Barack Obama Overtakes Hillary Clinton in PA - 15 Point Lead Gone

Just three weeks ago, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton entered the Pennsylvania Primary with a 15 point lead in the polls conducted there.

To many, especially those in the mainstream media, it seemed that her lead was one Obama could not overcome. Many had projected her to win; a few, specifically CNN's Jack Cafferty, did observe that Obama has a tendency to turn the polling in a state once he's visited its people.

A few days ago, there were signs that the polls were turning Obama's way after the Bosnian Trip Scandal, which caught Senator Clinton openly lying about her involvement in the war there. The Bosnian Scandal overtook the Wright Issue in news reporting and contributed to the polling side which continued and was marked by Rassmusen's reported Clinton lead of just five percent a few days ago , so it was seemingly inevitable that at one point Obama could overtake Clinton in the Keystone State.

That happened today.

Senator Barack Obama now leads Senator Hillary Clinton 45 percent to 43 percent in a survey conducted by Public Policy Polling. Heres the text from the press release I received:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 2, 2008

Obama overtakes Clinton in PA

Raleigh, N.C. – Barack Obama has taken the lead over Hillary Clinton 45-43 in Pennsylvania, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling.

It’s a remarkable turn around from PPP’s last Pennsylvania poll, conducted two and a half weeks ago, that showed Clinton with a 26 point lead in the state. That poll was released at the height of the Jeremiah Wright controversy and the day before Obama’s major speech on race in Philadelphia. Obama has been trending upward in nationalpolling and in many state level polls since then and this survey reflects that pattern.

“In the last few weeks there has been increasing attention given to the fact that a continuing divisive Democratic nomination fight could hurt the party’s chances of defeating John McCain this fall,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.
“The major movement in Obama’s direction in Pennsylvania could be an indication that Democrats in that state think it’s time to wrap it up.”

Obama is narrowing the gap with white voters, trailing just 49-38, while maintaining his customary significant advantage with black voters. He leads that group 75-17.

Obama also leads among all age groups except senior citizens, with whom Clinton has a 50-34 advantage. The poll shows the standard gender gap with Obama leading by 15 points among men while trailing by 10 points with women.

PPP surveyed 1224 likely Democratic primary voters on March 31st and April 1st. The survey’s margin of errors is +/- 2.8%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

Public Policy Polling had the most accurate numbers of any company in the country for the Democratic primaries in South Carolina and Wisconsin, as well as the closest numbers for any organization that polled the contests in both Texas and Ohio.

Complete results are attached and can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com

More on this development soon.

"Factcheck" On Obama and Oil Industry Is Pure Bullshit

My letter to FactCheck.org editor Lori Robertson on Obama and Oil Industry

Title: "Factcheck" On Obama and Oil Industry Is Pure Bullshit

Dear Editor,

I read your writers' article that claims to be a fact check on Senator Barack Obama and the oil industry. This crap you had your writers issue is the biggest -- well near biggest -- bunch of bullshit I've ever read.

If you look at the millions of donors to any political campaign who are employed, say, with bars or restaurants or how about strip clubs, you could say "Senator X has the support of the bar and porn industry" which of course would be total crap because the formal organizations and PACs of those industries may not have even taken a position. Moreover, an employee can and often does take a position opposite that of the company itself. You should know this; if you admit you do, then such a statement automatically negates the legitimacy of your work.

To then "use" -- which is what you've done -- a persons employment as the basis for a smear-job is totally unprofessional and unethical. In point of fact you've proven nothing at all -- except that you have a bias against Senator Obama.

Correct this -- please.

Thanks,

--
Zennie Abraham, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
http://www.sportsbusinesssims.com
Sports Business Simulations
510-387-9809
SBS Online Marketing at http://www.sbson.com

Gov Bill Richardson v. James Carville A Warning To Superdelegates

Gov. Bill Richardson v. James Carville A Warning To Superdelegates

In a timely op-ed in the Monday Washington Post, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson reveals that is call to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to report that he'd endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President was "heated" but did not give more details.

Richardson was writing to report his displeasure with the "personal" attacks Clinton supporter and CNN Commentator James Carville has exacted on him after Richardson endorsed Obama.

In words he did not back away from, Carville compared Richardson to Judas for the act of backing Obama. But in his op-ed, Richardson hit a home-run of a point: neither the Clintons nor their backers and supporters leveled such attacks on Richardson when he opposed Sen. Clinton in the Presidential campaign race.

In all, in my view, this episode has revealed the worst aspects of the Clinton campaign. While Carville says it's personal because of the jobs Richardson had done for President Clinton, the simple fact is that there are a number of elected officials who owe some "debt" to the Clintons. I don't know who has "paid their debt" but it's got to give any Superdelegate in that position pause to see how Richardson was treated by the Clinton Campaign.

This could cause more undeclared Superdelegates to go for Obama over the next few weeks.

Stay tuned.

"Virgle" - Google Founders Page And Brin Want To Colonize Mars - I Can't Go

"Virgle" sounds and reads like a great project. The founders of Google and the founder of Virgin want to collonize Mars. But my take on this, after some thought, is why the hell should we focus on taking our fucked-up act to Mars?

Why can't Larry and Sergey focus on problems right here at home and in the U.S.A?

We've got an economy that's a mess. High crime rates. Homeless people abound. And yet, these guys, these billionaires want to go off and start a Mars Colony. They want you to make a YouTube video and explain why you want to go to Mars. Heck, I'm going to explain why we should not go to Mars, at least not now.

I think it's a waste of great time, money, and energy that could be applied to more worthwhile projects right here at home.

I also don't like they they get to chose who goes. Why? Because it's there project? Will there be any Black folks beyond the estimated one percent who work for Google? I wonder.

Well, here's their video:

Larry and Sergey:



Richard Branson:

NFL NATIONALLY TELEVISED PRIMETIME KICKOFF WEEKEND GAMES - NFLMedia.com

NFL ANNOUNCES NATIONALLY TELEVISED
PRIMETIME KICKOFF WEEKEND GAMES

The NFL announced today its 2008 Kickoff Weekend national primetime television schedule, including a Monday night doubleheader.

In a tradition that began in 2004, the Super Bowl champion annually hosts the NFL Thursday night season kickoff the following year. This September 4 at 7:00 PM ET on NBC, the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants will host their NFC East-rival Washington Redskins and their new head coach JIM ZORN. Kickoff will be 90 minutes earlier than the start time of the traditional season opener due to the Republican National Convention, which NBC News will cover following the conclusion of the game.

The Sunday night primetime game (8:15 PM ET) on NBC will feature a rematch of Super Bowl XLI as the Indianapolis Colts host the Chicago Bears. The game marks the first regular-season game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

On Monday night, September 8, ESPN will host a Monday Night Football doubleheader featuring two critical division matchups. The first game (7:00 PM ET) will send the Minnesota Vikings to Green Bay to visit the NFC North titlist Packers. The MNF nightcap (10:15 PM ET) will be an AFC West battle as the Oakland Raiders host the Denver Broncos.


The announcement of these national primetime TV games was made Monday by NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL at the NFL Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.

The rest of the 2008 regular-season schedule will be completed and announced in April.

Pull the other one, Hillary. Vetting the Theft of Valor story from Bosnia.

You probably recall from last week that this doesn't sit well with me. I'm prone to taking the high road, my role model is Barack Obama, but I just can't not comment on the flagrant, disingenuous responses Senator Clinton has advanced to try to disavow her "mis-speaking" with regard to the risks from sniper fire when she went to Tuzla, Bosnia with her daughter.

There was no sniper fire. There was no mis-speaking, either. This was not an oops, slip of the tongue moment, this went on over numerous, well-documented speeches and in response to direct questions. I am chagrined that I had considered her a potentially good President at one point. Senator Clinton's finesse with ear-marks is an endearing quality to her present constituency, I'm certain, but her theft of valor is not something I can condone in a (potential) Commander-in-Chief.

That's why I wrote about Tammi Hetherington, the Army vet who bravely spoke out because she was present that day in Bosnia. I've discussed it with friends during the intervening days. I've followed the story. I've blogged about positive things in the meanwhile, too, such as the amazing engagement of High School students in the south Bronx, who are talking about race and politics, and paying attention...

But today, once of my favorite Obama supporters took the plunge and started blogging at Daily Kos with this very same topic, and that story is so much better presented than my own that I invite you to read Kiku Botura's take on why it matters if somebody claims risks that aren't real. Nevermind, that Senator Clinton's boasting calls into question the judgment of the pilot who set her down and let her deplane, or dismisses the competence and efforts of those tasked with providing her security that day on the ground - that's not the point. The point is that good people do, in fact, act heroically on their oaths under mortal risk in defense of this country.

So go read, please, about Marine Captain John McKenna of Brooklyn, NY, born that very day Hillary and Chelsea had their excellent adventure in Bosnia, and tell Kiku I said hi.

The same old divisive, say-anything to get elected politics doesn't work any more. It doesn't get things done, it doesn't solve our problems, and it doesn't lead us to the future our children deserve.

President Bill Clinton Hugged By Hot Blonde In Mosh-Pit After Speech

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com/2008/04/president-bill-clinton-hugged-by-hot.html - President Bill Clinton came to the California State Democratic Convention on Sunday, March 30th to give a speech in support of his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton as she works to add more Superdelegates to her side. After an excellent speech, President Clinton came down to the floor to greet the crowd.

As I went over to get a video of his action, and as he made his way toward where I was standing, a Blonde woman bulled past me and got to a place where she was right in front of him and proceeded to give him a hard, long (considering the time), and passionate hug. I have no idea who she was as by the time she did this, I was being pushed by a growing crowd of people behind me who were trying to get closer to Clinton. It was a wild scene.

But the whole sight of the Blonde made me think of the Monica Lewinsky matter. Not because of the hug -- I am sure that happens a lot -- but the way she hugged him, and his response, which was that he not only didn't turn away, but seemed more than a bit "pleased" by the event.

Now, the woman called for her husband "Eric" who was no where to be seen and could not have easily got in to see Bill as it was totally slammed. So maybe she's just an excited fan?

I also note that they continued to talk after the hug. Well check out the video for yourself.

Were it not for Bill's reputation and the fact that he's married to the Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton, the video may not be such a big deal. But I can't change history.