Nader makes Democrats Ralph...once again.

I'm not saying that he shouldn't be allowed to run, but I think that a candidate whose ultimate goal is to get 1% in a general election should not really be considered a threat.

To his credit, if Al Gore and John Kerry should have been able to wipe the floor with George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Democrats who would like to blame Mr. Nader for these losses should look no further than the standard-bearer of their party at the time.

Am I worried about a Nader candidacy? Absolutely not. Barack Obama has the capacity to win big against John McCain. History is definitely not on Senator McCain's side, nor is it on Ralph's.

Remembering Tom

Congressman Tom Lantos, who represented San Mateo County for nearly 3 decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, died today at the age of 80.
He recently announced the was diagnosed with cancer, and was retiring his House seat.

Lantos is the only Holocaust survivior ever to serve in Congress, and dedicated his life to public service and fighting for Global Human Rights.

May God bless this true American Hero.

Hillary's Secret Weapon...saline.

It's hillarious(no pun intended) that whenever Senator Clinton gets emotional, she earns a bit of momentum going into the next primary.

It worked right before New Hampshire. It worked right before Super Tuesday.

Yesterday, she shed a tear after her huge loss to Senator Barack Obama. Perhaps this will slow Obama's momentum going into the Maine Caucus tonight?
Or will Democratic voters stop falling for this cheap stunt?

Either way, Obama-mentum can't be stopped with dramatic productions, nor can it be stopped with pathetic personal attacks. The only way to stop this Movement is by making us stop believeing... an impossible task.

Desperate Times Lead to Desperate Measures

As Senator Obama begins a Week O' Momentum, our opponents have resorted to petty, child-like attacks that make Karl Rove look like Daniel Webster. It's not coming from the Clinton Camp, but those who have not let go of the cynical, angry, and hateful politics of the Old Garde. They are coming from people that I respect, and those who I do not.
One thing that Tuesday has taught us is that Americans want something more than the partisan, as well as inner-party squabling going on. If I may quote Buffalo Springfield, "Most of them say 'Hurray!' for OUR side."

So if you want to talk issues, PLEASE, let's do so. If you want to assasinate character, join a Rush Limbaugh forum.

Is it beacause Senator Clinton needed to take out a $5 million loan due to a slowing of momentum that they are angry? Maybe.

Is it because Senator Obama defied a campaign once believed to be 'inevitable'? Maybe.

All I know is that Senator Obama is NOT second-rate, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Let's build that momentum from Saturday, all the way to the convention!

http://www.barackobama.com/

The Winner of Tsunami Tuesday

I was listening to a New Wave compilation CD that my older brother burned for me. I was struck with deja vu while listening to "You Spin Me" by Dead or Alive; it was like last night all over again. It was amazing how 4 of the 5 candidates declared a victory(maybe Paul can gloat over the 5 delegates he picked up from North Dakota). In the end, no candidate can say they have this thing locked up.

Fortunately for political junkies such as myself, a lack of a coronation after last night gives me more time to write blogs, dissect polls, stay up late, not shave, and pretend that I work for CNN......

Ok. Are people still reading this? Good.

Objectivity aside, what cannot be ignored was Senator Obama's unexpected victories in some of the "reddest" states in the Union. 56% in Alabama, 67% in Colorado, 74% in Kansas, a narrow win in Missouri, not to mention wins in Georgia, Minnesota(a purple state), Delaware, Connecticut, and Alaska. Let's not forget a landslide victory in his homestate of Illinois.

Not to downplay Senator Clinton's impressive performances in California, New York, and Tennessee, of course. Although she rounded up two southern states, three of the most liberal of states(CA, MA, and NY), Arizona and Oklahoma, the night belonged to Barack Obama for 4 reasons:

1. The Heartland Wants Barack-
Victories in red states show an advantage with conservative Democrats, independents, and those Republicans NOT satisfied with John McCain or Mitt Romney. Obama's strong showing in the South also means that Obama can give McCain a run for his money in this region(Thanks, Knutson for making this point. (c) ). If Clinton is the nominee, those demoralized conservatives will have to choose between the lesser of two evils between McCain and Clinton, as opposed to just staying out of the race. Polls have shown that Obama IS the strongest candidate to take on McCain.

2. Where's the Inevitability?
Clinton was supposed to have the nomination locked up by Super Tuesday. Then along came Barack Obama, who showed us that Democrats are thirsty for new leadership. Projected delegate count is 725 to 625; Clinton ONLY has a 100 delegate advantage....momentum, much? The fact that winning California and New York was surprising really exemplifies that there is no clear frontrunner in this race.

3. I voted for him.

4. Momentum for what is to be the "Week of Obama"-
We've got the Louisiana primary this Saturday(Obama will take it). On Tuesday, Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. will have their primaries(Barack will take all three).


Like many of you, I'm disappointed that we lost California(I thought the Democratic Caucus of SJSU endorsement would have a victory locked. :-) ), but Senator Clinton's organization, as well as an incredible showing among Hispanics, Asians, and women in the state was just too strong for us to compete here. Also, I was surprised that the endorsements from Kennedy, Kerry, and Patrick of Obama did not mean a shift in support in Massachusetts. Oh well, people make up their own minds I guess.

The fact of the matter is: this race will be going to the convention. We just have to work harder to ensure Senator Obama wins more delegates and gains momentum all the way to Denver.

Yes, We Can!

Heath, we hardly knew you

Heath Ledger died yesterday, at the age of 28. Just making it passed the pinacle of his amazing career as an actor, Heath was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in "Brokeback Mountain", and was probably on his way to greatness. Alas, drug addiction and a broken heart ruined such great potential in the same way it took James Dean and River Phoenix.

Heath, we hardly knew you...but, we'll miss you.

The New Great Awakening

Fresh from a once unforseen victory in Iowa, Illinois Senator Barack Obama will be campaigning in San Francisco today, hopefully bolstering support in the California primary on February 5th’s “Tsunami” Tuesday. Perhaps Californians will bring the noise if Obama brings his message of change(and maybe da funk) to the Golden State. To be fair, there are several significant primaries that the first term Senator must succeed in to successfully carry the momentum to Super Tuesday; New Hampshire and South Carolina in particular. But one thing that Obama’s victory in Iowa showed us was that voters are hungry for a rejection of the status quo. Alongside John Edwards, Obama represents everything that Washington is NOT. While Hillary Rodham Clinton personifies everything that is wrong with Washington: a defense of special interest groups, political positioning, and relentless ambition. Call me a pessimist, but I believe that Iowans, as well as the entire nation, are leaning towards change over “experience”. Experience is in the eye of the beholder, as the defeat of the more seasoned Democratic Second Tier of candidates (Richardson, Biden, Dodd) exemplified. America wants change, and it needs new leadership. Senator Obama has demonstrated that he understands the needs of working Americans, understands that American prestige around the world has hurt our standing as a world leader, and understands that the politics of cynicism is a vice that needs to be replaced by a new kind of politics: It is not a brand of politics that divides us, rather that unites us. It is not a brand of politics that upholds a broken system, but rather attempts to cleanse it.
It is also refreshing to see Republican candidates such as Mike Huckabee present a positive message without having to compromise their ideals. Huckabee, a man of strong religious convictions, is by far the only Republican that transcended the meaning of being “pro-life” when he said that pro-lifers should not be “confined to the womb”. Amen.
The Obama-Huckabee victories in Iowa may be viewed as a turning point in American politics. Unfortunately, the debate is not over. Not all polls are closed, and not all party members are satisfied. Tomorrow, a victory will be spun by an opposing campaign. Tomorrow, negative political ads will dominate the airwaves and the internet. Tomorrow, it will be politics as usual. How can we look to tomorrow when there is such an ugly sentimentality today?
Robert F. Kennedy said that the Gross National Product does not measure the passionate hearts, the intellectual progress, the health, and the “intelligence of the public debate” of the American people. A shame indeed, because THAT’S the America that I want to live in; it’s the country that we SHOULD have. All too often, we honor activities of ill repute, exonerate individuals who corrupt the minds of our children, redeem the greedy, defend the selfish, and champion the causes of the lost. Surely we can do better; only a “cleansing” of complete society, as RFK put it, would truly vindicate the soul of America. Unfortunately Americans are too complacent, too deaf, too arrogant, too riddled with fear, and too ignorant to recognize the cancer infecting the very fabric of the American Spirit: Apathy.
Will the “politics of Hope” help purify the drenched soul of the United States? Probably not. But it is a start. If more voters hunger for change over more of the same, then maybe we can start to help cure apathy. Maybe someone will wake us up for once, instead of letting the American Spirit stay in its apathetic and mislead comatose.