Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere April 6, 2008

The conventional wisdom still has Senator Barack Obama ahead of Senator Hillary Clinton. Why do so many people hate Clinton? And is there a little-advertised way Democratic candidates can make it more likely that they win elections? Here’s our latest linkfest taking you to blogs of varying viewpoints, with a few comments of our own. Links do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers.

A New Poll Spells Bad News For The Republicans and Poliblog has the details.

A Way A Democratic Party Candidate Is More Likely To Win Election is (no joke) appearing on The Colbert Report.

Speaking Of Comedy Shows, Clinton Appeared On Leno and Dean Esmay has the video and wonders why some people virtually hate Hillary Clinton.

Bill Maher Has Some Advice for Democrats who want to Hillary Clinton to drop her bid.

It’s Obama Versus Clinton in North Dakota and Hillary Clinton is now arguing that pledged delegates can change their votes. The problem: for many many years Democrats, Republicans, liberals, centrists and conservatives all assumed that when they voted for delegates in a primary the delegates voted for the candidates they were pledged to vote for — not for a candidate they voted against. If balloting went way beyond the first ballot, you could see some shifts. If pledged delegates simply shifted allegiances because an opposing candidate made a verbal pitch to them, they would be in hot water politically and any candidate that got the nomination that way would face election obstacles. If he or she was elected, the candidate would take office as a highly polarizing figure who would have no reservoir of good will to fall back on when inevitable crises occurred. The biggest beneficiary of pledged delegates switching would be John McCain.

But Obama Has Problems Too: From the standpoint of Hillary Clinton supporters, the refusal to seat Michigan and Florida could cost Obama in November if he gets the nomination. See Taylor Marsh for that perspective.

Criticism Of Hillary Clinton’s Economic Plan From A Blogger – former Clinton administration Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. Yes, he has a blog (WANNA EXCHANGE LINKS?)

Clinton Had Another Verbal Inaccuracy Problem and although Hot Air’s lively Allahpundit among others blasts her for it, it seems as if this one has been as damaging as the I-ducked-sniper fire Bosnia fiasco. But these kinds of things will take a toll on the Clinton campaign as time goes on. It means that reporters and editors will now closely check and cross-check her every assertion. If this is due to sloppy campaign management (and this one sounds like it was poor staff-work) then Clinton needs to transfer or bring in some new staffers.

The “Moron Arguments” Of The Blogosphere (which come to full fruition during presidential campaigns) are dissected HERE.

Is GOP Presumptive Nominee John McCain Attacking Barack Obama For Being Too Self-Centered? Ann Althouse looks at the issue.

Steve Clemons Visits Room 871 of the Mayflower Hotel — A Room With INCREDIBLE Political Hubris in this MUST-READ POST of the day. Read it all for the total context but here is one quote that is interesting. Looking at the room and its hubris (which he explains) Clemons writes:

It reflects how I feel about Hillary Clinton’s Bosnia sniper story — or Barack Obama’s claims that he will stop climate change, end American dependence on foreign oil. Room 871 reminds me of John McCain’s walk through an Iraqi marketplace in a flak jacket and several squads of protective sniper and police forces. It reminds me of the Clinton’s $109 million take in eight years — and Hillary’s feigned surprise yesterday that her husband really could make money when he left public service. The room reminds of Obama getting a stage and sound crew to produce a tape — with echo effects and all — re-creating his October 2002 opposition to the Iraq War.

I think Barack Obama is going to win the Democratic primary in the end, but none of these folks deserves an easy win. I think it’s going to be a close race between McCain and the Dem nominee that is punctuated by bubbles of overstatement, hyperbole, just going too far with gravity-defying platitudes and rhetoric, and then busts when reality punctures the silliness.

Republicans Have A Huge Obstacle In 2008: the sagging economy (which conservative talker Sean Hannity last week said was merely undergoing an adjustment). Read Daniel DeRito’s take on it — and how GWB has now stumbled himself into a situation similar to his father’s.

For Those Who Think Obama Has Gotten A Pass From Maureen Dowd Tom Watson says think again. He says she has her “gaydar” on “stun.”

Anti War Conservatives Who Vote For Obama Will Be Disappointed predicts Professor Steven Bainbridge.

The Clintons Tax Returns: Donald Sensing (one of the best conservative bloggers) applauds the Clintons for what he sees.

Another Take On The Tax Returns: Red State.com notes that the Clinton’s charity begins at home.

A Blogger Covers A Hillary Clinton Rally In Oregon and gives full plus and minus details HERE.

Bob Barr May Run As A Libertarian but will he have an impact? Quite possibly…yes.

If You Look At The McCain And Obama Bumper Stickers you can see a big difference.