CW Political and Social Thought

Barack Obama: Speech on Patriotism

June 30, 2008

Independence, MO

Clinton and Obama First Joint Public Appearance

Since their contentious path toward the Democratic nomination diverged, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton held their first joint public appearance in Unity, NH on Friday. (On a side note, each candidate received 107 votes in the NH primary in Unity.) This event kicks off a national campaign strategy by the Obama campaign to unite his and Clinton's various constituencies. This Friday, hundreds of Obama volunteers will host "Unite for Change" parties around the country, hoping to attract Clinton supporters and independents.

Senator Hillary Clinton at the "Unite for Change" Rally

Senator Barack Obama at the "Unite for Change" Rally

Obama's First Post Primary Ad

"Country I Love"

The Virginia Democratic Party Convention

The Virginia Democratic Party Convention was held on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at Hampton Roads Convention Center.

The Politicians


U.S. Senator Jim Webb


Virginia Delegate Dwight Jones


House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong


State Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw


Chairman of Arlington County Board J. Walter Tejada


Congressional Democratic Nominee for Sixth District Sam Rasoul


Congressional Democratic Nominee for Tenth District Judy Feder


Congressional Demo. Nominee for 11th District Gerry Connolly


Governor Tim Kaine


Governor Tim Kaine


Congressional Democratic Nominee for 5th District Tom Perriello


Gubernatorial Candidate Delegate Brian Moran


Gubernatorial State Senator Creigh Deeds


U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner


U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner



U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner   


Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and wife, Lisa Collis


U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner

The Districts and More







 

Hillary Clinton Concedes

After much conversation and consternation, Hillary Clinton concedes on June 7, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

Obama Wins Nomination at 2118

After Much Debate, We Finally Know What Hillary Wants

There has been much debate on what motivates Hillary Clinton to stay in race for the Democratic nomination. In this week's Time Magazine, Karen Tumulty suggests that perhaps Hillary continues to fight in order to force Obama's hand in selecting her for vice president. In fact, Tumulty's anonymous source, who is said to be familiar with the Clinton campagin, claims  "Bill 'is pushing real hard for this to happen". Another reason that Tumulty cites is that Clinton's valiant, but inevitably fruitless attempt at the nomination will lend enough sympathizers that perhaps the DNC will relieve her millions of dollars in campaign debt. Still, other political commentators believe that Hillary is being  such a sore loser that her continued involvement in this nomination process means that all she wants to do is damage Obama's November success. While her rhetoric about working-class workers has toned down in the last few weeks, she nevertheless has driven an irretrievable wedge between Obama and "working class white workers" especially those in Appalachia, between Obama and Hispanics, and between Obama and many women. In essence, her politics have made this race quid pro quo, in which case the voters who support her losing campaign are  made to believe that Obama is the enemy. Many of those voters have said that they will either not vote at all in the fall and will, god forbid, vote for the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

But alas, I think Hillary had revealed her modus operandi. As revealed in this video, Clinton is staying in the race to wait for the worst of worst things to happen. Despite claiming that her husband was elected in June, she fails to convey the fundamental difference in the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination contest  and the 2008 contest. While Bill Clinton did not secure the nomination until June, the campaign season in 1992 was only 9 months. Given the length of that nomination campaign, this Democratic race should have ended in February or March. But, of course, she's ignoring that part of the 1992 Democratic contest. Instead, she's decided to invoke the imagery of Robert Kennedy's assassination, suggesting that she will sustain her bid, if only to wait for the moment that a 'Sirhan Sirhan' forever shatters the hopes of a nation, the hopes of a leader, and the hope that the United States could be different.  Apparently, she's once again changing her metric of victory: from Michigan and Florida not counting, to superdelegates deciding on the party nominee, to fully counting Michigan and Florida, to using the popular vote, and NOW to hope that she can obliterate a challenger altogether.

Keith Olbermann on the Lowest of Lows for Hillary