Obama's Race Speech

Here are my thoughts on Obama's race speech. Check it out, yo.

Hold On a Little Longer

The nomination is over.

Barack Obama is the nominee. 

John McCain is the enemy, not Hillary Clinton. 

Repeat these simple affirmations to yourself each morning, as you brush your teeth and each night before you go to bed. It can be hard to remember that they're true in this slow motion waiting game.  

Pennsylvania, maddeningly, changes nothing. Obama still has a small, but insurmountable lead in pledged delegates, and a small but nearly insurmountable lead in the popular vote. This is not a landslide win, but it's a clear one, and Pennsylvania only delayed the day until we can officially recognize it. If Obama wins Indiana, that day is May 7th. If not, that day is June 4th. But the day is coming. Hillary shouldn't pull out. It has been a very long and yes, very close campaign, which has highlighted the huge problems with our primary system. Florida and Michigan shouldn't have moved their primaries. But under the rules, Obama has won.

Hillary should get back to what she does best: talking policy. She should be pushing Obama to accept her superior Health Care Plan. She should be using these weeks to shape the Democratic platform for the fall, much as John Edwards, with a way lower profile, was able to frame the nomination contest. At least until Mark Penn ripped the frame off and threw it away.

Americans may not have been excited about John Edwards, but now they are dying for his kind of campaign, the kind that talks about a new vision for the country. That tackles issues head on with passion and gusto. And that's the kind of campaign that would lay the groundwork for a broad coalition that will deliver our party the White House, and the government for years to come. Hillary could and should be a great leader of that movement, writing legislation and leading congress

But instead of making the campaign about the future, the Clintons are still trying to pull off a coup by Karl Rove style hatchet job as the Times editors write this morning: 

Ultimately we Democrats have the same goals, we're having a.... ahem... bitter.... fight about how best to acheive them. Obama really does want universal health care, even though his plan to do it was poorly thrown together. Hillary really does want to get our troops out of Iraq, even though she too often talks like a neocon. Americans want those things. John McCain does not. Democrats have to talk that way. Obama did it in his speech last night. Hillary is still campaigning in the weird, 2002-like dimension where Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous live.

Attacking McCain, United Democrats Present Bold Platform

We can make that the storyline tomorrow. But we have to move on from this fight. 

It was close, but it is over.

Quick thoughts on Pennsylvania

It's interesting just how dramatic the demographic breakdowns are. As Middlebury professor Dickinson suggested in an email to some of his students, bittergate didn't really matter, what ultimately mattered where voter demographics. This race is very much based on personality, ethnicity and gender, not policy. To play devil's advocate for these Pennsylvania voters, however, it could be argued that since there isn't much difference in the policy of these two candidates, what really distinguished them is personality, and yes gender and ethnicity.

Regardless, Obama's lead seems to be insurmountable and I'm not saying Clinton should drop out, just that the attacks need to stop. Using fear is just setting up McCain for November.

Finally, I'm also afraid (as everyone is) that this will keep going until the convention.

Josh Marshall puts the results of Pennsylvania most clearly:

I'd say the real story is that this leaves us basically where we were.

So when will this end?

Video for College Dems money?!

Not sure if anyone actually reads this blog, but I was surfing facebook and I found this ad for a contest to make a 1-3 minute video about the union movement and why workers should have the right to unionize.

I've been working on a few political videos, and I think we could have a real shot at winning this contest. Shoot me an email if you're interested... galtshul@middlebury.edu

Power to the People

In the midst of all the Republican mudslinging about immigration and updates on the colors of Hillary's pantsuits, we clearly aren't paying enough attention to the minor Democratic candidates. Honestly, you really do have to give candidates such as Biden and Gravel credit. They say exactly what they want to say (when they're given the opportunity to speak). Watch these two videos to see what I mean.

What Rolling Stone called "Joe-mentum":



Mike Gravel - Give Peace a Chance

Debate: Las Vegas, November 15, 2007

So there was another Democratic Debate last night, and, in case you missed it because of midterms, I think general consensus is that you didn't miss much. General conclusions are that no one gained any ground, but no one really lost any. Hillary probably redeemed herself in the eyes of her supporters, but Obama and Edwards were aggressive enough to probably prevent her from gaining any ground. I think, I general, people were expecting more from Obama and a little less from Edwards than what ended up happening. Further more, some of the best performances were by Biden and Dodd. Too bad the race isn't about them any more. And finally, there was Blitzer. Hmm...It's suddenly becoming clear that there were several motivations for CNN to hold the YouTube debates.

Here are a few blog articles worth reading if you're still curious:
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2402
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/disclosure-by-digby-cnn-roundtable.html
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/11/the-debate.html

Otherwise, here are a few of the highlights:

OBAMA: The only difference between Senator Clinton's health care plan and mine is that she thinks the problem for people without health care is that nobody has mandated, forced them to get health care. What I see are people who would love to have health care. They desperately want it. But the problem is they can't afford it.

***

CLINTON: And this pantsuit, it's asbestos tonight.

***

BIDEN: Oh no, no, no, no.

BLITZER: Senator Biden, I want you to weigh in.

BIDEN: Don't do it, no! Don't make me speak!

***

BIDEN: But look, folks, let's get straight to it here. This is not about experience. It's not about change. It's about action. Who among us is going to be able to, on day one, step in and end the war? Who among us understands what to do about Pakistan? Who among us is going to pick up the phone and immediately interface with Putin and lay off Georgia because Saakashvili is in real trouble?

***

EDWARDS: When is our party going to show a little backbone and strength and courage and speak up for those people who have been left behind?

***

RICHARDSON: Well, by the way, I'm Bill Richardson. I'm Governor of New Mexico. And nice to meet you all.

***

BLITZER: Are you ready to commit, absolutely, positively that you will support the Democratic nominee, no matter who that nominee is? No ifs, ands or buts. Senator Edwards?

EDWARDS: Is that a planted question?

BLITZER: Yes, I planted it.

EDWARDS: Yes, I absolutely will support the Democratic nominee for president.

DODD: Absolutely.

CLINTON: Absolutely, yes.

KUCINICH: Only if they oppose war as an instrument of policy.

RICHARDSON: Yes, I will support the nominee.

BIDEN: Hell, no, I wouldn't support any of these guys. No, I'm joking. Of course, I'm for them all.

"I love you back."

Wouldn't you know, Dems gives a steller presentation on the liklihood/consequences of a Hillary nomination and in storms Obama, not nearly as ready to give up as any of us thought.

In case you missed it, Obama spoke the other night in Iowa at the JJ dinner in front of 9,000 Iowa caucusers. Nearly all of the major candidates were present, but, when you're walking around campus and nearly every person who's remotely a Democrat comes up to you and says "Oh my god. Did you hear Obama last night?" you know who came home with the blue ribbon.

His speech truly was amazing. Drawing on America's penchant for pep talks and sports rallies, Obama was in this speech to get America pumped. He skillfully weaved in the tenets of his platform and spun them as his personal reasons for being in the race. By the end, you really believe that it is because of 47,000,000 uninsured and raising sea levels that he ran for president. He's not afraid to subtly attack his own party as directly as he attacks the Bush Administration. He hinges on important words and phrases such as "victory," "judgement," "courage," and "change the world." At one point, towards the end, he says he wants his children to have the same "chances somebody gave [him]." I particularly like this quote because it brings out the idea that we've managed to slip backwards and Obama is going to be there to reach out his hand and bring us forward.

A few other highlights:
-In the middle, alluding to the speech that originally made us all fall in love with him, Obama says, "I don't want to pit red American against blue America. I want to be the president of the United States of America."
- He reminds Dems that we "can't live in fear of losing." In what I see as a veiled defense of what he's been up to lately, he goes on to say "People are tired of fear, tired of diversions," and "tired of distractions." Are we still talking about people here?
- And finally, Obama alludes several times to throwing out the textbook, something I think we all really wish we could do right now.

Anyway...watch the clip below. It's 20 min but it's worth it. As you're watching, think about why this presidential race may not be over yet. Then let us know how you feel. Hate it? Love it? Wish it were Hillary? Sweet.