ATLmalcontent

debate round-up

Hillary whines, references "SNL," implodes. Obama smiles, concurs, coasts.

how low can she go?

The Clinton campaign is stooping to its usual level, circulating a picture of Obama in traditional Muslim Kenyan garb. You know, just for the hell of it. Did they mention his middle name is Hussein?

What's up with the veil, Hillary?

tied among white women

(via DRUDGE)

Wisconsin Exit Polls:

Obama Won:

Women (51-49)
All age groups under 65
All education levels
All regions of the state -- urban, suburban and rural
Voters without college degrees (50-48)
Democrats (50-49)
Whites (53-46)
White men (59-38)
Voters who decided in the last week (58-42)

Won or tied voters of all income levels
Tied among white women
Tied among union members
Tied among union households

gtr was right

That's the 80's "supergroup" I referenced in forecasting an Obama blowout. With 60 percent of the precincts reporting, the difference is 13 points, just as I predicted.

Aren't you glad I was right?

when the heart rules the mind

Remember that terrible song from 1986? It fits my prediction for tonight's Wisconsin Primary:

Obama 55%
Clinton 42%

The phony plagiarism controversy will work against Hillbot, as the Cheeseheads punish desperation. Obama is also closing in on Hillary's leads in Texas and Ohio.

manufactured controversy

The Clinton campaign is accusing Obama of plagiarism, a charge without merit. The speech Obama cribbed from was not original, but a collection of famous quotations such as "I Have a Dream." A theme was shared, that's all.

Comparing this to the Joe Biden/Neil Kinnock episode is ludicrous, but what else would you expect from a desperate candidate and her dishonest lackeys?

UPDATE: Former Clinton speechwriter David Kusnet agrees:

If plagiarism is borrowing rhetoric without permission, Patrick most likely is happy to have Obama sound similar notes, such as hope and inspiration being more than “just words.” Even if Obama and Patrick didn’t know each other, they might use some of the same phrases because similar public figures frequently draw on common streams of public rhetoric. For instance, labor leaders often echo Walter Reuther or A. Philip Randolph; civil rights leaders draw upon the same scriptural passages and historical sources; and conservative Republicans repeatedly invoke Ronald Reagan. ...

Does what Obama did come close to what Biden did? Absolutely not. Next scandal, please.

redefining disenfranchisement

Why is the head of the NAACP seeking to undermine Barack Obama? The timing of Julian Bond's letter to DNC chair Howard Dean on behalf of unseated party delegates in Michigan and Florida is suspicious.

In a Feb. 8 letter to DNC Chairman Howard Dean, NAACP chairman Julian Bond expressed “great concern at the prospect that million of voters in Michigan and Florida could ultimately have their votes completely discounted.” Refusing to seat the states’ delegations could remind voters of the “sordid history of racially discriminatory primaries,” he said.

Why did Bond wait until now to air his concerns, at a time when the superdelegates appear crucial to Hillbot's political survival? The decision to unseat was made last summer, and each of the major candidates pledged not to campaign in those states.

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean was quoted by the St. Petersburg Times in June 2007 saying: "Their primary essentially won't count...Anybody who campaigns in Florida is ineligible for delegates."

Barack Obama and John Edwards withdrew their names from the ballot in Michigan, leaving only Clinton and several minor candidates in the race. Clinton won the Jan. 17 primary with 55 percent over "uncommitted" which received 40 percent of the vote.

Clinton also won the Jan. 30 Florida Primary, with 50 percent of the vote to Obama's 33 percent.

As a veteran of the civil rights movement, Bond is all too familiar with voter disenfranchisement. But how can he argue in favor of letting the Michigan results stand when the candidate favored by more than 80 percent of African-Americans wasn't on the ballot? If anything, the NAACP should request a do-over.

Instead, Bond -- who has not publicly endorsed a candidate -- is allowing himself to be used by the Clintons, recasting a shameless power grab into a civil rights issue. Hillary has pledged to fight to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates (note how she only sticks to the promises that benefit her campaign) and Bond's letter is obviously part of her strategy.

We know the Clintons have no integrity. Now we have to wonder if the same must be said about the NAACP's current chairman.

the candidate of lobbyists

Obama (We) nails Clinton (She), without rancor and inspiring as always.

It SHOULD matter to Democrats that Hillbot has received more money from lobbyists than the Republican candidates combined. It sure as hell matters to me, and it will matter in a contest with McCain.

Unfortunately, I'm less confident now than an hour ago that Obama can take California. I sure as hell hope I'm wrong.

an obama romp?

I'll reserve any excitement due to the sources -- exit polls posted on DRUDGE. But if these results play out, then Obama could emerge as the presumptive nominee after tonight:

Alabama: Obama 60, Clinton 37... Arizona: Obama 51, Clinton 45... Connecticut: Obama 53, Clinton 45... Delaware: Obama 56, Clinton 42... Illinois: Obama 70, Clinton 30... Massachusetts: Obama 50, Clinton 48... Missouri: Obama 50, Clinton 46... New Jersey: Obama 53, Clinton 47...

Clinton barely leads in California and is not that far ahead in her adopted home state, New York.

the nightmare scenario

Fear a brokered convention. It's looking entirely possible on the Democratic side, assuming Hillbot and Obama split delegates tonight.

If the decision reaches the backrooms, the better armtwister wins. Wouldn't hurt to have a machine on your side, either. Advantage (majorly so): The Clintons. Don't you think Bill would've outfoxed Rove in the 2000 recount?