New poll shows Barack Obama tanking in Pennsylvania

The first fresh poll results from Pennsylvania are in since Barack Obama's "bitter" comments about people in small towns exploded as a news story, and the findings could hardly be worse for the Democratic presidential contender.

Intriguingly, the man in charge of the survey said interviews with voters indicate Obama's tumble in the state has more to do with what the candidate himself has said were ill-chosen words than anything else.

The new poll by American Research Group -- conducted Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- gave Clinton 57% and Obama 37% (based on interviews with 600 Democrats, the survey has an error margin of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points). The 20-point margin is all the more dramatic because, just the week before, an ARG poll found the pair in a flat-out tie in Pennsylvania, each with 45%.

The previous findings had put the race closer than any others. And perhaps the new one exaggerates the bounce Clinton has gotten from the storm over Obama's remarks at a San Francisco fund-raiser. Other pollsters are in the field in Pennsylvania, and we eagerly await their results (an L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll of Democrats in the Keystone State -- as well as in North Carolina and Indiana -- will be ready mid-week).

Regardless, the New Hamphire-based ARG poll, may have identified a tactical worry for the Obama camp above and beyond the current controversy. Dick Bennett, head of the poll, told us today that even before the furor erupted, it appeared many Pennsylvania Democrats began to turn against Obama because they are simply sick and tired of seeing and hearing his ads.

Much as campaign consultants would be loath to agree, Bennett opined that a candidate "can spend too much money" on an ad campaign, and the saturation of Obama spots ...

in Pennsylvania appear to be a classic example of "overkill" that ultimately does harm.

Bennett also reported that some of the Pennsylvanians who his company contacted went on to complain about the substance of the ubiquitous Obama ads. They are "about him, not voters or what their concerns are," Bennett said. And Obama's comment on attitudes in small towns served to reinforce that feeling.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[NinaK]

What we need is Colin Powell. He would be the true uniter. Obama is just a charlatan. He fooled the dems long enough to get the nomination but he is going to lose big in November.

Why do the dems do this to themselves every 4 years?

Posted by: reason | April 14, 2008 at 01:56 PM
------------------------------
reason, if Colin Powell was running for President, he, too would get the same treament as Senator Obama! Why? Because Bill and Hill cannot accept the fact that a black person is actually more intelligent and have more charisma and actually connec to the people without haviing to resort to fraudulant claims, lies, and distortions of truth. Those of you who are knocking Senator Obama now, would also be doing the same to Colin Powel. Unfortunately, Hillary has managed tp awaken the racists and bigots from their swamps an mildewed basement, now they are all runing around like roaches with their headlights on looking for anything on which to attack senator Obama. And I mean, ANYTHING!! When they can find nothing, they make wild accusations and slander him. Believe me, they would do the same to Gen Powell.

[zane]

OMG! Every one of these comments are coming from a supporter of Obama. You people have your facts wrong. I am not sure who I am going to vote for, but right now, I am leaning towards Senator Clinton, due to the fact she is more knowlegable, stronger, smarter, honest, experienced. But, I will say this, I want everybody to do their homework before making a decision, I saw a couple comments that the clintons have 109 million dollars in the bank and most of it from a deal the Mr. Clinton made with the Colombian government. and such accusations like that. google all of the candidates tax records, and see for yourself where they got the money. youll notice that obama didnt donate much money to charity, less than a lame 1 %, while McCain donated 5% of his earnings to charity and Clinton donated almost 14%..... hmmmm ! and they call her greedy ! people all i am saying that this election is very serious, and we need to research and truly believe that we are voting for the right person. dont listen to their accusations towards eachother and base a decision on that, research it! and use independent news such as APnews. AP cannot endorse a candidate, it is against their bylaws in the AP! good luck

[NinaK]

These comments against Senator Obama are so horrible. What is said about him reflects more badly on the people who say it. Think about it.

[karen]

People who say Democrats will win New York no matter who is the nominee are dead wrong.

New York elected Guiliani, Pataki and D'Amato for starters and is known to go Republican at the drop of a hat.

Clinton has strong and solid backing there.

Obama surely does not, especially after his horrible lies constantly about Bill and Hillary and his viscious supporters comments on the New York newspaper blogs.

As a long time NY'er now living in Pennsylvania, who reads both regional daily papers and spends time in both locations, the people are not happy with him and are vocal about it.

That goes for Florida and Michigan newspapers as well.

The Clinton supporter sites have thousands of posts of people who claim they will not vote for Obama under any circumstance. They aren't bluffing, I know I feel the same way and I am also a life-long democrat.

Rezko trial today is another prime example of what is wrong with this man. Auschi party attended when obama has said he might have met him once but only at the 4 Seasons.

Wright is nothing compared to the Rezko and cesspool of Chicago ties. Those will be the ties that can land him with no way out of the mess.

The potential for swiftboating, this time with the TRUTH, is enormous.

Clinton or Bust!

[NinaK]

I believe God has a special place for people like Hillary and Bill, and it is not heaven!

[Karol]

I find Barack Obama sarcastic and arrogant. I believe his comment - and it was about a lot more than just being bitter - is completely fair game. Believe me, if Hillary Clinton had said such a thing, we would never hear the end of it. It is beyond me to understand why he is so popular. He has no experience, and my sense from reading everything I can find on him and watching him is that he lacks the mental toughness to be president. I think the sarcasm he has displayed in the last 48 hours is disturbing and not at all presidential. It's like a tantrum. If you listen to his flip tirade about Hillary Clinton being Annie Oakley, he sounds more like George Bush than I would hope the Democratic frontrunner would. And people compare him to John and Robert Kennedy? Kennedy-lite is more like it.

I have not heard that kind of delivery from Hillary Clinton no matter how much she has criticized him. While Barack Obama is a GREAT speechwriter, he is not a very articulate speaker. I get the impression watching him that he's coasting on his popularity. I was disappointed in a number of the answers he gave on last night's Compassion Forum - he even parroted Hillary Clinton's answer on when life begins (they would never both use the word 'potential' in exactly the same way). He's been running for eighteen months! I don't understand it.

I think this is good, because I think we really need to see what this guy is all about. While Hillary Clinton is much more to the right than I would like, she has experience - and she's tough as nails, and is far more presidential than any candidate since Al Gore. I want someone for president that's going to get us what we need. The time is too serious and so many issues are so precarious. We need experience. And I don't believe Barack Obama has what it takes.

[Keith Whitney]

Hillary Clinton is a hypocrite. She claims Obama is an elitist because of his bad way of expressing how people are bitter about what is happening in our economy. She is the elitist. A few years ago she was the honorary chairperson for the Bilderbergs annual meeting. Who are the Bilderbergs? The financial powerful of the world,including the International Bankers. They are backing her for President. It is a sad day in America when our citizens are duped into voting for her.

[carka]

what obama said was true. the fact the clinton has created such a divisive reasoning of what he said,just proves to me how lost she and her campaign are. i am so sad for her,even if she wins,she is a sad human being,wicked,and twisted.they know not the difference between the truth and a lie. bill clinton lied to americas face---i didnt sleep with the woman,and hillary lies about sniper fire. they dont know the truth when they hear it. they twist everything,no wonder they cant hear straight either. im sick of the media that knows the clinton are stupidand the true elitist,because they thinkamerica is dumb enough to believe their lies. how can anyone vote for hillary i never know. it's so obvious she has no intergrity.

[Ron M]

Why are ARG so inaccurate? Usually inaccurate in Hillary's favor. How do they stay in business?

[Ron]

Clinton is Dynamite fishing..... that's when you drop dynamite in the water and all the fish come up dead. If she wasn't hard up, she would not be following this Republican line of attack against Obama. She is using the scorched earth attack, while downing a shot of whisky and a beer. I hope that she doesn't decide to go hunting. It's all right when her husband put the average white voter down in his 2001 campaign, but I am sure that she forgot about that. I wish that Obama would give her some of her own medicine. If he refuses to attack her, she just might win. A lot of people owe favors to the Clintons.

[Nancy]

Karol, you are so right. Senator Clinton is tough as nails and that is what it will take to get us out of this morass we are in. When she says she can and will do something, we can depend on it. She will get it done.
****************

JIM - You are an idiot! Those of us you corral as the older vote cannot be manipulated by the press or anyone else - especially the likes of you. We have made our own decisions for many years and are likely many times more successful than you. We are certainly brighter. Don't hold your breath - it will be many years before we die off.
I am 80. I work every day; read every day; play every day; think every day and enjoy life. AND I VOTE!

[monique alponte]

Obama stabbed himself politically and is going to bleed to death politically.

He's DONE.

[monique alponte]

Oh by the way Christopher Xaphakdy above:

You don't have to be rich to be an elitist. An elitist is a SNOB, plain and simple. There are snobs in every group of people, regardless of their financial status and regardless of their color, whether they had 1-parent home growing up or not.

I know, I was in the entertainment, writing, and radio industry, most are not rich, but a lot (not all) hold very elitist views.

SNOBS are SNOBS, period.

So don't bother to use that as an argument that Obama couldn't be a snob because he didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Many, many elitists didn't either.

But they are still snobs.

[Nancy]

NinaK: If Colin Powell were the nominee, he probably would not have any primary opposition. He would win in a landslide.
Character, not color, is the issue here.

[wtf]

well banana bama did it again. good boy just keep hangin yourself. there has never been a cicilization that didnt end up in poverty, ruin, or extinction under black leadership. come on people get it together and save america from this jungle boy crap.

[april]

"I look forward to the day the old person vote dies off"...

Wow--I look forward to the day when people who make unthinking comments realize they were wrong, and apologize...

The "old person vote" is the least susceptible to the fluctuations of what the media reports on a given day...

[Mike]

Sen. O. If you are really for all the people, then why havn't you been fighting for the voters in MI and FL? You also say that others sling remarks that have been misconstrued.... not really what you meant to say. It seems you do more and more of the same.... Politics as usual.... remember you saying that? Hmmmm.....PA should vote for Hillary by a margin of 58 to 36.... just a prediction.... Keep up the elloquent plethera of rationalistic verbage.... It at least has some of the College students mesmorized... but not me.

[Colleen Craig]

Reading these posts is sad. There seems to be very little attempt to explore and try to understand the demanding issues confronting us as a nation, to evaluate our options and wisely choose a leader. Instead, we sling mud. This country has three flawed but dedicated people wanting to serve, and they are endlessly mocked and ridiculed, and accused of the most wretched behavior by bloggers here and elsewhere. Maybe the next election Britney Spears and Paris Hilton will run for president, and we'll all get what we deserve. This is the first election I've ever been seriously involved in, and it will be my last.

[nic]

Apparently, you guys could use a lesson in stats AND hate speech. Maybe you should remove WTF's post?

[Anne in TX]

Obviously, Barack Obama credits the Pennsylvanian voters with more intelligence than the media, the Clintons, and John McCain do. I'm so tired of seeing every word picked apart, looking for sinister meanings that were never intended. It does make a person wonder what kind of hold Clinton has over the media...

[Anne in TX]

Obviously, Barack Obama credits the Pennsylvanian voters with more intelligence than the media, the Clintons, and John McCain do. I'm so tired of seeing every word picked apart, looking for sinister meanings that were never intended. It does make a person wonder what kind of hold Clinton has over the media...

[kelly burch]

So far, no evidence that Hillary staying on in a losing cause has hurt the Democratic Party, but we'll get a pole out and run it through your heart by the end of the day to ensure another four years of war, another four years of corporate fraud and another four years of bitterness, guns and religion, antagonism toward immigrants and anyone else we can blame for our woes.
Y'ep, Snipe' Fire Clinton has been the best hope for Republican control of the White House and pulpit.

[Ron Taylor]

I think that its sad to see the media and other powers that may be, still let us know that being a different skin color does matter. This country has NEVER had any other race as a president for as long as it has existed. Its unfair to Obama. The Clintons are not perfect and neither is Obama but he may be the little good that may just slipp threw our fingers all because of Our ignorance and High tech lenching in Our country. NOTHING HAS CHANGED and we as a people should be ashamed.

[B-man]

Nearly ALL the anti-Obama posts come from posters with female names. Simply stating you like Obama near women (especially over 40) will get your head torn off.

What's up with that???

[Vote4Hillary]

This new blunder is not the only reason OBAMA IS UNFIT TO BE PRESIDENT. But I sure do hope it's the one that sticks. If he gets the democratic nomination, WE ARE SCREWED. He's a CLOSET REPUBLICAN who has little to no experience. Glassy-eyed Obamabots need to wake up! HE WILL LOSE the general election -- he is UNELECTABLE! The only candidate that can win in November is Hillary Clinton! She has what it takes to lead this country in the right direction. Stop being SEXIST and vote for her! GO HILLARY!!!

[Dianna]

Some say that Obama is ruining his chances. How can it be that speaking the truth as one sees can 'ruin your chances' If the polls are to be believed, then honesty and integrity are qualities than can lead to your downfall. What does that say about the electoral system. Hopefully the voters will be smarter than to fall for this latest media BS The fact this story about Obama's comments can even gain traction should be a concern to us all.

[Chris John]

If you Penns let the lying scary Clinton win you deserve them and show your dumb bitterness.

[lil]

This is directed at Mr. Malcolm-
Where is the poll that you were conducting at this site yesterday?
People ( at the time I weighed in) voted about 68%, saying they WERE bitter, about 25% not and the rest didn't blame the government.
Did the results just blow most of the media's "people are so upset" news (and I use that term lightly) out of the water?

(That poll is in the same place as it's always been. You see, when we do a new item, and we do several every day, it goes on top of the older ones. So you just need to scroll down and see the thousands who've voted at:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/04/its-americas-tu.html

[lil]

Thank you for posting the link.

[Penny k]

I find it troubling and strange that the LA Times would even report and cite this poll. A 20 point swing seems dubious at best. Even if OBama truly did start to tank in the polls, for a 20 point swing to happen that quickly would be extreme. Ironically the polling data released today shows NO difference in PA and a steady 10% lead nationally. So i guess the old adage about old news is true. The only difference being i am not sure this article or the polling contained there in can be considered news.

[Tony]

No Wonder we are Bitter ......And this explains who is out of touch with Americans , its Clintons and the Republicans that keep making money
from these trade policies that forget the American People so what kind of Leadership is this, favoring Big Biz , letting them Import Tariff Free from a Country that manipulates its currency so we Americans cannot compete , but the Big Biz gets to make money off the Currency exchange of the Imports Who is B.S.ing Who here ?????? Bitter , Hell Yes we American Blue Collar working class people , PEOPLE yes You SUITS we are People too , not just Consumers that are used in statistics and analyzed for our Spending power , my God Bitter doesn't explain the Mindset well enough !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
US deep in debt and still digging
You're paying for the nation's debt addiction through both direct and indirect taxes. And unfortunately, Uncle Sam is going to need more money.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/USDeepInDebtAndStillDigging.aspx
Foreclosures continue to soar, worst is not over
Filings up 57 percent in March over ’07; ARM resets to crest in May and June

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24115651

But the Middlemen of these Trade agreement , now they make net money from these deal in any form , as we see below ;

What a Story! Candidate Personally Receives Hundreds of Thousands From Foreign Sources, Private Interests
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/what-a-story-candidate-pe_b_96052.html


Huge Kazakh deal follows financier's trip with Clinton, precedes donation .

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html?ex=1359435600&en=33a4d96a239655bf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/12/12/25043.shtml

[Tony]

No Wonder we are Bitter ......And this explains who is out of touch with Americans , its Clintons and the Republicans that keep making money
from these trade policies that forget the American People so what kind of Leadership is this, favoring Big Biz , letting them Import Tariff Free from a Country that manipulates its currency so we Americans cannot compete , but the Big Biz gets to make money off the Currency exchange of the Imports Who is B.S.ing Who here ?????? Bitter , Hell Yes we American Blue Collar working class people , PEOPLE yes You SUITS we are People too , not just Consumers that are used in statistics and analyzed for our Spending power , my God Bitter doesn't explain the Mindset well enough !!
US deep in debt and still digging
You're paying for the nation's debt addiction through both direct and indirect taxes. And unfortunately, Uncle Sam is going to need more money.

www.articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/USDeepInDebtAndStillDigging.aspx
Foreclosures continue to soar, worst is not over
Filings up 57 percent in March over ’07; ARM resets to crest in May and June

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24115651

But the Middlemen of these Trade agreement , now they make net money from these deal in any form , as we see below ;

What a Story! Candidate Personally Receives Hundreds of Thousands From Foreign Sources, Private Interests
www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/what-a-story-candidate-pe_b_96052.html


Huge Kazakh deal follows financier's trip with Clinton, precedes donation .

www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html?ex=1359435600&en=33a4d96a239655bf&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

www.archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/12/12/25043.shtml

[JoeSky]

This is not surprising. It resonates with the feedback that I got from calling PA voters. They are not happy with the "clinging" comments by Obama.

[Karla Marx]

It should now be abundantly clear that Sen. Obama's familiarity with "bitterness" must stem from his own deeply felt Bitterness. After all, he's attended Uncle Jeremiah's Church of Hate for 20 years and he is telling us, in his inimitably arrogant, self-referential way, that only when those unintelligent poor folk vote Him in as President, will His bitterness or "antipathy to those who are not like Him" (see Rev. Wright's Hits of Grace and Bitterness) will be cured! Amen.

Only an arrogantly self-referential, out-of-touch Marxist dialectic Professor would opine that the only reasons hard-luck folk turn and cling hard to Religion and Racism (antipathy to those different) is that they are bitter about their poverty! But I much prefer Hillary Cinton's explanation:

"PEOPLE DON'T TURN TO RELIGION BECAUSE THEY ARE MATERIALLY POOR, BUT BUECAUSE THEY'RE SPIRITUALLY RICH".

It looks as if good ole Hillary understands and sees through Obama's thinly-veiled Marxist game (materialism is key to all social ills) and has called The Messiah's bluff. For that alone, she should be presidential material for sure.

After all, it was none other than good ole GOP boy Johnny "Hot-temper" McCain who said to Tim Russert of Meet the Press back in Baghdad in '05 when asked about Hillary's presidential chances:

"I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT SEN. HILLARY CLINTON WILL BE A GOOD PRESIDENT"---John McCain

Obamyopics should at this time be starting to see the Light from the corners of small-town Pennsylvania....! And bitterly reflect how their Leader's own Words became the sword that he eventually fell on, exposing his pathetic lack of substance and disgraceful LACK OF EMPATHY!

P. S. Perhaps Now's the time for this Contemptuous Professor to remove his 2 little girls from the Church of Profanity on the Pulpit and Hatred, get apology from Rev Wright for his inappropriately lewd gyrations on pulpit, and stop voting against laws designed to prevent Sex Offenders from getting out of jail early, as he voted--the lone vote!--when he was State Sen. It's a shame, really, but this neophyte should go back to the Getty's mansion and demand that all billionaires helping his campaign be frisked more carefully by security to rule out 'bitter journalists'...and then go back to lecture Constitutional Law.

[Mary]

So, Obama thought his bitter comments would not come out! He has his own Bitterness after 20 years attendance at the Church of Jeremia the Bigot. Perhaps he thinks his Bitterness will be cured only when he gets voted in a s President!

The Obamyopia fog is finally lifting to expose a Marxist Professor who should have stayed away from analyzing people he knows nothing about. And stop calling PENNSYLVANIANS RACISTS! "Antipathy to those not like them" he said obviously claiming that if you lost your job in Pennsylvania, you must be a bigot and turn into a Religious fanatic. How INSULTING!

Hillary caught his Marxist dialectic and responded, correctly:

'PEOPLE DON'T TURN TO RELIGION BECAUSE THEY'RE MATERIALLY POOR, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE SPIRITUALLY RICH"

Of course how could Obama ever get to know the Truth of this statement, having bathed in the toxic Hatred of Uncle Jeremiah's obscenities (gyrating on pulpit in front of kids!) and falsities.

John McCain was right after all in '05 in Baghdad when he responded to Tim Russert's question about Hillary:

"I have no doubt that Sen. Hillary Clinton will make a good President"---McCain knows best!

Obama, advice is to go back to lecture Constitutional Law and Marxist Economists. Dont' attempt to socioanalyzie hard-luck small town folk. It ain't your Department. You fell on your own Words and you were exposed for your arrogant, contemptuous, self-referential ignorance!

[Billy Olive]

Unfortunately, many people seduced by Clinton's lies, don't accept the fact that she's an opportunist type, especially when her opponent makes "mistakes".
She's the personification of evil tactics. Why should America listen to people like Hill.?

[Summers Mist]

When will people clean their ears out and shake the saw dust out of their heads?

It wasn't him saying people get bitter that up sets me, it was what he said about the people.

They cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

I don't know about you, but I don't cling to my gun to explain my frustration, I cling to my gun for protection and hunting. I don't cling to my religion to explain my frustration, It is my faith, and always have been. I don't have antipathy to people not like me. I'm am not anti-immigrant, I'm anti- illegal immigrant.

This blunder wasn't suppose to get out to the public.
It was meant to stay in San Francisco behind close doors with his millionaires and billionaires.

I do believe he's a racist and I do believe
he's a bigot. I think he's a typical, left wing radical politician, controlled by the rich and will do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants. The problem then becomes whether what he wants is what the country
wants. And I don't believe the 2 are the same.

[DAVID DONALDSON FROM ATLANTA,GA]

MCCAIN'S WIFE HAS AN INHERITANCE WORTH MILLIONS..

HILLARY AND BILL CLINTON MADE OVER 110 MILLION OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS..

AND OBAMA'S FATHER LEFT HIM WHEN HE WAS 2,HIS MOTHER WAS ON FOOD STAMPS,HE WAS RAISED BY HIS GRANDPARENTS AND HE AND HIS WIFE HAVE ONLY JUST FINISHED PAYING THEIR STUDENT LOANS 5 YEARS AGO..

AND HE IS THE ELITIST????????????

BOB JOHNSON,FERRARO,AND THE CLINTONS ARE GONNA GIVE US MORE OF THE SAME AS WE ARE GETTING WITH BUSH NOW...DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE...

WHEN I SEE HILLARY..I SEE BUSH..GEORGE W.BUSH....

[Milla]

1. Suported a church which supported Farakhan.

2. Was a practining Muslim til the age of 31.

3.Kenyan descent refuses to use his middle name.

4.Does not acknowledge the flag to pledge.

This sounds worthy of our next president?

If he wins nomination I am voting fo Mccain.

[Michael Barnes]

This article is as distorted and selective in its choosing of the facts, as any one would expect to find on a "bitter" partisan blog.

I regularly devour news and commentary on the current election race, including daily visits to RealClearPolitics.com, which does a much better job of analyzing polling trends, by compiling an aggregate of available polls (note: those polls that are reliable).

I was flummoxed to read the assertion by The Times that "the findings could hardly be worse" for a candidate who has closed the gap in Pennsylvania from approximately 15-20 percentage points, to about 7-8 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics.com average.

The latest numbers at this blog (RCP), which seems to do a better job of presenting reasonable, reliable data than the once-great Los Angeles Times, are also based on surveys conducted during and after the "furor" over Obama's remarks in San Francisco.

The Times may consider it better business to post "any available information" as soon as possible, as opposed to waiting for the best and most accurate information, but I believe it to be a form of journalistic malpractice.

Even after committing to an article of this sort, the headline, which is overtly sensational, could have incorported the word "ominous," or "uncertain," or even referred to a "distressing sign."

However, use of the word "tanking," adds unecessary drama to an article based on one source of information, which by the admission of the author, may "exaggerate the bounce Clinton has gotten from the storm over Obama's remarks," especially in a race that "previous findings had put [as] closer than any others."

The only thing "tanking," is the credibility of the editors at The Times.

[Tomas]

Released: April 17, 2008

Newsmax/Zogby Poll: Deadlocked in Pennsylvania!

UTICA, New York—With just five days left before Democratic primary voters go to polls to decide who they want to be their presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois are locked in a battle that is too close to call, the latest Newsmax/Zogby telephone poll shows.

The survey, which was conducted April 15-16, 2008 and came out of the field midway through Wednesday's contentious debate between the two candidates in Philadelphia, shows Clinton at 45% and Obama at 44%, with 12% either wanting someone else or left undecided.

The telephone survey, conducted using live operators working out of Zogby's on-site call center in Upstate New York, included 601 likely Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania. It carries a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.

Clinton leads by a wide margin in western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, while Obama leads by a large percentage in eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. In the central part of the state, including the state capital of Harrisburg, Clinton leads by eight points.

Pennsylvania


Clinton
45%

Obama
44%

Someone else
3%

Not sure
9%

Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Pollster John Zogby—"This is not a year for negative campaigning and Clinton's pounding of Obama on his controversial description of small town voters in Pennsylvania does not seem to be working. Obama leads in the Philadelphia and eastern part of the Commonwealth, among African Americans, and Very Liberal Pennsylvanians. He also has a slight lead among voters in union households and has an 18 point margin over those who have lost a job. Clinton maintains her lead among whites, Catholics, Liberals, and Hispanics.

"The gender gap is huge with Obama leading among men by 15 and Clinton leading among women by 15. But Clinton holds a wide advantage on the question of understanding Pennsylvania (58%-27%) and handling the economy of the country (47%-38%). She also is ahead in understanding the personal financial situation of individuals (41%-35%).

"On the other hand, Pennsylvanians by a two to one margin (60% to 29%) are more likely to agree with supporters of Obama that voters in Pennsylvania are bitter about their economic situation than with Clinton and critics of Obama that he is an elitist who does not understand working people.

"On the key questions of who they would rather have a beer with: Clinton 38%, Obama 39%—with 15% undecided.

A key demographic group that has changed its mind in the last week is Democratic voters age 35 to 54, who just one week ago favored Clinton by a 45% to 40% margin. Now, Obama leads among those voters by a 47% to 41% edge. Clinton leads among voters older than age 54, while Obama leads among the younger set.

Among men, Obama holds what has come to be a predictable advantage, leading with 50% support, compared to 35% for Clinton. But Clinton makes up for it among women—also a predictable support group for her—leading by a 53% to 38% margin.

Among the very liberal Democratic Party voters, Obama leads, while Clinton leads among mainline liberals. Among moderates, the two are deadlocked, while Clinton has an edge among conservative Democratic voters.

Among whites and Hispanics, Clinton holds double-digit leads, while Obama holds a huge lead among African Americans, winning 82% support.

Two issues were dominant in the minds of these voters—with the economy far and away the most important to voters in deciding whom to support—54% said it was at the top of their list. The Iraq war was a distant second, with all other issues winning just a passing notice from the likely voters.

Asked which candidate was most likely to improve the respondent's personal financial situation, Clinton won 41%, compared to 35% who said Obama would be tops. Six percent identified someone else, while 19% said they were unsure.

Asked which candidate would be most likely to improve the U.S. economy, Clinton also held an advantage, winning 47% support to 38% who said Obama was most likely. Men favored Obama, while women favored Clinton.

Voters Believe Clinton Understands Pennsylvania Better

The Newsmax/Zogby survey asked likely Democratic primary voters which candidate they believed understands Pennsylvania better, and Clinton was seen to be far more understanding of the state. While 58% said she better understood the Keystone State, just 27% said Obama had a better grip on it. This comes nearly a week after Obama, speaking to an audience in San Francisco, said that Pennsylvanians cling to their religion and to guns out of bitterness over bad economic times. The comment has drawn a significant backlash, and Obama has been explaining his comments ever since.

But the issue has apparently had little impact on the broader head-to-head contest, as Obama has closed the lead Clinton has enjoyed for some time.

The survey also asked specifically about the controversy, asking likely voters whether they agreed with the Obama critics who have said the comments show he is an elitist who does not understand working people and their problems—29% agreed. But 60% said they agreed with Obama supporters who have said he is simply telling the truth about these people who are suffering from the results of economic policies in Washington.

For a detailed methodology statement on this survey, please visit:
http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1294

(4/17/2008)

[rose]

Who is the RADICAL Hard Left Liberal? Easy guess, right? That is the label that pins the tail on the Donkey. It won't be hard for Republican's to make that claim STICK. And they won't need obama to wear it on his lapel for all to see.

Will that win our presidency?

Not likely anytime soon. And for good reason it is slanted toward one side of the fence which leaves out everyone else who does not agree with them.

When we talk about change as a gray area then it is ambiguous. No one knows what that means so it is easy to say yes. Once it begins to take shape and form as taxes, sharp cuts or painful realizations then a different kind of reality fills that gray space. That is when disappointment sets in.

Change is overrated. Anyone who says we need a lot or sweeping changes is obviously one of the media beneficiaries of all the obama campaign FLUSH money.

Look at the man behind the curtain. Where is all the new money really coming from? Just some odd Internet artifact or is there something – someone driving cash into the trough?

I’ve never seen money cluster in this size and shape without an artificial stimulant. In the dotcom boom no one wanted to see that the lines of cash did not connect with any substance or reality. When it came crashing down then the disappointments of that LACK set in.

A smart leader can make small corrections to the big machine that will have a net positive benefit. They don't need to throw out everything and make wild claims that never really pan out.

We are still the worlds greatest super power. If people insist on BIG CHANGE then the radical change they employ will alter that forever.

At least Hilary can’t get caught with her pants down while someone is giving her something. But ALL men do at some point in time or another when they are idolized by hordes of groupies that fawn and faint over them.

No insult to Cindy but she certainly looks like a trophy wife. Not someone who would know how women work to support their families come hell or high water... Only one candidate knows how to work that kind of magic, Hilary. Its called hard work and determination. Women who don't like her are afraid of her. She sets the bar higher for us. Women who want to lay around and have some guy take care of them want barack. He promises them what they want to hear even if he never returns their call. Its called fantasy.

Obama's wife recently claimed that “we don't know her” yeah, and so when we do what will we know? This is not a secure image of our first lady.

How will Obama's wife shake out against Cindy?

Hilary is such an easy target. It is absurd for obama to say that his attacking a female opponent is going to be the same as coming up against the Republican's.

Republican’s like the idea of torture, they stay up for it. It is part of their recreational activities. Obama has no substance, grit or wisdom. He is untested and un-vetted. He really is a question mark.

He only has superlative qualities to his adoring fan base. Do we really want a rock star for president? He doesn't even play an instrument.

[2008winner]

I've not seen anyone pointed out that the majority (over half) of the states that Obama has won so far are Republican states like South Carolina, Utah, .... which will vote Republican comes general election.

He needs to win swing states such as Penn, Ohio, Florida, and others.. which have so far been mostly won by Clinton.

I think Dem superdelegates will look into why he won most of the Republican states but did not win Democrat-leaning states such as California as well as big swing states.

[Janet Reno]

Obama’s efforts to connect to the Republican Party, specifically Bush, and Dick Cheney, of the Halliburton Company, dates back to the Presidents Grandfather, Prescott Bush, and indeed Cheney was once an executive officer of Halliburton.

The American military pounds Iraq with Artillary, bombs, and the like, destroying large sections of cities, and infra-structures, then Halliburton comes in to rebuild. Halliburton and Halliburton associated companies have raked in ten’s of billions.

Obama is just like the BIG HALIBURTAN. Haliburton has contracted to build detention centers in the U.S. similiar to the one in Quantanammo Bay, Cuba. Halliburton does nothing to earn the Two Dollars for each meal an American Serviceman in Iraq eats.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

Halliburton was scheduled to take control of the Dubai Ports in The United Arab Emiirate. The deal was canceled when Bush was unable to affect the transfer of the American Ports.

Now we see what some might suspect as similiar financial escapading from the Democrats.

Two years ago, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity gave a $50 million contract to a start-up security company - Companion- owned by now-indicted businessman (TONY REZKO) Tony Rezko and a onetime Chicago cop, Daniel T. Frawley, to train Iraqi power-plant guards in the United States. An Iraqi leadership change left the deal in limbo. Now the company, Companion Security, is working to revive its contract.
Involved along with Antoin “Tony” Rezco, long time friend and neighbor of Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and former cop Daniel T. Frawley, is Aiham Alsammarae. Alsammarae was accused of financial corruption by Iraqi authorities and jailed in Iraq last year before escaping and returning here.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON --
Recently, Obama's campaign staff have been vetted by the IRS to disclose his connection to the criminal money generating underworld. Besides, his connections to the REZCO MAFIA types, his up-coming tax fraud charges — Obama needs to disclose why he is a MUSLIM "PATWANG-FWEEE" and disclose Obama's MUSLIM Farrakhan mob connection to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Its minister, and Obama's spiritual adviser, is the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. In 1982, the church launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright's daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said "truly epitomized greatness." That man is Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan and Chicago's Trinity United Church are trumpeting Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama as the second coming of the messiah. Obama should stop suppoting our intervention in IRAQ. It’s time to introduce this false, fake Xerox - X box Obama and invite the self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke "GLORK" Xerox - X box to meet the Buffalo "GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA" Police Department Buffalo Creek. He is MAD!!! --

OBAM YOU'RE NO JFK --

"GLORK" Obama looks like Alfred E. Newman: "Tales Calculated To Drive You." He is a MUSLIM "Glork" He's MAD!!! Alfred E. Neuman is the fictional mascot of Mad. The face had drifted through American pictography for decades before being claimed by Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman after he spotted it on the bulletin board in the office of Ballantine Books editor Bernard Shir-Cliff, later a contributor to various magazines created by Kurtzman.
Obama needs to disclose why he is a MUSLIM "PATWANG-FWEEE" and stop suppoting our intervention in IRAQ. It’s time to introduce this false, fake "GLORK" Xerox - X box Obama and invite the self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke Xerox - X box to meet the Buffalo "GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA" Police Department Buffalo Creek.

Michelle Obama should be ashamed.

"GLORK" Michelle Obama should be ashamed of her separatist-racist connection to Farrakhan and Chicago's Trinity United Church trumpeting Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama as the second coming of the messiah. Beneath that Darth-Vader-Mace-Windu-Jedi-Me ssiah Helmet Hairdo of Michelle Obama lurks a Wildabeast. If Michelle Obama new what her husband -- the Hope-A-Dope, Fonster Monster -- Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama did in Harlem, she would wash her wide-open, Hus-suey loving MUSILM mouth out, with twenty-four (24) mule-team double-cross X-boX-BorraX. The Lexis-Nexis-Albatross-Abacus-Complex of Barack and Michelle's relationship with MUSLIM "PATWANG-FWEEE" Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan, and black demagoguery; is about as much of a Hoax as Oxfam volunteers believe in HIV-- AIDS Witch Doctors in Africa they feed. If Barack Obama had married Shaniqua instead of Michelle, his jackenapes collegial elitism attraction would be taken a lot more seriously. Expectations are that Obama will manage his explosive MUSLIM JIHADI -- FATIMA EXTREMISM obsession bitter. He is a MUSLIM "Glork" It’s time to introduce this false, fake "GLORK" Xerox - X box Obama and invite the self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke Xerox - X box to meet the Buffalo "GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA" Police Department Buffalo Creek. He's MAD!!!

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

THE SPEECH --

The Apologia has arrived and once again the self-indicting, separatist-racist Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama, promises to heal the wounds of the world. The speech is the rude awakening of mass messianism of his campaign. Apologetically, Obama the MUSLIM double-cross X-boX-BorraX has an astonishingly empty two-prawn echelon explanation of his misjudgment.
In the first prawn: with regard to his connection to separatist-racist Rev. Wright; Obama summons voodoo and juju to express slavery as beginning and ending with the Rev. Wright.
In the second prawn: Obama's speech takes credit for Ashley's dream. A dream of unity Martin Luther King, Jr. borrowed from Ashley for his historic "I Have A Dream" speech. In Obama's speech, the connective bond Ashley, the elderly black man and Obama's grandmother share; represents Obama's self-indicting rise to the Harvard Yard. For Obama, the grand flag of language is the semi-fore of words, bestowed upon our nation by the messiah-alumni from Harvard. Obama's Swoon-Song Apologia to the nation represents a failed hymn -- a hymn that fails to heal the nation, repair the world, or make this time different than all the rest. Obama's speech is a brilliant failure.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

MUSLIM LIES --

The ILLIGITIAMTE MUSLIM MESSIA has blundered yet again!!! The self-indicting, separatist-racist Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama, lied about the politics of his campaign. The danger involved with this self-aggrandizing, -a-hoop, Hope-A-Dope, Fonster Monster -- Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama is that -- "Like Father Like Son" Obama is constantly wanting to impress America with "...his incapacity for sound judgment." In 2005, Sen. Obama voted for the Dick Cheney energy bill, which Cheney wrote in secret with the oil industry. Hillary Clinton opposed Cheney's energy bill, has a plan to eliminate oil industry tax breaks, and would require oil companies to contribute to a $50 billion strategic energy fund to jump-start research and investment in clean energy technologies. On top of the horrible crime Obama executed in Harlem, the fact is, we have to hear it from Karl Rove about Obama's latest Campaign Crisis.

"GLORK" Top Ten Obama Lies:

1. Obam said his parents met at the Selma march -- Reality: He was born 4 years before that.

2. Obam said he was a constitutional law professor -- Reality: . . . Obama Made This False Claim In His 2004 Senate Race. “Several direct-mail pieces issued for Obama's primary [Senate] campaign said he was a law professor at the University of Chicago. He is not. He is a senior lecturer (now on leave) at the school..

3. Obam said he spoke fluent Indonesian as a child -- Reality: . . . Obama has claimed on numerous occasions to have become fluent in Indonesian in six months. Yet another Phi Beta Krakatau lie from Obama. Those who knew him disputed that during recent interviews. Israel la Pareira Darmawan, Obama's 1st-grade teacher, said she attempted to help him learn the Indonesian language by going over pronunciation and vowel sounds. Truth-be-told: Obama's Indonesian teachers say Kaku-Pooh.

4. Obam said he was involved in community asbestos and housing project for the poor -- Reality: Didn't happen. This was the basis for Barack and Michelle's claim, that he was a community activist on the South and East Side of Chicago. Usher United Arab Emirates (UAE) A+ lie both he and his twenty-four (24) mule-team, Hus-suey loving wife Michelle Obama have been claiming in the campaign -- Reality: The Chicago Newspaper's Obelus -- Kiss-A-Cuss:...NO-MAMA.

5. Obam said in his book that he received his racial awakening at age nine reading a Life/Ebony Magazine story about a black man who was scarred trying to dye his skin white -- Reality: Didn't happen. Both Magazines (Life and Ebony), and the Rev. Wright and Farrakhan MUSLIM Trumpet Newsmagazine say, just didn't happen.

6. Obam’s Campaign Didn’t Have The “Technical Capacity” To Produce The “1984” Ad:

Obama: “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 that.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 3/24/07) -- Reality:...The Creator Admitted All It Took Was A “Sunday Afternoon” On His Mac. Phillip de Vellis: “I made the ad on a Sunday afternoon in my apartment using my personal equipment (a Mac and some software), uploaded it to YouTube, and sent links around to blogs.”

7. Obam’s Campaign Claimed His High School Friend Tried To Extort Money From Them:

“According To The Obama Campaign, [Obama’s Punahou Classmate Keith] Kakugawa Explicitly Raised The Possibility That He Could Make Up False Stories About Obama, Implying He Would Do So If The Campaign Did Not Give Him Money.” (Maurice Possley, Kirsten Scharnberg and Ray Gibson, -- Reality: “...An Old Friend's Troublesome Return,” Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07).

8. Obam voted to bring low-cost foreign labor into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina -- Reality:...This was a slap in the face against the African-Americans who were displaced in that city. Obama also voted to place Michael Chertoff, the man responsible for the Katrina catastrophe, in charge of Homeland Security. Obama voted for Senate-Bills that gave Blackwater the funding they needed to shoot the folks of New Orleans who were only trying to save their own lives. The towel head voted to allow Michael Chertoff to waive all applicable laws, including murder, torture, kidnaping, and he suppoted water-boarding.

9. Obam voted more than five times for USA-PATRIOT ACT renewal -- Reality:...This is a Senate-Bill patently offensive to most Americans. City after city has passed resolutions condemning USA-PATRIOT ACT. Obama chose to side with tyranny over freedom and Bush over the folks on this issue. The Real ID Act, which would allow Michael Chertoff to declare martial law and imprison Americans, was supported by Obama, as noted above.

10. Obam is not a MAD MAN. Sen. Obama has not exaggerated his involvement with the long-simmering sub-text of the October Surprise "X-Files" -- The 1980 election scandal exposed....an extraneous tenuous association between Obama and an aging (VX) Vietnam-era Weather Underground Radical Extremist William Ayers. Sen. Obama Is not involved along with Antoin “Tony” Rezco, long time friend and neighbor, now-indicted businessman (TONY REZKO), or Tony Rezko and a onetime Chicago cop, Daniel T. Frawley. Sen. Obama is not involved or has not been exposed to any nuclear security, bribery, money payoffs, or cronyism in the state of Illinois; or criminal activities related to the BIG HALIBURTAN and V.P. Cheney's Halliburton bribery case; or any political misjudgment in his escalating Campaign Crisis. "GLORK" Sen. Obama is not a self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke Xerox - X box. Obama executed no crime in Harlem. Obama is Not America's Poison -- Reality:...He's Radio-Active.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

SOULJAH JIHAD -- OBAMA CAMPAIGN CRISIS

The Republicans' disengagement (media bias), if not disillusionment, with the economic campaign issues is borne out by the fact that many more Republicans are able to explain, extinguish, and excoriate the name Barrack Obama with the term (JIHAD), than can name Bush/Dick Cheney and McCain -- as the Big Oil -- BIG HALLIBURTAN politicians expanding GOP IRAQ WAR ideology, and Republican White House Party Elders' GI Bill of Rights for the 21st century IRAQ WAR ECONOMY. Even among Republicans, Clinton is much more visible than GOP presumptive candidate John McCain towards affecting positively the important economic issues facing America's middle class economy.

When asked who they would vote for in the general election for president of the United States, the natural pendulum swing in America is 79% of Republicans named Hillary Clinton as their choice. Reasons for Obama's Campaign Crisis "GLORK" Campaign Crisis include:

"Obama has more holes in him than Swiss-Cheese." (CNN’s “Politics.com,” 4/01/08)

Obama's presidential campaign has received $2,812,336 from firms that employ registered federal lobbyists. [fec.gov]

Obama has taken $405,747 from the Pharmaceutical industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has received $1,185,937 from the Commercial Banking industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has received over six million dollars from the Securities & Investment industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has taken $608,822 from the Insurance industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obam has taken $168,584 from the Mortgage Banking industry. [opensecrets.org]

"GLORK" SOULJAH JIHAD -- CAMPAIGN CRISIS
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3369102968312745410&q=Fitna&total=1413&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5

WASHINGTON — Obama’s support among Democrats nationally has softened.

"GLORK" Sen. Barack Obama’s support among Democrats nationally has softened over the last month, particularly among men and upper-income voters, as voters have taken a slightly less positive view of him than they did after his burst of victories in February, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The survey suggests that Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, may have been at something of a peak in February, propelled by a string of primary and caucus victories over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and that perceptions of him are dramatically trending downward.

Mr. Obama’s favorability rating among Democratic primary voters has dropped seventeen percentage points, to 42 percent, since the last Times/CBS News survey, in late February. While that figure is steadily declining, this dramatic decline came in a month during which he endured withering attacks from Mrs. Clinton, and responded to reports that his exiled former pastor had made politically inflammatory statements from his church’s pulpit in Chicago, and swirling questions about what Barack Obama did in Harlem.

The events of the last month appear to have fundamentally altered the race for the party’s nomination and provided Mrs. Clinton’s campaign extensive evidence of a collapse in Mr. Obama’s standing or an overwhelming preference voiced for Mrs. Clinton by Democratic and Republican voters in polls: -- developments in Obama's ongoing Campaign Crisis, that could be used to persuade uncommitted super-delegates to sign on with Hillary Clinton.

Twenty-six percent of the general electorate voters who heard of the Apologia speech that Mr. Obama the self-indicting, separatist-racist Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama gave to try to deal with the controversy over Obama's separatist-racist connection to Farrakhan and Chicago's Trinity United Church trumpeting Barack Obama AKA Barack Hussein Obama as the second coming of the messiah, said it made them dislike him. And 74 percent of Democrats and Republicans said Mr. Obama's Campaign Crisis "GLORK" Campaign Crisis stems from the fact that he shows continued misjudgment for even the most challenging problems. Mr. Obama lacks the decisive capability to lead, willingness to listen, conviction and courage. Mr. Obama uses false charges and exaggerated claims to play politics with national security. Mr. Obama lied about the politics of his campaign, and knew about Rev. Wright's MUSLIM Farrakhan - JIHADI -- FATIMA EXTREMIST mob connection to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

Fact Check: Sen. Obama on Lobbyists --

"When it comes to lobbyists, Senator Obama’s words might sound nice but voters need to make sure they read the fine print. Despite trying to give the impression that he has no relationship with lobbyists or special interests, the reality is that Senator Obama takes money from people who hire lobbyists, partners of lobbyists, spouses of lobbyists, former lobbyists and state lobbyists.” –Statement from Clinton Deputy Communications Director, Phil Singer
Sen. Obama Has Ties to Lobbyists in His Presidential Bid

Public Citizen: 10 of Sen. Obama's bundlers have been federal lobbyists. The Public Citizen report listed the following ten bundlers for Sen. Obama who have registered as federal lobbyists: Frank Clark, Commonwealth Edison; Scott Harris, Harris Wiltshire and Grannis; Allan J. Katz, Akerman Senterfitt; Robert S. Litt, Arnold & Porter; Thomas J. Perrelli, Jenner and Block; Thomas A. Reed, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP; Paul N. Roth, Schulte Roth & Zabel; Miriam Sapiro, Summit Strategies; Alan Solomont, Solomont Bailis Ventures; and Tom E. Wheeler, Core Capital Partners. [Public Citizen, 1/29/08]

Sen. Obama takes money from employees of firms that lobby and has lobbyists as advisers. "But those who lobby for a living say it's not that simple, and even Obama's stance shows some flexibility. He won't take money from federal lobbyists but accepts money from employees of firms and corporations that lobby, and he uses lobbyists and other government relations professionals as advisers... Obama has also used major fundraisers who are registered lobbyists on the state level. And he uses registered federal lobbyists such as Broderick Johnson, who lobbies for AT&T and Shell Oil, among others, as a campaign adviser. Because Johnson isn't giving money to Obama, his name won't show up in Federal Election Commission records." [Chicago Tribune, 2/10/08]

Bloomberg: Five of [Obama’s] ten biggest sources of funds are groups of employees at law firms that lobby in Washington. "While Obama doesn't accept money from registered federal lobbyists, five of his 10 biggest sources of funds are groups of employees at law firms that lobby in Washington…Among Obama's top donors were employees of the Chicago-based law firm of Sidley Austin LLP, who gave $105,750 in the first quarter. The firm was paid $4.5 million last year" for lobbying the federal government. [Bloomberg, 6/7/07]

Obama's presidential campaign has received $2,812,336 from firms that employ registered federal lobbyists. [fec.gov]

Obama has taken $405,747 from the Pharmaceutical industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has received $1,185,937 from the Commercial Banking industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has received over six million dollars from the Securities & Investment industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has taken $608,822 from the Insurance industry. [opensecrets.org]

Obama has taken $168,584 from the Mortgage Banking industry. [opensecrets.org]

Prior to His Presidential Campaign, Sen. Obama took Money from Lobbyists and PACs

1996-2004: $296,000 of the $461,000 Sen. Obama raised as a state senator came from PACs, corporate contributions or unions. "But behind Obama's campaign rhetoric about taking on special interests lies a more complicated truth. A Globe review of Obama's campaign finance records shows that he collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists and PACs as a state legislator in Illinois, a US senator, and a presidential aspirant. In Obama's eight years in the Illinois Senate, from 1996 to 2004, almost two-thirds of the money he raised for his campaigns -- $296,000 of $461,000 -- came from PACs, corporate contributions, or unions, according to Illinois Board of Elections records. He tapped financial services firms, real estate developers, healthcare providers, oil companies, and many other corporate interests, the records show." [Boston Globe, 8/9/07]

In his 2004 U.S. Senate race, Sen. Obama raised $128,000 from lobbyists and $1.3 million from PACs. "Obama's US Senate campaign committee, starting with his successful run in 2004, has collected $128,000 from lobbyists and $1.3 million from PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics. His $1.3 million from PACs represents 8 percent of what he has raised overall." [Boston Globe, 8/9/07]

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

[Gian Brown]

Great post. I perceive this article as an eye opener. Because we the voters recognize what the mass media is trying to do to Obama. Yes! it is a bad implication to all the media but this is really true. Okay! There are many people trying to make a poll and make their own survey, I thanks for those people who cares.
Some says that they are suspect that they're trying to damage Obama's campaign. And accordingly Hillary stands on trade and other major issues, what about Obama.
Hope in the end of the road we can chose the right person to lead. A leader that can face the music, even he/she doesn't like the tune.

_______________________
gianski

New York Immigration Lawyer Marina Shepelsky, located in Brooklyn, assists clients from the New York metro area and across the United States in all immigration and naturalization matters http://www.e-us-visa.com