The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Thread

[Trini _2026]

By KATY POWNALL, Associated Press Writer
17 minutes ago
 
KOGELO, Kenya - At the end of a dusty, dirt road lined with mango and mimosa trees, Barack Obama's Kenyan relatives sat outside on plastic chairs surrounded by chickens and drying corn kernels, listening to radio reports from New Hampshire.

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Kogelo, the western Kenyan home village of Barack Obama's father, has been spared the political and ethnic violence that has erupted elsewhere in this country following a disputed presidential election. But it was just 90 minutes' drive from a town where torched, ransacked and looted buildings bear testimony to the clashes, and the turmoil in Kenya, as well as his nephew's success in the U.S., was on Said Obama's mind.

Said Obama said his nephew "has proved to be a beacon of hope here and shown that even in difficult circumstances you can make it to the highest height of achievement with just determination and hard work."

Obama's father, also named Barack Obama, won a scholarship to a university in Hawaii, where he met and married Obama's American mother. The two separated and Obama's father returned to Kenya, where he worked as a government economist until he died in a car crash in 1982.

If Barack Obama were in Kenya today, he would "work with the leadership to bring them to a round table and find a solution to the problems that have been ravaging the country," his uncle said.

Barack Obama's forays into diplomacy have touched on Kenya, most recently on Monday when he spoke with Raila Odinga for about five minutes from New Hampshire, asking the opposition leader to meet directly with President Mwai Kibaki, said the U.S. politician's spokesman.

"He urged an end to violence and that Mr. Odinga sit down, without preconditions, with President Kibaki to resolve this issue peacefully," said the spokesman, Bill Burton.

On his last visit to Kenya, in August 2006, Obama made a speech that was televised live in which he touched on themes not normally debated openly in Kenya, criticizing the high-level corruption and the tribal politics that have dominated the country since its 1963 independence from Britain. Both issues have played a role in the postelection violence.

"Very many people sat up and listened, but the government didn't like it," Said Obama said of his nephew's speech. "It touched a nerve they didn't want touched. The corruption is endemic here and tribalism cannot escape your eyes — you just have to look at the government

[truetrini]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA-451XMsuY

[Dutty]

 


big big tune

[truetrini]

By DAVID ESPO and CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writers 12 minutes ago
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.

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Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was running third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago.

About half the voters were black, according to polling place interviews, and four out of five of them supported Obama. Black women turned out in particularly large numbers. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, got a quarter of the white vote while Clinton and Edwards split the rest.

The victory was Obama's first since he won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, scored an upset in the New Hampshire primary a few days later. They split the Nevada caucuses, she winning the turnout race, he gaining a one-delegate margin. In an historic race, she hopes to become the first woman to occupy the White House, and Obama is the strongest black contender in history.

The South Carolina primary marked the end of the first phase of the campaign for the Democratic nomination, a series of single-state contests that winnowed the field, conferred co-front-runner status on Clinton and Obama but had relatively few delegates at stake.

That all changes in 10 days' time, when New York, Illinois and California are among the 15 states holding primaries in a virtual nationwide primary. Another seven states and American Samoa will hold Democratic caucuses on the same day.

"South Carolina voters rejected the politics of the past and they wanted something different," said Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for Obama.

Clinton issued a statement saying she had called Obama to congratulate him on his victory. She quickly turned her focus to the primaries ahead. "For those who have lost their job or their home or their health care, I will focus on the solutions needed to move this country forward," she said.

Returns from 24 percent of the state's precincts showed Obama winning 53 percent in the three-way race, Clinton gaining 27 percent and Edwards at 19 percent.

All three contenders campaigned in South Carolina on primary day, but only Obama and Edwards arranged to speak to supporters after the polls closed. Clinton decided to fly to Tennessee, one of the Feb. 5 states, leaving as the polls were closing.

After playing a muted role in the earlier contests, the issue of race dominated an incendiary week that included a shift in strategy for Obama, a remarkably bitter debate and fresh scrutiny of former President Clinton's role in his wife's campaign.

Each side accused the other of playing the race card, sparking a controversy that frequently involved Bill Clinton.

"They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender. That's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here," the former president said at one stop as he campaigned for his wife, strongly suggesting that blacks would not support a white alternative to Obama.

Clinton campaign strategists denied any intentional effort to stir the racial debate. But they said they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as "the black candidate," a tag that could hurt him outside the South.

Nearly six in 10 voters said the former president's efforts for his wife was important to their choice, and among them, slightly more favored Obama than the former first lady.

Overall, Obama defeated Clinton among both men and women.

The exit polls showed the economy was the most important issue in the race. About one quarter picked health care. And only one in five said it was the war in Iraq, underscoring the extent to which the once-dominant issue has faded in the face of financial concerns.

The exit poll was conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and the networks.

Clinton and Obama swapped accusatory radio commercials earlier in the week.

The former first lady aired an ad saying Obama had once approved of Republican ideas. His camp responded quickly that Clinton "will say anything." First she, then he, pulled the commercials after a short run on the air.

Given the bickering, Edwards looked for an opening to reinvigorate a candidacy all but eclipsed by the historic campaign between Obama and Clinton. He went on the "Late Show with David Letterman" at midweek to say he wanted to represent the "grown-up wing of the Democratic party."

That was one night after a finger-wagging debate in which Obama told Clinton he was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart."

Moments later, the former first lady said she was fighting against misguided Republican policies "when you were practicing law and representing your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."

___

Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy, Seanna Adcox and Mike Baker in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report.

[TriniCana]

Caroline Kennedy endorses Barack Obama for President
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

[D.H.W]

Hillary is a bitch i doh like her personality

[truetrini]

Hillary is a bitch i doh like her personality

If yuh look at ALL leaders dey ALL seem to be a bit of a psychooops socio- path..ent?

she well qualified!

[asylumseeker]

... House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn made clear that he’s had more than his fill of reporters asking about Obama winning 78 percent of black voters and 53 percent of the electorate being African American.

“Four years ago Al Sharpton, a black guy, ran here and a white guy won,” Clyburn noted. “So what’s wrong with black people voting for a black guy? They voted for a white guy four years ago.”

Asked how black voters across the nation would interpret Saturday night’s results, Clyburn, somewhat impatiently answered, “The same way white people are interpreting it. Here is is guy who gives me hope; he’s’ a guy of the future.”

That’s not an endorsement, but no matter — if Obama wins enough of the Feb. 5 contests, then every Democratic elected official will rush to endorse him and the nomination will be his.

...

So man dis talk!!!

[truetrini]

WoW!  Hillary rally walloped Obama in the Sunshine state.

now mindful that NO DELEGATES were at stake, this victory does much to propel Hillary into the Primaries in her home state of New York and delegate rich California!

Obama continues, and rightfully so, but his stock has diminished!

[FF]

WoW!  Hillary rally walloped Obama in the Sunshine state.

now mindful that NO DELEGATES were at stake, this victory does much to propel Hillary into the Primaries in her home state of New York and delegate rich California!

Obama continues, and rightfully so, but his stock has diminished!

Hillary went against a pledge not to campaign in Florida...

She is the only candidate who campaign... much like how she win BIG in Michigan.... 

.... just saying

EDIT: on de flip side, she does have alot of Hispanic support... which may be reflected here

[asylumseeker]

Hillary went against a pledge not to campaign in Florida...

Surprise, surprise.

[FF]

 
Not open to the public but still well publicised...

The Clinton campaign claims that the senator from New York is abiding by the no-campaigning pledge because Sunday's two Florida events were technically closed to the public. But the stops were treated as major news events in a state where many Democrats have expressed anger over the absence of the party's presidential candidates during a period when Florida is overrun by Republican contenders.

The truth of the Clinton strategy was writ large in a memo from top strategist Howard Wolfson, who announced on the day of the campaign's dismal showing in South Carolina that, "Regardless of today's outcome, the race quickly shifts to Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Democrats will turn out to vote on Tuesday. Despite efforts by the Obama campaign to ignore Floridians, their voices will be heard loud and clear across the country, as the last state to vote before Super Tuesday on February 5."

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=276341


again just saying... to me it seem like desperation moves... especially after de claim of victory in Michigan

[WestCoast]

"Last year, the national party stripped Florida of its delegates as punishment for moving its primary ahead of Feb. 5 and the candidates pledged to bypass the state. At stake Tuesday were 185 delegates.
Still, Clinton winked at that pledge, holding two closed fundraisers in recent days and scheduling a rally with supporters after the polls closed in Florida."  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/clinton_florida
most news outlets have hinted that she pull ah ratch


so tell me AGAIN why the democrats dont have any delegates today from the Florida Primary?
please an tanks
 


ya doh have to answer rhetorical    it seems very "cut off nose to spite their face" kinda ting
why they doh punish New Hampshire

[FF]

Not open to the public but still well publicised...

The Clinton campaign claims that the senator from New York is abiding by the no-campaigning pledge because Sunday's two Florida events were technically closed to the public. But the stops were treated as major news events in a state where many Democrats have expressed anger over the absence of the party's presidential candidates during a period when Florida is overrun by Republican contenders.

The truth of the Clinton strategy was writ large in a memo from top strategist Howard Wolfson, who announced on the day of the campaign's dismal showing in South Carolina that, "Regardless of today's outcome, the race quickly shifts to Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Democrats will turn out to vote on Tuesday. Despite efforts by the Obama campaign to ignore Floridians, their voices will be heard loud and clear across the country, as the last state to vote before Super Tuesday on February 5."

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=276341


again just saying... to me it seem like desperation moves... especially after de claim of victory in Michigan

fella if yuh want to be taken seriously by a Dem like me, doh use a republican shit rag like de Nation tuh support yuh propaganda!

she DID not campaign, saying she us in florida is not campaigning!

If simply is NOT!

I notice that the Reps, are scared shitless of the name CLINTON..ask yuhself why.

The Nation is described as the "Flagship of the Left" no?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nation

I just saying eh papa... me ent pushing no propaganda

[D.H.W]

fack Hilary 

[triniairman]

Nice speech, it sounded almost like MLK speaking there for a minute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35tI-8TaKmU

[D.H.W]

he's a boss  Barack Obama for president  lol

[WestCoast]

I heard the original and it was moving

allya read some of the comments of some of those people
lawd have mercy...some people eh

[triniairman]

I heard the original and it was moving

allya read some of the comments of some of those people
lawd have mercy...some people eh

They are scared of change, when you get ah chance, can you post the original speech?

[WestCoast]

I heard the original and it was moving

allya read some of the comments of some of those people
lawd have mercy...some people eh

They are scared of change, when you get ah chance, can you post the original speech?

the link is contained in this post #43 of mine in the "take that Hillary" thread

[StoreBayLimer]

Good job by will.I.am.   

I also heard the original speech and it was powerful. 
Super Tuesday, Super Tuesday, Super Tuesday, what will it bring?

[truetrini]

Super Tuesday by the Numbers

It’s been more than 24 hours since the Super Tuesday polls closed, but analysts are still sifting through the reams of data to come out of the 22 Democratic and 21 Republican primaries and caucuses. Here’s a quick rundown of the Feb. 5 numbers that matter, drawn from various news sources as well as our own calculators.
Turnout

27 percent of eligible citizens voted.
Dems: At least 15,417,521
GOP: At least 9,181,297
Source: Time

Delegate Count

After tearing our hair out over how media outlets can’t agree on the post-Super Tuesday delegate count, we’ll go with the Associated Press delegate tracker. It's super-detailed, updated frequently, and seems to get the most deference from news organizations. Here’s its most recent estimate: 
Dems
Clinton: 832
Obama: 821
Delegates needed for the nomination: 2,025

GOP
McCain: 698
Romney: 278
Huckabee: 192
Delegates needed for the nomination: 1,191

Meanwhile, Obama’s campaign predicts he will end up with 847 delegates to Clinton’s 834. Clinton’s team has not released a specific prediction.

Superdelegate Count
Total superdelegates: 796
Supporting Clinton: 213
Supporting Obama: 139
Source:  AP
State Count (Feb. 5)

Dems
Clinton: Ariz., Ark., Calif., Mass., N.J., N.M., N.Y., Okla., Tenn. (9 states)
Obama: Ala., Alaska, Colo., Conn., Del., Ga., Idaho, Ill., Kan., Minn., Mo., N.D., Utah (13 states)

GOP
McCain: Ariz., Calif., Conn., Del., Ill., Mo., N.J., N.Y., Okla. (9 states)
Romney: Alaska, Colo., Mass., Minn., Mont., N.D., Utah (7 states)
Huckabee: Ala., Ark., Ga., Tenn., W.Va. (5 states)
Source: CNN

Caucus Count (Feb. 5)
Clinton: 1 (American Samoa)
Obama: 7 (Alaska, Colo., Idaho, Kan., Minn., Mont., N.D.)

Huckabee: 0
McCain: 0
Romney: 5 (Alaska, Col., Minn., Mont., N.D.)

Popular Vote
Dems
Clinton 48.97 percent (6,967,302)
Obama 48.04 percent (6,835,447)
Difference in terms of actual votes: 131,855
Source: NBC

GOP
McCain: 43.2 percent (3,657,444)
Romney: 35.5 percent (3,001,607)
Huckabee: 21.4 percent (1,809,404)
Source: Calculated using data from NBC

Relative Turnout
In the 19 states holding both Democratic and Republican primaries and caucuses, more than 14 million people voted for Obama or Clinton. More than 8 million people voted for McCain or Romney or Huckabee. Thus, you could say about 73 percent more Democrats turned out than Republicans.
Source: Time

In Missouri, Democratic turnout beat GOP turnout by 70 percent. In 2000, when the state also held two primaries, the opposite was true: Republican turnout trumped the Dems’ by 56 percent.
Source: HuffPo

Exit Polls
Obama won 82 percent of the black vote; Clinton won 53 percent of whites and 64 percent of Hispanic voters. Clinton and Obama split white men, while Clinton won white women overwhelmingly.

McCain won the majority of self-identified Republican moderates; Romney won 38 percent of self-identified Republican conservatives. Huckabee won 38 percent of evangelical Christians; McCain came in second among these voters, with 30 percent to Romney’s 27 percent. 
Among Republicans who rated the economy as their top concern, McCain won with 42 percent.

Clinton beat Obama among voters who said the economy is in poor condition, while Obama won among those who rated the economy good or excellent.

Obama won the youth vote nationwide, with 59 percent of voters under 30, compared with Clinton’s 38 percent. But Clinton won that demographic in California and Massachusetts.
Source: AP

Published Thursday, February 07, 2008 9:42 AM by Christopher Beam
Filed under: Super Tuesday

[asylumseeker]

Those superdelegates will mash up de dance.

[WestCoast]

Those superdelegates will mash up de dance.

dis all very contfusing

any simple explanations of what exactly are superdelegates?
Thanks ahead
found this
"Criticism
The Democratic Party has been criticized [7] [8] for conducting primary elections in a non-democratic fashion, since superdelegates are generally chosen without regard to their preferences in the presidential race and are not obligated to support the candidate chosen by the voters. There have been repeated calls to eliminate the superdelegates from the nomination process to more accurately reflect the popular vote. Percentage wise, 0.000007% of the voting population has 19.6% voting power in the 2008 Democratic Primary.
tut tut tut tut tut

Delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses may not exactly reflect the votes cast, although party rules require proportional allocation rather than winner-take-all.[9]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

[asylumseeker]

essentially the s/delegates are elected officials, members of the party hierarchy ... some past, some present ... essentially party establishment ... as such most will have had some nexus with the Clintons in the last 17-20 years

[WestCoast]

as that article in wikipedia points out, that it is hard to run a democratic party even when you are a politician, as dem politicians born for BOBBOL

I doubt that Barack will be able to stay clean as the status quo RULES tings

[truetrini]

Yuh assuming dat he clean now!

[WestCoast]

Yuh assuming dat he clean now!

I was just going to add that having the modern day "Kennedy's" on his side leaves MUCH to be desired of...

[asylumseeker]

trying to paint Barack with the Clinton brush? leave soldier alone eh

[WestCoast]

ah fraid dem kennedys like ah fraid ah wicked bullpistle

and as I post this there is a story on our news about a JFK love child who is living here in BC. I better send in meh DNA