Wednesday’s campaign round-up

April 16, 2008

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* There’s no shortage of polls out there today. LA Times/Bloomberg polled three upcoming Democratic contests and found Clinton leading Obama in Pennsylvania (46-41), Obama leading Clinton in Indiana (40-35), and Obama up big in North Carolina (47-34).

* Franklin and Marshall College has Clinton up by five in Pennsylvania (46-41), while Strategic Vision (R) has her up by nine (49-40). Public Policy Polling (D) is the oddball, showing Obama up in Pennsylvania by three (45-42).

* The Obama campaign has a new TV ad up in Pennsylvania, responding to Clinton’s ad attacking him for the “bitter” controversy. The Obama spot emphasizes the booing Clinton heard emphasizing the controversy on Monday before a labor union.

* Speaking of unions, Clinton was endorsed this morning by the 45,000-member Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association, which the AP noted, “timed its announcement for Clinton’s speech Wednesday before the AFL-CIO’s Building Trades National Legislative Conference.”

* And speaking of endorsements, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette backed Obama today.

* In an even higher-profile endorsement, Bruce Springsteen threw his support to Obama this morning.

* The Clinton campaign announced yesterday morning that that roughly 100 mayors in Pennsylvania would endorse her at the same time.

* Don’t expect McCain to pick a pro-choice running mate.

* Top strategists for Al Gore and John Kerry aren’t especially pleased that Clinton had some unkind remarks about their campaigns over the weekend.

* For all the recent talk about Obama and small towns in Pennsylvania, the Huffington Post noted, “[I]t is Obama, not Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has received the majority of donations from these very same Keystone State communities.”

* Lieberman is still open to giving the keynote address at the Republican National Convention.

* Barney Frank wants somebody to drop out by June 3.

* Could Obama turn North Dakota blue in November?

* Mike Huckabee’s HuckPAC is born, vowing to raise money to support Republican candidates. But didn’t Huckabee have trouble raising money for his own campaign?

* We’ve heard this before, but tonight’s debate may actually be the last one between Clinton and Obama.

The Obama campaign has a new TV ad up in Pennsylvania, responding to Clinton’s ad attacking him for the “bitter” controversy. The Obama spot emphasizes the booing Clinton heard emphasizing the controversy on Monday before a labor union.

Those guys know too well in their own lives every day that Obama was right. The Empress dug her hole deeper.

Top strategists for Al Gore and John Kerry aren’t especially pleased that Clinton had some unkind remarks about their campaigns over the weekend.

Give credit where credit is due – even a stopped clock is right twice a day. The morons and idiots who ran the Gore and Kerry campaigns should be mocked – they’re the ones who screwed the pooch and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Lieberman is still open to giving the keynote address at the Republican National Convention.

A friend called him a “dancing monkey” the other day, but we decided that was an insult to intelligent creatures.

  • Good for Mr. Next Generation. An endorsement from a rock star that only the youngsters know or care about, another endorsement from a newspaper in a mostly black city and a poll that favors Obama in Indiana (which is right next to Illinois and probably exactly like it, so who is surprised?).

    And how is mentioning all this not contributing to the swiftboating of Senator Clinton? You could have written a whole post about the 100 mayors that endorsed her, but instead you just put it in the middle of a long list of “news” items about Mr. Everybody Loves Me. People who have been paying attention, and by that I mean women, know that it’s the act of reporting on all this stuff that creates the illusion that Mr. Shiny New Toy is doing better than Senator Clinton. If you tell people enough times that Obama is winning in pledged delegates, popular vote, states, polls, dollars and donors, the very act of repeating it creates the erroneous belief that Clinton is losing.

  • So what happened to the poll that showed Clinton ahead by 20 or so in Pennsylvania? Did they start asking real people now or what?

  • IFP: Wow. I mean, just, wow. I want to have that one framed.

    And yes, Obama has Springsteen, but Hillary has Elton John in her corner. Just which one do you think will resonate more with the working-class voters of Pennsylvania’s small towns? If you think it’s the guy in blue jeans singing “Born in the U.S.A.,” you are an elitist.

  • I don’t want to sound like some idiot who thinks all contiguous states are comparable, but what’s the deal with the big differences between North and South Dakota in terms of Obama vs. McCain? Why do polls have McCain crushing Obama in SD and Obama with a chance to beat McCain in ND?

    Can someone with a far better political knowledge of these states than I have shed some light?

  • IFP, “a rock star that only the youngsters know or care about?” Dude, I’m 40 and my mother was way into Bruce, so much so that it made him kind of uncool for me (I now feel unfairly).

  • Well, I’ve never heard of him, jhm, so I suspect you’re playing the ageism game. That’s a big favorite of the supporters of Mr. Still Gets Carded.

  • In hindsight….yeah, I have to go with Mr. Cleaver on the Gore/Kerry campaigns. At the time I was quite surprised they lost. But that was before I understood that taking the high-road didn’t mean not fighting back. Rather, it meant fighting back with truth against the GOP’s lies. Obama and Clinton are actually doing that this time, making me hopeful that whichever one gets the nod from us will get the White House in November.

  • Maria @ #5, I have never set foot in either Dakota, but I do know that contiguous states often have rivalries . . . even to the point of having opposing political persuasions. One of my best friends is a native Vermonter, and I know better than to talk at length about my time living in New Hampshire when I’m around her, as she will visibly bristle!

  • Maria, maybe we’re thinking of the wrong bordering states.

    Just anecdotally speaking, everyone I’ve met from N.D. seems like the folks from neighboring Minnesota, while everyone I’ve met from S.D. seems like they’re from neighboring Nebraska. That’s based on sample groups of 3 and 2, so probably not too scientific, but that might explain the differences.

    Plus, they always say siblings try to act different from one another. The Dakotas are no different.

  • This is where IFP starts to come off as totally self-satirizing… Springsteen as a “youngster.” Indiana “is exactly the same as Illinois” (I work with people from Indy who would be clamoring for your blood). Clinton “is getting swiftboated.”

    My personal favorite is:

    “If you tell people enough times that Obama is winning in pledged delegates, popular vote, states, polls, dollars and donors, the very act of repeating it creates the erroneous belief that Clinton is losing.” (emphasis mine)

    priceless…

  • NB and jhm: You’ve been had.

    IFP is a spoof. It isn’t self-satirizing, it’s Mary-satirizing.

  • Guys, I think “Insane Fake Professor” is joking. J-O-K-I-N-G.

    This is why liberals lose, or at least liberals like you people, you literal-minded bores.

  • The morons and idiots who ran the Gore and Kerry campaigns should be mocked – they’re the ones who screwed the pooch and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

    Indeed. I’d like to be sure that whoever thought Liebershit would be a good VP is now safely tied up so they cannot advise Obama about anything. Obviously Al signed off on the deal, and I would love to hear his current opinion of that decision.

  • 4. TR said: And yes, Obama has Springsteen, but Hillary has Elton John in her corner. Just which one do you think will resonate more with the working-class voters of Pennsylvania’s small towns? If you think it’s the guy in blue jeans singing “Born in the U.S.A.,” you are an elitist.

    Elton did sing Philadelphia Freedom, so that has to count for something with the unwashed masses.

  • and a poll that favors Obama in Indiana (which is right next to Illinois and probably exactly like it, so who is surprised?)

    Ah, the Insane Fake Professor is clearly ensconced at a Fancypants Elite East Coast university and has spent little time in the Great American Heartland. Otherwise she would know that Indiana rules because one can purchase all sorts of dangerous fireworks there at places like Krazy Kaplan’s. Those same explosives are verboten in Illinois, which, if not exactly unconstitutional, is not very fun.

    As someone who has owned cars in both states, I’d also add that it seemed perfectly OK for me to drive around with a duct-tape and chicken-wire enhanced car in Indiana, while that is apparently not OK in pantywaist Illinois. Bah humbug, I say.

  • Maria, see SDakota has the Black Hills, which have carved into them the likenesses of 4 Presidents.And a loser state like NDakota doesn’t. So it goes to follow that SDakota is more patriotic and therefore votes more Republican. Sure birth of a nation type events happened in Mass., Penn., et al. But those places aren’t as patriotic as Sdakota. Not even Washington DC because it only has 1 statue of a President. The Washington and Jefferson memorials are hardly representative. Mt Rushmore has at least 2 Republican presidents, and the party claims the founders are their own as well. And so, if they hadn’t had to appease the Dems FDR would never have been up there with such otherwise better men. Therefore, by their proximity SDakotans are the uber patritots and I’ve heard tell that if your heart is not purely Republican, Lincoln’s eyes follow you everywhere and Teddy R will haunt your dreams for the rest of your days!

    /snark. Nah, I think TR is closer to right with yhe MN/NE thang.

  • /snark. Nah, I think TR is closer to right with yhe MN/NE thang.

    Maybe so, but your version was highly entertaining!

  • The Obama spot emphasizes the booing Clinton heard emphasizing the controversy on Monday before a labor union.
    Yeah, he amplified to booing and moved it to a different part of her speech.
    Is this honest ladies and gentlemen?
    No. What a turn off.

    My brother is a big Obama supporter who defends Obama’s cling remark as OK because it is true.
    Indeed, he is looking down on the folks in small Pennsylvania towns. They cling to religion, guns and bias out of frustration.

  • #21 I wrote: Three videos I came across this morning to check out (unless you’re Greg or Mary):

    Add “or Nell” to the list.

    :-p

  • Well, shoot… It’s no fun to satirize Mary when Mary doesn’t hang out any more… Seriously though, I started realizing this last night.

    Nell, you could post the original video, so people could see that to boos and calls of “no” were, in fact, not moved, but were indeed amplified.

    Still, I don’t understand why you think it’s unreasonable for them to amplify the calls of “boo.” I know my grandfather can barely hear anything, and probably wouldn’t know what the hell the commercial was talking about with that sound amplification. It does create a somewhat skewed sense of how loud the calls were , but i don’t feel it creates the impression of those sentiments being more prevalent in the audience (as compared to the original clip).

    What were your feelings when Clinton darkened Obama’s skin for that ad back in February?

  • Still, I don’t understand why you think it’s unreasonable for them to amplify the calls of “boo.” -NB

    I doubt the veracity of Nell’s claim, but I’d like to point out that Nell’s righteous indignation was not present when the Clinton campaign distorted Obama’s face and darkened his skin for an ad.

    Apparently in her myopic world, that is okay, but amplification is dishonest.

    Nell, how about proving your case instead of just spamming it in every comment seciton?

  • North Dakota had their caucus Feb 5th. South Dakota’s will be June 3rd. Obama did some personal campaigning in ND and hasn’t done much yet in SD. That could explain some of the difference between the two in polling right now.

    Growing up in ND, my experience was that the difference in the Dakotas is not North and South but East and West. Fancy city slickers (Fargo and Sioux Falls) and farmers in the east and rugged ranchers and oil workers in the west. And, yes, I did grow up thinking that Fargo and Sioux Falls were big cities full of big city slickers.

  • MY FELLOW BITTER, STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE.

    YOU MIGHT BE AN IDIOT, TOO 🙁

    If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of BITTER!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. 🙁

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. 🙂

    Best regards

    jacksmith… Working Class 🙂

    p.s.

    If you don’t know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering…

    You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

    You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. 🙂

    Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. And I could go on, and on…

  • DON’T BE DUPED !!!

    Large numbers of Republicans have been voting for Barack Obama in the DEMOCRATIC primaries, and caucuses from early on. Because they feel he would be a weaker opponent against John McCain. With Hillary Clinton you are almost 100% certain to get quality, affordable universal health care very soon.

    But first, all of you have to make certain that Hillary Clinton takes the democratic nomination and then the Whitehouse. NOW! is the time. THIS! is the moment you have all been working, and waiting for. You can do this America. “Carpe diem” (harvest the day).

    I think Hillary Clinton see’s a beautiful world of plenty for all. She’s a woman, and a mother. And it’s time America. Do this for your-selves, and your children’s future. You will have to work together on this and be aggressive, relentless, and creative. Americans face an even worse catastrophe ahead than the one you are living through now.

    You see, the medical and insurance industry mostly support the republicans with the money they ripped off from you. And they don’t want you to have quality, affordable universal health care. They want to be able to continue to rip you off, and kill you and your children by continuing to deny you life saving medical care that you have already paid for. So they can continue to make more immoral profits for them-selves.

    Hillary Clinton has actually won by much larger margins than the vote totals showed. And lost by much smaller vote margins than the vote totals showed. Her delegate count is actually much higher than it shows. And higher than Obama’s. She also leads in the electoral college numbers that you must win to become President in the November national election. HILLARY CLINTON IS ALREADY THE TRUE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE!

    As much as 30% of Obama’s primary, and caucus votes are Republicans trying to choose the weakest democratic candidate for McCain to run against. These Republicans have been gaming the caucuses where it is easier to vote cheat. This is why Obama has not been able to win the BIG! states primaries. Even with Republican vote cheating help.

    Hillary Clinton has been OUT MANNED! OUT GUNNED! and OUT SPENT! 4 and 5 to 1. Yet Obama has only been able to manage a very tenuous, and questionable tie with Hillary Clinton.

    If Obama is the democratic nominee for the national election in November he will be slaughtered. Because the Republican vote cheating help will suddenly evaporate. All of this vote fraud and republican manipulation has made Obama falsely look like a much stronger candidate than he really is. YOUNG PEOPLE. DON’T BE DUPED! Think about it. You have the most to lose.

    The democratic party needs to fix this outrage. Everyone needs to throw all your support to Hillary Clinton NOW! So you can end this outrage against YOU the voter, and against democracy.

    The democratic party, and the super-delegates have a decision to make. Are the democrats, and the democratic party going to choose the DEMOCRATIC party nominee to fight for the American people. Or are the republicans going to choose the DEMOCRATIC party nominee through vote fraud, and gaming the DEMOCRATIC party primaries, and caucuses.

    Fortunately the Clinton’s have been able to hold on against this fraudulent outrage with those repeated dramatic comebacks of Hillary Clinton’s. Only the Clinton’s are that resourceful, and strong. Hillary Clinton is your NOMINEE. They are the best I have ever seen.

    “This is not a game” (Hillary Clinton)

    Sincerely

    jacksmith… Working Class 🙂

  • This 53 year old “chick” saw Bruce for the first in 1975 when she was still wild and innocent. My personal American dream is to see him a second time, at the inauguration! 🙂

    Thank you Bruce. You still rock my world.

    (and thanks Hannah for the “white-haired women” vid! totally awesome!)

    Let the healing begin!

  • Isn’t it interesting how “Mary” goes away, and all the other frantic crazies show up?

    Coinkydinky? I think not. Gotta be a tag team.

  • ahhhh… here comes jacksh*t…errr jacksmith… again with his shouting and hysterics.

  • Wow. And they say Obama’s supporters are cultist…

    I sincerely hope that felt good and that the poster was paid for his or her time.

  • “…a poll that favors Obama in Indiana (which is right next to Illinois and probably exactly like it…”

    you’re exactly right, ifp. we here in chicago frequently say that indiana is JUST like illinois… if you take out chicago.

  • you’re exactly right, ifp. we here in chicago frequently say that indiana is JUST like illinois… if you take out chicago.

    I could’ve sworn that a good chunk of northern Indiana was part of the metro Chicago area…

  • It would appear that a good portion of the human race isn’t keeping up with evolution. Let’s hope we survive our baser instincts long enough to bring them along.

  • In an even higher-profile endorsement, Bruce Springsteen threw his support to Obama this morning.

    And The Boss’ endorsement in 2004 was responsible for Kerry/Edwards winning PA, IMHO. And I think without the election day shenanigans may have been the edge the Dem ticket needed to win in Ohio. Don’t underestimate the power of The Boss in blue collar voters minds.

  • Wow, I had no idea that Hillary was already the Democratic nominee.

    jackshit, what the hell are you smoking? Whatever it is, please get help soon.

  • Obama should not win the nomination.

    Do the math………

    He knew what he was saying when he insulted the people of Pennsylvania. And to top it off, he ‘made light of it’ …….basically laughing in their faces.

    America does not need a president who slams the people.

    Now Strongely for Hillary Clinton

  • For once and for all you know-it-alls…

    If people from PA said they were not offended and that Obama was on target then HOW IN THE WORLD CAN SOME OF YOU who do NOT live in PA decide whether or not PA is offended?

    The truth is the truth. If your feelings are hurt then that is one thing. But that doesn’t make the statement a lie. And it doesn’t mean the speaker set out to insult people. Who would do that when they are hoping for people’s votes? Don’t be so stupid!

    What is condescening is Hillary and McCain trying to identify with Pennsylvanians by saying that they are not bitter but good, hardworking people. NO DUH!!!

    Everyone is a hardworking person. Those people in PA rightfully booed her. They should have gotten out the gong show hook and threw her off the stage.

  • * In an even higher-profile endorsement, Bruce Springsteen threw his support to Obama this morning. — CB

    My (83yr old) husband will be disappointed. He’s a fan of Springsteen (we both are) but not so much of Obama…

  • Maria,

    Dat @ 25 is more nearly on the mark than others have been. The boundary that matters is the Missouri River, not the border. Also, in both states, because they’re so small, politics is much more retail than in almost any other state — it’s about the candidate, not the party, much of the time.

    West of the Missouri there’s a much higher percentage of people who just don’t like the tendency of the Democratic party’s legislation and governments to interfere with what the locals see as their God-given right to rape the land, kill the wildlife, and exploit any local people that differ, in ethnicity, language, or race, from themselves.

  • Well the part that resonated with me is Hillary saying that we are in a very lopsided relationship with China, and that we need to be more competitive so that we can gain a better foothold here. That is as compared to all the weird NAFTA re-negotiation drama from Obama’s corner, I don’t think we ever got a clarification on that, it just went poof!

    I’m not entirely thrilled with Hillary, but I’m voting for her mostly due to the fact that Obama’s pie is in the sky and therefore subject to the law of gravity.

    I also don’t take any sort of comfort from Trinity and arguments that are even invading my own email group which say things like “God is cursing America economically and it is up to the pro-reparation people to force everyone to give them lots of money so that God will again bless America again economically…” How thoughtful, so Christian really, they are doing it for our own good…. I-I, think I feel a tear running down my nose…. so touching! 😉

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