Laugh out loud hilarity from the New York Times and columnist Gail Collins: Thanksgiving is next week, and President Bush could make it a really special holiday by resigning….

….Putting Barack Obama in charge immediately isn’t impossible. Dick Cheney, obviously, would have to quit as well as Bush. In fact, just to be on the safe side, the vice president ought to turn in his resignation first. (We’re desperate, but not crazy.) Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would become president until Jan. 20. Obviously, she’d defer to her party’s incoming chief executive, and Barack Obama could begin governing.

As a bonus, the Pelosi presidency would put a woman in the White House this year after all. On the downside, a few right-wing talk-show hosts might succumb to apoplexy. That would, of course, be terrible, but I’m afraid we might have to take the risk in the name of a greater good.

Wow, does anyone wonder why the stock of the New York Times is sinking? The hatred that Collins has for Bush must have rotted her brain. For the better part of 8 years, we have all been subjected to people like Collins saying Bush is "shredding the Constitution." To print this in the NYT, she must actually be serious about the idea and think there might be a chance it could happen (she is because she added a "seriously" in there). There would be no better example of a blatant disregard of the Constitution than this. What about the "selected not elected" trash from 2000? Nancy Pelosi becoming president wouldn't be the perfect example of that? Plus Obama isn't ready yet; not all of his cabinet positions have been filled with Clinton retreads (latest example: Richardson, Bill) and he doesn't have any more Nancy Reagan jokes ready.

Democrats are going to have to wait until the actual inauguration day per the 20th Amendment. You've waited this long, 2 more months shouldn't be too hard. Just like I was embarrassed for Michigan yesterday, I am actually feeling bad for the New York Times after reading that. Never thought I would say about either of them.

I know this is just one column, but I can't help but shake the feeling that people out there actually agree with Collins. Which is actually probably why it was printed – because most NYT readers probably nodded with approval while reading. Just a wild guess, but I would bet that if Obama were to lose in 2012 we wouldn't see a column like this in the NYT, and not because they might be out of business by then.

More Change: "Mrs. Obama is the product of public education on the South Side of Chicago and she believes strongly in the importance of good public schools for all kids."

Just not for her kids. In DC or Chicago.

Rally. Wall Street ends down only 40 for the week. Tough end to a promising week for the Democrats. Turning on CNBC and seeing all those green arrows pointing up has to hurt. Sorry.

The Senate Gang of 20, originally known as the Gang of 10 and then the Gang of 16 disbanded. They will not offer their terrible energy bill – the one that would have "opened up" some of the Outer Continental Shelf for drilling. The entire bill was a CYA and was a sham. This also means that the off-shore drilling ban will expire October 1st, throwing the issue back in the news. It only helps one candidate. Not the one who just wants you to inflate your tires and shut up. And wants his supporters to get in your face.

Unhinged. Charlie Rangel says Sarah Palin is "disabled." Rangel should be worrying about paying his taxes instead of hurling insults. If this guy was a Republican he would have been run out of town long ago. But as is usually the case, if you are a Democrat it doesn't matter. Tom at Bizzy Blog says this is another example of democrats showing PDS, "Palin Derangement Syndrome."

Turning Around. Ohio's August unemployment figures are in. 7.4%. I wonder if Ohio and Michigan are going to just merge. Obviously all the fault of George W. Bush and Bob Taft. It just keeps going up and up. Is there any end in sight?

Potential game at Lambert Field: Joe Biden says the University of Delaware (1-AA) would "kick Ohio State's ass" in football. As bad as Ohio State looked against USC, I somehow I doubt that. Via Taxman Blog. I feel like this blog has mentioned Joe Biden more than we should have over the last week. Those rumors he will be dropped off the ticket still aren't going away, though I don't know who starts these things. For better or worse (depending on your point of view) he isn't going anywhere.

Lastly, a state of the race update by Jay Cost of Real Clear Politics. A good read for supporters of both sides.

Had to wait until this late hour to discuss the Hillary Clinton (not Rodham) speech. Planned on watching it but a baseball game got in the way, so I caught a replay (hey how about the anchor battles over at MSNBC?). The speech was successful due to the low expectations Democrats set for her. There was never a chance she was going to go out there and undermine Obama publicly, despite the media pretending it might happen. Her speech was delivered above average. It wasn't geared towards someone like me, but if I was a Democrat I would be reasonably happy. She had a few good one-liners (notably the Twin Cities one) and her public speaking skills have improved since way back when. There was of course the typical Democrat red meat talking points in there as well.

However, notably missing was praise specifically for Obama. It was sparse. Anything that she said could have been used for any generic Democrat she was stumping for. I suspect that in the eyes of some that parts even made Obama look like even more of a jerk for ruining her historic candidacy.

The ball is now in Obama's court. He has to win over skeptical Democrats. It isn't Hillary's job anymore to convince them; she did what she was supposed to do. Actually, it never really was her job to do. He has to sell himself from here on out. She isn't the one running, though you might have thought she was still in the race during points of her speech tonight. All in all, Democrats shouldn't complain about her anymore after tonight. (BTW: Bill's performance knowing the cameras would be all over him was sickening. What you would expect. Oh, and he will skip Obama's speech on Thursday). Still, it makes me mad that some people are so dumb they think that millions of voters are sitting out there waiting for some cue from Hillary that it is okay to vote for Obama. They aren't (well maybe a handful are) and I would be insulted if I was one of them – like I was some mindless drone acting on orders from her. Voters will make up their own minds. The people who supported/still support her are not a single minded cult-like mass. They all had their own reasons for backing her and for not warming up to Obama yet if they do.

I've always felt Hillary Clinton would have been the more formidable opponent in the fall, but it was never based on her speeches. She has the stature to go head to head with McCain that Obama does not. Win or lose, this is nothing like 2004. That was purely a get out the base election, whereas this time around there are large segments of legitimately undecided and reluctant of their party's candidate voters who may actually be swayed and moved one way or the other.

Only two more days of the DNC infomercial thankfully. Heard Mark Warner bombed in the keynote. If he was speaking in my kitchen I would go to the basement. I guess starting next year I will have to turn C-SPAN2 off when he comes on to speak as Virginia's junior senator.

And there is still no question Hillary wants Obama to lose in November so she can run in 2012.

Dispatch: Many in southern Ohio still wary of Obama

The outcome in Appalachian Ohio, a swing area where residents voted twice each for Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush, could go a long way toward determining who wins Ohio and perhaps the presidency….In this Appalachian town and others along the southern Ohio trail that Hillary Clinton blazed in February, voters such as Rebecca Harper are asking: Now what?….Harper was impressed by Clinton's empathy for the struggling middle class and said she would have voted for her this fall. But now that Barack Obama has sewn up the Democratic nomination, Harper isn't sure whom to support.

This is where Kyle and I have our major 2008 Election disagreement. He lives in some fantasy land where all Clinton voters go for Obama at the end of the day. In reality, we all know that is not the case. Many soft Ohio Democrats will not vote for Obama. Period. Just like some Republicans aren't going to vote for John McCain. Some Democrats are ardent Hillary supporters and think that she got screwed over (she did and should definitely fight to the convention for justice). Some think Obama is too liberal. Others don't like his association with people like Wright and Rezko. And still more people haven't forgotten the "bitter" insult. Sure, most of these voters will vote for the Democrat candidate in the end. But some will not, and it doesn't take a whole lot of them to change things at the ballot box. Just ask people you know about family members, friends, co-workers and others they know who are Democrats that feel this way. He hasn't impressed everyone, and some people are not going to change their minds. I heard it multiple times myself this weekend.

"It was like we meant something to her," said Chuck Denney, 55, of Gallipolis, who works at a nearby power plant and was having lunch last week at the original Bob Evans restaurant in Rio Grande where Hillary Clinton stopped in February.

No, Chuck, you meant nothing to Hillary Clinton. The Clintons care about people in Gallipolis about as much as I care about what happened on the last episode on The Hills (none). However, many people feel like the Clintons do care about them for some reason and Obama doesn't (he cares about people in San Francisco). Mr. Denney isn't alone here. I don't understand it so I can't explain it. On a side note, I drove through Gallipolis once and I have to say I wasn't a big fan. Sorry to all Gallipolis readers.

Many people out there think Obama (pictured, enjoying a nice bike ride) should just not even contest Ohio and try and win other states instead. I can not think of a dumber strategy, and I am fairly certain the professionals running his campaign would agree with me. Ignore the lynch pin of the GOP Electoral Map? Great Idea! Democrats have to – have to – force Republicans to play in Ohio and spend time and resources here and at least try to win. Bush was able to nickel and dime Kerry to death in rural counties in south and west Ohio in 2004 to offset Kerry gains in urban counties. Bush improved in every county in the south of the state from the WV border over to Cincinnati from 2000 (except for communist/socialist Athens County, home of Ohio University). If McCain doesn't have to fight for those votes, then I don't see a conceivable way Obama wins Ohio, unless he wins 360+ Electoral Votes, and in that case Ohio didn't matter anyways. But if Team Obama wants to write off Ohio and place their hopes on flipping multiple other Bush 2004 states, be my guest. I'd love to see our resources go elsewhere and be able to watch TV in October without every commercial being election related or having some MoveOn.org volunteer knock on my door while I am trying to play Madden 2009 (I assume I will be in the middle of a season or dynasty at that time – it is actually possible I will be tired of the new Wii by then).

Ohio Related: Mike DeWine update.
Update: DeWine out of AG race.

Tonight we saw the continuation of the pattern of tossing people under the bus by Barack Obama. But I don't get it. In Philadelphia back in April Obama said "he could not more disown the Reverend Jeremiah Wright than he could disown the black community or his own grandmother and spoke about how Trinity United "embodies the black community in its entirely.'" Then he dumped Wright. Now the church. Maybe it had something to do with the latest video from that Pfleger guy….by the way if I am Obama's church (former) why am I letting people record what is going on there after all that has happened? The most recent tape was actually likely the final straw; it wasn't a great first outreach to Clinton voters. From the AP:

"I'm not denouncing the church and I'm not interested in people who want me to denounce the church," he said, adding that the new pastor at Trinity and "the church have been suffering from the attention my campaign has focused on them……….It's clear that now that I'm a candidate for president, every time something is said in the church by anyone associated with Trinity, including guest pastors, the remarks will imputed to me even if they totally conflict with my long-held views, statements and principles," he said.

The damage is done and has been done. This won't help and if anything it hurts him. I do like the attempt to blame the media. Barack Obama trying to blame the media. That is worth a laugh, even at this late hour.

Plain and simple, Obama is just your average politician. He always has been despite his facade. Just like John McCain. They both are. They will do whatever it takes to win. That is the only reason you do what Obama did today. It didn't just occur to him in the last couple days that it was time to move on from Trinity United Church of Christ due to what was being said there. Obama hasn't changed, but the political seasons have. Oh, and the sermons he listened to for 20 years and other recent ones showed up on YouTube. Obama tonight made two mistakes. He said nothing to denounce what was said and secondly we now know that he is only interested in the political burden of this problem.

Many Democrats pledged their lives to Obama on the basis of a very good speech at the Democratic Convention in Boston in 2004 without knowing much about him. Those that didn't go that route have to be a tad nervous right now in a race they should be leading by double digits.

Tom Blumer raises a good point:

*The theory among the Truth in Blogging radio corps is that Barack is afraid that there is an explosive video of Michelle Obama going off from TUCC's pulpit, and that his "resignation" is partially an attempt to prevent that from happening.

Not related at all: Did anyone see that fight on CBS Saturday night? Pretty disgusting when the ear of the guy from England broke open and started bleeding everywhere.

Forget The Primary Exit Polls
If you are going to take time out of your schedule to go vote in a primary, you are more engaged than the average voter. Primary voters are more sophisticated. Chances are, many of those voters have heard polling data before, receive Clinton campaign emails, and are very aware of the dynamics of this primary. Clinton Democrats are devoted to her. They understand when a poll is being conducted to collect data so that someone can make the case for Senator Clinton to drop out. "Would you vote for Senator Obama if Senator Clinton dropped out?" A loyal and savvy Clinton supporter is going to say no to a pollster because they don't want to give the media or the Obama campaign fuel to run Senator Clinton out of town. Many of them probably genuinely feel frustrated with Senator Clinton's second place finish at the moment. However, once the dust from the primary clears, it will be the issues that matter most to those Democrats and we will be a united party.

Good News For Obama: People Vote On The Issues
The media and Republicans have gone gaga over exit polls in West Virginia and Kentucky that show 17% (KY) and 19% (WV) of white voters saying race played a factor in their decision. They also point to the fact that Senator Clinton did extremely well with white Democrat voters in West Virginia and Kentucky as evidence of Obama's problem with whites. Their conclusion is that these Democrats are going to throw all their political principles out the window and cast a vote for John McCain this November because of race. I don't believe that is going to happen. At the end of the day, people vote on issues. Senator Obama has real work to do with Senator Clinton's supporters and independents in places like Kentucky and West Virginia to show them he shares their values, but it is very doable and is going to get done. The shared values of Hillary and Barack will become crystal clear once this primary is over and allow our party to win in November.

"This Is Not A Good Year To Be A Republican"
That was Dick Morris' conclusion in an article he wrote for The Hill yesterday and is another reason why Clinton Democrats are going to vote Obama. The title of Morris' article was actually GOP Senate Massacre of '08. In the article, Morris goes through state by state and sites polling that shows Democrats leading in open seats and competing to knock out Republican Senators like Alaska's Ted Stevens, North Carolina's Elizabeth Dole, and New Hampshire's John Sununu. The energy, organization, and message of the Obama campaign is going to help these races and will put more in play as November draws near.

Democrats are going to be united and excited for Barack Obama. Independents are going to be looking for a seat on the bandwagon. Republicans are going to be scrambling to figure out how to start the motors on the swift boats in time for November. I just want this primary to end so we can get to the fun part.

If Michelle Obama doesn't want to be attacked, or her husband doesn't like it, then she shouldn't be out giving campaign speeches as a surrogate for her husband. She shouldn't be telling people in Zanesville about the rigors of paying for expensive summer camps for your kids. She shouldn't tell people she wasn't proud of America until now. If she wants to be left alone, she would go the route of Mrs. Howard Dean. She painted a target on herself when she started making comments. That isn’t my fault. I have said that a spouse of a candidate for president is not off limits. Go after Cindy McCain if you are so inclined, leftists. I have seen it out there, so I know it is done. I have learned from the last 7.5 years that they don't care about going after family members of Republicans.

So in sum, she can go out and give political speeches, but she is off-limits in return. They don’t like being held to account for her campaign statements. It’s okay to discuss Michelle when it is done to promote the cause, but that is the only time she can be brought up. You can't have it both ways. Sorry, oh mighty ones. Typical liberal think here; just create more victims.

This is part of a broader strategy by the Obama campaign. They are trying, and with some success I might add, to build a bubble around their candidate where any criticism of him is going to be considered out of bounds. It is starting to be set up where any attack is a "personal attack." It is almost going the way where it is inconceivable that anyone could disagree with him. They are trying to dictate what people out there can and cannot say.

No, Senator Obama. I won't lay off verbally attacking your wife if I want to. Your warning doesn't scare me. What are you going to do, have me jailed? I better be careful? Of what? This is America. The country whose flag pin you are now wearing.

This makes me wonder if the rumors flying around out there about campaign sinking video tapes that show Michelle Obama speaking at the infamous Chicago church aren't indeed true and the groundwork is being laid to fend off criticism of that. But even if that is true, I won't be allowed to bring it up because it will just be a "distraction."

I noticed that Invincible Armor also wrote about this.

Since his big win and almost win in North Carolina and Indiana respectively last week, Obama has been called the certain nominee by all the MSM. He had a week of good press – and by my math, there are 24 weeks until November 4. Of those 24 weeks, Obama will get favorable MSM press coverage for about 23.5 of them. Something will happen for a couple days where even Olbermann and Kyle and the crew can't cover for him. Regardless, despite the glowing reviews and proclamations of it "being over" he got trounced Tuesday. He managed to pull in just about 20% more of the vote than John Edwards who has long since departed the scene. That is pathetic, just like the Republicans loss in MS-1 was. Obama continued to struggle with demographics he needs in November. A lot of West Virginia looks an awful like parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. I would like someone to tell me how he can win in the Fall without those two states. Yes, I know mathematically you can figure out a way to do it, but I mean realistically. And you have to understand he certainly won't win Florida if he can't win OH or PA.

It is obvious to me that both decided and undecided Democratic Supers believe that turning off black voters is less of a risk than turning off the rural bitter simpletons in places like Southern Ohio. Maybe. I don't agree with that thinking, but it seems clear that many of them feel that is the case. They feel they can compensate for those losses with the always vaunted new voters, a massive upshoot of black voters (not quite the voting gap here you would think), and a huge turnout among other strong Democrat demographics. It's a gamble, especially when your candidate is an extremist and the most liberal senator in the United States Senate. Obama supporters will say tonight meant nothing. Delegate race wise, yes, you people are right. It really didn't. She is not going to catch him that way. But I don't think limping home and exposing that you are still in trouble with a large segment of the Democratic electorate is the way Team Obama wants to do it.

John McCain has his problems too, but I am not sure they are bigger than Obama's at this juncture. Unfortunately when this Democrat mess is over, we will have to turn to those problems. Back to now though. Mr. Chicago is slated to get drubbed again next Tuesday in Kentucky, and these same questions will be raised again. I would rather be in McCain's shoes, losing portions of the vote to Huckabee and Paul and whomever at this point. If Republicans are able to win in November, when we look back we will probably have to send a thank you card to the media and Obama supporters for dragging him across the finish line and disregarding their better general election candidate.

This summed it up best in my undervalued opinion: As in all of these recent Republican defeats (House races I alluded to before), analysts will be able to point to factors unique to the particular race. But my takeaway is that the Republican brand is in such bad shape that the Dems can win virtually anywhere if they nominate a candidate whose position on key issues is, or can be made to seem, close to that of the Republican. Fortunately, the Democrats will not nominate such a candidate for president.

Also, I am really warming up to Windows Vista. I am on week 2 of it. I hated it for a few days, but it just took some getting used to.

BIG WIN BY DEMOCRATS LAST NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI
The big political story out of last night's results is Democrat Travis Childers defeat of Republican Craig Davis in a special election held last night in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District. Here is a little background on the district from the National Republican Congressional Committee: "Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District includes the Columbus Air Force Base and two VA facilities. Nearly 12 percent of the people living in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District are military veterans." The NRCC spent $1.27 million trying to keep the heavily Republican district and lost 54% – 46%. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $2 million in the win. On Monday of this week, Vice-President Cheney made a rare campaign appearance to try and help the Republican hold the seat. I hope Ohio Republicans welcome the Vice-President to their districts also. Last night's win helps to illustrate the success of the Democratic message in the wake of the national frustration with the current administration.

We all thought tonight could be a game changer for Hillary. It was, just not in the direction she wanted. As I write this, she is just getting Indiana in her column from the news outlets that are not CBS News, who called Indiana for her long ago tonight; they must be breathing a tad easier right now. Michael Barone said over an hour ago she would hang on, and usual he was right. That guy knows his stuff. No matter; Obama can claim victory there tomorrow. Already the calls for Hillary to quit the race are growing louder than ever; it is the loudest on Obama TV (MSNBC). Obama was able to gain back the votes he lost in Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Simply, he stopped the bleeding and probably for him it was not a moment too soon. Also, tough times for outgoing NC Governor Mike Easley who just recently endorsed Clinton.

This is Obama's best night since Wisconsin on February 22 after a string of bad news and tough losses. Also the first time since then he outperformed the exit polls. This is a night he needed and North Carolina delivered in a big way for him.

Three scenarios could happen now after what transpired tonight:

A) Close to an immediate drop out, probably the most unlikely of potential outcomes to come out of this evening. However, if she had lost Indiana it would have been the end. A loss would have been fatal for sure.

B) Hillary stays in through West Virginia and Kentucky, wins them, and then drops out, going out on a high note. Based on demographic patterns that have emerged during this campaign,, she will win them by a large margin. This also avoids a possible embarrassment for Obama – losing even though she is already out of the race.

Tom Blumer asks a good question – “How did Obama get only 35% of the non-African-American vote (in North Carolina)?” It is a lot different than his South Carolina win where he won all demos except white females. He is definitely sliding in other areas as we have seen in the last few primaries. That has to raise questions about the general in November. Can he offset these losses, or will these typical Democrat voters come back and pull the lever for him at the end? North Indiana was much better for Obama than South Indiana for him – places like Southern Ohio and rural Pennsylvania (the bitter areas of our country). Obviously these areas are closer to West Virginia and Kentucky than areas where Obama has done well.

C) She stays in through the end of the voting calendar and sees what happens, hoping for a huge Obama stumble. Two good states for her coming up which she will win and keep fighting for Florida and Michigan to count. I still think this is the most likely of my three options to occur. Team Clinton does not seem to have given up on the two problem states. I do think, however, that talk of blowing up the convention is overblown. I can't envision that happening.

I have been saying for some time I want to face Obama and not Clinton. If McCain can't beat Obama, then he is a bad candidate and we don't deserve to win. He is the easier one to beat in the general, but then again, I think he would be a far worse president than her. It is a quandary for me and other Republicans who feel the same way. I don't think it is even a question that she is "more electable." Republicans went with their heads and went McCain; Democrats seem to be going more with their heart and Mr. Teleprompter. I think Democrat Supers know this, but they know they can't just rip away the nomination from Obama.

Obama is limping towards the nomination and it looks like we know our November battle.

Lefty blog Fundamental Truths says it is over for Clinton. Pro Obama blog Plunderbund agrees.

That is all for now – I am as tired as Brit Hume looked and Tim Russert sounded at about 12:30 AM.

OH-16: Boccieri Campaign Hits The Streets Tomorrow
One of the top Congressional races in the country will be OH-16, which includes Medina, Wadsworth, Ashland, Wooster, Canton, and Alliance. (map) Democratic Candidate John Boccieri and his volunteers will be knocking on doors in the district to help get their message out. (details if you want to volunteer) The Ohio Democratic Party is mobilizing volunteers across the state with the goal of knocking on 10,000 doors tomorrow.

Unrelated: Did anybody else see that picture of McCain on the front page of today's Akron Beacon Journal? (here it is) If I was a McCain supporter, I wouldn't be too happy about it.

His numbers must be sinking for him to come out today and make the comments about Wright he did this afternoon. Obama had two options when this whole thing came to light. The first was to do what he did today right away and hope to minimize the damage. The other was to try and shift the blame and say it wasn't relevant. He chose the latter and it didn't work. Now he is trying to do what he should have done at first but it is too late and he is digging a deeper hole. First he said he was unaware of Wright's radical statements, which I am assuming that most honest Democrats knew was untrue. Now Obama says Wright has changed for the worse. Any voter who buys this is either as dense as they come or just wants to believe it even though they know the truth. Wright didn't change, and Obama didn't change. People just noticed it. What did Wright say yesterday that was so much different from what we already heard? Nothing. Today, however, Obama decided he had better denounce Wright, which make his whole "groundbreaking" speech in Philadelphia last month a bunch of trash.

Selective editing doesn't make Wright appear extreme, he does it on his own. That is fine. I am not going to sit here and say I am deeply offended by what he says. It is his right to say what he feels; this is America after all. I don't agree with it, but I am not going to pretend I am outraged. Some people are. The outrage in my eyes is that Obama used this guy and his church to start his political career and then when all of this came to light he tried to say he didn't know about it. That didn't work, so now he is trying to distance himself from both Wright and his rhetoric. Wright is obviously an extremist, but in some sense I actually feel a tad bad for him with Obama running over him with campaign bus. Then putting the bus in reverse and going back over him. Then running over him again. Then reversing……

It's over. He can't win. This has just been too damaging. The damage done to the Obama campaign is still being figured out by some, but I already have the answer. Additionally, who knows what Wright is going to say now. He has no allegiance to Obama anymore after today. This is probably one reason why Obama tried to straddle the line from the start of the controversy. He felt that if he didn't attack Wright that he would be keep quiet until after the election. Now, I would guess, Wright will probably be able to place him squarely in church on many of the days in question as he continues what is becoming a precursor to a book tour.

Obama lovers, you don't have to like my declaration that it is over for Obama. I wouldn't expect you to. Just know that it is correct. You can try to blame this on Karl Rove, but it won't work this time. You are nervous. We all know it.

A couple of observations: Exit polls showed that just under half of those who voted Tuesday consider Hillary Clinton trustworthy. But she won by over 9%. That is bad for Obama. People don't even like Hillary and she crushed him! Again in PA, as the trend is becoming, poor bitter white Democrats and independents, with whom Obama is not connecting with did not vote for him. The results (and not just PA – in general) show that who wins and loses these Dem contests is decided by demographics. There is no chance he could win a general election without these votes he is not getting now. You can carry 95% of the black vote and every eager college voter (and their professors) who have his button on their backpack and it still wouldn't add up to victory. You need Reagan Democrats to win a general election. Obama hasn't won them since Wisconsin (and the trend line is going the wrong way for him with those folks). Yet if he bashes Hillary in an effort to bring her down he will make some of the Democrats who don't back him now even more skeptical of him than they already are – not something you want to do if you are going to be the nominee. And it tarnishes his fakeness of "being above it all." (That sound you hear is me laughing).

Obama is a bad candidate and that is becoming more clear by the week. That is why he "can’t close the deal." If he was so great, he would have crushed all of his original opponents already, but one still remains. It is great that Hillary Clinton has fought on to help expose Obama for who he really is – for both parties. It helps Democrats because they can still ditch this guy while they have the chance. If they don't, at least they can start preparing for the "attacks" on Obama earlier. They will have a while to sort things out after Clinton wins Indiana by a larger margin than she is currently leading in the polls and keeps her momentum going. Obviously it helps Republicans because the Democrats keep getting more divided. Republicans have barely touched his liberal positions on issues yet which will be a tough sell to a center-right country. I will say that the polls that show some supporters won't support the eventual nominee are somewhat overblown – though there will be a larger number of mad voters than usual who sit it out (especially if Clinton is the nominee). Just look at how fast Republican rallied around McCain – the same type thing will more or less happen for the 'Crats.

By the way, Kyle's post below strikes me as a good example of how all the devoted Obama supporters are feeling. How dare another candidate who is in the race to win attack their preferred nominee? Please. You want a vastly under funded Hillary to drop out after she just thrashed your candidate in Pennsylvania, a state the Democrats almost have to have this November? I don't think so.

This is the message that the Boccieri campaign is going to take to the voters of Ohio's 16th Congressional District. This race is one of many across the country where Democrats are running very competitive candidates in districts Republicans used to be able to take for granted. Stark County has always been considered a bell weather in American politics. If Democrats are able to pick up this type of district, then it will be an important victory in what could be a nation wide landslide for Democrats.

CHARLIE GIBSON: And in each instance, when the rate dropped (of the capital gains tax), revenues from the tax increased; the government took in more money. And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28 percent, the revenues went down.

So why raise it at all, especially given the fact that 100 million people in this country own stock and would be affected?

BARACK OBAMA: Well, Charlie, what I've said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness.

We saw an article today which showed that the top 50 hedge fund managers made $29 billion last year — $29 billion for 50 individuals. And part of what has happened is that those who are able to work the stock market and amass huge fortunes on capital gains are paying a lower tax rate than their secretaries. That's not fair.

There in a simple statement you have it. Gibson's numbers are not in dispute. But George McGovern Obama apparently does not care. He wants the money for his government programs that he knows are for the best. What isn't fair? I own stock, though not a lot. I am not rich. Hardly so. But a raise in capital gains tax even would affect me if I sold stock I bought with my money. But it would be "fair" to the people who don't own stock according to Obama.

Sure, taxes are not an exact science….but Obama is basically saying that he wants to punish the "rich" and take that money because he can do better with it. That is what I take out of his comment. It is actually downright scary. This was overlooked for some reason, by myself included, but this won't be the last you hear about it. What is next for him in terms of proposals? Raising the gas tax 15 cents a gallon on cars that cost over $20,000? Hiking up the money households with an income over $70,000 pay for cleaning supplies for their mansions? After all, it would be fair. Right? For the record, McCain's CEO rants also bother me.

Three other random things:

1) It has been eerily quiet on the AA / Klinger front for the last two weeks. I have no idea what this means. All sources still indicate the race is very close. I just find it very weird that both sides have been so quiet. I mean, the big vote is Wednesday, April 30th. Does anyone have anything new to report on this front?

2) Sorry, I lied. Back to the debate. The absurd, though predictable, outrage from Wednesday night's ABC debate is getting out of control. Any left wing blog will tell you how unfair it was. To them, unfair is anytime any moderator asks a question that doesn't result in the positioning of the candidates for the proper answer of trashing George W. Bush. If Obama wants to associate with certain people, then what is the big deal asking about it? The same would go for McCain. Obama's past associations will be an issue in the general election, to be sure, so I feel ABC did him a favor by asking him these "tough" questions now. This way he will have a better answer than he did last night – playing down his relationships, throwing Tom Coburn under the bus, stammering, etc. He was truly dreadful on Wednesday.

3) I am sure by now you know of the sad local news – the Akron/Canton newscast on TimeWarner Cable was canceled, effective May 30. The news is anchored by Eric Mansfield. Mansfield is a friend of The Point and has been very helpful to us have we have been getting this website off the ground. The local news was able to offer Akron an identity as it's own city, not just some mass of people which happens to be south of Cleveland. If Youngstown can have it's own news show, Akron certainly should. It is a shame, and I feel for Eric. As someone who has been told numerous times that I am not good enough for the job or someone else was better, I know it is a kick in the stomach and it hurts. It is not quite the same thing here, but the feeling is the same.

Anyways, Hillary is going to win in PA. I don't know by how much yet, but she will win. I'll tell you next Monday. Then she will reportedly have to take time out of her schedule to listen to James Carter and Albert Gore Jr. talk her into stepping aside. She probably should make time, as Carter is pretty booked up with the whole talking to Hamas thing right now. Nice to see he can take some time off from that. After that is wrapped up, the contest shifts to Indiana and North Carolina on May 6. (Attention poor ignorant people in Pennsylvania currently cleaning your guns – that is 2 weeks (14 times which the sun sets using your sundial) after you vote). Let me also add that it is beyond laughable even for a Clinton (in this case Hillary) to now be claiming to be in favor of guns in order to win over the hick anti-Obama vote. Not really what she was saying back in 2000. Obama is right to call her out on that garbage. There is your balance for this post.

Unrelated: I came across this story last night. Though I will not be attending the Republican National Convention this summer as a delegate for Mitt Romney for obvious reasons, Matt Riehl of Stow will be going to the Twin Cities on behalf of Ohio's 14th Congressional District and Senator McCain. Riehl is the on the Stow City Council, and at age 24, is the youngest person ever elected to that post. Contrary to popular belief, not all people in the 18-25 demographic have fallen into the "Hope and Change" trap. I hope Matt will be able to provide with us a first hand account here at The Point when he makes his trip to The House that Norm Built. Speaking of Minnesota, Al Franken finally came clean about not paying workers comp for employees of his corporation. This story has been driven by a great Minnesota blog, Minnesota Democrats Exposed.

Some may be unaware that Judge O'Neill had triple bypass surgery about five weeks ago after winning the primary. His campaign reports that the 60 year old is recovering quickly and expects to be back on the campaign trail soon. I'll keep you posted on Bill's progress as information becomes available. On behalf of Democrats through out Northeast Ohio, I wish Bill continued success as he finishes his recovery. We all look forward to seeing this excellent candidate back on the campaign trail very soon.

"Anti-trade sentiment"? Isn't Obama the one going around saying he wants out of NAFTA and railing against the Colombia deal? Cling to religion? Is that a topic Obama wants to go near? Some people probably live in a small town, go to church, own a gun and it has nothing to do with the fact that the factory shut down. Not just in Pennsylvania, but elsewhere too.

When you are out everyday campaigning, you are bound to say something you wish you could take back or say something that comes out wrong. Not even perfect candidates like Obama are exempt from mistakes. He probably wishes he hadn't made the mistake in liberal California of all places. I don't know why I would even make a half attempt to defend the guy when he blatantly distorts McCain's 100 year comment. Maybe I shouldn't. Democrats wouldn't show the same courtesy.

Personally, I am not shocked by the comment by Obama. Just like Kerry and Gore, there have been signs along the way that Obama and his wife share the typical Democratic elitist attitudes – for example the complaints over the financial strains of sending your children to expensive summer camp. This latest Obama statement is a killer in Pennsylvania – it will take a few days, but there will be fallout once it is played over and over on AM radio and the comment sinks in to life's losers in PA that walk on a dirt road in their bare feet to get to the polls. It will take more than $2.2 million a week in ads to make up for this blunder. Instinct tells me that this is going to be a huge deal.

This morning, speaking in Indiana, Obama tries to spin out of his comments, saying they were "ill chosen." Do you still need to know why Hillary won't give up?

Other Ohioans have opinions as well: Taxman Blog and King's Right Site have opinions from the right. Word of Mouth – and I have yet to figure out what side that site is on – also has an opinion. A blog that is for sure on the left, De Magno Opere says Obama was correct in his statements.

"It’s 3 AM, and your children are safe and asleep. But there’s a phone ringing in the White House and this time the crisis is economic. Home foreclosures mounting, markets teetering.

It's 3 AM, time for a president who’s ready."

Are there that many home foreclosures that we have to wake up the president to notify him, or in this case, her? Is she implying that evil Republican McCain would hear the phone, but just decide to go back to sleep because he doesn't care about them? (Hillary Clinton wears glasses at 3AM we see – coincidentally, I have been wearing my glasses for the last 3 days when my contact in my eye tore in half and scratched up my eyeball). Is it that bad? Banks are taking the houses of so many borrowers that they have to expand their operations into the late hours of the night? It got so bad overnight that we had to notify the sleeping president?

Between 2000 and 2006, average home prices rose 50%. Out of the 46 million mortgages in the country, 42 of them are being paid on time – 45.5 of the 46 million mortgages are not going unpaid as the media would have you believe and want you to think. Remember that as Democrats and Republicans are both trying to run in front of the camera to announce their latest bailout plan. What about the 42 million who played by the rules; the people who saved and sacrificed. Maybe cut out a few things they wanted to do, but they decided it was more important to pay for their big new home investment. Why? Maybe they should have just said "screw it, lets take that trip to California, and worry about the house payment later."

Now sure, I am sure some of the people who are going to get the bailout benefit really did fall on hard times due to circumstances out of their control. That is unfortunate for them. I have had my share of bad breaks and bad luck along the way too. But you know what it is coming next. As a taxpayer (as we all are), it is not my responsibility to pay for some guy's house in Shaker Heights or wherever because he can't. It just isn't. Too many people just thought it would be great to get a house that they knew they would not be able to afford. But they thought "hey, someone is going to give me the money for it, so why not?"

When you sign a mortgage, you should be taking responsibility for signing those papers – not the federal government. If someone bought a new car and signed up to make payments and then all of a sudden decided for whatever reason they weren't going to pay, I certainly wouldn't expect them to get "bailed out." In my case, I don't think Medina Mitsubishi would want to hear any excuses I came up with. I took the risks when I purchased the car. I knew what my end of the bargain was.

Running an ad like this makes Hillary (not Rodham) Clinton a "predatory politician." But that is how her and her Senate sidekick from Illinois are playing this issue. That is how they play issues where they can prey on fears of American voters. Democrats are fond of talking about how George W. Bush is a "fearmonger" for talking about terrorism. Democrats are "fearmongers" themselves – but way more so. They try and put fear in the average person about the economy, about wages, about jobs, about home prices, about gas prices, about corn prices, about milk prices, about abortion, about guns, about global warming, about sea otters, about everything. If they portrayed the economy as the "worst since Hoover" in 2004, I don't know what kind of analogy they will come up with for this election over at DNC HQ since every single home in the country is about to be taken away.

Here is the latest "3AM" ad for reference:

Add this list to of other prized Obama endorsements: Reverend Jeremiah Wright, MoveOn.org, George Soros, and Louis Farrakhan. Not that it would have happened, but I think Senator McCain would have declined Fonda's backing. Do the leading women's groups see this as a betrayal of Hillary and their movement?

Jimmy Carter is also hinting he will back Obama. What a day for the junior senator from Illinois!!!! Who is next to come out and back Obama? Larry Craig? William Jefferson? Dan Rather?

Two other items:

1) Congrats to Ralph King of King's Right Site. King has been selected to appear weekly on the Bob Frantz Show on WTAM 1100 as part of a new segment called "Dueling Bloggers." Bob made a great selection; King is one of the best righty bloggers in our state. King will face off against this guy on the show every Monday. I look forward to hearing these on-air debates.

2) We have a winner in our 1,000th comment post. It was submitted by "angry conserv" who comments here on a regular basis. In truth, the actual 1,000th comment was by me, so I went to comment #1,001. I will contact angry to set up a guest post for the beginning of next week.