We have to fight in Pennsylvania like it were a primary and not a caucus. The war will be waged through TV ads. The two dozen ads run by Obama 08 in OH and TX were disappointing. First, two dozen, that is too many. You can only run a total of five. Two, the ads lacked aesthetics, focus, intensity. They did not grip. The ads we ran in OH and TX said we have a lot of money that we raised in February and not much else.
Some of the early Obama ads were great.
People don't know Barack Obama. By now they might know the word Obama, but that does not mean they know him. That has to be the starting point.
(1) Bio
All Dem voters in Pennsylvania should be able to spout about five biographical facts about Barack. If not, we lose. Policy is not enough. People need a story before they will vote. They need to connect.
(2) Mother, Health Care
This is my absolute favorite ad of all Obama 08 ads. This is not racial pandering. This is not like saying, oh look good white people, Obama was raised by a white mother. Barack can talk about his mother like it was okay for Bill Clinton to talk about his father in 1992. This is not about race, this is about introducing the man. How do you hide the person who raised him? Especially when that person is the reason he is so passionate about health care, his signature issue.
(3) Wife, Kids
(4) Hillary
Cut an ad that says Hillary started the Iraq War. She did not read the intelligence report before voting. There were no weapons of mass destruction. It was not Saddam but Bin Laden who was behind 9/11. Iraq was an expensive distraction from the legitimate fight on the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the border areas. Look all we could have at home with all that money.
(5) Victory, Momentum
Brag about our victory and strength. How many volunteers, how many donors? Largest grassroots movement in history. How many states? How many votes? Claim delegate victories in Nevada and Texas. Point out Hillary did not win Michigan and Florida.
Run these five ads on and on. More than five will be too many.
Wyoming Erases Hillary's March 4 Gain
Hillary made a net gain of four delegates on March 4. One Obama victory in Wyoming, and that margin is poof.
Too Much Loving
A man is entitled to loving his wife, but this much loving? Bill Clinton is spending way too much time on the phone with the superdelegates.
Events
Mississippi Results Watching Party Today, March 11 at 6:00pm
DL21C's Political Author Series with Doug Schoen Tomorrow, March 12 at 7:00pm
In The News
GOP to Push for NY Gov Impeachment
1 in 4 Teen Girls Has Sexual Disease
Aides Say They Expect Spitzer to Resign New York Times Paterson and his staff have begun laying the groundwork for him to take over as governor and are reaching out to members of the Legislature .... a high-priced prostitution ring broken up last week by federal authorities ..... he would begin moving to have Mr. Spitzer impeached if the governor did not step down within 48 hours. ...... he had used the prostitution service before, although it was not clear how often. ..... did not appear early Tuesday for his regular morning jog. ...... The news was met with disbelief and shock in Albany, a capital accustomed to scandal. Some legislative assistants said they were too stunned to speak, and lawmakers gathered around television sets in hushed offices, trying to make sense of what had happened. ....... “We’re at a total standstill” ...... “Everybody is stunned. Everybody is absolutely stunned.” ...... structuring, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. ...... Bruno, the state’s top Republican, would assume the duties of the lieutenant governor. ...... On Saturday night, he attended the Gridiron Club annual dinner, a political roast put on by Washington journalists, and appeared ebullient, according to people in attendance. ....... Silda Wall Spitzer, who was among them, told her husband that he should not resign in haste ........ the Emperor’s Club provided women to clients in London, Paris, Miami and other cities, and charged them between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour. ...... He testified before Congress about the bond insurance crisis the following morning. Among the open questions is where Mr. Spitzer’s security detail was while the prostitute was inside the hotel. ......... Room 871 at the Mayflower that evening was registered under the name George Fox. ....... a few of the prostitutes came to realize he was the governor of New York. ....... Room 871 at the Mayflower Hotel had been registered in Mr. Fox’s name with Mr. Spitzer’s Fifth Avenue address ....... In a wiretapped conversation after the encounter, the prostitute, Kristen, called her booker to inform her that the session had gone well, and that she did not find the client “difficult,” as other prostitutes apparently had ........ sometimes asks the women “to do things that, like, you might not think were safe.” ....... Spitzer was elected in a landslide in 2006, capitalizing on his popularity he won as the “Sheriff of Wall Street” ....... With a reputation for personal probity and independence, he pledged to bring higher ethical standards to the statehouse.
Spitzer Said to Be Weighing Resignation his Fifth Avenue apartment ..... he had used the prostitution service before, although it was not clear how often.
Clinton at Home in Scranton
Obama up in Mississippi, Clinton on to Penn. Chicago Tribune the long, 42-day march through the eventless desert leading to the April 22 ..... 33 delegates at stake. ...... Clinton's husband suggesting that Obama and Clinton together might be an "unstoppable force'' on the same ticket ...... "I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place," Obama said, in Mississippi. ...... Obama's two Mississippi events on Monday drew heavily black audiences that cheered him unabashedly.
Obama shuns VP talk, says he's No. 1
Hillary Clinton's Spitzer Problem Washington Post
Hillary Clinton erases Eliot Spitzer in a New York minute
Succession in the New York State Constitution New York Times, United States
Lt. Governor Could Replace Spitzer in NY The Associated Press
Eliot Spitzer’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year in Office Wall Street Journal Sixteen months ago he was elected governor with a commanding 70% of the vote. ...... his tenure was been punctuated by screw-ups, scandals, and just plain stupid politics .... “I’m not naturally suited to this job, perhaps.” ..... Spitzer’s most well-known mishap was championing a plan to provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. ...... His hard-charging style put off members of his own party, and his unwillingness to compromise alienated him from potential allies in Albany. ...... just 23% said they would vote for him again. ..... there was no comparison for Spitzer’s downward spiral. “Not in modern history,” he said. “It’s a complete reversal of fortune.”
Emperors Club prostitute: 'I have a way of dealing' Baltimore Sun, United States
It Wasn't the Sex; Suspicious $$ Transfers Led to Spitzer ABC News triggered by Gov. Eliot Spitzer's suspicious money transfers, initially leading agents to believe Spitzer was hiding bribes ..... the IRS and the FBI determined that Spitzer wasn't hiding bribes but payments to a company called QAT ..... As recently as this past Valentine's Day, Feb. 13, Spitzer, who officials say is identified in a federal complaint as "Client 9," arranged for a prostitute "Kristen" to meet him in Washington, D.C. ..... The woman met Client 9 at the Mayflower Hotel, room 871, "for her tryst" ...... Client 9 also is alleged to have paid for the woman's train tickets, cab fare, mini bar and room service, travel time and hotel. ..... "Never talk when you can nod, and never nod when you can wink, and never write an e-mail because it's death. You're giving prosecutors all the evidence we need"
After Spitzer, first black governor in New York history on deck
Fox Erroneously Reports Resignation Houston Chronicle, United States
Spitzer Apologizes, Does Not Resign Washington Post, United States
Clinton Declines to Comment on Spitzer Washington Post, United States
Dear Hillary: Eliot Spitzer Was "Already Vetted" Too Huffington Post, NY
Emporers Club: The web site behind the Spitzer scandal 7Online.com, NY
Obama Rejects Clinton Suggestion of Vice Presidential Nod
'Hillary manages to nearly erase Obama's lead'
Clinton-Obama battle heads South CNN International
Obama Looks to Miss. for Momentum
Can Hillary Clinton still win?
Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring
Nepal Maoist leader hits the campaign trail Tehran Times Just over two years ago, Nepal's former rebel Maoist chief Prachanda was on Interpol's most wanted list. Now he is campaigning for elections ..... The man who waged a decade-long revolt to topple the 239-year-old monarchy and install a communist regime now favors expensive watches, travels in a fancy sports utility vehicle and is escorted by dozens of security personnel.
Obama's Black Support Shows Its Limits The Associated Press Obama's heavy black support is nudging some working-class white Democrats into Clinton's camp .... Clinton won nearly two out of every three white votes in Ohio, and 56 percent of those in Texas .... Pennsylvania's demographic similarities to Ohio ..... Ohio, where 62 percent of all whites lack college degrees and many are anxious about their jobs in a weak economy. .... their resentment can have social and racial overtones. ..... the Clintons "were trying to use race to their political advantage, to cede the black vote to Obama and take the rest" ..... the steep drop in Obama's share of the white vote in Ohio compared to Wisconsin. ..... record turnout among black voters. "In many states, the black vote has doubled" ...... Philadelphia's black neighborhoods could help Obama next month.
Obama wins in Wyoming, adds 7 delegates Kansas City Star, USA Obama generally has outperformed Clinton in caucuses, which reward organization and voter passion more than do primaries. ..... Obama had 61 percent, or 5,378 votes, to Clinton's 38 percent, or 3,312 votes, with all 23 Wyoming counties reporting. .... You won't see me as a vice presidential candidate - you know, I'm running for president ..... "We have won twice as many states as Senator Clinton, and have a higher popular vote, and I think we can maintain our delegate count." Obama halts Clinton's winning run The Press Association
Obama Leads in Mississippi, Clinton in Pennsylvania, Polls Show Bloomberg 53 percent of Mississippi Democrats compared with 39 percent for Clinton .... Fifty-two percent of Pennsylvania voters now support Clinton, after her recent wins, compared with 37 percent for Obama ..... Mississippi March 11, followed by Pennsylvania on April 22. Kenyan Parliament Opens on Theme of Unity as Rivals Sit Apart
Clinton-Obama dream team? Oh, dream on!
Obama Leads Clinton in Wyoming Caucuses; 30% of Vote Counted
Obama leads Clinton in Wyoming as Democrats deluge caucuses Boston Herald straining the ability of party officials to accommodate crowds. ..... a relevancy they haven’t experienced in a presidential race in nearly 50 years. ..... caucuses, which rely on greater campaign organization and voter commitment than primaries
Obama attacks Hillary Clinton over Iraq Telegraph.co.uk Barack Obama has launched his most pointed attack so far on Hillary Clinton's support for the Iraq war, during a series of tit for tat exchanges that threaten to plunge the Democrat Party into civil war. ..... assembling in shops, churches and living rooms to pick their candidate. .... he craves the momentum, confidence and publicity a win can provide. ...... there are questions to answer about the Clintons' newfound wealth.
In Times Square Blast, Echoes of Earlier Bombings
Shattered Glass and Rattled Nerves Outside the Blast Site New York Times, United States
NY Bomber Sought, but No Link to Letters The Associated Press
Police canvass bombing scene early Friday Newsday, NY
Hunt on for Clues in Times Square Blast The Associated Press
New lead in New York blast probe The Press Association
US checks border stop for link to New York blast Reuters
Canada link probed after Times Square blast: police AFP
Times Square bomb fails to shatter city spirit Newsday, NY
Times Square Bomber's Bike Found ABC News
Bomber hits Times Square recruiting office Toronto Star, Canada
Cyclist sought in bombing at NYC military site Detroit Free Press, United States
Military recruitment center targeted in Times Square bombing Kansas City Star, MO
Letters after Times Square bombing CNN International
NYC bomber mailed letters to US lawmakers: report The Age, Australia
Canadian Border Incident, Photos Part Of Times Square Investigation MSNBC
NYC Struck Again by Mystery Bomber The Associated Press
Times Square recruiters accustomed to protests, but bomb a first Newsday, NY
Small bomb hits Times Square The Statesman, India
Video Shows Bicyclist Fleeing Times Sq. The Associated Press
NYC Police Investigate Small Blast in Times Square (Update8) Bloomberg
Police probe explosion at Times Square NDTV.com, India
NYPD: Person on bicycle seen near Times Square blast site Newsday, NY
Small Explosion Rattles New York's Times Square Voice of America
Explosion hits New York military recruiting center AFP
Improvised Bomb Hits Times Square Wired News
Small explosion hits Times Square Canada.com, Canada
'No threat to US' after Times Square blast Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
Blast at US army recruitment centre Aljazeera.net, Qatar
US says no imminent homeland threat in NY blast Guardian, UK