Obama On Track To Win Caucus 2nd Tier Support

Des Moines--Barack Obama has already begun shoring up support among the lower-tier candidates who lack the money or poll numbers to be serious contenders in the early primary states, such as Iowa, and Offthebus hears that "agreements" with these candidates may be announced soon.

Dennis Kucinich started what may add up to the critical mass Obama needs for a win or strong second-place showing in the Iowa caucuses, when Kucinich encouraged his supporters - few though there are in this frozen state - to join the Obama forces on caucus night, if Kucinich doesn't have enough voters to be viable.

The Kucinich endorsement flooded the blogoshpere and the main-street-media and handed Obama a mini-bounce at a critical time in this campaign for the most privileged voters in America - Iowa's caucus attendees.

For days, the rumors have been flying between the campaigns about which of the top three candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination will benefit from the second tier non-viable candidates - Joe Biden and Bill Richardson - to be specific.

The Biden national and state campaign honchos met at 4 p.m. Monday in a Des Moines attorney's office to discuss their strategy and decide if they would encourage their non-viable voters to choose either Obama, Edwards, or Hillary Clinton's caucus contingents.

At a crowded and noisy Star Bar on Ingersoll Avenue, where the Biden campaign staffers were sipping champagne - or harder stuff - and waiting for their candidate, his wife, and the Biden Family to arrive for a New Year's Eve informal gathering, Offthebus chatted with one of the Biden's national consultants who wanted to remain anonymous:

"A decision will be made tomorrow about who we'll encourage our supporters to stand behind if we aren't viable in a precinct. Right now, I'd guess Obama gets our support because we're more inline with his vision of foreign policy than any of the other candidates, and besides, we like him and how he's run his campaign."

"Is Biden angling for a Secretary of State position in an Obama Administration?"

The Biden consultant told Offthebus, "Well, Joe would make a great Secretary of State, wouldn't he?"

Biden's son, Joseph R. Biden, III is the current Attorney General for Delaware. Should Joe Biden resign his seat and accept a major post in the next Democratic Administration in Washington, his son is positioned to replace him in the U.S. Senate.

After attending the press party at the Temple for the Performing Arts, I headed over to Dos Rios, to pick up any additional bar talk conversations and dangle the Biden scoop.

Off-the-bus spoke with a national Obama staffer who confirmed, "We've heard that Richardson may also be telling his supporters to caucus for Barack if they aren't viable. Nothing definitive but there's a trend going on," she added with a smile. Ah, that's an understatement.

All of this off-the-record conversation and backroom pol talk could be nothing or something.

But the fact that the rumors are flying and top aides are willing to discuss their thinking with Offthebus, albeit without disclosing their names, is still enough smoke to detect yet another spark that could ignite a fire under the Obama campaign's fortunes in the Iowa caucuses.

This trend, along with the latest polls showing Obama ahead of Clinton or within the margin of error to win this first all-important national test, bodes well for Obama and puts additional pressure on the Clintonites to outdistance Obama in the next 48 hours.

Time is running out for Clinton, but may be the best of all possible worlds for Obama should his campaign continue to build support with the lower tier candidates open to a conversation about where their voters should land on caucus night - if they aren't viable.

None of the campaigns I spoke with - on or off the record - are prone to hand their support over to John Edwards, who is busy today flying around the state for his final push to win - and therefore, survive until New Hampshire, where his poll numbers continue to fall far behind either Clinton or Obama.

Comments

[hankandted]

The formative experience for Senator Obama was the Harold Washington campaign.

I am white and I can tell you all about it. White people, all you worriers, you are just going to have to go through all the this and the that, (expletive deleted) but hey, you will win! You have to hang tough. Maybe you will be a traitor to your race. (sister, beat up.) Maybe you will be put in jail. (me, who was forwarned --"the organizers are going to be arrested. It was true." )

Well, that is what it takes. Look around the world. Politics is not a polite activity. It is an in the streets and constant everyday,ongoingm, activity. This is why we Democrats lost---we were too gentlemanly or ladylike, you can pick.

If all these white people in Iowa are going to go out there in the public caucuses and declare their support for Obama, well you are just going to have to make a stand too.

During the Mayor Washington campaign it was raw: watermelon eaters, coons, monkeys, child molesters! All the Democrats became Republicans, because the nominee was Black. Now its not Black enough--too Black enough. Electability.

The other senators in the race like Obama enough to prefer him as second over Edwards. (I( don't have the time right now to dissect the Edwards situation.) Just deal with it. Don't matter if you have guillt, or worry or whatever, all that matters is the votes.

We in Chicago worked though it and now the Chicago area supports Obama. Something happened.

[themodernleader]

The very best indicator of a potentially great leader is the endorsement of rivals. Candidate Obama came from ordinary citizens. He prepared himself, as did Lincoln and Truman for high Office. And when the opportunity appeared, he went for it knowing that the chances were slim. But his trust, faith and confidence in the good sense and judgment of the American people has placed him in good stead.
He is a lucky leader, however, the American people are even luckier to have the opportunity to support such a candidate.
Maybe ole Abe Lincoln was right after all when he said, "Without the assistance of that Divine Being, who ever attended [Washington], I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you [fellow citizens] and be every where for the good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well."
Senator Obama: Your emerging leadership is the only news of cheer. President Lincoln's words are addressed for you.

[MrSifter]

Please read my full endorsement of Senator Obama at http://www.standingbeforethefire.com
here is a part of it.

Most of all, Senator Obama showed what his rivals Senator Edwards and Clinton lacked, courage. It is easy to oppose the Iraq war in 2007, most of the nation believes the war was a mistake and that American troops should be withdrawn. It easy to forget how hungry for war this nation was in 2003. The public overwhelmingly thought invading Iraq was a good idea and french fries were being renamed freedom fries. The media was filled with hawkish reporters and fake intelligence, stories of Iraqis greeting Americans as liberators and Iraqi oil revenue paying for the were taken seriously. Bush and his cadre of fools were not seen as the incompetent fools they are, but were portrayed by the media as tough minded wise men rising to the occasion. Those against the war were branded fools at best and at worst traitorous. It was a time when the nation desperately needed leadership from Senators Clinton and Edwards. Their nation needed them to stand up to the lies, distortions, and fear mongering manipulation that was not only leading the military into Iraq, but leading the nation away from reason and into hysterical madness. Senators Edwards agitated for the war, while Hilary Clinton remained silent. Both voted to give President Bush authority to invade Iraq. Meanwhile, an unknown Illinois State Senator, with ambitions of running for the Senate, gave a speech at an anti-war rally fiercely criticizing the impending war. Although his impact was small, he did the right thing, throwing water instead of fire on the flame of madness. That is what America needs in its next President. A President who is selfless, who will do what is best for his nation and not what is best for himself.

[hankandted]

There is way too much cynism and projection in these comments. The connection between Chicago and Cleveland is deep. I think that goes to explaining the Kucinich/Obama connection.

Just about everybody else is a senator. Who is more interesting and fun to work with? Obama or Clinton? It is not just about getting a prized appointment.

Most of these people (Dodd, Biden) need to stay where they are to keep a democratic majority. Senority counts. Remember, both Obama and Clinton are junior senators. Edwards holds no elected office.

[ebbtide]

If Obama has the persuavive power to get these guys on his side over Hillary Clinton, I would say the man has some powers of persuasion in his approach.

[Stevelagain]

It really doesn't matter much. Hillary has this thing locked up. Iowa will turn out to be useless in the end as Hillary's machine crushes her opponents in other states where they have not got the structure in place she has.

Don't forget, Hillary has been working on being president since she and Bill Clinton were in the Whitehouse. They have controlled the democratic party for 16 years. They have been deamed politically correct by the radical left and all of their lies and crimes have been covered as the party has mobilized to protect them from themselves.

You have brainwashed a generation to think of them as gods. You have worked long and hard to put them on a throne, a throne you can't drag them off of now until Hillary sits in the Whitehouse.

If Obama or Edwards takes Iowa...it means nothing.

[raptor]

Remember when the pindits were predicting the general election would be between Rice and Clinton?

[foreffectivegovernment]

Why is everyone making this an African-American against a Woman race, when it should be a Democrat against Republican race. This is no time for a Social Experiment. Get serious, vote for capability, not your emotional favorite.
I read an old prophesy that roughly said, "Under a Democratic system of the people selecting the most popular candidates instead of the most capable, an idiot would eventially emerge as President". I think we are there. Lets turn around and go the other way for a change.

[waiguoren]

The idea that men are ganging up on Hillary because she's female is a joke.

If Margaret Thatcher's husband, or Indira Ghandi's husband, or Golda Mier's husband, or even the late Benazir Bhutto's husband had announced a run for the leadership of their countries, they'd have been laughed out of town.

The only reason Hillary is NOT being laughed out of town is because she IS a woman.

[baghdadjoe]

Electoral politics is not enough to clean up the mess in Washington. Congressman Robert Wexler:

"The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens."

http://wexlerwantshearings.com

Impeachment is on the table.. together we can make it happen and bring Cheney to justice!

[Schaden]

"None of the campaigns I spoke with - on or off the record - are prone to hand their support over to John Edwards, who is busy today flying around the state for his final push to win - and therefore, survive until New Hampshire, where his poll numbers continue to fall far behind either Clinton or Obama."

Utter BS. Based on polling, Edwards leads all the Democratic candidates as the second choice.

[geobushono]

the DC fixers are retiring to the Club room.
Well folks, I guess this means there are new ideas...and really new ideas......and real change stops the money train.
Obama, better for us than Hillary, and still a protege of Joe Lieberman.

http://pieceofmind.wordpress.com/2007/01/18/obama-lieberman-and-the-dlc/

John Edwards for President THIS time

[Qbear]

The smartest parley would be to Edwards as Attorney G.eneral or Supreme Court Justice, by either Clinton or Obama

[amst]

I have a feeling that some people bought into the media spin instructing us that it would be Hillary only who would win. Ok, it's not over til it's over, but haven't we suspected/known all along that it is the media who told us Hillary is the frontrunner. Yet, many of us could not understand how/why because we didn't know anyone who says they are voting for her?????

Today, Chris Mathews (one who was pushing Hillary) says "my prediction is Obama wins Iowa tomorrow." Dah!!! Yea now that he sees the which way the people are leaning. Don't listen to what the media says. Vote for the person you want. They know not what they spin.

The reason the were pushing for Hillary is because they know she's hated and a republican could likely win because of it. I got their number.

[Qbear]

If Biden and Kucinch recommend Obama, it's his win.

I wouldn't want to be in the Senate next time Clinton and Biden cross paths, and Joe better hope no loose lamps are handy...just saying