Presidential Candidates As Batman Super Villains

With all the silly political talk of comparing the Bush Administration to Batman, I thought I’d take a look on the lighter side and compare various Presidential candidates to different Batman villains. This isn’t serious political analysis, but dammit, I have this site as a forum and I intend to use it. (And frankly, if it’s good enough of a topic for Wall Street Journal editors, It’s good enough for me.) I picked super villains arbitrarily. I don’t want to get into a “who is Batman and who is evil” argument. That’s just boring.

Barack Obama as Harvey “Two Face” Dent: The idea that spawned this post. While others are doing strange things like comparing Dick Cheney to Batman or something like that, given that the arch of the story is the rise and fall of newcomer and beacon of hope DA Harvey Dent, I’m surprised there’s not more comparisons between the two. There’s this article, sure. But that seems more intent on criticizing platitudes than it does at looking at something deeper: are figures of hope like Obama and Dent doomed to failure? Clearly they are doomed to dim. Wile the article criticizes Obama for lack of particular details, it’s ultimately Dent’s drive for only results that dooms him. When pushed towards the edge by his horrific scaring and in TDK the (spoiler!) death of Rachel Dawes, Dent is concerned only with the ends, not with the means, of resolving problems. One gets the feeling that more contemplation on platitudes would have helped him, not hurt him. So I think Obama differs in that respect. On the other hand, that side of Dent always existed; it was just hidden by both his meteoric rise and previous success. After all, anyone can keep their secrets hidden while succeeding.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton as Ra’s al Ghul and Talia al Ghul: In the comics, they are father and daughter; here they are husband and wife. Let’s just gloss over that difference. In the comics, Ra’s could not be killed thanks to the Lazarus Pits; where he could rise from the dead. Surely, this reminds everyone of the numerous times that Bill himself rose from what was surely political death. The intrigue between the al Ghuls rivals the reported intrigue between Bill and Hillary. Bill has actively and inadvertently hurt Hillary in the past, as any sane person would admit. In the comics, this antagonism even leads Talia and Batman to sleep together. Similarly, Hillary and Obama used to be close allies, with Hillary even fundraising for Obama at one point during his Senate run, the political equivalent of sex if there is any. Moreover, this also means that the normal Clinton confidantes are known as the League of Shadows. Just as in Batman Begins, they are regarded as formidable by Ra’s, but in the end do absolutely nothing to help him, and only allow the enemy to take him down. One can imagine Obama as Batman goading Bill to please bring on four pawns (Mark Penn, Harold Ickes, James Carville, and Terry McAulliffe) instead of just four. Although in reality, it’s because the four will get in each others ways. Of course in this analogy, Hillary as Talia has her own henchwomen, who are none the more competent (Patti Solis Doyle) for the most part. (You’ll never, ever hear me say anything negative about Maggie Williams, mostly because I think she would have me killed for real.)

Tom Tancredo as the Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka The Scarecrow: A candidate who bases his entire campaign on fear. But more than that: Tancredo never intended go through with his campaign. In Batman Begins, Ra’s al Ghul states that Scarecrow believes the plan was to hold the city to ransom. It seems Tancredo’s entire campaign was based on the premise that he would hold the Republican Party hostage unless they elected someone he agreed with. And then they decided not to anyways.

John McCain as the mob. Yes the mob as a whole. Carmine Falcone, Sal Maroni, the whole bunch. In the comics and in the Dark Knight there are factions of the mob, just like they are factions of McCain supporters. Rick Davis, John Weaver, Mike Murphy, Steve Schmidt and others all had their time to be in control before circumstances forced them out, and they all do not like each other, and do not work well together (as seen in the mob scene in The Dark Knight before the Joker arrives. Each of them backstabs and steals from the other, ostensibly to protect the rest). Moreover, there is no control over them from the mob as a whole. McCain is said to be a laissez faire manager just as the mob as a whole favors looser rules. Moreover, McCain absolutely seems to abhor Barack Obama, just as the mob abhors Dent for the type of change he wishes to bring. They want things to change to, but jsut to the way things used to be. They are in a way as old as McCain is. In the movies, the mob is somewhat like McCain in that they refuse to go away. Like the Hydra, you can cut off one head, but two more will sprout in its place. McCain similarly seems to never go away no matter how many times he seems out. Like the mob turning to Joker in the Dark Knight, McCain also seems to have no good plan whatsoever, and changes plans on the fly when things turn out to be different than he thought. Does this say anything about what McCain is doomed to be? I don’t think so. The mob keeps on existing, but never in the same format. It’s certainly not predestined in any movie that the mob will lose. Indeed, the only comparison seems to be that McCain’s campaign could turn out to either be the Joker tormenting the mob’s opponents, or the Joker later threatening the entire barge full of mob associates with death. Also like the mob, McCain functions better when backed into a corner. Lastly, McCain lacks a certain shine and appeal that the mob also lacks in comparison to other “freak” type villains.

Mitt Romney as Oswald Cobblepot, AKA the Penguin: Whereas the Penguin used his ownership of the Iceberg Lounge to gain entry into Gotham, Romney uses his leadership at Bain Capital for much the same purpose. There was always a question of taking what Penguin says as truth: he never comes across as sincere. Romney may not have come across as insincere as Penguin did in, say, Batman Returns, but his numerous problems with flip-flopping caused serious problems for him this cycle. Moreover, his sons are everywhere, just like the Penguins were seemingly in Batman Returns. And just as the Penguin in One Year Later seemingly abandons crime for a legal presence, Romney also aborted what was a previous hard line stance against McCain suddenly to endorse him shortly after Super Tuesday. Most superficially, the Penguin is the high society type criminal compared to all the rest; similarly, Mitt Romney seems the most high society of all the candidates, due in large part to his massive wealth. Note: If there is one supervillain Romney is not, it is Deadshot.

John Edwards as Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc: The easy choice for Edwards is Two Face. Running a completely different campaign than his first time, being an impressive trial lawyer and all. But in reality, the specific flaws and details of Edwards this cycle have nothing to do with the flaws and defining characteristics of Harvey Dent. Killer Croc is the one villain whose entire existence is almost entirely defined by his appearance: his reasons and justifications for doing what he did are inconsequential, if they exist at all. In this campaign, despite the support he got (which, compared to all but Obama and Clinton, was very substantial), Edwards was doomed because of the perceptions he allowed to be created about himself: the expensive haircuts, the video of him combing his air, etc. Essentially that he came to be defined in the market place as someone really, really vain. Killer Croc is the only Supervillain similarly concerned with image. While Edwards allowed himself to be defined by his, Croc hid and acted out because of his image. And yes, there’s also that small matter of Edwards sneaking around in basements of hotels being stalked. Very Croc-ian.

Dennis Kucinich as Jarvis Tetch, aka the Mad Hatter: Like the Mad Hatter was inspired by Lewis Carroll, Kucinich seems torn out of a different era of politics, one where William Jennings Bryan and Eugene Debs were the constant candidates. The delusion of the Mad Hatter strikes me as exactly the same as the delusion of Kucinich that he can win. His many tricks in the comics are similar to Kucinich’s tricks in politics. Tetch was seemingly run over by a train, only for it to turn out to be a trick; similarly, Kucinich was thought done when he ran the city of Cleveland into bankruptcy, only to emerge years later as a Congressman. Moreover, anyone who is not his supporter wonders why he is still trying. I’ll just end with that there’s something of a physical resemblance as well.

Fred Thompson as Bane: Bane was introduced in the comics as essentially the negative version of Batman: awesome power, awesome intellect. He ended up breaking Bruce Wayne’s back. But I’m not comparing Thompson to that Bane. I’m comparing him to the Bane in Batman and Robin, the horrible fourth batman movie. In that movie, going on the legacy of the comic book Bane, Bane instead becomes an unimportant tool who only serves as muscle; That is regularly noted as one of the worst transitions from comics to movies ever. Thompson similarly entered the race to great fanfare, only to find out he was far too little far too late. Thompson, like Bane, was a supposedly fierce character who when put into a campaign fizzled beyond what anyone expected. The comic Bane is the Fred Thompson that people expected; the awful film version is the one people got. I also have no problem comparing Holly wood to a South American prison. Many suggest that a new interpretation of Bane in the current Batman series could be widely successful; I’m not so sure. Wildly intelligent, strong, and athletic people tend to not sneak around in masks. While the true believers may never admit it, the concept at heart just is not very believable. Note: Just because Thompson and Clayface both were actors does not make them similar in any meaningful way.

Ron Paul as Lennie Adkin, aka Anarky: One sentence in Wikipedia says it all: “Lonnie Machin, a teenage prodigy who, believing in Anarchism, creates improvised gadgets and attempts to subvert government in order to improve society.” Paul himself was not young - the opposite of it - but he certainly attracted youth en masse to his libertarian oriented campaign. And while some would say the dominant Paul story as the racist old newsletters, Paul had no chance to win before or after that story broke. Moreover, Paul’s campaign innovated on the internet in ways few others have ever done, either their notable moneybombs and extensive social networking (and comment bombing). Moreover, the obvious comparison is in the goals of Adkin and Paul: both wanted substantially smaller governments (Adkin clearly went further than Paul). Does Adkin’s failure indicate that Paul’s crusade will never be successful? I don’t think so. There will probably never anytime soon be an extensive, successful libertarian movement, but there can certainly be small steps made in that direction. As a bonus, the character was created in part from Paulite hero and Alan Moore creation V from V for Vendetta.

Rudy Giuliani as Eddie Nashton, aka The Riddler: The Riddler, simply put, is known for leaving riddles after crimes; it’s a dare to be caught, whereas conventional wisdom would normally lead criminals to, you know, try to get away with the crimes they commit. The defining tactical decision of the Giuliani campaign was skipping all the early states that conventional wisdom said he had to at least get a symbolic if not a real victory in for him to be competitive in later states such as Florida. He decided not to. Moreover, the Riddler is covered with question marks all over his suit that give away not only his identity but also his only useful sentence was a Riddle to lead people to him. And while Giuliani’s innumerable references to 9/11 were not at all that pathological, there was clearly something in Joe Biden’s joke that ever Giuliani sentence contained a noun, a a verb, and 9/11. In short, Giuliani was the Riddler in that a lot of his campaign was built on one very simple and repetitive riddle.

Mike Huckabee as Arthur Brown, aka The Cluemaster: The Cluemaster was a failed game show host, and if there’s any four word phrase in Batman history that could define Huckabee, it is ‘failed game show host’ - with the possible exception of ’successful game show host’. The rise of Huckabee’s campaign was in large part due to his charm, and the fall of his campaign was ultimately responsible for his inability to transcend that charm as, say, Ronald Reagan did. The comic plight of Cluemaster is largely not very similar, except that Cluemaster ends up doing surprisingly well and survives a battle even when many thought he was dead from being shot in the chest. Similarly, Huckabee’s campaign refused to die even when it was mathematically impossible for him to win.

Bill Richardson as Catwoman: Get your gender jokes out of the way, I’m not interested in them. Good? Ok. The essence of the history of Catwoman as defined by Wikipedia: “Selina Kyle, starting as a criminal who wore a cat-themed costume and often operated as a burglar, has a love/hate relationship with Batman. For years, she skirted on the edge between villain and antiheroine. However, she has largely reformed in recent years, adopting the role of the guardian of Gotham’s crime-infested East End, though she still comes into conflict with Batman on occasion.” This mirrors Bill Richardson in many ways. First of all, Catwoman is the ultimate resume villain: she’s done it all. For evil, for good, she’s been there. If I had a nickel for every time Richardson said “Look, I’m a governor” this election as to prove what he has done, I would be able to hire someone to write this post. Moreover, Richardson essentially had a love-hate relationship with all his opponents. Clinton supporters liked him when he defended Hillary during debates, and then were outraged when he first appeared to help Obama on Iowa Caucus night and then endorsed Obama after allegedly promising not to. (Obama supporters were the opposite). In the end, Richardson was distrusted by all and left to run hos own state which was shockingly bad in most rankings. Similarly, the most recent Catwoman movie was shockingly bad by even the most generous standards. The Catwoman character, like Richardson, is championed by a small minority who think it is essential to Batman; others think its inclusion in any TDK sequel would be repetitive and boring. I’d be inclined to agree with the latter. The Catwoman character is played out and in the end not very interesting. A jewel thief who is athletic? In the Nolan’s Gotham, that’s about as small and pointless as they come. Meanwhile, just like some predicted Richardson would be a dark horse candidate, once people got a long look at him,  he disappointed; the more the Catwoman character has been exposed in movies, the less popular they have gotten. It’s fair to say that to some extent the character was a failure in Batman Returns and was again surely a disappointment in Catwoman. Also, Catwoman would probably defend cats as innocent ipso facto them being cats, just as Richardson accidentally defended Alberto Gonzalez in the first debate just because he was Hispanic.

Duncan Hunter as Garfield Lynns, aka Firefly: I don’t even have to add comment on this one. Wikipedia on Firefly: “Garfield Lynns, an orphan who became a pyromaniac and has developed a fireproof suit and flamethrower to further pursue his ‘hobby’. He was originally known as a cunning criminal who invented numerous weapons that use light to commit crimes with.” And Eve Fairbanks on Duncan Hunter: “During the trip, we stopped at a gold mine, and Hunter got the idea that the Brobdingnagian ore haulers (whose wheels alone are ten feet tall) would make good troop vehicles in Iraq since they’d resist IEDs. (Possibly true, but they also resist steering.) These kind of pie-in-the-sky, mad-inventor brainstorms earned the nickname “Hunter Specials” among staffers on the committee he chaired, Armed Services. I wondered occasionally if Hunter’s ruthless thrashing in the GOP primaries had dampened some of his unusual style of enthusiasm, but apparently it didn’t. This morning’s Post carried the story of a Hunter Special for the ages: He submitted a request to our embassy in N’Djamena, Chad, to personally hunt and serve wildebeest to needy Darfurian refugees there. ” Wow. Easiest one yet.

Last but never least: The Joker after the jump. ….

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Impeachment Hearings in the House?

Nancy Pelosi has softened / changed her position on impeachment hearings:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this morning that the House Judiciary Committee may hold hearings on an impeachment resolution offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

Kucinich is expected to offer a “privileged resolution” this afternoon calling on the House to look at whether President Bush should be removed from office for lying to Congress and the American public when he sought congressional approval back in 2002 for taking military action to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein.

Pelosi has said previously that impeachment “was off the table,” so her comments this morning were surprising, and clearly signaled a new willingness to entertain the idea of ousting Bush, although no one in the Democratic leadership believes that is likely since the president has only six months left in this term.

“This is a Judiciary Committee matter, and I believe we will see some attention being paid to it by the Judiciary Committee,” Pelosi told reporters. “Not necessarily taking up the articles of impeachment because that would have to be approved on the floor, but to have some hearings on the subject.”

This could have substantial political impact. High profile hearings involving the Bush Administration would come at a time that John McCain is trying to hide Bush as much as possible. Moreover, hearings involving the decision to go to war would tie Bush and McCain even closer, as it is a decision they agree on.

On the other hand, this could highlight liberal, unpopular Democrats such as Dennis Kucinich and the Moveon crowd. I also suspect that Nancy Pelosi is not the most popular politician. Also, the proceedings could come across as overly popular.

We’ll keep an eye on this situation, but do not expect any substantial endgame. Neither Bush nor Cheney will be convicted or even impeached before their term is up in January….

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Presidential Candidacies, Even Failed Ones, Offer Increased Influence To Candidates

This is hardly scientific, but it’s worth noting that presidential campaigns, even failed ones, have a tendency of increasing a candidate’s influence/power (as one would expect).

Below is a table indicating the candidate’s power ranking in their respective chamber for the years 2005 through 2008.  It’s worth noting that the sudden changes in some of the rankings between 2006 and 2007 is mostly the result in changeover from Republican to Democratic control.

[Table=7]

[Table=8]

[* = former candidate]
[Source: Congress.org]

In retrospect, some campaigns, which at the time made no sense at all, make at least a bit more sense now, while some continue to haunt my brain to this day.

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Kucinich Drops Out; Irrational Analysis Goes Wild

Dennis Kucinich announced to the Cleveland Plain Dealer today that he’s dropping out of the Presidential race, or as he puts it “transitioning out.” (Video here as well)

Why does he put it that way? Mostly because he faces tough challenges in the Democratic primary to just keep his seat in Congress. The area of Cleveland he represents is liberal, but nowhere near as liberal as Kucinich is. He’s faced challengers in the past, but none were really well funded or well known. Now, after two failed attempts at the Presidency, he’s facing much more organized opposition. His pledge to only run for the presidency on the weekends (seriously) has expectedly backfired on him, leaving him begging for money to run ads for the primary. His opponents are getting big support, too, as they have been endorsed by the likes of the mayor of Cleveland and famed veteran Paul Hackett (who you may remember from an aborted Senate run, when he was not too pleased with Chuck Schumer. After refusing to debate any primary challengers for years (which I discussed here), Kucinich has finally agreed to a debate this cycle.

Before he agreed to the debate, one of his opponents, Joe Cimperman, actually went to his office with a video camera to ask where he was. Kucinich responded by … demanding the Federal Protective Service (an agency under DHS) investigate. Seriously. Why? Kucinich argues that a video camera in the office would discourage constituents from visiting him. A valid point, but worthy of an investigation? No, there’s not even any constituents in the video.

On top of this, we get absurd analysis from the normally somewhat reasonable TPM Election Central:

Two factors likely pushed him out of the race: a) The public calendar forced him to choose between continuing his candidacy versus running for re-election, and b) The cable news networks stopped inviting him to debates, due to his very poor showings in the caucuses and primaries so far, thus depriving him of a high-profile venue for promoting his platform.

Not being in the debates anymore did not stop Kucinich. He was in plenty of debates up until the past three and got exactly no traction out of them whatsoever.

More importantly, though, on the calendar point. He’s making this choice not because of the calendar, but because of the strength of the opposition. He famously stayed in the race until the convention in 2004, even earning the ire of the FEC for doing so.

I’m going to conclude with some thoughts from the very good Buckeye State Blog on Kucinich. It’s made clear this is not a rant about policy, but instead is a look at his character:

His sudden switch from an adament and reliable pro-life Democrat to a pro-choice Democrat before his first presidential run is a bit too Mitt Romney for me.

And as a potential President, I don’t see him being any better than a left-wing version of Bush. Like our current President, Kucinich is myopic, viewing his entire political environment through unbending and narrow ideological blinders. He openly drips with disdain of any institution, organization, or person who dares disagree with his world view. He sees compromise as a cancer of democracy, not a healthy and necessary act. He refuses to compromise and expects to dictate his terms and have the world follow.

And then there’s the hypocracy and the lying. Despite claiming that he is the only politician who represents the interest of “the people,” he has shown no remorse for lying to his constitutents during his recent re-election when he told them he would focus on the needs of his district and explicitly promised not to run for President only to announce his presidential campaign a month after securing his re-election. At least nobody has died from Kucinich’s lie, but then again perhaps anyone who believed either politicians lie deserves to be deceived as their true motives could not have been more transparent.

And then there was last week. Pissed because he was disinvited from MSNBC’s Nevada presidential debates, Kucinich filed legal action after legal action calling it an affront to democracy to exclude him (and, apparently, only him as he never stood to the defense of Senator Gravel, the other candidate excluded from the debate.) Instead of accepting the rational explanation that he is simply not a viable candidate, not because MSNBC says so, but because so far the entire Democratic electorate who have yet to award him a single delegate to our party’s convention and no signs that he is expected to be a factor in the race at all, but because of some ridiculous military-industrial complex conspiracy theory that it has something to do with GE’s corporate ownership of the network. Never mind that until voters started voting, MSNBC and other “corporate networks” included him in countless debates.

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2008Central.net’s Presidential Election Podcast (01/25/08)

This podcast takes evaluates the current state of the campaign and looks ahead to Nevada, South Carolina and Florida…

Feel free to email us questions/suggestions for next week’s podcast (you can also email an audio file of your question and we’ll include it in the podcast).

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Live Blog Of MSNBC Democratic Debate In Las Vegas, Nevada (January 15, 2007)

8:20: Dennis Kucinich has apparently lost his appeal and will not be appearing on stage tonight. That leaves Clinton, Obama, and Edwards.

8:47: Exit polls and early results seem to indicate a good night for Romney in Michigan, even though a few polls are still open.

8:53: Over to MSNBC. Their debate graphic is a boxing ring, which immediately makes me wonder if the debate is rigged. I’m affirmed in that stance by the news that Hillary Clinton was endorsed by and will campaign with Ugly Betty.

8:54: Chuck Todd is in the house, and predicts race will come up on the birthday of MLK.

8:56: Candidates are paraded on stage, Obama, Clinton, Edwards left to right. Harry Reid shows up to hug everybody and lead the debate in a moment of ceremonial non-productivity.

8:57: They’re sitting in a conference table that looks like it was an outcast from a bad King Arthur movie. Chuck Todd wonders what questions the candidates will ask each other, as if they’ll be anything really different. Olbermann is curious if the debate format makes it harder to attack someone sitting down. Seriously, that’s the analysis you’re missing. Apparently Republicans are dying to sit down, too.

9:00: Mitt Romney gets his big win in Michigan, and the Republican race is officially mucked up.

9:02: Harry Reid gets another shout out in yet another moment where nothing is accomplished. I think that’s enough Reid-karma for tonight. No applause tonight, and lights for time. There’s another moderator with just email questions.

9:04: Question to Clinton on how did we get here on race. Clinton says neither race nor gender matters, and cites Edwards being shockingly the son of a mill worker. Clinton says sometimes supporters are ‘uncontrollable’ in their exuberance. She recognizes MLK. Obama gets the same question and agrees. Edwards agrees and decides to add that he lived in the south when there was segregation there. He saw it! He lived with it! He takes a bold stance against going back to segregation.

9:09: On accountability, Russert asks if he regrets pushing the story. Obama agrees with Clinton that there were overzealous staffers, and that’s why he spoke yesterday. He says it was not a deliberate attempt to marginalize him as “the” black candidate. Russert asks about his campaign support falling off in NH. Umm, Tim, Clinton got a ten point bounce; Obama stayed more or less where he was. Obama says change happens because of what people say, not what candidates say. Russert asks if Robert Johnson will be asked to leave Clinton’s campaign after the faux pas. Clinton mentions the clarification he issued (that was complete BS) and moves on to a general line about people listening to what candidates say, not endorsers. Clinton says the comments were out of bounds “and he said that.” True, if today is opposites day.

9:15: Why choose between a black man or a woman? Edwards says it is about change and what type of change you want, etc. It’s personal for him! What is a white male to do? The audience laughs at the inanity of the question. Fifteen minutes in, and we’ve got undeniably the worst question of the night. Can we get to something that matters?

9:17: Question on women voting for Obama. Was his “likable enough” comment the cause of his loss? Obama points out how much of a non issue this is. I’m starting to regret live blogging. Get to something that at least might matter, please. Question for Edwards on whether he tag teamed with Obama. Edwards takes a bold stance in favor of telling the truth. Clinton gives him the stare of death.

9:22: Someone starts yelling in the back of the room briefly. Clinton is asked about the general election race. Clinton says there will be unity, and that what matters is who is ready on day 1, etc. She cites the highest home foreclosure rate in the country. Her experience is “rooted in the voices” she has heard. When asked if Edwards and Obama are prepared enough, she says that is up to the voters to decide. Obama is asked about saying he is not an executive officer. He says that being President means setting an agenda and having a vision, not making sure paperwork is done effectively. Bold argument to make, in that it’s almost surely going to be used against him should he be nominated.

9:26: Greatest strength and weaknesses: Obama, bringing people together. His weakness is organizing his desk, he needs people around him to do that. Edwards’ greatest strength is fighting for his whole life. He had to fight to survive! His weakness is a powerful emotional response. He tells a story about how he feels it in a personal way. Clinton says she wants to be an instrument for helping children. Change, Change, Change. Her weakness is impatience for not getting more change! Change! She segues into an attack on Obama, but that being president is being an executive officer. She says Bush failed at managing the bureaucracy. Obama says you do have to be a good manager, and hold your team accountable. He says in a light moment Bush was always on time and never lost any papers, but did not bring in different perspectives.

9:33: Question for Obama about the Muslim emails and slurs. He confirms he is a Christian and took the oath on a Bible, and leads the pledge of allegiance on occasion. He says people are smarter than to believe that. Again cites real issues that could be discussed, although denying this isn’t as much as a waste of time as the first 15 minutes.

9:39: Back from commercials.

9:40: Clinton is asked about Citigroup and Merrill Lynch getting loans from overseas. Clinton says they are ’sovereign wealth funds.’ She would like to know more, but looks at why this happened, specifically citing these companies betting on subprime mortgages. Edwards agrees with Clinton on calls for transparency. He further says all growth is as a result of the top 1% or multinational corporations. (Fact check?) He says the middle class does not feel secure in their jobs or health insurance. Obama says the lack of an energy policy is at root of the problem. He also says it happened because there was a lack of oversight by the Bush administration.

9:45: Edwards regrets his vote on the bankruptcy bill in 2001. He says universal health care and fighting for more change can help. He says getting rid of banks as an intermediary in student loans also can help. Clinton also regrets her vote on the 2001 bill, and points out it does not happen. She talks about changes to regulation that could help prevent another Countrywide disaster. Obama says he opposed both bankruptcy bills, and cites a bill he submitted a year and half ago. Cites the influence of special interest lobbyists on the issue. Calls for relief for those who cannot meet payments for health care based reasons.

9:52: Obama is asked about changes to the tax codes, and says he would consider exempting the middle class from dividends and capital gains, but that those like Buffet should not be taxed at a lower rate than his secretary. Refers to Edwards’ example of the top 1 percent. Clinton is asked about long term effects of the foreclosures. She says that interest rates will stabilize the market, and is in line with what the Fed is doing in the monetary area of the economy. Talks more about her stimulus program, which is intended for now, and not on or after inauguration, so I’ll leave the details out. Joking referral to timed lights.

9:58: Time for questions from each candidate to the others. Edwards says Obama recently passed Clinton for how much they raised from drug companies. Obama talks about the details of the donations not being directly from the companies, and that he has a record fo small donations. He says he wants to fight for public financing of campaigns. Apparently, there’s now only one question. Clinton says Bush is making the argument that he can make an agreement with the government in Iraq and have it be binding without passing the Senate. Obama says “Well we can work on this Hillary.” He says there is unity on the matter. Obama talks at length about his views on Iraq as Clinton looks like she loses interest. Clinton agrees on the pledge to start withdrawing troops, and Edwards’ cites his aggressiveness. Russert wonders why they did not pledge to him to be out by 2013. Obama says there may be a need for some troop presence to protect the embassy and fight Al Qaeda. Clinton says it is more than Bush, saying McCain wants troops there for 100 years. Edwards says everyone wants to protect the embassy, but there will be no permanent bases. Obama says you are either going after terrorists or you are not. Williams seems to indicate that this is his question. Edwards says he will keep troops in Kuwait, and that is different because it is not an occupation.

10:13: Back from the last commercial. Will she vigorously enforce statutes that require ROTC and military recruiters to have campus access? Yes. She talks at length about the valor of troops, and signing bonuses being taken away from wounded soldiers. She says campuses can work out ways aside from ROTC as a means of meeting the standard. Obama also says yes, saying how much more poorer communities are bearing the burden of fighting the war. Talks about an enlargement of the army to help out people going on multiple cycles. Edwards will also enforce it. He says its more than those who are fighting, but also homeless voters. Talks about narrowing gap between regular workers and military workers. Obama says he could not believe veterans paid for meals and phone calls in Walter Reed. Clinton says the traumatic brain injury in particular is problematic.

10:20: Yucca Mountain time! Williams points out that everyone promises to end it. Obama says he will end Yucca, as it is not based on sound science, and does not want to spend billions more on a situation that is not safe. He wants to get experts together. Clinton voted against it and held a hearing on it. Clinton points out that an Obama supporter wants Yucca and Edwards voted for it twice. Obama says its a testimony to the science that he never supported it as Clinton gives him the ‘who are you kidding’ face. Edwards says he is against it, but moreover is against nuclear power. Clinton points out that he voted for it, but Edwards points out that that was before some documents were revealed as forged, and he changed on it many years ago.

10:24: Obama defends his vote on the Energy Bill because of how much of an investment it had for green energy. Says if he could find a safe way to make nuclear power than it should be on the table. Obama wants to see where the science goes. Clinton says that the Energy Bill was the Cheney-Lobbyist bill that had enormous giveaways. Talks about ‘breaking the lock’ of special interests, as suddenly Obama is status quo and Clinton is change.

10:28: Edwards says the nuclear power does not solve the problem, and therefore cannot be part of the problem (?). He says Clinton raised more money from the lobbyists she referred to than anyone else. He says investing in more biofuels could help, and a moratorium on coal power plants. Clinton says her plan has been put forward, and does not allow for more coal plants. Obama talks about reducing the consumption of energy and the need to get more efficient.

10:32: Why not English as an official language? Edwards talks about a path to citizenship, and earned citizenship, as Williams points out that does not answer the question at all. He talks about learning to speak English to become a citizen.

10:33: Clinton is asked about the statement of a pollster who said there was not a lot of affinity of Latino voters for black candidates. She says it is a historical analysis, but that there needs to be focus on issues, saying she regrets not talking about more black and brown issues tonight.

10:35: Obama says Latinos in Illinois voted for him. He specifically cites standing with Kennedy and McCain during the immigration debate.

10:36: Email question for Obama about black dropouts from schools. Obama says it is about youth starting behind, and that early childhood education is critical early on. Obama talks about families and black fathers needing to do more. Clinton talks about families being crucial, and about a school she helped found in New York. Edwards says universal pre-K for every children is needed, as are second chance schools.

10:39: The leading cause of death for young men is gun violence. Clinton is asked about statements she made about requiring license for guns. Clinton says she is against illegal guns but is a realist. She says she wants a registry of people who are felons or mentally ill. She also talks about the assault weapons ban. Obama also allows that he cannot get a mandatory registry done. He talks about actions on illegal guns getting fixed. Talks about the difference between lawful gun owners and students who are subject to violence. Edwards says it is important to protect second Amendment rights, and that you can also protect against assault weapons. Anyone want to mention guns as protection? Anyone? Bueller?

10:47: Brian Williams welcomes us back to Los Angeles and people jeer, and Williams rubs in that he’s up $130. Williams asks Clinton about saying Bush threatened in 2004, but said that Al Qaeda attacked Gordon Brown. She stands by her comments that ‘we face a very serious adversary.” Williams is briefly shown on camera and looks to be falling asleep. Obama says America has been dominated by a politics of fear since 9/11, and compliments Clinton for her work in New York, but that citing it in the way Clinton did was a politics of fear. Says Iraq was a consequence of such thinking. Clinton clarifies to Russert that she was not saying Obama would be tested quicker than her, but rather that Al Qaeda tested Brown quickly. She says there is a difference between using fear like Bush and recognizing the gravity of the spectre of terrorism.

10:54: Edwards is asked if it was appropriate for him to talk to Musharraf the day Bhutto died. Edwards says he only requested a call, and gave tough talk to Musharraf, including calls for democratization and independent investigators.

10:56: When did you decide to run for President? Clinton, over New Years a year ago. She somehow segues to a plug for a town hall in Reno. I wonder if Dangle is handling security. Edwards made the decision in December a year ago. Obama says the time was the same, in December in 06. He touts his family handling the stress. He says the question is not whether he could win, but whether he should. None of these timeframes are accurate in any but the most esoteric way.

And that’s a wrap, for what was really not that memorable a debate.

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Why Kucinich’s Debate Exclusion Is OK

This is probably our last exclusive Kucinich post until he drops out, for what its worth, but he’s complaining about being excluded from tonight’s debate. The criteria included finishing in the top four in Iowa, or being above 5% in a national or New Hampshire poll. Kucinich complained, sending out the following press release shortly ago:

As complaints keep pouring in to ABC News regarding the network’s decision to exclude Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich from tonight’s Democratic Presidential debate, the most recent data from ABC and co-sponsor Facebook show Kucinich ahead of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was invited to participate.

Kucinich, according to Facebook’s own figures, ranks fourth in popularity among Facebook members. In the latest ABC News Poll, Kucinich ranked ahead of Richardson. And, Kucinich has won more than a dozen major on-line polls and post-debate surveys, including one conducted by ABC News.

First of all, Kucinich cites being ahead in a “ABC News Poll” but does not mention what poll that even was. The latest polls from Washington Post and ABC News poll contain no poll result either in Iowa or New Hampshire where Kucinich out polls Richardson, nor any poll where Kucinich breaks 5% either nationally or in New Hampshire.

Citing online polls are a joke; with apologies to Ron Paul supporters, they only measure a self-selected sample group and are not representative. They measure fervency of support for certain, but in no way breadth of support.

The standards for the debate tonight are fair; it is late in the election season and it is not the job of any news station to allow for miracles to happen, particularly with candidates who have campaigned for months and still have a negligible amount of support.

Kucinich says the criteria are arbitrary and has even filed a complaint with the FCC; they are arbitrary. But they are also fair and realistic.

I would say the same to Mike Gravel and Duncan Hunter, both of whom also are likely unhappy.

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Analysis & Commentary Videocast Of New Hampshire Democratic Party 100 Club Dinner

We attended the NHDP 100 Club dinner yesterday evening, below is 21 minute video discussing the evening…

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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Live Blog Of New Hampshire Democratic Party 100 Club Dinner (Live From Milford!)

[Update: we've put up a video containing our commentary on the evening, check it out...]

Tonight, the New Hampshire Democratic Party is having its annual 100 Club Dinner. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich will be delivering speeches at this event. You can watch it live on C-SPAN or online beginning at 6:30pm.

5:00: We’re inside the building and press and guests are funneling in slowly. There’s a sizable Obama contingent outside that chanted as the staff here unreasonably forced press (and us!) to wait outside seemingly indefinitely, and we saw what looked like a small mountain of Clinton supporters down the road. All 5 remaining Democratic candidates plus Howard Dean are scheduled to make an address tonight.

5:32: The place is really starting to fill up now and people are eating.

5:51: The guests at this event are staring at the people in the press area as though there’s something quite magical going on in here. (press area pictured right)

6:38: And … the program is about to get underway, to the upbeat tunes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nothing inspires more than monkeys arbitrarily starting to worship a giant pole simply because it’s there. For the record, all the candidates plus Howard Dean and the NH Dem Representatives (both who have endorsed Obama) and Gov. Lynch (whose wife has endorsed Clinton) are slated to speak.

6:49: They’re running the Space Odyssey video again! And once again comparing their primary to a bunch of monkey worshiping a pole that suddenly appears; worse, this appears to have been done without a lick of irony.

6:54: There’s a lot of implicit comparisons of Obama to JFK, who was the first guest of a 100 Club Dinner; JFK is referred to in opening remarks as “the young senator from Massachusetts.”

7:00: After the pledge of allegiance and national anthem, it’s time for awards.

7:05: Jeanne Shaheen is introduced just before John Lynch and she gets a significantly lower amount of applause than Lynch. Effect of Obama backers not cheering as loudly?

7:06: Lynch speaks briefly, introducing his wife who has endorsed Clinton. Touts New Hampshire as first primary. Thanks Dodd and Biden for their commitment and they are apparently here! They get a solid round of applause. Lynch continues, touting retail politics.

7:11: Former Rep. Richard Swett speaks, touting the large crowd and Jeanne Shaheen’s run for Senate.

7:19: Donors are recognized, with Obama’s campaign getting a massive ovation, and no one else cheering much; the Clinton campaign was listed second, and its people were not ready to cheer, apparently. But the Obama people have made their presence felt, in a volley past the Clinton’s campaign’s bow.

7:24: Edwards is not coming. Apparently he feels this event is too much of a bigwig event. It’s a party fundraiser, though, and it’s hard to see how allowing all the focus to be on Clinton and Obama will help him.

7:26: Howard Dean speaks. After noting his nostalgia, he talks up the big turnout, then quoting Reagan - yes Reagan - in saying it is “morning in America” once again. That should get some people huffy. Talks up 80% of youth going to Democrat caucus in Iowa, and Democratic caucuses being large. Makes a joke about him not going on lists of states, and strikes a pose. Says that the Democrats are mostly the same, there are no significant differences. That has to help Obama, right? Says that Republicans and Bush are the biggest problem. Says Hastert and Lott resigned to avoid being subject to new ethics law for lobbyists. Talks up Republican attack machine and the problems with certain voting boxes, specifically citing my home county, Cuyahoga county in Ohio. Says 3,000 people are here, and that constant involvement is what gets the vote out. Says he wants to go back to person to person contact. That’s … ummm … a bit outdated. I say that as someone who has seen canvassers up close. Says greatness has to be earned and more clichés, such as America being “healed.” Says there are no red states or blue states, just … purple states. (Obama almost had his penultimate line stolen). Says Martin Luther King would be impressed at the makeup of the Democratic candidates. Compares GOP candidates to the 50s, and finally calls for Democrats to elect the future. That speech has to make Obama’s camp smile.

7:40: Another round of applause for Dodd and Biden. Another round of applause for Dick Gephardt. And also a round of applause for Elizabeth Edwards, who is here. I’m baffled as to why John Edwards is not here; he headlined it 3 years ago!

7:45: We’ve reached the “Attack John Sununu” portion of the program. We’ll return when something we care about does.

7:50: Paul Hodes, who has endorsed Obama, speaks. He mentions Obama themes such as unity and change, while attacking Bush with Edwards-esque rhetoric. One forced applause plus a bunch of screaming into the microphone = headache for me. Obama people force some applause at the end.

7:56: State democrats are here and happy to be in the majority.

8:00: Carol Shea-Porter, another Obama endorser, speaks. She talks broadly about Democrats being right for people of all parties. Talks about the value of SCHIP while remaining otherwise neutral.

8:05: More state democrats are here and, shockingly, still happy to be in the majority.

8:08: Dennis Kucinich is here! His theme is that he is “Waiting on the world to change.” He’s still waiting, apparently. His wife escorts him to the podium, apparently to remind everyone that she is good looking. He says he skipped Iowa on purpose because New Hampshire is so awesome. Says no one should have to settle, and that funding the war is the problem, and they can be home in three months. Says he is “totally aligned with the mainstream aspirations of the Democratic Party.” Cites ending the war immediately and canceling the Patriot Act immediately, and that Bush and Cheney should be punished, and that there is no statute of limitations for war crimes. Gets a decent round of applause in a wild flurry; needless to say, none of those applauding will be voting for him. He calls for the “old time religion” of FDR and a new WPA. Talks specifically about the shipbuilding industry, as if its the 1830s and the height of the Clipper ship era. Gets silence when he talks about how he is going to solve things, but gets applause at mentioning that problems exist. He has a tone to him that makes him sound like a robot. Finishes with a call for impeachment against Bush and Cheney, as he whips out a pocket Constitution Byrd-style. Says he and everyone is viable.

8:19: Hillary Clinton is introduced to audio problems with her music. I’m not sure what the introduction music is, but perhaps it is appropriate that there was a glitch in the beginning. She gets a lot of whistles; there’s no cheering, just whistling. Again, not to go all John McClane, but this is not helping my headache. Asks a series of questions if NH is “ready” for a president … which is her new slogan. Says we know the country can do better and be part of the change. Says America needs a POTUS who is a champion; She uses her ’some people want to fight for change, others hope’ line … and gets a significant amount of boos, as she segues into experience. She’s really doubling down on experience. Now she moves on to criticizing Bush, and criticizes Bush for being divisive, and creating a sense of fatalism, and that America has to try. Now she’s adapting a lot of Obama’s themes, but just glossing over them, as she talks about saving the middle class, specifically through health care. Says her plan is politically viable and will cover everyone by bringing business and labor together. Says that “those” who offer “virtual health care” leave people out. This is BLATANTLY misleading, as she says really sick people cannot be left out, giving multiple examples; Obama’s plan leaves uncovered healthy young adults who would simply willingly not enter the plan. No one who is sick or unhealthy would not apply. Krugman for one is attacking this problem from Clinton’s side honestly; Clinton’s stump speech does not. Moreover, people are realizing that. She moves on to energy, and gives a laundry list of things that can be done. She then moves on to Iraq. She talks at length on Iraq, emphasizing how difficult and dangerous the situation is, and that every American, including civilians, need to come home, and that Iraqis who put their lives on the line for Americans need to be helped as well. She moves on to health care for troops. Concludes by saying that there cannot be reliance on false hopes, that there must be a president who is ready on Day 1. (She asks this as a rhetorical question, and an Obama chant breaks out! She quickly tries to recover and speak over it.) She says that she has taken plenty of fire from Republicans and is still standing, which gets her crowd back into it. Talks about finding common ground with Republicans when possible, and that she has stood her ground when she had to. Says she is running for President to give back. Does anyone believe that? No one runs for President for that reason. Says that she will make history, and that wraps her speech up as Bill and Chelsea join her very briefly on stage. Oh, apparently her theme song is the Dixie Chicks “Ready to run.” Interesting that the lyrics such as “You see it feels like I’m starting to care, And I’m gonna be ready this time.” And it includes nothing about winning. …

8:44: People are being told to take their seats before *Richardson speaks. (As the Clinton clan leaves, I am sure.) *Oops. Not Obama

8:45: Richardson is introduced to the U2 song “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Apparently he wants to run and hide and tear down walls that hold him inside. Either that or he is seriously concerned about poison rain. He speaks, introducing his wife first, for one of the only times this campaign. Richardson jumps in and says that the war is the only issue that matters, and that it is the only thing he wants to talk about. He blames the press and the president. A Hillary supporter near me blames Richardson for Clinton losing in Iowa. Richardson says his plan gets all the troops out in one year, and talks about his plan. Somewhere in this massive room, Joe Biden is rolling his eyes. Richardson says troops cannot stay until 2013. Talks about his experience as a negotiator and diplomat as being crucial to make this change possible. He then moves on from Iraq, breaking his promise to only talk about one issue that he made only 7 minutes ago, talking about health care and education, and how bad things are in America right now, including NCLB. He gets polite applause through his speech. I’m not sure Richardson’s plan to increase minimum salaries for teachers in Constitutional. As Richardson lists other initiatives and talks about people of NH being open to other candidates, a MASSIVE exodus of people starts moving across the ballroom - apparently Obama people getting ready to storm the stage. It’s pretty damn rude. Richardson is unfazed, and says that the national media should not decide the election. Says that turnout of Iowa showed desire for change. No sooner does Richardson’s exit music start than Obama chants start up. It’s slightly annoying … but somewhat charming at the same time. It’s a thin line where they risk turning into such zealots that they’re ignored, ala Paulites.

9:00: There’s an amazing amount of Obama supporters; This is an Obama event at this point. And it should be clear … these people did not buy tickets yesterday. These are $100 tickets that sold out long ago. His organization has constantly outperformed others at competitive events. I cannot stress enough how much Obama turnout there is here.

9:01: The crowd is forced to take their seats before they can proceed .. and the massive crowd starts booing. In the end it probably just made his crowd that much more noticed.

9:02: Obama comes out to City of Blinding Lights by U2. “The more you see the less you know.” Hopefully that will not be prophetic. He clearly gets the best reception of the evening. The crowd is standing for his speech. Says that in four days, they can prove the cynics wrong. The press is more attentive now than they were for Clinton’s speech. He gives the unity schtick .. and the place goes nuts. He talks about lifting the country up, not bringing each other down; with a lead, that’s a fairly effective shield against a lot of attacks Clinton might otherwise launch. Obama touts his ability to bring youth in Iowa, and how he watched it. Touts his specific support among youth, women, independents, and republicans. Cites Hodes and Shea-Porter. Says he ran because that America is on the cusp of forming a new majority in the country. (A far more compelling reason than Clinton’s, if as idealistic). Talks about how the majority can help solve the problems of Bush, but festered “long before” Bush took over. Attacks lobbyists; this is far more effective without Edwards hitting him on the issue. Another chant breaks out. Talks about challenging interests (Detroit, Wall Street). Moves to health care, and talks about his mother reading insurance forms on her death bed in a hospital bed, and that he understands that pain of seeing a loved one suffer. That’s a new story. Says that the reform will be done by the end of his first term. Says he will end the “tyranny of oil” and create a “green economy.” Talks about Iraq and Afghanistan, and closing Guantanamo. Talks about being a President who taught the Constitution. Talks about a politics of hope. Mentions the “fierce urgency of now.” Says the broken system cannot solve the problems of today. Moves on to talking about how people are calling for experience; says they are saying that entails boiling hope away; says that argument does not work because the real gamble would be to have the same people in the same system in Washington and expecting new results. Says that results do not come from more anger or “turning up the heat” but from more light. Says that working across the aisle when you know who you are gets things done. He is unbelievable with a crowd. Moves on to those who make fun of him for talking about hope. Talks about hope not being blind optimism or ignorance of roadblocks but the “opposite of that.” Says he knows how hard it will be to deliver health care, global warming, and environmental change is difficult. Cites his experience on the streets and as a civil rights attorney. Says a small group of folks believing is how great things start - the revolution, the civil war, world war two, and the civil rights movement. I heard a different version of this speech yesterday and right now it sounds completely fresh. Says this moment is the chance for this generation to make its mark on history. Cites hunger and thirst for something, which is reminiscent of the biblical line ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness.’ Says that his administration would heal the country, and concludes with the loudest applause of the night. Impressive speech thematically and how it was delivered, especially considering he gave a similar speech yesterday!

And that does it, we’ll be back later tonight and tomorrow with more from New Hampshire.

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2008Central.net’s Presidential Election Podcast (01/03/08)

This podcast covers the results of the Iowa Caucuses. We discuss the significance of Huckabee’s victory, the state of the Republican race after Iowa and we also dissect Obama’s victory and analyze the rest of the Democratic race.

Feel free to email us questions/suggestions for next week’s podcast (you can also email an audio file of your question and we’ll include it in the podcast).

Subscribe to 2008Central.net’s Presidential Election Podcast

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Live Blog Of Concession/Winning Speeches

9:00: Reminder, Dems: Obama, Edwards, Clinton; GOP: Huckabee, Romney, Thompson/McCain/Paul

9:09: Andrea Mitchell calls it a “remarkably bad outcome for Hillary”

9:10: Matthews says the Clinton comeback begins now.

9:11: John Edwards is making an appearance, smiling; Matthews cites Edwards’ need to win in order to be relevant after Iowa. Elizabeth Edwards introduces him, and thanks everyone.

9:13: Elizabeth Edwards cites their campaign being outspent 6-1 combined. That’s REALLY disingenuous. Edwards speaks, saying that the status quo lost and change won. Essentially declares the death of Clinton.

9:15: Edwards talks about problems with health care, including a girl who was denied coverage of health insurance, and also the man who could not talk for 50 years. He also cites the Maytag plant closing. Cites the Roosevelts and Truman as presidents with backbone. By the way, it’s unclear if the insurance company really was responsible as Edwards claims:

Mark Geragos, attorney for the girl’s family, said he plans to ask the district attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against CIGNA HealthCare in the case. The insurer “maliciously killed her” because it did not want to bear the expense of her transplant and aftercare, Geragos said. Video Watch as the family takes on CIGNA »

Nataline had been battling leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from her brother. She developed a complication, however, that caused her liver to fail.

Doctors at UCLA determined she needed a transplant and sent a letter to CIGNA Healthcare on December 11. The Philadelphia-based health insurance company denied payment for the transplant.

On Thursday, about 150 teenagers and nurses protested outside CIGNA’s office in Glendale. As the protesters rallied, the company reversed its decision and said it would approve the transplant.

Despite the reversal, CIGNA said in an e-mail statement before she died that there was a lack of medical evidence showing the procedure would work in Nataline’s case.

“Our hearts go out to Nataline and her family, as they endure this terrible ordeal,” the company said. ” … CIGNA HealthCare has decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant.”

9:19: Edwards rails against corporations, including oil companies. Every cliché is hit. He even drops that Elizabeth has breast cancer, and others will too. It’s a litany of sob stories, including homeless veterans. Says America can fix all this.

9:22: Edwards says change won. He’s going on and on, possibly to minimize others getting on 11pm newscasts on the east coast? Just a guess. He hasn’t said much at all.

9:23: Matthews notes that neither Edwards congratulated the victor, and that they did not want to concede in ‘04; the campaign theme song of Kerry kicks in. (The Rising, by Springsteen).

9:25: The Clintons are on stage, with a large group of people including Vilsack, Albright, and Clark. In other words: we still have a lot of support. A ‘Hillary’ chant breaks out as Bill gives a thumbs up. She promises to take the enthusiasm to New Hampshire and ‘it is a great night for Democrats.’ Says this turnout means Democrats will win. She congratulates Obama and Edwards and thanks Dodd, Richardson, Kucinich, and Biden by name.

9:27: Her demeanor is pitch perfect for such a disappointing night. Pivots to focus on how a winning with a candidate “who can go the distance … and be the best president on day one.” Cites her plans to run a national campaign through the early states, while chiding independents and Republicans who came late to the table.

9:30: Families are good and need to be kept good.

9:32: She is ready to lead. Cites health care and energy. Also cites education reforms. Says she is more optimistic about the country than her campaign. Says a lot of people could not caucus - those in the military. Also says people work at night. This sounds like a line of excuses.

9:34: Thanks the unions across the country who support her. She says the election is about the future (uhm, no crap). And that’s it, and everyone starts hugging each other.

9:37: Huck! He’s ready to go. Chuck Norris is right behind him, and smiling like a cheshire cat. He says he loves Iowa a lot tonight. Thanks everyone who treated him with respect and listened to him. Really humble and personable approach that really works in direct contrast to most of the field. Says his wife will be a great First Lady. Thanks his children.

9:41: Says his campaign starts in Iowa and ends in Washington a year from now. Says money has proven to be overrated. Says that tonight could forever chan gethe political system. (Uhm, probably not.) Says choice was for a change, but change can be for the worse or better.

9:43: The greatest generation can be the next generation. (Another anti-boomer candidate?) Says the election and country is not about him, but tonight will start a “prairie fire” across the country. Says the people are the ruling class in America.

9:45: Huck cites GK Chesterson, a Christian apologetic, and says people must love people behind them not hate those in front of him as Chuck Norris stands directly behind him. Says we must do whatever it takes to do what is right for those in America. Reminds everyone that this is the beginning. Again thanks Iowa.

9:51: Tim Russert looks like he’s been drinking whiskey all day. He’s staring at Brian Williams a bit uncomfortably.

10:02: Romney spoke at the same time as Huckabee, citing the Olympics as different events having different results.

10:03: Obama takes the stage with his family. They leave and Obama takes the podium.

10:04: Says the cynics have been proven wrong. He’s in ‘big speech’ mode. Cites New Hampshire next, and the rest of America after that. Cites the big turnout, and Democrats, Republicans, and Independents standing together for change and for one country. Starts echoing the 04 Convention speech with uniting red states and blue states. Says time has come to take power back from lobbyists and for an honest president. Says he can be that president if New Hampshire gives him the same support. Unbelievable atmosphere compared to the other campaigns. Says he will make health care affordable and available to everyone. Promises a middle class tax cut. Speaks of freeing America from the tyranny of oil. The speech is focused on him as a president, and mixing that message with his campaign theme.

10:11: Thanks organizers and precinct captains; no one else thanked them. Thanks his wife, “the closer on the campaign trail.”

10:12: Says it was not done for him, but for American ideals and fighting against odds for what people believe in.

10:13: Says nights like this justify the hard times in a campaign, and this is the moment it all began. Says the improbably and “what Washington said was inevitable” are torn down. Says politics of cynicism were beaten down. Says hope is not blind, but that something better is available if it is worked for. Says hope was what inspired the American Revolution, World War II, and the civil rights movement.

10:17: Obama says it’s about the USA and wraps it up to thunderous applause.

10 :18: Quickly over to Biden, who is dropping out. He thanks film makers and those that are supporting him. Thanks his wife.

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