Iowa Caucus Center
Nevada Caucus Center
Obama Iowa Mailer
obama at storm lake, ia, december 17th
Obama Apperances and Campaign EventsDecember 26, 2007 - Town Hall Meeting with Barack, Mason City, IA
December 26, 2007 - Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Webster City, IA
December 26, 2007 - Rally with Barack, Fort Dodge, IA
December 26, 2007 - Rally with Barack, Carroll, IA
December 26, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Dallas County, IA
December 26, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Madison County, IA
December 26, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Jasper County, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Nevada, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Marshalltown, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Toledo, IA
December 27, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Vinton, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Mt. Ayr, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Creston, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Union County, IA
December 27, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Osceola, IA
December 28, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Willamsburg, IA
December 28, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Coralville, IA
December 28, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Clinton, IA
December 28, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Davenport, IA
December 28, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Muscatine, IA
December 28, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Atlantic, IA
December 28, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Avoca, IA
December 29, 2007 - Meet Actors Brandon Routh & Kai Penn, Norwalk, IA
December 29, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Burlington, IA
December 29, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Fort Madison, IA
December 29, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Keokuk, IA
December 29, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Mount Pleasant, IA
December 29, 2007 - Rally with Barack, Ottumwa, IA
December 30, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Knoxville, IA
December 30, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Newton, IA
December 30, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Indianola, IA
December 30, 2007 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Des Moines, IA
December 31, 2007 - New Year's Eve with Barack, Perry, IA
December 31, 2007 - New Year's Eve with Barack, Jefferson, IA
December 31, 2007 - Meet and Greet with Michelle Obama, Grinnell, IA
December 31, 2007 - New Year's Eve with Barack, Boone, IA
December 31, 2007 - New Year's Eve with Barack, Iowa Falls, IA
December 31, 2007 - New Year's Eve with Barack, Ames, IA
December 31, 2007 - Meet Michelle Obama, Bedford, IA
January 2, 2008 - Barack's 'Stand for Change Tour', Cedar Rapids, IA
Obama Hitting His Stride in Iowa
Obama Says He's Ready for White House
Obama Describes Faith Amid False Rumors
Selling Obama Door to Door
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Obama Says Clintons' Attacks Will Backfire
Guess what? I believe that too. We have witnessed the undoing of an inevitable campaign, due to the sheer fact that Team Clinton truly believed the poll numbers, and that Team Clinton underestimated Barack Obama.
Barack Obama, stung by a fresh Bill Clinton attack on him, predicted that the Clinton campaign's increasingly negative tone will backfire by reminding voters of the bad, old "blood sport" days of the 1990s.Speaking to reporters in this frozen central Iowa city yesterday, Obama said he was less than impressed by Hillary Rodham Clinton's apology for an aide's suggestion that he once dealt drugs. Asked if Clinton's mea culpa was sincere, a stone-faced Obama replied, "I'm not going to characterize it."
Now the quiet, rumblings, anger in the African-American Community is being talked about daily, and it is about the antics of The Clintons. Whoever is advising Hillary Clinton should be fired. Her misleading and mishandling of her staff is atrocious. The outwardly racial baiting from her hench men Joesph Wilson, Bob Kerrey and Bill Shaheen has not bid her well to the African-American Community.
A piece in Sunday's Washington Post confirms what many people here have been discussing over the last month as Obama has crept up in the polls:Racial Undercurrent Is Seen in Clinton CampaignIt has unfolded mostly under the radar. But an important development in the 2008 Democratic battle may be the building backlash among African Americans over comments from associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton that could be construed as jabs at Sen. Barack Obama's race.
These officials, including Clinton aides and prominent surrogates, have raised questions or dropped references about Obama's position on sentencing guidelines for crack vs. powder cocaine offenses; on his handgun control record; and on his admitted use of drugs as a youth. The context was always Obama's "electability." But the Illinois senator's campaign advisers said some African American leaders detect a pattern, and they believe it could erode Clinton's strong base of black support.
The Clintons missed a mark here. The Black Community is angry. Period. Many don't care if Clinton attack Obama on the issues, it is politics, it is hardball. But to slither to the depths of slimy snakes and use his ethnicity, race, family against him? Sorry, Hillary, you now have Black Voters who were firmly in your corner, moving to Barack Obama. And whose fault is that?
If it don't smell right, it ain't right.
Video/AudioNew Iowa Ad, Enough; Iowa Ad, Candor; Nashua Telegraph Editorial Board Video; Michelle Obama Video; Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr and Govenor Tim Kaine in Columbia, SC; Barack in Indianola, IA
Obama Fires Up Crowd in Iowa
Obama Touts Rural Plans in Iowa
Second Choices In Iowa
PollsYes, coming daily, sometime two and three. Expect this through January.
Boston Globe NH Poll; Reuters Poll On Clinton's Negativity; USA/Gallup National Poll; Survey/USA Iowa and General Poll; Zogby National Poll; Washington Post/ABC Iowa and Internals; Insiders Advantage Georgia Poll; Insiders Advantage Iowa Poll; CBS South Carolina Poll; Wall Street Journal Poll; Survey/USA California Poll; Rasmussen South Carolina Poll; Hotline National Poll
shoutouts: clinton loses luster; bill clinton downplays wife's chances in iowa; say goodbye to the fec by adamb; black kos; food pantries turning people away as demand doubles by bink; nyceve; online forum on foreclosure and bankruptcy relief by rep. brad miller; huckabee, my way; john edwards, will you stand up? by adamb
JustAngry has put out a great series broken down into six pieces, focusing on all the aspects you need to know about Barack Obama. Simply titled, The Only Thing You Need To Know. This is well worth a read for anyone who is searching more specific information about Senator Barack Obama.
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Obama: I've Fought Harder Against Special Interests
Obama Makes Big Gains in California by Femlaw
Appealing to Indy Voters
Obama Finds His Address
happy holidays from the obamas
Big Battle For South Carolina
In barely more than a month, the political attention now focused on the early voting in Iowa and New Hampshire will turn southward, to a Georgia neighbor with a proven record of helping decide presidential nominations.South Carolina's first-in-the-South primaries are set for Jan. 19, and tracking is already well under way. CNN released an Opinion Research poll Friday that showed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee claiming support from 24 percent of the state's Republican voters, surging eight percentage points ahead of one-time front-runner, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), former Sen. John Edwards (center) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are locked in a close race in South Carolina.
Aong Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York was holding on at 42 percent against the rising Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who had moved up seven percentage points since a July poll to 34 percent.
CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider predicted an "all-out fight" among candidates well aware of South Carolina's potentially pivotal role. On the Republican side, South Carolina has picked the eventual party nominee in every primary contest since 1980. In 1992, Bill Clinton used a South Carolina win to solidify his claim on the Democratic nomination after being upset by rival Paul Tsongas in New Hampshire. AJC
obama in exeter, nh, dec 20th
Endorsements & AnnouncementsNashua Telegraph Endorses Obama; Portsmouth Hearld Endorsement for Obama; Dallas Morning News Endorsement; Sioux City Journal Endorsement; Iowa City Press Citizen Endorses Obama; Reka Basu for Obama; State Representative Wayne Ford for Obama; Daily Iowan Endorses Obama; Woodbine Twiner for Obama; Illinois Black Legislators for Obama; Idaho Democratic Lawmakers for Obama; U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack, D-IA, Backs Obama; U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah Endorses Obama; U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott Endorses Obama; Former Rep. Bedell Backs Obama; Blue New Hampshire Bloggers Endorse Obama; Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns, Endorses Obama; Ministers Endorse Obama; Obama Opens Nashville Office; Obama Files to Caucus in Kansas; Obama Enters New Mexico Caucus; Texas Primary
Obama Talks Foreign Policy
Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday the nation's foreign policy challenges call for a new leader who will worry more about doing the right thing than how it will look."There are moments in history when it is not enough to fall back on conventional ways of doing things, because the threats we face are unconventional," Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery. "There are moments when new challenges demand new American leadership."
He said that for too long the conventional way of thinking about foreign policy has valued "time spent in Washington over timely judgments, posturing over pragmatism and fear of looking weak over the conviction to get things right."
He said he hasn't been afraid to buck Washington thinking when it comes to foreign policy, including his opposition of going to war with Iraq while he was a state senator in Illinois. He said he's the only Democratic nominee his Republican opponent won't be able to challenge on that point. AP
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icebergslim's last word: closing
Right now all the candidates are running around and doing the closing line.
Good, they should finalize their position with the voter and hope for the best.
But my closing is this, take a look at this map.
It is interactive. See all the dark blue patches? Those are the states with offices or upcoming offices to open for Obama, prior to February 5th.
How important is this? Very important.
While all the candidates are pitching their closing argument, the real argument is who will win on February 5, 2008. That is the question. Meaning, who has the staffing, money, organization, etc., to win decisively on February 5th.
We know Hillary is running a chit driven campaign. She has called the chits in and expects them to perform. Edwards has no presence in these states, at all.
So, what should Iowans look for? Electability? Yes, all candidates are electable. They all have issues but they can be elected. The key word is viability. Which candidates are viable? Which candidates have the strength now and can move people through this process? Which candidate can fund the massive February 5th primary/caucuses and win?
That is the question. And the candidates better have answers for these caucus goers. Because right now, I only see two candidates positioned for this task.
Finally, the two best article read of the week, "Why Did Clinton Overlook Obama?" Good question. Why did she? And Michelle Obama, The Closer in the Family.
Blogs and WebsitesOne Million Strong; This Week With Barack Obama; The Populista Report; Relentless Liberal; Washington State; Obama Dallas; NYC4OBAMA; NewYork4Obama; Texans for Obama; Republicans for Obama; Vermont for Obama; Independents for Obama; Seattle for Obama; Idaho for Obama; Asians for Obama; Bay Area for Obama; Sacramento for Obama; Families for Obama; Irish Americans for Obama; D.C. for Obama; Obama NH; Obama News Vine; Black Women for Obama; Obama Santa Cruz; Think on These Things; Iowa Republicans for Obama; Another Democratic Woman for Obama; RENObama!; Go Barack Obama; Netroots for Obama; Economists for Obama
If you appreciate the weekly Obama Roundup, then Tip My Obama Jar!! Minimum five dollars. This contribution goes directly to the Obama Campaign. We are in the last stretch of fundraising, Quarter 4, it ends December 31st. Remember to make your contribution.
well, it is cold out there. here at my home in the chicagoland area, the wind or "hawk" is whipping through here, as I finalize my last Christmas gifts. as, i look forward to chatting with my family the next few days, i hope that you are spending the time with your loved ones. and while you are at it, remember the biggest fight is coming soon, january 3rd. many of us will be in iowa, many of us will be mounting to new hampshire for the january 8th showdown. the blogs can be brutal now, just remember to stay focus on obama and not the drama. i am in iowa on the 27th through the caucus. i will post a short version of 'this week' next sunday, and try to post updates. keep your head up and let's win this thing.
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contact me @ icebergslim1047@hotmail.com
This Week With Barack Obama
But typically very few registered voters attend the caucuses. The Des Moines Register forecasts that about 10% of the Dems will turn out this year, 12% of the Republicans.
That is in line with a Des Moines Register poll estimate of 12 percent Republican and 10 percent Democrat attendance at caucuses around the state. That figure is substantially above the numbers for past caucuses reported by Pollster.com: Just 5.5 percent for Democrats in 2004 and 3.9 percent for Republicans in 2000.http://www.alternet.org/electi...
So a candidate who has spent millions of dollars and months of time in the state is doing so for 526k x 10% (optimistically) x 20% = about 10,000 or so votes. Pathetic. What a waste of time and money. Put another way, for every million dollars a national candidate spends in Iowa, he/she is spending $100 a vote.
25,513. Anyone know what that number is? That's the number of votes Virginia's Chap Petersen received in his State Senate win over JMDD (who got 20,490 votes).
The Democratic Party should force Iowa to get with modern times and scrap the caucus, and devise a more orderly nomination process that has a rational schedule.
If you don't like this post, I say too bad. I am reflecting on the potential of a candidate, the likes of whom I have never seen in my years of political consciousness.
Obama is a true grassroots candidate. He literally comes from the grassroots. That is where he started in politics. I believe that has much to do with why he is running such a great campaign.
There is never a panacea or a simple solution for anything, but I think Barack Obama is striving to find the cure for what ails our society and world.
He is striving to fulfill our expectations of what it means to be a leader:
*Inspire people
*Speak to their yearnings
*Offer hope
*Share something of himself
He is someone who is growing before our eyes. With Obama, we have a future opening up before us. The fog is lifting and the sun is coming out. Just cast your eyes up.
Who said they were for a Boss Daley selection process?
Iowa is a waste of money and time.
Entiende?
In Fairfax, there was a turnout of 11.7% of ALL registered voters, not just voters identifying with the Democrats.
In 2004 in Iowa, 5.5% of the Democrats voted. Estimating that about half the voters in Fairfax identify with the Democrats (probably a bit more -- but there are all broad estimates) the turnout was likely above 20% in the Democratic primary.
Maybe the Democrats should hold their primaries in the order of percentages of Democrats who vote in each state in the previous election.
Finally, there's a good article at pollster.com about why public opinion polling between Christmas and New Year's may be quite unreliable. In short, people are away, the demographics of people who travel during the holidays (and are not home to answer phone pollsters) is possibly skewed, and there is little history of polling during the time period. http://www.pollster.com/blogs/...
I am focusing on how to best impact this whole process. That is by electing Obama president.
But I'd rather a place like Fairfax have more input.
And some people think the caucuses are undemocratic. Here is how the working man is getting stiffed. If one is an Edwards supporter, one should be miffed: boyarsky
In these final days before the Iowa caucuses, John Edwards' chance for the presidency comes down to people like Jim Clifford, trudging up an icy driveway to persuade Leo Oswald, a shipping clerk at the Georgia Pacific plant here, to turn out and support Edwards.Clifford is among the many volunteers for the various presidential candidates who visit homes and make phone calls to get supporters to the caucuses. They are the unknown warriors of the campaign, but their work will make the difference between victory and defeat in Iowa.
I trudged alongside Clifford, a union member from California. Oswald was shoveling ice and snow from his driveway. He, like Clifford, was a strong Edwards and union man. But he explained that he will miss the caucus. Oswald works the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift and he'll be napping and getting ready for the job when caucuses are held at night. "Just won't have time," he said. As a matter of fact, he said, probably just 10 percent of the 125 union members at Georgia Pacific will attend the caucuses.
The caucuses take a long time, and if you cannot be there at that (for some) late hour, you're just cast out of the process. Also, under rule 29 -- ballots have to be signed. Whatever happened to secret ballots? Would not there be local boss intimidation? The writer of the above concludes:
The caucuses are a travesty of the American political system. They are so undemocratic, unfair, unrepresentative and overly complicated that they deserve an entire column, which I will do soon.
These are the bloody rules in Iowa: Iowa rules Should not results be something the average citizen can understand?
The Democratic Party has been behind lots of initiatives to increase voter turnout. The party has opposed voter ID, for example. Progressive states are experimenting with longer voting times -- days or weeks instead of a single day. But it looks like in Iowa you must stick around through the local party's annual meeting, which from a parent's standpoint (especially on a school night) is going to drive a lot of parents away -- especially if you are economically stressed and need to pay a babysitter to spend hours at your house. And it's going to drive night workers away. The exclusionary Iowa process seems just a step or two above bossism.
I'm enthusiastic about all the leading candidates. And I am doubly enthused because of the poor quality of the GOP candidates. And the stakes in 2008 (like selecting Supreme Court justices.) I just wish Iowa would reform its process so a truer cross section of voters were able to participate. And voters should be able to understand the counting process. (Good luck to anyone who can read through the counting process and understand it. I gave up.) There's got to be a better way.
Edwards made his choices about how to position his candidacy and that is why he may be working with a limited base of supporters.
I do believe profoundly in Obama. I'm not going to be shy about it. At the same time, I don't want to get into negatives with this campaign. I do, however, have my issues with both Edwards and Clinton.
How about the single parents who can't get out for the night?
How about the people who work at big box stores until 9 or 10 at night? Wouldn't they just love a candidate to support so they can get better health care? But too fu----- bad; the party machine doesn't want to hear from them.
How about older people who find it hard to get out at night? You want them driving in the dark to a polling place?
How about people too infirm to go? They're the ones who really need Democratic candidates.
This is a caucus slanted towards the young, the fit, the financially comfortable who can get away from their job or parenting duties, etc.
Unfortunately, it disenfranchises the very groups the Democratic Party is supposed to protect.
