MyDD :: It was a great campaign!

It was a great campaign!

by Drummond, Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 02:33:48 AM EST

This has been one of the most interesting nomination campaigns to watch, maybe since 1976. I saw two very brilliant candidates tonight, focused on a Democratic Party win in November and the putting down of a permanent war footing policy; the end of neo-liberal free trade ideology; and the end to top end tax breaks. I saw humor and for the first time in my life I understand the adjective "presidential."

My favorite part was where Clinton finally admitted that her war vote was wrong. It was refreshing to see Obama admit to a sin of omission with regard to Terry Schiavo.

Some jabs, some parries, and ultimately an ending in which Clinton looked resigned but content. She made a great run of it and she continues to have much to offer.

Obama for his part looked like the president. He wasn't overly defensive against attacks from either Clinton or Russert (who was indeed a pompous dickhead), and responded with humor, grace, and competence. He matched her on her strength, that being foreign policy. He let us know that NAFTA's days are numbered, at least in its current form.

Well done. They'll get the last lap in, and the formalities of next Tuesday out of the way, and then get down to the real work.

Tags: Obama, Clinton, election, primaries, nomination, debate (all tags)

Permalink :: 26 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: It was a great campaign! (2.00 / 0)

A vote is not a "formality." Your Obama shrillness is showing

by KyleSIU on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 02:35:51 AM EST

Re: It was a great campaign! (2.00 / 1)

Oh, it'll be a vote alright. It'll be the end, and the beginning.

by Drummond on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 02:39:29 AM EST
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Re: It was a great campaign! (none / 0)

And cheer up! November's not that far off.

by Drummond on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 02:40:59 AM EST
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Re: It was a great campaign! (2.00 / 2)

My favorite part was where Clinton finally admitted that her war vote was wrong.

Yeah, that really took me by surprise. She was SO adamant at the start of the campaign about not saying she regretted it, and then she said she wished she could have it back?

I wonder if someone had shown Hillary a Washington Post from Feb 28, 2008, back in late 2006, how would this campaign have been different?

by mattw on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 02:52:49 AM EST

Re: It was a great campaign! (2.00 / 2)

Too little, too late. Her campaign began and ended on the issue of that vote and that is both fitting and appropriate.

I never accepted or understood how Democrats could have seriously considered running a candidate who had enabled the war in Iraq, it didn't work in 2004 and it would be utter foolishness to repeat that essential, fatal mistake. It is a relief that we have avoided it.

by Shaun Appleby on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 03:29:20 AM EST
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Re: It was a great campaign! (none / 0)

agreed. had she said this months ago, things *may* be different, but i know her refusal to back away from it sticks in the craw of a lot of people.

by pholkhero on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:37:48 AM EST
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her CLAIMED strength on FP holds little H20 (2.00 / 3)

No one that voted for the blank check war resolution w/o reading the national intel estimate is "strong" on foreign policy.

Obama's Pop. Vote LEAD = 600K | Clinton & McCain = WAR Authorizers

by NeuvoLiberal on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 02:56:55 AM EST

Re: It was a great campaign! (none / 0)

Um.......

YEAH!

M Hussein Garvey

by MGarvey on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 03:23:39 AM EST

Re: It was a great campaign! (none / 0)

somehow i think its going to be Hillary needing the better luck next time. You really think that debate changed this trend line (or is that in the large list of things that "dont matter" atleast according to the Clinton camp) haha.

by affratboy22 on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 03:26:59 AM EST

it's deceitful to spin 'Obama's empty rhetoric' (none / 0)

No self-respecting person should/would do that.

Obama has 20 years of public service, 11 years of elective office with a strong record.

"Even greater when Hillary makes her comeback. Better luck next time."

Unless Hillary can score a 15-20% win on March 4th, she doesn't have a prayer. At the moment, and given the trends, she will have NO legitimate case to go beyond March 4th, unless she puts vane (and likely eventually unsuccessful) pursuit of her personal ambition ahead of the party's and the country's well-being.

Obama's Pop. Vote LEAD = 600K | Clinton & McCain = WAR Authorizers

by NeuvoLiberal on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 03:57:31 AM EST

Re: it's deceitful to spin 'Obama's empty rhetoric (2.00 / 1)

Given the polling trends, the superdelegate endorsements and the apparent lack of a coherent riposte to Obama's undeniable 'momentum' it seems safe to say that the nominating process is close to a conclusion in his favour. Never count the Clintons out, to be sure, but it would take an unforeseen event of monumental impact to change the course of the campaign at this point.

We will watch the returns in Texas and Ohio with more than usual interest. Doncha' just love elections?

by Shaun Appleby on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 04:04:24 AM EST
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milestone (2.00 / 1)

Obama just passed 1,000,000 donors at 4:45AM EST.

Our Moment Is Now

by mboehm on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 04:53:38 AM EST
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Re: milestone (none / 0)

Was watching! A truly historic moment. Wow! On to the White House and beyond.

by Shaun Appleby on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 04:57:05 AM EST
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I'm bursting that I was in the first 1,000 (none / 0)

I had my credit card ready on the morning of January 16, 2007 and had already decided to go all in. The exploratory committee announcement on the web was posted at about 11AM EST (10AM in Chicago). It was only 8AM PST in San Francisco and I was sleeping. I woke up at about 8:30AM PST and immediately sent it in. I got an email confirmation that I was #972.

That's 2,463 new donors per day over 406 days. Or 103 per hour over 9,744 hours. But what I find most stunning is that the number of donors since January 1 has more than doubled. January 1 feels like a long time ago but it's only been eight weeks.

I wonder how much they're going to push fundraising after HRC suspends. If they are at about $170 million as of today, you have to figure that they can possibly raise another $170 million between now and August (six months). I think we are going to see a big time 50 State effort.

Our Moment Is Now

by mboehm on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 05:38:03 AM EST
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Re: I'm bursting that I was in the first 1,000 (none / 0)

Yeah, it's fulfilling isn't it. I was in the first thousand to sign up to his website on the day it was launched. The thing about the money, though, is how to channel it to the DNC for the Congressional races? I still maintain that Obama should accept some kind of public financing arrangement with McCain, $85M is a lot of money for a three month campaign, and somehow legally channel this amazing grass-roots fund-raising to each and every race across the country. A super-majority in the Senate would be the gift that keeps on giving for Senator Obama after the inauguration. Any thoughts? I would gladly keep donating for that cause. And my understanding is that the spending caps are even higher for contributions to the DNC.

by Shaun Appleby on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 05:58:08 AM EST
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I haven't thought about that too much yet... (none / 0)

and I suspect the campaign hasn't either. Until she suspends, they will stay focused. There are currently a lot of local events in Wyoming (3/8) and Mississippi (3/11) just in case. Then there's a six week gap until Pennsylvania that will give everyone a chance to breathe and reboot.

What I'm seeing is that they are floating so many conditions for McCain to agree to, that an agreement will be almost impossible. For example, trying to control 527's might be impossible, not to mention illegal. It just seems crazy to give up a two to three times money advantage.

Obama could financially help local Senate and Rep candidates directly (I don't know the rules/limits) or indirectly by marketing a ticket- Obama and the local Dems. Then they would owe him big time if they were elected.

I do know that Obama owns the most valuable piece of property in American politics today - his email/donor list.

Our Moment Is Now

by mboehm on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 06:33:34 AM EST
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Re: I haven't thought about that too much yet... (none / 0)

Exactly. And I am glad that the focus remains on the nomination. But there is a process reform issue at the heart of the general election campaign and Obama must stay ahead of the curve on it or risk his greatest asset, the credibility of his values, which I have no reason to doubt. I suspect he is hedging on this issue to avoid a backlash amongst Democratic angst, we shall see. My point is that the donor/email list is the sword which can cut the Gordian Knot of Republican electoral supremacy for a generation and it would be a shame not to wield it with daring strokes. Gaining the White House is one thing, to do so with a stunning Congressional majority has seemed to me to have been always at the heart of Obama's message and strategy. We shall see.

by Shaun Appleby on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 06:41:12 AM EST
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watch the superdelegates post 3/4 (none / 0)

No great insight here but let's say that 3/4 is a pledged delegate draw, give or take 20 either way. He wins Texas/Vermont and she holds on in Ohio/Rhode Island.

The current superdelegate difference is about 60. If that shrinks to under 20 in the two weeks after 3/4, the pressure on her to quit will be enormous. I think the current leakage of superdelegates to Obama that is happening right now is as important as any voting. He's picked up about 30 net since 2/5. 30 delegates is equal to 20 percentage points in Ohio.

On the pledge for public financing, it's just not an issue that makes sense to most of the public. If he accepted public financing, people would say that a rich candidate is taking public money. You lose a little either way. I say take the (private) money and run and take a few feeble hits. He can say that public financing should remain an important option for candidates who need it. He doesn't need it.

Our Moment Is Now

by mboehm on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 07:22:57 AM EST
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Re: watch the superdelegates post 3/4 (none / 0)

they read his quote from his questionaire no MSNBC, and obama used the phrase "publicly funded" ~

i think he's going to use this phrase to weasel out of public financing, saying that publicly funded means no PAC or lobbyist money, funded by the actual public in small donors.

by pholkhero on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:40:55 AM EST
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It has been a good primary. (2.00 / 4)

Outside of the blogs, the election season has actually been quite positive. Our candidates agreed on pretty much all the major issues, we didn't have any Liebermans mucking up the race. Demographically, it was impressive...a woman, an African-American, and a Latino candidate all making credible claims to the presidency. And not to leave Edwards out, he ran one of the most populist, yet mainstream, campaigns in recent memory. Senator Dodd brought a strong commitment to civil liberties into the mix, Biden brought a focus on foreign affairs, and even Kucinich at least brought up issues the others didn't care to.

Compare them to the jokers the GOP put up...the adulterous, corrupt, megalomaniacal Giuliani...flip-flopping Mittens Romney...naive and ignorant bible thumper Mike Huckabee...lazy narcoleptic Fred Thompson...loony Ron Paul...racist Tom Tancredo...and best of all, "100 years in Iraq", hated by his own party, McCain.

I'm feeling pretty good about November.

by Skaje on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 05:39:41 AM EST

Re: It has been a good primary. (none / 0)

Yeah - I agree.

Even the rancor on the blogs, as I see it, was more a product of so many excellent candidates that it's inevitable that there would be folks really unhappy with the outcome -- which, yes, still isn't determined.

Unlike past primaries - a lot of very good Democrats, who ran strong campaigns on important issues, who have the mettle to be extraordinary Presidents simply aren't going to be come 2009.

It's bound to disappointing and then some.

by zonk on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:13:53 AM EST
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