Howard Dean and the Honorable Al Gore are first.

...however, this-yet again, new rumor is about the same as the ones predicting in September, October, then December and again a reprise of January.

It didn't happen for a reason.

Super Tuesday is here.

Obama doesn't share MR. Gore's positions and policy on Global Warming, so I would guess that's why.

Obama pushed for a 2nd time a Lobbyist pushed Liquified Coal Bill, that environmentalists were screaming to pull for over 6 months, 'til it lost support in June 2007, after he revived it in Januar 2007. He supports Nuclear energy. Coal and nukes is not exactly friendly for the environment. He also has the smallest increases on CAFE Standards (mpg). Obama does not share Mr. Gore's position on Carbon Tax and did not join the moratorium for Coal fired plants.

Mr. Gore was very clear if he endorsed, they would have to share his position.

timing is everything

Timing is indeed everything ... here is an interesting take on whether Al will endorse at all at this point and why he probably will not.

Is this take correct? Only Al knows.

But whatever he does is fine by me.

================
In the Democratic Primary, W.W.A.G.D.?
[Feeling bereft after your favorite candidate has dropped out? Partisanship got you down? Need help deciding whether to raise your children Democratic or Republican? Send your question to Stumped. Questions may be edited.]

Dear Stumped,

What is the deal with Al Gore? Is he going to sit out this campaign -- or even retire from politics altogether? -- after backing Howard Dean in 2004? What is the proper etiquette for the former vice president? Could he endorse the spouse of the man who made him vice president?

Ryan Ashworth

[...]
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/stumped/2...

To me, the two best and most significant things about yesterday's Super Tuesday are that there were unprecedented numbers of Dems who came out to vote for the Dem front-runners and that McCain doesn't ... quite ... have a lock on the Rethug nomination, even though this last will probably just be a matter of time.

Jean

I can't argue with anything you said on the last thread.

Well, lol!, there is someone we all know who's just as happy as a clam about McC. . . . Already planning a march straight to the Whitehouse. Though I haven't seen anything about dancing at the inaugural ball. Yet.

(jc, I miss you.)

puddle I started my day going to Debra Bowen's site, nothing up with official results so I went with google and saw a hundred links to the Clinton Obama results, must of come up just after I left, or it could just be white men can't jump

thanks for the link

Clinton had a very impressive early voting effort in California

this battle for the nomination is just getting started if Obama can carry the mo

Hey, Phil. You are still one of my heroes. ♥

**********
Here's how the Guardian sees the delegate count after yesterday's voting in this greatly-watched Dem race.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/...

puddle ... LOL!

jc probably had front row seats at all of yesterday's primaries.

What stories she could tell ... if only.

(jc, I miss you.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

I couldn't believe there I was watching the Super Bowl and the Manning family celebrate and all I could think of was jc at the time.

yeah, me too

should be the kiss of death for a McCain blog lol

Obama has the mo

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8358.html

Obama claims delegate lead

By: Mike Allen
Feb 6, 2008 08:24 AM EST

In a surprise twist after a chaotic Super Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) passed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in network tallies of the number of delegates the candidates racked up last night.

Clinton was portrayed in many news accounts as the night’s big winner, but Obama’s campaign says he wound up with a higher total where it really counts — the delegates who will choose the party’s nominee at this summer’s Democratic convention.

With the delegate count still under way, NBC News said Obama appears to have won around 840 delegates in yesterday’s contests, while Clinton earned about 830 — “give or take a few,” Tim Russert, the network’s Washington bureau chief, said on the “Today” show.

The running totals for the two, which includes previous contests and the party officials known as “superdelegates,” are only about 70 delegates apart, Russert said.

The bottom line is that the two are virtually tied.

Obama won 13 states, some of them smaller, and Clinton won eight.

On Wednesday morning, the battle was on to shape public perceptions about Tuesday.

The Clinton campaign said it was crunching its delegate numbers but was not sure it was correct that Obama got more.

The Obama campaign sent an e-mailed statement titled: “Obama wins Super Tuesday by winning more states and more delegates.”

Campaign Manager David Plouffe said: “By winning a majority of delegates and a majority of the states, Barack Obama won an important Super Tuesday victory over Sen. Clinton in the closest thing we have to a national primary.”

“From Colorado and Utah in the West to Georgia and Alabama in the South to Sen. Clinton’s backyard in Connecticut, Obama showed that he can win the support of Americans of every race, gender and political party in every region of the country,” Plouffe said. “That’s why he’s on track to win Democratic nomination, and that’s why he’s the best candidate to defeat John McCain in November.”

The Obama campaign attached an Excel spreadsheet containing “state-by-state estimates of the pledged delegates we won last night, which total 845 for Obama and 836 for Clinton — bringing the to-date total of delegates to 908 for Obama, 884 for Clinton.” 

About the Gore endorsement. I feel if there was a clear front runner he would support that person. He does not want to jepordize his agenda for his fight against global warming by picking the wrong candidate.

As much as I like Obama, I can't say I blame him Gore.

I miss jc too.  Her voice is sorely missed around here.  I believe that while there might have been just as many disagreements, the arguments would have been more fun...and colorful.

Judy

as Monica noted Obama is a conservative (small c) man, a Christian family guy, a sports fan and former athlete (understands team play), has an infectious smile and that vision thing, so should play well with the white men vote.(I understand why he does well)

I don't know whether women who vote for Hillary on gender have a similar sense of appeal of her personally, don't have a clue actually as to whether they identify with her struggles or her success.

I do know that he hasn't answered all the questions Edwards supporters had before, he hasn't closed the deal with environmentalists, and he is a little to cozy with business to appeal to populists, or to real opponents of the war machine.

and I do know the Clinton team is clever enough to triangulate on all those issues to peel off voters maybe just enough to get to 50.1% of the delegates

Obama has to generate an unbelievable wave of new voters with his optimism and soaring vision and he just might pull it off. as of today she has a few more delegates so linda b might just be the tipping point like she was in the Senate

I sure wish DFA had done training there because Virginia is huge right now

The Obama team needs to be on top of the actual delegates named in Florida and Michigan too.

Amen about jc, donna, she is greatly missed.

And donna & Holly, your candidate *done good* yesterday,

I am still wandering in the wilderness. I lean Obama, but it took me a while to get to Edwards, as it was, and even then, my whole-hearted enthusiasm was not engaged.

Actually, it would probably help if those who don't like Hillary would lay off the bashing. I've been in the generation that has had to fight the battles and when I see some of the vitriol diected towards her ... here is nothing like that that I have seen against Obama ... it reminds me of many of the battles that I have had to fight.

When I look around to see so many younger women who have been beneficiaries of those battles, I am proud. But when I see rhetoric against Hillary, it raises my hackles because I remember all too well having had some of the same directed against me.

There are many reasons not to vote for her at the primary stage ... and that's why I have never jumped on her bandwagon. But there are ways of concentrating on those reasons without the out-and-out vitriol that she seems to inspire among some.

Now gone ...

well I cleared snow once and we are getting dumped on so I gotta go do it again

bbl

no way you can spin the current situation as anything but a tie at halftime

new game

Good morning all. I just made a donation to Obama.

I think both candidates did well last night. Hillary won the big states. Although Barack really wanted Missouri and clinched it by 10K votes. What a squeaker. I've seen both schools of thought as to who the momentum is with. Hmmm.

I do think Howard has to be proud about the huge victories that Obama scored in such red states. If you show up -- people will vote.

I miss jc too.

Oh and mercy on all those people who suffered through the tornadoes last eve. That is heartbreaking.

Good morning!

For all dem votes cast yesterday, the margin of victory for HRC is less than 1%.

Not bad Barack!

I understand where you are coming from Judy. Woman bashing is not healthy for any of us women and especially for girls.

I am, as you know enthusiastic about Obama. It is fun to feel the energy of people that are just discovering the possibility of having influence on politics that Howard taught us over 4 years ago.

The Obama movement has really helped the Democrats in my Republican dominated IL county that I live in, so it is multifaceted why I support him.

If Hillary wins it will be another "close pin" election for me. I am in charge of setting up campaign tables in our county. It will be hard to get any enthusiasm for support for the Democratic party and working for our candidates.

78.

Jean Wyant
Wed, 02/06/08

Jean, imo you're still confusing fact with opinion. My opinion is just the opposite of yours. I won't attempt to provide any backup as you still have not. I never managed a campaign but I'm pretty well educated, especially that school called hard knocks, and have a good track record of hiring folks who are successful in the job. I feel generally able to recognize a phony. And I sure hope I'm right this time.

Saturday's JJ dinner in Richmond should be a barn burner. I have had calls all morning about tickets. Many for Obama.

And people want to work the polls on Feb 12, but we aren't doing that for the primary.

Should be fun.

10:21 AM EST

I'm going to interject to make one statement and then off to do some other things (non-political) -- if Obama can just hold out until the convention, he may get more traction:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/06/super.analysis/index.html?section=cnn_latest

split decision may help Obama

(CNN) -- Super Tuesday

...

Super Tuesday settled little in the Democratic race. When the polls opened, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Obama were neck and neck, and at the end of the day, they remained so.

...

"Heading into the next states ... Barack Obama has a money advantage," Borger said.

...

The Democratic campaigns now turn their attention to the Louisiana primary and Nebraska and Washington caucuses Saturday, the Maine caucuses Sunday and the so-called Potomac primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia next Tuesday.

The candidates also have circled February 19 when Wisconsin holds its primary

...

While failing to win the biggest prizes of California and New York, Obama should see many positive trends in the Super Tuesday results as he battles Clinton, the presumptive nominee a few months ago.

"On the Democratic side, my sense is we're going into two, three weeks now which will probably favor Obama," Gergen said.

"There is a sense the longer this goes on, the more it favors the challenger, the more it favors Barack Obama," he said.

"For the first time it becomes possible that neither Hillary Clinton nor Obama will go into a convention with enough votes to win. They may be short."

Hillary the lesser threat to McCain per polling.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs...

Thanks, Phil - I almost never get kudos like that from anyone!

Annilow, Krugman is an against-the-grain economist who just happens to get it right every time. I'm not, and I don't, but he is one of the people I am perfectly comfortable relying on.

I'm glad you have a candidate you can believe in. I wish I did.

Cheers!

This blog is very weird. Why does my response to Annilow show up above her post?

Linda, thank you.

I hope Gore doesn't endorse either of them unless & until they adopt Edwards' aggressive environmental program and his opposition to both liquid coal and nuclear power.

The debate where Edwards clearly stated his environmental position and the other 2 weaseled was a defining moment for me. Anyone who lacks the courage to be straightforward about even obvious environmental issues like those doesn't deserve Gore's support.

My apologies to Obama lovers, but I love my Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains more, and I'm sick and tired of Dems continuing to enable the devastating travesty of mountaintop removal for the sake of coal and power companies profit margins.

Gore's endorsement of Dean really worked, didn't it?

10:50am

I just found out that our mail in primary ballots are worthless. If you're supporting a Dem you have to caucus. I called the State Auditor yesterday and told her we were supporting a Democrat and she informed me to fill out our mail in ballot that we didn't have to caucus. This morning I found it indeed we do have to caucus. So, I have a call in (the Democratic Party office is still closed) to ask about this. Last time we lived in WA we had to caucus.

This is confusing as heck.

Obama's position on the environment sucks. If Gore endorses him, he'll have some 'splainin to do.

10:52 am

Jean wrote "The debate where Edwards clearly stated his environmental position and the other 2 weaseled was a defining moment for me."

That was just the latest version of his position.  It invariably improves once he leaves office and is out of harm's way.

John wrote "Obama's position on the environment sucks."

What is about Obama's record that you object to?

Forked Tongue express

Morning Folks,

It was sooo cold last night in Estes Park.  We left the high school cafeteria to walk to the car, and I immediately got an "ice cream" headache with the bitter chill and wind.  But, what a night.

There's no doubt that leadership counts, is crucially important to our species.  It's also interesting what constitutes the best leader for people.  There have been outstanding candidates on the Democratic side: Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, John Edwards, Carol Mosely Brawn in 2004, Al Gore in 2000, Howard Dean in 2004, and now Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. None of them is a slouch.

We were talking last night about the possibility of Hillary Clinton getting the nomination, and we both said that we wouldn't vote for her.  My husband have his reason that "she blew it." with the Iraq vote, the flag burning amendment, the Kyl/Lieberman Amendment.  He compared her to Colin Powell who had lots of credibilty, but blew it with the Bush Administration and his speech at the UN as evidence for going to war in Iraq.  He knew better.

So, the debates go on.  This is a good thing.  We have so much to be proud of and grateful for in this country and we've lost so much.  In Barack Obama's book he tells of the trip back to Kenya that he and Michelle took. While they loved going back, the demands of family, the repression, the lack of opportunity, the interference into private lives by extended family and tribal customs made MIchelle realize how American she was.

He said that we as Americans take for granted our right to privacy, our right to choose our lives, our right not to be interfered with.  And as a person who loves the privacy of the mountains and who came from a big extended family, yes, I know how precious that privacy is.  We do have so much here, and we are in danger of losing it. 

There was a statement by one of the members of the group that won the Nobel Prize with Al Gore.  She said that he didn't want to politicize the mission to combat global warming, that it was planetary and needed to stand on its own.  I would think that Al Gore would agree with that.

Once something becomes political, then the distortion, the spin, the opposition hardens. Both Barack Obama and Al Gore have spoke to that, Al Gore in his book, The Assault on  Reason, and Barack Obama in his book, The Audacity of Hope. 

MORE WAR, MORE MILITARY SPENDING, MORE DEFICITS, NO MATTER WHO WINS

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080205_the_legacy_of_bush_ii/

The 9/11 attacks have been shamefully exploited by the military-industrial complex with bipartisan support to ramp up military expenditures beyond Cold War levels. This irrational spending spree, which accounts for more than half of all federal discretionary spending, is not likely to end with Bush’s departure. Which one of the likely winners from either party would lead the battle to cut the military budget, and where would the winner find support in Congress? Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have treated the military budget as sacrosanct with their Senate votes and their campaign rhetoric. Clinton is particularly clear on the record as favoring spending more, not less, on the military. 

John McCain, who previously distinguished himself as a deficit hawk and was almost in a class by himself in taking on the rapacious defense contractors, has thrown in the towel with his inane support for staying in Iraq till “victory,” even if it should take a century. It is simply illogical to call for fiscal restraint while committing to an open-ended war in Iraq that has already cost upward of $700 billion. Bush’s request for $515.4 billion for the Defense Department doesn’t even include the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which accounted for nearly $200 billion over the last budget year and which will cost at least $140 billion in 2009.

11:07AM

This is very interesting (to me at least). A map of the candidate's intensity.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

This shows just how broad Obama's support is.

1.

Obama doesn't share MR. Gore's positions and policy on Global Warming,

Linda,

Good try, but apparently you have no idea what Obama's positions are on Global Warming, which he mentions in every rally speech he gives.

A better guess would be that he doesn't share the Clintons' positions as he hasn't endorsed them!

PROGRESSIVES HAVE BEEN DISENFRANCHISED

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_alan_kob_080205_the_election_is_over.htm

BEFORE most Americans got to cast ballots, no one willing to speak out against the outrageous attacks on our system and on our sovereignty, no one willing to fight for the best wages and healthcare for working men and women, no one willing to take on the corporate hijacking of nearly all our major institutions and decisions was left in the race.

Not one of the candidates on the major party ballots has recognized the true danger this nation is in, nor points out the causes, nor names names. They dare not mouth critiques of the hijacking of our nation and of its votes, nor dare to stop the made-in-America carnage abroad or offer lasting remedies to the destruction of our middle class, the destitution of the poor and the gutting of our democracy. Yet, we are told they are the best we have, and that the System is working. Oh, is it ever...

No one has noticed that Corporate America which pays for the campaigns and controls OUR airwaves, had ALREADY voted, and they have allowed us...their choices.

In today's vote, the coup was completed, corporations won, and America lost.

11:12 AM

I don't think an endorsement by Al Gore would benefit either candidate. Does he have to endorse? I just don't see him going with the Clintons that's for sure.

A very good night for the Obama camp. They are right on track of being within 100 delegates of the Clintons at this point of the campaign.

Look for Obama to leave the Clintons/Obama contest behind him and focus mainly on the huge differences between himself and McCain who looks to be the eventual winner on the republican side, something I predicted btw several weeks ago.

36.

mary

Thanks for the KOS link. That analogy is right on. The states won by Obama gave him huge leads in many of those states. Clinton wins were by much smaller margins. Anyone watching the maps last night and this morning could see that clearly.

I was amazed by the Obama campaign's ability to see exactly beforehand where they would do well, extremely well, and not so well. Strategically theirs is one of the best campaigns we have ever seen. Watch for it to be even better in the upcoming primaries.

This is delicious. Comments from the red state blogs on Obama. They are even getting sucked in. They're praying for Hillary

ttp://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/6/10545/95973/516/451034

Are the Clintons funding their own campaign?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2...

Despite my best instincts, I am looking forward the upcoming Democratic Party convention this summer with wild anticipation.  The drama should be electrifying, and the contrast with 2004, when I recall keeping my eyelids open with tape during the Kerry and Edwards speeches, couldn't be more dramatic.

This is some of Roger Simon's article today in Politico:

"Superdelegates grow in number as the party gets more successful: They include all Democratic members of Congress, members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic governors.

"They also are the party warhorses and include 'all former Democratic presidents, all former Democratic vice presidents, all former Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate, all former Democratic speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic minority leaders, as applicable, and all former chairs of the Democratic National Committee.'

"This means that not only Bill Clinton, but Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, are superdelegates.

"And their votes count just as much as the delegates chosen by actual primary voters.

"But what happens if the margin of victory at the convention is the superdelegates. Is that the the way the party really will choose a nominee?

"By letting the big-shots pick the winner?

"Instead, there could be a huge floor flight. The convention can make whatever rules it wants, and I am guessing there would be a fight to bar the superdelegates and accept the votes of only the pledged delegates."

I'm posting that there is a new thread but if the message shoots up the thread, what are the chances that someone will actually receive the notification?  Not good.

howdy all!  I believe Al will hold back as long as the election is close.  he's been speaking with Obama every couple of weeks for months now, and I think he may be working something with him in case this all leads to a brokered convention - how does GORE/OBAMA 2008 sound?!  eight years of Gore - Obama is plenty young enough to wait and then have 8 years of his own...  I feel very sure that Al knows Hillary would bring out the worst of divisiveness in this country and most likely would lose in the general.  and I feel he wanted proof that America is ready to vote for Obama.  this may be a pipe dream, but I feel it's a real possibility in this crazy race we have this year.

No, actually that was another thing about Edwards that was so impressive from 2005 on, once he was free of Kerry: On every issue he started out with bold, straightforward positions and stayed with them throughout his campaign. And they were so well received that many of the others realized they had to adopt his words, at least, to stay relevant.

Is it just me, or doesn't Obama's sunburst logo look like a logo from a convenience store/gas station (niceneasy.com . . . free coffee with every fillup/vote!). And just how many slogan's/campaigns from other politicians is he gonna co-opt? (Sí se puede, sr. obama!) I know, of course, that they all do it, but what offends me is that he always holds himself above the fray as if he'd never stoop to that. Well, like all politicians, he does. (enjoy the koolaid!)

Jean wrote "another thing about Edwards that was so impressive from 2005 on, once he was free of Kerry: On every issue he started out with bold, straightforward positions and stayed with them throughout his campaign."

You must have been less impressed with his positions on issues before he was stuck with Kerry and while he was stuck with him.  That was when Edwards boldly authorized the Iraq invasion and spent his energy trying to keep Kerry from flip-flopping on the issue, shortly before doing precisely that as the second Edwards campaign was about to launch.

puddle, thank you for the link to Edwards' numbers in CA.  I'll look later at some of the other states or maybe there's a total somewhere.

************************

Jean, as an Edwards supporter, I agree with everything you posted and I also agree with Krugman. Please keep posting.

**************

Phil, your voice of reason is appreciated and I know how disappointed you are along with many of us.

********************

Linda, that was a great reminder first post and I would think Gore would have a difficult time endorsing BO, altho I think he may have endorsed JE.  Neither Richardson nor Edwards endorsed and I've posted before that I think there may be some behind the scenes stuff going on  to either have a brokered convention or force the party to the left, where it should be.  BO won't do it by himself or w/o  substantial pressure.  HC is set in tone.

********************* 

Judy for Dean mentioned the Hillary bashing.  This does not feel good to JE supporters like me, who are trying to like BO.  Personal bashing of women here or anywhere does not sit right, especially if the vitriol comes from other women.  

Finally, congrats to the people who caucused first time and whose family members voted for the first time (mary?)  A high turn out is good for democracy, even tho I think the turnout was not for the best candidate the party had to offer originally. 

I also feel homeless and disenfranchised.