As Big Tent Democrat wrote earlier, the Governor of North Carolina has endorsed Hillary Clinton. What about the Edwards?

It's clear Elizabeth Edwards favors Hillary's health care plan. The New York Times examines the possibilities today. I think the fair conclusion from this statement is there will be no endorsement before May 6.

This week, the family planned to decamp for Disney World, away from the campaign events grabbing headlines throughout the state.

[The song is Dizz Knee Land by Dada]

I just flipped off President George
I'm going to Dizz Knee Land

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama disagree about how to help consumers with the rising cost of gas.

I'm paying attention to this because I was not happy when I filled up my tank Saturday and it came to $65.00. I also realize that the increased cost of gas is going to mean higher prices on everything since at some point, all goods have to be shipped from point A to point B, and whether it's by truck or plane, gas is involved.

Hillary supports a temporary reprieve for consumers on the gas tax. John McCain first proposed it. Obama criticized the plan.

Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized Barack Obama on Monday for opposing proposals to suspend federal gas taxes this summer, a plan she and Republican John McCain have endorsed. .... "My opponent, Senator Obama, opposes giving consumers a break," Clinton said at a firehouse. "I understand the American people need some relief," she added, implying that Obama doesn't get it.

Obama's comments:[More...]

This seems significant:

A person close to North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley tells The Associated Press he will endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. Easley is a Democratic superdelegate who has served as the state's governor for two terms. His decision comes despite several recent polls showing Clinton trailing rival Barack Obama ahead of the state's May 6 primary.

I know nothing about NC politics and do not know if Easley has a lot of juice. But this seems like an important endorsement.

(By Big Tent Democrat)

I like this Bowers proposal:

I would seat Florida's pledged delegates as is, and seat the pledged delegates from Michigan Clinton 73-55 Obama. From that point, I would strip both states of their superdelegates. This way, the voters of the two states are not punished, but the superdelegates who are responsible putting both states in this mess are. I actually think that this should become the standard punishment for states that flout the primary calendar: keep the pledged delegates, but strip the superdelegates with no possibility of reinstatement. I also really like the idea of superdelegates whining that they should be seated at the convention. That would be an hilarious press conference.

Indeed. No more superdelegates should be a standard now.

(By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only)

It is too early to look too closely at GE head to heads but I must admit that recent events are making my Obama electability argument, particularly the Media darling Teflon argument, look weaker. The latest bit of evidence is the AP-Ipsos poll:

Hillary Rodham Clinton has a better chance than Barack Obama of beating Republican John McCain, according to a new Associated Press-Ipsos poll that bolsters her argument that she is more electable in the fall than her rival for the Democratic nomination. . . . Clinton . . . has gained ground this month in a hypothetical head-to-head match up with the GOP nominee-in-waiting; she now leads McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent.

These results put Obama and Clinton within the MOE versus McCain. But Obama needs to change the narrative. Racial politics from the likes of Clyburn and Wright is NOT the answer.

By Big Tent Democrat

Greg Sargent reports that:

Hillary chief strategist Geoff Garin [said] "Senator Obama has said what he has to say . . .We respect the fact that Senator Obama has had his say on this and the campaign should move on."

Sargent also reports that Hillary Clinton said:

I regret the efforts by the Republicans to politicize this matter and I believe that if Senator McCain were serious he would do more than just send a letter[.] [H]e is the putative nominee[.] I think he could very clearly tell the North Carolina party[,] tell the Mississippi party[,] that he would not tolerate those kinds of advertisements and I'm waiting to see if he does that.

By Big Tent Democrat

The spread is in line with other NC polls. But PPP previously had Obama up by 25 points in NC. Now it is 51-39. The why is important:

The bulk of the movement in the NC race has come from white voters. Her lead is now back up to 56-35.

Demography is political destiny. In Ohio, PA, IN and NC, the polling is showing the same demographic breakdowns. The issue is how many white and A-A voters there are in the electorate. This is quite troubling. BTW, I wonder if Jim Clyburn will get the message now.

By Big Tent Democrat.

The latest SUSA Indiana poll:

8 days until votes are counted, Hillary Clinton finishes ahead of Barack Obama, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for WHAS-TV in Louisville and WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. The results are identical to a SurveyUSA TV poll released 4 weeks ago, on 04/01/08. Clinton led then 52% to 43%, leads now 52% to 43%.

Crosstabs. Clinton leads among whites 56-39 (87% of the vote), Obama among African Americans 78-16 (10% of the vote). On election day, Obama will win A-As by 90-10. The issue is, as it has been for a while, will Obama lose whites by 20 points or more.

By Big Tent Democrat

So says this NYTimes report:

In interviews with several associates and aides, Mr. Obama was described as bored with the campaign against Mrs. Clinton and eager to move into the general election against Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Plus, this seems unsound to me:

In strategy sessions last week, advisers concluded that Mr. Obama, of Illinois, needed to do a better job reminding voters of his biography, including his modest upbringing by a single mother and one of his first jobs as a community organizer helping displaced steel mill workers

Obama needs to talk policy, not biography, imo.

Politico reports on a new Republican attack ad on Obama that is airing on television in Mississippi.

A television ad from Southaven Mayor Greg Davis tells viewers that his Democratic rival, Travis Childers, a realtor and Prentiss County official, has accepted the endorsement of "liberal Barack Obama." Then, with Childers' face beside footage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, it says, "When Obama's pastor cursed America, blaming us for 9/11, Childers said nothing."

Then: "When Obama ridiculed rural folks for clinging to guns and religion, Childers said nothing." "He took Obama's endorsement over our conservative values. Conservatives just can't trust Travis Childers," the ad concludes.

Politico says:

The ads are a mark of how difficult, with the nomination apparently within his grasp, Obama will find it to stay above or outside the traditional, bitter partisan divisions he so often deplores. [More...]

One stop voter registration and voting is already underway in North Carolina which holds its primary May 6.

Here are the latest voter registration stats for the state. They are broken down by county, but here are the totals as of April 26:

• Total Voters 5,791,221
• Democrats 2,616,995
• Republicans 1,933,929
• Unaffiliated 1,240,297
• White 4,368,780
• African Amer. 1,192,950
• Hispanic 49,835
• American Indian 44,170
• Women 3,163,294
• Men 2,603,775

Since people can register and vote on the same day during one stop voting which doesn't end until May 3, these won't be the final numbers.

Here's what the numbers were at the start of 2008. The number of registered Dems has increased by about 105,000 since January. The number of African American voters for both parties and unaffiliated has increased about 65,000, from 1,128,082 to 1,192,950 (the 4/26 numbers aren't broken down by party.) [More...]

Barack Obama's new politics may not be exactly the same as his old politics. The LA Times reports he wrote a letter for a donor and client requesting and obtaining a $50,000 grant for a ping pong ball venture.

After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000, Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama faced serious financial pressure: numerous debts, limited cash and a law practice he had neglected for a year. Help arrived in early 2001 from a significant new legal client -- a longtime political supporter.

Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. paid Obama an $8,000-a-month retainer to give legal advice to his growing technology firm, Electronic Knowledge Interchange. It allowed Obama to supplement his $58,000 part-time state Senate salary for over a year with regular payments from Blackwell's firm that eventually totaled $112,000.

After receiving his last paycheck from EKI:

Obama sent a request on state Senate letterhead urging Illinois officials to provide a $50,000 tourism promotion grant to another Blackwell company, Killerspin.

More...