Tag: Barack Obama (page 39)

A new Rasmussen poll out today, taken Saturday, before Bitter-Gate dominated the news:

The new poll, which was conducted Saturday and has a 4.5 percent margin of error, shows McCain with a 53-to-38 percent lead over Obama in Florida. If Clinton is the Democratic nominee, the poll shows her edging McCain 45 percent to 44 percent in the state.

The poll's results are similar to a Quinnipiac University poll of Floridians released this month that showed McCain topping Obama 46 percent to 37 percent but losing to Clinton, 44 percent to 42 percent.

The poll finds support slipping for Obama and that his unfavorability rating is 56%.

If he doesn't stand up for the right of Floridians to have their votes counted in time to select the nominee, I suspect they won't stand up for him in November.

Barack Obama thought he was being funny with his comment about Hillary Clinton acting like Annie Oakley.

Here's the new Rasmussen poll, finding Hillary ahead by 9 in PA. (Questions and Numbers here.) Check this out:

Among voters from households where someone owns a gun, Clinton leads by seventeen points.

As to whether Bitter-Gate had an effect, draw your own conclusions from these numbers about religion and immigration, both mentioned in Obama's now infamous remark:

Clinton leads among voters who say faith and religion are Somewhat or Very Important. Obama leads among those who say such topics are Not Very Important or Not at All Important.

...Sixty percent (60%) of Likely Democratic Primary voters in Pennsylvania say that it is Very Important for the government to enforce the borders and reduce illegal immigration. Among these voters, Clinton leads by sixteen. [More...]

Barack Obama launched a new ad attacking Hillary Clinton for taking lobbyist money. I think it is flat out deceptive.

Obama relies on lobbyists. His campaign spokesman called his refusal to take money from lobbyists "symbolic" and acknolwedged "it doesn’t solve the problem of money in politics."

Obama has a network of lobbyists supporting him:

While Obama has decried the influence of special interests in Washington, the reality is that many of the most talented and experienced political operatives in his party are lobbyists, and he needs their help.

Mike Williams, the director of government relations at Credit Suisse Securities, said of the network of lobbyists supporting Obama: “I would imagine that it’s as large as the Clinton list,” in reference to rival presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who is an entrenched favorite of the Washington Democratic establishment.

He said that while lobbyists cannot give money to Obama, they can give “policy” and “campaign support.” Indeed, K Street denizens have rare policy and national campaign expertise. Williams is actively building support for Obama among lobbyists and the corporate clients they represent.

Among the lobbyists helping Obama: [More...]

All three presidential hopefuls have said they will close Guantanamo. The LA Times examines how it could be done.

Officially, Pentagon officials say there are no plans in hand to move suspected terrorists to the United States if the new president orders it. No official orders have been given to Southern Command, which oversees the prison, to prepare for its shutdown. Such orders would trigger a formal planning process.

But unofficially, midlevel officials watching the campaign pronouncements have begun working on plans -- including examining other sites and estimating the work that would be involved in moving detainees -- in case the next president orders a shutdown.

Possibilities: The military prison at Leavenworth, KS and the South Carolina naval brig.

The detainees would gain greater legal rights if moved to the U.S. [more...]

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Associated Press yesterday, Barack Obama offered up yet another expression of regret for his "bitter" remarks but again didn't apologize for them.

As I said yesterday, I regret some of the words I chose, partly because the way that these remarks have been interpreted have offended some people and partly because they've served as one more distraction from the critical debate that we must have in this election.

In other words, he doesn't accept the words offended some people, only that the way people interpreted them may have been offensive. And, he dismisses them as a "distraction."

He also repeated his life story: [More...]

Philadelphia Democrats held their Jefferson Jackson Dinner tonight. Both Hillary and Obama spoke separately.

Hillary rose above Bitter-Gate, never mentioning it, and included Obama in her praise:

"Neither Senator Obama nor myself could have dreamed we would be right here asking you for your votes," Clinton said, praising the pioneers of the civil rights and women's rights movements. "We are the beneficiaries of the work and sacrifice that so many of you and countless Americans have done over so many generations."

Obama went on the attack: [More...]

Earlier, Big Tent Democrat wrote about the SUSA Indiana poll taken 4/11 to 4/13. Some additional notes (Full Poll Results here):

Of the 1,600 polled, only 571 were likely Democratic voters. Of those who identified themselves as Democrats.

Among the Democrats, 60% preferred Clinton to 37% who preferred Obama. Among Republicans, it was almost the reverse.

Among the age groups, Hillary had the 18 to 34 group by 49%, Obama was at 43%. As to the African American vote, Hillary had 23% to Obama's 72%.

Bump and Update: The Chicago Sun Times now has the testimony and more details, including that Michelle Obama was at the party and the date:

When Tony Rezko held a reception at his home for Iraqi-born billionaire Nadhmi Auchi on April 3, 2004, White House hopeful Barack Obama and his wife were also there, Stuart Levine testified just now at Rezko's trial.

Auchi is the man who provided Rezko a $3.5 million loan that Rezko did not disclose to the court -- resulting in his January arrest. "Mr. and Mrs. Obama were there, were they not?" Rezko lawyer Joseph Duffy asked. "Yes, sir," Levine said. Obama and his aides have said Obama has no recollection of ever meeting Auchi.

Here's the Sun-Times article about Obama meeting Auchi at the Four Seasons, which I reference below.

Original Post:

There was a surprise at the Tony Rezko trial today. The Government's star cooperating witness, Stuart Levine, said Barack Obama was at a party for Iraqi-born billionaire Nadhmi Auchi at Rezko's house. [More...]

Obama on the campaign trail today:

“Around election time, the candidates can’t do enough. They'll promise you anything, give you a long list of proposals and even come around, with TV crews in tow, to throw back a shot and a beer,” Obama said, stirring laughter from an audience of steelworkers and steel industry executives.

First he mocks her as Annie Oakley, now he goes after her having a drink on a Saturday night (video here) -- something she's done with reporters in tow before.

Hillary hits back:

“With all due respect, this is the same politician who spent six days posing for clichéd camera shots that included bowling gutterballs, walking around a sports bar, feeding a baby cow, and buying a ham at the Philly market (albeit one that cost $99.99 a pound). Sen. Obama's speeches won’t hide his condescending views of Americans living in small towns," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said in the statement.

A new Rasmussen national poll finds 56% of Americans disagree with Obama's remarks calling small town Pennsylvanians bitter and clinging to G-d and their guns. Only 25% approve.

45% said Obama is out of touch with small-town Americans and his words show an elitist view of them. (Questions asked and results are here.)

But it may make more difference in the general election than the primary. Democrats are less offended by the remarks, and liberal democrats, even less so:

Democrats are fairly evenly divided—34% agree with Obama and 43% disagree. Generally, Obama supporters agree with him while Hillary Clinton’s supporters disagree.

A plurality of politically liberal voters—46%--agree with Obama’s statement while 33% disagree. Moderate voters take the opposite view and disagree by a 51% to 27% margin. Seventy-four percent (74%) of conservatives disagree with Obama’s statement, only 12% agree.

Republicans and Independents on the other hand: [More...]

Obama on the campaign trail today:

Shame on her," Obama said, echoing one of Clinton's own atacks on him. "Shame on her, she knows better."

"She’s running around talking about how this is an insult to sportsmen, how she values the Second Amendment, she's talking like she's Annie Oakley! Hillary Clinton's out there like she's on the duck blind every Sunday, she's packin' a six shooter! C'mon! She knows better. That's some politics being played by Hillary Clinton. I want to see that picture of her out there in the duck blinds."

Hillary's campaign responds:

Reactions to the Faith forum?

Here comes the media spin.

Some of my final thoughts. The forum was held at a religious university. That probably affected the audience reaction. He wasn't speaking to the voting public, but to the religious voters.

He did another hyperbole. Now, not only is he the one who has done the most for gays and the most against anti-semitism, he's the one who's done the most to reach out to churches.

He didn't answer several questions directly, such as whether life begins at conception and whether he supports people making end of life decisions. On the latter, he restricted his answer to whether people should be able to use painkillers if that might hasten their demise.

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