This is Obama vs McCain Electoral College Map, Aug 20, 2008:
Electoral Votes: Obama 263, McCain 261
And here is a snapshot of the Electoral College Map from Aug. 20, 2004:
Electoral Votes: Kerry 301, Bush 213
We all know how 2004 turned out. It sure looked like a cake walk back then, didn’t it? It looks like an uphill struggle today, especially when you consider that back on June 20, Obama was leading McCain 317 to 194. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
And fallen.
Get a clue, DNC.
Update: Ayayayay! Pumaalliance says it’s worse than we think. RealClearPolitics has a more chilling electoral college map of the latest polls and it ain’t pretty. McCain leads Obama 274-264. Oh, and then there was the little matter of the latest LATimes Poll released last night. Yeah, yeah, it’s the LATimes but in *this* instance, its poll is not an outlier. Obama leads McCain by a whisper, 45-43.
HELLLLOOO, DNC! Obama is supposed to be cleaning the floor with McCain. The Republicans are radioactive this year, remember?
Jeez! Dean Democrats better wake up and smell the Starbucks. If you don’t want to win the White House this year, get out of the way for the woman who does.
The Self-Esteem Puppets, coming to a school near you!
RealClearPolitics has the latest on Clinton’s comeback and they wring their hands in angst for Barack Obama:
But the deal Obama struck with Mrs Clinton must have stuck in his craw. The contention, moreover, that it was his idea that her name should be placed into nomination is an insult to our intelligence. By allowing the roll call, Obama has ceded control of what happens on the convention floor.
No doubt Obama decided that a bad agreement was better than none at all but the outcome reeks of appeasement and indicates that, with the polls showing John McCain, improbably, almost level, his bargaining position was weak.
But he was outmaneuvered and the Clinton show in Denver will help lay the foundation for a 2012 presidential bid or, if Obama does emerge victorious, possibly in 2016, when she will still be four years younger than McCain is now.
Even the plan for the former First Lady to cast her own vote for her erstwhile rival and direct her delegates to swing behind the Illinois senator – being spun as a magnanimous gesture of unity – risks undermining Obama. Despite the closeness of the primary battle, he won the nomination; the image of Mrs. Clinton graciously anointing him is exactly what he does not need.
What was Hillary thinking?! Didn’t she take a whole bunch of child development courses? She is wrecking Obama’s self-esteem. How is he ever supposed to feel good about himself if Hillary is standing there all of the time stealing his limelight? The poor dear. And what’s worse is that she might even “graciously anoint” him {{gag!}}.
Stand back, people, I think there is a temper tantrum coming on. Make room for the little tyke and his friends so they don’t hurt themselves when they thrash and roll on the floor screaming, “I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF! I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF!”
Little male egos are so fragile in this developmental stage. One harsh word could just crush him and damage his self-image forever. Does Hillary really want that on her conscience? Oh, we know that he bullied and pushed her voters around and stole her delegates so he could “win”, but boys will be boys, right?
I wonder why no one is worried about Hillary’s self-esteem. After all, the two candidates are separated by less than 100 pledged delegates when the FL and MI contingents are restored to full strength. If it weren’t for the Superdelegates folding at the first sign of Obama and his pals screwing their faces up for a good, long, noisy howl, they might have done the right thing and thrown their weight behind the candidate who actually *earned* the nomination.
Ah, woulda, coulda, shoulda. Well, I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be the Superdelegates 2 years from now, wracked with guilt, waking up in the middle of the night, reaching for that bottle of scotch and wondering where they went wrong. Did they not show enough love? Were they too easy on him? Too lax in their discipline? My guess is that they will think back to that June in 2008 when instead of giving in, they should have given him a four year time out.
Kids: you can’t live with them and you can’t spank them anymore.
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On another note:Heidi Li had a perceptive post yesterday. If the vote is symbolic, it doesn’t count and the voters are just as screwed as they were before. But we all know that Obama and Dean wouldn’t have even agreed to such a thing if they weren’t forced to by the rules of the party and the process itself. So, why is Dean allowing the meme to percolate through the media that the vote is “symbolic”? His attitude is reminiscent of the same passive-aggressiveness that he displayed at the height of the misogynistic media frenzy on Clinton.
Look, I realize that he seems to loathe Hillary Clinton with the same intensity of Sally Quinn. I think we can all see that he gets more bang for the buck with Barack because, let’s face it, Obama owes the DNC “leadership” big time. There is no secret about that. But if Dean cares at all about the party he “runs”, doesn’t he have an obligation to act like he’s impartial? Isn’t it his responsibility to see that all votes are given equal weight? Or is it that “All votes are equal but some votes are more equal than others”? I know it takes the public a couple of days to have one of those, “Hey, wait a minute!” moments, so why not get out in front of it now? Dean has an opportunity to atone for himself and his party for not standing up for Hillary while the media shredded her during the primaries. It’s time we held his feet to the fire to make him do it.
Howard, stop the meme now. We aren’t buying it and it’s strengthening our resolve to take you down in the fall.
Our friend, Betty-Jean, got some rather bad news recently. Her daughter who is living with ovarian cancer hasn’t responded to her latest round of chemo. Last March, Betty-Jean made this moving video about universal healthcare and what it means to her and her family. Betty-Jean, our thoughts are with you and your daughter, and we pray that her next round of chemo is more successful.
The Confluence 