Don’t Give Up On Clinton

Weekly Standard: Despite Obama’s Successes, The N.Y. Senator Can Still Win The Nomination

(Weekly Standard)  This column was written by John J. DiIulio Jr. .

---

My American politics undergraduate students tease me without mercy for predicting a year ago that the Democratic nomination was Hillary Clinton's to lose. (I also predicted that Mike Huckabee would outlast all the Republican hopefuls except maybe John McCain. "Professor D's latest lucky guess," they joke.)

But when the teasing stops the questions start. "Do you think there is any way that Barack Obama can lose?" they ask. I say nothing, and they share self-reassurances: "There's no way for Clinton to beat him now…right?" "C'mon, McCain is way behind him in the polls!" I can no longer stay mum: "Well, Hillary led by double-digits in all but a few polls for over a year, and she's still ahead in Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania." Their somber faces make me wish I had said "Hey, nine straight with Wisconsin; he's in!" or handed out "Yes We Can" buttons.

Hillary-backers and College Republicans are not extinct on my campus. But the undergraduate enthusiasm for Obama transcends gender, race, religion, region, income, and party affiliation. I have been teaching American politics for a quarter-century and never have I seen so many students inspired by a candidate. And it's not just an Ivy League or secular-elite university phenomenon. The national polling data prove as much, as do exit poll numbers on young voters. Colleagues who teach at religious and other colleges attest to it too.

My students may yet get their wish. But for all that Obama has achieved so far as a hope-inspiring, crowd-swelling candidate with great appeal to young voters, and despite the successive thrashings that Clinton has received since Super Tuesday, she can still win the Democratic nomination. And if Obama does get by Clinton, an even steeper challenge awaits in John McCain.

Obama has had some stirring, even brave, things to say: most notably concerning how public education has failed too many low-income children in urban America. Organizationally, the teachers' unions are the Democratic party's throbbing heart. Obama, to his credit, was not on their Valentine's Day list. They will lean against him in several upcoming big-state primaries, and as a super-delegate bloc too.

And Clinton can deflate Obama's "change" balloon by relentlessly asking him why he decries the "politics" of the "past 15 years." Does he dislike the Clinton-era presidential politics that expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, widely regarded as the single most successful anti-poverty initiative of that period? Does he mean the bipartisan bills of the 1990s that led to work-based welfare reform? Does he mean the politics of the "past" that yielded the State Children's Health Insurance Program? Or maybe he means rolling back post-1993 expansions in Medicare coverage or college loans or spending on low-income (Title I) schools.

Older Democrats, respectful of legislative accomplishments, particularly may not like that Obama often voted "present" as an Illinois legislator, or that his state and federal records seem so thin. Blue collar voters who earn $50,000 a year or less defected from Clinton in the Potomac primaries and again in Wisconsin. But in Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania she may hold voters who can't cut work the way college kids can cut class to attend midday campaign rallies.

Indeed, with big Latino turnouts expected in Texas, older working-class Ohio voters sticking to her like rust, and friends in Pennsylvania like Governor Edward Rendell and Philly's popular new mayor Michael Nutter, Clinton can still nab the nomination. Fence-sitting super-delegates would quickly warm to a three-state sweep.

Obama and his proxies keep repeating that "party insiders" (aka Clinton-backing super-delegates) should not decide the election against the "will of the people." Obama also favors the Democratic National Committee (it doesn't get any more "inside" than that) denying Clinton the delegates she won when millions of people expressed their will by casting ballots in the Florida and Michigan Democratic primaries.

Clinton herself agreed to have Florida and Michigan penalized for moving up the date of their primaries. But that won't keep her from trying to turn Obama's public relations flank and use the "will of the people" against him - while also depicting front-running him as the "establishment" candidate. Listen for her to get at how the people's will squares with deference to national insiders' right to punish the states' insiders for holding their primaries before the former "party bosses" had dictated. Listen for her seconds to echo this: Situational solicitude for the "will of the people" might be expected from politicians drenched in the "past," but from the "change" candidate? With the press now dialing back its year-old Obamamania, the disingenuous whining might just work.

Clinton and Obama have not had a serious debate about Iraq. As Obama proclaims, almost as often as he says "change," he opposed from the start giving the president war-making authority. Stipulate that he was right - as most Democrats and a public plurality do - and then ask how, exactly, he reasoned his way to that decision when Colin Powell, John Kerry, and many others with no less information and much greater experience did not? Did he analyze the available prewar data differently, and, if so, how? Unlike Democrats from Joe Biden to Joe Lieberman, why did Obama never offer a serious plan to fix the poorly executed, pre-surge occupation?

As pleasing as his pledge is to the party faithful, how can he be so absolute about bringing all troops home by a date certain? How does that year-before-the-act pledge constitute being "as careful" getting out as we were "careless" going in? Conceding that a "new" global politics would be welcome, what wisdom is he seeking with crusty old foreign policy hands like Zbigniew Brzezinski on his national security team?

If Clinton does not have this debate with Obama, McCain surely will. There is no reason to trust any pre-October 2008 polls showing Obama beating McCain, including those now showing him beating McCain by a larger margin than Clinton would. Obama would be the second consecutive Democratic standard-bearer ranked the Senate's most liberal member by nonpartisan outlets like National Journal. He leapt leftward as he positioned himself to run for president: a "composite liberal score" of 95.5 out of 100 in 2007, up from 82.5 and a 16th-place finish in 2005. (Clinton's 2007 score was 82.8, and her lifetime score is 79.4.)

In a general election, there will be some McCain Democrats. Obama Republicans are more of a question, and independents could be either man's flock. Many general election scenarios remain possible, but, as I reckon it, the only one forecasting a Democratic victory that respects mass-electorate math and state-by-state statistics is a few-point win over McCain that involves McCain getting millions fewer evangelical votes than Bush did in 2004, the Democratic ticket getting as many or more African-Americans as Kerry-Edwards did in 2004, and the sleeping giant Latino vote going decisively against McCain.

Other scenarios for a Democratic win against McCain all pretty much assume that the stubborn post-1996 red state-blue state realities will be changed by a change-agent candidate. Obama generated voter enthusiasm even in Republican Kansas, and he may prove to be a party-realigning candidate, but believing so at this stage requires, well, the audacity of hope.

If Obama wins any two of the Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania primary trio, then he is virtually certain to be the nominee. One thing is for sure: If he doesn't win, I won't be teasing my sure-to-be down-hearted students.

[athy4]

Thank you Mr.DiLulio. Well said and well written.
This is the only way Hillary Clinton can win the nomination-if her supporters get the word out on WHY they support her and back it up with sources for their positions.Back up opinions and include website links in comments so that voters can check things out for themselves and decide. Get the facts out into public discourse.One nagging question that I have is included in this comment:Will some journalist please ask the candidate -What on earth was Obama thinking when he chose Zbigniew Brzezinski (ZB ) as one of his foreign policy advisors??? http://www.nysun.com/article/71123

ZB was one of main people responsible for convincing the US govt to arm the mujaheddin.

Zbigniew Brzezinski (ZB) endorsed Obama for presidentt. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con
tent/article/2007/08/24/AR2007082402127.
html
Lastyear,(ZB) was interviewed in http://www.counterpunch.org/brzezinski.h
tml

During the 1960%u2019s and 1970%u2019s he (ZB) was so focused on fighting the evil Russian empire that he completely ignored the existence of radical Islamic fundamentalism. He gave poor advice to President Carter. The ramifications of his (ZB)being so blind-sided helped to nurture the evolution and expansion of Osama Bin Ladin%u2019s (and others) terrorist groups. In 1998, Brzezinski was interviewed by the French newspaper Nouvel Observateur on the topic of Afghanistan.
http://www.counterpunch.or
g/brzezinski.html

[mspiff]

Yes, I don''t want to give up on Hillary.

[tiddletiddle]

I second that. Clinton is still my candidate. To tell the truth, if she isn''t, my vote will go to McCain.

Nice analysis. Definitely, Obama has not crossed the finish line... yet. However, several of the tactical opportunities that you outlined for Clinton and McCain are-- in my opinion-- narrow considering the intensity of Obama''s support.

1. Obama supporters would "flip out" (imagine 1972 style protests) if delegates from Florida and Michigan decide the nomination. Obama didn''t campaign in these states-- he was not even on the ballot in Michigan.

2. A pure super-delegates victory, while less rousing, would also divide the party. Leaving a big opening for McCain.

3. "Obama republicans", "McCain democrats", and "independents" are synonyms. Given the similarities between Obama and McCain on many issues including: campaign finance reform, ethics, and the environment, I think Obama should be able to hold his own among this group.

4. Finally, don''t forget that McCain will need to energize conservative voters. Obama is not likely to get the vote of Christian evangelicals, but his message of unity may not inspire their anti-vote like John Kerry did 2004.

But you are right. Obama has a long road before him, but he also doesn''t seem to be relenting.

tiddletiddle,

I don''t understand why someone that supports Clinton would vote for McCain in the general election. Is your statement based on policy? Can you clarify?

[anukarobert]

radvocate07 -- hillary supporters like me will vote for mccain in the general if hillary is not nominated... because we are truly independent and don''t vote by part we vote on experience and capability of the candidate...
Obama had hoodwinked a lot of people with his empty-hope message. In reality he has neither the gravitas nor experience to be president. Look at his record... he has no distinctions compared to hillary or mccain...

I for one hate the LOW hypo-critic campaign he has led while pretending to be above ''old politics''

I was COMPETELY turned off by the Harry & Louise mailers against universal health care... - that proves the true nature of Obama.

I can bet... if he wins the nomination Democrats will fail to carry PA, OH and FL and lose the election to Mccain deservedly....

[copper001]

Trust me, you would not want Obama to win this election.
Between the 3 candidates, the country is safest with Hillary Clinton, both locally and internationally.

[dothemath3]

With a headline like "Don''t Give Up On Clinton" I guess we can bury the claim that the media favors Obama. Many "articles" on the campaign sound a lot like Clinton ads.

I can''t address all the points in this long article, but here''s a few:

Please research those "present" votes in the Illinois legislature. They were strategic votes and had the desired effect, which the "older Democrats," to which you refer, would appreciate. As an older Democrat myself, I understood after reading about some of those votes and their implications that "present" was the best choice Obama could have made.

On Florida and Michigan: Whether or not anyone likes the fact that the party punished the states, the party did declare the primaries invalid before they occurred; therefore, the understanding of all parties involved at the time of the primaries was that they would not count. Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan. Would you care to suggest that no one in Michigan would like to vote for Obama? Trying to make this an insider-outsider issue would not resonate with millions of rational people (of all ages) who understand that you can''t change the rules AFTER you play the game.

On Obama reasoning that the case had not been made for war in Iraq: Many experts came to the same conclusion Obama did. They did not allow politically motivated propaganda to convince them in the absence of evidence from reliable sources.

[pearlb4]

I''m glad you mentioned how Barrak Obama came to his decision not to vote for the Iraq war. Don''t get me wrong I didn''t think they should have gone to war. but Hillary is no war monger so he should stop (I''m fed up of hearing him use it) talking about the fact that she voted for it. Anyway while he did not look at the data perhaps or else he would have voted along with Hillary, Kerry etc. I think perhaps he decided he could not vote for war against a muslim country.People don''t change their religious legacies that easily, obviously especially muslims.

[binstar]

Only among the dinosaurs in U.S. politics is a 46 year-old considered to be some young, inexperienced whipper-snapper.

Also, people that say they would vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee are a perfect example of why the rational among us say that Clinton''s tactics are seriously dividing your party.

And before you mention the spaz-out about those leaflets, consider the content of the leaflets - they were outlining flaws in Clinton''s policy and they also happened to be true; She responded in a very embarrassing way to that as if to insinuate that it was dirty politics and thus it''s ok to start the smear campaign.

The Clinton campaign seems to think those of us that aren''t over 65 or white women are idiots.

[ericv2644]

I am a Republican and I am going to support Obama. He inspires me to look at our country as an American not White or black just American. It has been a long time in politics since I have felt this way about a candidate of any party. I voted for Bush but I now think that was a mistake but I am sure about Obama.

[PulSamsara]

"Trust me, you would not want Obama to win this election.
Between the 3 candidates, the country is safest with Hillary Clinton, both locally and internationally."
-----------
OK - Shucks ''what the hell''
I''ll trust you... just because you''re you...
hmmmmm.... Nahhh
-------------
Barack Obama for President of the UNITED States of America.

[binstar]

I''d also like to speak to this war vote thing. It seems like over time people have forgotten the days leading up to the current Iraq war so let me remind you...

NO RATIONAL THINKER BELIEVED ANY OF THE "EVIDENCE" THAT SUPPORTED THE INVASION OF IRAQ

That''s right - even Clinton knew it was B.S. - They all did. Remember their smoking gun was a black and white photo of an abandoned warehouse in the desert.

No one had the balls to stand up for the American people and in that sense, everything Clinton says about her preparedness and national security and being "vetted" and caring about troops and families means very little because in practice she folded just like everyone else and true to form cannot even admit she made a mistake.

PS - when Hillary Clinton goes to Saudi Arabia to get money for her campaign is she allowed to drive?

[hillary4us]

I HAVE ALWAYS HAD HOPE. WHAT I WANT IN MY PRESIDENT IS SUBSTANCE, EXPERIENCE, COMPASSION AND GRIT! HILLARY CLINTON HAS ALL THOSE ATTRIBUTES, OBAMA DOES NOT! TO ANSWER THE POSTER WHO QUESTIONS WHY HILLARY SUPPORTERS WOULD VOTE MCCAIN, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF. IT IS A VOTE AGAINST OBAMA NOT FOR MCCAIN!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5566307.html

Farrakhan praises Obama as ''hope of entire world''
By SOPHIA TAREEN

CHICAGO %u2014 In his first major public address since a cancer crisis,
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday that presidential
candidate Barack Obama is the "hope of the entire world" that the U.S.
will change for the better.

The 74-year-old Farrakhan, addressing an estimated crowd of 20,000..

"This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will
change and be made better," he said. "This young man is capturing
audiences of black and brown and red and yellow. If you look at Barack
Obama''s audiences and look at the effect of his words, those people are
being transformed."

Farrakhan compared Obama to the religion''s founder, Fard Muhammad, who
also had a white mother and black father.

"A black man with a white mother became a savior to us," he told the
crowd of mostly followers. "A black man with a white mother could turn
out to be one who can lift America from her fall."

[ymoneil]

Hysterical Hillary throws temper tantrums and quite honestly the weekend rants, and screams reminded me of Howard Dean.
she is upset that her history making thunder is being swept out of her reach
she is upset that all the *** she allowed herself to go thru with Bill was for naught
she is behaves like a bi-polar tyrant. One day she loves Obama. Next day she hates him.
she arrogantly assumed that Obama would not make it past New Hampshire
she constantly underestimates us the people
she constantly exaggerates her experience and accomplishments in politics
she constantly ignores the fact that she has been WRONG on several issues

A) Healthcare (thinks her plan is the ONLY right way)
B) NAFTA (says it%u2019s GREAT when Bill is in office. Now it sucks b/c he is out)
C) The War (voted yes, but only b/c she hoped it would not go thru??)
D) White Water (friends went to jail while she and Bill escaped)
E) Bill Clinton (Monica is labeled a *** and Bill a player?)

[ymoneil]

I once respected Hillary b/c I thought she stayed with Bill b/c she wanted to keep her family together. BALDERWASH! Hillary had her eyes on the prize and that has always been becoming the 1st Woman President. She turned blind eyes and even helped her husband, cheat, lie, steal, and send dear friends to jail. Now we are supposed to trust her with our livelihood, health and well being? AHH HELL NO!
If by some crazy reason Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination I will definitely vote for John McCain. At least with John McCann I know exactly what to expect and I would rather sit through another 4 years of Republicans then endure another 4 years of Hillary and Bill Clinton in the White House up to the same old tricks.

[salty_1-2009]

This opinion is short on thought and long on rehashed, regurgitated media spins both strong and weak.

Could Clinton still win the nomination? Of course - there are some things that are so unacceptable to the public that they would destroy anyone''s campaign if true. But is that intelligent analysis or just stating the obvious?

Could Clinton get delegates from MI and FL? Florida maybe, but probably not Michigan. The very choice that was offered to MI voters was a disenfranchisement and seating their delegates would hardly rectify it - the vote for Clinton in MI was about as democratic and fair as the repeated referenda on Hugo Chavez'' presidency that keep him in power "democratically." The notion that the will of the people can be expressed by a "yea" or "nay" vote for one candidate is an insult to democracy (I am disregarding Kucinich - love him, but he doesn''t count in this argument). But, go ahead and seat the Florida delegates. What would be Clinton''s net gain? Not enough.

It is odd that PA has now figured into Mr. Dilulio''s list of must wins for Hillary - she now only needs to win 2 out of the 3 to beat Obama. This is not a fact - this is a spin, designed to keep Clinton in the game. Let''s be honest, if Clinton loses EITHER TX or OH or if Clinton wins OH and TX by less than a 15 point spread, her campaign should end, because at that point, a massive superdelegate intervention would be the only way to save her.

[texasdem]

Nice ad you wrote here, how much were you paid?

Please check your facts on the "present" votes. Those of us that do proper research knew the explanation to this weeks ago after the Clinton Machine tried to use it against him.

It was decided before any of this started that Florida and Michigan weren''t going to count. Obama wasn''t even on the ballot in Michigan, how are you going to count those votes?

I think when "he decries the politics of the last 15 years" he may be referring to tactics like her releasing photos of him in Somali tribal garb, or her Xerox comment that lead to her getting boos from the audience at their last debate. Especially when she has played dress-up herself and borrowed lines from her husband''s "glory days".

again... it''s just more of the same with Hillary.

[ymoneil]

Hillary and Bill Clinton %u2013aka Billary- are 2 of the biggest hypocrites in politics.
They both accuse the Black race of voting for Obama because he is a black man. This is a racist and idiotic statement. I guess the Black people that voted for Bill only %u2018thought%u2019 he was a Black man?
Hillary gets in front of the world and %u2018cries%u2019 like a victim of domestic abuse and wins New Hampshire because of those crocodile tears%u2026incredible. I am woman and if I was to sit in front of my colleagues at work and cry at a meeting because I was not getting my way it would be considered a sign of the typical woman always wanting to take on the job of a man but not able to handle it! How many World leaders viewed that performance and laughed about it while saying, %u201CThis is the woman they would choose to run the free world?%u201D I was ashamed and embarrassed for her %u2013 Hillary has always maintained how much of a tough feminist she is. With one little sob she managed to destroy her own image. She didn%u2019t even shed a whimper when she was interviewed about Bill Clinton%u2019s affairs! Yet she cries on cue about the thought of losing some *** primary??

[kurdi-2009]

Professor, it might be your role to assume the role of the "realist", a foil to your students dreamy optimism, but at this point it might be you who is peddling wishful thinking: A 3-state Clinto sweep is a best case scenario that is looking increasingly unrealistic by the minute.

McCain is not tougher than Clinton. I am a 36 year old educated white male living in the Northwest; I will vote for Obama before McCain and McCain before Clinton. Many people I work with who have usually vote Republican are in the same boat.

[magnetrack]

Hillary is a symbol of all that America can be proud of. Obama is a rock star, and has only proven that he can run a negative campaign, with the help of the media, whithout anybody realizing it. All 13 year old girls should vote for him. Shame on you, Barack Obama.

[Cas2dy]

I watched the Su7per Bowl this year for the first time. I could not understand for the life of me why so many people I knew were rooting for the Patriots. I don''t usually watch football and so by the time it was explained to me, I finally understood that they were rooting for the atriots because of the Patriots winninf streak and because of the fact that they were most undoubtedly going to really work hard to get that final score in their favor. To me, that says that a lot of people would rather take a chance on the most likely winner, rather to root for their own homegrown team. My family stuck with cheering for our team (Giants), and you know, it got kinda quiet in my house toward the end. Then...the win. We were chaotic, ecstatic...and most of all...we were rooting for who we "wanted" to win...not who we "thought" was going to win. It''s okay to change your mind because you learned to like the other team/candidate better, but just to look like you are going with a winner shows no hope or faith at all.

[ajmarine1]

NO RATIONAL THINKER BELIEVED ANY OF THE "EVIDENCE" THAT SUPPORTED THE INVASION OF IRAQ

That''''s right - even Clinton knew it was B.S. -

Posted by binstar at 03:11 PM : Feb 26, 2008



So they all just went along because why?

[ymoneil]

I''m American and I don''t see Hillary as symbol to be proud of. I also don''t see Barack as a rock star. They are both human and therefore flawed. However Barack admits to his flaws and Hillary attempts to deny she has any flaws at all.
They are both arrogant, but Hillary is obnoxiously annoying.
They are both over achievers, but Hillary takes credit incomplete or failed expenditures.
They both have a way with words, but Hillary is better with fiction.
Barack wants to do wahts best for America, Hillary wants to do whats best for the Clintons.
It''s obvious why millions of people are turning to the Barack campaign.
Every bitter word that comes out of Hillary Clintons mouth drives even more of her supporters into Barack''s arms.

[teatea7]

If Obama thinks the republicans that are voting for him now, are voting because they like him and his policies he is badly mistaken. So in the general, if you take away, 10% Republican support away from him, then another 47% of the democrats that voted for Hillary. I say McCain wins by substantial margin in general election. Probably by 10% in each state if not more, that is assuming that Hillary does not win the nomination. I believe she has to win in order for the democrat to be president.

[Cas2dy]

ymoneil:
Every bitter word that comes out of Hillary Clintons mouth drives even more of her supporters into Barack''''s arms.

I think our society is sick of leaders who appear to be overly antagonistic toward their opponents. We are looking for diplomatic relations and we are looking to problem solvers who think intellectually and humanely and without referring to the masses of citizenry in a manner that makes us feel like we are a part of a business plan. We are looking for a leader who will remember that no matter what and how international affairs are dealt with, American citizens are supposed to be the benficiary of a supportive government.

[teatea7]

I Bet people who opted for Obama, when he was a different choice, a change from the old to achieve happiness in unhappy time, I bet many of them, including famous and powerful people, wished they had waited to discover brain of Hillary, heart of Hillary, Hillary the fighter, Hillary the Warrior, Hillary the leader that they didnot know, Hillary the clear choice for their families, Hillary the practical Senator who can bring Congress and Presidency together. Yes, there will be buyers regret.

[teatea7]

Good to see young people taking a stance and supporting substance rather than empty words. Don''t let anybody make you feel immature. You are doing the right thing. I was not supporting anybody but after last nights debate I realised that this country is going to have a lot of mess to clean up and the only person that has any hope of doing so is Hillary. Obama will be president someday, after some more experience. Talk is cheap. He flip flopped so may times and also copied a lot of what Hillary had already said. He agreed wiht Hillary so many times tha I thought he was going to endorse her. Keep up the good work. Hillary will.

[irliberal]

GO HILLARY 2008! WOOHOO!! :)

[whoisobama]

Who is Obama and why is he so secretive and vague?

Obama is a man of words, he says words are important. When all is said and done, his greatest talent may be as an actor/orator delivering the greatest words of great men before him.

Now that he%u2019s been successfully propped up first by Oprah, then by Ted Kennedy and now he%u2019s a genuine contender for the Presidency he%u2019s pointing the finger at Hillary, and blaming her for a photo that surfaced of Obama in a Turban. Why the outcry. This was probably the work of McCain, anyway. The thing that gets me though is they say a picture is worth 1000 words, and he skirts the real issue, it is him in the picture%u2026 not Hillary, not McCain, this picture is of Obama clear as day.

His wife made some not so smart remarks, and Obama pointed the finger saying, that was not what she was saying, really. OK. But why was his wife%u2019s Princeton thesis pulled until after the election.

Obama want to be seen as who he is an nothing more, which seems to be an actor/orator, trying to be all things to all people so he can win the Presidency. In his version of prparedness experience is old and outdated and his message is out with the old and in with the new%u2026 I%u2019ll figure the rest out later, because I am the great Obama and you can trust me.

[miaw77]

This race is over!


The more she talks (yells) the crazier she sounds. She has absolutely no clue at all what this race is all about!


She keeps preaching "experience" when people want "change." She claims to know how to "work the levers" in Washington even though we all know the levers are broken!


She appears to be irrational, unstable, and desperate (with a split personality thrown in for good measure)...


"I''m proud to be on the stage with you"...


"Shame on you"...


"Let''s have a real campaign"...


"I''m mean, let''s have a smear campaign in which I accuse you of being a radical Muslim and circulate photos of you dressed like the Taliban."


Who can keep up? Pundits now call it the "Kitchen Sink" tactic. I call it mud slinging - just keep slinging and slinging - and see what might stick!


I keep waiting for the total meltdown when her head starts to spin and she keeps repeating, "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!" "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!" "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!" "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!"


She''s run a crazy campaign devoid of any rhyme or reason. How can we possibly trust her to run the country???

[miaw77]

This race is over!


The more she talks (yells) the crazier she sounds. She has absolutely no clue at all what this race is all about!


She keeps preaching "experience" when people want "change." She claims to know how to "work the levers" in Washington even though we all know the levers are broken!


She appears to be irrational, unstable, and desperate (with a split personality thrown in for good measure)...


"I''m proud to be on the stage with you"...


"Shame on you"...


"Let''s have a real campaign"...


"I''m mean, let''s have a smear campaign in which I accuse you of being a radical Muslim and circulate photos of you dressed like the Taliban."


Who can keep up? Pundits now call it the "Kitchen Sink" tactic. I call it mud slinging - just keep slinging and slinging - and see what might stick!


I keep waiting for the total meltdown when her head starts to spin and she keeps repeating, "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!" "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!" "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!" "SHAME ON YOU, AMERICA!" "VOTE FOR ME!"


She''s run a crazy campaign devoid of any rhyme or reason. How can we possibly trust her to run the country???

[miaw77]

Universal Health Care Plan is going to be a challenge - but it can be done - if we put the right person in charge! That person is Barack Obama, for 2 reasons:


1) Hillary Clinton doesn''t get it. Her plan CANNOT and WILL NOT EVER be passed by Congress! She can hire a hundred doctors to sing her praises. It won''t make a difference! The minute she tries to cram a HEALTH INSURANCE MANDATE down everyone''s throats, she will be doomed to failure.


This is but one of the many reasons why she failed with this issue the first time around (and couldn''t even get it to a vote in a Congress controlled by her own party).


2) Not only is Hillary Clinton polarizing and divisive, she refuses to be practical and compromise, and in the end, we all lose! Barack Obama knows this. "Getting stuff done" means working with others. Barack Obama knows that the plan Hillary proposes is already failing right now in Massachusetts.


EITHER PLAN can be effective (although Obama''s plan is better), but we have to work with Republicans to make it happen. Further, in order to effect change, one must build a groundswell of grass roots support to pressure Washington to do the right thing. Only Barack Obama can do this!


OBAMA 08! YES WE CAN!

[miaw77]

Three (3) foreign policy issues were raised in the Texas debate: 1) The Iraq War; 2) The election in Pakistan; 3) The change in Cuba''s dictatorship.


IRAQ - Obama opposed the Iraq War from day one, and he has a plan to get us out!


PAKISTAN - Obama warned against "putting all of our eggs in the Musharraf basket." He was right! What do we do now that Musharraf (one of the 10 worst dictators in the world, but whom we considered to be one our closest allies) is rendered powerless, Islamic Extremists are in control, and the country is likely to become a haven for Osama and his followers????


CUBA - Obama will end the era of completely ignoring our enemies, which clearly produces no positive results. He will meet without preconditions, but he will expect the "enemy" to agree in advance to discuss certain issues (i.e,. nuclear disarmament, human rights, political prisoners, etc.)


Compare Obama''s POSITIONS and JUDGMENT to those of Hillary and McCain and there is no question who is qualified to lead. Hillary is a liar, and McCain actually believes that war is a natural state for our country to be in...


At all times...


At least for the next 8 years...


And probably for the next 100...


A vote for Hillary is no better than a vote for McCain, and a vote for McCain is no better than a vote for Bush!

[miaw77]

The truth is, lots of "Washington experience" doesn''t always make a great President...


Some of our best Presidents (Abraham Lincoln, for example) had very little experience and did a fine job. Others, such as George H. W. Bush were as highly credentialed as they come, but did quite poorly.


Right now, Tony Blair%u2019s protege is having a hard time running England (and he spent many years as Blair%u2019s understudy, literally being groomed for the very job he now holds).


Further, some might be surprise to learn the following...


In 1992, when Bill Clinton was running against Bush Sr. (who had the Washington-insider experience at the time), BILL CLINTON HIMSELF DECLARED, %u201CThe same old experience is not relevant.%u201D Bill Clinton added that the most useful training comes NOT from hanging around the White House and Congress but rather from experience %u201Crooted in the real lives of real people%u201D so that %u201Cit will bring real results if we have the COURAGE TO CHANGE.%u201D


So change was good then, but not now? Interesting.

[miaw77]

Hillary, get real! It''s not just the "little people" (about whom you do not care) who support Obama. There are powerful governors, senators, representatives, and newspapers behind him. Every time you mock Obama, you mock all of us. You are, in fact, mocking 53% of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

Clearly, you will stop at nothing in your insatiable quest to win - even if it means tearing apart the party - or even costing us the general election in November!

Please, stop, you are out of control!

[squidly8]

I won''t give up on HRC. I never considered voting for her before so there isn''t anything to give up.

Breitbart has a video clip out there showing WJC giving a speech. He says in the speech "when you elect me" WJC is looking for another 8 years by way of HRC - a great reason not to vote for her.

I am just enjoying the whole spectacle that the Dem nomination process is going through. It is highly entertaining.

[cs123456789]

Hillary is ignorant. She does not belong on the intelligence committee, she certainlydoes have foreign policy experience in failure. WTC 93, USS Cole, Somalia, the embassy bombings, and most of all Rwanda, which I would bet that she cannot even point out on a map. 800,000 killed in 30 days and the US did nothing. I may be a moderate, voting for the best candidate, but I am not stupid, I worked in Washington for the feds under some of her ideas put forth by the White House and they were all failures no matter how much the media hyped them. I stepped out of the government to teach for a short time in the District of Columbia''s public schools. Her ideas were a sham and Bill failed us domestically as well. He had no backbone without her, and she influenced foreign and domestic policies to the negative She will fail us even more if elected

[miaw77]

Senator Dodd is right to endorse Barack Obama!


We all know what is happening...


It''s the same in every state...


Hillary up by 25 points, then 10, then 5, then a tie, then Obama wins. It''s happening right now in Texas. The Clintons don''t get it. They are the past and Obama is the future.


11-0 Winning Streak... No change in polls after Texas debate... Hillary acting crazy and desperate...And now, Superdelegates are flocking to Obama...


The shift in Superdelegate support is real. They do not want to overrule the voice of the people. Texas Rep. Aaron Pena, who recently endorsed Hillary Clinton, issued the following statement:


"I think last night''s debate in Austin was a turning point in this campaign. I made a commitment to Hillary Clinton and I must maintain it. I gave my word. However, as an observer, it appears to be increasingly evident who is going to win." The next day he spoke at a Barack Obama rally.


Obama just started to campaign in Ohio. What happens next is inevitable. PEOPLE WANT CHANGE! They do not trust Billary. This isn''t just a trend, fluke, or product of open primaries. It''s a very real and powerful movement.


Obama is going to get the nomination... He has won it fair and square... Please, Billary, step aside and try to unite the party before you cost us the general election!

[justyn1976]

As a 31 year old, I am consistently amazed at people who continue to support the idea of having only 2 families dominate American policies. For my entire lifetime, the Bush and Clinton family have presided over all aspects of our collective experience on this planet. I absolutely agree with Obama''s call for changing the "old politics" in this country.

[miaw77]

Billary, quit crying about money and how it''s "not fair" that Obama has so much more to spend!!!


Clinton sold her campaign to the highest bidders (lobbyists) - not to the American people - and she will have to pay the price for that. Now, when she really needs help from "the people," they are fed up and don''''t want to fund the Clinton Smear Machine.


The MSNBC Hillary Clinton "documentary" features one of Hillary''''s closest friends saying (with pride), almost word for word: "Hillary learned (in Arkansas) how to win elections. Go negative and attack your opponent in a personal way!"


I guess in "Billaryland," you stick with what you know. Except that American politics is changing, and the Clintons are left looking like they didn''''t get the memo.


"Solutions not speeches"..." Good works, not good words"... "Time to get real"... We''''re not buying it!

[miaw77]

I can''t wait until tonight!!! The Texas debate was the best ever!!!


Watching Obama wipe the floor with Hillary as she fires petty cheap shots $0


Watching Hillary squirm as the reality sinks in - Obama has more common sense in his pinky finger that she has in her whole body - and he''s finally not afraid to show it $0


Learning that the only decent point she made in the entire debate - the last 2 minutes - was NOT genuine or heartfelt, but actually a PLAGIARIZED PHRASE SHE STOLE FROM JOHN EDWARDS... PRICELESS!

[miaw77]

Hillary Clinton is losing it!


She''s all over the place!


Is this erratic behavior really supposed to convince us that she is fit to be President?


She''s convinced me she''s fit for a Straight Jacket!

[miaw77]

Hillary Clinton (NOW THAT SHE''S BEEN CALLED OUT) has finally taken the time to explain (MUCH TOO LATE) that she and others often wear local garb when they travel. We already know that, Hillary! We''re not stupid, and that''s not the point, Oh Great Master Of Distraction!!!


The point is, why was the photo circulated in the first place??? The CLINTON SMEAR MACHINE knew exactly what they were doing! That photo of Obama "dressed" and looking very Muslim-esque was sent to plants seeds of doubt about Barack Obama''s faith ONE WEEK PRIOR to the biggest contest between these two candidates to date!


EVERY DEMOCRAT SHOULD DEMAND THAT HILLARY CLINTON APOLOGIZE AND THEN DROP OUT OF THE PRIMARY RACE!!!


No democrat wants a bigot for a nominee! This is an all-time low, even for Hillary Clinton. She is using race, religion, and smear emails to SWIFTBOAT A FELLOW DEMOCRAT!


Apparently, the only demographic she has left is white women over 80 and the KKK. Wow, Hillary, you must be so proud!


Are you kidding me? Now I don''t just want her back in NY... I want her out of the US Senate. This woman is devious, hateful, and amoral. There is no question how she became the most "polarizing" and "divisive" figure in politics.

Shocking! The Weekly Standard finally had an article that made a lot of sense and probably shows just how hard it is going to be for Obama to defeat McCain.

[westafer2]

Senator Obama''s opponent claims to have had "35 years of experience%u201D which is the entire length of time since her graduation from law school in 1973. But for 28 of those 35 years she worked as a lawyer (9 years), was the wife of the Governor of Arkansas (11 years), and served as the First Lady of the United States (8 years). Only for the past 7 years since her election to the US Senate in November 2000 in her adopted state of New York has Hillary Clinton actually been an elected official accountable to voters.
Barack Obama graduated from law school in 1991 returning to his home in Chicago to direct a voter registration drive and work as an attorney representing community organizers and work on voting rights cases and on civil rights cases. In 1993 he became a lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School and in 1996 was elected to the Illinois State Senate where he served for 8 years prior to his election to the US Senate in November 2004. Combining his service as an Illinois State Senator and US Senator Barack Obama has been an elected official accountable to voters for 11 years.
Could it be that the amount of one%u2019s prior %u201CWashington Experience%u201D is far less important to being a great President than having sound judgment and strong character?

[Razzl]

It must be humiliating to have your teenage undergrads be more politically savvy than you right out of the box. 25 years in the classroom and the only place you can get published is the Weakly Stranded? But fear not, a Democrat is more likely to fund your retraining for a more suitable career than your friend Fred Barnes...

[sjc_1]

Everyone sees things through the filter of their own experiences. That being the case, you have to compare the two front running Democratic candidates with that in mind. Hillary has been in the Governors mansion and the White House, both have been Senators. I would rather have someone that has executive office exposure to someone that has not.

[bill1fj]

Hilary is toast.
She finally found someone that could out lie Billy, and his name is Barack Hussein Obama.
After Ohio and Texas she can go back to NY, finally divorce Billy, and then finish out her term as a Senator.
Hilary is Toast.

[cmjhype]

Obama has been given a free pass by the media. What experience does this man have? What has he accomplished? This bandwagon politics needs to end, the Democrats need to wake up and put their best fighter up against John McCain. I cannot believe what has happened to the Democratic party.

Sen. Clinton has the judgement and experience necessary to lead. Obama has catch phrases and a smile... isn''t that what Bush had?

DON''T VOTE FOR THE PERSO YOU WANT TO HAVE A BEER WITH FOR ONCE!

Obama is a symbol of change. Sen. Clinton is the true agent of change, with PROVEN results.

Clinton 08''

I will not vote for Obama under ANY circumstances