Sen. John McCain accused the Obama campaign of playing the race card.  McCain alleged shock last week at the Obama campaign for accusing him of using nefarious tactics in its effort to portray Obama as a “risky” candidate.  The Arizona senator went so far as to say that he” has fought for equal rights his entire life.”  Well, a reporter called him on his claim by asking him to elaborate on what specifically he has done that focused on the improvement of the lives of African-Americans?  Deer in headlights folks.  See below

DISTRACTION ALERT:  The McCain campaign is up in arms about a comment made by Sen. Barack Obama yesterday regarding the “scare” campaign tactics of the other side. The exact quote from Sen. Obama: 

Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama said. “You know, ‘he’s not patriotic enough, he’s got a funny name,’ you know, ‘he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.” 

This is completely ridiculous! Obama was preempting what is to come. Something McCain is very aware of since he has done the same thing many times over with respect to his age.  How many times have John McCain referred to the fact that he is “old” in an attempt to take it off the table.  The gander certainly cannot accuse the goose for something that it has been doing in the hen house for months prior.  How many times has John McCain alluded to Obama’s alleged “inexperience” or “arrogance” for doing things that he himself has done except that Obama is perceived as having done them better.  The trip to the Middle East for example.  McCain made the exact same trip but perceived not to have been as successful.  What Obama completed brilliantly yesterday was a preemptive strike against the “race card.”  No one can deny, not even the main stream pundits, that there has been several right-wing pundits, whisper campaigns, talk radio shock jocks, right-wing bloggers,  527 groups etc., who have used race left, right, sideways, and center in ”their” attempt to punt the Illinois senator.  So with this knowledge, why is the McCain campaign so up in arms about Obama comment?  With all the right-wing lunatic fringe groups focusing at every opportunity on the fact that Obama is different because he is black, how else do you combat such distracting noise but mention the fact that you have been very upfront about the fact that Obama is different because he is black. So it’s dumbfounding how the campaign can conclude that Obama is playing the race card.  It seems that the double standard in the McCain campaign is in full force. This is a stretch beyond elasticity and the main stream media is jumping all over it.  Remember folks, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, all have a very big horse in this race….RATINGS.  The greater the perception of a horse race, the more advertising dollars.  And by the way, Obama has made the same comment many times prior to yesterday. This is an extreme and disproportionate reaction from the McCain campaign.  It’s called the politics of destraction and deflection….deflect from the positive press from Obama’s overseas trip and distract from the weaknesses of McCain, economy, gas prices, EXXON Mobil record profits (11.68 billion), mortgage crisis, etc.  Karl Rove tactics on full blast. 

According to George Stephanopolous this morning, superdelegates should start coming out today three, four, or five at a time.  Stephanopolous believes, and said as much, that this nomination is locked up.  Clinton also is reported to have loaned herself an additional $6.4 million last month which bring the total amount she has lent her campaign to 11.4 million.  The Obama campaign sent the following letter to superdelegates today.

TO:   Superdelegates
FROM:   David Plouffe, Campaign Manager
RE:   An Update on the Race for Delegates
DA:   May 7, 2008

There are only six contests remaining in the Democratic primary calendar and only 217 pledged delegates left to be awarded. Only 7 percent of the pledged delegates remain on the table. There are 260 remaining undeclared superdelegates, for a total of 477 delegates left to be awarded.

With North Carolina and Indiana complete, Barack Obama only needs 172 total delegates to capture the Democratic nomination.  This is only 36% of the total remaining delegates.

Conversely, Senator Clinton needs 326 delegates to reach the Democratic nomination, which represents a startling 68% of the remaining delegates.

With the Clinton path to the nomination getting even narrower, we expect new and wildly creative scenarios to emerge in the coming days. While those scenarios may be entertaining, they are not legitimate and will not be considered legitimate by this campaign or its millions of supporters, volunteers, and donors.

We believe it is exceedingly unlikely Senator Clinton will overtake our lead in the popular vote and in fact lost ground on that measure last night. However, the popular vote is a deeply flawed and illegitimate metric for deciding the nominee – since each campaign based their strategy on the acquisition of delegates. More importantly, the rules of the nomination are predicated on delegates, not popular vote.

Just as the Presidential election in November will be decided by the electoral college, not popular vote, the Democratic nomination is decided by delegates.

If we believed the popular vote was  somehow the key measurement, we would have campaigned much more intensively in our

Read the rest of this entry »

Not a game changer but doesn’t put Clinton away.  Clinton cannot come close to winning the delegate count without winning all of the remaining contests by more than an 80% margin.  Her only remaining argument……the superdelegates.  Clinton will attempt to convince the superdelegates that for whatever reason Obama cannot close the deal and she will be a stronger general election candidate.  The only problem with her argument is that Obama has secured a very important voting block……the majority of the American voting public.  If Clinton is perceived to have stolen the nomination from Obama by way of a decision of the superdelegates, she will officially become unelectable after such decision is made.  The democratic party will have disenfranchised not only the african-american community, but the hoards of new voters who have been inspired by Obama’s message and candidacy.  No democrat since Franklin Roosevelt has won the presidency without the support of the african-american community.  Because Obama is winning in the delegate count, the popular vote count, states won count, the fundraising count, and the new voter count, it is hard to deny his superior electability.   These are all areas that speak to the progression of the democratic party.   Not to mention that Obama has run a magnificent campaign in comparison to Clinton.  It is amazing that the Senator from Illinois has been able to put together such a remarkable campaign considering how fresh he is to national politics.  He has put together an innovative  fundraising machine by concentrating on small donors as opposed to large VIP donors who usually contribute the bulk of funds in democratic contests.  He has an enormous history setting volunteer network.  He realized early how to organize caucus states to his benefit knowing that running against Clinton will be like running against “the first family” of the democratic party.  The ability to organize and rally such a diverse coalition is an attribute that is essential to any CEO of any company.  Such qualities speak volumes about a candidates leadership ability.  Obama decreased Clinton’s 25  point lead to 9 points in Pennsylvania even though the state is tailor made Clinton country.  Demographically speaking, Pennsylvania is the second oldest state in the country, blue collar, and catholic.  All voting blocks that have gone for Hillary throughout this primary season.  Also, women made up 47% of the vote in Pennsylvania.  However, these are older white women as opposed to younger white women where Obama usually does well in.  Older white women is Clinton’s most loyal voting block.  The shock is that the New York Senator did not win by at least 15 to 20 points.  Also with respect to fundraising, people tend to put their money where their mouth is…..if voters are not putting their money where their mouth is, then they are not really talking.  The Clinton campaign is running on gasoline fumes right now.  In contrast, democrats, republicans, and independents are contributing to Obama in droves, to the tune of 40 million as a matter of fact.  Why can’t Obama close the deal….the question should be why can’t Clinton close the deal?  Voters and supporters are not contributing the Clinton campaign with the same vigor.  The Clinton campaign is officially broke and operating in the red.  They were able to raise 2.5 million last night but they are still operating in the red even with that minor funding boost.  Even with a fundraising spike after the Pennsylvania win, sustainability is the problem facing the Clinton campaign.  Democrats are just not donating to Clinton’s campaign in the numbers that they are to the Obama campaign.  Clinton also started out this contest as the presumptive nominee, Obama came out of nowhere and threw a monkey wrench into her plans.  Why has Clinton not sewn up this nomination, and worse yet, why is she behind by all metrics used to determine victory?  That is a question that needs to be explored in more depth.  As mentioned above, Clinton’s win in Pennsylvania is not the significant win that it needed to be to make voters pause about Obama’s candidacy.  Clinton won in Pennsylvania by the same margin or less that she did Ohio.  Obama improved his numbers with older voters and women in Pennsylvania since Ohio.  Women voted for Clinton 59% to Obama’s 41%.  Clinton did maintain her stronghold with women, older voters, and catholics.  However, Obama also kept his stronghold on new, young, and educated voters, as well as african-americans.  Also, as a final point, 13% of voters in the exit poll said that race mattered in their vote.   Of that 13%,  3 out of 4 voted for Clinton over Obama.  There are a lot of white working class voters that may have a problem voting for a black candidate.  This was probably demonstrated in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  There are also a lot of older voters who are loyal to the Clintons because of their 20 year presence on the national political stage.  In which case, Obama may need to find a way to reach these two demographics.  Is it possible to do so within the remaining months in the election cycle?  Probably. If he can convince these voting blocks that he can represent them and talk to them on a level that makes them feel that he will be fighting for their interests regardless of what their beliefs are, then he has a great chance of getting their votes.

Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial:

With his brilliant speech on race relations yesterday at the National Constitution Center, Barack Obama showed why his campaign for president has the aura of a mission.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial:

As an example of contemporary oratory, it was stunning. As political rhetoric, it was designed to do far more than damage control and, in the end, distilled the essence of his candidacy.

New York Times Editorial:

We can’t know how effective Mr. Obama’s words will be with those who will not draw the distinctions between faith and politics that he drew, or who will reject his frank talk about race. What is evident, though, is that he not only cleared the air over a particular controversy — he raised the discussion to a higher plane.

Los Angeles Times Editorial:

No single speech will recalibrate America’s consideration of race and politics, but we are closer today, thanks to this remarkable address, to facing our history and perfecting our nation.

Dallas Morning News Editorial:

Has any major U.S. politician in modern times ever given a speech about race in America as unflinching, human and ultimately hopeful as the one Barack Obama delivered yesterday? …

It was possibly the most important major speech on race in America since Dr. King died, and it probably saved Mr. Obama’s candidacy. If, in the end, Barack Obama does not win the nomination, let it never be said that he did not serve his country.

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial:

So Obama, in that exceptional way he has of brushing aside polemics, stepped up to a podium in Philadelphia and challenged us to see all the shades of gray, to embrace our greater and shared humanity.

It was a moving moment in American history to hear a man who could be president dissect the rancorous matter of race with such candor, and it called to mind other piercing addresses by the likes of FDR, Kennedy and King.

Sacramento Bee Editorial:

This was not a campaign speech; it was Barack Obama speaking to the ages. Clearly, he has thought about this issue for a very long time. Americans can learn from him, no matter what course the campaign may take.

Boston Globe Editorial:

… Obama took the opportunity to engage the question of race in America, starting a bold, uncomfortably honest conversation. He asked Americans to talk openly about the deep wells of anger and resentment over racism, discrimination, and affirmative action. It’s a call to break out of the country’s racial stalemate and finally reach a new national understanding.

Seattle Times Editorial:

In the annals of American history, a watershed moment should come from “A More Perfect Union,” Sen. Barack Obama’s powerful speech linking 221 years of race relations.

Washington Post Editorial:

Mr. Obama’s speech was an extraordinary moment of truth-telling. He coupled it with an appeal that this year’s campaign not be dominated by distorted and polarizing debates about whether he or his opponents agree with extreme statements by supporters — or other attempts to divide the electorate along racial lines. Far better, he argued, that Americans of all races recognize they face common economic, social and security problems.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial:

On Tuesday morning, at a moment of maximum peril to his own ambitions, Sen. Barack Obama delivered not just a speech, but an extraordinary gift to America: A way to transcend racial divisions and political cynicism and set about the task of forming a more perfect union.

The 45-minute address, delivered to an audience of 200 elected officials and religious leaders at Philadelphia’s Constitution Center, would have been remarkable under any circumstances. Under the circumstances that beset the senator from Illinois, it was the equivalent of a World Series walk-off grand-slam home run, a singular moment in the history of American political rhetoric.

Houston Chronicle Editorial:

Obama, confronted with flaws in his own church “family,” passes these tests. His thoughtful exploration of those flaws certainly was good for his campaign. But by fully and realistically exploring and discussing the hard topic of race, Obama did more. He showed deep understanding of this complex culture, and faith in the strength of the national family.

Newsday Editorial:

The complex calculus of racial animus in this nation is real. And it is powerful. And, as Obama said, “to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.” This nation needs to bridge that chasm. One speech won’t do it. Nor will one candidacy. But it would help if we stop using race as a political cudgel.

Charlotte Observer Editorial:

But Sen. Obama had a larger purpose in mind: not merely to handle a political problem, but to talk about race and the future of America. In a quiet, insightful, at times powerful speech he examined the reasons for both anger and hope. It was a message our nation sorely needs to hear, and one he is uncommonly qualified to deliver.

Newark Star-Ledger Editorial:

This was not a speech written by a political spinmeister just back from taking the pulse of the latest focus group. It was the heartfelt speech of a man who has spent a good part of his life thinking about what it means to be an American.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Editorial:

When we think of words in politics or governance that had to be said, we think of the Gettysburg Address or Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s admonition that all we had to fear was “fear itself.” And now we think of Obama’s speech on race - words that sorely needed saying.

San Jose Mercury-News Editorial:

If Obama is, as we hope, the leader who can draw people across political divides to create real change and a renewed optimism in America, then confronting race head-on was inevitable. Perhaps Pastor Wright did us all a favor.

The Oregonian Editorial:

But every American, young and old, should hear this speech. Obama certainly isn’t a post-racial candidate, if there is such a thing, and he didn’t claim to be one Tuesday. But he did offer an inspiring vision of a nation where unity eclipses division, and where the identity we cherish most is the one we all share:

American.

Des Moines Register Editorial:

His speech was frank and honest. And it offered hope that by confronting the racial resentments that continue to divide us, this nation can move forward toward becoming a more tolerant and understanding place.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Editorial:

Then again, Obama has already astounded conventional wisdom with the progress he’s made in this year’s presidential campaign. For the nation’s sake, hope that America’s conscience was at least pricked to want to do better.

Kansas City Star Editorial:

It would have been politically expedient for Obama to disown Wright totally. But in a reflection of his own integrity, Obama said Wright was instrumental in the development of his faith and had other virtues that his critics were ignoring.

Eugene Robinson, Washington Post:

Yesterday morning, in what may be remembered as a landmark speech regardless of who becomes the next president, Obama established new parameters for a dialogue on race in America that might actually lead somewhere — that might break out of the sour stasis of grievance and countergrievance, of insensitivity and hypersensitivity, of mutual mistrust.

Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish:

I have never felt more convinced that this man’s candidacy - not this man, his candidacy - and what he can bring us to achieve - is an historic opportunity. This was a testing; and he did not merely pass it by uttering safe bromides. He addressed the intimate, painful love he has for an imperfect and sometimes embittered man. And how that love enables him to see that man’s faults and pain as well as his promise. This is what my faith is about. It is what the Gospels are about. This is a candidate who does not merely speak as a Christian. He acts like a Christian.

Courtland Milloy, Washington Post

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), who co-chairs the Maryland for Obama campaign, hit the nail on the head when he told me: “Obama has the ability to elevate our thinking beyond the chicken-yard scratching and biting. He calls on us to soar like eagles. And if he can’t always take you there, he can sure dare you to go.”

David Corn, MotherJones.com:

With this address, Obama was trying to show the nation a pathway to a society free of racial gridlock and denial. Moreover, he declared that bridging the very real racial divide of today is essential to forging the popular coalition necessary to transform America into a society with a universal and effective health care system, an education system that serves poor and rich children, and an economy that yields a decent-paying jobs for all. Obama was not playing the race card. He was shooting the moon.

John Dickerson, Slate:

Can you give a State of the Union address before you’re president? Barack Obama talked about race in America for 45 minutes in a nearly 5,000-word speech. That was longer than some of the annual presidential addresses, and though, yes, those speeches tend to cover more topics, this one felt like it addressed the actual state of our union more than those dreary January list readings presidents are obligated to perform.

Janny Scott, New York Times:

Yet the speech was also hopeful, patriotic, quintessentially American — delivered against a blue backdrop and a phalanx of stars and stripes. Mr. Obama invoked the fundamental values of equality of opportunity, fairness, social justice. He confronted race head-on, then reached beyond it to talk sympathetically about the experiences of the white working class and the plight of workers stripped of jobs and pensions.

Jonathan Alter, Newsweek:

In introducing the speech, Harris Wofford, the former senator from Pennsylvania, hinted at the historic weight that hung over the occasion. Wofford, a friend of Martin Luther King Jr.’s and a onetime adviser to President John F. Kennedy, recalled a White House conversation with King, after Kennedy had informed King that there would be no quick vote on the sweeping civil rights legislation pending. “Martin turned to me and said, ‘I had hoped we at long last had a president who had the intelligence to understand this problem and the political skill to solve it and the moral passion to see it through. I’m convinced … that he has got the intelligence and the skill. We’ll have to see if he has the passion’.”

Wofford suggested that Obama did in fact possess all three qualities. The critics, reporters, cable commentators—and ultimately the voters—will all be weighing that assertion in the aftermath of the most personal and extensive discussion of the legacy of slavery made by any major American politician in memory. For the moment, Obama gave them much more to talk about than the sermons of Jeremiah Wright.

Jim Mitchell, Dallas Morning News:

Politicians rarely achieve such a depth of humanity, in part because they’re captive to narrow life experiences, rigid ideology or consultants. It’s one thing to know intellectually that race is still a factor in American life and how it polls. It’s quite another to eloquently express the profound stain of past racial injustices without being trite, hostile or unabashedly partisan.

Jon Robin Baitz, Huffington Post:

Today we saw and heard a preview of our brightest possible American future in Senator Barack Obama’s glorious speech. This, then, is what it means to be presidential. To be moral. To have a real center. To speak honestly, from the heart, for the benefit of all. If there was any doubt about what we have missed in the anti-intellectual, ruthlessly incurious Bush years, and even the slippery Clinton ones (the years of “what is is”), those doubts were laid to rest by Barack Obama’s magisterial speech today. A speech in which he distanced himself from a flawed father figure, Reverend Wright, and did so with almost Shakespearian dignity and honor.

Obama - A GREAT speech, from a non-supporter

This diary is written by Miss Blue from DailyKos

Many of you are very aware I am not, and have not been a supporter of Barack Obama.This is not because I support Hillary Clinton - in fact, I like/dislike Hillary and Barack equally, for very different reasons.  My goal for 2008 is to see a Democrat in the White House.  I felt there were problems with both of the remaining candidates being elected.  I supported John Edwards, in part because I felt he was the most electable in the general election.  We can see where that went.  After watching Hillary throw her campaign in the toilet, I long ago realized that Obama would be our nominee, and I have hoped for the best.  The Wright controversy made me feel we were doomed.  I have called for Obama and his supporters to address this issue, strongly and unequivocally. I have been roundly chastised by the Obama fans on this site.  Called a Republican, accused of voting for John McCain, accused of being a Hillary-bot, accused of hating Obama with the fire of a thousand suns.  None of which are true, but so goes the hyperbole on this site these days.  This speech is what I wanted to hear.  It is truly heartening to see Obama is far better at reading the average voter than are many of his supporters on this site. Being skeptical that he could put this issue to rest with one speech, or ten, I am coming away from it feeling very heartened.  It was a great speech, perfect in it’s tone and it’s talking points.   Without throwing a decades-long friend to the wolves, Obama completely renounced the inflammatory anti-America statements of Rev. Wright.  This shows me loyalty, to friends and to country.  It shows me wisdom, and political acumen.  It shows me sensitivity, to human emotions and political whim.   Senator Obama addressed the racial divide without casting blame.  He shut down the black vs. white argument that has been threatening to take over this Presidential election.  Blame for fueling a divide was put where it belongs - the Rush Limbaughs, the Sean Hannitys, the conservative coalition, the corporate whores who have used racial divides for their financial gain.  Obama’s speech was inclusive, rather than divisive.  All minorities were included in those who have suffered discrimination - not just black, but poor, women, hispanics, migrants of all ethnic backgrounds.  As a non-supporter going into this speech, and a white Catholic woman who figured I wasn’t involved in this issue other than as a worried Democrat, I felt included.  I felt like I mattered, even in a speech who’s main topic was supposed to be a Baptist preacher and his inflammatory remarks.   This speech, in my view, is the most important one of his career, as it determines where his political career is going in the near term.  He hit it out of the park.   Bravo.  And for that, Senator Obama, you have gained one more supporter.

“Most recently, you heard some statements from my former pastor that were incendiary and that I completely reject, although I knew him and know him as somebody in my church who talked to me about Jesus and family and friendships.” Obama said that pointing out racial differences only makes it harder to “deliver on the big issues we face in this country,” which he said include health care, the slumping economy, terrorism and caring better for veterans.  Obama, whose mother’s family was from Kansas and his father from Kenya, said he was speaking “as someone who has little pieces of America all in me.”  He said schools should do a better job of teaching all students African-American history “because that’s part of American history,” as well as women’s struggle for equality, the history of unions, the role of Hispanics in U.S. and other matters that he suggested aren’t given enough attention.  “I want us to have a broad-based history” taught in schools, he said, even including more on “the Holocaust as well as other issues of oppression” around the world.

 And as to the Rezco issue  Chicago Tribune article

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama waited 16 months to attempt the exorcism. But when he finally sat down with the Tribune editorial board Friday [March 14, 2008], Obama offered a lengthy and, to us, plausible explanation for the presence of now-indicted businessman Tony Rezco in his personal and political lives. The most remarkable facet of Obama’s 92-minute discussion was that, at the outset, he pledged to answer every question the three dozen Tribune journalists crammed into the room would put to him. And he did.  Read interview

Subject: The Real Truth About Barack Obama!

1. Did you know that Barack Obama is a devout Christian? He has been a member of the same United Church of Christ congregation for 20 years, and was married there to his wife Michelle in 1992.
2. Did you know that Barack Obama often leads the US Senate in the Pledge of Allegiance?
3. Did you know that Barack Obama is a strong friend of Israel and has spoken out strongly against anti-Semitism?
4. Did you know his grandparents from Kansas were part of the “Greatest Generation?. His grandfather served with Patton’s Army during World War II, and his grandmother, a real “Rosie the Riveter”, worked in a bomber assembly plant back home.
5. Did you know that Barack Obama was opposed to the war in Iraq from day one, before we invaded, even while he was running for the Senate, and knowing his opposition might be politically unpopular?
   

   “I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world and strengthen the recruitment arm of al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.” –Barack Obama, 2002

6. Did you know Obama favors transparency over secrecy in our government? Did you know that Obama worked with Republican Senator Tom Coburn to pass one of the strongest government transparency bills since the freedom of information act? He’s calling it Google for Government and you can see the results at www.usaspending.gov. Sen. Obama has also released his own tax returns for public review.
7. Did you know that after graduating with honors from Harvard Law School, Barack practiced civil rights law and also taught Constitutional Law for 10 years at the University of Chicago, one of the nation’s best law schools, where he was consistentl y rated by his students as one of their best instructors? Did you also know that he was the first African-American elected pres ident of the prestigious Harvard Law Review?
8. Did you know that Barack Obama is an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and has been a principled defender of the civil rights of women?
9. Did you know that despite the grueling schedule of running for President, Senator Obama remains a devoted family man, making time to do things like pick out a Christmas tree with his wife and two young daughters, or hurrying home to spend Valentine’s Day with them? Did you know he hasn’t missed a single parent-teacher conference while running for President?
10. Did you know that Barack Obama has a stellar environmental record, including having the highest rating from the League of Conservation Voters (96%) of any Presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican?
11. Did you know that Barack Obama has been an elected legislator longer than Senator Clinton?
12. Did you know that Barack is a member of all of these Senate Committees: Foreign Relations; Veteran’s Affairs; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; Homeland Security and Government Affairs?
13. Did you know that Senator Obama has sponsored or co-sponsored 15 bills that have become law, and has introduced amendments to 50 bills, of which 16 were adopted since he joined the Senate in 2005?
14. Did you know that Senator Obama sponsored legislation working together with Indiana Republican Senator Richard Lugar, to keep Americans safe by keeping dangerous weapons out of terrorist hands? The two senators also visited the former Soviet Union to inspect the decommissioning of nuclear weapons. Sen. Lugar said of Sen. Obama, “He does have a sense of idealism and principled leadership, a vision of the future.”
15. Did you know that Barack Obama is the only candidate running for president who voted against using cluster bombs in Iraq and the only candidate who supports banning the use of landmines?
16. Did you know that, as an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama succeeded in passing legislation requiring the videotaping of police interrogations, gaining the respect and support not only of fellow legislators but that of the police, who had initially opposed the legislation?
17. Did you know that Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton were all younger when they took office than Barack Obama will be?

During election season many emails are circulated about the candidates. Some are true, some aren’t. It’s often difficult to determine the truth. We encourage you to visit the following non-partisan sites that do a good job of fact checking the candidates.

http://www.snopes.com/       http://www.factcheck.org/

This diary is from dailykos and written by Tchrldy

This diary is written by a White woman over 50.  I am a Mother of four, three boys and one girl.  I support Barack Obama for President for reasons that have nothing to do with his race(s).  I have never considered myself to be part of an “identity group”.  I have always considered myself to be a liberal, progressive woman who is trying to provide for my family and to be the woman my mother raised me to be as well as an example of a good citizen to my children, especially to my daughter.  Mrs. Ferraro, the ignorance of your remarks left me speechless.  Senator Clinton, your response and the response of your campaign infuriated me.  Since the two of you are White women, and you initiated and orchestrated these remarks, I believe that it is my duty as a citizen, as a daughter and as a mother, who happens to be a White woman, to reject, renounce and censure the two White women who are responsible for these remarks and their use in political discourse.I call upon other White women, in particular Nancy Pelosi, arguably, the most powerful White woman in the country, to publicly reject, denounce and censure these women. It is not my intention to exclude African American women, Latinas or men, whatever their ethnicity, from this conversation.  However, I argue as a White woman (because the woman who made those statements and the woman whose campaign is using those statements to divide our party are White) that it is White Women who must take the lead in rejecting, denouncing and censuring these two women by saying that these two women do not speak for us and do not represent our sentiments.  Barack Obama is the front runner in the campaign for the Democratic nomination because he has the character, the policy proposals and the ability to unite this country around common ideals which value every human being regardless of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.  To claim that he is the front runner simply because he is Black, not only implies that his candidacy has no merit in its own right but also implies that women are powerless –whether because a Black man has received preferential treatment or whether Black women have neither the intelligence or the inclination to vote their conscience rather than their race. It promotes the idea that historically, White women are victims of Black men—an idea that has its origins in the racist discourse of the past in movies like “Birth of a Nation”.  It invites us to base our vote for President based upon fear and upon some kind of misbegotten racial pride. I have heard it said that White Women vote for Hillary as some kind of backlash against the fact that Black men received the vote before White Women.  My answer to that is that it was White Men not Black Men who refused to give White Women the vote for so long.    Why is it that the 3:00 AM phone ad pictured ONLY White girls and their White mother?  Don’t tell me that this was not a message to White women that the only way to safeguard yourself and your daughters is to elect a White woman as opposed to a Black man, as President.  If we, as a group are honest with ourselves, we will admit that this was one of the messages of that ad.  I, for one, am not deceived by it or by the invitation to victimhood that this ad represents. I was raised by a wonderful, strong, capable and blind White woman.  She was not rich.  Her mother was an alcoholic who was married six times.  She never knew her father.  She attended the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind in Florida from the time she was six until she graduated from high school.  She could have whined and complained about life but she didn’t.  She was smart and capable and strong.  Upon graduation from the St. Augustine school, she attended Barry College (now Barry University) on a full academic scholarship from the Lions Club.  She graduated cum laude with a degree in Music and Education.  She taught sighted children in fourth grade with the help of a sighted aide.  She married a sighted man and stayed married to him until he passed away.  She instilled in my sister and me, the values that one makes one’s own destiny by hard work, perseverance and merit.  My mother was not rich.  She did not go to Yale, had no famous mentors, and never made a public name for herself. Partly because she was blind, she never saw racial or ethnic differences in the people she met and taught us to look at a person’s character rather than their skin color, religion or accent. Through her, I met wonderful, strong women from all ethnic and racial backgrounds.  Some were disabled, some were Cuban refugees, some were Holocaust survivors from the local Hadassah who learned Braille and translated her textbooks for her, some were local community activists who sought to counter racial discrimination in disability services for African Americans.  None of these women whined or complained about their lives. I am sure that there are many White women whose mothers, in their own way, taught their daughters the valuable lessons that my mother taught me. I am equally sure that African American, Latina and Asian women learned these same lessons from their mothers. Unlike our mothers, these two women, Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton, privileged as they were and are, choose to whine that women (particularly White women) are somehow precluded Read the rest of this entry »

Both the democrats and republicans will be battling it out in the Wisconsin primary today.  Other states holding contests today include Hawaii with its Democratic caucus and Washington State with its GOP primary.  For the democrats there are 92 delegates up for grabs in Wisconsin and 20 delegates at stake in Hawaii.  For the republicans, Wisconsin has 40 delegates available and 19 delegates at stake in Washington state.  The real focus will be on Wisconsin today.  Both Obama and Clinton are neck and neck in the Copper State.  Wisconsin is a state made up of Clinton’s base, blue collar, working class, and only 6 percent african-americans.  Most would say that Wisconsin is tailor made for the Clintons, yet the Clinton campaign initially decided to pass on trying to win the state.   The Clinton campaign has said  that it does not have to win Wisconsin to win the nomination.  The question is whether Obama can pull out a win in the Badger State.  This is a very tight race between the two democratic candidates.  Turnout is expected to be record breaking, notwithstanding current weather conditions.

Barack Obama and John McCain has won all three contests within the Potomac primaries.  On the democratic side, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia gave Barack Obama significant victories over Hillary Clinton.  More specifically, Virginia was very significant.  Considered a sort of bellwether state, Obama won over voters that have previously voted for Clinton.  For example, Obama won the latino vote 53% to Clintons 37%.  In Virginia and Maryland, Obama won 59% of the women vote.  Obama split the Virginia overall white vote with Clinton by winning 48% of the total demographic.  Further, Obama also won heavily among white men in Virginia.  In addition, Obama won the catholic vote.  As for Obama’s across-the-isle appeal, republicans represented 8% of the vote in the Virginia democratic primary and Obama won 70% of their vote.  The Senator from Illinois has managed to broaden his coalition by reaching across the isle with a unifying message.  Both candidates were vying heavily for Virginia voters.  Clinton considered Virginia her best chance of a win within this group of contests.  However, Obama won a substantial victories over Clinton in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.  The final tally for Virginia is 64% to 35%, Maryland, 59% to 37% and the District of Columbia, 75% to 24%.  These wins will give Obama eight victories in a row thereby giving Obama a delegate lead over Clinton.  Before this contest, the Associated Press reported that Clinton lead with 1136 delegates to Obama’s 1108.  After the Potomac primaries, Obama takes the lead with 1210 delegates and Clinton falls slightly behind with 1188 delegates.  These AP totals includes Superdelegates.   Additionally, Obama has won a total of 21 states to Clinton’s 10.  The Clinton campaign has said that their focus is on the March 4th primaries of Ohio and Texas.  Clinton is already campaigning in the Lone Star State in hopes of building a firewall against the Obama momentum.  Though, continued wins by Obama could put a kink in Clinton’s strategy.  It will be difficult for the Clinton campaign to spin eight successive wins by Obama as insignificant.   As damage control, Clinton made telephone calls to several of her donors and supporters asking them to hang in there with her until Ohio and Texas.  However, if Obama’s momentum continues to build, Ohio and Texas may not be the result that the Clinton campaign expects. Obama has already hit the ground in Wisconsin campaigning for its primary on February 19th.  As for the Republicans, McCain also won all of the Potomac primaries.  It seems that McCain in winning over conservatives, at least he did so in Virginia and Maryland.  The final tallys were Virginia, McCain 50% and Huckabee 41%, in Maryland McCain 59% and Huckabee 29%. and the District of Columbia, McCain 68% and 35%.  Virginia is especially significant due the large amount of conservatives in that state.  The fact that McCain won Virginia may be an indication that the tide may be turning and the far right of the GOP has begun to rally around the Arizona senator.  Huckabee was hoping to win Virginia to legitimize his continued participation in the race.  However, the former Arkansas govenor is not dropping out and vows to stay in the race uintil McCain hits the magic number of 1191 delegates.   The McCain campaign has labeled the affable Arkansan an “irritant.” After McCain’s win of Virginia, most have concluded that he is the Republican nominee.  There isn’t a math calculation that adds up to Huckabee becoming the GOP nominee for the 2008 Presidential niomination.  As a side note:  Clinton’s deputy campaign manager, Mike Henry, resigns.

Mitt Romney has just dropped out of the republican race for president of the United States.  Mitt Romney has effectively suspended his campaign.  Two remaining.  I suspect that we will be hearing from Mike Huckabee soon.  Mitt Romney will confirm his decision during his speech today at CPAC . CPAC is the Conservative Political Action Conference and is hosted by the American Conservative Union.  Romney said during his speech that if he were to continue, he would be aiding a Clinton or Obama win.  The former Massachussetts govenor said that he disagrees with McCain on a lot of issues but agrees with him regarding the Iraq war.  Romney then said that in this time of war, he must step aside. My question is…what will Huckabee and McCain do now that they don’t have Romney to pick on?  For now, it seems that Huckabee will continue his campaign and will speak to CPAC tomorrow morning in an attempt to convince it that he is the viable conservative candidate.  

It being reported by NBC that Hillary Clinton has just given her campaign a $5 million dollar loan.   Wow….that cannot be a good sign considering that the Obama campaign raised an astronomical $32 million just during the month of January.  See below.

From NBC’s Andrea Mitchell
Breaking news, just in time for Clinton’s press conference at 4:00 pm ET: Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million late last month to remain competitive financially with Obama. 

Said communications director Howard Wolfson in an email to NBC News: “Late last month Senator Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million.  The loan illustrates Sen. Clinton’s commitment to this effort and to ensuring that our campaign has the resources it needs to compete and win across this nation. We have had one of our best fundraising efforts ever on the Web today and our Super Tuesday victories will only help in bringing more support for her candidacy.”

Though this does not look good at first glance, I am sure that it is merely a minor glitch in the campaign.  Though it does raise eyebrows as to whether her base support is as strong as is being claimed.

The first primary decision of the day is Mike Huckabee takes West Virginia.  After the first round of the caucus in West Virginia, Romney led.  However, at the second round, McCain voters gave Huckabee their support thereby giving Mike Huckabee the win.