Speaking before a crowd of about a hundred Democrats at a fundraiser yesterday, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (WA-06) reportedly said that if Hillary Clinton wins “big” in today’s Pennsylvania primary, he believes the nominating contest will go all the way to the convention, but… if she does not win big — and given the current polling he has no expectation that she will — there would be no way the math could work for her, and he’d flip his endorsement to Barack Obama in order to help end the contest sooner rather than later.
Dicks did not provide details, but he left the impression with attendees that he has discussed this scenario with several of his fellow Congressional superdelegates, and that he is alone in neither his analysis nor his intentions.
So think of Dicks as the canary in the coal mine of the Clinton campaign; if he flips, other superdelegates will likely flip with him. And that would signal the end of Clinton’s presidential ambitions.
Wow.
I wonder if it’ll be a precedent.
More like a waterfall.
Roger Rabbit News Quiz
Large oilfields were recently discovered in Brazilian deep offshore waters. Some Brazilian officials have hinted this fields may contain as much oil as the North Sea. Are you ready for the news quiz? Here we goooo …
1. How much does it cost to drill one (1) oilwell in these new Brazilian fields?
[ ] a. $550,000
[ ] b. $1 million
[ ] c. $20 million
[ ] d. $240 million
2. The oil from these fields will be
[ ] a. cheap
[ ] b. expensive
No peeking now! http://www.economist.com/opini.....d=11049391
The Answer Below …
a. $550,000? Are you kidding? That only buys 12 lineal inches of 520 bridge. Don’t ask me why; I have no idea how they manage to spend over $45,000 an inch on concrete pontoons. I remember when you could buy a pretty nice house in this town for that kind of money. 1 fucking inch of bridge for what a house used to cost? There must be graft in there somewhere.
b. $1 million will get you 10 feet of light rail tunnel between U. District and Northgate. In other words, it would cost $5 million to tunnel under a house on a 50 foot wide lot — so why don’t they just buy the fucking house for $400,000 or so and lay the rails across the front yard?
c. For $20 million you can take a really cool ride on a Russian spaceflight. Not necessarily roundtrip, though. I mean, how much rocket do you think a measly $20 million can buy these days?
d. For $240 million, you might be able to build 100 parking spaces at the Nortgate light rail station, or drill 1 Brazilian oilwell. And it takes a lot of oilwells — dozens, if not hundreds — to get several million barrels of oil a day out of the ground. Forget about ever paying $1.499 for gas, ever again.
The force willing, with help from the deity of democracy, tonight Clinton will do poorly enough that this stupid campaign of sheer egotism will end.
When and if that happens Sens. Obama and McCain have a unique opportunity to take a pledge of honest campaigning. There are mnay ways they could achieve this and ultimately the media and public will judge but, after Hillary’s demonstration that Rovism is alive in 08 and McCain’s direct experience with the master’s work in 00, these two could make history!
SeattleJew: You lefties were warned of Heilary back in 1992. I am shocked you call it Rovism when she showed the world back in 1992 how scorching the earth works with the women Bill scorned.
Why do you blame it all on Rove? I of all people expect better of you!
SJ–
How in the world does a Chicago-bred politician (O-blah-blah) run an “honest” Campaign?? The problem with O-blah-blah is he doesn’t even know his affiliations (lke Rezko) are dishonest!
O-blah-blah has shown us all he has a veneer cheap & thin like a Wal-Mart End Table.
A whole lot of folks don’t like what they see under that cheap veneer.
Chillary is what she is. A chronic liar & Socialist. O-blah-blah is a wolf dressed in cheap veneer.
Blaming things on Rove & Bush won’t cut it anymore. They ain’t runnin’.
Poor Mr. cynical:
McCain is a corrupt potitician – check out the latest in the NYT on his Arizona dealings. He also has an unmanagable temper (punched out the congressman from Arizona) and can’t even keep foreign policy straight – (has made the same mistake about sunnis and shias at least three times after being corrected and keeps saying Iran (who he wants to bomb) supports sunni terrorists). The guy is incompetent, admits to iknowing nothing about the economy and continues to shill for bush and war. What a pathetic candidate.
Your stuff on Obama is weak – Rezko is old news and completely refuted. Basically, all you have on Obama is name calling – nothing of substance. Wait until the debates with McCain – he is old, tired and can’t say more than “my friends” ….he is going down big time. His supposed experience will show through as a lack of knowledge and a bad temper – we don’t need that (imagine a tired McCain at 3 in the morning raging at the damn russians waking him up – and pressing the Nuke button) or his corruption and ties to lobbyists. Sad.
Hmmm….Dicks is flip flopping? NO! Couldn’t be? Hopefully once today is over, we will have the dem nominee in Obama and the campaign can actually begin. I hope and think, between Obama and McCain, we may actually have a decent (little slander and lies) campaign. Hillary better step aside unless by some miracle she wins by a landslide.
Here is the latest:
Bush is now at a record for disapproval – 68% of americans think he is doing a lousy job. Only 28% percent approve. This on top of the news that the pentagon recruited generals to hype the war in Iraq and pretend to be unbiased retired military.
Corruption and ineptness – magnified and amplified by the Bush team.
Where are all the Bush supporters and people who voted for the worst president ever?
We have:
record budget deficits
record trade deficits
record weak economy
record gas prices
unemployment is going up again
record tax cuts for the rich
Not to mention over 3 trillion spent for an unnecessary war that has made us less safe.
Talked to my sister in Harrisburg on Saturday. Actually, she called me – the took the phone off the hook a couple of days before that, said they were recieving about ten phone calls a day, either from the Clinton camp, the Obama camp, or pollsters.
Funny thing is, they usually vote Republican. So I told them to just tell the pollsters they were voting for Buchanan, that should confuse them.
Julie Nixon Eisenhower has given the maximum primary donation ($2300) to Obama. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Note to proud leftist, who reports that:
So too has local boy — and, I note on Earth Day, the very first EPA Administrator — Bill Ruckelshaus.
What the two of them have in common (aside from supporting Obama) is that they’re “old school” Republicans, from the antedeluvian days before Reagan, Gingrich, DeLay, Bush, et al. destroyed whatever good will and good name the Grand Old Party once possessed.
IOW, it’s a good thing.
N @ 13
It is a beautiful thing to watch the disintegration of the GOP, isn’t it? About all that’s left of the party is cranks and crazies. As a man of good will, I’m willing to bury the hatchet and attend the party’s memorial service.
I was at this event and nothing like what has been reported here took place. Dick’s at no point intimated that he would switch his vote. Whoever your source is was wrong.
13: Okay, that one floored me – considering her father, I would never have expected her to give that much support to a Democrat.
But on the other hand, I’m sure that Dwight Eisenhower (her husband’s father)would have been completely disgusted with the modern-day Republican Party. Remember his farewell speech, and his warnings against the rising influence of the military-industrial complex?
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
Source: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/ike.htm
Dick Cheney is the embodiment of everything Eisenhower warned us against.
By the way, saw this picture online today, of a re-enactor of a Civil War Union soldier, posing with two kids. I thought it was rather thought-provoking.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/ar.....mgID=24501
– Via Peggy Noonan, WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html
And when President John McCain is sworn in, maybe Norm Dicks will accept his share of the blame.
Barack Obama is the least-qualified candidate in the history of the Democratic Party.
19: “Barack Obama is the least-qualified candidate in the history of the Democratic Party.”
Why are you Hillary supporters so berating of Obama? He is the most inspiring presidential candidate I have observed in my nearly 50 years. The last thing this nation needs is the automatic baggage that would come with another Clinton presidency. Hillary, who was way out in front before the primaries started, has run a very poor campaign. What does that say about her qualifications? John McCain will not win. He’s too old, empty, and angry. Obama will make an excellent president.
10. correctnotright spews:
Here is the latest:
Bush is now at a record for disapproval – 68% of americans think he is doing a lousy job. Only 28% percent approve.
Gee CNR you intellectually dishonest KLOWN!
You left this part out that was IN THE SAME DAMN ARTICLE!!
” The current 20% Congress job rating is not the lowest in recent years; we recorded an 18% job approval rating for Congress last year.”
The Democratic-controlled Congress is thought of even less favorably than Bush!!
Wake Up. People are sick of the 2 major Political Party’s and the damage they have done.
CNR–
Nice try at dishonesty….CHUMP!
proud leftist @ 20 spews-
“Why are you Hillary supporters so berating of Obama? He is the most inspiring presidential candidate I have observed in my nearly 50 years.”
Inspiring MY ASS!
You KLOWNS are so enamored with an articulate candidate of color that you fail to ask fundamental questions like:
HOW IN THE HELL CAN A CANDIDATE WITH THE MOST LIBERAL VOTING RECORD IN THE SENATE POSSIBLY CONVINCE FOLKS HE IS A “UNITER”???
and HOW DOES A CANDIDATE WITH SUCH POOR JUDGMENT TO SURROUND HIMSELF WITH THE LIKES OF WRIGHT, REZKO AND THAT OTHER KLOWN AVERY OR WHATEVER???
At least with Hillary you know you have someone dishonest who makes no bones about it!!
O-blah-blah has achieved rockstar status because of KLOWNS failing to question his background & voting record & personal affiliations.
Uh, Cynical, Congress is composed of two parties, one of which acts to ensure that Congress gets nothing done. I disapprove of Congress, but that’s because there are too many useless Republican wasting precious air and space. So, your conclusion, as always, fails to reflect reality. Go ahead and try again sometime, though.
The top 10 reason why Barak Obama will be the presidential nominee for the Democrats.
10) BHO has never been out of the lead from Day 1 of the primary season.
9) BHO has won twice as many states than HRC.
8) BHO has more pledged delegates HRC.
7) BHO has garnered more of the popular vote than HRC.
6) BHO has won in key Swing states.
5) BHO has more registered young voters than anyone else (future of the party).
4) BHO has solidified the “minority” vote for the Democrats. America’s landscape has changed and it is no longer predominately “white.”
3) BHO has set the record for the number of individual contributors.
2) BHO has destroyed every matrix of fundraising known to American politics.
And, the number 1 reason Barak will win:
1) BHO IS the CASH COW of the Democratic Party. At age 45 a successful two-term presidency for Barak Obama will mean decades of fundraising that will make anything the Republicans have done look like mere child’s play. So, this is what it’s like to be the Party with all the cash watching the other guys grovel and the doorstep of “public financing.”
You mean like Jack Abramoff??
Yeah, go on, keep fooling yourself. Did you ever wonder that whoever the Democrats put up for a nominee that they ALWAYS have the most LIBERAL voting record?
Do you ever wonder if maybe, just maybe, you’re being fed a giant shit sandwich and it’s your turn to swallow — again.
rhp6033: Needs history lessons aain: “But on the other hand, I’m sure that Dwight Eisenhower (her husband’s father)”
Wrong wrong wrong. He’s the grandson. Where do you get these “facts” from byebyegoober?
Brenda@19: Here is a great read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04.....=permalink
“It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.”
PuddyStudy: This is lost on Brenda’s single celled mind…