The Blue State

DNC already joining forces with Obama

Compared to the Republican National Committee's effort to help Clinton in North Carolina, over on the Democratic side the DNC has already made an arrangement with the Obama campaign to unveil a massive 50-state voter registration drive.

Time Magazine has more on the Obama-DNC merger:

The fact that the Obama campaign is moving forward and Clinton isnot at this time reflects certain important realities: Obama’s team ismore confident that he will win the nomination than is Clinton’s — andObama’s campaign has the necessity and luxury of thinking about andplanning for the general election to come.

As part of that preparation, the campaign is thinking about how todivide up roles and responsibilities between the campaign’s Chicagoheadquarters and the DNC in Washington.

The DNC has stood out during this election cycle as the one majorparty entity that has not been raising money like gangbusters, andofficials in both camps hope the joint agreement can allow the DNC totap into Obama’s extraordinary leverage and popularity with donors,particularly after he secures the nomination — assuming he does.

The committee formed under the agreement is still in search of a final name.

Great news!  As the party establishment spends more of its resources forming such a committee, the DNC then becomes more path-dependent on Obama becoming the Democratic nominee.

Blue Nightowl Clips

As we post each night, here are some of the top political clips making their rounds on the blogs this hour:

1. Obama addresses UFCW in Chicago.
2. Latest White House press briefing.
3. McCain on Wright.

More Clips tomorrow.

Clinton is reckless when it comes to Iran

This quote from Hillary Clinton earlier this week was overlooked:

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attackIran (if it attacks Israel)," Clinton said in an interview on ABC's"Good Morning America."

"In the next 10 years, during whichthey might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we wouldbe able to totally obliterate them," she said.

"That's aterrible thing to say but those people who run Iran need to understandthat because that perhaps will deter them from doing something thatwould be reckless, foolish and tragic," Clinton said.

Reckless, irresponsible, naive, undiplomatic and absolutely reactionary.  Might as well call her Hillary Cheney.  She is unfit to ever be commander-in-chief.

Blue Radar

As we post each morning, here are the political buzz stories headlining the newspapers and blogs before you head to work today:

• ENVIRONMENT A number of scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency believe they have been put under political pressure by the Republican Party.  "The Union of Concerned Scientists said more than half of the nearly1,600 EPA staff scientists who responded online to a detailedquestionnaire reported they had experienced incidents of politicalinterference in their work," as headlined on Raw Story last night.
• FOREIGN POLICY According to Reuters, "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Turkey that Israel waswilling to give back Syria's Golan Heights in return for peace with theArab state, a Syrian cabinet minister said on Wednesday."
• IRAQ General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, has been promoted to head US Central Command in the Middle East.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL 25% of the vote in Indiana will come out of just two counties, Marion County and Lake County.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL According to political insider Charlie Cook, if Clinton loses both Indiana and North Carolina then her major donors will stop giving.  "This political purgatory will continue if she manages to win Indianabut loses North Carolina—hard to drop out but harder to see winning thenomination," Crook wrote in his latest column. "If she loses in both states, then her campaign’s donors andcreditors, as well as superdelegates and party leaders, are likely tointervene."
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL When asked by Time whether he wants the Democratic presidential primary election to drag on as long as possible, McCain took the independent route and refused to comment.  "There are arguments on both sides about whether this is good for mycampaign or bad for my campaign," McCain continued. "I have no positionon it."
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL Hillary Clinton's campaign is reporting a surge in donations over the last 24 hours.  Between Tuesday win and 6 PM ET last night, she raised $8.3 million.
• 2008 ELECTION/PRESIDENTIAL North Carolina Democrats (Survey USA): Obama - 50%, Clinton - 41%.

More posts today.

Blue Nightowl Clips

Here are some of the top political clips making their rounds on the blogs at this hour:

1. FOX turns McAuliffe into network promo.
2. Clinton campaign conference call.

More clips tomorrow.

This race should end in two weeks

If Democratic leaders were smart and understood the damage that Hillary Clinton's candidacy is inflicting among Democratic voters, they would hype up the May 6th contests in North Carolina and Indiana as a do-or-die event for her.  This thing needs to end fast.  According to NBC exit polling data, Hillary Clinton's candidacy is hurting her own party:

One-quarter of Clinton voters would back Mr. McCain while 19 percentsaid they would stay home in November entirely." Of Obama supporters,"67 percent said they would support Mrs. Clinton if she earns the partynod, 17 percent would back the Republican senator and 12 percent wouldnot vote."

This number is up significantly from Ohio, when more voters were open to supporting the other candidate.  In other words, the Democrats would be smart to end this thing fast.  They have two options for May 6th:

• The more drastic option includes encouraging super delegates to support whoever wins more delegates on May 6th.
• Or, the party hierarchy could say that if someone sweeps the May 6th contests then that candidate gets the super delegate support.

I'd go with the second option because it is more practical.  If Obama wins both Indiana and North Carolina, Dean, Pelosi and Reid need to convince super delegates to make up their mind one way or another.

Blue Nightowl Clips

Here are some of the top political clips making their rounds on the blogs this hour:

1. Barack Obama post-election speech.  His candidacy helped register a record number of PA voters, which will help the Democratic nominee in November.
2. Chuck Todd: Impossible for Obama to lose his lead.
3. Hillary Clinton victory speech.
4. Lanny Davis: Dean should resign.

More clips tomorrow.

Election Thread

I will be at work during the time when all the results come in.  But I will give updates during my breaks.

So, as tonight unfolds, feel free to discuss the effect that this contest will have on Indiana and North Carolina, and whether this likely victory for Clinton will give her a bounce.  Did she exceed expectations?  Does she mathematically have a chance?

It's about Indiana, not Pennsylvania

On the morning of what pundits are hyping up to be the all important Pennsylvania primary, the real test will come on May 6th.  While Hillary has every right to be in the race at this point, her argument for staying in will be greatly diminished if she loses both North Carolina and Indiana.  The two states vote on that same May 6th night.  North Carolina is poised to go for Obama.  The question is who will win Indiana.  Polls show that the race there is incredibly close there, with the slight edge favoring Obama.

It is likely that if Obama wins both May 6th contests, there will be a wave of super delegates going his way starting the morning after.

Obama's last PA ad

For all you undecideds out there -- it takes judgment to be president: