April 16, 2008

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Bruce for Barack: Ohhhh Hes the One

April 16, 2008 in Campaign 2008, Democrats by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via New York Times Blog.)

Does this mean Hillary Rodham Clinton has to stop playing “The Rising” at her campaign rallies?

Bruce Springsteen threw his support to Barack Obama in a letter to fans on his Web site this morning, calling Mr. Obama “head and shoulders above the rest.”

“He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit,” Mr. Springsteen wrote.

He also defended Mr. Obama in the flap over his remarks on small-town attitudes. “At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships,” he said. “While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man’s life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, ‘Dreams of My Father,’ often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.”

Mr. Springsteen supported John Kerry in 2004 and performed in a series of concerts sponsored by Moveon.org with R.E.M., Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp and Bonnie Raitt. The tour reached 11 states and 33 cities.

Before dropping out of the race in January, the John Edwards campaign made the Springsteen song “The Rising” a de facto campaign theme song. Then the Clinton campaign picked it up, and now frequently plays it at the end of her rallies.

Update | 12:20 p.m. Senator Obama issued a statement on the endorsement: “The America that Bruce Springsteen has spoken about through song is one of big dreams, unyielding hope, and a resilient, hardworking people who struggle and sacrifice for a country as good as its promise. It’s a story I know and a vision I share for our future, and that’s why I’m so honored to have his support in this journey.”

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Obama’s Magic Numbers

April 16, 2008 in Campaign 2008, Democrats by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via Forbes.com.)

In recent weeks, Trailwatch has repeatedly discussed Hillary Clinton’s poor prospects for catching Barrack Obama in the delegate race for the Democratic nomination. It is starting to look like Obama can now win enough delegates, 2,024, to secure the nomination before the Democrats meet in late August.

As of today, our affiliate Real Clear Politics tells us that Barack Obama has 1,641 total delegates and Hillary Clinton 1,505. So let’s turn to the Forbes Delegate Counter and plug in poll projections for the remaining contests.

The biggest prize ahead is the April 22 contest in Pennsylvania, with 188 delegates at stake. RCP’s latest average of polls has Clinton ahead by nearly 8 percentage points in the Keystone State. Assuming this spread holds once the undecided voters make up their minds, Clinton would win 54% of the vote and 85 delegates to Obama’s 46% and 73 delegates.

A similar exercise in North Carolina, where the polls currently have Obama with a 16-percentage point lead would deliver 67 delegates to Obama and 48 to Clinton. Real Clear Politics shows only three polls for Indiana, of which Clinton has a 9 point lead in two of them. For argument’s sake, we will give her a 10 point lead and 40 delegates versus 32 for Obama.

Real Clear Politics does not have poll numbers for the remaining states, but Obama has a 5.8 percentage point lead over Clinton in RCP’s average of national polls. Even if we were to give Clinton the benefit of the doubt and split those remaining contests 50/50, Obama comes out with 1,922 and 1,787 for Clinton.

These calculations still leave Barack Obama more than 100 delegates short of the total needed for the nomination. So let’s go to the superdelegates.

At present, 315 superdelegates are still up for grabs. Using our Delegate Calculator, it becomes clear that Obama would need to win just 33%, or 104, of the remaining 315 superdelegates to get over the top.

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Clinton picks up union endorsement

April 16, 2008 in Democrats by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via Yahoo! News.)

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has won the endorsement of a union representing plasterers and cement masons in the construction industry.

The 45,000-member Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association timed its announcement for Clinton’s speech Wednesday before the AFL-CIO’s Building Trades National Legislative Conference.

Union President Pat Finley said in a statement that Clinton has the ability to turn around the economy and rebuild the middle class.

Finley said, “She has a clear record fighting for working families, and is the strongest candidate to go toe-to-toe with John McCain in November.”

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Lieberman May Speak at GOP Convention

April 16, 2008 in Campaign 2008, Democrats, Republicans by Tony Steidler-Dennison | 1 comment

(Via Political Wire.)

According to The Hill, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) “is leaving open the possibility of giving a keynote address on behalf of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) at the Republican National Convention in September.”

“Republicans close to the McCain campaign say Lieberman’s appearance at the convention, possibly before a national primetime audience, could help make the case that the presumptive GOP nominee has a record of crossing the aisle. That could appeal to much-needed independent voters.”

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Clinton, Obama: Dueling for voters

April 16, 2008 in Campaign 2008, Democrats by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via The Swamp.)

Tonight, they will face off.

On the day of the one televised debate between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, the candidates also are delivering their own televised messages to voters attempting to discern which one of these Democrats really is in touch with their goals for America.

They play off of Obama’s comments about the bitterness of working-class voters, with Clinton’s ad claiming that Obama is out of touch — an ad that employs at least one offended voter who isn’t really registered to vote in Pennsylvania, as the Morning Call’s Josh Drobnyk has reported here in the Swamp today.

Obama responds by accusing Clinton of playing the “politics of division.”

It’s a debate that certainly will play out live tonight, at the National Constitution Center, in Philadelphia. ABC News will run and air the debate, the first one since Feb. 26 in Ohio and last one before the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday. ABC’s Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos will moderate the debate, running from 8 to 10 pm EDT.

Full story here.

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Poll: 10-point lead for Obama among Dems

April 16, 2008 in Campaign 2008, Democrats by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via Washington Post- msnbc.com.)

Sen. Barack Obama holds a 10-point lead over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton when Democrats are asked whom they would prefer to see emerge as the party’s presidential nominee, but there is little public pressure to bring the long and increasingly heated contest to an end, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The fierce battle, however, appears to have taken a toll on the image of Clinton, who was once seen as the favorite. And Obama has widened his lead since early February on several key qualities that voters are looking for in a candidate and has narrowed sizable advantages for Clinton on others.

He now has a 2-to-1 edge on who is considered more electable in a general contest — a major reversal from the last poll — and has dramatically reduced a large Clinton lead on which of the two is the “stronger leader.”

Full story here.

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Video of the Day: 04-16-08

April 16, 2008 in Video by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

Big Tax Breaks for Businesses in Housing Bill

April 16, 2008 in Featured by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via New York Times.)

The Senate proclaimed a fierce bipartisan resolve two weeks ago to help American homeowners in danger of foreclosure. But while a bill that senators approved last week would take modest steps toward that goal, it would also provide billions of dollars in tax breaks — for automakers, airlines, alternative energy producers and other struggling industries, as well as home builders.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, was the main author of the Senate bill meant to help homeowners.

The tax provisions of the Foreclosure Prevention Act, which consumer groups and labor leaders say amount to government handouts to big business, show how the credit crisis, while rattling the housing and financial markets, has created beneficiaries in the power corridors of Washington.

It also shows how legislation with a populist imperative offers a chance for lobbyists to press their clients’ interests.

This has proved especially true on the housing legislation, which many lawmakers and lobbyists view as one of the last opportunities before Congress grinds to a halt amid election-year politics.

In the Senate bill, the nation’s biggest home builders, some now on the verge of bankruptcy, won a provision that would let them claim millions in tax refunds by charging their current losses against the huge profits they made three or four years ago. Other struggling industries would benefit from this provision.

Full story here.

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White House party for pope - Pope in America

April 16, 2008 in Executive Branch by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

(Via msnbc.com.)

President Bush has quite a birthday present for Pope Benedict XVI: at least 9,000 excited guests gathered on the White House’s South Lawn for a 21-gun salute, a famed soprano’s rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” and an emotional presidential welcome.

The pontiff turns 81 on Wednesday, the first full day of his first trip to the United States as leader of the world’s Roman Catholics. He’ll spend most of the day at the White House, only the second pope to do so and the first in 29 years.

In remarks during pomp-filled festivities that have had Washington aflutter for days, Bush was to tell the pontiff and the crowd how glad America is to have him visit — and to tell Americans they should listen to his words.

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Dems try to load up ‘money train’ war funding bill

April 16, 2008 in Featured by Tony Steidler-Dennison | No comments

Jim Nussle

(Via USATODAY.com.)

Democrats in Congress are seeking to attach tens of billions of dollars in domestic spending to President Bush’s latest $108 billion war funding request, setting up a political battle that could put U.S. troops and their families in the middle.

Plans to add money for such things as transportation, unemployment insurance, aid to states, food stamps, public housing and veterans’ benefits has prompted veto threats from the White House.

Bush’s budget director, Jim Nussle, said Tuesday that only a month remains before the Pentagon would threaten to furlough thousands of civilian employees. The Pentagon made a similar threat in December before Congress appropriated $70 billion for the wars.

“They’re trying to figure out how to put everything onto this,” Nussle said in an interview. In testimony prepared for the Senate Appropriations Committee today, he calls the war funding measure “the last big money train out of town before the election.” That could be the case if Congress doesn’t pass any of its regular appropriations bills on time.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have not decided which items to seek as part of the war funding request and are hoping to reach agreement with the White House on some of it. Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the items being reviewed would be “quick ways to stimulate the economy.”

Full story here.

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