Apparently Howard and Obama are about to come to terms on a joint fundraising plan, similar to the one McCain came up in concert with the RNC, according to this article in Time.
Negotiations with Hillary don't seem to be progressing.

This joint fundraising allows large donors to give more to the DNC. The end of the article says they are still trying to decide on a name for this joint venture. Maybe, we can help them.

McCain has named his Victory.

I know we can do better.

After last night, I went to bed strategizing. I want primary season to be over.Obama needs something to cause a little controversy for Hillary and put her on defense. I think her words about obliterating Iran need some further discusssion.

This ad might just do that. It would play to Obama's strengths, not be too negative, but be hard hitting. Hillary has tried to use Obama's ability to speak as a weakness thru out the whole campaign, constantly throwing out that he is "just words". This ad would be a good way to turn it back on her.

Not expensive to shoot and something that would get a lot of air time and discussion on tv.

Open with video of each

George Bush- Bring it on
John McCain-Bomb, bomb, Iran
Hillary Clinton-Obliterate Iran

cut to Obama looking into the camera.

Obama-It's going to take a cool head  and a
     different kind of words to get us out of
     Iraq and restore our reputation in the world.
     Words do matter.
     
I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message

With the reporting of March fundraising yesterday, and the aknowledgement that Hillary has borrowed and spent, and left herself in the hole financially, it is odd that Hillary has been able to spin Obama's spending in PA as a negative.

Her spin-Obama should be doing better because he has more to spend than she does. If he doesn't win outright, he has failed because he had the money to spend.

Her inability to spend competitively should be spun by Obama, especially to the super delegates.

I think the idea of a superdelegate convention sends the wrong idea, the truth maybe, but the wrong picture to the rest of the world. It says, you can have all the primaries you want, but the party bigwigs are going to get together afterwards, and decide who the nominee is. I believe individual endoresements now, over the next few weeks, is a much better solution.

The idea of superdelegates gathering anywhere,even at the convention, is a bad idea. This year, of all years, it is imperative we look united and get behind our candidate, and that the candidate is the people's choice.
.            

I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to feel a little righteous indignation rising up in me. The faux outrage and manipulation taking place in the public media these days is really looking obvious. I do believe that  Hannity and Rush jumped the shark with their all day made up tirade about the Blank Panther supporter on myobama yesterday.

I was already feeling threatened that the democratic party machine was going to somehow undermine the will of the people and take the nomination away from Obama, when the Wright videos came out.

My heart sank, and the knot in my stomach tightened when I saw them. They  seemed like 180 degrees from what Obama represents to me.

We need you now. Put an end to this stuff, if you truly love the democratic party. Ferraro's statements and Hillary's willingness to let them stand are unacceptable to what the democratic party stands for.

Endorse Barack Obama now.

Get this over with.

If you are a superdelegate on the national stage, or representing my district, and you give your vote to Hillary after this, consider any future vote or donation from  me as lost.

Consider the 2008 presidency lost.

Blatant racism is not what I expect from my party or those I elect to represent me.

Kissing the African American vote goodby is stupid. It will be the death of the democratic party. I will be looking to join a 3rd party, and I think it will be successful

Have a meeting, call a vote, endorse Obama. Get this overwith.

I am angry and saddened by the tone this election is taking.
You have the power to put an end to this. The question is do you have the guts.

I've been thinking about a way to settle this Michaigan/Florida mess.I think maybe, I have a solution. I think that Michigan and Florida should do a re-vote and their pledged delegates be seated.

But there should be some penalty for breaking party rules and causing all this ruckus.

Their super delegates should be taken away and not be given a vote.

That way, the people's vote is validated. But Florida and Michigan do not have the ability to sway the final tally with super delegate votes, which could or could not reflect the will of the people.

I got off the phone talking with my mother in Georgia yesterday. She says, ya know Sherri, you need to look a little closer at Obama, my friend Jo told me he is a Muslim,

I immediately corrected her, but the damage was done. My denial didn't change her doubt.  Based on the Ohio exit polls, it sounds like this stuff may have played a part in last day voters minds.

I noticed Obama closed his speech with "God Bless America" last night.
A good start, but he's going to have to do more.

Some kind of "come to Jesus moment."

A strong speech on religion/ intolerance.
More symbolism in his ads, such as a sitting in church pix with family, or his hand on the Bible taking an oath pix.

I thought it very interesting how the MSM treated the election results on Wall Street. I check my investments on a Fidelity homepage which uses Reuters for its news link. There was no headline mention of Huckabee, Obama or Edwards and the Iowa results on the Fidelity home page. There were top of the page headlines for Huckabee and Obama on the Reuters home page, but the headlines selected for Fidelity were completely devoid of those names.

Instead, Fidelity readers got a Hillary and McCain headline.  
McCain and Hillary were leading in New Hampshire,
based on poll taken before the Iowa caucuses.
The other headline- Clinton comes in third Still no Edwards, Obama, or Huckabee.

Forget timelines and drawdowns and defunding the troops. The answer to getting the troops out of Iraq and remaining in the political sunshine is PAYGO = Pay As You Go.

We are paying in lives on a daily basis, but that doesn't seem to deter war lovers. I think MONEYis how you get the attention of fencesitters on the republican side. Voices will be raised if IRAQ is equated with TAXES.

We've got to speak their language.

We don't need to change the law, we need to change the way the law is implemented

."

In making his "State of Economy" speech today, Bush made the quote noted above in speaking about Sarbanes's-Oxley.
http://today.reuters.com/...

I thought it was a great insight into his approach to his entire presidency, and his respect, or make that disrespect for the law.

Don't change the law, just ignore it.

In the General Odom diary posted, he gave us the answer to Republican cries of "They don't have a plan, "cut and run" defeatocrats" on the democrat's solution for Iraq. And no, I'm not talking about impeachment.

At one point he said we should have offered an amendment for adding 600,000 more troops. He was right. That should be the democratic political strategy.

An "either/or strategy."  
Let's win, or let's get the hell out.
No more stay the course.
It's the draft, or redployment.

If we are going to remain in Iraq, as the republicans say we must, then let's win. Let's institute a draft and put 600,000 troops over there. If this is a fight to the death with terrorism, why aren't the republicans making sure we win?

If, we aren't willing to do that, then let's redeploy the troops. Stop building permanent bases and increasing terrorism. Let's start investing in allies to help us fight terrorism and rebuilding our reputation. An America, true to her ideals is a much better defense against terrorism, than one who's actions say democracy doesn't work when you are afraid.

I have watched over the spring, the constant drone of labeling democrats as "cut 'n' run" for wanting to leave Iraq. Even if you are in favor of leaving Iraq,  as I am, cut 'n' run sounds bad, and somehow un-American. If you are thinking of voting democratic, and have to defend those words, it is difficult, and might make you less inclined to do so.

I have been trying to think of a phrase to label republican policy with, that has the same type of negative connotation for them.

 this is what you get. You reap what you sow.

That was Steve McMahon on Hardball this afternoon, speaking about high gas prices. A great frame. The point that oil companies have written the energy policy under the Bush administration, was simple and rang true.It should be included in all democratic talking points.

McMahon was better than I've seen him in a long time.

It was a great to see him pit the republican, Susan Molinari, against the president on the subject of immigration. Saying that the democrats agreed with Bush on a compassionate approach to earning citzenship. That democrats believed it was wrong morally to make it a felony to help a person. He left Molinari to sputter.

Once again, because the worst person in the world, can't admit error, he's giving the democrats the chance to step in and save the senior citizens of America, while, at the same time, making those seniors and their children angry at the republicans.

The time for signing up for the Medicare Part D is about to expire, with many many, many seniors not enrolled. By not extending the deadline,
the republicans are showing how politically tonedeaf they are, and how heartless they are, when they put insurance companies ahead of seniors.
 

One woman, saying she was having trouble helping her 75-year-old mother make a choice, asked whether the deadline should be extended.

"No, and the reason why is there's got to be a fixed time for people to sign up," the president said.

The Republican-controlled Senate, meanwhile, narrowly defeated a measure that would have extended the deadline until the end of the year. Eligible people face a penalty if they seek drug benefits after May 15

The Washington Post has new poll which says 75% of Americans want Bush to disclose his aides ties with Abramoff, including 2 out of 3 republicans, as compared to 8 out of 10 democrats. Of course, Bush is refusing to do this. He probably will have to be forced to by a court at some point. Bush is refusing to turn over information about Katrina. The American people will have to rely on the courts to find out what really happened.Having a president who's party also controls both houses of congress, shows how important and how dependent the American people are on the courts.  This why keeping Alito off the Supreme Court is so important. This is where a vote for Alito, becomes a vote for an imperial president. Something easy to filibuster.

I watched Squawkbox on CNBC this morning, where they had a discussion about a windfall profit tax for oil companies. They showed a clip of Grassley (R-IA) saying he believed oil companies should pay 10% of their profits to help the poor meet their heating bills. Asked how he arrived at this figure, he actually said that he got the figure from the bible.The bible says people should tithe 10% of their income. I fell off my chair. Separation of church and state is so far gone, that economic policy is now being set by religious dogma.

Personally, I don't believe in windfall profit taxes. But I also believe we should not be subsidizing the oil companies with our tax dollars, at time when they are making QUARTERLY profits equal to the amount being asked to rebuild New Orleans.

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to you because I am confused as to your stand on ethics in the White House. The Vice President's chief of staff has been indicted for lying to a grand jury and for obstructing justice in the investigation to uncover who leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent to the public. Your close advisor, Karl Rove, has been implicated in this leak.

Although, Mr. Rove was not indicted yesterday, it is obvious that he played a part in this clearly unethical act. This is where, I become confused. At one point, you said anyone involved in this should, and would be fired. Your White House would stand for ethical behavior and honesty.