Passover begins tonight. Here's the story in a nutshell:

The Children of Israel arrive in Egypt; Pharaoh fears their growth and enslaves them; a leader is born. As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren; thus begins his journey to become leader of the Israelites.

Pharaoh refuses to let the People of Israel go; G-d brings upon Egypt ten plagues; the people of Egypt beg Pharaoh to let the Jews go; Pharaoh's heart remains hardened.

Pharaoh's resistance is finally broken and he actually chases the Israelites from his land. Finally, the Jews are free...but the story's not over yet.

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Update: John Dickerson at Slate on the hypocrisy between what Obama says and what his aides do.

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As for Obama's positive message of hope and change on the campaign trail and how he won't be a typical politician but one who brings a breath of fresh air to Washington, here's what he said today:

Barack Obama cast his Democratic presidential rival Saturday as a game-player who uses "slash and burn" tactics and will say whatever people want to hear, a sharp jab at her character in the final chapter of the pivotal Pennsylvania primary campaign.

...."Senator Clinton has internalized a lot of the strategies, the tactics, that have made Washington such a miserable place."

...."She's got the kitchen sink flying and the china flying, the buffet is coming at me ... constant distractions, these petty, trivial, slash and burn, back and forth, tit for tat, politics."

Mirror, mirror on the wall? It's politics as usual from the candidate for change. [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

Petey points to Obama's last PA ad - he's going Harry and Louise again on health care:

[Obama] ad attacks Clinton’s health care plan, saying it “forces everyone to buy insurance even if you can’t afford it."

Wonder if Ezra Klein will notice? Let me add that I have no opinion on the mandates question. I know too little about the issue. but if you say you care about it and have studied it and think mandates are good policy, you might be affronted by the use of GOP talking points to defeat a policy you think important. If you actually care about the issues, that is.

Update (TL): Hillary's response to Obama's ad which she say has "False And Widely Discredited Claims."

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

I am a long time critic of Move On, including their idiotic General Betray Us ad. Barack Obama was smart not to vote against the Senate resolution condemning Move On. Hillary Clinton made a mistake voting against it.

I find the outrage expressed by the "Creative Class" blogs on Hillary Clinton's critique of Move On quite amusing. What most amuses me about it is how none of these blogs are asking Barack Obama to do or say anything in defense of Move On.

It's funny to me because Barack Obama has studiously avoided acknowledging the existence of Move On throughout this campaign. My question for the "Creative Class" blogs is this, if what Hillary Clinton said was so bad, how come Barack Obama won't defend Move On against Hillary Clinton's attacks?

For Hillary: Livin' On a Prayer, my favorite version, which isn't available free anywhere but here since it's from my recording (it probably won't last long either so watch it while you can.) See if you can spot a very animated Charlotte from Sex and the City in the audience.

This is an open thread.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

This is amusing to me:

A long time ago I said that Team Clinton hates [the Creative Class blogs] and that, if nominated, they will marginalize us and undo all the hard work we've put in . . .

Yes, and Obama has always been a "fierce supporter" of the "Creative Class" blogs:

Andrew Sullivan is crowing over a swipe Barack Obama took at Daily Kos, saying:

"One good test as to whether folks are doing interesting work is, Can they surprise me? And increasingly, when I read Daily Kos, it doesn't surprise me. It's all just exactly what I would expect."

BTW, here is Ezra Klein in his full hypocritical glory:

Steve's Audio has a post up on our economic condition using the Little Pink Houses video I took in Iowa at a John Edwards campaign event.

Steve notes that in 1967, at the end of his first year in college, gas was 21 cents a gallon and his parents bought their home for $27,000.

When I moved to Colorado in 1971 to start law school, I have a vivid recollection of driving to Target (a novelty in itself for someone from the East Coast) in my yellow mustang convertible with the top down, and stopping on the way for gas and to buy a pack of Marlboros. I remember it because they were the same price: 26 cents a gallon and 26 cents a pack.

My first apartment in law school, a one bedroom in Capitol Hill, right off Colfax (not a ritzy area but decent enough) was big and bright, and the rent was $125.00 a month. Like Steve, I had a minimum wage job for $1.35 or so an hour, working for the same record store chain I had worked for in Ann Arbor during college.

Steve crunches the numbers: [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

When you read a Zogby poll, you have to try and figure out what he is trying to do. He is not just giving you numbers. He is massaging a storyline. Right now, Zogby's reputation is in tatters, so one would think he would just be trying to get it right. But I think there is more to it. I think he is trying to present a narrative. So what narrative do we get from this?

"Undecideds breaking to Clinton" is what he is trying to sell here I think. And he will try and sell that as some great Zogby insight. Is it true? Probably. They have in every other big state contest. But Zogby is a charlatan so beware Clinton supporters.

By Big Tent Democrat

Politico writes:

Nothing but petty, process-oriented questions, asked in a prosecutorial tone, about the Democratic front-runner’s personal associations and his electability. Where was the substance? Where was the balance?

Where indeed. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her aides have been complaining for months about imbalance in news coverage. For the most part, the reaction to her from the political-media commentariat has been: Stop whining.

That’s still a good response now that it is Obama partisans — some of whom are showing up in distressingly inappropriate places [They are referencing the Obama News Network, NBC] — who are doing the whining.

Boehlert's Revenge:

By Big Tent Democrat

With this title, Krugman's Latest Attack On Barack Obama Not Supported By The Evidence, you knew that a reasonable and rational counterargument would not be forthcoming. But the extent of Abramowitz's disingenuity is pretty stunning.

First, Abramowitz ignores Krugman's points on the bad politics and economics of Obama's statements. Which I took to be the main point of Krugman's column. But even on the "sociology," Abramowitz either misses or mistates Krugman's point. I'll explain on the other side.

It's Friday night. Time to lighten up. It's very funny.

This is an open thread.

However unlikely, it's still possible Obama could lose PA and the nomination. If nominated, he could lose the election. Here's how, by a senior editor at The New Republic. It begins:

Some liberal commentators have downplayed the effect of Barack Obama's recent fundraising speech in San Francisco. But that's wishful thinking. Along with the revelations about Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright, his remarks in San Francisco will haunt him not only in the upcoming primaries in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, but also in the general election against John McCain, assuming he gets the Democratic nomination.

Go read the rest, and let us know what you think.

(Comments now Closed)