Obama: The $50 million man; Sources say the Illinois senator shatters monthly donation records
chicagotribune.com
By Christi Parsons and Rick Pearson
February 29, 2008
FT. WORTH — Fundraising numbers in the Democratic race for president shot into the stratosphere in the month of February, with reports from aides to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama putting the staggering combined figure at somewhere in the range of $85 million.
Clinton touted the news that she had raised $35 million as evidence of the vitality of her campaign, as she conducted a furious day of campaigning in Ohio and Texas, where voters could decide her fate in the campaign on Tuesday.
The Obama camp responded coyly, saying only that they would surpass the $35 million figure by reporting “considerably more"—and then sat back without official comment amid news reports of their skyrocketing February total.
One member of Obama’s finance committee told the Tribune that some reports from within the campaign indicate their fundraising could hit $50 million this month.
Even by the most conservative reading, the campaign totals have now shattered yet another ceiling—for the amount of money raised in a single month. Already, the funds raised and spent in the Democratic primary race have dwarfed that of every nominating contest in U.S. history.
And the money now pouring into the campaigns means that, as long as the race continues, voters in the remaining primaries and caucuses are about to be barraged by intense campaign ads.
It is also a testament to the high level of interest in the race, with stunning numbers of individual donors flocking to participate not just at rallies and at the polls but with their pocketbooks.
At the Clinton camp, the fundraising feat looked like a sign that voters want her to continue her campaign, despite the fact that Obama has won 11 nominating contests in a row and has pulled ahead of her in national polls.
Compared with the $14 million she raised in January, Clinton said Thursday, the new figure “says a lot.”
“I believe the people demonstrate their support for a candidate a number of ways,” she said. “When people found out we didn’t have the resources to compete and I did put my own money in, it just set off a chain reaction across the country — hundreds of thousands of people saying, ‘Wait a minute. We want this campaign to go on.’ “
She gained 200,000 new donors in a month, she said, as she prepared for fundraisers late Thursday and on Friday.
She also planned to use south Texas visits by former Cabinet member Henry Cisneros and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to help her court Hispanic voters. As the full-court press continued, an aide to Clinton said that, even if she wins both Ohio and Texas on Tuesday, it won’t substantially narrow the delegate margin between her and Obama.
Skipping stump speeches
At the Obama camp, officials said this week that they had crossed the 1 million mark in the number of individual donors, many of whom made donations in $25 and $50 increments.
But in a chat with reporters during a flight from Austin to Beaumont, Texas, Obama said he isn’t counting Clinton out of the fight.
Obama campaigned across Texas, conducting two town hall meetings and one rally, with more events planned for Friday before he heads to Rhode Island and Ohio.
Aides said they were trying to lower the volume and crowd size at the town hall events in hopes of giving voters a chance to get to know Obama in a more intimate, issues-oriented setting. At his first event Thursday, for instance, they turned off the music and Obama skipped his inspirational stump speech in favor of an extended question-and-answer period.
But the crowd at a Beaumont theater later Thursday responded to him so enthusiastically that he went off on an unusual, extended riff about how parents should treat their children.
Parents should make their children do their homework and eat a good breakfast, and not one from Popeye’s Chicken, he said, to laughter and applause.
Even as Obama’s campaign was hoping for a $50 million month in February fundraising, he said he wasn’t in on the specifics and that he didn’t even know if he would rake in more money than he did in January. The $50 million is about half as much as he raised in 2007.
“I have no idea how much money we’ve raised, but I know we’ve been paying our bills,” Obama said. “I think we’ve done fairly well.”
Many of the details of the new fundraising record are unclear, including which portions of the money can be used in the primary and which are earmarked for the general election.
‘Long way’ from over
Whichever candidate doesn’t win the nomination can refund campaign donations to contributors. Also, one Federal Election Commission advisory suggests leftover money could be used for a future Senate campaign or transferred to the Democratic National Committee for the general election.
The infusion of cash means that the Clinton campaign is not folding its tent, even though Obama seems by some standards to be closing in on the nomination.
“If you read the press or watch the television, you would think this race is over,” said Harold Ickes, a top Clinton adviser. “It’s a long way from that.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Calls for Grand Jury to Weigh Contempt Charges Against Bush Aides
AP News
Lara Jakes Jordan
Feb 28, 2008 22:43 EST
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the Justice Department on Thursday to open a grand jury investigation into whether President Bush’s chief of staff and former counsel should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress.
Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded that the department pursue misdemeanor charges against former White House counsel Harriet Miers for refusing to testify to Congress about the firings of federal prosecutors in 2006 and against chief of staff Josh Bolten for failing to turn over White House documents related to the dismissals.
She gave Attorney General Michael Mukasey one week to respond and said refusal to take the matter to a grand jury will result in the House’s filing a civil lawsuit against the Bush administration.
The White House branded the request as “truly contemptible.” The Justice Department said it had received Pelosi’s request and anticipated providing further guidance after Mukasey’s review. It noted “long-standing department precedent” in such cases against letting a U.S. attorney refer a congressional contempt citation to a grand jury or prosecute an executive branch. The top House Republican called it “a partisan political stunt” and “a complete waste of time,” according to a spokesman.
The Democratic-controlled House voted two weeks ago to hold Bolten and Miers in contempt for failing to cooperate with committee investigations.
“There is no authority by which persons may wholly ignore a subpoena and fail to appear as directed because a president unilaterally instructs them to do so,” Pelosi wrote Mukasey. She noted that Congress subpoenaed Miers to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating the firings.
“Surely, your department would not tolerate that type of action if the witness were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury,” Pelosi wrote.
She added: “Short of a formal assertion of executive privilege, which cannot be made in this case, there is no authority that permits a president to advise anyone to ignore a duly issued congressional subpoena for documents.”
Pelosi sent an additional letter to U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor, the chief federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, whose office would oversee the grand jury. The letters point to sections of federal law that require the Justice Department to bring the House contempt citations before a grand jury to investigate.
At the White House, spokesman Tony Fratto said House Democrats “have been trying to redefine the notion of contempt and they succeeded.”
Both Fratto and House GOP leader John Boehner said the House should focus on passing legislation allowing the government to more easily eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists.
“Rather than passing critical national security legislation, they continue to squander time on partisan hijinx,” Fratto said. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said “this sort of pandering to the left-wing fever swamps of loony liberal activists does nothing to make America safer.”
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, said he hoped Pelosi’s demand would spur the department to “put the partisan manipulation of our system of justice behind it” and take the issue to a grand jury. “To do otherwise would turn on its head the notion that we are all equally accountable under the law,” said Conyers, D-Mich.
But the department told the House leadership last July that it generally would not let a U.S. attorney make a grand jury referral or prosecute executive branch officials when they followed a president’s instruction and invoked a claim of executive privilege before a congressional committee, spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.
The letter was the latest chapter in a yearlong saga that began with the firings of nine federal prosecutors and led to Alberto Gonzales’ resignation as attorney general last August.
The House voted 223-32 this month to hold Miers and Bolten in contempt for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into whether the prosecutors’ firings were politically motivated. Angry Republicans boycotted the vote and staged a walkout in an unusually bitter scene even for the fractious House.
At the time, the Bush administration was no less harsh, saying the information sought by the House was off-limits under executive privilege and that Bolten and Miers were immune from prosecution.
It was the first time in 25 years that a full chamber of Congress voted on a contempt of Congress citation. The White House pointed out that it was the first time that such action had been taken against top White House officials who had been instructed by the president to remain silent to preserve executive privilege.
___
Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.
Clinton Aides Threatened Lawsuit Over Caucus Process: McClatchy is reporting that the Clinton officials suggested they would sue the Texas Democratic Party over the state’s complicated caucus system:
Democratic sources said both campaigns have made it clear that they might consider legal options over the complicated delegate selection process, which includes both a popular vote and evening caucuses. But the sources made it clear that the Clinton campaign in particular had warned of an impending lawsuit.
“Both campaigns have made it clear that they would go there if they had to, but I think the imminent threat is coming from one campaign,’’ said one top Democratic official, referring to the Clinton campaign. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another Democratic official who was privvy to the discussions confirmed that Clinton representatives made veiled threats in a telephone call this week.
Insider Poll: Hillary Leads: A new poll today has Hillary reclaiming a lead she lost earlier this week, with most of the difference coming in a drop in Obama’s numbers:
After a poll two three days ago showing Obama taking the lead in Texas, Insider Advantage has a new poll out in the Lone Star state showing (February 27, 591 Dem LV, MoE 4.0%) him falling back and Clinton retaking the lead:
Clinton 47 (+1)
Obama 43 (-4)
Undecided 10 (+3)
Rasmussen Poll: Obama Takes Lead: Obama has taken a 4-point lead in Texas, albeit with a large number of undecided voters:
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows Obama attracting 48% of the vote while Clinton earns 44%. Eight percent (8%) remain undecided and another 12% say it’s possible they could change their mind. That latter figure includes 3% who say there’s a good chance they could change their mind.
Clinton Fans Form 527: A group of Clinton supporters have started a group to defend attacks on both Democratic candidates:
With about a week to go before the critical Democratic presidential primary in Texas, several supporters of Senator Clinton have formed a new political organization in the state promising to tackle explosive issues of race and gender in the campaign for the White House.
“We believe that America’s progress is dependent on providing real solutions to the challenges facing America today and tomorrow regardless of our President’s race or gender,” the fledgling group, Americans for Progress, declares on its Web site, americansforprogress.org, which is under construction. “As a group of Multi-Cultural men we intend to ensure that gender and racial bias do not consume the hearts and minds of the American people. We stand on a platform that neutralizes the forces of gender and race bigotry so Americans can focus on the issues.”
MoveOn Plans Phone Barrage: MoveOn is planning a massive phone-banking the weekend before Texas’ primary:
Texans who’ve made up their minds between the two Democratic presidential contenders, who don’t want to hear anything more about the campaign or who simply don’t care to chat with strangers best head for the hills this Sunday.
That’s because the political arm of MoveOn.org, the liberal online advocacy group that is nothing if not energetic, plans to swamp the state with telephone phone calls that day urging support for their candidate of choice, Barack Obama.
Houston Superdelegate Switches Endorsement: Another superdelegate has defected from Hillary Clinton:
Democratic superdelegate and state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, of Houston, defected from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign on Wednesday and joined a growing list of superdelegates to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president, his campaign said.
“I’m honored to have earned the support of Representative Thompson and am pleased that she’ll play an important role in advancing our grassroots movement for change in Houston and across Texas,” Obama said in a statement. “Throughout her three decades in the Legislature, she’s been a tireless advocate for working families and when I’m president we’ll work together to put the American dream within reach of every child in Texas and across our country.”
Former Texas Governor Endorses Obama:
One of only a few members of a Democratic establishment in Texas has made his decision:
Houston lawyer Mark White, one of the two surviving Democratic governors of Texas, says he’s endorsing Barack Obama for president today because he’s “essentially become America’s candidate. You see people from all walks of life, rich and poor, every color reflected, every ethnicity. There’s enthusiasm, hope. He will not only be nominated, he will be elected president. He will be America’s president.”
Chelsea Clinton Calls Texas Must-Win: Chelsea confirmed her father’s opinion in Lubbock:
Speaking at Texas Tech in Lubbock tonight, Chelsea Clinton was asked if she agrees with her father’s recent comments in Beaumont about Texas and Ohio being must win states.
“I think we do have to win in Texas,” Chelsea said. “And I think we will win in Texas if we work hard.”
SUSA Poll: Obama Now Ahead: “In a Democratic Primary in Texas today, 02/25/08, 8 days till votes are counted, Barack Obama moves ever-so-slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton, though at the edge of the margin of sampling error… Today, it’s Obama 49%, Clinton 45%.
Compared to a SurveyUSA tracking poll released one week ago, Obama is up 4 points, Clinton is down 5 points.
Among Hispanic voters, Clinton led by 33 points last week, leads by 13 points today.
Among women, Clinton had led by 27, now by 11.
Among voters younger than Barack Obama, Obama had led by 6, now by 22.
In North Texas (which includes Dallas and Fort Worth), Clinton had led by 2, now trails by 19.
In East Texas (which includes Houston), Obama had led by 5, now leads by 18.
Among registered Democrats, Clinton had led by 14, now by 2.
Among voters focused on the Economy, Clinton had led by 5, now trails by 11.
Among those who attend religious services regularly, Clinton had led by 7, now trails by 15.
Among Pro-Life voters, Clinton had led by 1, now trails by 14.
Among seniors, Liberals, voters in Central Texas, South Texas and West Texas, Clinton’s support is holding.
Latest CNN Poll In Texas: Obama has a four-point lead, 50% to 46%:
In the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Monday, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters said Obama is their choice for the party’s nominee, while 46 percent backed Clinton.
But taking into account the poll’s sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for Democratic respondents, the race is a virtual tie.
Latest Rasmussen Poll In Texas: Clinton clings to a one-point lead over Obama, 46% to 45%:
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Texas finds Senator Hillary Clinton clinging to a one-point lead over Senator Barack Obama. With just over a week to go, it’s Clinton 46% Obama 45%. Nine percent (9%) of voters remain undecided and another 14% say it’s possible they could still change their mind.
Last week, Clinton led Obama by three percentage points. The week before, she had a sixteen-point advantage.
Texas Dems Outvoting GOP 3-1 - After three days of early voting, Texas Dems are outvoting Republicans in 14 of the state’s 15 largest counties:
What is different about this election—and the early vote reflects it—is the intensity of the interest. The overwhelming unpopularity of George W. Bush and everything his presidency represented is driving the turnout nationally and in Texas, and here you can add contempt for the Perry-Dewhurst-Craddick leadership. Whether voters actually absorbed the knowledge that this is the first election with no heir-apparent or just sensed it as part of the zeitgeist, they are driven to make a clean break with the past and have a personal stake in rejecting Bush. I don’t think it matters what these new voters’ history was—whether they were non-voters or just general election voters or onetime Reagan Democrats coming home. They are voters now. Even if they are Republicans, they are most likely the moderates who didn’t vote in primaries. And they will make the Republican primary more moderate.
University Of Texas Student Paper Backs Clinton: The Daily Texan:
As voters, we’re often torn between our hearts and our minds when making crucial decisions concerning the welfare of the country. This endorsement is no different.
In the past year, we have been entranced by the powerful timbre of Barack Obama’s voice. We have felt our hearts soar with each progressive idea he has put forth, especially his call for youth action and enrollment in public service programs. But we do not think he is the wisest choice for president. George W. Bush has made a mess of America, and we believe Hillary Clinton is the best person to clean it up. She is prepared and willing to be a leader who is “a lot less hat and a lot more cattle,” as she stated during Thursday night’s debate.
New Clinton Ad:
Obama Security Lapse (2/22): Dallas police officers are complaining about the decision to stop weapons screening at an Obama rally of 17,000 people: Security details at Barack Obama’s rally Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena. The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security.
Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police Department’s homeland security and special operations divisions, said the order—apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service—was meant to speed up the long lines outside and fill the arena’s vacant seats before Obama came on.
Viva Obama! A video by Obama supporters:
Poll: Clinton Leads By One Point (2/21): A new poll from NBC’s KXAN affiliate in Texas:
The War in Iraq has dropped from the number one determing factor for voters. The economy is at the top of the list for supporters of Clinton, McCain and Paul. Immigration tops the list for supporters of Huckabee and Affecting Change in Washington is the top reason voters support Obama.
The race for the Democratic nomination is too close to call. The large percentage of “undecided” voters give even more weight to the CNN debates Thursday evening. As Senators Clinton and Obama both tour Texas, they will be reaching out to the undecideds to close the gap.
If the election were held today, who would you vote for? Democrats:
Clinton 46%
Obama 45%
Undecided 9%
Margin of error: +/- 4%
Early Voting Up 1000 Percent (2/21): Democrats are turning out in large numbers to cast their votes early in this year’s primary:
Turnout on the first day of early voting was up all across Texas, according to initial numbers from the Secretary of State’s office. But Houston and Dallas were off the charts—the numbers show a 10-fold increase over 2004. In Harris County four years ago, only 728 people showed up for the Democratic primary on the first day of early voting. Yesterday it was 9,243.
In Dallas, the first-day turnout jumped from 913 in 2004 to 8,615 yesterday. That would seem good news for Obama. Other urban counties such as Travis (Austin) and Bexar (San Antonio) showed six-fold increases. In El Paso, it tripled.
Turnout was up too in the Rio Grande Valley, an expected Clinton stronghold, but the increase wasn’t as dramatic. In Hidalgo County, the number of voters rose from 3,858 (2004) to 5,793 (2008).
David Plouffe, the Obama campaign manager, told Texas reporters this afternoon on a conference call that the campaign has emphasized ushering supporters to the polls early and was very encouraged by the early voting numbers so far. Early voting ends Feb. 29.
Clinton Has Trouble Packing The House: “Hillary Clinton arrived to a much smaller crowd at rally at Dodge Arena this evening, compared to just one week ago at a rally in El Paso where Clinton drew over 10,000 people to the University of Texas. But in Hidalgo, where the arena seats 6,800 in a concert setting, the attendance was much less than that and made painfully obvious by the several hundred seats that were empty.”
Candidates Wooing Hispanics: The Austin American-Statesman reports that Texas’ Hispanic community is still largely up for grabs, and Hillary Clinton pushed hard for their vote during a rally Thursday in Laredo.
Politico reports that Hispanics are “playing hard to get.”
The problem for Obama—and for Clinton as well, to some degree—is that the Latino community in Texas is so complex and diverse that it makes a targeted appeal (or pander) a very tricky business.
In other words, reaching these voters is not as simple as tossing around a few words in Spanish.
“If you are not Hispanic, my advice to candidates would be, ‘Don’t do it. It’s not you,’” said Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas), who represents a San Antonio congressional district previously held by his father. “Hispanics appreciate some Spanish, but not necessarily so.”
For the Obama campaign, there are generational distinctions to make among Hispanic voters, stylistic differences to account for and even ideological and racial divides to be bridged. On top of all that, there is the matter of keeping Hispanic voters involved in the critical but convoluted weeks-long state delegate selection process.
Setting The Stakes (2/21): Bill Clinton has painted Texas as a crucial win for his wife’s campaign, as she courts small towns across Texas. Obama, on the other hand, is focusing on larger venues like Dallas and Houston:
Clinton is hugging the border so far in her Texas campaign in the hopes of securing the bulk of Hispanic votes, which make up to half the Democratic voting population in Texas. But in doing so in small cities, she’s drawing smaller crowds than Obama, who’s drawing tens of thousands of people at sports arena rallies in Dallas and Houston.
Former President Bill Clinton put the stakes of the March 4 votes at an appearance in Beaumont earlier Wednesday. “If she wins in Texas and Ohio, I think she’ll be the nominee,” he told a crowd. “If you don’t deliver for her, I don’t think she can be.”
Texas’s delegate-awarding system gives more delegates in areas with good voter turnout records. The Rio Grande Valley’s turnout lags behind more urban areas in the north, so Clinton could win the primary vote but still not win a proportional share of the delegates from Hispanic areas.
Obama and Clinton debate Thursday in Austin then Obama makes his first visit to the Valley with a stop in Edinburg Friday.
U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy campaigned for him there Wednesday and Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa and Edinburg Mayor Pro-Tem Gus Garcia endorsed Obama. Obama rallied in Dallas earlier Wednesday, after stops in Houston and San Antonio Tuesday.
Hillary’s “Vote Early” Ad (2/21): Hillary’s ad targeting Latinos in Texas is encouraging them to vote early in the primary:
Hillary Clinton has this new ad running in Texas, aimed at the Latino community and asking people to vote early for “our friend.” The ad is running in both English and Spanish.
Interestingly, the ad doesn’t talk about issues or tell the viewers anything compelling about Hillary—it’s entirely about the logistical process of how to go vote for her. And on top of that it stars Henry Cisneros, who in 1999 pled guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI, and was then pardoned by Bill Clinton in January 2001.
Texas Congressman Backs Obama (2/20): “Congressman Lloyd Doggett announced Wednesday that he endorses Senator Barack Obama for president. Doggett is a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.”
“When he stands up, all the world will know that America really has changed, that the disastrous policies of the last eight years have ended,” Doggett said in a media release.
He represents the 25th District of Texas. It includes Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties and part of Travis County, including Austin.
“My decision is not based on what is wrong with another candidate, but what is right with him,” Doggett said.
Hillary’s Ground Team (2/19): Aides to the Hillary Clinton announced that the campaign has 4,000 precinct captains:
The campaign has 20 offices open with 4,000 precinct captains recruited.
Clinton’s Texas state director, Ace Smith, said that the campaign “intends to beat Obama” among young voters in the state, just as they did in California.
Smith predicted the campaign would win both the “primary” portion of the Texas vote and the “caucus” portion because all caucus goers are required to have voted in the primaries.
Clinton Highlights Support For Expanded Oil Drilling (2/19): MyDD blogger Texas Nate notes, “In a bright contrast to the tough talk about reigning in the oil companies she did in New Hampshire, Clinton is now making nice with the oil companies.”
Clinton said her White House agenda would include environmentally friendly policies that would create millions of jobs. But she said the plan “also recognizes the continuing vital role of the oil and gas industry,” another huge Houston-area employer.
She said she voted for legislation to expand oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico because she backs such projects that have local support and are environmentally sound. Obama voted against, she added.
“I think on that issue alone, I should be able to make a strong case to the energy community” for support, the New York senator said.
Clinton added that energy companies have to be part of a national push for conservation and cleaner energy sources.
Hillary Holds Five-Point Lead (2/19): Survey USA’s poll, released today, has Hillary Clinton holding a five-point lead over rival Barack Obama:
Hillary Clinton: 50%
Barack Obama: 45%
Dems Tied In CNN Poll (2/18):A poll released today finds Hillary Clinton’s lead nearly erased in Texas, one of the two states where she is staking her campaign’s viability:
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll suggests the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination between Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois is a statistical dead heat in Texas, which holds primaries March 4.
In the survey, out Monday, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Clinton as their choice for the party’s nominee, with 48 percent backing Obama.
But taking into account the poll’s sampling error of plus or minus 4½ percentage points for Democratic respondents, the race is a virtual tie.
Two recent polls by other organizations also show the race statistically even.
Texas Attorney General Endorses Clinton (2/18): Not to be outdone, Hillary announced her endorsement from former Congressman and Texas Attorney
General Jim Mattox (D-TX):
“In Texas we have a phrase, ‘she’s earned her spurs.’ Hillary has spent more than 35 years earning her spurs and she is the best leader for our country,” said General Mattox. “Whether working for universal health care or passing legislation to protect our nation’s veterans, Hillary has spent a lifetime fighting for the American people. Hillary does more than just deliver beautiful speeches, she delivers results.”
Texas Rep. Endorses Obama (2/18):
Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX)—whose district is the most Republican district in the nation that is represented by a Democrat—has endorsed Barack Obama:
Edwards is chairman of the House subcommittee on military construction and veterans affairs. He said he has “spent most of my adult life fighting for veterans and for military troops and their families,” and is convinced Obama will champion them as well.
The day Texas holds its primary, Edwards is scheduled to receive a Veterans of Foreign Wars award given annually to one member of Congress.
Texas System Worries Clinton Camp (2/18): ”Supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are worried that convoluted delegate rules in Texas could water down the impact of strong support for her among Hispanic voters there, creating a new obstacle for her in the must-win presidential primary contest,” the Washington Post reports.
Several top Clinton strategists and fundraisers became alarmed after learning of the state’s unusual provisions during a closed-door strategy meeting this month, according to one person who attended.
What Clinton aides discovered is that in certain targeted districts, such as Democratic state Sen. Juan Hinojosa’s heavily Hispanic Senate district in the Rio Grande Valley, Clinton could win an overwhelming majority of votes but gain only a small edge in delegates. At the same time, a win in the more urban districts in Dallas and Houston—where Sen. Barack Obama expects to receive significant support—could yield three or four times as many delegates.
“What it means is, she could win the popular vote and still lose the race for delegates,” Hinojosa said yesterday. “This system does not necessarily represent the opinions of the population, and that is a serious problem.”
The disparity in delegate distribution is just one of the unusual aspects of Texas’s complex system for apportioning delegates. The scheme has been in use for two decades but is coming under increased scrutiny because the March 4 presidential contest is the first in years that gives the state a potentially decisive voice in choosing the party’s nominee.
As ABC’s Jake Tapper notes, Texas bloggers are mocking the Clinton campaign for only just realizing these rules, which have been in place for some time.
Here’s TX blogger Publius: Good lord, let’s see if I have this right. The Clinton campaign decides to cede every post-Super Tuesday state to Obama under the theory that Texas and Ohio will be strong firewalls. After - after - implementing this Rudy-esque strategy, they ‘discovered’ that the archaic Texas rules will almost certainly result in a split delegate count (at best).
While they were busy ‘discovering’ the rules, however, the Obama campaign had people on the ground in Texas explaining the system, organizing precincts, and making Powerpoints. I know because I went to one of these meetings a week ago. I should have invited Mark Penn I suppose. (ed. Maybe foresight is an obsolete macrotrend.)
Clinton’s Texas Roots: “When the Texas primary campaign begins in earnest after Tuesday’s vote in Wisconsin, Obama will find stories such as this [local Texas officials siding with Clinton] all over the Lone Star State. From her incidental connections...described from the 1992 campaign, to deep friendships formed working in Texas during the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern, to acquaintances gained from multiple visits over the past decades, Clinton is rooted in Texas as she is in few other states.”
Miscellaneous News (2/18): “Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera stumps for Hillary in Texas. Dallas’ delegate rich district could decide the Texas race, and here’s why.
Obama Could Lose Popular Vote But Win Most Delegates: The Dallas Morning News notes that, because the number of delegates per district are decided by the turnout in the last election, when African American turnout was high, Obama could lose the popular vote in Texas but win the most delegates:
As it happens, the state Senate districts with the most delegates - Austin, Houston and Dallas - are all seen as prime Obama territory.
As a result of that and other quirks in the process, it is possible that even if Mrs. Clinton wins the popular vote on March 4 - and declares victory that evening - Mr. Obama could actually come away with more delegates.
Can Texas Latinos Save Hillary? Newsweek investigates.
Volunteers Turn Out For Hillary: Over 1100 volunteers dropped by the Hillary Clinton headquarters in Austin on Saturday, according to a Clinton campaign Texas director.
Houston Chronicle Endorses Obama: The paper argues that policy-wise, there is little difference between the candidates. However, on the issue of leadership: He offers a historic opportunity to elevate national political dialogue to a higher ground. Those who insist on vitriol and obstructionism would be marginalized.
Obama Lands Endorsement Of Austin Mayor: Mayor Will Wynn mentioned the candidates’ energy policy as a major factor in his endorsement:
“For too long, we’ve allowed old divisions to hold us back,” Wynn said. “Recently I’ve had conversations about energy policy with presidential candidates from both parties, and I believe Senator Obama is the only person who can move us forward on this critical issue.
“Barack Obama gets it. He offers a commitment to confront our energy challenges in ways that will unite our country, help our economy flourish and protect our planet and national security for the next generation and beyond.”
Record Turnout Expected: The Texas Democratic Party is expecting a voter turnout somewhere around 2 million people:
State party chairman Boyd Richie predicted Democratic turnout would exceed the modern record of 1.8 million voters in the 1988 presidential primary. The past two Texas presidential primaries have drawn around 800,000 Democrats each.
“I will be shocked and stunned if it isn’t a new record for Texas,” said Richie, who also expects unprecedented participation in precinct caucuses after the polls close. “We’re seeing excitement like we’ve never seen before.”
Obama’s Texas Test: The Washington Post’s Dan Balz argues that Texas represents Obama big chance to prove that he can win over Latino voters, a block that will be important in a general election:
The Latino community is a critical piece of any Democratic candidate’s general election calculations. Against John McCain, who has championed comprehensive immigration reform to his detriment in the Republican primaries, the Democratic nominee will face an opponent who begins the general election with a credible chance of holding a solid minority of the Hispanic vote.
President Bush made significant inroads in the Latino community in his reelection campaign four years ago, and while there is evidence that the immigration debate has hurt Republicans with Latino voters, McCain may be able to escape the fallout from some of the angriest anti-illegal immigration rhetoric and compete for those voters.
Ground forces: Obama will open ten new state offices in Texas on February 16th.
Polls for 2/15: Hillary Clinton is leading in three of four polls released today, with a margin of victory ranging from 7-16%.
Understanding Texas: Texas combines both a primary and a caucus, where delegates are awarded according to results in each contest. Marc Ambinder explains how it will work on primacaucus day.
AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party warned Thursday that election night caucuses scheduled for Tuesday could be delayed or disrupted after aides to Hillary Rodham Clinton threatened to sue over the party’s complicated delegate selection process.
In a letter sent out late Thursday to both the Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns, Texas Democratic Party lawyer Chad Dunn warned a lawsuit could ruin the Democrats’ effort to re-energize voters just as they are turning out in record numbers.
Spokesmen for both campaigns said there were no plans to sue ahead of the March 4 election.
“It has been brought to my attention that one or both of your campaigns may already be planning or intending to pursue litigation against the Texas Democratic Party,” Dunn wrote in the letter, obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Such action could prove to be a tragedy for a reinvigorated Democratic process.”
Democratic sources said both campaigns have made it clear that they might consider legal options over the complicated delegate selection process, which includes both a popular vote and evening caucuses. But the sources made it clear that the Clinton campaign in particular had warned of an impending lawsuit.
“Both campaigns have made it clear that they would go there if they had to, but I think the imminent threat is coming from one campaign,” said one top Democratic official, referring to the Clinton campaign. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another Democratic official who was privy to the discussions confirmed Clinton representatives made veiled threats in a telephone call this week.
“Officials from Sen. Clinton’s campaign at several times throughout the call raised the specter of ‘challenging the process,’ “ the official said.
The source, who asked not to be identified, said Clinton’s political director, Guy Cecil, had forcefully raised the possibility of a courtroom battle.
But Adrienne Elrod, Clinton’s top Texas spokeswoman, said campaign and party officials had merely discussed election night procedures and that the campaign was merely seeking a written agreement in advance.
McCain Rated As America’s Worst Senator For Children
ThinkProgress.org, 02/27/08
Today, the Children’s Defense Fund Action Council released its 2007 Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard. CDF reports some positive news, particularly that average scores for members of Congress “improved from the previous three years with more Members scoring 100 percent than in 2004, 2005 or 2006.�
Many, however, did not fare so well. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) received a 10 percent rating — the worst in the U.S. Senate.
CDF ranked members on 10 votes affecting children:
1. Increase minimum wage (H.R. 2)
2. Increase funding for children with disabilities (S. Con. Res. 21)
3. Protect children from unsafe medications (S. 1082)
4. 2008 Budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 21)
5. SCHIP Reauthorization (H.R. 976)
6. College Cost Reduction and Access Act (H.R. 2669)
7. SCHIP (H.R. 976 - motion to concur)
8. DREAM Act (S. 2205)
9. Funding child health and education (H.R. 3043)
10. Improving Head Start programs (H.R. 1429)
McCain has missed 57 percent of Senate votes this session, being absent or voting “present� for 8 out of 10 children-related votes. McCain voted “yes� to increase the minimum wage; his only other vote was voting “no� on SCHIP reauthorization on Aug. 2, 2007:
Furthermore, the rankings weren’t divided by party. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Gordon Smith (R-OR) received strong 70 percent rankings.
McCain’s CDF score has steadily declined over the years. In 2004, he received a 38 percent; in 2005, 22 percent; in 2006, 10 percent.
![[PDA - Progressive Democrats of America - Stand Up. Take Action. Vote.]](http://pdamerica.org/images/ads/pdalink-150x200.gif)
