Politirazzi

By Adrian

For me, the biggest issue in this presidential campaign is the issue of American values and American image at home and abroad.

I am not talking about abortion, prayer in schools or any values that have defined the value wars of the last quarter century. I am talking about the values of liberty — America’s defining values — respect for human rights, freedom of speech and of worship, freedom from fear, self-respect, self-determination and freedom of commerce.

The values I speak of are those values elucidated by our Declaration of Independence, by President Kennedy and so many other great statesmen throughout our history. These values are those which America has stood for since its founding, the principles that made this nation the envy of the world. America’s stance in the world politically and economically has suffered tremendously in the last eight years. War and torture abroad, enhanced surveillance, fear, and economic uncertainty at home have brought low our great nation.

I want leaders who have the vision, as President Kennedy did, to inspire this nation to do great things. Whatever my policy differences with Barack Obama, and there are many, his uplifting rhetoric, his intelligence and belief in American ideals make him a very attractive candidate. However, the more he has fumbled in the last few months, the more attractive John McCain has become.

Maybe it’s time for a grandfatherly figure in the White House. Or, maybe it’s time for an inspirational figure. Either way, it’s time to right the ship of state.

(AP)

By Kimberly

pri·ma·ry fa·tigue [prahy-mer-ee fuh-teeg] (n.):

1. weariness from mental exertion from listening to Obama’s motivational speaker voice one more time.

2. exhausted of Hillary’s comebacks rivaling those of Sylvester Stallone.

3. thinking that McCain isn’t that bad of a guy after all. Hey, it’s only four years …

4. when Hannah Montana now surpasses candidates on Google trends.

5. when people credit crackpots like Rush Limbaugh and “Operation Chaos” for the split choice within the Democratic party.

This just took up a good 20 minutes of my time at work. Time well spent I think. Kudos to the Post for being low brow enough to spend money on developing this!

2008 Democratic Fight Night

— Kimberly

Sen. Jim Webb

By David

With the Dem nominating contest seemingly stuck in a never-ending death grip, it’s an odd time to start speculating on who the vice-president will be.

Interestingly enough, the occupant of that phantom spot on the ticket right now seems clearer than the one at the top.

Whoever wins out is likely to pick Jim Webb for Veep.

Webb, the tough-talking, ex-military man, ex-Reagan appointee from the purplish state of Virginia is the perfect pick — for both — for the second slot, one of the rare pieces of agreement between them these days.

For Obama, Webb would represent his most certain foray into going after the blue collar vote that has so far proved elusive and would shore up his national security bonafides. (Webb, besides once serving as secretary of the Navy, has the look about it like he is going to explode into anybody that crosses him, as he nearly did with George Bush.)

The only drawback for Webb, from Obama’s point of view, is that he is not a woman, and Obama will have to do a serious repair job with older white woman to win the election.

If Clinton somehow manages to pull it out, she’s likely to pick Webb as well, a move that had been widely rumored before Clinton’s campaign started to tank.

Though Clinton claims that she has passed the commander-in-chief test, she still would need someone who can make her look tough and Webb, besides once serving as secretary of the Navy, has the look about it like he is going to explode into anybody that crosses him, as he nearly did with George Bush.

The only problem with Webb from Clinton’s perspective is that he isn’t Barack Obama, and should Clinton take this thing, she would, it is widely agreed, have to offer the second slot to him practically out of courtesy.

By Emily

I spoke with acclaimed Robert Drew, cinema-verite pioneer and director and producer of “A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy,” on the likenesses between Kennedy and Sen. Barack Obama and Drew’s other thoughts on the presidency.

“President to Remember,” narrated by Alec Baldwin, is being screened at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

How is “President to Remember” different than your first four groundbreaking documentaries about Kennedy?
It’s more than a compilation; it’s an interlacing, reediting and rethinking of the four in terms of today. We’ve had [President Bush] now for two terms who’s sort of the reverse of Kennedy and as I look back through the original films, I was overwhelmed by the tremendous contrast between them.

Do you see a Kennedy resemblance among the current presidential candidates?
Now I’m not trying to endorse anybody, and I’m not trying to pick anyone, but as you know, Obama’s been wearing a Kennedy mantle. They’re both literate and intelligent, and they’re both good speakers.

It’s such a shock to see a presidential candidate, in contrast to our last one, stand up and be smart. I’m still trying not to condemn anybody, but it’s a real shock to hear words put together nicely.

(continued)

By Jeff

I think the president’s main job in any administration should be foreign policy. The president should spend the bulk of their time outside the country helping to establish, augment or leverage relationships around the world to improve the environment for America’s citizens and corporations. Domestic policy can be driven by the Congress and respective states, with obviously the president’s veto power acting as a check and balance. The need to focus internationally is magnified in this election due to the war(s) and the significantly eroded opinion of America held throughout the world after the Bush administration many abuses.

There are obviously many domestic issues that are also important to me (e.g. the farcical “war on drugs”, the civil rights issue of gay marriage, the Social Security ponzi scheme, fear of the Democrats attempts at nationalizing health care, an increasingly re-distributive tax code and general intrusiveness of the federal government both economically and personally) which will have a significant impact on my vote.

That said, my No. 1 issue of this general election cycle (if it ever gets started) will be how Obama and McCain discuss what will be their efforts to re-establish diplomacy around the world and repair America’s name in light of the Bush administration’s numerous international missteps and abuses of power.

(continued)

Sen. Barack's Obama relationship with the media seems to have changed. (AP)

By Adrian

The media jumps ship? Yup, it appears that the media’s Obama obsession was nothing more than a high school crush, slipping away to get the next hot thing at its first chance. Prognosticators and professional pundits, weeks ago touting Obama as the next RFK or JFK, now question his electability. From Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal to John Judis in the New Republic, conservatives and liberals alike are calling Obama a losing horse in November.

But, wait, wasn’t Obama the heir apparent just a few months ago? Isn’t he still polling well? Yes, he is! Aren’t those pundits who note that both Obama and Clinton are losing to McCain in the most recent polls overlooking the fact that almost 25 percent of registered Republicans in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state that the GOP and barely won the last two elections, voted for Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee? The media needs to take a step back and take a breath. There are still seven long months left in this campaign, seven months of gaffes, missteps, speeches, debates, fundraising and history.

The media should not try to be Ms. Cleo and divine the future, as this distracts the American people from the real issues facing the nation and the world.

(continued)

By Matt

This election season, immigration is the most important issue to me because though important in and of itself, it also touches on other significant issues like homeland security, the economy, and respect for the law. The candidates’ respective positions on immigration indirectly reflect broader governing principles that they will bring to bear in other policy areas.

Aside from devising new legal solutions to the problem of illegal immigration, one of the country’s most pressing policy concerns is how to enforce existing laws against those who enter the country illegally and those who employ them. The problem of illegal aliens within the United States appears to be an intractable one. Yet while there may be manifest difficulties in dealing with the illegal immigrant population currently here, each of the candidates has offered what they consider to be practical, realistic solutions to this part of the immigration problem. Similarly, each has spoken out about the necessity of securing the border not only to stem the flow of illegal entrants, but also to prevent terrorists from entering the country. The presence of vast numbers of undocumented aliens also raises questions about education, health care and the economy. For instance, if economic conditions continue to worsen, and more Americans become unemployed, will the average American still spurn the chance to work in the manual labor and service positions often held by illegal immigrants? Immigration thus touches on a variety of domestic and foreign policy concerns. As the election plays out, particularly if the economy continues to worsen, it will be interesting to see how much attention each candidate pays to the issue and how they frame their solutions to it.

Rather than discuss which candidate’s views on the issue I prefer, I thought I’d provide links to each candidate’s Web site so that the readers can inform themselves on the issue. So, here’s the McCain, Clinton and Obama take on the issue. I’ll follow up soon with my thoughts on whose policy is the most promising and responsive.

(Getty)

Hollywood stars just can't seem to shut up about the candidates they support and have been in the news endorsing presidential hopefuls nearly as often as Miley Cyrus makes headlines for embarrassing photos. Scarlett likes Obama. Tom Selleck backs McCain. And the list goes on.

For a full photo dossier of celebs endorsing their fave picks for prez, click [HERE]

-- Lauren Johnston

JOHN calls Obama insensitive to poor

GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain yesterday in Coral Gables, Fla., called Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama insensitive to poor people and out of touch on economic issues. The GOP nominee-in-waiting rapped his Democratic rival for opposing his idea to suspend the tax on fuel during the summer, a proposal that McCain believes will particularly help low-income people who usually have older cars that guzzle more gas. (AP)

ELIZABETH slams media’s ‘CliffsNotes’

Elizabeth Edwards, wife to former Democratic candidate John, spoke out against mainstream media yesterday in a New York Times op-ed, saying reporters’ coverage of the presidential race can be likened to CliffsNotes. “Well, the rancor of the campaign was covered. ... The information about the candidates’ priorities, policies and principles — information that voters will need to choose the next president — too often did not make the cut,” Edwards wrote.

KARL offers up advice to Obama

Karl Rove, former White House chief counsel to President Bush, offered up words of wisdom to Obama on the campaign trail in this week’s edition of Newsweek, saying the communities the Illinois senator lost in Pennsylvania could lead a Republican to be elected in the fall. Among Rove’s six suggestions are: Come up with a fresh speech topic and concentrate your Senate responsibilities to solidify your position on an issue.

(continued)

She's not yawning; she's making an "awww yeahhh" gesture. (AP)

The numbers game. It's petty, but maybe you'll think it's funny?

All the press and hoopla over Sen. Hillary Clinton's double-digit defeat of Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania is technically ... wrong.

The margin of defeat is 9.2 percent, according to state returns. Don't know what the margin of error is, but you can't round that up. Just can't.

But it doesn't appear to matter to the 80,000 new donors who helped Clinton to raise $10 million in 24 hours. Nice one.
— Emily

By Adrian

Hilary Clinton is, for at least the second time this election season, touting herself as the “Comeback Kid.” Tout yourself all you want, Hilary, but the Democrat with the best chance to win in the fall is still Barack Obama. Here’s my analysis of the math:

Clinton has won several big primary states, but Obama is winning where it counts — in the heart of Republican country. So far, Clinton has won Pennsylvania, California, New York, New Jersey and Ohio. If this article in the New York Times is correct and Clinton really is attracting large numbers of voters over 65, and she won in Pennsylvania with 60 percent of the over 65 vote, she would have won Florida. Aside from Florida and Ohio, all these states are heavily Democratic — “Yellow Dog Democrats” — as the old saying goes. (For those of you who haven’t heard this saying, it is an old Southern expression meaning that some voters would vote for a yellow dog if it was running as a Democrat.). They are probably going Democrat no matter the nominee.

Obama thus far has swept most Southern states, minus Tennessee. He won in Georgia with more raw votes than the top two Republican candidates combined, won in Louisiana, and won in Virginia. If the poll numbers are correct, Obama should win North Carolina by a wide margin. Obama also won in heartland states like Iowa, Kansas and Colorado, often receiving more votes than the top three Republican contenders combined. Obama’s big numbers in these states make it believable that he could win at least some of these states in the general election. However, he still has to bring home Ohio or Florida to win it all.

(continued)

JOHN pleads to GOP to drop N.C. ad

An ad slated to hit North Carolinian televisions is targeting Democratic candidates for the governor seat and evoking Sen. Barack Obama and the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Well, Sen. John McCain won’t have it. The Republican candidate wrote a letter to the state GOP, requesting that the ad be pulled. It “degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Demo-crats,” he wrote.

Here's the ad:

HILLARY grabs a superdelegate vote

A Tennessee politician and superdelegate announced yesterday he supports Sen. Hillary Clinton for president, according to CNN. Rep. John Tanner — one of 700 superdelegates whose prized votes are likely to decide the Democratic contest — said, “Hillary is a smart, pragmatic leader who understands the grave situation our country faces with a $9 trillion debt, much of which is borrowed from foreign countries.”

Pa. students play hooky, meet BARACK

Two Scranton, Pa., students were suspended this week for skipping class and meeting Obama. Colin Saltry and Joey Daniel, both high school seniors, cut their gym class to catch Obama at a local diner. The Democratic hopeful even signed excuse slips for the boys’ teachers, according to The Hill.com, but to no avail. They received one-day suspensions.

(continued)

by David

One amazing thing about this race that's full of amazing things, is how little has changed since the campaign began late last year.

In pretty much every state, Obama gets the young, the well-educated and black voters. Clinton get the old, the less-affluent and women.

No amount of polling, attacks ads or scandals has been able to change that.

Not sure what the lesson is here. Maybe it's that would be contributors ought to just keep their money to themselves, considering none of it seems to go anywhere.

(Getty)

Leave it to the Post to blow things out of proportion.
-- Meg

On to the next primaries and more scrutiny of each other's every statements.

Sen. Hillary Clinton emerged victorious tonight in the Pennsylvania. The Associated Press, with 98 percent of precincts reporting, showed Clinton to be winning 55 percent of the vote to Sen. Barack Obama's 45 percent. It's not a large enough margin for Clinton to perform any sort of endzone victory dance, but she does nibble into Obama's delegate lead.

The next big ones are Indiana and North Carolina. The duel Dems should split Indiana, but Obama has an advantage in North Carolina lest Sen. John Edwards endorses Clinton.
— Emily

I wanted to share this contest put on by moveon.org called Obama in 30 Seconds where people can enter a homemade 30 second spot in favor of Obama with the chance to have it aired nationally and also win a camera and editing equipment. But if you're more of a voyeur, you can simply go to the website and vote on your favorite ad.

This one is by far my favorite.

Which is yours?
— Kim

Did both of these guys just come out to the same Cougar song?

Wow, the differences really are small.

Or, this campaign has gone waaayyyy too long.

Or both.

By LaShawnda

I’ve always been puzzled by anti-affirmative action people. Affirmative action has never been about taking away from people who already have. It’s about providing opportunities for those who don’t have. Whether people want to admit it or not, American society is biased. It is biased, primarily, in favor of white males with black women primarily seen as non-competitors, with everyone else in between. So speaking from the bottom of the socio-economic totem pole, “Why is the man trying to keep me and others down?”

Honestly, I didn’t think this was something Barack Obama should’ve addressed outside of his actual presidency. The affirmative action debate is fraught with so many racial over- and undertones, I thought any position he took would be held against him. That surprisingly he covered it well during the April 16 debate against Hillary Clinton. I didn’t think Hillary would have any problems addressing affirmative action, but I was even more pleased with her reply.

I started writing this piece in response to Ward Connerly launching an initiative to block race, sex or ethnicity from playing a role in college admissions and hiring procedures by placing the issue on ballots. Connerly is founder and chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, a national NPO opposed to racial and gender preferences. Ward Connerly’s unwillingness to acknowledge the fact that legal recourse is still necessary in American society is offensive and ignorant. Or perhaps he is truly idealistic. Perhaps in his mind we have reached a level in society where gender and race are not visible to the naked eye. Where powerful people look down on the masses at their feet seeking education, employment, shelter, food and opportunities and see only, skill, ability, experience, initiative and performance. Perhaps that’s the scenario in Connerly’s mind and I shouldn’t judge him too harshly because I’m not able to see what he sees from my vantage point at the bottom of the totem pole. Or maybe he should come back to where he started, reacquaint himself with the obstacles minorities and women face daily in pursuit of basic things like education, good jobs with benefits, and homes in nice neighborhoods. Perhaps he should think about where he was before he was inducted into the Old Boys Country Club rubbing elbows and strings with other political puppets.

(continued)

(AP)

By LaShawnda

The Pa. primary is going to be an upset for Hillary. She’s banking too much on the perceived ignorance of the public and their lack of interest in the political process. I think she’ll have a rude awakening in the morning. Obama will win, albeit by a 1-3 points. It’ll be a close race, but I think Obama has gained on Clinton much more than the polls are suggesting.

Tomorrow we’ll read headlines similar to:

Upset in PA!
Clinton Machine Comes to Halt!
Women Turn Out For Obama!

The pundits will be discussing how Hillary lost her base — the female vote — because she spent too much time trying to churn up bitter gunfighters in bars.

All this being said, I don’t think she will bow out gracefully, even with a loss in Pa. Her selfish determination will not allow her to step aside for the good of the party. But hey, it’s her right and prerogative to stay in. Besides, I don’t think anyone is expecting grace from Hillary at this point anyway.

... that the Clinton campaign has called the Obama campaign looking to get the two electoral combatants together on the phone tonight. What will they talk about? A joint ticket? Hillary suspending her campaign after Indiana? How to hit back against Cindy McCain's plagiarized recipe-gate? The world awaits...

But remember, you heard this unsubstantiated rumor here, at Politirazzi, first!
— Dan

(eBay.com)

Seriously? Yes, seriously.

The owner of Scranton's Glider diner where this plate, silverware and half-eaten waffle were nicked has requested the auctioning of Obama's breakfast (seriously) be suspended. "His DNA is on the silverware"??? But before then, it was going for $10,100 with 31 bids.

As far as we can tell, this is legitimate. Disturbing, but legitimate.

Thanks, Meg.

By Emily

Political analysts and junkies alike know how the numbers look as Hillary and Barack duke it out today in Pennsylvania. A summary by Newsday's Glenn Thrush:

Delegates
Obama: 1,450
Clinton: 1,251

Popular vote
Obama: 13,689,293
Clinton: 12,861,985

Cash on hand for the primary
Obama: $42 million
Clinton: $93. million

Debt
Obama: $663,000
Clinton: $10.3 million

Barack's looking pretty good. But what happens after today's primary depends on the margin by which Hillary will win (as polls show she should). The best quote I've read this morning is from CNN's Bill Schneider:

"If Clinton wins by single digits, we're in a political twilight zone. Nothing changes."

I predict this is will be the case. Cue creepy music as we make our way to the Indiana, North Carolina contests. June and Puerto Rico can't seem to arrive soon enough.

I'm not a Christian, but I wonder, is this What Jesus Would Do?

South Carolina church displays Obama, Osama sign

— Dan

Everyone remembers the story of Pandora's Box, right? Obama started out talking about the politics of hope but the cynic in me kept wondering when all the nasty stuff would start to flying around?

Gee, I guess the answer would be: Pennsylvania in April.

While Clinton's been taking a shot of whiskey, pandering to the crowd, Obama's been busy taking a few shots at Clinton.

My prediction: Clinton wins Pennsylvania by 4-6 percentage points.

The reason: Candidates who live in glass houses shouldn't go bowling.
— Lynne

Hopefully, Jeff and others' curiosity will be satisfied by with following excerpts from the candidates' WWE appearance (or messages tape for the show), via the Associated Press:

Sen. Hillary Clinton
"This election is starting to feel a lot like King of the Ring," she says. "The only difference? The last man standing may just be a woman."

Sen. Barack Obama, channeling The Rock
"Do you smell what Barack is cooking?"

Sen. John McCain
"Whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on ya?"

Oh dear.
— Emily

Matt, like most of the other Politirazzi and Obama himself, predicts a Clinton win but only a slim margin. (AP)

By Matt

It looks like it’s coming right down to the wire, but I think Hillary Clinton will pull off a victory in Pennsylvania. The margin of victory will be slim, probably within 5 percent if I had to guess. If Clinton does in fact win, I think the story will be about her resiliency and about Barack Obama’s inability to put the final nail in Clinton’s coffin.

Despite the long odds she faces of catching Obama in popular votes, I find it quite interesting that Clinton has maintained such strong polling numbers in Pennsylvania. Particularly if her own polling numbers are to be believed, Pennsylvania voters do not care that Clinton faces a nearly insurmountable delegate deficit. Her comeback victory in what is an important presidential swing state will carry a broader message about the continued vitality and viability of her campaign, even if the delegate numbers remain in her opponent’s favor.

I must confess that as fan of neither of the Democratic nominees, I will enjoy the aftermath of a Clinton victory in Pennsylvania — perhaps renewed calls for meaningful Michigan and Florida primaries, added pressure on superdelegates to commit to one candidate, and almost certainly more mud slinging between the two nominees. As political theater, the spectacle of a primary fight that extends to (and maybe through) the convention will be riveting. If I were a Democrat, I would this thing wrapped up come Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, with a Clinton victory in Pennsylvania, that might not happen for a while.

By Dan

If I weren't already totally gay for Obama (more on gays and Obama in another post), I'd be voting for Ron Paul.



I mean, with CGI like this, what's not to like?

Too bad, I already drank the Kool-Aid.



Who's the real sucker, Gov. Rendell?

Andrew Sullivan says: "Why is it okay to talk about the next generation as "Kool-Aid" drinkers, deluded fools, idiots, suckers ... but fatal to say anything actually sympathetic about the struggling white working classes? The contempt the Clinton campaign has for Obama voters is remarkable. And offensive.

And the winner will be: Hillary, by ten points. Yep, I’m predicting double digit margins, kids. I’m also predicting that the narrative to immediately come out of the Pennsylvania primary will be overwhelmingly of the “She’s Back!” … “It’s a Knockout!” variety. La Clinton’s campaign will be absolutely sure to revive that very unfortunate Rocky comparison during her celebratory speech, especially if she wins Philadelphia (though I think Philly will shower her brotherly love on Barack).

The narrative in the days to come will shift, however, as the media once again comes to its senses and realizes that Hillary’s win doesn’t actually net any further gains. Still behind in electoral votes. Still behind in the popular vote. Still less states won than Obama. When that reality sinks in, we’ll all be subjected to that ever-reliable “The Dems are destroying the party!”…“You’re killing your poor father!” narrative that we’ve all come to know and tune out.

And we’re on to the next one …
— Meg