AFL-CIO Presidential Forum

The ALF-CIO held it's Democratic forum last night in Chicago moderated by MSNBC's Keith Olberman and featuring all the major Democratic contenders for president except for former Alaska senator Mike Gravel. Since this is basically the millionth Democratic debate/forum (with a million more to go), we heard a lot of the same old stuff. However, the dynamic is changing and, last night, instead of it seeming like every man and woman for him or herself...it seemed to be more of a team sport with Clinton/Biden/Dodd on one side against Obama/Edwards on another side with Richardson and Kucinich floating around.

Before that, let's talk about other things. While all the candidates did well as usual, I though last night belonged to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Richardson, for once, looked comfortable, had the best one liner ("My V-P would NOT be Dick Cheney"), stayed out of the bickering, and, most importantly, he wasn't boring. Dennis Kucinich...gotta love him. He's really passionate and he's the only candidate up there that actually has differing views from the rest. He did a lot better without Mike Gravel's presence. Senator Chris Dodd and Senator Joe Biden also did really well last night. Dodd sounded strong and Biden really knows how to work a crowd. Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama did well as usual with Hillary definitely sounding more presidential and experienced. She edged out Obama in his home field once again and political analysts, including Pat Buchanan, agree it was her night. John Edwards did the poorest. His desperation is shining through and he's trying to do whatever it takes to crawl back to the top.

Edwards started the bickering early on by trying to condemn Hillary for taking lobbyist money and Barack echoed Edwards' criticism. Hillary stood her ground and defended her position. Edwards was trying to capitalize on the fact that Hillary got booed at YearlyKos for lobbyist defense. Guess what Edwards? This wasn't YearlyKos. Lucky for Barack, Gravel was not there to call him out saying that Barack does indeed take money from special interest groups, even if they aren't federal lobbyists (key word there is federal). Keith Olberman did mention to Barack about him accepting money from lobbyists to which Obama went defensive very quickly. Obama and Edwards are fooling nobody. Do you really think they are getting all their money from the general public? They are the two people I have actually seen speak in person and while they are both great, charasmatic speakers....they continue to disappoint and unimpress.

This team up of Obama and Edwards continued as the two candidates attempted to paint themselves as Washington outsiders and portray the others as Washington insiders. This has been Obama's motto all along, which Edwards is now trying to hop on Obama's bandwagon. Desperate much Edwards? Hopefully, Obama and Edwards will cancel each other out because, frankly, both are starting to become very whiny and very "vote for us because we aren't with the in-crowd."

Next came the time to attack Barack Obama. As mentioned here in previous posts, Obama recently stated that we need to pull out of Iraq and go into Pakistan to get Al-Qaeda. Now he's trying to take his words back and add stuff in there by saying "only if we have actionable intelligence" and "scratch that, noone discussed nuclear weapons" after he mentioned nuclear weapons and Pakistan. To me, Obama is continuing to see that he needs to seem more experienced and more knowledgeable on foreign policy so he is doing and saying anything to get his name out there. Last night, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd came after Obama for his remarks saying that he made a mistake about his remarks about Pakistan and Biden even went on to say that "Barack said nothing new and he was just stating something (actionable intelligence) that is already policy." Basically, Biden called Obama out for copying him and for stating something that the U.S. already does but making it seem like it was a new idea. Olberman tried to get Hillary to say something in regards to Obama's statements and, while she did say that it was unwise and unpresidential, her remarks weren't as heated as those from Dodd and Biden. Hillary was able to take the high road last night and not be so on the offense due to the support she had on stage from Biden and Dodd. It was definitely a good thing for her and Dodd and Biden definitely elevated her last night. Perhaps, Dodd and Biden have struck a deal to join Hillary's cabinet and administration? Who knows. I'd love that. Anyways, Obama defended himself against Dodd, Biden, and Hillary the ONLY way he knows how....by talking about IRAQ (which wasn't even brought up). Barack tooted the "well, what's naive is all you guys voting for the Iraq war" business again. I'm so sick of this argument. Get over it Obama. You weren't in the Senate. You didn't vote for Iraq because you didn't have the chance to vote for Iraq....whether it would have been a yes or a no. The only person who truly voted against Iraq and not vote to fund it (Barack voted to fund it) was Dennis Kucinich. Same old argument, a different day. Get something new Obama...please.

That's all. Expect more bickering.

Pollspot: Battleground

A new Quinnipiac University Poll (where Leah, Rich, Ashlee, and I all were employed at one point) has released a new poll showing Hillary Clinton doing well in the Democratic primaries with a closer call for the general election should she get the nomination (God willing she will!).

A new series of Quinnipiac polls show Sen. Hillary Clinton dominating the Democratic presidential primary race in three key swing states, and narrowly leading Republicans in general election match-ups.

In Florida, Clinton is in the lead with 43%, with Sen. Barack Obama at 13%, Al Gore at 11% and John Edwards at 8%

In Ohio, Clinton leads the Democratic race with 41%, followed by 16% for Obama, 11%for Edwards and 8% for Gore

In Pennsylvania, Clinton leads the primary race with 35%, followed by 19% for Obama, 12% for Gore and 10% for Edwards

The general election is much closer with Clinton as the nominee:
In Florida, Clinton tops Giuliani 46% to 44%, flipping a 46% to 44% Giuliani lead July 23

In Ohio, Clinton ties Giuliani 43% to 43%, compared to a 44% to 42% Clinton lead July 12

In Pennsylvania, Clinton edges Giuliani 45% to 44%, compared to a 45% to 45% tie June 27 Key finding: The polls also find that Clinton "is turning around independent and Republican voters who previously viewed her negatively."

The last sentence is extremely important. She needed to turn Independents and Republicans who viewed her negatively and she's doing a great job!

Fashion Worth Its Weight in Silver

We don't talk much about fashion around here, but it's August and I can't avoid it anymore. Fall fashion is officially shifting into gear (I love that I'm writing this with my AC on, by the way). I am completely in love with all the metallics and studs I'm seeing now. Shiny metals are showing up both on the runway and off, and I'm salivating over these pieces:

Fendi; Donna Karan Collection
-
Dolce and Gabbana; Burberry Prorsum

Jil Sanders

Balenciaga

Yves Saint Laurent

I love all the structure, but Fendi and Balenciaga prove that metallics don't have to be hard as, well, metal. Those shoes make me cry, since there is no way I'll ever be able to afford them at $395 a pair. Aren't they gorgeous though? This is one trend I'm happy to try to incorporate into my wardrobe. Will I ever be able to pull off an entirely studded trench like the one from Burberry? Hell no! But we can all wear more metallic jewlery and maybe even pull out the old BeDazzler to get our own versions of these looks. I'm sure H&M and the Gap will be offering toned down twists (in style and price) on this trend soon enough. Until then, happy drooling!

Big thanks to Elle.com and Style.com for the photos!

MTV VMA 07

The nominees for the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (aka VMAs) were announced today. Leading the pack of nominees include Justin Timberlake and Beyonce. Rihanna and Amy Winehouse also are nominated and will join Timberlake in performing at the show. For a full list of nominees click here.

Facebook flounders

Caroline Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani's daughter from his second/third/who even knows marriage, was endorsing Barack Obama for president. Noting herself as liberal on her fbook profile, and a member of "One million strong for Barack Obama," this raises some questions. In any case, the Slate contacted her about it, and she took it down. No comments have been made. Apparently she's estranged from her father after his divorce with her mother. Either way, I think children's lives are private and more power to her for being independent. Why can't the press just leave children of candidates alone if they do not want to get involved in the politics? Don't make the dads go all Jed Bartlet/Zoey Bartlet on you!

Great shot/chaser from the Hotline's Last Call! today regarding this.

SHOT . . .

"He's my father. He's my blood" -- Andrew Giuliani, on supporting his dad (ABCNews.com, 8/6).

. . . CHASER

"With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy" -- Darth Vader ("The Empire Strikes Back," 1980).

Pollspot: All about the H-I-L-L

More reasons why today has been great! Hillary HAS the momentum!

National:

A new Cook Political Report/RT Strategies survey shows Sen. Hillary Clinton has widened her lead over Sen. Barack Obama to 20 points, 43% to 23%. John Edwards places third with 10% and Gov. Bill Richardson is fourth with five percent.

For Republicans, Rudy Giuliani moved up six points to 28%, while Sen. John McCain dropped four points, to 17%. Fred Thompson is third with 15% and Mitt Romney is fourth with 8%.

Nice to see Hill with a 20 point lead. Nice to see Romney so far behind.

Missouri:

A new American Research Group survey in Missouri finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 40%, followed by John Edwards at 22% and Sen. Barack Obama at 15%.

On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani leads with 23%, followed by Fred Thompson at 22%, Sen. John McCain at 14%, Mitt Romney at 11% and Newt Gingrich at 10%.

Obama is in third there! Ouch. Maybe John Edwards isn't as far behind Obama as people think.

Georgia:

A new American Research group poll in Georgia shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 35%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 25% and John Edwards at 17%.

In the Republican race, Fred Thompson leads with 27%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 20%, Mitt Romney at 14%, Newt Gingrich at 13% and Sen. John McCain at 7%.

Solid 10 point lead in Georgia for Hillary is fine by me. Pretty close race there.

North Carolina:

In yet another sign of Sen. Hillary Clinton's momentum in the 2008 Democratic presidential race, a new Public Policy Polling survey shows her tied with John Edwards in his home state of North Carolina. Clinton and Edwards each get 29% support, with Sen.Barack Obama trailing at 23%.

In the GOP race, Fred Thompson leads with 30%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 20%, Mitt Romney at 12% and Sen. John McCain at 7%.

Hillary ties John Edwards...BUT...it's his home state. The momentum increases.

Not to mention the two polls I posted earlier.

Thank you Political Wire.

Pollspot: It Just Keeps Getting Better

I start my last day as an intern for a FOX61 in Hartford on a good note as I see some polling data showing my candidate, Hillary Clinton, expanding her lead. I couldn't be happier! Let's take a look at what Political Wire has to offer!

National:

Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead in the Democratic presidential race is expanding, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll. She now leads with 48%. -- up eight percentage points from three weeks ago -- followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 26% and John Edwards at 12%.

In the Republican race, Rudy Giuliani leads with 33%, followed by Fred Thompson at 21%, Sen. John McCain at 16% and Mitt Romney at 8%.

Up 8 points in just 3 weeks! I am so happy!

California:

A new SurveyUSA poll in California finds Rudy Giuliani leading the Republican presidential race with 39% of the vote, followed by Fred Thompson at 19%, Sen. John McCain at 16% and Mitt Romney at 10%.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton gets an amazing 51% of the vote, with Sen. Barack Obama at 27% and John Edwards at 14%.Key finding: "Clinton now leads among female Demcratic primary voters by 41 points. She gets 62% of female votes in an 8-person field."

Over HALF in California! It just brightens up my day. California is CRUCIAL in the general election! (Not that we are near that yet)

To all the men in Washington, raise your hand if you've had a gynocological exam?

Didn't think so.

John and Leah both posted great things about the pro-choice/anti-choice debate. The spinning by the Republican machine (by the way, anyone else thoroughly scared by Tancredo, Brownback, and their never-relenting mission to overturn Roe v. Wade?), the arguments over who was anti-choice first, the desire to rule over women's bodies...it all gets me so riled up I can hardly type this. It's hard not to morph into "scary-stereotypical-feminist-crazy" right now, but I can't help it. I just do not understand why people, men particularly, feel they have a right to decide on what I do with my body. I completely agree with John; look, no one wants to have abortions. They're expensive (too expensive if you ask me) and they don't feel so great. However, especially in cases of rape and incest, a woman should have all options on the table.

A really intriguing question, as expounded upon by the ever wonderful Anna Quindlen in last week's Newsweek, is, if abortion is criminalized, then women who have illegal abortions commit a crime, what is the punishment? Do you throw them in jail? If it's murder, do you punish her for 1st degree? And if you did throw her in jail, how long would the sentence be? Quindlen helps illustrate how no one has an answer for this. It's a really interesting read, highly recommended. She finds her questions off this really incredible video at a Libertyville anti-choice demonstration where a man fields these very questions to demonstrators, who, more often than not, don't have answers.

So next time you men out there get a cervical smear or a speculum shoved up your vagina, let me know, and we'll talk.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

John's post about the "pro-choice" vs. "pro-abortion" issue reminded me of a fantastic article I read in Elle magazine last month regarding a recent Supreme Court decision.

The Supreme Court decided this spring to uphold a federal law that allows state legislatures, if they choose, to criminalize one form of second-trimester abortion, known as partial-birth abortion. Procedures beyond 12 weeks account for 12 percent of the country's 1.3 million abortions a year, some of which are performed for women who learn during prenatal testing that their fetuses are seriously deformed or destined to die. Another type of late-term abortion is still available under the ruling, though the Court heard evidence that the partial-birth procedure is actually safer for some women. That's disturbing—but what is truly shocking is how Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of Gonzales v. Carhart, portrayed women in the Court's decision.

The rest of the article continues with several insightful and respected writers weighing in with their opinions. I highly suggest you read it here. The most disturbing issue this article brings to mind isn't even about abortion, it's about the way women are continually marginalized in our society. It's generally acknowledged that women have all the same rights and capabilities as men (as if that should even be a question!), and yet we're still being treated like children who can not think or act for ourselves. This ruling points to the much larger trend in our society, as women's rights seem to be moving backwards. Where are our women leaders? Why is there only one woman serving on the Supreme Court? However you feel about Hillary Clinton personally, it's ridiculous that she would be our only female president in our country's entire history, and it's even more ridiculous that many people believe our country isn't ready for her. Women are capable of, and deserve, a lot more than our current administration is giving us credit for.

Glavine Wins 300th Game

Tom Glavine became the 23rd pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to win 300 games and the 5th left hander to accomplish the feat. The New York Mets hurler is in the midst of his 21st season, 16 of which were spent as an Atlanta Brave, and this may be his last year playing baseball. This might also be the last 300 game winner we see for a very long time. See the story here.

Not Pro-Abortion

At the Republican Debate yesterday, Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback went head to head over abortion. Brownback attacked Romney for at one point being pro-choice (Romney now says he is very much pro-life). Romney is a bigger flip-flopper than Sen. John Kerry ever could have been accused of. I believe Mitt Romney would make a terrible president. However, I still feel he will manage to snag the Republican nomination. Anyways, my point in this post is not to discuss the debate but to single out something in a call that Brownback has been making in Iowa to attack Mitt Romney.

In the phone call to voters we hear...

"Mitt Romney pledged to support and uphold pro-abortion policies and passed taxpayer funding of abortions in Massachusetts."

My problem here is the word pro-abortion. It infuriates me. It's the Republican spin machine trying to paint not only Mitt Romney, but also, liberals and democrats as pro-abortion. There is a BIG difference between pro-abortion and pro-choice. They are NOT one in the same. I am pro-choice, the candidates for president on the Democratic side are pro-choice. No one is pro-abortion. No one likes the ideas of abortions. This clever wording is how some Republicans intend to continue to divide the nation and put false beliefs in people's heads.

Banner Overtakes Big Brother

This week on Big Brother 8 some (extreme) fans were successful in something that has been tried and failed many times by other fans. For those who don't know, Big Brother airs live on Thursdays and the point of the show is too completely isolate the houseguests from the outside world (although they do communicate with producers of the show regularly without seeing them, chat with host Julie Chen once a week, and houseguest Eric gets instructions from fans since he is America's Player). For numerous years now, fans have been spending a decent amount of money to hire a plan to hang a message banner from it's tail and fly over the house while the houseguests are outside. It's quite a bit excessive in my opinion to waste money on such a pointless thing....but, hey, it's entertaining! Usually Big Brother producers spot the planes coming or are alerted before hand and they rush the houseguests into the house into lockdown where they won't be able to see the plane's message. Last Thursday...the mission was finally accomplished.

Thursday night some eager fans planned very well. During live shows on Thursdays, the houseguests usually have to compete in the backyard to become the Head of Household. This Thursday was no different. However, instead of a quick competition, the HoH event was an endurance challenge that can leave houseguests in the backyard for hours. Therefore, producers were unable to stop an in-progress competition when the houseguests are outside to lock them inside when a banner plane flew through. The plane flew through right in the middle of the competiton and ALL the houseguests read the message which read..."WE HEART NICK. AMBER AND ERIC ARE LIARS LNC = THE NERD HERD."

Now for a breakdown, Nick was the houseguest who was just voted out of the house and was closely aligned with Danielle (the 20 year old femme fatale of the Big Brother and my personal favorite). Amber and Eric were not on any one's bad side and were part of the house's bigger alliance. Amber is the cry baby of the house who did lie to Nick when she said she had no idea he would be nominated for eviction (Amber was the one who initiated the plan). Eric is America's Player and, in my opinion, is highly annoying and a bit arrogant. He does have his funny moments. Since he does what America instructs, he had voted against his alliance for two weeks straight and lied to everyone about putting blame on Nick. Now he's in the hot seat and is finally being called out (by America itself). Who knows? Maybe the majority of us want Eric out of the house and are making him vote against himself purposely so he can become targeted. If that's the case...it's working. After Danielle won Head of Household she indicated her plan is to get him out via the backdoor (though she nominated Kail and Jen for old times sake and just in case Eric had a chance to win the Veto and save himself). Also, why couldn't America have voted who would become America's Player? I doubt Eric would have become our player had that been the case. I personally would have voted for Danielle or Dustin or even Nick. Ah well. Finally, LNC = The Nerd Herd. LNC means Late Night Crew. The LNC is the bigger alliance of Dick, Danielle, Dustin, Amber, Eric, Jessica, and Jameka. The Nerd Herd was a term from season 6 referring to the alliance of Beau, Maggie, Ivette, Jen, and April who AMERICA HATED and they thought they wore holier than thou (as Mitt Romney would say). The Nerd Herd was ridiculous and the LNC cannot be compared to them in my opinion.

The banner has really stirred things up in the house. Is it really fair that the houseguests saw the banner? No. But what's fair in the Big Brother 8? Sometimes houseguests have to eat slop (oatmeal type grool) for a week. It wasn't fair but it is a new dynamic that the game must deal with and I'm happy it got air time on CBS. Eric is now a target. The LNC is about to be broken up. And I couldn't be more excited. This season has not disappointed for a second! Thank goodness this outrageous show is on three times a week! I wish it were every day!

See...I can talk about other things besides my love for Hillary Clinton lol.

Big Brother 8 airs on CBS on Sundays, Tuesdays, and live on Thursdays. Check your local listings! It's never too late to join the madness!

Potpourri

Hey, the Bahamas don't wait. Poor Congress had to stay in late over the weekend and work. Wah. Anyways, seems like they got a lot done since they passed a buttload of stuff, or versions of stuff, including, but not limited to FISA, Defense Appropriations, and an Energy Bill (House only). To give the rundown, FISA, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, would immediately allow the US to start warrantless surveillance of foreign targets, regardless of whether or not that person is communicating with someone in the US. However, it would require the attorney general to note how the info is collected, and the procedures would be subjected to a FISA court later. The Republican version of the bill passed, but all in all, I'm okay with this. Plus, the bill expires in 6 months so they can come back and revise as needed (vacation was calling, it was getting late...) The Energy Bill looks to have a tough fight in the Senate. It has a lot of provisions, some more soporific than others, to tax oil and gas companies to help cough up the funds to pay for alternative energy measures and other programs. We'll see you back on Sept 4 Congress! Damn you and your month long vacation.

Tea with Dr. Strangelove. Republican debate on Sunday, sponsored by ABC News, moderated by the dashingly handsome, charmingly witty, and endearingly intelligent George Stephanopoulos. Oh yeah, the guy is apparently not half bad as a speech writer either. The candidates mostly stayed away from bashing each other, although they all took a jab, more or less, at the Dems. Romney in particular made a er, strange(love) comment about Obama, saying,

"I mean, in one week he went from saying he's going to sit down, you know, for tea, with our enemies, but then he's going to bomb our allies," Romney said. "He's gone from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week." (WaPo)

I will pay someone good money if they can provide a visual of this.

Tancredo also mentioned that he would bomb Islamic holy sites. Holy sites, more like holy shit, that is a terrible idea! I actually agree with Thompson's (that's Tommy) statements,

"Bombing religious artifacts and religious holy sites would do nothing but unify 1 billion Muslims against us."

Let's talk less about bombing people and more about flowers and love and bunnies! Bunnies, people! and Kittens! and Peace! peace kittens!

Gimme some mo' Hagel might join the pres race. He's using the August recess to decide. Of all the Republicans, I probably like him the best. I think the real question is, though, do the Republicans need more nominees? The debate stage only fits so many. Still, I bet Chuck will think about it, decide, declare, run and have hell freeze over before Fred Thompson plans a date to declare (Sept 5 is the actual date, for any who care)

Important Dates?
Aug 4/this Sat was Obama's 46th birthday! Hoorah?
Aug 7/tomorrow AFL-CIO debate for Dems

Also, I'm really excited for this Indiana Jones movie. I'm a big fan of the series, so I'll just plug my ears and go "la la la" to all the bad rap it's eventually going to get.

Dr. Jones!

Check out the first promotional poster from the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones movie:

Part of this movie was filmed in New Haven last month, so we have to show it some love. Sadly, some sources are reporting that Harrison Ford has lost the old Dr. Jones magic that made his previous performances so memorable. I think that's pretty much to be expected, though, since the third installment was filmed over 15 years ago. I'm sure we can all look forward to an entertaining movie next May. (Source)

Bourne Breaks The Box Office

The Bourne Ultimatum, most likely the last Bourne film for Matt Damon, took in an extremely impressive $70.2 million this weekend. The film not only surpassed its two predecessors, but also became the biggest opening weekend for August ever! I saw the movie today and was extremely impressed. It was definitely the best film in the series, which is rare for the 3rd film in a series. Good acting, intelligent plot, and a great screenplay go a very long way. I definitely recommend this film. Only downside is the way director Paul Greengrass works the camera leaves me feeling very dizzy. The camera is always shaking and I guess it is one of the director's trademarks because the last Bourne film and United 93 both gave me and others the same nautious feeling. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this movie was absolutely superb. Do not miss this film!

Pollspot: Iowa Hearts Romney

From Political Wire:

Iowa:

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll in Iowa finds Mitt Romney leading the Republican presidential race with 26%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 14%, Fred Thompson at 13%, Mike Huckabee at 8%, and Sen. John McCain also at 8%.

A 12 point lead in Iowa is definitely good news for the Romney camp. However, he is still very much unknown in most of the nation.

Hillary...loved or hated at YearlyKos

The Democratic presidential candidates descended to Chicago this weekend to attend the YearlyKos convention. For those who are unfamiliar with YearlyKos, it is an annual convention featuring left-leaning liberal bloggers who collaborate and write for the DailyKos website. Today, Senator Hillary Clinton took to the stage at YearlyKos and this was not just another speech for her. It is no secret that the more liberal bloggers have not been the biggest fan of Hillary and have criticized her plenty...especially for her initial support of the Iraq war. However, the Hillary Clinton campaign knows the importance and impact that the internet and bloggers have become and so she has been slowly, but surely, trying to gain their respect and show that she does listen to what they have to say. To show her slight unpopularity with DailyKos, this article from The Politico shows a poll taken in July which has Hillary in 3rd among their choices for president with only 9% (John Edwards came in first with 36% followed by Senator Barack Obama with 27%). Taking the stage today, Hillary was probably expecting to be booed and heckled.

And yes...that did happen. But only TWICE and the first one didn't really count because it was a comment about the Chicago Cubs vs. the Chicago White Sox. People always get worked up about sports! Anyways, now that reviews are pouring in from Hillary's performance, people are either completely loving or hating her speech. Most agree she did well. According to Roger Simon at The Politico in this article, "she went on for another 40 minutes and nothing was heard in the room but cheers -- and applause. It was, in fact, a tour de force performance, though she started with defensive humor." Watching her words carefully because she knows that only one misstep can potentially be disastrous, she continued her conversation with none of the other candidates present at the forum taking any shots at her. Regarding Iraq, Hillary was applauded for saying, “We must withdraw in a careful and responsible way...We can’t just wake up and say we will move 160,000 troops. That is dangerous." This was in contrast to Governor Bill Richardson saying that we can withdraw a majority of the troops by the end of the year. I agree with Hillary and don't think Richardson's withdrawal plan would be possible or safe...especially with President Bush still in office.

Now came time for Hillary to receive some boos. When the topic of special interest groups, lobbyists, and money came up, Roger Simon says this is where Hillary received "the only substantive negative reaction of the day." John Edwards made it known that he and Senator Obama do not accept money from Washington lobbyists (though Democratic contender and former Senator Mike Gravel says Barack Obama does in fact collect money from lobbyists) and now it was time for Hillary to respond. Hillary said, “I have been saying that based on my 35 years of fighting for what I believe in, I don’t think anybody will think I will be influenced [by lobbyist contributions].” I couldn't agree more. She didn't shy away from the fact that she accepts money from lobbyists but she made it clear they don't have as much influence on her as she is portrayed. Yes, the health care industry sends money to Hillary but let's not forget how hard Hillary worked as First Lady to reform the health care system. She failed the first time around and she has been very vocal about trying again. When the boos broke out, Clinton responded with "“I have been waiting [for that],” Clinton said with a smile. “It gives me a real sense of reality in being here. I have a good idea about bringing about change. I wish it were as simple as doing this or that. I will take money from lobbyists, because some represent real Americans like nurses and social workers, and they represent businesses that employ a lot of people. And I ask you to look at my record. I do want to be the president for everybody.” Defending lobbyists won't get Hillary anywhere at YearlyKos. Think again if you think Edwards and Obama don't except money from other corporate interests besides lobbyists. Let me remind you that in spite of taking money from lobbyists, Hillary has always been a champion for the causes of people who are less fortunate, specifically women and children, having grown up in middle class America with not a lot of money. After Yale, Hillary worked for Marion Wright Edelman (her mentor) at the Children's Defense Fund. People who say Hillary is a cold woman really need to take a look at her past and do some research.

Another writer at Politico, Ben Smith, focused on only the negative response that was given to Hillary in this article and says she bombed. Roger Simon's article refutes that but Smith's article is still an interesting read. Regarding the lobbyists, Smith writes, "Clinton’s defense of lobbyists may have aimed at adding nuance to a debate in which Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama have cast federal lobbyists as dangerous influence peddlers while continuing to take money from corporate executives and state lobbyists. But instead, it seemed to solidify the perception of Clinton as a Washington establishment figure in a year when Democrats are eager for change. Her words drew jeers from the audience and invited sharp responses from Edwards and Obama." This was the opportunity that Edwards and Obama were waiting for. It's rare they are speaking somewhere together that Hillary is not the most popular candidate and they know they had to strike at her at some point knowing they had a sort of home-court advantage. Smith also writes, "Obama’s advisers, however, were jubilant, joking with reporters about how quickly they would be able to turn her words into a television ad. There goes Obama's politics of change once more down the drain as his campaign seizes an opportunity to join the Clinton offensive. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard a more fulsome defense of lobbyists before,” deadpanned Obama’s main adviser, David Axelrod. “It certainly stood out.” Listen, I don't mind if you are going to attack any candidate. Unfortunately, it is a part of American politics. However, I do mind if part of your entire campaign is running on a platform that you will run a clean campaign without attacks. This is part of the reason why I continue to distance myself from Senator Obama more and more each day.

In conclusion, I'm sure a lot of what all the candidates and Hillary said today was more of the same old stuff we have been hearing for months now. I am glad that Hillary attended the YearlyKos convention and has been making progress with bloggers. While not a stellar performance, Hillary Clinton was not knocked down and continues to perform better than people could ever have anticipated. People continue to underestimate her and keep waiting for this to all come apart...guess what people? It won't. This woman fights for what she believes in and she'll continue to fight regardless of whether or not she wins the nomination and the presidency. Roger Simon's article sums up my feelings pretty well with a quote from Markos Moulitsas on Hillary's performance today. He says, "She did a good job in reducing hostility. Half the battle is getting the proper respect, and she got that. She doesn’t have to get total agreement.” I agree. We've come so far and we still have got so far to go.

-John Oliveira

A Hillary Disclaimer

Alright, now if you've been reading this blog you know that I (John) post a lot of stuff about the 2008 presidential race with a special focus on my personal favorite candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton. However, I don't want to isolate anyone with differentiating viewpoints. If you disagree with me, tell me! Post a comment and we can argue about it! That's how we learn from each other. As I've said, here at The Green Room we all are pretty much moderate to left leaning but we'd love to get different opinions...especially if they come from the right. Ashlee and myself are in Hillary's corner, Richard is for Obama, Kevin is for Richardson, and Leah is still shopping (though if Ashlee, Rich, and myself keep pummeling our Hillary and Obama agendas into her head, I don't think she will purchase either of our candidates). Anyways, point being...this is not an entirely political blog but I think the 2008 presidential race is extremely important and therefore I will keep posting about it and hopefully you will keep reading and sharing your thoughts.

With that said...I am going to write some more about Hillary.

Pollspot: More of the Same

More of the same here as another national poll at Political Wire shows my candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton, expanding her lead. On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani continues to do well.

The latest Newsweek poll shows Sen. Hillary Clinton pulling away from her rivals in the Democratic presidential race. Clinton leads with 44% and is trailed by Sen. Barack Obama at 23% and John Edwards at 14%.

On the GOP side, Rudy Giuliani leads with 30%, followed by Fred Thompson at 22%, Sen. John McCain at 13%, and Mitt Romney at 10%.

Although it may look like we will see a New York showdown in 2008 with Hillary Clinton vs. Rudy Giuliani vs. Mike Bloomberg, I think in the end Mitt Romney will have the GOP nomination instead of Rudy.

Oh and....GO HILLARY!

Underwhelming?

Leah recently posted a political cartoon noting the mudslinging and seemingly "petty" comments made by both Barack and Hillary. I feel conflicted about this. Not about Leah. I really like Leah. But about the commentary the cartoon makes. Don't get me wrong, I think they both made a mistake in continuing to comment on the meeting-with-rogue-nations and Pakistan issue. However, I think that Hillary calling Obama "naive and irresponsible" was completely relevant and necessary because his comments were naive and irresponsible. I know I'm perpetuating this issue by continuing to post on it, but I think that national security and foreign relations are pretty damn important, especially since this is what Dems looks weak on. If we call this to be underwhelming and mudslinging, then on what do we want our presidential nominees to comment? I would say invading an ally is rather important, and is a reflection of a nominee's foreign policy. It's a hell of a lot less sexy than say poverty or global warming, but it's probably one of the most, if not the most, important issues in the race. Not invading Pakistan per se, but reestablishing America in the global community, which includes how we go about addressing terrorism and its effects on other nations.

However, it's hard to hate on Hil since she hasn't directly attacked Obama about his rather outrageous Pakistan's address. She's instead used this opportunity to highlight her own strengths and positions on this issue. Most of the other candidates, especially Biden and Dodd as John mentioned, have directly refuted Obama. Also, I'm not so much underwhelmed as scared that we could have a president this inexperienced. Not the guy you want holding the nuclear codes, savvy?

I also think it's important to recognize that the Democrats are in a really great position to win the presidency. There are still 6 months until the primary, and so it's probably best to take it slow. Yet, at the same time, the only way to win the primary is to take this time to differentiate themselves, and that requires the candidates to address issues, such as, er, national security. It's a fine balance they need to strike, mudslinging vs. differentiating, and it's hard for the American public to understand that.

In other news, the Bourne Ultimatum is GREAT. So go and see it.