Four Days Out: Open Discussion

With just five days to go until the primary election, there's news breaking every hour it seems. Use this post to post links to news stories, make comments, and discuss anything you want.

(One request: If there's another recent post that's more appropriate, comment there. Let's use this space to talk about campaigns that aren't getting enough coverage. We're looking at you, people obsessed with Merkley/Novick and Obama/Clinton.)

Discuss.

  • Matthew Sutton (unverified)
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    Well it looks likes Hillary will be in Junction City and Barack will be visiting Roseburg and Pendleton and perhaps other Oregon venues this weekend.

    BUT THE BIG NEWS for most of you up north is that Senator Obama will hold an event at The Bowl at Waterfront Park in Portland on Sunday at 12:30. Don't miss it! Get there early and RSVP online at barackobama.com.

    Rally with Barack Obama

    The Bowl Waterfront Park Corner of SW Columbia St. and SW Naito Pkwy. South of the Hawthorne Bridge

    Sunday, May 18th, 2008 Doors Open: 12:30 p.m.

  • Eric Miller (unverified)
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    Ed Bickford wrote (in an earlier open discussion post):

    italicWhere are these three legislative referral measures coming from? There are no arguments in opposition in the Voters' Pamphlet, yet they look suspicious to me. How can there be none?

    M51 & 52 were pushed by Kevin Mannix, and seem to be more of his relentless exploitation of people's desire for scapegoats on whom to take out their frustrations in the courts. There is a point where allowing victims to insinuate themself into the trial process will overwhelm the impartiality that true jurisprudence requires; will these allow that? There is no discussion.

    Reading M53 makes my blood run cold; yet the only public discussion I've heard is how the police will be able to save the abandonded doggies and horses before (sob) it's too late! Yet it proposes to reinstitute the practice of law enforcement directly taking forfeited property proceeds to fill their own agency's coffers, opening the way for abuse of their authority for profit. And who thinks laws should be written as broadly as this?

    "... a judgement of forfeiture of property... may not be entered until and unless the person claiming the property is convicted of a crime... and the property... Constitutes proceeds of one or more other crimes similar to the crime for which the claimant was convicted..."

    Again, how does this generate no counterarguments?italic

    Your point is well taken, Ed. I have been wondering the same thing. Everyone seems to be paying attention to all the big races and losing sight of some potentially damaging "smaller" things on the ballot. Messing with our constitution seems to be getting more and more popular. When I have any doubt on a change to our constitution, I vote no. Just the mere fact that Mannix is behind the first two is sufficient for me to vote no on 51 adn 52. Ed's points on 53 are not only valid but scary. I'm voting no on all 3.

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    Thanks, Eric and Ed... I've loaded that up as its own thread for later today.

  • Bill R. (unverified)
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    I heard Hillary had canceled her Sat. events in OR. Then Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC says the campaign knows it's over and just going through the motions. So is the Clinton campaign winding down?

  • Hillary for November win (unverified)
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    Rasmussen reports says: In Arkansas, John McCain leads Barack Obama by twenty-four percentage points. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows McCain attracting 57% of the vote while Obama earns 33%.McCain build this margin by winning 92% of the Republican vote, 38% support from Democrats, and leading Obama by twenty-four percentage points among unaffiliated voters. Nevertheless: Arkansas is one of the few states where Hillary Clinton could absolutely make the case that she is more electable. Clinton leads McCain by fourteen percentage points (53% to 39%). However, this is not enough to change the outcome of the Democratic Presidential Nomination process. As Rasmussen Reports noted last week, the Democratic race is effectively over and Obama will be the party's nominee.Rasmussen has three new polls (Kansas, Arkansas and Iowa) and Clinton gains more points than Obama in all three.

  • Blake Hickman (unverified)
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    Well "hilary for november win" (catchy title by the way)as we all know, polls done in May are the most accurate prediction for how an election will unfold in November. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but theres a lot of polls who have Obama doing better in swing states (CO, VA etc) as well as holding certain states that went for Kerry (WI, OR etc). It seems a bit too early in the year for cherry picking.

  • naschkatzehussein (unverified)
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    Dear Hillary for November win, it's getting to be a cliche, but here goes again. These national polls are just "snapshots in time". And I might add two other points: Rasmussen is a Republican pollster, and polls really don't mean anything because the questions can be manipulated to elicit the kind of answer sought.

  • Eric Miller (unverified)
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    After NC and IN, Clintons knew they were done. They are planning their exit strategy and I predict will make a concession speech (in grand Clinton style) when they lose Oregon next week. Then if the two camps can make nice and work together, maybe something like a joint press conference where Clintons can take the high-road of respectfully declining an offer by the Obama campaign as running mate, and voicing their support of Obama and guiding the party to unity behind him, wouldn't that be nice? possible?

  • skywaker9 (unverified)
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    Come help me explain Vote by Mail to the rest of the world at my diary at: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/16/133210/395/656/516991

  • redcellpolitical (unverified)
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    I hate to harp on the mayoral election, but I will, the numbers still favor a plurality for Sam Adams, and were it the general election he could start measuring the windows in the mayor's office for new curtains, but the undecideds, at something like 30%, are truly amazing. Do you think this is because the national and senatorial primaries are overshadowing local races (to wit can most people even name the candidates for Multnomah County Commission?) ? Sam and Sho have met face to face like 9 times now. In every debate/endorsement interview they have been asked very specific policy questions and yet 30% of the voters can't decide? The choice seems stark to me but then I take the time to worry about it.

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