The Democratic Issue

Since its been down to Obama and Clinton for the democratic nomination we've seen some pretty fresh tactics from both candidates. Clinton's waving her experience flag, and Obama's promising the word change in nearly every other sentence. What I don't believe that people are seeing is the potential damage this quarelling can cause the Democratic party. In a recent article that I came across I read that 16% of Clinton supporters will not vote in the general election of Obama is the nominee. That number is also pretty similar to that of Obama supporters who wouldn't vote for Clinton. The more I think about the numbers the more it becomes clear, democrats need a candidate that will unite all the people. If Hilary is so dedicated to the Democratic party then maybe she should to the right thing and step off the stage and let Obama try to unite all the democrats.

The fact of the matter is its almost impossible for her to win anyways, and the attacking tactics aren't good for politics. If the democrats are going to win back the White House they have to be united. We can't have the party divided causing people to disenfranchise themselves because they don't like certain things about a candidate. History shows us that in past elections candidates who press all the way to the convention cause less people of that party to vote, and democrats can't afford that.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/27/dem.turnout.poll/index.html?iref=newssearch

Clinton/Obama Ticket '08 - Get Real

What does Bob say? "I doubt it!"

That's how I feel about this topic, suggested by PA Gov. Rendell in this NY Times article: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/rendell-likes-idea-of-clinton-obama-ticket/

Considering the amount of negative campaigning done, I don't think that either candidate would want to take the back seat to either. Not that this is as much of an issue on the Obama side (if he were to win it would be a bit of a historical landmark and step forward for African Americans), but I highly doubt that the female supporters of Clinton who are supporting her with that reason in high regard would ever want to take the back seat... to a man, and a black man. Those bring forth some undertones of social implications they simply would not accept. Most sources I have tried to research briefly have turned out to say that there is no correlation between black supporters and Obama, either.

Now as far as what Clinton and Obama have to say, this article seems to outline it a bit:
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/clinton.obama.ticket.2.669799.html

This was March 5, but the fact likely remains. Clinton seems to say all along that she is the better candidate and now that she thinks she can be back on top, she offers a VP slot to Obama. This is laughable to Obama, however (from the above article): "The bottom line is, we've won twice as many states, we won a greater share of the popular vote and what's most important, we've won far more Independents and Republicans than Sen. Clinton has."

Just a month before this article, Wolf Blitzer ran the possibility of an Obama-Clinton ticket (and vice versa) cited in this article. This article made it seem quite conceivable, with a few gray areas which would need clearing, obviously. But, with Clinton's recent bitter attitude towards Obama, Obama's resent for her actions, and the now seeming divine quest Ms. Clinton has taken (as people have told her to call off her campaign) there is just too much bad blood and the stakes are too high for this to realistically happen. Additionally, there is just too much support from Hillary supporters in general for her to simply drop out. I found this on Hillary's campaign site blog, and however hopeful and not based on sound rationale and logic some of these assertions are, it just shows how much support there is for Hillary, dismay for Obama, and the willingness to hold out until the bitter end.

No, at this point, unless something magical happens between them (unlikely), Obama and Clinton won't be seen on the same ticket for Presidency and Vice Presidency.

Barack gets Senator's Support in Pennsylvania

As the April 22, 2008 Pennsylvania primary closes in, Senator Bob Casey announces his support for Presidential hopeful Barrack Obama. Senator Casey announced his endorsement at a Pittsburg convention on Friday March, 28. Obama accepted the endorsement with open arms. This endorsement will help Obama among the Catholic voters of Pennsylvania as Senator Casey is the son of former Catholic Governor, Bob Casey Sr. This is a big endorsement for Barrack because in most other contests, the Catholic vote has previously gone to Senator Hillary Clinton. Although Clinton holds a two-digit lead in recent polls in the state of Pennsylvania, we all are hoping that Obama will defeat this horrible woman and lead this country forwards, not backwards. GOOD LUCK BARACK OBAMA!http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/28/campaign.wrap/index.html

Hillary at it Again

It seems that Hillary again is having trouble remembering what has happened to her in the past. Last week Clinton spoke in what appeared to be prepared remarks regarding her 1996 trip to Bosnia. Expecting a welcoming ceremony at the airstrip, Clinton said that, "I remember landing under sniper fire. . . we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." This doesn't quite match up with what she said in her book, where she wrote, "Due to reports of snipers in the hills around the airstrip, we were forced to cut short an event on the tarmac with local children. . ." In the end even this doesn't quite seem to match up with the actual CBS news video that followed her off of the helicopter and down the tarmac. This is what actually happened. I would be mean to her for lying, but CBS's Cheryl Atkinson does a much better job of it (she was there as well). She claims she simply misspoke. This may be true, and for the sake of argument I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. That being said, who wants a commander in chief that gets "possible sniper threat" which is universal among high ranking politicians, mixed up with "shot at by snipers" which would qualify as an open act of hostility. Oh, and by the look on Chelsea's face, she seems as equally concerned about the snipers as her mom.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/118240

Political Parties, Elections and Interest Groups: Hillary Clinton Revives Campaign?

Hillary Clinton Revives Campaign?

Hillary Clinton threw up a road block to Barack Obama’s path to the Democratic Party nomination by winning Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island Primaries. Although Clinton has been granted a chance, she is still considered unlikely to reach the nomination. Hillary and her followers, however, beg a differ and recently released a memo titled “The Path to the Presidency.” In the memo it goes on rambling about how Hillary should run against John McCain; “Hillary is seen as the one who can get the job done" it doesn’t however explain how she will actually be able to do it. The idea of Hillary and her campaign allegedly releasing memos and articles explaining the audacity of her winning the democratic nomination with a 144 delegate deficit is repulsive. Clintons win in Ohio reduced the total by only nine, meaning she would need 15 more Ohio’s to pull even with Obama. Hillary and her Campaign better focus on the task at hand, instead of celebrating with the sensation that these wins will bring her to a win. "Clinton's negatives are so high and Obama's positives are so high, especially on the question 'Who will unite or divide the country?" Said Steffen Schmidt of Iowa State University, he gives Clinton a 29.9% chance of pulling it off. Political strategist Joe Trippi, John Edwards' former top aide, gives Clinton less than a 50% chance of winning. "The likeliest scenario is for Obama to continue to rack up more delegates than she does," he said. It will be a long road ahead for Hillary Clinton and many would agree but considering she is a Clinton and many do associate with her and her ideas she may have a chance but a slight one at that.