Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Obama Selection Of Caroline Kennedy To Seek VP Candidate May Spell End for Clinton

Senator Barack Obama asked Caroline Kennedy to head the effort to find a Vice Presidential candidate, and that move could spell the end for Senator Clinton's quest for the number two slot. The reason is simple: Ted Kennedy doesn't think Clinton would make a good fit, and has said so.

Kennedy is joined by Eric Holder, the former Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno, and Jim Johnson, the man who ran John Kerry’s veep search.

The Clinton's have not pleased Ted Kennedy, first with the whole MLK and race-bating campaign they waged, and recently with her TERRIBLE gafe regarding RFK and assassination.

Again, the term today is Popularometer, and Clinton's -- both Bill and Hillary -- is at an all time low.

I also think what may have happened is that Clinton wanted Obama to immediately ask her to be her VP and he said he was going to form a search committee and have a process. I'll bet that's what happened and explains why she didn't concede. But it all boils down to her not getting her way.

I can see the needle on the Popularometer falling yet again.

BET"s Bob Johnson Asks Jim Clyburn To Push For Obama Clinton Ticket, But Bill Clinton Cursed Clyburm!

I've got Fox News -- yes, Fox News, and specifically "Studio B with Shepard Smith" -- on now, and Smith's reporting that BET's Bob Johnson, an outspoken supporter of Hillary Clinton, has asked via letter to the office of South Carolina's Congressman Jim Clyburn, for Clyburn to push for an Obama / Clinton ticket.

Here's the problem.

Just a over a month ago, former President Bill Clinton, Hil's hubby and that famously tempermental campaigner, lost it with Clyburn and according to the Wall Street Journal cursed at him, thus pushing Clyburn to be even more outspoken in his opposition to the campaign tactics of the Clintons, and to eventually endorse Senator Obama for President.

So why the hell would Clyburn want to walk down the road of essentially helping the Clintons? And Clinton supporters flooding Clyburn's office with racist hate-calls certainly doesn't help at all.

Both Bill and Hillary have to learn to be humble here. As I just wrote, their Populaometer's at an all time low. Time to appologize to Clyburn and fall behind Senator Obama.

Clinton's Speech Pisses Off Many - Can't Concede To Obama

Hillary Clinton may be slowly taking herself out of the race for Vice President with her speech where she stopped short of conceding to Senator Barack Obama, who's the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee. On CNN and on the blogs and in listserves, Clinton's being skewered, and even CNN's Jeffrey Tobin, long a kind commenter on the Clintons during this campaign, called her speech an example of "deranged narcissism".

..and the commenters over at The Huffington Post agreed with her:

Jeffrey Toobin: Clinton's Refusal To Concede "Deranged Narcissism"
stumble digg reddit del.ico.us news trust buzz up
Huffington Post | June 3, 2008 11:30 PM


- CarmenCameron See Profile I'm a Fan of CarmenCameron
The math doesn't convince her that she actually LOST. A title won't convince her that she's not ACTUALLY president. Her insanity would have her dictating policy and negotiating treaties with other countries.

HRC is mad and so is our nation if we support her hell-bent, out-of-control and plain-ol' SICK demand for power.

Mr. Toobin is not only RIGHT, he's the only MSM talking head with GUTS to say out loud what the vast majority of Americans ARE thinking!

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:56 PM on 06/04/2008
- FearlessSpeech See Profile I'm a Fan of FearlessSpeech
BEST pundit quote of the campaign. Thanks for the honesty Mr. Toobin!

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:53 PM on 06/04/2008
- MrsPeel See Profile I'm a Fan of MrsPeel
I absolutely agree.

I saw watched this live. Despite David Gergen's immediate distancing from Toobin's comment, I think Toobin told it like it is.

Some folks say the media have been against Hillary. IMO, I think she's had it fairly easy. I could use a few more like Toobin speaking up.

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:51 PM on 06/04/2008
- sage25 See Profile I'm a Fan of sage25
Toobin took the words right out of my mouth!

I love it when someone loses his or her PC media facade and just belches out the truth.

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:51 PM on 06/04/2008
- JeffWasHere See Profile I'm a Fan of JeffWasHere
Hillary is the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. "I'm invincible. The Black Knight always triumphs. Oh, I see. Running away. Come back here and take what's coming to you. I'll bite your legs off!" Actually, she's worse than the Black Knight, because when both his arms and legs were chopped off, he at least conceded a little and said "All right, we'll call it a draw."

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:48 PM on 06/04/2008
- dm92 See Profile I'm a Fan of dm92
I can't catch my breath right now I am laughing so hard....

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:24 PM on 06/04/2008
- portchester See Profile I'm a Fan of portchester
Jeff Toobin ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:44 PM on 06/04/2008
- dm92 See Profile I'm a Fan of dm92
honesty and b*lls for a change on the corporate media - great!

Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:25 PM on 06/04/2008
- sueno See Profile I'm a Fan of sueno
Toobin is the man!
Obama won!
Why is everyone soo worried about Clinton!
She's acting like a spoiled child-
Don't you think that something deeper is wrong with the display that she's putting on.
She's willing to hold the democrats hostage- so that she comes out on top!
Her popular vote argument is also little pychotic, yet nobody wants to correct her-
Why does she have to be pampered off stage? particularly after the bombs, she and bill dropped.
The media's thirst to suck up to her is un-real! Is the media's debt to the Clinton's finally over?
CAN THE PUBLIC NOW RECEIVE UNBIAS COVERAGE, WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE CARVILLE & DAVIS ON IT'S STAFF.
Toobin's right- OBAMA WON, WHERE'S THE JOY?


Or if not the Huffington Post, then James Fallows over at The Atlantic, who wasted no time in lowering the boom on Senator Clinton.

You HAVE LOST the nomination. There are NO MORE primaries. And you're urging your supporters to nurse their bitter feelings on your web site, and keep selling their bikes to give you money that you'll spend on... what? The unseemliness -- and, yes, destructiveness -- of this is too obvious to mention, though perhaps not obvious enough to have occurred to you.
This is a new low.

Indeed, between HRC's no-concession speech, Bill Clinton's skewering in the Vanity Fair, and the former President's reported cursing at Rep Jim Clyburn, the Clinton's popularity meter -- let's call it a "Populometer" -- is at an all time low. They're in a damage control situation and the trouble is they don't act like it.

Stay tuned.

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Did Hillary Clinton miss her moment?

In real estate, it's "location;" in politics, it's "Timing, timing, timing!"

Hillary Rodham Clinton Senator Clinton had an optimum moment in terms of what impact her concession might have had, and the attention that was focused on her and her statement. Senator Obama managed even more gracious praise for her contributions and efforts as he spoke last night at the XCEL Center in St. Paul, Minnesota - and the crowd was with him in that sentiment, clearly. He held the 20,000 people inside the arena nearly transfixed, and they roared approval when he held forth on Senator Clinton’s strengths and character.

The press will not ignore whatever subsequent statements she makes - and obviously it’s premature for an outsider to suggest concession is the course of action she will follow - yet at this juncture it’s already clear that the effect and the interest are rapidly, moment by moment, diminishing.

There are many effective, influential women rising through the ranks of political influence, so others will run and win soon. But it is difficult to predict there will be another moment when Hillary might soar as high as she could have - should have - on Tuesday night.

Did Senator Clinton miss her moment? Yes, I'm afraid she did.

Barack Obama Speech and Process To Nomination

This video series by YouTuber JoeJack101 captures the process leading up to his historic speech:

1) CNN Announces that Obama Has Reached the Delegate Milestone



2) The Speech:

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Barack Obama Gets 2,118 Delegates To Officially Seal The Nomination!

Barack Obama sealed the deal. He's officially done it! He's the Democratic Nominee!

Barack Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

What began as a farfetched and idealistic quest 16 months ago against an established and legendary candidate, has now transformed into reality. Yes, Barack Obama, a young and visionary community organizer from the south side of Chicago has prevailed against the entrenched Hillary Clinton in one of the most unlikely and improbable political contests in United States history.

While on the subject of history and momentous events, it's essential to recognize that 43 years after the ratification of the voting rights act and 54 years after the desegregation of schools in Brown V. Board of Education, an African-American is the presumptive nominee of a political party.

The milestone achieved by Obama extends not only for new founded opportunities to blacks, but for all Americans, and most notably young Americans. Tonight, a significant generational shift has been established in which the thunderous voices of millions of young people have been heard . Mobilized and energized, young people across the nation are on board with the astounding movement created by Senator Obama.

For a 45-year old man, whether white, black, Hispanic or Asian to have eclipsed a plethora of insurmountable barriers in a quest to stake their claim as a potential commander in chief is astronomical and noteworthy.

For all Democrats ready to rise up against John McCain, it's time to get up, speak up, let our voices be heard and make that change. The first change being to elect Barack Obama to the White House.

Eyes On November

With the AP news (see below) that Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for President, all Democrats must now turn their eyes toward the November election. This has been a contentious race for the nomination. Racism and sexism have dominated the landscape in a party normally known for inclusion and tolerance.

But with some Democrats claiming that they would rather vote for John McCain than Barack Obama, how do we, as a party, forge a path of unity in just the next five months? What rallying cry will get Democrats to remove their blinders and see the urgency of retaking the White House, candidate partisanship be damned?

Do you have ideas? Let's hear them. Leave your comments below.

U.S. Auto Industry Crumbling Under The Weight Of High Gas Prices

This is a developing but depressing story of an American industry that's made a heavy bet on large vehicles and lost as gas approaches $5 per gallon. Stay tuned.

AP: OBAMA CLINCHES DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION!

After over a year of working and fund-raising, the Associated Press has reported that Senator Barack Obama has reached the targeted number of delegates -- 2,118 -- needed to clinch the Democratic Nomination.

It's over. We -- the new America of a diverse collection of people who really love this country and want to bring everyone together -- won! Obama for America!

Congratulations to everyone on the Obama staff both nationally and locally in the San Francisco Bay Area, and other states and cities.

No, I Did Not Contribute $17,000 To The Obama Campaign

The current -- as of today -- Oakland Tribune article reads that I contributed $17,000 to the Obama for America campaign. I did not. What I told Barbara Grady, who's a great person, is that I raised that much, mostly from an event held at the Mark Hopkins last year on St. Patrick's Day 2007 and which I co-chaired (there were about 25 co-chairs) and created an online sign-up and website for. I managed to get 15 people to sign up online there at $1,000 each, so that's $15,000 alone.

But I wish I had $17,000 just laying around.