ProgressPolitics » Indiana

Update:Obama will probably Announce his VP Wednesday…..and the winner is

jai2 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:20:33 +0000

Don’t ask us how we know but ProgressPolitics has a strong suspicion that Sen. Obama will be announcing his Veep selection on Wednesday. There are quite a few coinkydinks occuring that gives this site pause. Now lets get to the who, drumroll please………..and the winner of the Veepstakes is……………..Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. There are too many coincidences with respect to this particular senator which we will not go into now. But he is a great choice given his status as a non Washington insider and his close association with the now dismantled Clinton campaign. This is merely a suspicion, but it’s based on facts that will be revealed if the announcement takes place tomorrow. We could be completely off track but we may not be. If we are right….nice choice.

Update: We may have been incorrect about the announcement date but stand by the veep choice. Looks like the decison will not be announced until after Sen: Obama returns from vacation.

Obama Picking up steam In Bush/Cheney country

progress — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:54:41 +0000

Obama is doing very well right in red states typically won by republicans in recent past elections.

Montana: Bush won by 11 points in 2004, Obama leading McCain by 5 points
Colorado: Bush +4, Obama +5
Virginia: Bush +8, Obama +2
New Mexico: Bush +1, Obama +3
Florida: Bush +5, Obama +2
Indiana: Bush +20, Obama +1
Georgia: Bush +16, McCain +1
Mississippi: Bush +20, McCain +4
Alaska: Bush +26, McCain +4
North Carolina: Bush +13, McCain +4

What is really interesting is that McCain is only leading by one percentage point in Georgia when Bush won the state by 16 points. Also, McCain is leading by a mere four points in Mississippi, Alaska, and North Carolina, all states that Bush won by landslides in 2004. I guess we all understand more why McCain has put Bush’s point person in charge of the day to day operations of his campaign.

TSUNAMA Hits North Carolina!!! Clinton squeaks out a win in Indiana

jai2 — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:03:03 +0000

Barack Obama wins North Carolina by a whopping 14 point margin 56-42! Sen. Clinton wins Indiana by a slight margin of 51-49. Sen. Clinton said in the days leading up to the North Carolina that the state would be a game changer. Apparently North Carolinians made the decision that they would not be gamed. Both states experienced record turnout during this primary. Over 1.5 million voters turned out in North Carolina. Over 1 million voted in Indiana. Obama shifts to general election mode and most say that the elected delegate is over. Most say that Obama is now the nominee. Obama improved his numbers with women in both states. Clinton has had arguably the best four weeks of her campaign with allies such as the press, republicans, and John McCain. Obama on the other hand has had the worst four weeks of his campaign and the Clinton campaign was unable to capitalize on it. For the past two months Obama was hit from all sides; the media, all the Clintons, the republican party, John McCain, Rush Limbaugh, etc., and Sen. Obama weathered the storm beautifully. The idea that this freshman Senator from Illinois will be the nominee for the President of the United States is an absolutely extraordinary accomplishment of Obama, his campaign, and the American people. Anyone who says that he cannot beat Sen. McCain in the general election are simply blowing smoke. Obama has shown numerous times what he is made of and now it’s time for the superdelegates to put us all out of our misery and call this thing. Clinton’s numbers with core democratic groups such as African-Americans are becoming more and more dismal. While Obama’s numbers with women and low income white voters have steadily improved. Clinton won a mere 6% of the African-American vote in North Carolina and only 8% in Indiana. These numbers are down from Ohio and Pennsylvania which were 13% and 10% respectively. Obama increased his popular vote number by 240,000 votes. This is more than Clinton the 200,000 votes than Clinton won Pennsylvania by. The question now is when will Clinton bow out gracefully? Does not make sense for Clinton to continue this race if there is not a realistic chance of her winning in the popular vote or in elected delegates? Not really. There is no rational reason to continue. Superdelegates now do not have a reason to hold back and drag this race out until June. Clinton has lost her last chance to pull an upset and it is time to unify behind the nominee. UPDATE: Tim Russert proclaims Obama the nominee and Clinton cancelled all morning interviews and campaign appearances for today. It looks like this is finally coming to its conclusion folks.

CowBoy Diplomacy? Clinton McCain…more of the same.

jai2 — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:49:56 +0000

It is becoming harder and harder to distinguish between Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain. Recently Sen. Clinton has said that she would “totally obliterate” Iran if they attacked Israel (sounds very Bush-like). Clinton has also recently adopted McCain’s gas tax holiday plan despite unanimous criticism from industry experts. The campaign strategies of the Clinton campaign are being praised by prominent republican operatives as top notch. So my question is….why do democrats want a republican want-a-be when they can have the real mccoy with John McCain? Clinton has been pulling an unusual amount of right wing republican support recently. Between Rush Limbaugh and Richard Scaife backing her nomination and Limbaugh specifically urging all of those blue-collar conservatives to cross-over and vote for Clinton, Clinton has built a real partnership with the conservative right wing of the republican party. It seems that Clinton is running on the wrong ticket. Now for some “straight talk,” does Clinton really believe that those blue-collar primary votes will follow her to the general election when Rush Limbaugh, Richard Scaife, Bill OReilly, Joe Scarborough, and Fox News are campaigning against her. Because the democrats have not won the working class vote since Carter was in office, what makes Clinton think that they will be motivated to vote for her in the primary. Sen. Clinton will not be able to exploit and prey upon the racial differences between her and McCain the way she has with Obama. No more benefitting from and encouraging hate and racial divisiveness in order to win. I fear a candidate who encourages the worst part of us as a people as an essential part of their political strategy. How are such tactics any better than those of Rush Limbaugh or David Duke? This writer predicts that those voters voting for Clinton simply because Obama is African-American will not have the passion and motivation of racism to pull them to the polls in a general election against McCain. Clinton will then have to address the miriad of baggage related to issues involving her and her husband. Just recently it was learned that Sen. Clinton did not report $24 million dollars of income earned by Bill Clinton on her tax returns. There has not been any explanation from the Clinton campaign as to why. Somehow I fear that such development is merely the tip of the iceberg. In a general election Clinton will have lost all of those Limbaugh, OReilly, and Fox News voters who are voting for Clinton in the democratic open primaries just to cause mischief for the democratic party. It is because of the Limbaugh voters that Clinton won the primary portion of the Texas primacaucus against Barack Obama. Side point: I cannot believe that these Limbaugh voters are actually risking jail time in Indiana (may be a felony) to follow through with Limbaugh’s intructions….maybe Limbaugh will be nice enough to serve their jail time if their caught. Okay back on topic. Most objective commentators will tell you that a Hillary Clinton general election will galvanize and unify the far right wing of the conservative party behind McCain. So now you have the far right with significant motivation to go out and vote against Hillary Clinton in the fall. Clinton’s coalition then becomes a mix of older democrats (if they decide to go with her over McCain), and babyboomer women. Absent certain general election conditions, an african-american candidate, lack of a true republican candidate, Clinton’s alleged coalition appears to be weak and fleeting in a general election. The two groups that Clinton may be able to count on does not exactly represent the will of the majority. Sounds like a winning Clinton ticket.

Indiana Votes Today!! Voter Information

progress — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:13:18 +0000

General Information for Indiana

72 delegates at stake

Find your polling place in IndianaIndiana polls are open from 6am -6pm Tuesday, May 6th

VOTING BASICS

You have a right to vote in an Indiana election, if:

1. You are both a U.S. citizen and a resident of Indiana; and

2. You will be at least 18 years of age at the next General Election, November 4 2008; and

3. You are not currently in prison after being convicted of a crime; and

4. You have lived in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election; and

5. You are registered to vote

6. You provide government-issued photo ID.

(more…)

MagnaQuench? Clinton Administration sent jobs to China

progress — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:52:45 +0000

Magnaquench is a former Indiana company that manufactured magnets used in the guidance systems of “smart bombs” (precision guided missiles). As a result of a deal approved by the Clinton administration, where Magnaquench was sold to China, 200 Indiana jobs were sent to China. There were no real safeguards for American workers included in the deal. Sen. Clinton claims now in 2008 that the plan was to keep such jobs in the United States. Others who worked on the deal during the time say that Clinton’s recollection is incorrect. Sen. Clinton claimed at a speaking event in Indiana that it was the Bush Administration that sent the Magnaquench jobs overseas to China. However, if the Clinton Administration had competently structured the deal at its genesis, the Bush administration would not have had any authority in the matter. Also, if the alleged conditions protecting Indiana workers had been solid, we would still have 200 American jobs instead of 200 new jobs in China. Going to the White House 10 years after-the-fact and asking it to fix your mess does not make it the fault of the Bush White House but your fault for not structuring the deal properly in the first place. Not to mention that these are defense weapon parts that are being outsourced to China and the implications to America’s national security that such outsourcing raises. So now we are not only indebted to China financially but it is now manufacturing parts of our defense weapons. As an American, that does not make me feel safe at 3am in the morning. Even Clinton friend and top surrogate, Sen. Evan Bayh, blamed the outsourcing of the Magnaquench jobs to China on the original agreement approved by the Clinton Administration in 1995. Unfortunately for Sen. Clinton, this deal was approved by the Clinton Administration despite the national security concerns and the forecasted job losses to Indiana. By not including the necessary safeguards for Indiana workers in such agreement, many workers in Indiana and the Midwest feel that the Clintons failed them. This will not exactly help her with Indiana voters.

Clinton Calls Economists who Universally pan Her Gas Tax Holiday “Elite”

progress — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:51:12 +0000

Sen. Hillary Clinton said yesterday that all the economists who disagree with her gas tax holiday are “elite.” Sen. Clinton went on to say that she thinks if “we did it right” then it can be done. However, if you cannot name a single economist who thinks that this is a good idea then how exactly will you, Sen. Clinton, “do it right.” Do you have a special kind of knowlege that the people whose life work is studying, writing about, and problem solving the economy do not have? Economist say that this is a horrible idea and even if by some miracle you were able to get such a bill passed through the Senate before the summer, during your free time while competing in a highly contested presidential race, that oil companies and retailers will raise their prices in order to capture the tax relief. American families will not see any of the relief of which you speak when they fill up at the pump. Clinton supporter, Paul Krugman of the New York Times called the idea “pointless and disappointing.” Krugman also says that the “gas tax plan is a giveaway to oil companies, disguised as a gift to consumers.” Obama has called the plan a political gimmick designed to pander to Indiana and North Carolina voters and does not give any relief to the American people. Also, in a recent CBS poll, the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with Sen. Obama and see this tax suspension plan as a political ploy by Clinton designed to get votes and has nothing to do with helping out ordinary Americans. It is occurrences like these that may explain why 60 percent of voters think that Sen. Clinton is dishonest. This is a new day, voters are engaged and they are listening….don’t insult our intelligence. Progress

BREAKING: Team Clinton 1992 and current 2008 Hillary Clinton advisor Michael “Mickey” Kantor Appear in controversial video. Kantor disputes authenticity.

progress — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:56:38 +0000

Kantor: “Look at Indiana - 42-40. It doesn’t matter if we win; those people are shit.” The original video also alleges that Kantor said “How would you like to be a worthless white ni***r?” UPDATE: Kantor and the director of the film dispute the video’s authenticity. Kantor denies that he has ever used the N word. However, it does appear, at least in the documentary “The War Room,” that Kantor did refer to Indianans as “sh*t.” Judge for yourself.

The Washington Post printed this story in 1993

“War Room” is shot in the nonscripted, cinema-verite style by D. A. Pennebaker (whose follow-around films on President Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey and Bob Dylan are documentary classics) and Chris Hegedus. Whether Carville and company are play-acting somewhat for the cameras becomes less important as the film progresses. One can only keep up an act for so long — especially in the throes of a campaign. Carville’s tearful farewell speech to his staff as they close up just before the election, Stephanopoulos’s frank talk with a potential blackmailer and a Mickey Kantor comment about the people of Indiana (when it looks as though Clinton’s ahead in Dan Quayle’s state) attest to this. Read the remainder of the story.

Another Clinton Backer Switches allegiance to Obama

progress — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:05:01 +0000

Joe Andrew, who Bill Clinton appointed Chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1999, has just switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. Andrew has been a supporter of Sen. Clinton since she first announced her bid for the presidency. Andrew made is announcement at a press conference in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana Thursday morning. During the press conference Andrew encouraged his fellow Democrats and Hoosiers to end this madness and unite behind Barack Obama for Tuesdays primary. In his telephone interview with the Associated Press Andrew said “I am convinced that the primary process has devolved to the point that it’s now bad for the Democratic Party.” Andrew also cited additional reasons for his switch in a letter to superdelegates. In the letter the former DNC Chairman says ”a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists (Republican) John McCain.” Andrew went on to say “[w]hile I was hopeful that a long, contested primary season would invigorate our party, the polls show that the tone and temperature of the race is now hurting us,” Andrew continued. “John McCain, without doing much of anything, is now competitive against both of our remaining candidates. We are doing his work for him and distracting Americans from the issues that really affect all of our lives.” Andrew said that teh Obama campaign never asked him to switch his support but he did so after witnessing the principled way that Obama has handled two recent issues that have challenged his campaign. The Wright controversy and the gas tax holiday qestion. Andrew praised the fact that Obama stuck to his guns with respect to the gas tax holiday even though the politically expedient thing to do would have been to go along with Clinton and McCain on this issue. And, he also praised Obama’s handling of the Jeremiah Wright controversy saying that Obama “has shown such mettle under fire.” Andrew’s decision also increases Obama’s superdelegate count thereby clossing in on Clinton’s current lead. The current count for superdelegates 247-263 Clinton. However, Obama leads in the delegate count overall 1735.5 to 1597.5 for Clinton. Last count, 230 superdelegates remain undecided, and about 60 more will be selected at state party conventions and meetings throughout the spring

Obama and Clinton pick up superdelegates today! Senator: Obama has dozens of Superdelegates lined up.

progress — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:27:58 +0000

Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley announced today that he would be supporting Barack Obama. Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) also announced her support for Obama today. Indiana Rep. Baron Hill will endorse Obama tonight. One Senator also says that Obama has dozens of superdelegates lined up. Hillary Clinton recently received superdelegate and North Carolina Governor Mark Easley’s endorsement yesterday. Bill George of Pennsylvania also just announced his support for Clinton. Obama is leading among committed superdelegates in the Senate 18-13, while Clinton leads in House superdelegates 77-74.

Obama’s Video Response to Hillary: “Shame on Her” for using republican playbook re “bitter” comment

progress — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:43:50 +0000