“OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS Saturday May 17 2008

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

WELCOME TO “OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS

Saturday May 17 2008


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., leans
against the wall while waiting backstage before a rally in Sioux Falls,
S.D., Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment (or more) to graciously participate
by posting news and announcements about the Obama campaign on this thread. You can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web. :think:

2. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU,
providing a link to the original thread :applause:

3. Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page :thumbsup:

4. Clinton supporters or “anti Obama posters please start your own “Clinton Daily News Thread”.

Get your DU-o-matic codificator (to format your posts) here
Read the Daily News Archives here

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. Nailing it

Nailing it
By Mike Luckovich | Thursday, May 15, 2008, 07:09 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. Obama is giving Republicans southern heartburn

Obama is giving Republicans southern heartburn

by John Aravosis (DC) · 5/16/2008

NYT

But in Southern states with large black populations, like Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia, an energized black electorate could create a countervailing force, particularly if conservative white voters choose not to flock to Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, predicts “the largest black turnout in the history of the United States” this fall if Mr. Obama is the nominee.

To hold these states, Republicans may have to work harder than ever. Already, turnout in Democratic primaries this year has substantially exceeded Republican turnout in states like Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Some analysts suggest that North Carolina and Virginia may even be within reach for the Democratic nominee, and they point to the surprising result in a Congressional special election in Mississippi this week as an indicator of things to come.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. The GOP ARE scared

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Wolcott: Obama Is “Mummy-Wrapping” Bush and McCain

Wolcott: Obama Is “Mummy-Wrapping” Bush and McCain

By Al Giordano at The Field

Wolcott, on Obama’s response to Bush and McCain:

“…he firmly, deftly mummy-wrapped Bush and McCain together and dropped them off at the pier. It’s rather impressive to see a first-term senator chastise the President of the United States and the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party as if he were the headmaster and they the ones guilty of infractions unworthy of upperclassmen. That’s one of the benefits of having an oratorical voice that sounds tall–it automatically adds height to every utterance, allowing them to drop like acorns and make a nice thunk when they bounce off of the nearest thick skull.”

See and hear it for yourself:

VIDEO HERE

...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. What went wrong in Hillaryland?

The exclusive story of Hillary's fall, as told by the high-level advisors, staffers, fundraisers, and on-the-ground organizers who lived it.

What Went Wrong?

by Michelle Cottle Post Date Friday, May 16, 2008 The New Republic

...on the condition of total anonymity, a fairly broad enough cross-section of her staff responded--more than a dozen members all told, from high-level advisors to grunt-level assistants, from money men to on-the-ground organizers.

..."Clearly was a phenomenon. He was tapping something really different than anyone had ever seen before. ... Months and months before Iowa, he was getting record crowds. I just think they should have really gone after him back in the summer and in the fall. I know it would have been a difficult decision to make back then. She's the leader of the party, the standard bearer, the big dog. Everyone thinks she's gonna win and walk away with it. Why go picking on Barack Obama? But that's just something the campaign should have done sooner."

"We didn't lay a serious glove on him until the fall. We tried to a little bit, but we weren't successful. We did silly stuff, like talk about David Geffen. It wasn't the substantive contrast we needed to make." ..."Running as an incumbent, as the inevitable candidate, was probably our biggest mistake, particularly in a time when the country is really hungry for change."

"We ran a frontrunner campaign in a party that punishes frontrunners. There was no attention to history: Ed Muskie--knocked off; threat to Mondale; etc. The best thing that could have happened is falling behind in the polls to Obama and then a shake-up ala Gore 2000--maybe even a move out of D.C. like he did it."

...more at the link

[quantass]

7. ..

[JimGinPA]

5. Ignore the McCain vs. Obama polls

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6003922&mesg_id=6003922

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. Mike Huckabee Jokes About Aiming A Gun At Obama

Mike Huckabee Jokes About Aiming A Gun At Obama

Oliver Willis May 16, 2008

Considering the kind of folks attending NRA events, this was probably a heck of a joke for them.

During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.

“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he’s getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. Appease-Porridge-Hot, Appease-Porridge-Cold, Appease-Porridge-in-the-pot

Appease-Porridge-Hot, Appease-Porridge-Cold, Appease-Porridge-in-the-pot...

Dr. Zaius Friday, May 16, 2008

President Bush: "As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history." ... "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all the time," ..."We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history." Think Progress 2

When Republican's start rattling sabers, it's always fun to remind them that the Republican Party ran on a platform of "non-intervention" in both WWI and WWII. The senator that Bush is quoting is one of those Republicans, Senator William Edgar Borah, the "Lion of Idaho". Also, President Bush's Grandfather, Senator Prescott Sheldon Bush, was one of this country's most notorious Nazi appeasers and financiers.

How can anyone in this country be expected to take advice from President Bush on any matter related to foreign policy? Only a fool would tie their career to such a ridiculous statement. (Oops! That's just what John McCain did!)

Does anybody remember when Donald Rumsfeld said that Democrats want to make sure that terrorists eat their vegetables?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. Only an an America led by an idiot....

The house the George built

Dr. Monkey Von MonkersteinThursday, May 15, 2008

Only in an America led by an idiot could the call for diplomacy with Iran be likened to Nazi appeasement. It shows once again how little grasp of history those idiots who run the current administration have.

You know, their idiotic pronouncements about this kind of thing might not be so bad if they were doing some actual diplomacy behind the scenes while they shouted their bellicose rhetoric like Nixon did when he "opened" China or like the British government did when it was negotiating
with the IRA in private while prosecuting them in public. But no, Bush, Condi, and Cheney are too stupid to do the likes of that.
They'd rather just rather widen their current circle of death and call anyone who disagrees with them terrorist loving traitors.

We can only hope they don't try to bring their Jesus back by trying to bomb Iran so that they will trigger Armageddon.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. Obama's Vice President: The Military Men

Obama's Vice President: The Military Men

David Mixner May 16 2008

In our continuing series on possible Vice Presidents for Senator Barack Obama, today we explore the "Military Men". The following three men all have extensive military backgrounds and are all opposed to the War in Iraq. They would add strength to Obama on the foreign policy front and on his position on the war. They would most likely counteract the military experience of Senator McCain.

Let's take a look at the "Military Men":

Senator Jim Webb from Virginia brings a lot to the table. Most importantly, Webb is from Virginia which is being viewed as a potential new swing state for the Democrats. The Senator is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served in the marines. He became a decorated war hero in Vietnam and won the Navy Cross, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. Webb even brings valid Republican credentials to the ticket having served as President Reagan's Secretary of the Navy. He pulled a stunning upset defeating Senator George Allen by a mere .05% of the vote and enabled the Democrats to take control of the Senate. He serves on the Armed Forces, Veteran Affairs and Foreign Relations Committees. What most people don't know is that Webb won an Emmy Award in 1983 for his PBS coverage of the Marines in Beirut. In addition, he has been married three times and his third wife is Hong Le who was born in Saigon and escaped after the fall of that city.

Marines are in demand this year. Retired Four Star General Anthony Zinni served in the United States Marines for 35 years and has won almost every medal possible. A vocal and articulate critic of the War in Iraq, he has emerged as a viable contender for Vice President. Known as "The Godfather" in the military, the General was wounded in the Vietnam War and also has a Purple Heart. He has extensive experience in Somalia and the Middle East as well as burnished credentials on Counter Terrorism. In fact, this General served as a Special Envoy to the Israel and the Palestinian Authority. As a writer, he co-authored a book with Tom Clancy called Battle Ready which is not kind to the Bush Administration. He is a military man, war hero, author and a teacher.

Finally, the Army gets its day in the sun with retired Four Star General Wesley Clark. The General has already made a run for the Presidency in 2004 and withdrew after winning Oklahoma. The former Rhodes Scholar and West Point Valedictorian has served over 34 years in the military and Department of Defense. He served in Vietnam and his list of medals go on and on including a Purple Heart for being shot four times by a Viet Cong soldier. Clark was the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO military forces in Europe and in that position oversaw the war in Kosovo. Clark has the added advantage for Obama in that he is a strong Clinton supporter which would be a large olive branch to that wing of the Democratic Party.

[SoxFan]

11. Do you ever sleep?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. I'm a night owl

And I found that it is helpful if the news starts first thing at 12, at beginning of
day, so people can find it when they wake up.

So I try to start the news every night around 12-1.

[quantass]

13. ..And this is why we love you

:grouphug:

[goclark]

17. We love it so much! Thanks

:)

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. The Party Leader

The Party Leader

As Obama Edges Closer to the Nomination, Challenges as Top Democrat Await
By Holly Yeager 05/15/2008

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)

Something strange is happening to Barack Obama.

The first-term Illinois senator -- who built his presidential campaign around the promise of a new kind of politics and launched a movement that drew in young voters, independents and Republicans -- is taking control of the Democratic Party.

The shift from insurgency to establishment is only natural, as Obama tightens his grip on the Democratic nomination. But, given his post-partisan pedigree, it poses many challenges.

..."Obama will be controlling the Democratic convention," said Simon Rosenberg, a veteran of Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign who is president of NDN, a progressive think tank, "and the entire convention will be about nominating him and his ascension to the top of the party.”

...Obama’s campaign has also taken steps to discourage wealthy contributors from funding the independent groups that many expected to play a large role in the election. As The Politico’s Ben Smith reported Tuesday, Penny Pritzker, Obama's national finance chair, told his supporters not to send checks to groups like Progressive Media USA, run by David Brock, the conservative-turned-liberal journalist, and Fund for America, led by John Podesta, Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff. (That may explain Brock's apparent decision to fold the project.)

...more at the link

[grantcart]

15. *****Super Delegate Update MiniThread****

[grantcart]

16. Obama's delegate lead continues to expand and other fun facts

Now he has 185 delegate lead. Besides that he continues to pick up MI and FL SDs so that even if they sat those delegates and gave Hillary the most favorable break he would still have a 70 delegate lead


Obama should have a big day today and tomorrow

He should get 3 add ons today and tomorrow the question is how many of CA SD will he get - they have 5. While Clinton won the state Obama has since moved past her in the polls. If he splits or takes all of those add ons in California that will be a sign that the party is anxious to wind it up as soon as possible.


Colorado 1 5/17/2008 Selected during the State Convention
Kansas 1 5/17/2008 Selected during the State Convention
Nevada 1 5/17/2008 Selected by the state convention as a whole
California 5 5/18/2008 Selected during the Delegation Meeting


Obama now leads in every category but one

He leads in pledged delegates (166) and super delegates (19)

He leads in Governors (14-11) Senators (19-13) and Congresspersons (92-81) and add ons (17-11)

but in appointed SDs and retired big wigs he trails (157-150)


His magic number is 120.5 for nomination and 17 for pledged delegate majority it is 17.

JE still has 9 pledged delegates.

[grantcart]

25. Md Lt Gov Pecoraro for Obama

Obama also won the endorsement of a Maryland superdelegate Saturday. Superdelegates are the elected officials and party leaders who are automatic delegates to the national convention due to their positions.

[grantcart]

29. Obama site showing big jump now 115 to nomination and 14.5 to pledged majority

[goclark]

18. K for the Update on SD's

[Aloha Spirit]

23. Gets the Kansas Add on..

http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/167123.html

Barack Obama has picked up an additional delegate from Kansas in his run for president.
A state Democratic convention awarded Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson a seat at the party's national convention.

[grantcart]

26. Nevada convention gives another pledged delegate for Obama

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama inched closer to securing the Democratic presidential nomination with delegate pickups in Nevada, Kansas and Maryland.

In Nevada, Obama stole a delegate from rival Hillary Rodham Clinton by drawing more supporters at the state Democratic convention Saturday.

A vote of more than 2,500 convention delegates broke 55-45 percent in Obama's favor, giving Obama 14 of Nevada's 25 pledged delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Denver this summer to Clinton's 11.

The shift is a gain of one pledged delegate for Obama over the split calculated after the state's January caucuses.

Although Clinton won the support of 51 percent of the caucus-goers in January, under the complicated system of awarding delegates Obama was put on track to winning 13 delegates to Clinton's 12.

Nevada Democrats were also scheduled to select an additional unpledged, or "add-on," delegate later in the day.

In an attempt to draw supporters, the Clinton campaign sent the New York senator's most popular surrogate to speak on her behalf, former President Clinton.

Faced with a vocal crowd of Obama backers, Bill Clinton all but abandoned typical campaign rhetoric. He mentioned his wife's candidacy only briefly, and instead focused his comments on a call for party unity against the Republicans in November.

"Don't you forget why you came here. You did not go to all this trouble to have an argument with each other," Clinton said. "The argument is necessary so we can pick the best president and the most electable one. Those are the only two things that matter ... After that, we have to get the show on the road, folks. We have a country to change and a future to secure."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

19. NY Times slams Bush: "The President Goes Negative"

President Bush’s penchant for slash-and-burn politics, learned at the feet of Karl Rove and the late Lee Atwater, is unseemly when practiced at home. It is shameful for the president and damaging for the country when put on display abroad.

The President Goes Negative

May 17, 2008 New York Times Editorial

....So it was especially distressing to hear Mr. Bush’s barely veiled attack against Senator Barack Obama in front of Israel’s Parliament. In a speech honoring Israel’s 60th anniversary, Mr. Bush likened those who call for talks with “terrorists and radicals” to those who appeased the Nazis.

...Senator Obama has called for talking with Iran and Syria, as have this editorial page and scores of foreign-policy experts from both political parties. None have suggested surrendering to these countries’ demands, which is, after all, what appeasement is.

Diplomacy is simply good sense. There is no guarantee that it will change anyone’s mind. But Mr. Bush’s refusal to talk has made it far easier for North Korea to churn out plutonium, Iran to meddle in Iraq and indulge its nuclear appetites and Syria and Iran to back Hamas and Hezbollah. The list goes on.

Those failed policies are one reason we yearn for the coming change of administration and for the next president to reject Mr. Bush’s bullheadedness.

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

20. 2:15 CNN Senator Kennedy resting comfortably, appears to have had a "seizure"

awaiting evaluation.

He's 76 years old, has had some health problems.
It appears that he experienced a seizure, not a stroke.

(Seizures are a symptom, not an illness)

Doctors are optimistic, their tone has improved since a few hours ago.

He was sent to Boston because they have superior diagnostic capabilities.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

21. Muscular Distrophy Org Lawyer tells "curious george" bar owner to stop using their name

Bar Owner's T-Shirt Offends Obama Faithful

NBC 11 Alive

Norman said he has sold out of his stack of 50 t-shirts. He was planning to donate the money from the shirts to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. But MDA officials said they do not want Norman's money. They said that their attorneys were drawing up a letter asking him to stop using the name of the MDA in connection with sales of the shirts.
[/div

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

22. Zobgy poll: Election of Our Discontent?

Released: May 14, 2008
Zogby Poll: Election of Our Discontent? 48% of Likely Voters Dissatisfied With Current Crop of Presidential Candidates

Survey finds 49% would never vote for Clinton, while 44% would never vote for Obama; 42% said McCain will never get their support


UTICA, New York - Nearly half of likely voters - 48% - are not satisfied with the current candidates for president, with Republicans and conservative voters the most unhappy about their likely candidate choices in November, a new nationwide Zogby Interactive poll shows.

In what could spell bad news for the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, an overwhelming 86% of self-described "very conservative" voters said they are displeased with the current presidential candidates - and 65% of these voters said they are very unsatisfied. The vast majority of conservatives (76%) and Republicans (76%) also expressed significant dissatisfaction with the current candidates, as did more than half of political independents (55%).

...Nearly Half Will Never Vote for Clinton

Even as some likely voters express dissatisfaction with the current candidates, many have already made up their minds for whom they won't vote - 49% would never vote for Hillary Clinton, while 44% won't vote for Barack Obama and 42% would never cast a ballot for John McCain. The numbers have changed slightly since a Zogby Interactive poll in October 2007, which found 50% would never vote for Clinton, 45% would never vote for McCain, and 37% would never vote for Obama

...more at the link


http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1505

[Aloha Spirit]

24. Nevada state convention: Obama gains a delegate (+2 differential)

http://blogs.rgj.com/inside-nevada-politics/2008/05/obama-flips-clintons-nevada-win.html


U.S. Sen. Barack Obama succeeded in driving more supporters to the Nevada state convention than his opponent U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, who had won the state in the Jan. 19 caucuses. Obama essentially reversed Clinton's lead from the caucuses, capturing 55 percent of the state delegates to Clinton's 45 percent.

The heavy turnout earned Obama one more delegate to the national convention, than previously expected based on the caucus results.

The final tally: Obama won 14 national delegates and Clinton won 11 national delegates.

--->so, with the KS add-on, that's one pledged delegate today for Obama and two SD.
I think.

[Ysabel]

28. thanks k and r...

:)

[catgirl]

30. Thanks!!!