minute sound clip, courtesy of WVEE-FM. Franklin was on the station’s “Frank and Wanda Morning Show. More...
Latinos' Warning to Democrats: Ignore Us Now, Pay Later
January 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(diversity) In his proposal, reports The New York Times, Huckabee pledged to complete a border fence between the U. S. and Mexico by 2010 and ruled out "a pathway to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants unless they first returned to their native country, backpedaling on a pledge he made earlier at a GOP debate that "We're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. "
That pledge went hand in hand with earlier statements Huckabee made welcoming the influx of Latinos into Arkansas during his tenure as governor and praising "racial progress" made throughout the state. Casting aside those earlier pronouncements, Huckabee struck a winning chord in Iowa, railing against undocumented immigrants, a fact that concerns many Latino advocacy groups across the country. More...
No More Fence Straddling. Pressure on Black Leaders to Endorse Candidate...Leaders Who Backed Hillary Are in a Political Pickle. My Oh, My.
January 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Before the Iowa caucus returns were in on Thursday, the phones started ringing in the home of Fletcher N. Smith Jr. , a black state legislator from Greenville, S. C. Like other black leaders, Mr. More...
Clinton Surrogate Having Tad-Bit of a Hard Time with New Hampshire Voters. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: “I’m here because they (Clinton) asked me to.”
January 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(BBN) This story is just plain comical. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Clinton supporter, is in New Hampshire stumping for his candidate, Hillary. But the crowd is not sure why they have to listen to a Mayor from LA. They want to hear from Hillary. It’s worth a read. More...
Bill O’Reilly Shows His ‘Behind’ at Obama Rally in New Hampshire this past weekend. Columnist, John Dickerson, writes comical take on the incident.
January 07, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(BBN) This weekend Fox News host Bill O’Reilly showed his behind at an Obama rally.
Slate. com columnist John Dickerson writes a good – humorous – column about the incident. (Slate. com/Dickerson) …. More...
'The Résumé Factor: Those 8 Years as First Lady.' Hillary Clinton’s Claims of “Experience” is Questionable and Worthy of Challenge.
December 26, 2007 by editor (View Source)
This is an interesting article on Hillary's claims of her domestic and foreign “experience” superiority over her Democratic presidential contenders. Here are the highlights of the article by Patrick Healy of the NYT. (1) She has few significant legislative accomplishments to her name. (2) During her husband’s presidency (which she claims as experience having been married to the president) she did not assert herself on the crises in Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda. Instead her husband's focus was on the ethnic bloodshed in the Balkans (3) She did not hold national security clearance. More...
Another Apology to Barack from Hillary Supporter. “Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey Apologized to Barack Obama for Insult.”
December 20, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey has apologized to Barack Obama for any unintentional insult he committed by raising the Democratic presidential candidate's Muslim heritage while endorsing rival candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Kerrey sent a letter to Obama on Wednesday, lauding the Illinois senator's qualifications to be president and saying that he never meant to harm his candidacy.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the senator accepted Kerrey's apology, sent to the campaign in the mail and via e-mail.
While announcing his support for Clinton on Sunday, Kerrey told The Washington Post in an interview that while he hopes Clinton is the nominee, he would like Obama to have a role — especially because of his ability to reach out to black youth and Muslims around the world. More...
The Aging Civil Rights Icon, Andrew Young: ‘Barack Is Too Young’
December 13, 2007 by editor
1. Theodore Roosevelt 42 (not much experience)
2. John F. Kennedy 43 ( not much experience)
3. Bill Clinton 46 (not much experience)
4. More...
Desperate Times for Camp Clinton. Clinton adviser: Obama's drug past a liability. But then he back-peddles.
December 13, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ap/wapo) A top adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said that Democrats should give more thought to Sen. Barack Obama's admissions of illegal drug use before they pick a presidential candidate.
Obama's campaign said the Clinton people were getting desperate. Clinton's campaign tried to distance itself from the remarks Wednesday, and the adviser said later he regretted making them.
Bill Shaheen, a national co-chairman of Clinton's front-runner campaign, raised the issue during an interview with The Washington Post, posted on washingtonpost. More...
Lost in Translation? Bilingual misinformation from the GOP field.
December 11, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(factcheck. org) The Republican presidential candidates met Sunday evening in Florida for a forum hosted by the Spanish-language media company Univision Communications. We found a few missteps in what the candidates had to say to Spanish-speaking voters:
1) Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made some incorrect and questionable claims about Americans who don't have health insurance, hypothesizing that a third don't have coverage because "the think they're healthy and invincible" – a claim for which we find no support – and that another third are self-insured – which is the definition of all people who don't have health insurance and must pay their own bills. He also understated the number who can't afford insurance. More...
Obama and the 'Oprah Effect': can she sway voters?
December 10, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(csm) Call it the "Oprah effect," a phenomenon the political world is watching warily. Not because celebrity endorsements are new, but because Ms. Winfrey is more than a celebrity: She's a social icon, an earth mother, a television priestess of sorts whose predominantly female flock takes her words to heart.
"The problem with most celebrity endorsements is that there's no transferability between their talent and real credibility," says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a retail investment banking firm. "Oprah is different. More...
All About How the Iowa Caucuses Work. Good Information even for know-it-alls.
December 10, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(BBN: This is an abbreviated explanation. We recommend viewing source for more information). . . . More...
GOP Candidate Mike Huckabee (also a Baptist Minister) Wanted to Isolate AIDS Patients.
December 09, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(AP/wapo) Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could "pose a dangerous public health risk. "
As a candidate for a U. S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. Besides a quarantine, Huckabee suggested that Hollywood celebrities fund AIDS research from their own pockets, rather than federal health agencies. More...
Black Republicans
December 03, 2007 by sweetlorraine (View Source)
You've got to check this out.
http://www. nationalblackrepublicans. com/
http://www. nationalblackrepublicans. More...
Obama Endorsed by Des Moines Mayor
December 03, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Democrat Barack Obama was endorsed Sunday by the mayor of Iowa's largest city and predicted more criticism ahead from presidential rivals as his political fortunes keep brightening.
Meeting with reporters, Obama trotted out Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, who last month won a second term. He has focused on global warming and other environmental issues. "Senator Obama has made a promise and is willing an open-minded enough to listen to the mayor of the capital city of Iowa," Cownie said. "Together we can make change in Iowa. More...
Candidate Barack Obama and NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg Made Staged Public Appearance Together this Week in Hillary's Backyard. Porque? What's Up?
December 01, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(cst) Barack Obama breakfasted early Friday at a coffee shop here with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is eyeing an Independent White House bid.
Obama picked up the tab. The breakfast came at Bloomberg's initiative -- Obama had a standing invitation to dine with the mayor, Obama's campaign said. For Obama, who is looking to cut into the New York home field advantage of chief rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N. More...
Ongoing Problem for Clintons: Conveniently forgetting their own words. Bill Fumbles on Iraq War while stumping for Hillary in Iowa. Crowd Shuts Him Up, Internet-Bloggers Call Him Out.
December 01, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(abc) It was a partial clause in a sentence uttered in Muscatine, Iowa. But Bill Clinton's assertion Monday that he'd opposed the Iraq war "from the beginning" triggered outbursts across the political spectrum.
From the left, the right and the media establishment, the judgment was the former president had committed a gaffe that could hurt his wife's presidential bid.
"Bill Clinton Rewrites History on Iraq?" wondered ABC News' Political Radar blog. "A political blunder of monumental proportions," Dan Spencer wrote at the conservative Redstate. More...
Enough cliches about faith. Mitt Romney's Mormonism matters
November 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Let's quit tiptoeing around the question of whether Republican Mitt Romney's Mormon religion will be an issue in his bid to become President of the United States.
Of course it will matter. And it should.
Voters have every right to be curious and concerned about a candidate's beliefs - especially a candidate like Romney, who keeps talking about the importance of faith in his life.
Romney's not a run-of-the-mill believer. More...
Obama's Standing in Iowa Poll Shifts Contest. The Dance Is Not Over.
November 26, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(bostonglobe) Hillary Clinton began the week with Sunday-morning worship at Grace United Methodist Church, with a hymnbook open before her, bobbing her head along as the choir sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. "
In the more earthly pursuits that occupy Clinton's attention in Iowa these days, such fervor is easy to come by. Certainty is not.
Last week began with then release of an Iowa poll - of negligible statistical relevance but much symbolic weight - showing Clinton for the first time behind Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. The final month before the Jan. More...
Anti-immigration Hysteria Holds 17M Latino Voters Hostage
November 25, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) As soon as Hillary Clinton said she thought Gov. Spitzer's plan to issue special driver's licenses to illegal aliens "makes sense," I said to myself, holy guacamole, here it comes. Before everyone else on that stage was finished piling up on her, I was into a full-blown claustrophobic seizure.
One more thing we're going to be blamed for.
Latinos have become the bogeymen of the 2008 presidential election - the Willie Hortons, the Welfare Queens and the Osama Bin Ladens, all rolled into one. More...
CNN To Do Better Job of Disclosing Carville-Clinton Connection. James Carville is a longtime friend of the Clintons and is a CNN Pundit. So much for Objectivity in Campaign Coverage.
November 18, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(BBN Editor). . . So much for objectivity in campaign coverage when a significant CNN political contributor (James Carville) is a longtime friend and supporter of the Democratic frontrunner (Hillary Clinton). Yes, indeed, viewers should know this tidbit of information on the front end and CNN knows full well that they should in plain terms tell their viewers that one of their contributors may not be the most objective in commenting on political campaign 2008 since he is best friends with the Clintons. More...
Political History: First Woman Elected Baltimore’s Mayor. A team of Black women now lead Baltimore’s government.
November 07, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(baltimore sun/ John Fritze and Julie Bykowicz) Mayor Sheila Dixon decisively won her bid to lead Baltimore yesterday as voters gave her an overwhelming, if predictable, victory and made her the first woman elected as the city's mayor.
Dixon, the 53-year-old former president of the City Council, will sit at the head of a government led almost exclusively by black women - including the newly elected president of the City Council, the city comptroller, who won a fourth term yesterday, and the city state's attorney.
Unofficial returns showed Dixon with a solid lead over Republican Elbert R. Henderson, who did not aggressively campaign for the position and faced devastating odds before he even put his name on the ballot. Democrats have not ceded the mayor's office in four decades. More...
Obama courts Latino voters in L.A.
October 21, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(lat) Barack Obama dived into California's most contentious policy debates Saturday at an East Los Angeles appearance where he defended immigration reform and affirmative action and criticized Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of a measure to extend college scholarships to students in the country illegally.
"That was wrong," the Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate told several hundred gathered at Garfield High School. "Instead of driving thousands of children who were on the right path into the shadows, we need to give those who play by the rules the opportunity to succeed. "
Later, during a question-and-answer session, he returned to the topic, declaring that if a student had been brought to this country illegally but had been going to school "like every other American child, it is cruel and stupid for us to suddenly say to them: 'We're not going to give you college scholarships. More...
"Obama-Clinton Quandary for Many Black Women." Who Will Black Women Vote For?
October 16, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) In the beauty parlors that are among the social hubs for black women in the Carolinas, loyalties are being tested as voters here contemplate the first Democratic primary in the South.
Clara Vereen, who has been working here in rural eastern South Carolina as a hairstylist for more than 40 of her 61 years, reflects the ambivalence of many black women as she considers both Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“I’ve got enough black in me to want somebody black to be our president,” she said in her tiny beauty shop, an extension of her home, after a visit from an Obama organizer. “I would love that, but I want to be real, too. ”
Part of being real, said Ms. More...
NY Times Paul Krugman: "Conservatives don't care that you're hungry"
October 07, 2007 by Texasfjord (View Source)
Conservatives Are Such Jokers
By PAUL KRUGMAN
10/5/07
New York Times
In 1960, John F. Kennedy, who had been shocked by the hunger he saw in West Virginia, made the fight against hunger a theme of his presidential campaign. After his election he created the modern food stamp program, which today helps millions of Americans get enough to eat.
But Ronald Reagan thought the issue of hunger in the world’s richest nation was nothing but a big joke. Here’s what Reagan said in his famous 1964 speech “A Time for Choosing,” which made him a national political figure: “We were told four years ago that 17 million people went to bed hungry each night. More...
3rd Qtr Report: Obama $20 million; Clinton$27 Mil; Edwards $7 Million; Richardson $5.2 Million. Obama Tops Overall DEM fundraising having raised nearly $80Mil.
October 02, 2007 by editor (View Source)
Barack Obama raised $20 Million dollars in the 3rd Quarter of 2007. He came in second to Hillary Clinton who raised $27 million in the 3rd quarter. Overall in fundraising, Obama leads the Democratic pack having raised somewhere between $75 and $80 million dollars this year. John Edwards trails having raised $7 million. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he raised about $5. More...
Inside the Hispanic vote: Growing in numbers, growing in diversity.
September 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(cnn) As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates scour the country for votes during the 2008 campaign, they'll inevitably court the Hispanic community, a voting group growing rapidly in number and diversity.
The Hispanic vote is neither homogenous nor loyal to one party. Though the current political moment seems to favor the Democratic Party, experts say that affinity should not be taken for granted.
The Hispanic community is the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, according to the U. S. More...
Obama Proposes $80 Billion Tax Cut for Middle Class.
September 19, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(bloomberg) Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama proposed cutting taxes by more than $80 billion annually for middle-class Americans, a plan that would be funded by increasing the burden on investors and companies.
The plan, which Obama announced in Washington today, would give a tax credit of up to $500 to 150 million working Americans, create a mortgage credit for homeowners, and eliminate taxes for some senior citizens. The proposal calls for raising the top rate on capital gains and dividends, eliminating ``corporate loopholes,'' including one used by hedge funds and private-equity firms, and cracking down on overseas tax havens.
Obama, 46, is the first Democratic candidate to propose a comprehensive strategy for overhauling the tax code. In the speech to the Tax Policy Center today, he portrayed the current system as overly complex and skewed toward helping the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. More...
Clinton Seeks to Offset Black Defections by Courting Hispanics
September 17, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(Bloomberg) Representative Ciro Rodriguez picked up his phone in June and heard a familiar, raspy voice: It was former President Bill Clinton, asking the Texas Democrat to endorse his wife Hillary's White House bid.
``So far, they're the only campaign to contact me,'' said Rodriguez, former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He's mulling the request, and hasn't forgotten that the former president campaigned for him in last year's congressional election. ``He's done a lot for me,'' said Rodriguez.
Senator Clinton's campaign is bracing for a possible swing of black voters toward her chief rival, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, by focusing more attention on Hispanic voters. More...
Clinton Sees Fear Realized in Trouble With Donor. She’s linked to convicted criminal who brought in tens of thousands of dollars.
September 12, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Of all the possible vulnerabilities facing Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign, Mrs. Clinton has long believed that the one of the biggest was money, friends and advisers say. Some sort of fund-raising scandal that would echo the Clinton-era controversies of the 1990s and make her appear greedy or ethically challenged.
As a result, Mrs. Clinton told aides this year to vet major donors carefully and help her avoid situations in which she might appear to be trading access for big money, advisers said. More...
"Hillary Clinton Returns Fund-Raiser Hsu's $850G; Probe Begins." The Clinton's Can't Stay Out of Mess.
September 11, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) A red-faced Hillary Clinton yesterday returned $850,000 in campaign cash tied to felon fund-raiser Norman Hsu, as the Daily News learned New York prosecutors are leading the probe into Hsu's buck-raking.
The tainted dollars are being returned to 260 donors by the New York Democrat's White House campaign, her aides said.
The Clinton campaign scrambled to contain the damage from a fund-raising scandal that's been building for two weeks, after reports some donors of modest means contributed hefty sums to Clinton in coordination with Hsu, a New York apparel millionaire.
"In light of recent events and allegations that Mr. Norman Hsu engaged in an illegal investment scheme, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to return the money he raised for our campaign," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a statement. More...
Last Woman Standing. As Her Star Wanes, Rice Tries to Reshape Legacy
September 03, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) On May 25, Stanford University’s student newspaper, The Stanford Daily, devoted the bulk of its front page to the university’s former provost, who is on leave while she serves out her term as secretary of state. “Condi Eyes Return,” read the headline, “but in What Role?”
Within hours, the letters to the editor started coming in. “Condoleezza Rice serves an administration that has trashed the basic values of academia: reason, science, expertise, and honesty. Stanford should not welcome her back,” wrote Don Ornstein, identified by the newspaper as an emeritus professor of mathematics in a letter published May 31.
Online comments on the newspaper’s Web site were even harsher, a veritable stream of vitriol. More...
GOP Hypocrites! Rudy Giuliani, Larry Craig, David Vitter, Mark Foley lead the Republican pack in not practicing what they preach.
September 03, 2007 by editor
Then Mayor Rudy Giuliani carried on an affair with his now wife while still married to his former wife; Senator Larry Craig resigned after an arrest and guilty plea of trying to pick up an undercover cop in a Minneapolis airport bathroom to engage in homosexual activity; Louisiana Senator David Vitter was one of the men listed in the DC Madams black book; Florida Representative Mark Foley resigned after getting caught instant messaging salacious text to little boys (this is the same Mark Foley who crusaded against child exploitation). Those are just the ones we can think of off hand. For all their talk of “Family Values” the Republican party needs to read, listen and follow their own rhetoric or shut the hell up. . . More...
