Oprah for Obama

Sometime in the Iowa and New Hampshire primary campaigns, Obama went from being another candidate to being a major alternative to Hillary. I hate to raise the issue, but I think I have the answer--Oprah. Yes, I know—or I share the usual male attitude toward her show. It is an endless stream of sappy self help books, anti male rhetoric, and tips on the need to avoid bad hygiene habits by Dr. Oz. But still she has an enormous following among older women, and her support for Obama indirectly tipped the scales at the outset. How? Well, she helped turn out huge crowds, and that gave him the chance to present his message which more and more people came to like. She sold him, and he sold himself. Now the campaign is about him, his character, his readiness, and his rhetoric. Poor Hillary can not get us to focus on public policy, so she gets more frustrated and then sounds shrill.
She can't win because she and Bill are used to going bare knuckled against opponents all their careers. Now she can't do that with Obama--the people don't like her going after him. The latest New York Times poll shows him with a 54-44 margin over Clinton among all Democratic primary voters. Obama's problem is what happens when she is gone and he has to face McCain--a personable warrior who will stress national security experience and his heroic war record.

Obama Leader?

While the New York Times is close to pronouncing Obama the democrats candidate, Hillary looks ahead in Ohio, Pennsylvania, maybe Texas, and likely to get Florida and Michigan in a floor fight. That is a big bloc.

Huckabee is continuing on in part because has nothing else to do. Who wants to go back to hope Arkansas?

Biden is out raising money to pay off his campaign debt. Too bad, he at least had a plan thought out to leave Iraq.

What's With the News?

The conservative Television Fox Channel has decided that Dr. Ron Paul cannot be a part of the upcoming GOP debate for the presidential candidates. It reminds one of when Ron Reagan refused to allow organizers of a debate in 1980 to limit use of a mic. Also why is Paul illegitimate. He has raised more money than most candidates. Fox is apparently troubled by what the old libertarian has to say....

The New York Times is the best newspaper in America. Why then are they not covering the issue differences among Democrat candidates in a lucid way. Also, why in the Sunday Christmas issue was the national section almost totally taken over by advertising for New York city department stores, and why has the new paper with its smaller size and higher price made so many of its pages unreadable with a black streak on the margins. Does anybody proof the paper anymore???

Katie Couric has lost 1.1. million viewers for CBS news in the last year. Part of the problem is that she does not seem to have much of a command of hard news; but a good deal of the problem is that many of us do not go to the three networks for our nightly news. Why? Well, they are 22 minute shows, with endless advertising for eight minutes, and a good deal of the story line is fluff. There are very few stories with any depth, no real follow up on stories from previous nights, few experts who make any sense, lame humor, and almost predictable topics. Truly, Edward R. Morrow is dead. So poor Katie, who is grossly over paid, will be out in a year or so.

The Oracle of Montel Supports Obama

Popular psychic, Sylvia Browne, has predicted that Barack Obama will be nominated president on the Democratic ticket, and that the Democrats will win the White House. Show host Montel Williams was delightfully surprised.

On Primaries and Immigration

The GOP primaries have witnessed a steady stream of anti-immigration and anti-immigrant rhetoric to court the nativists in rural Iowa and isolated New Hampshire. The Democrats capture now 57% of the Hispanic vote as compared to the Republicans’ 23%. The GOP has lost about 13 points since 2006. People, it seems, are listening to the debates on immigration and to the pre-convention politics.