This is the NRO post referred to above...
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/

"On the Verge of a Stunner in Pennsylvania?

Hold on to your hats. I've gotten the usual word of the exit poll results from one of my usual reliable sources. He notes that Obama traditionally over-performs in the earliest exit polls, and that he expects the numbers to change as the night wears on - perhaps a reversal.

But right now, the exits are saying Obama 52 percent, Clinton 47 percent.

Take these results with the usual grains of salt and skepticism. I'm told that Obama is carrying blue collar workers two to one, and he's winning Philadelphia in the neighborhood of three to one.

As usual, if you're a Pennsylvanian and haven't voted yet, don't let these or any other numbers discourage you.

04/22 05:35 PM"

Posted at April 22, 2008 6:02 PM in response to First Exit Poll Data via CNN

Drudge just threw out the following numbers in a big banner headline:
"Exit Poll Drama 5 PM ET: CLINTON 52, OBAMA 48"

Posted at April 22, 2008 5:50 PM in response to First Exit Poll Data via CNN

I can empathize, as I was right there two weeks ago... but, with all due respect, I'd urge you to lift your chin up.

There are all sorts of factors that justify feeling down about the state of politics at the moment, and they don't have to revolve around your feelings about the two candidates on the Democratic side who continue to battle it out.

The 24-hour media is eager for a new headline every four hours, and feasts on weekly controversies to enable its talking heads to blather on about things they remember from their campaigns gone by and to enable campaign surrogates to put their feet in their mouth on a bi-weekly basis, thus restarting the cycle of headlines & controversies and propping up their ratings. I know there are substantial similarities in the candidates' positions on the actual issues that should be the fodder for debate in the country, but that doesn't absolve the media from exploring those differences that do exist, and reporting, instead of bloviating and creating spectacle.

Then there are the Swift Boat Poseurs for Fraud, and the "clean-coal" industry (sponsors of all CNN debates who ensure that no substantive debate about global warming and our need to stop burning coal actually occurs during those debates), and other special interests forming PACs and 527s that we haven't even heard of yet that will denigrate and vilify and attack and dredge up otherwise meaningless quotes and factoids about candidates and distort them and use drudge and fox to inject said distortions into the "debate" on the campaign until everything is just a big, expensive, filthy, muddy, clusterf*&^%k that doesn't resemble at all what we've come to hope would comprise this common enterprise we call 'democracy'.

But, that's just it.

We have to keep our heads up and fight through because not persevering is a declaration of defeat.

Adams and Jefferson and Madison and Hamilton and the like didn't have the same romantic impressions of each other that we have 200+ years hence. There was some truly vitriolic filth spewed between them, and on their behalf by the multitude of partisan and highly political pamphleteers, back in the day, and I would say that it may actually have been more personal and harder to stomach than the stuff we're seeing now.

But, their convictions and ideals carried them through any squeamish moments with courage and purpose, and I would argue that we who hope to carry on their traditions in this great experiment we call America must batten down the hatches, put on a fresh pot of coffee, take a couple of minutes to stretch and then jump right back into the fray.

Based on your tome above, I feel it is safe to assume your disappointment stretches from the sense of a loss of hope, but I am here to remind you that while it may seem that your hope was held just by you, in a singular sense, in fact, it is something that lives and breathes in the collective hearts and minds of all who would consider themselves Democrats.

We may feel down and dispirited at times, but given a good pat on the back and a smile, it should be easy to recognize that we will not be 'defeated' quite so easily.

Make no mistake; it is likely to get worse 'out there', especially as the general election comes around.

But rest assured that the everlasting hope of an America that prides itself on the democratic dreams and ideals of its citizenry will not, indeed, cannot, die a premature death at the hands of the foolish crap that gets thrown about during election season and that may temporarily overcome one's sense of hope. This is, after all, one of the things we are working to change! We cannot assume it will simply go away, and it will take many of us with commitment and a sense of common purpose to doggedly root out falsehoods and baseless attacks and slanted coverage and all the rest until it is revealed for the filth that it is.

So let us not begin with the premature autopsies of hope just yet. How about we roll up our sleeves, knock on some doors, make some phone calls, write some LTEs (hell, pen your own op-ed!), and organize our communities based on the principles we hold dear.

and remember, when you or I feel down, someone will remind us that we can, in fact, accomplish great things, and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, if we stick together, keep our heads held high, and work our asses off...

yes.

we can.

Posted at March 25, 2008 6:28 PM in response to The Founding Fathers would be ashamed

I actually think that, given his long history with the clintons, his silence thus far speaks volumes...

Plus, there is this interesting article on the relationship between the Clintons and Gores from VF last year...
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/clinton200711

Posted at March 21, 2008 10:03 AM in response to Breaking: Bill Richardson Endorses Obama

All due respect SpiderPig, but this actually couldn't come at a better time for Sen. Obama...

A high-profile, former fellow-candidate endorsement is huge in a number of ways:
1. it maintains the momentum of super-delegates breaking for Barack, and now, with both Dodd and Richardson endorsing him, that would be 2 - 0 former Dem Presidential Candidates endorsing him over HRC.
2. it will provide some good news to finish off the week, and, while it won't dominate the news cycle like The Speech, or the new passport story, or Wright, it will get some definite play.
3. it says a lot that he would endorse now, in one of Barack's biggest times of need, as fighting on two fronts, against both Clinton and McCain, is clearly difficult, and (I'd hazard a guess that) the past 10 days have been some of the roughest of Barack's political career, so this is, in effect, like receiving a big and capable bunch of reinforcements.
On behalf of supporters of Senator Obama everywhere, "THANKS BILL!"

Posted at March 21, 2008 7:18 AM in response to Breaking: Bill Richardson Endorses Obama

(Michigan voter/Obama supporter here...)

It is vitally important to note that one of the main problems with the revote proposal in Michigan is that it prevents Democrats who voted in the GOP primary in January (after being told by *everyone* that their vote in the Dem primary wouldn't count) would NOT be allowed to vote in this new election. This is due to DNC rules disallowing someone from voting in both the GOP and Dem primary in the same year.

Repeating, some Democrats would be unable to vote in the new primary.

If the DNC came forward to say that it would waive that rule for this special election, then this might still have some legs, but since the Legislature leaves for a two-week easter recess on Friday, the deal will have to be figured out by thursday...

That, and the still theoretical proposals for funding (such as they are) seem to doom this, despite the statements from the Clinton campaign and now the DNC that Obama "must" accept the re-vote. It's not at all clear what he'd be accepting at this point, other than a partial primary under hurried planning and few, if any, safeguards...

If you want to join us Michiganders in emailing/calling Senator Levin, Debbie Dingell, Jennifer Granholm, and Mark Brewer to express your extreme dissatisfaction with this whole sordid state of affairs, you're more than welcome...

Posted at March 19, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Democratic National Committee Gives Blessing To Michigan Re-vote

It is likely to be lauded as an excellent speech, and, I believe, deservedly so.

Sen. Obama's speech eloquently dealt with an issue that all Americans have pondered, discussed, and experienced on a day to day basis. As such, I think that, fundamentally, his speech will be quite accessible to most Americans (that is, if they can sift through the spin and the talking heads' interpretation, which is a whole other issue).

In addition, I actually think that Barack's speech was quite effective in articulating a clear sense of his faith and how it informs his worldview and his love for this country.

I think that, not just in Pennsylvania, but throughout the country, people will recognize the deeply personal faith of Barack Obama and relate to it based on the way he weaved history and faith together during this speech.

In a way, it could have even more profound repurcussions by re-framing the discussions about faith and religion in politics, perhaps pushing it slightly away from being dominated by issues-driven groups on the far-right.

The fact that it came in the context of a speech on race will only serve to make it more understandable and accessible to average americans like us...

Posted at March 18, 2008 12:25 PM in response to Full Text Of Obama's Big Race Speech: A Big Break With Political Precedent

Another interesting (and yes, overly wonky) comparison of the two outcomes would be to overlay the list of states won for each candidate with a list of newly vacant (GOP) or hotly contested house and senate seats to see whether the close electoral count can be further differentiated by whether or not there would be a significant difference in the coattails of either candidate...
don't have the time to do it now, but perhaps someone else does?

Posted at March 6, 2008 4:50 PM in response to SurveyUSA: Hillary And Obama Win Electoral College In Distinct Ways

1. Obama's servers appear to be overwhelmed at the moment, as the "My.BarackObama.com" page is inaccessible... here's hoping it is because too many people are trying to help call voters in TX & OH

2. As someone who canvassed in Toledo both days this weekend, I'm curious to know if anyone can lend any insight into the "Clinton ground-game", in as much as said ground-game exists... How, exactly, is she turning out voters, phone calls? We had folks all over the city canvassing from a number of staging locations, and even ran into fellow Obama-supporting union volunteers canvassing many of the same neighborhoods that we were... hopefully the Obama-organizing advantage comes through to deliver OH to Barack, and of course I'd like to think that will happen, but the dearth of information as to how Hillary accomplishes her GOTV is curious... Anecdotally, the neighborhoods I canvassed were probably anywhere from 75-25 to 90-10 Obama to Hillary, which reflects the trends in many states' african-american communities.

Posted at March 3, 2008 2:16 PM in response to Poll: Hillary's Lead In Ohio Grows To 10 Points