Introducing the 2008 Democratic Nominee Al Gore?

The Saviour Of The Divided Party?

Al Gore's name is being thrown around the higher echelons of the Democratic party. The bitter competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has left many Democrats convinced that neither can deliver a knockout blow to the other and that both have been so damaged that they risk losing November's election to McCain. Gore, was Bill Clinton's vice-president and has since won a Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his work on green issues. He remains an influential figure eight years after he beat George W Bush in the popular vote but lost the White House after the Florida recount fiasco. He has infamously offered no backing to either candidate.


Opinion polls show Mr McCain stretching his lead over both Obama and Clinton, whose campaigns are engaged in a daily cycle of attacks, character assassination and recriminations on religion, race and the economy. If neither candidate has the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination, and if both appear unable to beat McCain,a group of about 100 "super-delegates" could sit out the first ballot in Denver, preventing either candidate winning outright, and then offer Mr Gore the nomination for the good of the party. Effectively wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and hours from campaign members and public fund raising. The fate of the Democratic nominee could in essence be decided by 100 men and women and given to neither of the candidates. Al Gores potential run on the office was raised last week in Time magazine by Joe Klein, and has been discussed on the main cable news networks, CNN, Fox and MSNBC.

Ridiculous Politics Within Generation Y

I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.

Charles De Gaulle

Of course De Gaulle never had the "pleasure" of running for president in the 21st century. The 2008 election has seen an explosion of independent, unregulated and sometimes uncouth and uneducated opinions of the world brought into the lime light.
Gotcha moments on YouTube, unauthorized campaign videos and hard-hitting debate questions from YouTube users are changing the political landscape. The Generation Y's vehicle of choice; YouTube represents a broad new challenge for candidates, who in bygone days had little more to contend with than appeasing news editors. The Obama Yes We Can video and the Clinton Vote Different which run as wallpaper at the side of this blog have been viewed over 100 million times each; below are a selection of the most ridiculous videos most of which have 1 million plus views. Is it a case of a democracy in action? Or a pollution of the political system?

Wrestling Voice Over
Keeping with last weeks WWE theme Obama threatens to "kick Hillary's ass."



Under Barack Obama
A play on the Rhianon song Umbrella sees Hillary and Obama characters caught simulating sex acts.

Obama Osama?
Link between Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden? A one letter unfortunate coincidence.


Crush On Obama
Obama Girl uses her sexuality to gather political clought for her candidate of choice.


Crush On Hillary
Not to be out done a teenage boy makes an homage to his love for Hillary.

How Things Stand

Barack Obama


States Won:

Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Delegates
Target 2,025

Total delegates 1,723
Delegates 1,488
Super delegates 235


Hillary Clinton


States Won

Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada*, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas*

Delegates

Target 2,025

Total delegates 1,592
Delegates 1,333
Super delegates 259

Clinton takes Pennsylvania

In the build-up to the vote in Pennsylvania, it has been argued that Hillary Clinton needed a double-digit victory to prove that she remained a credible contender for the Democratic nomination. Today she got that that taking a 10 electoral point advantage over Obama in the state.

However, when she secured a surprisingly clear win, it somehow seemed like it was barely enough to keep her in the race.

It is almost as though regardless of which candidate wins each state! They are criticized for not winning resoundingly. One thing is certain the Pennsylvania primary has not made anything clearer.

Clinton and Obama come to blows!

The Ballot Box Brawl (watch video here)
On the dawn of another telling Primary entertainment in its lowest common forum has become an active role in the US political cycle. WWE Smackdown featured "The Ballot Box Brawl" which saw Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton characters take each other on in their pay per view fight night. The broadcast showed Obama giving Clinton the "Barack Bottom" where he choke slams her on the floor; Obama going to finish her off is tripped by Bill who claims "I did not have illegal contact with that candidate". The fight ends when a comically lycred Somain decides to "smash up" both candidates.
Ironically things are not much better back in reality Hillary attacked Obama's 23 million dollar advantage in campaign money saying;
"Maybe the question ought to be, why can't he close the deal with his extraordinary financial advantage, why can't he win in a state like this, if that is the way it turns out to be?"
Will the "Barack Bottom" be quick to follow this comment?
Earlier in the week Hillary used the word 'obliterate' to sum up issues of Iran, nuclear weapons and a threat to the US. Obama countered saying the word denoted 'bad results' but that he was not interested in 'sabre-rattling; perhaps no "Barack Bottom" today but as the results of the "last big state" come in tomorrow we may have a whole new fight on our hands.

A More Perfect Union; Obama tackles race and religion

Watch the full speech here
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In the light of Barack Obama's reverends anti-American, and racist statements Obama defends his minister and church. The speech eloquently tackles two of the key issues continentally avoided by US politicians.
He seamlessly ties race into religion, but largely skirts the contentious religious issues making the speech more about race and America; more pertinently about a white nations inability to understand the 'black experience'.
While condemning Wright's statements he said that he could not disown him anymore than he could disown Black America. However, while this may influence the Democratic Nomination where statistically the majority of African Americans hold camp; if it does swing the vote his way and place him at the forefront of the democratic campaign where will it place him amongst the undecided, the voters on the fence who grew up in the suburbs of white America?
Obama identifies with these middle class Americans of course because he can; He grew up without his black father with a white mother, and Grandparents in these middle class suburbs. But have issues of race and the religious implications segregated him to the point where he cant build his coalition as his speech says of "white and black, Latino, Asian, rich, poor, young and old"

He makes an interesting point where he says; "that your dreams do not have to come at the cost of my dreams." Speaking as a Black American addressing white fears that an African American president will raise taxes; in essence "victimizing" the majority of people who vote. Obama is putting a lot of faith in the white population of America. The majority of the population whose schools are not falling down, who do have health care, who don't care about global warming, or who support the war in Iraq. The question about Obama's "Perfect Union" begs whether it is a question about race or a more class based distinction. Tying the similarities of the "black experience" with the "immigrant white experience" who face similar issues. However, notoriously without the backing of the middle class American; you don't win an election.

Regardless of your opinions to the speech it is impressive to here a candidate openly and eloquently challenge the United States stance on race, even more so, one that has some real experience with the issues.

Survey in PA

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Penn_Release_040208.pdf

An Independent survey conducted in Pennsylvania primary has projected a 45 - 43 lead for Obama over Clinton. An unexpected advantage for Obama considering a poll taken three weeks ago showed Clinton with a 26 point lead in the state. The survey taken amongst 1224 likely Democratic voters has a margin of error ratio of +/- 2.8%. In essence it highlights little more than the fact that race is inconclusive.

Introduction

A Democrat in the White House; It should have been a lock. The US has a Republican leader with the lowest approval rating of all time, an unpopular war, an economy one magnanimous trading day away from a recession and a health care system that leaves much to be desired. The US public is vying for change but to what extent? The 2008 Democratic nomination has been the most revolutionary in the history of US politics, regardless of who wins; a black man, and a woman will have the greatest chance in history of sitting in the Oval Office. However is it too much? The election has become a media circus. Two candidates who seem to mirror one another on policies seem differentiated only by character. All while John McCain visits Bush at the Whitehouse. Have the Democrats effectively killed off any chance of winning this? Has the staunch and divided support between the candidates divided them to the extent that an election “they could not lose” is lost? Is anyone actually focusing on the politics anymore? A dark June is just around the corner.