election night photos

http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157608716313371/show/

Barack Obama Votes

Barack and Michelle Obama vote in Hyde Park on November 4, 2008.

obama Victory D.C.

Obama Victory Chicago (Grant Park)

President-Elect Barack Obama in Chicago

Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4th, 2008 in Chicago.

Obama Leading McCain in New Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota Polls

Oct. 6

(Bloomberg) -- Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican presidential nominee John McCain in battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, according to new polls.

Obama, an Illinois senator, leads 49 percent to 42 percent among Ohio voters, according to a Columbus Dispatch poll of 2,262 likely voters released yesterday.

The survey, conducted Sept. 24 to Oct. 3, shows a change from a poll by the newspaper before the parties' nominating conventions, when McCain had a single percentage-point advantage. The state is crucial to the Arizona senator's campaign, because no Republican has won the presidency without carrying Ohio.

Polls in Ohio ``are showing increased support for Barack Obama,'' because voters are paying attention to McCain's support for privatizing Social Security, backing ``job-killing trade agreements,'' and his backing of deregulation of the banking system, Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown said on ABC's ``This Week'' program yesterday.

A Minnesota poll of 1,084 likely voters published by the Star Tribune newspaper shows Obama leading 55-37 percent over McCain. The poll was conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota said the Star Tribune poll is ``notoriously not accurate,'' and said a separate earlier poll found McCain favored by 1 percentage point.

``Minnesota is a Democrat-leaning state, but not so much that it's implausible for a Republican to win here,'' Pawlenty said on ``This Week.''

Pennsylvania Poll

In Pennsylvania, Obama has a 50 percent to 40 percent lead over McCain, according to a Morning Call/Muhlenberg College tracking poll.

The Muhlenberg College poll surveyed 597 likely voters and was conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3. The results of the three state polls were outside the margin for error.

The presidential race in Colorado remains a tie, according to a poll released by the Denver Post yesterday.

National polls also show that Obama is maintaining a lead over McCain.

Obama led McCain 49 percent to 42 percent among registered voters surveyed Sept. 27-29 by the Pew Research Center. In a mid- September poll, the candidates were in a statistical dead heat.

In a CBS News poll conducted Sept. 27-30, Obama led 50 percent to 41 percent among likely voters. The margin increased 4 percentage points from a CBS/New York Times survey a week earlier.

To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Stern in Washington at cstern3@bloomberg.net

Vice Presidential Debate 10/02 Palin Biden Debate

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2. (Palin Get's Cut Off By The Moderator)



3. (Biden's "Ultimate Bridge To Nowhere" Remark)



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7 (Gay Marriage Rights For Same Sex Couples)



8.(War In Iraq / Foreign Policy)



9. (Nuclear Iran / Unstable Pakistan)



10. (Foreign Policy & Sitting Down Without Preconditions)



11. (Nuclear Proliferation / Arms Race / Foreign Policy)



12. (Foreign Policy / Foreign Intervention)



13. (What Would You Do If The President Died (For Extra Credit)



14. (What Does It Take To Be Vice President)



15. (Achilles Heel / Conventional Wisdom)



16.(Have You Ever Had To Change A Police View)



17. (Closing Statements)

Presidential Debate 2008 - Obama McCain

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E60 - Reggie Love From Duke To Washington

E60 - Reggie Love From Duke To Washington


Reggie Love, a former Duke University football and basketball player, tried to make it in the NFL, but after tryouts with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys fizzled in 2004 and 2005, he landed a job on U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's staff, starting in the mail room and rising to his current position as his personal aide. Rachel Nichols gets an all-access pass on the campaign trail. Through interviews with Love and Obama along the way, we'll show you just what a body man does, how Love finds himself now in a position of a lifetime, and the bond that has formed between Love and the Illinois senator.

Barack Obama at the 2008 DNC

Michelle Obama at the 2008 DNC

Joe Biden accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for VP

Hillary Clinton at the 2008 DNC

President Bill Clinton at the 2008 DNC

Senator John Kerry at the 2008 DNC

Biden pick draws Democratic praise, GOP criticism

By BETH FOUHY and CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press Writers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Democrats quickly coalesced around Sen. Joe Biden as Barack Obama's running mate on Saturday while Republicans recycled the Delaware lawmaker's less-than-favorable past descriptions of his new political benefactor.

As the newly minted ticket readied for its first joint appearance, in Springfield, Ill., former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton called Biden "an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant." Clinton, Obama's most persistent rival through the primaries and the caucuses, was an also-ran in Obama's vice presidential search.

Freshly printed signs saying "Obama/Biden" sprouted in front of the Old State capitol as thousands gathered in anticipation of the first campaign appearance by the party's ticket for the fall campaign.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Democrats quickly coalesced around Sen. Joe Biden as Barack Obama's running mate on Saturday while Republicans recycled the Delaware lawmaker's less-than-favorable past descriptions of his new political benefactor.

As the newly minted ticket readied for its first joint appearance, in Springfield, Ill., former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton called Biden "an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant." Clinton, Obama's most persistent rival through the primaries and the caucuses, was an also-ran in Obama's vice presidential search.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Obama-Biden ticket will bring the change the country needs, including a filibuster-proof Senate majority.

The Democratic National Convention opens on Monday in Denver and will formally anoint Obama as the party's presidential nominee later in the week.

Biden's approval as running mate is likewise assured, his selection an attempt by Obama to balance the ticket with a seasoned senator, widely regarded for his foreign policy expertise.

Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival in the race for the White House, called Biden, his longtime Senate colleague and friend, to congratulate him.

But McCain's campaign wasted no time trying to turn the selection to its own purposes.

It quickly produced a television ad featuring Biden's previous praise for McCain and comments critical of Obama. In an ABC interview last year, Biden had said he stood by an earlier statement that Obama wasn't yet ready to be president and "the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

Biden drew praise from some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, with whom he has worked closely over the years. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., called Biden "the right partner for Barack Obama" and the decision "good news for Obama and America."

The Obama-Biden rally was set for the old state Capitol where the Illinois senator kicked off his presidential campaign nearly 20 months ago. Aides said the candidates would be joined by their wives and the Bidens' three adult children, Hunter, Beau and Ashley.

Biden made the trip from his home in Delaware by chartered jet, pausing long enough to wave to well-wishers gathered to see him off.

The Obama campaign sent a text message announcing his choice to supporters' phones and e-mail addresses about 3 a.m. EDT, the latest innovation by a tech-savvy operation that has deftly used the Web as a fundraising and organizing tool. A meticulously planned rollout was pre-empted when word of Obama's choice was reported on Friday night.

Bill Burton, a spokesman for the campaign, said Obama had called Biden on Thursday to offer him the vice presidential spot on the ticket. Michelle Obama placed a call Saturday morning to Biden's wife, Jill, to congratulate her.

But the secret held for more than 24 hours as speculation swirled around a list of potential running mates that included Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Rep. Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas.

Biden, 65, is a creature of Washington, a 35-year Senate veteran and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee whose national security credentials will help patch a hole in Obama's relatively thin resume. Polls show that McCain holds a wide lead over Obama on the question of who is better prepared to be commander in chief.

Biden's straightforward style and working-class Catholic roots in Scranton, Pa., were also expected to help Obama appeal to middle- and working-class voters in battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania who favored Clinton in the primaries.

Officials close to Clinton said she was never formally vetted for the No. 2 position. The former first lady, who finished narrowly behind Obama in the primaries, will address the convention Tuesday night and her name will be placed in nomination even though she has endorsed Obama and has urged her delegates to support him.

"Sen. Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice president who will help Sen. Obama both win the presidency and govern this great country," Clinton said in the statement.

Biden has established a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator. As a member of the Judiciary Committee — he was its chairman from 1987 to 1995 — he has played a key role in considering anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and constitutional issues.

While the war in Iraq has been supplanted as the campaign's top issues by the economy in recent months, the recent Russian invasion of Georgia has returned foreign policy to the forefront.

Biden was elected to the Senate at the age of 29 in 1972, but personal tragedy struck before he could take office. His wife and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed when a tractor-trailer broad-sided her station wagon. Biden took his oath of office for his first term at the hospital bedside of one of his sons.

Biden dropped out of the 2008 race for the Democratic presidential nomination after a poor finish in the Iowa caucuses, but not before he talked dismissively of joining someone else's ticket.

He had stumbled on his first day in the race, apologizing for having described Obama as "clean." Months later, Obama spoke up in Biden's defense, praising him during a campaign debate for having worked for racial equality.

It was Biden's second try for the White House. The first ended badly in 1988 when he was caught lifting lines from a speech by British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock.

Barack Obama in Berlin

Barack Obama addresses a crowd of over 200,000 people in Tiergarten, Berlin.

"Dignity" TV Ad

Airing in eighteen states, "Dignity" highlights Senator Obama's decision to bypass big money jobs and help lift neighborhoods stung by job loss. The ad illustrates Senator Obama's record of working hard to move people from welfare to work, passing tax cuts for workers and providing healthcare for children.

Unite For Change: Barack Obama & Hiary Clintion in Unity, NH

Hilary



Obama

Supporters Unite in Unity, New Hampshire

Supporters in the crowd share their thoughts about the Unite for Change event with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Unity, New Hampshire.

Unite for Change: House Parties Video

On June 28, all across America thousands of people will gather in each others homes to discuss why they're involved in politics. Find out more at my.barackobama.com/uniteforcha nge

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Unity, NH

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton address united democrats from Unity, New Hampshire - where each received exactly 107 votes in the New Hampshire Primary.

David Plouffe on Our Strategy

Campaign Manager David Plouffe records a video to supporters on a laptop, sharing his presentation about the Obama campaign's strategy for the general election.

Poll: Obama Tops McCain in 4 Battleground States

Barack Obama is leading by varying margins in the four battleground states of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Colorado, according to a Quinnipiac University poll out Thursday done in conjunction with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

The largest gap exists with 17 percent, 54-37, of Minnesota’s 1,572 like voters preferring Obama over Republican John McCain. The margin of error was 2.5 percent.

In Michigan, 1,411 likely voters put Obama over McCain 48-42 percent, with a margin of error of 2.6 percent.

In Wisconsin, 1,537 likely voters gave Obama a 52-39 advantage over McCain, with a margin of error of 2.5 percent.

In Colorado, 1,351 likely voters gave Obama a 5 point lead over McCain, 49-44, with a margin of error of 2.7 percent.

The vital vote by independents gave Obama an even greater edge of eight to 21 points in each key state, the poll reports. The smallest deficit among independents exists in Michigan and the largest in Minnesota.

The poll found independents continue to reject the idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket by 16 to 29 percentage points.

McCain’s lead among white voters in Colorado and Michigan is credited with pulling down Obama’s lead in those states to single digits, the poll found.

“November can’t get here soon enough for Sen. Barack Obama. He has a lead everywhere, and if nothing changes between now and November he will make history,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. However, “his lead nationally, and double digits in some key states, is not hugely different from where Sen. John Kerry stood four years ago at this point in the campaign.”

An Important Campaign Announcement from Barack Obama

Barack Obama talks about the decision to opt-out of the broken public financing system.

Michelle Obama on The View

Michelle Obama co-hosts the view with Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Sherri Shepherd.

Obama beats McCain in three swing states: poll

WASHINGTON (AFP) - For the first time, White House hopeful Barack Obama leads his Republican rival John McCain in three of the biggest battlegrounds of November's election, according to a new poll Wednesday.

The surveys by Quinnipiac University also found independent voters are opposed to defeated primary contender Hillary Clinton running as Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

Another poll out Wednesday by Zogby had Obama leading McCain by 47 percent to 42 nationally, with a 22-point lead among all-important independents.

The Quinnipiac polls had Obama besting McCain 52-40 percent in Pennsylvania, 48-42 percent in Ohio, and 47-43 in Florida. All three states are crucial building blocks to an election triumph for either candidate in November.

In all three states, Obama leads McCain among female voters by 10 to 23 percentage points, but among men the two contenders are "too close to call," Quinnipiac University Polling Institute assistant director Peter Brown said.

"Finally getting Senator Hillary Clinton out of the race has been a big boost for Senator Barack Obama," he said.

Clinton beat Obama in the three states' Democratic primaries, although neither campaigned in Florida because of a scheduling row. Obama lagged particularly among working-class voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"Senator Obama is certainly not out of the woods, but these results are a good indication that he enters the summer slightly ahead in the race to be the next president," Brown said.

The Quinnipiac surveys found that while most Democrats back Clinton to join Obama's ticket, clear pluralities of independent voters in all three states were against seeing the former first lady run as his vice president.

"If Senator Obama seriously is thinking about picking Senator Clinton as his running mate, these numbers might cause him to reconsider," Brown said.

"The people who really matter come November -- independent voters -- turn thumbs down on the idea. And, many say they are less likely to vote for him if he puts her on the ticket," he said.

The Quinnipiac polls also suggested that one in five voters see McCain's age as a reason to vote against him. At 72 in January, the Republican would be the oldest president sworn in to a first term.

"But overwhelmingly they don't see Obama's race as a factor at all -- indicating that Americans are either much less concerned with race, or just don't want to tell callers what they really think on the subject," Brown said.

Who is Barack Obama Series: Faith/Politics

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On June 28 2006, Senator Obama spoke in Washington at the Call to Renewal Conference sponsored by Sojourners.

Sojourners/call to renewal is a progressive christian group. Their mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world. Sojourners differentiate from other Evangelicals in their condemning of corporate excesses, and the exploitation of people in third-world.


Barack Obama spoke of the role of religion in politics.

Excerpt@
"This is why, if we truly hope to speak to people where they're at - to communicate our hopes and values in a way that's relevant to their own - we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse.

Because when we ignore the debate about what it means to be a good Christian or Muslim or Jew; when we discuss religion only in the negative sense of where or how it should not be practiced, rather than in the positive sense of what it tells us about our obligations towards one another; when we shy
away from religious venues and religious broadcasts because we assume that we will be unwelcome - others will fill the vacuum, those with the most insular views of faith, or those who cynically use religion to justify partisan ends.

In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, Jerry Falwell's and Pat Robertson's will continue to hold sway."
Category: News & Politics

MSNBC Meet the Candidate - BARACK OBAMA

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Barack Obama's Presidential Announcement (Springfield, IL)

Barack Obama's Presidential Announcement in Springfield, Illinois.

Barack Obama on Real Sports Talking & Playing Basketball

Bryant Gumbel interviews Barack Obama on how Basketball has impacted his life. Real Sports, HBO, Audacity of Hoops

Fox News Jokes About Killing Obama - Full Segment

Fox News Jokes About Killing Obama - Full Segment



Fox News Jokes About Killing Obama



FOX news Liz Trotta's apology

Al Gore Endorses Barack Obama in Detroit, MI

Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore endorsed Barack Obama at a 20,000 person rally in Detroit, MI on June 16, 2008.

Barack Obama on Jimmy Kimmel Live

With topics including his high school basketball state championship and how he passes Father's Day, Barack Obama comes as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel's show.

Change that Works for You: Flint, MI

Barack Obama addresses a crowd at Kettering University on competitiveness in the 21st century. June 16, 2008

Barack Obama's Speech on Father's Day

Barack addressed the congregation at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, IL on June 15, 2008.

Rev Michael Pfleger, Hillary thinks "I'm white I'm entitled"

Chicago Catholic pastor Dr. Rev. Michael Pfleger, speaking Sunday at Barack Obama's Trinity United Church of Christ, implied Clinton was a white supremacist who believed she would win the nomination because of "white entitlement." Flegler has been a noted spiritual advisor for Barack Obama for decades while he has lived in Chicago.

After Michael Pfleger's remarks about Clinton, Otis Moss III thanked Pfleger repeatedly.

Screenshot of Obama's website displaying Pfleger's endorsement:
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/wp-conte...


http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa...

Olbermann Special Comment McCain on Troops Coming Home

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Part 2

Keith Olbermann Special Comment: Clinton-Obama Assassination

Keith Olbermann delivers a special comment about Hillary Clinton and her recent reference to Robert Kennedy's assassination and the inference to why she is continuing her campaign. "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it."
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She's Sorry Again
I'm not saying she literally hopes he dies soon. (Plus, she's apologized, so case closed, right?) But Hillary didn't mean what she said this time just like she wasn't exactly shouting out to hardworking white people, and Bill didn't quite say Jesse equals Barack, and her surrogates never meant to push the whole image of him as a druggie in the 'hood, and she never meant to reanimate the whole highly racial Jeremiah Wright hoo-ha by saying—gosh darn the timing, just as things were dying down—that he woulda never been her pick for pastor. But either Hillary Clinton is one smart, savvy, and occasionally even on-message politician—in which case she is well aware of what it means to reference the possible assassination of a black leader in this country—or she isn't and doesn't. It can't be both.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfa...

No such thing as an accident
I think we know exactly what Hillary meant:
"Nice nominee you got there... sure would be a shame if anything happened to him."
Awfully big-hearted of her to be willing to stick around through August, just in case....
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfa...

Hillary Clinton Assassination Comment Kennedy Obama Shocking

Hillary Clinton Assassination Comment Kennedy Obama Shocking



Clinton regrets assassination remark - NO apology to Obama!



Hillary Clinton Assassination Comment Blamed On Barack Obama

Assassination’ Artist Is Questioned and Released

This morning, a Boston-born performance artist, Yazmany Arboleda, tried to set up a provocative art exhibition in a vacant storefront on West 40th Street in Midtown Manhattan with the title, “The Assassination of Hillary Clinton/The Assassination of Barack Obama,” in neatly stenciled letters on the plate glass windows at street level.

By 9:30 a.m., New York City police detectives and Secret Service agents had shut down the exhibition, and building workers had quickly covered over the inflammatory title with large sheets of brown paper and blue masking tape. The gallery is across the street from the southern entrance to The New York Times building.

The police officers declined to answer any questions, and at first would not permit reporters to speak with Mr. Arboleda, who was wearing a black T-shirt and making cellphone calls from inside the makeshift gallery.

Later, Mr. Arboleda, who is 27, said in an interview: “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination — about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.”
Mr. Arboleda said the exhibition was to open on Thursday and run all day.
The interview was abruptly ended as Mr. Arboleda was led off to the Midtown South police precinct station for what he called an interrogation.

Reached by telephone this morning, Eric Joza, the building manager for the building at 264 West 40th Street, between Eighth and Seventh Avenues, said: “I had no idea what he was going to do. All I knew is that he was an artist and was going to use the store for two days: today and tomorrow.” There are offices above the storefront.
Mr. Joza would not identify the building’s owner, and he would not disclose the terms of the lease or the previous occupant of the storefront, beyond saying that the storefront had been vacant.

Mr. Arboleda has even set up elaborate Web sites, one for Mrs. Clinton and one for Mr. Obama. (June 5 Update: Further reporting has determined that descriptions of past shows and claims of censorship were fabrications intended to fool news organizations.)

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., Mr. Arboleda called reporters to let them know that he had been released.

The Assassination of Barack Obama: Freedom of expression or racism?

A controversial art exhibit was raided and shut down before it could be viewed in NYC yesterday.

According to the NY Times blog: Cityroom, Boston-born performance artist, Yazmany Arboleda, tried to set up a provocative art exhibition in a vacant storefront on West 40th Street in Midtown Manhattan with the title, “The Assassination of Hillary Clinton/The Assassination of Barack Obama”.

The artist thought his racist views were protected under the Constitution because he was expressing himself through his art. Wrong.

Not 30 minutes after Arboleda set up the gallery across the street from the New York Times building, police, feds and secret service swooped in to shut the art exhibit down. While police covered the offensive storefront window with brown paper, Arboleda was led away in handcuffs to be “interrogated”.

Arboleda, 27, learned the hard way that freedom has its limits. Later, in an interview, he said: “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be harmful. It’s about character assassination — about how Obama and Hillary have been portrayed by the media.” He added, “It’s about the media.”

Nightline: The Obama Campaign

ABC takes a look at the inside of Obama for America.

Barack Obama in St. Louis, MO

Obama addresses attacks made by John McCain, the economy, and healthcare at a press conference in St. Louis. June 10, 2008.

Obama ramps up search for a running mate

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 2 hours, 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama ramped up his search for a running mate on Monday, consulting with one congressional ally by phone and dispatching members of his vice presidential vetting team to the Capitol for meetings. Sen. Dick Durbin said he had spoken with Obama, his fellow Illinois senator.
ADVERTISEMENT

Jim Johnson and Eric Holder, who comprise two-thirds of the group Obama has asked to help guide his search, met separately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Rahm Emanuel of Illinois.

Obama's campaign announced last week that he has asked Johnson, Holder and Caroline Kennedy to help guide the search.

None of the congressional leaders involved in the meetings have figured in speculation about a possible running mate, suggesting that the day's conversations were designed to seek advice. Durbin and Emanuel are barred from being on the ticket because the Constitution requires that the presidential and vice presidential candidates be from different states.

Johnson himself became a subject of campaign controversy during the day after a weekend report in The Wall Street Journal that he had received loans from Countrywide Financial Corp. with the help of the firm's chief executive, Angelo Mozilo.

Obama's campaign suggested its surrogates call the story "overblown and irrelevant."

But Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, jumped in quickly.

"There is nothing 'overblown and irrelevant' about millions of Americans facing foreclosure and Barack Obama entrusting his most important decision as a presidential candidate to a man who has accepted millions in special loans from a subprime mortgage lender," said Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for the Republican presidential contender.

The selection of a running mate is a top priority for both Obama and McCain.

McCain stirred interest when he held a Memorial Day weekend barbecue at his Arizona home and invited three potential running mates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and their wives.

Obama has fielded numerous questions in recent days about perhaps offering Hillary Rodham Clinton a spot on his ticket. The former first lady suspended her own presidential campaign on Saturday and issued a strong endorsement for the man who edged her out in a marathon race for the nomination.

Change that Works for You: Raleigh, NC

Barack Obama kicked off his Change that Works for You tour in Raleigh, NC on June 9, 2008.

Lunch with Barack

Five grassroots donors shared a lunch with Barack in Muncie, Indiana and had the chance to discuss their concerns, talk about their experiences with the campaign, and share their own stories with Barack.

Barack Speaks To HQ Staff & Volunteers

As the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Senator Obama speaks to his campaign staff in Chicago.

Hillary Clinton Endorses Barack Obama

At the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, Senator Hillary Clinton announces her support for Barack Obama and encourages the Democratic Party to unite in electing him the next President of the United States.

Barack Obama in Bristow, VA

Barack talks about Senator Webb and Governor Kaine at a rally in Bristow, VA. June 5, 2008.

Barack Obama in Bristol, VA

Obama talks about changes in the DNC on June 5, 2008.

Barack Obama at AIPAC

On June 4, 2008, Barack Obama spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, DC.

Barack Obama in St. Paul, MN

On the evening he wins the Democratic Party's nomination for president, Barack Obama speaks from St. Paul, Minnesota.
June 3, 2008

John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama

A Request from John Edwards

Obama Fights Back Against Bush-McCain

Primary Night in Raleigh, NC

Barack Obama addresses the crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina on the night of the Democratic Primaries in Indiana and North Carolina.

Obama Brushes Hillary off His Sholders...literally!

ABC Democratic Debate from Philadelphia, PA - 4/16

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Senator Leahy To Clinton: Drop Out

Obama-backing Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) has become among the most senior Democrats to explicitly call for Sen. Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race:

In an interview on Vermont Public Radio, said "There is no way that Senator Clinton is going to win enough delegates to get the nomination. She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can make frankly I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."

Leahy said he was fretting about the impact of the protracted Democratic race.

"I am very concerned," he said. "John McCain, who has been making one gaffe after another, is getting a free ride on it because Senator Obama and Senator Clinton have to fight with each other. I think that her criticism is hurting him more than anything John McCain has said. I think that's unfortunate."


UPDATE: Leahy has released a new statement phrasing the issue in a softer tone (and without a call for Clinton to drop out):

Any clear-eyed appraisal of the campaign at this stage adds up to two conclusions:

The bottom line is that, first, Senator Obama continues to hold a lead that appears to be insurmountable, and recent indications are that more and more unpledged delegates have begun to add their support to his column.

And second, John McCain, who has been making one mistake after another, is getting a free ride on those gaffes, because the Democratic candidates have to focus not on him but on each other.

Senator Casey's endorsement of Senator Obama in Pennsylvania is the latest sign of how the race is going.

A Democratic victory in November is important to the future and to the change in course that the American people want and deserve. The last thing the American people need is for Senator McCain to continue a third term for President Bush.

Senator Clinton has every right, but not a very good reason, to remain a candidate for as long as she wants to. As far as the delegate count and the interests of a Democratic victory in November go, there is not a very good reason for drawing this out. But as I have said before, that is a decision that only she can make.

Senator Clinton has begun a tremendous career in the Senate, and she has a bright future ahead of her. She faces difficult decisions ahead, and I wish her the best.


Also, the Clinton campaign released statements from their top Pennsylvania supporters:

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell: 'To call for an end to this race before the people of Pennsylvania have had a chance to make their views known is wrong and a disservice to millions of Democrats.' "I respect Senator Leahy and like him very much but as the governor of one of America's largest states, I am disappointed in his comments. By virtually every measure, this race is neck and neck with less than 1% of the more than 27 million votes cast forming the difference between the two candidates. To call for an end to this race before the people of Pennsylvania have had a chance to make their views known is wrong and a disservice to millions of Democrats." [Statement from Gov. Ed Rendell, thepage.time.com, 3/28/08]

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter: 'What [Sen. Leahy's] proposing would be like calling a baseball game in the 7th inning. Let's play this out... I think it's important not only that our concerns be discussed, but that our voices be heard and our votes be counted. "While I appreciate the loyalty Senator Leahy feels to Senator Obama and the concern he may have about his candidate's ability to win, what he's proposing would be like calling a baseball game in the 7th inning. Let's play this out. We have yet to have a real discussion about the issues at stake in cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton and I think it's important not only that our concerns be discussed, but that our voices be heard and our votes be counted. That's democracy. There is no reason whatsoever to disenfranchise Philadelphians and deprive them of their right to participate in our democratic process." [Statement from Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter,

FOX ATTACKS OBAMA

Part 2

Bill Richardson endorses Obama

Obama Speech "A More Perfect union"

Obama by John P. Kee

Video: Interviewer Picks The Wrong Obama Supporter to Try To Railroad

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Obama vs Clinton Los Angeles Democratic Debate 3.
questions and answers?
barack hillary obama clinton supporter politics questions answers analysis grassroots los angeles debate news banned

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This is a response to the "Obama vs Clinton Hollywood Democratic Debate 3" interview. We've gotten a lot of great feedback and a gang of questions as well. Here's Derrick Ashong (aka DNA) taking a shot at answering some of those questions and hopefully explaining why this stuff matters to us.

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Derrick Ashong Lecture



The Lavin Agency presents Derrick Ashong, an inspiring young actor who has accomplished more in his life than most people ever dream of

Crank Dat Barack Obama

Clinton vs Obama Ohio Debate 2/26/08

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CLINTON STAFFERS CIRCULATE 'DRESSED' OBAMA

CLINTON STAFFERS CIRCULATE 'DRESSED' OBAMA
Mon Feb 25 2008 06:51:00 ET

With a week to go until the Texas and Ohio primaries, stressed Clinton staffers circulated a photo over the weekend of a "dressed" Barack Obama.

The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat frontrunner fitted as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya.

The senator was on a five-country tour of Africa.

"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?" questioned one campaign staffer, in an email obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.

In December, the campaign asked one of its volunteer county coordinators in Iowa to step down after the person forwarded an e-mail falsely stating that Barack Obama is a Muslim.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe quickly accused the Clinton campaign Monday of 'shameful offensive fear-mongering' for circulating the snap.

Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams responds: "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed."



EDITOR'S NOTE: Other leaders have worn local costumes:

Obama gains ground on Clinton in Ohio

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama gained ground against rival Hillary Clinton in the battleground U.S. state of Ohio on Monday as their race took a negative turn.

With a week to go until a potentially pivotal vote in Ohio and Texas on March 4, a Quinnipiac University poll said Clinton leads Obama in Ohio by 51 percent to 40 percent among likely Democratic voters.

This was a narrowing from 55 percent to 34 percent lead she held less than two weeks ago, and was a sign that Obama's momentum was paying dividends in Ohio.

New York Sen. Clinton needs big victories in Ohio and Texas to salvage her campaign to be the Democratic nominee in the November election after losing 11 straight contests to Obama, a first-term Illinois senator.

She was to give a foreign policy speech in Washington on Monday.

Independent Ralph Nader, 74, defended his decision to make a late entry into the presidential race. Nader was blamed by many Democrats for taking votes away from Vice President Al Gore in Florida in 2000, helping Republican George W. Bush win the presidency.

"I think the two parties have spoiled our electoral and political system," he told CBS.

Clinton's aura of inevitability has been shattered in recent weeks by her string of losses, and the talk of Washington was whether she would be able to remain a viable candidate if she registers more losses on March 4.

Robert Novak, a conservative who is a syndicated columnist published in The Washington Post, wrote on Monday that Democratic Party elders were asking: "Who will tell her that it's over, that she cannot win the presidential nomination and that the sooner she leaves the race, the more it will improve the party's chances of defeating (Republican) Sen. John McCain in November?"

Clinton, after a fairly civil debate with Obama last Thursday in Texas during which she said she was honored to share the stage with him, has spent the last couple of days complaining about Obama's tendency to deliver speeches long on hope and short on substantive details.

"I could just stand up here and say 'Let's just get everybody together, let's get unified.' The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect," she said at a rally on Sunday in Providence, Rhode Island, which also votes on March 4.

A photograph of Obama, dressed as a Somali elder with white headdress and matching robe, created a stir when it was posted on the popular Drudge Report web site on Monday and the accompanying article said it had been circulated by Clinton campaign staffers.

The Obama campaign was incensed.

The Drudge Report said the photo was taken in 2006 and shows the Democratic front-runner fitted as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya. Obama has fought a whispering campaign from fringe elements that say erroneously he is a Muslim.

"On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement: "Enough."

"If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely," Williams said.

She called the flap "nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to create the very divisions they claim to decry."

(Editing by David Wiessler)

CNN Democratic Debate: Austin, Texas Feb. 21, 2008

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Barack Obama,Hillary Clinton Austin Texas debate - Portrait

Clinton: Obama 'change you can Xerox'

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

AUSTIN, Texas - Hillary Rodham Clinton accused presidential rival Barack Obama of political plagiarism Thursday night, but drew boos from a Democratic debate audience when she ridiculed him as the candidate of "change you can Xerox."

Obama dismissed the charge out of hand, then turned the jeers to applause when he countered, "What we shouldn't be spending time doing is tearing each other down. We should be spending time lifting the country up."

The exchange marked an unusually pointed moment in an otherwise civil encounter in the days before March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio — contests that even some of Clinton's supporters say she must win to sustain her campaign for the White House.

The former first lady has lost 11 straight primaries and caucuses, and trails her rival in convention delegates. Obama has won a pair of big union endorsements in the past two days.

In a university auditorium in the heart of Texas, the two rivals agreed that high-tech surveillance measures are preferable to construction of a fence to curtail illegal immigration.

They disagreed on the proper response to a change in government in Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro's resignation. Clinton said she would refuse to sit down with incoming President Raul Castro until he implements political and economic reforms. Obama said he would meet "without preconditions," but added the U.S. agenda for such a session would include human rights in the Communist island nation.

They also sparred frequently about health care, a core issue of the campaign.

Clinton said repeatedly that Obama's plan would leave 15 million Americans uncovered.

But he, in turn, accused the former first lady of mishandling the issue by working in secrecy when her husband was in the White House.

"I'm going to do things differently," he said. "We can have great plans, but if we don't change how the politics is working in Washington, then neither of our plans are going to happen."

Clinton was combative and complimentary by turns, and reflected on her well-known personal struggles in the debate's final moments.

"Everyone here knows I've lived through some crises and some challenging moments in my life," she said — a thinly veiled but clear reference to her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment. But she added that nothing she had been through matched the everyday struggles of voters.

Then, offering unprompted praise to her rival, the one-time front-runner said, "No matter what happens in this contest, I am honored to be here with Barack Obama."

Both candidates were plainly popular with the debate audience. During one break someone in the crowd shouted "Si se puede," Spanish for Obama's trademark phrase, "Yes we can."

Clinton largely sidestepped a question about so-called superdelegates, members of Congress, governors and party leaders who were not picked in primaries and caucuses. She said the issue would sort itself out, and "we'll have a unified Democratic party" for the fall campaign.

But Obama, who has won more primaries and caucuses said the contests must "count for something ... that the will of the voters ... is what ultimately will determine who our next nominee is going to be."

Clinton went into the debate needing a change in the course of the campaign, and waited patiently for an opening to try to diminish her rival, seated inches away on the stage. "I think you can tell from the first 45 minutes Senator Obama and I have a lot in common," she said.

Barely pausing for breath, she went on to say there were differences.

First, she said she had seen a supporter of Obama interviewed on television recently, and unable to name a single accomplishment the Illinois senator had on his record.

"Words are important and words matter but actions speak louder than words," she said.

Obama agreed with that, then noted that Clinton lately had been urging voters to turn against him by saying, "let's get real."

"And the implication is that the people who've been voting for me or are involved in my campaign are somehow delusional," Obama said.

Clinton also raised Obama's use in his campaign speeches of words first uttered by his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

"If your candidacy is going to be about words then they should be your own words," she said. "...Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox."

The debate audience booed.

Obama said the entire controversy was evidence of a "silly season" that the public finds dispiriting. Besides, he said of his speeches at one point, "I've got to admit, some of them are pretty good."

The two rivals sat next to one another in swivel chairs in a University of Texas auditorium for the 90-minute debate, one in a dwindling number of opportunities for the former first lady to chart a new course in the presidential race.

She has lost 11 straight primaries and caucuses to Obama — including an overseas competition for support among Americans living aboard — and has fallen behind in the chase for the number of delegates needed to become the presidential nominee.

Obama's strong showing has made him the man to beat in a historic struggle between a black man and a white woman, and even former President Bill Clinton has said his wife must win both Ohio and Texas early next month to preserve her candidacy. New polls show Texas a dead heat, and give Clinton a lead in Ohio, but far smaller than the one she held in recent weeks.

Rhode Island and Vermont also vote on March 4, but offer far fewer delegates and have drawn less attention.

The encounter was the 19th in an episodic series of debates and forums, a run that has ranged from highly civilized to hotly confrontational.

The last time the two met, in Los Angeles, they sat side by side and disagreed politely. But in an earlier encounter last month, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., each accused the other of repeatedly and deliberately distorting the truth for political gain in a highly personal, finger-wagging showdown.

In The Associated Press' delegate count Thursday, Obama had 1,358.5 to 1,264 for Clinton. It takes 2,025 delegates to claim the nomination at this summer's convention.

In a further sign of his growing strength, Obama won the endorsement during the day of the Change to Win labor federation, which claims 6 million members. The Teamsters union announced its support for Obama on Wednesday.

The debate was sponsored by CNN, Univision and the Texas Democratic Party.

Obama wins global primary

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
33 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama won the Democrats Abroad global primary in results announced Thursday, giving him 11 straight victories in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Illinois senator won the primary in which Democrats living in other countries voted by Internet, mail and in person, according to results released by the Democrats Abroad, an organization sanctioned by the national party.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has not won a nominating contest since Super Tuesday, more than two weeks ago.

More than 20,000 U.S. citizens living abroad voted in the primary, which ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12. Obama won about 65 percent of the vote, according to the results released Thursday.

Voters living in 164 countries cast votes online, while expatriates voted in person in more than 30 countries, at hotels in Australia and Costa Rica, at a pub in Ireland and at a Starbucks in Thailand. The results took about a week to tabulate as local committees around the globe gathered ballots.

"This really gives Americans an opportunity to participate," said Christine Schon Marques, the international chair of Democrats Abroad.

There is no comparable primary among Republicans, though the GOP has several contests this weekend in U.S. territories, including party caucuses in Puerto Rico Sunday.

The Democrats Abroad controls seven pledged delegates at the party's national convention this summer. However, the group's system of dividing the delegates is unique, and could create an anomaly in which Obama and Clinton end up with fractions of delegates.

The party will send 14 pledged delegates to the convention, each with a half vote. The primary was used to determine nine people, or the equivalent of 4.5 delegates. Obama won 2.5 and Clinton won two, according to Schon Marques.

The Democrats Abroad will hold a global convention in Vancouver, Canada, in April to select the other five people who will attend the convention. They will represent the remaining 2.5 votes.

The system creates the possibility that Obama and Clinton could each end up with an extra half vote at the convention, Schon Marques said.

Democratic parties in U.S. territories use similar systems, in which they send twice the number of delegates, giving them each a half vote. But their systems are designed to ensure that that candidates do not end up with fractions of delegates.

Heading into the Democrats Abroad primary, Obama led with 1,351 delegates, and Clinton had 1,262.

Keyes-Obama debate

2 (Religion)


2 (Gays)


2 (death penalty and aborition)


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3. (security)