Election '08: Primaries

[JerseyBoy]

Remember in the heated exchanges during the SC debate when Hillary accused Obama for representing a slum lord in Chicago back in the 90s? The slum lords name is Tony Rezko and a photo has surfaced which shows Bill and Hillary Clinton posing with Mr Tony Rezko back in the 90s. Well Well Well....

"I was fighting against those ideas when you were practicing law and representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago"

What a corrupt b - - - h

[tombarnes]

I'm speechless. Hillary and Co. will stop at nothing to get the nomination. Now she thinks that she should get the delegates from Florida and Michigan. Never mind that all agreed to the rules beforehand. Hillary does not play well with others.

Yahoo News

[Gusterfell]

^Did Hillary "agree to the rules?" By being the only major candidate not to remove her name from the ballot in Michigan, she could make the case that she never agreed with the idea of stripping states of their delegates. I don't see what's wrong with her arguing that these voters should have their votes count for something, and I find Obama's criticism of her on this issue to be opportunistic and distasteful.

[tombarnes]

If you are playing party politics, then you adhere to the rules of the party. The biggest problem with Hillary is that she does not ever appear to believe that rules apply to her. Why should she receive delegates when other candidates followed the rules of the party and withdrew their names accordingly? This isn't about disenfranchising anyone. It's a naked power-grab from someone used to getting her way. If Obama were in the same situation she'd be screaming at the top of her lungs to have the delegates expunged. I have had enough of the Clintons' duplicity. It will be a sad day for this country if she is elected.

[cityboi]

The only way Hillary would win the presidency is if she made Bill Clinton her running mate

[krazeeboi]

And as I predicted after his Iowa victory, Obama won in SC. It was pretty easy to see this time around. Super Tuesday is going to be really, really interesting. Obama will most likely take his own state, and I think his chances are good in Georgia and Alabama. I expect Clinton to definitely take New York and Arkansas. I have no idea on how things will shake up in the other states. I wonder how California in particular will vote.

I saw this quote from an article I read just a few minutes ago about Obama's SC win:

Following a week of sharp attacks between the Obama and Clinton campaigns in which race became a factor, Obama's relatively small share of white supporters in South Carolina could raise questions about his ability to attract those voters in the crucial Super Tuesday contests on Feb. 5, when nearly half the country will vote.

[kayman]

I agree Krazeeboi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee are going to likely going towards Obama. Now Arkansas (which is toss up) is going to likely lean towards Clinton, but yeah California, Missouri, and New York along with the 17 other states are going to be battleground states. Anyways, I'm enjoying the fact that the people saw through the Clintons' BS and I will be attending the Obama rally here in Birmingham tomorrow.

[Gusterfell]

^California will almost certainly go to Clinton, due to its large Latino population. The Clintons are very popular with Latinos, who historically have not shown much support to black candidates. Obama can certainly expect to win a decent number of California's delegates, but Clinton will easily win the state.

As for South Carolina, I don't think anyone is surprised that Obama won. The good news for him is that his margin of victory looks to be significantly greater than the 12% lead polls showed before today.

I wonder how Stephen Colbert would have done had he been allowed on the ballot.

Enjoy the rally, Leonard! The bad part about living here in the bluest of blue states is that the candidates don't spend much time here.

[runawayjim]

As for South Carolina, I don't think anyone is surprised that Obama won. The good news for him is that his margin of victory looks to be significantly greater than the 12% lead polls showed before today.

[monsoon]

Gosh. Obama's victory speech in SC was truly inspiring and uniting. One only has to look at the crowd of supporters behind Obama, as compared to any other candidate, to see that something truly different is occurring with him and hopefully he will bring positive change to a country that is tired and worn out from 30 years of Bush and Clintons running things.

[cityboi]

It was almost like I was listening to John Kennedy when I heard Obama speak. Obama really has a chance here and Caroline Kennedy just endorsed Obama.

[tombarnes]

Ted Kennedy is Expected to Endorse Obama

What are everyone's thoughts about Ted Kennedy's anticipated endorsement of Obama tomorrow? While I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the Kennedy clan, the endorsement might carry a lot of weight. It would be nice to see Al Gore or Edwards throw their weight behind Obama as well.

Yahoo News

[monsoon]

^More more important IMO is the fact that Carolyn Kennedy has come out and endorsed Obama in very vocal terms today in the NY Times. She said that Obama is the first candidate for President that has inspired her as she was told her dad did for a generation of young Americans almost 50 years ago. Carolyn has not been involved much in politics over the decades so it's a pretty genuine endorsement and it's felt this might also chip away at Clinton's support with older voters who fondly remember JFK.

As far as Ted Kennedy is concerned this is a reflection of the feeling of many Democrats on Bill Clinton's reprehensible behavior leading up to the SC primary.

[Raintree21]

Her quote was:

"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them, but for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president - not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."

I think that speaks volumes.

[kayman]

I just got back from the rally at Bartow Arena here in Birmingham and the place was full beyond buildings capacity of 9,000. There were folks sitting in the aisles of the arena to see and hear Obama speak. I took 2 pix b/c of where my friends and I were sitting, but I will try to upload the 1 of Obama if it is clear enough. After looking at the demographic of the crowd 45% black, 40% white, and 15% other, you can tell that many people from all backgrounds are wanting change of the way this country has been going.

[krazeeboi]

^California will almost certainly go to Clinton, due to its large Latino population. The Clintons are very popular with Latinos, who historically have not shown much support to black candidates. Obama can certainly expect to win a decent number of California's delegates, but Clinton will easily win the state.

[JDC]

^ Unless Bill Richardson endorses Obama before February 5.

[Rural King]

I agree Krazeeboi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee are going to likely going towards Obama. Now Arkansas (which is toss up) is going to likely lean towards Clinton, but yeah California, Missouri, and New York along with the 17 other states are going to be battleground states. Anyways, I'm enjoying the fact that the people saw through the Clintons' BS and I will be attending the Obama rally here in Birmingham tomorrow.

[monsoon]

Mitt Romney has gotten the endorsement from Dick Cheney. I am not sure if this isn't the real kiss of death since he has the distinction of being the only national politician in the country that has a lower approval rating than Bush.

[kayman]

Obama needs to get on the air with TV ads in Tennessee so the passive voter not really following the race can be reached. Clinton is running VERY strong spots on the 10 O'clock news broadcast in the Memphis and Jackson media markets, I would wager to bet the same could be said for the Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Tri-City markets as well. The spots effectively and clearly emphasis traditional democratic themes with the sort of strong populist undertones that play well in states like Tennessee. Obama needs to get on air and make his appeal for his vision to the electorate or else much of the electorate will see Clinton as the only serious choice out there and/or that Obama is not seriously seeking their vote. This is also true as far as campaign stops go as well, Clinton has already been in Nashville and Memphis, so again she can be actively seen courting the voters here and Obama is going to have to match those visits - now albeit he stayed in SC to give his victory speech while Clinton was able to already be in Nashville on a new campaign swing after having abandoned SC.

I would agree though that Tennessee seems like a state that Obama should be very competative in, however former Governor Ned Ray McWherter is supporting Clinton and that is probably the most key endorsement a candidate can have in this state. McWherter still holds powerful sway over many of the party faithful within the Democratic electorate statewide, esp. with the rural and heavily Democratic West Tennessee voters outside of Memphis. So I would have to give the edge to Clinton out of the gate, but I would not count Obama out as far as winning a good share of the delegates or even an upset it things line were to line up just right.

[cityboi]

All the Kennedys are backing Obama including JFK's daughter Caroline and Ted Kennedy. Ted said he was put off by Clinton's campaign tactics, which he said he believed unfairly injected racial into the campaign, and relied on factual distortions to attack Obama. Before the endorsement, Bill Clinton personally pleaded with Ted to stay neutral. I really am losing repect for the Clintons because they play dirty politics.

Ted Kennedy’s endorsement was highly sought after by all the Democratic candidates. Besides his status as a liberal icon and member of the Kennedy dynasty, Kennedy boasts a broad national fundraising and political network as well. That will help Obama nationally.

[runawayjim]

i am getting tired of bill clinton. i don't consider it hillary campaigning in a state unless she is there. hopefully others will see through it. they're not voting for bill, they're voting for her.

[cityboi]

The Kennedys represent the backbone of the democratic party, not the Clintons. I think The Kennedy Endorsements for Obama could have a huge effect on the outcome of this whole thing. Oprah needs to do alot more campaigning too. Oprah has more influence than anyone. She was a big reason people started supporting him in the beginning. The Kennedys combined with Oprah would give Obama the national appeal to beat out Hillary on a national level the way he did in South Carolina.

[monsoon]

We will know more in a little over 24 hours when the Fla primary is over, but it is appearing the GOP race is becoming one between McCain and Romney who spent today just hammering each other in Florida.

Guiliani may pull a rabbit out of the hat, but it is appearing that his campaign is quickly dying. Some have suggested that he appears just "wierd" these days.

Huckabee may survive for a while but I would be surprised if he gains the nomination.

[Charlotteman]

The Kennedys represent the backbone of the democratic party, not the Clintons.