The Blue State

Blue Nightowl Clips

After Obama's great election night, here are some of the top political clips making their rounds on the blogs at this hour:

1. Barack Obama victory speech.
2. FOX News struggles to understand class in America.

More clips tomorrow.

ELECTION NIGHT THREAD

Voters in North Carolina and Indiana have a stake in this race tonight.  Use this thread to weigh in as it unfolds, and comment with other Blue Staters.  Which candidate came out best?  And how long will this race last?

• UPDATE (11:59 PM ET): lol Anderson Cooper just called John King the "Rainman of politics."  Ouch.  Well, that ends this thread, since it is about to expire.  I'll post more updated on another thread.
• UPDATE (11:50 PM ET): Obama could win this.  Gary County is the only one remaining, and the margin is below 20,000 votes.
• UPDATE (11:13 PM ET): In North Carolina, Obama nets about 11 delegates, and in Indiana Hillary nets roughly four.  That means Obama made up what he lost in Pennsylvania.  This race is over.
• UPDATE (10:15 PM ET): It looks like Clinton will hold on.  She is now up by 41,000 votes, after being ahead only 38,000 about 20 minutes ago.  According to an NBC reporter, it is like "schizophrenia" inside the Hillary camp.
• UPDATE (10:07 PM ET): An interesting stat to note as we wait for the results in Indiana.  In South Bend, Obama leads by around 11 points.  That is strange.  It's a heavily populated Catholic area, which should have gone to Clinton.  Even though Notre Dame is there, it still was expected to be in the Clinton category.  And there's more to be counted there.
• UPDATE (9:59 PM ET): The voter ID law in Indiana might have hurt Clinton because, as Time Magazine writes on their web site, some senior citizens don't drive and therefore don't carry around photo ID.  12 nuns were turned away from a polling station in Indiana today.
• UPDATE (9:44 PM ET): It looks like the Obama people are saying they will come up roughly 15,000 to 10,000 votes short of catching Hillary in Indiana.  Either way, a big night for Obama.
• UPDATE (9:35 PM ET): In reaction to Obama's speech, one word: "WOW!"  And in Indiana, it's now 52% to 48%, Hillary slightly in the lead.
• UPDATE (9:31 PM ET): Obama is really going populist in his message.  He is talking about trust in the public, and taking the humble route of admitting that he is an imperfect candidate.
• UPDATE (9:12 PM ET): Obama is speaking!
• UPDATE (9:11 PM ET): Wow!  Hillary spinners are going to have a difficult time with this.
• UPDATE (8:58 PM ET): It's now down to six points in Indiana.  Though he will probably still lose, this is still pretty huge.  It ensures Obama will pick up more pledged delegates tonight, and erase almost all that Clinton gained in Pennsylvania.
• UPDATE (8:39 PM ET): While CBS has called Indiana for Clinton, and although she may indeed come out the winner there, it is getting closer.  Stay tuned.
• Update (8:30 PM ET): Obama is trouncing Hillary in North Carolina.  This is almost as bad for Clinton as the contest in Washington state.  If this keeps up, no matter if Hillary wins Indiana, many delegates are going to jump to Obama's side.

What John and Elizabeth like and dislike about the two candidates

In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, John and Elizabeth Edwards revealed their true feelings about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:

In their first joint interview since John, the Democratic former senatorand 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in January,the couple named what they liked and disliked about each of theremaining Democrats – and Mrs. Edwards didn't hesitate: "I likeHillary's health care plan."

What doesn't she like about the senator from New York and former first lady? "The lobbyist money," she adds.

On Obama, she says: "The fact that he has motivated so many young people to be involved, I think is fantastic."

But, she adds: "I don't like his health care plan or his advertising on health care, which I think is misleading."

Though, the two disagreed over whether it would be more symbolic to have an African-American or woman as president:

But he cited two things he likes about the charismatic young senatorfrom Illinois: "One is, I think he really does want to bring aboutserious change and a different way of doing things. And secondly, Ithink it's a great symbolic thing to have an African-American who couldbe president."

Suddenly, Elizabeth jumped in:

At that, Mrs. Edwards rolled her eyes and, gripping the arms of herkitchen chair with some exaggeration, seemed about to lunge from herseat. "What about the great symbolic thing about a woman ..."

"It's important. It's important," her husband said. "I know it."

The full interview will be out on news stands this Friday.  In summary, the the couple will decline to endorse a candidate this primary season.  Had they stayed in the race all the way, it could have forced a brokered convention.

What the primaries have helped do for democracy

As sick as we are of this protracted contest, there is one huge positive:

Voter excitement, always up before a presidential election, is pushingregistration through the roof so far this year — with more than 3.5million people rushing to join in the historic balloting, according toan Associated Press survey that offers the first national snapshot.

Figures are up for blacks, women and young people. Rural and city. South and North.

Overall, the AP found that nearly one in 65 adult Americans signedup to vote in just the first three months of the year. And in the 21states that were able to provide comparable data, new registrationshave soared about 64 percent from the same three months in the 2004campaign.

There's definitely nothing wrong with that. 

Now, let's end this thing and face McCain.

Blue Nightowl Clips

Hours before polls open in Indiana and North Carolina, here are the top political clips making their rounds on the blogs tonight:

1. Change rocks North Carolina.
2. Obama makes closing argument in North Carolina.
3. Lack of security in Afghanistan.

More clips tomorrow.

Final day: Indiana polling roundup

This is it.  Just about every poll gives Hillary Clinton the lead in Indiana.  It may be close though, as reports of early voting show heavy turnout in the northwest, mostly considered an Obama stronghold.  Ultimately, Clinton will probably win that race.  The question is how close will it be?  Also, which candidate will finish with more delegates from both contests tomorrow?

Suffolk University:

49% - Hillary Clinton
43% - Barack Obama

American Research Group:

53% - Hillary Clinton
45% - Barack Obama

ARG also notes that Barack Obama leads by eight in North Carolina, meaning he is poised to finish the night with more pledged delegates.  However, an Insider Advantage poll shows the race a lot closer in North Carolina.  OK, now back to Indiana.

Zogby:

44% - Barack Obama
42% - Hillary Clinton

The Zogby web site claims they have it right.  However, they acknowledge that undecided voters lean Hillary's direction:

While Obama holds a small edge in Indiana, Clintonappears to hold at least a small advantage among those who are yetundecided. Among those undecided Indiana voters who said they wereleaning toward one candidate or the other, Clinton held an edge. Italso remains unclear what impact, if any, the new Indiana requirementthat voters show identification before casting ballots will have on thecontest.

It appears that even if Obama wins both contests tomorrow (though it is likely they will split), Hillary will stay in it.  This fight will stretch through at least June 3rd.

Host to Hillary: Name one economist that agrees with you

On the issue of the gas tax repeal, she could not name one.  Oh and by the way, did you know that economists are elitist?:

This morning, George Stephanopoulos began his televised interviewwith Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by asking if she could name asingle economist who supported her plan for a gas-tax suspension.

Mrs. Clinton did not. “I’m not going to put in my lot witheconomists,” she said on the ABC program “This Week.” A few momentslater, she added, “Elite opinion is always on the side of doing thingsthat really disadvantages the vast majority of Americans.”

Or, maybe your proposal just isn't practical.  If worldwide demand is what is driving up oil prices, then increasing demand even more by eliminating the gas tax for a short period of time won't help either.

The world looks elsewhere

With the US dollar on the decline, a recession possibly on the horizon, and our post-9/11 reputation diminished greatly, much of the world is looking elsewhere for leadership.

The latest Newsweek, titled "The Post American World," explores how the world is looking beyond America:

The post-American world is naturally an unsettling prospect forAmericans, but it should not be. This will not be a world defined bythe decline of America but rather the rise of everyone else. It is theresult of a series of positive trends that have been progressing overthe last 20 years, trends that have created an international climate ofunprecedented peace and prosperity.

It's a good read.  I encourage you all to take a look at it.

Just to note, one of the reasons why I support Barack Obama is because I believe heis the one most capable of restoring that sense of worldwideAmericanism.  We need an internationalist in the White House.

Blue Nightowl Clips

On this Sunday night/Monday morning, here are the top political clips:

1. Obama's pre-Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner rally in Indiana.  From Sunday night.
2. Obama's last Indiana ad challenges Clinton on gas tax plan.
3. Who are we REALLY fighting in Iraq.
4. Tom Hanks endorses Obama for president.

More clips tomorrow.

Hillary's convention takeover?

Those who have power tend not to relinquish it:

Hillary Clinton's campaign has a secret weapon to build its delegatecount, but her top strategists say privately that any attempt to deployit would require a sharp (and by no means inevitable) shift in thepolitical climate within Democratic circles by the end of this month.

With at least 50 percent of the Democratic Party's 30-member Rules and Bylaws Committee committed to Clinton,her backers could -- when the committee meets at the end of this month-- try to ram through a decision to seat the disputed 210-memberFlorida and 156-member Michigan delegations. Such a decision would giveClinton an estimated 55 or more delegates than Obama, according toClinton campaign operatives. The Obama campaign has declined to give anestimate.

Using the Rules and Bylaws Committee to force the seating of twopro-Hillary delegations would provoke a massive outcry from Obamaforces. Such a strategy would, additionally, face at least two othermajor hurdles, and could only be attempted, according to sources in theClinton camp, under specific circumstances:

With the Clinton family, anything is possible.  Though, super delegates should realize that such a move would reward two states that violated the DNC rules -- one of which did not even have Obama's name on the ballot.  It would go against the will of the voters in all the other states, and possibly hurt turnout in November, especially among African-American voters.