The good news is the Senate confirmed Hillary Clinton as our next Secretary of State, by a vote of 94 to 2. The missing votes are those of Clinton, Kennedy, Colorado's junior Senator and Minnesota's junior Senator.
The bad news for Louisiana is that our junior Sinator's struggle against Clinton garnered exactly one more "nay" vote, that of Jim DeMint of South Carolina. So much for the influence Sinator Vitter wields within his own party.
What is so idiotic and short-sighted about Vitter's vote is that while he's pontificating about the so-called "minefield" of Bill Clinton's Foundation, Bill Clinton has raised more money for Louisiana than any other state in the Union through his charitable efforts ... here's a partial breakdown of the $130.6 million he raised for the Gulf Region in the aftermath of Katrina via the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund:
$30 million was awarded to 38 higher education institutions
$40 million went to non-profits working on reconstruction in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi
$25 million was awarded to 1,151 houses of worship and organizations assisting the faith community
$35.6 million was given to 42 other non-profits for various services
And Vitter just can't get over the GOP's Clinton-bashing excess of the 1990's. Amazing that he even thinks it is a winning strategy, especially given his own peccadilloes.
Well, the Foreign Relations Committee voted to endorse the nomination of Hillary Clinton to be next Secretary of State. The lone no vote? Well, that would belong to our embarassment of a Senator, David Vitter.
The good Sinator ought not to be giving folks advice on ethics ... as he spent some time impugning his own inside the brothels of New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Yet, he believes it is his duty to admonish those who have gone above and beyond what the current ethics rules require in terms of financial disclosure, in regards to the Clintons and Mr. Clinton's foundation.
"Over the recess, Sen. Vitter has had his staff investigate some of the potential conflicts of interest between the secretary of state and her husband's enterprises. He's going to ask her to provide a more substantial explanation."
I wonder how Sinator Vitter would like to have his wife questioned about his enterprises on live television by a partisan as unscrupulous as him. Perhaps we ought to ask Mrs. Vitter for a more "substantial explanation" regarding his extracurricular activities on Bourbon Street and DC brothels.
Folks, what a speech. What a night. As Dan just emailed us from the floor:
"I have a tear in my pants, I haven't gone to the bathroom since I got here, and I'm definitely dehydrated ... but I'm having the time of my life!"
Hillary Clinton just gave the speech of her life. If her goal was to put herself in Barack Obama's corner ... she passed with flying colors ... and here are some photos from the floor:
Chris Whittington: Clinton Buddy Leach: Clinton Patsy Arceneaux: Clinton
Renee Gill Pratt: Clinton
Ray Nagin: Obama
Ben Jeffers: Obama
Mary Landrieu: Obama
Bill Jefferson: Obama
Patsy Arceneaux: Obama
BUddy Leach: Obama
Don Cazayoux: Undeclared
Elsie Burkhalter: Undeclared
Charlie Melancon: Undeclared
When are Don, Elsie and Charlie going to announce their intentions? And will Mr. Whittington and Ms. Gill Pratt decide unity is more important in this election? Stay tuned ...
I just want to thank Hillary Clinton for the vigorous campaign that she ran.
Tonight, CELEBRATE!
Tomorrow, the hard work begins anew. This is going to be a fight, and the GOP and McCain are going to throw everything they've got at us to divide us so they can win all throughout the summer and fall. But if we stand together, we can win.
If you haven't already, go sign up at the Obama website, affectionately called myBO ... and get involved!
The speech Obama is going to give gave is below the jump!
Today Chris Whittington, Head of the LA Democratic Party endorsed Hillary Clinton and made the following statement as quoted on Democratic Convention Watch http://demconwatch.blogspot.co...
"Hillary Clinton has what it takes to turn around our economy and rebuild the middle class," Whittington said. "There is no question that she is the strongest Democrat to go toe-to-toe with John McCain in a general election. It is our responsibility as automatic delegates to choose the candidate we believe best fit to beat Senator McCain. That candidate is Senator Clinton."
He's entitled to his opinion, but why has he come out at the last minute as it appears clear that Barack Obama is about the clinch the nomination? The Clintons represent the past, an old style of politics that many people, particularly the young, internet savvy millions who have sent their $5 and $10 contributions to Obama and have gone out and volunteered, reject. Their efforts in Baton Rouge and the rest of Lousiana are a case in point. Certainly Chris saw them at work and noted their energy and dedication. I'm not in the know but I wonder what this means for his future as a party leader here in Louisiana?
I've been posting quite a bit about the LA-06 race, as well as the LA-01 race (although not as much), and many folks have commented to me that they get more analysis and more information on the both races than they get from our local newspapers - The Advocate and the Times-Picayune. I've wondered why this was, and another blogger who goes by the name poligirl posted a great piece riffing off Elizabeth Edwards Op-Ed in the NYTimes today. A commenter over at Daily Kos, I think, hits the nail on the head ... we don't have a mainstream media (MSM). The problem is we have a Corporate Owned Media (COM), or more specifically, a Bull@#$% Media (BSM).
In today's Op-Ed section of The New York Times, Elizabeth Edwards delivers a very well expressed and unfortunately, very necessary, critique of today's press regarding the picking of a president.
Opening with a mention of the media's (lack of serious) coverage of the Pennsylvania primary, Elizabeth hits the nail on the head and calls the press out for what it has become: shallow. She also notes that she is not alone in this observation:
I'm not the only one who noticed this shallow news coverage. A report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy found that during the early months of the 2008 presidential campaign, 63 percent of the campaign stories focused on political strategy while only 15 percent discussed the candidates' ideas and proposals.
The picking of our president is too important a task to approach without good, solid analysis of a candidate's policies and positions.
I just want to welcome Mr. Jim Brown to the front page of Daily Kingfish. He has graciously consented to allowing his weekly column to be posted here. He has also posted it over at Jim Brown's Blog.
Presidential Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama found himself in hot water last week over what he perceives to be "bitterness" in small-town America. The criticism came from Republicans, as well as his Democratic opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton. According to his opponents, Obama is both elitist and out of touch by saying that small-town voters "cling to religion and guns in bad economic times." So is Obama all that much out of touch? Far from it. He's right on the money.
Those who are really "out of touch" are the political insiders in both parties who cannot shake their Washington inside the Beltway mentality. In most instances, they haven't a clue as to the many frustrations incurred by small town folks throughout this country.
While nationally, Bosniagate and Wrightgate have been keeping the mainstream media busy, Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Region are being tortured by the after-effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Federal Flood, and by PTSD. It's time we got over the relative trivia of both Bosniagate and Wrightgate and asked our candidates what really matters--why they've been downplaying the continued suffering of the Gulf Region, and what each plans to do if he/she becomes President.
If you click here, it'll open up an Excel spreadsheet that will allow you to roughly determine the number of delegates based upon the percentage of the vote each candidate receives in the remaining states on the Democratic side.
And Oyster over at YRHT piles on, with a twist at the end, plugging for Obama, instead of calling for what I think is right:
Clinton and Obama should call a joint presser and demand that this bullshit reporting against Democratic candidates END NOW. That's the carrot. The stick is cancelling the MSNBC debate, and asking another network to carry it.
I say this because while Obama is getting the benefit of Clinton Rules right now, as he's about to overtake Hillary in the overall delegate count after tomorrow night's Beltway Primary (DC, MD and VA), his campaign is insane if they think it's going to stay this way. If and when Obama clinches the nomination, the GOP smear machine will be relentless, and the corporate media will be all over him like a starving man on a Christmas ham with all the bullshit the GOP smear machine will put out there.
UPDATE: Going to bed now y'all. Been working all day doing taxes, then this. The real story out of Louisiana tonight is not the margin of Obama's victory. The real story is this:
Our side is fired up, and theirs has been frightened into staying home.
From the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office:
With 3,877 of 3,966 precincts reporting. That's 98% of the precincts reporting, y'all.
Candidate
# of Votes
% of Votes
Hillary Clinton
133,206
36%
Barack Obama
210,346
57%
Obama wins Louisiana. Orleans and East Baton Rouge are coming in now ... watch Obama's lead increase to more than 40,000 votes. It's 28,000 or so with 2440 precincts reporting.
That includes some 25,000 or so early voters, according to the Sec State.
Come on Louisiana Democrats, prove our GOPer Secretary of State wrong, and put fear into the hearts of every GOPer running this fall. Let's ROCK THE VOTE!
UPDATE: This morning, when I went to vote, my wife and I were voters #35 and 36 at our polling location on LSU's campus at 8 AM. That's better than what happened during our gubernatorial elections this fall, when I was voter #68 at 2 PM. I just hope we exceed turnout in every precinct in every precinct in the state.
UPDATE II: Welcome Politico readers. Ben, thanks for the traffic. If you want results for LA tonight, just come on back here, as I'll be updating vote counts every 10 minutes or so direct from the Sec State's office.
Louisiana must still be in the "mists". I voted around 11AM. The woman at the poll told me that only 43 people had voted so far.
Then I went home and made 20 phone calls from the Obama website. These were all to western Louisiana. I got a ton of "no longer in services". I had one person hang up because the person I was calling wasn't at home. But every person I reached had or was going to vote for Obama - WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
UPDATE IV: Sorry for the delays in posting this, trying to update in between breaks of filing taxes for clients. I received this email from the Obama campaign:
Ryan --
We have received reports that some folks who believe they are registered Democrats are being turned away from the polls because their names do not appear on the list.
If you believe you are a registered Democrat and a poll worker tells you that you cannot vote, you have the right to vote a provisional Democratic ballot.
Don't leave the polls without voting a provisional ballot, and make sure you share this information with everyone you know who is voting.
For more information, check out our Voter Protection Center and know your rights:
As y'all know, I've wrestled with this over the last few months. Most of my family, and quite a few of my friends and colleagues are voting, or have voted, for Hillary Clinton.
While I respect her as a Senator, and as an advocate for the least among us, this election is about more than just turning the corner on the Bush years. It's about who want we want to be as a country, and where we want to go. Both candidates will be a welcome change ... and both will lead our nation to more progressive place. But I remain unconvinced that Hillary can persuade independents to vote for her in a general election.
I believe what we need now is a game-changer. We need someone who can bring new people into the Democratic Party, particularly the young, who are our future, and keep them in the Democratic fold for generations to come. And Barack Obama is that game-changer.
Many folks say he doesn't have experience. I say look at his record in Illinois. Just because it's not the U.S. Senate does not mean that state legislatures don't deal with serious issues. Here's just one example of his work in the Illinois Senate - he brought competing interests together in Illinois on the issue of requiring the police to videotape confessions. Here's the background:
This seemed likely to stop the beatings, but the bill itself aroused immediate opposition. There were Republicans who were automatically tough on crime and Democrats who feared being thought soft on crime. There were death penalty abolitionists, some of whom worried that Obama's bill, by preventing the execution of innocents, would deprive them of their best argument. Vigorous opposition came from the police, too many of whom had become accustomed to using muscle to "solve" crimes. And the incoming governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced that he was against it.
I mean, dang. The GOPers were ready to gut him, his fellow Democrats were scared of the bill, the new Governor announced he was against it. Last but not least, the police associations were opposed to it as well, going so far as to say "this means we won't be able to protect your children." And yet, Barack was able to get the bill passed in the Illinois Senate unanimously, and he convinced the Governor to sign it.
Many folks say his plans are not as detailed as Hillary's. Hell, I said that earlier. But what we need is not a detailed policy wonk. We need someone who can convince people to vote Democratic, even when there is significant opposition on the GOPer side, which there will be with John McCain. And I'm just not convinced that voters will allow Hillary the opportunity to convince them to vote for her. I know with Obama, they'll listen with an open mind.
But the biggest reason that I want to see Obama win the nomination is this:
It matters a lot more whether our nominees can bring in a tsunami of new congresspeople than whether they have a slightly better policy paper on education reform. We should dare to think big. And, because almost all of us have no memory of living in a country with a progressive ruling majority, we simply cannot dream big enough. In my opinion, Clintonism, the Democratic Leadership Council, triangulation, or whatever you want to call it, is a philosophy for an era of conservative dominance, and it is wholly inappropriate for the times we are about to enter into. In fact, it may be the only thing that can prevent a new progressive era from arriving at all.
Obama kicked some butt in Iowa, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kansas, Idaho, and North Dakota. Do you notice something about those states? With the exception of Iowa, they rarely, if ever, vote Democratic in Presidential elections. Obama will boost Democratic turnout in those areas, which can only help Democratic candidates in those states. And if they vote Democratic all the way down the line, we'll have a Congress that can work with a Democratic President without having to worry about achieving a supermajority (60 votes) in the Senate.
I've been noticing that folks are not even aware that Hillary has outlined a specific plan for New Orleans, which she did waaaaaaaaaay back in May 2007. Those folks are, predictably, Obama partisans. Please note that this does not construe an endorsement, as I have yet to make up mind. But in dealing with misinformed Obama partisans, it makes me want to vote for Hillary, as they don't even know what they are talking about.
Let's look at Hillary's plan and Obama's plan. First, let's look at Hillary's plan, as it was released first. Please note that the bold highlights similar proposals:
Elevate the Gulf Coast Federal Rebuilding Director
As president, Senator Clinton would take the federal rebuilding coordinator out of the Department of Homeland Security bureaucracy and put him in the West Wing, reporting directly to the president. She would meet with the Director weekly and grant him full authority to lead all federal participation in Gulf Coast recovery. The Director's first order of business would be to conduct a Katrina/Rita Recovery Census -canvassing all federal assistance needs of Gulf Coast communities.
Cut Red Tape
Senator Clinton would take a series of immediate, concrete steps to move federal dollars to where they belong. She would eliminate the local match requirement for FEMA recovery funds. She would streamline and simplify the "project worksheet" process of securing FEMA public infrastructure grants, and deploy sufficient staff to clear backlogs. For priority projects, she would provide upfront seed funding to jumpstart rebuilding while applications and claims are processed. And she would direct FEMA to give the maximum flexibility allowed by law to schools, fire stations, and other critical institutions for creative rebuilding and renovation. She would also convene a state-local-federal summit to resolve challenges confronting Louisiana's "Road Home" program, with the goal of removing the remaining federal obstacles.
Attract Workers to Rebuild New Orleans and the Region
As president, Hillary would create a Gulf Coast Corps, governed by a joint federal-state-local board. The Corps would have two tracks: (1) it would provide financial incentives to skilled professionals - teachers, doctors, nurses, etc. - to serve in high-need areas as identified by state and local officials; and (2) it would directly hire thousands of workers and apprentices - especially locals and those who left but want to return - to complete priority public works projects, as identified by the states. The first track would fill shortages of key personnel who perform essential services. The second track would provide well-paying jobs to restore and upgrade core infrastructure - fire stations, parks, hospitals, roads, sewer and water systems - so that businesses can function effectively and residents can reestablish their communities and reclaim their culture.
Build a Reliable Hurricane Protection System So There is Not Another Katrina
There are still clear gaps and deficiencies in the city's hurricane defenses. Senator Clinton would immediately order an independent, stem-to-stern review of the Army Corps of Engineers' plans and progress thus far. She would fully fund and expedite construction to ensure the city has reliable defenses this hurricane season, and would order the Corps to achieve Category 5 protection over time. And, because every 2 to 4 miles of wetlands reduces storm surges by a foot, she would require the Army Corps and other federal agencies to integrate a wetlands restoration plan as a vital component of hurricane protection efforts.
Expand Affordable Housing
In addition to addressing Road Home, Senator Clinton would pursue two specific policy initiatives. First, she would address the skyrocketing cost of insurance by: investigating insurance pricing and claims adjustment practices in the Gulf region; reforming the National Flood Insurance Program; reviewing the insurance industry's antitrust exemption; and working with states to support their insurance programs. Second, she would expand the stock of affordable rental housing by: partnering with states and localities; funding new public housing developments; offering incentives to builders and developers; and providing direct assistance to residents who have lost their units, including those living in transitional housing.
Combat Rising Crime and Give First Responders Needed Tools
The murder rate in New Orleans has spiked, while the police ranks have dwindled. Senator Clinton would provide sufficient COPS and Byrne Grant funding to put two hundred new police officers back on the beat in New Orleans, to fill vacancies in prosecutors' offices, and to help the city deploy new crime-fighting technologies and methods in partnership with local community leaders. Senator Clinton would also confront the challenge of interoperability by setting national communications standards and providing funds for equipment upgrades.
Build 21st Century Schools in New Orleans
The schools in New Orleans suffered hundreds of millions in damage, and remain in various states of disrepair. Senator Clinton would renovate and modernize school facilities through the Gulf Coast Corps. The Corps would also fill the large teacher shortage - officials are anticipating 650 vacancies alone in the Recovery School District. In addition, Senator Clinton would direct the EPA to provide technical assistance through its "Tools for Schools" program to help New Orleans build modern school facilities that are energy efficient, free of lead, mold and other pollutants, and designed to maximize fresh air and sunlight.
Revitalize a Lagging Health Care System
A recent survey reported that more than a third of greater New Orleans residents reported less access to quality health care than before the storm. As president, Senator Clinton would deploy the Gulf Coast Corps to rebuild hospitals and clinics, especially those that serve the under- and uninsured. She would recruit health care workers - doctors, nurses, mental health professionals - through the Corps. And she would provide Community Mental Health Block Grants to address a growing mental health care crisis.
Promote Smart Development
In addition to supporting and extending federal incentives to stimulate a thriving Gulf Opportunity Zone and to support small businesses, Senator Clinton would direct federal agencies to provide technical assistance to help individuals and communities build energy-efficient "green" homes and buildings, environmentally friendly public transit systems, and modern parks and recreation areas.
Revamp Federal Disaster Response So We Are Ready Next Time
To avoid a repeat of the catastrophic failures of the Bush Administration, Hillary would immediately pursue two proposals she has offered in the Senate: elevate FEMA to cabinet-level status; and establish a Katrina/Rita Commission - modeled on the 9/11 Commission - to review what went wrong and what changes are necessary. She would modify the Stafford Act to add a Catastrophic Annex and would direct FEMA to work with folks on the ground to develop preparedness and response plans and lines of authority. As president, she will be ready to respond the moment a disaster strikes.
1. "When I am President, we will finish building a system of levees that can withstand a 100-year storm by 2011, with the goal of expanding that protection to defend against a Category 5 storm. We also have to restore nature's barriers - the wetlands, marshes and barrier islands that can take the first blows and protect the people of the Gulf Coast."
2. "When I am President, the days of dysfunction and cronyism in Washington will be over. The director of FEMA will report to me. He or she will have the highest qualifications in emergency management. And I won't just tell you that I'll insulate that office from politics - I'll guarantee it, by giving my FEMA director a fixed term like the director of the Federal Reserve."
3. "And as soon as we take office, my FEMA director will work with emergency management officials in all fifty states to create a National Response Plan."
4. "When I am President, the federal rebuilding coordinator will report directly to me, and we will ensure that resources show results. It's time to cut the red tape, so that the federal government is a partner - not an opponent - in getting things done."
5. "Instead of giving no-bid contracts to companies headed by the President's former campaign manager, we will make sure that rebuilding benefits the local economy. I have worked across the aisle in the Senate to crack down on no-bid contracts, and to make sure that emergency contracting is only done immediately after an emergency. When I am President, if there is a job that can be done by a New Orleans resident, the contract will go to a resident of New Orleans. And we'll provide tax incentives to businesses that choose to set up shop in the hardest hit areas."
6. "We must work with Louisiana to make the Road Home program more efficient. We should set a goal to approve every application for Road Home assistance within two months. And we need to increase rental property, so that we can bring down the cost of renting a home."
7. "Instead of shuttered hospitals and provider shortages, we will help the Gulf region rebuild a health care system that serves all its residents. We'll provide incentives like loan forgiveness to bring more doctors and nurses to New Orleans, and we'll build new hospitals - including a new Medical Center downtown, and a state-of-the art Veteran's hospital."
8. "We'll start a new COPS for Katrina program to put more resources into community policing, so that heroic officers - men and women like Nicola Cotton, who gave her life serving the city she loved - have more support. And we'll launch a regional effort that brings together federal, state and local resources to combat crime and drug gangs across the Gulf Coast."
9. "It's time for FEMA to speed up payment of the $58 million that Congress recently allocated for school repairs. And it's time to invest in education, so that New Orleans has the first-class school system that it has needed for so long."
10. "That starts with the person standing in front of the classroom. Many heroic, high-quality teachers have returned to New Orleans - but we need more. That is why I have called for $250 million to bring quality teachers back to the Gulf region. Any teacher or principal who commits to come here for three years should receive an annual bonus; and those who teach in subject areas where we face shortages - such as math and science - should receive an additional bonus."
11. "The federal government has already promised the resources, but they need to be spent more efficiently and more wisely. When I am President, we will target funds to programs that make a difference, and make sure that resources meet the needs of the people - and that means working closely with state and local officials, and asking that they keep up their end of the bargain."
So there ya have it, Louisiana. Their proposals are essentially the same, though I would argue that Hillary's plans are more detailed. So for all y'all Obama people ... stop spreading bullshit. The facts are NOT on your side on this one.
Over the last few months, I have been going over and over in my head the reasons for voting for each of the candidates I thought had the best chance of being the Democratic nominee - Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. At first, because of John Edwards full-throated support of economic populism, I was planning on voting for him. Now that he's no longer a candidate, I have to make my decision, like you, between Hillary and Barack.
While I fondly remember the Clinton years, mainly because it seemed that the future was rosy, I harbor doubts about Hillary's ability to help grow the Democratic Party in the South and the Midwest, where we need to regroup, and regrow the grassroots.
Many folks here in Louisiana remember the days that candidates and their supporters would come knocking on their door, asking them how things were, and what they thought was the direction the country should go in on various issues, and letting them know that the Democratic Party was listening to them. For some reason, the Party got away from that. Now, we have essentially written off the South and the Midwest in Presidential elections, and we have paid dearly for it. After all, since 1980, we have seen GOPers in the White House for 20 of those 28 years.
I am heartened, somewhat, of Hillary's ability to work with upstate NY Republicans during her time in the Senate, and push economic stimulus proposals for that area. That ability is largely why she faced no significant opposition in her re-election campaign in 2006. In addition, she has worked to find common ground with her GOP colleagues in the Senate on issues like adoption with Senator Coburn of Oklahoma (who's certifiable, by the way), and military issues with Senator Graham of South Carolina.
However, as a speaker giving a speech, she does not inspire me. However, during debates, she impresses the hell out of me, as she is so damn knowledgeable about the issues, and we need someone who has an in-depth understanding of our nation faces with regards to health care, the economy, the war in Iraq, and on and on.
On the other hand, Senator Obama is easily the best speaker we have seen since Bill Clinton. And in some ways, he is better than Bill. After all, Barack is bringing in more new voters and more new donors with his campaign than we have ever seen. I mean, Gawd, $32 million in a month?!
He's obviously got the intelligence and intellectual curiosity that is necessary in a President. My concerns with him lie with the plans he has put forward dealing with the mess that will be left behind by our current Chimp-in-Chief. They are very vague when it comes to details, ostensibly to garner more supporters attracted to a call for "better health care" or "ending the culture of corruption in Washington."
The second concern I have is his inexperience in dealing with the GOP smear machine. He didn't really face it during his 2004 run for the Senate in Illinois. The press has largely given him a pass on the scrutiny they subjected Hillary to back in the day, though some "Democratic" bloggers over at MyDD are attempting to change that. Search in the diaries, if you want to see what they're posting.
Last month, I penned a post detailing the garbage that we will all have to get used to if Obama is the nominee ...
and it will only get worse. That being said, I have no doubts about his ability to persuade people that he's the one to vote for in a general election against the presumptive GOPer nominee John McCain. He's won more states than Hillary, though he's losing in the delegate count, largely due to the superdelegates that Hillary has convinced to support her.
Sadly, I am no closer to a decision now. So all I can say is this - Hill-Rack the VOTE.
Will be updated every hour ... starting at 8 PM.
Remember ... it's all about delegates, not whether a candidate "wins" a state.
We won't be able to figure out the delegate totals until all the votes are counted on the Democratic side, as they are given out proportionally, most of the states do it by CD, with about a fourth of them doing it proportionally by vote totals.
First, I was disappointed that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was not mentioned by either candidate during the debate. While the two candidates could have invoked the Gulf Region on their own, I don't think the questions lent themselves to doing so.
Barack and Hillary had their differences, but they did so respectfully, unlike the backyard brawl that was the Republican debate last night.
I'm thrilled that this debate was substantive on the issues that matter in people's lives - health care and how we get to universal health care, immigration and job loss, the economy, and more.
As for the debate itself:
Hillary had the best one-liner tonight ...
"It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush. And it might take another Clinton to clean up after this Bush."
... but Barack had the best argument tonight ...
"It's important to be ready on Day One, but it's also important to be right on Day One."
But seriously, look at that picture. They seem awfully chummy, no? Could you imagine a Clinton/Obama ticket? What if they make a deal - 4 years of Hillary, then she'd step aside for Barack. After all, she's 60. She'll be 61 next January. By the time 2012 rolls around, she'll be 65, the age most folks are retiring.
I have spoken with many folks - older folks, Democrats and Republicans, black and white - who have said they won't vote for Obama because they don't think he has the experience to be President yet. This would take care of their concerns, as Obama would get on-the-job training as Vice President, especially since Hillary would give Obama the same type of portfolio Gore and Cheney were given. And having Obama as the VP would ensure that the Democrats continue bringing new people into the party, and engaging more and more of America into civic life again.
It's an idea. One I think worth considering. Your thoughts?
First, I was disappointed that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was not mentioned by either candidate during the debate. While the two candidates could have invoked the Gulf Region on their own, I don't think the questions lent themselves to doing so. 
