1 Year After Winning Iowa Caucuses, the Obama's Head to D.C.

Today, Barack Obama's family moves to Washington D.C.

One year ago Barack Obama path to the White House began by winning the Iowa Caucuses. Thanks to a record number of Democrats turning out to participate in what can only be called pure democracy, Obama defeated the Clinton machine and the Edwards organization.

This was my first experience with the Iowa Caucuses and, though the caucuses has some faults, was amazed at the entire process. To go along with desmoinesdems post at Bleeding Heartland, here's my report from my precinct. This comment to that post sums up Obama's victory and explains how Obama defeated Clinton...

I think the whole story of what happened in the caucuses is encapsulated right there. Out of 66 people who were not supporting viable candidates,, 22 went Edwards, 19 went Obama and 4 for Clinton and that, for whatever reason, Hillary lost the caucuses during the realignment period.

And They Said That Debate Sucked

The Des Moines Register debate before the caucuses was remembered for a horrible job from the moderator.

However, this clip will be remembered now that Hillary Clinton has official be named Sec. of State in the Obama administration...

Tuesday's Highlights from the Democratic National Convention

The media was all over last night's convention speeches for not attacking Bush and McCain enough. Tonight, that's is not the case...

Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona (YouTube video)...

Barry Goldwater ran for president, and he lost. Mo Udall ran for president, and he lost. Bruce Babbit ran for president, and he lost. For this next election, that's one Arizona political tradition I'd like to see continue.

Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas...

John McCain's version: There's no place like home...or a home...or a home...or a home...or a home...

Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania (YouTube video)...

John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush more than 90% of the time...that's not a maverick, that's a sidekick.

and...

The Bush-McCain Republicans inherited the strongest economy in history and drove it into a ditch. They cut taxes on the wealthiest of us and passed on the pain to the least of us. They ran up the debt, gave huge subsidies to big oil companies, and now they’re asking for four more years.

How about four more months?

Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia and Senate candidate...

People always ask me, "What's your biggest criticism of President Bush?" I'm sure you all have your own. Here's mine: It's not just the policy differences. It's the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resources - the character and resolve of the American people. He never asked us to step up.

Think about it: After September 11, if there was a call from the President to get us off foreign oil, to stop funding the very terrorists who had just attacked us, every American would have said, "How can I do my part?" This administration failed to believe in what we can achieve as a nation, when all of us work together.

and Warner does a great summing up what this election is about...

This election isn't about liberal versus conservative. It's not about left versus right. It's about the future versus the past.

Ted Strickland, Governor of Ohio, made a great baseball analogy...

You know, it was once said of the first George Bush that he was born on third base and thought he'd hit a triple. Well, with the 22 million new jobs and the budget surplus Bill Clinton left behind, George W. Bush came into office on third base--and then he stole second. And John McCain cheered him every step of the way.

Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana, is really hitting McCain hard on being in the pocket of Big Oil and against renewable energy (and having a great time while is at it)...

After eight years of a White House waiting hand and foot on big oil, John McCain offers more of the same. At a time of skyrocketing fuel prices, when American families are struggling to keep their gas tanks full, John McCain voted 25 times against renewable and alternative energy. Against clean biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind energy.

This not only hurts America's energy independence, it could cost American families more than a hundred thousand jobs. At a time when America should be working harder than ever to develop new, clean sources, John McCain wants more of the same and has taken more than a million dollars in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry. Now he wants to give the oil companies another 4 billion dollars in tax breaks. Four billion in tax breaks for big oil?

That's a lot of change, but it's not the change we need.

In Montana, we're investing in wind farms and we're drilling in the Bakken formation, one of the most promising oil fields in America. We're pursuing coal gasification with carbon sequestration and we're promoting greater energy efficiency in homes and offices.

Even leaders in the oil industry know that Senator McCain has it wrong. We simply can't drill our way to energy independence, even if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards, including the ones he can't even remember.

Hillary Clinton caps off a fantastic night with a fantastic speech that stressed the need to elect Barack Obama. She nailed McCain with this line...

It makes a lot of sense that next week John McCain and George Bush will be together in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart.

Predicting Biden

Barack Obama is supposed to announce his VP candidate this evening or tomorrow morning by text message to supporters. There will be an event in Springfield, Illinois tomorrow afternoon with Obama and the Vice President candidate.

I am predicting that the choice will be Joe Biden. Biden is known to talk a lot and, except for a comment midweek that he's not the guy, he has been pretty quiet the past couple weeks. Biden is coming off a trip to Georgia where he talked to leaders in the region about the conflict with Russia. Biden best quality in my opinion is that he isn't afraid to throw elbows and go on the attack.

Bayh and Kaine's names have been put out there before Obama made campaign stops in their respective states and the buzz wasn't always positive. I think that was basically a test run and the campaign has decided against those two. Another reason that going against Kaine is that Obama just spent two days campaigning in Virginia, a key battleground state, so it wouldn't make sense to announce your naming the Governor of Virginia VP at an event in another state.

I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary Clinton gets the nod. This diary at Open Left makes the case that Obama will name Hillary Clinton that makes a lot of sense.

If, in June, Clinton told you she should be your VP and you were seriously considering it, what would you do? You would probably tell her that the only way it could happen is if you wholeheartedly endorse me, make it clear you have gotten over the joint ticket idea, have those under your influence (such as the "Vote Both" folks) drop all of their efforts on HRC's behalf. You'd say, I can't look weak by picking you, like I was forced by circumstance. It must look like a choice I made that I didn't have to make but I did because I'm such a big person and I care about the country and I care about victory.

There are three candidates that I would most like to see be named vice president. I would love for Obama to name Kathleen Sebelius, who was campaigning in Iowa yesterday, is still a choice, but there hasn't been much buzz about her lately. And Tom Harkin is pushing for Chris Dodd, which I think would be a great choice. Finally, I have been a little surprised that Bill Richardson hasn't been mentioned as much. I think he would bring a lot to the table.

Then it could be a complete dark horse candidate like Tom Daschle, John Kerry, Mark Warner, or Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (one of the battleground states Obama is visiting after the announcement is Montana).

Now it's just time to sit back with my cell phone in hand and wait for the announcement.

Cheesy

This is so cheesy...

Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton will make their first joint campaign appearance on Friday in Unity, New Hampshire.

Both candidates received exactly 107 votes in the town during the January primary.

Independents Turned Off by an Obama/Clinton Ticket

Quinnipiac released a poll today that shows Barack Obama winning Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania over John McCain.

The most interesting numbers, however, were about an Obama/Clinton ticket.

While Democrats support the idea, independent voters in each state say Obama should not choose Sen. Clinton as his vice presidential running mate. Results are:

• Florida: Democrats want Clinton on the ticket 57 - 33 percent while Republicans are opposed 59 - 17 percent and independents oppose it 46 - 37 percent;
• Ohio: Democrats want Clinton for Vice President 58 - 31 percent, but Republicans say no 60 - 19 percent and independents turn thumbs down 47 - 31 percent;
• Pennsylvania: Democrats say yes to Clinton 60 - 31 percent, while Republicans say no 63 - 20 percent and independents nix the idea 49 - 36 percent.

"If Sen. Obama seriously is thinking about picking Sen. Clinton as his running mate, these numbers might cause him to reconsider. The people who really matter come November - independent voters - turn thumbs down on the idea. And, many say they are less likely to vote for him if he puts her on the ticket," Brown added.

Obama Officially Clinches Nomination

From MyDD, via the AP...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.

The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.

It's about time. Now we can focus on McCain.

Vilsack: Obama is Going to be the Nominee

From Political Wire...

"It does appear to be pretty clear that Senator Obama is going to be the nominee. After Tuesday's contests, she needs to acknowledge that he's going to be the nominee and quickly get behind him."

-- Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a national co-chairman of Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign, quoted by the Associated Press.

Expect Chaos in 2012 if All of the Mighigan and Florida Delegates are Seated

If the DNC seats all of the Michigan and Florida delegates, expect there to be absolute chaos leading up to the next contested Presidential primary.

From Marc Ambinder...

Lots of folks on both sides of the Obama/Clinton debate predict total chaos in 2012 (if the Democrats lose the election) or 2016. Luckily, 2016 is a ways away, and Democrats are confident about their chances.

But think about it. States will have NO incentive to follow the rules, knowing that at least half their delegations will be seated. The candidates will treat the states like any other state; Remember that Florida, which had half its delegation penalized by the RNC, turned into the victory that essentially sealed the nomination for John McCain.

Nominee-presumptives Obama and Clinton have no incentive to change the calendar -- he needs Iowa and she needs New Hampshire for the general election.

Clinton Keeps Fighting

Even though Barack Obama clinched a majority of the pledged delegates last night, Hillary Clinton continues to fight for the nomination without any way for her to win.

Greatest Generation 2.0

Richard Doak's column in the Des Moines Register today is about the excitement of young people and their great possibility to influence change throughout the world.

The most fascinating possibility of 2008 is that the next Greatest Generation might be about ready to make its debut.

Hang around a college campus and it becomes easy to believe in the possibility. There's something about today's young people that inspires confidence.

Nationally, young adults are defying past patterns by turning out in record numbers to vote in the caucuses and primaries. They tend to vote differently from their elders, and there is an almost palpable sense among them that a new day is dawning.

These young adults are the leading edge of what has been labeled the Millennial Generation, people born between 1982 and 2003.

Some pop historians see history as being driven by generational change. If they're right, America is approaching a turning point, and it will be the Millennials who determine the new direction.

John Mayer had the hit song Waiting for the World to Change where he talks about how the Millennial Generation is fully aware of the problems the world faces. How can they not be with 9/11, Global Climate Change, Hurricane Katrina, and a misguided war in Iraq weighing so heavily during the time their worldview was being formed?

However before this election, they haven't been compelled to enter the political arena that they viewed as being stale, full of partisan bickering, and influenced by big money. Instead, they have chose to focus their energy on community action, through community involvement, church activities, environmental action, and building communities online.

This diary from Daily Kos that I posted about back in October further explains this...

...we look upon our broken system and choose not to scream at the rubble, but to take it upon ourselves to promote social change in our own way. So we volunteer. We join groups. We organize at the community level. We splinter off into thousands of glittering pockets of political change. We don't mobilize nationalize because there is no call, no sense of need to so.

The 2008 election has called this generation to become involved politically. With no incumbent running for their party's nomination, this election is truly a changing of the guard.

The candidates have called the Millennial Generation to become active in politics. Barack Obama has turned out huge numbers of young adults to support him, as has Hillary Clinton. Ron Paul has had tremendous success fundraising and organizing online. Chris Dodd called for people to get involved in national service. John Edwards started his campaign with the theme Tomorrow Begins Today and held his first event helping rebuild New Orleans.

John Mayer ended his song, saying that one day the Millennial Generation will have the power to change the world.

We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

That day is coming sooner than later.

Why Obama Shouldn't Pick Clinton as VP

10 Reasons for Barack Obama not to pick Hillary Clinton as his Vice President

1. It's wrong to say that Hillary has survived the worst the Republicans have thrown against her. In a national election, the sort of attacks which had little traction in New York senate races and the Ohio or Pennsylvania primaries could well drag her--and Obama--down. Should Obama have to spend part of his presidential campaign defending the Clintons, of all people, when Travelgate, Whitewater, Vince Foster, the Lincoln Bedroom, Marc Rich, Norman Hsu, Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, Monica, and Bosnia all come oozing back up into our political life?

2. How can Obama possibly campaign as the incarnation of the future, and the repudiation of the Bad Old Politics of the Past, when he has Hillary standing next to him?

3. Dynasticism in a minor, vice-presidential key is still dynasticism, and the country is sick of it. Is John McCain going to pick Jeb Bush as his running mate? (and if it wasn't for the last name, he well might).

4. Bill. If Hillary, of all people, couldn't stop him from harming the campaign he was supposed to be helping, can Barack?

5. Hillary has simply gone too far claiming that Obama is unready to be president. Her lines will be flung back in her face--and his--endlessly by the Republicans, and in debates.

6. This seems to be one case that disproves the adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. In 2016, after a second Obama term, Hillary will be nearly 70. Does anyone think she is going to be content to put her own ambitions aside until then, and be nothing but a good team player?

7. Why should Obama give up a chance to put someone with real executive experience on the ticket? This is a weakness of his, and Hillary will not help to address it seriously, despite her vaunted "35 years."

8. A great deal of the political fence-mending that he would accomplish by choosing Hilary could be done just as well by choosing her strong supporter Evan Bayh.

9. Hillary is not Lyndon Johnson. She probably can't bring him anywhere near the number of electoral votes that Johnson brought to the Democratic ticket in 1960 (she certainly can't steal Texas for him!).

10. The obvious, unfortunate, Unevolved Nation reason, namely that some voters will be comforted by a white male on the ticket. Should Obama pay attention to this factor? No. Will he? Good question.

Reasons 2, 4, and 5 stand out for me as the strongest reasons to not name Clinton as VP.

SNL Slams Hillary

From last night's episode of Saturday Night Live...

Is it Finally Over?

Yesterday, Barack Obama won North Carolina handily and Indiana was much closer than expected. Polls had Clinton up by around 9% in Indiana and then squeaked out a 2% victory.

Clinton has cancelled all television and public appearances today, likely opting to meet with her top advisor about what her next move should be in the race.

Late last night on MSNBC, Tim Russert said we now know who are nominee is going to be.




**Update**
Political Wire has a list of quotes from pundits saying the race is now over.

Hey Hillary, which votes count?

Keith Olbermann attempts to explain Hillary Clinton's definition of which votes counts...



Unfortunately, Iowa doesn't count because we are a caucus, a small state, next to Illinois, have educated activists that are liberal, we voted Republican in 2004, and we care about both foreign policy and domestic issues.

Obama on the Horrible Gas Tax Holiday

John McCain introduced the idea of a gas tax holiday and Hillary Clinton jumped on the bandwagon. These two ignore the basic economic concept of supply and demand. Removing the tax on gas would increase demand, which would then increase the price.



Barack Obama isn't on board, calling the idea of a gas tax holiday a Washington gimmick...

That’s typical of how Washington works. There’s a problem, everybody’s upset about gas prices – let’s find some short-term, quick-fix, that we can say we did something even though, even though we’re not really doing anything. We cannot deliver on a better energy policy unless we change how business is done in Washington.

Hillary Clinton = Elitist

Hillary Clinton was on Bill O'Reilly last night, pandering to rich people, saying, "Rich people, God bless us."

Then there's a clip of Clinton having trouble getting the coffee machine to work at a convenience store. Maybe she should have her maid just get the coffee for her.

Iowa Super Delegate Declares Support for Obama

Barack Obama gained the support from one of Iowa's super delegates. Richard Machacek announced today that he has decided to support Barack Obama. Machacek, from Buchanan County, is a member of the State Central Committee and Democratic National Committee.

"I think it needs to be over, and in good conscience, I can't fly in the face of my precinct, county and district," Machacek told The Des Moines Register in a telephone interview. "The raw numbers coming out of the district conventions really sat me down hard."

Obama leads the Iowa super delegate count with 5, while Clinton has 3, and 3 remain undeclared.

Obama Supporters
Richard Machacek
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack
Gov. Chet Culver
Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald
deputy state party Chairwoman Sarah Swisher

Clinton Supporters
U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell,
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal
DNC member Sandy Opstvedt

Undeclared Super delegates
U.S Senator Tom Harkin
U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley
state party Chairman Scott Brennan

Clinton Critcizes Plant Closure that Her Husband Approved

Here's another example of the Clinton's willingness to do anything to get elected.

From David Sirota...

Clinton is airing this advertisement in Indiana, bemoaning the closure of a defense contractor Magnequench's manufacturing plant in Valparaiso (she is also echoing this line in her stump speeches). Looking at the camera, she tells us she's upset that the 200 jobs that were sent to China, and that "now America's defense relies on Chinese spare parts." And then comes the kicker: She tells viewers that "George Bush could have stopped it, but he didn't."

Clinton is certainly right that it is a tragedy that 200 American jobs were killed in a corporate deal that also exported sensitive military technology to China. But she forgets to mention that it wasn't George Bush who was in the key position to stop it - it was Bill Clinton.

Back in 1995, a Chinese consortium, which included two Chinese state-owned companies, made a bid to take over Magnequench. Because the company makes key parts for smart bombs, the takeover had to be approved by the Clinton administration's Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States. Despite the national security and economic problems with selling off such critical manufacturing capacity to the Chinese - and despite the knowledge that such a deal would likely end in a domestic mass layoff - the Clinton administration approved the deal. This same deal - not surprisingly - paved the way for those 200 Indiana jobs and that sensitive military technology to be shipped to China.

The Clinton administration's move was not surprising. This was an administration whose NAFTA and China PNTR record more than proved it was intent on helping Big Money interests face as little resistance to international financial transactions as possible - consequences be damned. But the move was very controversial, raising the ire of key Hillary Clinton surrogate Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN). As the Los Angeles Times reported in 2005, "Bayh was particularly disturbed by the committee's decision in 1995 to approve a Chinese consortium's takeover of Magnequench Inc." In 2006, Bayh specifically slammed the Clinton administration's approval of the deal to the South Bend Tribune, saying "It's not smart to put ourselves in the position of relying on the Chinese for a critical component of a vital weapon system, and yet that is what the CFIUS process has allowed."

Unfortunately, as he has campaigned around Indiana with Hillary Clinton listening to her decry the Magenquench fiasco, Bayh has suddenly gone silent on the matter.

1st District Convention Results

I posted my report about Obama gaining a national delegate at the 4th District Convention at Daily Kos and it sparked a lot of discussion. The discussion at Kos was if Obama won a delegate in the 4th District or if he ended up losing a delegate overall.

Coming into the convention, Obama had 15 delegates secured with 3 delegates up for grabs. The national media counted the hens before the eggs hatched and wrongly projected that Obama would pick up 17 delegates.

A person who attended the 1st District convention posted their results in the comments section and it looks like the Edwards group was able to become viable and won a national delegate. If the Edwards group wasn't viable, Obama would have likely won that national delegate.

After check-in, Edwards had 79 delegates but needed 81 to be viable. There were 7 undecideds. If only 2 undecideds went to Edwards, he was going to get a delegate, so the result in the 1st District was not at all unexpected. But the funny (in a sardonic way) thing was that some Clinton delegates went over to Edwards, just to make sure Obama didn't get that extra delegate.

1st alignment (534 delegates at check-in):
Obama - 281 (52.6%)
Clinton - 167 (31.3%)
Edwards - 79 (14.8%)
Undecided - 7 (1.3%)

2nd alignment (out of 533 - someone left early?):
Obama - 283 (53.1%)
Clinton - 156 (29.3%)
Edwards - 94 (17.6%)

National Delegates:
Obama - 3 (2 males, 1 female)
Clinton - 2 (1 male, 1 female)
Edwards - 1 (female)

National Alternate: Obama - 1 (male)