Obama narrows Clinton superdelegate lead to 2

CNN.com · 05-10-2008, 05:11 PM

Read full story for latest details.

View the full article here.

mikelew007 · 05-10-2008, 06:41 PM

Wait... Yahoo via AP reports that Obama's ahead of Clinton by various margins in the superdelegate count, as does MSNBC (AP), Fox News, Real Clear Politics, and The Politico.

Obama overtakes lead in superdelegates for first time - Yahoo! News
Obama Takes Superdelegate Lead for the First Time - America’s Election HQ
RealClearPolitics - 2008 Elections - Democratic Delegate Count
Obama grabs superdelegate lead - Mike Allen and Avi Zenilman - Politico.com
AP: Obama takes superdelegate lead - Decision '08 - MSNBC.com

Wall Street Journal has Clinton ahead, but by only one-half of a vote.
Obama Raps McCain, Gains Superdelegates - WSJ.com

While it's odd that different sources are providing slightly different numbers on something that I think should be uniform, the delegate scorecard, it has been a very good week for Sen. Obama regardless.

OhDear · 05-10-2008, 07:23 PM

Dear Mike,

So you are still for Obama?

I was initially quite impressed, but then I wondered what I was impressed with. Well I am not back to cause or jump into controversy here, but I must say, I would appreciate it if you have at your fingertips a ready link to what makes you support Barack Obama for the Presidency.

Thanks,
OhDear

mikelew007 · 05-10-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhDear

Dear Mike,

So you are still for Obama?

I was initially quite impressed, but then I wondered what I was impressed with. Well I am not back to cause or jump into controversy here, but I must say, I would appreciate it if you have at your fingertips a ready link to what makes you support Barack Obama for the Presidency.

Thanks,
OhDear

A link? I don't have a blog or anything like that lol. But I guess I ought to lay out the reasons on why I do support Obama to be the next Commander-in-Chief. Be warned, it's long and complicated.

Well for starters, I like him. I know that isn't saying much, but in an era when politicians are viewed as guilty until proven innocent and innately corrupt, it's quite refreshing to see myself actually liking a politician and not just merely tolerating said person. Of course I could say the same about John McCain, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and Mike Huckabee so just liking Obama isn't enough. Hell I even liked Giuliani for a time lol.

On the issue of judgment, and this has been brought up in the media recently, I find Obama to actually have a very good sense of judgment:

Who was speaking out against the war in Iraq whilst other Senators running right now for the Presidency were supporting and voting for the plan, during a time when it was convenient to support the war and almost like heresy oppose it? Obama.

Who sees the gas tax holiday for what it is (A politically advantageous gimmick.) whilst other Senators running for the Presidency are all over it like a bunch of half-starved rabid dogs on a steak? Obama.

Some say that he doesn't have good judgment because of his membership @ Trinity United Church of Christ and they point to his former pastor's sermons as evidence. Well let me get this straight, Obama has poor judgment for joining TUCC because his pastor made some oddball remarks in a sermon around April 2003 (GD America for as long as she acts like God, US made HIV), ~11 years after Obama joined the church?

I for one liked how he handled this "controversy". The 1st time these remarks came to light, instead of outright denouncing Wright completely and severing all ties which would have been easy, he simply denounced his more loopy statements and at the same time, defended the man himself for his service in the Marines and Navy and for his good works in the community. Yes there were some things that his pastor said and did (Giving an award to Louis Farrakhan.) that Obama didn't like, that he thought were quite offensive, but he didn't take the easy way out by immediately casting his pastor aside and that is something I respect. Obama gave Wright the benefit of the doubt when it wasn't politically convenient and probably harmful to do so. It was only after Wright reiterated his more insane comments and expanded upon them further, and after he hinted that Obama's defense of him was nothing more than playing politics (Some friend Wright was.), did Obama finally say "Enough's enough!" and cut off all ties to that prick.

I guess that's two points, his sound judgment and his willingness to forgo the politically expedient option on an issue when it is available.

On the issue of experience, an issue that's plagued Obama since the beginning, since when has experience produced a better President? GWB ran Texas as Governor for six years, but it didn't make him a better president running this country IMO. To quote Fmr. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, "Well, Abraham Lincoln served two years in the U.S. House, and seemed to do all right." (Meet The Press 12/17)

I'm not rejecting it as factor on what makes a good President, Bill Clinton was the Gov. of Arkansas and Ronald Reagan was the Gov. of California and many remember their time in the White House with fond memories, but having it isn't always a guaranteed plus. Even having presidential experience doesn't always translate into a positive, George H.W. Bush can attest to that. He was the only candidate in '92 with actual presidential experience but it didn't get him very far. BTW for those who believe experience is an absolute must, Obama has had ten years in elected public office, Clinton six years, and McCain 25. (1983-present)

Like John McCain, Barack Obama has a record of reaching across the aisle in order to get things done. From the Obama website: (Mostly because I'm tired lol)

Quote:

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent.

BarackObama.com | About Barack

Basically the website is like Google for the federal budget.
Welcome to USAspending.gov

Another example of Obama reaching across to Republicans not mentioned on the webpage is a Senate bill passed into law, the Lugar-Obama Act, a strong piece of legislation which dealt with worldwide arms control.
Lugar-Obama Nonproliferation Legislation Signed into Law by the President | U.S. Senator Barack Obama

And then there was his work on ethics reform. (Not a true bipartisan effort, but still noteworthy.)
Obama Applauds Senate Ethics Reform Package | U.S. Senator Barack Obama

His plans on health care, taxes, Iraq, winning the war against Al-Qaeda and other terrorist orgs., diplomacy, and alternative energy are also appealing to me.

So in short, it's his likability, sound and correct judgment on the issues, integrity, plans for the country, and bipartisanship which make me believe that Obama will be a good President for this country. Sorry if all of this is too much to digest in one post.

Oh and he makes good speeches lol.

...and all of that without using the words "hope" and "change" hahaha.

nuttyjoe · 05-11-2008, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikelew007

A link? I don't have a blog or anything like that lol. But I guess I ought to lay out the reasons on why I do support Obama to be the next Commander-in-Chief. Be warned, it's long and complicated.

Well for starters, I like him. I know that isn't saying much, but in an era when politicians are viewed as guilty until proven innocent and innately corrupt, it's quite refreshing to see myself actually liking a politician and not just merely tolerating said person. Of course I could say the same about John McCain, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and Mike Huckabee so just liking Obama isn't enough. Hell I even liked Giuliani for a time lol.

On the issue of judgment, and this has been brought up in the media recently, I find Obama to actually have a very good sense of judgment:

Who was speaking out against the war in Iraq whilst other Senators running right now for the Presidency were supporting and voting for the plan, during a time when it was convenient to support the war and almost like heresy oppose it? Obama.

Who sees the gas tax holiday for what it is (A politically advantageous gimmick.) whilst other Senators running for the Presidency are all over it like a bunch of half-starved rabid dogs on a steak? Obama.

Some say that he doesn't have good judgment because of his membership @ Trinity United Church of Christ and they point to his former pastor's sermons as evidence. Well let me get this straight, Obama has poor judgment for joining TUCC because his pastor made some oddball remarks in a sermon around April 2003 (GD America for as long as she acts like God, US made HIV), ~11 years after Obama joined the church?

I for one liked how he handled this "controversy". The 1st time these remarks came to light, instead of outright denouncing Wright completely and severing all ties which would have been easy, he simply denounced his more loopy statements and at the same time, defended the man himself for his service in the Marines and Navy and for his good works in the community. Yes there were some things that his pastor said and did (Giving an award to Louis Farrakhan.) that Obama didn't like, that he thought were quite offensive, but he didn't take the easy way out by immediately casting his pastor aside and that is something I respect. Obama gave Wright the benefit of the doubt when it wasn't politically convenient and probably harmful to do so. It was only after Wright reiterated his more insane comments and expanded upon them further, and after he hinted that Obama's defense of him was nothing more than playing politics (Some friend Wright was.), did Obama finally say "Enough's enough!" and cut off all ties to that prick.

I guess that's two points, his sound judgment and his willingness to forgo the politically expedient option on an issue when it is available.

On the issue of experience, an issue that's plagued Obama since the beginning, since when has experience produced a better President? GWB ran Texas as Governor for six years, but it didn't make him a better president running this country IMO. To quote Fmr. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, "Well, Abraham Lincoln served two years in the U.S. House, and seemed to do all right." (Meet The Press 12/17)

I'm not rejecting it as factor on what makes a good President, Bill Clinton was the Gov. of Arkansas and Ronald Reagan was the Gov. of California and many remember their time in the White House with fond memories, but having it isn't always a guaranteed plus. Even having presidential experience doesn't always translate into a positive, George H.W. Bush can attest to that. He was the only candidate in '92 with actual presidential experience but it didn't get him very far. BTW for those who believe experience is an absolute must, Obama has had ten years in elected public office, Clinton six years, and McCain 25. (1983-present)

Like John McCain, Barack Obama has a record of reaching across the aisle in order to get things done. From the Obama website: (Mostly because I'm tired lol)

Basically the website is like Google for the federal budget.
Welcome to USAspending.gov

Another example of Obama reaching across to Republicans not mentioned on the webpage is a Senate bill passed into law, the Lugar-Obama Act, a strong piece of legislation which dealt with worldwide arms control.
Lugar-Obama Nonproliferation Legislation Signed into Law by the President | U.S. Senator Barack Obama

And then there was his work on ethics reform. (Not a true bipartisan effort, but still noteworthy.)
Obama Applauds Senate Ethics Reform Package | U.S. Senator Barack Obama

His plans on health care, taxes, Iraq, winning the war against Al-Qaeda and other terrorist orgs., diplomacy, and alternative energy are also appealing to me.

So in short, it's his likability, sound and correct judgment on the issues, integrity, plans for the country, and bipartisanship which make me believe that Obama will be a good President for this country. Sorry if all of this is too much to digest in one post.

Oh and he makes good speeches lol.

...and all of that without using the words "hope" and "change" hahaha.

I find myself agreeing with you entirely; Mike. I am most impressed with Obama in that he does not "pander". He states his views; not just what the voters want to hear. That "gas tax holiday" exposed Clinton in her worst light.

mikelew007 · 05-11-2008, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuttyjoe

I find myself agreeing with you entirely; Mike. I am most impressed with Obama in that he does not "pander". He states his views; not just what the voters want to hear. That "gas tax holiday" exposed Clinton in her worst light.

Just glad I was able to put into words on why I support Obama, he's much more than a great orator.

I really didn't like the idea of a "gas tax holiday" from the start. It won't save us any money and may cost us in the long run. An 18.4 cent/gallon cut in the price of gasoline might seem like a decent break, until you factor in the increased consumption it would likely cause (Oh look prices at the pump dropped, I guess we can afford to take that extra day of vacation after all!) which would lead to higher demand and ultimately an increase in gas prices. In addition, the fuel tax pays for road and highway construction and maintenance.

So the end result would likely be less conservation and more consumption, relatively unchanged prices, and poorer quality roads.

Hillary has proposed that she will get the oil companies to pay for the "Gas Tax Holiday"... yea good luck with that.

mikelew007 · 05-18-2008, 02:32 AM

Here's an interesting observation on how useless the lifting of the gas tax would be:

The US federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon.

On May 5th the average price of gas was @ 3.61/gal
U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices

Yesterday it hit $3.79/gal
Gas strikes 10th straight record high at $3.787 a gallon - May. 17, 2008

Suppose the gas tax holiday Clinton and McCain have been promoting was implemented on May 5th, gas would have dropped to $3.43/gal. If the rise in fuel prices didn't change in this alternate reality, yesterday we would have seen the avg. price @ $3.61/gal, an 18 cent increase in 12 days.

Some holiday, my Christmas breaks during the school year lasted longer than this.

fxashun · 05-18-2008, 08:12 AM

Isn't that "Abraham Lincoln served 2 years" deal a bit shallow? The world was slightly different and a lot simpler back then. I mean seriously, Abraham didn't have the means to destroy humanity at his disposal. The job has gained quite a bit of responsibility since then.

Katczinsky · 05-18-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fxashun

Isn't that "Abraham Lincoln served 2 years" deal a bit shallow? The world was slightly different and a lot simpler back then. I mean seriously, Abraham didn't have the means to destroy humanity at his disposal. The job has gained quite a bit of responsibility since then.

With the country tearing each other apart over slavery, and with the task of leading the country through the worst war in its history and keeping the country and the Constitution from falling apart, I'd say the job that Abraham Lincoln was applying for was much more demanding and significant.

Seriously, all the doom-and-gloom is annoying. Contrary to people's belief, things are much better today than they were during "the good times". In Abe Lincoln's day and before, politics were so dirty that in addition to straight out name calling, politicians physically attacked each other and challenged each other to duels. The politics of today looks like a love fest in comparison.

fxashun · 05-18-2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katczinsky

With the country tearing each other apart over slavery, and with the task of leading the country through the worst war in its history and keeping the country and the Constitution from falling apart, I'd say the job that Abraham Lincoln was applying for was much more demanding and significant.

I disagree. Back then those problems were much more "local" than the problems we have today. We currently have 2 wars with rather pissant countries that we aren't anywhere near solving and we have several much more serious countries that have evil eyes turned toward us. The country has it's balls in a vice in energy costs which has tentacles to every facet of the economy. We have fluid borders. The deficit. Crime. etc etc etc.

Quote:

Seriously, all the doom-and-gloom is annoying. Contrary to people's belief, things are much better today than they were during "the good times". In Abe Lincoln's day and before, politics were so dirty that in addition to straight out name calling, politicians physically attacked each other and challenged each other to duels. The politics of today looks like a love fest in comparison.

But politics of today and the U.S. of today has much more serious worldwide ramifications. The U.S. wasn't a worldwide force that it is now and hopes to retain in the future. A 2 year work history is kinda sorry for someone we are hoping to lead us out of all this crap.