The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

COME ON INDIANA AND NORTH CAROLINA...DO WHAT IS RIGHT....BUT BARACK OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE...WE MIGHT LIVE TO PAY ANOTHER GAS BILL OR EVEN MAYBE JUST MAYBE AFFORD TO TAKE A SMALL VACATION.

www.peterpaulclinton.com

Campaign fraud

GO TO www.peterpaulclinton.com. The campaign fraud case started today...AND THE MEDIA CAN AIR IT OR DISCUSS IT! How much power does the Clintons hold over everyone? WAKE UP AND SMELL YOUR FREEDOM. If you vote for HRC you are sinking your ship even more after what Bill to for us signing our lives away with NAFTA. Does everyone know that rice is now being rationed?????? it's gonna get worse so stock up!!!! 100 times folds if you dumbasses put Hillary in the white house....he she might even make uniforms mandatory!

ALL OF YOU CLINTON FANS BETTER DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! HER HEALTH CARE PLAN WILL MANDATE YOU GET HER INSURANCE REGARDLESS OF THE COST TO YOU!...AND IF FOR ANY REASON YOU GO OFF HER PLAN FOR SERVICES YOUR WILL BE FINED AND POSSIBLY JAILED! IF THEAT DOESN'T SCARE YOU THEN LOOK AT THE FACT THAT SHE WILL AT THE TAX PAYERS EXPENSE BUILD ANOTHER INSTITUTION LIKE THE IRS TO INFORCE HER MANDATED HEALTHPLAN...YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS

Actually, Obama's "bitter" reference is far less offensive than his use of the word "cling" - as if people embrace and defend their religious or political beliefs out of desperation rather than conviction.

Why hasn't Hillary come anywhere near completing the sale to voters in late April when she began this primary season with overwhelming advantages? Raising doubts about the other candidate says nothing about your ability to close the deal yourself. Where the delegate count stands now and the popular vote as well are an insurmountable problem for Hillary. It should never have looked so bad for her, if she were a viable nominee herself. Showing Obama has weaknesses does not translate into electoral strength for herself. It's amazing to me that she thinks either the superdelegates or the electorate can be fooled into seeing Obama's loss as somehow her gain. More like John Edwards' gain, or Al Gore's. I truly despair that part of Clinton's strength is her being capable of fooling the less educated part of the electorate with such fuzzy logic. However, she should never take the activist base of the party for granted, or other critical parts of the Democratic base. It is as impossible to win without them as it is to win without the blue-collar vote. When you lose you lose and the margin does not matter in a presidential election. I don't think the superdelegates want to make a high stakes gamble on whether Clinton loses by less in November than Obama. The superdelegates need a nominee that can win. In addition they need a process for arriving at a nominee that does not rip the Party apart, and send it into longterm minority status. This is about more than just this election. In fact a loss in this election would be a fair price to pay for future cohesion in the party. As long as there are large segments in the party that will defect to the other side if their preferred candidate does not get the nod from the superdelegates, maybe the party really doesn't have a cohesive identity. Maybe Democrats in such disarray don't deserve to win. If any part of the calculus of the superdelegates is which candidate's supporters threaten to defect in the largest numbers, the moral hazard is extreme. We would do better to just go with the candidate who is ahead in delegates instead of turning to the fine print to win a single election (maybe!) Going with Clinton's 'argument' that a failure to close the deal by the front-runner means the runnerup should get the nod is a precedent the democratic party cannot afford to set. Clinton, I'm fine with you cinching the nomination the way you think Obama should. But, to set the bar higher for him than for yourself comes perilously close to wanting a rigged game. Why haven't you closed the deal with the voters? 10 % margins just really aren't that impressive. If you were winning blowouts at this point in the race, I'd have to day you had a point about current momentum and maybe the total pledged delegate count should be somewhat less important, but you aren't, so why are we supposed to reinterpret the process in your favor? I think that your campaign has admitted that momentum at any particular point in the campaign is misleading, that what we need is the final tally. Why should the votes in Pennsylvania count for more than the votes in states earlier in the primary calendar? Why don't we just talk about Oregon which you are going to lose. Do you think Obama supporters are going to make fools of themselves by hyping Oregon's vote as "proof" that the momentum favors their candidate on May 20 so "obviously" Clinton can't get the nomination? If the democratic party were concerned that the nomination not go to a candidate who didn't win the so-called big states, I think that should have been written into the rules for all contenders to see in the beginning. The way Clinton has played this 'game' is to follow her own set of rules, the "big state" strategy, husbanding her resources for just those contests she contends are critical. Then she wants to convince people her strategy is a superior way to choose a nominee. The sense of superiority revealed by her approach is mind-boggling. How many of us have the sense that the rules we choose to play by are the only ones that should count? It seems she has a problem being out of touch not just with small-town voters but with everyone. I can't even begin to imagine Obama telling the voters that he was hard up for funds so he couldn't mount a 50 state strategy that respects every voter, but instead wants to get the nomination on the basis of 10% wins in Ohio, Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey. It is a testimony to the immense influence of the Clintons that they think they have a chance of pulling this 'fine print' version of the nominating process off. The problem with Hillary's campaign is she does not even need to continue campaigning if all she wants is for the superdelegates to turn to her in the event Obama has a meltdown. What she's done now, is to make it very unappetizing for the superdelegates to give her the nod, instead of say, John Edwards. Does she actually think she makes herself a better nominee because of her campaign? Is she so out of touch that she thinks it doesn't matter when she drives her negatives up? Obama supporters will probably coalesce behind Edwards in a way Clinton has made all but impossible for herself with her attempts to recover from her blunders. I just don't think she offers the nation or the party enough of an advantage to justify her desperate come- from-behind stategy. If nothing else, it is beginning to weary the voters. There's a real risk fatigue will set in, and voters will stay home. I certainly will be tempted. Obama is right that too much negative campaigning makes voters cynical about the political process. This isn't just a two week Swiftboating, it's going to continue without a break until November. Most of us will be disengaged by then, because at some point you give up on painful hopes and turn your attention to more constant positive forces within your life. We can all end up 'bitter', and that was the intent of Obama's words, probably. When you think the way he does about politics and what's wrong with the current political environment you tend to see everyone as "bitter", by which he just means disaappointed and cynical about the political process. I am bitter and I'm a highly educated voter with no lack of economic opportunity, it's just that the partisan rhetoric is so poisonous I have to shut it out and get on with my life. If I did not have that self-protective capability how did I survive 8 years of Bush? I think that what Hillary does not realize is how tough and "bitter" Democrats have become over the last 8 years. But the way to arouse us from our torpor is not to fire up the partisan blowtorch. We just might skip the election if it's the same ol', which is the script she is following. We've had too much of this, without going out of our way to sign up for 4 or 8 more years of this sort of lacerating politics.

Just as we should have with W & Cheney, we should expect that the administration will be run similarly to the campaign.

Nonsense is exactly the right word to describe the majority of the argument and debate. Imagine yourself having to listen to this kind of nonsense from Hillary for four more years.

Obama is someone who says what he means and means what he says, and dares to speak to the American public as if we are adults and without pandering. What a welcome change.

Why do so many of the arguments promoted by the Clinton staff seem hollow?

Trust your gut - the reason the arguments do not seem to make sense, is that they don't make sense.

e.g. They argue that if Clinton wins a "big" state then if she is not the nominee, that somehow Obama would lose that state in the general election. I guess since she won the Texas primary, she would expect to win the general there (fat chance). Winning or losing a primary in ANY state does not preclude success in the general election.

e.g. Claiming that Clinton would be more likely to defeat McCain than Obama. Yet every poll and all indications say exactly the opposite. In fact, the most recent nationwide poll of Democrats said they prefer Obama nearly 2 to 1 over Clinton - Kind of makes the 9.4% spread "victory" in PA seem insignificant.

e.g. Saying "He Lost Florida and Michigan". Look - we have all already seen this movie...twice. As if you are creating news and convincing people that Obama somehow is responsible for the debacle in Michigan and Florida - the Democratic parties in those two states are solely responsible. I imagine that if Obama could somehow turn back time and have those states run their primaries correctly, allowing all candidates to campaign normally, he would. I think the people of Florida and Michigan know and appreciate that and the fact that seating delegates based on the skewed primary vote would not be fair or representative of the will of the voters of those two states.

Enough of their overcooked political nonsense.

Vote Obama.

InSearchOfTruth:

put ur head in the sand, and look around. behold, thee shall find the truth there!

vivek:

probably that's where u need 2 move 2. the rural PA. do that b4 u post again.

RAT-The:

that's what u shall remain as one 4 ever, in gutter-the, where u blong.

These NObama people are ridiculous ... he got 92% of the Black vote and out-spent her $3-1 .. and he lost by 10% ... count Michigan and Florida and count NObama OUT!!

Hillary '08 ... "the tide has turned!!"

"She's a loudmouthed has-been,"

And Bill's a silly old drunken fool who can't remember what he said yesterday. See recent news reports.

"Who doesn't like a fighter? "

Me for one. And the thousands of voters who have outvoted Clinton in the popular vote. She's a loudmouthed has-been, or would be if she ever were anything more than First Lady!

Slade Jackson - Well said, particularly since both of the candidates names were on the ballot in Florida and Barack Obama had the advantage of being the only Democratic candidate that had television ads that aired in Florida.

Then of course, you got the fact that Obama was campaigning in Michigan by telling voters for "undecided," etc.

Obama's majorities in categories are due largely to a caucus system in states that have traditionally gone for the GOP candidate. You may as well discount those in a general to determine his real strength or weakness as a candidate. I hate to think it, but it looks as though we need to start courting Gore to run after the next four years of a McCain Administration.

To Capt Kidd,

Your absolutely right, who wants another Clinton in the White House, more of the same deception, infidelity, and this so called vetted HRC, being married, is her experience for 30 plus years. She does not have 35 years of experience, doing what? She says she is strong, but only because the Clinton's are opportunistic, and do not have the American people's best interest at heart. The management of her campaign reflects that. Penn is still in the background. The Columbian trade deal is still an unanswered issue. So are the donors to the Clinton Library and their Clinton Family Charity Fund. Rendell endorsing Farrakhan, oh the hypocrisy.

"He lost Florida (with no campaigning, people preferred Clinton - kind of says something that Obama only does well with lots of spending and in non-primaries) and Michigan

2. He can't win primaries

3. He can't win big states

4. He can't even make a major dent in Clinton's lead despite outspending her significantly (all the Obama supporters calling him an "unknown" are drinking too much Obama-Kool Aid. The media has given him tons of publicity)."

1. Florida and Michigan were non-events, so far as the Democratic Committee was concerned. Hillary agreed.

2. Oh? Illinois, for example? South Carolina? Etc.

3. Illinois?

4. Clinton was ahead in Pennsylvania by 20+ percent a couple of weeks ago. She's just hanging on....

How many Dems will stay home, vote for Ralph Nader, or vote for John McCain if Barack Obama gets the nomination?

Far more than the number of Obama Supporters that would stay home.

"Obama is the front-runner (in the number of delegates, popular votes, etc), and he out-spent her 2 or 3 to 1, and still loses. Tell me again, why he will be strong in the general election?"

Because he's the frontrunner in the number of delegates, popular votes, and states won. If it were a Pennsylvania election, you might have a point. It isn't.

Obama you did good for this "King of the Hill" kind of state. It was tough, but so are you. Still the front runner and stronger than ever, because you have bit into to HRC voters. Let's go for the next state and take them by storm.

I agree. Because the people of Michigan and Florida have not been included in the contest, Obama cannot be considered the legitimate nominee of the party.

Obama is trying to steal the election. Why does he continue to deny the voters of Florida and Michigan or even agree on some kind of resolution? Looks like he is trying to win the election the same way he won his Senate seat in Illinois, by cheating.

Posted by sooz: YOU are voting for McCain, another Republican? How do you explain that to YOURSELF, let alone to others?

For all the rhetoric from both democratic contenders and their assertions that they will withdraw our troops from Iraq, the reality is that we will be there for a long time. We can't afford not be and that is a fact. McCain having been a warrior himself knows that reality.

It's astounding that a 10-point defeat is not seen as a resounding victory for Hillary. It's equally astounding that people haven't figured out that Obama has merely re-cast the perspectives of Wright and Farrakhan into a more marketable form. You have to give him credit for figuring out how to fool a wider and whiter audience.

How many Dems will stay home if Obama is the nominee?

NONE, they will all be voting for McCain.
[that is all the Dems that love this country and have always been proud to be an American]

A reporter from Reading PA predicted the following today: Obama will win the Democratic nomination in Denver and Clinton will run as an Independent in November to give McCain a better chance of winning. Clinton would prefer to run against McCain in 2012 rather than run in 2016 after two terms of Obama. Be on the lookout for this story in the Washington Post.

Over 4,ooo Americans have died, and we spend $4,000 EVERY SECOND (which is more than $345 MILLION every DAY) on this occupation of Iraq, and YOU want to vote for McCain, who might keep us there "for a hundred years" ?? And this is while our country's economy is taking a dive, and people are losing their jobs AND homes... and YOU are voting for McCain, another Republican? How do you explain that to YOURSELF, let alone to others ?

And if Barack Obama, the elitist with dangerous lack of responsibility to allow his wife and daughter to be hear the racist rants of his former pastor for 20 years, gets the nomination, I, my spouse, my parents, my siblings, and friends will vote for McCain.

Spin--You are a complete fool.

Clinton won Florida based on named ID. The fact that she couldn't "wrap this up" by now shows that Democratic voters don't like her. If she was supposed to be coronated, it sure hasn't happened yet. No one's name was on the ballot in Michigan excecpt for her name--even though she knew they broke the rules. This woman doesn't care anything about democracy...only herself. She isn't running for average Americans...its all about her and regaining power with her husband.

Winning only "big" states won't get you the White House. Kerry won CA, MY, NJ, PA, and MI and is still sitting in the Senate. She might not win OH and FL, so don't act like that's some forgone conclusion. Obama has won MN, WI, CO, WA, MO, and will win NC--these are all states that HE can be competitive in against McCain. HRC doesn't have any appeal beyond Democrats, and you have to win votes from Independents and some Republicans in order to win a general election.

Obama has won plenty of primaries, and the caucuses he has won can't be discounted. Real people went out to vote just like everyone else, but since the state wasn't big, it doesn't matter? That's the height of snobbery and hypocrisy from Clinton and her minions of supporters.

This is a woman who has 100% name ID, yet can't break 60% in any state other than Arkansas. The people that know her the most aren't supporting her. What does that say about your fabled HRC?

Posted by: jblee
And all those spoil sports who will stay home or vote for McCain if Hillary wins are absurd. These people show they aren't qualified to vote. It's like playing a game.

This maybe a game to you but very serious to the rest of us who lived thru 7 yrs of a current president who lied and deceived a nation, taking the country and its reputation down the sewer.

I personally will not vote for anyone who is a stranger to the truth. So said, if that pathological liar, that woman Mrs. Clinton someone becomes the nominee, McCain will get my vote!

I am satisfied with the results. They leave Clinton in a very precarious situation: she has no money and she has no votes to catch up with Obama. Her 20 points lead are down the drain and Obama's grass root campaign funds did the flushing. The inevitable candidacy of Clinton is a thing of the past. Are there any other roots that she can find in Indiana? Is her grand mother from Gary?
Delaying the end does not eliminate it.

How idiotic is it to say Obama is trustworthy when you know absolutely nothing to maybe a little about him?? Reminds me of the same accolades bestowed upon Bush--who was also unknown--which got him elected. This country and other country needs to recapture some familiarity. At this particular point in our nation's history, we can't afford to waste more time on "second guessing" and being disappointed. With all the issues that this country is facing, wouldn't you rather know what to expect? Understand that this is about our responsibility to THE COUNTRY, and the only leap of faith this country can afford to take is with the Clintons. It's about the country, not the people. You ever notice that the worst tasting medicine happens to be the best cure? Elect Obama next time, but for the country, it has to be Hillary. And, if you people who say that Hillary is untrustworthy were to think about it, you actually trust her more than you realize...you believe that she is exactly who and what you say she is and trust that she will not change. (Even if she wanted to, how can she? You've already put the nails in her coffin. The irony is that if she were to change, you wouldn't notice, because you've already made up your minds.)

Hillary asked a question today - how come Obama could not win PA after outspending her at least 2-3 to 1? Was it his message or was it that he made some mistakes in the last couple of weeks?

I think it was because he folded after his flat showing at the last debate. More importantly, after the debate he complained - about Hillary, about the questions he was asked, and generally looked very unhappy - instead he shoud have bounced back, as she does, and acknowledged that it wasn't a very good performance.

Hillary has been knocked about, insulted, embarrassed, and dissed, and she's still standing. Who doesn't like a fighter? I hope she goes all the way!

And all those spoil sports who will stay home or vote for McCain if Hillary wins are absurd. These people show they aren't qualified to vote. It's like playing a game, and if you lose you won't pay up - or you take your ball and go home. I think Sen Obama is a star for the future, but don't fall so much in love with a candidate that you lose your marbles.

Obama is all about spin. Let's review the facts:

1. He lost Florida (with no campaigning, people preferred Clinton - kind of says something that Obama only does well with lots of spending and in non-primaries) and Michigan

2. He can't win primaries

3. He can't win big states

4. He can't even make a major dent in Clinton's lead despite outspending her significantly (all the Obama supporters calling him an "unknown" are drinking too much Obama-Kool Aid. The media has given him tons of publicity).

So the real question is, by how much will John MccCain beat Obama in November?

Hillary won the east coast, won the west coast.
Won the gulf states and the rust belt. Won the sun belt as well.
How can the super delegates hand that over to the new boy on the block and leave behind the soul of the democratic party? Cannot happen.

How many Dems will stay home if Obama is the nominee?

A lot.

If people of color want to be treated a certain way, perhaps they shouldn't enable folks like Farakhan through their own houses of worship. The Golden rule. It's tough to quote the fierce urgency of now and to be pious about race relations when you've courted race baiting bigots to further your own political agenda.

Posted by: hot air

Maybe that is a bad habit they picked up from the white christian right! Think about that!

Where all the money that Obama spends in ads come from? From poor folks that live in social security or wellfare? From students? Yeah! Where didi he get the monet from his mansion? oops! American people won't get fooled by him. At the end somebody that deserves will be our president. I am not democrat or republican but I sure won't vote for Hussein Obama.

How many Dems will stay home if Hillary is the nominee?

A lot.

To "[i]f people of color," wow, that was patronizing. That kind of thinking got Hillary the victory tonight.

In a democracy People deserve the governments and leaders they choose or vote for.....so Pennsylvania's from now on should no longer complain of foreclosure,High gas prices,Jobs or Healthcare..... they have just chosen a candidate endeared not to them but to special interests.....

To "[i]f people of color . . .," all religions and races have their idiots. Lately, Hillary and Bill have been the hate and fear mongers. We've had enough of that with Bush and Cheney. Time for a change.

tell that to Nutter.

Obama is the front-runner (in the number of delegates, popular votes, etc), and he out-spent her 2 or 3 to 1, and still loses. Tell me again, why he will be strong in the general election?

Check out the county-by-county results, and you'll see that in rural PA, Hillary is beating him by huge margins (65-35, 70-30...)

If people of color want to be treated a certain way, perhaps they shouldn't enable folks like Farakhan through their own houses of worship. The Golden rule. It's tough to quote the fierce urgency of now and to be pious about race relations when you've courted race baiting bigots to further your own political agenda.

I too am from the Pacific Northwest. If Hillary were to steal the election, I would vote for Obhama as a write-in. She is untrustworthy and who in their right mind would want another Clinton in the White House? Bill gave us NAFTA, GAT, and let Bin Laden go free. Gads zooks!

The fact that a virtual unknown has stood toe to toe with the Clinton machine that is so entrenched across the country and made the Hillary camp have to spend any money to defend her position speaks volumes.

She is still going to be broke in the morning. Obama made her flush alot of money down the toilet just to win by 10 points +-. LMAO. How many delegates did that money buy you Hillary?

Obama having seen you win in states like New Hampshire, Iowa with very small populations of people of color, I harbored the hope that you might pull off the same in PA. But many voters of PA in addition to their aversion to people of color, historically vote against their own best interests. You did good. Let's move on to the next one.

LMFAO!

After Blasting Millions of $$$$$$ HARD "WORKING" People FOOLISHLY threw to the Cretin, Obasama laughs about avoiding a Double digit Defeat!

Uhhhhh, Barack;

How about we COUNT Floriduh and Missedchigan?

Wanna Laugh NOW?

Truth, Both Congressional Lawyer Clowns are already right where they MIGHT Belong!

Congress!

Senator McCain, is one of the Few Congressmen qualified to go into the Executive Branch.

And THAT, is not saying Much! ;~)

The new voters will vote.

What's incredible is that they are coming out in a Primary.

I voted in my first primary this year.

For Obama.

I will definitely be there in November to support him again.

We are lucky to have him.

As a Pacific Northwesterner, I feel like a salmon watching this campaign -- swim upstream for weeks, then finally get screwed and die.

If Clinton manages to steal the Democratic nomination, I'll vote Libertarian.

That assumes that first-time YOUTH voters and Operation CHAOS voters even vote for Obama in November ; )