**UPDATE 06/08/08**
New info here.
**END UPDATE**
So the big news today was that Obama clinched the nomination. Can’t call it that big of news tho, the media all but declared him the chosen one months ago:
Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.
Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.
The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.
More here.
Instead of Hillary conceding, she said she would think about her options.
Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will consult with party leaders and supporters to determine her next steps now that Barack Obama has enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination.
In a speech in New York, Clinton told supporters that: “This has been a long campaign and I will be making no decisions tonight.” As she spoke, supporters chanted “Denver, Denver,” thinking ahead to the site of the party’s convention in August.
Earlier in the day, Clinton told congressional colleagues she would be open to joining Obama’s ticket as his vice presidential nominee. But in her speech, the former first lady stopped short of ending or suspending her campaign. She did say she was committed to a united Democratic Party moving forward.
Translation…she is in it till Denver, or until some big news…cough video cough….comes out.
Go Hillary!
The VP stuff is nonsense. At least I hope it is.
And McCain came out swinging with a speech that was less then spectacular. Here is Levin on the speech:
Not to offend those who might be offended, but this speech is a mash and tough to digest. You have to get through the self-congratulatory praise of independence and commander-in-chief pose from the Senate, then you have to try to follow the inconsistency of some of his big-government ideas vs. his anti-big-government rhetoric, and his inconsistency even on his supposed strength — the surge in Iraq vs. closing GITMO and conferring additional rights on the detainees. I am also put off by some of the anti-Bush stuff. Distancing himself from Bush is one thing, but he almost exclusively (as best I can tell) criticizes him, giving Bush little credit (tax cuts, Supreme Court appointments and yes, the surge, which Bush ordered not McCain).
More here.
Meanwhile Obama doesn’t just want to “change” America. He wants to REMAKE it:
The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment — this was the time — when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
Wow, all this time we weren’t caring for the sick nor helping those with no jobs. Who knew?
And we can take a guess at what his vision for “remaking” this country is going to be. Two words….
Karl Marx.
Oh, while you ponder Obama’s greatness take a gander at some of those who had so much influence on him.
See author page
Ah yes, the promise of communism, just like his pappy.
barf…… wheres the pills? we are going to need them.
The winds of change are blowing in America. When strong winds blow the great oak tree bends and sways in the wind but never breaks. It’s strong roots burrow deeper into the earth to find water and mineral sustenance and to find support in the safety of the earth’s rich soil of certainty.
Ancient landmarks should not be removed for the sake of change. Radical change brings chaos. Change can be good but change for the sake of change can ring warning bells in the silent corridors of the walls of power where kingsmakers sit in silence and observe the fallacy of immature agents of change who try to impress everyone only to find out that you cannot please everyone and still be popular.
Election 2008 is not a popularity contest. No. American’s know what they want.They will vote you in andf they can vote you out. The honeymoon lasts for a short season before the predator wolves circle for any sign of weakness.
Now is the time to mend the fences that need to be mended and to tear down the walls that need to be torn down. Now is the time to build bridges that need to be built and to remove barriers that need to be removed. Change that brings progress is good. Change that brings chaos and anarchy is bad.The Democratic party will unite around a common purpose,yes for the good of America. “….All the steam of hissing this and that on you tube will blow over. People got to let off steam. Let them scream, but not too loud. The neighbours might hear them. They might be Republicans and they might say “ What’s happening next door? I hear screaming. I hear ranting . I hear %$@! ….” I hope they can get their house in order before November! ….” Errol Smythe,
Hilary Clinton made history by winning a great number of popular votes.We salute her.Barak Obama brought in a lot of young voters.We salute him.John McCain ran a clean campaign.We salute him.
In November ,American’s will make the right choice.We salute all American’s,that love America.America needs to get back in the forefront of breaking into safe alternative energy and move away from fossil fuels that have polluted the atmosphere of this great planet.Time is urgent and there is no time for wishy washy leadership. America must move forward. America must recapture the dream and vision of the pilgrim fathers, knowing that all things are possible to them that believe.
There are great things to be done. Mountains to climb and bridges to cross. There is need for world peace,food security and energy efficiency. Time to put away hatred and rebuild broken dreams.The past is past.To day is a new day. A day of new beginnings and great [possibilities. President Abraham Lincoln said “United we stand, divided we fall.” . God Bless America .Errol Smythe.
The self appointed political analysts sitting on their tripod thrones of prejudiced opinions continue to nit pick irrelevant issues in the hope that their brand names can alter the impact of the inevitability of the dynamics of change.
What they don’t seem to understand and will find difficult to comprehend is that the polls were wrong more often than they were right because they polled a section of the community and not a cross section of America.
So what else is new?
America wants change.Real change. Not a face lift. Not a gloss over.Not a panel beat job or a surgery operation. No way Hosea. America wants change. Why? Because people know their rights and they know they can vote whoever they want in and vote whoever they want out.The dynamics of change.
So the self appointed political analysts have to fold up their tents,and switch off their Backberries and be out of touch for a while and eat humble pie while they rewrite their scripts of acceptance that reality has won the day and the power of democracy has flexed it’s muscles in the arena of politics and knocked politricks out of the ring with all it’s messy wishy washy tricks of media spin and kitchen sink strategies.
“Yeah man. Right on. Move over old politicks . Step aside. Change is coming through…..”. Errol Smythe.
CONGRATULATIONS to Barak Obama. Against all odds spouted by self appointed prejudiced opinionated political analysts so called emanating from the kitchen strategy mass production theorist factory of the old school politics,who punched and crunched inflated and suspected polls to “authenticate” their predictions of a win by anyone else other than Barak Obama.
The Obama 08 political machine went into overdrive and there you are , Obama raced across the finish line whilst the broken down kitchen sink strategy truck was pushed and shoved by half committed supporters tired of a long long race that had already been decided along time ago.
Now there is talk about this and that and the VP spot. Let the dust settle first.
The Obama camp can pick their own Vp. They earned their right to do so. They have a prove track record on how to run a winning campaign.They don’t need those individuals that devised a mstrategy on how to lose a campaign big time soiled with spin and meud slinging rhetoric spouted by self appointed disgruntled political analysts to dictate strategy to the Obama camp. Peace to all.Errol Smythe.
Let there be no hooping and crying. Let there be silence.Let the silence eat you and speak to you about days gone by. Democracy has pitched its flag high for all to see the Beacon of hope that President Ronald Reagan spoke about.
“United we stand divided we fall” President Abraham Lincoln said to unite a divided people. “Ask not what your country can do for you,but what you can do for your country” President Kennedy admonished America.
We salute all Americans. We salute all presidential candidates and superdelegates. Long live the American dream. God bless America. Errol Smythe.
Errol,
Could you work on getting all your random, disjointed, helter-skelter thoughts into one post?
By spacing them out over the course of four or five or more consecutive posts you just make more work for us when we skip over them.
So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified
the God of IsraelBarack ObamaSome excerpts from McCain’s speech:
Comments from the National Reviews the Corner:
Mark Levin:
Kathryn Lopez:
Lisa Schiffren:
Jonah Goldberg:
Even as an Obama supporter the line about slowing the rising oceans made me laugh. Slow down there Moses.
McCain does much better in the town halls and I think he knows it. I think he’ll be working that format a lot.
I wish I could of heard Bobby Jindal’s introduction. I saw him on one of the morning show and really liked his demeanor. He comes across as someone who is willing to engage on issues and not demonize the opposition.
Please McCain try throwing us conservatives a bone once in a while. So sure you can win without us are you. Your tone deaf, 2000 we voted for Bush because of you not for any other reason, get over it, your time can come if you will meet us half way. Is it in your character? Will see, I dread not, but hope you can “adapt” Your trying hard to get Obama elected when you should win in a landslide, put your ego in your pocket, wake up.
Obama is going to flush out all his capital hill lobbyists via contrast. Consequently, this will also cripple McCain’s fund-raising structure in the long term.
Ok…so the guy who made the “bitter” “guns and religion clinging” comments at a private fund raising event in CA in the presence of billionaires is suddenly going to open all of his events to the press.
Interesting.
It’s more than ‘interesting’.
Obama is now sucking up Clinton’s fundraising machine to confront McCain. McCain’s fund-raising has badly trailed practically all his Dem. counterparts. Now it’s much worse for McCain.
So this ‘fundraiser transparency’ move is certain to flush out McCain’s lobby pool.
But that’s not all, McCain cannot boast of a robust small-dollar internet fund-raising operation that Obama can, which also contrasts Obama as more populist based.
Obama’s fund-raising advantage makes it increasingly unlikely that he will back away from a “pledge” he made last year to accept public financing for the GE even if McCain does– as he may legally need to. The goal is to win; playing on an even field when you don’t need to is a poor strategy.
Public Citizen and other groups have also identified over 70 McCain ‘bundlers,’ who were, until recently, lobbyists, working for his campaign while lobbying, compared with 14 Obama lobbyist bundlers, none of whom are actively lobbying. That’s another contrast. It’ll be this month’s deja vu from last month:
The prime targets this time:
Phil Graham, Charlie Black, and Rick Davis.
This will be the MSM contrast, if McCain doesn’t open the fundraising doors– yet if he does, he will need to decide whether to lose White house faces at his fundraisers.
It’s very probable by the Fall Obama may be able to outspend McCain so drastically– perhaps 4-1– that McCain won’t have to money to mold his own image, or Obama’s, while Obama will have the advantage to define McCain.
Can Primary funds be directy rolled into GE funds?
Went to the BHO school of flowery speech for bait-and-switch misrepresentation, eh Errol? Guess you’ve never lived in Florida where those oaks break, and/or are uprooted easily from that “soil of certainty”, crashing in roofs during hurricanes. Duh….
As long as you’re not “too rich” or “too successful”. Progressives can’t have that. So keep your “dreams” within their guidelines, please.
Thus shall your “winds of change” go. And when you’ve woken up some time in the future, and found yourself in a US socialist republic, I shall remind you that you asked for this “change”….
Doug, about your
For a “populist based” guy, he sure didn’t win the popular vote with any impressive amount. In fact, depending on how you count and estimate votes, about half the scenarios have Clinton ahead.
He’s a super delegates creation… not a populist one.
A look at FOX pundits comparing their notes last nite on the contrast between McCain and Obama’s oratory abilities:
A glimpse of what the future holds?
For some it’s all about the speechifying.
For the rest of us, it’s all about the substance.
Speaking skills alone do not good Presidents make.
True… but it is how you inspire people to get out and vote.
Well James, guess the GOP better get the wide world of wrestling behind McCain for the flash and pyrotechniques, eh? Sure worked with the BHO crowd, having a free concert “open” for him.
Too bad we are so easily swayed by such stuff over substance. But you are entirely correct that people are drawn to the magnetic visuals and energy.
Not all of us.
Personally, I’m more interested and inspired by character, vision, ability, and principle.
That’s a great idea.
Let’s have a free concert as an opening act for McCain.
Maybe the band that we choose can play the Soviet national anthem as the opening song.
I haven’t heard that tune since Obie’s concert day.
Aye Chihuahua typed:
‘Speaking skills alone do not good Presidents make.’
Indeed. And as we have learned in 7-1/2 painful years neither does their utter absence.
Great news!
Someone turned Arthur’s rock over again.
As McCain said, “This is, indeed, a change election.”
Key words, Doug…
McCain’s had both open and closed fundraisers. So has Obama…
This is, of course, during the era of the “bitter” types clinging to their religion and guns gaffe.
So let me get this straight… both candidates have had private fundraisers closed to the press. But now presto, Obama promises to open his, while accusing McCain of nefarious deeds that he himself has emulated.
I guess that holier-than-thou “transparency” only holds value during the general and not the primary, eh? But the burning question is, if he were so *for* complete transparency, why wait until now to start? And are we supposed to forget he was “for it” yesterday before he was “against it” today?
I’d call it a dual-use illusion based on political expediency, myself. All meant to falsely elevate BHO to a pedestal, aided by banking on the voters’ short term memories.
Yes, that’s right: now ‘presto’ Obama has opened all his fundraisers to the press while McCain himself said in May all fundraisers will remain closed to the media:
http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/05/29/mccain-fundraisers-to-remain-closed-to-press/
Therefore, the challenge now to McCain is to open the fundraising doors. So yes, again, that is the accusation that Obama’s camp will now make as this topic arises– “I did it, why don’t you do it?”
That’s the contrast, that’s the explicit challenge they want to make.
Obama can play the “political expediency” card here and get points. Additionally, in the process, he will flush out the tons of lobbyists in McCain’s campaign.
A joint ticket with Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton may not be a bad idea after all. But it is up to the Obama camp and Barak Obama to make the final decision. It is good to have an open mind and examine all options and choose what is best for the Democratic Party and what is good for the country. It may be a tough call to make. But then again it is just a everyday routine decision that one may expect of anyone aspiring for the high office of the President of the United States of America, because to be the President of the United States of America you have to be a great person loved and accepted by all Americans.
The great President John F Kennedy said “..ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country…”
Another great President Abraham Lincoln said “…united we stand,divided we fall…” and Ronald Reagan, a third great President said “…America is a shining beacon of democracy……”
Like many that originally considered that it wouldn’t work, because of the fierce exchange of words between the two camps, a joint ticket sounded out of the question. But then my opinion don’t matter. It don’t matter because it is not my call, it is the call of the Obama Camp and Barak Obama.
On reflection it will be good to heal the party. It will demonstrate that in primary elections , individuals may have different opinions but still have the grace to unite around a common purpose for the good of the people. In Election 2008 the Democratic Party people have spoken in the primaries by voting in their millions that they have a high opinion of both Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama .
Is a joint ticket a U-turn to rhetoric that would prefer the Obama Camp administration totally independent of the Clinton Camp and the Clinton Camp totally independent of the Obama Camp?Yes! An emphatic yes! Why? Because both Camps have excellent election and administration teams and best of all they belong to the same party. It will be good synergy for the party for the Obama Camp and the Clinton Camp to progress to the next level.
The media has been kind to both candidates . That is the maturity of American politics. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech,transparency and accountability.
Together Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton with John Edwards will make a formidable team. It is common knowledge that convention states that the winning candidate gets to choose his running mate. Public opinion and street wise talk on the streets suggests that it will be gracious for Barak to choose Hillary as a running mate.
In the past at the height of the primaries some negative press reports suggested that a joint ticket was not a good idea. I am guilty of thinking that it was not a good idea. But I would like to go on record for whatever it is worth and say that I salute Hillary Clinton for her tenacity, her courage,her patriotism, her great zeal and love for America, her love and commitment to Israel and her dedication to the high call of duty. Hillary as VP will bring a wealth of experience and advice for the Obama Administration.
To date Hillary’s has not publicly conceded. No one knows what is actually being said by both party camp loyals about the future direction of the party behind closed doors and what is being whispered by party camp die hards around coffee tables in restaurants , hastily convened crisis meetings etc. Just kidding!
Word on the street is that the party has to have a united front. To do this it may be recommended by persons close to Barak Obama that since Hillary’s name has been put forward for the VP slot it is respectfully suggested that he appoint her as his VP running mate and have John Edwards as Secretary of State.
The final decision will be up to Barak Obama who has the interests of uniting and healing the wounds of division of the Democratic party. That is an urgent priority and the “…urgent need of now..” and the “…fierce urgency of the hour…”.
It is hoped that this contentious hurdle of appointments of Hillary and John Edwards can unite and galvanize the party to be a political force to reckon worth.
No one doubts the patriotism , maturity and graciousness of Barak , Hillary and John who have the Democratic Party interest at heart and will do whatever it takes to unite the party around a common purpose with a view of November 2008 . Errol Smythe.
AM I TOO LATE to comment? but AYE CHIHUAHUA and MATAHARLEY,,how did you figure it out about transparency being false and speechs being empty and promisses would have been broken by this date of 9 april 2010 substance is surely better than speech,,and now the americans knows 🙄
bees! Too bad you weren’t one of our FA regulars back in these days. Our loss for both perspective, and entertainment!
I think most of us figured out it was all a “show with Greek columns” in order to attract votes. However we also saw thru the fireworks displays and rock bands, and listened to the promises, combined that with his historic positions, and called the BS card early.
I will disagree with those that think Obama presented himself as something other than he was. They just put lipstick on the Euro-socialist pig to make him more appealing, and the public fell for it. Otherwise you can say that Obama is doing exactly what he promised… “fundamentally remaking America” into a Euro-socialist country. The fault genuinely lies with those who voted for him thinking that would never happend, or that wanted that “change” for this nation. A fault we hope can be reversed now that the clueless, math challenged public has a better handle on the fiscal cost for government handouts.