I voted for Obama today.

As a southerner and as a democrat, I fundamentally believe that if we continue to write off the South we will continue to lose national elections. The only democrats elected to the presidency in 40 years were both Southerners. This is not a coincidence.

It is also not enough to have a Southern VP. Edwards couldn't deliver a single state with Kerry at the top of the ticket in 2004.

By turning out a coalition of blacks, young people and poor southern whites who's kids have been dying at a disproportionate rate for this damn war, I believe that Obama can cherry pick a few Southern states away from the GOP. I would include Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. I also think he can slam dunk Ohio given the right running mate.

I believe that breaking up the solid south is the key to getting past the red vs blue paradigm and, with Edwards out of the race now, Obama seems like the person who has the best chance to do that.

Didn't Obama just win a state? Hard to find much news about it? I am sure that it's not pro-Hillary bias. I just think that him winning caucuses has gotten to be old news (dog bites man) too bad for him.

The key to winning elections is to expand the pool of people who will vote for you. Sure, if Hillary gets the nomination she will have the support of the hard core democratic base (except for the african-american vote) and we will congratulate her . . .right after we swear in President John McCain.

Got this from a friend after the Maine caucus. Gotta say, it is getting kind of silly . . .

"Back in October 2007, Clinton was beating Obama in Maine by a hilarious 47 to 10 margin, but it seems he's carried the state today, once again by a large margin. My understanding, though, is that this doesn't really count because it's a small state, much as Utah doesn't count because there aren't many Democrats there, DC doesn't count because there are too many black people, Washington doesn't count because it's a caucus, Illinois doesn't count because Obama represents it in the Senate even though Hillary was born there, Hawaii won't count because Obama was born there. I'm not sure why Delaware and Connecticut don't count, but they definitely don't.

Realistically, Clinton seems to have difficulty winning anywhere she can't mobilize racial polarization in her favor. Obama has, of course, deployed polarization to his benefit in a number of states (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana most notably) but he's also dominated the states with very few black voters.

UPDATE: I forgot about Missouri. Obama's win in Missouri, of course, doesn't count because the state was called too late."

And from the comments:

"Only New York and California count. Oh, and states where Obama wasn't even on the ballot. Those count. The other 47 states are either filled with black people or white people who want a hip black friend. Or something."

"Don't forget about Florida!!!! And Michigan! Florida definitely counts!!!! Definitely!"

Actually, the problem I have with the whole war vote is how Hillary is handling it now. I would have respected her so much more if she took the Edwards tact and just said those three little words . . ."I was wrong"

Her refusal to say that strikes me as, dare I say it . . . Bush-like.

And yes, she was supposed to contradict America's top general. That's her job.

This just sounds like another "I voted for it but I am glad it didn't pass" equivocation that people are just sick of.

The remarks seem to spin off into a different stratosphere in response to a student question about the “most influential person in her political career.” After paying homage to the Roosevelts, JFK, and LBJ, and with just a roundabout reference to her husband, Clinton arrives at Nelson Mandela. She describes Mandela at his inauguration, introducing three prison guards who’d treated him humanely in his many years at Robben Island. She quotes Mandela saying, “If I left prison embittered and full of hate, I would still be in prison. ... You have to give up whatever hate you have. You must learn to forgive.”

Um yeah Hillary.

Who said the reason Chelsea was so ugly was because her father was Janet Reno.

If he'd said that about my daughter I would have beaten the crap out of him. Not only did she forgive him but they are friends and did shots together on some trip to Estonia.

How nice.

This is why people don't trust her.