According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll 60% of Democrats think both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama should continue to campaign for the Democratic nomination. 23% think Clinton should drop out, and 15% say Obama should drop out.
“There have been calls for Clinton to drop out, given Obama’s lead in pledged delegates, which he built up in a string of primary and caucus victories in February,” Gallup’s Jones notes. “Those calls have been quieted to some extent with Clinton’s big wins in the March 4 Ohio and Texas primaries and the April 22 Pennsylvania primary. Even so, she is unlikely to overcome the delegate deficit unless she can convince a disproportionate amount of undecided superdelegates to support her candidacy.
“Democrats’ opinions about the next steps in the campaign are, not surprisingly, highly influenced by the candidate they currently favor,” he adds. “Obama supporters are about evenly divided between favoring a continuation of the campaign and wanting to see Clinton drop out and concede to Obama. Clinton supporters mostly favor having the campaign continue, obviously to allow Clinton a chance to catch up to Obama, while the remainder say Obama should drop out.”
INDIANAPOLIS-This one was a rock concert. Literally. The legendary musician Stevie Wonder took the stage prior to Barack Obama addressing a crowd of roughly 20,000 at the American Legion Mall in downtown Indianapolis.
The rock and roll hall of fame musician got the crowd fired up for Obama. He even had some in the press area tapping their feet, and nodding their head to the beat. That’s something I usually don’t see.
It’s no secret that Obama draws big crowds, and gets people excited, but this one had people dancing and singing in the rain. Yes, it rained, and many didn’t mind, they danced under their umbrellas.
Obama took the stage at roughly 9:45 p.m. to a welcoming crowd after an introduction by Congressman Andre Carson, and the performance by Stevie Wonder.
When he took the stage, the rain stopped. [Read more →]
INDIANAPOLIS — Monday, St. Clair Street to North Street between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets turned into the largest block party I’ve ever seen.
People of all walks of life filled the American Legion Mall in Downtown Indianapolis, pouring onto the sidewalks and across the street on the steps of churches, businesses and other city buildings. An estimated 20,000 gathered to listen to presidential candidate Barack Obama speak his mind — and see a live performance from the legendary Stevie Wonder.
“If you have Stevie Wonder campaigning with you, you’re going to win,” said Phil Hester, 56, of Indianapolis.
Wonder played three songs, often changing the words to include Obama’s name. The musician said the candidate has inspired him to write music. He encouraged those at the event to participate by singing “Barack Obama” on a solfège scale with him.
MERILLVILLE, IND. — It was quintessential Americana: a group of robust firemen sitting atop a bright red fire engine, an oversize American flag backdrop and a country music soundtrack that included the likes of Tom Petty and the Dixie Chicks.
With scenes like this event at Merrillville Fire Station No.2 Monday, Hillary Clinton has shown many Indiana voters she can hit close to home in the Heartland.
“It has been a joy traveling across this state and meeting Hoosiers… from one end of this state to the other,” Clinton told the crowd. “And I am so impressed not only by the hospitality, not only by the resilience and the commitment to a positive future — but by the seriousness with which Hoosiers have approached this election.”
But Clinton wasn’t the only one giving praise in front of the hundreds of Northwestern Indiana residents that gathered in the fire station’s garage. Indiana Senator Evan Bayh — whom some have rumored is hoping to run as Clinton’s vice president should she receive the Democratic nomination — was doing some serious ass kissing.
“We’re about ready to adopt her,” Bayh said of Clinton and the time she has spent campaigning in Northwest Indiana, before handing over the microphone. [Read more →]
At least when it comes to the gas tax, according to a new campaign video.
Found over on Politico, the advertisement (posted below) asks “What has happened to Barack Obama?” and states directly, “He’s attacking Hillary’s plan to give you a break on gas prices because he doesn’t have one.”
As far as political ads go, this one is good. It’s short, to the point, and pretty much untrue.
GARY-As I arrived in Gary, Indiana today, I passed through several residential neighborhoods and noticed many Obama signs. And many more Obama signs. Actually, the most I have seen in the state so far.
It’s a beautiful sunny day today, people are out tending their lawns, and people are also working very hard. It was around noon when I arrived in Gary, which is located in the northwestern region of the state in Lake County. It is nicknamed the “City of steel.”
So, it was no surprise when I ran into some ironworkers on their lunch break.
“It sucks, but it’s always sucked,” said Bill Ketchum, who works for Industrial Steel Construction Inc. about the economy. He sat in his parked semi-truck, wearing an Indianapolis Colts hat, and ate his lunch just outside the Vienna gyro stop, which is located off the side of the road.
MERRILLVILLE–I’m at a Dunkin Donuts, around the corner from where Hillary Clinton is due to speak.
“Did you see that, there’s a big crowd at the firehouse, it’s packed. I saw a limo,” said Glen Sjodin to two older men sitting in the corner sipping coffee, as he walked in.
One looked up from his crossword puzzle, and said, “They gotta find a helicopter pad, somewhere she won’t get hit by sniper fire, like in Bosnia.” He and his buddy chuckled.
“This is my one chance in a lifetime I get to go see her,” said Sjodin, a retired truck driver, while purchasing a coffee and fritter.
We’ve talked about the gas tax quite a bit already; basically the plan proposed by John McCain and supported by Hillary Clinton has been judged to be terrible by economists.
Hillary Clinton doesn’t seem to agree with these economists who have said the gas tax won’t lower the price of gas and just let the oil companies get richer. She brought out a fairly familiar conception in an interview with George Stephanopoulos.
The New York Times gave a very brief rundown of the presidential politics in the US Territory of Guam, where Senator Barack Obama won the caucus by a margin of 7 delegates.
Senator Barack Obama appeared to win the Democratic caucuses in Guam on Saturday, defeating Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by seven votes.
When hand-counting finished shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday, delegates pledged to Mr. Obama, of Illinois, had received 2,264 votes, compared with Mrs. Clinton’s slate, which had received 2,257, according to The Associated Press.
HAUVILLE, IND. — The floor shook. Hands clapped. Heads looked to the sky. Voices belted in harmony as girls’ beaded hair ties knocked against the pews like plastic marbles. All males — from age two and up — were dressed in full suits, and women in dresses and heels. A small stained glass window depicting the Holy Spirit shed light on the humble, half-filled sanctuary.
It was a Sunday morning service at Victory Tabernacle, a Pentecostal Apostolic church in Hauville, West Indianapolis. Besides the three of us, and two others, the entire congregation was black.
But it didn’t make a difference. All were welcoming and excited to see us join the service. The friendliness was overwhelming: people shook our hands left and right, asking who we were, what we were doing and how could they help.
“If you haven’t been to a sanctified church, you probably think we’re crazy,” said First Lady Sister Linda Harris, wife of the church’s pastor and founder. “But we’re crazy about Jesus.” [Read more →]
"We now know who the Democratic nominee’s going to be, and no one’s going to dispute it.
Those closest to her [Sen. Clinton] will give her a hardheaded analysis, and if they lay it all out, they’ll say:
‘What is the rationale? What do we say to the undeclared superdelegates tomorrow? Why do we tell them you’re staying in the race?’ And tonight, there’s no good answer for that."
