PRESIDENT OBAMA: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Last night, watching the results roll in, I spoke with a friend who commented that it feels like we are living within history. Record numbers of Americans have chosen to stand up, make their voices heard, and shape the destiny of this country. Enough with waiting for our luck to change. Enough with excuses, cynicism, and conspiracy theories. Millions of individuals are ready and willing to unite, to take a higher path, and to steer this country toward its ideals.

Now the challenge is getting to work. Where do we go from here?

As jubilant as I am, my one fear is that Americans will be content to celebrate this victory, and to wait for change to come to them. But we cannot rest. A cornerstone of this campaign is responsibility for our country. As Barack Obama has routinely stated, government cannot fix our problems for us:

"Because loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the 4th of July; loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it. And if you do stand up, I promise you that your life will be richer, and our country will be stronger.

We need your service, right now, in this moment - our moment - in history. I'm not going to tell you what your role should be; that's for you to discover. But I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history. I am asking you to change history's course."

Many Americans have already answered this call. If you actively serve in your community, now is the time to redouble your efforts. Find a friend or family member, and encourage them to do the volunteer with you. If you have never served, here are three easy, concrete ways to help:

Meals on Wheels

The Boys and Girls Club

The Wounded Warrior Project

If you are interested in volunteering in another capacity, Volunteer Match specializes in lining you up with thousands of community service projects across the country.

Ask yourself: Are you really too busy? Could you find even one hour each week? Could you involve your family and friends?

Who else is going to do it?

My favorite Barack Obama quote: "We are the people we've been waiting for."

Looking forward to this new era of promise, what steps will you take to make this country better?

OBAMA'S CLOSING ARGUMENT

Obama Wins Wyoming by 20 Points, Clintons Clamor for Joint Ticket

Congratulations to those volunteers in Wyoming who helped the Obama campaign to a 20 point victory Saturday!

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton echoed his wife's calls for a joint ticket Saturday, saying that a Clinton-Obama ticket would be "almost unstoppable." Quite the change of tune from just a couple weeks ago when the Clintons were saying that Obama should be ashamed of himself.

Why are the Clinton's suddenly making such a big fuss about a joint ticket after their wins in Ohio and Texas last Tuesday? If those two wins were so big, wouldn't they be more fervent than ever about attacking Obama? Not quite.

After Tuesdays results, and especially after today's Obama win in Wyoming, it is painfully clear to the Clinton campaign that a pledged delegate lead is next to impossible. At this point, the best they can hope for is a mass exodus of super-delegates from the Obama side to the Clinton side. They are hoping to encourage such change of hearts by harping about what a great joint ticket Clinton-Obama would be. Their hope is that if we end up with a brokered convention, then the powers-that-be will see the "wisdom" in having Clinton on the top of the ticket.

What they fail to see is that votes for Obama are votes against the same old politics that the Clintons represent. A Clinton-Obama ticket would disenfranchise the millions of voters who have been participating in the Obama campaign precisely because it represents a new direction in American politics. Likewise, if Obama were to choose Clinton as his running mate, it would undermine his calls for change.

The joint ticket conversation is a last ditch effort on the part of the Clintons to wheel and deal their way into the White House. Fortunately, pledged delegates and super delegates are already making their choice, and in record numbers: In 2008, change is the name of the game.

Michigan, Florida "Do-Over" Jeopardizes Democratic White House Hopes

Naturally, the Clintons are clamoring to have the Michigan and Florida delegates seated at the convention. The latest discussion surrounding the issue includes the potential for the state parties to hold "re-votes."

"Let's let all of the voters go again if they are willing to do it," Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday night on MSNBC. "Whatever we have to do to get people in the system, let's do it."

For the love of God, how has our Democracy become so warped that talk of "do-overs" enters the discourse? Is this a kindergarten tetherball game, or a presidential primary?

But wait, we're dealing with the Clintons, who are accustomed to having things their way. As Democratic party overlords, they expect the rules to be re-written for them. Without those delegates, Clinton's only chance of winning the election is to recapture hundreds of superdelegates who have turned their backs on her, pledging their support to Barack Obama.

While Obama certainly has the momentum and financial resources to wage successful campaigns in both states, at this juncture, any further delays in choosing a nominee only emboldens the opposition. For the sake of unity, and consistency, let's not waste time with "do-overs." New contests in Michigan and Florida likely wouldn't take place until June, giving the Republicans nearly two more months to prey on the indecisiveness of the Democratic party.

If the Clintons were winning, would we be hearing about "do-overs?"

Does it End Tonight?

This could prove to be the definitive night in the 2008 democratic primary season. The burden is on Hillary Clinton to deliver decisive victories in Texas and Ohio in order to maintain a chance at the nomination.

Curious how the Texas and Ohio primaries work? Click here.

For interviews with voters in key states, courtesy of NPR, click here.

Click here for live coverage from Reuters.

Results should begin rolling in within a couple hours. Stay tuned.

Hillary's Last Stand

Welcome to the start of a potentially historic week in U.S. politics. Top Democrats continue to pressure Clinton to drop out of the race if fails to win Texas and Ohio, fearing that a stubborn push could damage the party's chances in November.

Stay tuned!

The Aloha Spirit

Not to let Wisconsin steal the show, here is a dispatch from the Hawaii caucuses.

WE ARE THE PEOPLE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

One week ago, heading into Super Tuesday, few people could have predicted where the Obama campaign would stand today. The momentum has even taken even some campaign insiders by surprise. Barack Obama has won the last eight primaries. And he hasn't just won, he's won by incredible margins.

The results speak for themselves. We are experiencing a political groundswell, the likes of which only comes once a generation.

I must express my sincere gratitude to the supporters who are doing the hard work on the ground, canvassing, getting the word out door to door. While I blog from the comfort of my own home, I know that thousands of supporters brave the elements to help cleanse and restore our democracy by putting political power back where it belongs--in the hands of the people.

For the rest of us, let us be cautious not to let this overwhelming momentum lead to complacency. Challenges await. The Clintons are mounting a last stand, and are unafraid to go to court to unlock the Florida and Michigan delegate seats. In addition, a small but vocal group of racists persist in spreading opinions about Barack Obama that border on hate speech. For a taste of this, browse the comments from the last few BlogObama08 posts. As Obama's momentum gains, his detractors become more insideous.

After Super Tuesday, Barack Obama called on the help of those voters who are still on the fence, who have been trained to be cynical about presidential politics. I for one know that it can be tough, especially after the debacle in 2000, to believe in the power of democracy. It's all to easy to resign one's self to the idea that the entire game is rigged, that we have to wait around for change. But Obama expressed it best when he spoke: "We are the people we have been waiting for."

For anyone sitting on the fence, waiting for the moment to act, that moment is now. Let's make the final push. No more waiting. Phone a friend. Send an email. Do just one thing tomorrow to share your enthusiasm for Barack Obama. One person's hope can make all the difference.

In 21 states, it already has.

MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, D.C. VOTE TODAY!

UPDATE: Obama Wins Maine, Clinton Camp Changes Manager

Barack Obama is winning Maine by 18 points.

Hillary Clinton is switching her campaign manager from Patti Solis Doyle to longtime aide Maggie Williams. Seems a little late in the game for such a big shuffle, but you know what they say about desparate times.

John Edwards is meeting this week with both Clinton and Obama to discuss his endorsement. No choice has been made yet, but Edwards will likely choose the candidate who he feels best qualified to carry his campaign messages through to the general election. He obviously wants to play the role of Kingmaker. In this blogger's opinion, endorsing Clinton is incredibly risky, given her recent change in management.

Read more here.

Sweep!

Loisiana - 57%

Nebraksa - 68%

Washington - 68%

Virgin Islands - 90%

Momentum prevails as Barack Obama takes three states and the Virgin Islands on Saturday. I would like to take this moment to congratulate the residents of the Virgin Islands for their keen judgement on this matter.

Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, and the Virgin Islands Decide Today!

Barack Obama tests his momentum in three states and the Virgin Islands today, with 158 delegates at stake in a race that is too close to call. Both candidates have been campaigning hard since Super Tuesday, while the three states and the Virgin Islands enjoy some unexpected attention. Most people figured the race would be decided by now. But most people didn't count on Barack Obama giving the Clinton machine a run for its money, no pun intended.

While the Clintons had to tap into $5 million of their personal assets to fund their efforts, the Obama campaign raised more than $6 million from small donors in the first 24 hours following Super Tuesday. With the Republican nomination firmly in the hands of John McCain, voters will decide today who is ready to challenge Republicans for the White House.

No, it WASN'T a draw.

Most media outlets would have you believe that Super Tuesday was a draw, a tie or a dead heat. That's because they are only looking at what happened yesterday. I'm more interested in what didn't happen: Clinton didn't manage to beat Obama, even on a day when all of her stars seemed to be aligned.

Consider the two candidates. One started out with what may well have been an unprecedented level of name recognition, with tremendous early money and early campaign infrastructure, and -- most importantly -- with a primary schedule that was literally designed to hand her the nomination.

The other started out with little more than a bunch of charisma and a bunch of question marks: he was charming and smooth, and he could work a crowd, but did he have enough experience? Would he make a crucial mistake? And, of course, would people actually vote for a black man?

The fact that Obama managed to overcome Clinton's early advantages and match her delegate-for-delegate in the early going was impressive enough, but the early primaries and caucuses were spread out enough and highly-anticipated enough that Clinton's advertising and organizational advantages were somewhat nullified by free media coverage and high overall turnout. The small population of many of the states, as well as the greater amount of time between primaries, also allowed more voters to see Obama in person, which clearly was to his benefit.

But Super Tuesday was an entirely different animal. The outcome was expected to be determined by Clinton-friendly factors such as large ad-buys in expensive markets and large-scale get-out-the-vote efforts, rather than by Obama-friendly factors such as rallies and, of course, national media coverage of those rallies. Still, Clinton couldn't capitalize.

The fact that Obama managed to tie Clinton in both the early going, when her advantages were largest, and on Super Tuesday, which was all but designed to favor her advantages, bodes well for the future: Hillary's advantages are all but gone now, even as the questions about Obama have begun to fade into the background. Obama raised $32 million in the last fund-raising period, while Hillary only managed to raise $13.5 million; Hillary's campaign is so desperate for cash that she was forced to loan herself $5 million just to scrape together half of what Obama raised. Hillary's infrastructure advantage, if indeed she has one at this point, has been more than nullified by the sheer enthusiasm Obama generates among voters. And nobody expects Obama to make a mistake anymore, and they certainly can't question whether or not America would vote for him.

But the schedule is Obama's biggest advantage at this point, and not only because things will slow down considerably relative to Super Tuesday. Saturday's major events, in Washington and Louisiana, should both give Obama a boost. That will be especially important because by then the media will have worn out the "They tied!" storyline, and will be ready to pounce on a fresh, "Apparently, Obama won Super Tuesday after all!" storyline. And that bodes well heading into next Tuesday's events, which are more likely to go down to the wire.

California Count Highlights Obama's Challenges

The Super Tuesday winner changes depending on which campaign you ask. Both the Obama and Clinton campaigns claim the delegate lead, underscoring the lack of transparency in this arhaic primary process. After following the primaries for more than a month now, I'm still baffled at how every news organization can present a completely different delegate count.

What is clear is that it's anybody's race at this point. Both campaigns had their share of upsets and disappointments Tuesday, and in the end, they are neck and neck. If there is any advantage at this point, it would go to Obama, who seems better funded at this point, heading into what promises to be an expensive month ahead.

Despite Obama's runaway success in many states, there is much to learn from his losses, most notably, California. His ten-point defeat there is essentially a direct result of two major gaps in his campaign. He struggles to appeal to minorities other than African-Americans, and he struggles to appeal to working-class voters.

The disappointing turnout from the Latino and Asian-American vote seems counterintuitive. Obama should be able to leverage his status as the only minority candidate to garner support from Latinos and Asian-Americans, yet his refusal to make race an issue in this campaign has ultimately cost his minority votes.

Before anyone jumps down my throat, I'm not saying that Latinos and Asian-Americans will vote for him just because he's a minority. However, I do find it curious that his campaign message, which hinges on unity and hope and creating opportunity for all Americans, struggles to appeal to minorities. If nothing else, it underscores the complex racial mileu in America, one favors white candidates in more ways that is commonly understood. As a white candidate, Hillary Clinton can reach out to minority communities aggressively and without question. When Obama tries the same, he is branded as a "minority" candidate who can't appeal to white voters.

More troublesome is that in California, it wasn't even close. Latinos voted 2 to 1 for Clinton. Asian-Americans 3-1. I'll leave it to BlogObama readers to hash out why this is so, but ultimately, it's a mystery to me.

An even bigger issue for the Obama campaign s that voters earning less than $50,000 a year tend to lean Clinton. Does Obama's high-minded rhetoric alienate him from the American working class? Is Clinton leveraging her position on health care? How can Obama push those points of his message to communicate to the working-class American that he is the choice for them?

Super Tuesday has left me with more questions than answers, but in the end, this race is much closer than anyone would have expected nearly a year ago when Obama first declared his candidacy.

So, looking foward, how does the Obama campaign address these challenges?

UPSET: OBAMA WINS SUPER TUESDAY, CLAIMS DELEGATE LEAD!

When the dust settled on Super Tuesday, Barack Obama claimed the delegate lead 845-836!

YES WE CAN: 13 STATES VOTE OBAMA!

OBAMA: AL, AK, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MO, ND, UT

Barack Obama surpassed all expectations tonight, winning 13 states on Super Tuesday, including big wins in the south and in rural America. Winning in states across the nation, Obama proved himself capable of carrying the Democratic Party in the general election in every region of the country.

While Hillary Clinton did manage some big wins in Massachusets, New Jersey, and of course, California, it is important to note that 71% of California Democrats would still be satisfied with Barack Obama as their nominee.

The delegate picture will remain cloudy until tomorrow. For now, the one clear result of Super Tuesday is that the race for the Democratic nomination will grow even more heated in the coming weeks.

Congratulations to the fervent Obama supporters who contributed to 13 historic wins tonight. For those of you on the west coast, enjoy the continuing coverage. I'm going to hit the sack and tune in early tomorrow.

• Click here for live audio from NPR.
• Click here for live results from CNN.
• Click here for an interactive map of states voting on Super Tuesday.

CAROLINE KENNEDY: "A President Like My Father"

Op-Ed Contributor
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

January 27, 2008

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Caroline Kennedy is the author of “A Patriot’s Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love.”

SOUTH CAROLINA: LANDSLIDE!

• Watch live results coverage on C-SPAN
• Watch reactions from South Carolina voters
• View county by county results at Washington Post
• News and analysis at CNNPolitics.com
• News and analysis at MSNBC.com

Congratulations to those supporters whose grassroots efforts made the South Carolina campaign a success!

Record Turnout Expected in South Carolina

The following endorsement from The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper, was published January 22nd, 2008.

Obama most likely Democrat to unify America

The State editorial board's Democratic presidential primary endorsement

THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY in South Carolina this year offers voters an unusual choice. Earlier votes have winnowed out the most experienced candidates, leaving a field with fewer accomplishments and differences on policy, but including two candidates who come with the promise to make history just because of who they are.

Looking at the remaining field: Rep. Dennis Kucinich offers a bold plan on health care, but his platform is an odd fit for us and for many in South Carolina. John Edwards has morphed away from the optimist who won South Carolina in 2004. The candidate who stayed mostly above the fray four years ago is angry now, and pushing hard to turn working-class angst into political opportunity. He also has tried to one-up the other top Democrats with the least prudent plan for withdrawing from Iraq.

On positions from Iraq to health care, the policy differences between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama are minute. Much of the debate between them has involved making these molehills look mountainous or clashing over who-shifted-when.

The one most significant difference between them can be found in how they would approach the presidency - and how the nation might respond.
Hillary Clinton has been a policy wonk most of her life, a trait she has carried into the U.S. Senate. As her debate performances have shown, she has intelligence and a deep understanding of many issues. Her efforts in New York focused first on learning her adopted state’s issues in detail, and pursuing legislation that would not necessarily grab headlines.

But we also have a good idea what a Clinton presidency would look like. The restoration of the Clintons to the White House would trigger a new wave of all-out political warfare. That is not all Bill and Hillary’s fault - but it exists, whomever you blame, and cannot be ignored. Hillary Clinton doesn’t pretend that it won’t happen; she simply vows to persevere, in the hope that her side can win. Indeed, the Clintons’ joint career in public life seems oriented toward securing victory and personal vindication.

Sen. Obama’s campaign is an argument for a more unifying style of leadership. In a time of great partisanship, he is careful to talk about winning over independents and even Republicans. He is harsh on the failures of the current administration - and most of that critique well-deserved. But he doesn’t use his considerable rhetorical gifts to demonize Republicans. He’s not neglecting his core values; he defends his progressive vision with vigorous integrity. But for him, American unity - transcending party - is a core value in itself.

Can such unity be restored, in this poisonous political culture? Not unless that is a nominee’s goal from the outset. It will be a difficult challenge for any candidate; but we wait in the hope that someone really will try. There is no other hope for rescuing our republic from the mire.

Sen. Obama would also have the best chance to repair the damage to America’s global reputation. A leader with his biography - including his roots in Africa and his years spent growing up overseas - could transform the world’s view of America. He would seize that opportunity.

He would close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, which has damaged America’s moral standing, and strive to rebuild many diplomatic relationships.
Despite America’s bitter partisan divide, all sides should agree on this: In such an environment, little gets done. Congress has been largely useless under both Republican and Democratic leadership. Setting aside the ideological conflict for conflict’s sake to get anything worthwhile done has fallen severely out of fashion.

And America certainly has things to get done.

From terrorism and climate change to runaway federal entitlement spending, there are big challenges to be faced. Sen. Obama is the only Democrat who plausibly can say that he wants to work with Americans across the political spectrum to address such subjects - and he has the integrity and the skills of persuasion that make him the best-qualified among the remaining Democratic hopefuls to address these challenges.

He would be a groundbreaking nominee. More to the point, he makes a solid case that he is ready to lead the whole country. We see Sen. Barack Obama as the best choice in Saturday’s Democratic primary.

The Clintons Capture Sin City

It was the Las Vegas strip that put the Clintons ahead.


With 85 percent of precincts reporting as of 2:17 p.m. EST Saturday afternoon, it appears that the Clintons will win Nevada by less than 600 votes.


Statewide, Barack Obama finished first in 11 counties and second in 6. The Clintons finished first in 6 counties and second in 11. Yet they managed to capture more of the Sin City vote, pulling ahead in Clark County. (Click here for Clark County demographic data.)


According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Clinton captured about half of the white vote and two-thirds of the Hispanic vote. Obama walked with 80 percent of the black vote, a number that bodes well for next week's South Carolina primary.


The Review-Journal also reported that large numbers of the Culinary Workers Union went against the endorsement of their organization to cast votes for the Clintons who won that demographic 45 to 44 percent.


One must wonder how the Clinton campaign managed such a coup. Why would large numbers of union workers go against the recommendation of their union in a setting where their votes are made in plain view of their peers?


Ben Smith of Politico.com offers a potential answer: A robo-call made to Barack Obama supporters that trashes the candidate, harping on his middle name. "You just can't take a chance on Barack Hussein Obama," the call said. While the call is not directly linked to the Clinton campaign, it does echo President Clinton's comments last week when he questioned whether American should "roll the dice" on Barack Obama. (Click here for the full audio of the robo-call.)

Looking forward, Nevada's delegates will be split roughly evenly between Clinton and Obama in this increasingly tight race. Moreover, Obama's landslide victory among black voters should resonate among South Carolina voters next week.

















While the big picture will likely remain unclear until Super Tuesday on February 5th, one thing is clear: The Clintons have dedicated themselves to dragging Barack Obama through the mud on every turn, even if that means using his middle name to prey on the xenophobic fears of the average American voter. Reminds me of the fear-mongering politics of the Bush administration if you ask me.