[Macaca]

Giuliani is someone I would never vote for-this guy,even though he's a catholic is a Kahanist-sympathiser. I mean, he doesn't even believe Palestinians deserver their own state. I've heard Jewish settlers say less extreme things.

I wouldn't vote for Hillary b/c she's a woman,but I like her health insurance plans-better than anyone else. And definitely not voting for Obama-I don't think he can win because of his heritage.

[Resay112]

Originally Posted by Purple_alien

I am not really allowed to get involved in campaigning and the such, because of my job and my chosen career. However, I heard an interview with Ron Paul, and I was instantly impressed. I think his ideas are amazing and different. I can totally see why he has such a following...

what do you do?
curious.

[MossadConspiracy]

Obama routs Clinton in South Carolina

By DAVID ESPO and CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writers 33 minutes ago

Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.

"The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders," Obama said at a boisterous victory rally. "It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."

The audience chanted "Race doesn't matter" as it awaited Obama to make his appearance after rolling up 55 percent of the vote in a three-way race.

But it did, in a primary that shattered turnout records.

About half the voters were black, according to polling place interviews, and four out of five of them supported Obama. Black women turned out in particularly large numbers. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, got about a quarter of the white vote while Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina split the rest.

Clinton flew to Nashville as the polls closed, and looked ahead. "Now the eyes of the country turn to Tennessee and the other states voting on Feb. 5," she said, adding "millions and millions of Americans are going to have their voices heard."

Edwards finished a distant third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago. Even so, he vowed to remain in the race, his goal, he said, to "give voice to all those whose voices aren't being heard."

The victory was Obama's first since he won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, scored an upset in the New Hampshire primary a few days later. They split the Nevada caucuses, she winning the turnout race, he gaining a one-delegate margin. In an historic race, she hopes to become the first woman to occupy the White House, and Obama is the strongest black contender in history.

The South Carolina primary marked the end of the first phase of the campaign for the Democratic nomination, a series of single-state contests that winnowed the field, conferred co-front-runner status on Clinton and Obama but had relatively few delegates at stake.

That all changes in 10 days' time, when New York, Illinois and California are among the 15 states holding primaries in a virtual nationwide primary. Another seven states and American Samoa will hold Democratic caucuses on the same day.

Obama took a thinly veiled swipe at Clinton in his remarks.

"We are up against conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose — a higher purpose," Obama said.

Looking ahead to Feb. 5, he added that "nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again."

Nearly complete returns showed Obama winning 55 percent of the vote, Clinton gaining 27 percent. Edwards had 18 percent and won only his home county of Oconee.

Obama also gained 25 convention delegates, Clinton won 12 and Edwards eight.

Overall, Clinton has 249 delegates, followed by Obama with 167 and Edwards with 58.

Obama also gained an endorsement from Caroline Kennedy, who likened the Illinois senator to her late father, President John F. Kennedy.

"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," she wrote on The New York Times op-ed page. "But for the first time, I believe I have found a man who could be that president — and not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."

All three contenders campaigned in South Carolina on primary day, but only Obama and Edwards arranged to speak to supporters after the polls closed. Clinton left for Tennessee as the polls were closing. After playing a muted role in the earlier contests, the issue of race dominated an incendiary week that included a shift in strategy for Obama, a remarkably bitter debate and fresh scrutiny of former President Clinton's role in his wife's campaign.

Each side accused the other of playing the race card, sparking a controversy that frequently involved Bill Clinton.

"They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender. That's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here," the former president said at one stop as he campaigned for his wife, strongly suggesting that blacks would not support a white alternative to Obama.

Clinton campaign strategists denied any intentional effort to stir the racial debate. But they said they believe the fallout has had the effect of branding Obama as "the black candidate," a tag that could hurt him outside the South.

Nearly six in 10 voters said the former president's efforts for his wife was important to their choice, and among them, slightly more favored Obama than the former first lady.

Overall, Obama defeated Clinton among both men and women.

The exit polls showed the economy was the most important issue in the race. About one quarter picked health care. And only one in five said it was the war in Iraq, underscoring the extent to which the once-dominant issue has faded in the face of financial concerns.

The exit poll was conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and the networks.

hes back...

[MuslimZ]

O's acceptance speech rocked.

[MossadConspiracy]

He's an amazing speaker

[GOTFIVEONIT]

Democrats look ahead to Super Tuesday

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jan 27, 7:25 AM ET

MACON, Ga. - Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, each claiming a pair of early victories, now leave the concentrated campaigning of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina for an unwieldy and costly 10-day dash through 22 states that hold presidential primaries or caucuses Feb. 5.

Obama's surprisingly easy victory in South Carolina puts greater pressure on the New York senator to carry states she long has considered her strengths, including New York, Arkansas, Connecticut and the megastate of California.

Obama's overwhelming support from South Carolina's black Democrats boosts his hopes of winning three other former Confederate states voting Feb. 5: Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

The two candidates underscored those states' importance immediately. Clinton campaigned Saturday night in Nashville, and Obama traveled Sunday to Macon, Ga., and was then going on to Birmingham, Ala.

Despite his huge win Saturday, Obama faces serious challenges. He must improve his showing among white Democrats, who gave him only one-fourth of their votes in South Carolina. Even in Iowa and New Hampshire he never got more than 36 percent of the white vote, which was divided among him, Clinton, John Edwards and a few others.

Obama's campaign feels it will do well in caucus states because of its strong ground organizations, as it did in Iowa on Jan. 3. The seven states holding Democratic caucuses on Feb. 5 include Minnesota, Colorado and Kansas.

The South Carolina results were deeply disappointing to native son Edwards, who won the state's 2004 primary. He now will have to fight even harder for money, media attention and votes, as many Democrats see the contest as a two-person struggle.

Its next stage will be strategic, targeted and complex. Democrats award delegates based on the proportions that candidates win in each state, with no winner-take-all states. That virtually forces them to compete in every state to some degree.

"Now it's a delegate race," said Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs, "so there's not a state you're not going to do a little bit in."

"This isn't going to be judged on, 'I won six states, you won this amount of states,'" Gibbs said.

But even the fundraising clout of Obama and Clinton is not enough to let them advertise or campaign extensively in all 22 states.

"I don't know how we're going to do it," Bill Clinton said before leaving South Carolina. "I don't know how they're going to do it."

The Clinton campaign is counting on strong showings in New York, where she handily won a second Senate term in 2006; Arkansas, where her husband was governor for 10 years; and California, where Bill Clinton was generally popular and where Hillary Clinton seems to run well among Hispanics.

The Clintons are less sure of New Jersey and will probably spend time there. Her campaign also hopes to do well in Arizona and New Mexico, largely on the strength of her popularity among Hispanic voters.

Both campaigns consider Missouri and Tennessee major battlegrounds. Clinton is advertising in northern California, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah. Obama also has ads in several states, and he will campaign in Kansas and possibly Missouri early next week.

Both campaigns will scrutinize South Carolina's results and exit polls for lessons. More than half of its primary voters were black, a vastly different scenario from Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Clinton won New Hampshire and Nevada after Obama stunned her in Iowa.

But the South Carolina result shakes up the race yet again.

Obama did especially well among young whites, and he will continue campaigning hard in college towns and among young adults. That is a group, however, that historically talks about voting more than actually doing it.

His biggest challenge remains race. If he cannot expand his share of the white vote, Clinton may outpace him in many of the Feb. 5 states.

A major question is whether white voters in states with comparatively few minorities will embrace Obama more than they did in South Carolina. Racially divided voting occurs mainly in places with sizable minority populations, which explains why most white southerners moved to the Republican Party in the past three decades while blacks remain overwhelmingly Democratic.

Most white southern Democrats now are liberals or clearly willing to align with liberals. Most of them chose Clinton or Edwards in South Carolina on Saturday, and Obama cannot afford a similar dynamic in California, New Jersey, Illinois and other Feb. 5 states with fewer blacks.

He addressed the issue in his victory speech Saturday night. "The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders," he said. "It is not about black versus white."

"It's about the past versus the future," he said.

The Clintons' toughest decision may involve how best to deploy the former president. He remains tremendously popular among many Democrats.

But his occasionally heated jabs at Obama and reporters seemed to rankle South Carolinians at times last week, and there is widespread debate in political circles about the cost-benefit tradeoff for his wife's bid to win the job he once held.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

JF Kennedy's daughter backs Obama for president

18 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AFP) - US presidential hopeful Barack Obama won a glowing comparison to the late Democratic hero John F. Kennedy Saturday, in an endorsement for his campaign by the revered president's daughter.

"Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves ... and imagine that together we can do great things," Caroline Kennedy wrote in an article in The New York Times titled "A President Like my Father."

"We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama," wrote Kennedy, who was five when her father was shot dead while president in 1963. "We need a change in the leadership of this country -- just as we did in 1960."

Obama has cast himself as the candidate on for change, vowing to shake up what he sees as a faulty political system in Washington.

When elected president John F. Kennedy was, like Obama, a young politician in his forties. He was hailed for his economic programs and for working for the poor and civil rights.

"We have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future," Kennedy wrote.

"Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents' grandchildren, with that sense of possibility."

[MoonStar]

There was an article in the NY Times by her about him.

A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/op...ml?ref=opinion

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.
----------------

Sen. Edward Kennedy to Endorse Obama

Kennedy to Endorse Obama - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog

MACON, Ga. – Senator Edward M. Kennedy intends to endorse the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack Obama during a rally on Monday in Washington.

The Kennedy endorsement has been underway for days, even before the outcome of the South Carolina primary. Mr. Kennedy told his decision to Mr. Obama on Thursday.

Of all the endorsements in the Democratic Party, Mr. Kennedy’s is viewed as the most weighty. He had vowed to stay out of the presidential nominating fight, but as the contest expands into a state-by-state fight – and given the tone of the race in the last week – associates said he was moved to announce his support for Mr. Obama.

The endorsement will be announced at a rally at American University on Monday, hours before the State of the Union Address at the Capitol.

Mr. Obama flew to Georgia for his first post-South Carolina stop. Before appearing at Sunday morning church services at the Harvest Cathedral in Macon, Ga., Mr. Obama was asked about Mr. Kennedy’s potential endorsement on ABC News’ “This Week.”

“Well, you know, I’ll let Ted Kennedy speak for himself. And nobody does it better,” Mr. Obama said. “But obviously, any of the Democratic candidates would love to have Ted Kennedy’s support. And we have certainly actively sought it. And you know, I will let him make his announcement and his decision when he decides it’s appropriate.”

Mr. Kennedy, the latest in a string of senators to announce their support for Mr. Obama, is said by associates to be drawn to Mr. Obama because of his ability to motivate a new generation of Democrats. His niece, Caroline Kennedy, made a similar argument in an op-ed piece in today’s Times.

During Mr. Obama’s three years in the Senate, he has worked to build allies and gain friendships with many of his colleagues. While Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Obama have not been particularly close, Mr. Obama quickly gained the admiration of the Kennedy family.

It was on a November day in 2005, near the end of Mr. Obama’s first year in the Senate, when he was asked to deliver a keynote address at a ceremony commemorating the 80th birthday of Robert F. Kennedy. The invitation was extended by Ethel Kennedy, whom at the time referred to Mr. Obama as “our next president.”

“I think he feels it. He feels it just like Bobby did,” Mrs. Kennedy told me that day, comparing her late husband’s quest for social justice to Mr. Obama’s. “He has the passion in his heart. He’s not selling you. It’s just him.”

While Mr. Obama dismissed the suggestion at the time, her words were among the many accolades from prominent Democrats that sparked his presidential ambitions.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

Florida Republican Primary

Tuesday, January 29 | Delegates at Stake: 57 (Winner Take All)

Polling Data

Poll
RCP Average

Date
01/20 - 01/26

Sample
-

Romney
27.1%

McCain
26.7%

Giuliani
17.1%

Huckabee
14.7%

Paul
4.1%

Spread
Romney +0.4%

Tennessee Democratic Primary

Tuesday, February 5 | Delegates at Stake: 85

Polling Data

Poll - WSMV-TV

Date - 01/19 - 01/21

Sample - 503 LV

Clinton - 34%

Obama - 20%

Edwards - 16%

Spread - Clinton +14.0

California Democratic Primary

Tuesday, February 5 | Delegates at Stake: 370

01/11 - 01/20 -

Clinton Obama Edwards Spread

43.4% 30.8% 10.6% Clinton +12.6

Missouri Democratic Primary

Tuesday, February 5 | Delegates at Stake: 88

01/24 - 01/24

Clinton Obama Edwards Spread
43% 24% 28% Clinton +15.0

[Purple_alien]

Originally Posted by Resay112

what do you do?
curious.

State Government job... Nothing too flashy.
Obama is a great speaker. I analyzed a speech he made when he was elected to the Senate a few years back. I am very impressed with him... But at the same time, I can't see myself voting for him.
I do not think it was cool for Bill Clinton to compare him to Jesse Jackson. If I were Barack, I would tell him off. Show the ex Prez just how much like Jackson he can be! lol.
Clinton is coming to jersey tomorrow. I am not going to be anywhere near the rally, thank GOD, but it kinda puts a damper in my plans. Can't travel.

[Resay112]

can it not be true that obama is just a good speaker... all talk and no walk?
i hear his advisers are bunch of anti-muslim heads. still need to look into that though.

[GOTFIVEONIT]

lol i gotta call from barak obama tonight - a voice recording that is, saying to vote for him on super tuesday. i think its really stupid for his campaign to run something like that in this state, since its his home state and he is going to win it hands down.

BREAKING NEWS: McCain claims all 57 delegates in Florida GOP primary, NBC projects

NBC News: McCain projected winner in Florida GOP race

NEW: McCain wins Florida's Republican primary CNN projects

NEW: Clinton claims victory in Florida's Democratic race

Voters across the state are casting ballots in presidential primary

No Democratic party delegates are at stake

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain will win the Florida Republican primary, CNN projects based on election results and exit polling, edging out rival Mitt Romney.

John McCain stops at a St. Petersburg polling station with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist Tuesday.

With 55 percent of Republican precincts reporting, McCain held a 36-32 percent lead over Romney. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani trailed with 15 percent of the vote, followed closely by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who held 13 percent.

Sen. Hillary Clinton will win the largely uncontested Democratic primary, CNN projected.

With about 54 percent of Democratic precincts reporting, Clinton had 51 percent of the vote. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was in second with 31 percent, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was in third with 15 percent.

The Democratic vote may have little impact on the presidential race, however, because the party's national leadership said it would not allow Florida's delegates to participate in the national convention because of a squabble over scheduling.

Republicans penalized the state as well, but took away only half of their 114 delegates.

"I am thrilled to have had this vote of confidence that you have given me today," Clinton told supporters. "I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure not only are Florida's Democratic delegates seated, but Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in 2008."

Clinton has called on the Democratic Party to formally lift sanctions on the state.

Robert Gibbs, communications director for Obama campaign, downplayed the Florida results and got a dig in at Clinton.

"Mike Gravel is going to get the same number of delegates as Clinton," Gibbs said, referring to the former Alaska senator who has yet to earn a single percentage point in earlier contests.

Gibbs said he thought the results would have little effect on the race heading into Super Tuesday.

"You can't gain momentum in a state that everyone but Hillary Clinton pledged not to campaign in," Gibbs said.

Turnout was high for the Democratic race even though no delegates were at stake. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson said about 2.5 million voters cast ballots, and nearly 400,000 people cast early or absentee ballots ahead of the primary.

The economy is overwhelmingly the top issue for voters in Florida's primary, according to early exit polls.

Among Republicans and Democrats, the economy dwarfed other issues affecting their vote. Forty-seven percent of Republicans said the economy is the most pressing issue, as did 55 percent of Democrats.

McCain and Romney appear to be neck-and-neck in the Republican primary. If McCain wins in Florida, his status as the national front-runner will be cemented.

If Romney comes out on top, the battle for the GOP presidential nomination will be up in the air.

The primary calendar is playing in Florida's favor. Other than Republican caucuses in Maine this weekend, Florida is the last contest before the coast-to-coast primaries and caucuses on February 5, known as Super Tuesday.

"Romney and McCain are competing in Florida's crucial Republican primary as very different candidates, on very different core GOP issues. Romney, on the economy, as the multimillionaire businessman who says he knows how to fix it and says Sen. McCain doesn't get it," said CNN political correspondent Dana Bash.

"McCain is playing the war hero, digging away at Romney's lack of national security experience. McCain calls security and the war on terror the transcendent issue," she added.

McCain, Romney and the three other candidates engaged in a civil debate in Florida on Thursday night. But since Friday, the McCain and Romney camps, and the candidates themselves, have fired away at each other over the war in Iraq, the economy, illegal immigration and border security, campaign finance reform and the environment. Watch scenes from the 2008 battle for the White House »

And the negative attacks are not just occurring at campaign events and being reported by the media.

"It's also raging in paid advertising on TV and radio. Romney has spent $30 million on TV ads in Florida this year," said Bash. That's five times as much as the McCain campaign, which is now using less expensive radio commercials to directly question Romney's credibility on the economy.

But McCain and Romney aren't the only candidates with a lot on the line in Florida. Giuliani has lived in the state over the past month, bypassing the earlier contests to concentrate all his firepower there.

It was a gamble for Giuliani to count on Florida, and he's now an underdog, said CNN political reporter Mary Snow. "Giuliani's been hitting two main themes: national security and his days as mayor of New York during 9/11, and economic security touting his plans for tax cuts," she added.

The two other candidates in the Republican field don't have as much on the line. Huckabee has campaigned in Florida, but he's also spent time stumping in some of the Southern states that will vote on Super Tuesday.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is also concentrating on the February 5 states.

Florida is a closed primary, which means that only registered party members may vote in their own party's primary. McCain won primary contests in New Hampshire and South Carolina, thanks in part to the backing of independent voters who cast ballots in the Republican contests. McCain won't have that luxury in Florida.

"A McCain victory in Florida will be particularly significant because only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. It will be a way for McCain to prove his bona fides with the base," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. "If Mitt Romney wins Florida, it will be a clear signal that the base is not happy with McCain. The Arizona senator could be facing a conservative revolt."

Nearly 1 million Florida voters cast their ballots through early voting and absentees -- a sign the state will probably experience a record turnout even though party sanctions have rendered the Democratic contest meaningless.

According to the Florida secretary of state's office, more than 474,000 Republicans and just over 400,000 Democrats have already voted. Early voting began January 14 and ended Sunday.

The nearly 1 million Floridians who have voted early already rivals the 1.3 million total voters who participated in the state's 2000 primary -- the last time both parties held a contested primary.

The record-breaking early turnout is likely a result of the highly competitive races on both sides, and Florida's decision to move its primary from mid-March to late January.