IT'S A DRAW!!!

[If you were waitlisted this year, what's the current status of each of your WLs? (10 max)]

If you were waitlisted this year, what's the current status of each of your WLs? (10 max)

Still WLed

 45 (70.3%)

Accepted off WL

 10 (15.6%)

Rejected off WL

 9 (14.1%)

Total Members Voted: 49

[cen]

Sen. Hillary Clinton Wednesday said her campaign had "turned a corner" with dramatic wins in Ohio and Texas Tuesday night.

Very detailed I'd also say

[cen]

Oops wrong thread

[deejay vu]

^{Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is accompanied by MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway as she arrives for a taping of "Choose or Lose" where she met with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at Lancaster Brewing Company in Lancaster, PA, Tuesday, March 18, 2008.}

[mena]

Last year Hillary Clinton was the front runner in the Democrat's primary race until Barack Obama surged forward with a miraculously huge war chest and a groundswell of popular support. Does this affirm our Democratic system of electing officials or is there something more sinister behind a Junior Senator suddenly thrust into the national limelight? Did prominent Republican businessmen contribute to Barack Obama's fund raising campaign because they believe he is an easier target to take down in the long run?



Was he set up as a stalking horse candidate to thwart the Democrats from securing the White House? In case you are not familiar with the term, Wikipedia defines a "stalking horse" as:

"someone or something whose role is to become the focal point for, or the initiator of, a debate or challenge. In reality, however, their leadership role may be an illusion, and the stalking horse is really working to promote a challenge or debate that will benefit a third party whose identity remains a secret."

Politics is a tough and sometimes dirty business, from the controversy over campaign fundraising, to endless probes of business associates and infinite spinning and second guessing of previous actions and political stances. The contested Florida race in 2000 suggested dirty politics were afoot in this battleground state. We didn't even know what a hanging chad was until Florida. The ultimate insult to democracy came when the Supreme Court, seated with many appointees of President Bush Senior, made a crucial decision that handed the presidency to George W. Considering that twenty percent of Chicago's business elite, most of whom are Republicans, gave to Obama's campaign, while giving zilch to Hillary seem to support the idea that Republicans were stuffing Obama's war chest. To be absolutely clear, there are no laws broken here, but it seems odd, to say the least that dyed in the wool Republicans suddenly find a barely tested Junior Senator as the candidate of choice. This is all the more strange because up to that point, these Republican contributors hadn't given as much money to the party they usually support.

Let us also be clear that Hillary has received campaign contributions from traditionally Republican supporters. However, the evidence suggests that Obama has received the lion's share of Republican dollars. This would not be the first time the Republicans have backed a stalking horse to frustrate Democratic presidential aspirations. Ralph Nader was backed by Republican contibutors in his divisive White House run in 2004, steering votes away from John Kerry. All the more troubling is that one of Obama's speechwriters is Ben Rhodes, the brother of Fox News VP David Rhodes ( Marisa Guthrie, of BC Beat, reported this connection recently.) The latter Rhodes has been with the network since its inception in 1996. You may recall that on election night in November 2000, it was Fox that called Florida for Bush, even though the other networks declared Gore the winner.

And last but not least, Mr. Obama’s connections with friend and financier Tony Rezko, a Syrian immigrant whose Federal trial for business fraud and influence peddling was moved to March 3, close enough to insure that potentially damaging information to Obama would not affect the March 4 primaries. However, what most people are not aware of, is that this letter to the United States Justice Department called for an investigation into Barack Obama’s dealings with Rezko 3 months before Barack Obama declared his intention to seek the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton has the dubious honor of being the most vetted candidate for the office of president. She withstood a $40 million dollar attack on her character alaWhitewater. She could not be taken down. Barack Obama has yet to be tested in this manner and considering the seriousness of the charges against Mr. Rezko, could be easy pickings for a smear campaign. We've seen political candidates taken down for less. The clues are tantalizing.

[o n l i n e]

It's been a banner time for sexism on the presidential hustings. Some time ago, we had the John McCain supporter in South Carolina asking her hero, "How do we beat the female dog?" in reference to Senator Hillary Clinton. Senator McCain laughed, showing his good-natured appreciation for comparing women to animals. He might also be amused to know that chicks, foxes, dogs and pigs are in the same lexicon, the one aimed at keeping women down by dehumanizing them.

[diveroll]

Clinton's superdelegates are sticking with her. Nationwide, the 796 superdelegates will make up a 5th of the total at the Democratic convention. They likely will swing toward one candidate to decide the outcome should the primaries and caucuses, which wrap up June 3, fail to do so. While it is true that Obama leads in all three categories and it's considered unlikely that Clinton will overtake him, neither Obama nor Clinton, at this point, can win the majority of delegates needed for nomination solely through the primaries and caucuses.

[vignette]

Well, Al Gore -- you remember the Wizard of Gore, don't you -- said Sunday that he was steering clear of the nomination fight for now. "I'm trying to stay out of it," Gore told CBS television's "60 Minutes" news broadcast, even as fears continued to mount that the bitter nomination fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama threatens to tear the Democratic Party apart.

[C S]

It's been a banner time for sexism on the presidential hustings. Some time ago, we had the John McCain supporter in South Carolina asking her hero, "How do we beat the female dog?" in reference to Senator Hillary Clinton. Senator McCain laughed, showing his good-natured appreciation for comparing women to animals. He might also be amused to know that chicks, foxes, dogs and pigs are in the same lexicon, the one aimed at keeping women down by dehumanizing them.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/11/full_video_mccain_says_supporters_bitch_query_about_hillary_is_an_excellent_question.php

In an article about a report from CNN's "Out in the Open" on Sen. John McCain's recent exchange with a supporter in Hilton Head, S.C., The Hill reported that McCain's "campaign laments that CNN portrayed the event as though McCain did not defend [Sen. Hillary] Clinton forcefully enough. The senator, in the short video clip, expressed his respect for the former first lady." But the article did not note that McCain described the question -- "How do we beat the female dog?" -- as "excellent." A November 14 article in The Hill by Klaus Marre reported that "[t]he camp of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hoped to capitalize Wednesday on what it says was a biased report on CNN about a campaign event at which a McCain supporter referred to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as 'the female dog.' " The article, which the Drudge Report linked to, referred to a McCain press release and email reacting to a report on the November 13 edition of CNN's Out in the Open by anchor Rick Sanchez. Sanchez noted McCain's response, during a campaign event in Hilton Head, S.C., to an audience member who asked, "How do we beat the female dog?" The Hill article reported: "The campaign laments that CNN portrayed the event as though McCain did not defend Clinton forcefully enough. The senator, in the short video clip, expressed his respect for the former first lady." But nowhere in the article did Marre note that McCain described the question as "excellent."

Further, The Hill did not mention that while the clip Sanchez aired showed McCain praising the question as an "excellent" one, the clip also showed McCain saying: "I respect Senator Clinton. I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat [sic] Party." Moreover, The Hill did not note that the email from McCain's campaign falsely claimed that "Senator McCain first responded by saying that he respected Senator Clinton, as he has said repeatedly throughout the campaign. Then, focusing on the question, he pointed to the new Rasmussen national poll showing that he is the only Republican candidate who can beat her in a general election." In fact, according to a video of the exchange, posted on YouTube by the Veracifier blog, McCain's first response to the question was, "May I give ... the translation?" He then added, "But that's an excellent question," before mentioning the Rasmussen poll. Only then did he state he had "respect" for Clinton. On the blog Talking Points Memo, reporter-blogger Greg Sargent noted the email's false claim.

From the November 13 edition of CNN's Out in the Open:

SANCHEZ: You know, this could be real bad for John McCain. I want you to watch this that we're about to show you. You'll probably see its first pass here, and then I have a feeling you'll be seeing it a lot. Producer comes in early in the morning today to my office and shows me this video. You're going to hear a McCain supporter. She refers to Hillary Clinton using really what is a horrible word that is used to do nothing but demean women. Well, at the time, it was a supporter who said that. It wasn't until later on, when we watched the whole tape, which is what you're about to see, that you see McCain's reaction, or lack thereof, that we decided that this is both relevant and newsworthy -- an important information to this campaign. All right, let me set it up for you. He's campaigning in South Carolina yesterday when suddenly this happened. Obviously, the word that's used here is very offensive. We'll let you listen to the entire thing so you can decide for yourself. Here it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do we beat the female dog?

[laughter]

McCAIN: May I give the -- may I give the translation?

[laughter]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: Leave it alone.

McCAIN: The way that --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: John, I thought she was talking about my ex-wife.

[laughter]

McCAIN: But that's an excellent question.

[...]

McCAIN: I respect Senator Clinton. I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat [sic] Party.

SANCHEZ: "That's an excellent question," he says.

This is a fellow senator that he's talking about. No matter what you think of Hillary Clinton, is John McCain done as a result of this? Is this going to become a viral video? This is the kind of questions that we got to examine at this point. We're going to be looking at a lot of these issues. The November 14 Hill article, headlined "McCain camp goes after CNN," in its entirety:

The camp of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hoped to capitalize Wednesday on what it says was a biased report on CNN about a campaign event at which a McCain supporter referred to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as "the female dog." Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, said in an e-mail to supporters that CNN owes the Arizona Republican an apology for its reporting of the story. The campaign laments that CNN portrayed the event as though McCain did not defend Clinton forcefully enough. The senator, in the short video clip, expressed his respect for the former first lady. "The CNN Network, affectionately known as the Clinton News Network, has stooped to an all-time low and is gratuitously attacking John McCain for not sufficiently defending Hillary Clinton enough when a South Carolina voter used the 'B' word to describe her when John McCain stopped into a luncheon yesterday at the Trinity restaurant in Hilton Head, S.C.," Davis said in his e-mail.

The McCain campaign manager portrayed the CNN report as an attempt by the liberal media to stop the surging Arizona Republican. "The liberal media has figured out that John McCain is the only thing that stands between a Hillary Clinton presidency, and they are therefore trying to stop the McCain comeback," Davis said. "Simply put, CNN is scared that John McCain will beat Hillary Clinton. They are right to be scared." The e-mail to supporters comes with a call to support the campaign financially. "We need your help," Davis wrote. "We need you to stand with John McCain, a man of honor, integrity and love of country, against the liberal media and liberal blogosphere that are trying to bring him down."

[see ya]

Clinton's superdelegates are sticking with her. Nationwide, the 796 superdelegates will make up a 5th of the total at the Democratic convention. They likely will swing toward one candidate to decide the outcome should the primaries and caucuses, which wrap up June 3, fail to do so. While it is true that Obama leads in all three categories and it's considered unlikely that Clinton will overtake him, neither Obama nor Clinton, at this point, can win the majority of delegates needed for nomination solely through the primaries and caucuses.

Don't even think about her quitting! Did ya hear her joke yesterday?

Following a speech before hundreds of labor union members, the press was told Hillary Clinton would hold a press conference. The press sat patiently for Clinton to finish shaking hands with supporters in the other room. Within minutes, a somber looking Clinton approached the podium, her equally morose looking staff stood nearby. "I want to take a moment to say that this has been a very hard fought race. Each of us is drawing enormous support. We clearly need to do something so that our party and the people can make the right decision," Clinton said. At this point many in the press thought Clinton might drop the bomb that she is calling it quits in the race. But it soon became clear that Clinton was only joking.

"Today I am challenging Senator Obama to a bowl off, a bowling night, right here in Pennsylvania winner take all," said Clinton as the press chuckled. "I will even spot him 2 frames. It's time for his campaign to get out of the gutter and allow all of the pins to be counted. I am prepared to play this game all the way to 10th frame. And when this game is over the America people will know when that phone rings at 3am they will have a president who will be able to bowl on day one so let's strike a deal and go bowling for delegates. We don't have a moment to spare, because it’s already April Fools Day, so happy April Fools Day everybody." This isn't the first time Clinton has addressed the press in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. A few months ago Clinton unveiled her campaign airplane as "Hill Force One" saying, "Welcome to Hill-Force One. FAA regulations prohibit the use of any cell phones, blackberries and/or wireless devices that may be used to transmit a negative story about me. Now in a few minutes," she continued, "I am going to switch off the fasten your seatbelt sign, however, I've learned lately that things can get awfully bumpy when you least expect it, so you might want to keep those seatbelts fastened."

[becky]

That loud, annoying sound you keep hearing is coming from all that Democratic hand wringing about the length and tenor of the race for the party's presidential nomination. The longer the race goes on, the more it increases the likelihood that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain will somehow win the White House when the two central themes of his campaign so far -- support for an unpopular war and a largely hands off approach to the economic mess --are at odds with about two thirds of American voters.

Or so the hand wringers keep telling us.

HIllary Clinton, whose only true impediment to the nomination seems to be that stubborn math that says she can't win enough delegates, continues to slug it out with Barack Obama. They are seeing parts of the country that Democrats haven't seen since Bobby Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy were still in the race in 1968. Hello Anderson, Indiana! Muncie, great to see you! Several Obama supporters have made calls for Clinton to get out of the race. Too bad for them, Clinton doesn't seem willing to take her cues from the senior senator from Vermont, Patrick Leahy. So there goes the Ben & Jerry's vote. And why should she? She is right that she has generated an incredible energy among women voters, and those very voters will be key to a Democratic victory in the fall. She is right that Democrats need to do well in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama can't walk to the White House through the precincts of Wyoming and Idaho.

She is right that the Democratic nominee needs to win the votes of working-class white men, which is why Obama has pivoted so quickly from a high-minded poetry to beer-swilling, bowling-alley populism. The consequences so far seem pretty clear. Each Democratic candidate has proven an ability to raise well north of $100 million, making the Republican McCain look like the guy with a tin cup on the street corner. Each person who donates money, even in the smallest amount, gets added to a database of potential voters in November. In almost every state where they have campaigned, the number of registered Democrats has increased. In Pennsylvania alone, there will be more than 100,000 new potential Democratic voters in the fall. States that previously were thought to be safely Republican, like Virginia and Georgia, could be in play for Democrats in the fall, particularly if Obama is the nominee.

The ratings for their televised debates continue to set ratings record even though neither of them has said anything particularly new in the last 10 of the 20 they have held. And who is making the front page or the nightly news? McCain launched his so-called biography tour on Monday in Mississippi. Try finding that story. Obama can get on the front page throwing a gutter ball in a Pennsylvania bowling alley. Team Clinton, Hillary, Bill or Chelsea, provide endless fodder for the cable networks. McCain would have to sky dive out of his campaign plane to get equal treatment. The Democratic contest will end at some point, and it is highly likely that point comes well before that -- all together now -- brokered convention begins. This is a country with a very short attention span. Clinton and Obama have held it longer than anyone could have imagined. Whatever fights they are having now will be forgotten on the late-summer night in Denver when one of them delivers the acceptance speech.