Doug-at-large

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/as_obese_population_rises_more

doug

There was action. And there was really good issues content as well!

Obama made the first get-down-dirty attack with his “Walmart director” remark aimed at Hillary. He seemed taken aback that Hillary dared strike back about his legal work for a slumlord back in Illinois. Obama looked like he was caught in the headlights stammering that it was only about 5 hours of work.

Obama sounded completely weird trying to explain his vote against a ceiling on credit card interest rates. Even Edwards was incredulous asking, “you mean you were against any ceiling at all because you thought the proposed ceiling was too high?”

But the greatest part was when they got to the real issues. Hillary’s best moment was talking about what she cares most about - finally achieving universal health care. I hope they make that into a TV ad for the final days leading up to the next batch of primaries.

Also, Hillary was fantastic when pointing out how during the 1990s, under the you-know-who administration, African-Americans saw a rise in income, while under the last 8 years they suffered a decrease. Knowing how to actually achieve progress and affect change really does matter!

I don’t know if it will make a difference in the South Carolina primary, where racial politics seems to be very strong, but I am very very confident going forward into February 5th.

doug

On Obama’s home page it says: “We came from over twenty-five points behind to win more national convention delegates than Hillary Clinton …”

But all that were elected were state delegates, not national delegates.

Besides that, the statement completely ignored the fact that Hillary Clinton won a majority of the Nevada caucus vote, beating Obama by 6%!

I thought the Obama campaign was supposed to be “different”, and more honest. Riight.

doug

I was very disheartened by the fact that Senator Obama did not denounced the outrageous attack ads on the part of unions in Nevada, which tried to vilify Hillary Clinton with out-and-out lies.

Obama was supposed to be different. But instead of standing on principle and denouncing the ads and demanding they be stopped, he acted just like any other politician who does whatever it takes to win a campaign.

Yet despite the tactics of his supporters - the ads, the intimidation of Hillary supporters among the Culinary union works - he lost and Hillary won a majority of the Nevada caucus votes!

I think Nevada was a must-win for Obama, and he lost.

doug

Clinton Shines In Vegas
By John Fout
TheStreet.com Political Correspondent
1/16/2008 7:06 AM EST
URL: http://www.thestreet.com/markets/marketfeatures/10398900.html

After a slow start bogged down by a show of unity that bordered on blather, the Democratic debate in Las Vegas managed to reveal important character traits. We learned that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D., NY) wants to be the hands-on CEO, Sen. Barack Obama (D., Ill.) prefers being an inspirational leader, and John Edwards likes the role of the fierce fighter.

When the debate turned to policy, the three Democrats agreed on most issues. But deciding who won the debate came down to critical differences to answers on three big issues: the economy, energy policy and foreign policy. On these issues Clinton asserted her knowledge on policy issues and dominated Edwards and Obama.
Economy: The Devilish Details

Edwards constantly argues he wants to fight special interests on behalf of the middle class and the poor. He certainly came through on this as a litigator when he could earn big money for himself and his client.
But his Senate record shows he voted twice for a precursor of the 2005 bankruptcy bill. He voted for it in 2001, when a version died because of a pocket veto of President Bill Clinton, and again voted in favor of it in 2002 with Bush in office.
Edwards admits: “I made a mistake in voting for the [original] bill.” That’s nice. But the bankruptcy bill favored credit card companies over the interests of Edwards’ constituents — the lower- and middle-class. If Edwards couldn’t stand up in Congress, what would he do as President?
Unlike Edwards, Obama opposed the bankruptcy bill. Obama understands the difficulty it places on middle class Americans he hears from on the campaign trail — real people losing jobs and homes — and knows something must be done. However, Obama faces difficulty trying to relate his remedies.
Indeed, Obama said Wednesday night that he needs to surround himself with excellent staffers and that he tells his staff: “Only hand me paper when I need it or I will lose it.”
Clinton has no problem delving into her policies. Not only does she understand the problems behind the economy, she also feels comfortable explaining her entire solution and providing detail on her plan to stimulate the economy. For example, she argued that her plan to freeze interest rates on subprime loans actually works in concert with the Federal Reserves policy to lower rates. This level of detail stood out.
Inconsistent Nuclear Stances

The Democrats all offer innovative energy plans that favor alternative energies over fossil fuels. Tuesday’s energy discussion stood out because it focused on an issue near and dear to many in Nevada — the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
Clearly, Nevadans need to know where a candidate stands on nuclear power and nuclear waste. The words they heard from both Edwards and Obama can’t have soothed them, which could have an effect on the outcome of Thursday’s caucus, as Clinton’s record seems far more consistent than either of the men.
Edwards voted twice to authorize Yucca Mountain as a nuclear repository while in the Senate. He has changed his tune since, and in his campaign incarnation, he now opposes both nuclear power and any unsafe nuclear storage.
Obama also faces some questions on consistency. He has disavowed lobbyist money in this campaign, but as I chronicled his vote for the 2005 Energy Bill, it showed his role in a legislative effort that capped years of work by lobbyists and Vice President Dick Cheney.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Obama has received significant funds from Exelon (EXC) . Exelon is based in Obama’s home state and has pushed hard for new subsidies for nuclear power plants. They got their wish in the 2005 Energy Bill with 29 new plants planned. Companies like Exelon would require the Yucca Mountain repository to dispose of waste.
Clinton said she has consistently opposed Yucca Mountain in Congress, though she remains open to the possibility of nuclear power in the future. Furthermore, her Senate sub-committee held hearings on Yucca Mountain and presented information on its many dangers.
Foreign Policy Matters

Obama clearly enjoys the high ground on foreign policy. He deserves credit for being the only one of the three candidates who clearly opposed the war in 2002 before it began. It was a great judgment call on Iraq. My concern about him stems from his failure to follow up with leadership and continue his opposition.
Obama’s capable judgment may lead to other good calls, including his interesting views on such topics as meeting with petty dictators in this campaign. The fresh idea has inspired some.
But he and Edwards both lose sight, to a similar degree, at times of something important to the American people. One must be ready to handle crisis and be willing to protect our country from threats. Clinton grasps this importance best amongst Democrats. Lofty ideas on diplomacy have to be seconded by strong measures of preparedness.
A few other moments shined in the debate.
Edwards offered an impassioned speech on veterans, describing their difficult conditions and possible solutions to their problem, such as guaranteed funding for the Veterans Administration. Obama shone when he shared his history of being raised by a single mother and opined on what African American fathers must do to better their families.
But Clinton scored the most memorable quote: “President Bush is over in the Gulf now, begging the Saudis and others to drop the price of oil. How pathetic! We should have an energy policy right now.”
This combination of forcefulness coupled with her knowledge on issues made for a convincing performance in Vegas.

What we do in Japan at the new year!

doug

From the NY Times:

Among those coming to Mrs. Clinton’s defense on Sunday was Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, who appeared at a rally with her in Columbia, S.C. He said Mrs. Clinton did not mean to take any credit away from Dr. King, who, he said, had led a “moral crusade” that ultimately had to be “written in to law.”

“That is the way the legislative process works in this nation and that takes political leadership,” he said. “That’s all Hillary was saying.”

Mr. Johnson then veered into a new line of attack on Mr. Obama, in which he appeared at first to raise the specter of the candidate’s drug use as a young man, a matter that Mr. Obama has written and spoken about candidly.

“To me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood — and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book — when they have been involved.”

Here are the latest CNN polls, which show McCain and Clinton as the front-runners.

I hope it ends up that way. Even though I disagree with most of McCain’s positions on issues, I think he is an honorable man. I would hope that in a Clinton vs McCain race that we can see some dignified debates on issues, without both candidates demonizing each other.

—

Now McCain and Clinton are considered the front-runners…

—–

Poll: New Hampshire win rockets McCain to front-runner status
• Story Highlights
• Republican John McCain jumps 21 points from last poll, now at 34 percent
• Mike Huckabee, winner of Iowa GOP caucuses, in second with 21 percent
• Rudy Giuliani, former Republican front-runner, now in third with 18 percent
• Hillary Clinton up 9 points from previous poll, now at 49 percent
By Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director
WASHINGTON (CNN) — John McCain’s victory in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary appears to be paying off.

The senator from Arizona is the front-runner in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the first national poll taken after the New Hampshire primary.

McCain has the support of 34 percent of registered Republicans in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey out Friday. That’s a 21-point jump from the last CNN/Opinion Research poll, taken in December, well before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary earlier this month.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa Republican caucuses, is in second place in the new survey, with 21 percent of those registered Republicans polled supporting him for the GOP nomination. Check out the poll »

Rudy Giuliani follows with 18 percent, a drop of six points from the December poll, when the former New York City mayor was the front-runner.

“Only McCain gained support among Republicans nationally. McCain’s now the clear Republican front-runner,” said Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is in fourth place, with the backing of 14 percent of registered Republicans, with former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee at 6 percent, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas at 5 percent, and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California at 1 percent.

These results have a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

“Giuliani has lost the ‘inevitability factor.’ Back in October, half of all Republicans nationwide said that he was most likely to win the nomination. Now that is down to 15 percent. McCain is now seen as the most likely GOP nominee — 45 percent feel that way about him, up from 13 percent in October,” said CNN polling director Keating Holland.

Early victories appear to have boosted Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the Democratic nomination battle, with Clinton the choice of nearly half of registered Democrats nationwide.

Clinton is at 49 percent in the new poll, up nine points from the December survey, with Obama at 36 percent, which is a six-point gain from his December standing.

Obama finished first in Iowa’s Democratic caucuses. Clinton won in New Hampshire.

“Clinton has re-established herself as the Democratic front-runner, especially among Democratic women,” Schneider said.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina is a distant third, at 12 percent, with Rep. Dennis Kucinich at 1 percent. The sampling error for the Democratic results is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

More than half of registered Democrats polled consider Clinton most likely to win the Democratic nomination.

“Clinton is also seen by Democrats nationwide as more likely to have a clear plan for the economy, Iraq and health care. A potential Clinton victory also generates more enthusiasm among Democrats than the prospects of Obama winning the party’s nod,” Holland said.

There’s also another front-runner, and that’s the economy.

Thirty-five percent of registered voters polled said the economy is the most important issue when it comes to their vote for president. That’s up 6 points from December. Sixty-one percent of those questioned said the economy is in a recession, up 4 points from December and up 15 points since October.

Iraq is in second place as the most important issue, at 25 percent, followed by health care, immigration and terrorism.

The poll was conducted by telephone on January 9 and 10. One-thousand-thirty-three adult Americans were questioned, including 840 registered voters, 443 registered Democrats and 397 registered Republicans. The sampling error for the entire survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Absolutely fantastic. I feel like reality has reasserted itself into the campaign.

I love Hillary’s line about young people coming out and voting with both their hearts AND their minds!

And so much for polls!

doug

A great clip from the Democratic debate in New Hampshire today:

doug