I just can't bring myself to stomach endorsements of a candidate whose campaign engages in dirty tactics, including voter fraud:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/19/162953/644/790/439573

FLORIDA PRIMARY: Democrats: Obama
Click-2-Listen
Palm Beach Post Endorsement

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Barack Obama has set the tone for the presidential campaign, which is why The Post endorses him in the Florida Democratic primary.

One irony is that Sen. Obama has influenced all his major challengers despite his youth (46) and the fact that he was little-known nationally until his riveting address at the 2004 national convention. Another irony is that Sen. Obama is downplaying the state primary because of a fight between the national and state Democratic parties. But all the candidates are on the Jan. 29 ballot, and we hope that voters ignore the sideshows and turn out.

Why vote for Sen. Obama? Because his opponents, Democratic and Republican, now tout the "hope" and "change" on which Sen. Obama has campaigned from the start. No candidate has more directly and correctly addressed the unease that pervades the country after seven years of a terrible presidency.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/01/20/a2e_obama_endorse_0120.html

-------
The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell said Saturday that he's endorsing Obama's presidential campaign because of the senator's "character, confidence and courage."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5469706.html

YOU GO GAL!!!

Vote Hillary 2008

WASHINGTON -- Ex-Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., will endorse Sen. Barack Obama, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/7E21094589C268BE862573D60065E99B?OpenDocument

LOL!!! You Dems are funny, I'm loving this. I'm an independent and I support Obama!!! You know going into this election I was thinking the Republican party is over, people are pissed. The Dem's would have to do something totaly stupid to lose this election,  and sure enough a good portion of you want do exactly that. You want to elect the one person (Hillary) that can lose it for you.
I don't know how else to say this, there is a very large group of people that will support Obama or Edwards, but they will not vote for Hillary. And that number is getting bigger with the Clinton attacks, dirty politics and lies they are playing. I personally don't think you Dem's alone can win this, the two party faithfuls will cancel each other out, but with Independents willing to vote Dem, you can win. But it's your choice, Roll your dice LOL!!!!

EMBARGOED for Delivery

The Scripture tells us that when Joshua and the Israelites arrived at the gates of Jericho, they could not enter. The walls of the city were too steep for any one person to climb; too strong to be taken down with brute force. And so they sat for days, unable to pass on through.

But God had a plan for his people. He told them to stand together and march together around the city, and on the seventh day he told them that when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn, they should speak with one voice. And at the chosen hour, when the horn sounded and a chorus of voices cried out together, the mighty walls of Jericho came tumbling down.

There are many lessons to take from this passage, just as there are many lessons to take from this day, just as there are many memories that fill the space of this church. As I was thinking about which ones we need to remember at this hour, my mind went back to the very beginning of the modern Civil Rights Era.

Because before Memphis and the mountaintop; before the bridge in Selma and the march on Washington; before Birmingham and the beatings; the fire hoses and the loss of those four little girls; before there was King the icon and his magnificent dream, there was King the young preacher and a people who found themselves suffering under the yolk of oppression.

And on the eve of the bus boycotts in Montgomery, at a time when many were still doubtful about the possibilities of change, a time when those in the black community mistrusted themselves, and at times mistrusted each other, King inspired with words not of anger, but of an urgency that still speaks to us today:

“Unity is the great need of the hour” is what King said. Unity is how we shall overcome.

What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake. If a few more women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had done, maybe the cracks would start to show. If teenagers took freedom rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks marched because they had come to understand that their freedom too was at stake in the impending battle, the wall would begin to sway. And if enough Americans were awakened to the injustice; if they joined together, North and South, rich and poor, Christian and Jew, then perhaps that wall would come tumbling down, and justice would flow like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Unity is the great need of the hour – the great need of this hour. Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but because it’s the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in this country.

I’m not talking about a budget deficit. I’m not talking about a trade deficit. I’m not talking about a deficit of good ideas or new plans.

I’m talking about a moral deficit. I’m talking about an empathy deficit. I’m taking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we are our brother’s keeper; we are our sister’s keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny.

We have an empathy deficit when we’re still sending our children down corridors of shame – schools in the forgotten corners of America where the color of your skin still affects the content of your education.

We have a deficit when CEOs are making more in ten minutes than some workers make in ten months; when families lose their homes so that lenders make a profit; when mothers can’t afford a doctor when their children get sick.

We have a deficit in this country when there is Scooter Libby justice for some and Jena justice for others; when our children see nooses hanging from a schoolyard tree today, in the present, in the twenty-first century.

We have a deficit when homeless veterans sleep on the streets of our cities; when innocents are slaughtered in the deserts of Darfur; when young Americans serve tour after tour of duty in a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged.

And we have a deficit when it takes a breach in our levees to reveal a breach in our compassion; when it takes a terrible storm to reveal the hungry that God calls on us to feed; the sick He calls on us to care for; the least of these He commands that we treat as our own.

So we have a deficit to close. We have walls – barriers to justice and equality – that must come down. And to do this, we know that unity is the great need of this hour.

Unfortunately, all too often when we talk about unity in this country, we’ve come to believe that it can be purchased on the cheap. We’ve come to believe that racial reconciliation can come easily – that it’s just a matter of a few ignorant people trapped in the prejudices of the past, and that if the demagogues and those who exploit our racial divisions will simply go away, then all our problems would be solved.

All too often, we seek to ignore the profound institutional barriers that stand in the way of ensuring opportunity for all children, or decent jobs for all people, or health care for those who are sick. We long for unity, but are unwilling to pay the price.

But of course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in attitudes – a broadening of our minds, and a broadening of our hearts.

It’s not easy to stand in somebody else’s shoes. It’s not easy to see past our differences. We’ve all encountered this in our own lives. But what makes it even more difficult is that we have a politics in this country that seeks to drive us apart – that puts up walls between us.

We are told that those who differ from us on a few things are different from us on all things; that our problems are the fault of those who don’t think like us or look like us or come from where we do. The welfare queen is taking our tax money. The immigrant is taking our jobs. The believer condemns the non-believer as immoral, and the non-believer chides the believer as intolerant.

For most of this country’s history, we in the African American community have been at the receiving end of man’s inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays – on the job, in the schools, in our health care system and in our criminal justice system.

And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King’s vision of a beloved community.

We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.

Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. It is played out on television. It is sensationalized by the media. And last week, it even crept into the campaign for President, with charges and counter-charges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation.

So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scapegoating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others – all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face – war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late.

Because if Dr. King could love his jailor; if he could call on the faithful who once sat where you do to forgive those who set dogs and fire hoses upon them, then surely we can look past what divides us in our time, and bind up our wounds, and erase the empathy deficit that exists in our hearts.

But if changing our hearts and minds is the first critical step, we cannot stop there. It is not enough to bemoan the plight of poor children in this country and remain unwilling to push our elected officials to provide the resources to fix our schools. It is not enough to decry the disparities of health care and yet allow the insurance companies and the drug companies to block much-needed reforms. It is not enough for us to abhor the costs of a misguided war, and yet allow ourselves to be driven by a politics of fear that sees the threat of attack as way to scare up votes instead of a call to come together around a common effort.

The Scripture tells us that we are judged not just by word, but by deed. And if we are to truly bring about the unity that is so crucial in this time, we must find it within ourselves to act on what we know; to understand that living up to this country’s ideals and its possibilities will require great effort and resources; sacrifice and stamina.

And that is what is at stake in the great political debate we are having today. The changes that are needed are not just a matter of tinkering at the edges, and they will not come if politicians simply tell us what we want to hear. All of us will be called upon to make some sacrifice. None of us will be exempt from responsibility. We will have to fight to fix our schools, but we will also have to challenge ourselves to be better parents. We will have to confront the biases in our criminal justice system, but we will also have to acknowledge the deep-seated violence that still resides in our own communities and marshal the will to break its grip.

That is how we will bring about the change we seek. That is how Dr. King led this country through the wilderness. He did it with words – words that he spoke not just to the children of slaves, but the children of slave owners. Words that inspired not just black but also white; not just the Christian but the Jew; not just the Southerner but also the Northerner.

He led with words, but he also led with deeds. He also led by example. He led by marching and going to jail and suffering threats and being away from his family. He led by taking a stand against a war, knowing full well that it would diminish his popularity. He led by challenging our economic structures, understanding that it would cause discomfort. Dr. King understood that unity cannot be won on the cheap; that we would have to earn it through great effort and determination.

That is the unity – the hard-earned unity – that we need right now. It is that effort, and that determination, that can transform blind optimism into hope – the hope to imagine, and work for, and fight for what seemed impossible before.

The stories that give me such hope don’t happen in the spotlight. They don’t happen on the presidential stage. They happen in the quiet corners of our lives. They happen in the moments we least expect. Let me give you an example of one of those stories.

There is a young, 23-year-old white woman named Ashley Baia who organizes for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She’s been working to organize a mostly African American community since the beginning of this campaign, and the other day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”

By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we begin. It is why the walls in that room began to crack and shake.

And if they can shake in that room, they can shake in Atlanta.

And if they can shake in Atlanta, they can shake in Georgia.

And if they can shake in Georgia, they can shake all across America. And if enough of our voices join together; we can bring those walls tumbling down. The walls of Jericho can finally come tumbling down. That is our hope – but only if we pray together, and work together, and march together.

Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk alone.

In the struggle for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone.

In the struggle for opportunity and equality, we cannot walk alone

In the struggle to heal this nation and repair this world, we cannot walk alone.

So I ask you to walk with me, and march with me, and join your voice with mine, and together we will sing the song that tears down the walls that divide us, and lift up an America that is truly indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for all. May God bless the memory of the great pastor of this church, and may God bless the United States of America.



IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME

Obama's speech today was one of the greatest speeches delivered in American history and it gets buried five paragraphs into an item about Clinton saying how important MLK was to her in some vague sense? Come on, POST OBAMA'S SPEECH YOU DOPES!

Hillary you will unite us. We are one people in the United States. Your record speaks for itself. I hope
all will review the records and know as I do you have the backs of the working people. It will take experience and vision to get us back on track to the
American dream.

minister Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, a prominent figure in New York's African-American community.

Good for her... Minister Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts is entitled to support whom ever he wants...but their are many of us who have our own opinions.....

A Times Editorial (St Petersburg, FL)
Published January 20, 2008

No wonder many voters are torn, wishing they didn't have to choose one over the other. It is a close call, but as much as we admire Hillary Clinton, we recommend Barack Obama for president in this primary vote. (John Edwards is still actively campaigning.)

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/20/Opinion/Obama_for_Democrats.shtml

OMG!!

Billary the Monolithic...

MSNBC, is going to "Clarify" how sweet.  Please allow me just a little bit of assistance!!

Mark, try not to speak... The MSNBC political agenda is not going to be realized... You're buddy Chris Matthews, already knows and has conceded... So I humbly recommend that you, and the rest, of the distortionist, at MSNBC, jump off the Obama band wagon, and *just report the news*.... No it is not "muddled" you folks at MSNBC, are, and have been muddled.  

Just report the news now.. and accept your defeat, gracefully MSNBC did make a "Herculean" effort to color and change the election for Obama.  

Not to take anything away from Obama, he is decent chap but the Republicans will grind his bones to make their bread.  Everyone is starting to see this now, so your ploy to try and keep it an interesting and tightly contested race... Has lost it's steam.  I enjoyed it too, but, I am not blind or stupid.  The writing is on the wall for all who want to read it... For those who don't that's fine, it's a free country despite the news organizations being little more than political agenda organizations.

No need to clarify, Billary won. There will be fight in South Carolina, and maybe the Obamaites will carry the day, but it's only for political drama... On Super Tuesday, Hillary will win, and Billary will go on to win the nomination...  One has to give Bill his due, he is far smarter than all of you at MSNBC, in politics.  You all appear as mere embryo's, compared to a blue whale in its prime.  The size or breadth differential, of depth, understanding, cunning, experience, practical know how, popularity, ingenuity, brilliance.... and more is of almost mythical proportions.

Bill Clinton is a juggernaut and he wants his wife to be President, and from every measure of the word it appears *she is capable.*  So it is time for MSNBC, to accept...  That is acceptance to the idea of... change the things "you" can.. accept the things "you" cannot.. and the wisdom to know the difference...  They've beat you, no need to try and clarify, I, and many others, don't need clarification between an embryo and a political monolith "blue whale."  This Moby Dick, verses a minnow don't need no explaining...Mark.

Get out of the way "Change" is coming... Whether you like this particular brand of change or not, matters little, game over, the king is dead, all hail the king...

AWESOME...ABSOLUTELY AWESOME (Sent Sunday, January 20, 2008 2:37 PM)

Obama's speech today was one of the greatest speeches delivered in American history and it gets buried five paragraphs into an item about Clinton saying how important MLK was to her in some vague sense? Come on, POST OBAMA'S SPEECH YOU DOPES!
Steve, Chicago, IL (Sent Sunday, January 20, 2008 2:38 PM)

_________________________

I just did

does Abyssinian church have african or african-american significance?? read this about the church http://www.jimmatimes.com/article.cfm?articleID=17591

Most people in the Bahamas are so thrilled over the honorable way he is conducting himself. I am sure that I can speak for most Bahamians, as we wish the best of luck and may god be with him.

Has anyone taken a moment to ask Hillary about her support of Barry Goldwater in the 60's? I find her trumpeting of her support of civil rights and her campaigning for one of the most outspoken opponents of the civil rights act to be, at the very least, curious

I am pretty sure Obama's eloquent speech wasn't written by him at all. He pays professional speech writers large $$$ to make his speeches fiery and eloquent and to make sure they push peoples buttons. OBama will win South Carolina by a small margin, lose huge in the Big Primaries on February 5th and , if he is very lucky, Hillary will ask him to be her Vice-President on the Dem ticket.
OBama is a nice man, but he is not ready to become president.

Supporters of Hillary,
Can any of you explain to me how the heck she is going to beat John McCain in November?  On healthcare, by citing her plan to issue a mandate?  On the economy, from having so much experience in that area?  Because she's on the armed services committee?  Because she has more experience than him?   Because she's going to energize our Democratic base?  Because she's not going to rally the Republicans together?  Because his negatives are so much higher than her's?

Obama started the dirty campaigning with the Pun'jab stuff and race baiting. His campaign had a 4 page memo on race baiting. Obama has never done anything for the black community. The Clinton's have done more for them than other politican except maybe Lincoln or LBJ

My heart is breaking.

Pastor Butts, how could you do this? How could you offer up the Clintons as moral leaders and role models to anyone in the Black community?

The Clintons are USERS not friends of the Black community.

Do you remember Lani Guinier?

You should be ashamed!!

Where was Bill? Is he already knocking on all those doors in South Carolina??

I will say this about Bill's very public courting of the African-American vote in South Carolina. It will make Obama's win just that much more impressive. The Clintons and the media will not be able to "dismiss" Obama's victory after this extremely overt challenge by Bill to see who can win more of the African-American vote.

(BTW, Bill does know that HE is NOT the candidate, doesn't he??)

Wow... He mentioned MLK 3 times in that speech , and ripped off most of MLK words, does he really think people see him as another MLK... Sorry Mr. Obama, I met Martin Luther King, and you sir, are NO Martin Luther King.

For those African-American who choose to vote for Senator Obama, please do so only if you really believe in good conscience that he is the best candidate.  Senator Obama's many "PRESENT" votes while serving in the Illinois Legislature is NOT the sign of a great leader.  I could be cynical and suggest that this was all calculated so those votes will not come back to haunt him.

Great leaders should be able to take a stand and vote YES or NO! ...that's why they are in the legislature in the first place.  Voting present is sign of political cowardice. As an black man, I ask my fellow black bothers and sister, would MLK Jnr have voted PRESENT???????  What would a President Obama do in the White House on the great issues of our time - sit on the fence AGAIN????

OMG!!

Billary the Monolithic...

MSNBC, is going to "Clarify" how sweet.  Please allow me just a little bit of assistance!!

Mark, try not to speak... The MSNBC political agenda is not going to be realized... You're buddy Chris Matthews, already knows and has conceded... So I humbly recommend that you, and the rest, of the distortionist, at MSNBC, jump off the Obama band wagon, and *just report the news*.... No it is not "muddled" you folks at MSNBC, are, and have been muddled.  

Just report the news now.. and accept your defeat, gracefully MSNBC did make a "Herculean" effort to color and change the election for Obama.  

Not to take anything away from Obama, he is decent chap but the Republicans will grind his bones to make their bread.  Everyone is starting to see this now, so your ploy to try and keep it an interesting and tightly contested race... Has lost it's steam.  I enjoyed it too, but, I am not blind or stupid.  The writing is on the wall for all who want to read it... For those who don't that's fine, it's a free country despite the news organizations being little more than political agenda organizations.

No need to clarify, Billary won. There will be fight in South Carolina, and maybe the Obamaites will carry the day, but it's only for political drama... On Super Tuesday, Hillary will win, and Billary will go on to win the nomination...  One has to give Bill his due, he is far smarter than all of you at MSNBC, in politics.  You all appear as mere embryo's, compared to a blue whale in its prime.  The size or breadth differential, of depth, understanding, cunning, experience, practical know how, popularity, ingenuity, brilliance.... and more is of almost mythical proportions.

Bill Clinton is a juggernaut and he wants his wife to be President, and from every measure of the word it appears *she is capable.*  So it is time for MSNBC, to accept...  That is acceptance to the idea of... change the things "you" can.. accept the things "you" cannot.. and the wisdom to know the difference...  They've beat you, no need to try and clarify, I, and many others, don't need clarification between an embryo and a political monolith "blue whale."  This Moby Dick, verses a minnow don't need no explaining...Mark.

Get out of the way "Change" is coming... Whether you like this particular brand of change or not, matters little, game over, the king is dead, all hail the king...

Think for yourself!

BTW, is a softer Hillary a new brand of toilet paper?

It really shouldn't be a close call between Hillary and Obama. She has the record to prove she will get
the job done. He only say's he can. It takes experience to run a country. He has 3 years, she has 35! When it comes to anything that is important why would you even consider inexperience? The man clearly needs to learn more before he sits in the oval office,
Do some good in the world and get some EXPERIENCE. Hillary will take care of us while you do.

Jay - Please get educated.  Obama writes most of his own speeches; he is also known for doing more off the cuff, ad lib than any major candidate to run in modern history, and you see that spontenaity in   both the honesty and the occasional wit which appears in his speeches and debate answers.  He doesn't can answers like other politicians, and it shows.  He has a certain style of writing, and it's unmistakable; like any modern President or viable candidate for the Presidency, he does have indeed have some speechwriters, but a greater majority of his speeches are his than any of the major candidates on the Democratic OR Republican side this year.  I wonder now that you know you were mistaken about Obama whether you will continue to underestimate his capacity in other regards.  

Wow... He mentioned MLK 3 times in that speech , and ripped off most of MLK words, does he really think people see him as another MLK... Sorry Mr. Obama, I met Martin Luther King, and you sir, are NO Martin Luther King.
Jordan Clinton (Sent Sunday, January 20, 2008 3:13 PM)

___________________________

Jordan--- Your original....And apparently lacking of any inspiration...No wonder you support Hillary

I see the Obama fans are extra ornery today – not surprising considering Hillary’s victory in Nevada yesterday.  Look how many Culinary union workers defied their union’s endorsement of Obama and voted (publicly) for Hillary!  Sweet!!

Also look at the exit polls – there were tons of new voters, most of them women and they voted for Hillary.  Same thing happened in New Hampshire.

So, it’s not Obama bringing in the new voters – it’s Hillary.  And these new voters will be the key to her victory in November!

You’re likable enough Barack……….

I am pretty sure Obama's eloquent speech wasn't written by him at all. He pays professional speech writers large $$$ to make his speeches fiery and eloquent and to make sure they push peoples buttons. OBama will win South Carolina by a small margin, lose huge in the Big Primaries on February 5th and , if he is very lucky, Hillary will ask him to be her Vice-President on the Dem ticket.
OBama is a nice man, but he is not ready to become president.
Jay Link, Chicago, IL (Sent Sunday, January 20, 2008 3:06 PM

Jay- if after reading that speech, the best you can come with is 'a speechwriter must have wrote it'- sir, I implore u to read the speech again.  And again And again- until it's purpose and message ring through.  Until u have no choice but to say- I may not support his candidacy, but his message is 'case in point'.

Shadow, I am extremely educated and I am from a very political Illinois family. I dare you to prove that Obama wrote every word of his speech, I am positive he didn't. I presume you think because of Obama's flowery speeches, he will make an excellent president. I see Obama for who he really is.

I see the Obama fans are extra ornery today – not surprising considering Hillary’s victory in Nevada yesterday.  Look how many Culinary union workers defied their union’s endorsement of Obama and voted (publicly) for Hillary!  Sweet!!

Also look at the exit polls – there were tons of new voters, most of them women and they voted for Hillary.  Same thing happened in New Hampshire.

So, it’s not Obama bringing in the new voters – it’s Hillary.  And these new voters will be the key to her victory in November!

You’re likable enough Barack……….

csh, IL (Sent Sunday, January 20, 2008 3:27 PM)

_________________________

VICTORY....Is that the way YOU see it....I don't think any one is two comfortable right now...

MLC, please don't put words into my mouth, Is there any comment in my post that indicate I support Hillary?
I think you take much for granted, as an Obama follower.

LOL!
I just love it how Obama's fans are so pissy today. If Rev. Butts was endorsing Obama they would be all over it, making sure everyone heard it.
You are so sad!!!! much to the dismay of your candidate.

Pandering.

I have no problem supporting and voting for Obama. He has, as all candidates do, evolved during this campaigning process but has also stayed true to himself and his message is virtually unchanged. I do not see this in Hillary who changes depending on which state she is in - nice in Iowa, found her voice and tears in New Hampshire, attack dog in Nevada, etc. Her integrity has been in question for me since 1998 when she stood by a philandering and demoralizing husband simply for political gain. I think that as a woman, I would have found her stronger and more genuine if she had divorced Bill after the presidency was over. Divorce is not a political death knell anymore, but having oral sex, cigar sex, impeachement and lying really should be. The fairy tale is that they (especially Bill) want to act like his scandals did not occur and did not upset ppl in the base like me.

I agree Jeff, I too think Hillary will have a difficult time winning the general election. The Republicans really want her to win the nomination, what does that tell you? They have the old dirt and prolly a little new dirt too. I am a Democrat - have voted Democrat since registering in 1992, but am not a Clinton fan - she is too shrill, too tainted by the husband and too power hungry.

"does Abyssinian church have african or african-american significance?? read this about the church"

I work with the church and Cal Butts.  The Abyssinian Baptist Church is perhaps the most influential in the black community throughout NYC. It is no surprise he supports Hillary, because she has been Senator, and done great things for NYC and New York, and he knows this.  Noty to mention that Bill's office is a short walk away.  this endorsement is perhaps her most important to keeping New York in her column.

Thank you Rev. Butts.

I would vote for Collin Powell, in a heartbeat, for VP, but not Obama! I would love to see a Hillary/Collin ticket...but he would have to be on our team and not the other team...
Hillary all the way....she is working her butt off to get the job done...not sure if anyone can outwork her
She has our vote!!

OMG!!

Analysis, Obama's Gaffs, 1,2,3,4...

I must say I was surprised to learn last night and today that Hillary Clinton did not win Nevada, that in fact Obama won...  Now I am beginning to understand better what Bill Clinton who may be inaugurated for a unprecedented (post WWII) 3rd term as president of the United States, was saying by using the word "fairy tale."  

God bless Obama and more power to him...  However when one takes a cross section of who voted for him in Nevada, it is becoming more clear, Obama is starting to look like a "one trick pony."  The corn fields of Iowa are not representative of the rest of the nation, outside of the "farm subsidy" state, his change this, change that, and change the other, is not resonating well... But in all truth "change" is not really the issue now, it has become somewhat passe.  Because the savvy consumers of politics, see other issues that have replaced the mantra of change and unity, to, politics as usual, and divisive political tactics.

Obama's naivety of politics and understanding of "real issues" is beginning to show, he is not so new anymore, and now he is being measured with a  more critical eye...  His blunders or gaffs have taken center stage, and a lot of the "politics of division," have there genesis inside and from his campaign.  

The race card of fairy tales and civil rights, was divisive, and Obama let it fester, he should have immediately come out and stopped it. The black political pundits and black politicians who seized on the above and distorted the words of the Clinton's.  Made a colossal  mistake. In their zeal, to try and use race as an enhancer, of the idea, that poor little Obama was being unfairly discriminated against because of his color, and the public sympathy they were hoping would galvanize support for Obama... Did quite the opposite, it back fired [1] and hurt his campaign, and it hurt Obama.  The short sightedness of "this will guarantee South Carolina," idea, has done tremendous damage to his campaign, and his future prospects of being the Democratic Nominee...

Instead of immediately coming out and saying this is wrong and the Clinton's were not smearing Obama because of color or aspirations, *he waited* to see if there was going to be significant political gain.  In doing so he appeared divisive, not uniting, and to a certain degree it was "black" politics as usual...  The very thing that he and his campaign had worked so hard to distance themselves from....  "Polarization."  

The Democratic debate in Nevada, in which Obama was honest about a real flaw.  We all have them... but even in interview tactics 101, "everybody" knows the fundamental law is, sell your weakness as a strength. He did not do this, instead he self proclaimed in front of millions of viewers, that he was disorganized, and somewhat absent minded...   Giving the perception that his Executive skills are weak.... That he is a hands off type of guy who's purpose is to inspire, and not be bothered to much with the details.  This played right into the hands of the Clinton's and campaign, who had been saying and going to great lengths to portray him, as inefficient, and lacking judgment.  Obama's candid comment back fired [2]

Obama's pointing to Ronald Reagan as a leader and an agent of change, coupled with Republicans being the party of ideas for the last fifteen or twenty years, and slamming the Clinton administration record as the boring politics as usual.  Back fired [3]

Ronald Reagan, did change the "trajectory" of politics, but it was not the type of change most Democrats, liked or believed in.  The negatives in which RR trajectory of change for the middle class and ordinary working people, are well beyond the scope of a blog... But I will list a few...

Ronald Reagan's, trajectory of change took away...  health care for the elderly, raised college tuition dramatically, reduced student loans, and increased student loan disbursement fees in the hundreds of dollars, painted single welfare mothers as "welfare chiselers" and drunkards and said they were bankrupting the country, busted unions, gave massive tax cuts to the riches 1% of Americans, gave every penny he could suck out of the middle class and health care to defense contractors, dumped mentally ill patients out of hospitals and put them on the streets.... and there is lots lots more.  In short RR  was a good speaker, a great salesman, but a terrible President for working people...  And the ultimate "hands off" president whose only real talent was salesmanship.

Then the casino debacle, it also back fired [4] when the Culinary Union, put out a message in Spanish, that the Clinton's did not respect Hispanics and were trying to disenfranchise their voting rights.  Both Edwards and the Clinton's told him to pull the ad but he did not.... The Clinton's actually won six of the nine Casino's.  Small wonder considering Obama had in effect spoken highly of Ronald Reagan, who was an anathema to unions and middle class working Americans, just a couple of days before.  

Thank you poster for posting the content of Obamas speech here. I have been trying to find it on TV and on the internet today. I am moved to tears just reading it, genuine tears that we are so blessed to have such a human being in our times. I am voting for him unabashedly as a white woman, and I do think he may be too good for presidential politics. The Clintons and the Republicans simply pale by comparison

Just in to the news room, Yogie Bear has just endorsed

Hey Jordan, it was MLKs church in honor of MLKs bday, are you really that obtuse?

I am very disappointed in  the Rev. Calvin Butts.   You would think after all of the shamful attacks the Clintons  have made on an Outstanding African role model, he would stay neutral at best.   I wonder what the Clintons offered him for all of the adulation.  The shameful way Bill Clinton as an ex-President  is using his role.  Wow.   Unbelievable.  Even Bush senior did not take an active role in his son's campaign.   Jimmy Carter is not taking a front and center role, even though he endorsed Clinton.      I hope that most of the voters in his church use their own minds.

I am sure Barack loved MLK and followed the struggle for Civil Rights while in Hawaii and Indeonesia with his white and Asian relatives.

As a registered Democrat and lifelong Lutheran church goer I never heard a minister in the churches I attended ever suggest who I should vote for, let alone stand out on the street and endorse a candidate, in this case the Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts endorsing Hillary Clinton.  This goes way beyond the job description.  The clergy are spiritual guiders, laying the groundwork for followers to make their own decisions at the ballot boxes.  So is there now  a debt to pay in a country that is supposed to separate church and state?

Cshm Il - love you baby!  I have read your posts in the past and you are s00000000 right.

Hilary will be a great president so get over it
superficial Obama supporters, he is just another black man running for president now due to his own
doing.  Jessie Jackson ran in 1984 and also 1988 and I think he did win around 12-13 primaries but he never made it to the White House- Thank goodness! I can only imagine what this country would have been like under that hot headed, irrational black man.
Obama won't make it there either. He in reality is a dirty underhanded politician who belongs to a black "racist" church that supports Louis Farrakhan, not to mention his illegal activities with Tony Rezco when he was in the Illinois State Senate.  Sorry guys but he ain't gonna make it.

OBAMA was a formidable vote-getter in NV. There are 17 counties in NV and Obama won in 11 of them. In 7 of the 11 counties that Obama won, he won more than 50% of the county vote.

Hillary's lead was less than 600 votes. That is not much of a win.

OBAMA demonstrated voting support all over the state of NV. That is why he won more DEM NV delegates.

The 'tragedy' of Obama:  I am an indepedent but have decided to vote for the democratic party nominee whether it be Obama or Hillary.  I have deep and sincere admiration for Obama and recognize the sincerity with which he speaks and the dreams he inspires and makes afforable to us.  He did not want race to be injected into this race for the very environment we are now in: a factional party based on race.  The African-American community is conflicted for sound reason.  Obama really represents hope to them that anything is possible, a priceless dream that can become real.  So a vote for him is a vote for the future of the black race.  On the other hand, a vote for him can be viewed as racially motivated which is want MLK did not want.  A very tricky position.  As an Indian, the only analogy I can offer is that of the current Governor of Lousianna who is Bobby Jindall and ethnically Indian.  I would not have voted for him just because we are of the same race or based on personality but but because he had the experience to lead and govern.   Regards,  rp  

Two excellent democratic senators are vying for the nomination leading to the 2008 presidential elections, as much as I like Obama's fine speeches and youth, I have to go with Hillary's proven track record and experience. Obama seemed to be polarising the US Democrats, something that never happened before.

Cshm Il - love you baby!  I have read your posts in the past and you are s00000000 right.

Hilary will be a great president so get over it
superficial Obama supporters, he is just another black man running for president now due to his own
doing.  Jessie Jackson ran in 1984 and also 1988 and I think he did win around 12-13 primaries but he never made it to the White House- Thank goodness! I can only imagine what this country would have been like under that hot headed, irrational black man.
Obama won't make it there either. He in reality is a dirty underhanded politician who belongs to a black "racist" church that supports Louis Farrakhan, not to mention his illegal activities with Tony Rezco when he was in the Illinois State Senate.  Sorry guys but he ain't gonna make it.
Betty, S..C. (Sent Sunday, January 20, 2008 4:30 PM)

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Please stay humble..It's not atrractive...Things can change so quickly... This is a close race...Keep that in mine

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