Flag City Politico

What Went Wrong?

What Went Wrong?
Endings are rarely as joyous as beginnings--and in the case of a long, wearing, and ultimately disappointing campaign, they can be downright brutal. But they also have the potential to be educational, for participants and gawkers alike. So it is that we asked (begged, really) a range of Hillarylanders for their up-close and personal lists of "What Went Wrong?" >>
The New Republic

Barack Obama's biggest problem now: How to get rid of Hillary gently
What does Hillary want? Whatever it is, Barack Obama should just say yes. Unless she wants to be his running mate. Then he definitely should say no. >>
New York Daily News

Belittled Woman
At some point along the way, Hillary Clinton became "poor Hillary" and it stuck. >>
The Washington Post

Amid clamor to drop out, Clinton campaigns on
Sitting on board Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign plane are the remnants of a colorful balloon replica of the candidate, once nearly life-size but now almost deflated and shriveled. >>
Reuters

Florida, Michigan delegates cannot save Clinton
Sorry, Sen. Clinton. Michigan and Florida can't save your campaign. Interviews with those considering how to handle the two states' banished convention delegates found little interest in the former first lady's best-case scenario. >>
My Way News

Pity Party
The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech. Then hand-to-hand in the general, where they see their guy triumphing. You see it when you talk to them: They're busy being born. >>
The Wall Street Journal

Veepstakes: Obama's 5 Options
In the latest issue of National Journal, Kirk Victor breaks down Obama's possible veep choices -- assuming he becomes the nominee, of course -- into five categories and lists names for each one >>
MSNBC

Perfect timing: Obama's super show-stoppers
With her deep party ties, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was supposed to own the superdelegate primary. But in the last two months, it’s been the rookie, Democratic rival Barack Obama, who has maximized his superdelegate moments. >>
Politico

-RSKnopfJr

What a day!

You miss a minute, you miss a lot...

John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama
At a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Wednesday evening, John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama, who was on the stage with him, to be the Democratic nominee for president. >>
The New Work Times

Dann resigns
Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann resigned this afternoon, just hours after the inspector general's office launched a raid on his office. >>
The Columbus Dispatch

Dann resigns 'immediately'
Facing possible impeachment, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has resigned amid the scandal of a sexual harassment investigation in his office and his extramarital affair. >>
Cincinnati Enquirer

NARAL Backs Obama, Angers Emily's List
In yet another sign that the Democratic Party and its interest groups are beginning to coalesce around Obama, NARAL Pro-Choice America today endorsed the Illinois senator. >>
MSNBC

Hillary wins - does anybody care?
If a tree falls in the forest when everybody expects it to fall, does it make a sound? Yes, says Hillary Clinton. It makes a deafening roar, says Hillary Clinton. >>
Politico

Hillary Agonistes: Why Doesn't She Concede?
As the odds get longer and longer, the obvious question is: Why doesn't Hillary Clinton gracefully concede defeat and throw her support behind her party's defacto nominee, Barack Obama? >>
Real Clear Politics

Republicans fear election juggernaut
Hillary Clinton’s supporters on Tuesday proclaimed her crushing victory in West Virginia as evidence of Barack Obama’s continuing weakness among blue collar workers. But the simultaneous Democratic victory in a Mississippi congressional race suggested there may be little the Republicans can do to stop 2008 from being a washout. >>
Financial Times

Obama holds big lead in Oregon
A day after suffering his second-worst defeat of the primary season, a new poll shows Barack Obama is headed for a big win in Oregon next Tuesday. >>
CNN

A Better Way (McCain campaign)

-RSKnopfJr

Not Quite Yet

Not Quite Yet
Elite opinion on the Democratic race has congealed around the idea that it is over. Clinton has no chance whatsoever to win the nomination now. There is a minority of analysts out there - maybe 5%, maybe even less - who see her path to the nomination as much narrower than it was four days ago, but who still see a path. >>
RealClearPolitics

What Is the What If?
History will record the Indiana and North Carolina primaries as the events that secured the 2008 Democratic nomination for Barack Obama—and put the final nails in the coffin of Hillary Clinton’s campaign. >>
New York Magazine

Clinton finds herself in cash-strapped effort
The once-formidable fund-raising machine of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton has begun to sputter at the worst possible moment for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, Clinton advisers and donors said Thursday, with spending curtailed on political events and advertising as Clinton seeks to compete in the last six nominating contests. >>
International Herald Tribune

Bill Clinton Argues With Voter

Obama Takes Lead in Superdelegate Tally
Sen. Barack Obama moved into the lead today in the last category that Sen. Hillary Clinton had claimed to have an edge -- support among the Democratic Party's superdelegates. >>
ABC News

Obama accuses McCain of 'losing his bearings'
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican John McCain was "losing his bearings" for repeatedly suggesting the Islamic terrorist group Hamas preferred Obama for president. >>
My Way News

Play of the Day: Obama Plays Taboo
Life on the campaign trail is often grueling. The 20-hour days, the ubiquitous turkey sandwiches, the constant travel, the never knowing where you're going to be the next night -- not to mention hearing the same speech over and over and over again. >>
MSNBC

Strongest Plan (Clinton campaign)

Happy 12th Birthday Rachel Shelby-Katherine!! Daddy loves you very, very much! (They grow up so quickly - sniff)

-RSKnopfJr

Toast!

Starting (very) early this morning, the news was not good for Senator Clinton. The headline 'Toast!' on one of the New York papers said it all. Despite all the momentum she had received with the primary win in Pennsylvania, as well as Obama's continuous struggles with his former pastor's comments, she just could not continue the good fortune.

After losing North Carolina in a landslide (after her campaign said the polls were tightening) and barely garnering a win in Indiana (if Operation Chaos or a new Indiana voter ID law were not in effect, Obama could have won the Hoosier state as well), the question in the air this morning was, 'Will she continue'?

Let's see what Tim Russert had to say last night...

The light of day didn't bring good news either. With nothing positive to spin on morning news programs, Clinton decided to go straight to West Virginia (the primary is next Tuesday) and continue campaigning. Despite declaring that she will continue on, you knew what was coming next.

McGovern, former Clinton backer, endorses Obama
Former Sen. George McGovern, an early supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, urged her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race and endorsed her rival, Barack Obama. >>
Breitbart

Stick a Fork In Her - She's Done
This was supposed to be Hillary Rod ham Clinton's ticket back into the game. Instead, it was a one-way ticket home. >>
New York Post

Pundits Declare the Race Over
Very early this morning, after many voters had already gone to sleep, the conventional wisdom of the elite political pundit class that resides on television shifted hard, and possibly irretrievably, against Senator Hillary Clinton’s continued viability as a presidential candidate. >>
The New York Times

Clinton pledges to fight on despite split primary result
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton struck a publicly defiant posture on Wednesday about continuing her presidential bid despite waning support from Democratic officials and donors, while some of her advisers acknowledged privately that they remained unsure about the future of her candidacy. >>
International Herald Tribune

George's Bottom Line on Clinton for Veep
Is Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., staying in the race to get the vice presidential slot? George thinks so. >>
ABC News

Big Rewards Await Clinton If She Ends Campaign Now
She has ruled it out, but a prompt withdrawal from the contest for the Democratic nomination offers Sen. Hillary Clinton the prospect of major rewards. >>
The Huffington Post

Just like the Republican race, until there is a nominee, Clinton is within her right to run. Even though I supported Huckabee and knew at a point that he wasn't going to overtake McCain, it was still a matter of principle to fight until the end. If Clinton wants to be afforded the same luxury, I can support that. Just remember, however, that the rules shouldn't change.

-RSKnopfJr

Hardcore Republicans voting Democrat

'Hardcore' Republicans voting Democrat
The two precincts at Broad Ripple Family Center selected Republican Jon Elrod over Democrat Andre Carson in March's special election for U.S. Congress. But by 9 a.m., just 21 voters in one of those precincts had requested Republican ballots -- out of 168 cast. >>
The Indianapolis Star

Polls open in North Carolina
A heavy turnout was reported this morning at some polling places across North Carolina in the state's first significant presidential primary election in two decades. >>
The Charlotte Observer

Obama Expands Lead in NC; Dems Still Biting Nails in Indiana!
On the strength of good polling numbers on the final day before the primary elections in Indiana and North Carolina, Barack Obama of Illinois holds a convincing lead in North Carolina, but the race is simply too close to call in Indiana, the latest Zogby two-day telephone tracking poll shows. >>
Zogby International

Clinton campaign retools delegate math
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign yesterday tried to redefine the delegate math for securing the Democratic presidential nomination, signaling its willingness to wage a divisive battle with front-runner Sen. Barack Obama through the summer. >>
The Washington Times

Paul Campaign Never Ended
As the Democratic presidential candidates held pre-primary rallies yesterday in Indiana and North Carolina, and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain spoke to the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, another major-party presidential candidate continued his own quest for nomination, headlining a "Freedom Rally" on a Fort Wayne, Ind., university campus. >>
The Washington Post

-RSKnopfJr

Groundhog Day

Rise and shine campers...

Haven't we been here before, or does this political season just seem like the longest in history? It probably does, considering that candidates started running sooner, and the primaries started earlier than ever. You know the (not so) funny part? It still won't be over after today. Obama winning Indiana and/or North Carolina will not cause Clinton to end her campaign, and a win (or wins) by Clinton only strengthens her resolve and commitment to play this out until the convention.

Here's how the delegate count stands as we begin the day

The latest polls show both Clinton and Obama headed to victory today...

Indiana

North Carolina

numbers courtesy of Real Clear Politics

Candidates make pitch to party insiders
In back-to-back speeches before state Democratic activists in Indianapolis on Sunday night, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama each offered themselves as the candidate who can best deliver change to voters' paychecks, at gas pumps and to the power-brokers in Washington. >>
Indianapolis Star

Race for your vote
Candidates up and down the ballot started revving up their voter-turnout efforts Sunday, setting the stage for a bigger-than-ever N.C. primary finish. >>
The Charlotte Observer

Spin set, let the voting begin
In the run-up to Tuesday’s latest crucial set of primaries, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have both called themselves the “underdog.” But as they barrel into the biggest states left to vote, North Carolina and Indiana, polling and conventional wisdom have set clear expectations that belie that label.  >>
Politico

Check out the 'Democratic Delegate Calculator' from the New York Times so you can play along at home and see how far ahead Obama actually is. For example, if Clinton won 60% of the delegates in the remaining states (and that is NOT going to happen), Obama only needs to get 42% of the remaining superdelegates for the nomination (and considering he currently has the support of 48%, and has been exceeding even that number over the past two months), it shows how strong he is.

I'll check in later today, and be sure to check back tonight to find out who won, who lost, and how the spin is progressing.

-RSKnopfJr

Date with Destiny

Dems have Aug 28 Date With Destiny
ANYONE interested in peeking ahead to see how this whole Democratic primary debacle ends, mark down this date: Aug. 28. >>
Charles Hurt
New York Post

Bill Clinton Asks N.C. Churchgoers to Pray for Hillary
ABC News' Sarah Amos reports: Former President Bill Clinton spent time in two western North Carolina churches this morning, speaking more from his heart than any sort of political handbook. >>
ABC News

Parting Shots - Indiana Hometown (Obama for President)

What John McCain Told Me
At a dinner party in Los Angeles not long after the 2000 election, I was talking to a man and his wife, both prominent Republicans. The conversation soon turned to the new president. "I didn't vote for George Bush" the man confessed. "I didn't either," his wife added. Their names: John and Cindy McCain (Cindy told me she had cast a write-in vote for her husband). >>
Arianna Huffington

Clinton in 2005: 'I Agree with McCain' on long-term Iraq Presence
Three years ago, during an appearance on CBS, Sen. Hillary Clinton stated that she agreed with the overarching premise of John McCain's Iraq policy: that America's commitment to the war shouldn't be based on time frames but rather on the level of troop casualties. She even cited, as McCain now regularly does, that the United States would be well suited to follow a model for troop presence based on South Korea, Japan, or Germany. >>
Sam Stein

Parting Shots - What's Happened (Clinton for President)

McCain Courts Hispanic voters...
Sen. John McCain said Monday the tenor of the immigration debate has hurt the way Hispanic voters view the Republican Party. >>
CNN

...and launches a new Spanish campaign website.

 

You know by now that Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has been asked to resign by Governor Ted Strickland and other Democratic leaders. Here is the text of the letter sent to him, and his response.

And finally, to end with something cheery...

-RSKnopfJr

Mission Accomplished!

Five Years After 'Mission Accomplished'
Much has happened in the five years since President Bush flew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in "Top Gun" style, stood under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" and proudly declared: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended." >>
Washington Post

Bush most unpopular in modern history
A new poll suggests that George W. Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush his handling his job as president. >>
CNN

MoveOn launches “mission accomplished” anti-McCain ad
McCain + 100 years in Iraq comments + President Bush’s approval rating = Democratic Victory >>
FOX News

Bloomberg Praises Obama on Gas Tax
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighed in on the summer gas tax holiday, arguing "the last thing we need to do is encourage people to drive." He praised Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (first time since congestion pricing died a predictable death in Albany) and Barack Obama for opposing "one of the dumbest ideas" he says he's ever heard. >>
MSNBC

Clinton Stands by Gas Tax Proposal
After being roundly criticized by newspaper editorials, economists, and energy experts for her gas tax holiday proposal, Clinton is still plowing ahead. >>
MSNBC

RNC hits Obama on Gas Taxes
The gas-tax debate continues -- this time with a new Republican National Committee Web ad blasting Obama for not supporting a gas-tax holiday, while also noting that he supported a state one while in the Illinois legislature. >>
MSNBC

Super-Scare
If this wasn't a super-scare, what might be? Six solid weeks of Wright's wrongs, "bitter" pills, bad bowling, gaffes, and goofs (and one big loss in one important state) surely have registered with those astute political observers known as superdelegates, and yet...Sen. Barack Obama's magic number shrinks by the day. >>
ABC News

GOP gives Clinton the silent treatment
Hillary Clinton’s decisive Pennsylvania primary win last week may have reinvigorated her campaign, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to the Republican party. >>
Politico

The District That May Decide Indiana
Next Tuesday's primary in Indiana could decide the Democratic nomination: if Hillary Clinton can't combine her post-Pennsylvania momentum and Barack Obama's continuing pastor problems into a red-state victory, her aides concede privately that it would be difficult for her to continue. But polls show the state is still a toss-up, and both sides are focusing on one key battleground — the first Congressional district, which holds 20% to 25% of the likely Democratic primary vote. >>
TIME

Indiana and North Carolina in 5 days.
Rachel's birthday in 8 days.
Election Day in 187 days.

-RSKnopfJr

Let's Play Hardball!

A 'Hardball' Senator?
The possibility of the host of MSNBC's "Hardball" Christopher Matthews, running against Senator Specter of Pennsylvania, a Republican, for Mr. Specter's senate seat in Pennsylvania is intensifying. >>
Seth Gitell
The New York Sun

Chaos over Paul cuts short gathering
After a super-majority of Ron Paul supporters captured control of the Republican state convention Saturday, state party officials abruptly canceled the event without electing delegates to the national convention. >>
Anjeanette Damon
Reno Gazette-Journal

Coming soon to the XBOX360 and PS3 platforms

click here to play

Clinton: $2.3B in earmarks
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has requested nearly $2.3 billion in federal earmarks for 2009, almost three times the largest amount received by a single senator this year. >>
Manu Raju & Kevin Bogardus
The Hill

The New, New Math
Despite the recent show of strength by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., the odds against her winning the Democratic presidential nomination are as imposing as ever — and probably worse. >>
Charlie Cook
National Journal

Sometimes all you can do is poke fun

Gov. Jindal Flattered by V.P. Rumors
Governor Bobby Jindal appeared on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno and said while he is flattered by the rumors Senator John McCain could choose him as a running mate, he is happy in Louisiana. >>
ABC News

For McCain, There's Only One Perfect Candidate for Veep
We all hear the same names mentioned as prospective running mates for John McCain: former Office of Management and Budget Director and one-time U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and even former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. >>
Stuart Rothenberg
Real Clear Politics

With one week to go...

North Carolina

• Obama 49%-44% (Survey USA 04/26-28)
• Obama 51%-37% (Rasmussen 04/28)
• Obama 51%-39% (Public Policy Polling 04/26-27)

Indiana

• Clinton 50%-42% (Public Policy Polling 04/27-28)
• Clinton 52%-43% (SurveyUSA 04/25-27)
• Obama 47%-45% (Howey-Gauge 04/23-24)

Election Day in 189 days.
Inauguration Day in 266 days.

-RSKnopfJr

Around the Country: Bill vs. Barack

Bill vs. Barack
On the Thursday before the Pennsylvania primary, Bill Clinton spoke to a crowd of college students at a gymnasium in Lock Haven. The event was typical of the stops—forty-seven of them—that the former President had made in the state during the seven weeks leading up to the vote. >>
Ryan Lizza
The New Yorker

Barack's Blues
After spending the campaign answering questions about whether he's too green, too black, or too red (as in states where he's winning) -- and now that his opponents' husband has gone purple -- all Sen. Barack Obama has to do next is show that he's blue enough (of collar) to be president. >>
Rick Klein & Mike Elmore
ABC News

NV Gov to endorse Clinton
Mike Easley, two-term North Carolina governor in his final year, will endorse Hillary Clinton at a rally in Raleigh tomorrow, according to sources in the governor's office and sources close to the Clinton campaign. >>
Mike Memoli, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro
MSNBC

Is Hillary Preparing to Run in 2012?
Does Hillary Clinton really believe she can overtake Barack Obama among elected delegates? No way. The math is dead against her and she’s a realist. Even after Pennsylvania, Obama still leads by more than 140 in elected delegates. They’ll likely break even in Indiana and he’ll win North Carolina where one third of the vote is African-American. After that? If she wins Kentucky, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico by 15 points and they break about even in Guam, North Dakota, Montana, and Oregon, she’ll still trail him by at least 130 votes among elected delegates. >>
Dick Morris & Eileen McGann
FOX News

Indiana, a Different Kind of Midwestern State
A few days spent on the campaign trail in Indiana confirmed one fact: Barack Obama's got a pretty good hoops game, which isn't a bad thing to flaunt in Indiana (or North Carolina) -- as long as TV clips of him flitting across the court like a 35-year-old don't have the unintended effect of making him look even younger in the eyes of voters worried about his greenness. >>
Alec MacGillis
Washington Post

Obama: flag always in my heart
Barack Obama defended his commitment to patriotic ideals this afternoon, telling a town hall meeting in North Carolina that "I always have the flag in my heart." >>
Mike Dorning
Chicago Tribune

Wright to Obama: 'Coming after you'
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that he will try to change national policy by “coming after” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) if he is elected president. >>
Mike Allen
Politico

-RSKnopfJr

On the trail

A week from Tuesday is Pennsylvania. Who knew I missed the pace of multiple primaries week after week, or the melodic tone of Chris Matthews voice?

Richardson says pressure from Clinton camp 'really ticked me off'
Before he endorsed Barack Obama, before he drew the wrath of the Clintons and was likened to Judas, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson nearly endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. But Richardson hesitated, and as the Democratic campaign turned ugly, he grew angry. >>
Los Angeles Times

Ed Rendell makes a difference, one vote at a time
If you've ever shaken your head and wondered who the heck pollsters call to get their results, we now have an answer: Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. >>
PennLive.com

The Other Obama
The blaring music that pulsated from the speakers was all but lost in the pandemonium. >>
The Chronicle

Dems plan $40M hit on McCain
Wealthy Democrats are preparing a four-month, $40 million media campaign centered on attacks on Sen. John McCain. And it will be led by David Brock, the former investigative reporter who first gained fame in the 1990s as a right-wing, anti-Clinton journalist. >>
Politico

Now, check out this link. It is an animated movie from The News & Observer. The title...Barack Obama - Jedi Master.

Combine that with this video, and you can see how strong the force is with him. Coincidence...or destiny?



Aside from politics, I am not sure if you had the opportunity to watch ABC to see Diane Sawyer's story about this professor, but it is something to watch with your family and learn from. If this doesn't give you a lump in your throat, or make you hug your loved ones a little tighter, than something must be wrong. It is inspirational, touching and heartbreaking at the same time...truly must-see-tv.

-RSKnopfJr

Patterns?

Let's see if you find a pattern with the following...

Obama Raises More than $40 Million
The Obama campaign has issued a press release saying it raised more than $40 million in March. This amount is less than the $55 million it raised it February -- but it's still a significant haul. >>
MSNBC

Hillary Raises $20 Million in March
The AP is reporting -- and First Read has confirmed with a campaign source -- that Clinton raised $20 million in March, about half of Obama's haul for the month. Still, as the AP notes, it is Clinton's second-best monthly performance. >>
MSNBC

Obama close to Bush record
The "over $40 million" the Obama campaign says it raised in March would put the total contributions the Illinois senator has raised in his presidential campaign at approximately $234 million — enough to surpass both the $200 million mark as well as the $215 million that 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry raised for that presidential primary season (then the Democratic record). >>
CNN

Jane Fonda: 'Obama!'
Jane Fonda, the actress and ardent anti-Vietnam war advocate who visited North Vietnam during those hostilities, has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president. >>
Chicago Tribune

Carter Hints at Support for Obama
Former President Carter wouldn't quite say it, but he left little doubt this week about who he'd like to see in the White House next year. >>
Breitbart

Why the Democratic race could end in North Carolina
The end could be near. Or the endgame, at least, of a surprisingly drawn-out Democratic presidential contest. Four months and 42 states after the opening Iowa caucuses, the primary in North Carolina on May 6 now looms as a pivotal final showdown between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. >>
USAToday

Speaking of North Carolina, here is a look at the latest polling that shows Obama slowly pulling away...

Not to worry Clinton-backers - here are the numbers from Pennsylvania that show Clinton maintaining her lead (once again, see if you can find the trend - here's a hint, in a March 16 poll, Clinton led 56-30)...

Some good news, however, for the Clinton campaign...

DNC stance surprises campaigns
The Democratic National Committee said Tuesday that Florida and Michigan members will be seated on the three standing committees — including the critical Credentials Committee—at the party’s 2008 national convention, a position that could affect the selection of the Democratic nominee. >>
Politico

Just when things are looking up, something always happens...

Clinton Denies Saying Obama 'Cannot Win'
ABC News Eloise Harper Reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., denies she told Governor Bill Richardson, D-N.M., that her Democratic nomination rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., "cannot win" a general election against presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. >>
ABC News

At least one thing about this election is certain...

John Edwards says would not accept VP nomination
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said on Thursday he would not accept the nomination for U.S. vice president as he did four years ago. >>
Reuters

-RSKnopfJr

Around the Country

Even though it seems we are in the calm before the storm (Pennsylvania and North Carolina primaries), the drama to the nomination continues.

Maybe you missed out on Clinton backers sending a message to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...

In Letter, Top Clinton Donors Chastise Pelosi For Statements About Super-Delegates
Twenty top Hillary fundraisers and donors have sent a scathing private letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, chastising her for publicly saying that the super-delegates should support the winner of the pledged delegate count and demanding that she say that they should make an "independent" choice. >>
Talking Points Memo

You didn't think a little letter would sway Pelosi, did you?

Pelosi firm on not allowing superdelegates to tip race
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has reaffirmed her position that superdelegates should not “overturn the will of the voters” in the face of criticism from top donors to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). >>
The Hill

The best thing I have read over the past couple of days is about what the Democrats could do if the convention opens with no nominee. One possible solution...

Is Al Gore the Answer?
Unlike Barack Obama, Bill Clinton does not believe in "the fierce urgency of now." The former President has an exquisitely languid sense of how political time unfurls. He understands that those moments the political community, especially the media, considers urgent usually aren't. He has seen his own election and re-election—and completing his second term—pronounced "impossible" and lived to tell the tale. >>
Time

A possible VP option if Obama is the nominee?

No Endorsement; Bloomberg Plays It Down The Middle
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Barack Obama stood side-by-side once again Thursday, nearly four months after their mystery breakfast outing at a Manhattan diner. This time, Obama was in town to deliver what was billed as a major speech on the economy, while many believed Bloomberg was poised to deliver his endorsement. >>
WCBS

-RSKnopfJr

Latest News from SC & NV

The latest news from South Carolina, which holds a Republican Primary this Saturday...

McCain, Huckabee lead
"McCain and Mike Huckabee are neck and neck heading into Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina, where the outcome could hinge on a bloc of undecided evangelical voters, according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll." >>
The State

Lieutenant governor endorses Huckabee
"Republican Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer on Thursday endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for the GOP presidential nomination." >>
The Greenville News

Thompson, McCain each gain endorsements
"Two GOP presidential hopefuls hoped to get a boost down the home stretch with a few last-minute endorsements." >>
The Post and Courier

Star power helps Huckabee
"Drenching rain, schedule delays and a change of venue didn't stop a few hundred damp supporters from greeting former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and his celebrity entourage at a hangar on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Thursday morning." >>
The Sun News

...and across the country, some news from Nevada which holds a caucus for both parties on Saturday...

Democrats toughen up
"After wearing helmets while riding in tanks and being for things before being against them, the party of the late response and the lame attack ad has learned how to do politics this election." >>
Las Vegas Sun

It’s Neh-VA-duh, not Neh-VAH-duh
"Anyone who’s watched or listened to the 2008 presidential campaigns and local caucus news coverage lately has heard many politicians, journalists and even some of our neighbors within Nevada butcher the Silver State’s name." >>
Nevada News

Voters irked by volume of campaign phone calls
"The caucus-related telephone calls started at the beginning of January, said Yvonne Hemp of Lovelock." >>
Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada going to Clinton, Romney
"Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Mitt Romney have comfortable leads in Nevada going into Saturday's presidential campaign caucuses, according to a new Review-Journal poll." >>
Review-Journal

Caucus training appealed to voters sweet tooth
"As confusing as it might seem, participants at a mock caucus training session in Ely last week chose between candidates named Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla. The political party was Ice Cream, aka Democrat, and the other party not represented at the mock caucus was Cake, aka Republican."  >>
The Ely Times

Tune in tomorrow for my preview and predictions.

-RSKnopfJr

Around the Country - Iowa

5 days until the Iowa Caucus...

KCCI
3-Way Democratic Tie, 2 GOP Leaders
An exclusive copyrighted KCCI-TV poll released Friday shows a three way tie for Democrats and two Republican front-runners retaining their lead. >>

WHOtv
Candidates Tread Warily In Iowa
Heated? For sure. Intense? Of course. Yet the Iowa caucus campaign nearly now coming to a close has been a surprisingly civilized affair, four years after caucus-goers appeared to punish two presidential hopefuls for playing too rough. >>

RadioIowa
Giuliani says he's "going to do fine" in Iowa Caucuses
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is stressing "attitude" in the closing days of the campaign here in Iowa. >>

Des Moines Register
Romney: I'm not a 'one-hit wonder'
Mitt Romney pitched himself to audiences today as more than “just a one-hit wonder” as he campaigned through central Iowa, tangling with several GOP rivals without mentioning them by name. >>

Times-Republican
Obama calls on Iowans to stand for change at caucus
Saying he is the best chance for the Democrats in November, Barack Obama brought a message of hope to Marshalltown during a campaign stop Thursday. >>

The Messenger
As the clock ticks down to caucus day, candidates for both parties are making a final Iowa blitz
Like a football coach crafting a game plan, Rudy Giuliani likes to talk about offense. Instead of quarterbacks and running backs, the Republican presidential candidate talks about keeping an entire nation on offense against whatever might threaten it. >>

Sunday morning talk show line-up

• ABC: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
• CBS: former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)
• CNN: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) and former Defense Secretary William Cohen
• FOX: former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)
• NBC: former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)

-RSKnopfJr

Around the Country

Only 12 days until the Iowa Caucuses...

Huckabee: My campaign proves it's not about the money
"Mike Huckabee promised Iowa voters Saturday that they can maintain their influence as the leading caucus state by supporting him for president." >>>
Paula Lagigne
The Des Moines Register

Mormonism an issue for Romney in S.C.
"Something about Mitt Romney just isn’t right with Bill Burdette. And something about Mike Huckabee is." >>>
David Lightman
McClatchy Newspapers via The State

Tancredo backed Romney to buck Huckabee
"Tom Tancredo said he bowed out just two weeks before the Iowa presidential caucuses because he is determined to advance his cause of halting illegal immigration, but the religion question hanging over the Republican primaries may prove larger than his signature issue." >>>
Chuck Plunkett
The Denver Post

'Straight Talk Express' picks up speed
"It was Dec. 7, and Sen. John McCain was on his campaign bus, sitting where any cool kid would: in the very back." >>>
Jim Devine
New Hampshire Union Leader

Paul camp marches to own beat
"On the day that Ron Paul, the feisty Republican presidential candidate, reportedly exceeded his audacious quarterly fundraising goal of $12 million by more than $6 million, his supporters marched through downtown Las Vegas, hurled tea bags at the IRS and denounced money. They demanded a return to the gold standard and sneered at the unsupported dollar, calling it 'fiat currency.'" >>>
Brendan Buhler
Las Vegas Sun

Hillary Clinton Embraces Husband's Legacy
"After months of discussion within her campaign over how heavily she should draw on her husband's legacy, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is closing out her Iowa and New Hampshire campaigns in a tight embrace of Bill Clinton's record, helping fuel a debate about the 1990s with Sen. Barack Obama that she thinks she can win." >>>
Anne E. Kornblut & Alec MacGillis
Washington Post via CBS News

And on the Sunday morning talk shows
ABC: former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (R)
CBS: Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), former governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR)
CNN: Best interviews of 2007
FOX: Army Gen. David Petraeus
NBC: Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Keep smilin'!  :-)

-RSKnopfJr

Around the Country

Ritter urges Dems to "speak with one voice" at the 2008 Denver DNC
Touting Democratic gains in Intermountain Western states, Gov. Bill Ritter challenged national party members to “link arms” and “speak with one voice” when they gather in Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention and the party’s nomination of its presidential nominee. >>
Chuck Plunkett
The Denver Post

Huckabee spreads his message
It began as just another day on the busy New Hampshire campaign trail when Mike Huckabee told a business group the vast majority of Americans don't care about political party or ideology as long as their leaders take practical steps to address health care, immigration, education and energy independence. >>
John Distaso
New Hampshire Union Leader

It takes a certain type to run a caucus
When you need to find 1,754 Nevadans to lead caucus meetings come January, it’s a good idea to start with someone who was at the head of the high school marching band, organized freshman orientation at college, and brims with civic enthusiasm when the jury summons arrives. >>
David McGrath Schwartz
Las Vegas Sun

Giuliani, Clinton slip in SC polls
New Yorkers Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton are beginning to lose ground in South Carolina, according to a Clemson University Palmetto Poll released Wednesday. >>
John O'Connor
The State

Crowd boos Clinton over immigration reform
The people got more microphone time than the politicians. >>
Jennifer Jacobs
The Des Moines Register

Ron Paul on track to be biggest fundraiser
Ron Paul may not win his party’s primary, but he is on track to capture another big title: top Republican fundraiser for the final quarter of the money-obsessed 2008 presidential primary. >>
Jeanne Cummings
The Politico

-RSKnopfJr