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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 Political Researcher



Hillary, 'full speed ahead'?

Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 12:59 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: ,

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Hillary Clinton relied on a host of racing analogies this morning as she visited the famed Indy Motor Speedway on a day that could decide the fate of her bid for the nomination.

Clinton came to the Indianapolis landmark to visit with Indy car driver Sara Fisher, a native Hoosier, who said she cast her vote for the New York senator.

"We need to get on track in America, and head toward the finish line to change this country," Clinton said when asked what her election day message is. "There's a good driving analogy. If you want to move forward you put it in D. If you want to move back you put it in R."

Fisher quickly interjected that her car doesn't go in reverse.

"That's right. Full speed ahead the whole time," Clinton said.

Asked for a definitive answer about whether she'd stay in the race beyond today, she threw up a caution flag.

"I'm looking forward to find out what happens," she said. "I'm always interested in finding out what voters actually think, because there's all kind of speculation. It'd be like predicting who's going to win the Indy 500 before it's even started. We don't know. People prepare; they work hard; they do their best. Life is unpredictable; racing's unpredictable. Politics is unpredictable. So I'm just going to see what the voters have to say."

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"So I'm just going to see what the voters have to say."

I beleive the voters are going to tell you to go home.


Mcain is the only one ok.
hillary and obama are not the big christians they clame to be if they belive in abortion. it says its bad in the bible...and look at all the crap obamas pastor has said....HELLO. Wake up america and stop joning the group and vote for what is right!
Lets just hope that Clinton doesn't pick, endorse, or bet on female race car driver Danica Patrick to win her next race. The last time Clinton picked a filly in a race, the poor horse died! Undoubtedly, Danica Patrick is praying that Clinton doesn't pass on the Clinton Curse by picking her to win her next race.
since the democratic nominee has been selected,can first read bring back the economic section?
Does she believe that race cars have automatic transmissions?

Wow, that is really blue collar. She is a fraud.

I wonder if she actually drives? I have never seen her drive.

With $109 million dollars she probably doesn't.
That sounds like a "I might be getting out of the race soon" - could it be???

YES WE CAN!
Reckless driving results in fatalities.
Hey Hillary...remember these predications...

1.This race will be over on Feb 5th - WRONG!

2.I will not lose the nomination - WRONG!


Here is my predication....You are finished!!

It's time to turn the page...go Obama

Y
Ick.  She makes me ill.

No discussion of gasoline useage there today, I will bet.

Please, Indiana:  Send Hillary Home Today.
What next Parnelli Clinton ?  Somebody tell the Filly that to steal this election would be a wee bit silly. I think everybody should listen to what Keith Obermann said about the metrics of this election , according to the Clinton Campaign.  
since the democratic nominee has been selected,can first read bring back the economic section?
On an earlier blog, "Paul" wrote:

"Gary Shrago in piedmont, ca,

Please tell me what Billy Graham ever said that was blatantly anti-semitic? you clearly have not heard the man ever speak. He only preaches Christ and Him crucified and if that offends anyone, be they Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, etc., then so be it. But he hasn't preached anything remotely anti-semitic."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1850077.stm
I have a daughter that lives in Gary, IN and when I called her this morning to ask her if she voted, she told me there was standing room only at the polls this morning at her polling place... I consider that good news for Obama, seeing that My daughter lives in a prodominently black neighborhood... He has to worry about the rest of the state because The Gary IN area is Obama Territory....

Vote Obama
There goes Hillary again, talking about race.
" We don't know. People prepare; they work hard; they do their best. Life is unpredictable; racing's unpredictable. Politics is unpredictable. So I'm just going to see what the voters have to say."

-Hillary Clinton

Is Hillary finally facing the facts that it is time for her to concede?

Oh Dear G-D In Heaven! This is music to my ears!

If it is Your Will, let it be so. Amen.

Gawd she's such a panderer. She won't do a thing for the American people if she gets elected. I never thought this was possible, but I actually dislike Hillary more than I do George W. Bush.
Maybe she should lay off the analogies since the Kentucky Derby didn't work out so well for her.


OBAMA, 2008!
Racing terms???....how about that big oil slick of a campaign she's been running?
Too bad MS Fischer doesn't vote as well as she drives. Billary spoke like a real politician: Let's see which way the wind blows and then I'll tell you which way I'm blowing....  

Go OBAMA!!!!

You'd think she dould have learned from her "Put a little money on the filly" comment last week in Louisville before the derby.

Her suggested horse, Eight Belles, the only female in the race runs a close race on the banks of the Ohio river but still comes up short finishing second to a horse from the extreme outside (post) named Big Brown.  And then running out after the race, the filly breaks both ankles and has to be humanely destroyed on the track.  

Maybe the worst political omen....ever.
careful with analogies, Hill, that whole Kentuky Derby connection didn't work out so well
This race is a long way from over, and Hillary is going for the checkered flag!
HILLARY CLINTON really is having an effect on GAS PRICES. Her inflammatory talk about war with Iran continues to INCREASE OIL PRICES. Over $120.00 today.
It's amazing to me that Hillary paints herself like the 'average American'.  Drinking beer.  Doing shots.  Checking out the Indy 500.

She and Bill are worth more than $100 million (that we know of) and my guess is that they wipe their a**es with $100 bills when they are at home.

Wake up people.  The Clintons are not 'one of us'.

http://thepajamapundit.com/
People are saying that MSNBC has stated on the air that HRC has already won Indiana but cannot say by how much due to rules. Was this done?  If so - expect a call from the FCC as that is illegal.
HILLARY, 'FULL SPEED AHEAD'?

Hmm Hmm. But her last comments, in this article, dispell the smoke. She's lost her voice, her money, and too many contests. Fighting on, just for the sake of it is not going to happen. She sounds like she's already conceding.

Hillary is done. She's just admitted it.
Here are the characteristics that I want in a President.

* Honesty -- I can handle the truth no matter how bad, much better than I can handle being lied to.
* Intelligence -- smart enough to listen to ALL sides of an issue before making an intelligent decision.
* Wisdom -- the insight to know when to change course when appropriate. Sometimes changing positions on an issue based on new facts is not a "flip-flop" but rather the right thing to do.
* Tolerance -- not pandering, but tolerance of those who are different.
* Diplomacy. I want us talking to EVERYONE on the planet (at different levels). The "with us or against us" philosophy has not made the world any safer, but rather more volatile.
* The ability to recognize and recruit the appropriate talent to run each of the various federal agencies, and not fill these posts with hacks who are determined to dismantle or eviscerate them.

And lastly, poise. I want someone who will not embarrass this country while being it's representative, unlike the last 7+ years of the cowboy, frat house, cheerleader who is mocked (rightly) by the rest of the world. I don't care if s/he drinks beer or wine or boilermakers, but they better know which spoon to use at state dinners. So yes, a little bit of elitism will be a very welcome trait.  

This time, let's elect someone who better resembles "Cary Grant" in manners than "Lou Costello".
Did she talk about her experiences as a race car driver when she was growing up?  Sorry, couldn't resist.
"So I am just going to see what the voters have to say",

Well Hillary, if you lose both NC and IN, will that become crystal clear to you, that you will NOT be the nominee? That the majority of the voters made their voice heard, their choices heard? Will you then drop out of this race, with some dignity and respect?  
Or are you still going to have a down right dirty fight all the way to the convention?

Yea..I'll bet you won't just be graceful enough to let it go......

My family who lives in Indiana, all 25+ have already been at the polls and have voted for Obama...
OK, who IS Hillary?  blue collar, Welsley graduate, $109 million dollar baby, beer slugger, (oh she doesn't drink according to White House aids) or race car driver.  We know she will be anybody or say anything to get Bill back into the White House. Gas tax is nothing more than pandering.  $1,000 stimulas into your bank account is Obamas' plan.  ORRRR $28 savings for the summer. ---Let me think!!!
Ok Mr. Todd, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Gregory, Mr. Scarborough, Mr. Oberman. When are you people going to report that as WND has reported, business mogul Peter Franklin Paul claims Bill Clinton destroyed his entertainment company, Stan Lee Media, to get out of a $17 million deal in which the former president promised to promote the firm in exchange for Paul's massive contributions to Sen. Clinton's 2000 campaign?

When are you going to report that earlier this year the trial date was postponed again by  Judge Aurelio N. Munoz in February 08? Is anyone in the media going to even say a word about this or do we have to wait until the genereal election, if Clinton snakes the nomination out of the Super Delegates, for the Republican Party to shoot her down with it? Rev Wright is a boy scout story compared with this story. Are you all on Clinton's payroll? With 109 Million at their disposal I'm sure they can afford to bribe all of you to keep your mouths shut.

I'm sure you won't post this, and thats ok. With the internet it's just a matter of time until we won't be listening to all of your slanted rhetoric.

I can't believe that Chris Matthews is more balanced in his reporting on Fox News than you guys are on MSNBC.
I live 2 blocks from the campus of Notre Dame university- a diverse neighborhood of highly educated academics along with lower income families, the majority African-American.  This neighborhood is right in Obama's wheelhouse- a definite rarity in Indiana. My 5 year old son and I just voted 10 minutes ago. I have serious doubts that the rural white vote will see past the shameless pandering of Hillary or the equally shameless efforts of the media to keep this race going, but at least I had the opportunity to pull the lever for something I believe in rather than "the lesser of 2 evils".  I can only hope that my son, an "Obamaton" all the way, will grow up in a nation that is finally ready to change.
OBAMA '08
I just took The Bush-McCain Challenge -- an online quiz to see if you can tell the difference between George W. Bush and John McCain. Check it out, and see if you can do any better than I did!

http://Bush-McCainChallenge.com/?rc=challenge-friends&r_id=12584-8565570-afbDfD
good for you Hillary!! How lucky we are to have some one so down to earth and not so full of themselves.BTW why is Obama bringing out his kids now all the time. Could it be he thinks us up tight whites cling to our kids? Yes we do but your paradeing yours is not good. It reminds me of them sitting listening to Wrights hate all there lives. sad.Hillary bring home that black and white flag for us.
I'm sorry, but this is so cookie cutter !  We really do need change, don't we America ?!? Go Obama !!!!
I donated to the Obama campaign for the first time in my life!  And I'm a 50 year old, high school graduate, white woman!  So much for polls.
Well the tone of this certainly suggests that she might be shifting gears.
OK you spinning, fake pundits. (You know who you are, if you have not completly lost your souls), how's your horse race now?

The filly has just quit! Unlike the valiant Eight Belles, Hillary does'nt have it in her to bravely come from behind. That marvelous horse had guts, faith, stamina, heart, and talent that Hillary has never, ever had, knows nothing of, and will never understand.  
Hurray for Hillary and hurray for the Deomocrats!
CAREFUL!  Look what happened the last time she started throwing out analogies!
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens, too.  I think it will take two losses today to knock Hillary out today. I think Superdelegate endorsements are going to pick up tomorrow no matter what.

When all is said and done tonight, I expect Obama to pick up more delegates than Hillary.  This should be the death knell for Hillary's campaign, but I don't think it will be unless she actually loses both states.  She's putting a high importance on every measure of this race except the one that counts: delegates!
Clinton alphabet...

F=fake

R=repugnant
I say stay in it Hill...
The boys club and pro Obama media freaks are foolish to put any "Hope" in a fool of a candidate>Obama and no one else took his name off the ballot in Michigan
that is just bad politics....between that rev.Wright,
terrorist,and and his stuttering when not reading  other peoples words....For the first time in my life I will go Republican.And to you Msnbc,You are the worst of the Obama slobbering you are not worthy of saying what you report is news.Because I am a Hillary supporter a number of mine as well as other's do not get posted,but just know "You can kiss my ASS!!!
"So I'm just going to see what the voters have to say."

Does Hillary know what a black flag in racing means? She's about to see one!
I say stay in it Hill...
The boys club and pro Obama media freaks are foolish to put any "Hope" in a fool of a candidate>Obama and no one else took his name off the ballot in Michigan
that is just bad politics....between that rev.Wright,
terrorist,and and his stuttering when not reading  other peoples words....For the first time in my life I will go Republican.And to you Msnbc,You are the worst of the Obama slobbering you are not worthy of saying what you report is news.Because I am a Hillary supporter a number of mine as well as other's do not get posted,but just know "You can kiss my ASS!!!
I say stay in it Hill...
The boys club and pro Obama media freaks are foolish to put any "Hope" in a fool of a candidate>Obama and no one else took his name off the ballot in Michigan
that is just bad politics....between that rev.Wright,
terrorist,and and his stuttering when not reading  other peoples words....For the first time in my life I will go Republican.And to you Msnbc,You are the worst of the Obama slobbering you are not worthy of saying what you report is news.Because I am a Hillary supporter a number of mine as well as other's do not get posted,but just know "You can kiss my ASS!!!
I say stay in it Hill...
The boys club and pro Obama media freaks are foolish to put any "Hope" in a fool of a candidate>Obama and no one else took his name off the ballot in Michigan
that is just bad politics....between that rev.Wright,
terrorist,and and his stuttering when not reading  other peoples words....For the first time in my life I will go Republican.And to you Msnbc,You are the worst of the Obama slobbering you are not worthy of saying what you report is news.Because I am a Hillary supporter a number of mine as well as other's do not get posted,but just know "You can kiss my ASS!!!
How can Hillary change the country if all she does is divide and polarize the American people? Hillary's disgusting campaign tactics have caused her to lose respect and credibility in her own Democratic party. It's clear that Hillary is still in this race for herself and not for the country.
you go girl---------  The one we need to bring dignity and justice to this country.The fighter that wont stop halfway through the race but will rev it up. Your looking good Hillary and Obama is slumping .Way to go!!We are so proud to have you for us.


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