Author Topic: Republicans Root for Obama  (Read 2029 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Rich

  • Guest
Republicans Root for Obama
« on: February 11, 2008, 11:20:00 AM »
Republicans Root for Obama

By Fred Barnes
The Weekly Standard | 2/11/2008

Republicans and Barack Obama are far apart ideologically, but they have a common enemy: Hillary Clinton. This explains why many Republicans look kindly on Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Republicans have two goals in the 2008 race. One is to retain the presidency. The other is to deny the Clintons--Hillary and Bill--another four (or eight) years in the White House.

Thwarting the Clintons won't be easy. Hillary Clinton is nowhere near as close to losing the Democratic nomination as many in the political community believe. It's true she doesn't inspire. In debates, she constantly flashes a fake smile and, when unnerved, unleashes a contrived laugh--aka, the cackle. She attracts far smaller and considerably less enthusiastic crowds than Obama does. And his fundraising now dwarfs hers.

But Clinton has already survived two crushing defeats, first in Iowa, then in South Carolina, only to rise again on Super Tuesday with a string of lopsided victories in blue states the Democratic nominee must carry in November. Obama did better in red states that are less important to Democrats in a general election.

For all her unattractiveness as a candidate, Clinton has put together an impressive, and seemingly durable, coalition of women, seniors, Hispanics, and the less-than-wealthy. In the California primary last week, she lost the white vote to Obama by 49 percent to 43 percent, yet won the state in a near-landslide: 52 percent to 42 percent.

Mark Penn, Clinton's chief strategist, has been ridiculed for his rosy analysis of her campaign. But he's probably right in claiming that she'd "be en route to being the nominee" if Democrats had a winner-take-all system in their primaries, as Republicans do. "But the proportional delegate system keeps this contest going with two candidates who have significant support," Penn wrote in a memo.

That system is all but certain to prevent either candidate from capturing the nomination in the remaining primaries and caucuses. Leaving aside the 796 super-delegates--chiefly elected and party officials--Clinton or Obama would need to win roughly three-fourths of the delegates in these states to wrap up the nomination. With proportional distribution of delegates, that's practically impossible.

So the nomination, in all likelihood, will be left up to the super-delegates. About half of them have already endorsed a candidate. Of these, Clinton leads by 90 delegates--a not insubstantial number. (Obama needs to steal super-delegates who've endorsed her to win.)

Clinton's strategy: a strong finishing kick. The states with primaries and caucuses over the next few weeks favor Obama, which means he'll likely take a narrow lead in delegates.

But there are three big primaries at the end of the process--Ohio and Texas on March 4 and Pennsylvania on April 22. In all three, Clinton starts with an advantage. Governors Ted Strickland of Ohio and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania are backing Clinton, and their statewide organizations are a significant asset. In Texas, Hispanics are a major part of the Democratic electorate.

If Hillary wins all three states, it's hard to imagine the super-delegates denying her the nomination. And a primary hat trick is not inconceivable. Just winning two of three would probably make her the hotter candidate--assuming she leads Obama in popular votes over the entire campaign.

Obama is concentrating on Texas. But he has two liabilities there. While he's shown great skill in organizing strong turnouts in caucus states, he fared less well in primary states, where the turnout is much greater. And he's not well organized among Hispanic voters. She is.

For obvious reasons, Clinton prefers primaries. After she lost the Iowa caucuses to Obama, Bill Clinton complained that caucuses are less democratic than primaries. In fact, Hillary Clinton incorrectly claimed last week that her husband had never won a caucus state in 1992 on his way to the Democratic nomination.

"I am more interested in what happens when a large number of people get to vote," she told reporters. "They get to vote all day. They don't have to show up for a few hours [at a caucus], which means they can't if they're working. ... I'll be just really honest with you. I think that the primary gives people a much better idea of what would happen in the general election."

That last claim is dubious. Winning a primary isn't a reliable indicator of a candidate's strength in a general election. In many states, independents are barred from voting in primaries. And every poll I've seen this year shows that Obama would attract far more independents in the general election against a Republican than Clinton would.

Indeed, there's a growing consensus among both Republican and Democratic strategists that Obama would be the stronger general election candidate. He may be more liberal than Clinton, but by almost every other yardstick he's a more appealing candidate.

Nevertheless, many Republicans are rooting for him to knock off Clinton. If that makes it more difficult to keep the White House, so be it. Being spared another President Clinton is reward enough. For now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christians4LessGvt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11139
    • View Profile
    • "The Religion Of Peace"
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2008, 12:54:40 PM »
Rich

I am very undecided on who I am pulling for.

Although it would be sweet to see Hillary/Bill/Chelsea standing up on stage as losers.

They were so sure it was theirs. The look on their faces would be so funny.

You just know they want to sick the attack dogs on Obama, but when they did look where it got them?
Have ya seen or heard from Slick Willy since?
Slick Willy alone almost sunk the Hillary campaign.
That guy should get a tatoo across his forehead that says "HAS BEEN".

I see scenarios where McCain could beat either of them, but it will be tough, I am undecided as to which one would be easier to beat.





"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" - Ronald Reagan - June 12, 1987

Rich

  • Guest
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2008, 03:22:53 PM »
Mrs. Clinton's negatives are sitting pretty at 47 percent. That's 47 percent of American voters who will NOT VOTE for Mrs. Clinton under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I like those odds. Mrs. Clinton is an extremely polarizing figure, democrats know that. Well, the ones that aren't part of the lunatic fringe. Give me Mrs. Clinton against any Republican candidate. The candidate looks to be Sen. McCain, but that's not written in stone yet either. I'll vote for McCain if he's the nominee. I could never vote for Mrs. Clinton UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, or Barrak Hussein Obama either for that matter.

I've seen polls that have McCain beating Mrs. Clinton and Barrack Hussein Obama. Once Barrack Hussein Obama has to do more than spout platitudes Americans will see that he's extremely liberal, so liberal as to be bordering on a Communist. Hell, they both are. Mrs. Clinton wants to tell you how much you can pay an employee. She wants to take profits from comapanies she deems are making to much money. Barrack Hussein Obama wants to confiscate all income and hand it out as he sees fit. Americans aren't Communists, and once these people are forced to show their true colors in a debate with a Republican, Americans will see that the emperor has no closes.

Xavier_Onassis

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27916
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2008, 03:36:04 PM »
If you want a guarantee that many, many US troops are still in Iraq in 2012, vote for McCain. He likes war. He likes the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like .... Big Bucks for Arms dealers, weapons designers, outside contractors and corrupt Americans and Iraqis, for who this war has been a juicy, fat boondoggle.

When the government has your fingerprints, iris scans, DNA, scars, tattoos, complete medical records and complete financial records on file, and available to any damned corporation that will pay a bribe to see them, remember you read it first here. The GOP is the party of secrecy and Need to Know, and McCain will do nothing to stop this.

There has never been any political organization that so richly deserved to go down in smoke and flames as the GOP for giving us Juniorbush and Cheney. They have shown incompetence, unnecessary secrecy, misallocation of funds and stupidity to a degree unattained by any previous administration, and far, far beyond the call of duty.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

sirs

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27078
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2008, 03:38:10 PM »
Come on Xo, don't hold back....tell us how you really feel           ;)
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

Xavier_Onassis

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27916
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2008, 03:45:16 PM »
That wasn't all that clever a remark the first time you posted it. Or so it seems to me.

I am hoping that the Republicans will have the decency to stay home on election day. A real landslide is needed to remove Republican assholes from the House and Senate which they infest in greater numbers than are warranted.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

sirs

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27078
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2008, 04:07:40 PM »
I am hoping that the Republicans will have the decency to stay home on election day. A real landslide is needed to remove Republican assholes from the House and Senate which they infest in greater numbers than are warranted.

That's better....let it all out.  It's theraputic
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

Christians4LessGvt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11139
    • View Profile
    • "The Religion Of Peace"
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2008, 04:22:42 PM »
re: Come on Xo, don't hold back....tell us how you really feel 

The guy is nanny state supporter
He comes up short so he needs the gvt to help him
He's a "victim" and would rather place blame than look in the mirror

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" - Ronald Reagan - June 12, 1987

Plane

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 26993
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2008, 04:24:44 PM »
Ann Colter, on the other hand prefers Hillary Clinton to the presumptive (at this point ) Republican nominee.

Is this a shot for the moon or does she mean it just as she says it?

I think that after the Convention , someone will point out that Barak Obama won 15% more of the popular vote in the primarys , but that the "super deligates " all owed Mrs Clinton a favor.

The dream ticket for Hillary tho is herself for prez and Obama for veep , this is possible and cures most of Hillarys Obama problem.

sirs

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27078
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2008, 04:30:24 PM »
The dream ticket for Hillary tho is herself for prez and Obama for veep , this is possible and cures most of Hillarys Obama problem.

You think Obama, now with the majority of delgates, has any desire to play 2nd fiddle to the Clinton Machine?
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." -- Aristotle

Plane

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 26993
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2008, 04:31:43 PM »
The dream ticket for Hillary tho is herself for prez and Obama for veep , this is possible and cures most of Hillarys Obama problem.

You think Obama, now with the majority of delgates, has any desire to play 2nd fiddle to the Clinton Machine?


What if the Machine has the ability to manipulate the convention?

Rich

  • Guest
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2008, 04:38:52 PM »
>>When the government has your fingerprints, iris scans, DNA, scars, tattoos, complete medical records and complete financial records on file, and available to any damned corporation that will pay a bribe to see them, remember you read it first here.<<

No, I'm pretty sure I read that first at www.conspiracynuts.com

Amianthus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7574
  • Bring on the flames...
    • View Profile
    • Mario's Home Page
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2008, 04:43:48 PM »
When the government has your fingerprints, iris scans, DNA, scars, tattoos, complete medical records and complete financial records on file, and available to any damned corporation that will pay a bribe to see them, remember you read it first here.

I don't understand; I thought you were for Universal Health Care, which would put those records on file with the government (except for the financial ones, but they're already available to the IRS...)
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. (Benjamin Franklin)

Xavier_Onassis

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27916
    • View Profile
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2008, 05:19:30 PM »
What McCain will do is have the FBI to keep the records and share them with the police, not the national health service, that could be barred from sharing them with everyone.

Whenever you apply for any private health service, they make you sign a consent form giving them the right to access any and all health info you have on file with your doctor.

I think I would be more inclined to trust a healthcare ogranization, made toothless by law by the government, than the mercenary clowns who issue my Mastercard and Visa.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

Amianthus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7574
  • Bring on the flames...
    • View Profile
    • Mario's Home Page
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Republicans Root for Obama
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2008, 05:46:41 PM »
What McCain will do is have the FBI to keep the records and share them with the police, not the national health service, that could be barred from sharing them with everyone.

If a law is good enough to stop your records from getting away from a national health database, why isn't a law good enough to stop your records from getting away from the FBI?
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. (Benjamin Franklin)