PBS Debate: Hillary Was Strong, Barack Was Warm, Edwards Was Composed

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What a great venue. It felt like there were roads on all sides to the bar. Am I on West 4th or am I on West 10th? That is what it felt like.

Jacki E and her husband were there in full force. Jacki was busy putting up balloons. They are hard core. Many of the usual faces were there. Raj showed up with his girlfriend. Vishesh showed up with a friend from his LSE school days, Hildur from Iceland. Jeff. Carlos. Karen. Sylvan.

I met Vishesh first at Raj's MeetUp at his apartment in SoHo only a few days back, one of the best MeetUps I ever been to. It started in this huge living room. Then it went onto the rooftop, and then to a bar. A BBC movie crew was there.

Hildur's verdict was that Hillary won the debate.

In the last debate Hillary's attitude was, I am Hillary, and I am hilarious. In this debate she exuded strength, seriousness and discipline. She was one candidate who always stayed within her time limit.

She was the most aggressive on stressing that yes, racism very much exists. And she had a whole bunch of black women standing and cheering. She said if AIDS were impacting white women from this to that age, this country would be much more riled up about AIDS.

"Race matters powerfully." Obama has said that before. I wish he had used that line today. This was the audience for it.

When a whole bunch of black women stood up and cheered Hillary, Obama probably felt that his wife was perhaps feeling bad. She is the one who has been trying to breathe life into the Women for Obama effort. So he made a wonderful love gesture on that same question. Biden said Obama had gone through a HIV test. When it was his turn Obama pointed out that his wife had as well, just to make sure noone got the wrong picture. And that joke had the audience hollering, and got his wife beaming.

It was also a smart political move to show off that he could get the audience excited just like Hillary.

Hillary is a policy wonk, and it showed. She came across as super prepared.

Obama needs to battle on the gender front with the same vigor. How about saying, yes, we live in a sexist country. We live on a sexist planet. I know I do.

It is very important for both Hillary and Obama to run a positive campaign, and to not start trading negatives. In a few months they are both going to get desperate, but the positive has to be maintained.

It is so obvious one of them is going to win and the other is going to be number two. When that happens, they must pair up. Handling race alone is hard. Handling gender alone is hard. It is best if you handle both at once. The two mega issues feed on each other for progress.

Why Hillary?

I am rooting for Hillary for Obama's running mate. Why?

1. For the same reason that JFK picked Johnson. You pick the person who finished second out of respect for all those who did vote for that person.
   
2. There are three billion women on the planet. There are 150 million in America.
   
3. Rudy is from New York. Bloomberg is from New York. Hillary is from New York.
   
4. You get Bill Clinton as bonus. You pay for one, and get one free.
   
5. She is smart, hard working, talented, disciplined, good looking.
   

1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month
Submit Your Questions For The Debates
Barack, You Can Do Debates
DNC Needs To Take Over The Monthly Debates
One National Primary, Monthly National Debates, Videoblogged
Debates Matter: The Election Is On
Barack Lost The South Carolina Debate
South Carolina Debate


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A thoroughly modern foreign secretary Seattle Post Intelligencer David Miliband, Britain's new foreign secretary, became the first British Cabinet minister to post a blog last year - though his entries are often thick with technical jargon. ..... he also has an avatar in Second Life - an online world rarely inhabited by global statesmen - and his profile on the social networking site Facebook ...... Nicknamed "Brains" by Tony Blair's staff, the thoroughly modern Miliband is being groomed to be a candidate for prime minister. .... Miliband, whose wife Louise Shackelton is an American citizen and a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra .... He sparred with then-Prime Minister Blair over his refusal to call for an immediate Israeli cease-fire during last year's conflict in Lebanon. ..... Some legislators pushed him to stand against Britain's new prime minister, Gordon Brown, to succeed Blair - which would have sparked a vote among party members - but Miliband resisted, biding his time for a future bid for power. ....... "His style is very thoughtful, but also very inclusive - he will always listen to the views of those around him." ...... "He is going to be a key player in the climate agenda and he'll have to work to push the Americans to move further, faster" ...... The lawmaker, who adopted a son in the United States in 2004, hails from a family of political heavyweights. ...... He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988 after winning a scholarship.
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Exclusive: Rupert Murdoch Speaks TIME They can't sell their company and still control it — that's not how it works. ..... News Corp. — the world's third largest media conglomerate, with a value of $68 billion, and one of the few megacorporations controlled by a single individual — was at his desk on the eighth floor of his midtown Manhattan headquarters, trying to shore up a deal he had dreamed about for a decade ...... six muted flat-panel television monitors were tuned to 11 different stations — five split-screened and one devoted entirely to his beloved Fox News ...... to get the deal back on track, he had to threaten to walk — and mean it. ...... loathed his tabloid style and feared he would trample the Journal's independence ..... Murdoch hated the proposal. .. it would give the Bancroft family more involvement over the Journal after they sold it than they had exercised before. ....... threatening to pull his offer — a move that would have sent Dow Jones stock plummeting back to earth ..... and if the deal was going to die, he wanted to be the one to kill it ...... Any deal can blow apart at any time, and this one was especially combustible ...... the Bancrofts, whose Class B supervoting shares ..... Murdoch — the ultimate outsider, the ink-stained interloper who started in 1953 with a single paper in Adelaide, Australia ..... Murdoch's archrival, Sumner Redstone of Viacom, thought he had a deal for MySpace, but News Corp. swooped in and snatched it, bidding $580 million, $30 million more than Redstone and far more than anyone else thought it was worth. Then the site grew from 20 million members to almost 200 million, Google paid $900 million for the right to advertise on the site, and suddenly Murdoch's price looked cheap — and Murdoch looked like an Internet visionary. "I love being called that," he says, "but the truth is, I'm just lucky and nimble." ...... the most gifted opportunist in media, a man whose nose for a deal makes him the last of the true media moguls, the one who's still building — grabbing Dow Jones, dreaming about trading MySpace for a big chunk of Yahoo!, trying to launch a Polish TV network. ...... worth $9 billion. ...... lives like an old-fashioned tycoon too, hopscotching the planet on his 737 and recharging on his yacht off St. Tropez ...... London, where he got thrown from a horse (but didn't break anything — too busy) ........ threw a party in Kensington Gardens for 400 friends, including incoming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown ..... Murdoch and his third wife, Chinese-born Wendi Deng, 38, have added two daughters, ages 3 and 5, to a fiercely competitive yet surprisingly close-knit family of four adult siblings from his two previous marriages. Murdoch likes to say he has 20 good years left. ..... Dow Jones, which over the years has misplayed some juicy opportunities to sell financial information in the digital world ...... Others may look at Dow Jones and see an excellent, world-renowned (though economically stagnant) print newspaper with a successful subscription-only website; Murdoch sees the engine of a global, interactive, multiplatform business-and-finance network that will drive his soon-to-be-launched Fox Business Channel, power up his 24-hour Sky News channel in Europe and fuel a still inchoate collection of online financial services. ........ "We'll sell our business news and information in print, we'll sell it to anyone who's got a cable system, and we'll sell it on the Web." .... In 1976 he bought the failing, family-owned liberal New YorkPost and solemnly pledged to "maintain its present policies and traditions." Then he yanked it hard right and down-market. ...... tabloid terror ...... Each day brings another investigative story about Murdoch using his media properties to boost his business interests, reward his friends and punish his rivals ....... "Why would I spend $5 billion for something in order to wreck it?" he asks. ...... "At his tabloids, Rupert's word is treated as the word of God. At his serious papers, there's much more of a discussion." ........ he may not be the same scorpion at 76 that he was at 51 ...... the man who influences Prime Ministers and Presidents and still poses as a scrappy outsider ...... When you're a catalyst for change, you make enemies — and I'm proud of the ones I've got ...... "When the Journal gets its Page 3 girls," he jokes late one night, "we'll make sure they have M.B.A.s." ....... There's such a thing as a popular newspaper and an unpopular élite newspaper. They play different roles. We have both kinds. ....... Murdoch isn't a party-line guy. He's a pragmatist. He likes strong politicians and change agents and winners ..... Fox News, a channel that gives voice to angry middle-aged white guys. ...... It's not what they say. It's what they highlight ...... He'd like the newspaper to be a national counterpoint to the New York Times in setting the country's agenda. ....... Circulation and advertising revenues are ebbing away everywhere, he notes, proportional to broadband penetration. ......... "What if, at theJournal, we spent $100 million a year hiring all the best business journalists in the world? Say 200 of them. And spent some money on establishing the brand but went global — a great, great newspaper with big, iconic names, outstanding writers, reporters, experts. And then you make it free, online only. No printing plants, no paper, no trucks. ......................................... WSJ.com has more than 900,000 subscribers, making it the largest paid-subscription site on the Web, but less profitable, Murdoch suspects, than it might be with a hybrid model — with free users driving ad sales and premium users willing to pay for high-end content. ...... (Redstone called Murdoch's victory a "humiliation" and later fired Viacom CEO Tom Freston.) ..... Murdoch began very preliminary, exploratory talks about ....... "A media company is basically anything that communicates with people — news, ideas, entertainment, advertising — and allows them to communicate with each other," he says. "But trading the site for 25% or more of Yahoo!the Internet is teaching people every day to expect everything for free. So it has to be advertising supported." ........ unlike many of his contemporaries, Murdoch has consistently been able to see around the corner ...... Rupert, a man who buys ink by the barrel and isn't afraid to apply it.
Why Germany Hates Tom Cruise Because Cruise, as the Defense Ministry puts it, "has publically professed to being a member of the Scientology cult." .... Ursula Cabreta, director of a government-sponsored group that monitors Scientologist activities in Germany was more blunt. She called the selection of Cruise to play the role of von Stauffenberg a "scandal."
The iPhone's Carrier Problem Consumers have long been able to save e-mails, forward them at will and access them in whatever order they want, so why is voice-mail stuck in the dark ages? ....... Google recently proposed an auction system that would enable new players to buy into the wireless spectrum, an idea that could open the door to the sort of competition in the mobile world that enabled the high-speed access offered by better Internet Service Providers to topple AOL's old stranglehold on its customers. ....... by 2010, about as many people will have a cell phone as a toothbrush.
Why the CIA Is Airing Its Dirty Laundry The CIA is about to publish its "book of skeletons" .. Coups, assassinations, kidnappings, domestic spying, break-ins, illegal telephone taps .... Another way the White House used the CIA to skirt the law has been to secretly order it to assassinate foreign leaders. For a start, we don't do assassinations well. ...... "We have run operations to assassinate foreign leaders. We have never succeeded." ..... a CIA misused, ordered to do things it can't and shouldn't be doing
The Next Flashpoint in Iraq The Americans, who've been working with the national police to check sectarian tensions here, cut the corpse down, wrapped it in a body bag ..... the predominantly Shi'ite national police in Samarra, an overwhelmingly Sunni city ..... On June 16, Sadr urged Shi'ites to join an annual Shi'ite pilgrimage to Samarra the first week of July.
Beckham's US mission Hindu his $250 million transfer to Los Angeles Galaxy ...... finally, wiping out all traces of neutrality, a Hollywood connection in Tom Cruise. ..... What can the Beckham package deliver in a sporting nation that has its mind sufficiently occupied with American football, baseball and basketball? ...... America presents an irresistible combination of wealth and indifference. ........ We want to emerge as America's first super-club, to compete with Madrid and Man United. ...... I want to take soccer in the US to another level. I think it can go higher in America than anyone can believe. Soccer is huge all around the world except in America and that's where I want to make a difference with the kids," said Beckham earlier this year. ....... His 32-year-old injury-prone body ..... an unquenchable thirst for publicity .... The vibrant lifestyle resonates well with his and his wife's. ...... Beckham is by no means the world's best footballer, but he is no talent deficient mid-fielder who fluked it as a superstar.
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Paris Hilton still doesn't get it Monsters and Critics.com Hilton telling King that her body cavity search was humiliating. ..... Hilton was still profiting on her sex tape out there for purchase and she never addressed the famous racial slurs she was videotaped saying ...... Hilton "had deputies act as her personal errand boys." ..... "She's got sheriffs bringing her food. This was unbelievable." ..... Hilton "had her hair extensions redone and got a facial.". .... has not suffered such "indignity since a renegade Web site revealed she has a prescription for Valtrex, a medication often used to fight STDs'"

NH poll: Clinton, Romney in lead MSNBC Clinton led the Democratic pack with 37%; Obama was second with 19%; Edwards and Richardson were tied at 9%. On the Republican side, Romney had 26%; Giuliani was next with 22%; McCain and Fred Thompson were tied at 13%. The margin of error for the poll is 4.38%. .... The survey finds Clinton’s lead over Obama is significant with voters 56 and older, who went for Clinton overwhelmingly, 47%-15%. Conversely, Obama and Clinton were virtually tied with younger voters (ages 18 to 45) with Obama having a slight 26%-25% edge. .... Three in 10 Clinton supporters say they would switch their vote to Gore if he were to get in the race. .... if Bloomberg jumps in, Republicans are the ones who would be hurt. Bloomberg would get about 6%-8% of a general election vote, according to the poll, and in all six general election scenarios, Democrats improved or maintained their margins.

Israeli President to Resign in Plea Bargain New York Times he would not face a jail term or rape charges but would plead guilty to a charge of indecent assault and other charges .... would also be charged with sexual harassment and harassing a witness .... charges of rape and other sexual misconduct related to four women who worked for him when he was tourism minister in the late 1990s or after he became president in 2000 ..... Mr. Olmert said Israel would cooperate with Mr. Blair to the fullest
Nearly 250000 Open Wallets for Obama San Francisco Chronicle
Sen. Obama Donors Near 250000 Individuals NewsMax.com
Obama gains even more support to his campaign Pravda
Nearly 250000 Open Wallets for Obama Forbes Obama has improved on his stunning support in the race for campaign cash ...... the average donation in the second quarter is likely to be less than the roughly $247 in the first quarter. ..... it collected more than 339,000 contributions - meaning that many individuals made repeat donations - and its goal will be to reach 350,000 by the deadline. ..... Obama's campaign announced the final push for cash on the same day as a Democratic presidential debate, an announcement that could rattle his rivals. .... "we do expect Senator Obama to significantly outraise us this quarter." .... That another candidate could even approach Clinton's fundraising prowess was unthinkable six months ago. But the freshman senator from Illinois has drawn supporters who have been inspired by his long-standing opposition to Iraq, his message of hope and his chance to be the first black president. ...... Obama has attracted the Wall Street executives, Hollywood moguls and other rich donors who traditionally have fueled political campaigns. But Obama has also concentrated on smaller donors who can give just $25 or $50 each, a practice that other campaigns said they also have adopted in the second quarter. ....... Obama still trails Clinton in national and most state polls ..... Howard Dean built a reputation for unprecedented grass-roots support when 70,000 people contributed about $10.5 million in the first two quarters of 2003. .... much of Obama's money comes in small-dollar donations made over the Internet. .... So far this quarter, Obama aides say $20 million would thrill them
Clinton’s Camp Projects $27M in 2nd Quarter New York Times
Edwards' Crumbling Campaign is Bad News for Clinton RealClearPolitics At the end of 2006, with Mark Warner out and former Vice President Al Gore on the sidelines, John Edwards posed the greatest threat to Senator Clinton's hold on the Democratic nomination. Obama's formal entry into the race immediately split the substantial anti-Hillary vote, which worked to Senator Clinton's advantage and John Edwards' detriment. ......... Edwards' crumbling campaign and its consequences on the Democratic contest .... Edwards, on the other hand, has lost over 30% of his support and has seen his national numbers fall to 12.4% ..... Edwards' implosion has strategically weakened Senator Clinton's hold on the nomination. .... The Clinton campaign wants to neutralize Edwards and to limit the odds of him breaking out with an early win in Iowa. But they don't want to see Edwards' campaign totally implode and allow the anti-Hillary forces to rally behind an increasingly powerful Senator Obama. .... the rumblings that the Obama campaign is poised to release a monster haul, the potential elimination of Edwards as a serious candidate, coupled with the Obama campaign's ability to not only compete with, but to beat, the vaunted Clinton machine, could be the catalyst that allows Obama to consolidate his position as the sole anti-Hillary candidate ..... He would then be in a very strong position to tighten those horserace numbers both nationally and in the key early states over the next quarter as we head into the fall.
More oh-eight: 250000 donors? Wow. MSNBC Hispanics are identifying with Democrats by a greater number than in 2004. ..... so far, the chief beneficiary of this Hispanic movement toward the Democrats is Hillary Clinton.
Perspective on Obama's donor numbers the Obama folks handed First Read a research document of past newspaper clippings showing that Howard Dean -- Mr. Grassroots/Netroots of the 2003-4 cycle ..... for the entire year of 2003, it was reported that about 280,000 people donated to his campaign -- a figure which Obama will seem to almost equal in just half a year.

US Senate heads for crucial immigration vote Reuters
Immigration bill faces key vote Baltimore Sun
Senate hands Bush major defeat on immigration Washington Post In a crucial make or break vote that exposed deep lack of support among Bush's own Republicans, the legislation fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed in the 100-member Senate to advance toward a final vote. ...... it was unlikely Congress would return to immigration reform before next year's presidential election. .... Bush made clear he was moving on from immigration to other issues like balancing the federal budget. .... Republicans who said it was an amnesty for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants ...... Only 46 senators -- 33 Democrats, 12 Republicans and 1 independent -- voted to advance the bill. Some 15 Democrats joined 37 Republicans and 1 independent to block the legislation. ...... Immigrant groups opposed measures in the bill that limited migration on the basis of family ties. .... Republican opponents of the bill said Bush should give up on broad immigration reform and concentrate on keeping illegal immigrants out. ...... Supporters of the bill were crushed. .... "It's like in Vietnam when they said 'we had to destroy the village to save it,' well here they are destroying the economy to save the U.S. border"



'Hilton's condition was feared life-threatening'Telegraph.co.uk "Our doctors said we had no solution for her medical problem — none. .... the socialite, an heir to the Hilton hotel empire .... Miss Hilton's punishment far exceeded the time served by most county inmates for similar offences - a conclusion supported by a Los Angeles Times analysis of 1,500 similar cases since 2002. ...... she attended the MTV Movie Awards immediately before she was jailed and was in apparent rude health as she left jail, smiling and waving to media and fans. ..... the heiress had conned her doctors and the sheriff's medical staff. ..... the multimillionaire celebrity said she was “basically in the foetal position, basically in hysterics,” during her first night in jail. .... "The doctors were observing me while I was there. They explained to Sheriff [Lee] Baca that they thought I was having severe anxiety, panic attacks, claustrophobia.” ..... rival networks reportedly turned down costly deals to secure the exclusive. ..... will not be paid for her CNN appearance. ..... a large media contingent keeps a round-the-clock watch at the gates ..... the sheriff's spokesman, said the case had become a “global phenomenon” ...... Mr Baca recently attended a conference on global terrorism in Turkey and later met police chiefs from Azerbaijan and Armenia. Afterwards, the sheriff told him: “Guess what they talked about on every leg of the trip? Paris Hilton.”
Hey, Paris Hilton! What Are You Going to Do Now? Washington Post She is free, but are we? .... She goes to parties . . . for a living. ..... obsessive media coverage of the Hilton Affair .... As opposed to her usual rather porny nightclub appearance, Hilton looked fresh-faced, almost innocent. ..... "I was not eating or sleeping. I was severely depressed and felt as if I was in a cage. I was not myself." ...... "I'm not the same person I was," Hilton says. "I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance." ....... Hilton said she would like to donate her celebrity to the challenges of breast cancer or perhaps multiple sclerosis or maybe "a kind of Paris Hilton playhouse, where sick children might come." .... in jail she read the Bible ..... a giddily crazed crush of paparazzi .... a giddily crazed crush of paparazzi, who swarmed their black SUV with cameras, pleading "Paris! Just one word! Paris," as if she were the oracle for our strange times. Hilton rolled down the window and told the press, "I'm great." She was smiling her trademark cipher smile. She did the chin dip. "Thank you for all your support," she said. ...... women's facility, where she had spent most of her jail time in solitary confinement or in the medical ward, news helicopters circled overhead and then aerially stalked her as she left the jail
Live Free or Die Hard: Fun and Forgettable TIME a rogue computer genius named Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) who has been shabbily treated by the federal government. He intends to get his revenge by hacking into every computer-run system in the country, beginning with the transportation grid and ending with the financial system, from which he intends to drain every last penny before he's finished. ....... nevermind the fact that McClane is so obviously computer illiterate .... the film's relentless, one-damn-thing-after-another pacing
Hilton says jail was 'traumatic' BBC News She said she was going to party less and be a "more responsible role model". ... "There's just so much more to me than what people think." .... said she wanted to set up a half-way house to help women when they are released from jail. .... Veteran interviewer Larry King later described Hilton's performance as "puzzling and perplexing", and said she was in denial about her crime.
'I hated it,' Paris Hilton says of time in jail CBC.ca
I didn't deserve to go to jail: Paris The Australian

Poll: Bloomberg could have Perot-like effect on 2008 race CNN Clinton of New York led the list of contenders with 43 percent. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was next with 25 percent .... Clinton 49 percent, Giuliani 48 percent. .... Bloomberg's support seems to be on the rise -- 17 percent in a three-way contest against Clinton and Giuliani. .... nearly matches the 19 percent of the vote Ross Perot got the first time he ran in 1992. .... Right now, Bloomberg would take votes about equally from Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, and the outcome would still be close (41 percent for Clinton, 38 percent for Giuliani). ..... Bloomberg is not well known nationally. If he were to run, he could spend a lot of money defining himself to voters across the country. .... the CNN-ORC poll shows that a lot of voters are open to a new choice.
Samsung Churns Out 1.8-Inch Flash Hard Drives TechNewsWorld the industry's first 1.8-inch solid state drives (SSD) at a whopping 64 gigabytes, making the high-density flash-memory-based drives suitable for widespread ultra-portable laptop use. ...... "They pull less power and generate less heat, and you don't have to shield them as heavily, so they result in a smaller overall form factor." ..... Flash drives are durable enough to run through a clothes washing machine ..... we're talking about PC boot times in the ten-second range
Obama launches two television ads in Iowa, the first commercials ... San Diego Union Tribune
Obama launches TV ads in Iowa with an assist from GOP friend Chicago Tribune
Obama's First Television Ads A Test Of Message Atlantic Online
Obama, in Houston, bringing out first-time donors Houston Chronicle
Clinton vs. Obama in Chicago Chicago Tribune
Clinton, Obama seek Chicago campaign money on same day Bloomington Pantagraph
Obama, in New TV Ads, Focuses on His Pre-Senate Years New York Times
Democrats 2008: Hillary 35%, Obama at 23% Angus Reid Global Monitor
Lessons Learned as Obama Shepherds a Following New York Times
Burned once, Clinton adopts cautious approach on health care reform Boston Herald

Obama, looking for jump-start, airs ads in Iowa USA Today Obama starts running two biographical TV ads Tuesday in Iowa, the first of his campaign for the Democratic nomination. ..... Obama at one point was close to or even with Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in some national polls, but has been 10 to 20 points behind her in the last eight. He's third in most polls of Iowa.
Obama on the Airwaves Washington Post a speech that made him a force in national politics almost overnight. ..... "negotiation skills" and "ability to understand both sides." ..... The Obama campaign released little information about the extent of the ad buy other than to say it is statewide and "low level." ..... Obama's outstanding fundraising in the first quarter and the widespread belief that he will equal or eclipse that showing when the next fundraising period ends on June 30, he is likely to have the financial resources to stay on the air in Iowa all the way through the Jan. 14 caucuses. ...... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) at 22 percent, followed by former senator John Edwards (N.C.) at 21 percent and Obama at 18 percent.
"Obama's Decline in the Polls: Who Turned Off the Electricity?" when the other side is telling a story about you that people are starting to believe, you'd better drop everything and offer a compelling counter-narrative ..... That two Democrats let George W. Bush make character an issue about them without ever turning his history of impulsivity, recklessness, drunkenness, investigation for insider trading, and draft evasion while cheerleading for the Vietnam War (not to mention his cheerleading at Yale -- not exactly a great visual image for a presidential nominee) into a voting issue speaks volumes about the way our party's leading strategists tend to understand the mind of the voter. ....... On the stump, Obama can be electrifying. And behind all that electricity is a first-rate intellect. ..... Northeastern intellectuals didn't care much for Bill Clinton, either, and he did what Edwards will likely need to do: he turned to alternative media (which are now much more powerful) and to local media, who are usually excited to talk with a major candidate rather than to run him into the ground. ...... Clinton, who is picking up votes the more she shows something other than the size of her cerebrum -- the warmth and humor whose lack have been her greatest emotional deficits. What Americans want most from their presidents are strength and warmth ..... We don't pick our spouses or friends based on their expected utility. And we don't pick our presidents that way, either. .... Let Obama be Obama.

Some Recent Videos

Old Media Is The Reason Obama Is Lagging In The Polls

Americans favour Obama over Clinton as Prez: Poll Times of India The poll, conducted by the New York Times, CBS News and MTV , found that 43 per cent of the respondents between the ages of 17 and 29 have unfavourable view of Clinton compared with only 19 per cent for Obama. .... the tide resistance she faces among voters nationwide. .... More than half of the respondents-- 54 per cent—said they intend to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008. .... By a 52 to 36 margin, young Americans say that Democrats, rather than Republicans, come closer to sharing their moral values, while 58 percent said they had a favourable view of the Democratic Party, while 38 per cent said they had a favourable view of Republicans. .... by overwhelming margins believed that the nation was prepared to elect as president a woman, a black or someone who admitted to having used marijuana.

Barack Obama won the last debate. He lead Hillary by one point in one Gallup poll. Then he went down again. Why?

How can a candidate who leads in fundraising - twice as many donors than Hillary during the first quarter - and leads in grassroots operations be lagging behind in the polls by double digits?

Remember when not only Fox but also CNN was pairing the Obama name with the Osama name? Then they let go because they realized that was not awfully popular. They went under the radar but they did not change. Those white boys have continued to play dirty. Namecalling did not work, so they are now going to black him out, whitewash him, act like he is not in the room. He is going to give him less media coverage. And that is the number one reason Obama has been lagging behind in the polls.

Jupiter And Obama
Pig In The Barn, Ailes At Fox News
Race, Gender
JFK, Obama Parallels: Catholic, Black
Fox, Barack, Islam
Rush Limbaugh: Idiot
Advice To Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Media Smear On Obama's Name
Wolf Hitler, I mean Bitler, Blitler, Whatever
Bill O'Reilly, Bill O'Rama, Whatever The F___ His Name Is
Barack, Fox, MLK, Mandela
Bill O'Reilly: A Right Wing Gadfly

How do you counter that?

We Have To Become Our Own Media

It is called New Media. It is called blogging. It is called taking pictures and uploading pictures online. But first and foremost it is called videoblogging. We have been taking on the political establishment. Hillary has most of the endorsements because the Clinton name echoes from the 1990s to the officeholders. But the grassroots have been a whole different ballgame. Those who get to know Obama like him, but 40% of America has never heard of him before.

Do Events, Blog Events

I think the campaign should arrange to extensively videoblog all of Barack and Michelle events.
You get some professionals to capture the events on video, do some editing, piece them together, and put a few hours of video online for each event on Google Video where hosting is free. The idea should be that if you show up for a Barack/Michelle event, likely you end up in the same video as them.

Next you know, people will be emailing links to the videos to family, friends, relatives, colleagues. Check this out. There is Barack and there is me at minute 21.

10 Hour Long Biographical Video Of Barack

Send film crews to Kenya, to Indonesia, to Hawaii. Send them to Columbia, to Harvard. Send them to South Side Chicago, to DC. Offer all the sights and sounds of Obama growing up, and growing up some more. Put it in 10 parts on Google Video. Bill O'Reilly and other idiots will dehumanize Barack. We have to counter. We have to humanize him, present him like he is, an everyman, more gifted than most, but an everyman.

You do this for the hard core supporters, people like me who will watch all 10 hours, and if you will put 20, we will watch all 20. I personally know of at least 50 individuals in NYC who will watch that. These are hard core people who work for free. They put in many long hours. There is only one precondition: they want victory. We are not trying to make a statement. We want victory, nothing less.

The Video Volunteers

It has to be video. Video has the emotional impact that other forms of media just don't. And it is so easy to do. Many people own video cameras already. If you got a video camera, and broadband, you are set.

Videoblog everything. All Obama events you do, videoblog it. All the strategy sessions. All MeetUps. Everything. The walks. Spending time at the local Farmers' Market. You could videoblog you. What is your story? Who are you? Why do you support Obama?

We are not going to take it anymore. We are going to give Old Media pound for pound and some more. We are going to do that by becoming our own media.

The Price Of Not Videoblogging

If you do events, but don't videoblog them, it is like you never did them in the first place. But if you do events and videoblog events, you are suddenly elevating yourself and reaching a national audience, and really helping out our fellow supporters in small towns and states out there that are less warm to Obama as is today.

We got to reach out. We got to videoblog.

Let there be at least one designated videoblogger at every event we do. Quality is that we are there, and Obama is there, in person or in spirit, depending. Quantity matters. Don't edit stuff out. Put everything and upload.

Let Bill O'Reilly and other media bandits lose sleep.

This Campaign Is About The People, Barack Is But A Vehicle

Go talk to people. Random people. Neighbors. Strangers. Friends. Long lost friends. Say hello. And ask a few questions and listen.

Have you heard of Barack Obama? Do you like him? Why? Why not? What are the issues that concern you the most? How do you feel about them? How do you feel about the future of the country, the world? Will you tell me about you? What is your story?

Get all that on video if you can. But don't worry if you can't. Just have a conversation. Do it on the subway, do it on the sidewalk, do it at the mall, do it at church, do it when you are changing your car's oil.

In The News

Q-Poll: Clinton Clear Democratic Favorite In Swing States Hartford Courant Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania .... the three states, which since 1964 have largely determined the outcome of the general election. ..... Clinton's support has been "as steady and reliable as a Swiss watch
Giuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism ABC News accused former President Clinton of not responding forcefully enough to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing or later terrorist attacks ...... criticized Democrats, accusing them of weakness and naivete in dealing with terrorism. ..... "Islamic terrorists killed more than 500 Americans before Sept. 11. .... Giuliani argued that Clinton treated the World Trade Center bombing as a criminal act instead of a terrorist attack, calling it "a big mistake" that emboldened other strikes ...... "(Osama) bin Laden declared war on us. We didn't hear it." ..... the terrorists the Islamic fanatics who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it
Campaign Cash: Clinton’s Expectations New York Times the Clinton campaign would raise roughly $27 million this quarter ..... Clinton’s advisers continued to insist this week that there was zero chance they would beat her main fundraising rival, Senator Barack Obama .... “she’s a real bargain and I’m a bargain hunter”

UTL gets Nepal nod to start VOIP service Economic Times a technology that is expected to slash international long distance (ILD) call costs .... UTL will need to invest about NRS 150 million (Over $2 million) to implement the new technology ..... NTA also authorised the state agency, Nepal Telecom, to operate VOIP technology. .... Though Internet calls - routing ILD calls through computers by adding a voice card and other modifications - is illegal in Nepal, as in India, phone booths and cyber cafes in both countries thrive on it, causing the government as well as telecom service providers a loss of billions.
Liberated Paris under siege Melbourne Herald Sun
Obama Finds It Pays to Woo Small Donors Washington Post a recent downtown fundraiser that cost only $100. ..... About 1,000 people paid $100 to see Obama earlier this month at a downtown Chicago train station and 2,000 people paid that amount to see him in Florida in April. ....... She'd like the chance to see Clinton in person, too. "If she comes down in price," Zafiriades said. ..... When campaigns hold cheap fundraisers, they're looking for something besides money ..... "They always come back for more, but the more doesn't have to be money" ...... The "more" is usually a volunteer commitment to help campaigns build local networks of people ..... go door-to-door for Obama ..... Osei was among about 1,000 people who attended Obama's late-night fundraiser in the main hall of Chicago's Union Station. The event was geared toward young professionals, but attracted a wide range of ages. Called "GenBO After-Hours" _ short for "Generation Barack Obama" _ it was the campaign's first such event in Chicago ....... Johnson said the $100 he forked over to hear Obama firsthand was worth it compared to the ramifications of making the wrong choice for president. "The wrong person could cost you an extra five to 10 grand a year" in taxes, Johnson said.
Obama Swipes at Clinton's Experience Washington Post
Republican leader scorches Dillard for doing Obama ad Chicago Tribune
Oh-eight (D): Battling for Buffett MSNBC Buffett has NOT endorsed Clinton. “But he has already donated the maximum $4,600 allowed by an individual to Clinton's presidential campaign. Buffett called Clinton ‘the person to run the country.’ He has not donated to any other candidate, according to public records, although he has said he would also support Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in a similar event.” ..... "I've known her for a long time. I've admired her brains. I've admired her energy. I've admired the way she has carried out her job in the Senate. I think she would make an absolutely first class president. When she asked me if I would participate in an event like this, I jumped at the chance." ...... supposed (more like push-pollingmessage testing) from the Clinton campaign via pollster Mark Penn, noting examples in Iowa that tested negative messages against Obama and in New Hampshire that tested Edwards negatives. ...... “‘For people who say that Barack Obama is not experienced … I can't wrap my head around that,’ Michelle Obama told hundreds of people crowded into the offices of the nonprofit Our Children's Foundation in Harlem. ‘Yes, he's ready to lead,’ she said. ‘The question is: Are you ready? … Will you move out of fear, or will you move out of possibility?’” Michelle Obama added, “’What they are counting on is for us not caring . . . [and that voters will] stay at home.’” ........ The GOP state senator who appears in Obama's first TV ads is getting a cold reception from some Illinois GOPers
Buffett, at Clinton Fund-Raiser, Says Congress Favors the Rich Bloomberg Congress had been his ``tax planner,'' rigging the system so the rich paid less of their income than their employees and servants. ....... in a Manhattan hotel ballroom .... attracted media investment banker Steven Rattner, venture capitalist Alan Patricof, Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive John Mack, among others and comes at a time of intense competition with U.S. Senator Barack Obama to get donations. Buffett, a Democrat, has said he likes both candidates and has offered to help both. ........ Buffett, the son of a Republican U.S. Congressman from Nebraska, said Republicans were more likely to think, ``I'm making $80 million a year, God must have intended me to have a lower tax rate.'' .... built the Omaha, Nebraska-based company over four decades, transforming a failing textile manufacturer into a $168.4 billion holding company by buying out-of-favor stocks and companies.

Poll: GOP support for Iraq war beginning to waver CNN International
GOP Senator Splits With Bush Over Iraq Policy New York Times
GOP Skepticism On Iraq Growing Washington Post
Giuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism ABC News
Immigration Bill Clears Test Vote in Senate New York Times
'Live Free or Die Hard' Los Angeles Times
Obama, in Houston, bringing out first-time donors Houston Chronicle
Campaigns Scramble for Cash as Deadline Nears ABC News
Buffett helps put on Clinton fundraiser Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Business Primary: Buffett casts an early vote for Clinton USA Today
Torture still rampant in Nepal Times of India "Though the power of the military to detain civilians has been curtailed, the Nepal Army still arrests and detains civilians and inflicts torture upon them"
Immigration bill survives Senate vote Chicago Tribune
US Immigration Reform Bill Survives Test Vote in Senate Voice of America
US House Republicans reject immigration bill Raw Story
How Big a Setback for McCain-Feingold? TIME
Court eases TV ad election curbs BBC News
When campaign money can't talk Christian Science Monitor
Taiwan Eyes Role as WiMax Epicenter BusinessWeek
Google Is Watching You
Where to Rent Cheap
Microsoft's Latest, Best Hope in Search In recent months, Microsoft has been spending money to boost its efforts in what's known as vertical search, those niche markets where Netizens go when they're looking for specialized information. .... vertical search may prove more strategic ..... such vertical markets as job openings, comparison shopping, classified advertising, travel information .... proven staying power and a cash pile of $28 billion
Dell: Color It Competitive?
Dell turns to colorful designs in attempt to boost sales Houston Chronicle
Dell Thinks Pink Forbes
Dell tries eight flavours to grab consumer PC share New Zealand Herald
Dell debuts laptops in pink, yellow Chicago Tribune
Hilton leaves jail, sheriff cites suicide fears Monsters and Critics.com Hilton, who has vowed to change her party-going ways and give new meaning to her life, was set to give her first post-jail interview on Wednesday on CNN's 'Larry King Live.'
Take Two: Paris Hilton Is Released New York Times the 26-year-old woman .... a collect call to Barbara Walters .... “by far the hardest thing I have ever done.” ..... “She also said ‘my face is very dry. There’s no cream here. But it doesn’t matter. I am not that superficial girl. I haven’t looked in a mirror since I got here.’” ...... she did more time than most people do in similar situations. ..... point out who plays the final role in the Paris Hilton jail drama: all of us, for being so fascinated.
Live Free or Die Hard Houston Chronicle, United States but since 1995 he's been busy with other things: going bald, giving up smoking, learning to remove a certain 12-letter hyphenate from his vocabulary and spying on his dating daughter. ...... Die Hard — picked by Entertainment Weekly recently as "the Greatest Action Movie of All Time" ..... As McClane says, it's always about stealing money. ..... the action, stunts and visual effects are over the moon, though the biggest one — involving an 18-wheeler and a fighter plane



Poll: GOP support for Iraq war beginning to waver CNN International
GOP Senator Splits With Bush Over Iraq Policy New York Times
GOP Skepticism On Iraq Growing Washington Post
Giuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism ABC News
Immigration Bill Clears Test Vote in Senate New York Times
'Live Free or Die Hard' Los Angeles Times
Obama, in Houston, bringing out first-time donors Houston Chronicle
Campaigns Scramble for Cash as Deadline Nears ABC News
Buffett helps put on Clinton fundraiser Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Business Primary: Buffett casts an early vote for Clinton USA Today
Torture still rampant in Nepal Times of India "Though the power of the military to detain civilians has been curtailed, the Nepal Army still arrests and detains civilians and inflicts torture upon them"
Immigration bill survives Senate vote Chicago Tribune
US Immigration Reform Bill Survives Test Vote in Senate Voice of America
US House Republicans reject immigration bill Raw Story
How Big a Setback for McCain-Feingold? TIME
Court eases TV ad election curbs BBC News
When campaign money can't talk Christian Science Monitor
Taiwan Eyes Role as WiMax Epicenter BusinessWeek
Google Is Watching You
Where to Rent Cheap
Microsoft's Latest, Best Hope in Search
Dell: Color It Competitive?
Dell turns to colorful designs in attempt to boost sales Houston Chronicle
Dell Thinks Pink Forbes
Dell tries eight flavours to grab consumer PC share New Zealand Herald
Dell debuts laptops in pink, yellow Chicago Tribune
Hilton leaves jail, sheriff cites suicide fears Monsters and Critics.com Hilton, who has vowed to change her party-going ways and give new meaning to her life, was set to give her first post-jail interview on Wednesday on CNN's 'Larry King Live.'
Take Two: Paris Hilton Is Released New York Times the 26-year-old woman .... a collect call to Barbara Walters .... “by far the hardest thing I have ever done.” ..... “She also said ‘my face is very dry. There’s no cream here. But it doesn’t matter. I am not that superficial girl. I haven’t looked in a mirror since I got here.’” ...... she did more time than most people do in similar situations. ..... point out who plays the final role in the Paris Hilton jail drama: all of us, for being so fascinated.
Live Free or Die Hard Houston Chronicle, United States but since 1995 he's been busy with other things: going bald, giving up smoking, learning to remove a certain 12-letter hyphenate from his vocabulary and spying on his dating daughter. ...... Die Hard — picked by Entertainment Weekly recently as "the Greatest Action Movie of All Time" ..... As McClane says, it's always about stealing money. ..... the action, stunts and visual effects are over the moon, though the biggest one — involving an 18-wheeler and a fighter plane

Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous

Michelle Obama Is Just Fabulous
I Touched Obama: Babel, Barack
Domestic Violence, Equal Pay
Wife Won't Do, Got To Court Women With Policy And Outreach
War, Politics, Business



I got to meet Michelle Obama today. It was at Our Children's Foundation in Harlem on 125th Street. From 4: 30 on. I stayed a few hours, then I walked over to the Hudson, then by Hudson all the way to Times Square where I went to the dollar pizza place, then took the train home.

By now I see many familiar faces among the key volunteers, people who recognize you and who you recognize. It is a treat when the person who signs you in gives you a very familiar hello.

It was up two flights of stairs. I go in and I notice two things. One, the women are looking oh so colorful. That makes my day. These are literally women of color I am thinking. Look at the stuff they are wearing. The second thing you notice is the heat. Good thing the organizers was handing out water bottles. I proceeded to make small talk with a few people I knew, and a few people I did not. The British film crew were there. I met them at Raj's place for the MeetUp Sunday evening. Gary Younge, a Black Brit, was the leader of the team. They are going to work on the film for a year. They say it will get shown on the BBC.

Soon enough the function started. Bill Perkins' wife was the first to go. Some Law And Order star spoke. She said, "And for that one person who does not know me, let me introduce myself." That was me. I don't own a television. That is not to say I think her reference was to me at all.

Finally Michelle Obama takes the stage. She is a strong, direct, confident, determined woman. It was so obvious to me she fills some of Barack's blind spots. They compliment each other. She was dressed like a woman who was saying, forget my pretty face, listen to me talk. The model career woman that she is was in total presence. She speaked flawless.

I have now seen Barack and Michelle. I think they stand to help the world rethink its image of what it means to be black. They carry the weight of being black. They do so with pride. They do so with a little bit of glamor. They do it with ease. But they are not trying to lead a civil rights movement. They know it is a job application. They are out to prove they are the best out there. I agree.

It was amazing to watch her speak. She painted a whole canvass.

She was very aware she was in Harlem. She was at home. This was South Side Chicago to her. And this was a Women For Obama event. She went on this long detour - no, it was not that actually - about how she and her family were doing just fine, holding up, and all that. It was like these women were her aunts and relatives.

Michelle Obama matches Barack Obama pound for pound. Michelle Obama is a greater asset to Barack Obama than Bill Clinton is to Hillary. If Bill Clinton is soon too much, he is going to look like baggage, like a guy who never made peace with the fact that he was denied a third term. Michelle does not have that problem.

Folklore has it she dislikes politics. That is a plus. I think that means she is in a better position to bring in people who also dislike politics, and are all cynical about it. Her brother is on record saying she dislikes losing more. Her grit was on display. I got the impression Michelle would handle a heckler much better than Barack. Barack would pray for the heckler, and perhaps try and see the humor in the heckling, Michelle would stare him down.

Michelle does not have to feel like she is having to make up for the fact that Barack is not a woman like Hillary is. Indira Gandhi was a strong Prime Minister of India for a long, long time, and the Indian women did not really benefit. Benazir Bhutto left behind a Pakistan that was just as sexist as when she came into the picture. Hillary is not the women's salvation in America either. It is women themselves who are women's salvation. What is working for Barack in that department as in all other departments is that he has the strongest grassroots presence of anyone running for president right now. He has to work to bring in women at the grassroots and get them talking about gender issues like equal pay and domestic violence. Hillary is not a worry.

After her speech, she posed for a ton of pictures. She shook many hands. She made a lot of small talk. She did a lot of listening. And I was by her side the entire time. I wanted to take her in as much as I could. This was my first time seeing her. It might be a long time before I see her again in person.

There was this white guy Peter who she would hand over stuff to that people gave to her. So I figured he is a staffer.

"Peter, you give me a 100,000 plus strong rally in Central Park before summer is over," I said. I said twice.

"I will relay the message to the people in Chicago," he said.

After she had posed with two large groups of children, and it felt like it was now only a few minutes before she left, and the crowd had thinned, I figured now was my chance.

"You give us Iowa, we will give you New York. We will make it quick and painless for Hillary," I said.

She was giggling.

I stayed back after she left. The very last people were the people who had put the whole thing together. The worker bees.

Then I went off to the Hudson nearby.

1 Debate, 1 Major Policy Speech, 1 Rally, 1 Big Fundraiser A Month

Hillary-Obama Vs. Rudy-Romney Vs. Bloomberg-Arnold

After the last debate, in one Gallup poll, Barack was leading Hillary by one point. And now Hillary is leading again. How to you stench that slide? Barack is going to lead again, and this time by a wider margin, after the next debate. But after that he can not afford to go through another round of drainage. How do you stop the drain?

I am proposing a formula.

1 debate a month.
1 major policy speech a month, a week after the debate, timed to make sure it gets the most media coverage possible.
1 major rally a month, a week after the speech. Whichever group of local volunteers might manage to promise the largest number of people, you go there. Or you go from big city to big city to big city.
1 big fundraiser a month, a week after the rally, you go to the event that promises to raise the most money, or bring in the largest number of donors.

And you videoblog everything. Don't think Obama fatigue. There should be hours and hours of online video for each event. You are not trying to capture Obama. We have already seen Obama. You are trying to capture the people. Shine the media on the people, on the volunteers. We want people who show up for events to then go online and be able to brag about appearing in the same video as Obama.

Forget in-house video. Use Google Video. It is free.

New York City And Videoblogging

NYC is a very special place.

Breaking The Sound Barrier: New York City

NYC is the progressive capital of America, of the world. The Obama volunteers in the city have a special responsibility. I propose we videoblog everything. We have to do that for the Obama volunteers across America. We have to videoblog our strategy meetings. We have to videoblog our planning meetings. We have to videoblog all our MeetUps. We have to definitely videoblog all our events in great detail. We have to videoblog our parties. We have to become our own media. We have to have put thousands of hours of video on Google Video by the time Obama is in the White House.

This is an important link that is missing right now. For everything we do for Obama, we have to be aware we have a national audience.





In The News

Rajnikant is the emperor: Amitabh Bachchan Andhra Cafe 'Look where he came from and what he has become. Sheer hard work, talent and the belief that he could do it... and he did! .... 'Despite his extraordinary career he has remained that simple, down to earth person he was when he started off. All his people around him are friends that were with him when he was a nobody.' ..... 'Do you know, a Fiat car that he bought when he had attained his early success still remains with him and he only uses that car to date? .... the way your offspring turn out is the truest reflection of your achievements.'
Chunghwa may invest NT$5 billion in WiMax China Post
Bear Stearns bails out hedge fund Washington Post would provide up to $3.2 billion in financing for a struggling hedge fund it manages, raising concern about other funds that invested in bonds linked to subprime mortgages. ....... the funds' main investments -- a type of bond known as a collateralized debt obligation (CDO) -- may be riskier than previously reckoned. ...... Bear Stearns, the fifth-largest U.S. investment bank .... "If a trading partner knows you're desperate, that desperation will be reflected in what the partner offers."
2008: Gitmo Gets More Attention New York Times
India Inc backs Nath`s stand at G4 Zee News The three apex business chambers - CII, FICCI and Assocham - backed Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, who along with Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim remained firm in protecting interest of farmers in developing countries in the ongoing Doha Round of global trade talks. ..... Assocham said it was time the rich nations realised the growing influence of the developing countries, which have found a formidable leadership in India and Brazil.