MSNBC or the Matthews Secures Nomination for Barack Campaign Network is hosting the last democratic debate before the Ohio & Texas primaries tonight at 9:00PM eastern. As a special treat I compiled some of the best Matthews moments for the last year to get you revved up for the totally unbiased coverage we are sure to see tonight.
Since this weeks Texas Democratic debate, something has been stirring online concerning a story told by Barack Obama. The Senator relayed a story he claimed to have heard from an Army Captain who said it was easier to capture weapons from the Taliban in Afghanistan than get the necessary equipment from the United States. The reason was because resources had been moved to Iraq. The Pentagon questioned the account.
I found this at Talking Points Memo and it comes with the same caveat I am going to give it to you with. Howard Fineman reported on MSNBC that internal talk within the Obama and Clinton camps believe it is “highly unlikely” she will ever lead with pledged delegates. In fact Fineman calls it “virtually impossible”.
The caveat is that “Fineman is something of a paragon of the mainstream media” as TPM puts it. I will go further and say that when it comes to Clinton and Obama Fineman has been anything but unbiased. Fineman, like many others at MSNBC, is clearly supporting Obama and because of it the “analysis” he gives is not only layered with opinion but has often turned out to be wrong. With that said, like TPM, numbers are different than pure opinion plus Newsweek has a lot of resources and so it might well be true that both camps see a major shift occurring.
Again the ending of Fineman’s comments are a clear attack on Clinton’s hope that superdelegates will sway her way rather than tie themselves to the voting. The delegate information is major news if its true, I just feel bad it has to come from this source and with this much questionable commentary surrounding it. But there you go!
But not many 21-year-olds start their Monday with a personal breakfast with Chelsea Clinton, as Rae did this morning at the student union at the nearby University of Milwaukee.
Jason Rae got the one-on-one treatment from the former — and possibly future — first daughter because he is a Democratic National Committee member from Wisconsin and thus a “super delegate,” one of the 796 free agents who can back any candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Rae said he and Chelsea Clinton talked about electability and mobilizing young people to get involved in politics. He said she spoke about what states her mother can carry in the general election and what demographics favor her candidacy. The two talked about how the campaign’s operations were going in the states and what she is seeing on the ground.
Rae has been called on his cell phone by former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who tried to woo him to the Clinton side and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who was pushing for Rae to endorse Obama.
Obviously this meeting doesn’t justify MSNBC commentator David Schuster’s suspension leading comment that the Clinton camp is “pimping out” Chelsea to the superdelegates, with that said the news doesn’t exactly come at the best time.
After so many hours of media time spent on the Teddy Kennedy endorsement, did it really have an effect? Honestly? Clinton won Massachusetts despite having Kennedy, Kerry & the Governor on Obama’s side. Hispanic voters, whom the media told us would rise up because of the memory of Robert Kennedy and the warm place in their hearts for Ted, went overwhelmingly for Clinton. Meanwhile California despite not just Teddy and Caroline but Maria Shriver and the awesome power of Oprah still went to Clinton by a decisive vote. So, where was the power of the endorsement?
Not to be a wet blanket but, I told you so. The media needs to calm down. After many hours declaring “game over” because of these endorsements and after the media highlighting polls showing Obama would take California and NJ, while ignoring other polls and caveats that showed the opposite, I really think we need to start talking seriously about “bias” in this race and the misperceptions it is creating.
I was curious about this, according to Mediabistro Senator Clinton cancelled on the cable news networks at the last minute after the State of the Union. I was flipping around and both FOX & MSNBC were hyping Clinton’s appearance before the SOTU but it became apparent after Obama & McCain made their rounds that she wasn’t going to be on.
The report says Clinton’s camp gave no explanation.
After twenty minutes of Tim Russert, Natalie Morales and Brian Williams focusing solely on race and gender issues, and twenty minutes of the three candidates BEGGING to be asked difficult and substantive questions, someone finally stood up. A lone protestor shouted “these are race based questions” and yelled at the moderators to stop focusing on them.
The mood is terrible thus far on the debate. Morales chimed in with a question to John Edwards about being a white male that was one of the dumbest things I have ever heard on one of these.
As they seem to work in the background to take care of the man shouting, I hope the moderators get the point and start asking questions that actually have some substance.
Typically Tim Russert ends appearances on Meet the Press by mentioning a candidates favorite sports team or some other lighthearted thought. With Hillary Clinton this weekend Russert ended the program by bringing up her husbands affair. Then he said goodbye and the show ended. Well… that wasn’t uncomfortable.
Just a moment ago as MSNBC gears up for tonight’s debate I heard Andrea Mitchell report that Hillary Clinton cannot possibly stand for change in any way and that she is facing an “impossible” situation tonight to do well. OK, well, why is she even showing up then?
What does Obama need to do according to those assembled? Why, simply show up and continue taking amazing positions on all issues as he has on Iraq. So, I guess we already know the winner then. Good to hear.
Should be a fun and fair debate. What time is American Idol on?
I don’t think anyone has mentioned this yet but when MSNBC was putting together tonight’s debate did they not notice they would be running it against both the Michigan primary returns, kind of a big news moment, AND the return of American Idol?
Now granted these debates haven’t exactly been ratings busters but it seems like a little more consideration could have gone into this. After months of no regular television programming my TiVo is actually full tonight with new shows, which means I will be watching the debate on the small TV in the bedroom while I actually spend my time thinking about The Biggest Loser and Simon Cowell.
Just thinking you might want to put this on at a time when people will actually watch it.
