May 2, 2008 8:13
Superdelegates: Some Mean More Than Others
For all his troubles over the past few weeks, Barack Obama continues to cut into Hillary Clinton's lead among the superdelegates--elected and party officials--who will ultimately determine who gets the nomination. But while the Obama campaign made much yesterday of the defection of Joe Andrew, a former DNC chair who switched from Clinton to Obama, the more impressive and significant endorsement was that of Indiana Congressman Baron Hill the day before.
Andrew's move, making an early bet on a frontrunner, and then jumping when it looks like that one wasn't paying off, is easy to write off as political calculation. And it is difficult to see who will be swayed by the shifting of a cog within the party machinery. (Indeed, Andrew wasn't all that influential, even back when he had the DNC job. A friend of mine was once seated next to a Democratic Senator at a dinner where Andrew was speaking. The Senator leaned over to her and asked, "Who's that guy?" When my friend informed the Senator that the speaker was the chairman of his party, he whispered: "Don't tell anyone I asked that.")
For Hill, on the other hand, this has enormous implications. Few people have more on the line when it comes to the question of who will top the ticket in November. Hill has one of the toughest races in the country, and his decision is not without risk. One of them: It could alienate the most powerful Democrat in his home state, Senator Evan Bayh, who has staked a lot on Clinton and has tried to dissuade members of the state's congressional delegation from endorsing her opponent.
Hill's decision to endorse now is a strong indication that, whatever the bumps Obama may have hit of late, the fundamentals of this race have not changed all that much. It is a sign that Democrats down the ballot still see Obama as the stronger candidate to take on John McCain in November.
Reader Comments (71)
Since when did you start referring to Senator Clinton as "Hill?" What, is she your good girlfriend now, KT? You gonna start referring to Senator Obama as "Barry" next? Or start referring to Senator McCain as "Grandpa?"
Posted by Florida | May 2, 2008 8:36 AM
Florida,
Congressmen Baron Hill.
Posted by superterrificdelegate | May 2, 2008 8:38 AM
Florida .... KT was referring to Baron Hill.
If you are going to be a jerk you should try reading more carefully.
Posted by Rob (Formerly) In Toronto
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May 2, 2008 8:39 AM
For all his stunted, staccato speech (and it isn't that much better than Bush, at times), Obama IS clearly the better choice than Robohack Hillary.
They both come across as condescending jerks, as do most Demagogies from hour to hour, but that doesn't mean he's not vastly less frictiony than Senator Shiksa, even with their dual lack of relevant experience (other than dodging imaginary sniper fire from the Yugoslobs for zero seconds, or dodging the real squeal Reverend Wrong for 20 years).
Obama you could bring on a Sunday boat trip, and enjoy the chat.
Hillary?
She'd be way left lurking for swimmers and SCUBA divers off shore, as her spousal unit "exercised" just below deck.
Obama, by an ear, er, nose.
Posted by QUESTION HILLARY
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May 2, 2008 8:39 AM
Do you folks in the press (not necessarily you Karen) ever start to feel ashamed of how you have brow-beaten Obama with the words of another person more than any politician in the history of this country?
I mean seriously, I've watched politics and politicians for all of my conscious 40 plus years and while I've seen some of this and of course associations between 2 actual politicians, I have NEVER seen it used to consistently and odiously...and yet vomitously toward ANY political figure than Reverend Wright has been used towards Obama.
Don't you feel one ounce of shame over this...don't you think that Obama is getting an awful lot of the Billy Budd treatment?
Posted by attaturk | May 2, 2008 8:44 AM
Great observation Florida!
Not only are the elected superdelegates starting to realize that Sen. Obama can deliver better for them in November, I have a sense that they are also getting very uncomfortable with all the slime starting to come out in the light regarding the underground Clinton campaign tactics.
She is starting to make all the wrong moves in public too. Calling out her fellow Democrats to take a public stand on her ridiculous and pandering Gas Tax proposal is no doubt going to endear her even more among the elected Democratic superdelegates who face a tough election in the fall. I would think that the House and Senate Democratic leadership is not very happy with being called out by Hillaryzilla to vote for a plan they know is of no real benefit. (Does anyone out there think the oil companies or local gas stations are really going to pass this tax break on to the consumer? It is also likely they will not only pocket it but continue to raise gas prices, so when the gas tax holiday ends consumers will be hit with a 30 cent increase rather than a return to the 18 cents gas tax).
Anyone want to take the bet that Hillaryzilla is laying the foundation to cross lines and become John McCain’s running mate? Hammering your own party on a pandering populist issue and spending a lot of time mending fences with various right wing factions of the Republican Party is a great start to a fall campaign.
Posted by Floridian | May 2, 2008 8:55 AM
Sorry for the double post. The first line of my last post was supposed to read "Great Observation Florida! Not!
Wiped out the Not! when I was cutting and pasting. Sorry.
Posted by Floridian | May 2, 2008 8:58 AM
attaturk--
THREE stories on this in the Times today--all concluding that Wright doesn't matter.
KT--
What about Josh Marshall's report
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/192556.php
that Obama has a "few dozen" superdelegates on ice that he rolls out in response to bad news. And that their primary motivation for staying silent is fundraising--they don't want to alienate Clinton backers.
(Florida--I'm really careful always to call her "Clinton," because I don't call the other two Johnny or Barack. And that's not whom KT referred to. BUT her signs say "Hillary". And, I admit, I called him Rudy!!! [remember him? Never came close, and killed speaking fee business], but that was sardonic.)
Posted by jayackroyd
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May 2, 2008 9:00 AM
So Obama is the establishment candidate running as the Washington outsider?
No criticism intended, just find it an interesting paradox.
Posted by chipfat | May 2, 2008 9:02 AM
attaturk the press can now be described as the racist press given what they have done to Wright, while granting the white preachers a free ride.
Posted by Derek | May 2, 2008 9:08 AM
Continuing with Floridian's thoughts on Clinton pressing fellow Dems to line up "for or against" on the gas tax holiday. Steve Bene has a fine piece on this over at Carpetbagger:
"And it really never occurred to me she’d use the bogus issue to triangulate against congressional Democrats. After several days of back and forth between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over whether a summer-long elimination of the gas tax would help or hurt, Clinton took a hard line, asking her colleagues in Congress to take sides. "I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on record,” Clinton told supporters at a rally in southern Indiana. “Do they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the oil companies? “I want to know where people stand and I want them to tell us, are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?” she added. Wait, with us or against us? Isn’t that Bush’s line?"
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15404.html#more-15404
I have to say, I didn't imagine she would go quite this far. The superdelegates should be angry as hell about this. My god, this is just a day after ex-DNC Chair and ex-Hillary supporter Joe Andrews said: “Clinton’s latest stand on the gas tax holiday, which he said essentially amounted to nothing more than political pandering, was “really one of the straws that broke the camel’s back” in his decision to switch from Clinton to Obama.”
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 9:26 AM
Joe Sudbay at AmericaBlog had an interesting take on the Wright insanity this morning:
"What a week. The obsession of the punditry with Rev. Wright will surely be viewed as a new low -- even for them. Imagine if they focused as intensely on the lies of the Bush administration about Iraq. Imagine if they focused on any issue with that kind of intensity."
http://www.americablog.com/2008/05/friday-morning-open-thread.html
Karen & Joe, how do you think this reflects on your profession?
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 9:29 AM
Derek's charge of racism is pretty harsh but I'm not sure that it isn't spot on.
There will be 100 variations of "But he belonged to Wright's church".
The difference between McCain begging for the support of an anti-Catholic anti-American preacher and Obama repudiating Wright seems to have gone into the ether.
Posted by Paul-no not that one | May 2, 2008 9:30 AM
It's worth noting that Joe Andrew was "National Chairman" at a time when the DNC had two chairs: the National Chair, acting as administrator, and the General Chair, who publicly represented the Party. For this reason, the Senator who didn't recognize National Chair Joe Andrew probably would have recognized co-serving General Chair Ed Rendell, who could have also been described as the head of the party.
Posted by baudelairien | May 2, 2008 9:33 AM
So Obama is the establishment candidate running as the Washington outsider? No criticism intended, just find it an interesting paradox.
He is trying to be the establishment candidate. But keep in mind that if their positions were reversed, he'd have conceded and taken the VP slot, under enormous pressure from the establishment.
It's a real shame, given how complementary they are, that she can't be the VP. (It's funny, though, that she's the one with the Chicago accent.)
Posted by jayackroyd
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May 2, 2008 9:39 AM
Thx baudelairien. I didn't know that.
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 9:40 AM
As I have said before, I really don't think endorsements mean much, although votes of superdelagates obviously do.
In PA, Sen. Bob Casey was the most prominent supporter of Obama and Obama lost Casey's home district. In the PA suburbs, both representatives who strongly supported a candidate -- Patrick Murphy and Joe Sestack -- lost their home areas to the other candidate.
And, of course there are Kerry, Kennedy, and Patrick in Massachusetts.
Fortunately, following the will of the people as a super delagate apparently doesn't mean following the way the voters who elected you vote.
Glad Karen called out Andrew for the obvious political calculation in his announcement. I also thought he was being a jerk by saying well now after MY state votes, we should just end it and everyone should declare for Obama as I have done. As long as it's been this long, the remaining states should vote. It is a good thing because it really energizes states who have never had any say before.
Posted by ivb | May 2, 2008 9:47 AM
wvng,
I didn't realize that Clinton had challenged the Congressional Dems about the oil tax. I think she has just forgotten whose nomination she's running for. Yesterday she said
"If we had Republican rules, I'd already be the nominee."
If only…
Posted by superterrificdelegate | May 2, 2008 9:52 AM
gas tax I meant.
Posted by superterrificdelegate | May 2, 2008 9:53 AM
So Obama is the establishment candidate running as the Washington outsider? No criticism intended, just find it an interesting paradox.
Obama is not the establishment candidate, unless you are calling MoveOnOrg as the "establishment" now.
All of the critism that Hillary is receiving from the far left of the Democrat Party is un-warranted. She does have a legitimate right to continue moving forward with her campaign, but due to the “establishment”, she is being asked to abandon her campaign just when she is showing major gains in the polls. This is not democracy, this is lunacy. This is just more of how Obama and his cronies have attempted to slide through this important election without giving any substance at all to back up his legitimacy.
Neither candidate has a majority of anything. Giving Florida and Michigan the right to vote in this primary is yet another obstacle the Democrat Party needs to put to rest before moving forward on anything at this point. Until that dispute is resolved, this entire election will be considered a farce. Once that is resolved, Hillary will have a majority of the votes.
In my opinion, since no candidate can be confirmed it should go to the convention and all bets are off at that time. No one should be committed to anyone until the last delegate has the opportunity to voice their vote. Had the Wright controversy been exposed by our incompetent MSM earlier on in this election as it should have been, Obama would have already stepped down. But no, the MSM with the exception of Fox News did not bring this to the forefront for voters to reflect upon.
There is still plenty of time to resolve this, and the Democrat Party will go down in history as the most corrupt party ever if they do not allow this election to continue. Any remaining Super Delegates should be frozen out of the election until the convention. Then and only then should they have a voice.
Posted by Rustydog | May 2, 2008 10:05 AM
ivb, there are several ways to see Andrew's decision. One is political calculation. Another is that what he said in his long letter to superdelegates was simple, heartfelt truth. His letter resonated with me because I reached the same point some time ago for much the same reasons.
One of his core issues was this one: “We have two good candidates, but we have two people who’ve run their campaigns in two different ways. Barack Obama is serious about changing the process in politics …. That’s what inspires me, and I haven’t been inspired in a long time. I’m Inspired by someone who says you know we don’t have to play the game."
You can read the entire letter here:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/1/102837/5934
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 10:08 AM
you are calling MoveOnOrg as the "establishment" now.
MoveOn represents the mainstream Democratic view pretty well, actually. 3 million people can't be extreme, pretty much by definition.
Posted by jayackroyd
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May 2, 2008 10:18 AM
wvng -
Well said. I back Obama not because I agree with all of his positions (I don't), but rather because I see in him our best chance for fixing a thoroughly broken political system.
Posted by Robert Sullivan | May 2, 2008 10:21 AM
wvng, Fine, I'm sure he can say he was inspired, etc. (Wish he had been inspired enough to bring about a win when he was party co-chair, but that's another matter.)
My objection was only to his statement that I heard him repeat on NPR this morning that the primary should end now. Geez. We've come this far and long -- let the rest of the states hold their primaries and make the decision at the end of June. Just because his state will now have voted, doesn't seem to me to be a good reason to not let the few remaining states vote as well.
Posted by ivb | May 2, 2008 10:23 AM
So Obama is the establishment candidate running as the Washington outsider.
He actually seems to have the worst of both worlds. Once he became the front-runner he became fair game for the attack and pile-on and the easiest way to attack him is as a dangerous outsider.
Which is of course why we have non-stop Wright and Ayers and Ayers and Wright......
Posted by Paul Dirks
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May 2, 2008 10:29 AM
Robert S: While I hope you are right I don't think any President on the Democratic side can ever have the best chance for fixing the system. One of the things I have seen again and again is how the Republicans can put on a show of unity no matter what the cost. Democrats have Blue Dogs, Yellow Dogs, Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Progressives and whatever else they call themselves. They have a leadership which works against itself. neither Pelosi nor Hoyer have distinguished thmeselves as consolidators. On the contrary they work against each other.
Obama will first have to get his Democratic House in order before he can even begin to reach out across the aisle. I am not hopeful.
Posted by Pat | May 2, 2008 10:31 AM
please see Clinton camp call Indian people
"Worthless white ni**ers"
Posted by dsz | May 2, 2008 10:33 AM
303,987,358 million divided by 3 million last I figured is less than 1% of the population.
I stand firmly behind my definition that MoveOnOrg is a small faction of the FAR LEFT LIBERAL EXTREMISTS.
Just because the Democrat caucus system is so flawed, that a group of so called "mainstream" Americans flooded those elections with their buddies and pals, doesn't represent democracy in the slightest. If you take away Obama's wins in those states, he couldn't win the election as a Dog Catcher.
One thing this primary has done IS energized the entire country to take a stance. It will be a general election of monumental proportions, with the everyday American making the decision as to who will be the next President of the United States. John McCain.
Now that Obama's true self has been revealed, no moderate or conservative voter would even consider him. All you have is your less than 1%. PERIOD.
Rev Wright / Obama '08, WRONG for AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Rustydog | May 2, 2008 10:33 AM
Off topic but everyone here should read this:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/134930/output/print
The Bush administration is refusing to disclose internal e-mails, letters and notes showing contacts with major telecommunications companies over how to persuade Congress to back a controversial surveillance bill, according to recently disclosed court documents.
Posted by Paul Dirks
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May 2, 2008 10:36 AM
...she is being asked to abandon her campaign just when she is showing major gains in the polls...
This is fiction. She hasn't had major gains. She's been beating Obama, but not by huge margins. She's just been beating expectations.
Clinton gained by 12 delegates in PA, but is still behind by 155, with 9 contests left, most of them too small to matter much. She'll have to get almost 70% of the rest of the vote to get more pledged delegates. That's not going to happen.
http://www.slate.com/id/2185278/
Of course Clinton can get the superdels to overturn things, but that would be winning ugly.
Posted by J.J.
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May 2, 2008 10:40 AM
please see Bill Clinton camp '92 call Indiana people worthless white ni**ers
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/2/93316/53926/838/507664
sorry about the typo above
Posted by dsz | May 2, 2008 10:43 AM
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/2/93316/53926/838/507664
I'm anxiously awaiting KT's careful analysis of if "bitter and clinging" translates to
dismissal of small-town voters as narrow-minded, churchgoing gun nuts
then how will
"Look at Indiana - 42-40. It doesn't matter if we win; those people are sh*t. How would you like to be a worthless white ni***r?"
look when paraphrased for the print edition of Time?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Kantor
Posted by Paul Dirks
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May 2, 2008 10:47 AM
Pat -
I think Obama's approach to politcs makes him uniquely qualified to unite the Party, and to unite the country. Unlike almost everyone else out there these days, he goes into debates acknowledging that his opponent has a legitimate point of view - that their differences can usually be traced to legitimate differences of opinion regarding the role of government in our lives. (The more conventional approach these days seems to be something like "I'm right, and you're evil!") Obama's approach makes it easier to find common ground, to debate points of difference rationally, and to unite the electorate behind consensus decisions.
Posted by Robert Sullivan | May 2, 2008 10:48 AM
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/in/indiana_democratic_primary-639.html
Better go and check out the latest polls, JJ. Your man is sinking like a LEAD balloon.
In just Indiana alone Hillary has gained over 5% in the past two days, with Obama taking a HUGE nose-dive.
That is what is prompting the current set of Super Dels to jump ship, to stave off the tide that is turning this entire primary.
Posted by Rustydog | May 2, 2008 10:51 AM
ivb. Andrews has said pretty clearly that until recently he was in favor of having the primary just continue on and on, because the CW was that the media spotlight was a net good for Dems. However, recent polls demonstrate that, due to the negative nature of the race, actual harm is being done to Dem chances in the fall, and that convinced him that it was time to try and force an end. I think that is a good and proper decision for a Dem leader to make. Being a leader and all (admittedly a minor one).
On the other hand, McCain may be at his peak of popularity now, polling around 45%,and Obama (or Hillary) are at their respective nadirs and still polling the same or slightly ahead of McCain. Daniel McCarthy at the American Conservative wrote (yesterday):
"The political environment that exists now...is nothing like the one that will exist in the summer, let alone November, when the Democrats will be fighting McCain instead of each other and the media glare will be upon the Arizonan as well as Obama. The present circumstances are — as several commentators, including me, have pointed out — the best that McCain is likely to enjoy for the rest of the season. I suspect present conditions are also nearly rock-bottom for Obama, though it’s a mistake ever to underestimate how much slime a Clinton can excrete. Nevertheless, barring new skeletons spilling out of Obama’s closest, the race is going to get better for him and worse for McCain."
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/05/01/is-obama-finished/
The sooner we get to the GE media environment he describes, the better the Dem chances in the fall. Waiting till the convention may well be too late, and waiting till the end of June allows McCain and his MSM fluffers too much time to define him without opposition.
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 10:51 AM
Now Democrats are choosing to use 16 year old clips from a third party against our own candidates?
No wonder my party has the problems we do. Doing the nasty work usually done by the media for them.
Posted by Paul-no not that one | May 2, 2008 10:55 AM
Geez. We've come this far and long -- let the rest of the states hold their primaries and make the decision at the end of June.
The reason I disagree, ivb, is because the Democrats are not making the case against McCain, and because Clinton's running a very aggressive negative campaign against the Democratic nominee (negative ads in Penn. and Indiana), which isn't helping America very much either. It's the larger picture that makes me think the superdelegates should say that they accept the result of the primary and caucus votes and won't try to overturn it.
It's nice to know that Rustydog, Karl Rove, and Bill Kristol have the Democratic Party's best interest at heart, though. Keep that advice coming, guys!
Posted by Elvis Elvisberg
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May 2, 2008 10:55 AM
Hey Indiana, have you seen this?
Clinton campaign says Indianans are " s h i t " and "worthless white ni * * ers"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN_nQOHj__s
Posted by lily | May 2, 2008 10:57 AM
The sooner we get to the GE media environment he describes
Sorry, for a moment I thought you were talking about the symbiosis between the media and defense contractors?
Wrong GE....my bad.
Posted by Paul Dirks
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May 2, 2008 10:57 AM
Robert: I hope you are right. I want it to be so. We simply have too many problems in our economy and foreign relations to waste our energy with useless and self destructive fights in the domestic arena. Bush will go down in history as the most useless President this country has had. It would be great if the leader of our country can bring some class and understanding to the White House.
Posted by Pat | May 2, 2008 11:01 AM
Karen - about your claim - oft repeated in the media, that it's the superdelegates who will ultimately determine who gets the nomination: That may happen, but right now the supers are about evenly split, and it's the voters who have given Barack the lead. Is there any reason why that couldn't be true at the end of the game too?
Or do you assume the supers are determining the nomination because they can move en masse if they want to, even as late as the convention?
Posted by KathyR | May 2, 2008 11:03 AM
Hillary has gained over 5% in the past two days
ZOMG! A 5% change? In two days? In politics? It sounds like a PERMANENT TREND!^!!1! Nothing ever happens in 6 months during campaign season, does it?
Posted by J.J.
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May 2, 2008 11:04 AM
Paul. You know, I thought about that and almost wrote out "general election" in stead of GE. :-)
It is rather a shame that we have an entirely reasonable concern "about the symbiosis between the media and defense contractors."
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 11:06 AM
It is really difficult for the super-delegates but I think that they will choose Obama because, it is the best candidate.
http://allainjulesblog.blogspot.com/
Posted by allainjules | May 2, 2008 11:09 AM
KathyR--
It's because neither candidate can accumulate enough pledged delegates to go over the top.
Shorter explanation is that there are too many superdelegates.
Posted by jayackroyd
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May 2, 2008 11:11 AM
KT here--
KathyR: I say that because it is looking numerically impossible that either candidate could get the 2,025 they need for the nomination without some yet-to-decide supers (or, as the clinton folks are now calling them, the "automatic delegates") being part of the mix. Obama doesn't have to win a majority of them; Clinton would.
Posted by Karen Tumulty | May 2, 2008 11:13 AM
As usual Bowers has the numbers:
http://openleft.com/
1494 to 1333 with 408 to go and 2208 to nominate.
Posted by jayackroyd
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May 2, 2008 11:13 AM
KT here again--
I'm checking in here, BTW, as a distraction from the monthly chore I hate most: my expense accounts.
Some of you from time to time have asked about the financial arrangements under which the media travel with the candidates. Answer: we (or at least the High Sheriffs) are paying through the nose. I'm looking right now at a bill to fly from Philadelphia to Scranton, and then Scranton to Pittsburgh. Damage to the Evil Empire: $667.78
Posted by Karen Tumulty | May 2, 2008 11:16 AM
The Carpetbagger has a fine piece looking at Sid Blumenthal distributing RW smears against Obama. The whole piece is worth reading for Steve's always thoughtful analysis. Here is a taste:
"This has caused something of a stir on Democratic and media circles, so it’s worth considering just how controversial these emails really are.
To be sure, Blumenthal apparently was dishing some pretty scurrilous dirt from vile right-wing hatchetmen. Presumably, he knows better — these are, after all, some of the same Republican attack dogs Blumenthal fought against for years.
Indeed, I’ve been trying to imagine if the shoe were on the other foot here. If a prominent Obama aide spent months distributing ugly anti-Clinton smears, written by notorious right-wing hatchetmen, to key media figures, there’d be considerable disgust in Democratic circles, and rightly so. Blumenthal himself would be quick to remind as many Dems as possible that we should be trying to knock right-wing smears down, not disseminating them to friendly journalists.
Except, as far as I know, Obama aides aren’t dishing right-wing dirt; Blumenthal is. That’s disappointing. What’s worse, Dreier’s piece indicated that this has been going on for six months, suggesting the emails weren’t just a response to the heated nature of the one-on-one campaign of the last couple of months, but were part of an aggressive effort as far back as November."
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15407.html#more-15407
One more reason to end this thing.
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 11:19 AM
I have family in Philadelphia. I bet they'd pay at least $667 never to have to go to Scranton or Pittsburgh ever again. So yeah, seems like a rip-off to me, Karen.
I bet market-based reforms would fix the problem! I'll work tirelessly to come up with a few.
Posted by Elvis Elvisberg
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May 2, 2008 11:20 AM
Karen, you probably could have driven there about as quickly.
Posted by wvng | May 2, 2008 11:24 AM
I know you're mostly joking wvng, but remember when they were filing stories from a bathroom? With Secret Service restrictions, at the time she said that it is difficult to leave the bubble and then get back inside again.
Posted by jayackroyd
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May 2, 2008 11:28 AM
Some of you from time to time have asked about the financial arrangements under which the media travel with the candidates.
I still don't understand why it's so key for organizations to contribute to the pack of aleutian sled dogs yapping after candidates, but thanks for the information, Karen, and please keep it coming!
Posted by stuart_zechman | May 2, 2008 11:34 AM
KT here--
SZ, I do it as infrequently as possible, and try to hold it to a day or two when I do. But sometimes, it's a good idea to actually see the candidates.
Posted by Karen Tumulty | May 2, 2008 11:52 AM
...sometimes, it's a good idea to actually see the candidates.
...and the country, too.
In 2005 my gf (now bride) and I spent almost two weeks in south-central KY.
I think that I want to spend some time in Maine, next.
Posted by stuart_zechman | May 2, 2008 11:57 AM
I think that I want to spend some time in Maine, next.
Stuart--that's my old stomping ground, and I'm still up there a lot. Let me know if you want any tips on cool places to go.
Posted by J.J.
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May 2, 2008 12:11 PM
J.J.:
Thanks.
(sorry, Commenters)
What do you think of this?
Posted by stuart_zechman | May 2, 2008 1:19 PM
Karen and Jay - I hear you that neither candidate can get the nomination without superdelegates. My point is that if Barack doesn't need the majority of superdelegates to win, that's because the voters gave him the decisive edge; then the only way superdelegates will have "ultimately" decided the nomination is in the sense that they decided last.
Posted by KathyR | May 2, 2008 1:29 PM
You know, this may be off topic but I'd love to hear reasoning behind some of the Republican views. My family is pretty much republican and I was told today that they would rather fight a war in Iraq then one here and that the reason we are in Iraq was because they "bombed" us. I was like where did you here that? and of course they had no backing and they wouldn't listen to me. So for once, I would love to have a McCain supporter please tell me the reasoning behind your war mongering, because this isn't the first Republican to spew this slime at me.
Posted by lsumarkb | May 2, 2008 1:30 PM
KT here--
I mean that they (enough of them, at least) will be the final votes that put him over. Also, FWIW (which is usually not much), my own prediction is that a lot of the remaining undecideds are waiting for some triggering event to move--for many, the end of the last primary, if the two candidates fight it all the way--and will move in large numbers in the same direction.
Posted by karen tumulty | May 2, 2008 2:21 PM
At this point, this is indisputable:
I mean that they (enough of them, at least) will be the final votes that put him over.
a lot of the remaining undecideds are waiting for some triggering event to move--for many, the end of the last primary, if the two candidates fight it all the way--and will move in large numbers in the same direction
I think that you've got that prediction correct, too, Karen.
Posted by stuart_zechman | May 2, 2008 2:33 PM
What do you think of this?
The Cat! I've never ridden it. But I'd definitely put Portland and Acadia National Park on the short list of places to go in Maine (especially if you just plan on sticking to the coast). Nova Scotia is supposed to be cool too.
In Portland, I'd check out the Portland Observatory, maybe the Longfellow House (if you're into history). There's also some cool little nook bars you might like. My friends and I used to hang out at Free Street Taverna. It's a small place with character and some good acts if you catch them on the right night. Also check out Flatbread Pizza company. All the local sushi places are good (the fish is very fresh), but Gritty McDuff's beer and Dimillo's food are disappointing, IMHO. Exchange street has some nice little shops, kind of like Newbury Street in Boston. Definitely check out Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth if you have wheels (it's about 10 minutes away from downtown Portland)...
Posted by J.J.
|
May 2, 2008 2:36 PM
I think you should ALL move to Maine and then secede from the Union!!!!
Oh, and take Obama with you! :)
Posted by Rustydog | May 2, 2008 2:59 PM
Thanks, J.J.
I'm copying and pasting your comment into an email to my bride.
Posted by stuart_zechman | May 2, 2008 3:04 PM
I think you should ALL move to Maine and then secede from the Union!!!!
Kiss my yankee a**, dude.
Stewart: One thing I just saw-- looks like Free Street Taverna is now the Dogfish Cafe Bar and Grille: http://www.thedogfishbarandgrille.com/
Posted by J.J.
|
May 2, 2008 3:33 PM
KT here--
SZ and JJ, it would be really easy for me to hate you both at the moment. I'm stuck at Dulles (airport of endless security lines) waiting to get on a flight to Raleigh (that is an hour and a half late) and that will be followed later tonight by a flight to Chicago and then a flight tomorrow to Indianapolis. All of which are probably nice places, but I won't see any of them.
Posted by karen tumulty | May 2, 2008 3:36 PM
J.J.
Thanks for the update.
KT:
You know that you love this routine.
It's beautiful; there are no responsibilities, because you are not in control of your life at the moment. You are traveling. You are the most inert and sentience-less of beings: a passenger.
Literally all that is required from you now is that you relax and enjoy the ride.
You get to think about the outline of the book that you're working on!
Go for it! Give it some good, quality thought.
...or read a Neal Stephenson novel--you can buy one at the bookstore/magazine shop, and just leave it where you're sitting--someone will benefit from it. How about the Federalist papers? You've wanted to take a look at those again for a while! I'm sure one of those books about LBJ by Robert Caro is around, somewhere...
Love it, Karen. This is the best time in the world for you to catch up on what you really want to be thinking about...
Posted by stuart_zechman | May 2, 2008 4:23 PM
KT here--
SZ, in a perfect world...
Right now, too stressed about making it to Raleigh in time to connect with the Obama campaign before they leave for Chicago. Can't change my own flight and divert to Chicago because my luggage is already checked for Raleigh. Meanwhile, I'm running out of battery on this machine, and all the other delayed passengers are hogging all the outlets.
Posted by Karen Tumulty | May 2, 2008 4:28 PM
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Posted by goldstonesoft | July 24, 2008 3:18 AM
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hguf - -
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68-p-2 - - سياحة وسفر - -
سياحة - -سفر - -فنادق - -
46 - -46-p-3 - -46-p-6 - -
ناطحات سحاب - -أفضل 10 مدن - -
مدينة الحب الفرنسيه - -فندق الحب - -
صور - -24 - -34-p-3 - -
34-p-6 - - - -34-p-13 - -
34-p-15 - -34-p-20 - -
34-p-25 - -34-p-29 - -
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شموع - -صور حلوة - -
احلى عروس - -صور رعب - -24 - -24-p-3 - -
24-p-5 - -24-p-8 - -فوتوشوب - -
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صور رجال - -صور احترافية - -59 - -
58 - -ملحقات التصميم - -دروس التصميم - -
جميلات العرب - -اليسا - -
صور طبيعية - -صور قلوب - -
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العاب بلياردو - - العب - - العاب - -
1 - -2 - -3 - -4 - -5 - -6 - -7 - -
13 - -14 - -8 - -15 - -10 - -21 - -30 - -
17 - -16 - -23 - -20 - -25 - -24 - -27 - -
26 - -29 - -28 - -31 - -32 - -33 - -34 - -
37 - -38 - -35 - -36 - -39 - -40 - -41 - -
42 - -43 - -44 - -45 - -46 - -47 - -58 - -
53 - -54 - -48 - -55 - -56 - -49 - -57 - -
50 - -59 - -60 - -51 - -61 - -62 - -52 - -
11 - -12 - -63 - -64 - -
المنتدى العام - - مواضيع ساخنة ومثيرة - - ترجمة - -
ازياء - - موضة - - فساتين - -
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عربية - - -ازياء - - - صور
انمي - - -
سياحة - - -مسلسلات اجنبية - - -
شعر - - -اناشيد - - -
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67
-p-2
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مسلسل نور -
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فساتين 2008 -الازياء
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