Clinton's Attacks

In watching the previous debates and run-ins between Obama and Clinton, I have been impressed with how Obama seems to not "drop" to Hillary's level. After talking with some of my friends, we were discussing how Hillary has continued to personally attack Obama and his policies. But to me it seems that Obama has been able to steer clear of the negativity that Clinton has been creating.

Maybe in part this has to do with the fact that Clinton had held a vast lead over Obama, and now the polls are almost equal, or Obama has actually pulled ahead in some. Is this really Hillary's only way to prove her strength?? I know in class we have talked about the problems that could occur if campaigns went negative, such as a decrease in voter turn out, so it will be interesting to see how this actually plays out.

As for me personally, I feel that Obama's choice not to join in with Clinton's negativity is actually making her look bad. To me it seems that she is appearing desperate and is looking for any means possible to regain some control and some sort of a lead. But in the end I feel that her negativity throughout the campaign cycle, will ultimately backlash and Obama will be the democratic candidate.

The Writers Strike

If Barrack Obama wins the Democratic nomination for president, he will have the Writers Guild of America to thank. When the strike first broke, the conventional wisdom was that this would benefit Hillary Rodham Clinton (ooh I said her middle name) because it would protect her from late night television. The irony is that we already new everything about Hillary. There is no joke that hasn’t been said before. Barrack is the fresh meat. Anyone could produce hours of new material each and every day on him without even trying. Saturday Night Live (which is sticking to its rebel form by going against company policy and routing for Hillary) has been slamming Barrack in a way that is actually having an effect. Saturday Night Live clips are making there way onto programs hosted by “journalists” and “commentators” that have severe cases of White Liberal Guilt and have been routing for Barrack since the spring of 2007. It is really annoying when Hollywood movie stars pretend to be politicians. They think the “green” carpet is making a difference. This time we found out that Hollywood going on strike made the most difference of all. The liberal media was free to run amuck. Jay Leno (who is a conservative) and Saturday Night Live (who is pro Hillary) were silent we she needed them most.

If Hillary Does Poorly Today, When/Should She Bow Out?

If Hillary has a poor showing today, when should she bow out, or should she bow out at all? I was having a conversation with friends about this yesterday, and they said that even if Hillary loses all four states today, she should stay until the end because of what she represents to so many people. Others said that she should bow out if she loses today so that she stays in step with campaign etiquette/protocol, and so that she won't be remembered as the "woman who doesn't know when to hang 'em up." The following NYT article indicates that Clinton (as of now) plans to go down fighting, but is this the best strategy for her and her legacy?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/us/politics/04cnd-campaign.html?_r=1&nl=pol&emc=pol&oref=slogin

Obama’s Confuse with NAFTA

In the article Conflict Obama Answers on NAFTA Meeting that appeared on politico.com, Carrie Brown is trying to untangle the truth about the alleged meeting between Obama’s campaign representatives and Canadian foreign policy officials, where Canadian officials were advised to disregard Obama’s position on NAFTA calling it a political rather than policy position. Another question the reported is trying to answer is whether or not Obama and his campaign lied to the public denying that the meeting took place. After muddling about the issue and no giving direct responses to the allegation, Susan Rice, Obama’s foreign policy advisor and Canadian ambassador issued official statements confirming that there was no contact between them or their staff members. The issue became clear only after Associated Press obtained the “1,300-word memo y written by a consulate staffer that detailed the Feb. 8 meeting between Goolsbee and the Canadian consul general, Georges Rioux”.

Not only did Barack Obama and his campaign staff violated the “transparency policy” that the candidate is preaching about but the campaign also lied to the public. This incident also shows that Obama is taking positions popular with voters not planning to keep his promises and turn them into policies. Evidently, no new president will be able to discard agreement that involves some of the biggest North and South American economies without reevaluation and reconsideration. However, some candidates are willing to admit it whether others would rather lie to gain popularity.

CLINTON, OBAMA FACE DAY OF RECKONING

In the New York Post article, “CLINTON, OBAMA FACE DAY OF RECKONING,” by Tom Raum, an Associated Press Writer, the last day before the March 4th Super Tuesday is recapped discussing the events of each candidate. Hillary Clinton is cited saying “I’m just getting warmed up” with Raum concluding that she “expects to press the campaign on beyond Tuesday no matter the outcome” (Raum). This is contradicted by Obama’s campaign manager David Plouffe calling Tuesday “the last big window of opportunity" for Clinton, noting that "enormous leads" she enjoyed as recently as two weeks ago had dwindled or evaporated.”
It seems it is a little late for Hillary to just be getting warmed up, as we are now into March. In addition, her strong leads on Obama in Ohio and Texas have diminished to a few points, if any lead still exists at all. In this sense, Plouffe, along with many others, makes a valid point that this is Hillary’s last chance. If she cannot pull it together March 4th, she cannot possibly win the nomination. But even if she wins both Texas and Ohio, she will need to win by 65% in each state to obtain the nomination. If she just barely wins, then she will serve to pause Obama’s momentum with the race being back at a new square one. It will be interesting to see if more former candidates get involved in endorsing after March 4th if the race is still up in the air.

Associated Press writer Mike Glover in Houston contributed to this report.

Changing Tide...

In terms of the democratic party, Clinton has been the recognized favorite to capture the Latino vote. Nonetheless, with the big day in Texas just around the corner, polls are now showing that there may be a shift in the Latino vote. Whereas Clinton has previously held a 31 point lead over Obama in this category, he now surpasses her by a small margin. Texas is a crucial day for both candidates, but especially Clinton, for in the words of her strategist, if she fails in either Texas or Ohio "this thing is done." Obama has continued on his traditional path in terms of securing the Latino vote, by targeting the youth. This strategy has proven beneficial for him all throughout his campaign, but will it be enough? While this Tuesday is a very significant day for both candidates, I am not convinced that Clinton will drop out of the race, or even lose the race if she does poorly in either state. Although she is trailing Obama in terms of delegates, there are still super delegates to consider; it is far from over, because the democratic party is still not uniting in favor of one candidate as is being seen with the republican party and McCain. Tomorrow is up in the air...

Is Hagee Bad for GOP Business?

While I like John McCain, I know that as a Catholic there is no way I, nor anyone in my family, would vote for a candidate who allowed himself to be affiliated with anyone as antagonistic and – sorry if there are any fans reading this – crazy as John Hagee. I agree with USC professor Reverend James Heft’s position in a recent MSNBC article that stated that McCain should distance himself from Hagee. McCain has already noted that it would be foolish to assume he holds the same views as endorser, but there is no uncertainty in my mind that the Obama camp will have a field day if he does not take a stronger position on the issue. Since Obama has already very publicly announced he will not be accepting the bigoted Louis Farrakhan’s endorsement, it definitely puts the pressure on McCain.

On a more realistic note, however, the Evangelical and Fundamental Christian vote is what greatly helped Bush beat Gore in 2004, and this endorsement will most definitely help the support-desperate efforts of the McCain campaign. In another article, it was speculated that the GOP would have the “living you-know-what” scared out of them if Obama were to win the Democratic nomination and his campaign were to reach the national arena. Indeed, Obama’s fundraising efforts will most definitely reach a fever pitch if put to the test, so in many ways, Hagee’s approval is exactly what McCain needs in order to put up a fight against the Obama movement.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23449606/page/2/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23448170/