2008 Election

by Kent Harrop

Recently Sen. Barack Obama gave a speech offering a sweeping assessment of race in America. The catalyst, were sermon excerpts of his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rev. Wright is a nationally recognized preacher in the United Church of Christ. Rooted in the African American tradition, Rev. Wright leans heavily upon the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew prophets and of Jesus.

Rasmussen Reports has released a poll that shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by 6 percentage points, and McCain leading Hillary Clinton by 6 percent in Oregon.

Obama leads the three candidates in terms of favorability among Oregon voters with 60 percent. McCain has a 51 percent favorability rating, and Clinton brings up the rear with 46 percent.

Jeff Mapes is reporting that Portland Attorney Steve Novick has won the endorsement of the Oregon Education Association, one of Oregon's most powerful labor unions.

The voting by the 337 delegates at the Salem Conference Center was weighted based on contributions made by each local to the OEA's political fund.

by Paul Rogat-Loeb

Suppose someone in the North Korean government released a false story that shifted a key American election. If Bush were negatively affected, we might be bombing Pyongyang by now. But this just happened with what Hillary Clinton called “NAFTAgate” Without it, she might never have won Ohio, or her margin would have been minuscule. But as a Canadian Broadcasting Company story reveals, practically the entire story was a lie, one that played so central a role in Clinton’s Ohio victory as to thoroughly taint any claim she raises about a swing state mandate.

It was like one of those Heavyweight fights that ends with a Decision, not a Knockout. The Feb. 26 Ohio MSNBC Debate, the 20th debate in the endless Primary season, saw Sen. Hillary Clinton give her best debate performance --- and she still lost on points.

This is a full transcript of Martin Luther King III's letter to John Edwards on the eve of the South Carolina primary.

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father’s legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father’s legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I've gotten around to analyzing the 3rd quarter fundraising statistics for the top-2 Democratic candidates -- Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The news is good for banks and investors, not-so-good for working families. 5 of Obama's top 10 donor groups, and 8 of Hillary's top-10, are investment banks: