The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

Celebrities or political endorsement have no significant impact on general elections.

There's no difference if you are asked "Have ever met a person named John Smith?" (or variations thereof) 56 times.

"... The night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the Streets of Philadelphia."

- from "The Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen

Quote: "So, let me get this straight, if someone cannot remember if they've ever met a person named John Smith, that person is not qualified to be President of the United States?"

So, let me get this straight. No, Have you ever met a person named John Smith is only one question. The post said if you could not answer 56 questions. A lot of difference. Think on it, but don't strain your thinker!

"LOL. Someone who doesn't remember the answer to 56 questions should not be president of the Humane Society, let alone the presidency of the USA."

Posted last night by: | April 16, 2008 9:24 PM

So, let me get this straight, if someone cannot remember if they've ever met a person named John Smith, that person is not qualified to be President of the United States?

Bruce must be a total idiot!!!!!!!! How did i like him for so long? Bruce stick to music like you used to do, and stop trying to make a statement! Your comments and endorsements are getting as bad as your music is!! Oh well another rocker has been.

Bruce is just another worthless marxist. Just like Obama supporters. Hey Bruce, don't just shut up and sing...JUST SHUT THE F*CK UP!

Fred, apparently you have the time to write your drivel. Nobody is listening to you.
A typical under-educated Clinton supporter as the exit polls show.

Get over this Clinton/Obama argument and focus on what really matters.

The polls show McCain drawing near to Obama and ahead of Clinton. Focus on that.

Truth, Religion, Obama and Politics
04/02/08 • 3:22 pm ::
It is difficult to view Obama's church as Christian
Not good training for a presidential candidate in the U.S.A.
The value system that motivates behavior and informs analysis is fundamentally intact by the time people graduate from college. And few would deny that religious lessons form much of what we call moral character. So Americans are concerned about the religious background of presidential candidates when its tenets are out of the mainstream. If this is how a candidate has been religiously educated, the question is asked, how will it affect the way he/she would govern?
Barack Hussein Obama has attended the Trinity Unity Church of Christ for the past two decades. Its ex-pastor is Jeremiah Wright who married him and baptized his children; he has advised Obama for years. Wright's comments have been on television for weeks. He has openly reviled the economic and justice systems of the U.S.; his racial comments are obnoxious. He preaches black liberation theology in his church; his mentor is James Hal Cone who is, so to speak, the St. Paul of that school of thought.
Liberation theology has its roots in South America, being formed there as a belief system for the under-privileged. Analysts refer to it as a humanistic doctrine with Marxist roots. The theology moved from South America to the blacks of this nation in 1966, when 51 black pastors bought a full-time ad in the New York Times allying themselves with the "Black Power" movement.
James Cone, its leading theologian and a sponsor of Pastor Wright, has had some interesting things to say as quoted in a book by William R. Jones, "Divine Racism ...".:
• Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community.
• If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer....
• Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy.
• What we need ... is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors ... by any means at their disposal.
Other similar quotations by Cone can be readily found on the internet.
• Cone thinks black men are "threatened on a daily basis by the insidious tentacles of white power." ... "Malcolm X was not far wrong when he called the white man 'the devil.'"
• "We must not expect white people to give us freedom--(it) must be taken against the will of those who hold us in bondage."
When pressed, black theologians like Obama's pastor and Cone will say that "black" is simply a word of choice that symbolizes all oppressed people. Observers can rule on that claim according to the evidence of their eyes and ears. Dr. H. Wayne House, Professor of Theology, Faith Evangelical Seminary, says that black theology springs from liberation theology, which holds that traditional theology offers a false view of the gospel--that salvation is not peace in heaven but equality and justice for all in this life. Its theme is oppression--blacks are victims.
It is difficult to view Obama's church as Christian. Obama claims to be a follower of Christ. But what Christ does he follow? The traditional one who preaches love for all and promises heaven as a reward? Or the re-defined Christ who seeks justice for blacks and promises worldly power as a reward? And what does it mean in terms of political leadership? Nobody sits still for 20 years listening to a theology he doesn't believe in. Evidence suggests Obama too accepts black theology as his own. It is sad, after the progress of the past half century to see a school of thought like this so active in black churches. It has little to say that is complimentary to the U.S. economic and justice systems--it sees enemies everywhere. Progress since the 1960s is ignored.
It is not good training for a presidential candidate in the U.S.A.
http://tinyurl.com/5bvcpc

HOW OBAMA HAS USED GEORGE BUSH/KARL ROVE TACTICS TO OBTAIN OVER $62,000,000 FOR HIS CAMPAIGN, SO FAR!:
The Washington Post -- April 11,2008 -- Obama gets plenty of money from big donors too: "Sen. Barack Obama credits his presidential campaign with creating a 'parallel public financing system' built on a wave of modest donations from homemakers and high school teachers. ... But those with wealth and power also have played a critical role in creating Obama's record-breaking fundraising machine, and their generosity has earned them a prominent voice in shaping his campaign. Seventy-nine 'bundlers,' five of them billionaires, have tapped their personal networks to raise at least $200,000 each. ... Donors who have given more than $200 account for about half of Obama's total haul, which stands at nearly $240 million. ... The bundler list also sheds light on those who might seek to influence an Obama White House. They have helped the campaign recruit more than 27,000 donors to write checks for $2,300, the maximum allowed. Donors who have given more than $200 account for about half of Obama's total haul, which stands at nearly $240 million. The use of bundlers was perfected by George W. Bush, who in 2000 and 2004 set some fundraising records that Obama has shattered.
http://tinyurl.com/6dtgq6

Fred, why write a booklet on the sham of a debate last night. No one cares. Read the other posts on other blogs. You should be worrying about the media and the lack of a debate on anything that really matters in this election.

Clinton or Obama backer, you lost the "debate" last night. John McCain was the winner, thanks to ABC.

OBAMAS PERFORMANCE IN THE PA DEBATE
Just a few of Obama's misrepresentations in the Pennsylvania debate. Last night in the debate, Obama indicated that he had never said he wouldn't wear the flag pin. Here is a video of him saying just that, i.e. "I won't wear that pin."
http://tinyurl.com/6gcrzh
I'm not really concerned about whether he wears one or not; I'm concerned about his constant misrepresentations of the truth.
He also changed his story once again about what he knew about Rev. Wright. When confronted with the fact that he "disinvited" Wright to his campaign kickoff affair over a year ago because Wright can "get a little rough" in his sermons, now he says he saw an article in Rolling Stone Magazine about Wright. Also, when asked about his stance on gun control, and his answers to a questionnaire that he filled out regarding his state senate run, the moderator mentioned to him that his own handwriting was on the questionnaire; Obama then lied and said it wasn't. Please see the following article with a copy of the questionnaire with Obama's handwriting on it:
Monday, March 31, 2008
Politico Busts Barack Obama In More Lies
Political opinion
The other day we wrote a piece covering some of Barack Obama's bigger lies during his campaign and his political life, which included, his lies about his association with Tony Rezko, then his lies about how much money he received from Rezko, then his admitting to the fact that he received more than he originally said.

Then we went to his NAFTA lies, and his lies about what he heard from his Pastor, Jeremiah Wright and when he heard it, as we showed his statement saying he never heard those controversial "God Damn America" remarks as well as the racial remarks and anti-American remarks and just four days later, made a speech where he admitted he had her controversial remarks.
He lies, then he lies to spin his way out of his previous lies and then when he can lie no more he tells part of the truth and ignores his previous lies.
This has become a very bad habit which he has been shown publicly to have....a habit of a pathological liar.
Now The Politico has just busted more Obama lies, wide open. During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion -- positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he has projected during his presidential campaign.
The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group's detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his 1996 bid for a state Senate seat.
Late last year, in response to a Politico story about Obama's answers to the original questionnaire, his aides said he "never saw or approved" the questionnaire. They asserted the responses were filled out by a campaign aide who "unintentionally mischaracterize[d] his position."
But a Politico examination determined that Obama was actually interviewed about the issues on the questionnaire by the liberal Chicago nonprofit group that issued it. And it found that Obama -- the day after sitting for the interview -- filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain Obama's own handwritten notes added to one answer.
The two questionnaires, provided to Politico with assistance from political sources opposed to Obama's presidential campaign, were later supplied directly by the group, Independent Voters of Illinois -- Independent Precinct Organization. Obama and his then-campaign manager, who Obama's campaign asserts filled out the questionnaires, were familiar with the group, its members and its positions, since both were active in it before Obama's 1996 state Senate run.
Through an aide, Obama, who won the group's endorsement as well as the statehouse seat, did not dispute that the handwriting was his. But he contended it doesn't prove he completed, approved -- or even read -- the latter questionnaire.

See also this article from RealClearPolitics this morning about Obama's misrepresentations, and flub-ups:
http://tinyurl.com/57cdo3

I can't believe some of the the destructive comments I've read here and elsewhere pitting Obama vs. Clinton (equal numbers in my unofficial scanner poll). They are both good candidates; they both have obvious shortcomings. Shouldn't Democrats be saving their energy for the bigger fight? Very sad...

A regular Jersey Guy Springsteen Endorsement speaks to the essence of the Obama Campaign. Bruce an introspective word smith puts to Music the soul of the People. Not all have an ear but those that do are heartened by the eternal message of Hope against all odds and wouldn't have their life any other way. The number of Posts for and against speak to the importance and influence of this endorsement together with the timing and positive poll numbers go to validate Obama 08 for Change we can Believe in.

I hope all you Obama fans watched your messiah fumble tonight in the debates. I guess the questions about his "mentor and spiritual adviser," Rev. Wright, and his terrorist buddy, William Ayers, kinda got to him. Poor Obama, the press if finally asking him a few hard questions. Well, he sure gave the Republicans ammunition for the general if he is the nominee. I can just see the commercials now, starting with Obama on video saying that there is nothing controversial about his pastor; then the camera pans to his answer tonight to the question of whether he thinks Rev. Wright loves America; and finally the camera pans to the "Rev." saying GD America. What a joke, a very sad joke on the Democratic Party.

Barack Obama: Democrats deserve a nominee for change

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On Tuesday, Pennsylvanians will have the unusual luxury of voting in a Democratic presidential primary that promises to be truly relevant. Like two opposing armies marching to a new Gettysburg, the forces of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton come to this latest battlefield symbolizing two views of America -- one of the past, one of the future. Pennsylvania Democrats need to rise to the historic moment.

For us it is the candidates' vision and character that loom as the decisive factors in this race. For as dissimilar as they are, the two share much in common. It starts with their mold-breaking candidacies. Whoever wins the nomination will vie for a special place in U.S. history -- to be either the first African-American or the first female commander in chief.

•
Although their backgrounds are different, they have come to the same conclusion, one now shared by many Americans, that the Bush administration has taken the nation on a profoundly wrong course both at home and abroad. The excitement that has animated this primary season -- the surge of new voters, the change of party registrations -- is an expression of the nation's hunger for change.

For as hard as they have run against each other, both candidates are united in running vehemently against President Bush and all his works -- another common theme that came out in their visits to the Post-Gazette editorial board on successive days this week. Sen. Clinton was the more explicit in her disdain: George W. Bush "is one of the worst, if not the worst, president we have ever had."

Not surprisingly, the policies they advocate have much in common and are generally the polar opposites of those espoused by the current administration.

On the domestic front, the prescriptions they offer on issues such as health care, the environment and education declare that government must be an agent of change to benefit the lives of ordinary Americans, not a power that shrinks from regulating or directing for fear of offending a core ideology.

In their expansive plans, Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton do have their own emphases and differences -- Sen. Clinton's health-care plan, for example, would cover more Americans than Sen. Obama's, but both would be a vast improvement on the status quo that leaves 47 million Americans uninsured and continues to soar in expense.

On foreign policy, both are united in their desire to bring the troops home from Iraq while improving the strategic situation in Afghanistan, the place of unfinished business where the al-Qaida spiders first spun their deadly web for 9/11 and are coming back thanks to the Iraq diversion.

On Iraq, for those inclined to remember, Sen. Clinton carries more baggage, for she voted to approve the war in the first place. For those inclined to forgive, she would seek to repair relations with allies strained by the Iraq misadventure, as Sen. Obama also would.

There is one last common ground for these candidates: They are both uncommonly smart, thoughtful and very well-versed in the issues. They care about people and they care about the workings of government. They are prepared.

Their strengths promise, in short, the one thing that the Bush administration has so shockingly lacked: competency. There will be no intellectually lazy president in the White House if either succeeded to it, no outsourced thinking to the vice president or the secretary of defense, no cheerfully shallow praise for unqualified political appointments, no enduring cause for embarrassment by the American people.

So forget all the primary skirmishing. Sen. Obama is every bit as prepared to answer the ring of the 3 a.m. phone as Sen. Clinton. Forget this idea that Sen. Obama is all inspiration and no substance. He has detailed positions on the major issues. When the occasion demands it, he can marshal eloquence in the service of making challenging arguments, which he did to great effect in his now-famous speech putting his pastor's remarks in the greater context of race relations in America.

Nor is he any sort of elitist. As he said yesterday in effectively refuting this ridiculous charge in a meeting with Post-Gazette editors, "my life's work has been to get everybody a fair shake."

This editorial began by observing that one candidate is of the past and one of the future. The litany of criticisms heaped on Sen. Obama by the Clinton camp, simultaneously doing the work of the Republicans, is as illustrative as anything of which one is which. These are the cynical responses of the old politics to the new.

Sen. Obama has captured much of the nation's imagination for a reason. He offers real change, a vision of an America that can move past not only racial tensions but also the political partisanship that has so bedeviled it.

•
To be sure, Sen. Clinton carries the aspirations of women in particular, but even in this she is something of a throwback, a woman whose identity and public position are indelibly linked to her husband, her own considerable talents notwithstanding. It does not help that the Clinton brand is seen by many in the country as suspect and shifty, bearing the grimy stamp of political calculation counting as much as principle.

Pennsylvania -- this encrusted, change-averse commonwealth where a state liquor monopoly holds on against all reason and where municipal fiefdoms shrink from sensible consolidation -- needs to take a strong look at the new face and the new hope in this race. Because political business-as-usual is more likely to bring the usual disappointment for the Democrats this fall, the Post-Gazette endorses the nomination of Barack Obama, who has brought an excitement and an electricity to American politics not seen since the days of John F. Kennedy.

First published on April 16, 2008 at 12:00 am

Fred,

your link about Karl Rove is from his strategy last November when Clinton was the favorite. Now that it's Obama, he has changed his strategy. He is attacking Obama because he understands that he is the greater threat to his Republican candidate.

Desperate people will stoop to anything to try and save themselves.

Not this time Fred.

www.barackobama.com

You just helped me decide to send in another $100 to the Obama campaign. Keep up your lies, it's working.

Your anti-Obama website is so transparent. I'm wondering why they don't run articles about the Clinton/ Cayman Island connection with billionaire Ron Burkle? Rezko looks like the tooth fairy in comparison to the Clinton "friends."

Fred you are a total idiot.

Anyone who bothers to watch Fox Noise and listens to the blatherings of Karl Rove has heard him attacking Senator Obama relentlessly in the last few days. That's because he realizes that Bonnie and Clyde Clinton are totally unelectable for their third term in the White House- after all- you can't impeach a "first Husband" for doing "what he does best."

Give it up Fred. Your candidate- the Clinton gang- is history.

P.S. It's Springsteen you dope- and the Boss carries a lot of weight in Pennsylvania.

Oh great, what's next Michael Moore? Why can't the fruitcakes stay home this time around? They helped lose it for the dems last time, don't they get it?

Hey, Stringsteen -- How does it feel to be on the same side as Karl Rove?:
Bamboozling the American electorate again
KARL ROVE AND REPUBLICANS HELPING OBAMA WIN THE NOMINATION
http://tinyurl.com/2anrtw

Springsteen has made a serious error tying his reputation to that of Obama. His carefully constructed hoax of "change" and "unity" is coming apart before our eyes. If he is the Democratic nominee (God forbid), the Republicans will show him to be the inexperienced, deceptive and racist fool that he is. Springsteen is no longer the Boss, he is now merely the stooge.

Quote: "P.S. re: trial date for "Bill Clinton" -- that actually is a case filed by HILLARY Clinton's largest contributor during her first Senate bid -"

Yes, and your point is??

"Why do I have to keep proving to people that I am not a liar?!"

(From the book "The Survivor," by John Harris, p. 382 - Hillary in her 2000 Senate campaign)

"We just can't trust the American people to make those types of choices.... Government has to make those choices for people"

(From the book "I've Always Been A Yankee Fan" by Thomas D. Kuiper, p 20 - Hillary to Rep. Dennis Hastert in 1993 discussing her expensive, disastrous taxpayer-funded health care plan)

Quote: "BTW: if you were asked 56 questions, UNDER OATH, that you did not recall the answer to, how would you answer?"

LOL. Someone who doesn't remember the answer to 56 questions should not be president of the Humane Society, let alone the presidency of the USA.

Springsteen has backed Obama. Babs "I hate paying retail" Streisand has endorsed Hillary. Who would you rather have as a celebrity endorser?

Big deal.

Jerry Garcia, Jim Morrison, Janice Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix have all endorsed Hillary

And the thanatos vote is a huge Democratic block.

For Change Vote Obama!

John Mellencamp Small Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eDkAG3R0h8

Bruce Springsteen Radio Nowhere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmLt6kcZ72Q

Obama 08!

Clinton in '95 on working class: "Screw 'em"

During the past week, Sen. Hillary Clinton has presented herself as a working class populist, the politician in touch with small town sentiments, compared to the elitism of her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.

But a telling anecdote from her husband's administration shows Hillary Clinton's attitudes about the "lunch-bucket Democrats" are not exactly pristine.

In January 1995, as the Clintons were licking their wounds from the 1994 congressional elections, a debate emerged at a retreat at Camp David. Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party? The then-first lady took a less than inclusive approach.

"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."

The statement -- which author Benjamin Barber witnessed and wrote about in his book, "The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House" -- was prompted by another speaker raising the difficulties of reaching "Reagan Democrats." It stands in stark contrast to the attitude the New York Democrat has recently taken on the campaign trail, in which she has presented herself as the one candidate who understands the working-class needs.

P.S. re: trial date for "Bill Clinton" -- that actually is a case filed by HILLARY Clinton's largest contributor during her first Senate bid -- BTW: if you were asked 56 questions, UNDER OATH, that you did not recall the answer to, how would you answer?

The same poll showed Kerry with a two-to-one lead on which of the two Democrats is considered more electable in the 2004 general election ; )

"A new opinion poll indicates most U.S. Democrats would prefer to see Senator Barack Obama emerge as the party's presidential nominee despite recent attacks describing him as "elitist."

The poll shows Obama with a 10-point lead over rival Senator Hillary Clinton. It also shows Obama with a two-to-one lead on which of the two Democrats is considered more electable in the general election in November.

The polling took place during a controversy over Obama's remarks describing small-town Americans as "bitter." Both Clinton and Republican presidential candidate John McCain responded by calling Obama "elitist."

The poll was conducted by The Washington Post newspaper and ABC News among a nationwide random sample of about 1,200 adults."

Oh well, it's all moot now:

Quote: "L.A. Superior court just set a November '08 trial date for Bill Clinton on charges of fraud and money-laundering. Hillary will definitely be subpoenaed to testify.
The last time she testified in one of Bill's criminal trials she replied "I DON'T RECALL" FIFTY-SIX TIMES, UNDER OATH."

WOW!!! This is big big big for Obama who's being portrayed by Hillary Clinton and Pennsylvania's governor Rendell as "elitist". I was hoping for John Mellencamp to present his credentials for Obama, but the boss is an even greater draw. I love it. Lt's take back our country from the lobbysts and the neo-cons. Hillary Clinton has been bought, and sold to th highest bidder. Bill Clinton collected last year $800,000 for supporting CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement). Another agreement that will send hundreds of thousands of our jobs to central america, making us even more bitter. Barack Obama is the only common man in this debate, he deserves our vote. Hillary Clinton has not written a mortgage payment check in her life. She's been living like a queen for the last 30 years, all expenses paid for by taxpayers, first in Arkansas, then Washington, New York. Now she's set for life all expenses paid on our backs. She has no idea what the common person feels like, regardless of how many shots of whiskey she takes in the company of regular people. She is a fake, and it's time for us to free our country from the Bushes and the Clintons. Let's give Obama our support. He's our only hope in this election.

OBAMA HAS FAKE ENDORSEMENTS !!!
I WAS CHECKING POLITICS ON THE HUFFINGTON POST WHEN IT SHOWED A EAT YOUR HEART OUT HILLARY..
"OBAMA ENDORSED BY THE AHSA (AMERICAN HUNTERS AND SHOOTERS)"

WELL I NEVER HEARD OF THEM SO WHEN I CHECKED FURTHER THIS IS WHAT I FOUND !!

AHSA is actually the latest in a long line of anti-gun groups camouflaging themselves as pro-hunting and pro-conservation in order to split our community. Before you give AHSA any creed - beware the wolf in sheep's clothing, and see for yourself:

http://nssf.com/share/pdf/AHSA_Fact_Sheet.pdf

OBAMA IN HIS OWN WORDS PLANS TO DISARM AMERICA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs

Blast BO- Springsteen a druggie? What the hell are you talking about? There has never been any allegations of Springsteen being a druggie and sorry for your rank cynicism about Sprinsgteen and Obama. I'm so glad you are above it all.

Sonia: Another prententious intellect who can't spell the word reneg properly. I can't believe an alleged college graduate can't spell the word reneg properly. Maybe you should forfeit your right to vote.

"Springsteen, 58, who is from neighboring New Jersey, was a prominent supporter of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, playing concerts in swing states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as part of get-out-the-vote efforts.

Kerry WON those two states in his loss to President George W. Bush in the general election."

Two druggies supporting one another. Spare me the romance of how one sang about the common man and how one man raised from poverty did this or that - we have million plus stories like this. Commercialism and Journalistic denial of Obama's flaws is what I call this. This race is no better than American IDOL.

If you listen to a celebrity for your opinions in life and in particular how you vote - PLEASE RENIG YOUR CITIZENSHIP. You have to be joking. I cannot believe that there are this many dumb journalists out there.

Obama could have won Texas primary (not just caucus) but Limbaugh camp voted for Hillary to destroy dems. They succeeded!!

NOW the BOSS can't

sing

BOMB BOMB BOMB,,,, BOMB IRAN

at the Repulican convention.

but it wasn't has style

Average Joe White guy:

It wasn't that painstaking to cut & paste David Coleman's account.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-coleman/i-was-there-what-obama-re_b_96553.html

Lucia:

How much did you pay to hear Obama speak?

Say What??

Seed of change is a typical Clinton supporter. Under-educated and not capable of making sense in a post.

Dear Lucia,
Thank you for your painstaking work.
====
Posted by: Lucia | April 16, 2008 4:15 PM
====
This is more professional than calling Springsteen "just a musician". Middle class America LISTENS to him.

I know him for 25 years. He is a PATRIOT who cares for the common guy.

Seedofchange: You must be proud of your imbecility. You wear it well with your vile commentary. Were you picked on alot as a kid and now you have to act like a verbal bully because you are a coward in real life?

To suggest that Springsteen is a mere celebrity is a pejorative description of a musician poet who has contributed as much to American music as any musician in American musical history. His allegorical stories of the common man's struggle for dignity and redemption are in the same genre as Mark Twain and Bob Dylan. Springsteen is no mere celebrity. He is an American treasure and the fact that Senator Obama's life story resonates with Springsteen speaks volumes about the kind of President Senator Obama can be.

I guess it's obvious I'm a Springtseen fanatic. I have been for over 30 years, (I'm 47)and I'll be seeing him perform for the 50th time this Friday in Ft. Lauderdale.

This is radio nowehere...

No bitterness no racism only SWEETNESS.
Just see below. :-)
_______________________________________
The only difference between Osama and Obama is BS, you poor naive little girl....

Posted by: sodapopp | April 16, 2008 4:11 PM _________________________________________
"Steinfeld candidate (all about nothing)" just called more than half the nation "Macaca".....

Hussain should have just said it to the Muslims he is trying to disavow or to the Asians as Allen did.

Hussain has a reason to be angry to the Asians as they are supporting the Senator from Punjab.

I guess "Black KKK leader Wright" just spoke through "Hussain" for few seconds and it is spiraling out of control :-)

Posted by: Seed of Change | April 16, 2008 1:20 PM
____________________________________________

Obama wins delegate fight in Texas
Barack Obama

Posted: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 at 3:31 p.m.

AUSTIN -- Obama Texas State Director Adrian Saenz issued a statement on the projected primary and caucus results that show Senator Obama won more Texas delegates than Senator Clinton.

"By fighting the primary to a near-draw and earning a resounding victory in the caucus, the people of Texas have moved Barack Obama one step closer to claiming the Democratic nomination for president," said Adrian Saenz. "Texans in both parties and of all ages sent a clear message that the American people are ready for the kind of change that Barack Obama will bring to Washington, DC as our 44th President."

Because of the close finish, Senator Clinton will likely net only two delegates up-for-grabs in the Texas Primary. Based on a large sample of caucus results in all 31 state senate districts, Senator Obama is projected to post a substantial victory in the Texas caucus and, thereby, net at least seven delegates. This means that Senator Obama will win at least five more pledged delegates from Texas than Senator Clinton.

Springsteen carries on the traditions of Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, and Pete Seeger to name a few. They are not so much musicians as they are poets -- in America, our best known poets work are songwriters. All of these people are artist whose work (at least at times) transcends mere entertainment, and all have political messages of great power -- if you are paying attention. They are certainly entertaining, though it puzzles me that right leaning folks would find much to enjoy. Perhaps they aren't paying attention.

It's doubtful anybody will be directly swayed by the mere fact of Springsteen's endorsement, but the articulate way he communicates it in his open letter is another thing. His point that the whole 'bitter' thing should not distract voters from the fact that Mr. Obama is the candidate most likely to succeed in putting America back on the right course.

I'll go on record right now...I too, endorse Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. Join me, won't you?

From Huffington Post:

"Last Sunday evening I attended the San Francisco fundraiser that has been the center of recent political jousting. The next day, when asked about the talk Obama delivered, I too commented about his answer to a question he was asked about Pennsylvania. Over the past week, though, I have had a Rashomon-like experience concerning those remarks.

Clinton, McCain, and media pundits have parsed a blogger's audio tape of Obama's remarks and criticized a sentence or two characterizing some parts of Pennsylvania and the attitudes of some Pennsylvanians. In context and in person, Senator Obama's remarks about Pennsylvania voters left an impression diametrically opposed to that being trumpeted by his competitor's campaigns.

At the end of Obama's remarks standing between two rooms of guests -- the fourth appearance in California after traveling earlier in the day from Montana -- a questioner asked, "some of us are going to Pennsylvania to campaign for you. What should we be telling the voters we encounter?"

Obama's response to the questioner was that there are many, many different sections in Pennsylvania comprised of a range of racial, geographic, class, and economic groupings from Appalachia to Philadelphia. So there was not one thing to say to such diverse constituencies in Pennsylvania. But having said that, Obama went on say that his campaign staff in Pennsylvania could provide the questioner (an imminent Pennsylvania volunteer) with all the talking points he needed. But Obama cautioned that such talking points were really not what should be stressed with Pennsylvania voters.

Instead he urged the volunteer to tell Pennsylvania voters he encountered that Obama's campaign is about something more than programs and talking points. It was at this point that Obama began to talk about addressing the bitter feelings that many in some rural communities in Pennsylvania have about being brushed aside in the wake of the global economy. Senator Obama appeared to theorize, perhaps improvidently given the coverage this week, that some of the people in those communities take refuge in political concerns about guns, religion and immigration. But what has not so far been reported is that those statements preceded and were joined with additional observations that black youth in urban areas are told they are no longer "relevant" in the global economy and, feeling marginalized, they engage in destructive behavior. Unlike the week's commentators who have seized upon the remarks about "bitter feelings" in some depressed communities in Pennsylvania, I gleaned a different meaning from the entire answer.

First, I noted immediately how dismissive his answer had been about "talking points" and ten point programs and how he used the question to urge the future volunteer to put forward a larger message central to his campaign. That pivot, I thought, was remarkable and unique. Rather than his seizing the opportunity to recite stump-worn talking points at that time to the audience -- as I believe Senator Clinton, Senator McCain and most other more conventional (or more disciplined) politicians at such an appearance might do -- Senator Obama took a different political course in that moment, one that symbolizes important differences about his candidacy.

The response that followed sounded unscripted, in the moment, as if he were really trying to answer a question with intelligent conversation that explained more about what was going on in the Pennsylvania communities than what was germane to his political agenda. I had never heard him or any politician ever give such insightful, analytical responses. The statements were neither didactic nor contrived to convince. They were simply hypotheses (not unlike the kind made by de Tocqueville three centuries ago ) offered by an observer familiar with American communities. And that kind of thoughtfulness was quite unexpected in the middle of a political event. In my view, the way he answered the question was more important than the sociological accuracy or the cause and effect hypotheses contained in the answer. It was a moment of authenticity demonstrating informed intelligence, and the speaker's desire to have the audience join him in a deeper understanding of American politics.

There has been little or no reaction to the part of the answer that was addressed to the hopelessness of inner city youth who have been rendered "irrelevant" to the global economy. No one has seized upon those words as "talking down" to the inner city youth whose plight he was addressing. If extracted from an audio tape HuffPost Blogger Fowler, those remarks could (and may yet) be taken out of context as "Obama excuses alienation and violence by urban youth." But in context, Senator Obama's response sounded like empathetic conclusions and opinions of a keen observer: more like Margaret Mead than Machiavelli.

As the week's firestorm evolved over these remarks at which I was an accidental observer, I have reflected upon the regrettable irony that has emerged from Senator Obama's response to a friendly question: no good effort at intelligent analysis, candor -- and what I heard as an attempt to convey a profound understanding of both what people feel and why they feel it - goes unpunished. Such insights by a political candidate might otherwise be valued. In a national campaign subject to opposition research, his analytical musing has instead created an immense amount of political flak.

Now and "in this time," to invoke one of the candidate's favorite riffs, such observations and remarks shared among supporters are just a push of a record button on a tape recorder away from being spread across the internet to be dissected by political nabobs. What struck me immediately after the fundraiser as so refreshing turned out to be a moment Senator Obama is forced to regret. Today we marvel at de Tocqueville insights about American communities. Apparently, such commentary is valued as long as it is three centuries old and doesn't come from the mouth of a contemporary observer who might be elected president.

So much for the political ironies. But there is one more personal observation that was missed.

I happened to be on the balcony when Senator Obama's vehicles arrived and he emerged from the Secret Service SUV. Obama shouted the friendly greeting "How are you guys up there doing?" to the group of us looking down from the balcony and then said, "You have to excuse me, I need to call my kids in Chicago now." All of us stood and watched the leading candidate for the Democratic party nomination for president have a short conversation with his kids before he entered a fundraiser to make his remarks.

No tape of that conversation has emerged as yet. Who knows how casual remarks of a father to his children or his wife on a cell phone could be spun to support the argument that as a father speaking to his kids two time zones away before they go to bed, his comments sounded as if he "looked down" upon them. Given his relative height and the age of his kids, he probably does. But that would be precisely as relevant to his capacity to unite and lead this country as were the remarks at the fundraiser that have been so deconstructed over this past week."

The only difference between Osama and Obama is BS, you poor naive little girl....

Bruce Bruce Bruce !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHH!!!! I love you!!!!!!

Obama 08, baby!

O.K., so let me get this straight, Obama "won" Texas because of the delegate count (but not the popular vote), and Algore "won" because of the popular vote (but not the electoral count)? Seems a bit inconsistent there.

Also, if Algore "won" in 2000, who "won" in 2004? Is Bush now constitutionally eligible to be elected President?

yeah his middle name is hussain and his last name is obama with a B. Get that you numbwit. Clinton already tried that you got anything better than the name game?

Obama won texas. Al gore won for president.. And GO OBAMA.

born in the USA. The Boss earned the right and its newsworthy. He doesnt serve the queen either..

The upcoming Clinton fraud trial in California will be the final nail for them. What a revelation it will be.

Please hurry up with it. How anyone in their right mind could even consider voting for the Clintons, is beyond me. Just proves that America has no morals left.

Quote: "It is referenced in this article that Senator Clinton won Ohio & Texas. Senator Obama won more delegates than Senator Clinton in Texas. Please report accurate information to public."

JoJo, the media just can't seem to do it. Obama won the most delegates in Texas.
Get that, media, OBAMA WON IN TEXAS.

That's great, but I'm waiting for Little Richard to endorse before I make up my mind. Oh jeez maybe Danny and the Juniors will weigh in, that would sway me more than just a little. Ever since Kate Smith died I've had trouble with political decisions. I could always depend on Kate. Have the Dixie Chicks said who they were against? That would help. Barnum and Baily, I wish they were here. They could really put on an election. It's hard to believe this will end someday. I wish it would go on and on forever, but as they say all good things must come to an end. Darn, I can't wait for the punch line, to see who the joke is really on.

Even tho I like his music, he should keep his nose out of politics. Nobody gives a rats ass who he supports, altho it's no surprise he would back a liberal nutcase like Osama.

Bruce Bruce Bruce,
I have been in love with you since the 70's and the night you sang "Sprit in the Night" at Carter Barron and finished with "For You". I fear you may have spent a little too much time hanging on the Jersey shore and too little time in civics and government class. It's okay, I know you must have been blinded by the light.

stop the peace mongering hedge fund taxing liberals

Bruce is backing Obama? Another reason to vote for Hillary.

So much for Hillary using

"Born to Run"

as its new theme song

P Diddy:

What I've always found more fascinating is how polls never account for the fact that people can sometimes be "less than truthful" when asked such questions -- I always think about that when answering such questions -- for instance, why is the EXIT polling always seen as the more reliable measure?

In 2004, Ohio this time, EXIT polls showed 52.1% said they voted for Kerry compared to the 48.7% votes he actually received. Some crazy lawsuit argued that there were statistically improbable discrepancies between exit poll data and actual results (.0012 probability, according to the suit's analysis) and completely ignored the very real possibility that people lied to the EXIT polsters -- I know I would.

Just got rid of my Bruce Springsteen song catalogue.

At this point, I can no longer listen to his music anymore, it makes me sick. The same for most of the music made by black artists as well. I now associate anything that's black with Barack Obama, and can't wait until CNN and other news networks report, nine months from now, how many millions of new little fatherless children will be born, and stuck with the name Obama.

This election is sordid and sick, as America gets hustled, by a huckster hustler, who spins nothing but his own great ego, wrapped in vacuous hope filled hollow dreams. America is sick right now, and doesn't know it.

Oh, o.k., thanks -- Ehayes Jefferson State : )

I believe lizard3 was alluding to the fact that Sir Elton is a citizen of Mother England.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Looks like Bruce is trying to get some much needed publicity for himself. Hang it up old man, hang it up.

Well, in 2004, Kerry won only 12 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania, but those 12 counties had the highest populations in the commonwealth. The narrow Kerry victory can be attributed to the overwhelmingly Democratic cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie. While it should be noted that smaller Kerry-held cities which voted for the Senator by narrow margins assisted him in advancing his margin over President Bush, many political anaylsts underscored the fact that if Philadelphia were excluded, President George W. Bush would have instead won Pennsylvania by a fairly slim margin, with 2,663,748 versus 2,395,890 for Kerry.

Interestingly, though Pennsylvania is closely divided in most elections, it has not voted Republican in a Presidential election since 1988. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were also the biggest financial contributors to Kerry's victory in Pennsylvania. However, many liberal Republicans in suburban Philadelphia counties (Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and somewhat in Chester) voted for Kerry, which may well have been the deciding factor.

Kerry also had narrow margins of victory around cities like Allentown, Scranton, Erie, and the traditionally Democratic Pittsburgh suburbs; he also garnered many votes in certain rural areas such as parts of the Poconos and the Laurel Highlands, and in cities like Reading, Johnstown, Harrisburg, and State College.

Bush's 2004 margins were extremely large in Central Pennsylvania and the sparsely populated Northern Tier, with traditional GOP cities such as Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Altoona, and Williamsport strongly throwing their support behind him. This area, along with rural Western Maryland, was clearly the most conservative in the Northeast.

Not going to get into the stuff posted in the other comments here, but it might interest The Fix to know that Philadelphia is home to one of Springsteen's biggest fanbases outside of NJ and NYC. Philly shows are always tough tickets. If celebrity endorsements carry any weight at all - not saying they do - his endorsement could well affect Obama's support in certain parts of PA.

For "political polling junkies" only:

http://www.zogby.com/search/ReadClips.dbm?ID=16193

Interesting posting on the mobile-only topic:
http://www.pollster.com/blogs/cell_phones_and_political_surv.php

(Apologies for posting all this nerdy stuff to all the people who prefer to use this forum to yell across one another. Just another elitist here.)

It seems as if Zogby calls cellular phones too:

Young Mobile Voters Pick Kerry Over Bush, 55% to 40%, Rock the Vote/Zogby Poll Reveals: National Text-Message Poll Breaks New Ground

Polling firm Zogby International and partner Rock the Vote found Massachusetts Senator John Kerry leading President Bush 55% to 40% among 18-29 year-old likely voters in their first joint Rock the Vote Mobile political poll, conducted exclusively on mobile phones October 27 through 30, 2004. Independent Ralph Nader received 1.6%, while 4% remain undecided in the survey of 6,039 likely voters. The poll is centered on subscribers to the Rock the Vote Mobile (RTVMO) platform, a joint initiative of Rock the Vote and Motorola Inc. (for more information: http://www.rtvmo.com). The poll has margin of error of +/-1.2 percentage points.

http://www.zogby.com/News/ReadNews.dbm?ID=919

I still get telemarketing cellular calls : (

Check out web site en.wikipedia.org/wki/jeremiah_wright
Get the whole story and see who is patriotic and who's not. Our present leaders got deferments and are called patriotic. This is the way our media works. God help us!

I suspect Random Digit Dial polling to more blue collar areas is somewhat accurate, but I'm curious how these guys adjust for the inherent bias in more urban areas where mobile phones are more prevalent than landlines. For example, I own a landline, but it rings to my fax machine and the ringer is off so I never answer it. I use my mobile for everything.

Is it still true that RDD polls, surveys, and telemarketing may not contact mobile numbers?

No prob ; )

Thanks anonymous! Much appreciated.

MY FELLOW BITTER, STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE.

YOU MIGHT BE AN IDIOT, TOO :-(

If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of BITTER!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. :-(

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary's than they had ever been before or since.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)

Best regards

jacksmith... Working Class :-)

p.s.

If you don't know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering...

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. :-)

Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don't die from. And I could go on, and on...

P.S. to P Diddy:

Zogby got into some "hot water" with his foray into Internet-sampling -- that, and keeping his Middle East polling methodology "secret" to protect the innocent -- but this PA poll was based on straight, randomly-selected, telephone polling.

LA Times is a human-operated, random digit dial poll of 600 or so people. Seems like a pretty small sample.

Here are the questions that were asked:
http://www.calendarlive.com/media/acrobat/2008-04/37887889.pdf

All I can say is "thank you Boss." We knew you were real, and the letter is well-written and conceived.

Born to run, and win: Obama!!!

Bruce Springsteen's popular song: Born in the USA.... 'To go and kill the yellow man' racist song controversy back then, anything in common with Barack Obama. what if Bruce had lyrics 'to go and kill the black man' and endorse Barack Obama. sounds good doesn't it? but it doesn't matter, Barack Obama's mentor or 'uncle' or influential spiritual pastor used words of hate and racism inside the church. it's alright, Bruce needs to endorse someone inexperience 'fresh face' for his performance attraction.

Neil Diamond and Phil Collins are great singers besides Bruce Springsteen.

(political junkie post, as opposed to the usual nonsense up here...)

Quinnipiac is the one to watch in PA, right? They have the most consistently accurate methodology for the state.

Survey USA and Rasmussen are auto-dialers, which (though there is debate on the topic) I don't believe are accurate. I thought Zogby was Internet polling...anyone know what their methodology is? I discount all Internet-based polls as the sample tends to be self-selecting and biased.

I haven't looked at the LA Times methodology. Will see if I can find anything now. If anyone can beat me to it and post up here, I'd appreciate it.

As a consolation, after this primary season the Clintons can look back on their "Glory Days".

Of course, the "hillbillies" could just be following the white person because she's more electable against McCain than the (half) black person.

Obama will not win in Pa. because there are too many hillbillies voting that will follow a white person even if the black one is smarter. Our media will be our downfall because their agenda is not about reporting the news. They tell you who you should vote. Always remember the the media is corrupt because they are controlled by people that are only concerned about their agenda.

Who do you predict will win the Pennsylvania Democratic Presidential Primary?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=2127

.

Here are all the Pennsylvania primary polls for April -- not a single one shows Obama in the lead -- I guess all the polls could be wrong though:

Pollster End date Clinton Obama

SurveyUSA Apr. 14 54% 40%
Rasmussen Apr. 14 50% 41%
LA Times Apr. 14 46% 41%
Quinnipiac U. Apr. 13 50% 44%
ARG Apr. 13 57% 37%
Zogby Apr. 10 47% 43%
Susquehanna Polling Apr. 10 40% 37%
Temple U. Apr. 9 47% 41%
Insider Advantage Apr. 8 48% 38%
SurveyUSA Apr. 7 56% 38%
Rasmussen Apr. 7 48% 43%
Quinnipiac U. Apr. 6 50% 44%
ARG Apr. 6 45% 45%
ABT SRBI Apr. 6 49% 41%
Muhlenberg Coll. Apr. 2 51% 41%
Insider Advantage Apr. 2 45% 42%

I wonder if Elton and Bruce got the Neo-Con messages that have been circulated for years. It goes like this: Actors and Musicians are "hollywood elites" and therefore have no place in the political process. It is always just below the surface the idea that these people do not have the right as Americans to support any leader they wish to. You do not hear similar complaints from the Neo-Cons when the Right wing whack jobs like John Hagee and Pat Robertson endorse someone.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
barrowfreepress.com

John:

So, you think that Obama is going to win in Pennsylvania?

Hillary said: Before the Mark Penn/ Columbian government story hit the news.

Peering at the 50 or so reporters packed into a small hotel conference room here, Hillary added: "I would ask you to look at this story and substitute my name for Sen. Obama's name and see what you would do with this story... Just ask yourself [what you would do] if some of my advisers had been having private meetings with foreign governments."
I guess we will see what the media will do...

Well, the media has dropped the story for the "bittergate one."

How totally convenient for the sinking ship the USS Clinton.

Can anyone say WTF?

Bill and Hillary are the Bonnie and Clyde of 2008.

2008 Presidential Election Weekly Poll
http://www.votenic.com
Last Week's Results Just Posted!
Get Your Vote in For This Week.

Bruce picks the right one but the wrong one always end up in the White House. Just look at the mistake we have in charge now. We probably should listen to Springsteen instead of listening to Rush Limbaugh or Neal Boortz that helped put that conservative moron in office that has this country in this free fall.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Obama is different from the others...he's honest as well as smart. This has totally flumoxed Clinton (as it will McCain) because they keep playing the same old political games, thinking it will have an effect: they throw out absurdities like Elitist, Muslim, pastor (or whatever trash they think will work),

....and guess what? No one is responding. His poll numbers just keep going up and up.

the real problem for them is that now with the internet, people are going directly to the candidates: they see who they like, and who they don't.

..i.e., they trust and like Obama and they don't trust or like Hillary.

...and on these columns you can see the hysterics!!!!!!!!!!!!! of those who are slinging the mud...

and, guess what? no one is listening.

Well I will never spend my money on a Bruce ticket or CD again. Maybe drugs has damaged the brain. If you people can not see thru Obama by now all of you are crazy. He is a clone of that nut Wright and does believe all he has preached and said and you people are so stupid to this.
Oh well you Obama supporters will end up like the Bush supporters look where the country is now. We have one stupid man running our country we don't need a stupid racist in there next.
Shame on all of you.

The reason the Clintons' flaks are going crazy is that they can not believe how fast and how far their candidates have fallen.

So they follow Bill's lead, they lash out at anything and everything, only further deepening America's revulsion with the Bill and Hillary ticket. These new pole results are astounding.

Please let us start talking about Jerry Wright. We can view his 10,000 square foot mansion in a gated community worth $1.6 million paid for by tax-exempt "church" funds. The church will try to "arrange" no property tax on his "retirement cottage". Gee, social justice Chicago Style. The corruption is like a herpes sore.

Bruce, I like your music; I hate your politics. You've picked other political losers in the past, also. Thanks for putting the hex on Obama. Stick to your day-job.

Ftom The Huffington Post:

"Bill Clinton has severed business ties with Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle, fearful that their deals could erupt into bad publicity damaging his wife's presidential bid, according to sources who know both men.

The break-up is a major development in the world of political fundraising, where Burkle has risen to the top ranks, credited with channeling $50 million or more into Democratic coffers over the past 15 years.

Burkle was one of Clinton's chief fundraisers while he was in the White House, a position that earned him a place on the Lincoln Bedroom guest list. After Clinton left the White House, Burkle brought the former president on board as a senior adviser at his investment firm, The Yucaipa Companies.

Now however, the relationship has apparently changed.

A source in Burkle's firm, who declined to speak for attribution, said: "When we are ready to announce the president's departure, we will announce his departure." The source contended there is no strain in the personal relationship between Burkle and Bill Clinton. He noted that if Hillary Clinton is elected president, Bill Clinton will have to divest himself of potential conflicts of interest.

Sources outside of Yucaipa independently confirmed the president's split with the company.

In an email, Clinton aide Douglas J. Band initially did not address the status of Clinton's investment in Burke's firm. Instead, Band wrote:

President Clinton and Ron are long-time friends and their relationship hasn't changed. President Clinton values his friendship with Ron as he has for almost 15 years.
Pressed for elaboration, Band then replied:

As President Clinton said this summer, he anticipates continuing his business relationships as long as they permit him to devote time to his highest priorities - the work of his foundation and supporting his wife's candidacy. He of course is taking steps now to ensure that should she receive the nomination, there will be an appropriate transition for those relationships.
Until recently, Burkle and Clinton have had a very close and mutually beneficial relationship. And the president has been a frequent houseguest at Burkle's Los Angeles estate, Green Acres, and a frequent passenger on Burkle's private Boeing 757.

Burkle made millions of dollars for both of them through Yucaipa, and served as Clinton's entry into the West Coast social world. Clinton, in turn, brought to their partnership his fame and allure as a popular president -- a powerful draw for prospective investors.

The crack-up of the Burkle-Clinton business relationship began over a series of controversial business deals that Yucaipa pursued, according to sources who know both men.

According to the terms of Clinton's deal with Yucaipa, he received a share of the profits from two domestic funds if their returns exceeded 9 percent over the fund's life. As reported by the New York Times, by 2005 one fund had reported a gain of 51.3 percent and the other 25.8 percent.

But it was how the funds earned their money - or, on occasion, lost it - that reportedly made Clinton skittish.

The crucial development, sources said, was the September 26 publication of a front page Wall Street Journal article detailing some of Yucaipa's questionable dealings. The story, which broke on the same day that heads of state and business leaders convened to discuss the Clinton Global Initiative, detailed how a young Italian businessman had convinced Burkle and a Clinton aide to invest millions of dollars in a poorly run church-property buying venture.

Clinton, according to sources, considered the piece a major embarrassment and decided to withdraw from Yucaipa.

Clinton was furious with Burkle after the WSJ story appeared, according to a source close to the former president. Burkle and Clinton exchanged heated words, the source said, adding, "their friendship will never be the same. There is now a real distance between Burkle and the Clintons."

According to the WSJ story, in May 2007, Burkle and Yucaipa filed a lawsuit accusing the Italian businessman, Raffaello Follieri, of "systematically misappropriating" at least $1.3 million to fund personal expenses and activities.

Follieri responded by accusing Burkle of blocking efforts to develop the purchased properties. Adding to the embarrassment was Follieri's reported promise to help deliver Catholic voters to Hillary Clinton, according to the Journal.

The lawsuit was settled in late November, according to court documents signed by a Delaware Chancery Court judge.

Prior to the failed church-property buying scheme, Yucapia found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit. In April 2007, investors of Hawk Opportunity Fund sued Burkle over charges that Yucaipa's acquisition of Allied Holdings, Inc., North America's largest car-hauling company, gave it an unfair share of the market. The suit was dismissed.

But the transaction, not the lawsuit, forced Clinton to get involved. According to reports, the former president was brought on board to help persuade the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to take a 15 percent wage cut at Allied in exchange for bringing the company out of bankruptcy. The Teamsters agreed to accept the reduction.

Finally, according to USA Today, former Clinton aides helped secure a multi-million dollar federal contract for a Georgia-based company in which Yucaipa had 20% ownership. AmeriCold, one of the nation's largest cold-storage companies, was paid up to $85 million, to help with Katrina recovery efforts after James Lee Witt, who headed Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Clinton administration, lobbied on the company's behalf.

AmeriCold's job performance became the subject of controversy and bad publicity. As USA Today wrote: "truckers who were paid $800 a day [to help Katrina victims] hauled ice from state to state without unloading, then delivered their cargoes to AmeriCold and other storage facilities as far away from the Gulf Coast as Maine."

The president's relationship with Ron Burkle has been the subject of widespread speculation primarily concerning Bill Clinton's private life. Over a year ago, Patrick Healy wrote in the New York Times

Mr. Clinton is rarely without company in public, yet the company he keeps rarely includes his wife. Nights out find him zipping around Los Angeles with his bachelor buddy, Ronald W. Burkle, or hitting parties and fund-raisers in Manhattan.
With additional reporting by Huffington Post Staff Writer Max Follmer in Los Angeles.

Everybody that would like to see the "rest of the story" about Jeremiah Wright should look at the web site: en.wikipedia.org/wki/jeremiah_wright
It looks like he was serving this country when some of our present patriotic leaders were getting deferments. I know our media didn't mean to omit all this information about Rev. Wright because they're fair and balanced. It was probably just an oversight because they've been so busy carrying the water for Hillary and McCain. Who controls the media?

Bruce who? Isn't he like some old coot who lives in a gazzillion dollar mansion in New Jersey with a giant carbon footprint? He is relevant how? I am waiting on the Carter endorsement -- laying a wreath on a terrorists grave and endorsing Obama. The left is totally whacky.

NO TO BO.

I'm a big Steve Earle fan who is more of a political songwriter than Springsteen but just think his political speech onstage is just something I have to endure to get to the music. Songwriting, singing and playing do not have much in common with political or economic perception.

Engineers and businessmen actually make things work but I don't think many people are interested in their political sentiments. Star power is just glitzy distraction for a people who has no entrenched royalty, the Kennedys excepted.

I wonder what Hillary will play now? Send in the Clowns? Ooops she already did that. How about Taps? Her day is certainly done.

Obama is a farce. The message he offers is crafted. To win. It's not real. And you still have to pay dues before being rewarded. Wake up people.

.

The 44th President of the United States

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

.

Bruce is truly America's blue collar minstrel, and the musical voice of the common man. Unfortunately, Bruce hit a sour note on this one. Maybe Bruce has ideas about a gala inaugural concert in January '09 surrounded by star studded celebrities and big time powerbrokers. Some say Bruce has political ambitions of his own. Who knows his motives, but my guess is that Bruce is not going to be staying in the Lincoln bedroom anytime soon. Love your music, Bruce, but spare me your politics.

BORN IN THE USA!!!

For any Obama supporter upset that HILLARY VOTED FOR THE WAR:

Are you aware that your guy, in 2004, said "I don't know" if he would have voted the same, exact way?

ThanksJumpyfortheadvice.

.

HILLARY VOTED FOR THE WAR

.

Bruce Springsteen is the epitomy of integrity. He is the ultimate patriot whose love for the country and every class of its people - as expressed so eloquently and passionately through his music - is something that should be emulated - particuarly in the corrupt modern day world of politics. In this race, Obama is the closest to that ideal - Clinton and McCain do not even come close. That's why this endorsement is no surprise and why Obama will be the next President.

To the invisible poster.

1.) Find a name.
2.) It's Al Gore. Two words. Say hello to your space bar. You can do it!

lizard3:

Are you implying someone else is un-American?

CRY ME A RIVER

Hillary, what to do in tonight's debates? When you attack your negatives go up (they're higher than they've ever been). Then, you try to act nice, and still, it seems, no one likes you. According to the latest polls, the majority of Democrats think you lie...so, really, I guess, it doesn't matter what you say tonight.

Suggestion:

Cry
.

It helps. Obama rocks!

At least Springsteen is an American! Also in his music he seems to understand "bitterness." This is good for Obama.

Alexis:

If Algore "won" then why is Bush PRESIDENT?

PETER (who denied Christ three times):

Was Harry Truman a "peace maker" for ending WWII?

Al Gore won. Springsteen made the right choice.

Hillary's despicable negative campaign of personal destruction tells us how she will use power as President. The nation will be paralyzed by partisan fighting, the American people will be distracted by the Clinton dynasty's sex and money scandals, and the Clintons will continue to pile on their multimillionaires as they serve their off-shore corporate pals and the lobbyists. Hillary does not understand bitter. She and Bill made $110 millions in the last seven years, pay $40,000 annually to get their houses cleaned, and campaign in Hillary helicopters after eight years on board tax-paid-for Air Force One. She knows ELITE, so much so she truly believes she is entitled to be President. But she also knows lying, about sniper fire, about pleading poverty even as she loaned her campaign five million dollars as "a good investment" (in her own words) to buying the presidency. She has proven experience in failure--failing her bar exam, her marriage, her disastrous health plan, her stunningly inept and monstrous campaign. What she has no experience in is with truth, honesty, morality. Hillary and Bill left the White House with the Democratic Party in shambles, and the Republicans victorious in the Senate, House and the White House. Hillary's only claim is that she will fight for the American people. Her track record of fighting for anything is abysmal. Hillary is fighting Obama, using every malicious tactic in her kitchen sink. If the Clinton power machine steals the nomination from Obama, Hillary will succeed in destroying not only Obama but also in alienating a new generation of Democrats and senior Democrats like myself who will flee to a cleaner Independent Party.

HILLARY VOTED FOR THE WAR

There's always speculation who Jesus ("Blessed are the peace makers") would endorese.

You'd have to think: Obama

Can there be any doubt, that John Lennon would endorse Obama?

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!
.

P.S. to Jess:

Lee Greenwood sings about politics too; would his endorsement be "newsworthy"?

snol·ly·gos·ter [ snóllee gòstər ] (plural snol·ly·gos·ters)

noun

Definition:

U.S. self-seeker: somebody, especially a politician, whose actions are motivated by self-interest rather than by high principles ( slang )

If Algore's campaign did not FAIL, then why isn't he PRESIDENT? Don't tell me, because he FAILED in the Supreme Court (thanks for proving my point ; )

I was thinking...of Obama and his rallies with 20+ thousand...and thinking how Hillary could generate such enthusiasm? I think she has to go the tina turner/cher route...(can she sing?).
I can imagine her in the black leather dominix mask w/ whip (maybe bill there too?).......
it just might work.
(can she sing?)

(she's got to do something!)

I think it is funny that many people have commented that this isn't WaPo blog newsworthy, but rather should be on Entertainment Tonight. Just so ya know, Bruce Springsteen is an amazing singer, performer, etc. But, he is also highly involved in politics- just not in the typical way. He sings about politics instead of running for office. He sings about how America is corrupt and needs a change. I was just at a concert o fhis in DC and he came onstage and said "Hello Washington! Thank you for having me in the evil... errr I mean wonderful city tonight!!" Most of his songs deal with politics in some way. So to say that this is just a bogus celebrity endorsement is just not true. I agree that if Paris Hilton were endorsing a candidate it wouldn't be newsworthy in the slightest bit, but seeing as The Boss has shown in decades of music making that he truly cares about America and the politics of our government, I think this was definitely a worthy WaPO blog entry.

Go Bruce! Go Obama!

bruce 08!

LATEST POLL NUMBER

Question # 11(of Democrats)

"has the better chance of getting elected president in November"

Answer:

Obama: 62%
Clinton: 31%

Washington Post ABC News Poll

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/postpoll_041408.html?hpid=topnews

You can flame me all you want but here's an idea that works for all these so called celeb endorsements...you are an entertainer. Entertain us and leave the politics to the politicians!!!

ELTON JOHN VS. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN !

BORN TO RUN VS. ROCKET MAN

wow! talk about sound-bytes. this will be bigger than "elitist"......who's got the beef? Just do it! (drink milk?)

this is big!!!

Will it affect the Geritol-Generation in Penn.?

What about the youth vote?

guess, I'll have to re-visit my old records to see who I'm going to vote for....

(only kidding...Obama's my man !!! Go Obama, you're smart, and decent...and will be a great change for this country, rather than Bush or McClinton....glad that your polls are going up every day!)

So...And Bruce Springsteen is relevevent to my choice...Why? These Hollywood and celebrity bubble-heads are the last people I take any advice from. They are usually the most dysfunctional people on the planet and the most spoiled rotten. Such as Mr. Springsteen. I endorse Bruce Springsteen for the fact that his music has cured my insomnia. His stuff is so bland that even my chirpy parakeet has fallen over on his back at it's playing.

Iraqi born Rezko is Obama's friend of 17 years and a well known mob figure.

Rezko served on Obama's U.S. Senate campaign finance committee and raised more than $14 million, according to Federal Election Commission records, helping send Obama to Washington in 2004.

The Chicago Sun Times reports: 'state senator Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14M from taxpayers to build apartments'.

Obama told the Chicago Tribune that, in all the years he's known Rezko, "I've never done any favors for him.''

How does Obama get away with this? Where is the media on this unbelievable topic?

who gives a rats @## he is a elitist his own self- celebrity putz -I hope he sings born in the usa for Osama oops i meant Obama--down the tube we go-- Enjoy the ride!

So what? Just another celebrity who endorses a candidate and then retreats back to their mansion. And believe me, Springstein's home in New Jersey easily fits into that category.

BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!

Awesome.

It is referenced in this article that Senator Clinton won Ohio & Texas. Senator Obama won more delegates than Senator Clinton in Texas. Please report accurate information to public.

It's spelled stairs...and no big shock, an entertainer supporting the likely Democratic candidate.

The Boss speaks!!! Go Bruce!!! Go Obama!!!
Seriously, I don't think that celebrity endorsements (or any endorsements) mean anything. People make up their own minds and you can love a celebrity and not agree with their politics. In this case, though, Springsteen hit the nail on the head with his reasoning for endorsing Obama.

I guess he is after the "young generation" after all, he already has us oldies;

Hillary vs. Barrack-
FaceBook.com Lexicon Comparison:

http://newsusa.myfeedportal.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=95

Actually, Al Gore's campaign did not fail and if it were not for the CLintons, he would have won by a landslide. Never forget how and why the Democratic party was defiled by the Clintons.

Clinton people should be more than angry, they should be nauseous. The Clintons had eight years to re-do their image and create this campaign...with your money and your hard work posting smears here on the internet...and it is an unmitigated disaster.

Keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. Go on, keep trying.
Tell us again about how awful Obama is. Watch your carefully tended poll leads shrink and then vanish.

Celebrity endorsements are just a sideshow. Why they make the WaPo blog is beyond me. It really is Entertainment Tonight and Enquirer stuff.

What next, Paris Hilton's endorsement?

Springsteen embodies the common man - did he not hear that Obama is an "elitist"?

Springsteen backed the failed Algore campaign too.

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