Redstate

Posted at 1:11am on May 20, 2008 "That's Right. Fight Amongst Yourselves."

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Especially for those who wish otherwise: Please take note of the fact that Hillary Clinton is claiming a lead in the popular vote. Remind me again why I should think she will graciously give way and go all-out like a good team player to ensure that Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States.

Because I am having a hard time seeing it.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:42pm on May 11, 2008 It's Not Too Soon To Start Thinking Of 2012

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Via Patterico's Pontifications, we have this:

As Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., avoids any real campaigning in West Virginia, the former president of the United States is out there ginning up resentments.

Bill Clinton has the right to say whatever he wants, of course. But he's a smart man. Brilliant, even.

He can do the math. He must know that it's quite improbable that his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will be the Democratic presidential nominee.

So what purpose does it serve for him to barnstorm a state like West Virginia and tell rural voters that Obama and his elitist political/media cabal allies are mocking Appalachia?

He's using the kind of language Democrats typically use against Republicans -- as in, stuff you say when you don't want voters to vote for the other guy under any circumstance.

This is tough stuff to walk back from.

As if the Clintons want to walk back from it. Now that they realize the nomination is likely not theirs, they will do whatever is necessary to ensure that Barack Obama will not win in the fall. Then Hillary Clinton will run again in 2012, gambling that by that time, the Democrats will have become so hungry for a Presidential win that they will forgive her and her husband for the efforts they are currently undertaking to destroy the Democratic Party.

And don't think that a few of the Clintons' supporters won't take what they are doing to heart and heed the implicit message not to vote for Barack Obama under any circumstances this fall.

Once again, the Clintons have ensured their place in history as the Patron Saints of Popcorn. The entertainment they provide political observers is nothing short of amazing.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:01am on May 11, 2008 "Nothing's Over Until We Decide It Is!"

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Refusing to go gently into that good night, Clinton supporter Jerome Armstrong stubbornly sticks to the message that Hillary Clinton can win the Democratic Presidential nomination. He points to West Virginia as a state that serves as a good indicator of what Armstrong believes to be Barack Obama's general election problems. Sensitive to charges that fretting about Obama's general election appeal in West Virginia could be tantamount to giving credence to the views of racists, Armstrong spends a goodly amount of time denouncing anyone who would dismiss as racists anti-Obama voters in West Virginia.

This isn't particularly interesting save for two observations:

1. The Clinton folks actually believe that their candidate might yet pull off some sort of miracle and capture the nomination.
   
2. Despite all of the talk that Obama's nomination is now inevitable and that with said inevitability will come newfound party unity, seething anger and resentment continues to define the mood of Clinton supporters. This is, perhaps, somewhat understandable; at the beginning of the nomination contest, I don't imagine that people like Armstrong really ever thought that Obama would be able to wrest the nomination away from Clinton when they consulted the stars. Nevertheless, one would have thought that the various pro-Clinton factions in the netroots would have begun to reconcile themselves to an Obama nomination and then line up to support him against John McCain and the Republicans.

Well, perhaps eventually, they will. But for now, there remains seething anger and resentment and since it is almost the middle of May already, one could easily see the resentment continuing through the summer--especially if Hillary Clinton decides to push through the rest of the primary schedule and goes to the Democratic National Convention without having fallen on her sword. Ted Kennedy kept on fighting up to and during the convention in New York in 1980 even though he had significantly less support then than Clinton does and will have during this electoral contest. I am sure that this information will not be lost on the Clintons, I would not be surprised if they continued to play every trick in the book--and some that may not be in the book--to try to win the nomination at the last moment during a knife fight in Denver and while I have not recently checked the stock prices for popcorn companies, I don't imagine that they have gone down all that much.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (27)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:36am on May 7, 2008 Primary Night

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

So Obama has won North Carolina big and may very well win Indiana (it's very close as I write this and the networks have refused to call it for anyone the last I checked the television). A whole host of commentators are declaring the race over Obama has been all-but-anointed as the nominee.

Which he likely will be. But Hillary Clinton will fight on if her speech this evening was any indication and given the demographic patterns that have emerged during this fight for the Democratic Presidential nomination, the Clinton people probably have good grounds for believing that they will do well in the upcoming contests in West Virginia and Kentucky. Meanwhile, they will point out to superdelegates what E.J. Dionne and Ramesh Ponnuru observe concerning Obama's ability--or lack thereof--to draw votes from all parts of the political spectrum. And as pointed out by Michael Barone (link via Brother Erick), coming into tonight, Clinton has actually gotten more popular votes than has Obama. I haven't done the math to see whether that is still the case and it may not be, given Obama's huge win in North Carolina. But the point is that when it comes to the popular vote, Clinton is hanging in there and she may well use the popular vote to push for the argument that come general election time, she will be more electable than will Obama.

Is it possible that Hillary Clinton will drop out after this evening--especially if Indiana goes Obama's way? Sure. But I'm not betting on it. People named "Clinton" don't give up claims to power that easily.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (111)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:59am on May 5, 2008 News From The Redneck Riviera: Obama Is NO Tiger Woods

By haystack

In this "poke fun at the South because it's fun" piece, compliments of the always-neutral International Herald Tribune, we come across a real beauty:

"Tiger Woods is a genius. He is revered. He is above race. But we've learned Obama is not Tiger Woods. If you paid attention to what Reverend Wright said about Obama, then you heard him described as a lightweight, a guy Wright believed had the reflexes of a pol."That famous speech in Philadelphia about race? Wiped out now. What Obama can't deliver ever again, apart from talks and promises, is the certainty he's his own man."

Boy howdy...

Mind you, author John Vinocur doesn't appear to have much respect for southerners, but the wisdom of gun-totin' God-fearin' white and middle-aged "old colonels, the Christian right, and convinced conservatives" can't be ignored:

For the Red Neck Riviera of Florida's Panhandle (or the Emerald Coast in the more genteel vocabulary of the tourist brochures) Obama has become so totally exposed - as a leftist, an elitist out of touch with vast segments of the white majority, a dubious healer saddled with disreputable friendships and unknown debts and obligations - that the colonel could say "McCain is seven strokes ahead on the back nine," and the presidency is in Republican reach.

You know, the more I hear Obama say this race isn't about race and the more I hear his Dem opponent rooting for Obama injuries exactly BECAUSE of race, the more I long for another bag of popcorn and a six-pack of good old-fashioned "angry white guy" (or gal) cheap beer...

Funny how race keeps coming up when Hillary is just ahead or just behind in some bonny new meaningless poll.

As Moe would say:

Best.Democratic.Primary.Ever.

Posted in 2008 | Obamafiles | Rooting For Injuries | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (6)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:34am on May 2, 2008 Feeling Somewhat Less Audacious These Days

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Hope is a lovely thing, but when hope is used as a cover for weakness, it doesn't take long for others to catch on.

After having lived a charmed political existence, Barack Obama suddenly finds that others may have caught on to his political weaknesses:

Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton by eight points among Democratic primary voters nationwide, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. But fewer expect Obama to be the Democratic nominee than did one month ago, and fewer see him as the Democrat with the best chance of beating presumptive GOP nominee John McCain in November.

Obama leads Clinton 46 percent to 38 percent among Democrats who have either already voted in a primary contest or still plan to, with 14 percent saying they are undecided or don't know whom they support. The eight-point margin marks an increase from April 3rd, when Obama led Clinton by three points.

But a smaller percentage of Democratic primary voters now see Obama, who has been on the defensive following revelations of his controversial former pastor's statements and his leaked comments that some voters had become "bitter," as their party's likely nominee. Fifty-one percent now say they expect Obama to win the nomination, down from 69 percent on April 3rd, while thirty-four percent now expect Clinton to be the nominee, up from 21 percent a month ago.

And while Obama continues to have an advantage over Clinton when it comes to which candidate is seen as more electable, the gap has narrowed there as well. Today, 48 percent of Democratic primary voters think Obama has the best chance of defeating McCain in November, down 8 points from a month ago. Thirty-seven percent say Clinton is more likely to beat McCain.

If there is any good news for Obama, it is that this realization on the part of Democratic voters has likely come far too late to help Hillary Clinton. She cannot catch up to him in terms of pledged delegates and she does not appear to be winning superdelegates by the bushel either. The math still favors an Obama nomination.

But just as Clinton cannot win the nomination outright, neither can Obama. And even though a number of superdelegates are moving towards him, that movement may slow if they perceive any further signs that Obama possesses a glass jaw. Behind as Clinton is, she can still wreak havoc on the process and if there is power to be had, rest assured that she will.

And thus, this lumbering and clumsy primary continues. Not that I am complaining; this is The Greatest Show On Earth and I certainly do not want to see it end anytime soon.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (18)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:17pm on Apr. 30, 2008 Travis Childers denies the Obama a second time.

Somebody go get a rooster.

By Moe Lane

Never even met the man, in fact.

He is, of course, running against Greg Davis in MS-01. Childers also needs money for the runoff (and the general): so, for all you progressive lurkers out there, be sure to send him some more.

Just... he'd like you to send it in a plain brown wrapper, OK? You have to understand: it's nothing personal, but he just can't afford to be seen with your sort.

Moe Lane

PS: Also check out this Weekly Standard piece. My, but isn't this fun...

Posted in 2008 | Obamafiles | Rooting For Injuries | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 6:54pm on Apr. 28, 2008 NC-GOV Mike Easley Endorsing Hillary

By Dan McLaughlin

This can't be a positive leading indicator for Obama, I would think. The timing is perfect to get more Democrats in the state to give her another look. And given that Hillary is taking her case to the superdelegates based on the popular vote - plus the Democrats' insane winner-takes-barely-more-than-the-loser system, she's got every incentive to contest North Carolina even if she is all but certain to lose the state.

The Clintons are not going quietly.

Posted at 12:27am on Apr. 27, 2008 Total War

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

If anyone thinks that the Clintons are going away anytime soon, they had better think again. Bill Clinton is upping his involvement in the campaign and while that may mean an increased chance for gaffes, it shows that the Clintons are in the race for the long haul. They are assisted by Bob Herbert, who has taken a break from issuing his cookie-cutter Republican-bashing columns to argue that Barack Obama is responsible for a lot of his own political problems. Hillary Clinton is cutting into Obama's national lead. Eleanor Clift is speculating that the Clintons are preparing an enemies list to refer to frequently after they presumably win and all of this is indicative of a rising conventional wisdom that states that Hillary Clinton might yet pull off winning the Democratic nomination.

Relatedly, where is my popcorn?

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:02am on Apr. 23, 2008 Obama's Negative Momentum

Winning By Losing

By Dan McLaughlin

The bottom line on last night's Pennsylvania primary is, on the surface, what it has been for a while: Obama has the lead, but he has serious problems reaching Hillary's voters, and the voting results seem to support the notion that who wins and loses is determined less by events than by hardened demographic facts; Hillary has arguments about how she's a better general election candidate, but she's probably running out of forums in which to press them. I still think there's no way she can get the superdelegates to give her the nomination; even if were to up and decide en masse that Obama is by far the weaker general election candidate (a point that remains fiercely debatable), he represents three factions of the party (African-American voters, hard-left anti-war activists, and young people with little or no prior voting history) who are most likely to react poorly to the perception that their candidate won at the polls but was sold out in a back room deal. And at that point, the long-term damage to the party from backing Hillary will outweigh considerations of who could win this one.

That said, the Democrats do have to worry that to the extent that momentum is at all discernible in this race, their likely nominee has essentially negative momentum. Obama has faced the voters in seven states in the past 60 days, and here are the popular vote counts:

Obama can probably still run out the clock, but he's going to end with the worst run-up to the convention since Gerald Ford in 1976. And the real finish line, of course, is in November.

Posted in 2008 | Rooting For Injuries | The Best Democratic Primary EVER — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:47am on Apr. 23, 2008 She Lives

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

So, Hillary Clinton fights on. The Obama campaign groans in agony over the fact that they failed yet again to put Clinton away and that she was able to win by double digits. Superdelegates are likely worried and wonder whether either one of the two remaining candidates might be too damaged to lead the Democratic party on to November. And party elders responsible for uniting the Democrats in anticipation of November--Howard Dean, I'm looking at you!--must be beside themselves with fury and terror.

Meanwhile, thanks to Republicans, the stock in popcorn will likely go through the roof. With primaries in Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky coming up, the stage may very well be set for a few more Clinton wins. This will at least go through June 3rd and the chances have increased significantly that Democrats will go to their convention deadlocked.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Denver. They will be uttering curse words in hotel suites that have not even been invented yet.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (10)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:19pm on Apr. 22, 2008 Clinton Needs A Blowout?

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

I think not, this story notwithstanding. The trick for Hillary Clinton is not getting massive victory margins that will allow her to overtake Barack Obama in the delegate count. Rather, the trick is for her to get enough of a win in Pennsylvania and in other primaries to slow down any bandwagoning phenomenon that will benefit Obama, thus allowing her to go to the Democratic National Convention, engage in a knifefight and perhaps emerge victorious from a chaotic situation in which the Obama forces might have no idea how to react and behave.

To be sure, the Clintons would like to win bigger instead of smaller. But after a six week layoff, a loss is really not going to help the Obama campaign. It needs to recapture momentum just as much as the Clinton campaign does, after all.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (14)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:29pm on Apr. 20, 2008 Glass Jaw

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Jennifer Rubin notes the significant amount of nervous tension that has followed one bad debate performance on the part of Barack Obama, rightly pointing out that when Obama's eloquence and charisma fail to deliver, he really doesn't have all that much to fall back on. Of course, none of this changes the delegate math or the fact that Hillary Clinton is going to have to draw inside straight after inside straight to have any hope whatsoever of turning things around (and it is an open question as to whether or not all hope is indeed gone for her).

But I suppose that we have yet another explanation as to why Clinton remains in the race. Even now, after fifteen months of campaigning, too many things happen that seem to show that Obama may not be able to take a punch in the general election. The only reason that he is standing up against Clinton is because of the delegate math and the general sense that Clinton herself has run an awful campaign. But things will be different against John McCain, who is significantly more respected and whose campaign will be much sharper than Clinton's ever was. Against McCain, missteps by Obama may actually lead to a serious loss of support. And even the most minute loss of support in what will likely be a close election will be tremendously costly.

We have seen before that Hillary Clinton genuinely believes Barack Obama cannot win the general election. In her own mind at least, events keep proving her right. No wonder she seems bound and determined to take her campaign to the convention.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:45am on Apr. 20, 2008 A One Point Lead For Hillary Clinton

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Hey, if this poll is correct, it is yet another reason for Clinton to continue seeking the Democratic nomination.

To be sure, Hillary Clinton doesn't really need an excuse. But some of her supporters might and this might help provide it. In any event--and again, if the poll is accurate--we have an additional indication that the race for the Democratic nomination won't be over anytime soon.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton | Kneel Before Zod | Let's You And Him Fight | Rooting For Injuries — Comments (3)/ Email this page » / Read More »