Neat Program

For you folks who are interested in learning more about the presidential race, here's a neat program

This weekend on the BLOOMBERG TELEVISION® program "Conversations with Judy Woodruff," Woodruff interviews Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill and Representative Emanuel Cleaver. Both lawmakers discuss their endorsements of presidential candidates Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, the role of race in the election and predictions for next week’s Super Tuesday in Missouri.

Senator Claire McCaskill is supporting Senator Barack Obama and Representative Emanuel Cleaver is supporting Senator Hillary Clinton.

"Conversations with Judy Woodruff" airs on Saturday at 11AM ET and is repeated throughout the weekend.

Bloomberg Television can be found on:
Charter Cable – Channel 120
Time Warner – Channel 227
Mediacom – Channel 128
DirecTV – Channel 297

Barack and Edwards Impressive in Iowa

WOW - talk about a painful blocked shot of the Billary machine!!

Barack and Edwards both had a message of change. Hillary had a message of experience. The Des Moines Register said 100,000 first time caucus goers would show up and vote for Barack - they were right. Clearly, these folks did not care about the money spent by Barack or Hillary. Iowa voters - and all of America - want a massive change in DC.

The monkey is clearly on the back of Hillary. She has to win New Hampshire. The debate on Saturday night is the chance for Hillary to stop Obama's massive momentum - look for a change in message to "experience to bring about change." Edwards also has to perform well, but the fact that he was out spent by massive margins and lacked Bill Clinton or Oprah shows that he is a huge force. And, if his speech last night wasn't amazing enough, Obama gets to look even more presidential.

I spent 3 freezing days in Iowa for John Edwards knocking on doors, handing out lit and hanging stuff on porch screens. Iowa is a political science major's fantasy. Concerts with John Mellencamp, Jim Dean being at the Steelworker's hall, even KY3 from Springfield was there. I have much more respect for the caucus process. I spent 30 minutes in a coffee shop in Indianola talking about Edwards v. Obama with wonderful woman. The folks there cared enough to be informed and to go out on a horribly frigid night and wait in line. As Missouri native Sheryl Crow says, a change will do us good.

Hillary a Drag

We mid-westerners aren't arrogant, but we aren't dumb, either. We know how the Electoral College works. We know Missouri and Ohio are swing states that the Democrats must win to take back the White House. As a Midwestern Democrat, I desperately want to put a D back in the White House.


Here's my beef - Hillary Clinton cannot win the swing voters in Missouri that U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill won. When the top of the ticket in 2004 sported a liberal from Massachusetts, Claire lost her bid for governor. When she was the top of the ticket in 2006, Claire won and helped push the majority in the US Senate over to the Democrats. Democrats need Missouri!!


In Missouri, the presidential primary will be decided without our input. We are left to work with whomever Iowa and New Hampshire give us. Fortunately, Iowa and New Hampshire take their jobs seriously. Maybe they give us John Edwards, who is leading in the Iowa polls. Missouri can build a ticket around Edwards. Attorney General Jay Nixon will be our governor if Edwards is the presidential candidate. Hillary - although extremely smart - is horrible divisive in the swing districts that put Claire into Harry Truman's senate seat. Our Missouri swing voters are in suburban counties, they are women, they don't vote on abortion and they don't like Hillary.


Apparently, others around the country believe the same. Check out Clinton a Drag? Dems Fear Her Negatives. Things like "in more than 40 interviews, Democratic candidates, consultants and party chairs from every region pointed to internal polls that give Clinton strikingly high unfavorable ratings in places with key congressional and state races" scare the crap out of me as we try to take back Missouri's governor's mansion. Quotes like "the chairman of a Midwest state party called Clinton a nightmare for congressional and state legislative candidates" ring true in Missouri as we attempt to take back control of the Missouri house.


The Country needs Missouri if we are to win the White House. Missouri needs a candidate that will allow us to compete. Iowa and New Hampshire – give us someone who can win in more than the Kerry 2004 states.