They are still important. They elected Reagan, and had a lot to do with Bush's first election.

The truth about Obama is that he's generally to the right of Hillary in all his proposals: health care, global warming, the bailout of the subprime mortgages. I know it's fashionable in Obama circles to bash Clinton and thus find Obama the true progressive, but in one area after another, he's on the right - how else is he getting endorsements from all those Blue Dogs? You think he's causing a conversion moment for Sibelius and Casey? Don't think so.

The sad thing is how many people are rejecting Krugman as a "shill" or something like that, but the fact is, analyze the programs. Obama WOULD leave more people uninsured, and would thus raise the cost for the insured. Obama would re-regulate the banking industry, and that's good, but Hillary has a proposal to let people refinance through the feds, when the value of their property has sunk below their mortgage, and then the government would work out their payments. That's New Deal, and that's what it's going to take. No careful, down-the-middle crap is going to be enough. I suppose it's ironic, that the centrists of the '90s are being beaten by someone to the right of them, but such is American politics, I suppose.

Talking with Bloomberg, the turncoat scum, is the end for me. This is what the "progressive" Democrat wants to do? The way past the "51% politics" -- announced before he's won the election -- is to sell out to the Republicans?

Sorry to see him being swept away by Obamamania and their right-wing propaganda. When you wake up, President Obama (or President McCain) don't have to worry about all those promises, because you ain't gettin' any. But Obama still will be talking about bipartisanship, and the Republicans will just be gobbling him up.

I don't care how "at ease with himself" a candidate is. I don't care if he's handsome or pretty. I don't care if he does it with sheep. The president is the executive officer of the government of the United States, and I want ideas as to what he's going to (try) to do. There's a decent chance the next president will have a good majority. So he or she will be able to do things. I don't listen to a president's speeches. I don't care if his spouse is nice. I really don't care about their kids. I want health care. I want an end to the war. I want this country back on its feet. I'd go dig Dick Nixon out of the grave and vote for him if I thought he could get it done. Doesn't anybody remember when this "family values" crap started? We were supposed to start judging presidents according to how they handled their family, how neat and authoritarian. Always seemed nuts to me, and I still think I'm right. A president proposes policies that will make things better. FDR was lovable for what he did, not because his relationship with Eleanor was a model for us all. It was not. I don't want the president to have that burden. I want the president on the phone with the Speaker, or some raggedy-behind congressman from Podunk who is the deciding vote in a great new law. I want them to advocate the rule of law. I really couldn't give a damn if they bowl well, if they're tone-deaf, or if their voices get screechy.

Bill Clinton was the poorest man to get to the White House in modern memory. True. They lived in government housing all their lives, until the house in New York. He was beseiged by the necessity of defending themselves against one trumped-up charge after another, so they needed millions to defend themselves. Then they lived on Hillary's salary as senator, and both of them got writing. They made money with three books (the proceeds from the third book, Giving, were given to charity, I believe.) Bill got paid a lot to make speeches. A lot. Well, if you were the sort of organization to have a half mil to pay, you wanted to hear what he said. Nobody put a gun to their heads, pay me or else. As well, they gave 10% to charity, so that's more than $10 million, as well as traveling around the world raising money for the tsunami, AIDS, you name it. Ben Politico looks at a lousy 50 grand and sees a scandal. You say just knowing they're that rich might cause (you hope?) the blue collar workers to desert Bill and Hill. I don't know what you base that on, FDR was a very wealthy man. The truth is, what they need is not to be abandoned, as they are by the latte-drinking, caucus-going activist side of the party, who have been waiting forever to get these documents. Hmm. Wonder where Hillary was when these tax forms were drawn up? Hiding from Monica? The Democratic Party has become infested by a lot of people whose main occupation is pulling down Hillary, and you never hear any discussion of the issues from them.