Warning Sign: BarackObama.com Is Melting Down

I just did this a few minutes ago. I went to BarackObama.com and then I clicked to go to the dashboard. It took more than three and a half minutes to load up. I have had this problem for over a week now.

That is not a good thing.

Well, it is a good thing. This means many many people are visiting BarackObama.com, which is exactly what we have wanted to happen all along.

But it is not a good thing at all that the pages are taking so long to load. Or maybe it is not all the pages, just the dashboard for an active volunteer like me who is currently ranked 38th overall. That is a great ranking. I am thinking there are close to half a million people who have signed up at the site by now. I know the number was 300,000 months back.

I am ringing alarm bells.

This can not be forgiven. We as humanity already figured this out more than a decade ago even at a mass level. This is not rocket science. This is not expensive. You just increase the bandwidth substantially.

That is all.

At this rate the site is going to crash on January 4. That can not be allowed. We work so hard to get people to come to BarackObama.com. The greeting has to be a good one for when they do show up.

This is still a TV election. 2008 is not an internet election yet. But it is an internet election to the hard core. BarackObama.com is that space where the volunteers congregate.

This has to be taken care of now.

If there is even a single crash any time between January 3 and February 7, I am going to lose respect for the people at the Chicago headquarters for the first time. This absolutely can not be allowed.

You don't go on vacation when it is harvest season. January is harvest season. We worked so hard to get here. Most people will never see Barack Obama in person, most people will not go to an Obama event, most people will never meet an Obama volunteer, let alone an Obama staffer, but many will go to BarackObama.com as and when they finally get interested.

That interest will spike on January 4 after our Iowa victory. And to let the site crash even for a minute would be as good as sending our candidate off on a world tour in January. You are not needed in South Carolina, go see the world.

This is not complicated engineering at all. I am surprised I am even having to bring this up. Obama 2008 otherwise has been an organizational marvel. How did this escape attention?

Is it possible that the top staffers don't log into BarackObama.com several times a day? What's going on?

BarackObama.com is your office if you are a staffer or volunteer. That is where you go. You go elsewhere later. You go to an event later, after you first go to BarackObama.com.

Jack it up all folks. Purchase so much bandwidth the site flies through January just fine.

Don't you let it crash for even two seconds.

And make the loads fast. It should not take me three and a half minutes to load up my page on BarackObama.com, it should take two seconds, maybe three. And my broadband is actually slightly faster than normal cable broadband. This is not good. This is not good. This is not good at all.

December 18: Crash The Party

Video: 2006 Elections Victory Party 53 min - Nov 7, 2006


December 18: Crash The Party

Holiday Party brought to you by the New York State Democratic Party, DL21C, and other progressive organizations in New York.

Tuesday, December 18th
8:30 pm
Taj Lounge
48 W 21st St.
B/D/F/V/1/N/R to 23rd St.

$7 suggested contribution at the door. RSVP in advance to Marie Parker at mariep@nydems.org / 212-725-8825. There will be a cash bar.



New York State Democratic Party | www.nydems.org
Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century | www.dl21c.org
New York Democratic Lawyers Council | www.nydlc.org
New York State Young Democrats | www.youngdemsny.org
Democracy for New York City | www.dfnyc.org
The Daily Gotham | www.dailygotham.com

DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll

Video: 2006 Elections Victory Party 53 min - Nov 7, 2006




February 1,2,3,4,5: Crash The City

• Make your own flyer, I made mine.
  Photocopy for 5 cents a piece, you can fit two to a page.
• Purchase a weekly metro pass. Unlimited rides.
  
• Take a week off from work if you have to, if not, just put in the evening and weekend hours.
  
• Take day off on election day.
  
• How many flyers can you give out? If it is cold, stay underground.
  
• Spend about two minutes with each person you give out your half page flyer to. Don't just give out. Make a point to connect.
  
• Bundle up volunteers. The exercise is more fun when done in small groups of two or more people.
  
• Overall, be seen on every train stop in the city all week.
  
• Be visible. Wear Hope buttons.
  

"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.)
"Sorry, I can't vote."
"In that case, will you please pass on the flyer to someone who can? Thanks."



"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.)
"What is happening on February 5?"
"The New York primary."
"I thought that was later."
"This year it is on February 5."



"Hi, I would like it if you voted for Barack Obama on February 5." (Hand flyer.)
"I am voting for Hillary."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes."
"Even after January?"
"Yes."
"I respect your opinion, but you can keep the flyer, in case you change your mind."



Video: 2006 Elections Victory Party 53 min - Nov 7, 2006

Dumb Republicans And An Insecure America

Obama Now on GOP Radar U.S. News & World Report Republican strategists are taking Barack Obama more seriously in the wake of his impressive performance at yesterday's Democratic presidential debate in Iowa and amid his surge in support among prospective caucusgoers there. GOP veterans of past campaigns are, in fact, updating their detailed critiques in case the Illinois senator upsets Hillary Clinton and wins the Democratic presidential nomination next year. Among their talking points: Obama could be pegged as hopelessly naive on foreign policy and national security. One of Obama's pledges that have caught the Republicans' attention is his determination to spend much of his first year in office traveling the world to confer with leaders of rogue regimes in hopes of improving relations. "He wants to meet with every anti-American despot," says the former adviser to a Republican president who is informally advising a GOP candidate this cycle. "That's not something that most Americans would like."

I don't dislike Republicans in a blanket way. I am open to taking a look at some of their viewpoints. I like it that W appointed some blacks and Latinos to some top spots. But he polluted the image in each case. Colin Powell and Condi Rice have blood on their hands, Gonzo went down in flames: he is no Latino role model. I like it that Bobby is ethnic Indian. He is a smart cookie, and I am not one of those Indians who think you have to be Hindu or not have an Anglo name to claim the Indian identity, but he is going to have to prove to me socially.

The Republicans are hopeless on social issues. They say they are pro-life but they are against vaccinating kids, for example. They are overall just racist and homophobic and xenophobic and myopic. Like one Gingrich Republican congressman said once, "I have been to Europe once and that is enough." Immigration is an issue I will pick a fight on. Either America is going global or it is not. But that is not the choice. Either America is going global in style, or it is going global kicking and screaming.

I laud Barack's new kind of politics and politics of hope that Barack talks about, and I respect that he is a Christian. But I am a Buddhist. My politics is the politics of nonviolent militancy. Let me explain this to you. When Barack says he would like to have Third World dictators for breakfast, he means he wants them across the table. When I say that, I mean I want them on my plate.

I am all for a new kind of politics, heck I am a student of it. I think it will take me a while to figure it out. I am going to really study the Obama moves as he works on health care as president. My nonviolent militancy does not stand in conflict with the new kind of politics. It is just that you need nonviolent militancy to engineer the Big Bang of turning a country into a democracy. After that you can go to phase two: the new kind of politics, the politics of hope.

But I will make exception for the politics of personal destruction also in America. You play that game, you are going to face nonviolent militancy. You are going to be met with ferocity.

This is how their playbook works. First you distort the person's position. Then you demonize the person. Then you attack.

Here's the distortion part: "his determination to spend much of his first year in office traveling the world to confer with leaders of rogue regimes in hopes of improving relations."

We will correct you on that one. We will give you the benefit of doubt. But we will not act naive. What if you have no intention of learning the truth on my guy. The truth is Barack is drawing on a tradition of America talking to Stalin, Khrushchev, Mao. America did not condone or become Stalin and Mao. But America talked.

If you refuse to educate yourself, you are going to get hit back. Hard.

W's crime in history will be that he took the Ameican eyes off the Al Qaeda for a military misadventure in Iraq. The Al Qaeda is stronger today than ever before. America is not secure. That is beyond naive. That is dumb and dangerous. Take off your fogged glasses and wipe.

Time to restore intelligence to the White House.

A Personal Message To Barack Obama

As a Third World guy I am telling you your father might not have had a choice. By the time you have gone through as many scholarships as I have gone through, you end up at a point where you no longer belong to you or your family, you belong to a people, everyone you left behind every step you moved up. He might not have had a choice at all.

A Personal Message To Malia, Sasha

Once upon a time there was a guy called Senator Barack Obama. After he became Senator he became rich and famous. He was on TV all the time. But he realized being Senator required he was going to be away from his two daughters half the week. And so he decided to become president so he could be with his two daughters every single day, so he could see them every day they came back from school. That's why he decided to become president.

Remote Voting

The US Congress should allow the Senators and House members to engage in remote voting. Technology is sure there. And it makes democracy sense. The representative is actually in the district while casting votes. That makes a ton of sense.

In The News

FOX News Poll: Clinton Maintains Lead in New Hampshire FOX News
Clinton: 'Republicans will go after whomever we nominate' USA Today
Senate Passes $286 Billion Farm Bill, Expanding Subsidies for Growers Wall Street Journal
Senate approves farm bill with 79 votes Radio Iowa
Senate passes farm bill with crop revenue plan Reuters
Wikipedia Founder To Google: Bring Knol On CRN After proving itself the brand to beat for search, email, maps and a stock of other applications, now Google is developing "knol", a community-built encyclopedia that highlights the authors behind the entries. That emphasis, however, differentiates the knol project from the ubiquitous online encyclopedia Wikipedia by putting the emphasis on the author's point of view -- something Wikipedia strives to avoid. ....... did not reveal when knol will be open to everyone ..... Google said it will provide editing tools to allow for revisions and will introduce a rating system in order to weed out the bad information from the good. Highly ranked entries will receive preferred page ranking from Google, although the company claims it will not be involved with the editing of entries. ...... "Our goal is to encourage people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it," Manber wrote in the post. ........ Along with the emphasis on the author, the knol project differs from Wikipedia in that a single person contributes an entry, unlike the community-based Wikipedia. Authors can monetize those pages and share in the profits, another thing Wikipedia (as yet) has not done. "It's competitive -- that's very different from the collaborative Wiki model," Wales noted. ...... The buzz on the Web seems focused around the viability of knoll dethroning Wikipedia, which, with 8.2 million articles written in more than 200 different languages, isn't exactly hurting for content -- or participants. Anytime Google makes an announcement, the Web listens. The big question asked of knol might be: Will anyone read on?
Former Reagan Campaign Director Ed Rollins Joins Mike Huckabee FOX News
India speeding up nuclear missile production AFP
Bush hopes for new baseball era BBC News
Obama Reacts to Clinton Staffer Resignation ABC News Clinton personally apologized to Obama on the tarmac of the Ronald Reagan Airport before they flew to Iowa for a debate. ...... "I take the Clinton campaign's word that they didn't know what this guy was doing and I understand all that, but the one thing I will say is, I told my staff that if I catch you guys doing any kind of stuff like this, you're fired. Period" .......... "What we need to do -- and I told this to Senator Clinton yesterday -- that we need to send a strong message to all of our surrogates and all of our staffs, that we don't play that" ...... Obama said Clinton's former staffer's comment smacked of desperation. ...... "I take it as a compliment because it shows me that folks are getting a little worried about our campaign" ...... "The fact that we're up in Iowa and we've now closed the gap in New Hampshire and South Carolina, that means we've got momentum and that means you're a target. What it also means is folks are excited, they're energized. I think people are realizing we've got a chance"
Clinton Rejects Official's Obama Comment The Associated Press Iowa, where the controversy has become an issue less than three weeks before the state's leadoff caucuses. ....... Bill Shaheen, a national co-chairman for Clinton and a prominent New Hampshire political figure ....... "I did personally apologize, the gentleman in question has stepped down from the leadership role in my campaign." ....... Asked if the issue of Obama's drug use should be an issue, Clinton said, "Not in my campaign." ...... She also rejected recent comments from her campaign about Obama saying he hadn't sought the presidency for long — after writing and talking about such an ambition throughout his life. "That was silly, and I told my campaign it was silly," Clinton said. ........ As soon as we find out something happened that we don't authorize, we don't condone, we have no part of, we ask people to please not be a part of our campaign. ..... As the race has tightened, some have suggested a shake-up is coming in her campaign, a suggestion she rejected. ..... "I saw some of those articles, and I called my campaign and said, "Do you know anything about this? Are you keeping something from me?" said Clinton, who added that she has confidence in her campaign staff.
New poll shows Obama and Clinton neck-and-neck in New Hampshire Boston Globe
And they pretend to be on the same side Sydney Morning Herald
What's new: Weaker poll numbers for Clinton in SC & NH USA Today On the Democratic side, Clinton leads with 42%. Obama is at 34% and former senator John Edwards is third with 16%. Obama has gained 7 percentage points since July, while Clinton has lost 1 percentage point ..... Clinton's lead has "evaporated" in New Hampshire ...... is "one of New Hampshire's most prominent Democratic activists." Bill Shaheen is also "known in New Hampshire for being plain-spoken, often mincing no words in media interviews." And, he's the husband of former governor, and current Senate candidate, Jeanne Shaheen. ....... Giuliani's plan to absorb punishment in the party's early primaries and then strike back in primaries in delegate-rich states on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 has hit a wall, political analysts and strategists say." That's one reason he's started to "start swinging" in Iowa and New Hampshire. ...... So far, $69 million has been spent on TV ads by 2008 presidential contenders .... Obama and the effect being abandoned by his father has had on the Illinois senator. The father's "squandered promise and abandonment of his son have molded the man who is now running for president"
• The Politico: "HRC struggles for points at last debate."
• ABC News: "Obama zings Clinton in final debate."
• Captain's Quarters blog (conservative): "Barack Obama probably won this debate, and Edwards maybe a close second."
• The Huffington Post's Off the Bus (liberal): "Candidates play nice, moderator plays it safe."
Winfrey put Obama's name in a favorable spotlight Chicago Tribune
The Obama Phenomenon Huffington Post Over the past few weeks, as interest has grown in the 2008 U.S. presidential contest, I've been asked by friends from overseas for my opinion on Barack Obama. ......... It appears from the excitement he generates that Barack has tapped into a deep vein in the contemporary American psyche. While it is always useful to parse out the positions he has taken on critical issues, and even to weigh in the balance the importance of "experience" versus "judgment," or "change" versus "Washington" - these being the matters discussed by the candidates - they, alone, do not explain the phenomenon we are witnessing. Something more profound is occurring in this election. And it appears to be wrapped up in the person of Barack Obama, himself. ........ what she described as his authenticity and clarity. He did not appear to her to be typical. His call for a new approach to politics appealed to her. Quite simply, she said, "He gives me hope." ...... "Your generation," she continued, "had many such figures," mentioning the Kennedys and Dr. King. "We have not. ....... "Hope" buttons ..... When Obama's turn came, he began quietly and thoughtfully, to deliver a discourse on the cynicism that has infected our politics and the need to awaken hope in the electorate that can mobilize the consensus needed to make real change. ......... saw something intriguing in the faces of the 600 or so assembled party leaders. Obama was showing respect for them, and they were respectfully listening and reflecting. ........ When he finished, the applause was thunderous. ...... Written at 34 ..... Dreams is an exercise in self-discovery. In it, he works through the many issues of his complex life trajectory, discovering the meaning of his identity, the role of family and community, and the legacy he inherited from both his mother and his "absent" father. ....... at peace with himself, self-possessed and able to "ring true" ..... Watching him on stage, in a crowd, or engaged in a conversation of substance, he looks at ease, unruffled and comfortable, alternately listening and engaging. ........ In the grueling and sometimes destructive sport of campaign politics, where candidates subject themselves to what are arguably the most brutal of endurance tests (always on call, always needing to be personable and informed, all the while being scrutinized and dissected), Barack Obama appears to remain cool and in control. ....... race remains a defining issue in American life. ...... Barack and Oprah one day in Des Moines, Iowa, again before a largely white audience of 18,500, and then the next day before a mixed race audience of 29,500 in Columbia, South Carolina. And in both places they generated the same reaction, the same enthusiasm, the same hope. ....... To say, as some have, that Barack Obama transcends race, like Tiger Woods, misses the point. Rather, it appears, he embodies the matter of race and helps to reconcile the divide in his person and message. ....... After eight largely successful, but embattled and exhausting years, the Clinton Administration gave way to George Bush and seven years of lost opportunities and failed leadership. All of this has left many Americans bitter and cynical. Preying off of fear, anger and division has taken a toll and damaged the spirit of the body politic. ...... an appeal to the angels of our better selves coupled with the optimism and conviction that change can come ..... Can he win? His polling numbers are improving daily. In the end, however, the voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada will answer that question in January. But is he real, and does the movement he has inspired matter? The answer to that is self-evidently yes.
Race, gender in White House race Jamaica Gleaner Barack Obama is mixed, his mother is white and his father black, and Hillary Clinton's chiselled face rarely shows any warmth. And after all what normal woman could have maintained such composure through the Monica Lewinsky saga. Where were the tears, the vicious insults and the new sexy outfits? ...... Hillary Clinton does not campaign as a just woman, she is woman who is campaigning to be President of the United States. Clinton takes her punches like the rest of the boys and then delivers a few herself. Obama likewise, does not campaign based on his race, but neither does he try to hide it, "Racism is a function of our society. There are some people who aren't going to vote for me because I have got big ears. Part of my optimism about Americans is that I don't think they expect me to be deracialised in order to represent them." ..... The white male is in third place. ...... if she can do for Obama what she does for sales of books in her book club, he'll be laughing all the way to the White House. ..... "People want judgement and they hope that experience is often a good proxy. Experience can actually be an impediment to good judgement." ..... the American democratic process, a process that was in need of a lift. It is refreshing to see a black man who embraces his race, doesn't even relax his hair, and is a real contender .... Likewise that a woman could be the pacesetter, the one everyone is watching, is remarkable, since not so long ago neither women nor blacks were even allowed to vote. ... Our own leaders would do well to watch this campaign, as Jamaica would benefit from a political campaign that places little importance on the colour of the candidate's skin, how they spoke, looked, or their economic back-ground, and focused more on the issues and person's qualities that would make him/her a good leader for the nation. As Obama put it, someone will always not vote for him because they don't like his big ears, but as presidential candidate, he steers clear of that discussion because it is of no use to the running of the country.
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Who Is She? The Associated Press
Three Generations of Clinton Women in Ad The Associated Press Clinton had a dominant lead among women in a nationwide AP-Ipsos poll earlier this month, leading Obama by 52 percent to 19 percent — about the same advantage she held in November.
Huckabee and Clinton Lead in South Carolina 411mania.com The big movers since the poll was taken in July are Huckabee (+21 points), Romney (+10 points), and Paul (+9 points). The big losers are Giuliani (-14 points) and McCain (-8 points). .... that Huckabee is the most the most likable candidate, and the least likely to act like a typical politician if elected. .... On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has held steady in the state. She currently leads Barack Obama 42%-34%. John Edwards is third at 16%...... The biggest mover in the poll was Obama who gained 7 points. There is no big loser. ..... Forty eight percent of black voters, and 41% of all voters said that they have definitely made up their minds..... Obama was judged to be the Democrat least likely to act like a typical politician if elected. The strength of the Clinton campaign still is the belief that she is the Democrat with the best chance of beating the Republican nominee.
EU Leaders Endorse New Charter Washington Post The 175-page Treaty of Lisbon incorporates most of the proposed changes and language of the failed constitution, but does so through a series of amendments to existing laws and treaties that can be approved by governments and legislatures without being put to voters. Only one of the 27 member countries, Ireland, plans to hold a referendum on the treaty. ....... creating a permanent post of president, which an individual would hold for 2 1/2 years, and junking the current six-month presidency that rotates among member governments ....... "It's a willful attempt to mislead the public" ..... 75 percent of people surveyed across Europe, including a majority in all 27 E.U. countries, wanted a referendum on any new treaty that gives more power to the E.U. ........ "96 percent of it is a word-for-word carbon copy" of the rejected constitution. "This is a deeply dishonest process" ........ To go into effect, the treaty needs to be ratified by lawmakers in all E.U. countries, but there is no requirement for it to be put to a popular vote. ........ Countries have until the end of 2008 to adopt the treaty, which would become law in January 2009. .... European politicians were stunned by the rejection of the proposed constitution in 2005 by voters in France and the Netherlands, two founding E.U. members. Despite its endorsement by leaders in all the E.U. countries, the document was withdrawn from further consideration and the union began a period of political drift and identity crisis. ......... "The Treaty of Lisbon is thus a catalogue of amendments. It is unpenetrable for the public."
China pushes World Bank aid group pledges to record high AFP
Britain Overtakes US as Top World Bank Donor New York Times raised $25.1 billion in aid for the world’s poorest countries, a record sum that includes donations by China and Egypt, nations that were once recipients of such aid. ...... the change in rankings was partly due to currency swings, since the dollar has dropped in value against European currencies. .... the willingness of the United States to cede its top spot ...... Britain’s pledge of $4.2 billion, as well as $2.2 billion from Germany — both big increases — suggested that the rift with Europe has been healed. ..... Britain, the United States, Japan, and Germany were the four largest donors among the 45 countries who pledged money. The total was 42 percent more than the bank raised in its previous campaign in 2005. ....... $41.6 billion for its International Development Association, or I.D.A., which gives grants and interest-free loans to more than 80 poor countries, roughly half of them in Africa. ...... Wealthier nations now increasingly prefer to channel aid through their own development agencies. They also tend to earmark large contributions for specific diseases, like H.I.V. and AIDS, or specific development projects, like climate change and the environment. ........ “this is the core funding that the poorest developing countries rely on.” ...... shows that Europe has thrown its support behind the bank.
Why Pregnant Women Don’t Tip Over
al-Qaida No. 2 Critical of Peace Parley The Associated Press The conference relaunched Palestinian-Israeli peace talks after a seven year hiatus ..... "The Annapolis meeting was held to turn Palestine into a Jewish state" ...... "The czar of Washington invited 16 Arab countries ... to sit in one room, at one table with the Israelis," al-Zawahri said, adding that the conference "witnessed the betrayal deals to sell Palestine." ........ label Mahmoud Abbas as "the traitor," adding that the Palestinian "brother-president sold you out in Annapolis and in its aftermath." ...... He called on Egyptian soldiers and also Bedouin tribes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula to rise against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. "God wants you to get ready, for the sake of God," al-Zawahri said.
Cisco's wimax Focus is International PC World Cisco Systems sees a big market for WiMax, but not primarily in high-profile deployments in the developed world such as Sprint Nextel's nationwide network, planned for commercial launch in the U.S. next year. ...... the main opportunity Cisco sees is in building networks in developing countries, initially to bring broadband to stationary users ...... WiMax as an alternative to DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable broadband. ...... the role of WiMax for the foreseeable future in markets with poor or no wired infrastructure ....... The carriers in developing countries are insisting on gear based on IEEE 802.16e, the standard for mobile WiMax, rather than on an earlier specification limited to fixed services ...... right now, Cisco sees WiMax giving many residents of poorer countries, who overwhelmingly still use desktop PCs, their first broadband experience ...... Cisco isn't dismissing WiMax for advanced countries, just identifying the most attractive market to start with ...... WiMax will complement but not compete with future high-speed versions of 3G systems, namely LTE (Long-Term Evolution), the next step in the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology track ..... "If we drive innovation on end devices and applications, and we drive the penetration and ubiquity of networks ... we create enormous value for Cisco ... for the ecosystem ... and for our customers," Galloway said.
wimax Plans Moving Ahead at Cisco New York Times Cisco Systems Inc.'s US$330 million acquisition of WiMax wireless provider Navini Networks Inc. ...... helping bring Cisco closer to its intention of bringing wireless broadband to emerging countries. ...... some doubts raised about whether Sprint Nextel Corp. will continue its ambitious rollout of its Xohm WiMax network nationally next year ...... Cisco is prepared to support WiMax along with a variety of other emerging wireless technologies, including Long Term Evolution, which could potentially compete with WiMax. Supporting heterogeneity of networks also contributes to Cisco's bottom line ........ more than 2 billion people on the globe who do not have access to the Internet can be expected to want to gain access from desktop computers .... emerging countries where Navini operates today.
Dell reinventing itself, but support issues linger ITworld.com Dell's efforts to reinvent itself this year through a dramatic break from its direct-sales model, expanded services and new enterprise offerings have shown positive early results, but some users have lingering concerns about supply chain management and support -- long-time issues for the company.
Google Targets Wikipedia With New 'Knol' Pages Wall Street Journal
Google Launches User-Created Web Encyclopedia ABC News
Google aims at Wikipedia with Knol service MSNBC
The Kite Runner Flies TIME

Clinton Advisor: "A Lot of Catch-Up To Do" in Iowa CBS News about half of Hillary Clinton's female supporters have never taken part in Iowa's caucuses before -- a much larger figure than that for either Obama or Edwards supporters. ...... "if there's not an ice storm shutting down Iowa, then somewhere in the state, there is caucus training going on." The thinking is if they are too intimidated by it, they may elect to stay home rather than head out on a freezing January night just to be embarrassed by not understanding what they're even doing there. ..... she and her surrogates will attempt to reach all 99 counties in Iowa. ...... They hope to hit the "reset" button starting Sunday.
Could Clinton Lose Because of Women? RealClearPolitics Polls throughout the campaign have showed Clinton earning the support of far more women than men ..... the once-inevitable Democratic nominee looks human again ..... Obama, meanwhile, has focused much of his appeal to women on his personal story. "I know what it's like to be raised by a single mom who's trying to work and go to school and raise two kids at the same time, doesn't have any support from the father" ........ Brazile said. "While she has hit a rough patch on her road back the White House, don't count her out." ....... On Wednesday alone, EMILY's List, a group that backs pro-choice Democratic women candidates, dropped more than $30,000 into mailings and phone banks, bringing their total for the month of December to nearly $90,000 on Clinton's behalf. The group has also identified around 70,000 Democratic women in Iowa who voted in 2006 but did not caucus in 2004, and who either support Clinton or are undecided. If just a fraction of those women turn out, it could prove game-changing. ........ the campaign has used Michelle to address hundreds of women on conference calls and in small gatherings around Iowa ..... Clinton's numbers among women in New Hampshire, meanwhile, have seen a precipitous drop. The latest CNN/WMUR poll shows Clinton down ten points among women there in the last month ..... As women take a closer look at the race, it seems, Obama has been able to radically close the gender gap Clinton once enjoyed. ..... If she loses, it will be because what many believed was her natural constituency abandoned her in the end.
Obama edges Clinton in poll Concord Monitor Obama with a one-point edge over Hillary Clinton - mirror other polls released this week, indicating that Clinton's once-imposing lead has evaporated in the run-up to New Hampshire's Jan. 8 primary. ..... Although Mike Huckabee is leading some Iowa polls, his campaign hasn't surged in New Hampshire ...... When it came to those undeclared voters, Obama trounced his opponents: 40 percent of undeclared voters likely to vote in the Democratic primary backed Obama, compared with 23 percent for Clinton and 13 percent for former North Carolina senator John Edwards. ...... As for Clinton, "I feel like Hillary will go wherever the polls tell her to go." ...... Of the female, likely Democratic voters surveyed, 34 percent say they'd choose Obama, compared with 32 percent for Clinton. ........ "That gender gap - right now, he's removed it."
Analysis: Iowa Polls Drove Huckabee Surge CBS News While winning Iowa has historically been a way for a candidate to vault into national prominence, for the former Arkansas Governor, just doing well in its pre-election surveys is having that same impact. ..... Much of Huckabee's national backing now comes from white evangelical Christians, a group of voters that has increased its attention since October (27% are paying a lot now, up from 18%). ..... In the years leading up to the 1976 primaries, a then-largely unknown Jimmy Carter was going door-to-door in Iowa, defining what later would become the go-to strategy for aspirants without money or name recognition. Carter's campaign counted on early wins to grab attention and create a national splash.
The last Iowa debate (Thank God!) Salon an impolitic but on-target description: "It's pretty boring." ...... recite their favorite lines from their stump speeches and TV commercials ...... Iowans "feel as though they're standing on a trap door. They are one pink slip, one missed mortgage payment, one medical diagnosis away from falling through." ...... Bill Richardson's paean to the first caucus state: "What I like best about Iowans is that you like underdogs. And you like to shake things up. You don't like the national media and the smarty-pants set telling you who's going to be the next president." ......... Audible on the tape of Richardson's "underdog" crack was Clinton's signature laugh. ..... The debate recap segued into an ABC report about divisions in the Clinton camp over whether to become more aggressive toward Obama and Edwards. This was followed by the news that Bill Shaheen, the husband of former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, resigned as national co-chair of the Clinton campaign ......... this week's dominant story line: "Hillary in trouble." ...... Thursday's debate -- which was slated to be broadcast live on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News ...... Obama, who has been riding high in the recent polls, seemed confident and relaxed throughout the debate, though I must confess that I cannot remember (without reviewing the transcript) a single thing that the Illinois senator said onstage during the entire 90 minutes except for his already oft-repeated quip that Hillary Clinton will be advising him in 2009. ..... this Kennedy vs. Nixon format has degenerated into a tired ritual that frequently sheds neither heat nor light. ....... the battle for Iowa will be won the old-fashioned way -- based on what candidates say directly to voters
Obama Aide: Clinton Adviser’s Decision to Quit the “Right Thing” New York Times
Clinton, Obama Say Balanced Federal Budget Is Few Years Away Bloomberg
Clinton NH Official Resigns Washington Post
Obama, Clinton Tied in New Hampshire The Associated Press
How can you navigate this maze of contradicting polls? Dallas Morning News
Clinton's Apology Is One Of Few Debate Highlights Tampa Tribune
On the campaign trail with Barack Obama Mail & Guardian Online
Clinton Ad: Dorothy Speaks New York Times

Republican Debate In Des Moines

Des Moines Debate