Hillary will rise again!

Clinton Helps Make Michigan Obama Country 
9-29-08, 11:30 am
http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/7490/

Grand Rapids, Mich. - An enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people gathered at Central High School here Sat., Sept. 27, for a rally held by Hillary Clinton on behalf of Barack Obama.

In lines that stretched around the the block, a crowd of several hundred mostly white city residents came out to see the New York Senator. Clinton delivered a strong message on the economy and the extremism and failures of the Republican Party under Bush and McCain.

To the delight of the excited crowd, she paraphrased a line that earned her thunderous applause at the Democratic National Convention: "No way, no how, no McCain, no Palin!"

If you care about the economy, Iraq, health care, education, the environment, she contended, you simply cannot vote for John McCain. "We cannot afford four more years of the same failed policies," she said. "We love this country too much."

"And no state in the country needs change more than the state of Michigan," she added. "I know what Michigan has been through with all of the incredible difficulties with the downturn in manufacturing and the loss of jobs, people moving out of state, families being separated, high unemployment, people losing their homes, not having their health care, retirees going back to work in their 70s and 80s because they don't have enough money to keep body and soul together."

"There isn't any reason on this earth why anybody in Michigan should want to vote to validate the last eight years, which is why we need to vote for Barack Obama," Clinton stated to thunderous applause.

Hillary Clinton's efforts for the Obama campaign are one of several reasons Barack Obama appears to be pulling ahead in the latest national polls. A handful of instant polls gave him the edge for his strong performance in the first presidential debates, during which he scored high marks on the economy and held his own on foreign policy and national security issues, especially Iraq, which were supposedly John McCain's top issues.

During the week before the debate as Wall Street and the Bush administration demanded a massive bailout of the financial markets, John McCain appeared to make a series of rash and poor decisions, injecting his campaign into Washington politics only to seem to have disrupted proceedings rather than help broker a deal.

In the presidential debate itself, during the 40 minutes spent on economic issues, McCain sounded shaky, appeared uncomfortable, and had few answers for Obama's challenge that McCain was linked to the economic policy of deregulation and a free hand for Washington lobbyists and Wall Street players that caused the financial meltdown.

Fears about the impact of the Wall Street bailout and anger over George W. Bush's refusal to link the bailout to economic stimulus for Main Street favored Obama. Obama's call for a bailout that addressed the needs of working families as well as Wall Street players resonated with voters enough to earn him a 24-point lead over McCain on economic issues, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released last week.

Obama has called for investments in job creation, helping homeowners renegotiate their mortgages in order to keep their homes, and an economic stimulus package that includes a tax break for 95 percent of working families. By contrast, McCain has proposed a new $300 billion tax break for Wall Street, including massive tax cuts for major oil companies.

Obama's strong economic message has boosted his support in key battleground states like Michigan. For example, a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey of voters in Macomb County, Michigan, a mainly white, working-class suburb that has previously leaned Republican and has been pegged as a tough place for Obama to win support, suggests his economic message is getting through. Macomb County, gave a one-point edge to Bush in 2004.

Both candidates have made numerous stops in the county, which both campaigns regard as one of the keys to winning Michigan. Prior to the the mid-September collapse of Wall Street, John McCain faired well in the county, with a seven-point advantage.

New data suggests that the race has tightened with Obama winning much stronger support from Democratic voters who leaned either toward McCain or toward Ralph Nader. According to the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey, released just this past week, Obama's support grew by about double digits among three key Democratic demographics in the county: non-college whites, moderate or conservative Democrats, and white union members.

But Obama's economic message, the poll showed, hasn't been the only factor contributing to his improved numbers. More and more voters in Macomb County also described Obama as "on your side" and increasingly viewed Obama as solid on national security issues and the Iraq war.

The latest data from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner also puts Obama at a seven-point advantage in the whole state, improving his chances to claim the state's 17 electoral votes in November.

In addition to Obama's strong economic message and his solid performance during the national security presidential debate, Obama's campaign has out-performed McCain's in Michigan. Excellent grassroots work in the Grand Rapids area, for example, had McCain nervous enough to visit the supposed Republican stronghold in early September, speaking to a crowd of about one-third the size of Obama's last major personal event in the city. Elsewhere, voter registration efforts in Detroit has added at least 30,000 new voters to the rolls, with a goal to add about 500,000 statewide.

Obama's Michigan supporters are not taking the stronger poll numbers for granted. They have pledged to spend the remaining weeks registering voters, talking directly to undecided voters, educating voters on their rights, and getting out the vote on Nov. 4th.

As a Hilary supporter, I have listened to both parties and the truth is both Obama and Palin scare me. Hoever, the big question is... who scares me more? I have to say...Obama really, really scares me. He has had very strange acquaintances and when called on it he always has a cleverly drafted response all leading to how he is no longer acquainted to that individual. Interesting!!!! I am from the old school that believes we attract people who are like us and we are judged by the friends we keep.

For me, the biggest concern is who on their right mind would want to sit with third world terrorist or dictators for a civil conversation during time of war or ever?!

Yes, Palin scares.  I think McCain made a mistake in picking her.  But, truth is she is running for VP.  Obama  wants to be our president. Yikes!!!! His campaign is starting to sound very much like a dictator/terrorist campaign...they play on peoples fears to gain power and then...surprise!!!!

That is it! I am voting for McCain. He knows what is like to face the enemy, he has fought for this country and has sacrificed himself for our freedom.  What has Obama done?  I think the democrats made a bigger mistake in picking Obama.

Clinton Goes To Bat For Obama and the Party

By Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY WASHINGTON -

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has raised more than $8 million for former rival Barack Obama's presidential campaign since July and plans to barnstorm the country for even more cash, as the New York senator works to show she is aggressively helping the candidate who cut short her White House bid.

"I am using every tool that I have to help Democrats win," Clinton told USA TODAY. She was between fundraising events in Texas and California that brought in another $1.5 million for Obama and congressional candidates on Friday and Saturday.

Later this month, Clinton will headline Obama fundraisers in Chicago, Philadelphia and Little Rock along with 11 events to raise money for Democratic congressional candidates and state parties.

She is stepping up efforts to get more Democratic women elected to the Senate. On Friday, she issued an e-mail fundraising appeal for Louisiana incumbent Mary Landrieu and challengers Kay Hagan, who is locked in a tight battle against Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, and former New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen, who is engaged in a repeat of her close 2002 race with GOP Sen. John Sununu.

The former first lady said in the interview late Friday that her goal is straightforward: "We have a lot to repair in America, and I believe that Democratic leadership is essential to fixing the damage that we are going to inherit."

Clinton, who came closer to claiming a major party's presidential nomination than any woman before her, declined to discuss whether another White House race was in her future.

"I'm looking forward to going to the White House someday and standing there when President Obama signs a bill guaranteeing quality, affordable health care for every American," she said, citing an issue that was a signature of her campaign.

Democratic strategist Tad Devine said Clinton's stature will grow in the Senate no matter the outcome on Election Day because she garnered about 18 million votes in her presidential bid.

Clinton stands to become "the most important woman in American politics" if Democrats win on Nov. 4, he said.

Helping to raise the money to aid Obama and increase Democratic majorities in Congress only enhances that standing, Devine added, because "delivering resources to campaigns is probably the single-most important and difficult thing you can do in politics."

Clinton has hit 40 campaign events for Obama in battleground states from New Hampshire to Nevada in the past two months.

Her husband campaigned in Florida last week. "Both Bill and I are doing all we can to reach the people who are not already convinced," Clinton said.

The Clintons' efforts come amid lingering signs of unrest among her still-loyal supporters. One top Clinton fundraiser, investment executive Lynn Forester de Rothschild, announced last month she was supporting Republican nominee John McCain. She called Obama and other top Democrats in Congress "too far to the left."

Clinton rejected the idea of further defections from her camp. "The vast majority of people who voted for me will vote for Sen. Obama," she said. "They understand that ... we desperately need a Democratic administration to take the reins of the economy and turn it around."

Alexander Heckler, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer who raised more than $100,000 for Clinton, said talk of dissension between the Clinton and Obama fundraising camps is overrated.

He said he contributed $2,300 to Obama at a Sept. 19 fundraiser in Miami and has committed to raising at least $250,000 for the Illinois senator at Clinton's urging.

"We are all very united," he said.

Clinton still owed about $9 million to her campaign vendors at the end of August, despite Obama's appeal to his top fundraisers to help retire the debt. She vowed to work to repay the vendors, but insisted her priority is her party.

"With a month to go until Election Day," she said, "our energies have to be focused on persuading people to support Democrats."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-05-Clinton_N.htm

Clintons launch campaign swing for Obama

By BETH FOUHY - 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) - When Bill and Hillary Clinton take the stage Sunday at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, it will be the launch of an active campaign for their former nemesis Barack Obama in the home stretch of the 2008 presidential race.

The nation's best known and most powerful Democrats for nearly two decades, the former first couple is getting used to a new role: cheerleaders for Obama, who vanquished Hillary Clinton last spring in a Democratic primary contest for the ages.

Whatever recriminations the Clintons may still harbor from that long battle seem to have been nudged aside as they campaign in earnest for the Democratic ticket.

The New York senator and the former president will appear with Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, at a rally Sunday in Scranton, a working class town that has assumed something of an outsize role in the presidential race.

Biden was born in Scranton and lived there for several years as a child, while Hillary Clinton's father grew up in the town and is buried there. Both Biden and Clinton have emphasized their Scranton roots to illustrate their connection to blue collar voters.

After the rally, the Clintons will follow separate itineraries through presidential battleground states. They will also campaign on behalf of Democratic House and Senate candidates across the country.

Bill Clinton, who worked tirelessly for his wife during the primaries, seemed to take her loss more personally. Nonetheless, he gave Obama his full-throated endorsement at the Democratic convention in August. But he began stumping for the Illinois senator only recently, appearing at fundraisers and headlining two major events in Florida earlier this month.

After the Scranton rally, the former president was headed to Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia. He also planned events in the next few days in Ohio and Nevada, battleground states he won in 1992 and again in 1996.

Hillary Clinton was scheduled to hold a fundraiser for Obama on Sunday night in Philadelphia and planned a rally for him Monday in Montgomery County, a Philadelphia suburb rich in swing voters.

Clinton trounced Obama by 10 points in last spring's Pennsylvania primary, largely due to her strength among white working class voters. Sensing opportunity, Republican John McCain has campaigned actively in Pennsylvania but recent polls show Obama opening up a comfortable lead.

Hillary Clinton also planned return visits to Ohio and Florida in the next few days and has scheduled trips to Omaha, Neb., and Minnesota.

She traveled Friday to Arkansas, her husband's home state and where she served 12 years as first lady, in hopes of making it more competitive for the Democratic ticket. A swing through Western battleground states is in the works as well.

Clinton did radio interviews this week in North Carolina, a reliably Republican state that has become a battleground in this presidential election. She also spoke to a Hispanic station in Florida and launched a women's canvass in Wisconsin Saturday by phone.

Aides said Hillary Clinton has been remarkably stoic about taking on the role of an Obama cheerleader following the close and often bitter primary in which she raised questions about his electability and readiness to govern.

Clinton's long and often bumpy career in public life has taught her to compartmentalize her feelings, her aides said, and by nature she does not dwell on the past.

In campaign appearances, she has pressed the need for a Democratic president to take on the nation's sour economy and crippling financial crisis. Polls during the Democratic primaries found voters gave her a clear edge over Obama when asked who would be a better economic steward.

"I think it is safe to say we have not seen more troubles at one time since World War Two," Clinton told a rally in Little Rock, Ark., Friday. "Probably no president will inherit more challenges that President Obama will, since Harry Truman had to take over from Franklin Roosevelt."

Aides said Clinton has headlined more than 50 events for Obama and has raised $10 million for his campaign since suspending her own presidential effort in June.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects one of Clinton visits will be Omaha, Neb., sted Iowa.)

Beesie,

I agree with your thoughts on the Clinton's support. It was a very contentious primary race, possibly the most contentious in history and I am sure the Clinton's have not gotten over it.

I was a Hillary supporter thru to the convention and do wish today she was on the ballot as the Democratic Candidate.

Historically in the United States, presidential candidates take the heat for the economy of the encumbent party.

That being said, Barack Obama enjoys a comfortable lead in the polls.

It seems that Barack has met the threshold where people think he's going to be a leader and he has successfully tied McCain to Bush and people clearly want to make a move, according to Ed Rollins, a senior Republican campaign advisor  probably best known for his work as National Campaign Director to Ronald Reagon in the 1984 presidential election in which Reagan won 49 states.  

"Barack has met the threshold," Rollins said. "Once Reagan met the threshold, people wanted to get rid of Carter and they did in a landslide. This is going to turn into a landslide."

Just 9 percent of Americans thinking the country's on the right track, the lowest ever recorded.

President Bush's approval rating last week was only a point higher than Richard Nixon's on the day he was forced to resign from office.

 Ed Rollins goes on to say, "It's also made it much more difficult for Republican John McCain to score with his escalating attacks on Obama for his ties to such controversial figures as William Ayers, a former member of a violent Vietnam War-era protest group. "You can't break through with the economy being so overwhelming," Rollins said. "No one cares."

This election comes down to the economy, exclusively. Never in the lifetime of anyone of voting age can they remember when things have gotten so bad.

Should the Republican party recieve full blame for the economic woes we face, absolutely not.

But in this election as the encumbent party, the Republican party has total ownership of the problem, fair or not. 

Obama now leads in enough states to secure more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.

There is another debate and events could change. But the odds of that get slimer and slimer as each day passes.

I for one, cannot wait to the end of the election. I think it has brought out the very worst in our great country. I can't help but wonder if some does not come from the frustration and fear of watching nest eggs diminish.

I for one, had hoped that my husband could retire in two years at 60 but my hopes for this are dimming each day the stock market opens for business. Our 401ks are starting to look more like 201ks.

I am more concerned about my retired uncle who requires assisted living and depends on his 401k to support this and my sweet next door neighbor, a 20 year bc survivor, recently widowed living on a fixed income that depends on her portfolio to get by and keep the home she has lived in for forty years.

These are some troubled times.

Anyway, the bottom line is the economy is going to decide this election because this is what effects each and every voter. Good Americans want more for their families and will vote their pocketbooks, regardless of the press or either candidates questionable ties in the past.

JMHO    laurap

I just want to jump in and say that neither candidate knows what to do with this economy.  The experts do not know.  What makes any of us think these two men know.  I would rather them be honest and said, I don't know, but I will have the best people around me to advise me each step of the way.

As far as I'm concerned all of our elected officials in Washington should be fired.  We have been srewed around with.  While many people are losing their jobs and retirements they sit there making a pretty good living with the best health insurance.  They have been playing with our lives.  Each party fighting the other for their own personal gain.  It's sickening.  And I'm sick OF IT.

I hope there's an investigation into all this mess.  Investigate Washington as well as Wall Street.  I would like to see some butts thrown into jail.

I'm angry.

Shirley

<<As far as I'm concerned all of our elected officials in Washington should be fired.>>

Shirley - I agree, we have been totally let down and it is causing some real problems and hardships for folks everywhere!

happy thanksgiving beesie!

we have many things to be thankful for!

laurap