Video: SNL on Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton

Warning: *Some Adult Language* (it is SNL...)

Clinton-Obama ticket?

It looks like Obama is very close to clinching the nomination. Now the question arises if Clinton will be his Vice-President. She's saying she would be open to it, but I doubt Obama will pick her.

Thoughts?

Obama begins to shake Clinton off, leads McCain in poll

Just a matter of time:

Democrat Barack Obama has opened an 8-point national lead on Republican John McCain as the U.S. presidential rivals turn their focus to a general election race, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

Obama, who was tied with McCain in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup last month, moved to a 48 percent to 40 percent lead over the Arizona senator in May as he took command of his grueling Democratic presidential duel with rival Hillary Clinton. (Reuters)

Get ready for it.

A little politics: North Carolina & Indiana (update)

update, 11:25pm: Obama has won North Carolina by about 14 points. Hillary is holding onto a 2 point lead, with 91% of the precincts reporting. Hillary might have to take a serious look at that result.

Not to intrude on what is otherwise a very pleasant spring day here in DC, but there are two Democractic primaries taking place today. Obama will win North Carolina by a wide margin it is predicted, and Zogby says he might manage to barely win Indiana as well.

Meanwhile, some on the ground are claiming that Republicans are crossing-over in Indiana to vote for Hillary and keep the race less defined, and Newt continues his calls for a radical, quick changes to the GOP.

Bottom line: If Obama wins both primaries today, things might move a little more in his favor, if he doesn't things remain, well, exactly where they started today. What progress.

Exclusive: On day of PA primary, Hillary Clinton wears Madonna Bracelet!

Check out this photo of a celebratory Hillary Clinton taken on the night of the PA primary:

Now let's have a closer look at that bracelet she's sporting:

To many Catholics, it's instantly familiar as a "Madonna bracelet", such as this one (maybe exactly this one):

So, here it is: on the day of a crucial primary for her campaign, in a state with a large Catholic vote, Hillary Clinton deliberately wears a piece of religious jewelry identifying her with a popular Catholic devotion.

Am I surprised? Not at all. After all, it paid off. She won the "Catholic vote".

But I thought it should be pointed out nonetheless.... what do you think of her choice?

update - this story has gone big. Feel free to add this to Digg, etc. The buttons are below.

update 2 - welcome, readers of HotAir, MichelleMalkin, Ace of Spades, NRO's The Corner & Lucianne.

You saw it here first: Hillary Clinton, a Methodist, wearing a Catholic devotional bracelet! See more of my posts:

• Hillary Clinton
• Barack Obama
• 2008 Presidential Race
• Catholicism & Politics
• My previous exclusives

.... and if you want some Friday humor, check out the archived papist picture of the day!

Update: Papists and Today's Pennsylvania Primary

update, 11:30PM:

Clinton wins PA by about 10 points. So that means she's staying in the race.

As Deal notes, Catholics went for Clinton big time, but had a less-than-expected showing.

update, 6:30PM:

early word out of PA is that Clinton has narrowly won the state over Obama 52-48.

if true, that's a much slimmer margin than she was hoping for, and now she needs Indiana.

more:

• Analysis: Philadelphia area key to winning state
• Exit polls: New Dems break for Obama, late deciders for Clinton

update, 3:30PM:

• "The former first [lady] is favored to win today's contest, but polls show a wide range of possible victory margins, and it's unclear what impact thousands of newly registered voters will have on the race. Many political observers believe she must win by double-digits here or face pressure to bow out." (MSNBC First Read)

Voter turn out is high today, aided by good weather.

• "The margin in the popular vote ultimately will be secondary to how Pennsylvania affects the battle for pledged delegates," Dan Balz writes in The Washington Post. "Clinton badly needs to make up ground in the delegate fight and, given the way they're distributed, that could be difficult." (ABC NEWS The Note)

If not impossible - at least for anyone who isn't named Clinton.

original post:

Tomorrow (Tuesday the 22nd), Pennsylvania is holding its democratic primary.

How much do Catholics figure in this primary? Plenty.

Estimates for the percentage of Catholics who will participate in the election run as high as 40%, which is above the state's overall demographic (where Catholics make up about ~30% of the population). This still means that Catholics are the largest voting block in Pennsylvania by religion. It seems safe to guess that 1/3 of the voters tomorrow will be Catholic.

This is good news for Clinton, who normally wins more Catholics than Obama.

Obama is wise to this situation, however, and he has formed a "Catholic advisory council", that Deal Hudson takes a look at here. The Catholic vote is crucial to Obama's long-term prospects. As CNN's Ed Henry notes, Catholics have picked the winner "in eight of the last nine presidential elections."

Will Pope Benedict's recent trip to the U.S. have an effect on voting or show up in the polls? It's very unlikely. Matt Drudge has reported that the Clinton campaign has internal polling numbers showing her with an 11-point lead going into tomorrow, but that up-tick I'm sure is due to many factors.

So, what do you think? I'll keep this thread updated tomorrow so concentrate the comments here.

Day 1: Hillary Clinton makes her move

New York Times blog:

"Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a statement this morning praising Pope Benedict XVI for his work on world peace, social justice and climate change and welcoming his visit to Washington and New York this week. Mrs. Clinton, of New York, and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, are intensely courting Catholic voters, particularly in advance of the Pennsylvania primary scheduled for a week from today."

Her statement:

We are blessed to receive a visit from His Holiness, Pope Benedict, to the United States this week. Not only is he the spiritual leader of America’s great Catholic community, he is a strong and effective voice for the cause of peace, freedom and justice as well as the fight against poverty and disease. His visit to the United States this week should be a very impactful one. I particularly appreciate his going to ground zero with some of the families who lost loved ones there. I hope that his message about economic justice and global development will get an appropriate hearing both in our country and in the government. I also applaud Pope Benedict’s example and leadership on addressing global warming making the Vatican a model in conservation for all to emulate.

His apostolic journey is built on the theme of Christian hope, and as he has said, the Gospel message is ‘deeply rooted’ in our country. We all pray that he will have a safe and successful visit to America, and that everyone will find inspiration in his presence and his words.

It's notable for its absences.

Political aside: the state of the presidential nomination race

Yes, even as we prepare for Pope Benedict XVI's visit, we should keep in mind that there's a race happening.

The news de jour for the Clinton campaign is that her top strategist, Mark Penn, has quit "amid criticism of his public relations firm's contacts with the Colombian." MM for more commentary.

Sure, I'm sure the Colombian government ties are the cause of his departure, but at the same time, if you're a savvy rat, it's nice to have an alibi for why you're jumping off the sinking ship. I'm not saying he's a rat.

AP: "It was the second major departure of a Clinton campaign official this year. In February, Patti Solis Doyle stepped down as campaign manager and was replaced by Williams...Penn's consulting firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland, has been paid $10.8 million so far by Clinton's campaign."

This WaPo Politics blog intimates that Penn "was a major influence in Clinton's decision to focus on her toughness and readiness to be commander in chief during the campaign [and the 3AM ad as well]."

Meanwhile, in the wider picture, Obama has a double-digit lead in North Carolina, has narrowed the gap between him and Hillary in mutch-watched Pennsylvania, and now leads Clinton 50%-42% nationally.

Interestingly, Obama also leads McCain 46%-42% in a hypothetical Iowa matchup. McCain is far ahead of Hillary.

Here's something: Dan Senor at ABC News makes the case that Condoleezza Rice is actively pursuing the republican VP spot. LifeSiteNews did a report on her abortion position in 2005, where she described herself as "mildly pro-choice." See her respond to the question on 60 Minutes here:



And that's the state of the presidential nomination race.

If I missed someting important or noteworthy, tell me below!

PA bishop cancels appearance after Catholic college announces Clinton rally

Another day, another Catholic college invites Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Clinton is going to hold a campaign rally at Mercyhurst College tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, 2008. The Catholic College boasts of the pro-abortion Senator and Presidential candidate's appearance on its web page. LifeSiteNews.com has also learned that Erie Bishop Donald W. Trautman has cancelled his scheduled appearance at the upcoming Mercyhurst graduation ceremony in protest. (LifeSiteNews)

Here is the event page on the Mercyhurst College website.

What locals can do:

Tim Broderick of the pro-life group People for Life is urging "all pro-life people to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to be at Mercyhurst for a pro-life informational demonstration from 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM, Tuesday -- rain or shine." Broderick is urging pro-life individuals who are unable to attend to contact the university with their concerns.

Demonstrators are being asked to meet at the Parade Blvd. entrance to the Mercyhurst Campus. Broderick will be on hand with picket signs from 4 PM.

What we can do: LSN also provides the President's contact information "to politely express concerns".

Related: "Catholic Mercyhurst College Jeered for Hosting Pro-Abortion Hillary Clinton Rally"

Mercyhurst? More like "unmerciful hearse" if they let a pro-abortion politician campaign there.

Okay, that's histrionic of me to say, I realize, but why is it that the Catholic colleges with the best namesakes end up making some of the worst decisions, it always seems?

Picture: Little Child Speaks (Pro-Life) Truth to Power

... at a St. Patrick's Day march where Hillary Clinton was participating.

Another tuesday, another primary.

Obama will win Mississippi's primary today.

He won the Wyoming caucus on Saturday.

Paul Hogarth on why Clinton won't win the nomination:

Everyone wants the Democratic presidential nomination to end, but the media momentum myth that has kept Hillary Clinton alive makes the movie “Groundhog Day” look benign. Here’s what we’ve seen at least three times so far: Clinton wins a primary that cuts off Barack Obama’s winning streak – and regardless of the raw delegate count that she needs to get nominated, gets legitimized as a “comeback.” We saw this most recently in Ohio and Texas, but it also happened after New Hampshire, Nevada and Super Tuesday – only to later realize that she did not make the gains that the media exclaimed. Obama won the Wyoming caucus on Saturday, and is expected to win Mississippi tonight – paving the way for another Clinton “comeback” in Pennsylvania. But Obama should win most of the subsequent primaries, making the whole myth of a “tight race” slightly exasperating and dishonest. Unlike Mike Huckabee, Clinton does not get ridiculed for believing in miracles – rather than math.

The front page of the March 4th San Francisco Chronicle (“Momentum vs. Mathematics”) pretty much summed up the Clinton campaign strategy, and how she’s gotten away with a media narrative that has driven the primary season. In what is ultimately a race for delegates to the National Convention, how does an abstract concept like “momentum” trump basic arithmetic? While George Bush denounces his skeptics as living in the “reality-based community,” Clinton seems to think she can hoodwink Democrats into thinking there may be a chance that she’ll be the next presidential nominee.

... and Hogarth has the numbers to disprove that.

An open question remains whether Clinton would accept, and Obama would give, the VP spot.

Video: the end for Hillary Clinton

Not even anything so grand as a "last stand", Clinton's appearance on the Daily Show:


Just the end.

"It's pretty pathetic."

The fact that I second-guess my sympathy for her and ask myself if this is yet another campaign ploy, well, it just illustrates all the things I won't miss about having to watch it anymore, or at least as much.

Ph/t: MM.

Barack Obama and the Catholic vote, and Catholic positions

A recap of revent events.

Deal Hudson at the Insight Blog notes "the determination of the Obama effort to attract Catholic voters", citing a recent Politico.com column, on the Obama campaign's response to a previous article entitled "Obama Slow to Gain Among Catholics." Hudson's own take published here.

Also, Michelle Malkin points out that Obama has been "explain[ing] how his Christian faith approves of same-sex unions and abortion." On the first issue, Terry Jeffrey at Cybercast News Service:

"I don't think it [a same-sex union] should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state," said Obama. "If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans." [Hear audio from WTAP-TV] St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans condemns homosexual acts as unnatural and sinful.

This coming as the homosexual lobby gravitates towards Obama, Bloomberg reports:

Now some gay voters, who have been among Clinton's most stalwart supporters and helped her defeat Barack Obama in Democratic presidential primaries earlier this month, may be drifting toward the Illinois senator, according to political activists and campaign officials.

And on the topic of abortion, Cybercast quotes Obama saying:

“I think that the bottom line is that in the end, I think women, in consultation with their pastors, and their doctors, and their family, are in a better position to make these decisions than some bureaucrat in Washington. That’s my view,” Obama said about abortion. “Again, I respect people who may disagree, but I certainly don’t think it makes me less Christian. Okay.”

Obama, for his own part, is identifying himself often as a praying Christian:

"I am a devout Christian," he told voters in this key state.

"I pray to Jesus every night and try to go to church as much as I can."

Meanwhile, on the always-enlightening Obama Messiah blog, videos like this one:


If Obama manages to beat Clinton in Texas tomorrow, and further distances himself from her in the other Tuesday contests and in the coming weeks, we can expect more where this came from.

Over the past couple evenings I've refined an op-ed piece on the topic of Clinton and Obama that I've submitted to a few places. If none of them choose to run it, I'll publish it here. So either way, you'll see it!

The definition of a slow news day....

"The day when there's really only politics to talk about."

And even that topic is sparse.

For the Republicans, the New York Times ran a story trying to claim, with almost no evidence, that John McCain had an affair. McCain has denied it, and it seems that everyone is collectively fed up with the NYT on this one.

MM first covers the story here; HotAir has video of McCain's press conference and more backstory here, and MM has since pointed out the NYT's incredibly hypocrisy here. TownHall does the same, notes the NYT is in full retreat, makes the paper look bad, and concludes that the story may end up helping McCain.

Huckabee trusts McCain's word. Some folks have tried to claim this will hurt McCain among the evangelicals and conservatives, but I think they are intelligent enough to not countenance such baseless claims (and they are baseless, it seems). If anything, this prompts sympathy for McCain. Well played, NYT.

For McCain's first exposure to the trial by fire of being the party's presumed nominee - he's doing pretty well.

For the Democrats, Obama just added an 11th-straight democratic primary win to his column - the "democrats abroad" vote. Tonight, Hillary gets her last chance to debate him before the March 4th primaries in Texas and Ohio. They haven't debated in three weeks, and much has changed since then. Details on the debate here.

There you have it.

Observations?

update: Katherine from the comments:

I don't know about the appropriateness of the NYT story. However, Mrs. Cindy McCain response that "More importantly, my children and I not only trust my husband, but know that he would never do anything to not only disappoint our family, but disappoint the people of America. He's a man of great character."

Wasn't Senator McCain carrying on with her while still married (always married in God's eyes) to his first wife?

Here is the first source I found for this claim:

"McCain was still married and living with his wife in 1979 while, according to The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, "aggressively courting a 25-year-old woman who was as beautiful as she was rich." McCain divorced his wife, who had raised their three children while he was imprisoned in Vietnam, then launched his political career with his new wife's family money. In 2000, McCain managed to deflect media questioning about his first marriage with a deft admission of responsibility for its failure."

Anyone have something to add on this topic? Did McCain really accede this claim by the NYT?

update 2: some folks are calling Hillary's closing words at tonight's debate her prepatory concession speech.

Coverage of Today's Political Contests

update: Obama wins Wisconsin, Hawaii handily. McCain wins Wisconsin and Washington.

From MSNBC's First Read, the facts:

Wisconsin (D). Open primary (independents can vote) -- 74 delegates up for grabs (48 proportional by CD, 15% threshold; 26 by statewide vote, 15% threshold).

Wisconsin (R). Open primary (independents can vote) -- 37 delegates at stake (24 winner-take-all by CD; 16 winner-take-all by statewide vote).

Hawaii (D). Closed caucuses (independents cannot vote) -- 20 delegates up for grabs (13 proportional by the state’s two CDs, 15% threshold; 7 based on statewide results, 15% threshold).

Washington (R). Open primary (independents can vote): Feb. 9 caucuses were used to determine 18 (or 49%) of the state's pledged delegates. Today's primary will determine the back half (or 51% -- 19 delegates) -- 10 proportional by statewide vote, 20% threshold; 9 WTA by CD.

Some brief comments if you click through.

I haven't been following the contests as much lately. Briefly, McCain is the heir-apparent for the Republican nomination, even as Huckabee continues to compete (inexplicably? am I missing why?). Oh yeah, and Romney endorsed McCain. Most of the focus has shifted now to speculation about who McCain will pick as a running mate. No sure bets on that one, and I'm pretty sure we won't know until right before it happens. It's too early for Bobby Jindal, so I'm preparing myself for dissapointment.

On the Democrat side, more confusion, but things continue to go Obama's way. Hillary will probably lose the contests today, putting her at a dismal 0-10 in the most recent elections and caucuses, and Obama already has her tied in Texas, and she is losing ground in Ohio. See Peggy Noonan's most recent column here.

I've said this before, and I'll probably say it again - it's going to be a very long Lent.

Video: Bill Clinton loses temper with Pro-Life protestors

Breaking news. Here's the only video available so far:



Bill Clinton was campaigning for Hillary in Steubenville, Ohio. A group of about 100 pro-life students from local Franciscan University of Steubenville crashed the rally with their pro-life message.

Bill has been testy on the campaign trail lately, sparring with an Obama Supporter earlier today.

Nicholas Hardesty of Phat Catholic, who noticed the scheduled appearance, was on the ground spreading the word and helping to organize the protest. You sir, get an AmericanPapist shout-out:

LifeSiteNews has more, including a transcript of Bill's comments. LifeNews, meanwhile, reminds us:

In 2004, John Kerry campaigned in Steubenville and was greeted by over 500 pro-life students, who rejected his support of abortion-on-demand despite his Catholic faith.

Reports of the thousands of people who turned out against Kerry made the national news and Steubenville residents were credited with helping President Bush carry Ohio and, thus, the nation.

An MSNBC blog has picked up on the story as has most of the media coverage (updating list here).

Local WOTV9 has video coverage, and reports there was a large pro-life demonstration outside the building.

It would be helpful if someone could upload a better-quality video to YouTube.

update: per the combox below, the organizer of the protest was Billy Valentine of Steubenville Students for Life. Excerpts from their press release at here. Students for Life has a statement. TownHall has indeed covered the story, and doesn't give Bill much room. update 2: Drudge has linked it. That's impressive. update 3: Jill Stanek adds details and points out "[Bill Clinton] says we're the ones who "tear people up"? What a gruesome irony.

update 4: better-quality video here, after a commercial (via phatcatholic). I wish it could be embedded.

update 5: as of 4:45pm EST, the video has been viewed 120,000+ times, helped by Brietbart & NRO's The Corner. It has a very good chance of making the YouTube front page. Talk about the little video that could!

update 6: probably the last update, for the sake of completeness: after the first day, the video has received over 275,000 views, 2,700 comments, and made the top 10. The story has also been picked up by HufflePuff Post (shudder), HotAir, and Gawker. So really, prettymuch everyone.

Most of the attention, I'm sure, has to do with the ongoing prurient interest that folks have in watching Bill Clinton embarrass himself, but I'm sure the subject matter is also gaining a share of the attention.

Clinton continues her tour of Catholic campuses

LifeSiteNews reports that with St. Mary's University under her belt, her next stop is St. Norbert College in Wisconsin on February 17. She'll also be attending Jesuit-run Marquette University. More info here.

Seriously, who wouldn't want to be part of her rally? She looks like she's having so much fun:

I couldn't resist.

Breaking: Abp. Jose Gomez vs. Hillary Clinton in Antonio, Texas

An old story, with a new twist, and even some frosting:

• the old story: pro-abortion public figure (in this case, Senator Hillary Clinton) invited to speak at Catholic institution today (in this case, St. Mary's University - the "oldest and the largest Catholic University in Texas and the Southwest.")


• the new twist: local Church authority (Archbishop Jose Gomez himself) vocally speaks out against the invitation, and expresses dismay that he was "neither advised nor consulted about it." It's going ahead this evening anyway.


• the frosting: Not only does he appropriately quote the 2004 Document issued by the USCCB: "Catholics in Political Life", he is absolutely unapologetic about his position, while remaining pastoral in his language and approach (yes, it is possible, albeit difficult, to do both). You can read the Archbishop's full statement