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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



Obama camp spin

Posted: Monday, March 24, 2008 12:11 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
Trying to set the tone of the day again, the Obama campaign held a morning conference call to push back against Clinton's speech this morning on leadership in the economy.

Campaign manager David Plouffe claimed that Clinton couldn't change the system, when she was "wallowing" in special interest influence and money. He cited issue break-out sessions lobbyists had paid to attend with Clinton as well as ties to the financial industry, which he claimed would make it difficult for her to provide real reform.

Looking more broadly at the state of the race and the delegate count, Plouffe claimed that the Clinton campaign tried to create a new rationale every day for how the nominee should be selected. "Next, it will be that only states starting with 'N' should count" toward picking the nominee, Plouffe said.

He also acknowledged, after prodding, that Gen. McPeak's comments, which compared Bill Clinton to Joe McCarthy, didn't have a place in the race, but adamantly insisted that the Clinton campaign had a habit of making inappropriate comments and then saying their meaning was misinterpreted.

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Obama spreads hate not hope.

Chris Matthews had the audacity to say Hillary and Bill Clinton were responsible for the 4000 dead soldiers in Iraq on Morning Joe. This is the most biased network of all including FOX.
Since when did Chuck Todd become a surrogate for the Obama Campaign, he certainly sounded like one this morning on MSNBC. He denigrated the Hillary Clinton campaign for pointing out how well she has done in battle ground states; thus, she would be a better candidate against McCain in November!

If I don’t see a marked improvement in his political reporting soon, I will switch to CNN for my news.

James Snowden
Sgt major (ret)
I'am still looking for the name of the book Obama wrote ,about his past usage of cocaine. Does anyone know what the name of it is ?

Max Walters, Hickory,N.C.

The name of book is "Dreams of Father"


Max read Chapter 9. In it speaks then of his disapproval of things Rev Wright says. This was long before his pastor's sermon was/is rentlessly played everyday, all day.
Next watch the whole video instead of snippets given by a typical white person saying the same thing.
If you live in PA, educate your self about her NAFTA stance.



Can't people see just like some in Ohio saw after they learned the truth about NAFTA? Some of the wish they voted for her NOW.

Don't trust her, she is polarizing, a race baiter, a unconcerned liar; but most of all she is a nightmare that won't go away.

The Obama Campaign doesn't need lobbyist donations.  As log as I keep donating to there campaign.

I'm unemployed and homeless.  I will give all I have to keep our "Skywalker" from succumbing to the Empire and their Empress.

"The force is strong in this one" this time.
You obama worshippers, its just a matter of time when you will see a huge humiliating defeat in the primary of the state where the declaration for AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE was drafted. If winning mostly red states (lets call it as it is) is all you guys got to brag about, all i have to say is just keep doing what you are best at (like drinking Kool-Aid and hating America). whats obama doing when the economy is going south, drinking kool-Aid in Caribbean islands. What a great american.

Although I am horribly tired of this whole campaign I find myself addicted to reading these blogs and respponding in kind. i can not wait for it to be over. I want Obama to take it, but I am also preparing for the 9th inning shocker by Hillary. She has staked her fortune on this Presidency and will stop at nothing to see that it is hers and noone elses.
What really shocks me is the way that people just follow her like she is the 2nd coming. All her folowers completely overlook her shortcomings and want her in the office in the worst way.
Than people call blacks racist for supporting him when overwhelmingly women support her. would you trust Barack even less if people of his race were not behind him in significant numbers. There is always a demographic that will back a candidate whether it is for good reasons or just something superficial like race or religion.
I also agree with the post that said white women who support Clinton will be so upset to have an attractive black male take what they feel is their right to shatter that elusive glass ceiling. well I have a word of advice for all of them. Hillary becoming President will no more help the plight of the working woman than barack's presidency lifting all the black people out of the ghetto. Women have far more challenges in corporate America than a woman prez.can fix. We still heve to contend with the fact that we biologically have the children and that sets us baack in corporate Amercica b/c we can not commit the time needed during our child bearing years that men can. and if we forego children to pursue career we are looked at not as career oriented, but as shrews who are undesirable and unamrriable. And that does not fit into corporate power structure either.
Now what is nice is that we have a progressive male that is seeking the WH who will do more to help shatter the glass ceiling than Hillary and her power quest.
The worst thing we can do in this country is elect another predestined for the presidency candidate. We see how well it worked out with Bush. Not to mention a Pres is more likely to be for the people when he/she is actually voted for by the people.
I used to like Hillarity, but I have to admit she does seem to have an air of entitlement about running for President, and her arrogant campaign has reflected that.  All politicians lie, thats the nature of the beast.  The problem is, as many people hate Hillary as hate George W., so by electing her President, we continue with the divisiveness that has ripped this country up for the past 16 years.  Enough is enough!  I'm ready for America to move forward again.  Our country is in shambles, and if you Americans have any integrity and intelligence than you will reject "party politics" and for once vote for the good of your country. You chose not to do that in 2004, re-electing a President that pre-emptively invaded another country for a personal vendetta; one that is so out of touch with how the rank and file Americans live (do any of you believe George W. ever had to worry about money?) that he has no concept of it. Don't you want to feel proud of America again?  Or on some self-hating subconscious level, do you choose economic chaos, abysmal education system, unresponsive FEMA, open borders,  endless war, spiraling health care costs, growing unemployment, outsourcing jobs, loss of manufacturing, and a Vice President who when told that 74% of the American people are against the war said, "So? I don't care."
YOU SHOULD ALL BE SO PROUD OF YOURSELVES!
Wow, the hate spewing on First Read is crystal clear. The Hillary folk are realizing with each passing day that the upstart kid from Hawaii, via Chi-Town, is actually going to win the nomination. Oh well, I guess the entitlement argument of Billary has gotten the traction they hoped it would. NEXT.
Being a FORMER Clinton supporter, I truly wish those that still hang on would take a good hard look at what's right before your eyes. Everyone that thought the Clinton's were selfless and sincere has been hood-winked.  They are acting like spoiled children that will stop at nothing if they can't get their way. Yes, there has been plenty of mud coming from all directions but take a look at who constructed that mud hole and you may be just as disillusioned as many others of us who thought better of them. I, for one, will not vote if she somehow uses her own spin of "Bush tactics" to snare the nomination.
Hey Hillary here is something you can do for the American People! Get out the race! You voted for a war that has gotten 4000 US military killed and is costing 12billion a month. Neither of which we will ever have back. Oh buy the way you have lied about your support NAFTA and your National Security Experance. If you love america like your husband say you do than get out of the race.
In response to: OBAMA'S CAMP IS FULL OF HATE. Just when Clinton is trying to help, or do something good. THERE GOES THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN MESSING THINGS UP
John in la (Sent Monday, March 24, 2008 12:22 PM)

The Clintons can say what they want to Obama, they can do what they want to him (all in a negative way) and it is okay. However, when Obama strikes back he is wrong. I am a democratic and if they the super delegates give the nomination to Hilary and she have not met the conditions I will vote for John McCain. It is wrong. Hilary's and company brought race and hatred in to this campaigned but yet her supporters fault Obama. The whole thing is just sad. We are quickly destroying the Democratic Party. I don’t see it healed by November. I think we will lose a race of people and a generation of people if we don’t stop the negative campaign.
Today, Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times released the names of Obama’s presidential National Finance Committee;  Ms. Sweet has followed Obama throughout his very short political life, in Chicago and Washington.  Obama finally gave in and gave the information.  She remported "His 2004 senate committee included Tony Rezko--on trial on public corruption charges-- and his wife, Rita."  You can read the report and see the list of names in the Chicago Sun Times on-line newspaper.  
Funny all you people said rev wright is a racist but he never made one racist comment. When did white people become "The Government" he was talking about government not white people.Hell white, mexican and asian ministers take shots at the establishment & government.Also please listen to the entire sermon or at least more than a sound bite,But you have these old folks white and black that keep this race thing going.All you old folks need to die and take your racism with you. so a new generation can live in peace.You older people (50+) entire time on this planet has been a waste.( not all old people, just some ignorant people). Don Imus called Dick Chenney a war criminal. At base the same thing Rev. Wright said about the government. But wait Mccain was on his show 30 minutes later. So America whats the deal you guys are so easy to railroad.
Well, what would the Clinton camp do next.  She is extremely dishonest, divisive, and down right disgusting.  I am tired of the Clintons and would not be able to bear them in the White House for another 4, possible 8 years.  Are you kidding me.  She is trying to "burn the house down" just to win.  What in the world are the Democratic leadership doing to prevent themselves from losing the election to McCain.  I am tired of Bill, Hillary, Carville, and Penn trying to spin things out of control everyday.  Obama is the "legitimate" candidate in these final days of the primary seasons.  For God sake, please bring this to an end.  
I am waiting to hear the truth about the hate sermon of the new Obama preacher. The church he will not leave. And I want to hear more about the Obama person who was the one who looked at the passports after he insinuated it was the Hillary camp. Poor judgment and lies are on the Obama side. As well as unpatriotic.
To Shtuey:  Tell it like it is.  Great post.  And yes, we will take this to the convention.  It is not the first time that has happened.  Hillary will not step down.  The over 13.5 MILLION People who voted for her don't want her to.  Chicago Sun Times has released the name of Obama's Senate Contributors - - no surprize - - Tony and Rita Rezko.
We have the opportunity to elect a true statesman of great eloquence, common sense, intelligence, and diplomacy to be the President of our country.  Are we sure we want to sacrifice that opportunity to our hatred, bigotry and divisiveness?  Have we not had enough of that yet?
This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  Bill Clinton's remarks didn't question Obama's patriotism.  In fact, he could have been talking about Clinton and Obama, or he could have been projecting ahead to his wife's securing the nomination and talking about Clinton and McCain, but how they got the absurd nonsense some Obama supporters did from this statement is beyond me.  McPeak is clearly unstable, and so are some of these other nut cases.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PMG8a5Gm4ZY
I've been reading through all these blogs containing Obama bashing & even Chuck Todd bashing.  Let's not forget who CNN & Fox support.  Each candidate should have at least a news network that is unbiased & news
anchors who haven't worked for their administration.
MSNBC has picked up the slack for Obama after the noticeable favoritism shown to Hillary & the obvious
tilt towards McCain on Fox.  I myself have switched to
MSNBC after watching CNN from the beginning of this primary season due to the unfair advantage shown to Clinton.  I have also noticed that Clinton supporters use much stronger, devisive language than do the Obama supporters who prefer to send the positive message of change & support each other in an uplifting
manner.  Kudos to MSNBC for reporting honestly & here's hoping that Chuck Todd will be Press Secretary!
Is anyone else tired of people claiming that the press is biased toward Obama? The truth is: most Americans are biased toward Obama; He is simply a better candidate. The press is just reporting truth. If you don't like your boat, jump into ours. Or, enjoy your ride.
Voting Hillary as the nominee...Now that's a real suicide pack for the democratic party.  Let's briefly sum up:
               Bush     McCain   Hillary   Obama
Voted for       yes      yes      yes       no
the Iraq War

Takes money     yes      yes      yes       no
from lobbyists

please feel free to add to this list...
Only in a truly corrupt political system would a presidential candidate tell us her campaign donors who created a financial crisis should be the ones appointed to fix that same crisis. That's precisely what's happening right now. As the Associated Press reports:

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton called on President Bush on Monday to appoint "an emergency working group on foreclosures" to recommend new ways to confront the nation's housing finance troubles. The New York senator said the panel should be led by financial experts such as Robert Rubin, who was treasury secretary in her husband's administration, and former Federal Reserve chairmen Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker.
So let me get this straight - people who created the current financial crisis like Alan Greenspan and Citigroup's Bob Rubin (the latter who raises big cash for Clinton) - these are the people we should trust to fix it? And even worse, we should trust Rubin - a guy who will personally profit from a government bailout - to be on the commission that would shape that bailout?
Has anyone else noted all the coverage for Bill Richardson endorsing Barack Obama but absolutely nothing about John Murtha's endorsement of Hillary Clinton?  Isn't this an important also?  What gives?????  As an undecided, how can I make a decision without all the necessary information?
I am a college educated woman who has been following the campaign since the start.  I read the daily print news and check CNN, MSNBC, Fox and ABC news websites every day.  Yet, I can't for the life of me tell you one single Obama position regarding an actual issue.  When are Americans going to stop following blindly a man who has no substance, no experience and no actual goals or visions for the county.  
He is a fabulous and charasmatic public speaker and someday perhaps he will make an excellent president. But not today.  With everything going on in this country and abroad, do we really want a president who looks good because he hasn't been around long enough to have baggage. Forget the fact that he is ultra liberal, or that he flip flops as much as the next candidate when the situation requires or that he wants to be president of a county his wife has never really been proud of until now, or that his spiritual advisor and mentor is racist and anti-american because he is from a past generation or that he condemns negative campaigning until he needs to swing mommentum.  How about the fact that this county is in the middle of an economic crisis, involved in a war that everyone wants out of but no one is really sure how to end, is losing an entire generation of young people to gangs, guns, lack of education and job opportunities and the gap between the haves and the have nots is getting wider while the middle class is squeezed out of existance.  

I for one want a leader who is ready to lead on day 1 and if Obama manages to "run out the clock" and keep out the votes from Michigan and Florida and enjoy the lead in the popular vote because the media has taken a "hands off" approach toward him, then for the first time in my 40 years, I (and my family) will be voting for a republican candidate.        
no the one is an advisor to Obama a lot different than just a contributer. SUCK IT  Get facts straight This a man former cia and large advisor on intellegance. Hows Obama doing with almost delegate.(Mayor of Detroit)Better mark that one off too Obama. Your name in his books too?? Just asking
with the economy where its at its quite obvious that the white house is being handed to the democrats with every ridiculus comment by republicans for another hunred years of war that has already cost nearly one half of a trillion dollars and thousands of american lives. why else do you think she (hillary) stoops so low.
Way to go Shtuey! I've always said I'll back whomever wins the dem nomination. NOT ANY MORE! and by the way Ploufee-you sound like my kids "Well, she hit me first"
with the economy where its at its quite obvious that the white house is being handed to the democrats with every ridiculus comment by republicans for another hunred years of war that has already cost nearly one half of a trillion dollars and thousands of american lives. why else do you think she (hillary) stoops so low.
What Bill said was ABSOLUTELY McCarthy-esque!  "We need candidates who 'love their country'" etc...  Gee, who could he POSSIBLY be talking about, and for what reason?!  C'mon.  It was totally inappropriate & offensive, like nearly everything else out of Bill's mouth this year.  Not that I have anything against him continuing to mouth off.  The more he does, the more sh*t falls out right onto Hillary's head.  What a great comment for a progressive: if you don't want to have to think about making progress in race relations, just vote for Hillary!

And Carville & his Judas comment just proves ONCE AGAIN that the Clintonistas think we OWE her the presidency.  "Ask not what your country can do for you..."


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