MOMocrats

Go Read It: Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause

You seldom--almost never--hear about racist incidents targeting the various Obama state or local headquarters. But they happen. And it's been a real education for the hard-working and dedicated volunteers of all races who do the on-the-ground work of ringing doorbells and making calls to voters on behalf of the Obama campaign.

For those local and regional campaign staffers, it's been an eye-opening experience to see and hear just what your fellow Americans feel emboldened to say about our possible first president who happens to be biracial African/European American. And of course, what won't get said, but just hangs in the air as "a funny feeling."

Does It Matter to You How West Virginia Votes?

It's another Primary Day in America!

Come on, you know you're excited to see what happens in West Virginia!

OK, so even with the all-day coverage, there probably aren't many people who are all that interested.  There's some serious election fatigue going on.

But I'm wondering today, what does it say if Hillary Clinton wins the West Virginia Democratic primary by the huge landslide that the pundits are predicting?

Whether we like it or not, I think that's a question that needs answering.

Many are eager to believe that we're a country not divided -- that there are more things that join us than separate us.  But a major landslide for Hillary Clinton in the state where my grandfather was born would say to me we have a much longer way to go before we're ready to join hands and sing in a spirit of harmony and peace.

Everyone got a good laugh out of SNL's Clinton parody about her supporters being racists.  And I have no doubt there's going to be a lot of insinuation about that for West Virginia voters.

But how about if we back up and think about why certain pockets of the nation are overwhelmingly for Clinton and others have been landslides for Obama.  Leave aside the easy, gut reaction that Clinton supporters are racists and Obama fans are enlightened progressives.  If we continue on that road, John McCain will surely be the next POTUS.

Real understanding and analysis shouldn't be that hard to find.  I know that doesn't make for good comedy or quick soundbites, but it sure as hell would create a stronger Democratic party.

So tonight, I'd love to hear Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer come up with some real political analysis. 

Come on guys -- it's not rocket science.  Surely you can find someone to talk about the real underlying currents of this election season.  Race and gender are the easy issues to talk about.  Dig a little deeper -- what you find could be pretty interesting.

If Obama Jumps the Gun, Does He Really Think That Will Play Well With Hillary Supporters?

I'm not going to dispute the fact that things are not looking good for Hillary Clinton, but until someone bows out or someone has the requisite number of delegates, there's no Democratic nominee.

Apparently Barack Obama doesn't care. 

A variety of stories are reporting that regardless of where things stand on May 20, Obama is planning on proclaiming that he is the Democratic nominee.

At that point, after the Oregon primary, most anticipate that Obama will have won the majority of PLEDGED delegates.  But he will NOT have won the majority of ALL delegates -- odds are many super-delegates will still be uncommitted plus the Democratic National Committee doesn't meet until May 31 to start trying to unravel the mess that is Florida and Michigan.

Uh, dude, there's still a process in this country.  Even if something looks or smells inevitable, you still have to wait until the everyone gets to vote and the process is finished, unless you can convince Hillary to drop out.  And you'd have to be a tad delusional to think that's going to happen any time soon.

You can't be the winner just because you say so.  That's why we have the process in the first place. John Adams and his pals fought a revolution so that no one could "proclaim" to be entitled to any office or political position.

As a country, we don't like people who just take things.  You have to stand in line and wait your turn here in America.  And do you really think that all the Hillary Clinton supporters you're going to need in the fall are really going to appreciate you just announcing that you've won, when the game ain't over?

We know from the media reports that you're not really a patient guy and that you're getting bored with the process.

In Ten Suggestions for Barack Obama, Point number 10 is, "Win This Thing.  Just Win It.  I Don't Care How."  I am totally on board with that at this point.  As a friend said the other day, I'd rather see a rock in the White House before I would vote for John McCain.  But please don't piss off us Hillary supporters by planning your own coronation before the process is finished.

That's just bad form.

After Joanne is done thinking about how the Democrats can just come together and beat John McCain, you can find her ruminating on the political world at PunditMom.

Open Letter to Senator Clinton: Feminism is Not Academic

Clinton Campaign Conference Call, May 7, 2008

3:12, Geoff Garin, chief strategist for the Clinton campaign, discusses gains and losses of white voters and subcategories within that
31:39, Susan Milligan of the Boston Globe, on Clinton's prospects among key segments of the voting population who are not Appalachian whites (i.e., coastal whites and non-whites, New South inhabitants, midwestern whites and nonwhites, voters between 18-35, etc)

Dear Senator Clinton,
Last night as you gave your victory speech in Indiana, I think you finally realized what many have known and felt for a long time. Your campaign is over.

I'm hoping you have the courage to drop out now, quickly, graciously, and magnanimously. And throw all your formidable energy and tenacity into backing Senator Obama, our Democratic Party nominee.

How to Explain the Presidential Choice to an Eight-Year-Old

Following Mr. PunditMom's explanation of what a "delegate" is to our eight-year-old, this conversation ensued:

PunditGirl: Daddy, when is there going to be a winner?  Why are people having a hard time choosing [between Clinton & Obama]?"

Mr. PunditMom: Well, sweetie, sometimes it's hard to make choices between two things you like -- like trying to choose between ice cream and cookies."

PunditGirl:  "What about John McCain?"

Mr. PunditMom:  "McCain is peas."

When Joanne is done thinking about what other yucky vegetables John McCain is like, you can find her over at PunditMom.

Clinton/Obama Female Superdelegate Count, Prior to IN & NC

Just for kicks, I wanted to see what the breakdown was for women superdelegates who have committed to a candidate. You don't often see this figure pulled out from all the other data groupings.

Watch the Indiana and North Carolina Returns *LIVE! TONIGHT!* with the MOMocrats

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Hey all you MOMocrats and DADocrats and FRIENDocrats! Come join us today at 5:00PM PST/8:00 EST to watch the returns roll in. (Let's say 5:00/8:00ish, might be a little earlier, might be a little later, we're moms, you know how it goes.)

Spend the evening with us! Put the kids on ignore to bed, grab a glass of wine and your favorite snacks, and cozy up with the computer. We can talk about returns or anything on your mind during this election cycle.

We'll be liveblogging and chatting using Cover It Live.  Head on over to the site, create your account, and when we launch the liveblog, you'll be ready to jump in and participate.

Indiana Republican Mom for Hillary Clinton

I always love the international perspective on the 2008 presidential campaign I get from Justin Webb's America blog.  Justin is a friend of mine who also happens to be the BBC's North America editor.

Pretty much since the beginning of this presidential campaign, Justin has been traveling around the country to shed light on our process for his viewers and listeners in Great Britain.

Today, he's got a great post up called "Republicans for Hillary."

It's a quick video interview with "Darlene" from Indiana, a lifelong Republican and fan of George Bush.

She's voting Democratic today and she's voting for Hillary.

You go, Darlene!

Indiana Voters, Don't Forget Your Photo ID -- If You Have One

(Photo from Mother Jones Magazine).

If Indiana voters show up today at the polls without a photo ID, will they be turned away?

Thanks to the Supreme Court, the answer to that question is almost certainly, yes.

With an anticipated record turn-out looming and possibly thousands of new registered voters heading out to vote in the state that calls itself the Crossroads of America, the swell of interest in this election may well be tamped down, thanks to our friends -- wait for it, wait for it -- the GOP.

While there has never been a documented case of election fraud in Indiana where an unregistered voter has tried to pass himself off as a registered voter, Indiana passed the most restrictive voter identification law in the country in 2005. 

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld that law, claiming that while it might be burdensome for a variety of groups to obtain valid photo ID, the state still had a legitimate interest in protecting the integrity of the election process.

What does that mean in English?

NC NAACP Files With FBI, Department of Justice to Investigate Possible Voter Suppression

I've been following this story as it bubbled up from DailyKos (this diary in particular discusses the evidence for a cover-up of either wrongdoing or extreme incompetence) and Talking Points Memo. The story has been evolving on NPR (here and here) and was briefly alluded to in the Washington Post today.

At issue? A non-profit organization, Women's Voices, Women's Votes, designed to facilitate voter registration among unmarried women, was the source of illegal "robo-calls" that appeared to deliver erroneous information to African American voters and others in advance of the North Carolina Democratic Party primary. They've also contacted potential voters with registration packets that weren't well-timed to either the voter registration efforts for the primaries or the upcoming general election in November, 2008.