Dem Strategist Sees Challenges For Obama

Political Players: Doug Schoen Says Illinois Senator Has A Problem With Working Class Voters

(CBS)  Political Players is a weekly conversation with the leaders, consultants, and activists who shape American politics. This week, following Barack Obama's primary victory in Oregon and his loss in Kentucky, CBS News' Brian Goldsmith talked with former Bill Clinton adviser Doug Schoen about blue collar voters, Hillary Clinton's campaign strategy, and the politics of national security.

CBSNews.com: The Democratic presidential race is now winding down--and yet, Senator Clinton still won a 35 point victory in Kentucky this week, another massive win among white working class voters. How serious is Senator Obama's problem with that group? And does he actually have to win them in a general election?

Doug Schoen: Well, he's got to win them somewhere in the general election. And it is a serious problem. I mean, he’s probably not going to win West Virginia. He's got to win Pennsylvania, Ohio, He’ll probably lose Florida and try to make up for that in the West and Mountain States. But the answer simply is it is a real, ongoing problem for him.

CBSNews.com: And has he shown any serious signs of recognizing the problem, or doing something to confront it?

Doug Schoen: I think he recognizes it. I'm not sure he's done anything yet to directly confront it.

CBSNews.com: What do you think he should do?

Doug Schoen: Well, I think that he needs, first, to develop a program that reaches out to working class white voters. Second, I think he should consider someone like Senator Clinton or New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg as a running mate, to speak directly to the economic concerns of working class voters. And third, I think he needs to start focusing his campaign where he both has done badly and needs to win.

CBSNews.com: And what kind of an economic program does that need to be?

Doug Schoen: I think he needs to lay out a comprehensive economic message of what he's going to do to revitalize the economy, deal with the sub-prime crisis, and create good paying jobs for working people.

CBSNews.com: Now Obama’s campaign points out that he won whites in Oregon and Virginia and Wisconsin, and he won them in Iowa--where he spoke this week to declare that he has a majority of the pledged delegates. So how do you explain the difference between his performance in those states versus Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Texas?

Doug Schoen: I think the states that he has done well in are either states that have a more liberal tradition, a more progressive tradition, particularly for Democratic primary voters--or states where the white electorate tends to be, in a Democratic primary, somewhat further to the left.

But mainstream working class voters in states like--you can go across the board--Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, all prove to be problematic for him. So I think he's got a problem. And he's got a couple a states he's done okay in. But they do not, to me, suggest that the problem is solved.

CBSNews.com: And to what extent do you think there are some white voters who will never vote for an African-American for President? Or do you think that the racial component of this is overstated?

Doug Schoen: I think the racial component is overstated. I think people have doubts about Barack. I think they have doubts about his program. And I think they have some doubts about people like Reverend Wright. And I don't think that is necessarily racially motivated, though I would suggest that black liberation theology and some of the outrageous things that Reverend Wright has said certainly raise the specter of concern about race--separate and apart from Barack Obama--with working class voters who might be very, very concerned with the message.

CBSNews.com: Now another component of Senator Clinton's base, with which Barack Obama has had some trouble, is white women. And they are obviously a key swing voting group in a general election. Do you think they will defect to McCain, or stay home, or ultimately come back to the Democratic fold?

Doug Schoen: I think that is an open question. One of the reasons why I think it makes so much sense to put Senator Clinton, potentially, on the ticket is I think it's probably the most demonstrable and obvious step he can take to assuage the concerns of those voters.

CBSNews.com: And do you think Senator McCain is taking the right steps to try to reach out to the Clinton voters who may be uncomfortable with Obama?

Doug Schoen: I think he's got to do that. But he's got one problem. He's got a noose thrown around his neck in George Bush. And I think those working class voters have made it very clear they've had it with the policies of the Bush administration. And to date, John McCain, I don't think, has sufficiently separated himself from George Bush to give those voters comfort.

CBSNews.com: McCain won’t change his beliefs on the war. So what do you think he could do to separate himself?

Doug Schoen: Well, I think he needs, again, an economic agenda that shows that he's for pro-growth policies, low taxes, and concern about training and retraining workers to give people a sense that he's a different kind of a Republican. So far, I think he's started that process, but by no means closed the deal.

CBSNews.com: A lot of Obama partisans have argued that his weaknesses are exaggerated right now in the heat of a primary battle. They say that in this environment in which 80 percent of the public thinks we're on the wrong track, Bush has the highest disapproval of any President in modern history, that this is a Democratic year and Obama will do fine.

Doug Schoen: Again, to me, it's an open question. I think it's certainly the case that the wind is at the back of Barack Obama. And I think if I had to bet, I would bet that Obama will beat John McCain. But that being said, when you look at states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida--states the Democrats traditionally need to win--there's every reason to believe that this will be a much more competitive election than the numbers on wrong track and presidential approval would suggest.

CBSNews.com: Do you think Senator Clinton has any hope of becoming the nominee?

Doug Schoen: I think she's got a very small chance. I would overwhelmingly suggest that it is most likely that Barack Obama will be nominated. But until the issue is resolved, and until the superdelegates weigh in after June 3rd, there's always a chance.

CBSNews.com: Now a lot of people have looked back at her campaign and have pointed fingers at your former business partner, Mark Penn. They've criticized his strategy. They say he underestimated the power of the change message this year, that he didn't understand the importance of the caucus states and the way that delegates are allocated. Do you think those criticisms are valid?

Doug Schoen: Well, I guess what I would say is the following: This is a campaign that has gotten 47, 48 percent of the vote from the pledged delegates. There has been a real tide in America towards Barack Obama, a tide toward a fresh face. Mark was getting extraordinarily good ratings and reviews in September and October when she was leading.

He was not responsible for running the campaign, or making decisions about which states to compete in. I think, when you lose, there's plenty of blame to go around. And I think it's frankly unfair to point the finger at Mark Penn.

CBSNews.com: It's obviously easy to Monday morning quarterback. But in retrospect, what do you think she could have done differently, or should have done differently?

Doug Schoen: Well again, you know, I don't think it was Mark who decided that the race was going to be over February 5th. I think that was the conventional wisdom of most people. And I think that you take out those 11 caucuses that she lost, I think it was in February, and she's the nominee.

But also, I would go back to something else. I would say, look, if I told you six months ago that she was going to win California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, and that she would not be the nominee, most people would have laughed. And I think just the vagaries of the way we pick delegates--the number of delegates that are apportioned per vote in the popular vote versus in a caucus--has been so skewed away from her, that it's almost like the process was apparently or effectively skewed against her.

Now, look, everybody can compete fairly. I'm not saying that anything was rigged against her. But I'm saying that she demonstrated a very broad and deep level of support that we saw [this week] as well as earlier. And, you know what? I just think the Democratic Party has to look at the system of apportioning delegates and be much closer to a one man, one vote system.

CBSNews.com: Does she bear any blame, Senator Clinton, for apparently not playing under that current system, flawed though it may be?

Doug Schoen: I've been in campaigns for 30 years. And campaigns ultimately take on the personality of the candidate. I think Senator Clinton has been a terrific candidate. I think she's delivered her message in a really compelling way, particularly in the last few weeks.

But, that being said, if the campaign wins, you give credit to the candidate. And if the campaign loses ultimately, it's at the candidate's doorstep. You can't say, "Oh, you know, it's the advisor's fault," or this or that.

But I don't sit and point the finger at Hillary Clinton. I think she's been a fabulous candidate. And if I were making the decisions, I would make her Barack Obama's running mate or consider her very strongly for that job very, very, very quickly.

CBSNews.com: And finally, you've written a lot in The Wall Street Journal about the power of the national security issue for Democrats. McCain chose, in effect, to open the general election campaign with an attack on Obama's position of unconditionally meeting with enemies of the United States. Who won that initial fight?

Doug Schoen: Well, here's the thing. I think, on this initial exchange, Barack Obama won. I think he came back compellingly, made it clear that under Bush, we've become less secure. Iran had become a more dangerous nation.

But I think that's where [McCain’s] campaign is going. And I think they're going to try to merge national security with concerns about Reverend Wright, William Ayers, and the like, to make the argument, you can't trust Barack Obama. And do I think it'll be successful? No, I don't, because I think Barack's going to win the election. But as McCain said, tune in in the fall, you'll be hearing a lot more about this.

[jack3213]

Yes, fully agreed, Obama is not going win. Asking Clinton to join his ticket shows no crediblity to all that he and she have said to others and themselves for the last year- it shows how insincere and deceitful they are to people- and how "desperate" they are to win.

[domans666]

The answer to solve obama''s problems with blue collar voters and white women is to get Hillary as his running mate.

[donbl1]

The Reagan Democrats are returning to a political force.

McCain carries Texas, Florida, Ohio and the purple states because of Obama''s choice of friends. That puts McCain over the top even if Obama carries 60% of California and NY.

Obama may be the new McGovern/Dukakis. Sounds pretty but looks stupid in a tank drivers helmet.

[perceptions5]

The problem for Obama is that he''s a product of the most corrupt liberal institution in America, our mostly liberal MSM wolfpack press. And yes the Washington Post along with Newsweek, Time, NYTimes, CNN, and NBC/MSNBC are the "alpha" members of this "liberal pack".

It''s really ashame that it took a comedy show, Saturday Night Live, to expose this sorry liberal corrupt bias in what is suppose to be a "free press", not a "free left-wing press".

Americans want a president that''s going to "solve" their problems.

Obama has "no record" of accomplishments, none.

His old district, the south-side of Chicago, is STILL an area of massive poverty and hopelessness.

The National Guard was recently sent to this part of the city due to dozens of shooting and killings. (sorry our corrupt liberal wolfpack press didn''t have space to print that for all Americans).

Bottom line is Obama will lose in November because HIS pal and pastor, Rev. Wright scared the HELL out of White Democrats. Which is WHY Obama hasn''t won the white democrat vote since February except for a small majority in the Oregon vote.

Obama- Say NO to a Jimmy Carter second term

[bluestardad]

Obama Seeks Red Cross Help On War Crime Charges Against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld
Posted by Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscr on Wednesday, May 21st at 11:59 AM

May 20, 2008

Obama Seeks Red Cross Help On War Crime Charges Against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers (Traduccisn al Espaqol abajo)

Russian Foreign Ministry reports to President Medvedev are stating today
that US Presidential candidate Barack Obama has sent one of his top aides
named Valerie Jarrett to meet with officials from the International
Committee of the Red Cross, in Geneva, Switzerland, to what is being
described in these reports as the %u2018preliminary stage%u2019 to begin actions in
the International Court of Justice charging the present United States
President, Vice President and former US Defense Secretary with war crimes.

As we had previously written about in our October 15, 2005 report, the
International Committee of the Red Cross opened in that year a War Crimes
Portfolio alleging that President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense
Secretary Rumsfeld, and other US Officials, were in violation of Articles 3
and 4 of the Geneva Convention and could be tried for Crimes Against
Humanity.


ABOUT TIME!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

[rowdywicca]

The answer to solve obama''''s problems with blue collar voters and white women is to get Hillary as his running mate.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by domans666 at 09:34 AM : May 23, 2008

Absolutely NOT! She is too smart to attach herself to his whack job administration! Even IF he gets nominated and elected! That would be political suicide!

IF she doesn''t get the nomination she needs to be prepared to run after his whack job administration fails! It''s already proven that you can''t go from the extreme right-wing to the extreme left-wing! It doesn''t even make sense! That bull has already FAILED!

If we can''t get a two-party government working together to stimulate the economy and keep the rich from raping the people...it''s just NOT going to work!

You can''t put any more taxes on the middle class and stimulate the economy. Obama''s totally dependent on tax plans are ludicrous...and don''t even BEGIN to solve the problem!

[sjc_1]

"..create good paying jobs for working people."

In my view, everyone that works for a paycheck is a "working person" and should vote Democratic every time.

[spotchester]

Hi, this is all well and good but:

a.) The Republican candidate is terrible, and is still losing 15-20% of the vote in most primaries.

b.) Obama doesn''t need rural whites to win.

[broncfan1661]

cornbiker,
Well said!
But I''m afraid it is too late to wake people up from their disalusional dreams.

[malsan-2009]

Obama, the presumed democratic nominee, will not have nearly as McCain in the general election. McCain has embraced Bush and the far right conservative religious and fiscal views. And Americans are TIRED of it. People hunger for an end to the Iraq war, healthcare they count on, and restoration of the image of the US. Obama can deliver.

[mjvw2]

Fried calamari is popular in the cuisine of many Mediterranean countries. It consists of batter-coated, deep fried squid, often fried for less than two minutes to prevent it from becoming too tough. It is usually served plain, with salt and lemon on the side.

In North America, it is a staple in many Greek, Italian, and seafood restaurants, as well as a snack at some bars. It is often served as an appetizer, garnished with parsley, or occasionally sprinkled lightly with parmesan cheese. It is usually served with a dip of some sort, most often peppercorn mayonnaise, tzatziki, or in the United States, marinara sauce. In Mexico it is often served with Tabasco sauce or habanero. Other dips, such as ketchup, aioli, or olive oil, are sometimes served as well. Like many seafood dishes, it is usually served with a slice of lemon, to squirt the juice over the dish if desired.

In Australia, fried calamari is a common and popular menu item in fish and chip shops.

In Chinese cuisine, the squid is often diced, coated in a salt and pepper batter and served with a spicy hot garnishing of chili and salt.

[lordmi]

He lost some to clintons(who fooled population widely) , but he would not lose them to McBush, at least the majority of them.
Florida - is so Republican, no necessity to point it here. Neither one Dem will win in Florida for next 10 years at least.
Take of phony clintons from background and picture would be different.
We can not allow clintons fool US People anymore.

[sfcubsaddict]

cornbiker, quit spamming this page with falsehoods about Obama. Read about his policies, instead of making them up yourself to promote another term of the worst president in history.

[jake52674]

Perception 5
Where are you getting your information from?
"massive poverty and hoplesness" have you ever been to his district he represented in Chicago. Clearly not, and you can''t have read anything about the area. There are pockets of poverty but you exaggerate. I live in his district and it is solidly middle class. It happens to have a large black population, but I hate to break it to you that does not always equate "massive poverty and hoplessness". Check your resources before you post.

[laura851]

Wow, former Bill Clinton adviser Doug Schoen recommends that Obama select Bloomberg as a running mate.

Now that illustrates in a nutshell everything that is wrong with the Democratic Party. No wonder we have been losing elections. Kerry probably took advice from these kinds of advisors too, which explains why he lost -- which was probably the intent.

[jake52674]

Laura851
I agree. I am not sure how Bloomberg resonates with the "white working class". Maybe I missed something.

[merlidav]

Dear cornbiker,
1. Whoever is president will have to raise taxes. Period. This is not a "liberal" agenda. (do you even know what the word liberal means?) Bush has taken us so far into debt that there is simply no other way to pay for it, or anything else.
2. McCain doesnt know the difference between Sunni and Shiite. He has FREQUENTLY mixed them up and made claims that glaringly show his misunderstanding of how the middle east works. You trust him to lead our foreign policy?
3. Meeting with other countries is NOT the same thing as "appeasement." Meeting with Ahmadinejad or whoever to warn him of the dire consequences of anti-US policy is simply how diplomacy works. You are so brainwashed by republican misinformation that it''s frightening.
4. Regardless of how uncomfortable homosexuals make you, they are real people that do not have some "disease." Don''t impose your homophobic views upon those that do not threaten you in any way whatsover.
5. The qualifications for President should include intelligence, judgement, and charisma. Obama has all three. We''ve had 7 years of none. By all means, don, if you prefer a tank drivers helmet to saavy political intelligence, vote for McCain and continue the US quagmire another 4 years.

[libh8er]

I wonder who Ubama''s ''typical white'' grandmother is going to vote for?

[crat3]

Obama cannot win the general election. His superdelegates who have been endorsing him in an end run around the nomination process need to understand that their fabricated fluff on him won''t save him from certain defeat in November. The uncommitted superdelegates must show wisdom, integrity, and courage in selecting Sen. Clinton as the best qualified and strongest candidate who will defeat McCain and win the general election hands down. Obama should then rein in his raw ambition and ruthlessness and take the No. 2 slot for the best interests of the Democratic Party and America.

Sen. Clinton is more experienced and qualified than Obama; she is a terrific, inspiring speaker with a great voice. Sen. Clinton should reject sexism in a secondary role or a traditional female supporting role of propping up this loser Obama - no to Obama/Clinton - yes to Clinton/Obama.

If the uncommitted superdelegates want to win the general election in a landslide, their only choice is to use their independent judgment and decide on Sen. Clinton as the Democratic nominee.

[senjh219]

Interesting interview with a long-time Clinton spinmeister. Why didn''t you just ask the Clinton campaign directly to provide you with the talking points?

[somotosh]

I agree with Spotchester that Obama does not need rural ignorant jobless illitrate whites to win. I completely disagree with Doug Schoen''s recipe for Obama''s success based on the need for Obama to "develop a program that reaches out to working class white voters". What does that really mean? Is there any such thing in Clinton%u2019s agenda that is absent in Obama''s agenda? Is there an economic program for rural white voters separate from rural black voters? I do not think the problem is about programs but rather about three persons - the person of Mrs. Clinton, the person of Mr. Obama, and the person of the rural white voter. Make no mistake, the rural white voter votes for Clinton because of any combination of the following reasons:
1. THE PERSON OF THE RURAL WHITE VOTER: The rural white voter is conservatively glued to white candidacy (almost with a racist intensity,) and to the pleasant nostalgia of those great Clinton 8-years.
2. THE PERSON OF MR OBAMA: Black. That is it. That is the most intense feature a rural racist white voters see in Obama even though there are other useful qualities they could see if they were open-minded. But how could you be open-minded if you are racist or extremely conservative or both?
3. THE PERSON OF MRS. CLINTON: "She is white and the wife of the president that gave us 8 economically wonderful years". That''s their thought process.

[va_308]

cornbiker -- need to check your facts. You have all the statements distorted. First let me ask you which US President has used nuclear weapons against Terrorists? No one. Also, Obama never said he will not use Nuclear Weapons against Terrorist. Do you know what "diplomacy" is? Why dont you go read some books, instead of just lashing out at something that you do not like. Under Republicans we have gone backwards instead of making progress while third world countries have made so much progress. Average americans make approx $1000 less (when adjusted for inflation) than 6 years ago.

What we need is a) creating jobs in america, b) creating an immigration policy, and c) securing our borders.

Cornbiker -- I appeal to you please do not spread false messages and hate. I love you!

[saddemocrat]

This guy is a Clinton support. I''ve seen him numerous times on FOXNEWS talking up Hillary and trashing Obama.

He even stated on FOX that Hillary had to go negative on Obama to win.

I won''t believe anything that he has to say about the general election and what Obama needs to do.

CBS should be ashamed for putting this gut forward as some kind of unbiased authority on what Obama should do and how much of a chance Hilary has to win the nomination.

At the very least CBS should state that he is a Clinton support so everyone knows whose side he is on.

VERY SAD CBS NEWS ****VERY SAD INDEED****

[minnick8-2009]

How serious is Senator Obama''s problem with that group? And does he actually have to win them in a general election? From the article above.

Does Obama have to win over the whites? Of course not, he has enough of everyone else.

[tracymoorgan]

Curious how Obama voters use the word "sad". As if other people had some kind of obligation to make them "happy".

Kind of wierd.

[hillarynow]

Obama will never get my vote, I don''t for racists.

[saddemocrat]

Sorry about the typos earlier. This Doug Schoen guy jusy gets me so angry.

The point is that the media needs to stop carting out this "so called" experts who clearly have a bias as though they don''t, and using them to fool the public into thinking that there is a problem when there isn''t one.

Hilary carried those voters because John Edwards wasn''t in the primary. If he was then she would not have carried that class of voter in such high numbers.

When given the choice between a white woman and a black man, those southern voters went with the white woman. That doesn''t make them racist, it just a fact.

If John Edwards had stayed in the campaign most of them would have voted for him because they would prefer him to Hilary.

So Obama doesn''t need Hilary to win over that group at all, he just needs a Southern democrat with a strong policy background or possibly Bill Richardson to help him with the latino vote.

Hilary needs to go back to the Senate and help the voters of New York and rebuild her relationship with the black voters of that State who are very upset with her and may not help her get reelected in four years.

Once again, ***SHAME ON CBS NEWS***

[obbcbs]

Now we are supposed to be content with learning from the medical report of McCain, that McCain''s heart and lungs work. No. There were no tests of his short term memory loss and since 13% of the public over 65 have Alzheimer''s, and there was no test for ''incipient Alzheimer''s" this medical "release" is BUNK:
This was a whitewash on the only issue that matters.

[ljb6599]

Hillarynow....Could you provide specific examples as to why you believe Barak Obama is a racist???

[obbcbs]

40% of AOL respondents said, before the primary season, that they would vote for a man over a woman. 40% of AOL respondents said, before the primary season, that they would vote for a white over a black.

Neither Clinton nor Obama would be on easy street with the huge percentage of racists in the USA.

Together they might have had a chance, but her attempts to re-count the elections in Florida and MICH make her unacceptable to the liberals in the democratic party, who understand that small states are first so that you dont have to be a well known super rich person to run in the early months of the campaign. HRC''s people signed off on that and now she wants to change the rules. In so doing, she has intentionally upset her female supporters with the cry of ''you know how hard this is for us''.
Oh well, there goes the Constitution and the Supreme Court.
Thanks Clintons. At least you wont have to see it in the history books, because there will be so much censorship about this period in history when the anti-terrorist laws took the Constitution away, your place in history wont even be taught.

[ljb6599]

tracymoorgan.....Your comments About Mr. Obama are frequently racist and derogatory.I would be intersted to know if you are in fact a white person and whom do you support to be the next president????

[obama8years]

Hillarynow....Could you provide specific examples as to why you believe Barak Obama is a racist???

------------------------------------------------------
Ill help out with that.
Maybe to put it in gentler terms, Obama prefers his race over the white race.

1. Even though he is 1/2 white, calls himself Black

2. Used term "Typical White Person"

3. Enjoyed 20 years at a Church that preaches White Oppression and the Black Value System

4. Made derogatory remarks pointed at White Working Class.

5. His wife is diffinately racist, read her essay at Princeton. She says America is Mean(she means white america)

Being a Racist is not necessarly bad, but for the person residing over the United States, it could pose a problem.

[obbcbs]

Good for you Hillarynow. You can say goodbye to the Constitution and equal rights, and Roe V Wade. You get to be angry in the voting booth and then suffer with the rest of us for the next 4 years, while fundamentalists are appointed to the Court. Great thinking. Do you actually think?

[senjh219]

Interesting interview with a long-time Clinton spinmeister. Why didn''t you just ask the Clinton campaign directly to provide you with the talking points?

[politicojoe]

The Writers For CBS could at least attempt to shade their bias for mccain. Just take a look as the subtlety in the headlines.

A look at the young senator from Illinois and his pursuit of the presidency.

- Young - AKA Inexperienced we all the know what you are insinuating there.

Oh and here is the Mccain Headline:

Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?

HERO - MAVERICK - WOW why not say Champion...oh how about some call him ZEUS some Call HIM Yaweh.

Oh why not use The Elder Statesman After All He Is 72 Years Old.

[politicojoe]

The Writers For CBS could at least attempt to shade their bias for mccain. Just take a look as the headlines.

A look at the young senator from Illinois and his pursuit of the presidency.

- Young - AKA Inexperienced we all the know what you are insinuating there.

Oh and here is the Mccain Headline:

Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?

HERO - MAVERICK - WOW why not say Champion...oh how about some call him ZEUS some Call HIM Yaweh.

Oh why not use The Elder Statesman After All He Is 72 Years Old.

[minnick8-2009]

At this point in time I doubt McCain could beat Charles Manson. Posted by rharrin1

That statement is absolutely ridiculous nonsense.

[randynason]

I assume that one of these days the superdelegates will get their act together and work toward the common good; whatever they decide that may be for the common people that they supposedly represent.

[prgrsvptriot]

It is odd to me how some commenters are acting as though CBS is being underhanded by interviewing this political consultant. It says right up top that these are interviews of political players, and in the italicized introduction that he''s a former Clinton advisor. Why wouldn''t he show bias in favor of Senator Clinton? I knew it would be when I started reading; why didn''t these other commenters?

Secondly, why does it seem appropriate to these other commenters that being ahead should mean that we never, ever hear from anyone who supports the canditate that''s behind, ever again? People who support one or the other campaign can be reasonably expected to actually believe that their candidate is the best choice. Why shouldn''t a news organization give them a voice with which to point out the reasons they feel one candidate or one outcome is preferable to another? How is that wrong, underhanded, sneaky or suspicious in any way?

I''m no CBS advocate, and I do support Senator Clinton''s bid for the presidency over Senator Obama''s. Nonetheless, I watch his speaches, check out his sites, and hear much commentary from his supporters. I''m willing to consider the whole field and make my own judgements and I expect my news organizations to make that possible.

[concerned222]

Think again about what Obama needs to do to win...A Clinton/Obama ticket WILL help. There will be lots of Democrats switching to McCain if Obama is without her.
Frankly, I think it is time for a strong woman to be President..to clean up the mess that all the men have made in our country.
We have truly regressed during the last 8 years. This HAS to change. I''m concerned that Obama knows only how to give pep talks and not effect real change. I''m not convinced he knows how to change things.
(And yes, I''m a Democrat, female, white, married, Southern, educated, call me a feminist if you want to.)
Maybe it''s time for a one term 6 year Presidency so that whoever is elected can concentrate on doing what is RIGHT instead of getting re-elected. I''d like to forget the Democrat/Republican thing and just elect those who CAN and WILL do the right things. (And isn''t that hard to predict?)

[gangesdak]

I realized that the Democratic race is turning toward race when I heard "shock" and "anger" from the black community about Hillary clinton''s comments on Lyndon Johnson and King. According to polls in late 80s and 90s, blacks held Johnson to very high esteem becuase of his active contribution to civil rights. Matter of fact, it is said that because of Johnson''s action for the cause of the blacks that Democrats lost the South. all of a sudden, this Johnson became dogmeat to the blacks, and Obama camp fully particiapated in that game fanning racial fervor. Yes, Obama is racist. And the "Micheal Stivic" whites agree to this racial tone, bacuase this racism is against whites.

[sgtrds-e4]

At this point in time I doubt McCain could beat Charles Manson. Posted by rharrin1

That statement is absolutely ridiculous nonsense.

Posted by minnick8 at 11:34 AM : May 23, 2008

Still it is correct though.

[sgtrds-e4]

The number one challenge Obama has is security for himself and his family. Given half a chance the neocon right wingers like Cheney would have him taken out in a heartbeat to hold onto power.

[prgrsvptriot]

To the first post by jack3213, I don''t agree that disingenuousnes is the only way to read a combined ticket between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, whatever the combination. In the early days of America''s history, the Vice Presidential position was awarded to the person who came in second in the whole presidential race. In this way, they intended to accommodate the desires of as large a majority of the electorate as possible, so that people could move forward from an election with a sense of hope. The president was in the hot seat as executive, but the vice president would preside over the senate, and thus hold much sway in what did or didn''t get done.

It concerns me that people think that distinguishing yourself from someone else should somehow mean that you completely reject the other person. If I''m afraid that someone doesn''t have experience, for instance, and then people elect that person anyway, I''d prefer to also be on the team to provide some of that needed experience, and also to point the finger and say, "I told you so," when his lack of experience shows. I might even publicly tip my hat to him later, and say I was wrong. But, I''d want to be there if I want to make sure things go well. This doesn''t seem insincere, impractical, or uncredible to me at all.

[rowdywicca]

The number one challenge Obama has is security for himself and his family. Given half a chance the neocon right wingers like Cheney would have him taken out in a heartbeat to hold onto power.


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Posted by SgtRDS-E4 at 11:53 AM : May 23, 2008

Either that or one of the corrupt Chicago mafia politicians he''s managed to screw over to get elected, or his buddy Rezko if he uses him as a scapegoat for their dual corruption with Auchi.

[sgtrds-e4]

Either that or one of the corrupt Chicago mafia politicians he''''s managed to screw over to get elected, or his buddy Rezko if he uses him as a scapegoat for their dual corruption with Auchi.

Posted by RowdyWicca at 11:58 AM : May 23, 2008

(Hnads firmly over my ears) La La La! I can''t hear you! La la la!

[rowdywicca]

Never ever underestimate the power of the vote AGAINST!

Just look what is happening now. You people are voting for a nincooompoop as a vote against the republicans.

The other half of us are most likey to vote republican against what we see as a complete scam! Doesn''t matter who or what McCain is, or what he represents other than a vote against a whack job like Obama who is unscrupulous and dangerous in his lack of competence.

[rowdywicca]

(Hnads firmly over my ears) La La La! I can''''t hear you! La la la!


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Posted by SgtRDS-E4 at 12:01 PM : May 23, 2008

Pfffffffffft, LMAO! Heads up, guy it''s definitely out there.

[rowdywicca]

There''s absolutely no way I''m putting the button to the atomic bomb into the hands of a first grader with 143 days in school!

[whatithink-2009]

RowdyWicca,

And this is exactly why I will not be voting for McCain. He is an idiot who was fortunate enough to have a father and grandfather with Navy connections. In a perfect world, he''d be waiting tables...just like Bush.