Barack Obama: He Completes Us

An absolutely classic bit from the Daily Show.

American History

Barack Obama Bio Video


Obama's Acceptance Speech

Clinton: Obama is My Candidate

Hillary Clinton knocks one out of the park in what may have been her finest moment.

Hillary Clinton shined bright when a lackluster Democratic National Convention needed her most. With media pundits debating how strongly she would commit to Barack Obama gave more than anyone ever expected and united a fragile party.

Could it Be?

As the national political media hovers above the Obama VP story, a subtle suspicion has found its way into my mind. Just a feeling – a strange one that won’t go away.

First off, my bet is that this announcement will some just before 5pm on the east coast so that it will dominate the local and national nightly news and the cable news shows. No-brainer, I guess. And I am now on the record predicting that Joe Biden will be Obama’s choice. But there is this ‘thing’ that is telling me that it could very well end up being Hillary Clinton who is asked to serve as VP. The upside could end up being irresistible. Besides, who better to squash the attack tactics McCain is currently using against Obama than the one who mastered them?

Stephaine Tubbs-Jones Dies in Cleveland

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio passed away Wednesday after suffering a major brain aneurysm.

A police officer in Cleveland Heights, Ohio pulled Rep. Tubbs-Jones' car over yesterday when he saw her driving erratically. Shortly after, she was rushed to the hospital where she remained on life support until Wednesday afternoon.

Besides serving her district since 1998, Tubbs-Jones was also one of Hillary Clinton's most fervent and visible supporters during the Democratic primaries.
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It's Gotta be Biden

That grinding noise you hear in the distance is not Russian tanks rolling through Georgia. It is instead the wheels in the mind of Barack Obama and his campaign staff closing the deal on choosing Joe Biden as his running mate.

Biden’s extensive foreign policy resume has served as the rocket that has shot his standing up the charts. While Evan Bayh also offers impressive foreign policy experience, Biden is clearly the Democratic go-to guy on the issue.

Perhaps the second piece of Biden’s flowering status within the Obama camp is his popularity in Pennsylvania – especially Philadelphia. While Biden’s home state of Delaware offers no incentive as far as electoral vote status, he has been pseudo adopted by his neighbors in Pennsylvania.

Since it is perpetually a swing state, the ‘keystone state’ is as always a big prize. With the talk surrounding the possibility of John McCain tapping former Governor and US Homeland Security Director, Tom Ridge as the Republican VP choice, the Biden selection takes on an added layer of political incentive.

It seems to fit together perfectly as I think back to how emphatically John McCain addressed the abortion issue at last Saturday’s Civil Forum. His claim that a McCain administration would be one of pro-life policies might provide him with the breathing room to feel comfortable enough to go with a pro-choice running mate like Ridge if he feels that his presence on the ticket could deliver Pennsylvania’s twenty-one electoral votes.

Warren: "We do not believe in the separation of faith and politics"

Early in the Saddleback Civil Forum, Barack Obama is outlining the differences between his and John McCain’s positions and strengths. On two occasions, Obama referred to his stance against the Iraq war as a tough decision that turned out just and correct.

At the outset, Rick Warren asked Obama, “what is the America’s greatest moral failure?” Obama quoted Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers you do unto me.” Obama clarified, stating that America’s collective apathy toward poverty, class systems and racism are among them.

OBAMA STEPS THROUGH MORAL LAND MINES WITH GRACE
Obama is showing great strength and fortitude on the tough issues. He handled Warren’s questions on abortion, gay marriage and stem cell funding perfectly. Bravo to him for not pandering to the church crowd. Continually, Warren attempted to transition off of the topics, while Obama pressed forward on each uncomfortable
issue.

NO LOVE FOR CLARENCE THOMAS
After a few nervous, shaky early moments, Sen. Obama has really hit a stride. He is demonstrating a great balance in commitment to position and articulating his faith. I enjoyed his thoughts on Justices Thomas, Scalia and Roberts.

OBAMA THE CLEAR 'ROAD TEAM'
I am surprised by how sharply partisan the crowd seems to be. Obama’s points and positions are generating only sporadic applause. During these times, its easier to spot the Obama supporters. There seems to be a hesitance to accept his answers on faith. It will be interesting to compare the responses when McCain takes the stage. The biggest ovation of the night was after Obama complimented President Bush's position on AIDS.

"THE AMERICAN DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY"
Obama’s line, “the American dream is slipping away” was perfect for the moment. He clearly communicated why he wants to be President without tying McCain to the Bush years with words.

McCAIN IN THE HOUSE!
I can’t go back and compare quite yet, but the ovation for John McCain was noticeably more intense. I’m anxious to see how the crowd responds to his positions on the war and poverty.

McCAIN JUMPS INTO THE DEEP END
McCain jumps right into the Iraq issue and the church explodes in applause. But General Patreaus?! Strange choice considering how divisive the war is.

"A LITTLE PANDERING"
At least John McCain told us he was pandering. The reference to Rwanda (Rick Warren's pet project) was shameful. Now onto Reagan! He really knows how to play this room!

PUTTY IN HIS HANDS
The balance of the crowd is not even remotely close. The 95% ticket distribution to his church members is giving McCain and enthusiastic and supportive crowd. McCain has chosen his words and how emphatic he uses them with his audience in mind.

McCAIN REDEFINES HIS OWN SCOUTING REPORT
This has been a great look into what this fall’s debates might look like. John McCain’s ability to appeal to anyone seeking buzzwords and gimmicks should not be underestimated. The debate season will almost certainly narrow this race in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. You can hear the race tightening.

BREEZING THROUGH!
Clearly, McCain’s ability to stay concise in his message has worked to his advantage. He has already breezed through nearly all of the questions Obama answered with almost twenty minutes left.

COLD WAR PART II
Is McCain really rebuilding the Soviet empire? Fear is the Republicans’ biggest, most powerful weapon. He very gently suggested that Russia is moving back toward world dominance. The rest of what he said was reasonable, but he very clearly initiated the idea. He also dropped the name, Reagan a few more times.

GAME ON!
For me the very clear and big take-away is that John McCain will be a worthy adversary on the campaign trail and in debates. He is intimately familiar with what Americans want to hear and perhaps most importantly, what they don’t and how to use that effectively.

Hey, Isn't that What's his Name?

We’re thirty minutes out and a slightly uncomfortable bit of something is happening. David Pack, former singer of the 70’s one hit wonder band, Ambrosia is on stage singing, ‘You’re the Biggest Part of Me’. He’s great! Everyone seems to recognize the song. Some are mouthing the words along with the band, others are clapping quietly. What makes it so uncomfortable is that nearly no one realizes that this is actually his song! The words have been tweaked to make it a pseudo-Christian song.

Here’s the original David Pack with the original Ambrosia singing the original song:

Kelly O'Donnell Has Great Hair!

I posted earlier that NBC's Kelly O'Donnell was seated near me in the press room. And it just has to be said: she has terrific hair!

4:00pm - Forum Crowd is a Red Tide

It may be that reports of the Republican party’s demise with young Evangelicals may have been greatly exaggerated. As I prowled the line of those lucky enough to hold a ticket to tonight’s civil form, I locked in on those fitting the young Christian profile. You can say that I spiritually profiled the line.

Tim and Erin Riddle of Mission Viejo won their tickets in a lottery of church volunteer leaders. Tim wore a bright red shirt and suggested that it was more than a metaphor for his political leanings. He said the he is hoping that the forum will be a learning experience to help him decide between the two candidates. Erin provided slightly less opportunity, stopping just short of saying that her mind was made up.

All of the ten ticket holders that I spoke to outside the auditorium were affiliated with the church in some way, whether as a member or volunteer. Only Tim Riddle was flexible even slightly with what he might do with his vote. Nearly everyone else seemed settled on what they would do in November.

Live From the Civil Forum, its Hot and Crowded!

Just twenty minutes from my quaint little existence in Irvine California is a highly secured, wired to the hilt Christian compound. Its ten degrees hotter here, and buzzing with a quiet tension and anticipation… blah, blah, blah! Saddleback Church is hosting its Civil Forum on the Presidency and the church and its surrounding several blocks is locked up snug and tight.

This would be a great day to knock off a convenience store since every Orange County Sherriff Deputy apart from Mike Carona is stationed within spitting distance of Rick Warren’s pulpit.

My first stop of the day was getting my credentials and parking assignment. As a lowly blogger, I was assigned the parking lot at the Oakley corporate office about a mile away from the Saddleback campus. I was feeling slightly dissed until I saw how packed the parking lot was more than four hours before the start of the forum. Transportation to the campus was set up rather perfectly as more than fifteen shuttles waited to transport press, volunteers and ticket holders alike. On my run, I shared space with a pair of reporters from Trinity Connections Magazine and several event volunteers and a couple attendees who may have been under the impression that U2 was opening the show.

The chosen ones

My feeling of being disrespected blogger faded when I noticed that one of Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisors was a few spots from me.

Once I got settled in my spot amongst mostly print and internet outlets, I went on a tour. There is lavish outdoor café where food is available for us. I went with the cheeseburger platter.

My spot on “press row” is a few spots from CNN’s Candy Crowley and one row in front of NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell. O’Donnell has been touring with the McCain campaign from the beginning.

On campus, I was surprised by how early the line inside the auditorium had formed. Ticket holders understand how hot the ticket they hold is.

McCain and Obama Ready For Church

(AP photo/Nick Ut)

Saturday’s ‘Saddleback Civil Forum’ will sort of serve as the preseason game to the upcoming debate season. While the two candidates will be at the event together, they will answer their questions on their own. There will be no debate, no interrupting and probably no zingers directed at the other.

The forum will still be our first exposure to something that feels like a debate. Let’s handicap it!

HOME FIELD: McCAIN

In an email that went out to his members Friday evening, Warren clarified what has been a confusing and late changing ticket distribution plan. He said, “we reserved 95% of the 5000+ tickets as FREE to our Saddleback volunteers who faithfully serve our family. We then sold 5% - less than 250 seats - to other members & outsiders in order to defray the expenses of this (now) national event.” Such a distribution virtually ensures that the Saddleback auditorium will be filled to capacity with Orange County Republicans – white, luxury import driving, ‘don’t touch my capital gains’ and do something about all these Mexicans (other than my gardener and housekeeper) Republicans; a home game for John McCain.

GOD TALK: OBAMA

Barack Obama is a real life, Bible reading Christian. He probably has pages highlighted and verses underlined. If he quotes scripture, he’s far more likely to have read it before noon on Saturday. The topic of God and faith is probably the only issue on which McCain will want to be linked to George W. Bush.

Also, I thought it would be cool to use photos of the candidates in prayer in this little piece, but I couldn't find a shot of John McCain doing anything that even looked like praying.

LIFE ISSUES: McCAIN

At least John McCain has been consistent on his anti-choice stance. No back-tracking required here. Conversely, Obama has always held a solid pro-choice position. Expect him to shift this topic to respect for life of humans living outside the womb, with issues such as care for the sick and poor and universal healthcare. He may want to consider rebutting with life numbers that help him here too – civilian lives lost in Iraq.


PERSONAL ISSUES: OBAMA

Quite simply, Obama has been married once and has never called his wife a name that rhymes with punt or bunt or hunt in front of staffers. His association with Rev. Wright could be an issue, but the sort of question that Warren is unlikely to ask.




CHARISSMA: OBAMA

While McCain usually comes off as authentic and that usually plays perfectly in church, this is still southern California. Not only that, it’s ‘the OC’ and authenticity is overrated. Obama is always the most impressive person in the room. Even the enormously likeable and real, Rick Warren will be dwarfed by Obama’s grace and presence.



OVERALL: OBAMA

With less to lose and ‘playing on the road’, Obama figures to leave the forum with more converts than McCain. His ability to naturally articulate the role that his faith plays in his life will be the difference maker. If John McCain could have gracefully avoided this, he would have.




BIG WINNER: WARREN

Rick Warren will be the big winner at the end of the forum. With a national TV audience, Pastor Warren will position himself as the heir apparent to Billy Graham as ‘America’s pastor’. This will be the first glance that most Americans get of Warren in action in the pulpit. While he has been a fixture on cable news shows for several years now, Saturday will be America’s first chance to sit in on a Warren led event. No matter who is elected in November, expect Rick Warren to be front and center at the inauguration.

Warren's Sunday Message Has Evolved/Been Inteligently Re-designed

In the correspondence initially sent out to his church’s members regarding Saturday’s Civil Forum, Saddleback Pastor, Rick Warren said that he planned to deliver a message on the Sunday following the forum called, “Making up Your Mind: Questions to Consider before the Election”. Over the last few days, as other details surrounding the forum have changed, so too has the Sunday message. The new working title is “The Kind of Leadership America Needs”.

In an email sent to members by Saddleback’s Executive Pastor, Glen Kreun wrote, “The message will be about the necessity and nature of effective leadership. Dr. Warren has advised many presidents and world leaders. "The Kind of Leadership America Needs," will be based on what the Bible says about servant leadership, his 35 year personal study of leadership, and his experiences in having trained more than 400,000 leaders in 162 countries over the past 28 years. Dr. Warren has taught on leadership at Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, The University of Judaism, the Davos World Economic Forum, the Aspen Institute, the United Nations, and at many international congresses. He was selected by "U.S. News & World Report" as one of America's 25 Best Leaders.

While the new message appears to be less suggestive to voters, it does seem more final and definitive in its message. It is a bold and assertive claim of certainty that some critics are claiming is Rick Warren’s attempt to bring wandering Evangelicals back into the Republican flock. Clearly, this is the only drama to be expected from the forum.

Credibility, Hypocrisy, Peace and Glory Days in America

Keith Olbermann reminds Bill-O and the rest of us that one should not cast stones from the balconies of glass houses.

John Stewart discusses John Edwards and George W. Bush's "finest decision of his entire presidency"

Press Avoided Edwards Story as Long as They Could

Pouring over the timeline of the John Edwards affair and his subsequent admission to ABC news, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgia. Up until Edwards eventually caved in to an unrelenting pressure from the National Enquirer and other tabloids, the Edwards saga looked to be torn out of the never written pages and inside conversations of the pre-Watergate twentieth century when public figures enjoyed and expected a separation of public and private life.

Today’s media, led by tabloids is an unrelenting and unmerciful pursuit of scoop and the quest for worldwide impact. Yes, I said, ‘led by tabloids’. It is most often the Enquirer or the Globe or online offerings such as TMZ who break stories like the Edwards saga. Sadly, these forms of media appeal to the lowest common denominator in our society. One has to assume that many of the readers of these publications base their votes on the stories that they read while waiting in line at Albertsons or channel surfing between ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ and re-runs of ‘Flavor of Love’.

As the Enquirer broke this story to the unrefined masses, the mainstream news media; specifically the political correspondents reluctantly picked up their notebooks and tape recorders in preparation of covering a story they were hoping not to. As in the good old days of beat writing and journalism, most of the national media knew that Edwards had indeed had an affair with Rielle Hunter in 2006. They also knew that Edwards had come clean with his wife, Elizabeth. It had been dealt with quietly and privately and print and broadcast outlets alike had given the Edwards’ a heaping helping of respect of privacy and space.

Of course the unwritten understanding in all of this was that Edwards would not pursue or accept a VP nod or even being vetted by either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Throwing that hat into the ring would have put the press in the odd spot of reporting something that would inevitably become news. Edwards was forced into a low profile. This may explain Obama’s slow and seemingly plodded pursuit of Edwards’ endorsement leading up to his securing the nomination. Without question, Obama was briefed and had decided to tread carefully despite the fact that Edwards’ home state of North Carolina had fallen into play in the election. Without the public knowing it, all of John Edwards' political ambitions were dead and buried.

The grace and restraint that the media showed the Edwards family was driven by their humanity for Mrs. Edwards. It had long been assumed that Edwards was a bit of a player, however Elizabeth Edwards had earned some say in the process of covering the events within her family. It’s been reported that knowing this, Mrs. Edwards communicated her expectations and humble requests to the press without words.

Clearly the issue of how to use this story has been bantered about the McCain campaign since the story broke. It seems far more likely that playing this into a ‘those morally corrupt Democrats’ type ad will fall on to the desk of a ‘527 group’ similar to the “Swift Boat Vest for Truth” rather than the campaign itself. Suddenly the Republicans are in a painted corner with regard to sexual and relationship issues. Connecting a candidate no longer in the race or pursuing a spot in a future administration to Obama would draw a rapid-fire response from Democrats, pulling Larry Craig into play. Nobody dressed in red is going to allow that to happen.

While it may seem like Edwards almost got away with one here, the reality is that it was probably always a matter of time before his transgressions tracked him down. His continued denial that Ms. Hunter's baby is his will keep the press hot on his heels. His free pass from the media is long gone. Welcome back to 2008, Mr. Edwards. Buckle up!

WWJD? Some Young Evangelicals Think They Know

The Obama campaign set out with an ambitious strategy a couple months back. It was a plan to dip into a voting demographic that had eluded any Democratic candidate since the early 80s. Many critics (including myself) suggested that the campaign was spinning its wheels in trying to attract Evangelicals as a voting block, but the campaign pressed on with the mindset, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’.

With nothing to lose there was little if anything to risk. Christian voters have been a group coveted and consistently landed by Republicans since Ronald Reagan successfully tied Christian and Republican values together in 1980. The emergence of Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson and the political movements such as the Christian Coalition added to the momentum, sealing the deal for Republicans on all levels in every election in the form of an active and dependable voting segment.

The Obama campaign has seized control of and utilized more successfully the use of the internet as a campaign weapon of sorts, tapping into the preferred form of communication of most Americans under the age of forty. As sites like MySpace and Face Book increased in popularity, the Obama campaign stayed in stride creating a campaign site that rivaled those and other social networking sites on its own merit. BarackObama.com would hold its own against most of networking offerings currently available even if there were no election. Conversely, John McCain’s website has been scrambling to simply stay current from a technology standpoint, and gave up on the idea of staying relevant and cutting-edge long ago.

Perhaps one thing that the insiders and advisors of the Obama campaign saw while the rest of us were focused elsewhere was how the GOP had begun to take the Christian vote for granted. They were counting those chickens long before they hatched in every election, playing each race in every state just as they had the ones previously. As this was happening, the demographics within the Christian community were shifting. Groups like Campus Crusade for Christ and other youth targeted ministries were successfully attracting younger and more independent voters. Many of these new believers were coming into the game already slightly jaded and suspicious of anyone or anything who would suggest that they should do something ‘just because’ or that ‘all real Christians vote Republican’.

As this movement was silently growing, a deeper, more cerebral concept was gaining momentum. The traditional pro-life movement was losing steam. The anti-abortion message was alienating itself with virtually no effort from pro-choice groups. The pro-life movement had begun to suffer a credibility issue as critics – especially young ones began to tie the concept of being pro-life to other life issues such as AIDS and poverty. The pro-life movement had seemingly painted itself into a corner of actually being pro-birth with little or no action plan for dealing with all the babies they save and the young mothers they had convinced to trust God’s plan for their lives.

Younger, single Christians are much more willing to buck tradition in favor of a plan that actually works. They are increasingly involved in causes that have traditionally fallen on the other side of the political fence from their parents.

Perhaps no candidate has done more to alienate young, Christian voters than George W. Bush. A professed Christian, Bush represents the Republican old guard to many young Christians. As Bethany Simmons, a twenty year-old Christian in Tustin, California told me, “Bush started two wars with no plan for ending them or any explanation why. His reasons turned out to be lies, and everything since then from him has been a lie or a cover-up.” Simmons is a college senior and intends to cast her first presidential vote for Obama in November. She continued, “as I grew up, it was pretty much preached to me that Christians vote Republican and sinners vote Democrat. It was like good vs. evil. As I got older I saw for myself that wasn’t true.” Simmons said that while she still hates the idea of abortion and feels like programs should be in place to protect the unborn, it is not a top five issue for her. This had created turmoil within her family for a while, although that tide seems to be changing as well. “My mom is actually leaning toward Obama too. I’m stoked. She looks at how so many Republicans are trying to misrepresent him and make him out to be Muslim or whatever and I think she is suspicious.”

In a July article on Bloomberg.com, Christian publisher, Cameron Strang, 32 said, ``I've never seen this before in the Christian community, ``they're staunchly morally conservative still, but they're saying maybe there's a different paradigm.''
Strang, publishes the Christian magazine, ‘Relevant’ and voted for Bush twice. He said that his readers seem to be “broadening the definition of pro- life'' to include the fight against poverty, war, disease, global warming and genocide -- as well as abortion. "What I'm hearing is that out of the two candidates, one of them is pro- life on five of the six" issues, he said of Obama. "And one is pro-life on one of the six." Strang admits, “[this election will be] the first time my mind hasn't been made up blindly that I'm going to vote Republican."

What the Obama campaign has accomplished by tapping into this voter base is similar to what they have done by contesting states such as Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana – they are forcing the McCain campaign to spend money and divert resources in places that were once bright red, Republican strongholds. If there is one sign that the electoral map is changing, this is it. Conversely, Republicans are not making any traditionally Democratic states competitive.

While the Obama campaign hasn’t so much as entertained the idea that they might win the Evangelical vote in the fall, they seem poised to at least take a bite out of the Republican’s share. On the Obama campaign site is a section, ‘Evangelicals for Obama’ which has accumulated over 84,000 members nationwide. Their profiles discuss their faith and principles and why they have chosen to support the Illinois Senator as opposed to falling in step with what seems like modern Christian tradition. Clearly, many young Evangelicals are answering the ‘what would Jesus do?' question. Bethany Simmons answers that question by suggesting, “I’m pretty sure he would probably start by thinking for himself.”

Romney Emerges as McCain Hit Man

Perhaps the most conspicuous sign that Mitt Romney is John McCain’s front runner for Vice Presidential candidate is how he has emerged recently as the McCain campaign’s “heavy”. He is Paulie Walnuts to McCain’s Tony Soprano.

In the last several days Romney has begin popping up on the networks defending McCain’s attack ads, condemning Obama’s responses as attacks and reducing nearly all of his positions as scant, sophomoric theories. He referred to Senator Obama’s energy position on finding alternate energy sources as “Pollyanna”.

The most gut-wrenching part of Romney throwing such blows is the mock civility with which he delivers it. There is a menu full of reasons why the Democrats would salivate over having Romney on the McCain ticket. First and foremost is that nearly everyone close to any campaign other than his own seems to despise the guy. He is the ‘Karen’ of the Republican Party. (If that didn’t make any sense, Google Dane Cook’s routine)

There is a lot to gain for McCain by bringing Romney on as the ticket’s pit-bull. The negative focus on McCain himself will shift onto Romney, leaving McCain to reprise his role as ‘straight talker’ and ‘maverick’.

As the campaign drags on, expect the McCain campaign to continue to lob negative ad after negative ad until the inch across the public’s line of acceptability. When voters have had enough, expect McCain to put Romney to work, highlighting the most transparent reason he cannot afford an inexperienced, palatable running mate. The attacks on Obama must continue, however McCain will not survive the war if he is the one engaging in the dirty fight.

Clinton Back in the Zone

MickDaily favorite, Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post has written a great piece in Sunday's edition. She chronicles Bill Clinton's return to his charity work and endeavors as an ambassador.

Kornblub spent time with the former President during his trip to Africa, where he discusses his potential role in the Obama campaign and the Democratic convention later this month as well as what might be next for Hillary.
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