England for Obama

After a somewhat faltering start, the story of the Democratic Primaries has been the rise and rise of Barack Obama. The presumed nominee at the start of the contest, Hillary Clinton, is now donning the mantle of ‘underdog’ but it doesn’t sit well with her. After a string of defeats and more expected on Tuesday, people are starting to wonder if she really has what it takes to win the White House in November.

That the election is the Democrats to lose is not born out by the polls, but with failure hanging heavily around Hillary’s neck it would be churlish not to expect doubts about her electability to influence future events. It’s a message which Obama is using to great effect:

“I’ve already indicated why I can beat John McCain more effectively than Hillary Clinton can. I think that’s very important. I think I can get more independent votes and more Republican votes, and offset any advantages he may have, and actually succeed. I think Senator Clinton starts off with 47% of the country against her. That’s a hard place to start if you want to win an election,” he explained to a recent rally in Alexandria, VA.

Poll after poll supports this view – a Clinton vs McCain contest in November is projected to be as much a dogfight as the previous two Presidential races, with McCain enjoying a slight advantage. An Obama vs McCain contest however consistently predicts an Obama victory.

Senator Clinton’s problems do not end there though. In an extraordinary contest where her experience is her sharpest weapon, she’s now looking like a loser who couldn’t step up to the challenge of her rival, despite all her advantages. If she can’t do it in the Primaries, what hope does she have in November?

She’s still fighting hard for the nomination though, and Barack Obama’s team is emphasising that the battle is far from won for them. An upset in Wisconsin, which is by no means a guaranteed victory for Obama, could be the lifeline his rival so desperately needs. But it’s Ohio and Texas which she’s called her “firewall”. An Obama victory in either - and Texas does seem to be swinging his way at the moment – could be the final knock out blow, not in delegate counts, but in perception.

It’s still all to play for, but Senator Clinton might perhaps be wise to remember that the previous last ditch stand at the Alamo ended with a massacre.

Facing the prospect of Barack Obama being denied the Democratic Party nomination because of superdelegates’ votes, his campaign team has adopted a unique and characteristically inclusive approach to the problem. They are asking supporters to send in their own personal stories about why they’re backing Barack, so that they can be used to help persuade superdelegates to do the same.

In an email sent to thousands of supporters Obama’s Campaign Manager, David Plouffe, explained:

“I’ve received a lot of email from folks asking how best to help with the superdelegate effort, and this is it.”

“Your note, combined with those of other Obama supporters, will tell the story of an extraordinary movement of ordinary people — a story with a common thread of hope that becomes all the more powerful when it brings together the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our supporters.”

“Our work so far has taught us one important lesson: that your personal story about why you support Barack Obama is often the most powerful persuasion tool for someone who’s undecided. That’s true whether that undecided voter is your neighbor or a superdelegate.”

“The story of where you’re from, what brought you into the political process, the issues that matter to you, and why you became part of this movement has the potential to inspire someone who could cast a deciding vote in this contest.”

“Our staff will compile stories from supporters like you and make them a key part of the conversation with superdelegates as Barack asks for their support.”

You do not need to have received this message personally to help, just go to my.barackobama.com/superdelegates and share your own story.

The BBC asks: Has Barack Obama won the Democratic presidential nomination?

Senator Obama has now more states than his rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, including the last six (plus the Virgin Islands and the national capital, Washington DC) and he now leads among delegates pledged to vote for him at the Democratic National Convention.

In addition to his momentum of victories, he has made significant inroads into constituencies that were the core of his opponent’s support.

Link to BBC story

Unstoppable? Not quite. Obama’s recent form has been nothing short of amazing but its still early days. Clinton has support in Texas and in Ohio (voting 4th March). These are large delegate-rich states.

If Obama could turn his attention to pulling either of these from under the high-hells of Clinton, his nomination may just be assured.

After sweeping the Virginia, Maryland, and DC Democratic primaries, Barack Obama spoke to an arena of cheering supporters in Madison, Wisconsin.

It’s looking increasingly like Obama and McCain will go head to head for the presidency this year. Obama is increasing his lead over Hilary by a substantial margin.

Barack Obama has won the Democratic presidential primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia by wide margins.

John McCain is also on course for a clean sweep in all three Republican contests, beating Mike Huckabee.

Mr Obama’s wins are set to put him ahead of Hillary Clinton in the race for delegates to select the party’s candidate for the presidential poll.

Read the full coverage over at BBC News

Not just in England but all around the world registered American voters are swarming towards Obama:

Right now, thousands of Democrats living abroad are voting online, using a secure website with a personalized 10-digit individual ballot number to log their choices for this year’s presidential candidate. Organized by Democrats Abroad, the official overseas arm of the party, this first-ever online “Global Primary” will elect 22 delegates, just one less than North Dakota.

Link to story at The New Republic

This international voting will added to today’s ‘Potomac Primary’ and hopes to bring an interesting new angle to the Obama campaign.

After his weekend victories in five contests, Mr Obama is expected to gain further momentum as voters go to the polls in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC, where he hopes to be buoyed once more by overwhelming backing from black voters who will account for a big proportion of turnout in the so-called “Potomac primaries”.

Victory tonight would leave Mr Obama slightly ahead in the delegate count for the first time.

Link to story at TimesOnline

I propose that on February 12th (Lincoln’s Birthday) we have a money bomb extravaganza of small donations of $5.01 for Senator Obama. The reasons for this amount are easy to see:

1. Small donations are powering Obama’s campaign
2. Lincoln is on the $5 bill and the penny
3. .01 is also for us online progressives making a statement to the campaign that we are here and we’ve got money. That we aren’t the huge bundlers for campaigns. We sacrifice parts of paychecks that mean more proportionally to those of us with smaller incomes. We buy into Barack Obama because we do dream of a more hopeful future instead of cynicsm. I would much rather be called a Hopemonger than a Warmonger. So if you believe in the hope that small donors are powering the Obama campaign, please join me in showing that when Americans united with Hope can wield large influence with small donations!

Link to article at TMP Cafe

Original at Daily Kos

Voting starts today in the bi-party primaries in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Barack Obama is today set to open up a clear lead over Hillary Clinton in primary contests around Washington in what could decisively alter the dynamic of the Democratic race for the White House.

Link to story

In this video a woman in Virginia asks Senator Obama why he should get her vote.