During the Iran Crisis Carter refused to leave the job while the hostages were held.  SNL made fun of it that he was a hostage in the white house etc.  For Obama to tie McCain to Carter at this point would be very powerful for him.

The break with Carter would help him with moderate and conservatives and likely be understood by those who love Carter and not lose any votes.

It would also allow a presidential stance on the doing two things at once to last longer.  The Carter held hostage by terrorists while McCain is held hostage by financial terrorists theme builds with time while the two things at once lessens with time.

Obama will either win the two things at once argument in a tsumami or he will lose it gradually over time as people see one guy in the center of fighting the next great depression and one guy with no real seat at the table.  I think you will find that on a matter like this Obama doesn't have the democratic party's trust to set policy that could break the party for 50 years and as such will not have a leadership role on the democratic side of this issue.  

Like it or not but McCain has more ties and is more involved TODAY in the decision making on this issue than Obama who has no existing standing on these issues except that he may become the president in 40 days.

Using the Carter label holds real power with older people who make up Obama's weakest block and if he can be skillful with it may hold off the ebb of support should he not receive a tsunami of support after McCain closes shop to focus on the economy.

McCain's repeated ability to offer changier and changier solutions which no one has seen before hurts Obama.

That Obama sells McCain as old stupid and unable to use a computer and then gets schooled by him makes it a MASSIVE effect.  Its hard to tie McCain to Bush when Bush never offered to conced a debate or pull advertising.  McCain is consistently leaving Obama flatfooted because Obama is attacking where McCain used to be not where he is going and Obama is totally unable to predict where McCain is going.

I would estimate the next move is McCain offering to send Palin to debate Obama which takes all the look McCain is scared momentum and focuses it back on Obama.  McCain at the center of the bailout negociations with a suspended campaign with Paliln going toe to toe with Obama in the press is a VERY strong hand for McCain.

Obama fights as Carter or Kennedy against Palin's Bush or Reagan.  

Kennedy beats Bush
Reagan beats Carter

But does Reagan beat Kennedy?  I suspect with todays electorate yes.
But does Bush beat Carter?  That isn't at all clear was Carter stronger than Kerry or Gore?

While McCain gets points for being actively tied in to the political power structure and the fact that everyone knows that if this wasn't an election year McCain would have a major role in the bailout issue and Obama would not.

Hate McCain all you want someone in his campaign is wicked smart and the only GOP guy I know like that is named ROVE.  Heaven help us if they have 2 guys at that level because then the only defense is the Clinton model of never speak ill of anyone if you can avoid it and live and die on the issues.

And half the party doesn't seem to understand the wisdom in that...

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First, I want to apologize.  This is my first diary at MyDD and I'm somewhat ashamed that it's an open thread.  I wish I could be breaking something substantive like "Rove Indicted." Not to be.  Such is life.

I'm writing here because I was curious to get input from Clinton supporters.  And, from all appearances, this is place! The following may appear to be a push poll.  Again, I apologize.  I ask you trust my intentions.  It's actually quite difficult for me to fully understand the feelings of many Clinton supporters.  (Just the other day I suggested that Obama may want to look at Sibelius as VP to help coalesce the womens' vote, which was apparently, from the feedback here, a very poor idea.)

Poli Tex is breaking that Hillary is attempting to unseat the delegates from Collin County because they held their convention a day late -- apparently the County couldn't find a large enough venue for the day on which the convention was technically supposed to be held.  

Would it bother you if Clinton won this way?  Are there tactics that you would rather Clinton lose than employ in an attempt to win?  Are you 100% behind any procedural moves she can make?  Is there a line, or is all fair in love, war and politics?

Please share.  I'm eager to read your responses.

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Slate said it first.

Hillary Clinton has won the Nevada caucus, which means a few things about the Democratic race are now coming into focus. For example, mark on your calendar Jan. 25 for an outburst by Bill Clinton somewhere in South Carolina. He has launched a tirade the day before each of his wife's victories in Nevada and New Hampshire, claiming the process was unfairly stacked against her. If this keeps up, he's going to require a stretcher by the last primary in Oregon come May.

I'm betting not. Obama's going to take South Carolina. The Clinton clan will probably only make token campaign efforts in SC and focus on Super Tuesday to downplay any importance of the SC results. Bill will probably wait until Feb. 4 to spazz out again.

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I'm a Pennsylvania state employee.  I'm one of the employees who got "furloughed" today.  Not only am I not angry about this, I'm not even surprised.  Politics in Harrisburg have been ruled by the tyrannical Republican't ol boy network for a very long time.  With the political demise of Capo di Tutti Capi Bob Jubelirer and a few of his upper level minions, the PA GOP was been in a bit of a tailspin.  Now that we Dems have a slim majority in the PA house and a Democratic Governor who doesn't have to run for re-election, a showdown was inevitable.  The GOP led PA senate is trying to re-establish it's former glory and the Dems "are mad as hell and aren't going to take this anymore".  A showdown had to happen.

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(Cross posted at Happening-Here)

Democratic party heavy hitters came to my 'hood this morning to launch the local subset of the fall California campaign. This doesn't happen a lot. I live in San Francisco's Latino district; the rally site at 16th and Mission is not only day laborer terrain, but also drug dealer crossroads and leftist land. It's much more gritty than pretty. (Note the pigeon in the picture.)

Alerted by Calitics, I charged off at 9:30 to what was billed as a 9:30-11am rally. Not surprisingly, I was more than on time. Just to be clear I should say I'll be voting for Angelides and probably walk a few precincts, but I don't have a huge attachment to this race (my political work this cycle will be outside California.)

The crowd, not counting TV cameras and reporters, was very sparse, about 100 people, mostly from organized labor, SEIU, UFCW, a few UFW, Bricklayers. The only identifiable community organization that had sent folks was ACORN.

My little neighborhood sure got the full alignment of big wigs. Pictures below the fold.

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