Mississippi Cottons to Obama!

The New York Times reports that Barack Obama easily won the state of Mississippi with another 20 percent win over his rival, Hillary Clinton. By garnering 90% of the Black vote (in a state that is 36% Black) and about a third of the white vote, he pulled away early and was never threatened in the primary.

The Times writes:

Mr. Obama’s lead in Mississippi was built on a wave of support among blacks, who made up half those who turned out to vote Tuesday, according to surveys conducted by the television networks and The Associated Press of voters leaving polling places. The surveys found that roughly 90 percent of black voters supported Mr. Obama, but only a third of white voters supported him, suggesting a racially polarized electorate in the state.

Read the entire New York Times article here.


plez sez: congrats to the Obama Camp for pulling out another BIG WIN! unfortunately, delegate-poor mississippi won't provide much of a boost to Obama's lead. he can at least point to two straight wins (with the win in wyoming over the weekend).

i still contend that pennsylvania (in 6 weeks) is a must-win primary for Obama... he needs to win another Big State to solidify his grip on the democratic nomination. i also heard today that plans are under way to have a do-over primary in delegate-rich florida and michigan!

in the words of soul singer lenny kravitz, "it ain't over 'til it's over!"

Live Blog of Obama in Mississippi

Since plezWorld is shivering in Milwaukee, I sought out and found an interesting live blog of an Obama Event that was held in Jackson, Mississippi on yesterday. As you know, the good folk in the Magnolia State hold their primary today.

Obama Introduction

Obama Enters the Building

I Made a Bet with America

Lobbyists Aren't Popular in Jackson

This is America

Cotton Mouth even has the latest poll numbers for the state from the American Research Group (ARG) here.

plezWorld - Crystal Ball & Primaries

Primary Punch opines that Team Hillary will soldier on after Super Tuesday 2, with primaries being held in Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island. They write:

The hypothetical some Clinton supporters posit -- Barack Obama wins Vermont, Rhode Island is close, Clinton wins Ohio, Obama wins delegates in Texas but the popular vote is either close or perhaps Clinton wins it.

[If] Clinton can claim at least two if not three victories (Texas popular vote being one of them), I don't get the feeling that Sen. Clinton will be at all inclined to drop out.

Read the entire article here.

plez sez: for weeks following Obama's win in Wisconsin, the pundits have been writing the obit for Hillary Clinton's failed presidential run. many have predicted that she will get beat in Texas (and have a close win in Ohio), thus causing her to see the writing on the wall. she will then gather her advisors upon which an announcement will be made on wednesday that she will throw all of her support her erstwhile, fresh faced, silver voiced opponent.

but everyone's prediction carried a caveat... an out (she's a fighter, she's a survivor, she'll bounce back, etc.).

plezWorld has gazed into an actual crystal ball and asked a simple question: will hillary clinton drop out after super tuesday 2? the crystal ball croaked to life and mist... and replied with the following answer: NO!

crystal ball: she will lose texas outright, she will lose vermont outright, rhode island will be a virtual tie... but her campaign will soldier on based on the eight point squeaker she pulls out of ohio. she'll take that $35 million she raised last month and direct her attention on pennsylvania (her newest firewall).

plezWorld predicts another six weeks of the clintonistas!

Obama Wins Big on Saturday

There were three Democratic Presidential contests on Saturday, February 9th... Barack Obama won all three as Hillary Clinton's campaign continues to show signs of fading after Super Tuesday. Obama beat Clinton, 58 percent to 36 percent, in Louisiana. Obama romped with a 68 percent to 32 percent victory in Nebraska, and then had another overwhelming win in the Washington caucuses, 68 percent to 31 percent. With these wins, even when counting Super Delegates, Obama and Clinton are in a dead heat with Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC on tap for this Tuesday; with the wind in his sails, Obama could surge ahead with convincing wins in those primaries.

Read the entire Washington Post article here.

plez sez: on the heels of taking the most states on super tuesday where he won thirteen states to hillary's seven, Obama is now poised to pull ahead in the delegate count and make a strong case for capturing the democratic nomination. there are (meaningless) polls that suggest that Obama fares better nationally against john mccain than hillary clinton. the democratic party has the nominee that can deliver the votes across the most demographic populations, and that nominee is BARACK OBAMA. he energizes the populous and his message of hope & opportunity really gives democrats, independents, and moderate republicans someone to VOTE FOR as opposed to a candidate to vote against.

i sent another contribution to his campaign the day after super tuesday... money well spent! it's feeling more and more like plezWorld should be making plans to be in washington, dc on january 20, 2009 for obama's inauguration!

BLOG UPDATE (02/10/2008 2:00 PM): Obama also pitched a delegate shutout in the US Virgin Islands with 90 percent of the vote... he'll undoubtedly get all three of their delegates!

Volunteer for Obama '08

Not too long ago, my wife and I got home from our first grassroots political event. We volunteered to canvass for Barack Obama on this coming Sunday (February 3rd) and Super Tuesday (February 5th) to get out the vote, so that he will win the state of Georgia.

I must say that the Obama Campaign is a class act! The staffers are very professional, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about winning the primary here in Georgia. The staffers who ran our training meeting were part of the Obama's BIG WIN in the state of South Carolina, last week. I live in South DeKalb County with a very high concentration of Democratic voters; it will be crucial for Obama to win in this area in order to win the state. We are gearing up for an equally decisive win here in Georgia!

We'll be out on Sunday afternoon, going door-to-door reminding folk to vote for Obama on Tuesday. And then I'll be up on Tuesday morning, going door-to-door reminding folk that they need to head to the polls and offering rides when necessary.

It feels so good to be part of something so historic... the prospect of bringing real change to Washington and providing a better world for my daughter is exhilarating! If you live in a Super Tuesday Primary State, make sure that your voice is heard... and if you can, vote for Barack Obama!

Obama Notches Big Win in SC

Along with receiving more democratic votes than were cast during the 2004 primary, Barack Obama's 55 percent more than doubled Hillary Clinton's paltry 27 percent (with John Edwards coming in a distant third place finish of 18 percent) to win the SC primary, on Saturday, January 26th, in a landslide! This was the most lopsided win of the primary season where all three candidates were actively campaigning (Obama & Edwards did not campaign in Michigan). The pundits were touting the huge numbers of Black voters in the state, but it is apparent that Obama's win - in all but two counties, one being John Edward's hometown - cut across racial, gender, and age groups. The win was so big, both Hillary & Bill Clinton left the state with their tails between their legs before the polls were closed on Saturday!

Obama's victory speech excoriated the Clintonistas "dirty politics" yet stayed above the fray by focusing on his main campaign themes of hope and making the sacrifices necessary for change. Excerpts from Obama's speech include:

"Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina."

"I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina."

"The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."

Read the entire CNN article here.

'Yes, We Can Change' Speech after SC Primary Win

Read the transcript of Obama's victory speech 'Yes, We Can Change.'


plez sez: it is great to see Obama back in the driver's seat in the democratic race, i feel he will be the most formidable opponent for the republicans come november. hill & bill engender too much hate from the republicans who will surely come out in droves to keep them from returning to the white house... and their lack of decorum over the past couple of weeks (dredging up racial politics hell bent on dividing the Black community) may cause many Black voters to skip the general election in november if she is the democratic nominee (plezWorld will NOT be voting for hillary clinton in november).

i plan to vote early in georgia's primary (i'll probably go out to vote on monday morning)... we are part of super tuesday on february 5th. i encourage all right minded AMERICANS to ensure that BARACK OBAMA is the democratic party's presidential nominee and vote to make him our president in november 2008. he represents our best hope for change to the status quo in washington, to begin troop withdrawals from iraq, and work to heal the festering wounds of racism & classism to unify this country.

plezWorld is willing to make the necessary sacrifices to make change in this country!

Clinton & Romney Top Early Iowa Polls

The Des Moines Register reports that an American Research Group poll of likely caucus-goers (+/- 4%) conducted this week give Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney the lead in early polls for their respective party presidential nominations. The Iowa Caucuses will be held on Thursday, January 3rd, 2008, the earliest date ever for such an event.

Democrats:
27% - Hillary Clinton
21% - Barack Obama
20% - John Edwards
12% - Bill Richardson

Republicans:
26% - Mitt Romney
24% - Mike Huckabee
11% - Rudy Giuliani
11% - Fred Thompson
10% - John McCain

Two other Iowa polls show similar results. With just under 2 months before the first primary votes of the 2008 presidential election year cycle, Clinton and Romney are nursing slim leads in each of their respective races. The importance of the Iowa Caucus is mainly because the "straw poll" is the first votes of the election cycle, but the winner of the caucus is not necessarily the eventual party nominee.

For Democrats: George McGovern lost to Edmund Muskie in 1972, Jimmy Carter lost to "Uncommitted" in 1976, Michael Dukakis came in third place in 1988, Bill Clinton came in third place in 1992. For Republicans: Ronald Reagan lost to George H. W. Bush, and Vice President George H. W. Bush came in third behind Bob Dole & Pat Robertson in 1988! So the Iowa Caucus is more symbolic of the beginning of the election year rather than a prognosticator of the eventual party nominee.

For more Iowa Caucus information.


plez sez: all of the polls (democrats & republicans) show tight races and it doesn't appear that losing the Iowa Caucus will do much damage to a candidate's ability to win the party nomination. the new hampshire primary is a better indicator of the eventual nominee. jimmy carter and michael dukakis won the new hampshire primary, and bill clinton moved into second place in new hampshire (an ascent that ended with him being elected president). on the republican side, after 1972, the eventual nominee won in new hampshire except for bob dole in 1996 and george w. bush in 2000.

i'm still a strong supporter of barack obama because of his opposition to the war in iraq, and his message of change and hope for this country. i will vote for barack obama in the georgia democratic primary. i feel that hillary clinton lacks conviction and will tend to be a populist who governs via poll results... i'm not that crazy about populists (she did vote to go to war with iraq)! john edwards is hanging around and he has a chance to surprise the field with an early win in iowa or new hampshire.


i'm a bit perplexed that john mccain is still hanging in there with his low numbers and lack of money. he'll probably drop out after finishing no higher than fourth place in iowa or new hampshire. and fred thompson is probably kicking himself for waiting so late to get into the republican race, he brought nothing new to the table with his late entry.

it will be interesting to see what rudy guiliani does in the first 2 or 3 primaries, since other than mitt romney, he's probably the only other republican who will be able to beat clinton.

plez predicts: mitt romney will win the 2008 presidential election over hillary clinton in a very close electoral vote; her negatives and bill's baggage will energize the GOP voters enough to go out to vote against her. it appears that this will be the third straight presidential election that will come down to the winner of one or two swing states (like ohio, tennessee, or florida).