According to our certified delegate count, Dean is first.

1:23 PM EDT

Howard is simply soldiering on.

linda b

sorry for your daughter's friend's death. Pneumonia can strike anyone at any age, especially those with allergies that are not fully controlled. I had pneumonia for a month when I was in the sixth grade -- took me a year to get most of my strength back. Thank goodness we had penicillin then which finally saved the day.

4012

1:29 PM EDT

Obama -- the only one still STANDING:

http://www.alternatives.ca/article3570.html

mercredi 2 avril 2008 par URI AVNERY

The US is now the only super-power on earth. It will remain so for quite some time to come. The decisions of the President of the United States affect every human being on this planet.

Unfortunately, the citizens of the world have no part in these elections. But they may, at least, voice an opinion.

Availing myself of this right I say : I am for Barack Obama.

...

During the Vietnam War I took part in demonstrations. I happened to be in America in 1967, and participated in the legendary march of the half million to the Pentagon. I reached the entrance of the building and saw before me a line of cold-eyed soldiers who seemed to be just itching to open fire. At the last moment it occurred to me that it would be unseemly for an Israeli Member of the Knesset to be implicated, so I jumped from the ledge of the entrance and twisted my ankle.

Somehow I got on the CIA (or was it the FBI ?) black list. I managed to obtain a visa only with great difficulty, and was struck forever from the list of invitees to the American embassy parties in Tel Aviv. I don’t know if this happened because of those protests, or because of my friendship with Henri Curiel, a Jewish-Egyptian revolutionary who helped us in our contacts with the PLO. The Americans held him, quite mistakenly, to be a KGB agent.

At the same time, my name was struck by the Soviets from every list of people invited from Israel. Perhaps they considered me a CIA agent (as I was called in the Israeli Communist party paper). So I was one of the few people in the world who appeared simultaneously on the black lists of both the USA and the Soviet Union - a source of moderate pride to me.

...

ONE CAN arrive at Obama by a process of elimination.

...

But it is not enough that it be a woman. It is also important which woman it is.

I spent some years struggling against Golda Meir, the worst Prime Minister Israel ever had. Almost all recent female leaders of countries have started wars : Margaret Thatcher started the Falklands War, Golda Meir bears the responsibility for the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, Indira Gandhi made war on Pakistan, the current presidents of the Philippines and Sri Lanka are conducting internal wars.

The usual explanation is that in order to prevail in a man’s world, a woman politician has to prove that she is at least as tough as the men are. When she comes to power, she wants to show that she, too, can make war and command armies. Hillary has already acted tough by voting for the disastrous Iraq war.

...

joe s. an idiot.

1:42 PM EDT

Andrea Mitchell, are you paying attention ?:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/pa-jewish-leaders-praise-obama-in-letter/

By Ariel Alexovich

Hillary Rodham Clinton might have the endorsement of two of the top Jewish names in Pennsylvania politics — Governor Ed Rendell and Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Philadelphia — but 70 other leading Jewish professionals from the Keystone State would rather see Barack Obama at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Josh Shapiro, the deputy speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, drafted an open letter to the state’s Jewish community on behalf of Mr. Obama, the candidate who boasts what Mr. Shapiro calls a “100 percent voting record on Israel issues.”

In an interview, Mr. Shapiro said it’s time to, “as Jews, stand up and say how much we admire Senator Obama for condemning the words of his pastor and making sure he is Israel’s ally in the Middle East.”

The letter, which can be found online here at the Jewish news service JTA, praises Senator Obama at length for his recent speech on race and argues that he shouldn’t be held accountable for incendiary remarks made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.

...

Just in....

Obama saying that he would be considering Gore for a Cabinet post.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGBXgP

By Christopher Hass - Apr 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 am EDT

...

1:51 PM EDT

http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/murdoch-drifts-from-clinton/2008/04/02/1206851012030.html?s_cid=rss_world

Murdoch drifts from Clinton

Michael Luo and Tim Arango
April 3, 2008

...

Two years ago, there were signs of a thaw. Not only did the New York Post, which is part of Mr Murdoch's News Corporation, endorse Senator Clinton's bid for a second Senate term, he also organised a fund-raiser for her.

Recently, however, the relationship appears to have taken a turn for the worse.

...

Rupert's daughter Elisabeth is holding a fund-raiser at her London home this month for Barack Obama.

Ms Murdoch, 39, is one of 20 "event chairs" for the April 28 event at her Notting Hill home. Others include the actor Gwyneth Paltrow and David Blood, who runs an investment fund with the former US vice-president Al Gore.

...

I hope Obama has the courage to call for hearings on "Winter Soldier--2008".

Soi far, the media, and the politicians have ignored these courageous veterans completely.

Admittedly, Biden is the one who should be scheduling hearings, and Kerry,as one of the 1972 winter soldiers, should be demanding them.

But so far, no sign of courage from either.

1:57 pm

2:00 PM EDT

http://www.bigeddieradio.com/

(4/2/2008) Wednesday on The Ed Schultz Show!

Big Eddie is broadcasting from in New York City!

Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, joins the show to talk about gas prices, the housing crisis and health care.

Katrina vanden Heuvel, Publisher of the The Nation, joins the 1st hour of Wednesday's show to discuss why they endorsed Barack Obama.

...

MoDo on Hillary

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/opinion/02dowd.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

 One of the most valuable lessons the gritty Hillary can teach the languid Obama — and the timid Democrats — is that the whole point of a presidential race is to win.

2:00pm

ps I see the blog is still f-d up

2:02 PM EDT

the Nation:

http://www.thenation.com/

The Costs of War

Katrina vanden Heuvel | In a remarkable and prescient 1967 speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. depicted a society, mired in war, that looks starkly like the one we live in today.

...

Polls and Stuff

Take all polls with a pound of saltr.  Particularly ones that fall well outside the others.  This latest poll that shows Obama up in PA, last time had him down 26 points!  I don't believe either.

Compare apples to apples, Gallup to Gallup, registered voters to registered voters (and not likely voters, which is a different sample)..

Doing that, it looks like there's a little Obama surge in PA right now.  Too early to tell whether this is long term, or a short term blip caused by Hillary's Tuzla memories. 

Matt wrote "You must admit when 50% of all wage earners in the country pay NO federal income tax and the top 10% pay 90% of all the federal income tax paid, that something has gone terribly wrong. p.s. That disparity has gotten worse AFTER the Bush tax cuts than before due to the Child Tax Credit and expansion of the earned income tax credit that removed millions from any income tax liability."

It's obvious.  We just don't appear to agree on what it is that has gone terribly wrong.

There's got to be some way to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations and meet the standards of fairness and following the rules.  Here are my thoughts, YMMV.

1. Flip a coin, winner goes first.
2. Hold Primaries One week and Two weeks after Puerto Rico.
3. Paper Ballots (no machines necessary).
4. Paid for by equal contributions of the two campaigns.
5. Delegate count remains the same, but each delegate gets only 1/2 a vote, to penalize for breaking party rules.
6. Both campaigns agree not to challenge results.
7. State superdelegates attend convention but have no vote for President or VP candidate (because they should have never let this happen in the first place).
   

2:25 PM EDT

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/873640,ob040208.article

PHILADELPHIA — Sen. Barack Obama received endorsements Wednesday from a labor union

...

The Illinois senator peeled off an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has endorsed Clinton. The Philadelphia-based affiliate, the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, claims about 150,000 members nationwide.

Its president, Henry Nicholas, announced the endorsement while introducing Obama at a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO in Philadelphia.

Nicholas, who also is an AFSCME international vice president, said he took the step ‘‘because justice told me it was the right position to take.’’

...

rich~ There will NOT BE another primary here in Michigan this year, trust me!

Karen quoted from the PPP press release that "Barack Obama has taken the lead over Hillary Clinton 45-43 in Pennsylvania, according to the newest survey from Public Policy Polling."

Also, with some poll sample leads for Clinton in Pennsylvania having ranged up to 33% last October, the current RCP average has her up by 6, 48% to 42%.  The tracking diagram appropriately resembles a pincer beginning to close shut.

rich wrote "There's got to be some way to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations and meet the standards of fairness and following the rules."

There is.  The Credentials Committe will be arranging for it under the rules.

barack obama on ed schultz show this hour. 2:35pm

ed talking about  howard dean and the 50 state strategy.

go howard.

if I could stay in sequence will report on obama's talk on ed schults 2:37 pm

let's see where this goes.

From Barack's site...

Wyoming Governor and superdelegate Dave Freudenthal endorsed Barack Obama today — the 11th superdelegate endorsement that Barack has received since March 4th.

Just in....

Obama saying that he would be considering Gore for a Cabinet post.

No surprise there, of course Barry would love that. But Gore has a much bigger calling.

Gore has said months ago he would not consider being in any administration. Given his stature, wealth and huge job he has already cut out for himself, it would surprise me if he ever changed his mind. With Obama in the driver's seat, Gore could have just about anything he wants from the WH without having to actually belong to it.

2:45 PM EDT

well, Russ back in Barack column, on DCW:

http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/01/superdelegate-list.html

...

-2-08 - Added Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal for Obama
- Removed Sen. Russ Feingold (WI) from Obama. He told a paper last week: "I am very torn between the two candidates.”
- Added Sen. Russ Feingold (WI) back for Obama. "I give the greatest deference to what (my) state did," said Feingold, who voted for Obama in that contest.

Stay tuned... we'll update this list as we find out more.

...

Karen,

If that's true then I see no agreement the two campaigns will come to, which means absent one of the two candidates completely tanking, I see a nasty credentials fight in Denver.

I don't know Michigan election law, but in Virginia, we have three options for choosing a candidate (four if you count only one person running).

1. Primary
2. Open Caucus (Firehouse Primary)
   
3. Closed Caucus

The first is paid for by the state, the latter two by the party.  Number two is basically a primary run by the Party, ususally with a smaller number of poling places (because of cost).  The third is what you think of as a caucus.

If there is a provision for firehouse primaries in Michigan or Florida, the state can stay out of it.

My gut says "they broke the rules, the h*** with them.  But the practical side of me says the Democratic Party needs to find a solution which doesn't completely alienate two large states who WILL vote in November. 

Note, my long reply to Karen should come after Karen's comment that there'll not be another primary in Michigan.

2:52 ET

1. barack is talking about "no child left behind"

2. going to all the states to meet the people.

3. Ed talking over him a lot. stop it Ed.

4. Says that everyone in the senate has seen McCain mad, Everyone.

5. Says he doesn't get mad and frustrated. Said he wants people to know as prez he will be calm. He says that is why he is the best one to be prez.

Too short of interview.

Barack also said that if we had pre K education then kids wouldn't be dropping out of h.s.

That is what Tim Kaine wants.

Obama and the lama.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4...

I hate to sound undemocratic - but there should be a frickin' IQ test before you get to cast a vote.

Rich, we are doing an assembled caucus on April 19 at noon. (Newport News) I have to handle the 3rd district caucus. Oh My Goodness.

Training would be nice.

Hmm

2:57 PM EDT

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//080402/480/b151a7e2dbd846f2b2fa19e54a6b6db9/

Henry Nicholas, president of National Union of Hospital And Health Care Employees, left, talks with Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., prior to Obama addressing a meeting of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 2, 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Florida State Senate Minority Leader Steven Geller pretending to oppose the majority's bill to move the state's primary into the preprimary window.

 I have to handle the 3rd district caucus. Oh My Goodness.

Training would be nice.

linda b

If they won't come to your area, there may be some info on their DVDs that DFA has that might at least be of a little help to you.

3:17 PM EDT

Obama and the lama.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4...

I hate to sound undemocratic - but there should be a frickin' IQ test before you get to cast a vote.

+++

mary vb -

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday for the first time. It's words brought a smile to my face:

I like Obama but is America ready for a president with brains ?

3:29 PM EDT

the bumper sticker comes in a poster too:

http://www.cafepress.com/irregulargoods.213514160

Love the bumpersticker, rd. Spent the wknd in Eugene and Lake Oswego, OR. It's Obama country without a doubt! ;-)

Hillary says she wants to count all the votes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xiiwWQSy8Q

...all the votes except for caucus, latte sippin', boutique states -- which I happen to live in. LOL

WHERE'S THE LEFT?

http://www.counterpunch.org/chazelle04022008.html

By virtually any measure, the United States is the least progressive nation in the developed world.   It trails most of Western Europe in poverty rates, life expectancy, health care, child care, infant mortality, maternity leaves, paid vacations, public infrastructure, incarceration rates, and environmental laws. The wealth gap in the US has not been so wide since 1929. The Wal-Mart founders' family owns as much as the bottom 120 million Americans combined. 

And yet could America be a right-wing nation of closet lefties? A Zogby poll reveals overwhelming support for rehabilitation over incarceration for young offenders. In an NES survey, those who want "government to provide many more services even if it means an increase in spending" outnumber backers of spending cuts by 2 to 1. A Pew study cites the same ratio of people who consider corporate profits excessive. It also finds that a majority of Americans believe "government should help the needy even if it means greater debt."

Democratic leaders, bless their souls, believe no such nonsense. They'll warn you incessantly that any public policy leaning a nano-angstrom to the left is a suicide pact. They'll brush off any talk of raising the top marginal tax rate of 35% to anything approaching the 70% of the Nixon years. Yes, the progressive Bill Clinton expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit and signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. He also increased extreme poverty despite high economic growth. He extended the death penalty to non-homicides and oversaw the largest increase in incarceration rates in the 20th century (double what it was under Reagan). He exacerbated inequalities, gave up on Kyoto, and, by his own Labor secretary's account, presided over "one of the most pro-business administrations in American history." His signature social policy, welfare reform, dismantled one of the pillars of the New Deal: the federal cash assistance program for 9 million poor children (AFDC).  

By contrast, the conservative Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency, extended the Clean Air Act, introduced the Supplemental Security Income program (to assist the elderly and the disabled), launched the Minority Business Development Agency, signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and implemented the first federally-mandated affirmative action program. Nixon was a "Southern strategist" and a right-wing crook: he was also to the left of Bill Clinton.

4:17PM

From the previous thread.

43.

Monica Smith
Wed, 04/02/08

Yes, but, people who go where they want, Susan, are impossible to control. How are people who are into control going to cope? They've persuaded themselves that civilization is location-specific; that if people don't stay put, they can't be civilized. That's their way of reconciling the conflict between giving orders and resisting orders. "You have to do what we tell you, because it's good for you."

------

Indeed, they do, do that, don't they.

enjoy the tune... http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/24696...

The Clinton campaign presses onward.  In their latest gambit, showing solidarity with Ed Rendell's paean to Fox News I guess, supporters at myDD give it up for Lou Dobbs as their most recent political savant. Obviously, there is no depth too low to plumb. 

The diary is the well titled "Lou Dobbs is Correct" and is summed up by this sentiment: "Lou is correct.  And I don't care whether Lou's views on public policy are conservative, moderate, or whatever.  He has in fact been one of the fairest commentators on any cable channel this election season, certainly on CNN."

Here are some crowd pleasing comments, starting with True Blue Dem's: "Lou Dobbs has some good insights. His immigration stand leaves a lot to be desired. But he speaks for a lot of people I know very well."

From the wonderfully named TruthMatters: "lou Dobbs said something STUPID, that doesn't make him a racist. jeez"

From the diarist, TexasDarlin, just returned after being banned from the site for blog rules violations: "I find it refreshing to watch Lou Dobbs now, instead of Oprah in the 4pm time slot (i'm on west coast)."

Here's a provocative post from Smoldering Crane: "at least he helps balance the media at the present time. I will take that from wherever it comes. Also, Karl Rove is even sounding good these days--stating some facts that no one else wants to deal with."

Some enlightened commentary from mnicholson0220: "Go Lou! I liked him before this, I've liked him for a long time because he is a populist, speaking for the working people and middle class.   He's also a straight shooter and not in anyone's pocket."

And from ProudMilitaryMom: "I too thank Mr. Dobbs for being a true journalist trying be objective and report facts."

By someone named LindaSFNM: "I don't know how I missed this, but thankfully it's up on rcd list."

This scholarly contribution by izarradar: "Lou Dobbs is certainly calling it like he sees it re: the media bias against Hillary, and (gulp) he is absolutely right on."

To which TexasDarlin responds with aplomb: "that's how i feel.  and for the same reason, i now listen to bill o'reilly's talking points (but don't tell anyone!)"

Oops!  Looks like you just did, Darlin'!

Karen

Is it possible they would free the "pledges" of the delegates to the District Convention and elect actual people by name to Denver on the basis of a convention "caucus" to do the allocation? and elect extra alternates in case the final outcome is to seat them with a 50/50 split?

The Huffington Post
April 1, 2008

Editor’s Note: Recall Rupert Murdoch’s support for Hillary Clinton (see Rupert Murdoch Loves Hillary Clinton). Now? It appears the Murdoch family is falling in behind Obama.

Politico highlights this Obama fundraiser co-hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow and Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of media mogul Rupert.

I like Obama but is America ready for a president with brains ?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hmm, wel about 1/2 of it is...............thats our problem.........half the place is full of idiots...............

Mike wrote "thats our problem.........half the place is full of idiots..............."

No need to advertise it.

Hillary says she wants to count all the votes...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

there is no way to compare the apples and oranges of an open primary turnout versus a caucus so the popular vote total is meaningless

both however are a fair way to do the allocation of delegates to the nominating convention where those delegates make the call

the super delegates are a mix of elected representatives that answer to all of the people but have won on our slot on the ticket, and those people who actually look after the infrastructure of the party cycle to cycle

if Michigan and Florida hadn't f*cked up I think this contest would be a model of how a mature Party works through a very contentious struggle for the control  of the party

through history most such changes have been achieved through armed struggle in the streets

grassroots re-control of the peoples party is revolutionary stuff

Jay Leno proves with the jaywalkers that not all voters are as informed as the average blogger.

the trick is to get the margin large enough so a jaywalker stampede can't overturn thoughtful involvement

of course the global elite look after the interest of the global elite

duh!

the question is whether ordinary working people will look after the interests of ordinary working people since martha miller regularly points out they are 70% of the voters and could win any election they wanted if they voted together

it isn't who is with who it is who divides who

politics is the same in every country in the world that way

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars
April 2, 2008

Is it possible large corporate publishers would turn down a best selling author and deny themselves big time profit? You bet they would, especially if the author calls for a non-violent revolution and ditching the One Party System, also known as the Republicans and Democrats.

On the Alex Jones Show today, former professional wrestler, Navy UDT veteran, actor, and former radio and television talk show host Jesse Ventura revealed this is precisely what happened when he shopped his latest book, “Don’t Start the Revolution Without Me,” written with co-author Dick Russell. He was turned down by large corporate publishers and eventually went with a small publisher, Skyhorse Publishing. It helped that Skyhorse’s consulting editor Herman Graf has a relationship with Ventura’s partner, Russell. Otherwise this important book may have never realized the light of day.

In addition to calling for non-violent revolution and ditching the Demopublicans in the book, Jesse recalls a post-inaugural meeting with CIA agents. As Ventura told Alex Jones, he was less than cooperative with the CIA because the agents, 23 in all gathered at the Minnesota capitol, would not reveal their names, not even their code names. As Tim Pugmire wrote on the Minnesota Public Radio website last January, “CIA Spokesman George Little confirmed the event … in a written statement, but he offered few details.” Little said that “on occasion CIA officers meet with senior state government officials, as they did in this case, to discuss issues of mutual interest.”