Politics News

James William Smith asked:


Hillary Clinton had run a disciplined, mistake-free campaign for the first nine months of 2007. She had been able to portray herself as an experienced candidate for change. By contrast, the Obama campaign had an anemic nine months on the campaign trail without a clear message or momentum. Mrs. Clinton had Obama in a tough political spot.

To remain competitive in the race, Barack Obama needed to attack Mrs. Clinton as a candidate. The attack ads and negative campaigning would have left Obama open to criticism of abandoning his campaign’s primary theme of hope. It would challenge his assertion that he was a different kind of politician and it would appear to the voting public as a cynical attempt by him to get back in the race. Obama would look desperate and Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for the Democratic nomination would be inevitable.

However, Obama never had to go “negative” because Mrs. Clinton started making a series of unforced mistakes. Her political mistakes from late September through early December have allowed the Obama campaign to surge into the lead in the first voting state of Iowa. In addition Obama has moved back into contention in the state primary in New Hampshire.

Clinton started her parade of mistakes in the debate of September 26, 2007. Her handling of a hypothetical question on terrorist torture from moderator Tim Russert was inconsistent with answers she has given on that same question posed to her in the past.

The mistakes continued for Hillary in the Democratic debate of October 30, 2007. Her answer to a debate question concerning granting illegal aliens drivers licenses was incoherent. She appeared to take a position on both sides of the issue within about sixty seconds. Her performance validated her Democratic opponent’s claim that she was trying to parse her position on issues and have it both ways.

Next, Bill Clinton showed up stumping for votes for Hillary in Iowa to remind us how slick and parsing he can be. In Iowa, it was all about Bill and little about Hillary on the campaign trail. Bill even tried to convince us that he was against the Iraq war from the beginning, which is clearly not true. It sounded like Bill Clinton was running again and reminded the voting public about the fact that in electing Hillary, we would get Team Clinton back for President in the White House. This back to the future Clinton reminder to the voting public did not go over well.

Then, the voters got to see a Hillary Clinton interview with Katie Couric. This interview should have been a positive thing for Hillary. However, her poll numbers continued to drop after her appearance. In this interview, Hillary told Katie Couric that she has never contemplated losing this election. That she had not even considered the possibility that she would lose. The manner which she handle that question appeared presumptious to many voters. In fact, it fed into the negative image many people have of Hillary’s need and hunger for power. It was a continuation of the impression that she would say anything to win.

These mistakes from the Hillary Clinton campaign have helped to tighten the Democratic race for the 2008 Presidential nomination just weeks before the first vote is to be cast in Iowa. Barrack Obama clearly has the momentum in the race. Now it will be Hillary Clinton who will have to go negative to try and slow his campaign down.

For Obama to win the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008, he must win Iowa in a decisive fashion. He also must win in New Hampshire or Hillary Clinton will absorb the Iowa defeat and move on. If Obama wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton would be reeling and John Edwards would be out of the race. The Edwards vote would probably move to Obama and he would have a chance to defeat Clinton, one-on-one in the subsequent primaries. Democratic voters would certainly be questioning Hillary’s prospects as a candidate against the Republican Presidential nominee in the general election in 2008. A primary election battle between Clinton and Obama could go unresolved for weeks since Obama has the campaign war chest to contest Clinton in every primary state.

An Obama victory against Hillary Clinton is still a long shot. However, a series of unforced Hillary Clinton mistakes since September 26, 2007 have allowed Obama to remain competitive. Indeed, the result of her political mistakes have, at the very least, given Barack Obama’s campaign of hope a prayer.

Julie Smith asked:


What happened in Iowa last Thursday gave us a little idea of what the United States is willing to do for the next presidential elections. Though the selection process consists of a long way; Obama’s victory in the caucus with some 38% of the vote marks a turning point in the US political history.

The contrast between Clinton and Obama is visible; while Hillary Clinton is surrounded by well known faces from Washington, Obama’s speech appears to touch the feelings of many voters. The word “change” pronounced by Obama many times has penetrated deeply in the democratic side.

On the other hand, Bill Clinton appears to have lost some of his legendary political touch. Though he remains popular with many Democrats, he seems oblivious to the resentment within the Democratic “base”. The advantage of Barack over Hillary Clinton means more than a victory; Iowa’s triumph over race is a message to the world about the real nature of America and a ratification of Obama’s belief that this will be an election year where everything is on the table.

However, Clinton is the first wife of a former American president to run the office…basically no woman has ever been nominated as a presidential candidate by a major party. The 60-years-old lady is not giving up; actually, her campaign already announced that it would dispatch former President Clinton to New Hampshire for the next week seeking to resurrect the Clinton’s dynasty.

While the 46-year-old Illinois senator is focused on Tuesday’s New Hampshire presidential primary, Hillary Clinton is ready to attack his political inexperience as she will battle to prevent her rival from the democratic nomination.

Barack Obama is performing very well for New Hampshire and already started building up an unstoppable momentum. Iowa’s triumph seems to have generated a turnout from 2004 statistics. Apparently, Iowa’s decision was about style, and US citizens seem to be looking for something different…maybe a big change; the decision was not only pro-Obama, but visibly anti-Clinton.

Now, all the attention is focused on New Hampshire where the second round of Primaries will be held next week. The temperature is also expected to be high the next Republican debate with candidates as John McCain, who opinion polls now show leading in New Hampshire after some months of unpopularity.

Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:


There’s a big debate in tinsle-town tonight and the TWO BIG GUNS get to square off at each other and I am sure they will. Hillary needs to regain some MO as in momentum. The uncontested win in Florida where no delegate seats were up for grabs didn’t get Hillary anything but a few minutes of TV exposure. The South Carolina landslide is still sliding for Barack Obama- even past the Ted Kennedy kudos!

If you wondered whether if the Barack-Star could compete for the Super Tuesday sweepstakes. Think no longer! $32,000,000.00 says he can!

Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, matching his best three-month period last year, aides said Thursday. The money positions Obama for the sweeping Feb. 5 primary contests, when 22 states will be in play for the Democratic nomination. Aides also announced that with their money they can now advertise in states beyond the Super Tuesday.

Obama is advertising in all but two of the Feb. 5 states and plans to begin advertising in states with upcoming contests, including Louisiana, Washington, Nebraska, Maine, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Campaign manager David Plouffe said the campaign attracted 170,000 new donors for a total of 650,000 donors overall.

“We think that the strength of our financial position and the number of donors does speak to financial sustainability if it ends up going through March and April,” Plouffe said of the race. “We think we will have the financial resources to conduct vigorous campaigns in the states to come.”

And one of those contributors came from Hillary’s home state of New York.

The late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan threw his considerable political weight behind Hillary Clinton, helping her win her Senate seat from a state where she had never lived, but that hasn’t deterred his widow from backing Hillary’s rival Barack Obama for 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

In a statement e-mailed to David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, Elizabeth B. Moynihan attributed her support for Obama to Caroline Kennedy Schlosberg’s Times Op-Ed article where JFK’s daughter endorsed Barack Obama, as well as her own displeasure with Bill and Hillary Clinton’s recent hostility toward Obama’s candidacy. You just never know what one person’s endorsement might bring.

Mrs. Moynihan wrote that her husband, who died in 2003, “would have become excited, as I have, to see Barack Obama rekindle hope in our young as he encourages them to participate in the political process, and I know Pat would approve, applaud and encourage me to join Caroline Kennedy in supporting Barack Obama’s candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president. It is a rare gift to be able to inspire people to share a vision that requires commitment and dedication.

Barack should be all smiles before the debate tonight. We’ll have to wait until the debate is over to see if he’s still smiling. With John Edwards out for the Democrats (and Rudy for the Republicans) the stage is really small now for tonights Democratic debate.

Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:


How is it that Hillary can be “ready on day one” when her campaign is in a shambles now? Since she has been running for president for eight+ years now, why is her campaign so dysfunctional? She has the democratic machine behind her, Bubba, and access to wealth and power beyond limits and yet she now finds herself in the second slot in this horse race for the democratic nomination.

And if anyone thinks she’s going to bow out, you have another think coming. She’d rather sink the party and the nation before losing. Hillary doesn’t lose! So, while Barack Obama’s campaign touts “the math” as pointing to an insurmountable delegate lead for the Illinois senator, Hillary marches on and even has the audacity to say Obama would be a good VP on her ticket!

I’m here to tell you that IF she won the nomination, and IF Obama was amicable to a VP role (and he’s not), she could not stand having him as a VP because of his popularity. Hillary will not have anyone looking good around ehre except here image in the mirror.

Rich Lowry nails it on the head when he wrote, “Hillary isn’t electrifying on the stump, her campaign is dysfunctional, and — truth be told — she’s not particularly experienced. What Hillary has is a shameless will to power, and a near lock on an old-school Democratic coalition built on working-class whites. That is enough for her to try to pry the nomination from Obama’s hands one finger at a time.”

It’s impossible for Hillary to gain enough delegates over the enxt eleven primaries to exceed Obama. So, other behind closed door methods will have to be employed. And she can do that! Obama will most likely continue to lead Clinton by about 100 pledged delegates, but won’t get enough to secure the nomination before the convention in August. Obama, and Hillary for that matter, will need superdelegates — elected officials and party officers who are free to vote for whomever they choose, Lowry notes.

Ahh, those fluid super delegates! Who knows how many each candidate has?

The super delegates won’t necessarily support the candidate with the most pledged delegates. The Washington Post spoke with 80 superdelegates who said they will support the candidate who will run the strongest campaign against Republican John McCain. And just who is going to determine who that might be? The Magnolia state gets to add it’s feelings today!

Obama has downplayed the possibility of taking the vice presidential slot, but hasn’t totally ruled it out, and until he does, doubts will remain about whether he has the stomach for what Hillary will drag him through. Hz Obama got the guts, the will, the moxy to take all that Hillary and Bubba can throw at him? We’re surely going to find out.

The Hillary Clinton campaign may be short of professionalism, but it’s not short on intimidation and pwoer brokering. Stay tuned for……….NEWS! :-)Hillary Clinton Campaign

Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:


Guess what today is? It’s SUPER TUESDAY, the day we’ve all been waiting for. Who will get a slight nudge, if anyone, coming out of Super Tuesday? Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton are locked in a very tight race all over the place. What we do know is that the race for the Democratic nomination won’t be settled today, but someone will have the momentum and there seems to be no doubt that is the Barack-Star. But, can he maintain it against the Clinton political machinery? Remember, they don’t play fair!

And then there is the fantasy talk about a “dream ticket”. It sounds terribly exciting and history-making to have a woman and an African-American competing against the Republicans, but there are multiple reasons why this won’t happen. But, it simply isn’t going to happen- either way! Here’s what I see.

Clinton is too arrogant to share the limelight with anyone, even if that person is the Vice President. She will not be overshadowed by anyone! Clinton is popular in Democratic circles, but that pales in comparison to the love and affection showered on Obama. Obama has brought me to tears on a couple of occasions and I’m more of a Republican than a Democrat. He simply has a message of HOPE and that attracts folks on the left, right and the disenfranchised.

Being numero dos is unthinkable for Hillary. She’s not interested in second fiddle and doesn’t want to have to fight to be on the stage.

On the other hand, Obama would not want to carry all the Clinton baggage- can you say Hillary-Gate? He has offered a vision of change, and having to answer to the years of strife under the Clintons would be too much. Further, an Obama run would be about going after Republicans and independents, and Clinton being on the ticket would make that very difficult.

Besides, she’s also 60, and being VP to Obama means that if he wins two terms, she’ll be 68 running for the highest office in the land and she is hearing the “he’s too old” comments aimed at John McCain. Oh yes, and then there’d be the fact that Obama doesn’t really need the constant reminder that the first black president is married to his Vice President, should he choose Hillary, and that he dated more black women that Obama ever did. Who needs the reminders?!

And did I mention that there’s no love lost between the two, not to mention what mutual dis-respect Bubba and Michelle probably have towards each other. I simply can’t image such a dream ticket, which would relationally be a nightmare ticket that would make the Clinton-Gore relationship pale in comparison. Talk abdout the Hatfields and the McCoys!

Way too much bad blood between these two during this campaign. A lot of folks say that George H.W. Bush rankled Ronald Reagan by declaring his economic plan “voodoo economics.” That didn’t keep Reagan from adding Bush to the ticket. But Bush was one of these loyal guys who would have done anything for the party. That’s not Hillary who would do anything for herself only!

No, these two history makers will have to go it alone: and only ONE of them can do that, not both.

I1connect asked:


The two were then seen entering the elevator escorted by one of Barack Obama’s secret service guards.

A potential Obama/Imperato collaboration could be a major force to deal with combining the business savvy of Daniel Imperato with the current celebrity of Barack Obama.

Obama began his rise to celebrity when Jack Ryan dropped out the 2004 Illinois Senate Race and Obama became the winner almost by default. He then went on to deliver an inspiring keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention at John Kerry’s request.

Obama has very little to no foreign policy experience and many question his qualifications to lead the country.

Imperato has been embraced by international leaders and has traveled the world learning about US policy and global situations.

Recently, Obama stated to a group of Iowa supporters that he could not handle solving domestic problems while Iraq was still an issue, proving his inability to multitask.

So who was collaborating with whom? Was Obama seeking foreign policy advice from Imperato who is considered one of the foremost experts in foreign policy in the world?

Was Imperato approaching Obama to join the independent movement if he does not win the Democratic nomination?

Ironically, a meeting between Imperato and Obama happened after Obama met with Bill Clinton at a Central Park West fundraiser earlier in the evening before taping his appearance on the David Letterman Show.

Imperato was in New York to attend the Manhattan Libertarian’s meeting at the Ukrainian East Restaurant, as well as meet with several key supporters.

Then at approximately 10 am Tuesday morning, Daniel Imperato and Barack Obama were seen walking in unison, from separate elevators, in the lobby of the W Hotel.

Imperato was dressed in casual clothes while Obama was dressed with his suite and tie and was escorted by his Secret Service agent.

The fact that Obama and Imperato went upstairs in unison last evening, and returned to the lobby this morning begs many questions.

Did Imperato and Obama meet all night? Did Obama try to recruit Imperato’s support in case the Libertarians do not achieve ballot access in all 50 states?

Or could the Democrats be looking to bring the Libertarians into their party?

For Interviews and Media Inquiries Contact

Press Department

I1connect

info@i1connect.com

www.i1connect.com

(561) 515-6177

Groshan Fabiola asked:


More famous people are joining the bandwagon of hopefuls for Dancing with the Stars, with the latest being Hillary Clinton herself. Yes, the wife of former president Bill Clinton is dreaming of a spot on ABC’s award-winning reality dance competition. In fact Clinton, who is now a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election was a guest on The Tyra Banks Show just last Friday, where she revealed to the world on which reality show she would like to participate in.

“In my dreams, I would be on America ’s Next Top Model, but in reality I would have to chose my limited talents and of them, dancing is better than singing,” Hillary Clinton told Tyra Banks. “You do not want me to sing.”

Clinton also admitted that she has decided on Dancing with the Stars, if to choose among reality shows to join.

“I think it would have to be Dancing with the Stars, especially if I could have one of those really good partners.”

Clinton did not say which kinds of dances she enjoys performing, but admitted that she is well updated on the younger generation’s hip moves. The 60-year-old also revealed that she knows the Soulja Boy and SpongeBob dances.

“I think that is a variation of what I did like 30, 40 years ago,” she explained. “Everything gets recycled and gets a different name and [changes] slightly, the hip action or shoulder action, whatever it is.”

Aside from discussing light topics such as the possibility of her participating in Dancing with the Stars, the Democratic presidential candidate also talked about an emotional moment she had with voters on the eve of the New Hampshire primary. Some analysts believe that this event help propelled her to an unexpected win. Clinton also talked about her recent comments about Martin Luther King Jr. that helped push the issue of race to the forefront of the campaign against the black Barack Obama, for the Democratic nomination.

Lastly, Clinton also suggested a nationwide contest “like a reality show” for a title for her husband, former President Clinton, should she win the nomination and later be elected the nation’s first female president.

For more resources about Dancing with the Stars or for the full story of Hillary Clinton Wants to Go Dancing with the Stars please review http://www.buddytv.com