Ballsy Obama Statement

Is it all or nothing for Obama?

From CNN.com:

(CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama Monday flatly rejected suggestions he would be a vice presidential running mate for Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Clinton, Obama’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, and her husband, former President Clinton, have suggested a joint Clinton-Obama ticket — with Obama in the second slot.

Obviously, this was a good ploy for the Clinton campaign, because this would be an easy way to lure many of the Democrats who are “on the fence” over to her side. However, understanding what she was trying to do, Obama fired back

“Sen. Clinton is fighting hard. She’s tenacious. I respect her for that. She is working hard to win the nomination. But I want everybody to be absolutely clear. I’m not running for vice president. I’m running for president of the United States of America,” Obama told supporters during a rally in Columbus, Mississippi.

I think that this could have one of two outcomes for Obama.

In one respect, people might see him as standing up to the Clinton machine, by sending clear signals that he isn’t going to cave into their political games.

On the other hand, some could see him as being cocky, not wanting to settle for anything other than President. An argument can be made that Barack Obama is now just chasing his childhood dream, and will stop at nothing to get to the top. A few years in the state legislature, a few years in the Senate, the only thing that might be fitting for him to be at the top is by becoming the President of the United States.

Republicans should be thrilled by this. There has been so much talk about a “dream ticket,” which has given many Democrats more confidence in this election. Now, when Obama shoots down that idea, the fight has to go on.

While they are duking it out, John McCain is traveling the country raising money for what will without a doubt be an expensive campaign.

I hope Hillary and Barack keep it up, it’s making our lives much easier — as well as making November look a lot more promising.

MSNBC Cancels Tucker, Brings in Gregory

In a re-shuffle of programming and personality placement at MSNBC, it looks like Tucker Carlson will no longer have his own show. Instead of replacing that block with another open minded conservative, they replaced it with one of my least-favorite journalists, David Gregory.

From MediaBistro.com:

NBC News chief White House correspondent David Gregory is being tapped to anchor a new MSNBC program called Race for the White House. Gregory will take over the 6pmET time slot from Tucker Carlson who remains with the network as MSNBC’s Senior Campaign Correspondent, reporting for all MSNBC shows.

I’m not sure why they decided to make this move, but

Sources say the network is going to beef up its schedule with more NBC News talent.

I really don’t consider David Gregory to be more talented than Tucker Carlson. Sure, David Gregory can rock the $4,000 Prada boots in 2 feet of snow in New Hampshire like the true player he thinks he is, but he doesn’t get street-cred from me until he rocks the bow-tie. Nothing can top the bow-tie.

Even People Paid by Clinton Don’t Support Her

It looks like the the girl from the infamous “3am call” video (see below) produced by the Hillary Clinton campaign isn’t even a Clinton supporter.

From CNN.com:

BONNEY LAKE, Washington (AP) — Casey Knowles didn’t much like a recent campaign commercial for Hillary Clinton — even though she’s in it as a sleeping 8-year-old.

After all, she about to turn 18 now and is a big supporter of Barack Obama.

“What I don’t like about the ad is its fear-mongering,” Knowles told ABC’s “Good Morning America Weekend Edition” on Sunday. “I think it’s a cheap hit to take. I really prefer Obama’s message of looking forward to a bright future.”

You would figure that the Clinton camp would pre-screen those people in their video, who will naturally become stars in their own right, to ensure that they aren’t going to kill any of the video’s momentum.

This girl isn’t spectacular, she could have been replaced with any Clinton supporter. Even so, I don’t think that this is that big of deal, but its still quite funny.

Usually, when I think about the terms “girls”, “video”, “Clinton” and “3am,” a Hillary ad isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind.

Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour Dates Released

It looks like it’s going to be another great summer full of Dave Matthews Band shows. Just at quick glance, it looks like there is a handful of shows that are within a 3-5 hour driving radius of the district:

(from DMBand.com)

•  5/30 – 5/31 – Burgettstown, PA (4.5 hours from DC)
• 6/3 – 6/4 – Camden, NJ (3 hours from DC)
• 6/10 – Scranton, PA (4 hours, 30 minutes from DC)
• 6/27 – Hershey, PA (3 hours from DC)
• 6/28 – Bristow, VA (1 hour from DC)
• 8/7 – Virginia Beach, VA (3 hour, 30 minutes from DC)

As some of you know, Dave Matthews has endorsed Barack Obama for President. I’m curious to see how he will play a role in the election should Obama be the nominee for the Democrats. Dave Matthews Band fans reach across a wide range of demographics, and for many, all it might take to sway them is one well crafted argument from Dave Matthews in the favor of Obama.

However, anyone who has ever been to a DMB show knows very well that many of the people aren’t in their “right mind” before, during and after the concert. Of course, one could argue that such a climate could make any political debate that much more interesting.