Obama aide and Pulitzer Prize winner Samantha Power Resigns

Obama aide and Pulitzer Prize winner Samantha Power has resigned.

"With deep regret, I am resigning from my role as an advisor the Obama campaign effective today. Last Monday, I made inexcusable remarks that are at marked variance from my oft-stated admiration for Senator Clinton and from the spirit, tenor, and purpose of the Obama campaign. And I extend my deepest apologies to Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, and the remarkable team I have worked with over these long 14 months," Power said in a statement.

Obama Raises $55 Million in February

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Barack Obama raised a record $55 million in February for his presidential campaign, eclipsing rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's own substantial fundraising for the month. All told, Obama has raised $193 million during his yearlong bid for the White House.

The campaign's announcement Thursday came two days after Obama lost three out of four primaries to Clinton. Clinton's victories stopped his winning streak and extended the race into an unpredictable future.

Obama's February total was his second fundraising record. He raised $36 million in January, more than any other presidential candidate who has ever been in a contested primary.

More than $54 million of the February money was for the primary election. His combined January and February totals nearly matched was he raised last year. The campaign said it raised $45 million through the Internet in February and had 385,000 new contributors for a total of more than 1 million donors. Full Article

Sarah Hussein Obama - Grandma Comes Out Firing

KOGELO, Kenya -- American shock jocks, dirty tricks masterminds and political bloggers: Beware the wrath of an 86-year-old Kenyan villager.

A frown replaces the dimpled beam of Sarah Hussein Obama, grandmother of Barack Obama, when asked on Wednesday about recent attacks on her grandson that include the spreading of rumors that he is secretly a Muslim and the repeated use of his middle name -- Hussein -- by a radio host at a rally for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

"Untruths are told that don't have anything to do with what Barack is about," she said in the local Luo language, her gray hair smoothed neatly under a headwrap. "I am very against it."

Full article

Swiftkids For Truth: Snow Job Cocaine Video and More

This message is sponsored by Swift Kids for Truth

These are either very hilarious or a bit fked up, depending on your take. So, take what you will.....



cocaine



The Hillary one is quite hilarious:



as is the Edwards one:

Most Recent Pledged Delegates

Our projections show the most likely outcome of yesterday's elections will be that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates, and we gained 183.
That's a net gain of 4 delegates out of more than 370 delegates available from all the states that voted.

For comparison, that's less than half our net gain of 9 delegates from the District of Columbia alone. It's also less than our net gain of 8 from Nebraska, or 12 from Washington State. And it's considerably less than our net gain of 33 delegates from Georgia.

The task for the Clinton campaign yesterday was clear. In order to have a plausible path to the nomination, they needed to score huge delegate victories and cut into our lead.

They failed.

The chatter among pundits may have gotten better for the Clinton campaign after last night, but by failing to cut into our lead, the math -- and their chances of winning -- got considerably worse.

Today, we still have a lead of more than 150 delegates, and there are only 611 pledged delegates left to win in the upcoming contests.

By a week from today, we will have competed in Wyoming and Mississippi. Two more states and 45 more delegates will be off the table.

But if Senator Clinton wants to continue this, let's show that we're ready.

Thank you,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Obama Calls Saturday Night Live Producer Loren Michaels?

I wonder what this conversation was about? I'm sure it had something to do with this skit.

"There's no doubt that Sen. Clinton went very negative over the last week," he said. "And the kitchen-sink strategy, I'm sure, had some impact, particularly in a context where many of you in the press corps had been persuaded that you had been too hard on her and too soft on me. And so, you know, complaining about the refs apparently worked a little bit this week. And so, in addition to my call to Lorne Michaels, you know, hopefully, now people feel like everything has evened out and we can start actually covering the campaign properly."

Full Context Here

A Message From Your (Future) President

We may not know the final outcome of today's voting until morning, but the results so far make one thing clear.

When the dust settles from today's contests, we will maintain our substantial lead in delegates. And thanks to millions of people standing for change, we will keep adding delegates and capture the Democratic nomination.

We knew from the day we began this journey that the road would be long. And we knew what we were up against.

We knew that the closer we got to the change we seek, the more we'd see of the politics we're trying to end -- the attacks and distortions that try to distract us from the issues that matter to people's lives, the stunts and the tactics that ask us to fear instead of hope.

But this time -- this year -- it will not work. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high.

Americans need real change.

In the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century.

John McCain has already dismissed our call for change as eloquent but empty.

But he should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It's the resounding call from every corner of this country, from first-time voters and lifelong cynics, from Democrats and Republicans alike.

And together you and I are going to grow this movement to deliver that change in November.

Thank you,
Barack

Obama High School Basketball Video

The Left Hander Puts it up......

Barry O'bomber - Obama High School Basketball

Out on the court was No. 23, but long before Michael Jordan made that number famous, another player was standing out for other reasons. His name was Barry Obama.

Sometimes called "Barry O'bomber" for his jump shot, that player is better known today as presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. At least, that's how he's known everywhere else.

Full Story

Obama Speech Excerpts

After last night's primaries
"It's with that hope that we began this journey, the hope that if we could go block by block, city by city, state by state, and build a movement that spanned race and region, party and gender, if we could give young people a reason to vote and the young at heart a reason to believe again ... if we could inspire a nation to come together and we could turn the page on a politics that has shut us out, let us down, and told us to settle, we could write a new chapter in the American story.

We were told this was impossible. We were told the climb was too steep. We were told our country was too cynical, that we were just being naive and we couldn't really change the world as it is.

But then a few people in Iowa stood up and said, 'Yes, we can.'

And then a few more of you stood up, from the hills of New Hampshire to the coast of South Carolina. And then a few million of you stood up, from Savannah to Seattle, from Boise to Baton Rouge.

And tonight, because of you, because of a movement you built that stretches from Vermont's Green Mountains to the streets of San Antonio, we can stand up ... we can stand up with confidence and clarity to say that we are turning the page and we are ready to write the next great chapter in America's story."

"Now, in the weeks to come, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And tonight, I called John McCain and congratulated him on winning the Republican nomination.

But in this election, we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the 21st century. Because John McCain may claim long history of straight talk and independent thinking - and I respect that - but in this campaign, he has fallen in line behind the very same policies that have ill-served America.

He has seen where George Bush has taken our country and he promises to keep us on the very same course."

"Can we send a message to all those weary travelers beyond our shores who long to be free from fear and want, that the United States of America is and always will be the last best hope on Earth?

We say, we hope, we believe, yes, we can."

more here

Obama and Clinton Dream Ticket?

Clinton hinted at it this morning, but who will be on top?

Video Here

Obama responds with "not so fast"

"As he often is, Obama was asked about the possibility of a joint ticket with Clinton.

"We are just focused on winning this nomination," he said. "I think it is very premature to start talking about a joint ticket."

Full Article Here

Triangle for Obama March 4th Watch Party

Triangle for Obama is having a watch party tonight March 4th in Downtown Raleigh at Zydeco. Letter below from founder Paulette Hill.

"I have heard everything is BIG in Texas. Let's find out together if Texas will deliver a BIG win for Obama. OH, RI, AND VT will cast their votes too, and something tells me that we may have a great deal to celebrate on this night. Please join us at ZYDECO, owned by former NFL player Antwan Harris. Almost 1 year ago we held an Obama Campaign Kick Off at Zydeco where 75 people showed up. Antwan will open his establishment just for us. They are normally closed to the public on Tuesday's. The full menu will be available for purchase, so come hungry and let's support the business of someone who supports Obama. Every TV including the big screen on the stage will be on CNN and MSNBC so we can cheer as the big results come in for Obama. Let's celebrate this big night together.

At 7:30pm we will play Obama Trivia and have great gifts for the winners."

See you Tuesday!
Paulette Hill

RSVP HERE

Arcade Fire Rock for Obama - Heroes by David Bowie

Three of my favorite heroes, all wrapped into a song called Heroes. David Bowie wrote it, Arcade Fire sing it, and Barack Obama is it!

GOP favors Obama as much as McCain

"Republicans like Sen. Barack Obama nearly as much as they like their own likely presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, according to a new Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll.

The survey determined that a quarter of self-identified Republicans rated Mr. McCain most likable, but nearly as many — 23 percent — chose Mr. Obama as most likable. And among all adults surveyed, Mr. Obama was rated likable by more people than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mr. McCain combined, underscoring the Illinois senator's appeal to voters across the political spectrum."

full article

Arcade Fire Rock for Obama - Photos

via Pitchfork

There's a lot of romance surrounding Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Imagine, for a moment, that New Mexico governor Bill Richardson was the candidate lodged in a late winter dogfight with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Would Albuquerque natives the Shins be playing rallies prior to the March 4 primary in Ohio? My guess is no.

With the polls indicating a shrinking Clinton lead, most of the Arcade Fire made the 14-hour trek from Montreal to Ohio to drum up support for Obama, playing in Nelsonville on Sunday, March 2, and performing two free shows last night, March 3, at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland.

After a short speech from Obama spokesman Kevin Griffis (who was personally responsible for the Ohio rallies, as his series of emails with Win Butler led to the hastily-arranged shows), the band revisited "A Change Is Gonna Come" (again without the undesired effect). The second set's infectious energy was recaptured with a searing "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)", with Win delivering the second half of the song from the floor among the packed crowd. The crowd responded accordingly, and the combination of dancing and shoving was nearly the polar opposite from the stoic nature of the earlier group of attendees.

Arcade Fire Rock for Obama Video - A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

"A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke, live by Arcade Fire at the Rock for Obama

Internet Lessons from Nine Inch Nails and Obama

via the Wall Street Journal

Most business execs probably aren’t familiar with Trent Reznor’s angst-filled industrial rock. But they could learn a lot from the Nine Inch Nails frontman’s experiments with online business models......

Another person who businesses could learn something about the Internet from is Senator Barack Obama. “His Web site is amazing,” Rishad Tobaccowala, chief innovation officer for a division of advertising giant Publicis, tells Fortune. Tobaccowala says the way Obama uses his site to engage followers is particularly innovative. For example, he’s willing to embrace messages that didn’t originate with his inner circle. When the band Black Eyed Peas posted a video about Obama on the Internet, he quickly decided to run it on his homepage.

Last Friday’s Journal had another example: The Obama campaign has made available its database of supporters to anyone who wants access to the information. While some bad seeds have misused the information, it’s also empowered local volunteers to make calls on their own, greatly expanding the number of people working for the campaign.

Obama and Clinton Debate Video on Saturday Night Live 3/1/08

Here is the play by play and below is the video. "Amazingly eloquent"

The Obama Files Video An SNL TV Funhouse Cartoon by Robert Smigel

"Time to turn the pange!"

I posted recently about The Obama Files Cartoon by Robert Smigel on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, now here is the video:

will.i.am Follow Up Obama Video "We Are the Ones"

Black Eyed Peas front man is back with a new video in support of Obama for President. This are great campaign videos. Obama should just take these on the road with him.

"We are the Ones we've Been Waiting For"

This is our America. Your America. Our America.

O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!

The song is a follow-up to will.i.am's inspirational video "Yes We Can," a viral sensation that features Obama's New Hampshire concession speech, plus vocalizations from the likes of Scarlet Johansson, John Legend, Kate Walsh and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The chorus is one of Obama's slogans: "Yes We Can."

The title of the new video comes from another Obama declaration, "We are the ones we have been waiting for" -- a line attributed to the Hopi Indians and also borrowed by the likes of writer Alice Walker and Christian activist Jim Wallis.

Arcade Fire to Rock Ohio for Obama

via Pitchfork: Win Butler can talk the talk, and now he and several of his Arcade Fire bandmates are prepared to walk the walk in support of Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
With several major primaries going down this coming Tuesday (March 4) that could decide the contest once and for all, Butler, Regine Chassagne, Jeremy Gara, and Sarah Neufeld will hit Ohio on Sunday and Monday to drum up support for Obama.
On Sunday March 2, they will play a show at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville. Then on Monday, March 3, they'll play at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. Start lining up now, because the shows are free and first come, first serve. Colin Stetson will open.
BUT WAIT! Aren't Arcade Fire Canadian? Why are they meddling with our political process?
NOT SO FAST. A press release clarifies: "Though the Arcade Fire is known as a Canadian band, Win and Will were born and raised in the U.S. (and spent their formative years in Texas), Regine is a dual citizen whose dad served in Vietnam, and Jeremy Gara is just a really nice Canadian who likes playing music and is sick of explaining to Americans what universal health care means."
GOBAMA!