“OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS Tuesday May 13 2008

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

WELCOME TO “OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., plays pool at
Schultzie's bar in South Charleston, W.Va., Monday, May 12, 2008.AP Photo/Jae C.Hong)

Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment (or more) to graciously participate
by posting news and announcements about the Obama campaign on this thread. You can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web. :think:

2. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU,
providing a link to the original thread :applause:

3. Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page :thumbsup:

4. Clinton supporters or “anti Obama posters please start your own “Clinton Daily News Thread”.

Get your DU-o-matic codificator (to format your posts) here
Read the Daily News Archives here

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. Home of the Hillarybillies (Must See Video)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x131196

[stratomagi]

10. Disgusting

"Not even in my mind i don't, i don't like the Hussein thing, i've had enough of Hussein."

"I guess because he is another race; I'm sort of scared of the other race cuz we have so much conflict with'em."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. Dolly Strazar, Muhammad Ali, and the next Vice President of the United States

grantcart
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5940541

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Clinton-backing Oregon gov. attends McCain campaign event

Dem gov puts wind in McCain sails

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3306446

and

Clinton-backing Oregon gov. attends McCain campaign event

Mon May 12, Jed Report

This is weird: today, Oregon's Democratic governor Ted Kulongoski stood by John McCain's side at a campaign event designed to distance McCain from George Bush's failed energy policy.
...Why would a Democratic governor (and superdelegate) stand by McCain's side for such an important campaign event?

Making things more curious, it turns out Kulongoski is a Hillary Clinton supporter and as he stood beside McCain, Bill Clinton was on the trail in Astoria, Oregon, 90 miles away, also taking about energy policy.

So instead of going on the stump with a former President to support a Democratic candidate, Kulongoski decided to lend his credibility to John McCain's campaign.

Strange.

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. Scylla and Charibdis

((((((((((((((((( The RBC Update: Scylla and Charibdis )))))))))))))))))

2008.05.12 16:59:08


------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fareed Zakaria thinks John McCain is too crazy to be President.
George Will worries that he's not crazy enough.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://WWW.samefacts.com/archives/campaign_2008_/2008/05/scylla_and_charibdis.php

[Aloha Spirit]

7. thank you! I like reading Zakaria, I just assume he's always right.

No critical thinking effort involved.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. McCain Meddlers and West Virginia

McCain Meddlers and West Virginia

Mon May 12 Jed Report

The outcome of tomorrow's vote in West Virginia is not in doubt,
and neither is the impact it will have on the nomination process,
which will be commensurate with its 0.9% share of pledged delegates.

So to make things interesting, the number I'll watch is percentage of each
candidate's voters who say they plan to vote for John McCain in November regardless of who wins the nomination.

This assumes that the exit poll will have the same questions as it did in Indiana
and North Carolina, where voters were specifically asked who they planned to
vote for in November, regardless of how they voted during the primary.

The fact that West Virginia is a semi-closed primary (Democrats and unaffiliated voters
can participate, but not Republicans) is largely irrelevant --
just under 70% of West Virginia voters are eligible to vote.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. The Field: West Virginia Prediction: +12 delegates for Clinton

West Virginia Prediction: +12 delegates for Clinton
By Al Giordano



Until the 1990 census results came in, West Virginia had four Congressional Districts (earlier in the 20th Century it had six). Now it’s down to three (and another census looms in 2010).

As the overall population of the United States continues to grow, West Virginia is one of the states that has lost more of its young people than most, making it the state with the fifth most elderly population, per capita, in the country.

The West Virginia natives most likely to support Senator Obama for president did so from the states, like Virginia and North Carolina, where they live and work today.

The flight of young people from the state will have more to do with tomorrow’s results than any other factor.

...more at the link
http://ruralvotes.com/thefield/?p=1186

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. New Poll Shows Blue Skies For Obama

New Poll Shows Blue Skies For Obama

Monday, May 12, 2008 The Personal IS Political

The first big ABC News/Washington Post poll out since Obama became the "presumptive nominee" (according to the media, to those math-inclined this point actually came a long time ago) shows that Obama doesn't have much to worry about, contrary to Hillary's bullshit spin.

The poll shows Obama easily beating McCain nationally in a general matchup, by 7%. Hillary only narrowly edges McCain by 3% (and as usual, it should be noted that this does not account for increased Hillary Effect turnout by the Republicans. Also the national numbers only represent the popular vote, which artificially inflates Hillary's chances of victory because Democrats always hold down the high population states of NY and California. In reality poll after poll shows Hillary even has big problems holding down blue states like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. She can spin all she wants about swing states, based on faulty logic, but if she can't beat Obama in blue states it doesn't matter if she carried all the traditional "swing" states.

Obama leads Hillary by 12% now, the largest margin ever in this poll. So much for all her talk of the media's hyped up pseudoscandals damaging Obama. It would also be hard for Obama to lead Hillary by 12% nationally if he didn't enjoy the support of a broad cross section of Americans. There is no white problem, there are no demographic problems whatsoever. There has never been any evidence of any problems, despite Hillary's distortions and the media's echoing of them.

more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. Caught! Group pushing Clinton as VP choice tied to her campaign

Gotcha

Group pushing Clinton as VP choice tied to her campaign

By Margaret Talev | McClatchy Newspapers Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008

WASHINGTON — A group called VoteBoth has been leading the charge for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to team up on the Democratic ticket.

But the people behind it come from just one of those camps — Clinton's — and one of their goals may be keeping Clinton's White House prospects alive.

The group's founder, Adam Parkhomenko, until recently worked as an assistant to Patti Solis Doyle, who was Clinton's campaign manager until February. Parkhomenko in 2003 founded the Draft Hillary for President Committee.

VoteBoth's spokesman is Sam Arora. He's a law school student who in recent years worked for Clinton and for former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, Clinton's presidential campaign chairman.

VoteBoth's Facebook page lists three others as administrators, all with Clinton connections.

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. Obama hits McCain for opposing new GI Bill. McCain says GI Bill too generous

Obama hits McCain for opposing new GI Bill. McCain says GI Bill too generous, wants to help troops less.

by John Aravosis (DC) · 5/12/2008

Yes, let's make sure we're not too generous to our troops risking their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. From Democratic nominee Barack Obama today:

There is no reason we shouldn’t pass the 21st Century GI Bill that is being debated in Congress right now. It was introduced by my friend Senator Jim Webb, a Marine who served as Navy Secretary under President Ronald Reagan.. His plan has widespread support from Republicans and Democrats. It would provide every returning veteran with a real chance to afford a college education, and it would not harm retention.

I have great respect for John McCain’s service to this country and I know he loves it dearly and honors those who serve. But he is one of the few Senators of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it’s too generous. I couldn’t disagree more. At a time when the skyrocketing cost of tuition is pricing thousands of Americans out of a college education, we should be doing everything we can to give the men and women who have risked their lives for this country the chance to pursue the American Dream.

...So I did a little more reading on this. And Obama isn't kidding. McCain says the bill gives our troops too much. Seriously. McCain is opposing Senator Webb's proposed GI Bill because it helps our troops too much. So McCain has introduced another bill that gives our troops fewer benefits. Nice.

...Republicans talk about honoring our troops. Democrats actually honor them.

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. Canvassing Report

Canvassing Report

May 12 By: John Cole Balloon Juice

Just finished walking my precinct, going door to door doing the GOTV for the Obama campaign, and I have to tell you, I am impressed with the level of organization. I was given a packet that included google maps, lists of supporters names, addresses, and how they are trending (strong supporter, undecided, etc.), literature to hand to people with the address of the precinct polling place and time the polls open, and literature to place on the door knob should they not be home.

I fully expect Hillary to win tomorrow, but I don’t think we are going to see a 40 point or whatever margin. At least I hope not. I can tell you this, however- Barack’s support here may not be as broad as Hillary’s, but it is deep. The people I spoke to were all folks like me- crawl-over-glass voters. They would, to a person, crawl over glass to pull the lever for Obama tomorrow. No one needed to be told when the polls were opening tomorrow, they knew. No one needed to be told where to go, they knew where they had to be tomorrow to vote.

I don’t know if this is simply a result of my lists being highly refined after weeks months of phone-banking, and I don’t know if there is a similar such level of organization or commitment on the Clinton side, but I can tell you that the people I visited were extremely motivated. On several occasions (three, to be exact), people were fielding phone calls from the Obama campaign while I was at the door. Additionally, I have personally received multiple calls from the Obama, yet have not received so much as a mailer from Clinton. As I am a newly registered Democrat with accurate phone and address on my registration, I thought at the very least the Clinton campaign would call or mail something.

In fact, I was thinking that the Obama folks I saw were so motivated, that bad weather tomorrow could really work in our favor. As Hillary’s only remaining weak argument is the popular vote, poor turn-out due to weather could really help Obama. His committed voters are going to show up regardless. Will hers?

Also, my feet hurt.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

13. Report: Obama's Charleston WVa Event

Report: Obama's Charleston Event

by: PDAWV at WVa Blue Mon May 12, 2008

West Virginia Blue was on the ground this morning and early afternoon at the Obama event in Charleston. Thanks to some last-minute wrangling by Clem, we scored a press pass to the event.

I would estimate between 1000 and 1200 people attended the event, plus press and staff/volunteers. The seemed to be less "organization" shirts than at the Clinton rally last week. Signs were prohibited and there was no music playing while we waited as there was at the HRC event. The crowd seemed easier to stir with several chants going on before the events start that were successfully carried across the crowd.

State Sen. Jon Blair Hunter (chairman of WV Veterans for Obama) lead the crowd in reciting the pledge of allegiance before introducing Sen. Jay and Sharon Rockefeller.

Sen. Rockefeller (D-AT&T) seemed to be sending a subtle hint to HRC when he stated that Obama "doesn't hold grudges." He claimed "Barack Obama is sick of Washington politics and so am I." Jay declared Obama "a gift to American political history" and a "profoundly devout Christian who loves America," before introducing Obama to chants of "Yes we can," from the crowd.

...Obama offered respect for John McCain's military service, before criticizing him for not supporting the current G.I. Bill offered by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA). He called Webb "my friend" and said McCain opposed the bill "because it is too generous."

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. West Virginia Primary

hillary wins, originally uploaded by ddonar.

Who knows, maybe West Virginians will surprise us

Click here to find your polling place

West Virginia primary - what you need to know:

Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
If you are in line when the polls close at 7:30 p.m.,
you have the right to vote.

First-time voters who registered by mail should bring a valid and current photo ID,
current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck,
or a government document that shows the name and address of the voter.

The primary is open to Democrats and Independents.
Independents need to request a Democratic ballot to vote in the Democratic primary.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. Big HOPE

Hope Billboard5

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. And they say Democrats are divided?

And they say Democrats are divided?

Cliff Schecter. May 12th, 2008 by Paddy

Whoo dogs, we’re having a stress day here at the Carnival, but it seems the Republicans aren’t doing much better. Add in Bob Barr refusing not to run as a Libertatian and you have an even worse year coming up for the R’s. Bummer.

McCain Will Face Rebellion at GOP Convention

Quietly and “largely under the radar of most people,” allies of of Rep. Ron Paul “have been organizing across the country to stage an embarrassing public revolt against Sen. John McCain when Republicans gather for their national convention in Minnesota at the beginning of September,” according to the Los Angeles Times.”They hope to demonstrate their disagreements with McCain vocally at the convention through platform fights and an attempt to get Paul a prominent speaking slot. Paul, who’s running unopposed in his home Texas district for an 11th House term, still has some $5 million in war funds and has instructed his followers that their struggle is not about a single election, but a long-term revolution for control of the Republican Party.”

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

17. Kentucky’s lieutenant governor endorses Obama

Kentucky’s lieutenant governor endorses Obama

Cliff Schecter May 12th, 2008 by Paddy

Not a super, but close. Every bit helps.

Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo is backing U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Kentucky’s May 20 Democratic primary, the Obama campaign announced on Sunday.

While Mongiardo is not a superdelegate, he is the second key adviser to Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear to announce his support for Obama. Beshear is a superdelegate, but has not yet announced who he favors. Beshear’s chief of staff, Jim Cauley, ran Obama’s successful 2004 run for U.S. Senate in Illinois.

Mongiardo is a former state senator from Hazard, and his endosement could help Obama in a state where he is not expected to do well against Hillary Clinton.

[TexasObserver]

18. thank God West Virginia will be a memory in 24 hours

[grantcart]

19. Intrade: Clinton shares collapse – Democrats favored to pick up 5 Rep Senate Seats

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5944932&mesg_id=5944932

[grantcart]

20. **********Breaking News****** Clinton loses first Pledged Delegate

In a major and stunning development Hillary Clinton will wake up Tuesday to the news that she has not only lost super delegates but she is losing pleged delegates - those delegates that were chosen by the campaign to go down with the ship.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202554.html?referrer=digg

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, a Democratic convention delegate pledged to support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, said yesterday that he thinks Sen. Barack Obama has "in a real sense" won the Democratic nomination and that he now plans to support Obama at the August convention.

Johnson, who endorsed Clinton nine days before Maryland's February primary, said he will urge Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who co-chair Clinton's Maryland campaign, to bring all of her delegates to Obama's camp for the sake of party unity.

"I cannot in good conscience go to the convention and not support Barack," Johnson said in an interview. "She ran a great campaign, but she fell short of the line."


"The freedom to change your mind or change your vote does exist," Paulson said. "They're not like superdelegates, but they do have this flexibility."

Obama swamped Clinton in Maryland, capturing 61 percent of the vote statewide and 79 percent of the vote in Prince George's County. Given the results in Maryland and elsewhere, Johnson said, the Maryland party would be unenthusiastic about the November election if Obama were not the nominee.

A decision by O'Malley or Mikulski to release all of Maryland's Clinton delegates could be the start of a national wave to unify behind Obama, Johnson said.

"If we do that, I think we could shift some other states and bring the race to an end," he said.

[grantcart]

21. Anybody with a thread please post this in GDP

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

29. ***Please recommend thread "Clinton loses first Pledged Delegate" in Breaking News, link below

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3306935&mesg_id=3306935

[Aloha Spirit]

22. Delegate change so far today: Obama +3 Clinton -1

Superdelegates:
Indiana Red Joe Donnelly and Louisiana Add-On Ray Nagin endorse this morning.

http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/la-add-on-ray-nagin-endorses-obama.html

Pledged delegate SWITCHES sides:
Jack Johnson was pledged to Clinton.

"I cannot in good conscience go to the convention and not support Barack," Johnson said in an interview. "She ran a great campaign, but she fell short of the line."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202554.html

[Aloha Spirit]

23. Two more delegates for Obama today: Roy Romer and Anita Bonds. Obama now needs 145 delegates to WIN.

Colorado Governor Roy Romer
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/05/fmr-dnc-chair-r.html

Chair of the DC Democratic Party, Anita Bonds
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/05/breaking_news_another_superdel.html#more

[Aloha Spirit]

24. Congressman Collin Peterson, MN, hints at Obama endorsement this week.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/05/13/peterson_obama/

[Aloha Spirit]

25. Comments from WV 3rd district Rep. Nick Rahall today

He endorse Obama on March 6th.

West Virginia Third District Congressman Nick Rahall says he has no regrets about coming out early in favor of Barack Obama. Many, including Obama, expect a defeat in today's West Virginia Primary.

Rahall says the Illinois senator will be the Democratic Party's nominee. He says his decision, months ago, to pledge his support was the right decision.

"I am looking out for the future of our party and our country," he said Tuesday on MetroNews Talkline. "I have taken the long-range view of this campaign and I do that in the role of a superdelegate, not a pledge delegate."

http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=24747

[Aloha Spirit]

39. It was cute when he referred to McCain as McBush last night, during the WV coverage.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

26. Will Clinton Try to Force a "Dream Team?"

Will Clinton Try to Force a "Dream Team?"
Posted by Jill Hussein C., Brilliant at Breakfast at 5:01 AM on May 12, 2008.

Will Sen. Clinton go quietly from the race, or try to strongarm her way onto the ticket?

I vote for nightmare. After trying mightily to do what she can to make Barack Obama unelectable, from sending black surrogates out to brand him as an ex-drug dealer to telling newspapers that the IMPORTANT people, the WHITE people, will ONLY support HER, Hillary Clinton has not been running the kind of campaign that should be rewarded by giving her the VP nod. And frankly, the so-called "feminists" who are supporting her and threatening to vote for McCain if she isn't nominated ought to be ashamed of themselves, particularly if a President McCain gets to nominate a few more Sammy the Stem Cell Alitos to the Supreme Court and they or their daughters end up back in the coathanger-and-drinking-lye days of reproductive self-determination.

Now it seems she's going to strongarm her way into the #2 spot:

Clinton "is trying to figure out how to land the plane without looking like surrender," a prominent figure in the Obama camp said Friday. This means, in all likelihood, bringing her campaign to a close in the next few weeks and trying to leverage her way onto an Obama ticket from a position of maximum strength, said several knowledgeable sources.

A person close to her, with whom her campaign staff has counseled at various points, said this week, "I think the following will happen: Obama will be in a position where the party declares him the nominee by the first week in June. She'll still be fighting with everybody -- the Rules Committee, the party leaders -- and arguing, 'I'm winning these key states; I've got almost half the delegates. I have a whole constituency he hasn't reached. I've got real differences on approach to how we win this election, and I'm going to press the hell out of this guy. ... Relief for the middle class, universal health care, etc.; I'm Ms. Blue Collar, and I'm going to press my fight, because he can't win without my being on the ticket.' "

...more at the link

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/election08/85097/

Comment:

There's an underlying theme to Sen Clinton's 30+ years of "experience" and to her
campaign: "fighting with everybody".

That is why nothing can get done, why we don't have healthcare today - fighting with everybody
doesn't get things done. It serves the lobbyists though, who have an investment in seeing that
nothing gets done.

[cali]

27. Obama trounces Clinton by 20 pts in new Oregon poll

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121064144749596700

Someone please post this in its own thread.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

28. Hillary's Grotesque Insult to African-Americans

Hillary's Grotesque Insult to African-Americans
By Bob Herbert, The New York Times. Posted May 12, 2008.

It's one thing to lack class, but it's quite another to deliberately try and wreck the presidential prospects of your party's likely nominee.

The Clintons have never understood how to exit the stage gracefully.

Their repertoire has always been deficient in grace and class. So there was Hillary Clinton cold-bloodedly asserting to USA Today that she was the candidate favored by "hard-working Americans, white Americans," and that her opponent, Barack Obama, the black candidate, just can't cut it with that crowd.

"There's a pattern emerging here," said Mrs. Clinton.

There is, indeed. There was a name for it when the Republicans were using that kind of lousy rhetoric to good effect: it was called the Southern strategy, although it was hardly limited to the South. Now the Clintons, in their desperation to find some way -- any way -- back to the White House, have leapt aboard that sorry train.

He can't win! Don't you understand? He's black! He's black!

The Clintons have been trying to embed that gruesomely destructive message in the brains of white voters and superdelegates for the longest time. It's a grotesque insult to African-Americans, who have given so much support to both Bill and Hillary over the years.

...more at the link
http://www.alternet.org/election08/85095/

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

30. Hillary Is McCain's Dream Candidate, Not Obama's

Hillary Is McCain's Dream Candidate, Not Obama's
By Guy T. Saperstein, AlterNet. Posted May 10, 2008.

Before the talk of a Obama/Hillary "dream ticket" goes too far, are we talking about the the Republicans' dream, or everyone else's?

Now that it is apparent to all, except perhaps Hillary Clinton and some of her die-hard supporters, that Barack Obama will be the Democratic presidential nominee, the drumbeat for a "dream" ticket is starting. But before this goes too far, we need to ask, whose "dream" are we talking about? Our Republican opponents' dream or ours?

John McCain is in deep trouble, and not just because of the legacy of George Bush. He is in trouble with much of the Republican base, particularly the Religious Right, who never have trusted him. It is no accident that turnout in nearly all Republican primaries has been low, that McCain's fundraising has been dismal and that in the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, nearly 25 percent of Republican voters voted against him, despite the fact that he clearly will be the Republican nominee.

While McCain was the strongest in a weak field of Republican candidates, his candidacy clearly is not galvanizing conservatives. There is only one candidate who can do that: Hillary Clinton. To the conservative base of the Republican Party, she is the Democratic demon and the candidate the Republicans' want to face. She is Rush Limbaugh's candidate of choice. She is the candidate who the Right would use to raise money and turn out volunteers. She is the only potential Democratic VP who would build Republican enthusiasm and inspire the grassroots Republican campaign.

She also is the candidate who consistently measures the highest "unfavorable" ratings of anyone who ever has run for the presidency. In an ABC News poll, Clinton polls 54 percent unfavorable; perhaps even worse, 58 percent of voters say she is not honest and trustworthy. Both Clintons stand out for the amount of voter antipathy they attract: Thirty-nine percent of voters have a "strongly unfavorable" opinion of Hillary Clinton; only 22 percent have a "strongly favorable" view. Thirty-four percent are strongly negative on Bill Clinton and 51 percent have an "unfavorable" opinion of him. And Hillary's low-road campaign has had an impact: Forty-one percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters describe the tone of the Democratic campaign as "mostly negative," and by nearly a 4 to 1 margin, 52 percent to 14 percent, blame Clinton. Is taking baggage like this into the general election anyone's "dream" but a Republican's?

... more at the link
http://www.alternet.org/election08/84955/

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

31. Photos: Obama returns to Capitol Hill today

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5949157

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

32. WV Republican caucus: 52% Huckabee, 47% Romney, 1% McCain

WV Republican caucus: 52% Huckabee, 47% Romney, 1% McCain

As goes WV, so goes the nation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5941804&mesg_id=5941804


Please kick and recommend the above thread, its a great lesson.

[Aloha Spirit]

33. Counterpunch: comparison between Obama and El Salvador presidential candidate, Mauricio Funes

http://counterpunch.org/kozloff05102008.html

Funes is a former commentator for CNN International and for years had a popular daily show called The Interview with Mauricio Funes which wasbroadcast on national television. Well known amongst his compatriots, he is arguably El Salvador’s most respected journalist. A frequent critic of government abuses, Funes quickly developed a reputation as a political crusader.

As the so-called “Pink Tide” sweeps through South America 2009 is fast sizing up as a momentous political year for El Salvador, a Massachusetts sized nation of some six 6 million people. Like Barack Obama, Funes is poised, youthful and inspiring. He even has a similar campaign slogan: “Cambio” or “Change.” Like the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, Funes is already drawing large crowds. He is currently leading in public opinion surveys against his main political rivals.

[JPZenger]

34. Great Pro-Obama Cartoon

[Scurrilous]

35. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Aloha Spirit]

36. Stock market prediction for Obama presidency: Defense market will take a hit.

NEW YORK (Dow Jones) -- Goldman Sachs said Tuesday they expect a Barack Obama presidency would cut into earnings for many military contractors by reducing funding for large weapon platforms in favor of increasing soldier recruitment.

"If victorious, we think an Obama administration's policies will result in modest increases in overall defense spending, significant growth in readiness spending and reduced investment spending," Goldman Sachs analyst Richard Safran wrote in a note.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200805131519DOWJONESDJONLINE000672_FORTUNE5.htm

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

37. Clinton expects victory in West Virginia but it won't change Obama's lead

Clinton expects victory in West Virginia but it won't change Obama's lead
May 13, 2008 - 4:09 pm

By: Beth Gorham, THE CANADIAN PRESS

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton was poised for a big win in West Virginia on Tuesday, providing a morale boost but a hollow victory that would likely do little to halt Barack Obama's steady march to the Democratic nomination.

It's one of the few high points left for Clinton, beyond a favourable shot at Kentucky next week, as she plays out the few remaining contests of a topsy-turvey race many once thought was hers for the taking.

The focus now is on why she's staying - and how she'll make her exit - after more than four months of voting in 45 states. Her chances of catching up to Obama's lead in delegates for the party's August convention are considered remote.

...By going the distance, analysts say, she could be bargaining for the vice-president's job or hoping for help from Obama in eliminating some $20 million in campaign debt.

...more at the link

http://www.660news.com/news/international/article.jsp?content=w0513106A

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

38. Obama: Don't fund independent groups

Obama: Don't fund independent groups
Ben Smith
Senator Barack Obama's campaign is steering the candidate's wealthy supporters away from independent Democratic groups, calling into question what had been expected to be the groups' central role in this year's Democratic offensive against Senator John McCain.

..."From the beginning of this race Obama has told supporters that if they want to help his effort, they should do so through his campaign," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton, who confirmed that Pritzker has told donors not to give to the groups. "And he means exactly what he says."

Most presidential candidates say they don't encourage the outside groups, and donors are accustomed to taking those words with a grain of salt. The candidates' words are typically seen as mere legal defenses against allegations that the campaigns are illicitly coordinating with outside groups.

...Donors and Democratic activists have been quietly debating Obama's motives: Is he simply interested in keeping his Democratic efforts within his campaign, which is so well funded he doesn't need outside help? Or is he, as some believe, cutting off funds to groups whose leaders -- Brock and Podesta -- some Obama aides view as too tightly linked to Clinton?

...more at the link
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080513/pl_politico/10315

***********************************************************************************

Note, Podesta is Bill Clinton's former Chief of Staff, and his group Women's Voices, Women Vote
has created confusion with voters across the country. The group mails voter registration forms to voters just before the primary and AFTER the cut off date to register for that primary. They also use robo calls one with a white woman's voice, the other with fictitious black male Lamont Williams. The white woman's voice says a registration form is on its way in the mail, to complete it and mail it back. Lamon'ts voice says same thing but goes one step further, says that AFTER the form is completed and mailed, THEN the person can vote.

Election officials report that many of these calls and mailers went to registered voters, dead people and even family pets.

Obama's staff learns the laws of each state and complies, and has a very efficient operation.

IOW, I approve of keeping donations to his campaign.