Today two Presidential campaigns came full circle, each finding in the other a piece of their core message. Since 2004, both Barack Obama and John Edwards have been talking about One America on the national stage -- in different and complimentary ways.
It seems entirely fitting, then, to see them together on the stage tonight, talking about the goal they share. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
In 2004 I voted for Edwards. In 2008 I voted for Obama. I am happy to see them campaign together for the change we need this November. One America just got a little bit closer.
The Republican U.S. Senate hopeful says he knows Colorado. Apparently, though, not as well as he thinks.
Schaffer and his Democratic opponent Rep. Mark Udall (an undeclared superdelegate, by the way) released their first video ads of the campaign. The result, for Schaffer, quickly turned embarrassing.
In his Recommended diary today, Senator John Kerry relates yet another chapter of Republicans behaving badly.
Rep. John Boehner and Rep. Eric Cantor – senior leadership in the House GOP -- decided to ignore the actual meaning of English words and simply invent something Barack Obama didn’t say.
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These statements by Representatives Boehner and Cantor are so bad they rise to the level of a danger to our foreign policy.
Thankfully, there is a way to show Reps Boehner and Cantor how much we appreciate their lying, smearing, fearmongering ways.
Wow! People talk about being "Fired Up and Ready to Go" at Obama rallies, but I must say I never imagined seeing what I just saw in Grand Rapids, in the heart of conservative West Michigan.
**SPOILER ALERT!** - I usual post this diary a bit later, but I wanted to give people an outlet to respond to the "Special Comment" if they wanted. So, if you want to wait, stop reading here and come back at "the usual time"! Thanks!!
I can't remember the last time I went from feeling so incredibly craptacular to so ready to go out to kick a$$ and take names in such a short amount of time! What a day this has been, I'm sure, for us all - no matter which candidate you're supporting. No one can say that today has been boring! Let the Countdown fun begin!
"There is one man who knows that knows and understands that this is a time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change, that you have to build from the ground up. There is one man who knows in his heart there is time to create one America, not two ... and that man is Barack Obama, " John Edwards told a fired up crowd in Michigan, as he endorsed Barack Obama for President.
Those reading this diary know that right now John Edwards is appearing on every news channel giving his endorsement to Senator Obama for the nomination.
This New York Times articledescribes the split this way:
The Edwards endorsement, though, is singular. Elizabeth Edwards is not scheduled to add her voice to the growing Democratic chorus rallying behind Mr. Obama’s campaign.
Publicly, Mrs. Edwards has said that she favors Mrs. Clinton’s health care plan. Privately, she has told several associates she is unsure if Mr. Obama is the party’s best candidate.
A lot is being said right now to the effect of, "What took him so long?" Some people are criticizing John Edwards for not endorsing sooner. I happen to think that today is the perfect day for Edwards to endorse, not so much because we were trounced in West Virginia yesterday, but because of the current state of the race and because of past statements made by John Edwards and his top advisers.
Join me after the jump if you're interested in why this timing will help Obama wrap this up and scoot Hillary Clinton toward the door...
n Mississippi, Democrat Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis in a special election for the 1st Congressional District on Tuesday by a substantial margin. Earlier this month, Democrat Don Cazayoux defeated Republican Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins in Louisiana's 1st Congressional District. Last month, Democrat Bill Foster prevailed in a special election in Illinois' 14th Congressional District over Republican Jim Oberweis.
These three defeats by the Republicans in special elections are surely troubling to Republicans in New Mexico and, indeed, nationwide. Why?
First, a primer on The Cook Partisan Voter Index, which was developed by political analyst Charlie Cook in 1997 of the non-partisan Cook Political Report newsletter.
I have a confession to make. Despite being a political junkie, I was never quite sure exactly what a caucus is. That is because I have lived my life in Kentucky, a state that always uses closed primaries, where only a person registered in a particular party can decide the party's nominee. A state that uses secret ballots to choose their nominee.
No links. No documentation. But I really MUST report what I heard, today.
When I turned on the TV next to my desk, my silly husband had left the channel tuned to MSNBC. Thus, in spite of all my protestations, that's what appeared on my set. And a good thing, because else I would not be able to share with you what I learned.
One of the Daily Twits was on a live phone call with a radio station in Detroit. She was speaking with a woman whose name was, I believe, Mildred Gaddis. The caller was reporting on the state of things in Michigan regarding the seating of their delegates.
You would think we'd be smarter than this. You would think.
You would think we'd know how to spin things better. You would think.
You would think that instead of contemplating more division, we'd be thinking about unifying. You would think.
Let's settle this here and now. No need to feed the conspiracy theories, or worry about any shifting winds. Obama is going to be our nominee. There won't be any "stealing" of the nomination. It's going to happen.
So no need to threaten that which needs not be threatened.
We have a huge opportunity this year to turn Colorado into a very blue state. We can elect a wonderful woman, a progressive by both values and political beliefs, and we can defeat Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave.
Defeat Marilyn? Yes We Can! It takes a fabulous candidate, in the name of Betsy Markey, and hard work by hundreds of volunteers.
And, an opportunity to raise $5000 by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time - by going to http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.c... and scrolling down on the right and clicking on Betsy's name. If you, the reader, and you the next reader, vote for her she just might make it. She is oh so close!!!
Please join me by voting for Betsy today. You need no Indiana ID card or a way to get you to the polling booth. Just do so by coping the above URL and vote for Betsy.
Thanks good Dems and Independents (and perhaps even some Republicans).
Poblano has a great post this morning up at his site, fivethirtyeight.com, entitled Hillary's Oregon Problem. His main point is that because Oregon votes by mail, and because so many ballots have already been sent in, any supposedly game-changing event in her favor between now and Election Day won't matter much because the election is already "literally in the (mail)bag."
But the best part of the post is that Poblano shows and compares the statements that Clinton and Obama made in the Oregon Voter's Pamphlet in support of their respective candidacies. It's a great comparison and Poblano's comment on them is just perfect. Go take a look, it's worth it.
The Republicans are in deep, deep trouble. If they lose in these districts (the other two were a Louisiana seat they had kept for three decades and Dennis Hastert's former seat in Illinois), they can literally lose anywhere. The whole electoral map can be redrawn.
So, what's their new plan? Go further to the right! No, you schmucks, that's what got you in trouble in the first place. The problem is the Republican Party has become so extreme there are no moderates left to tell them they should head in the opposite direction.
