Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Odds and Sods - Obamomentum edition

He's hot! He's on FIRE! He won the Potomac primaries!

Some good reading over on Politico.com:

Obama’s wins were his sixth, seventh, and eighth in a row, and even as Clinton looks forward to March 4, his campaign is looking with relish on Wisconsin and his home state of Hawaii, which vote a week from today.

His widening coalition is becoming part of his message: He won a majority of Latino votes – which had been Clinton’s bulwark elsewhere – in Virginia and Maryland.

He won a majority of white men in both states, and won the support of groups across the economic spectrum, while drawing stunning majorities of support from African-American voters – as high as 90% of their support in Virginia, according to exit polls.

The wide margins – he won with 64% of the vote in Virginia, and appeared headed for victory on a similar scale in Maryland– seemed to answer the Clinton campaign’s arguments that he has not won primaries in large states.
IT'S SO EXCITING!!!!

Hillary is pinning virtually all of her hopes on Texas and Ohio. Is that smart? At this point, she really has no other choice:
Clinton argues that she is the stronger candidate because she can win big-state primaries such as in California or New York, states that are critical to the party in November.

By insinuation she seems to suggest Obama might lose those heavily Democratic states in a general election, a point her own party leaders and strategists would likely dispute.

She is encouraging voters in Texas and Ohio to dismiss Obama’s victories as irrelevant.

But those wins actually could add substance to his claim that he has the best chance to expand the electoral map and break out of the red-state, blue-state formula that has bedeviled his party for two presidential cycles.

The goal of Clinton’s new rhetorical assault is to freeze Obama’s momentum before March 4.
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I reported here about the death of 18-year-old Benjamin Sprague at Clemson's Sigma Nu frat house, back in December. This has turned into something of a local scandal/bad joke after it was discovered that Sprague died with a beefsteak underneath him. Seriously, it isn't simply a bizarre rumor--see follow-up news story in the link.

The official cause of death was alcohol poisoning. Misdemeanor charges have been filed against Sigma Nu members Matthew Rinkel, 20, Addison Kerr, 21, and Jetin Anil Patel, 19, charged with transfer of alcohol to a person under 21.

Related video here, including a portion of the 911 call.

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My new favorite blogs to read include Persephone's Box, A Different Light, The Curvature, and the always-brilliant Problem Chylde.

Random questions: Why aren't I as smart as these women? Is this some genetic thing, or was it all those hallucinogens?

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Left: Woody and Scarlett, from New York Magazine.


In movie-making news, Woody Allen is preparing to direct Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz in a lesbian sex scene in his new film, titled Vicky Cristina Barcelona. There will also be a threesome with the two women and co-star Javier Bardem. And gollee gee, for some reason, Mr Daisy hasn't been so interested in a Woody Allen movie since Match Point, also featuring the winsome Johansson.

Speaking personally, I miss Woody's old movies. Particularly the early, funny ones. (Bonus points to the movie geek/Woody fan who can name that movie line without clicking the link!)

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Listening to: Echo & the Bunnymen - The Cutter
via FoxyTunes