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.

Comments

[DHFabian]

Just a quick note to nmstemthafka: Caroline Kennedy is anything but "an overpriveleged brat".
Although born into privilege, she has worked hard for her own achievements. She has an understanding of the workings of government AND of the severe social and economic disparities we once again face. Not all people born into privilege are self-focused, self-indulgent clods. Caroline Kennedy's record establishes who she is, and what she is working to achieve. Don't dismiss her simply because she comes from wealth. There's more to her (and to Ted Kennedy, for that matter) than what the National Enquirer sees!

[Democrab]

Hillary's been investigated to death and scrutinized by the press and the republican slaughter dogs.

So her public life at this time is an open book.

So what do we know about Obama?

How'd he get his house?

Why did he endorse Todd Stroger?

Will he continue to vote "present" on questions about Tony Rezko and his dealings with him.

Now that he's gaining in popularity, Obama scrutiny is not going to go away. It's his turn to answer some "tough" questions.

[nmstemthafka]

First of all I am sick to death of nbc and fox news bashing Hillary. Also I would like to ask why the hell anyone would care who Caroline Kennedy endorsed. Did I miss something? Is she something other than an overpriveleged brat of an x-president? I have no dislike for her, but, I find this insulting. Senator kennedy carries some weight, he is afterall a senator.
What is really making my blood boil is the constant demand for Hillary to prove herself. What more need she prove? And, here we have Barak Obama, a junior senator,( who by the way I don't find to be the immense orator some give him credit for being), and he is ready to go, yup he has proven himself to match the exact voice intonations of Martin Luther King. Don't misunderstand me, I like him, as a senator, who has a lot to learn. Here is what I think. Barak Obama as president would not be a change. To say that it would, is kinda' injecting race in a way that says black men are different than white men. How much of a change is that? Yet another man, some guy, for president.???And ,, as I watch people bash her every chance they get and then some,,,I can't help but feel It's just the same old game,, girls versus boys!!! I think they're terrified of her. I have to listen to Chris Matthews and his dip$&^% daisy duke sidekick say that Hillary is weak and she is letting her husband fight her battles. I am nauseated by it. I would like to remind the African American women that black men were allowed to vote years before any women could.(in law). I would ask them to consider before they vote for Obama because he is black, that they, and I, are alot more like than, they and him! If we really want change how will we get it by electing another man? Don't fall for that ruse, give a woman a chance.

[TootsinCA]

I have to vote via mail-in ballot as my rural area of the California sits outside a city proper and there is no polling place for me. My ballot sits on my dining room table as I write this with the biggest question yet to be answered. Which Democrat?

I will visit Obama's website; I will read the coverage on Hill "finding her voice", and I will ask:

Do their economics and values match up with mine? Will this person represent us well in the world?

The comments here were helpful. I was surprised that so much time was spent discussing race and gender, and I am grateful for those who did some fact checking.

I am 42, non-white and female. I am a registered Democrat with a bachelor's degree, and I was on the fence until I was copied on an email from my father, an academic with an international career of service on record, and a resident of Washington DC. He has made a strong endorsement:

"During the tenure of G. W. Bush/D. Cheney, I have seen America's image being tarnished almost beyond repair. I have seen our country becoming a country of lies, and deceits, without any accountability from those who have transgressed the laws of this great country, especially by Bush and Cheney. Another reason that I support Senator Obama is the fact that, unlike Bill and Hillary Clinton, he does not use any means or any tricks to reach his personal or political end. I think Senator Obama is a much-needed unifying force at this juncture of the history of our country, and a man of great talent and dignity, along with an impeccable moral and intellectual integrity."

Do I want 4 more years of Clinton? No. If I want to vote for change and stay loyal to my party, it's looking like Obama.

After living two years abroad, I am tired of being embarrassed by my country's leaders. I want a president with unimpeachable integrity, no baggage and a global view, sound economic policies and manners.

[fmattca]

Thanks to the media.

[rahgolf]

REMEMBER ITS ONLY SOUTH CAROLINA WITH A UNIQUE POPULATION BREAK DOWN!

[tkar]

The Dems are making a big mistake -and I can't wait to see them lose later this year, after picking an inexperienced Senator (most of his experience is in the IL state legislature) to nominate as their candidate (I believe he's still on only his FIRST US Senate term). If it's between him & McCain, I will plan on sitting-out the election.

[chrismathewsgreatestfan]

Hillary wasted her tears after Iowa. She should have held her tears until after S. Carolina

[deltahotel2001]

Hillary's experience, let's see:

She sharpened pencils and made coffee during the Watergate hearings--we can't have those committee members nodding off can we?

She married a governor and president--I guess that takes skills. Lots of people would like to do that. If she wrote a "how-to" book, she might even be invited to Oprah's book club. She can always claim that behind the scenes, she did the work of a chief executive--Bill's secret liaisons tended to take up a lot of his time. Sorry Chelsea, the Kennedys are not available.

Oh yes, Hillary's a senator--Monica should be first on her holiday card list. How's that senate thing working out? For starters, she voted to authorize the use of military force against Iraq, even after it was clear that Bush lied a mere 935 times. To this day, she has not come clean and admitted to a huge mistake that cost the lives of 4,000 U.S., 650,000 Iraqis and $1 trillion. I'd be a convert once I see Chelsea standing guard duty outside the Green Zone.

(4) OK, nobody's perfect, right? As an encore, Hillary voted for the Patriot Act without ever reading it. But not to worry, it only dismantled our Bill of Rights but it could happen to anyone.

(5) Hillary voted to reauthorize the Patriot Act making its provisions permanent. "Fool me once . . . you can't fool me again" or something like that. She also voted for the Military Commissions Act which ended Habeas Corpus and granted immunity to the Bush Administration.

Can you see a pattern here? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Hillary is too brilliant a person to consistently wind up on the wrong side of policy decisions. Maybe her agenda is at odds with the direction that this country needs to go.

Bill Clinton is politically savvy but is now a loose cannon. Could Bill subconsciously be sabotaging Hillary's campaign because he does not want the competition. After all, what monarch wants to share power?

[belladawna]

i believe in her speech after the poll she said she was expected to lose in s.c. she was even shocked at the bigger turnout in her audience that night!!! this is going to be a great election year i tell you all....
i just would like the race card and the sex card to not be played as much and base their campaigns on the facts. hillary's and obama's platform are almost similar it's funny...

i would rather see these two team up and be done with this whole thing!!! haha

[BardEric]

Hey guys, off topic but of interest..Just saw an add on CNN where Mike Huckabee made the wildest campaign promis in history..To DO AWAY with the I.R.S.! And we all thought the Dems were the only ones who will say anything to get elected

[voter002]

Please remember the turnout in New Hampshire. Please remember the turnout in Nevada. And Iowa. I really dont think its Barack drawing out all these people in SC--people are coming out in droves as a reaction to the elections of 2000 and 2004--or, I should say, the stolen elections and the disaster of 8 years of Bush-Cheney. I dont want to see the first two years of Carter or Bill Clinton again. We need someone to go into the Oval and IMMEDiately start to straighten out our country here and abroad. I am afraid that Barack Obama will enter the Oval with an arrogance, bravado, and naiivite (sp?) and make alot of screw-ups and become a puppet of no return or barely any return. Hillary is the capable and experienced leader we desperately need right now--and we need her brilliance! Now the media has the excuse for all past abuse of her in Bill's mistakes. How bout letting her shine and all the white male media stepping off their hateful bandwagon and let her shine and emerge as the most capable candidate! What are all these men afraid of anyway?

[Shenygirl1]

Obama is a charasmatic, articulate
folk hero who has the ability to charm a certain segment of our population. Does he have presidential qualities or the ability to run our country? Sorry, but I don't see any substance.

[cicpr]

AGENT OF CHANGE IN GENERAL

With everyone, including the Republicans, claiming to be an agent of change in the primary elections, how do the Democrats make their case as the party of change in the general election if Hillary Clinton (Bush/Clin­ton/Bush/C­linton) wins the nomination? They can't!

[Hardwood]

I voted for Bill Clinton twice, and supported him during his impeachment. I now feel certain that Bill Clinton's irresponsible behavior tilted public opinion just enough to determine the outcome of the 2000 election. There's an old saying in the middle east that, "If you let the camel get his nose in your tent, you can't stop him from coming the rest of the way in". What I'm getting at is this; Hillary is the opponent of choice for the Republican Party. Rupert Murdoch who owns FoxNews and now the Wall Street Journal, held a big fundraiser for Hillary. Rupert Murdoch, one of the most rightwing tycoons on the planet, holding a fundraiser for a democrat? This does not pass the smell test. Vote Edwards or Obama! Otherwise the general election will be endless reruns of Juanita, Jennifer, Paula, Monica,Travelgate, Whitewater, Vince Foster,on.and on. If that's not enough,.consider this! Bill Clinton could have had a fine legacy, but he threw it away. His serial recklessness made us all vulnerable. His serial recklessness allowed a couple of sociopaths to take over our government. For all the hopes we had, Bill Clinton's legacy to us in the end is Bush/Cheney,.. the most disasterous administration in history. America is wounded. Let's all unite around her and show some love. The Clintons will just unite the rightwingers and bring back the hate. Please! Let's turn the page. Let's not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time.