Barack Obama fascinates me. He can give speeches like no one else in a long time. As I've said before, he reminds me of many a black preacher I heard growing up. He's a black man that seems to appeal beyond African Americans to persons from various walks of life and states that have low concentrations of African Americans. But he also troubles me. Not in some … [Read more...] about Will Barack Obama Really Appeal to Centrists?
Bush’s Visit is Like a ‘Performance Enhancing Drug’ for Benin President Yayi
It's hard to imagine the impact of a visit by an American head of state on an obscure country like Benin, but one can get a gist of it by reading the almost unimaginable local coverage of President Bush's visit. According to this article from Benin's Liberte, "An accurate accounting of the American Number One's praise is capable of raising the Boni Yayi regime to a … [Read more...] about Bush’s Visit is Like a ‘Performance Enhancing Drug’ for Benin President Yayi
Michelle Obama Speaks for Me
I have to say it. In response to the lovely and talented Taylor Marsh's "Michelle Obama Does Not Speak for Me": Michelle Obama speaks for me... For the first time in my adult life, I'm overflowing with pride in my country because of Senator Barack Obama's run for the White House. Oh I've been been brimming with pride in my country (post 9/11 unity) during my adult life. … [Read more...] about Michelle Obama Speaks for Me
Wisconsin Primary Day
Well, it's Wisconsin Primary Day, at long last, and the polls seem to suggest that Obama is ahead, but not by much, and perhaps not at all. Obama holds a 13-point lead according to Public Policy Polling, with a lead of 49 to 45 among Democrats and a huge 2-1 lead among Republicans and independents, and American Research Group actually has Clinton up by 6 points, but other … [Read more...] about Wisconsin Primary Day
Gallup Poll: Obama Gains Among Hispanics, Women And Middle-Aged
A new Gallup Poll reports that Senator Barack Obama is gaining "momentum" overall nationwide --and is making key gains in groups long thought to be pillars of support for his chief rival for the 2008 Democratic nomination Senator Hillary Clinton: The momentum in the Democratic nomination race has clearly swung toward Barack Obama. Not only has he won all of the post-Super … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Obama Gains Among Hispanics, Women And Middle-Aged
Pakistan Election Results: “Eternal Vigilance Is The Price Of Liberty”
Pakistan's private Geo TV network said the political party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and another party led by former premier Nawaz Sharif had so far won 153 seats, more than half of the 272-seat National Assembly. While Pakistan's ruling party conceded defeat to the opposition Tuesday in parliamentary elections...that could threaten the rule of President … [Read more...] about Pakistan Election Results: “Eternal Vigilance Is The Price Of Liberty”
Has Obama Been Sufficiently Vetted to Survive the GOP Machine?
Larry C. Johnson of No Quarter has been arguing for quite some time that Obama is insufficiently vetted to withstand attacks from the right. In a recent piece in The Huffington Post, he discusses the basis of his concerns. And while I don't agree by any means with all Johnson's conclusions about Obama's candidacy or Obama himself, the warnings he has sounded and the red flags … [Read more...] about Has Obama Been Sufficiently Vetted to Survive the GOP Machine?
A Blogospheric Coming of Age Moment
The George Polk Award inevitably plays second fiddle to the Pulitzer Prize, but it commands just as much respect from journalists. This makes the award of a Polk this morning to Josh Marshall and his staff at Talking Points Memo -- the first time that a blog has been honored -- so sweet and well deserved. Josh started TPM back in 2000 as a bit of a lark, but it has grown … [Read more...] about A Blogospheric Coming of Age Moment
The Politico: Hillary Clinton Campaign Targets Obama’s PLEDGED Delegates (UPDATED)
Question: has the Democratic party EVER seen anything like this? The Politico: Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign intends to go after delegates whom Barack Obama has already won in the caucuses and primaries if she needs them to win the nomination. This strategy was confirmed to me by a high-ranking Clinton official on Monday. And I am not talking about … [Read more...] about The Politico: Hillary Clinton Campaign Targets Obama’s PLEDGED Delegates (UPDATED)
McCain Wiggles On Public Financing
Hat tip to the Talking Points Memo "As The Washington Post reported on Saturday, John McCain’s campaign struck a canny deal with a bank in December. If his campaign tanked, public funds would be there to bail him out. But if he emerged as the nominee, there’d be no need for public financing, since the contributions would come flowing. It’s an arrangement that no one has … [Read more...] about McCain Wiggles On Public Financing
Legitimate Doubts About McCain
E.J. Dionne writes that Dems Should Challenge McCain on Terror If McCain's central "transcendent challenge" to defeat radical Islamic extremists claim falls apart on close examination, the best rationale he has for his election would disappear. ...Presumably, he's saying that Islamic extremism is more important than everything else -- the rise of China and India as global … [Read more...] about Legitimate Doubts About McCain
Legitimate Doubts about Obama
David Brooks of the New York Times raises legitimate questions about Obama's trans-partisanship: Barack Obama vowed to abide by the public finance campaign-spending rules in the general election if his opponent did. But now he’s waffling on his promise. Why does he need to check with his campaign staff members when deciding whether to keep his word? Obama says he is … [Read more...] about Legitimate Doubts about Obama
Health Care? You Bet Your Life
In offering solutions for medical insurance, politicians of all stripes keep reassuring voters about their right to be treated by "the doctor of your choice" rather than some faceless bureaucrat in a white coat under socialized medicine. There are problems with this argument. Most Americans are now covered by HMOs, which present them with lists of "in-network" physicians … [Read more...] about Health Care? You Bet Your Life
Surviving the Week of Living Dangerously
Five perilous days have now passed since those treasonous House Democrats decided to hold the U.S. hostage by refusing to cave in to President Bush by questioning the telecom immunity provision in the FISA renewal bill. Unless there is yet another vast mainstream media cover-up, there have been no terrorist attacks on our fair homeland although the president, his minions and … [Read more...] about Surviving the Week of Living Dangerously
You Can’t Blame Clinton Campaign for This
According to NPR, this bit of kitsch wasn't created by the Clinton campaign, but by an overzealous supporter with too much money and too much time. But, really, is it any worse than this production from an Obama fan? Can we make hokey videos with our laptops? Yes, we can. [This is being cross-posted at my personal blog.] … [Read more...] about You Can’t Blame Clinton Campaign for This
Obama is Not a Lightweight
A number of articles around the world have suggested that Obama's charisma and ability to inspire come at the expense of specific policy proposals; Clinton, indeed, has been using this "fact" to draw a favorable contrast with her opponent. However, Germany's daily, Die Welt, disagrees strongly, and almost claims the opposite: Hillary Clinton’s election campaign is … [Read more...] about Obama is Not a Lightweight
Desperate
Do you want to know how desperate the Clinton campaign is to stop the gathering momentum of the Obama campaign on the eve of primaries in Wisconsin and Hawaii? Consider the accusations being leveled by the Clinton camp that the Illinois senator is guilty of plagiarizing words of an Obama supporter, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. The similarities between Obama's and … [Read more...] about Desperate
Fidel Castro; The Man in the Green Suit Turns
There's been a silence amongst our election 08 candidates, one writ bold by mainstream media's incessant pick-up game of candidates' bickering... sometimes seeming like a replay of The Bickersons-- an old time radio show that consisted mainly of a man and a woman relentlessly harping at each other ... I keep wondering, what will our candidates say/ do about Cuba; the gem of … [Read more...] about Fidel Castro; The Man in the Green Suit Turns
Pakistan Elections Trend Shows Tide Against Musharraf
Initial results in Pakistan’s general elections today went against President Pervez Musharraf with several of his former ministers losing. While opposition PPP (the late Benazir Bhutto's party) and PML-N (led by Nawaz Sharif) winning in their strongholds, Sindh and Punjab, respectively. The final Pakistan election results are expected by Wednesday. Here is The Tribune news … [Read more...] about Pakistan Elections Trend Shows Tide Against Musharraf
Is Barack Obama The Quintessential Barack Oboomer?
Tom Watson takes a detailed, stand-back-and-analyze look at Barack Obama and where he is in generational and politically symbolic terms. Here's a tiny taste of it 4 U: In the movies, the best leading men have always been able to portray younger characters - John Wayne played iconic gunslingers into his 50s, Cary Grant was the suave romantic lead into his early 60s, and … [Read more...] about Is Barack Obama The Quintessential Barack Oboomer?