In the realm of humour and helpful advice from director Rob Reiner. We all have a role to play in getting Hillary Clinton elected.
Obama supporters such as Andrew Waters, 38, who works for a nonprofit conservation group in Salisbury, N.C., are cringing over the Wright affair. “It hurts the Obama campaign,” he said. “I don’t understand why they can’t get him to chill out until next January.”
Yes, having the Reverend resume his speaking tour come January 2009 is bound to help an Obama Presidency. Hiding one’s problems and deferring them is always a good idea. Instead of recognizing that all too obvious implication that Wright’s beliefs and Obama’s tacit endorsement of them for over twenty years is bound to cause further divisiveness in the country, Obama’s supporters would rather just ignore the problem or at least defer them. So many of them cannot bear to turn away from the would be messiah.
Can you imagine if Obama does become President and we have to endure the antics of the Reverend Wright week in and week out? That is going to do wonders for race relations that already have been damaged. That is going to do wonders for the unity that Obama promises and yet has already left us more disunited than ever. The truth is that that disunity that Obama has sowed has already caused irreparable damage to the Democratic cause with 30% of Clinton supporters unlikely to support Obama in the general election. Obama’s supporters need to fully understand the depth of our anger and outrage not about the Reverend Wright but about Obama himself.
With 84% of the vote in from Guam, Obama leads Clintion 54% to 46%. Under the rules that would split the 4 pledged delegates 2 to 2. So far 18 districts have been counted. One of the largest districts, Dededo, still hasn’t been counted toward the total vote, however. The other two districts yet to be counted are Agat and Yona.
3PM PST Update
The race has narrowed. With only Dededo left to count, Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic caucus. Clinton will need to win Dededo by 204 votes to overtake Obama. Dededo is Guam’s most populous village. The pledged delegate count will still end up a split.
More on Guam’s Democratic Primary.
Guam’s Pacific Daily News has a short video you can watch on its website.
How would Obama handle himself in this situation? The loveable but bumbling Jim Hacker is a master of political expediency. Sound familiar?
A Rasmussen Poll out on Friday points to an ongoing credibility gap on Obama and his relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Just 30% of the nation’s Likely Voters believe Barack Obama denounced his former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, because he was outraged. Most—58%–say he denounced the Pastor for political convenience.
Even more troubling for Obama’s Presidential ambitions is that:
Fifty-six percent (56%) say it’s at least somewhat likely that Obama “shares some of Pastor Wright’s controversial views about the United States.” That figure includes 26% who say it’s Very Likely Obama holds such views. At the other end of the spectrum 24% say it’s Not Very Likely that Obama shares such views. Just 11% say it’s Not at All Likely.
Here is Saturday’s edition of interesting reads from around the world.
Cuba Lifts Ban on Home Computers
Internet service is still controlled but the government of President Raúl Castro has lifted a ban on ownership of personal computers for all Cubans. This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raúl Castro has lifted in recent weeks. Internet access remains restricted to certain workplaces, schools and universities on the island. The full story from BBC.
Finally Election Results in Zimbabwe
That’s the good news, the bad news is that results are likely not accurate. After more than a month’s delay, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on Friday officially announced the results of the disputed March 29 presidential election, saying that the opposition candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, had won more votes than the incumbent, President Robert Mugabe, but not enough to avoid a runoff. It seems clear Mugabe has played for time and is looking for vindication in a second round. Here is story in the New York Times and in Johannesburg’s Mail & Guardian.
Nepal Bans the Export of Grains
As the world food crisis deepens, Nepal joins a growing list of nations that is curbing or completely banning the export of grains. The newly elected Maoist government will also abolish the Nepalese Monarchy in two weeks. The story in The Rising Nepal.
Global Climate Change
Scientists expect this summer to set a new record in the extent of sea ice melting in the Artic Ocean. The story from PhysOrg. And in Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission that manages Australia’s major river system and the water supply for 60% of all Australians reports a grim outlook. The story in The Australian.
A Post-Mortem on former Aussie PM John Howard
George Megalogenis writes in The Australian a post-mortem on the fall of the long-serving John Howard.
Is it any wonder the Loonie is now worth slightly more than the US Dollar? The above video points to one of my frequent frustrations, namely too many Americans know less than they should about the world they live in. I still find hard to believe that President Bush had no idea the difference between a Sunni and Shi’ite. Sometimes it is as if some Americans live in a parallel universe tucked between the Rio Grande and the 48th Parallel. Canadians have oft expressed frustration with the lack of knowledge that Americans have about our neighbour to the north. I wonder how many Americans can name Canada’s Prime Minister (Stephen Harper or the fact that he is a Conservative or that there are three major parties in Canada or that Canada manages to have universal health care without falling apart). Rick Mercer, a Newfoundlander, who works for the CBC takes us to task over our abysmal lack of knowledge though granted some of it is a clear set up. Still if you watch the video to its conclusion, you will see Mike Huckabee in his former rotundness make an ass of himself.
All this serves as introduction to an op-ed I read in the Toronto Star that cited Ten Reasons Hillary should stay in the race. I’ll start off by citing the top reason but you’ll have check the link to peruse all ten.
1. She has strong, well-thought-out positions on topics from health care to Iraq and the environment. If anything, she has a wonk-like obsession with policy.
Here is the op-ed by Bob Hepburn. So you see if Canadians can get it, it should be a breeze for us.