Sunday, January 21, 2007

Clinton launches bid for president

Clinton emails intentions to supporters

All eyes are on the Democratic political scene, now that New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton officially has taken the first step for the presidential run in 2008. A few days ago, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama announced that he was forming a presidential exploratory committee. To date, there are five Democratic presidential hopefuls.

When it comes to demographics, Obama and Clinton are hoping to win solid support from women and people of color. Both senators are also seeking financial backing from many of the same funding sources, as the New York Times reports.


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15 comments:

Rose said...

this should be exciting. But realitically Obama needs to show me more. What has he done to prove himself worthy of a white house bid?..We don't need anothr Bush- someone who don't know what he is doing...and doesn't want to listen.

Anonymous said...

Rose: Yes, we'd like to hear more from Mr. Obama. It's my opinion, however, that he's already proven that he's smarter and more sophisticated than George W.

Apparently, at least one supporter with deep pockets feels the same way. George Soros, the billionaire New York philanthropist, has made maximum donations in the past to both Clinton and Obama.

Last week he faced a choice: support Obama, who created his committee last Tuesday, or stay neutral and see what Clinton and others had to say. In this case, Mr. Obama won.

Alina said...

Wow, looks like it's gonna be quite a race. I would like to see Hillary Clinton at the White House. Maybe just out of curiosity, to find out what a woman can do there :)

Anonymous said...

Alina: Hillary Clinton in the White House. Wouldn't that be interesting!

Leesa said...

There is a governor from New Mexico who is running. Can't wait to hear more from him (he was on Clinton's cabinet, Dept of Energy, I think).

Anonymous said...

Leesa: You're right. New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson announced Sunday that he is formally exploring a White House bid in 2008. Unfortunately, Richardson's announcement was overshadowed by Hillary Clinton's, made the day before.

To many political pundits, Richardson holds some impressive credentials, including experience in foreign policy. He served as Secretary of Energy in the Bill Clinton administration. He also hails from the South. Richardson is definitely one to watch.

Shai said...

I think this will be interesting and a headache. I just cannot stomach election campaigns anymore.

Deb Sistrunk Nelson said...

Shai: I think you're right. I am so thankful that I no longer work in newsrooms! It's a challenge to stay current on this stuff. But I think it's safe to say that the next couple of years will not be a boring.
Thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

Could get into here to say Hey. I see her chances of success as of any black becoming president of America?

Shirazi

Deb Sistrunk Nelson said...

Shi: I would like to think that America is ready for a woman and a black president. Still, the reality is that such candidates often undergo additional scrutiny.

Hillary is attempting to overcome the perception that she is harsh and cold. Clinton has been accused of not being warm enough. Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney are hardly warm and fuzzy people in public. But their lack of warm and fuzzy genes did not stop them from landing top positions in the Bush administration. The double standard is alive and well.

I just read a disturbing article on Obama in an investors magazine. The article cautioned readers about Obama because of the Christian church he belongs to - the Church of God in Christ. The magazine described the house of worship as a "militant black church." I found the article offensive.

Georganna Hancock M.S. said...

I always thought I would be yodeling with joy when a woman ran for president. Despite being a liberal and usually voting Democratic, I find no joy in Hillary Clinton's potential candidacy. She gives me the creeps!

Anonymous said...

Georganna: Hillary gives you the creeps? Please elaborate!

Anonymous said...

I like the lady. But what are her chances???

Asad Raza said...

Personally, I would like to see Clinton win the presidency. Despite the fact that Obama is highly charismatic, intellectual, and has a unique persona about him, he has one attribute that America loves, yet, is loathed by many around the world, and that is, self-righteousness.

He has been quoted as saying that if Iran and Pakistan do not "comply", missile strikes against them are a real possibility. Hasn't American fought enough battles around the world already?

Deb Sistrunk Nelson said...

I think Clinton and Obama make formidable candidates. The 2008 presidential race is guaranteed to be anything but boring!

Clinton is still back-pedaling from her initial support for the war in in Iraq. Obama voiced his opposition of the war from the beginning.

The perception of Obama being seen by other countries as being "self-righteous" - this sparks my interest. It is true that Obama, in September of 2004, made some remarks related to Pakistan and Iran.

He suggested that the United States one day might have to launch surgical missile strikes into Iran and Pakistan to keep extremists from getting control of nuclear bombs.

At the time Obama made his remarks,
Iran has announced that it has begun converting tons of uranium into gas, a crucial step in making fuel for a nuclear reactor or a nuclear bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency called for Iran to suspend all such activities.

Obama said the United States must first address Iran's attempt to gain nuclear capabilities by going before the United Nations Security Council and lobbying the international community to apply more pressure on Iran to cease nuclear activities. Obama said that the pressure should come in the form of economic sanctions.

But if those measures fall short, he added, the United States should not rule out military strikes to destroy nuclear production sites in Iran, Obama said.

If you have something to add on this topic, I would be very much interested in hearing it.

By the way, thanks so much for stopping by!