Obama's Latest TV Ad

Oprah Winfrey throws Obama a Bone

Oprah Winfrey, Political Power BrokerCATO-AT-LARGEBy David Boaz on Civil Liberties

Billionaire Oprah Winfrey is making a million-dollar contribution to Barack OBAMA's presidential campaign. And despite all the campaign finance restrictions of the past 30 years, it's perfectly legal. That's because Oprah is making her contribution in the form of time on her television show, appearances with him on the campaign trail, and other uses of her celebrity. But if a rival media mogul, someone like Sumner Redstone or John Malone, wanted to make a contribution of more than $2,300 to a presidential candidate, that would be illegal. Because, you know, it's corrupt to make a large contribution. Wouldn't want the next president to be indebted to a businessman who gave him a $10,000 contribution.This Saturday, "Winfrey will host her first-ever presidential fundraising affair on the grounds of the Promised Land, her 42-acre ocean- and mountain-view estate in Montecito, Calif. — an event that is expected to raise more than $3 million for OBAMA's campaign."Matthew Mosk of the Washington Post outlines some of the other ways Winfrey might help her preferred candidate.Among the weapons in Winfrey's arsenal: the television program that reaches 8.4 million viewers each weekday afternoon, according to the most recent Nielsen numbers. Her Web site reaches 2.3 unique viewers each month, "O, the Oprah Magazine," has a circulation of 2 million, she circulates a weekly newsletter to 420,000 fans and 360,000 people have subscribed to her Web site for daily "Oprah Alerts" by e-mail.More than that, though, the Nielsen tracking data show that her most loyal viewers are women between 25 and 55 — a group that also votes in large numbers in Democratic primaries.Oprah's well aware of her power:The fundraiser may be only the start. The Winfrey and OBAMA machines have maintained silence on the exact nature of their talks over what her role will be, but the idea of her appearing in television ads and other appeals is very much in play. She offered during a recent interview with CNN's Larry King: "My money isn't going to make any difference. My value to him — my support of him — is probably worth more than any other check that I could write."…Winfrey said in an audio Web chat last week that, this year, the OBAMAs will be her only political guests.Campaign finance reform was promised as a way to make everyone equal in the political process, to squeeze out the power of big money. But one of its effects is to make some rich people more equal than others. If Oprah–or Rupert Murdoch, or Donald Graham–decides to use his or her resources to help a particular candidate, that's legal and very powerful. But the rich man who runs a software company is forbidden to use any significant part of his financial resources to help a candidate.All power to journalists and celebrities in the reformed political process.

New Poll Shows Obama in the Lead

2008 Democratic Presidential Primary
National Poll: Obama 32% Clinton 30%

April 30, 2007
For the first time in the Election 2008 season, somebody other than New York Senator Hillary Clinton is on top in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows Illinois Senator Barack Obama with a statistically insignificant two point advantage over the former First Lady. It’s Obama 32% Clinton 30%. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards remains in third with support holding steady at 17%. No other candidate tops 3%. The survey was conducted April 23-26, 2007 meaning that the overwhelming majority of the interviews were completed before last Thursday’s debate in South Carolina. The impact of the debate will be measured in polling conducted this week.


http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Political%20Tracking/Democratic%20Primaries/DemocraticPresidentialPrimary.htm

Breaking News...Charlie Rose to Host Online Debates

Charlie Rose To Host First Live Online Presidential Debates

Yahoo along with the Huffington Post and Slate will host two presidential debates during the 2008 campaign. Hosted by Charlie Rose, these interactive debates will be available on the three websites and allow voters an opportunity to ask questions, as well as evaluate the candidates for their performances. [more]

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog

Is Gore in?

Sure looks like Gore is running...what an amazing campaign this will be.

MJ------------------------

Gore To Run For 2008 Nomination
CAPTAIN ED
Al Gore has insisted that he has no interest in returning to electoral politics and wants to focus on his media interests and on solutions to global warming. The former Vice President has shown no inclination to run against the wife of his former boss, at least not publicly. However, the London Telegraph reports that Gore has secretly begun to recruit a campaign staff and will challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination:

"Friends of Al Gore have secretly started assembling a campaign team in preparation for the former American vice-president to make a fresh bid for the White House.

Two members of Mr Gore's staff from his unsuccessful attempt in 2000 say they have been approached to see if they would be available to work with him again.

Mr Gore, President Bill Clinton's deputy, has said he wants to concentrate on publicising the need to combat climate change, a case made in his film, An Inconvenient Truth, which won him an Oscar this year.

But, aware that he may step into the wide open race for the White House, former strategists are sounding out a shadow team that could run his campaign at short notice. In approaching former campaign staff, including political strategists and communications officials, they are making clear they are not acting on formal instructions from Mr Gore, 59, but have not been asked to stop."

Gore has run in the top tier of Democratic candidates without having announced any intention to run. Thanks to the buzz from his Oscar-winning documentary, Gore has not needed to eat up resources for traditional campaigning. With a new book coming out this spring, Gore will have even more free media access, expanding his reach and making him seem even more presidential than ever.

After jumping into the race, though, Gore has to win it. He has proven himself rather wooden on the stump in past campaigns. He has improved during his global-warming tour, but that may not equate to the kind of speechmaking that a presidential campaign requires. It will also task his ability to project a warm and engaging personality, rather than the cold scold of 2000.

A Gore entry will probably prove fatal to the ambitions of Barack Obama and John Edwards. Both have run on Gore's turf so far, and neither will outshine him with party donors desperate to find a credible alternative to Hillary Clinton. Gore has a great deal more substance than both candidates put together and will almost immediately be the chief challenger on Hillary's left, once he formally enters the race.

Given that Hillary's negatives keep going higher, Gore could easily convince the Democrats that he has more electability than his ex-boss' wife. If so, that gives the Republicans an opening among the center.

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/009757.php

Obama speaks on the day of the Virginia Tech massacre

Still a Thorn in Hillary's Side...

It's very interesting to read some of the particulars about the first round of fund raising. MJ

Donors Linked to the Clintons Shift to Obama

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/us/politics/16donate.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewan...