Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama spoke tonight at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Raleigh, NC.

Hillary has already spoken. Obama's speech is playing here right now.

More than 5,000 attended the dinner.

Who's rooting for the Cylons? This is an Open Thread.

Booman finds great insight in this analysis:

It's been a rough few days for Sen. Evan Bayh. After years of holding a near death grip over so much of the state's Democratic Party establishment, the junior senator from Shirkieville has taken a series of very public hits in recent days.

This is based on the fact that the Mayor of Evansville, Indiana Rep. Baron Hill and DC lawyer/lobbyist Joe Andrew endorsed Barack Obama while Bayh supports Hillary Clinton. I think this is silly analysis. To me Bayh's week is better judged by the fact that Clinton has broken open the Indiana race.

It remains to be seen how Indiana will turn out but to me it looks like Clinton will score a double digit victory. Hard to see how that weakens Evan Bayh in Indiana and the Democratic Party.

By Big Tent Democrat

Jonathan Singer writes:

According to The Hill's Jared Allen and Jackie Kucinich, the House leadership, most members of which have not endorsed in the presidential race, are calling the [gas tax holiday] plan "DOA", or dead on arrival. Specifically, both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have spoken on the record as to their opposition to such a move.

While this is good imo (Jeralyn favors the gas tax holiday), it is funny how they can not declare FISA telco immunity DOA or how they could never declare Iraq funding without a date certain DOA. I have little respect for the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.

Illegally marked sample ballots for Obama in North Carolina.

For the record, Obama has nothing to do with it imo. Just making a point about double standards and hypocrisy. Big question though - will TPM refer to the Winston Salem Black PAC as the "Illegal Ballots Obama supporting PAC?" (TPM referred to the Women's Voices organization as the "robocalling Clinton group," as if that was their main business.)

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Via NORML on the death of Timothy Garon:

The medical records will show that he died due to complications associated with massive liver failure. He would have likely survived longer if he received a timely organ transplant but was denied access because he followed his physician’s recommendation, used medical cannabis during his treatments for liver disease, therefore testing positive for THC metabolites and rather than receive the gift of a potentially longer life—instead doctors at the University of Washington deferred to federal prohibition laws and mores, handing Tim a death sentence.

There are no pharmacological or physiological reasons why Tim Garon, or any medical marijuana patient, should logically be denied access to life-saving or life-enhancing organ transplants.

Here's more on Tim Garon’s plight. You can watch this video with a moving news account of Tim and his family.

Here's a prewritten letter you can send Congress in favor of federal legislation that would prevent tragic stories such as these.

Levon "Bo" Jones leaves a North Carolina penitentiary today after serving 13 years on death row.

This is not a DNA reversal.

Levon "Bo" Jones of Duplin County spent 13 years on death row, convicted of robbing and shooting a well-liked bootlegger. In 2006, a federal judge ordered Jones off death row and overturned his conviction, declaring his attorney's performance so poor that his constitutional rights had been violated.

Today, Jones will become the eighth North Carolina man spared execution after charges against him were dropped. Judges turned the inmates loose after discovering a variety of problems in their cases, ranging from hidden evidence to inadequate defense attorneys.

Jones had been awaiting a retrial. The prosectuor intended to go for a life sentence this time around. Then, "his case collapsed" when a key witness recanted. [More...]

Too funny. Keith "Obama's O'Reilly" Olbermann goes to the Big Orange Satan's site to whine that Clinton went on Fox. Apparently he missed his eternal love Barack Obama's Fox News Sunday appearance. Paul Krugman did not.

Obama's O'Reilly is now as big a joke as the original. Can we rule out the possibility that he will lead with the Kantor video story? Not entirely. And no, he will not accuse the Obama campaign of being behind it, as he would if the shoe was on the other foot. For the record, Obama was NOT behind it imo and it would be irresponsible for any journalist to even speculate about it. And yes, Olbermann is an irresponsible journalist who HAS speculated in irresponsible fashion in this way when it comes to Hillary Clinton. Remember PassportGate?

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.

Update: It appears the clip was doctored.

Update (TL): Lambert at Corrente: Smear #3: Hillary killed three Hoosiers in the Clinton Library with the Wrench! Then ate them!

****

No, not just the Media. The Obama blogs too (AmericaBlog pulls its Drudge following post.)

Okay, I think I've figured this out. The YouTube clip is crap. . . . I'm not going to try for a complete transcript, but basically Kantor gets polls from Indiana. They're close. He says even if they don't win the White House has got to be sh**ting themselves. Then what I think he says is something along the lines of "how would you like to be beaten by a worthless white n*****," presumably meaning Bill Clinton himself and referencing the Bush I campaign team's likely view of Clinton.

Moral of the story? The Left blogs have lost their way.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.

A new Rasmussen poll is out:

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 30% of the nation’s Likely Voters believe Barack Obama denounced his former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, because he was outraged. Most—58%--say he denounced the Pastor for political convenience. The survey was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday night. Obama made his statements about Wright on Tuesday.

Comments now closed.

Unlike Color Of Change, I am thinking about ways to unify our divided Democratic Party, not further divide it. Chris Bowers writes:

I have to wonder how divisions of this nature can be healed just given an extra month or two. I also have to wonder if this was always the danger we faced in the primary. Clinton and Obama are both pretty centrist, and do not differ from each other on policy that much (although there are some difference on health care and telecom policy). As such, wasn't this really all about identity from the start? For a primary campaign to be based on identity instead of on policy is a ticking time bomb for any coalition, especially one that is built on historically under-represented groups in D.C. like African-Americans, Latinos, women and the LGBT community.

One important way is to stop denigrating portions of this coalition. All parts of the coalition are important - African Americans, Latinos, white women, white working class and yes, Creative Class whites too. Dems must unify for November. Let's respect all parts of our Democratic coalition. The best way to do this is to support a Unity Ticket between two candidates who have split the Democratic primary vote almost right down the middle.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.

The largest newspaper in Indiana has endorsed Hillary Clinton:

Obama offers an attractive vision for the way things could be. He speaks eloquently of hope and change. He connects with voters, many who formerly felt disenfranchised, on a level few political leaders have attained.

Clinton offers a clear-eyed view of the way things are. She offers nuanced positions on how to address the war in Iraq, trade with China and economic expansion. Her depth of knowledge is remarkable.

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