Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett spoke at a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton last night and Clinton acted as moderator. Topics included Buffett’s views on the impact of the real estate slump on the economy (he doesn’t see it spilling over to the broader market) and how to get started in investing (you are more likely to find diamonds in the rough among small companies).
Clinton finished by asking Buffett, “Why are you a Democrat?”
Buffett said he thought Democrats would do a better job in evening out the field for those who had drawn the unlucky tickets in life.
Hillary Clinton took a whack at humor Tuesday, casting herself in the role of mob boss Tony Soprano in a clever online spoof of the HBO series’ now-infamous final scene.
The video parody — which also stars Bill Clinton and one of the more memorable members of “The Sopranos” cast — was posted at hillaryclinton.com to announce the end of her “choose my campaign song” contest.
The winner by popular acclaim was French-Canadian Celine Dion’s “You and I (Were Meant to Fly),” a syrupy song used in a 2004 Air Canada ad campaign.
But while the song choice wasn’t terribly interesting, the clip of the former president and his wife sitting in a suburban diner playing The Clintanos was burning up the Internet.
In the video, Hillary Clinton arrives at a diner near the Clintons home in New York and starts flipping through the tabletop jukebox as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” plays.
The former president ambles in. Hillary says she ordered “for the table.”
Bill looks down woefully at a basket of carrot sticks.
“No onion rings?” he asks.
Chelsea is late. She’s outside, parallel parking.
From the counter, actor Vincent Curatola, who played New York boss Johnny (Sack) Sacramoni, gives the couple a long, ominous glare.
Bill shrugs, then asks how the campaign is going.
“Well, like you always say, focus on the good times,” Hillary says.
As the senator is about to tell her husband who won the song contest, the screen goes black.
Then a link appears to a page announcing the winning song and asking for more donations “before the upcoming FEC deadline.”
Hillary Clinton was embarrassed today after an ‘ignore Iowa’ memo was leaked to the media Americas. Her super-organised, impeccably on-message campaign for the White House has suffered a first embarrassment with the leak of an internal memo that urges her to skip the key early caucuses in Iowa - on the ground she has better places to spend money than on a contest she may well lose. I had no idea that early polls have her running third there. It’s kind of the reverse of the rest of the country. They have it Edwards, Obama, Clinton. We’ll see how it shakes out but they are certainly downplaying the importane of Iowa.
Yesterday, Clinton aides were playing down the memo as the unsolicited musings of a minion, which had never been seen by the lady herself and her most senior advisers. They insisted she would make a major effort in Iowa, whose caucuses - set for 14 January next year - traditionally kick off the primary season.
“It’s not the opinion of the campaign,” Ms Clinton herself said in response to a question about the memo, and “It’s not my opinion.”
Barack Obama is barnstorming the nation this week, hoping to secure exclusivity as the anti-war candidate get republicans to vote to end the war. I think his sentiment is sincere, but I doubt his behavior would be the same if he wasn’t running for president. In an email to supporters this week, he directs them to a form on his site to email republican senators to get the votes override a veto. He says:
Barack has been traveling across the country asking people to speak out and let their Senators know that it’s time to end the Iraq war.
One Republican colleague has already called this “not Senatorial.” But this isn’t about Washington etiquette, it’s about bringing our troops home.
This isn’t a game. We need just 16 additional votes to override the president’s veto and bring to a close this sad chapter in American history.
It’s going to take some convincing, but Senators need to hear from people in their states that they can join us to bring a responsible end to the war.
That’s where you come in. In your state, an incumbent Senator who voted against ending the war will face a re-election battle in 2008. They will have to make clear very soon whether they will continue to block efforts to bring the troops home.
Will you speak out now and add your voice to the growing public pressure to end the war?
For those myopic souls wanting an immediate pullout, it seems that they’ve found their man. Edwards is talking almost exclusively about domestic issues (not really but as far as his press goes, he might as well be); Hillary is the conservative of the bunch (not surprising to anyone other than Fox News viewers) leaving the popular position for the main issue on voters’ minds for Obama to champion.
I got these great Hillary Clinton jokes in an email and I figured I’d throw them out here. Enjoy!
Late-Night Jokes About Sen. Hillary Clinton
“The first Democratic presidential debate was held earlier tonight. … Big event. It featured Senator Hillary Clinton facing off against seven men. Or, as Bill Clinton calls it, the worst porn movie plot ever.” –Conan O’Brien
“According to the New York Post, Hillary Clinton used three private jets in a single day in a campaign swing through South Carolina. And today, she was officially named a Hollywood environmentalist.” –Jay Leno
“Hillary Clinton says if she is elected president, she will use Bill Clinton as an ambassador because ’she can’t think of a better cheerleader for America.’ To which Bill Clinton said, ‘I can think of 20 and I have their phone numbers.’” –Conan O’Brien
“Although Hillary Clinton set the mark by raising $26 million for her presidential campaign in the first quarter of 2007, Mitt Romney, the Republican, was right behind her with $23 million. That’s something Hillary hasn’t felt in 20 years — a man breathing down her neck.” –Jay Leno
“Hillary Clinton said today that public appearances with her and Bill would be rare. The only thing more rare? Private appearances with her and Bill.” –Jay Leno
“Hillary Clinton’s campaign has issued a statement saying she and Bill will be together this weekend in Selma, Alabama, which will be their first joint appearance together in a month. That’s when you know you have a bad marriage — when you have to put out a press release saying you’ll be together for the weekend. You need cameras to record it, in case people don’t believe you” –Jay Leno
“According to this week’s Newsweek magazine, Hillary’s campaign refuses to consider Bill Clinton’s infidelity. … They called it ‘the elephant in the room that no one wants to address.’ Which is what got Clinton in trouble in the first place … the elephant in the room.” –Jay Leno
“You all excited about the 2008 presidential election? There’s some interesting potential matchups. For example, Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. … On the one hand, you have a pushy New Yorker with a history marital problems. Or, you have a pushy New Yorker with a history marital problems.” –David Letterman
“Hillary Clinton’s campaign wants Barack Obama to publicly renounce Hollywood producer David Geffen’s statement attacking the Clintons. … Geffen said, ‘I know everyone in politics has to lie, but the Clintons do it with such ease, it’s troubling.’ I think that’s an unfair statement. Just because you’re really good at something doesn’t mean it’s easy.” –Jay Leno
“It looks like Hollywood is starting to turn on Hillary Clinton. Hollywood mogul David Geffen — he’s given huge amounts to the Clintons — told columnist Maureen Dowd of the New York Times that Hillary Clinton is too scripted, that Bill Clinton is reckless, and both of the Clintons lie so easily it’s troubling. Bad scripts, reckless behavior, and lying — thank God that kind of thing can never happen here in Hollywood.” –Jay Leno
“The latest political rumor is that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, she will be replaced in the Senate by her husband, Bill Clinton. When asked about it, Bill Clinton said, ‘I dream of replacing Hillary every day.’” –Conan O’Brien
“Political experts are now saying that to win the presidency in 2008 a candidate has to get hot at the right time. After hearing this, Bill Clinton said, ‘Hillary’s doomed’” –Conan O’Brien
“Justice Department officials have determined that a president of the United States does have the legal authority to have someone killed … in the United States. And today, Bill Clinton withdrew his support for Hillary.” –Jay Leno
“This week at a fashion show in Rome, a line of dresses were introduced that feature huge pictures of Hillary Clinton’s face. When he heard this, Bill Clinton said, ‘Finally, Hillary’s face on another woman’s body.’” –Conan O’Brien
“Is anybody really that surprised that Hillary Clinton is running for president? I’m not surprised. I mean, if you were married to Bill Clinton … wouldn’t you want to be able to tap his phone, read his mail, and torture him?” –Jay Leno
“Of course, the big question political experts are asking now is what role will Bill Clinton play in Hillary’s campaign. I’m guessing ‘the cheating husband.’” –Jay Leno
“Politics is a dirty business. Hillary Clinton announced she’s running for president, and the Republicans are already busy digging up dirt. They found out that once in her lifetime she slept with Bill Clinton.” –David Letterman
“Yesterday, on a campaign trip, Hillary Clinton suggested that she knows how to deal with evil and bad men, like Osama bin Laden, because she had to put up with her husband. Which explains why Hillary wants to look for bin Laden at the nearest Hooters.” –Conan O’Brien
“In Iowa yesterday, Hillary Clinton was shoring up support a mere year before that state’s presidential caucus. She whipped the crowd into a frenzy with her new campaign slogan, ‘Let The Conversation Begin.’ This may not be the most politically correct thing to say, but I don’t think that slogan’s going to help you with men. … I think the typical response would be, ‘Now?’ You might as well get on your campaign bus, The ‘I Think We Really Need To Talk’ Express, to unveil your new Iraq policy, ‘America, Let’s Pull Over And Just Ask For Directions.’” –Jon Stewart
“Hillary Clinton announced officially she will be running for president. Besides announcing her candidacy on the Internet, she’s also selling all her old headbands on Craigslist.” –Jimmy Kimmel
“Hillary Clinton announced she is running for president of the United States, which isn’t a surprise to many people — except maybe those who just voted her for a second term as senator.” –Jay Leno
“It’s official. Hillary Clinton is running for president of the United States. She said on her Web site, ‘I’m in it to win.’ That may seem obvious, but for Democrats running for president … they have to keep reminding themselves.” –Jay Leno
“Hillary says she has gotten hundreds of calls telling her to go out on the road and campaign for the next two years. And that’s just from her husband, Bill.” –Jay Leno
Here’s an overview of the first quarter spending is in Clinton is the head and shoulders winner in both cash raised and cash on hand.
Party
First Name
Last Name
Money Raised
Money Spent
Cash on Hand
Just for the Primary
Net Contributions
Democrat
Joe
Biden
$4,013,090.00
$1,174,174.00
$2,838,916.00
$3,690,008.00
$2,110,990.00
Democrat
Hillary
Clinton
$36,054,569.00
$5,079,789.00
$30,974,780.00
$19,100,000.00
$26,041,109.00
Democrat
Chris
Dodd
$8,795,706.00
$1,313,239.00
$7,482,467.00
$7,754,658.00
$4,043,757.00
Democrat
John
Edwards
$14,031,663.00
$3,299,782.00
$10,731,881.00
$13,064,804.00
$14,021,504.00
Democrat
Dennis
Kucinich
$344,891.00
$194,217.00
$163,887.00
$-
$344,651.00
Democrat
Barack
Obama
$25,797,722.00
$6,605,201.00
$19,192,521.00
$24,800,000.00
$25,665,688.00
Democrat
Bill
Richardson
$6,249,355.00
$1,226,882.00
$5,022,473.00
$6,230,357.00
$6,236,557.00
Republican
Sam
Brownback
$1,871,058.00
$1,064,432.00
$806,626.00
$1,257,171.00
$1,257,171.00
Republican
Jim
Gilmore
$203,897.00
$113,790.00
$90,107.00
$174,790.00
$174,790.00
Republican
Rudy
Giuliani
$16,623,410.00
$5,688,208.00
$11,949,735.00
$13,579,900.00
$14,731,897.00
Republican
Mike
Huckabee
$544,157.00
$170,239.00
$373,918.00
$544,157.00
$544,157.00
Republican
Duncan
Hunter
$538,524.00
$265,972.00
$272,552.00
$457,643.00
$499,874.00
Republican
John
McCain
$13,087,560.00
$8,379,215.00
$5,180,799.00
$12,965,055.00
$12,992,655.00
Republican
Ron
Paul
$639,989.00
$115,070.00
$524,919.00
$639,989.00
$638,389.00
Republican
Mitt
Romney
$23,434,634.00
$11,570,981.00
$11,863,653.00
$20,737,149.00
$20,737,149.00
Republican
Tom
Tancredo
$1,256,090.00
$711,012.00
$575,078.00
$1,000,000.00
$1,185,536.00
Republican
Tommy
Thompson
$391,628.00
$252,405.00
$139,723.00
$308,029.00
$315,036.00
Fun Raising Trivia
Trivia
Both McCain’s and Obama’s reports showed large numbers of small donors, meaning they can return to those donors for more money. Giuliani’s and Clinton’s reports show donations from large numbers of donors who have maxed out, meaning the candidates must find new sources of cash. Romney and McCain raised less than half of their funds from those large-dollar donations.
Hillary Rodham Clinton raised $26,041,109 from 70,300 contributions.
Barack Obama raised $25,665,688 from 104,000 contributions.
Mitt Romney raised $20,737,149 from 32,074 contributions.
A sizable segment of Romney’s haul came from Utah, suggesting that fellow Mormons were significant contributors. Four of the 10 Zip codes from which Romney received the most money are in Utah, and the leading Zip code is home to Brigham Young University, which Romney attended. He raised $2.8 million in the state, more than one-tenth of his total.
In the Los Angeles area, where Obama and Clinton have waged a high-profile battle to capture the support of big donors and celebrities, particularly in traditionally liberal Hollywood, Clinton collected $892,950 to Obama’s $713,142. The other contenders from both parties raised a combined $1.2 million in that region.
Dennis Kucinich is the only Democratic candidate to have not raised any funds for the general election (that doesn’t mean he isn’t in it to win though).
There’s a great article in the Washington Post called The Decoy Effect, or How to Win an Election that speaks to the effect a 3rd candidate can have on the 2 front runners. I found it quite illuminating.
Huber told some people there was also a choice of a four-star restaurant that was farther away than the five-star option. People now gravitated toward the five-star choice, since it was better and closer than the third candidate. (The three-star restaurant was closer, but not as good as the new candidate.)
Another group was given a different third candidate, a two-star restaurant halfway between the first two. Many people now chose the three-star restaurant, because it beat the new option on convenience and quality. (The five-star restaurant outdid this third candidate on only one measure, quality.)
What the decoy effect basically shows is that when people cannot decide between two front-runners, they use the third candidate as a sort of measuring stick. If one front-runner looks much better than the third candidate, people gravitate toward that front-runner. Third candidates, in other words, can make a complicated decision feel simple.
How would this work in the context of the current political race?
Let’s say you are a centrist Democratic voter who cannot decide between Clinton and Obama because you want a candidate who is strong on national security but also someone fresh. You like Clinton on one measure and Obama on the other. Enter Edwards, whom you see as more dovish than Obama but part of the same establishment as Clinton. Obama looks better than Edwards on both counts, whereas Clinton beats Edwards on only the national security issue.
Clinton receives endorsement from NOW - Boston.com
Hillary Rodham Clinton declared Wednesday that if you look up the word “feminist” in a dictionary, you’ll find her. I can’t believe that that statement held up to focus group scrutiny. Much of America is still intimidated by feminism and feminist ideology.
The riveting “Big Sister” YouTube ad, a take off of the ad that launched the Macintosh, attack Hillary Rodham Clinton — produced by an anonymous creator to benefit Barack Obama — launches a new chapter in presidential campaigning. “This will be the political phenomena of 2008,” said Democratic consultant Steve Jarding.
The Hillary spot is a produced piece — a takeoff on George Orwell’s “Big Brother” 1984 theme used in an Apple ad — complete with zombies rescued by a woman running in a tank top with the Obama logo who smashes a screen where Hillary is droning on. The graphic at the end directs traffic to Obama’s presidential campaign Web address.
Obama said on CNN’s “Larry King Live” that “people generate all kinds of stuff” on the Internet. “In some ways, it’s the democratization of the campaign process, but it’s not something that we had anything to do with or were aware of, and that frankly, given what it looks like, we don’t have the technical capacity to create something like this.”
Republicans:
6/4 Rudolph Guiliani
3-1 John McCain
6-1 Mitt Romney
21-1 Tommy Thompson
26-1 Sam Brownback
34-1 Chuck Hagel
34-1 George Pataki
34-1 Condoleeza Rice
With the announcement this morning that Barak Obama is forming a presidential exploratory committee, I figured it was time to put together a list of who’s running with odds on each (let’s not pretend it isn’t a horse race):
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton - 9:5 odds
Barak Obama - 5:2 odds
John Edwards - 12:1
Al Gore - 50:1
Chris Dodd - 60:1
Joseph R. Biden - 75:1
Bill Richardson - 75:1
Tom Vilsack - 75:1
Wesley Clark - 100:1
John Kerry - 120:1
Dennis Kucinich - 250:1 Republicans:
John McCain - 8:5 odds
Mitt Romney - 3:1 odds
Rudy Giuliani - 6:1
Newt Gingrich - 80:1
Jim Gilmore - 99:1
Tommy G. Thompson - 99:1
Chuck Hagel - 100:1
Mike Huckabee - 100:1
Tom Tancredo - 100:1
Sam Brownback - 120:1
Duncan Hunter - 150:1
Update - 3/2/2007:
No real change on the democatic side. Republican odds have shifted drastically at the top with McCain slipping and Giuliani pulling even / slightly ahead. Duncan Hunter has gained as well with a strong showing in a recent SC straw poll. It’s hard to handicap without an obvious conservative candidate. Without further delay:
Republicans:
Rudy Giuliani - 3:1
John McCain - 3:1 odds
Mitt Romney - 4:1 odds
Duncan Hunter - 50:1
Newt Gingrich - 50:1
Jim Gilmore - 75:1
Chuck Hagel - 100:1
Mike Huckabee - 100:1
Tommy G. Thompson - 120:1
Tom Tancredo - 150:1
Sam Brownback - 150:1