You are right to point out that the Clinton campaign is lowering expectations here and in every state with an election in the month of Feb. She is going to have a very tough month and Obama is going to rack up more than enough del's to take the lead. How she does in Ohio and Texas and how those states react to a string of Obama wins, may determine who becomes the nominee. Then again, it may all be up to North Dakota.

I'd go with the lowered expectations angle. The Clinton campaign has had people making phone calls here in Clark County for weeks. I hear the Obama campaign is doing the same but I don't know for how long.

As for expectations for Obama, now everyone expects him to win big in a caucus state. At a tactical level, if the Clinton campaign can pull lots of experienced grass-roots Democrats and have them ready to act in a persuasive manner, they can try to hold down the delegate totals for Obama. An uncommitted becomes something of a moral victory for Clinton in this regard.

None of this is exact, of course. There are plenty of long-time Democrats who will support Obama, and frankly (and hopefully) tons of regular, non-political-junkie citizens who will show up.

I know the system seems bizarre to many citizens, but I've been urging people to look past that and just go ahead and go. If you can handle say, a PTA meeting or a school board meeting, you can handle this. Coffee helps.

CLINTON 2008 THE BEST CHOICE TO WIN AGAINST REPUBLICANS

While an aide to Sen. Barack Obama, who spoke at a town-hall meeting yesterday in Los Angeles, tried to explain away the altered policy changes, analysts excused him, noting the passage of time and less-liberal competition.Barack Obama, senatorial candidate 04, is very different from presidential candidate of 08.Videotapes of debates and speeches obtained by Washington Times shows Obama took positions during his Senate campaign on nearly a half-dozen issues ranging from the Cuba embargo to health care for illegal aliens that conflict with statements during his run for the White House. For example, in MSNBC's Oct. 30 presidential debate, Mr. Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare he opposed decriminalizing marijuana But as a U.S. Senate candidate, Mr. Obama told ILL college students January he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession. When confronted with the statements on the video, Obama's campaign offered two explanations said the candidate had "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana, suggesting that his 2004 statement was correct. Then after The Times posted copies of the video on its Web site, www.washingtontimes.com, yesterday, his campaign reversed course and declared he does not support eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession and use. What is
Senator Obama going to say to republicans when asked why he favors granting drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants as Obama has admitted twice in debates? About Obama's present position that undocumented workers will not be covered in his healthcare proposal, yet when he was running for the Senate he said that children of undocumented workers should get the same healthcare benefits that citizens get? when they begin to ask him about negotiating in unstructured summits with the leaders of Iran, North Korea and Cuba without preconditions? What will Senator Obama say when Senator McCain asks him why he said in 2004 that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq war authorization and that his view of the Iraq war was not different from President Bush's? What will Senator Obama say when Senator McCain compares Obama's votes to fully fund the Iraq War in the Senate to Obama's rhetorical opposition to that war? What is Senator Obama going to say when Senator McCain questions Obama's claim to be "the most qualified person in America to conduct the foreign policy of the United States"? What is Senator Obama going to say when Senator McCain says that Obama is not one of the most qualified members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to lead this country in today's dangerous world but instead one of the most absent? Senator Obama has not conducted a single policy hearing as chairman of the subcommittee on European Affairs of the Foreign Relations Committee?

I'm relatively certain most Democrats don't believe a word written by the Washington Times. But it's nice to see someone can copy and paste so well.

See now there we are, faced with an effort to cut down one candidate in favor of another.
This is a good portion of what is different about Obama and his campaign. If you see this kind of weak attack form an Obama supporter against Clinton, even Obama supporters will defend the good Senator as a good and well meaning and qualified American.
What the polling shows though, is that Obama in a match up with McCane has substantial coat tails and Clinton does not. This could be key in our Governors race. It is also true that Obama's "one nation one people" message is a good fit with our governors "one washington" message.

Here are the head to head poll #'rs which show how the candidates match up against McCane (link follows).
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=1b3063b5-f7d7-4900-8bf3-c2cbc6a0295f

This old white geezer is planning to defy the conventional wisdom that old white folks are all for Hillary Clinton, and attend my precinct's caucus to vote for Barack Obama.

You would get more comments if the security code wasn't usually unreadable.

Looks like Hillary is coming to town after all.

I just signed up to attend a free Stand for Change Rally with Barack Obama in Seattle this Friday, February 8th.

You can RSVP here:

http://wa.barackobama.com/seattle

I thought you might want to come. Here are the details:

Stand for Change Rally with Barack Obama

Key Arena
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98109

Friday, February 8
Doors Open: 11:00 a.m.

WHY WOULD SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON SCHEDULE A TRIP TO SEATTLE FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AT PIER 30 IF SHE WERE CONCEDING THE STATE? RIDICULOUS! MORE REPUBLICAN MEDIA SPIN! THE CABLE NEWS NETWORKS HAVE BEEN PUSHING HARD FOR OBAMA. WHY IS THAT? THEY ARE REPUBLICANS! IT SURE ISN'T BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE GUY! NO, THEY JUST KNOW MCCAIN CAN CHEW HIM INTO LITTLE PIECES IF HE IS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION AND ONCE AGAIN THE REPUBLICANS WILL TAKE THE WHITE HOUSE. NICE PLAN AND A LOT OF SHEEP HAVE FOLLOWED ALONG. GET DOWN TO THE ISSUES AND OBAMA IS LOST! VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT!

Hardly Republican spin. This was absoultely right at the time it was written. Later in the day the Clinton camapign decided to make a switch and send Bill Clinton to Maine instead of Seattle and have the candidate make the trip here. So, that would certainly lend credence to the fact that Clinton is not "conceding" Washington state. But they are playing catch up with Obama here.

I'm wondering why all stories this morning are saying that "Republicans Block Senate Stimulus Package" instead of "Democrats try to Add 44 Billion to Stiulus Package"?? Could it be that somebody thinks/hopes that most will just read or hear the headline and not see the reason for the Republican action?? So lets not just say that Cable news or some paper is not to believed!!
Now will try it again!!

R.

Don't you know, that's what the left calls "fair & balanced", only problem is, they wouldn't know what fair and balanced was if it bit them in the butt.

Hillary supporters need to turn out at her rally on Feb 7th on Pier 30 but most importantly at the caucuses. This is regardless of Obama's amazing political organization and money and who is projected to win.

Now for some disjointed thoughts:

1.I am a highly educated, so called professional for Hillary( Phi Beta Kappa ,actually) and I am sick of hearing that Clinton's appeal is only to working class women. Is Christine Gregoire working class?
It was not too long ago that the conventional wisdom was that Hillary's only appeal was to highly educated professional women. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE SPIN! Truly middle income and lower income women are supporting HIllary because they believe that the Republican- dominated policies of the last 8 years have not been in their best interests. And I think they are dead right about this!

2.Those of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s know 1st hand what a trail blazer HIllary was and is. We also know she is not perfect. (and God knows , her husband is not either nor is he the messiah that some Dems make him out to be in my opinion.)

3. I say the following, as a mother of a teenage girl and as someone who has watched, with horror, how negative female stereotypes have vastly proliferated over the last 20 years:

· Younger women, use your intelligence and analytical abilities! Do not be taken in by Obama's rock star appeal, boyish looks, speaking ability. Temper your hope for a return of the Camelot Kennedy myth with a reality-based look at what it will take to win against McCain and move us even a little bit beyond the mess this country is in.

You may, indeed, decide that Obama is the best choice, based on hard analysis and if so, by all means vote for this charismatic, extremely intelligent man who is an amazing speaker. But don't follow him simply because he is a rock star, boyishly handsome, and charismatic...It demeans your intelligence and all that women have fought for the last 100+ years.

· I ,for one, am choosing Hillary exactly because of her grit, persistence, vast knowledge and intelligence, and, yes, her armor which she has developed after many years of being the Conservative's punching bag. She has my admiration for sticking it out and being able to play the game with the good old boys, without resorting to feminine, coy, sexist tactics.( And no, her tearful moment in New Hampshire was not staged. The media's report and obsession with this "event" is what spun it to the public as a calculating move!)

· Hillary, ,like Obama, represents the future in a number of ways, one of which is a future where a woman can be all she wants to be without having to be cast in the image of what a male wants her to be. Young girls and women who are hooked on scantily clothed, sexy, pop-stars and icons with vacuous brains and who view them as successful role models take note....Hillary's candidacy transcends the primary battle and even the election. It is call for you rise above the muck and mire and to be " who you truly are and "all you can be".

Enough rambling. Now go out and thoughtfully vote! Regardless of who wins the democratic nomination, WE MUST WIN IN NOVEMBER!!!