Sunday Roundup

The Clinton campaign has never looked as hard into the future -- or the past -- as it did last night. Hillary had already left South Carolina for Tennessee, and Bill was giving a semi-concession speech from Missouri, looking forward to the millions of people who will be voting on Super Tuesday -- since the hundreds of thousands in South Carolina didn't exactly go the way the Clintons had hoped. And he desperately tried to spin Obama's triumph away by telling reporters that Jesse Jackson won South Carolina twice, in 1984 and 1988. But however hard the Clintons are trying to look forward to our Super Tuesday future or drag us into the Jesse Jackson past, there are some stunning numbers in the present they have to deal with: Obama got 295,091 votes to Clinton's 141,128 (more than twice as many). He got more votes than John McCain and Mike Huckabee combined (279,723). He won 78% of the black vote, 25% of the white vote, and 52% of the non-black vote under 30. And he was more than a little responsible for the fact that Democratic turnout was twice that of 2004 (532,000 to 280,000). These numbers are pretty hard to run away from.

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Comments

[Rocketmind]

What?! The "black vote", the "white vote", the "non-black vote"...what is this? How can you tell, if voting is private, 'secret', free? Everyone line up for your LABEL! What next, the "yellow star vote"? The atheist vote, the veteran vote, the Paid off vote? The illegal vote? When did we start accepting a vote as anything but a citizen's free and equal voice/vote? This just convinces us that there is no legal open free election, its all just a pandering to divisionists, labelers, prejudice, and corruption as pretenders of representation jockey for a job in a corrupt government, which is NOT MY GOVERNMENT!

[Europeanview]

Hillary Clinton is a huge disappointment to me as a candidate and as a woman. This race should never have been a close affair. But crowning herself as the inevitable candidate, cruising the world as a states(wo)man and forgetting what democracy is all about - the people's choice - her troubles are homemade. And where does she turn to in times of trouble? Hubby. Tears.
A President in troubled times, and there will be plenty of that ahead, who turns to hubby??? Who wants that? You need a President who comes up with his/her own ideas to solve problems, not a "I have to ask my husband first" wimp of a woman.
The European newspapers are full of primary results and comments, too. You can find some links here:
http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/01/27/hello-from-europe-358-days-of-bush-left/

[murz]

Good points--I was leaning towards Obama until his Reagan remarks. Now I'm re-looking at all three again. I'm very, very happy with the turn outs at the causes and the polls

[murrieta]

I wish to thank Bill Clinton for his remarks about Jesse Jackson winning SC in 84 and 88. I have been leaning towards Obama, but unsure. Now I am sure that I do not want either Clinton in the White House. Never voted GOP (I am 55) in a national election before. If its the Clintons who get nominated - well there is a first time for everything , including voting GOP....

[Rockwell]

Bill is embarassing. His not so subtle race baiting is a disgrace. He's acting like a hack instead of a former president.

I was a big Edwards man for a long time but he's been so graceless and petty of late that I'm starting to have my doubts.

Obama has taken some good shots and shown he can hit back so that's a good thing. His dismissive and condenscending attitude towards Edwards has irritated me but its not really a big deal.

I'm still leaning Edwards but I can support Obama without reservation. Clinton, not so much.

I'll vote for whoever gets the Democratic nomination, even if it's yellow dog. Anything is better than another republican whitehouse.

[missionimpossible]

Jessjuju:

I am a Latino. Your argument about Hillary having more experience therefore she should be the de-facto president is flawed.

Latinos, for years in this country have been duped into this comfort zone, and have settled for status quo. Well, Mr. Jessejuju,with all due respect, this isn't Mexico, and Obama isn't Salinas de Gotari.

If you have any sense of intuition, you can sense that Latinos are starting to wake up from being drugged so long by the Clinton political machine.

Obama(Harvard Graduate-Sigma cum laude) has always dealt with latinos, when he was president of the Harvard Law Review, and before then during his grass roots organizing, and during the Senate.

The latino vote is not to be taken for granted anymore, and we will not settle for status quo or comfort vote. We will vote for change, and for the best candidate regardless of color.

Mr. Jessjuju, I sense some bias on your behalf. If Obama looked whiter, do you think we'd be having this conversation?

Obama knows how to bring all people together, something the Clintons will never do. If the Clintons win the nomination,and Obama is not on the ticket, as an Independent, I(and millions of Independents and disillusioned Democrats) will vote straight Republican.

[CBS]

Here is the deal on The Clintons and their support for progress for minorities. They want to be the leaders but in reality do not want a leader of color to emerge and displace THEM. Obama's viability as a national leader scares the hell out of them because it makes them irrelevant. They really do need to get a life and move out of the way of emerging leaders of whatever race or gender.

[shedances]

At first glance, what happened in SC is huge ~ esp. in terms of the number of delegates, voter turnout, & also how younger Americans there seem to identify much more with Obama as a presidential candidate than with Clinton.

I'm sure after dealing with the pleasure of winning & the disappointment of losing (& this time, by such a wide margin...), both Obama & Clinton, respectively, understand just how serious people are taking this particular election! Caroline Kennedy's recent endorsement will also push the Democratic-machine (if you will) in Sen. Obama's favor ~ an outcome, I have no doubt, she intended with such a strong declaration of support. But, it's possible that John Kerry's earlier endorsement paved the way for Caroline's views/announcement??

If Michigan counted, the outcome in South Carolina might not have mattered as greatly as it now does?? At any rate ... an interesting, interesting race to the Democratic nomination!

Kelli

[unitedstatesofamerica]

Clinton hurls sleaze at the debate, unleashes Bill to play attack-monger all week, then loses catastrophically. The Clinton campaign is pissed.

Hillary won't make a concession speech. Bill tries to explain the loss by saying that Obama was getting votes just because of his race. A rumor is circulating that a Clinton staffer blamed the loss on "damned [derogatory term for African-Americans]". When blind ambition and the willingness to do and say anything to get ahead come face-to-face with loss, things get ugly pretty fast.

Contrast that to Obama's victory speech last night; here's hoping that the man can somehow find a way to rise above the fray. He needs to respond forcefully to Clintonian lies and distortion while continuing to run a positive campaign; if he can keep it up, we could be in a for a great eight years!

[Thurber]

Why does everyone continue to let Bill get away with these blantantly racists comments? It's enraging, and I thought he was a great POTUS.

Jackson won SC twice so of course Obama would win?!?

Why Bill, Because they are both Black?

Any other reason Bill, or is it just that ... all Blacks look alike, vote alike and win in the same states.

What utter crap, any Clinton or Clinton supporter should be hiding in shame at this point.

[nuttincowboy]

"Bill was giving a semi-concession speech..." Will the real Clinton candidate please stand up?

Why is it every time I learn more about this family I feel the need to bathe? What really worries me is the number of seemingly intelligent people who but into the Clinton's bulls**t. I'm still waiting for a reported smart enough to ask about the alleged documentation of her alleged experience that's supposed to qualify her for the highest political post in our country.

After twenty five years in the film industry I've seen the "value" of "inherited experience". Anyone who's ever worked with a "Key Grip" that's working out of his daddy's box knows what I'm talking about. For the rest of you I offer George Jr. as a prime example.

[balance]

So many people are putting words into the Clintons' mouths.

Anti-Clinton fanatics said Bill said : "Barack Obama's candidacy is a fairy tale" -- this quote & spin is a lie.

These fanatics also say Hillary said : "It took a white man to enact civil rights".

Today, Bill Barol's article is: Clinton to Obama "Oh Just Get Out of My Way You Horrible Little Man."

Yesterday night on MSNBC, the newsroom was against Ms. Clinton. The hate was obviously palpable.

If a prominent Clinton supporter (such as Bob Johnson) says something mean about Obama, it is immediately regarded as a calculated attack originating from the Clintons.

So, which side is overwhelmingly flinging nastyness? Which side is flinging most of the mud, lies, and distortions?

I'm trying to stay neutral, but whenever there are massive amounts of peer pressure, and a huge bias & spin -- which is unfounded by reason & a fair representation of the facts. I will resist jumping on the bandwagon, simply, just because "everyone is saying it."

I think Ms. Clinton, Obama, or Edwards would all be a far better President than Bush Jr. But this massive campaign of hating the Clintons is wrong, and it's based on slime and distortions.

Remember that's how the Iraq War was started, and that's how Kerry was swiftboated, and that's how Bush Jr. got what he wanted.

Peer pressure campaigns without a fair basis in reason and facts, should always be regarded with skepticism.

[mellene]

I can understand why neither Bill nor Hillary want to give any attention to Barack, however, no gracious concession was rendered. This really makes both of them look cold and calculating to me. I'll find it very hard to vote for Hillary if she's the nominee as she seems mean and fixated on what she and Bill want, not Americans.

[warpspeed9]

Details how Hillary is being SLIMED:

#1 Last October, Obama acted on a Saturday Night Live skit that called Hillary a "witch". A female actress for Hillary put a WITCH costume on to illustrate the character slime!

** Can you imagine if Hillary had done such character sliming to Obama??? and this was last October!

The PRESS ignored it. Hillary turned the other cheek.

#2 Obama distorted Bill Clinton's position on Iraq leaving out little details like Clinton said he ONLY supported the war "IF" the UN inspectors found evidence of WMD (and Bill Clinton said he thought North Korea was more dangerous.)

There is a CNN interview before the invasion that proves this.



http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/11/judy.desk.clinton/index.html
\
Clinton was more worried about Bin Laden and North Korea than Saddam

“there are more pressing issues for the United States, such as Osama bin Laden, his al Qaeda terrorist network and North Korea restarting its nuclear program.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/07/clinton.iraq/index.html

Bill Clinton complained. Obama just repeated the distortion.

#3 Obama insisted Hillary was for the war in Iraq and he was against it. Yet their voting records while both were in the Senate were essentially identical on Iraq??

Obama could have just said his position was superior. Instead he distorted the record to state Hillary was an ally of George Bush.

#4 Obama implied Hillary was a racist in her remarks on Martin L. King when he originally called the comments "unfortunate". He later changed his mind and gallantly and eloquently proclaimed Hillary was not a racist after all.

Why wouldn't this anger the Clintons? It was based on a LIE.

[warpspeed9]

I was for Obama last Spring. I am now for Hillary.
Just thought I’d tell you why I switched to Hillary!

Hillary IS more experienced than Obama.
But Obama seems smart, and will likely appoint good, sharp people to his Cabinet
Meaning this was a minor or even non issue for me.

I think it is an HONEST question to ask though – and have been shocked at the Media treating the Clintons as evil for touting their experience.

I’ve been even MORE shocked at the poor reporting where the Obama camp has GROSSLY DISTORTED the Clintons – AND THROWN THE MOST DIRT OF ALL.

Details are next: