I was traveling yesterday and just caught up on Meet the Press via podcast this morning. Wow. I think they actually had a fascinating discussion about the Democratic race on there.
The trick is sharing that discussion with you. While the entire episode is available on NBC's website, the part I think is most interesting begins 18 minutes in, and NBC's video player does not let you fast forward. The guests discuss:
Obama's recent statement on Reagan (and the extreme distortion applied to it by the Clintons, and to a lesser extent John Edwards)
The awkwardness of the first female presidential frontrunner depending so much on her husband for defense
The unsubstantiated claims by Bill Clinton that he directly witnessed voter intimidation
The complexity of the black vote in South Carolina
They quote both Bill and Hillary either saying how they admire Ronald Reagan or saying that Democrats have no ideas. They have good video clips all around.
So here's what I'll do. First, a section from YouTube focusing on the Reagan comments and distortion:
and here's a later section talking about Obama v Clinton in the red states:
You can find the full show transcript and video here at NBC.
I try not to get caught up in the noise generated by the big media folks because it's all too easy to follow their lead, but in this case, like I said, I was shocked at the range of discussion and even depth in some cases.
cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics
Yo, next week is gonna be insane. During Iowa and New Hampshire, we were able to find somefirst hand accounts of the experience on the ground. I'm trying to prepare better for that this time.
If you know people who live in South Carolina or who will be traveling down there to campaign (for anyone) or observe, let us know if they'd be willing to share their perspectives. I don't have people in South Carolina, so I'm hoping yall will help fill in the gaps.
Send me a note (jackturnerpolitics - at - gmail - dot - com) if you have some leads.
We have some folks signed up already including
A lawyer traveling down to monitor the election for shenanigans
An Obama volunteer going down to knock on doors
I'm also interested in finding bloggers and grassroots/local media perspectives, so if you know of a YouTuber, blogger, independent radio station, photographer, camera phone artist, podcast, newsletter, whatever hit me on email or drop a comment on this post. Forward this note to your people.
I don't want our perspective here to be dependent completely on the mainstream media narrative, pollsters and others who may not have a damn clue what they're talking about.
Let's step up this new media thing another notch.
cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics
"The very worst of second-wave feminism"
This is why I listen to Democracy Now and why it should be the only news source you absolutely check out. I am so serious about this.
Last week, our own dnA did a marvelous piece about feminism and racism and the rough intersection that this campaign is exposing. He was responding in part to Gloria Steinem's oped in the NY Times in which she claimed that Barack Obama would never be so lauded were he a woman.
Well, yesterday Gloria Steinem appeared on Democracy Now opposite Princeton University Assistant Associate Professor for Politics and African American Studies, Melissa Harris-Lacewell.
You. Must. Listen. To. This. Interview.
In short. Steinem got her behind handed to her and her arguments danced around. In fact, I want yall to see this so much, I created a custom YouTube player with the entire interview in video (35minutes). Below the player are some incredible excerpts, but you need to read, listen to or watch the entire thing!
Lacewell:
And so, when Steinem suggests, for example, in that article that Obama is a lawyer married to another lawyer and to suggest that, for example, Hillary Clinton represents some kind of sort of breakthrough in questions of gender, I think that ignores an entire history in which white women have in fact been in the White House. They’ve been there as an attachment to white male patriarchal power. It’s the same way that Hillary Clinton is now making a claim towards experience. It’s not her experience. It’s her experience married to, connected to, climbing up on white male patriarchy. This is exactly the ways in which this kind of system actually silences questions of gender that are more complicated than simply sort of putting white women in positions of power and then claiming women’s issues are cared for.
Now, what I know from the work that I’ve done on the Obama campaign is that there are tens of thousands of extremely hard-working white men and women, as well as black men and women, as well as actually a huge multiracial and interethnic coalition of people working for Barack Obama. And so, for Steinem to sort of make this very clear race and gender dichotomy that she does in that New York Times op-ed piece, I think it’s the very worst of second-wave feminism.
On Hillary Clinton trying to have it both ways as an independent woman and a woman whose powers are derived from her relationship with a man
And I will say that I am really offended by the ways in which the Hillary Clinton campaign has not taken the high road on this. They’ve consistently used ways of thinking about her as Bill Clinton’s wife. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot both claim this sort of role as independent woman making a stand on questions of feminism and claim that your experience begins as First Lady of Arkansas.
Responding to Steinem bringing up the value of women's work as caretakers:
I certainly understand, in a very intimate way, you know, the power and the value of domestic and caretaking work. But I also know very clearly a history that I believe Steinem’s piece attempted to distort, and that is that as white women moved into the workforce, much of that caretaking work did not go to white men who sort of took up and helped out, but it fell on women of color—African American women, immigrant women—who stepped in to do much of the domestic labor and childcare provision, so that white women could in fact become a part of the workforce. So to, for example, make an argument like black men had the right to vote long before white women is to ignore that black men were then lynched regularly for any attempt to actually exercise that right.
I just feel that we have got to get clear about the fact that race and gender are not these clear dichotomies in which, you know, you’re a woman or you’re black. I’m sitting here in my black womanhood body, knowing that it is more complicated than that. African American men have been complicit in the oppression of African American women. White women have been complicit in the oppression of black men and black women. Those things are true. And so, to pretend that we can somehow take them out of the conversation when a white woman runs against a black man, when she tears up at being sort of beat up by him, when her husband can come in and rally around her and suggest that we need to sort of support her because she’s having difficulties, while Barack Obama is getting death threats, basically lynching threats on him and his family, these are—for a second-wave feminist with an understanding of the complexity of American race and gender to take this kind of position in the New York Times struck me as, again, the very worst of what that feminism can offer—in other words, division.
On the role of black women in the feminist movement (echoing statements by dnA here last week)
Part of what, again, has been sort of an anxiety for African American women feminists like myself is that we’re often asked to join up with white women’s feminism, but only on their own terms, as long as we sort of remain silent about the ways in which our gender, our class, our sexual identity doesn’t intersect, as long as we can be quiet about those things and join onto a single agenda. So, yes, I absolutely agree, we must be in coalition, but it must be a fair coalition of equals.
And it’s one of the things that’s exciting about Barack Obama’s campaign, working on it in New Hampshire, seeing it at work in Iowa, being a part of meetings here in New Jersey, is in fact that you cannot pick what an Obama supporter looks like. Obama supporters are young and old, black and white, male and female. And it is, in fact, the most sort of nurturing and coalition-building space I’ve ever had an opportunity to do political work in.
On Obama's experience and opposition to the war
I taught at the University of Chicago for years before coming to Princeton. So Barack Obama was my state senator. He was my US senator. So every time I hear people say he doesn’t have much experience, I find it extremely irritating, because it means that somehow representing me in my government meant very little experience. So I actually was there in Chicago and in Illinois when Senator Obama took those stands against the war, and I can tell you, it was not an easy thing to do. So I’m appreciative of having been represented by someone like him who had those kinds of positions.
On the risks of brining up race in the campaign
I mean, I’m very glad that Ms. Steinem got such positive responses to her op-ed piece. I wrote a piece which hit Slate, in which I sort of made the similar arguments I made here, and I received death threats to myself, to my daughter. I was called a racist, even though I spend most of my hours, you know, working with privileged white students, who I love and adore and work very hard for here at Princeton.
So I have to say that the ways in which race, the moment it shows up, explodes campaigns is part of why the Obama race has sort of kept race at an arm’s distance. And so, many of us who are supporters but not part of the campaign are the ones who end up bringing up race, because the campaign itself does not do so.
There is so much more. On Lani Guinier, voting rights, the media. Oh lord. You really must print this out or put it on your iPod for the commute home. Now
Send Bracewell a thank you note (info at melissaharrislacewell.com), and tell her JJP sent you. She kept it so real.
Wow.
My friend Tim pointed out that Wired has picked up the wiki I started to track attacks by Clinton or her surrogates and supporters against Barack Obama. I started a wiki cause I was lazy! I guess that's newsworthy :)
Anyway, hope you find it helpful. Feel free to clean it up with some edits or make your own additions.
My people,
What an unbelievable election season we are in. It is so on till the break a dawn! The Clintons have lost their damn minds. Civil Rights OGs are coming out of the woodwork to dog a brotha. South Carolina is the place to be, and the world has reached peak oil production which means all these skirmishes pale in comparison to the poo poo that is about to hit the fan.
Here's my own blogging plan for the next few weeks.
Just have it out about the relationship between black folks and the Clintons
Live from S. Carolina. A few folks I know are heading down to campaign, monitor voting procedures, etc. I'm planning to get dispatches from them. If you are down there or know people who are/will be, let me know so we can cover this thing. Would love some video footage
Bring up some positive things about Obama. I'm open about it. I support the man. I want to make sure at least I don't get caught up in all the dirt and responding to rhetorical inanity from the Clintons. There are many reasons to be for the man. I want to spell more of those out.
A dose of reality. Campaigns are contagious infections of both hope and pessimism driven a lot by personality. I'll be reminding all of us of the fundamental and structural challenges we face as a nation that almost none of the candidates are talking about in a serious way. Basically, we are super screwed, and whoever becomes president will preside over a nation in decline in many ways
We face the end of cheap energy due to peak oil production. This will be dreadful
The dollar is collapsing; the credit markets are collapsing; housing is dead and recession looms
Our economy does what exactly? We don't make any of the things most necessary to our survival
Our food system is poisonous and completely unsustainable.
Update 3pm: I should add, I'll also be posting on some things that aren't so hot about Obama. I heard a solid debate on Democracy Now last week between Michael Eric Dyson and Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report. Ford raised Obama's plans to expand the US military by 100,000 and asked, "what good does it do to put a black face on American imperialism?"
Solid question. I'll try to work it out.
And to me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood – and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book – when they have been involved...
That kind of campaign behavior does not resonate with me, for a guy who says, ‘I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’ And
I’m thinking, I’m thinking to myself, this ain’t a movie, Sidney. This is real life.
Since making these statements, Johnson said he wasn't talking about drug use at all. He sloppily tried to explain that what had happened was...
My comments today were referring to Barack Obama’s time spent as a community organizer, and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect.
“When Hillary Clinton was in her twenties she worked to provide protections for abused and battered children and helped ensure that children with disabilities could attend public school.
That results oriented leadership — even as a young person — is the reason I am supporting Hillary Clinton.”
Come! On! Now! You really don't expect me to believe that when you said he "was doing something in the neighborhood - and I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in the book..." that you were referring to community organizing??! I mean I'm sure it's hard for you to recognize community organizing, especially if it targets your claim to fame, but you are clearly a little rusty on how to run a media empire.
In fact, you know what this excuse sounds like. SHUCKIN AND JIVIN!! See, Mr. Cuomo? This is an appropriate use of the term, and I'm allowed to say it, because that's what Johnson is doing.
Bob Johnson is not new at the game of selling questionable products to black people.
Obviously there have been, shall we say, issues with the programming of BET even before he sold it to Viacom, one of those six massive mega media companies with not a drop of concern nor obligation to the communities they reach.
On top of that, as Black Agenda Report (no fan of Obama) covered in 2002, Johnson was out working on a Bush commission to privatize (and thus destroy) social security by claiming that because black people die younger, we get nothing out of it.
Here's a question: why don't you ask Mrs. Clinton why she is so proud to have the support of a man who pimped stereotypical images of black people and worked to privatize social security?
I'm launching a wiki to track Clinton Attacks on Obama. Things have just gotten off the hook, especially over at Jack & Jill. It's hard not to see the Clinton campaign as trying to start some serious racialist ish. I know politics is ugly, but I would hate to see this campaign further rip America apart with an ignorant, inflammatory battle over race. Let's keep it as factual as possible, but call people on their b.s.
cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics
This week has been a mess as far as major media is concerned. I got caught up in a frenzy last weekend and so did many in the country. Over the past week, writers for this blog have attempted to make sense of New Hampshire, the polls, the potential Bradley Effect, women voters and Obama's prospects in South Carolina. So, I'm excited to present a perspective from a soldier in the ground this past weekend.
He's a (black) friend I haven't seen since middle school, but he heard I was looking for New Hampshire first-hand stories. He wrote this to me on Monday, before the vote (and before the tears). There is some incredibly accurate analysis which challenges the mainstream media narrative and some of the conclusions drawn by this blog; there is also just plain interesting observation. I have made bold certain sections for emphasis and removed peoples' last names. Otherwise, these are his words.
i went to nh this weekend and here is my journal about it. feel free to send on to whomever you think will appreciate it. i am hoping some folks who are thinking about helping out will do so. it was one of my proudest moments.
----
As asked by most of you, but not all of you, here are some highlights from the canvassing we did in Hollis, NH (just outside of Nashua) this weekend.
i broke it down into stats and fun stories. i tried to make it as unbiased as possible, but obviously my heart is in a specific place
if you are at all interested in seeing Obama win, trust me when i say he is still the underdog even if he wins today we need your help. people are only now beginning to take a look at him and consider him as a legitimate candidate. no matter what magazine cover he is on or
interview he gets, before Thursday, folks were convinced he could not be elected. while they are taking a look at him now, the opposition will probably stop at nothing (for example going negative this weekend) to win the big states that will be up for grabs on super tuesday,
even if Senator Obama wins today this thing is far from over
........................
First off, Christine, Jake and I left Brooklyn (without a confirmed place to stay) around 7:30PM and arrived at 12:30AM. Around 11PM, the campaign called us (for the fourth time that evening) and told us that Jonathan had offered to let the "two of us sleep" on "Jonathan's" floor. We told the campaign that we had a last minute addition of one volunteer and after a few more phone calls, we were told that Jonathan was happy to have all three of us. Naturally, I assumed that Jonathan was an employee of the campaign whose hotel room was paid for. Turned out, he
was a volunteer from NYC, just out of the Navy and he was paying for the room himself. Could not have been a more pleasant guy. We agreed that he had a Ralph Maccio thing going on which added to the flavor of the night. There was just enough floor space for us to sleep on the cigarette smoke ridden carpets.
We arrived at the canvassing HQ at 9:30 the next morning. The HQ was the basement of Tom and Mary's spacious house. They had a son
who graduated from Williams in '97, so we chose to focus on our admiration for Obama instead of any school rivalry. However Tom and I bonded over having both been present at the best football game ever (Williams v. Amherst -1997)
The basement was home to 4-6 volunteer coordinators who had been there for I don't know how long. At any given moment, there were also tens of volunteers who came from as far as DC (Maine, PA, NYC, Conn were represented as well) to canvas. Strangers came in and out of their home and Tom and Mary always had a smile on their face and a conversation to start. Tom would later share with me that after NH was over, he planned to travel to other states to help out. The field coordinators were college kids (Mt. Holyoke was in effect) with all
sorts of energy and just about as much maturity. They sent us off with addresses, maps and flyers (they had different flyers for each day) and
told us to get to work. "Get-r- done," became my motto for the weekend to quote Larry the Cable Guy.
APPROXIMATED STATS
I do not know from where the campaign got the lists of the addresses we canvassed.
40% of the homes visited did not answer the door. I saw a handful of people peek out of a window and I would smile and wave and continue walking away having already stuck a flyer by their doorknob.
When I knocked on a house, my opening line consistently was "Hi (smile), I'm canvassing for the Obama campaign and I was wondering if you were planning on voting on Tuesday." Not a single person responded with a negative expression or comment. If they did not tell me their preference then I would ask if they were considering voting for the Senator. I would say 20% were for Obama, another 10% were leaning towards him. 20% were for a smattering of candidates, mostly, Mccain, Romney, Edwards and Clinton, in that order. This is where it
gets interesting.
Another 20% were deciding between Mccain and Obama! (for those
who don't know, registered independents in NH (40% of the state's 1.3 million citizens) are allowed to vote in either primary). These were the people with whom I had the longest conversations. 65% of them were leaning towards Mccain. The conversations suggested that these
were Republican leaning moderates who really are tired of the party and are looking for someone fresh and are hoping that Mccain can impress
them by today. The remaining 30% were undecided and/or had no desire to show their hands (people in their 50's and 60's were especially less
interested in telling me who they were voting for or who they were leaning towards while folks north of 65 were comfortable sharing anything.
I read and heard that app. 50% of the state genuinely had not made up their mind by last Friday. I think much of this uncertainty has to do with two factors. 1. The republican candidates are a mess 2. Obama has turned this into a true competition and now that people believe the country just might be willing to elect him, he is only just now getting the attention and consideration worthy of a legitimate candidate, further complicating matters.
10% of the people I spoke to were Republicans and could not vote in the Dem. Primary. Yet they also wanted to talk the most and for the longest. I was happy to do so, because while they pretty much knew who their first choice was, many stated that Obama was their second preference if their republican choice did not make it to the general election.
Many people expressed frustration with the number of flyers and phone calls, yet they often participated in a 5-10 minute conversation with us. They seemed to want the personal communication. At one point, Christine (who was welcomed inside by many homes) was having a conversation with a woman and the Obama campaign called this woman. The woman explained that she had a Obama canvasser in the house, yet whomever was calling kept on talking. The woman eventually told her that she would prefer to talk to Christine. Before Christine left the house, the Obama campaign called again.
As much as we got the impression that people were tired of all of the attention, the attention itself did not seem to have a negative effect on their decision. Which is a good thing for the Obama campaign, because as was said of their organization in Iowa and of SC and Nev., the effort, in manpower and other resources, is massive as well as first rate (see an email below from the chairwoman of the financial committee of the campaign).
The most important issue for anyone over 40 (the majority of the people we talked to) was health care. The war did not come up much, everyone seemed to be on the same page about it. Not one person mentioned wanting a president who was experienced in foreign policy and very few talked about the experience question in general. It felt like Obama was the choice because he has a good message and they did not seem to think anyone else was especially stronger on issues than he is.
MOMENTS FROM THE CANVASSING
A 68 year old man telling me he was voting for Obama and that he doesn't want a woman in the White House. Me worrying that I had just cost the Senator a vote because I could not help but say, "Huh," in disbelief and with shock in my face. He noticed I was surprised and then said, "I don't know why?"
A man in his early 70's asking me if the Senator would get inaugurated with his hand on a Bible or a Koran. Fortunately, I had already talked to the 68-year-old sexist so I was ready for mind boggling comments. I told the man that Obama is a Christian and the man said, "OK, well, I'm having supper right now, thank you." It was 11:30 AM.
A white male who had voted for FDR telling me that Obama (for whom he was voting) should ask Colin Powell to be his running mate. I immediately responded with a cynical laugh, "You don't really think this country will elect two black men do you?" He screamed, "Why not..." with legitimate anger and made me feel like I was the bigot, as if I had not had enough Obama KoolAid that day.
A woman telling me that she voted for Bush twice and was now leaning towards Obama.
Three families with republican parents and two children voting for Obama absentee from college.
Driving around NH using googlemaps on Jake's I-Phone to find different side streets. I wish I knew someone at Apple, because we could make a great short movie about this (anyone?)
Bumped into some fellow volunteers who had been in town all week (from DC). One of them said that they had been calling people all week trying to shore up attendance for his rally at a school on Saturday afternoon. In the middle of the week, the campaign was worried about attendance and asked the phone callers to ask people to RSVP. They were expecting 500 people. 2,700 showed up and the line extended way outside and people had to watch via TV in another hall.
At the end of Saturday night, I went to Don's home. He invited me inside for a glass of water. It was the first time someone had invited me in, and I was sad about that fact because my friend who flew from San Fran to canvass in Iowa for a week said that he was invited inside a number of times. I had been looking forward to similar hospitality. Don was undecided and asked me about Obama's platform, I was able to answer his questions about the budget and the war, but not about job creation. Don's wife is in full support of Clinton. Don asked his mother-in-law to come downstairs. Turns out she is a registered republican who has donated the maximum to obama and is sick to her stomach that she did not change her affiliation to independent so that she could vote for him. She gave me her number to give to a volunteer coordinator.
***The next day, as we drove back to HQ, around 4PM, to return our information before heading home, I drove by Don who was going for a walk. I stopped him and chatted him up. He said Obama did a very good job in the debate and that he liked what he had to say about the issues. He said he was mulling his decision on the walk he was taking. I thanked him one last time for his hospitality and we said our goodbyes.
SATURDAY NIGHT/ THE DEBATE
A greek owned pizzeria played host to the obama volunteers gathering to watch the debate on Saturday night. I wont forget the evening for a long time. Agewise, genderwise, racially, the spectrum was represented. I was really happy to see most of the women wearing a "Women for Obama" pin. The Hotchkiss School (shout out to Emily) even had a group of 7-10 teenagers. What struck me most about the comments made in the room during the debate was how complimentary people were of Clinton and her grasp of the issues. I was pleased to see that my fellow supporters of Obama recognized that Clinton is a worthy candidate and they simply believe in Obama more.
Afterwards, we hurried home to catch the spin on CNN, and Britney Spears was the story. The clock struck 12 and it was Christine's bday so we went out for one drink. We went to the biggest resturant by day & bar/disco by night in Nashua and befriended the owner. He was miffed that Obama did not mingle more with his customers the two times he came for lunch meetings. He also wasn't crazy about Obama's tax plans. However, he said he was probably going to vote for Obama.
New England white folks. I knew it! :)
I'm just playin.
Congrats to Senator Clinton. Now it's officially on! She got 39, Obama 36 or 37, Edwards 17. Somebody tell Edwards to stop Barack-blocking! :)
Apparently women switched in the last 24 hours to support Clinton. Might have had to do with those tears. If so, that only works once. Perhaps not, though. Regardless of the reason, it looks like we have a real race on our hands between these two.
Interesting times my people. This is a reminder that you can take nothing for granted in this election, that none can afford complacency. Please make sure you register to vote in time for your state's primary.
Link to voter registration is in the left column.
Oh yeah, McCain won too! Will be interesting to see how he plays in the Dirty South (carolina that is) in a few weeks.
cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics
I would love to be in New Hampshire, on the ground, to get a feel for the environment, and trust me, if I still lived in Boston, I'd do it. Instead, I'm trying my best to tap various networks for some testimony from up North. This isn't in any way scientific, but the vibe looks very good for Obama. Consider the following
The reaction of these two New Hampshire women after seeing Obama speak:
I have a tolerate-hate relationship with Facebook, but when I posted a request for New Hampshire stories, I got this from a black man volunteering for the campaign:
There were old white ladies stumping all over town. Some very wealthy, comfortable people who traveled from across the country to volunteer and campaign for this man. His grassroots organizing in rural and urban areas in incredible! I spoke to Republicans yesterday who would stay on the phone asking questions about him, expressing support or simply are intrigued by him. He has an event at Exeter High school today to draw undecided (it is overbooked at the moment with concerns from that Fire Chief on fire evacuation plans!!!)anyways, I can go on and on here. U need to see to it for yourself and it is amazing to watch this as a BLACK man! Because our own internal racism kicks in and we still say
but will he win in a general election?? It is similar to the racist critique of the Clintons that he is not prepared. But it is there for black people we are not willing to believe that a black man CAN make it! And the we are only willing to legitimize him because white people want him, so now we are willing to vote for him. There is something going on with Obama which goes beyond politics it is touching our core conscious/unconscious issues as americans, and that is why he will win in November.
Another volunteer in NH responding to me via Facebook:
We are making it happen. People are feeling it. I stood on the porch
yesterday with a man who told me he feels a positivity about this election that he can't remember seeing before. Record turnout tomorrow.
History.
Then there's this perspective from the New York Times in its piece, Obama outshining Bill Clinton:
DURHAM, N.H. — Is this what it would have been like had Elvis been reduced to playing Reno?
Former President Bill Clinton
has been drawing sleepy and sometimes smallish crowds at big venues in the state that revived his presidential campaign in 1992. He entered to polite applause and rows of empty seats at the University of New Hampshire
on Friday. Several people filed out midspeech, and the room was largely quiet as he spoke, with few interruptions for laughter or applause. He talked about his administration, his foundation work and some about his wife.
We've written at JJP and readers have been more forceful in their comments, talking about the awkward, possibly jealous feeling older black leaders feel in response to Obama's rise, but I never thought I'd see the day when Bill Clinton failed to light up a room. Obviously, I don't know the Clintons' innermost feelings and motivations, but I can imagine that Bill saw Hillary's campaign having only the upside benefit of extending his legacy and brand. I wonder if he ever imagined the downside risk of accelerating its end?
I'm not saying Bill Clinton would not be relevant under an Obama presidency, I'm just saying it's hilarious to me, the idea that Obama has sucked so much air out of the environment, that there are empty chairs left at a Bill Clinton speech. Damn. Oh, and according to Jose Vargas at the Washington Post, it happened at Dartmouth too with kids walking out after 30 minutes.
Another observation on Republicans open to the idea of a President Obama. Check this comment from a reader of the NY Sun, a conservative paper:
Thank you for your editorial today (Jan 7) on Obama. As a Reagan Republican, I have marveled at and admired Obama's rise to prominence in the early Democrat primaries. Although his policy views no doubt differ significantly from Reagan's, I could actually see myself voting for the man in November, a thought that would make my skin crawl were Clinton or Edwards the nominee. Other close acquaintances, all conservatives, have suggested the same inclination.
Finally, well beyond New Hampshire, here are some anecdotes about the world's reaction to Obama's Iowa victory:
From a friend abroad who recently emailed everyone he knew asking them to donate to Obama:
I have never directly asked my friends for money (well not for politics anyway). But over the last week, as evidenced by the countless Egyptians who shook my hand while pointing to my Obama '08 button and the result in Iowa, I saw that people everywhere are starting to sense that Senator Obama is going to help our country turn a corner and start projecting a new image in the world.
Damn, I love Americans. Just when you’ve written them off as hopeless, as a nation in decline, they turn around and do something extraordinary, which tells you why the United States of America is
still the greatest nation on earth.
and finally, Iranian bloggers discuss Obama's Iowa victory.
That's all for now. We'll see what happens by the end of the day.
