By Big Tent Democrat

The Obama camp got smart:

As she endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid Monday morning, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar rebuked fellow Democrats who are pressuring New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to cede the party's nomination. "I believe that Sen. Clinton should remain in this race," Klobuchar told reporters in a conference call announcing her decision to back Obama. "I don't agree with some of my colleagues' comments this week.

Ok. At least someone has some good sense in the Obama camp. More so than that displayed by some Obama supporters.

Update TL: Comments now closed.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Talk Left friend Kos writes today:

But aside from that, I'd be saying the exact same thing [about MI and FL] I'm saying now, I'd just swap out Clinton's name for Obama.

Kos in January 2008:

Clinton was the only top-tier candidate to refuse the ultimate Iowa and New Hampshire pander by removing her name from the Michigan ballot. That makes her essentially the de facto winner since Edwards and Obama, caving to the cry babies in Iowa and New Hampshire, took their name off Michigan's ballot. Sure, the DNC has stripped Michigan of its delegates, but that won't last through the convention. The last thing Democrats can afford is to alienate swing states like Michigan and Florida by refusing to seat their delegates. So while Obama and Edwards kneecap their chances of winning, Clinton is single-mindedly focused on the goal.

Just sayin' More . .

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

The Obama network and Obama blogs are no doubt upset that Ed Rendell told the truth:

I think during this entire primary coverage, starting in Iowa and up to the present -- FOX has done the fairest job, and remained the most objective of all the cable networks. You hate both of our candidates. No, I’m only kidding. But you actually have done a very balanced job of reporting the news, and some of the other stations are just caught up with Senator Obama, who is a great guy, but Senator Obama can do no wrong, and Senator Clinton can do no right.

(Emphasis mine.) Of course, Rendell was not kidding when he said Fox hates both Clinton and Obama. The difference is NBC hates Clinton and worships Obama. That was Rendell's point. Hilarious that Josh Marshall takes offense. He is a NBC clone.

BTW, the Fox dope Doocy gets off a great line at Tweety's expense at the end of this video.

By Big Tent Democrat

For a candidate who has sewn up the nomination, Barack Obama sure does badly in some state polls. SUSA Kentucky poll:

Clinton 58
Obama 29

Obama wins 4 out of 5 African American voters. Clinton leads among whites 62-23. 90% of the Dem voters in Kentucky are white. Kentucky's primary is May 20.

By Biog Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

I am for revotes, so right of the bat I do not love this MI proposal:

Under [Rep. Bart] Stupak's [D-MI] formula, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who received 55 percent of the primary vote, would receive 47 delegates. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who pulled his name from Michigan's ballot, would receive 36 delegates. Many Obama supporters in Michigan voted for "uncommitted," which received 40 percent in the primary.

The remaining 73 delegates would be awarded based on the percentage of the popular vote garnered nationwide by Clinton and Obama after the last Democratic presidential primary is completed.

(Emphasis supplied.) If I were Clinton, I would take it. Why? Because it puts focus on the popular vote figure, and likely leads to Michigan's (and probably Florida's) vote count being included in the popular vote count. It probably is a good solution for the Dem Party as well. I am against it myself. Revotes are clearly the best option. There is no reason NOT to have them. Obama will almost certainly oppose this plan.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Misery loves company, and I want to welcome Wayne Barrett to the wrath from Obama supporters for telling the truth about revotes in FL/MI:

Since one campaign (Hillary Clinton's) was amenable to redoes, even financing Michigan's, and the other campaign (Barack Obama's) opposed every feasible proposition, it is, in a strange way, true that the two sides weren't collectively ready for a deal.

In all the buzz about the media's pro-Obama tilt, its indifference to his resistance to including these states in the "actual" nominating process is its most disturbing favor, especially since this brand of "conventional politics," as Obama would put it, flies in the face of his contention that "the people" should pick the nominee. Obama's only proposal so far has been to split the delegates evenly, just like he and Michelle parcel out Christmas presents to their two daughters.

Welcome to my hate mail Mr. Barrett. More . . .

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

I highly recommend this Matt Yglesias post. The money line for me:

I think that's right, and it's a reminder that though the cliché is to say that Democrats are torn between two very strong candidates, in some ways we're torn between two very weak ones.

This will make me popular with no one, but neither candidate is very electable now and neither is what I wanted from our nominee this year - a Fighting Dem. I support the candidate I believe is the more electable - Barack Obama, but I have no illusions about his weaknesses, on electablity and on political style for governance. My expectations are low now. And yes, I strongly believe a Unity Ticket is necessary for Dems to have a good chance in November.

At Eschacon this weekend, liberal bloggers declared war on the media.

What was Eschacon? As I noted Saturday:

Eschacon '08: Many leading progressive bloggers are in Philly this weekend...Atrios, Digby, Jane Hamsher, TRex and more...Thers at Firedoglake has details of the panels and participants, and via Avedon at Sideshow, I see Sifonian is live-blogging of some of the panels.

NYU Journalism professor Jay Rosen weighs in.

[T]hough I await further reports, talk of some blogospheric war makes little sense to me. We’re in a dynamic situation here. And one of the biggest unknowns is: will Obama match McCain in radical openness with the press?

Lots of suppositions here. [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

speaking for me only

This is the type of post that burns me up. Bowers writes:

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking speaking for me only

Apparently, Josh Marshall got a lot of "feedback" for his post that I discussed here. His reply to that feedback seems equally nonsensical to me:

[W]hat is this new gambit for her about? Is she really serious about taking her case to the convention's credentials committee -- which seems almost certain to have a majority of Obama supporters -- and trying to get them to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates on her terms?

. . . [F]rom my view, saying she's in it till August isn't about August. It's not even about June. It's about stamping out doubts about her viability and determination to stay in so she can still be in the game in April and May.

(Emphasis supplied.) This makes no sense to me. Clinton's viability is absolutely tied to Michigan and Florida. The reason Clinton is fighting for Florida and Michigan is because she needs them to capture the nomination. Oh by the way, it happens to be the right thing for the Democratic Party if Obama supporter Marshall actually cares. More . . .

Shine a Light, Martin Scorcese's new film about the Rolling Stones opens in theatres, including IMAX, April 4. The The LA Times has a good feature article on the film.

Who's looking forward to seeing it? Hillary. [more...]

Law Professor Ann Althouse examines the enduring flap over whether Barack Obama really was a law professor. (More on that at the end of this post.)

She makes a more important point-- that we shouldn't forget the other 9 exaggerations raised by the Clinton campaign.

1. Obama claimed credit for nuclear leak legislation that never passed.
2. Obama misspoke about his being conceived because of Selma.
3. Sen. Obama took too much credit for his community organizing efforts.
4. Obama's assertion that nobody had indications Rezko was engaging in wrongdoing 'strains credulity.' "
5. Obama was forced to revise his assertion that lobbyists 'won't work in my White House.'
6. 'Selective, embellished and out-of-context quotes from newspapers pump up Obama's health plan.'
7. Sen. Obama said 'I passed a law that put Illinois on a path to universal coverage,' but Obama health care legislation merely set up a task force.
8. 'Obama…seemed to exaggerate the legislative progress he made' on ethics reform.
9. Obama drastically overstated Kansas tornado deaths during campaign appearance.

More...