Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
The Indiana Primary The Indiana voters have been competing with North Carolina for attentio from the media and the candidates. They get to express their opinion Tuesday.by rtbohan
(Libertarian)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Indiana will hold its presidential primary next Tuesday, and there should be a large vote in the state. Indiana voters for the most part take their partisan feelings and believe that citizens can make a difference through their vote seriously. Because partisanism has always been strong in Indiana,the primary elections have, iin the past, always been closed primaries. This year the legislature passed a law making the primaries open.
Because the Republican Governor is unopposed and John McCain apparently has the votes needed to win the Republican presidential nomination, this will probably affect the Democratic privmary the most.
The primary is been hotly contested by Hillary Clinton, with the help of her husband, and Barack Obama. While most people in the country are aware of the Indiana primary, the national media are interested in the questions that will draw the largest audience, so the focus nationally has been on Clinton's plans for war and lowering gasoline prices temporarily and on Obama's relations with Reverend Wright.
Senator Clinton's campaign in the state has been based on support from the labor unions and from Senator Evan Bayh, a man who has harbored presidential and vice presidential ambitions of his own for the past eight years. Bayh's support certainly will help Senator Clinton with Indiana Democrats, since he is the highest ranking Democratic office holder in the stae as well as a superdelegate. But his attempt to hold all the Hoosier superdelegates from giving endorsements to Senator Obama has failed. Representative Baron Hill has endorsed Senator Obama as has former Hoosier and former Clinton supporter Joe Andrew. Hill's endorsement will probably help Senator Obama in Hill's district. Andrew is a superdelegate as a former Democratic National Chairman but is unlikely to have much influence on the vote in Indiana. The greatest importance of his endorsement lies in the fact that he was appointed national chairman by Bill Clinton and had endorsed Senator Clinton at the beginning of her campaign.. His defection may encourage others.
While Senator Clinton has been drawing large and enthusiastic crowds at labor union rallies, she has been focusing much of her attention on the national media. This explains her condemnation of Reverend Wright, who is important to her only as an embarrassment for Obama. It also explains her empty pandering to the voters with her call for a summer vacation from the federal gasoline tax, to be replaced by a new tax on the oil companies. The fact that the oil companies will simply keep gasoline prices about where they are to pay this new tax, and therefore deprive motorists of any savings, seems to have excaped her. The desperation of her campaign is also evident in her promise to drop nuclear bombs on Iran to "destroy" that country and her listing of a whole new group of countries we will go to war to protect. She also overcame her distaste for Fox News and last night went on Bill O'Reilley's show. Apparently her joining in the boycott of Fox News for the debates was just a temporary aberation.
Senator Obama has seen his slight lead over Senator Clinton disappear in the last few weeks, but the difference bewteen support of the two candidates is within the statistical margin of error. Indiana's population is slightly below the national average in percentage of black population. Since this is a group which has given Senator Obama solid support in the primaries his success in this primary requires that he get more white support. He has, like Senator Clinton, been maintaining an amazing record of travelling the state and talking to small groups. He has also been kept busy with controlling the damage from Reverend Wright's publicity campaign.
When he has spoken to the voters in these small groups, however, he, more than Senator Clinton, appears to be making a case for his presidency rather than for his nomintion. His rejection of the gas tax holiday which both Senator Clinton and Senator McCain support was an adult move, under the circumstances. The circumstances are that if you are not advocating the government get out of the highway program the tax is necessary, and the savings for motorists would be small. Senator Obama is the only one of the three leading candidates to say that. He also, while advocating alternative sources of energy told the Indiana farmers that grain based ethanol was at best a short term answer, and that they should not be looking to it to bring them prosperity. Senator Obama is still a big government liberal Democrat, but unlike Clinton and McCain, he at least seems to be an adult and be willing to treat the voters as adults. Whether or not this is the politic choice we will know Wednesday morning.
Although the media still talks about a three person race for the Presidency, the Republican primary ballot has four names on it. Republican voters will still be able to state their preference from among Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
Hudkabee and Romney have both ended their campaigns and announced their support for Senator McCain. From the results of some recent primaries it is clear that not all of their supporters are doing so.
The other candidate who remains in the race, Repreentative Ron Paul has decided not to campaign in Indiana in the week before the primary, instead concentrating of North Carolina which holds its primary the same day. There is some publicity being given by Paul spporters (see Nolan Chart Article 3610) but the emphasis here, as in most recent contests has been on Ron Paul delegates to National Convention from the Indiana State convention. It will be interesting to see how Representative Paul fares in the primary. What will be important is how he fares at the state convention.
John McCain, having apparently secured the pledged delegates to win the nomination has been engaged primarily in trying to stir up trouble in the democratic campaigns. He has made much of Reverend Wright, although he seems to have no problem with his equally divisive supporter John Hagee. But the recent returns from Republican primaries indicate that Senator McCain still has a lot of work to do in getting support from Republican voters before he starts courting Democrats and Indepent voters.
N.B. I was WRONG about Rep. Paul's plans on going to Indiana. See comment from Digital Bob below
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2008 rtbohan, all rights reserved.
Published: Thursday, May 1, 2008
Last modified: Thursday, May 1, 2008
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It's just been announced that Ron Paul plans to visit Indiana on May 5th. This will be at 7 pm in Auer Auditorium on the IPFW campus in Fort Wayne. The contract has been signed with IPFW. So the event is definite. As far as I can tell it is free and there are no tickets. I can only assume that if the auditorium fills up, then seating will be first come first served.
Auer Auditorium is inside the Rhinehart Music Building, which you can find as buidling 15.
No sweat. The press release only went out this morning. I plan to bring a camera and a book for signing. There's not enough time to order the new one from Amazon. I'm sure I'll find something along the way.
MY FELLOW "BITTER", STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE :-)
If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of "BITTER"!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. :-(
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)
Best regards
jacksmith... Working Class :-)
p.s. You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you don't know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering...
You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. :-)
Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. And I could go on, and on...
OBAMA AIDE: "WORKING-CLASS VOTERS NOT KEY FOR DEMOCRATS" :o
It's time for everyone to face the truth. Barack Obama has no real chance of winning the national election in November at this time. His crushing defeat in Pennsylvania makes that fact crystal clear. His best, and only real chance of winning in November is on a ticket with Hillary Clinton as her VP.
Hillary Clinton seemed almost somber at her Pennsylvania victory speech. As if part of her was hoping Obama could have proved he had some chance of winning against the republican attack machine, and their unlimited money, and resources.
But it is absolutely essential that the democrats take back the Whitehouse in November. America, and the American people are in a very desperate condition now. And the whole World has been doing all that they can to help keep us propped up.
Hillary Clinton say's that the heat, and decisions in the Whitehouse are much tougher than the ones on the campaign trail. But I think Mr. Obama faces a test of whether he has what it takes to be a commander and chief by facing the difficult facts, and the truth before him. And by doing what is best for the American people by dropping out of the race, and offering his whole hearted assistance to Hillary Clinton to help her take back the Whitehouse for the American people, and the World.
Mr. Obama is a great speaker. And I am confident he can explain to the American people the need, and wisdom of such a personal sacrifice for them. It should be clear to everyone by now that Hillary Clinton is fighting her heart out for the American people. She has known for a long time that Mr. Obama can not win this November. You have to remember that the Clinton's have won the Whitehouse twice before. They know what it takes.
If Mr. Obama fails his test of commander and chief we can only hope that Hillary Clinton can continue her heroic fight for the American people. And that she prevails. She will need all the continual support and help we can give her. She may fight like a superhuman. But she is only human.
Sen. Hillary Clinton: "You know, more people have now voted for me than have voted for my opponent. In fact, I now have more votes than anybody has ever had in a primary contest for a nomination. And it's also clear that we've got nine more important contests to go."
Check out our North Carolina Primary coverage, as well as our interviews with several North Carolina Primary contestants, such as: Pat Smathers (D) for Lt. Governor, Derald Hafner (D) U.S. Congress NC-13, Colonel Dennis Nielsen (D) Governor, Greg Dority (R) Lt. Governor, Jim Snyder (R) Lt. Governor, & Elbie Powers (R) Governor. Check out these great interviews, as well as a ton of other fascinating stuff at [link edited for length] or http://thirdrail.libsyn.com/
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2008 rtbohan, all rights reserved.