Clinton and Obama

Today, New Hampshire's large bloc of independent voters cast most of their ballots for Democratic candidates, which would be great for the Democrats if repeated nationally. Senator Hillary Clinton edged out Senator Barack Obama for the number one spot mainly because women voters moved overwhelmingly toward her over Obama, which was a significant reversal from Iowa. Clinton showed that gender will continue to play a powerful role in the fight for the nomination.

The New Hampshire results illustrated the fact that the prospect of electing the first woman president in U.S. history could be just as exhilarating as the possibility of electing the first African American. It seems that gender trumped youth. The troglodyte who held up the "Iron My Shirt" sign at the Clinton event must be tearing his hair out tonight, (if he wasn't a Clinton campaign plant).

Obama finds himself in a strong position having finished a close second behind Clinton and he promises to keep the heat on the former First Lady. He can still thwart what the chattering class has called Hillary's "coronation." The Obama forces will redouble their efforts in the next few weeks now that they've seen that there are limits to their candidate's magic.

Coming in second might end up helping Obama by energizing his supporters in the remaining primaries. It was kind of amusing while channel surfing through the television coverage to see Brit Hume at Fox News cut into Obama's speech in mid-sentence to throw the show over to Hannity and Colmes. (Did anyone notice how the Fox News channel used lighting effects to make Obama's skin look a little darker than it looked on any of the other networks?)

Hillary Clinton has had a superb organization in New Hampshire for a long time and being from nearby New York helped her too. The tiny black population in the state also helped her. Older voters came out for Hillary today. Bill Clinton's last minute attacks on Obama in areas of the state where Obama was ahead might have swayed some voters. Hillary Clinton promised in her victory speech to "end the war in Iraq the right way." I don't know what she means by the "right way," but I fear it means the lengthy, expensive, bloody way.

The hatred of Hillary Clinton among the right wing is palpable even when just whizzing the channel changer past Fox News. There I saw the pasty sweaty Frank Luntz compare Hillary Clinton to an insect infestation, or "Friday the 13th." The problem for the Democratic Party if it does quash Obama's politics of hope and nominates Clinton is that she energizes the Republican base in a way that is almost unique in American politics.

Obama is still alive and well and his second-place showing tonight just shows that his supporters must fight all the more tenaciously. California will be crucial for Obama on February 5th.

Comments

[nuana]

DRPike ,
Thank you for the backhanded comment. Clinton is noway near my idol...We had Mother Teresa and Sharda Devi ...I can't list all of them here...why would I have this dishonest sleazy woman Hillary 'LBJ' Clinton as my idol??
Yech!

[lambdin1]

I think you are right. The right wing hatred of Hillary is palpable. It also holds true for most of the news media that gives Obama a pass on his record and gives him much more favorable coverage.
I do not want a warm and fuzzy orator in the
White House. Give me a hard nosed bitch that knows where the levers of power are at and how to use them!!!

[BachelorJohnnyCool]

"There I saw the pasty sweaty Frank Luntz compare Hillary Clinton to an insect infestation, or 'Friday the 13th.'"

That was Frank Luntz? I could've sworn it was Elton John.

[RealBlackGirl]

I am tired of the lazy excuse, "I don't know what Obama stands for." Check the website. Every proposal, speech, etc. is available for your review. He has more substance and details than all of the Republicans put together. Obama is running against four people: Bill & Hillary as well as John & Elizabeth. Bill is a popular former president who is always going to get full media coverage of anything he says even if it is misleading or a blatant lie. Every single time Hillary gets in trouble she plays the gender card. Bad debate in Philly-Bill comes out and says the men and the media are being mean to her. She loses Iowa, has a bad debate moment-she cries and Bill comes out and does a hatchet job on Obama. Elizabeth goes from show to show whining that they don't get enough media coverage. John placed second and now third. For all his fired up rhetoric he is earning less votes every time-drop out already. Nevertheless, Obama remains gracious and demonstrates the consistent integrity, superior management and a bold vision. Ultimately, all of the chattering doesn't matter. Obama has the most delegates.

[Joseph A. Palermo - Huffpost Blogger]

See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile

The Clintons clearly spark some highly irrational hatred from the Right -- he was a free market president in the 1990s, NAFTA hurt labor unions, welfare "reform" hurt poor people (especially people of color), and his Telecommunications Act of Feb 1996 gave us Fox News which changed our political discourse forever. Everybody made lots of money in the '90s and Clinton golfed with the CEOs of Wal-Mart and Tyson Chicken and Rubinomics was the love of Wall Street, yet the Right sees him as if he were Leon Trotsky -- Hillary's going to catch the same venom and already does -- it's visceral for the Clinton-haters - I don't like Clinton's record because he was too much like a Republican, yet the Republicans hate him so much it's highly irrational. The only Democratic president in my adult lifetime and he was a moderate -- whoopeee! Let's try a real liberal this time.

[Turnbacktothefuture]

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE?

PUBLIC CAUCUSES VS. SECRET BALLOTS

THE ABILITY TO VOTE YOUR HEART AND MIND, PRIVATELY, BEHIND THE VEILED CURTAIN OF A VOTING MACHINE, ELIMINATES THE POLITICALLY CORRECT RESPONSE!!

UNFORTUNATELY, OUR COUNTRY IS STILL
INHERENTLY RACIST!!

---from an ardent UPW Hillary Clinton supporter

[johnie2xs]

Although I don't agree with your pick, of Obama, I do agree with the positive sign seen in both the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary, that being the movement of Independents.I still think that Edwards has less of an Achilles heel in the general than do Obama and Hillary. The Bush/Clinton, Bush/Clinton dynamic and the Oshama/Obama narrative that the Repuglicans will employ, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to the informed, amongst us, will resonate and be successful with the less thoughtful amongst us. A four hundred dollar haircut and a large home pale by comparison as legitimate issues. The bottom line is that we, as Democrats cannot fail, this time. It is way to important to the future of our Country and the World. Four more years of Repuglican rule will be the death knell of America as we know it. That is not a hyperbolic view, I'm afraid.

[janmB]

OBAMA MAYBE in another decade. NOT NOW.
He's a motivational speaker but hasn't the experience necessary for this BIG JOB at this time.
I KNOW what we had with the Clintons ---and is no time for this country to experiment with newcomers.

[teahead]

I think it's pathetic people forget that she didn't divorce Bill b/c that would jeopardize her political career.

She carpetbagged to NY and won that state of fools.

Now, she's again, using her husband, riding his coattails to think she can win the Presidency. Fat chance.

Independents and moderate Republicans will never; NEVER vote for her.

[Freddy334]

Obama is a candidate for rich white people and elites. He is not for the working person. John Edwards is for the working person and the poor. Obama is for rich white yuppies suffering from guilt. The white college kids shilling for Obama never did a hard day of work in their life. I hope the unions stay behind John Edwards and that they raise money to Swift Boat Obama and Hillary. Bush, Cheney, Obama and Hillary keep exporting good paying jobs in America to China, India, Brazil, other parts of Asia while American working families suffer. Obama's supporters are rich people. Edwards needs to point this out and start a union 527 group to point out how Obama and the Clintons are exporting American jobs along with Bush and devil Cheney. These Obama supporters are worse then Republicons because at least the pubbies do not pretend to be Democrats like Obama.

[teahead]

Hillary will mobilize EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN and INDEPENDENT against her if she wins the Demo nomination thanks to ignorant fools.

Look forward to another eight years of Republican rule if she gets the nomination.

Sorry, but there just ain't enough old, white, Democratic women who can carry her to victory.

You need men and independents to win.

[Nutcase]

You stated, "The Obama forces will redouble their efforts in the next few weeks now that they've seen that there are limits to their candidate's magic."

You defined the problem with the majority of Obama's supporters. They ignore the facts. They can reel off a list of issues without understanding them. They think they have been imbued with a universal wisdom to compensate for all the errors of the Boomers. But, most of all, they believe their candidate not just to have, but to be, magic.

[cuthbertallgood]

After weeks of Obama backers letting their prejudices fly, saying they don't need the gay votes, they don't need the votes of anyone over 45, it is great to see them shown some truth.
No candidate can win the nomination without the whole Party. Obama's loss last night was a small margin, but big enough. Such a margin in each state equals Obama in the Senate, not the Oval.
Today Obama is rethinking his rather blatant ageism and the homophobic gay baiting methods of his early campaign. He's wondering if a nice apology to those insulted might have meant victory. At least he'd better wonder, and better get right without hesitation.
With a margin like that, only an idiot would not be asking how many gays in South Beach, how many old folk in Boca, are going to stay away over the cracks and the McClurkins and Walkers and Sister Sisters. How many voters last night did not come to Obama due to one of those factors? There are lots of Democrats who will never vote for that kind of thing, or wish to be part of that kind of campaign. In NH it was enough to lose the night.
But Obama does not need votes from gays or those over 45, and he does not want them, right? Bet he wanted them last night more than he's wanted anything ever. Bet the regrets were high for some of that rhetoric and attitude. 8000 people with gray hair or gay lives.
Not enough McClurkinites in NH to carry the day? So sad!

[youngbodhisattva]

Hillary Clinton should thank the corporate media for propelling her to victory in NH. She came in 3rd in Iowa so naturally you would think the new "storyline" would be come Obama and Edwards. Unfortunately, nominating Edwards wouldn't be a "historic moment" since he's a white, male. I'm afraid the Democratic party is going to focus too much on the "historic" value of their candidate and could jeopardize losing the general election to a lesser Republican candidate. The only exception may be if Obama beats Hillary. However, I think he's going to have to introduce policy proposals behind his vague and generic calls for "change" to do so.

But, again I ask, why is nobody talking about John Edwards? Could it be because Hillary and Obama are taking corporate contributions including major media companies?!? Or is it truly the fact that there nominations would be "historic"?

[minamja]

RECORDS SET

- The only president ever impeached on grounds of personal malfeasance
- Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates*
- Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation
- Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify
- Most number of witnesses to die suddenly
- First president sued for sexual harassment.
- First president accused of rape.
- First first lady to come under criminal investigation
- Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign contribution case
- First president to establish a legal defense fund.
- First president to be held in contempt of court
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
- Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad
- First president disbarred from the US Supreme Court and a state court