Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Today's Letters From Barack Obama and John McCain

Back in October, I signed up online to support every presidential candidate that I could tolerate.
The emails before and after each debate have made for an interesting study in spin-doctoring.
Here's Barack Obama's take on yesterday's defeats in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island.
Notice that he never mentions The Clintons by name.
Notice how he's already moving on to John McCain, who is mentioned by name.
The reality is that The Clintons didn't blow it out with enough delegates to change anything.
And BTW, if the Democrats don't pick a nominee soon, they're going to have a Florida/Michigan mess AND a superdelegate mess.
Looking at the remaining states....the Democrats are going to have a Florida/Michigan mess AND a superdelegate mess.

Here's the Obama campaign:
(Update from McCain campaign follows)

Allen --
We may not know the final outcome of today's voting until morning, but the results so far make one thing clear.
When the dust settles from today's contests, we will maintain our substantial lead in delegates. And thanks to millions of people standing for change, we will keep adding delegates and capture the Democratic nomination.
We knew from the day we began this journey that the road would be long. And we knew what we were up against.
We knew that the closer we got to the change we seek, the more we'd see of the politics we're trying to end -- the attacks and distortions that try to distract us from the issues that matter to people's lives, the stunts and the tactics that ask us to fear instead of hope.
But this time -- this year -- it will not work. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high.
Americans need real change.
In the coming weeks, we will begin a great debate about the future of this country with a man who has served it bravely and loves it dearly. And we will offer two very different visions of the America we see in the twenty-first century.
John McCain has already dismissed our call for change as eloquent but empty.
But he should know that it's a call that did not begin with my words. It's the resounding call from every corner of this country, from first-time voters and lifelong cynics, from Democrats and Republicans alike.
And together you and I are going to grow this movement to deliver that change in November.
Thank you,
Barack


I'll add McCain's nomination victory email to this post as soon as I get it. McCain is a little older, likes to sleep later. I'll probably see it around 9:00.

Addition from almost midnight....I didn't get McCain's email until 10:30 a.m. John likes to sleep a little later, etc etc. He also doesn't have the massive online support that Obama enjoys, and he thinks that I have money.

Dear Supporter,
Last night, we did it. We won the Republican nomination. It was a long, up and down journey, but we stuck together, spoke honestly to the American people, and our steadfast determination has paid off. You have my thanks and undying gratitude for your unwavering support.
As we come to the end of our party's primary contest, we begin what will certainly be a spirited and hard-fought campaign against the Democratic nominee. In November, Americans will have a clear choice to make. And I intend to fight as hard as I can to make it very clear that I am the candidate with the experience and leadership to serve as our commander in chief from day one.
My friends, I write to you today because I know we have a great challenge ahead of us. This campaign will be more expensive than any other in our history and I ask you today to support my campaign by
making a generous contribution of $50, $100, $250, $500 or $1,000.
As president, I intend to reduce the size of the federal government, reduce your tax burden and win the war against Islamic extremists. My Democratic opponents will increase the size of the federal government, raise your taxes and withdraw our troops from the front lines based on an arbitrary timeline.
I have said before that this election will be about big things, not small things. And as president, I will make the hard but necessary decisions to lead our country in solving our greatest challenges. Today, we must unite as we face either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in November. I ask that you
join me today and make a financial commitment to help our campaign replenish our resources.
I thank you for your support and look forward to the campaign that lies ahead of us.
Sincerely,

John McCain

Ok, notice that McCain says he will face either The Clintons or Obama. And that his people can already "unite".
If McCain's lucky, the Dems will have a brokered convention due to Superdelegates, Michigan, and Florida. Saint Albert, The Goracle of Music City, will have to come in as the wise old man to straighten out everyone. This could make their chaotic 1968 Chicago convention look like a Japanese Tea Ceremony.
I bet John McCain hasn't been this happy since he saw Viet Nam in a rear view mirror.

Here's what the Obama people sent out around 3:30.....They're wearing me out.

Allen --
Our projections show the most likely outcome of yesterday's elections will be that Hillary Clinton gained 187 delegates, and we gained 183.
That's a net gain of 4 delegates out of more than 370 delegates available from all the states that voted.
For comparison, that's less than half our net gain of 9 delegates from the District of Columbia alone. It's also less than our net gain of 8 from Nebraska, or 12 from Washington State. And it's considerably less than our net gain of 33 delegates from Georgia.
The task for the Clinton campaign yesterday was clear. In order to have a plausible path to the nomination, they needed to score huge delegate victories and cut into our lead.
They failed.
It's clear, though, that Senator Clinton wants to continue an increasingly desperate, increasingly negative -- and increasingly expensive -- campaign to tear us down.
That's her decision. But it's not stopping John McCain, who clinched the Republican nomination last night, from going on the offensive. He's already made news attacking Barack, and that will only become more frequent in the coming days.
Right now, it's essential for every single supporter of Barack Obama to step up and help fight this two-front battle. In the face of attacks from Hillary Clinton and John McCain, we need to be ready to take them on.
Will you make an online donation of $25 right now?


All that work to gain 4 delegates. Just out of curiosity....How much email do you get if you send one of these people some money?????

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zbeth says:
Thanks for the Obama comment. Jesse Jackson gave an admonitory comment on ABC Tuesday night, reminding Dems that they lost to Reagan and to George Bush Sr after fighting over the nomination. My only comment is that I don't hate McCain that much.

Anonymous said...

I don't know...I voted last night then went to my precinct caucus. In 2004, 6 people showed up to caucus. This year over 150 signed in. Obama and Clinton supporters in my neighborhood were excited and energized.

I'm betting this excitement is going to carry over through the summer and into the fall regardless of the final outcome. So the fact that this nomination isn't all sewn up may not be an entirely bad thing.