Alert to the Right: Michelle Obama Has Always Loved This Country

The Right has tried to take Michelle Obama's remark the other day that "for the first time in [her] adult life" she was "really proud of [her] country" and make it a charge that she is not patriotic. (John McCain had Cindy declare repeatedly her pride in this nation.) The context showed that Michelle Obama was speaking of the engagement of long apathetic voters, the desire for change, the work to make a better nation and world. And, although the off the cuff wording was an unfortunate gaffe in an election, God knows I've been deeply embarrassed by my country these last years (invading Iraq, killing civilians, Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, waterboarding, Plamegate, etc., etc.).

But here's Michelle Obama in Rhode Island, today, explaining the remark. Take that, Bill O'Reilly.

Anti-Hillary Sentiment Rising Among Leading Feminists

Feminists for Peace created a petition one week before Super-Tuesday to counter the NY chapter of NOW's claim that support for Obama was a betrayal of feminism and women. It had a 100 signers originally. It now has over 1,000. See the update here.

Obama's Accomplishments: Partial List

Last night, Chris Matthews completely humiliated a Texas State Senator who backs Obama because the poor sap couldn't name even one legislative accomplishment by Obama. The Clinton campaign is already running with this in Ohio (Does she now forgive Matthews for his sexist remarks?). The Texas pol's idiocy will be used to help reinforce the stupid line that says that Obama is all talk and no substance. So, here's a partial list of his accomplishments to counter that--use it widely with any folks you know--especially in Texas and Ohio and Pennsylvania.

First, let's remember that the U.S. seldom elects Senators to become president (although with only McCain, Clinton, and Obama left as viable candidates, we will this time). The last time was with JFK who also had not been in the U.S. Senate long. LBJ doesn't count because he was VP first--as was Gore who was robbed of his presidency. The kind of personality who does well as President, an executive personality, is not the same kind who does well as a longtime legislator. Clinton and McCain are both legislators. McCain's problems with the Rightwing of the GOP stem from his working with Dems to get legislation accomplished. Clinton is also an accomplished legislator who likes the give and take tradeoffs of the Senate--but which make you look like a flip-flopper as a presidential candidate. Obama's brevity in the Senate (and John Edwards' if he had become the nominee) actually makes him a better presidential candidate.

But here's the partial accomplishment list:

• Graduated the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.
• Passed over 600 high money law firm offers to return to work as a community organizer in Chicago and to become a civil rights attorney at a fraction of the pay the big money law firms offered.
• In Illinois State Senate, added health insurance for 20, 000 children, got welfare reforms that reversed some of the damage of the Clinton-Gingrich era, increased earned income tax credits for low income families, and increased the minimum wage.
• Reformed the broken Illinois death penalty system. Required that all interrogations be video recorded so that coerced confessions would be thrown out. Passed Illinois Senate 58-0. Signed by GOP Gov. who rejected first version of the bill. Obama won by building public support (bottom up change) and consensus with conservative opponents.
• Opposed invasion of Iraq nearly a year before invasion--taking a risky position as a candidate for U.S. Senate. Correctly predicted that the reasons for the invasion (WMDs, links to 9/11, etc.) would be revealed as bogus. Also predicted that the invasion would be of undetermined length (5 years and counting), undetermined cost (billions already), undetermined/shifting objectives (mission creep), with likelihood of civil war. All this was accurate, but against the common talking points of the day.
• Along with GOP Sen. Richard Lugar, Obama expanded the program to locate and dismantle stray nukes and other WMD from old Soviet Union--making it much less likely that terrorists could obtain them.
• Along with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), worked to pass the toughest ethics reform in Congressional history, insisting on tougher restrictions around gifts and meals. Extended the interval between time when exiting members of Congress can turn around and become lobbyists.
• Toured Kuwait, Jordan, Israel and Palestinian territories on fact-finding mission. Met with Hamas leaders and told them that U.S. would never recognize them until they renounced their mission to attack Israel.
• Co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform bill with Sen. McCain and Sen. Kennedy--the bill that the far Right has forced McCain to abandon. Passed Senate 62-36 but died in the House.
• Unveiled anti-global warming plan before Detroit automakers: told auto executives that they would need, at minimum, to increase fuel efficiency 3% across the board per year while also producing affordable flex-fuel, hybrid, and electric vehicles quickly.
• Many aisle-crossing bi-partisan solutions in 8 years of Illinois Senate and 2 years in U.S. Senate.
• 100% approval rating from League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, NARAL. National Education Association gives him an "A" on most recent report card.
• Sponsored 780 bills in Illinois Senate--280 became law during time of GOP dominated Illinois House and GOP Governor.
• In 1st year as U.S. Senator, held 39 town hall meetings across Illinois, sponsored 152 bills and resolutions, co-sponsored 427 more.
• Voted against Kyle-Lieberman bill that seemed to give Bush permission to attack Iran--Clinton voted for it.
• Voted for the new bill outlawing waterboarding as torture. McCain, reversing himself, voted against it and has now urged Bush to veto it. Clinton skipped the vote.
• Stopped campaigning to help Sen. Dodd in first filibuster against the illegal wiretapping bill that would have given immunity to telecoms.
• Designated U.S. Senate point person on ethics reform by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid.

McCain Says, "No, You Can't!'

McCain: Like Hope, But Different

Texas Papers Endorse Obama

Sen. Hillary Clinton is hoping that victories in the delegate rich states of Ohio and Texas on March 4th (when Vermont and Rhode Island also have primaries) will stop Obama's momentum and return her to frontrunner status. She is ahead in polls in both states, though Obama is gaining (and may gain more after tomorrow's races in Hawai'i, Washington State (50% of Washington's delegates were decided in a caucus, the other half will be decided in this primary), and Wisconsin--when Obama can actually campaign in Ohio and Texas).

Now, Obama has won the endorsement of the 7 largest newspapers in Texas: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says that "Obama is smart and experienced in working directly with low- and middle-class Americans to better their lives, and he brings a message of hope that the country needs in this moment. " The Houston Chronicle says, "Obama vows to reach out to independents and Republicans with a message of inclusion and cooperation. He offers a historic opportunity to elevate national political dialogue to a higher ground." The Dallas Morning-News explains, "Mr. Obama is our choice because of his consistently solid judgment, poise under pressure and ability to campaign effectively without resorting to the divisive politics of the past."

He also won the endorsement of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, the San Antonio Express-News, the Austin American-Statesman, the El Paso Times, and the influential Texas progressive blog, The Burnt Orange Report.

Tomorrow, as Hawai'i and Washington and Wisconsin vote, Obama will hold rallies in San Antonio and Houston.

Yesterday, Obama campaigned in Youngstown, OH. Ohio's largest paper has endorsed Obama and yesterday he picked up the endorsement of the Ohio State Treasurer. He has more ground to make up in Ohio than Texas, but labor is beginning to go his way and that could spell big trouble for Sen. Clinton (especially if John Edwards endorses him and campaigns in Ohio).

Updates

I've again been offline while ill. Meanwhile many things have happened--some good, some bad. Good things include Obama's win of Maine, the Senate's anti-torture bill, and the House Dems refusing to cave on telecom immunity for illegal spying. Bad things include Andrew Horne's exit from the Democratic primary--our best chance to Ditch Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Dems caving on telecom immunity, and open defense of torture by a sitting Supreme Court Justice (Scalia--surely an impeachable offense?).

I'll try to catch up and keep up, now that I am well.

Obama Sweeps 3 States & a Territory

This week Obama picked up endorsements from Iowa Gov. Culver (D-IA) (He tried to stay neutral while Iowa was front and center, but had some family members involved in the Clinton campaign and others in the John Edwards campaign. Hey, it's another superdelegate for Obama, anyway.), Washington State's Gov., Chris Gregoire (D-WA) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-3rd-KY). He also picked up the endorsement of Ohio's largest newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer--which is also the hometown newspaper of Cleveland, the most heavily Democratic city in the swing state of Ohio. 141 delegates are at stake in Ohio on March 4th.

Today, he won the Louisiana Primary (57% to Clinton's 36%), and Nebraska (68% to Clinton's 32%) and Washington State Caucuses (68% to Clinton's 31%). He also won the primary in the U.S. Virgin Islands so strongly that he will pick up all 3 of its delegates (whereas on Tues. Clinton won American Samoa, the only other non-state territory to have yet voted, in a way that split their delegates--2 for Clinton and 1 for Obama).

This brings Obama ahead in the delegate count:

Prior to tonight (pledged delegates only): Obama: 910 : Clinton: 882 (2, 025 needed to win)

The math for tonight suggests the following new totals:

Louisiana delegate projection: Obama: 32; Clinton: 24

Nebraska delegate projection: Obama: 16; Clinton: 8

Washington (State) delegate projection: Obama: 52; Clinton: 26

U.S. Virgin Islands delegate projection: Obama: 3; Clinton: 0

If these projections hold up, this gives us a new total of Obama: 1,013; Clinton: 940.

When one counts the superdelegates, Clinton regains the lead, though not by terribly much. And superdelegates can change their minds--the majority of them haven't decided for anyone and DNC Chair Howard Dean will put pressure on the superdelegates not to override the choice of the voters. However, it remains unclear whether either candidate can win the 2, 025 necessary for nomination if they keep dividing fairly evenly in the big states.

A movement has arisen to count the delegates from Michigan and Florida (stripped of their delegates by the DNC for moving up their primaries too early), not by simply seating them as Clinton wants (hers was the only name on Michigan's ballot and since candidates pledged not to campaign in these states, her greater name recognition led her to win both MI and FL--which is why she wants them to count), but by having them hold caucuses, instead, in early April--prior to Pennsylvania's 22 April primary. I think that makes sense. I never agreed with stripping these crucial states of their delegates, but would like fair contests for them. I think Obama has a better shot at winning a caucus in MI, but FL Dems tend to be more conservative, so he would have to work hard to keep her from winning by more than 55%. It does help that he does better with caucuses, because of the better ground game--an area where Clinton was expected to excel.

Tomorrow: Maine, which I hope will be another Obama victory.

Yes, we can!

Frank Schaeffer on Being a Pro-Life Obama Supporter

First, let me say that I am a strong defender of the legality of Roe v. Wade. I think decisions about abortions should be made by a woman, her doctor, with family and spiritual input. But I used to be on the other side of the issue, so I understand, as many liberals do not, how those who are against abortion rights think. Most of them are NOT trying to oppress women, but trying to defend those they see as the most defenseless of all--unborn children (and they don't see fetuses as simply potential children).

I also want to reinforce Sen. Obama's pro-choice credentials. He got perfect ratings from the National Abortion Rights Action League and from the National Organization for Women on this issue in both the Illinois State Senate and the U.S. Senate. But I think we should show the following article, reprinted from The Huffington Post, to our conservative friends who are against abortion. I think it is very compelling. It is written by one of the founders of the conservative pro-life movement, Frank Schaeffer.
____


Why I'm Pro-life and Pro-Obama

I am an Obama supporter. I am also pro-life. In fact, without my family's involvement in the pro-life movement it would not exist as we know it. Evangelicals weren't politicized until after my late father and evangelical leader Francis Schaeffer, Dr. Koop (Reagan's soon-to-be Surgeon General) and I stirred them up over the issue of abortion in the mid-1970s. Our Whatever Happened to the Human Race? book, movie series and seminars brought the evangelicals into the pro-life movement.

(Dad's political influence persists. Last week one of my father's followers -- Mike Huckabee -- was interviewed by Katie Couric, along with all the other presidential candidates. Couric asked the candidates if they were to be sent to a desert island and could only take one book besides the Bible, what would that that book be? Huckabee answered that he'd take my father's book Whatever Happened To The Human Race?)

Fast forward...
In 2000, we elected a president who claimed he believed God created the earth and who, as president, put car manufacturers and oil company's interests ahead of caring for that creation. We elected a pro-life Republican Congress that did nothing to actually care for pregnant women and babies. And they took their sincere evangelical followers for granted, and played them for suckers.

The so-called evangelical leadership -- Dobson, Robertson et al. also played the pro-life community for suckers. While thousands of men and women in the crisis pregnancy movement gave of themselves to help women and babies, their evangelical "leaders" did little more than cash in on fundraising opportunities and represent themselves as power-brokers to the craven politicians willing to kowtow to them.

Fast forward...
Today when I listen to Obama speak (and to his remarkable wife, Michelle) what I hear is a world view that actually nurtures life. Obama is trying to lead this country to a place where the intrinsic worth of each individual is celebrated. A leader who believes in hope, the future, trying to save our planet and providing a just and good life for everyone is someone who is actually pro-life.

Conversely the "pro-life" ethic of George W. Bush manifested itself in a series of squandered opportunities to call us to our better natures. After 9/11, Bush told most Americans to go shopping while saddling the few who volunteered for military service with endless tours of duty (something I know a little about since my son was a Marine and deployed several times). The Bush doctrine of life was expressed by starting an unnecessary war in Iraq that has killed thousands of Americans and wounded tens of thousands more.

The society that Obama is calling us to sacrifice for is a place wherein life would be valued not just talked about. As he said in his speech delivered on February 6 in New Orleans, "Too often, we lose our sense of common destiny; that understanding that we are all tied together; that when a woman has less than nothing in this country, that makes us all poorer." Obama was talking about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but his words also apply to our overall view of ourselves.

Regardless of the official position of the Supreme Court on abortion, a country in which all Americans are offered some sort of dignity and hopeful future would be a place conducive to the kind of optimism each of us must hold in our hearts if we are to welcome children into this world. But if our highest aspiration is to be a consumer with no thought or care for our neighbor, we will remain a culture in which abortion is not only inevitable but logical.What we need in America is a spiritual rebirth, a turning away from the false value of consumerism and utilitarianism that have trumped every aspect of human life. To implement this vision we need leaders that inspire but to do so they have to be what they say they are. It's not about policy it's about character.
Obama's rivals for the nomination -- the Clintons -- do not inspire. When the Clintons were in the White House they talked about humane values while Bill Clinton betrayed every single person who voted for him by carrying on an unseemly sexual dalliance in the Oval Office with a young woman barely out of her teens. Since that time the Clintons have enriched themselves through their connections to a point where they're able to make a $5 million personal loan to their campaign. For someone who says she has spent "the last 35 years of my life as an advocate for children" and/or "fighting for healthcare" that's a lot of money to have collected through doing good works. Presidential Mother Teresa wannabes shouldn't be doing deals with uranium mining outfits in Kazakhstan while schmoozing with the likes of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and wealthy mining magnates -- not if they want the moral authority to lead.

Similarly the Republicans have also been hypocrites while talking big, for instance about their pro-life ethic. But what have they achieved? First, through their puritanical war on sex education they've hindered our country from actually preventing unwanted pregnancy. Second, through the Republican Party's marriage to the greediest and most polluting earth-destroying corporations they've created a climate (both moral and physical) that has scorched the earth for-profit, with no regard to future generations whatsoever. The Republicans are to the pro-life movement what the Clintons are to selfless public service.

The real solution to abortion is to change the heart of America, not the law. We need to stop seeing ourselves as consumers. We need to stop seeing ourselves as me and begin to think of we. Our country needs someone to show us a better way, a president who is what he seems, someone with actual moral authority that our diverse population can believe in who has the qualities that make us want to follow him. Obama is that person.

Frank Schaeffer is a writer and author of CRAZY FOR GOD -- How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back

McCain: Less Jobs, More Wars

5 Reasons Hillary Should Be Worried

From The Politico comes this excellent article by Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen.

Highlights on the 5 reasons:

1. She lost the delegate derby. Pure and simple, this is a war to win delegates, one that might not be decided until this summer’s Democratic convention. And when the smoke cleared this morning, it appeared that Barack Obama had ended up with slightly more delegates in the 22 states. Obama’s campaign says the senator finished ahead by 14 delegates. With results still coming in, Clinton’s campaign says the candidates finished within five or six delegates of each other. Either way, Super Tuesday was essentially a draw. Clinton may still hold the edge overall, but Obama is closing in rapidly.
2. She essentially tied Obama in the popular vote. (My note: At last count, Clinton appeared to have a VERY slight lead, here.) Each won just over 7.3 million votes, a level of parity that was unthinkable as recently as a few weeks ago. At the time, national polls showed Clinton with a commanding lead — in some cases, by 10 points or more. That dominance is now gone. One reason is that polls and primary results reveal that the more voters get to know Obama, the more they seem to like him. This is especially troubling for Clinton since the schedule slows dramatically now and a full month will pass before the next big-state showdown. All of this allows candidates ample time to introduce themselves to voters in each state — which plays to Obama’s core strengths.
3. She lost more states. Obama carried 14 states, six more than Clinton, and showed appeal in every geographical region. His win in bellwether Missouri was impressive by nearly every measure, marked by victories among men and women, secular and churchgoing voters, and urban and suburban voters. (My note: If Obama squeaks out a win today in NM--we may not know until tonight sometime--it will show he can win in a heavily Latino state--even more than CO--where the popular Latino Gov. "all but" endorsed Clinton.
4. She lost the January cash war. Money chases momentum, so Obama crushing’s 2-to-1 fundraising victory last month is revealing. He raised more than $31 million; Clinton raised less than $14 million. The implication is hard to ignore: Democratic activists and donors are flocking to Obama at a pace that could have a profound effect on the race going forward.
5. The calendar is her enemy. Now that more than half the states have weighed in, there is a fairly predictable formula for determining who is most likely to win the upcoming contests. In caucus states, Obama’s organizational strength shines: He has won seven of eight. Up next are three more caucus states, Washington, Nebraska and Maine. Obama also runs tremendously well in states with large African-American populations, another promising sign since next Tuesday’s three primaries are in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia — all of which have significant percentages of black voters. Then comes another caucus state, Hawaii, where Obama is viewed as a native son. The bottom line is that it figures to be another month before Clinton hits a stretch of states — places like Ohio and Pennsylvania — where she will be strongly favored to win. So it couldn’t be any clearer as to why the supposedly inevitable candidacy is anything but — even when she’s supposedly winning.

I would add that Obama has time to eat away at her Ohio and PA leads and to win big in TX in March. Also, even if the media keep spinning last night in Clinton's favor, it will count in the popular mind as one win. Obama has many chances to win during the rest of the month. The Clinton spin that they "stopped the Obama momentum" ain't true. They just slowed it down. Her desire for a series of new debates with him shows how desperate she is for free air time.

Obama's Super Tuesday: Jack & Jill's View

Here is an excellent analysis of the results from Jack and Jill Politics.

Obama's Super Tuesday - The Morning After

Less than one year ago, when he announced, Barack Obama was a sitting United States Senator of about 2 years.

Hillary Clinton was INEVITABLE.

And February 5th was to be her coronation.

Skeptical Brotha would say, with reference to the Clinton candidacy, that ' Resistance Is Futile'. I told him, way back then, it might be futile, but some fights, you just gotta take.

On February 5, 2008, Barack Obama took on the most formidable political machine in Democratic Party Politics, and beat it in 13 out of the 22 contests.(Might be 14, but the vote isn't totally in from New Mexico)

He began with absolutely NOTHING in February 2007, and was able, in about a year, to put together a grassroots campaign nationally that not only is self-financing, but also gets out the vote.

A Black man won Alabama and Georgia.

A Black man won states like Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, that only see Black folk on tv and in the movies.

Look at the list of his victories:
Obama has won the following states:
Alaska
Utah
Colorado
Idaho
Minnesota
Connecticut
Kansas
North Dakota
Alabama
Delaware
Missouri
Illinois
Georgia

As for those states he lost:
Two weeks ago, Hillary was leading in MA by 37 points, Obama lost to her by 15 points. He erased a 22% deficit in less than two weeks. In NY, she was ahead by 28% on January 26th, but she ended up beating him by 14%, cutting her lead in half. Same thing in New Jersey - he lost, but not by what he was down two weeks.
He is a strong national candidate, as of this morning.

I agree with Angry Independent that we, will have to make the case for Obama, for those that support him, so I will bring up points that out alert readers have made:
Coming out of South Carolina, Obama was close to being branded the ' Black Candidate', due to the Dogwhistle Race Baiting of the Clintons. And, while the Kennedy Endorsement didn't 'deliver' Massachusetts, Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal Constitution made a brilliant observation:
The Kennedy Endorsement stopped, dead in its tracks, the 'Ghettoization' of Obama. And, indeed, it did.Super Tuesday helped put the nail in the coffin about Obama being ' The Black Candidate'. It was very convenient for the MSM, as they went along with The Clintons to try and press the narrative, even after Obama won in 90%+ White Iowa, and came within 2 points in 90%+ New Hampshire, and won Rural Nevada.But, winning in Alaska, Utah, Idaho and North Dakota, will put that ' Black Candidate' mess to bed.

The ' Hispanics won't vote for a Black Candidate' Memo. It's a blanket statement, and it's not true universally. It depends upon THE STATE, and that is encouraging too.

Would WHITE MEN who chose John Edwards, give Obama a shake? The answer, seems to be a YES, even in the Deep South.

Could Obama win in the 'Heartland', and the victories in Kansas and Missouri say YES.

Obama won more states and more delegates (excluding super delegates). Senator Clinton only exceeded 60% in one state, TN,while Senator Obama exceeded 60% in at least six states. Senator Obama did NOT lose any state that he was expected to win, but he did pick up states, namely CT. In fact, he was still polling behind her in AL up until yesterday.Clinton didn't crack 60% in her own state.I don't think it's insignificant that Senator Obama made history yesterday by becoming the first African American to win state-wide in several states, including MO.Obama made considerable gains among White men and women, solidified his base, made slight in roads with Latinos, but Clinton only held her base.

On the delegate front, here's the news this morning:
The Obama camp projects topping Clinton by nine delegates, 845 to 836.NBC News, which is projecting delegates based on the Democratic Party's complex formula, figures Obama will wind up with 840 to 849 delegates, versus 829 to 838 for Clinton.

IT IS A RACE NOW, folks.Super Tuesday was supposed to break Barack Obama, and it didn't.

Super Tuesday was supposed to show that he wasn't ready for the big stage, and it didn't.

Super Tuesday was supposed to send Obama packing back to Illinois, and it didn't.

He won more states.
He won more diversity of states.
He won more delegates.

YES.WE.CAN.

Clinton Wins "Big" States; Obama Wins More States; Delegate Count Close

Well, while last night was not as good as I hoped it would be for Barack Obama, it was about as good as could reasonably be expected given that a week ago Clinton still had a 20 point lead nationally and commanding leads in most of the primary and caucus states up for grabs, yesterday. Given the short time frame since his SC win, Obama did very, very well. I would like to have seen him pick up MA and AZ (never really believing he had a chance for a complete win in CA), but am otherwise very content. Had there been 2 weeks between SC and "Super Tuesday," instead of one week, I am convinced that last night would have been very bad for Sen. Clinton, instead of this near-draw. Remember, this crazy schedule was partly influenced by the Clintons who had planned to end the primary season early. Until Obama's surprise win in Iowa last month, Clinton believed she would have sewn up the nomination on 05 February. She hasn't and Obama is in great shape to win the races that follow (except, possibly, PA, where she has a tremendous following).

• Obama won all 7 of the caucus states.
• Obama won most of the "red" states which usually vote Republican, but could possibly flip Democratic in the Fall if he is the nominee.
• Obama made gains among Latinos, though Clinton still has an advantage among them. (At least this should end the stupid media claim that "Latinos won't vote for a black man!")
• Obama made large gains among Clinton's key strength--women, especially white women.
• Obama won more white males, especially in the South, so some real racial progress has been made.
• The Obama campaign claims it won more delegates, but I think the final results are not yet in for delegate count. It seems fairly close. (Obama claims it is 847 to 834, not counting unpledged superdelegates.) ABC News' delegate counter claims Clinton now leads with 872 to Obama's 793. Even if ABC is right, that's only a 79 delegate lead for Clinton which can erased later this month.

State by State results:

AL: Obama ; Huckabee wins for GOP

AK: Obama; Romney for GOP

AR: Clinton; Huckabee for GOP. Note: Clinton was 1st Lady of Arkansas before she was U.S. First Lady and Huckabee followed Bill Clinton as Arkansas governor. So, this was locked up for both.

AZ: Clinton; McCain for GOP. This was a slight disappointment since it looked like Obama had a real chance here (and it was close). Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), who is very popular, endorsed Obama and is on his shortlist for VP. This is McCain's home state, of course. Notice that Clinton and Obama split the Latino vote here fairly evenly.

CA: Clinton; McCain for GOP. The final delegate split in CA will be interesting.

CO: Obama; Romney for GOP. Obama won the Latino vote here. Denver, CO will host the '08 Democratic Convention.

CT: Obama; McCain for GOP. This was a big win for Obama since CT is New York's "backyard," and since Clinton is a favorite daughter from her years in Yale Law School.

DE: Obama; McCain for GOP.

GA: Obama; Huckabee for GOP.

ID: Obama; No GOP race. Another red state victory for Obama, but it is doubtful that ANY Democratic candidate can carry Idaho in the general election.

IL: Obama; McCain for GOP. This was Obama's home turf, but Clinton grew up here and hoped to make inroads (and failed). 153 delegates were at stake.

KS: Obama; No GOP race yesterday. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), an Obama supporter, will probably be on his shortlist for running mates.

MA: Clinton; Romney for GOP. This was my big disappointment. I knew Clinton had enjoyed a huge lead, but I thought with Gov. Deval Patrick (D), and both of MA's senators (Kennedy and Kerry) backing Obama, he might pull off a win. Hard to beat the clock. Clinton, naturally, is crowing over this one, saying that she "beat the Kennedys" in there own backyard.

MN: Obama; Romney for GOP. Recent polls had shown a 6% lead for Clinton, so this was a good win. MN is a strong peace state and I think the MoveOn.org endorsement may have helped Obama put this one over the top.

MO: Obama; McCain for GOP. This was a squeaker and the AP wire service and some TV networks originally called this for Clinton! This will be a key battleground in the gen. election: Missouri has voted with the presidential winner every time since Harry Truman in '48! It is a "middle" middle America. I think Obama can take McCain here, but can Clinton?

MT: No Dem. race, yesterday; Romney for GOP.

ND: Obama; Romney for GOP.

NJ: Clinton; McCain for GOP. Too many people were surprised at this result. Yes, recent polls had shown it to be competitive, but when Obama flew in for a last minute campaign stop this weekend, he received a far smaller crowd than everywhere else, which I thought was a telling sign. NJ seldom votes for a different candidate than NY and is in the same TV broadcast areas.

NM: Still too close to call! This would be a significant victory for Obama: Heavy Latino population and Gov. Richardson (D) (himself a former presidential candidate) seemed to "all but" endorse Clinton by watching the Superbowl Sunday with fmr. Pres. Bill Clinton. No GOP race yesterday.

NY: Clinton; McCain for GOP. Since Clinton is Sen. from NY, there was little doubt she would win. I will be interested to see if Obama managed to win NYC (as seemed possible) and poach a number of delegates from her.

OK: Clinton; McCain for GOP. Clinton had a big lead here and Obama didn't have time to campaign here.

TN: Clinton; Huckabee for GOP.

UT: Obama; Romney for GOP.

WV: No Dem. race yesterday; Huckabee for GOP.

American Samoa: Clinton; No GOP race here yesterday.

No results found, yet for Democrats Abroad.

Next up:

Saturday 09 Feb. : Louisiana (primary; 56 delegates at stake; Obama favored to win); Nebraska (caucus, 24 del.; Obama favored to win); Washington state (caucus; 78 dels; Clinton favored since Gov. Christine Gregoire, and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have all backed her. But Washington is a fairly liberal state with a strong peace contingency, so Obama may be able to pull this one out with a good ground game.); U.S. Virgin Islands (primary; 3 del.; I don't know who to favor here: Clinton has an advantage in U.S. territories because of name recognition--they are mostly too far away for the candidates to campaign in person. But the Virgin Islands have a large black population, so we'll see.)

Sunday 10 Feb.: Maine (caucus, 24 del.; Is Maine like New Hampshire?)

Tuesday 12 Feb.: District of Columbia (primary, 15 del.; Obama favored to win); Maryland (primary, 70 del.; Obama favored to win); Virginia (primary, 83 del.; Obama favored to win).

Tuesday 19 Feb.: Hawaii (caucus, 20 del.; I have no idea who is favored); Wisconsin (primary, 74 del., Obama favored to win)

Clinton is counting on the large states of Ohio and Texas in March and Pennsylvania in April, but Obama now has more money and may be able to roll into March better equipped. The longer the race goes on, the better his chances.

Jack and Jill Politics

Since I am trying to avoid watching anything about Tsunami Tuesday until tomorrow (less stress, longer life), this is a good time for me to profile the blog Jack and Jill Politics, run by Jack Turner and Jill Tubman. This is a major U.S. political blog from an African-American middle class viewpoint.

The "blogosphere" is dominated by the voices of white men, but that is changing. Jack and Jill Politics is an excellent way for progressive whites to keep in touch with the views of African-Americans. Yes, having "real black friends" would also be good, but, let's face it, there's a certain amount of self-censorship that happens in mixed-race social situations. In many cases, there is still much at stake in workplace relations, etc. that would be risked if "full disclosure" came in every conversation. Sad, but true.

Also, while there are exceptions (such as the church I attend), whites and blacks mostly still worship in different settings, live in different neighborhoods (mine is one of the few partial exceptions in Louisville), go to different places for entertainment, etc. And the dominant group usually knows less about the "minority" groups than they (originally for survival reasons) know about the majority. (Surveys have shown that African-Americans are much better at predicting white answers than vice versa.)

So, fellow white progressives, I urge you to decrease your ignorance. One way is to read regularly on black political blogs. There are many of them, but I am pushing Jack and Jill Politics first because it was one of the earliest this progressive cracker found. Which is more helpful during an election year that may result in the first black president? Watching a bunch of white men on TV talk about "the black vote" or read the thoughts of active, politically-informed African-Americans? Hmm.

Bluegrass Roots Endorses Obama

The owners/editors of Bluegrass Roots, one of the best progressive, Democratic political blogs in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, have endorsed Barack Obama for President. This is all the more significant since they were both previously Edwards supporters, as I was. You can read their endorsement here. It explains why they endorsed Edwards and why, once Edwards dropped out, they switched to Obama. I hope this is a trend among the netroots in KY.

Yes We Can

The following video was created by Obama supporters. It sets his NH primary speech to music. I only wish I had not been sick so that I could have sent this to people throughout Super Tuesday states this weekend.

Obama/Clinton in Statistical Dead Heat on Eve of Super Tuesday

I have been ill for a few days--too ill to come down to a cold basement and blog or even check email. I will not watch the Super Tuesday returns tomorrow because my nerves would give out and I might have a relapse.

Because this is all about delegates, Obama doesn't have to win tomorrow--just keep from losing. If he keeps the delegate count close, plus wins enough states outright for some psychological victories, then the momentum should continue to be on his side in the races that follow tomorrow. If, however, Clinton wins big early, she won't likely win enough delegates tomorrow to win the nomination outright (as she once dreamed--this schedule was originally--back when she was considered the "inevitable" nominee--urged on party leaders by her campaign so that she could wrap up the nomination early and spend most of the Spring preparing for the GOP in the Fall). But she might stop Obama's momentum tomorrow as she did in NH.

5 key variables:

1. Early voting. Many primaries allowed for early voting (which may have been 40% of the total in California!) when Clinton still had double-digit leads over Obama and 85% of the institutional Democratic Party support. It could be her firewall against the Obama momentum.
2. Latinos: I do not buy into the media hype about Latinos refusing to vote for African-Americans. But the Clintons (and they come as a package) had a long and good history with Latinos and so, early on, you saw more support for Hillary Clinton by Latinos--just as you early on saw more Clinton support among African-Americans than Obama. That gap is narrowing (or appears to be) and more Latino leaders are endorsing Obama, but we won't know how many until tomorrow night.
3. Women: 51% of the nation, nearly 60% of the Democratic Party, especially in CA. Can Obama get enough of the women's vote? He did not in NH, but he did in Iowa and S. Carolina and it split fairly evenly in NV. Older white women have been Hillary's base, but is Obama cutting into it--and, if so, has he done so well enough by tomorrow.
4. Edwards' voters: Where will they go? And, will the Edwards' voters who voted early claim some delegates in several of these primaries and caucuses? (The Edwards' delegates will go to the national convention uncommitted, as will his superdelegates.)
5. Young voters. This has been Obama's strength, although Clinton has attracted some, too. Their turnout could be the key. And weather could be a key factor in turnout. We've had some of the worst weather this winter this past week.

I'll see everyone on Wednesday. My nerves simply cannot take watching this tomorrow.