ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



First thoughts: The correct analogy

Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:22 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Julia Steers
*** The correct analogy: Lots of folks keep bringing up Howard Dean when talking about Clinton's vulnerability vs. inevitability. The comparison, though, doesn't work since Dean never led the national polls by this much -- a new USA/Today Gallup poll has her at 50%, with Obama at 21% -- nor had a stranglehold on the establishment the way Clinton does. The better comparison (if there is one historically and there's a chance there isn't one) is George W. Bush in 1999 or Walter Mondale in 1983. Both Bush and Mondale had HUGE advantages in the polls and among the establishment class of both parties, and then an early state loss put them in a precarious position. The same could hold true if Clinton loses in Iowa. Of course, both Bush and Mondale survived, and maybe that's the firewall-like lead Clinton is building, an ability to survive a major stumble. Dean's lead was never as solid as Clinton’s is right now. If Dean should be compared to anyone, it would be Giuliani.

*** All aboard the Hillary Express: Indeed, Clinton inevitability train keeps on picking up steam. Recently, she has picked up endorsements from folks -- like Rep. John Lewis and New Hampshire’s Kathy Sullivan -- who appeared to be gauging how the field was playing out before picking a candidate. (By comparison, when was the last time Obama received a major national endorsement? Was it Federico Pena last month? Is the campaign prepping for more Clinton rollouts?) But what are the consequences of Hillary widening her lead, in both polls and perception? Does she retreat even more in a bubble and play the political version of prevent defense? Or does she let it loose, realizing she has the margin to make mistakes. One thing is for sure: As she becomes THE front-runner, a defeat in any of the early nominating states would be treated as an even bigger blow. Still, it’s a nice place to be compared with where she was six months ago.

*** It’s over, right? The biggest news from the FEC reports isn’t Clinton’s narrow cash-on-hand lead over Obama in primary money ($35 million to about $32 million) or the top four Democrats’ HUGE cash-on-hand lead over the top four GOPers ($104 million versus $36.5 million, per USA Today). Rather, it’s that McCain is in the red when you subtract his debts ($1.73 million) from his primary cash on hand ($1.67 million). Ouch. NBC political analyst Charlie Cook actually anticipated this in a National Journal column back in July. “For all intents and purposes, McCain's campaign is over,” Cook wrote back then. “The physicians have pulled up the sheet; the executors of the estate are taking over. Paying bills and winding down -- not strategizing, organizing, and getting a message out -- will be the order of the day.” For weeks, especially given some recent positive press, many have been cautioning that McCain’s campaign isn’t over. But with his negative cash on hand, is it time to change that opinion?

*** I’ll have the special: In a rare moment this year when the political press corps turns its attention away -- ever so slightly -- from the presidential trail, Democrat Niki Tsongas (widow of the late Paul Tsongas) and Republican Jim Ogonowski (a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel) face off today in a special congressional election to replace Rep. Marty Meehan (D), who left to become the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. This is Massachusetts, of course, and Tsongas is the clear favorite. But polls have shown that Ogonowski is keeping the race close, in large part because he’s portraying himself as the outsider running against the Democratic Congress. As we’ve asked before, will Ogonowski -- like Paul Hackett (D) did last cycle -- serve as a model for GOP candidates running for Congress next year? Polls open at 7:00 am ET and close at 8:00 pm ET.

*** GOP cattle call time: Since the campaign season began, it seems the Democrats haven’t met a Democratic interest group they won’t address. By comparison, their GOP counterparts haven’t participated in as many cattle calls. But that changes a bit this week: In addition to the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit later this week, several of the Republicans-- Brownback, Giuliani, McCain, Romney, and Thompson speak (in that order) -- at the Republican Jewish Coalition presidential forum in DC. Expect some tough talk by all on Iran.
 
*** On the trail: Elsewhere, Edwards is in Iowa; Huckabee, in New Hampshire, speaks at the Primary Insight Presidential Candidate Forum and the AARP Divided We Fail Forum; McCain appears on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews; and Thompson -- in addition to his talk to the Republican Jewish Coalition -- speaks at the GOP Presidential Trust Dinner in DC.

Countdown to LA GOV election: 4 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 21 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 32 days
Countdown to Iowa: 79 days
Countdown to New Hampshire: 84 days
Countdown to Michigan: 91 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 95 days
Countdown to Florida: 105 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 112 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 385 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 462 days

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Comments

Good morning America ! How does everybody feel about paying $86.00 a barrel for crude oil or $4-$5 a gallon for gas. Just send your thank you's to your beloved President Georgie {who sucks}. Or maybe you want to thank him for spending your retirement check in the amount of a "trillion dollars" which have been spent in Iraq . Have a nice day.
'*** All aboard the Hillary Express: Indeed, Clinton inevitability train keeps on picking up steam.'

 please, you guy's are unbelievable, is this first read or have I stumbled on to hillary.com
For all the polls showing Hillary is picking out the new White House china already, some people just might be surprised when the voting starts in the primaries.  Up coming stories about the Clinton's, including the revisiting of the eavesdropping she did on political enemies back in 1992 just might make people stop and think a bit.  For all the hatred that people have shown President Bush over wiretapping, the new stories about Hillary listening in should come back to haunt her.  Also, with her many criminals giving her money, this too will be looked at.  I know it is being looked at down here with one guy
maybe we should discuss how ron paul beats hillary in the general election match-up since ron is going to be the republican nominee, what ya think?
Regardless of how much MSNBC writes in favor of Hillary, She is not going to win. Not sure from where they are doing polling. It is a fight between machine and real democrats.
The GOP has decided to talk about only Iran, since talking about Iraq makes them look idiotic. The only problem with that is they've tied Iran to Iraq and since the gap between the two countries is only one letter wide, talking about one is like talking about both. What will be inferred is another Invasion, but the first Invasion is what they are trying to get everyone to forget.
So...are we U.S. citizens of all political parties to understand that YOU oligarchs have predetermined the outcome of the 2008 elections as evidenced by your unctuously fawning diatribe for Shrillary? Suggest you begin looking now for solid future employment (if that is possible) outside of your present pimping positions.
Are you sure Fred won't have scheduling conflicts this week in getting his lazy ass out of his barcalounger?
McCain running his campaign on deficit spending will be good experience for running the country the Republican way.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp?cycle=2008

http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/2007-10-15-poll.htm

Hard truths: He's spending money as fast as he collects it, the money flow has narrowed, he's further behind in all the polls then he was three months ago.
It will be harder to raise funds from his, "maximum ($4,600.00) individual donors and corporate support (Goldman, Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, etc.)

She out raised him by 33% last quarter, and is on track to out raise him by 100%, that's TWICE as MUCH, this quarter. He has less cash, is spending more (and needs to spend more), while collecting less. Do the math. Something big has to happen for Obama, but what?

The polls follow the money and the money follows the polls.


Van
Jerry.jerry.jerry...we all know you really could care less about eavesdropping or taking money from criminals...you are a king chickenhawk bushie supporter, you'd think hillary would be right up your alley...
Asked this before, but I'll have to ask again could you PLEASE stop using the word inevitable in any form in your reports?  PLEASE!  If you are trying to convince us of the fact, some of us will never accept that the campaign is over, give it up already!

Let us make up our own minds in our own time.
Don't be silly Jerry. These people have known all along about the abuse of  FBI files, criminals associated with the Clinton, Ignoring the UN and congress, bombing civilians, using Syria and Egypt to torture people, Bill's draft dodging, etc etc All the turds from the Clinton era they tried to wipe on Bush. They don't care. It's been fake outrage all along, and the wife leading in the polls is just proof of that.
Again, Jerry is posting his version of facts which the rest of the world calls untruths, misrepresentations or even utter fabrication.  His point of view is of that of a person living in the microcosmic world of his little blood red corner of a red state.  His obsession with Hillary is alarming and borders on sociopathic.  OK, we get it...you don't like her.  Unfortunately, and while you won't admit it, your opinion is so influenced by your narrow minded perspective that you cannot view her objectively and with an open mind.  Its sad, because if you did, you'ld come to realize, as has many of her fellow Republican Senators, that she's politically center, she has the ability to work with the other side of the aisle, and her position in many areas is dead on mainstream.  So, Jerry, keep posint your anti-Hillary virtolic diatrob...hopefully one day you'll find a new hobby.  
Stop with the Hillary love fest already.  I think she should be compared to Dean because I think just like in 04, the democrats will wake up and vote for somebody who doesn't turn off so many people.  If she does get the nomination, it will be too close in too many states and I don't think the democrats want that. Also, we may have a good chance about winning in 08 but what about 2012?  I don't think Hillary can stay popular that long.  Her pandoring can only fool people for only so long.  Lets vote for real change.  Lets hope Edwards and Obama can step it up a bit and show every one what she truly is.... A Fake.
Regardless of how much MSNBC writes in favor of Hillary, She is not going to win. Not sure from where they are doing polling. It is a fight between machine and real democrats.

Yog Goel (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:55 AM)


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/national-primary.html

Yog- Msnbc is just reporting on the polls. They aren't responsible for them. If you follow the link above, you'll find almost every poll collected in one place.

National average: Clinton, 48.2 Obama, 21.0. She's effectively at the 50% total a couple of geniuses here, "guaranteed", her campaign would never reach.
At some point, even true-believers will have to admit, if only to themselves that these poll numbers have meaning.

Van
On the radio this morning, Paul Harvey said that Hillary was withdrawing her idea for the $5000 baby bonds.  Said that if you added up the interest, those babies would be republicans LOL.  Haven't seen anything on the news about it.
Will the republicans be able to compete with the democrats in the funds race for the general election?
Right now it doesn't look like they can.

Van
'The polls follow the money and the money follows the polls.'

although I agree with the above statement that van made, does anyone else see the basic corrupt nature of it?
Just save it for something worth saying DOT(IL).This clueless bunch of so-called pundits, have their collective heads so far up Hillary's ass, they won't see sunshine till next spring.Sadly, any respect they may have had, has gone away with their undying love for hillary. Since the voter's have the last say, it is US who will havta prove them wrong because We are the last line of defense for this Gr8 nation. Not one thread has been posted on this site about how this conservative state is about to throw out Another Gay old pedophile govenor in about 3 week's after only one term. it just goes to show anyone who's watching, these pundits are clueless to the American Voter." DELUSIONAL THINKING BY COMMON SENSE VOTER'S IS OVER"
Jerry--
 Links to a non-blog report on the eavesdropping you're referring to would be appreciated.
Van...can you add/  If not so can you read anything other than what you want to read

With the third-quarter behind us, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama find themselves in a virtual tie in primary cash. Both candidates have about $32 million in primary funds when debt is factored in, even though Clinton outraised Obama in the third quarter ($22 million to $19 million). (Jeanne Cummings, The Politico; Brody Mullins and Mary Jacoby, Wall Street Journal)

Hillary plays games with accounting like she does everything else.  If you carry it as debt then you can show more COH.  I guess that's how shell handle the nations finances also

Dot, I agree wholeheartedly with you.  To add to your point, I urge all voters not to be influenced by the polling, but to go vote for the candidate you believe will do the best job and do so regardless of what the polls supposedly say.  I am truly hoping that the actual vote tallies will be very different from what the polls seem to be predicting.  
After doing my reseach, i realized clinton owned more money in debt. I guess Van must be on cool aid.

Here another dirty tactics about the Clinton that i told you guys about yesterday. Our liberty is for sale as far is Clinton is concern.


http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-targeting-clinton-on-phone-call-snooping-2007-10-16.html
MK,MO

Yes, I had the same thought.  I won't deny Van's statement either, but it upsets me.

This is the reason democrats should be scared of another Clinton in the white house. The democratic party is dead as long as they keep electing people that have compromise their value.
-----------------------------------------------------

Republicans plan to seize on an allegation from the 1992 presidential campaign to tarnish Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on the red-hot issue of government surveillance.

Government surveillance will be at the forefront of the political debate this fall as congressional Democrats and President Bush square off over legislation allowing electronic spying on U.S. soil without a warrant.

Republicans are focusing on an allegation in a recent book by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, which suggests Clinton listened to a secretly recorded conversation between political opponents.

In their book about Clinton’s rise to power, Her Way, Don Van Natta Jr., an investigative reporter at The New York Times, and Jeff Gerth, who spent 30 years as an investigative reporter at the paper, wrote: “Hillary’s defense activities ranged from the inspirational to the microscopic to the down and dirty. She received memos about the status of various press inquiries; she vetted senior campaign aides; and she listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics plotting their next attack.

“The tape contained discussions of another woman who might surface with allegations about an affair with Bill,” Gerth and Van Natta wrote in reference to Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. “Bill’s supporters monitored frequencies used by cell phones, and the tape was made during one of those monitoring sessions.”

A GOP official said, “Hillary Clinton’s campaign hypocrisy continues to know no bounds. It is rather unbelievable that Clinton would listen in to conversations being conducted by political opponents, but refuse to allow our intelligence agencies to listen in to conversations being conducted by terrorists as they plot and plan to kill us. Team Clinton can expect to see and hear this over and over again over the course of the next year.”

Gerth told The Hill that he learned of the incident in 2006 when he interviewed a former campaign aide present at the tape playing. He has not revealed the aide’s identity. Clinton’s campaign has not disputed any facts reported in the final version of his book, which became public this spring, he said.

“It hasn’t been challenged,” said Gerth. “There hasn’t been one fact in the book that’s been challenged.”

Clinton’s spokesman panned the book but declined to discuss the allegation that Clinton had reviewed secretly recorded calls. “We don’t comment on books that are utter and complete failures,” said Clinton’s press secretary, Philippe Reines.  

Her Way’s Amazon.com sales rank is 43,016.

Several legal experts said it was illegal to intercept cell phone conversations in 1992.

“It’s been clear that since 1986 it was illegal to intercept an individual cell phone call,” said Barry Steinhardt, the director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 1986, Congress broadened wiretapping law to prohibit the interception of electronic communications, as well as the use or disclosure of intercepted electronic communications. Two court cases have since cited that action in ruling the interception of cell phone communications illegal: Bartnicki v. Vopper, 2001, and Company v. United States, 2003.

Clinton has made privacy an issue on the campaign trail. In July, she discussed her privacy bill of rights in a speech to the American Constitution Society. The proposed rights, ensconced in the Protect Act, include the right to sue when privacy rules have been violated; the right to protect phone records; and the right to freeze credit in the event of identity theft.

During the same speech, she addressed the controversy over government surveillance.

“Every president should save those powers for limited, critical situations,” said Clinton, according to a copy of the speech posted on her campaign website. “And when it comes to a regular program of searching for information that touches the privacy of ordinary Americans, those programs need to be monitored and reviewed as set out by Congress in cooperation with the judiciary.

“That is the essence of the compact we have with each other and with our government, and we cannot ignore it.”

In August, Clinton voted against an emergency law that temporarily expanded the government’s power to conduct surveillance on American soil without a warrant. The bill was criticized for being overly broad and sidelining the role of a special court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Senate’s other Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.), Chris Dodd (Conn.), and Joseph Biden (Del.), also voted against the bill.

Clinton’s chief political strategist, Mark Penn, became embroiled recently in a controversy over intercepted electronic communications. Mitchell Markel, a former vice president at Penn’s firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland, filed a lawsuit against Penn accusing him of intercepting e-mail. Markel claimed that the firm illegally monitored messages sent from his BlackBerry after he joined another company.
Markel dropped the suit in July after reaching a settlement with Penn, Schoen & Berland.
Hard truths: He's spending money as fast as he collects it, the money flow has narrowed, he's further behind in all the polls then he was three months ago.
It will be harder to raise funds from his, "maximum ($4,600.00) individual donors and corporate support (Goldman, Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, etc.)

She out raised him by 33% last quarter, and is on track to out raise him by 100%, that's TWICE as MUCH, this quarter. He has less cash, is spending more (and needs to spend more), while collecting less. Do the math. Something big has to happen for Obama, but what?

Van

Same ole crap every month.  Hillary spent the same amount as Obama...in some reports she spent $1 million more.  Michelle sold out a $2,300 per head funraiser in Europe last night I know my neice was there her friend tried to late to get a ticket-(visiting)packed ballroom.  My friends and I have pledged to raise (bundle) $10k this quarter.  
BTW VAn ..Obama just needs to wait she will do it to herself:

GOP targeting Clinton on phone-call snooping

Republicans are focusing on an allegation in a recent book by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, which suggests Clinton listened to a secretly recorded conversation between political opponents.

In their book about Clinton’s rise to power, Her Way, Don Van Natta Jr., an investigative reporter at The New York Times, and Jeff Gerth, who spent 30 years as an investigative reporter at the paper, wrote: “Hillary’s defense activities ranged from the inspirational to the microscopic to the down and dirty. She received memos about the status of various press inquiries; she vetted senior campaign aides; and she listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics plotting their next attack.

“The tape contained discussions of another woman who might surface with allegations about an affair with Bill,” Gerth and Van Natta wrote in reference to Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. “Bill’s supporters monitored frequencies used by cell phones, and the tape was made during one of those monitoring sessions.”

It’s been clear that since 1986 it was illegal to intercept an individual cell phone call,” said Barry Steinhardt, the director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-targeting-clinton-on-phone-call-snooping-2007-10-16.html


I see part of that was checking up on Bill...how much in tax payer $$ will she spend following him around to keep him in line if she gets in the WhiteHouse.    Think about it America  LOL

Mark Murray - On the other hand, Dean had no challengers above 10% by December of 2003, no one raising as much money as him (let alone twelve million more in primary dollars) and he had huge leads in every state including Iowa.  In all those metrics, Clinton is in a weaker position than Dean was; all in all though, I think it's a wash where the Dean and Clinton campaigns are the same phenonemon in terms of the trajectory of their poll numbers.  If anything, Clinton's expectations are even higher than Dean's in 2004, and when she doesn't win Iowa, the negative press spiral from those dashed expectations is going to be unstoppable.
Why the Clinton's cannot be trusted?

Republicans plan to seize on an allegation from the 1992 presidential campaign to tarnish Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on the red-hot issue of government surveillance.

Government surveillance will be at the forefront of the political debate this fall as congressional Democrats and President Bush square off over legislation allowing electronic spying on U.S. soil without a warrant.

Republicans are focusing on an allegation in a recent book by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, which suggests Clinton listened to a secretly recorded conversation between political opponents.

In their book about Clinton’s rise to power, Her Way, Don Van Natta Jr., an investigative reporter at The New York Times, and Jeff Gerth, who spent 30 years as an investigative reporter at the paper, wrote: “Hillary’s defense activities ranged from the inspirational to the microscopic to the down and dirty. She received memos about the status of various press inquiries; she vetted senior campaign aides; and she listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics plotting their next attack.

“The tape contained discussions of another woman who might surface with allegations about an affair with Bill,” Gerth and Van Natta wrote in reference to Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. “Bill’s supporters monitored frequencies used by cell phones, and the tape was made during one of those monitoring sessions.”

A GOP official said, “Hillary Clinton’s campaign hypocrisy continues to know no bounds. It is rather unbelievable that Clinton would listen in to conversations being conducted by political opponents, but refuse to allow our intelligence agencies to listen in to conversations being conducted by terrorists as they plot and plan to kill us. Team Clinton can expect to see and hear this over and over again over the course of the next year.”

Gerth told The Hill that he learned of the incident in 2006 when he interviewed a former campaign aide present at the tape playing. He has not revealed the aide’s identity. Clinton’s campaign has not disputed any facts reported in the final version of his book, which became public this spring, he said.

“It hasn’t been challenged,” said Gerth. “There hasn’t been one fact in the book that’s been challenged.”

Clinton’s spokesman panned the book but declined to discuss the allegation that Clinton had reviewed secretly recorded calls. “We don’t comment on books that are utter and complete failures,” said Clinton’s press secretary, Philippe Reines.  

Her Way’s Amazon.com sales rank is 43,016.

Several legal experts said it was illegal to intercept cell phone conversations in 1992.

“It’s been clear that since 1986 it was illegal to intercept an individual cell phone call,” said Barry Steinhardt, the director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 1986, Congress broadened wiretapping law to prohibit the interception of electronic communications, as well as the use or disclosure of intercepted electronic communications. Two court cases have since cited that action in ruling the interception of cell phone communications illegal: Bartnicki v. Vopper, 2001, and Company v. United States, 2003.

Clinton has made privacy an issue on the campaign trail. In July, she discussed her privacy bill of rights in a speech to the American Constitution Society. The proposed rights, ensconced in the Protect Act, include the right to sue when privacy rules have been violated; the right to protect phone records; and the right to freeze credit in the event of identity theft.

During the same speech, she addressed the controversy over government surveillance.

“Every president should save those powers for limited, critical situations,” said Clinton, according to a copy of the speech posted on her campaign website. “And when it comes to a regular program of searching for information that touches the privacy of ordinary Americans, those programs need to be monitored and reviewed as set out by Congress in cooperation with the judiciary.

“That is the essence of the compact we have with each other and with our government, and we cannot ignore it.”

In August, Clinton voted against an emergency law that temporarily expanded the government’s power to conduct surveillance on American soil without a warrant. The bill was criticized for being overly broad and sidelining the role of a special court set up by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Senate’s other Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.), Chris Dodd (Conn.), and Joseph Biden (Del.), also voted against the bill.

Clinton’s chief political strategist, Mark Penn, became embroiled recently in a controversy over intercepted electronic communications. Mitchell Markel, a former vice president at Penn’s firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland, filed a lawsuit against Penn accusing him of intercepting e-mail. Markel claimed that the firm illegally monitored messages sent from his BlackBerry after he joined another company.
Markel dropped the suit in July after reaching a settlement with Penn, Schoen & Berland
I would feel sorry for those of you who have been brave enough to come out on this dark day and fight the good fight armed with your rationalizations, anger and usual slanders, if it weren't for the fact that you can't support your candidate without having to smear, denigrate and demonize Hillary. As it stands, I'll enjoy today's attempts to find the silver lining, and failing that, attacking Clinton even harder.


Today's word is: BURN-RATE
If it's over 100%...


Van
j  do you think you can spare a couple of bucks from your tight little budget, the GOP needs all the money it can get.  I guess the right wing evangelical are not haunting the faithful for donations this year.  Come on j do your part, put your money to good use the boys  NEED help!
Hillary has run a flawless campaign including her flawless performances at the debates.  That’s why she’s so far ahead and will win the nomination and, very possibly, the White House.  She has a 30 year record of fighting for causes to support, children and families and her intelligence and experience is exactly what we need to clean up the mess that Bush/Cheney have created in the last six years.
To Pat Huntington,NY
Please tell those of us who are not as informed as you what the carpet bagger who calls herself Hilary reaaly did for New York in her tenure other than use it as visibility for her national campaign.  Remember only the truth. And as for Hilary being able to work with both sides, could it be becuase sher is a political chamelon and is for whatever side fits her needs.
Mccain is lagging, and I hope it's because people can see what a phony he is. His "stroll through Baghdad" (of course surrounded by troops and gunships), his preaching of endless war with everybody. His only other talking point is the BS "fiscal restraint", but yet he wants to continue throwing billins into the cesspool in Iraq, and probably Iran - but he can't even run a fiscally responsible campaign! I hope people realize that someone will have to pay for all of this, and it won't be the millitary/industrial complex!

Goldman Sachs
$311,228
$134,050

Match the candidate to the CORPORATE contribution.

Van
Citigroup

$160,500

$152,750

Match the candidate to the CORPORATE contribution.
Siegfried:

From First read this morning....



You never know when one of these stories gets legs. The Hill reports on how some Republicans are seizing on a buried allegation in the Gerth/Van Natta Clinton book that she listened to an illegally obtained recording of Clinton critics during the '92 campaign. “Gerth told The Hill that he learned of the incident in 2006 when he interviewed a former campaign aide present at the tape playing. He has not revealed the aide’s identity. Clinton’s campaign has not disputed any facts reported in the final version of his book, which became public this spring, he said. ‘It hasn’t been challenged,’ said Gerth. ‘There hasn’t been one fact in the book that’s been challenged.’”

If they have their source, he should come out and tell us what he knows so the FBI can get the investigation started.
J.P. Morgan Chase

$156,580

$ 84,500

Match the candidate to the CORPORATE contribution.


Van
Bee, Dave, and jerry, while Hillary isn't my first choice of candidate it's ridiculous to suggest that things from her past will come back to destroy her campaign.  It's thought of as an advantage to have a candidate that's thoroughly vetted before the stretch run of a campaign so that there are no surprises.  I don't know how anyone can be more thoroughly vetted than Hillary after the GOP spent over $50M out of the US Treasury plus many millions more through the Arkansas Project and other privately funded efforts attempting to destroy the Clintons.  What did we get?  Bill Clinton likes the ladies, something that was known before he ever ran for President.  Pets.com didn't flop that spectacularly.  Give it up, already.
    this Tuesday afternoon i know we wlll find bin Laden,or it may be another day of
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID ! YOU SUCK
Well Grace NY I guess her voodoo will be as good as the voodoo this administration crafted. Pretending to be shrinking the deficit all the while increasing it!

You called it with your spelling error, it is a SHELL game. Iraq has more than crippled  many soldiers, it has crippled our economy.

Our candidates for president will have to really want the job because it is HUGE!
Senator Clinton has the knowledge and  follows the money and the polls.
She is the better POLITIAN and works smarter and harder than the her opponents.
I admire her courage , tenacity, ambition, experience, steadfastness, commitment, intelligence and sense of duty! She will be a great President!
The rest of the field are mediocre at best.

Oh and do not imply I do not know where she stands on issues.  I do, and I agree with her on so many, it makes her MY choice for President.
The entire world asks...why are americans so partisanship to the point of accepting an IDIOT in power, whom still has a 28% approval rate!!!!
Wake up silly people, you country is sinking with the crazy Righties led by Fox channel!!!
Van,

You forgot to mention that with the numbers out now it looks like Obama attracked more new contributors that Hillary.  He had 108,000 compared to Hillary's 100,000.

Just thought I would point that out since you seem to like to keep track of all the numbers.
How about the USA becoming more like a Central America country? Increase in the gap b/t rich and poor with serious social problems. Soon, the rich will have to contract Blackwater security guys to be able to go out on the streets of a New America. There's so much a poor man can take.
Seeking simple clarity:  The way I see it, it really isn’t a matter of Republican vs. Democratic, conservative vs. liberal, Christian vs. non-Christian or any of the many other bias dichotomies that make us vulnerable to being manipulated.  Really, for me, it is just recognizing the Bush administration as the worst in history, seeing the gross dishonesty, the arrogance, the constant self-serving use of their offices and America’s resources to benefit Special Interests and a select few, who then return powerful support and influential backing, while they just unconscionably and contemptuously give the majority apathy, the costs and an abundance of subterfuge; for me it really is just in recognizing their egotistic self-indulgence while they take the average American for granted and then it is simply my feeling that I sincerely don’t want ‘more of the same’.  I don’t care if it ends up being a Republican or a Democrat next time as long as I feel whoever it is they sincerely, with honesty and integrity, with character, with real compassion for the American people, and with enough humility to check their strong ego, are truly responsible and not apt to just do ‘more of the same’.  Some postings I’ve read advocate that we don’t have any real choice, that the powerful and influential few have the total control.  Some even say that is necessary, appropriate and beneficial and I sincerely hope they are wrong.  I truly hope that the voters genuinely have a real choice and can see through all of the deceptive subterfuge to truly execute that choice.  Idealistic?  Naïve?  Maybe, but better that than just being hopeless or complacent.
She out raised him by 33% last quarter, and is on track to out raise him by 100%, that's TWICE as MUCH, this quarter. He has less cash, is spending more (and needs to spend more), while collecting less. Do the math. Something big has to happen for Obama, but what?

Van


This is why you should NEVER believe what Van says. Unless you adhere to the Clinton defintion of words like"is" and "I" or her followers.

Van..What "color is the sky in your world" when  $23 million is 33% more than $20 million (primary) or for that matter $27 million is 33% more than $22 million.

Even with her funny money accounting they are virtually "TIED" for COH.  Gets back to being HONEST with American people.

But what would you expect this is a woman who illegally evasedrops on her Husband with Taxpayer $$$
It is extremely disturbing to me that Clinton aides taped Republican cell phone conversations in 1992. Of course, Republicans jammed Democratic phone lines in NH on election day, and Karl Rove later threw a party to raise money for their defense, but, hey, two wrongs don't make a right. In my mind, this is a very good argument for nominating Obama or Edwards.
Bob former NYer, Charlotte,NC asks what has Hillary done for NY lately?

Secured billions of dollars from the federal gov't to fund WTC redevelopment, aid to first responders and businesses harmed by the attack [she also went to ground zero 9-12]. She kept pressure on EPA to get it's act straight about the air quality issue in lower Manhatten. She's secured millions of dollars for breast cancer research [Long Island has the highest breast cancer rate in the nation]. She opposed what would have been an ecological disaster - a gas barge fueling station in Long Island sound.  She opposed writing discrimination into the US Constitution.  She helped secure millions of federal monies to help construct the East Side Access Tunnel to bring the Long Island Railroad into Grand Central Station.  These are but a few examples of what Hillary has done for NY lately.  If you want additional examples, go to her website.


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