Hillary's Non-Concession

Despite many erroneous rumors, and incorrect news articles yesterday, Hillary did not concede last night:





Charlie Cook puts the demands that Hillary withdraw from the campaign in perspective:

Those pleas were wrong and unfair. When was the last time a presidential candidate who was still consistently winning primaries and getting healthy numbers of votes asked to step aside, particularly with more states to go?

In the same respect, if nobody would expect a football or basketball team that was trailing with a few minutes left in the game to leave the court before the buzzer, why should a candidate still winning drop out of the contest?

Besides, this intense primary process has been a tremendously effective voter registration and organizational effort for Democrats. Finally, the Democratic Party and its various constituencies owed the candidates a little latitude for their service over the years.

But after tonight, all that changes. After the final primaries in Montana and South Dakota, and with the issues involving Florida and Michigan resolved by the Democratic National Committee, the Clinton "stand and fight" arguments take on a shrillness and a futility that would put the Clintons' standing in the party in very grave danger.

I put it a little differently. Now Hillary sounds like one of those bitter people Obama spoke about in San Francisco. She is bitterly clinging to her supporters and the campaign.

Cook offers the Clintons some advice:

At this point, the Clintons should begin thinking about their future and standing in the party. What they do over the next five months will determine what their standing will be. Will they be seen as party unifiers and team players, or party wreckers and sore losers?

[. . . ]

If I were Hillary Clinton, I would bow out over the next few days, take a well-earned vacation and catch up on sleep.

After that, she needs to spend the rest of the summer and fall campaigning for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and paying off her multimillion-dollar campaign debt.

No one would be able to say that Hillary and Bill Clinton didn't do all they could to help Obama win the general election. And in all honesty, she could also be praying every night that he loses, so she could give folks the "I told you so" look and have another shot in 2012.

Hillary Wins South Dakota

Hillary is projected to be the winner in the Democrats' South Dakota primary.

Obama, the Democrats' apparent nominee, has lost a majority of the primary contests held since early March.

Hillary Supporters Aren't Happy

Hillary Supporter: “When you tell me that much bad news about someone, I start to panic. Suddenly it's no longer about being a Democrat. It's about being an American. It's about preserving the United States of America.”

Hillary's campaign issued the following statement about the way the Democrats decided to "count every vote" in Michigan:

Today’s results are a victory for the people of Florida who will have a voice in selecting our Party’s nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party’s convention. The decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee honors the votes that were cast by the people of Florida and allocates the delegates accordingly.

We strongly object to the Committee’s decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan’s delegates without reflecting the votes of the people of Michigan.

The Committee awarded to Senator Obama not only the delegates won by Uncommitted, but four of the delegates won by Senator Clinton. This decision violates the bedrock principles of our democracy and our Party.

We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.

No, Hillary supporters are not happy:

Hillary Supporter: “I’ll probably vote for McCain first. Actually, I’d vote for George Bush over Obama. He’s [Obama] pretty scary and I think he’d ruin our country. So if Hillary doesn’t get in I’m going to have to really consider who I’m going to vote for.”

The New York Times reported that after the agreement was reached by the rules committee, Harold Ickes, one of Hillary's chief advisers, declared that Hillary’s fight may not be over:

“Mrs. Clinton has instructed me to reserve her rights to take this to the credentials committee,” Mr. Ickes said before the final vote, raising the specter of a fight until that committee meets. His words drew cheers from Clinton supporters, including many who yelled, “Denver! Denver! Denver!” — implying that the fight could go all the way to the convention in that city.

Mr. Ickes said the outcome for Michigan was a hijacking of voters’ intent because it assigned delegates to Mr. Obama even though he did not win them as his name was not on the ballot.

No, Hillary Supporters are not happy:

Hillary Maintains Fifty

A new Zogby poll finds half of likely voters would never vote for Hillary:

Older voters are most resistant to Clinton – 59% of those age 65 and older said they would never vote for the New York senator, but she is much more acceptable to younger voters: 42% of those age 18–29 said they would never vote for Clinton for President.

Things are getting worse for Hillary. In a March Zogby poll only 46 percent said they could never vote for Hillary. At the same time, the Harris Poll found 50 percent of U.S. adults would not vote for Hillary, including 21 percent of Democrats.

The Zogby poll was conducted October 11–15, 2007 and has a +/– 1.0 percent margin of error.

Hillary, Obama Diminish Dems' Enthusiasm

An August survey conducted by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake finds Hillary and Obama trailing former New York mayor Giuliani in the 31 Democratic-held House districts regarded as most imperiled in 2008:

Giuliani takes 49 percent to Clinton's 39 percent, while the former mayor's lead over Obama is far smaller, 41 percent to 40 percent. "Despite Obama's relative advantage over Clinton, both candidates are significantly underperforming against the generic Democratic edge in the presidential and even against party identification," Lake and Gotoff wrote.

The survey shows that those Democratic lawmakers' reelection chances are hurt if the Democratic nominee is Hillary or Obama:

While the average lead of Democratic House members stands at 19 percentage points in the 31 vulnerable districts -- all but two of which are part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's incumbent-protection program known as Frontline -- that number sinks considerably when the lawmakers are linked to either front-runner.

[. . .]

Whether the question named Clinton or Obama, the Democratic incumbent's lead shrank to an average of six points: 47 percent to 41 percent with Clinton leading the ticket, 44 percent to 38 percent with Obama as the nominee.

So much for the conventional wisdom that Democratic voters are excited about Hillary or Obama becoming the Democratic presidential nominee and that the Republicans cannot regain control of the House.

Hillary: I'm Not A Lesbian

Hillary Clinton officially declared she's not a lesbian:

"It's not true, but it is something that I have no control over. People will say what they want to say."

That's how Hillary responded when asked by an editor of a gay magazine, "How do you respond to the occasional rumor that you're a lesbian?"

Now we know.

Wesley Clark Endorses Hillary

Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, who sought the sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, was considered a 2008 presidential wannabee, and continues to run his WESpac political action committee, has endorsed Hillary:

Clark, the former supreme allied commander of NATO, praised the New York senator as "a remarkable person" with the skills and experience to be president.

"She will be a great leader for the United States of America and a great commander in chief for the men and women in uniform," Clark told reporters in a conference call with the former first lady.

It's nice to see Hillary get an endorsement from someone who isn't a political adulterer, an impeached judge, or whose endorsement otherwise raises ethical concerns.

More Californication

W.C. Varones has the goods on the continuing fallout from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's Californication.

I continue to ask why Hillary associates herself with political adulterers?

Hillary: The Surge Is Working

Even Hilary admits the surge is working.

Speaking at the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Hillary noted that the "new tactics" in Iraq are working:



Unfortunately, the liberal presidential wannabee went on to say that the best way to honor U.S. soldiers is "by beginning to bring them home."

The crowd was more in-tune with McCain, who speaking after Hillary, said a troop pullout would be a mistake:

The reception for Mrs. Clinton was respectful yet tepid. Mr. McCain received loud applause when he suggested that a troop pullout would be “a mistake of colossal historical proportions.”

[. . . ]

Mr. McCain’s speech was interrupted by friendly applause from people seated throughout the hall. When Mrs. Clinton spoke, applause often was started by three young people in the middle of the room who were not wearing the trademark blue V.F.W. cap or convention name badges.

Hillary is wrong about pulling the troops out. The best way to honor the troops is to win.

Script For A Giuliani v. Clinton Commercial

Cliff Thier lays out Rudy a Hillary's contrasting approaches in dealing with terrorists and their supporters.


Cliff forgot to include Mayor Giuliani's rejection of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's $10 million donation for the Twin Towers Fund after the prince suggested U.S. policies contributed to the September 11 attacks:

"To suggest that there's a justification for [the terrorist attacks] only invites this happening in the future," he said. "It is highly irresponsible and very, very dangerous.

"And one of the reasons I think this happened is because people were engaged in moral equivalency in not understanding the difference between liberal democracies like the United States, like Israel, and terrorist states and those who condone terrorism.

Rudy gets it.

Image credit: Associated Press

Another Californicator Endorses Hillary

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom joined fellow Californicator Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and endorsed Hillary's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Newsom is best known nationally for openly defying California state law in 2004 by directing clerks at City Hall to sanction same-sex unions. According to the Chronicle, Newsom's flaunting of the law made him a pariah within the Democratic Party. Some observers credit President Bush's re-election and the passage of constitutional amendments banning gay marriage in 11 states that same year on a backlash triggered by Newsom's lawlessness. Why would Hillary seek the support of a Democratic pariah?

Like Villaraigosa, Newsom is one of 12 national co-chairs of Hillary's campaign. In addition to advising on municipal issues and fundraising muscle, Newsom can also advise Hillary on political adultery. Newsom betrayed his campaign manager Alex Tourk—who was also one of the mayor's best friends—by sleeping with Tourk’s wife. Mayor Newsom was separated at the time of the affair (and later divorced) from television commentator Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Why is it that Hillary continues to associate herself with political adulterers?

Dems Court Gay Voters

Democratic presidential candidates demonstrate their support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender voters tonight by participating in a televised forum on gay rights:

All the major Democrats favor civil unions for gay couples, and repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy against openly gay service members that front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's husband initiated.

In a previous debate, the eight Democratic hopefuls all raised their hands to acknowledge they would work toward lifting Clinton's policy against openly gay service members. Surveys filled out ahead of tonight's forum, indicate the leading Democratic candidates are committed to the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell:"

"This is a matter of national security, and I will fix it," wrote Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the Democratic front-runner. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina wrote similar statements.

None of the Democrats, except for fringe candidates Ohio Congressman Kucinich and former Alaska Senator Gravel, supports the gay community's top goal - marriage rights:

"No viable mainstream contender for president is going to support gay marriage in this election cycle," said Ethan Geto, an adviser to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I hope that's going to change in the next couple of elections."

The public still largely disapproves of gay marriage and remains closely divided on whether homosexual relations are morally acceptable:

Public opinion overall is moving slowly toward greater acceptance of a range of gay-rights positions, and passions have cooled since same-sex marriage erupted as a key issue on the verge of the last presidential campaign.

The Democratic candidates will be between a rock and a hard place. Opposition operatives will be watching for a video Macaca moment that can portray a candidate as out of the social mainstream, gay-rights advocates will be alert to signs of discomfort or hedged commitment:

"I think people will be looking for body language, the choice of words to see how comfortable the candidates are. Are they passionate?" said Geto.

The event, co-sponsored by the gay-rights activist group Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Viacom Inc.'s Logo network, reflects the gay community's increased importance to the Democratic Party. The debate also will be available online at logoonline.com.

A Morph Too Far?

Taryn Southern's "Hott4Hill" parody of the Obama-Girl video, with the combination of grade school children and lesbian sexual innuendos, probably appealed to Hillary's base .

RedStaters will find this version from Curmudgeonly Skeptical more stimulating:

Replay video | Share video | Watch more videos

Villaraigosa Backs Hillary

Hillary has won the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:

"She's the right candidate at the right time," Villaraigosa said to reporters outside Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday.

According to the Associated Press, Villaraigosa will announce his endorsement Wednesday, at a Clinton campaign rally at UCLA.

Villaraigosa's endorsement is an important accomplishment for the Clinton campaign. The mayor is popular among the growing number of Hispanic voters. Exit polls in the 2004 election found 21 percent of California voters were Hispanic.

Democrats Sour On Kennedy's Immigration Deal

Democrats aren't impressed with Kennedy's immigration deal.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in a statement expressed serious concern over Kennedy's agreement:

Their agreement can serve as a starting point for the Senate debate next week. I have serious concerns about some aspects of this proposal, including the structure of the temporary worker program and undue limitations on family immigration. We need to improve the bill as it moves through the legislative process.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Reid questioned whether "we're going to be able to pass it."

Only two Democrats, Ken Salazar of Colorado and Dianne Feinstein of California, stood beside Kennedy when he announced his immigration deal. Seven Republican senators and two Cabinet secretaries joined the three Democrats.

According to Bloomberg, Democrats expressed doubts over provisions to create a temporary-worker program and to reduce the emphasis on uniting families when deciding which legal immigrants are admitted to the U.S.

New York Senator Charles Schumer said, "There are a lot of Democrats who want to see it improved." New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez called Kennedy's deal "far to the right" last year's Senate immigration reform effort.

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin expressed concern, saying low-wage workers seeking to reunite with their families could suffer.

John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO condemned Kennedy's deal, saying it strikes at "the reunification of families" and expands temporary-worker programs that can amount to "virtual servitude."

Democratic presidential frontrunners, Senators Clinton and Obama and former Edwards reacted cautiously. Hillary said she will study the proposal to make sure it "does not lead to the creation of a new underclass in our country." Obama, told reporters the temporary-worker plan and the merit-based point system must be "carefully examined" to ensure they are "just and humane." Edwards said he had concerns about parts of the proposal, including a “poorly conceived guest worker program.”

West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd said, "We should not give a blanket amnesty to illegal immigrants who want to flaunt the laws of this land."

According to The Ledger, North Dakota Senator Byron L. Dorgan said he would offer an amendment to eliminate the guest worker program from the bill.

House Democrats likewise don't seem to like Kennedy's deal.

Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said it will be difficult to pass an immigration bill similar to the Senate proposal.

Representative Xavier Becerra, Democrat of California and a former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said he had grave concerns about the Senate bill.

All in all, not a very auspicious Democratic reaction to Kennedy's deal.

Taking Heat Over Mother Teresa

A Catholic advocacy group is urging New York Senator Hillary Clinton to remove an image of Mother Teresa from a campaign video narrated by former President Bill Clinton:

"It is wholly inappropriate, disrespectful and disturbing that Hillary Clinton is using an image of Blessed Mother Teresa as a political tool, especially given their radically different views on abortion," said Fidelis President Joseph Cella.

He noted that Mother Teresa fought to protect unborn children, while Hillary Clinton "staunchly supports abortion on demand in all nine months of pregnancy, including partial birth abortion and taxpayer funding of abortion."

A shot of Mother Teresa standing with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton appears in the five-minute campaign video. The video then cuts to a clip of Mrs. Clinton's address at the 1995 Beijing Conference, in which she says, "It is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights." The Beijing Conference tried to declare abortion a fundamental human right, something the video fails to mention. The video of Hillary's campaign video is available here.

Mother Teresa sent a letter to the 1995 Beijing Conference in which she condemned abortion:

That special power of loving that belongs to a woman is seen most clearly when she becomes a mother. Motherhood is the gift of God to women....Yet we can destroy this gift of motherhood, especially by the evil of abortion .... No job, no plans, no possessions, no idea of 'freedom' can take the place of love.

It was a huge mistake on the part of Hillary to allow the video to cut from the picture of Hillary and Mother Teresa to the Beijing Conference. Inappropriate, disrespectful and misleading.

Hillary vs. Obama

A new strategy for Rudy courtesy of LisaNova and MadTV:

Conan Takes On Hillary's Occasional Twang

Conan O'Brien offers additional evidence that Hillary Clinton panders to certain audiences by using phony accents during her campaign speeches:

Googling McCain

In addition to all of the other perks available to Google employees, they now a chance to personally question presidential candidates:

How do you determine good ways of sorting 1 million 32-bit integers in two megabytes of RAM?

That's the first question asked of Senator John McCain by Google chief executive Eric Schmidt. It was a humorous icebreaker that received laughs from the Google geeks and McCain.

Google has invited all the major candidates. McCain was the second candidate to accept Senator Clinton was interviewed February.

After the opening brainteaser, Schmidt asked about McCain's Vietnam War combat and POW experiences. The Googlers wanted to talk about Iraq:

The candidate delivered a well-worn but impassioned defense of the policy, guaranteeing that "if we have to withdraw on a date-certain, there will be chaos, genocide and other nations in the region will be drawn in."

Schmidt did not challenge this view, but one of his subordinates did.

Why discount the possibility that no one will win the war, the worker asked.

"Any rational observer would say that if the war's lost, then someone won the war," McCain responded. "Al-Qaida will win that war."

The Google interviews, along with the use of YouTube, represent an interesting new dynamic in political campaigns. The Internet obviously makes it easier for candidates to reach certain groups, but controlling the message becomes more difficult. Just ask former Senator Allen.

You can find the McCain and Hillary interviews at YouTube:

Senator McCain Interview

Senator Clinton Interview

Hillary To Move To Deauthorize The War

Senator Clinton will introduce legislation to end authority for the war in Iraq.

From Senator Clinton's remarks on the Senate floor:

SENATOR CLINTON: Madam President, I rise to join my colleague and friend, Senator Byrd, to announce our intention to introduce legislation which proposes that October 11, 2007 -- the five year anniversary of the original resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq -- as the expiration date for that resolution.

[. . .]

I believe this fall is the time to review the Iraq war authorization and to have a full national debate so the people can be heard. I supported the Byrd amendment on October 10, 2002, which would have limited the original authorization to one year and I believe a full reconsideration of the terms and conditions of that authorization is overdue. This bill would require the president to do just that.

Now, assuming such a bad idea can get sufficient votes, she just has to convince President Bush to sign it. Then all we need is for our terrorist enemies to deauthorize the war they are waging against us. It sounds so easy.