Blog Buzz: Goodbye Hillary, Hello McCain vs. Obama (and Running Mate)
Dem race winds down, general election and Veepstakes ratchet up
Our daily look at stories and topics lighting up the Internets:
The Long Goodbye
DHinMI and BarbinMD wonder at the tension between message discipline ("I'm not dead yet.") and facing reality ("And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain ...") playing out in Camp Clinton. Marc Ambinder argues that Hillary should go to Minnesota tonight and appear with Obama. Nevertheless, Steven Benen at the Carpetbagger says slow down. Fivethirtyeight.com says everyone should take a deep breath. Similarly, Will Bunch on Attytood thinks that people expecting a more defined ending to the Democratic nomination tonight will be disappointed. Looking back, Greg Sargent at TPM Cafe suggests that Hillary Clinton held (holds) on to the last in order to strengthen her emotional grip on her constituency. The Page's Mark Halperin thinks that while Obama underestimates the intensely loyal feelings many of Clinton's supporters have about her, Clinton isn't prepared for the emotional comedown the day after she drops out. But in case you feel sorry for the Clintons, Andrew Sullivan quite forcefully (with the force only the obsessed can muster) says: Don't.
And...They're Off!
Kos runs the numbers and decides that Obama is in line for 283 electoral votes (or what in the 21st century we call...a landslide). Not so fast, says Neil Stevens at Red State, arguing that McCain starts in a pretty good position (and is that a GI Joe shout-out at the bottom?). Hillary Clinton may (soon) be gone, but she won't (soon) be forgotten, as Ed Morrissey dials up the way-back (to March) machine and trots out her comments about the so-called "Commander-in-Chief test."
Veepstakes: Next Train for Clark-sville?
Matt Stoller at Open Left tosses Wes Clark's name into the Veepstakes ring. Carpetbagger's Steve Benen likes Clark but wonders about an Obama-Clark ticket. Matthew Yglesias, on the other hand, is already bored of the Veepstakes and is ready to move on to cabinet speculation. (Sec-stakes?) The Weekly Standard's Dean Barnett also notes the Clark push but points out one small problem: Clark was a bad candidate.
—Robert Schlesinger and Johannah Cornblatt
Reader Comments
Obama or McCan?
I have a question for all these McCain voters. Why? Why do you want him at office? What will he do better then President Bush? For what reasons is he better then Obama? Is it because he wont allow abortion? Because he wont raise taxes for the rich people who dont have a clue what to do with their money? Is it because he's going to raise taxes for everyone even if your losing your house? I just want to know what makes him so different from Bush? Why would you pick him over Obama? Why do people think Obama is like a terrorist or something? Why are politics so frusturating?
Please anaswer I only want to know your opinons for your selection~
Why I am voting for Barack Obama
I am a 59 year old white woman and I have been captivated by Barack Obama since his appearance at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I know that I am an apparent anomaly in my demographic. Please understand that I was never against Hillary. I admire her and appreciate the historic nature of her candidacy and I thank her, from the bottom of my heart, for her courage and persistence. Her speech a couple of weeks ago, suspending her campaign, brought tears to my eyes and a swelling of pride in my heart. But, Barack…
I have been truly inspired by Presidential candidates twice before in my life. Both times I was too young to vote. The first was John Kennedy, the second, Bobby. And both times we were robbed of their talents and abilities. Now, for the third time in my life a candidate has come forth that infuses my heart with a fierce hope for the future of our wonderful country. A country that has been battered by a war that we should never have engaged in; a country that has lost the respect and admiration of our friends and neighbors across the globe; a country that is no longer looked to for justice and hope; that no longer stands as the shining beacon of democracy, an example of all that is possible and even sometimes the impossible and incomprehensible.
It is time for a new thought process in the Oval Office, one that looks at the rest of the world with respect for our differences and a willingness to explore and celebrate our similarities. We need a President that is not tied to the failed policies of any past administration, willing to chart a new course toward peace and reconciliation, without the needless loss of lives. To fight the wars we must and to negotiate peace wherever possible. We need a President that will capture the imaginations of younger generations causing them to dream the impossible and achieve the unattainable; a president that will protect the rights of all Americans; fix the broken educational system, pay teachers a salary commensurate with the charge that they have to EDUCATE our children and not just baby-sit them; a president that will enact fairer taxes; provide more jobs, and training for those that have lost or are about to lose their jobs in manufacturing; a President that will protect the Social Security system not just for my generation but for many generations to come; one that believes that a stronger more vibrant America is the result of investments in renewable energy sources and in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, a President that will not put our sons and daughters in harms way without a verifiable reason or a viable exit strategy and with clear, set, reachable objectives; in short, a President that will bring honor and respect to the position not just because it is his due but because he is an honorable and respectful man.
I have never had the opportunity to vote for a Presidential candidate that spoke to the better part of me, that reaches past my heart and into my American soul, now is the time, and this is the person. He is not the lesser or two evils or the slightly better in mediocrity, he is our finest hope, he is the American dream.
So, that is why I am voting for Barack Obama, how about you?
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