West Texas for Obama...

The San Angelo Standard-Times, a paper in normally arch-conservative West Texas, endorses Obama:

IN OUR OPINION: Nation yearning for significant change

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Presidential campaigns are, in a sense, auditions for the highest public office. Candidates not only tell voters what they intend to do if elected, but they also give a sense of the kind of leader they would be.

Over the past year - especially in recent months - Barack Obama has presented a compelling message and presence, and the Standard-Times editorial board believes he is the right choice for president.

This was not an easy decision.

John McCain has a long and distinguished record, and we do not doubt that he could serve ably in the White House. However, he has run a disappointing campaign - his audition for the presidency - most notably at the start of the financial meltdown. His Democratic opponents did not exaggerate in labeling his actions as "erratic" and "lurching."

Equally confounding was McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. While the Alaska governor may develop into one of the Republican Party's leaders, so many Americans doubt her readiness to step into the presidency if necessary that McCain's judgment has come into question.

Even though Palin has done what McCain couldn't - energize the Republican base - that does not mean she is ready to lead the nation as president.

Critics point to Obama's relative lack of experience as a disqualifier for the highest office, and that is a legitimate argument. However, during three debates, voters saw a candidate who not only had an exceptional command of the issues but also one who demonstrated the steadiness and temperament that Americans want to see in the Oval Office.

Those are the attributes that led Colin Powell, one of the most respected people in the country, to endorse Obama's candidacy. Obama also has endured months of rumors and scurrilous attacks on everything from his race and religion to his patriotism and family history.

From the beginning, Obama's campaign has been about change. That's an easy position to take when things aren't going well, yet Obama gives reason to believe he truly understands what's needed - a new tone in Washington and leadership that will seek common ground and dramatic change.

The next president faces enormous challenges - including frightening economic conditions, overseeing two wars and ensuring the nation's security.

Even if Obama were inclined to spend as liberally as his opponents warn, the reality of a staggering $10 trillion federal debt will require extraordinary budget discipline no matter who wins on Nov. 4.

Each of those issues and many others can't be adequately addressed without a bipartisan approach that rejects Washington's tendencies to divide politicians and the people they represent for cynical purposes.

Of the two candidates, Obama has shown himself to be the most committed to more inclusive governance. His message has been especially inspirational to young people, whom he has drawn to the political process in phenomenal numbers.

The historical significance of Obama's candidacy - a black person seeking the presidency of the nation that only a few years ago allowed much of the country to effectively exclude blacks from public life - can't be denied. Yet the stakes are so high this year that the racial implications are nearly incidental.

Obama's vision for the future of the United States is the right one. We believe he has the commitment and political skills to make it a reality.

Bill Maher's Real Time panel on keeping terrorism in perspective

Do any GOP pols watch this show, much less the McCain gang?

One thing all of this year's candidates can probably agree on...

...the mainstream media seems to have completely lost track of what comprises a real presidential debate.

Sarah's interview with Katie Couric

Highlight:

Couric: But he's been in Congress for 26 years. He's been chairman of the powerful Commerce Committee. And he has almost always sided with less regulation, not more.

Palin: He's also known as the maverick though, taking shots from his own party, and certainly taking shots from the other party. Trying to get people to understand what he's been talking about - the need to reform government.

Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?

Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.

Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

More here.

let the back-pedaling begin

When Karl Rove says "you've gone too far", you can most likely take that to the bank.

Bad news first...then the good

Plenty of Obama supporters have been feeling a little down of late. It's not hard to figure out why. While we were under the impression that we were in the middle of an election campaign, The GOP has instead gone back to its old standbys: culture warring and "image".

But Alaska residents are way ahead of us in terms of forming impressions of Sarah Palin. Some bad news and some good news here --- but it seems that the good outweighs the bad!

First, the bad. Alaskan residents who don't understand the most basic of all American values: free speech and dissent. Worse yet, radio shows (and entire stations, apparently) which feature such folk, seemingly unopposed.



Now, the good:





Read more about this amazing rally against Palin and all she stands for (the largest political rally in Alaskan history) here at Mudflats, a blog on Alaskan politics.

Opening general election ad

From MSNBC.com:

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro

Obama is going up with the first general election ad of this campaign -- airing in 18 states. It's an introductory ad, as he tries to get out front of defining himself. With soft guitar music strumming in the background, Obama speaks directly into the camera and emphasizes his "Kansas heartland" values (his mother grew up in Kansas.) And yes, he's wearing a flag pin.

The 60-second ad, "Country I love," will air go up tomorrow in Alaska (!!!), Colorado, Florida, Georgia (!!!), Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana (!!!), Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota (!!!), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia.

Thank you, Tim Russert

You probably forgot more about professionalism and journalistic standards, during your long an vital career, than most of your nominal colleaugues in TV news have ever learned.



NBC's Chuck Todd, another great journalist, checks in about Russert as well:

the numbers

From NBC's First Read:

Obama's Bump:

Days after becoming his party's presumptive nominee and receiving Clinton's endorsement, Obama has opened up a six-point advantage over McCain (47%-41%) in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, which is up three points from Obama's lead in April. Perhaps the most fascinating numbers are in the crosstabs, and some of the numbers will surprise folks who memorized every exit poll from the Democratic primaries. Obama leads McCain among African Americans (83-7), Hispanics (62-28), women (52-33), Catholics (47-40), independents (41-36) and even blue-collar workers (47-42). Obama is also ahead among those who said they voted for Clinton in the Democratic primaries (61-19). Meanwhile, McCain is up among evangelicals (69-21), white men (55-35), men (49-41), whites (47-41), and white suburban women (44-38). However, Obama has a seven-point edge (46-39) among all white women. How important is that lead? NBC/WSJ co-pollster Neil Newhouse (R) explains that Republican candidates always expect to win white men by a substantial margin, but it's white women that usually decide the race. "If a Republican wins among white women, we usually win that election," he says, noting that George Bush carried that group in 2000 and 2004. The poll was conducted of 1,000 registered voters from June 6-9 (Clinton endorsed Obama on June 7), and it has a +/- 3.1% margin of error.

downtime

From The LA Times Top of the Ticket:

Barack Obama to yield spotlight to Hillary Clinton ... one last time

After tending to one last bit of pressing business -- an unpublicized visit Thursday night with Hillary Clinton in Washington for a chat the entire political universe would have killed to overhear -- Barack Obama headed to his Chicago home for what his schedule listed as three days of downtime.

Cant' say the fellow didn't earn a long weekend. It was roughly 17 months ago that he began the quest that ended successfully this week for the Democratic presidential nomination; his schedule has been mostly non-stop over that period. And he routinely notes that the biggest negative about aspiring to become the leader of the free world has been the long stretches he's away from his two young daughters.

Still, his timing also happens to be politically perfect.

Clinton, after doing her best to pretend not to have noticed that Obama beat her to the delegate majority finish-line Tuesday night, carved out Saturday for a farewell bow as a presidential candidate (at least in '08). It's unorthodox -- most vanquished candidates don't linger in their also-ran status quite so long, nor finally pull the plug with quite so much grandeur.

But Clinton was no ordinary candidate and she ran no ordinary campaign (as she will no doubt point out -- frequently -- on Saturday).

So if you're Barack Obama -- and you need a break anyway -- why not stand down.

We don't imagine, though, that he'll stray too far from a television as Clinton prepares to take the stage.

Star Tribune: a DNC spring cleaning

an excerpt:

Barack Obama, trying to quickly unify his fractured party, made a series of symbolic but significant changes on Thursday aimed at showing him as an agent of change and in control of the Democratic machinery.

Less than 36 hours after claiming his party's presidential nomination, the Illinois senator said the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will stop accepting campaign contributions from lobbyists and political action committees, just as Obama's campaign has done.

Check out "The View"

These ladies have changed their tune...they are definitely calling a spade a spade about the way Sen. Clinton seems to be flogging her supporters, rather than conceding defeat with grace and urging her supporters to make the shift to Obama.

Unfortunately, the video won't embed, so just click on the link.

Warm reception for Clinton supporters at Obama Rally

Excerpt from the MinnPost article:

The crowd kept pouring into the Xcel Energy Center. All ages. All races. All backgrounds. Young Somalis chanting "O-bama!" And older, white women, bedecked in sparkling red, white and blue and holding up a sign, "Women for Obama!''

But most noticeable was the arrival of such people as Buck Humphrey, who once had headed Hillary Rodham Clinton's Minnesota campaign. And Jackie Stevenson, a DFL activist, a feminist and a Clinton-supporting superdelegate, who at the last minute had changed her mind about attending the event. And St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, who was a Clinton supporter until sometime Monday. And Rick Stafford, another Clinton superdelegate.

Former Secretary of State Joan Growe was there. And Minneapolis City Council President Barbara Johnson. And a couple of dozen other people who had invested so much energy into Clinton's campaign.

He's no Johnny one-note, at least

Time's "The Page" has plenty to think about

All kinds of interesting angles on tonight's developments.

Advice from an '04 veteran

From the Daily Kos:

An excerpt:

Please, Clinton supporters, take a lesson from a guy who's been there.

As a perfect-stormer Deaniac who ultimately failed to fully support John Kerry, I deeply appreciate what you are going through.

We can go on and on about the differences between Dean '04 and Clinton '08. Ultimately, you and I both face the effective conclusion of our candidate's campaigns before he or she concedes, and certainly before the rules say we must stop.

The heart says go on. Believe me, I know the feeling.

And then, when we are forced to stop, the viciousness, anger, bitterness, and spite boil up.

What comes next? I can tell you.

Eugene Robinson's column

Robinson's Washington Post column, excerpted below, received the most comments of any in the history of the column.

What Clinton's evocation of RFK suggests isn't that she had some tactical reason for speaking the unspeakable but that she and her closest advisers can't stop running and rerunning through their minds the most far-fetched scenarios, no matter how absurd or even obscene. She gives the impression of having spent long nights convincing herself that the stars really might still align for her -- that something can still happen to make the Democratic Party realize how foolish it has been.

Clinton campaigns as if she knows she will leave some Democrats with bad feelings. That's the Clinton way: Ask forgiveness, not permission. But every day, as more superdelegates trickle to Obama's side, it becomes a surer bet that she will not win. She and her family enjoy good health and fabulous wealth. They'll be fine -- unless, while losing this race for the nomination, Hillary Clinton also loses her soul.

The Obamas on Good Morning America today

The entire Obama family, including Michelle and the girls (Malia and Sasha), will be on ABC's Good Morning America later this morning.

Pictured: the Obamas in Portland, Oregon on 5/18/08

Andrea Mitchell: Clinton '08 RIP

Andrea Mitchell has caught a lot of flack over the past few months for being biased towards the Clinton campaign (she's a personal friend of Sen. Clinton's).

So this pronouncement from her carries that much more weight...

today's Keith Olbermann's special comment

In two parts: