Couldn’t Help But Notice (021508)
From the end of this Campaign Spot post, — It looks like Hillary is virtually conceding Wisconsin:
Among Democrats, (Strategic Vision’s poll says) it’s Obama 45 percent, Hillary 41 percent, and 14 percent undecided. Yet Hillary’s not going to the state until Saturday!
Real Clear Politics shows that Rasmussen has the same 4-point margin. I predict that the candidate known around here as BOOHOO (Barack O-bomba Overseas Hussein “Obambi†Obama) will win by at least 10; a 15-20 point crush would not surprise me one bit.
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Obamaball turns out to be hardball, which I’ll explain after the excerpt:
Obama’s political action committee has doled out more than $694,000 to superdelegates since 2005, the study found, and of the 81 who had announced their support for Obama, 34 had received donations totaling $228,000.
Clinton’s political action committee has distributed about $195,000 to superdelegates, and only 13 of the 109 who had announced for her have received money, totaling about $95,000.
Now THIS is entertainment.
Most of the “superdels” gladly took Obama bucks thinking that the guy had no chance, and perhaps expected as much or more moolah from Hillary.
Oops. That clearly isn’t how it’s working out. Now, having received more money from Obama, and with Obama being the clear front-runner and pledged delegate leaders, what’s a superdel to do? Turn him down, look like the ultimate ingrate, and risk being on the outside looking in during an Obama administration? I don’t think so.
Obama, in playing the “green card,” was smart enough, obviously very early in the game, not to “bank” on superdel ethics, instead relying on a language universally understood. Despite trailing in superdels by about 80 with almost exactly half of them counted, I expect that he’ll win them going away, and that many, like John Lewis yesterday (see Update 4A at link), will switch.
Of course the whole process is corrupt, but that’s perhaps another topic for another time.
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From the “It’s Always Something” Department: Wireless multifunction printers as security risks (HT Instapundit). Seriously.
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Somebody needs to help me with this, because I don’t understand why the Wall Street Journal is on such a high horse over how John McCain’s campaign survived through the summer and fall:
Banks have made loans against some dubious collateral lately, but John McCain’s fund-raising list? That was the security the candidate put down when he took out a $3 million loan in November to get his then-struggling campaign through the primaries
Earth to Journal: McCain’s net worth, according to Senate disclosure records, is between $15 and $20 million. If the bank believed that the collateral pledged wasn’t sufficient, it clearly could have demanded more backing. McCain was clearly willing to do whatever it took to get through the trough. This suggests strong self-confidence and the willingness to fight instead of folding in the face of adversity, i.e., normally considered good things.
The paper’s point about the need to get rid of the campaign contribution limits is valid, but complaining about how McCain got through times seems the ultimate in sour grapes.
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I suppose the nabobs of McCain negativity at the Journal will figure out a way to spin this, but it’s hard not to be impressed with this remark he made to a group of bloggers a couple of days ago:
Listen, I’ll never forget you. You were the only guys who would listen to me for a couple of months. Do you think I’d ever forget you?
I remember getting an invitation or two to McCain’s blogger conference calls last year, and not going to them, thinking “What’s the point?”
More of this, and the talk-radio stereotype that John McCain is in a perpetual seethe might evaporate.
Just to be clear: I am NOT a big McCain fan, based on a number of his policy positions. As far as I’m concerned, he still needs to make the sale.
