Diary Contest - Who's Your Favourite Presidential Candidate

We do hear a lot from the campaigns and their staff why their candidate is the best and why we should support them.

But what about you?

Who do you like? Who is your favourite Democratic presidential candidate? During the month of August we're looking to hear from you. Tell us why you like Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, or Bill Richardson.

All you have to do is register at My Silver State (if you have not already done so), log in and click "new diary" on the menu in the right sidebar. Writing a diary is relatively easy. All you have to do is type what you have to say, click preview and, if it looks okay, publish it. So even if you haven't done this before you shouldn't need to worry about that.

The rules are simple: you can remain anonymous or not, that is totally up to you, but we do limit this diary contest to Nevada residents. So please state in which city or county you live.

The best diaries will be promoted to the frontpage. Even though My Silver State only got started about three weeks ago, we already have a little less than 1,000 visitors per week with about 2,000 page loads. So at least several hundred visitors, if not more, will get to read what you have to say. You can write your diary in any way that you like. It's totally up to you. We just ask you to refrain from attacking other candidates. We want to hear what is good about your candidate, not what is bad about the others.

Get to work! Promote your candidate!

Obama to Attend House Party in LV on Friday

The LVRJ reports that Obama will be in Las Vegas tomorrow:

The Illinois senator will attend a "house party" in western Las Vegas on Friday afternoon, hosted by some local supporters. It is open only to invitees, of which there will be only a couple hundred or so, rather than the large crowds that have attended Obama's previous public appearances in the state.

The hosts of the event are local couple Yvette and Damone Williams, who will open their home on Redwood Street, just off Rainbow Boulevard between Desert Inn Road and Sahara Avenue, to Obama and a group of potential Nevada Democratic caucus-goers.

The setting will allow Obama to "have a real conversation and dialogue with them, to engage with the issues in sort of a casual environment," campaign spokeswoman Liz Oxhorn said.

Prior to the 1 p.m. event, Obama will spend the morning in political meetings with Nevadans, she said.

It seems like this will be the big Nevada week of the presidential candidates as Edwards, Richardson and Dodd will also come in the next couple of days.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Barack Obama group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

The Economist on Obama in Reno

The Economist has been profiling the major presidential candidates in recent weeks. This week, it's Obama's turn. As it happens, an Economist reporter was at his first event in Reno. You'll find a couple of paragraphs which include Reno references below. Read the whole profile here.

LIKE a movie star, he is late, but that only whets his fans' appetite to see him. Thousands stand under the vicious mid-day sun in a park in Reno, Nevada. No other presidential candidate could pull such a large, passionate or politically diverse crowd. Reggie Willis, a medical student, voted for George Bush in 2004 but now says Barack Obama is “the guy America is waiting for”. Eileen Larsen, from California, thinks he is “one of the best I've seen”, but worries that her vote will make no difference because Mr Bush is planning a coup.

Mr Obama eventually moseys onto the stage and starts massaging the crowd with his seductive baritone. The current philosophy in Washington, he says, is that “if you are a child that didn't have the wisdom to choose the right parents”—he pauses—“you're on your own.” Everyone cheers. He calls for a new, less selfish, less timid politics that “reflects the core decency of the American people”. The crowd is too wound up in loving him to wonder what, in practice, that might actually involve.

Of all those running for president, Mr Obama is by far the best orator. People feel that he is addressing them individually. Michelle, a fan in Reno who works with the mentally ill, says she posted a suggestion on his website urging steps to make it harder for crazy people to buy guns. Later, to her delight, Mr Obama made precisely that suggestion. Michelle thinks she prompted him. Others suspect that the distinction belongs to the crazy gunman who murdered 32 people in Virginia that week.

[...]

It probably helps that he is black (or, at least, mixed-race). A generation ago, this would have been a fatal disadvantage. But now many white Americans have what Mr Obama calls a “hunger for any optimistic sign from the racial front”. Many would love to elect a black president, to demonstrate to the world and themselves that they are not bigots. Other things being equal, Mr Obama's blackness “might tip the scales,” says Lisa Rabinowitz, a white social worker in Reno. “It's time. So far it's been all upper-class white males.”

The profile's very long and interesting, depicting, from the Economist's view, the pros and cons of Obama's ability to lead and win. You can read it in its entirety here.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Barack Obama group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Hillary Gets Former Gov. Candidate Dina Titus' Endorsement

Dina Titus (l) and her mother Betty with Hillary

The Gleaner reports that the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial nominee and State Senator from Las Vegas Dina Titus today endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. This is interesting in many respects:

One, all the prominent women in Nevada so far have gone for Hillary - most notably former Attorney General Frankie Sue del Papa, with Las Vegas Congresswoman Shelley Berkley contributing to Hillary, and only Hillary, in the first quarter.

Two, Titus was one of the high profile endorsements and most sought after because of "Team Titus" - her volunteers from last year's campaign. It remains to be seen whether they'll all support Hillary but it's fair to assume that the majority probably will.

Three, it'll be interesting to see if this will have any impact on the NV-03 race. Reportedly, both Titus and fellow Hillary supporter Rory Reid are interested in taking on Jon Porter.

Four, now that Titus has come out of the woods watch out for other endorsements to come out very quickly, most noticeably by elected statewide officials who were asked to remain neutral as long as possible.

Five, Obama, Edwards, et al. will have some catching up to do.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Hillary Clinton? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Meet Michelle Obama in Vegas

Michelle Obama will be in Las Vegas tomorrow for the kickoff event for "Nevada Women for Obama":

Time:	Wednesday, June 13 at 9:30 AM
Duration:	90 minutes
Host:	Alison Schwartz
Contact Phone:	702-253-2008
Location:	Cambridge Recreation Center (Las Vegas, NV) 3930 Cambridge St. Las Vegas, NV 89119

RSVP here.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Barack Obama group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Obama's and Hillary's Online Nevada Headquarters Up & Running

Bill Richardson is not the only candidate anymore with an online presence focused on Nevada. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton now have online "Nevada Headquarters" up and running. When you take a look at what other states thus far have special pages at these candidates' campaign sites, you'll find New Hampshire and Iowa at Richardson's, Obama's, Edwards', and Hillary's site, South Carolina at Richardson's and Obama's site and Illinois only at Obama's site. This once again goes to prove the importance of the Nevada Caucus in the Democratic Party's primary process.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, or Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton, Nevada for John Edwards, Nevada for Bill Richardson, or Nevada for Barack Obama groups at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Reactions to Obama in Reno and Carson City

Barack Obama made his first trip to Northern Nevada yesterday. In different news reports the crowd was estimated between 3,000 and 4,000 - surpassing Hillary's 3,000 in Reno a month ago. Interestingly, Obama's visit was on a work day while Hillary's town hall was on a Sunday. Here's a sample of the reactions:

Nevada Appeal: Carson City cheers Obama

Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell, D-Carson City, said she was impressed with Obama even though he didn't go into detail about his politics.

"I think we were all just waiting at that point to shake his hand and have kind of a private little conversation with him," she said. "I think he's very exciting."

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, said she liked how Obama talked about his experience as a state legislator.

"Of course," she said, "that's a very popular thing for us to hear."

Leslie said she is supporting Obama for president, and likes being in a state that has an early primary that gives her the chance to meet so many possible presidential candidates.

After Obama left the Legislative Building, he went to a home on Kings Canyon Road where amateur and professional politicians cheered a speech he gave from a flight of stairs in the living room.

Nevada Appeal: Obama: Bush's environmental policy 'deeply disturbing'

After addressing a campaign-friendly crowd of more than 3,000 at Wingfield Park, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama told the Tahoe Daily Tribune on Thursday he would work to reverse environmental laws rolled back from the Bush administration's time in office.

[...]

"Certainly, there's been a chipping away at clean-air and clean-water laws. It's deeply disturbing. Fortunately, some of them can be reversed by executive order," he said in the media conference after the afternoon rally.

Obama explained the Environmental Protection Agency has been demoralized and "not taken seriously." He added the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the fray of agencies intimidated by the politics of the day.

"These people need to feel they can carry out their jobs with vigor. I'll tell you, one of the things you can count on me for is integrity, confidence and people who are experts at management and (are) independent. I want somebody to argue with me and tell me when I'm wrong. That's what my wife does," he said.

Reno Gazette-Journal: Obama strikes a cord with locals

Barack Obama hit a chord with Danette and Bill Thomas when he talked about the civil rights movement as his inspiration.

The retired Minden couple were involved in the movement in the 1960s and remain involved today.

"I have the same emotions with him as I had with John Kennedy," Danette said. "He was the first person I got to vote for when I was young. He just has that charisma."

The Thomases were among more than 4,000 people who baked in the hot sun for more than two hours to wait and then listen to the Democratic presidential candidate's speech at Wingfield Park in downtown Reno.

"He spoke on everything I believe in," Danette said. "Ending the war. Education. Health care. He's fabulous."

They both vowed to do more for his campaign. Others also were wowed.

Reno Gazette-Journal: Presidential hopeful says it's time to 'turn the page'

He said the Nevada caucuses will help define the national race.

"We are going to be competing actively and vigorously," he said.

Obama spent the morning in Carson City, where he met with about 50 voters at Comma Coffee before going across the street to speak with legislators.

He arrived in Reno about 1 p.m. and found a welcoming audience. A long line of people stretched along Arlington Avenue before gates opened and the crowd covered much of the island at Wingfield Park, most spectators standing for more than an hour in the 90-degree weather before Obama's speech began.

"It's really encouraging to see him here," said Connie Douglas of Spanish Springs. "I think he offers a fresh voice, which we need."

"I think he's fabulous," said Jan Corbelli of Reno. "We need fresh energy, and he definitely personifies that."

Elko Daily Free Press (AP): Obama sees political gains in conservative Nevada

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama predicted Thursday he’ll run well in politically conservative Nevada, one of the earliest primary states, comparing it to his home state of Illinois.

[...]

“One of the reasons I’m a U.S. senator is that I got strong support from places like southern Illinois where it’s about as rural and southern as you get,” Obama said.

“These are areas back in my home state that are pro-gun, very religious and with low minority populations — and we have consistently done well because I think there is a set of common values that people share.”

“If people feel you’re respectful and taking the time to talk to them, if you care about the things they care about, then you can do well regardless of what your background is,” Obama said.

The Sparks Tribune (with pictures): Obama in northern Nevada - Presidential candidate stirs crowd with first Reno visit

“I am confident in my capacity to lead this country,” Obama said. “I am confident in your desire to turn the page, but I can’t do it on my own. I can only do it with all of you. I can only do it because you decide that this campaign is a vehicle for your hopes and your dreams.”

Obama’s speech left many confident in his ability to lead this country as well.

“He’s saying what everybody’s feeling in the country,” Mark Hankins said. “He has the 21st century degree of courage that Martin Luther King had in the 60s. I’ve always been for hope and that’s what Barack Obama offers.”

BJ Olson, of Reno, shared similar sentiments and said she supports Obama because he’s for the working class.

“He’s young and fresh and wasn’t born with a silver spoon,” Olson said. “Everything he promised, he’s going to work for just as he’s been doing his whole life.”

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Presidential Politics: Obama campaigns in Reno

Obama said his would be a grass-roots campaign that would get people excited to participate.

"My campaign is bringing in new people," he said. "It's galvanizing a new generation of voters, and we have the capacity to break out of the political gridlock we've been involved in for a long time."

Some of those new people might not be old enough to vote. Thirteen-year-old Ryan Dhindsa has had fundraisers at his Reno school for the cause to end the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.

Dhindsa and a friend were impressed that Obama mentioned Darfur, if only in passing. Dhindsa brought his mother, Shilpa Dhindsa, 42, and she liked what she heard, too.

"I hadn't listened to him at all before," she said of Obama. Her biggest priority, she said, is "putting an end to the war. That's the most important thing to me."

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Barack Obama group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

The Speech That Made a Presidential Candidate

Three years ago hardly anyone knew Barack Obama. A couple of months later that changed with a single speech, his keynote address at the Democratic convention in Boston. Chicago Magazine takes an extensive look at how that speech came about. Here's a little excerpt:

The keynote speech that barack Obama delivered on Tuesday, July 27, 2004, galvanized the delegates who packed Boston’s FleetCenter and electrified a nationwide television audience. The 2,297 words uttered over 17 minutes changed Obama’s profile overnight and made him a household name. Before the speech, the idea of Obama running for president in 2008 would have been laughable; he was a lowly state senator from Chicago’s Hyde Park, and while he stood a good chance at winning his U.S. Senate race, he would enter that powerful body ranked 99th out of 100 in seniority. After the speech, observers from across the political world hailed the address as an instant classic, and Obama was drawing comparisons (deservedly or not) to Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy.

None of this happened by chance. Obama’s selection as keynote speaker was carefully plotted by all sides for maximum effect, and the speech itself was no outpouring of inspiration scribbled on the back of an envelope. Obama labored over it for weeks, harvesting lines that he had already tested on Illinois crowds. He is said to have been furious when one of his best remarks was cut by Kerry’s speechwriters. And even after all the preparation, the editing and vetting by aides to Obama and Kerry, and the three run-throughs at the convention, the speech almost didn’t take flight—on the dais, Obama was slow to hit his stride. But once he got going, the speech—and his career—took off: “Without that Boston speech, there’s a question whether Barack would be running [for president] today,” says his fellow senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin. “His public image changed because of that speech.” Valerie Jarrett, a veteran Chicago politico and one of Obama’s longtime friends, puts it more succinctly: “It changed his life.”

[...]

Obama’s people were no doubt pleased when Kerry invited their man to give the keynote, but the honor comes with the sort of baggage familiar to the Cubs: no Democratic keynoter of the past century has made it all the way to the presidency.

[...]

Today, the convention planners say they were looking for an attention-getting lead-in to the night’s main attraction, Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. “There was a huge, long list that spanned all across the party,” recalls Mary Beth Cahill. “Everybody had their favorite.” The roster, insiders say, was soon narrowed down to a short list that mainly included Democratic governors from key battleground states that were likely to decide the presidential race: Jennifer Granholm of Michigan; Janet Napolitano of Arizona; Tom Vilsack of Iowa; Mark Warner of Virginia; and Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

Obama made the cut, though some planners worried about his thin political résumé and, to a lesser extent, the fact that he and Kerry were somewhat at odds over the war in Iraq. (In 2002, Kerry voted to authorize military action against Iraq; Obama opposed the war from the get-go.) Obama detractors felt that he should get a prominent speaking role but not the keynote, according to interviews with knowledgeable insiders.

Kerry and his aides first began to zero in on Obama after Kerry’s two-day campaign swing through Illinois in April. Stumping together at a vocational center on Chicago’s West Side and at a downtown fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Kerry came away impressed with the charismatic political hot shot. Watching Obama address the donors who filled the hotel’s ballroom, Kerry’s national finance chairman, the Chicago investment banker Louis Susman, told Kerry: “This guy will be on the national ticket someday.” To which Kerry replied, according to an account in the Chicago Tribune: “Well, I have a way in mind for him to be at the national convention this year. He should be one of the faces of our party now, not years from now.”

Again, this is just an excerpt. Read the whole article at Chicago Magazine.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Barack Obama group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Obama Rallies in Reno (May 31) and Las Vegas (June 1)

The location for the Obama rally in Reno is now set, the one for Las Vegas not yet. Click the links for tickets/details.

Reno:

When: Thursday, May 31, 2007--Doors open at 12:00 PM

Where: Wingfield Park Amphitheater, First Street and Arlington Avenue, Reno, NV

How: The event is free and open to the public. Please fill out and submit the form below to receive your free ticket.

Las Vegas:

What: Be among the first to get the details about Barack Obama's upcoming rally in Las Vegas!

When: June 1, 2007, in the morning

How: To be sure that you get the latest event and ticketing information, please fill out the form below. For further information or to volunteer locally in Las Vegas, please call 702-253-2008.

I'll post the details for the Vegas rally once they become available.

UPDATE:

Here are the details for Obama's Las Vegas Rally:

When: Friday June 1, 2007 -- Doors open at 10:30 AM

Where: Silverado High School, 1650 Silver Hawk Ave., Las Vegas, NV

How: The event is free and open to the public. Please fill out and submit the form below to receive your free ticket. Space is first come, first served, so please arrive early. For further information or to volunteer locally in Las Vegas, please call 702-253-2008.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Barack Obama group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Hillary in Vegas, May 30; Obama in Reno, May 31

The two current frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for President will be makig their way to Nevada.

Hillary will be in Las Vegas on May 30 for a town hall meeting according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Her last town hall meeting in Nevada was in Reno on April 29.

One day later, on May 31, Barack Obama will travel to Northern Nevada for the first time in his presidential campaign and hold a "lunchtime rally" in Reno according to RENObama.

Details for both events are yet to be announced. Stay tuned to Nevada Caucus 2008 for more.

UPDATE: Details for Hillary's event here and for Obama's events here.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton or Nevada for Barack Obama groups at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Bill Richardson Now Has The Best Campaign Website - Hands Down

Bill Richardson has the impressive resume and - with his official declaration to run for president today - he has a website to match his resume.

Looking at the websites of the all eight candidates Richardson's is the best - hands down. There are several reasons for this.

Let me go into detail:

Navigation: Richardson's website is easy to navigate, when you click through the top bar you get all the information you need, above the bar is a box to register for email updates, the action center is clearly highlighted on the left hand side and there's a welcome video on the right hand side. When you scroll further down you get a more detailed look at news, blog entries, issues, etc, all the information you could also find by clicking the top bar. The only additional information you wouldn't find in the top bar are the links to PartyBuilder, MySpace, etc. That's how it should be. You should have a clear overview of the site without having to scroll down. Only on the third look does the website seem a little crowded. But just a little.

The other websites are equally easy to navigate, especially Hillary, Obama, Edwards, and Biden, to a lesser degree Kucinich, Dodd, and Gravel.

Information: Couldn't be better. You can find it all by navigating the top bar. Say, you're looking for his stance on Iraq, you go to issues, click on Iraq and get quite a bit of information. In addition to his stance on Iraq you can download a two page flyer and find related news and press releases.

The other websites are not as good as Richardson's. Hillary has a video in addition to her stance , at Obama's site you can submit your ideas. Edwards' issues page is disappointing. He has one paragraph on "Restoring America's Moral Leadership in the World" and that's it. I only found his plan on Iraq by looking at the frontpage again. I don't understand why they can't link to it from their issues page. Dodd doesn't have an issues page. But there's a link to his Iraq stance clearly visible on the frontpage. What you get is a video with his remarks on Iraq and a transcript. On Gravel's website issues are front and center with Iraq on the top. He writes only a couple of paragraphs on it - but more than Edwards. At Kucinich's site Iraq is one of the top issues and is incorporated into the "International Cooperation" page. On the sidebar you'll find related stories and forum topics. The only one who can compete, at least on the Iraq issue - I didn't look at the other issue pages, is Joe Biden. He has a detailed plan for Iraq and a seperate website devoted to his plan.

Networking: Thus far Obama had the best networking site, and only true networking site in my opinion, of all the candidates. Hillary's action center is not the real thing as networking between supporters (like personal blogs and messaging system) is not taking place. Edwards has a community blog and his One Corps site. Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel have a forum and Dodd and Biden don't have any form of networking at all - apart from writing comments on their blog posts.

Richardson's web team seems to have taken a look at all the other websites and must have wondered "what more can we do" as I would say their networking site now beats that of Obama. Their Action Center seems to be modeled on the same platform as My.BarackObama.com and the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder and the same functions. The only additional function on Richardson's network that Obama doesn't have (but PartyBuilder does) is that you can write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

External networking sites: Most campaigns are using them, so we're looking at two things here: a) are they linking to the networking sites directly from their frontpage and b) are they linking to the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder.

Richardson does both a) and b) - as does Obama. All the other candidates don't.

Hillary, Biden, Kucinich, and Edwards link to external networking sites, though not to PartyBuilder, Dodd and Gravel make you find their links but they don't link to PartyBuilder either. Which is a shame. As I said before it runs on the same platform as Obama's and Richardson's networking sites and is a great tool, both to enhance their own network and to build a network for Democrats in general. PartyBuilder provides an extra page for presidential candidates and links to their profiles. I did a little test to see how candidates use this tool and added them to my friends network. They added me in the following order: Kucinich, Gravel, Obama, Biden, Richardson. After more than a week still no reaction from Hillary, Edwards and Dodd which I find surprising considering their resources.

I've also set up Nevada groups for all campaigns:

Nevada for Barack Obama
Nevada for Bill Richardson
Nevada for Chris Dodd
Nevada for Dennis Kucinich
Nevada for Hillary Clinton
Nevada for Joe Biden
Nevada for John Edwards
Nevada for Mike Gravel

Nevada: Speaking of Nevada, how much do the campaigns currently care about the Silver State? I'm not gonna talk about their appearances in Nevada right now, nor about their campaign infrastructure in the state but only about their web presence.

People always say Richardson needs to win or do extremely well in Nevada to stand any chance in the primaries. Not surprisingly, Richardson's Nevada page is the best among all presidential candidates. You'll find links to the Action Center, Nevada related news, press releases, video, and photo gallery. The same applies to the other state pages (Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina).

Dennis Kucinich is the only other candidate to have a Nevada page. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated since March. Obama, Hillary, and Edwards are still in the old New Hampshire and Iowa mode, as they currently only have state sites for these two. I couldn't find any state specific pages at Dodd's, Gravel's, and Biden's websites.

Overall, Richardson has today launched a website that's ahead of the pack and his rivals will have some catching up to do, some more, some not that much.

Please note: this is not an endorsement of Richardson on my part. This is an analysis of his website compared to those of other candidates and does not reflect my preferences for the primaries.

Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire Like Richardson's "Job Interview"

Bill Richardson has officially joined the Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards in the double digit territory.

Recent polls in both New Hampshire and Iowa show Richardson making a jump in the polls. He's now at 10% in both states.

This comes right after an ad buy in both states, showing Richardson's "Job Interview" ads. Whether you like them or not, they seem to have done their work in New Hampshire and Iowa beautifully for the Richardson campaign. Watch the ads:



The ads have also been viewed 148,000 times on YouTube. He should seriously think about airing them in Nevada as well.

Considering the positive poll news, the timing seems perfect to make his presidential run official. Yeah, he's still been exploring. Richardson will make his announcement tomorrow morning in Los Angeles. Then, Hillary will be the only candidate still in exploratory mode.

Does Obama Even Care About Nevada?

While Obama volunteers in Nevada are busy and doing one "Obama walk" after the other (even in Elko), Obama himself doesn't seem to care too much about Nevada.

At least he hasn't been to the state too much. After he missed out on the AFSCME forum in Carson City one would have thought that he'd make that up by traveling to Northern Nevada soon after. Yet, three months later, and nothing happened. Obama's been a total of two times in Nevada, both times in Las Vegas. He ranks at the bottom of the list of candidates:

Richardson: 14
Dodd: 7
Edwards: 5
Biden: 4
Clinton: 4
Kucinich: 4
Gravel: 3
Obama: 2

(numbers via MyDD, via Washington Post)

Obama was on top of the list in primary contributions in the first quarter and the two men with the least money managed to travel to Nevada more often than he did? Are you serious?

All I can decypher from this is the following: currently Senator Obama is not seriously competing in Nevada. If he wants to compete here, he needs to visit and talk to the voters. He really has to make up some ground. So it better be a real visit and not just a quick stop in Reno on the way to another California fundraiser. Otherwise he might just surrender Nevada to either Hillary or Edwards who have both been to Northern Nevada more than once.

Join "Nevada for" Groups at PartyBuilder!

The Democratic Party's PartyBuider social networking site has thus far not been extensively used by presidential candidates - which is surprising when you consider that it doesn't cost anything.

Anyhow, if you're a supporter of one of the eight presidential candidates you can now join the respective group on PartyBuilder:

Nevada for Barack Obama

Nevada for Bill Richardson

Nevada for Chris Dodd

Nevada for Dennis Kucinich

Nevada for Hillary Clinton

Nevada for Joe Biden

Nevada for John Edwards

Nevada for Mike Gravel

Join today and start networking!

Denny Crane Might Vote for Obama

This is hilarious. Watch:

Clinton Leads in New Zogby Nevada Poll

Zogby released a poll today of 500 likely Nevada Democratic caucus-goers conducted April 11-12 with a margin of error of +/- 4.5%.

Hillary Clinton leads the crowd with 35%, followed by Obama (21%) and Edwards (19%). Richardson has 5% and Biden 2%. Dodd, Gravel, and Kucinich register below 1%. Zogby himself states the obvious:

Their leads track what is happening nationally in polling, perhaps a reflection of name identification, as candidates just begin their efforts to build campaigns in Nevada, which has moved near the front of the line in the state–by–state presidential sweepstakes and represents uncharted waters for the 2008 election process.

So, it's basically up to the candidates. If they wanna catch up to Clinton, they need to come to Nevada and meet the voters. Dodd's working on that tonight and tomorrow. This becomes rather obvious when you look at the Zogby numbers for New Hampshire and Iowa. Obama and Edwards are just 6 points behind Clinton in New Hamphire and Edwards leads Clinton and Obama in Iowa.

One thing to keep in mind: no one really knows who will go to the caucus. No one. Caucus polling is difficult enough in Iowa where Dean and Gephardt led the polls in December 2003 only to lose heavily to Kerry and Edwards one month later.

I'll continue posting all the poll results. At the same time, I'm sticking with what I've said before: they're mostly worthless.

It's all about the Benjamins

So, the numbers have come out. It's all still a little bit sketchy, that's why I'm waiting for April 15th by which date all donations will be public. It'll be interesting to see how the candidates did in Nevada. Here's the picture so far, courtesy of Jerome Armstrong at MyDD:

          1Q(internet) General  Senate  Available  COH      Donors

Clinton    $26M (4.2)   $6M      $10M    $30M                50,000
Obama      $25M (6.9)   $1.5M            $23.5M             100,000
Edwards    $14M (3.3)   $1M              $13M                40,000  
Dodd       $4M                   $5M     $9M        $7.5M
Richardson $6M                           $6M        $5M
Biden      $3M                           $1M

Most interesting to note is that Obama is the clear winner here, having the biggest appeal to donors. He actually has more donors than Hillary and Edwards combined. He also raised it all by himself, without any big prior infrastructure which was available to both Hillary and Edwards and he managed to outraise Hillary in the primary money race, even though she had the aid of Bill Clinton.

In the second tier, Bill Richardson is establishing himself more and more as leading the PAC and being the only one who could break into the first tier. Both Dodd's and Biden's fundraising numbers for this quarter seem rather unimpressive.

Now that they've got the money to spend, let's see how much of that they will spend to woo Nevada voters.

March 31st Deadline

The candidates are spewing out e-mails this week like their life depended on it - well, their candidacies might. It's contributions week. Nothing else counts. Everyone's playing the expectations game everywhere. It can drive you crazy.

So, Nevada Caucus 2008 makes it really easy for you. On the sidebar you'll find the list of all eight candidates. You can simply enter the amount you wish to contribute to your favourite candidate, then click on the "Contribute" button and fill in the rest. Alternatively, you can go directly to the Nevada Caucus 2008 ActBlue page. The money goes to the candidates, I get zilch.

Reactions on the Health Care Forum

It turned out that I have a life away from blogging after all, so I was not able to watch the health care forum on Saturday and therefore could not liveblog it. Unfortunately, neither the organizers of the forum nor Think Progress (which offered a live webcast) have so far put up any video from the forum.

However, a couple of people did some live-blogging of the forum or compiled a writeup. Jonathan Singer's take on each candidate's position is over at MyDD, another extensive roundup can be found at Blog for our Future. Taylor Marsh was also at the forum and comes away from it very oppiniated and very much in favor of Hillary Clinton while Hugh Jackson writes both at the Las Vegas Gleaner and on Nevada Today that he thought John Edwards was the big winner as he actually had a plan and is more likely to win than Dennis Kucinich who not only has a plan but a bill that is "intellectually, morally and economically sensible and reasonable."

Karen Tumulty, moderator of the forum, wrote up her thoughts here and here.

Finally, the take from the traditional media:

New York Times, Washinton Post, Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun

The only thing pretty much everyone seemed to agree on was that Obama's plan was sketchy at best, some saying that he was not prepared at all.

I'll put the videos (or the link to them) of the candidates at the forum up once they're available.

The SEIU Health Care Forum in Las Vegas: Polls, Webcast and More

In preparation for the health care forum in Las Vegas today, hosted by the SEIU and the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a conference call for reporters and bloggers was held earlier this week. During this call Andy Stern of the SEIU and John Podesta, former Chief of Staff of President Bill Clinton and now head of the Center for American Progress, outlined their thoughts on the upcoming forum and on how best to achieve universal health care.

Andy Stern stressed that a solution to the health care crisis is in everybody's interest as "American business will pay more for health care they make in profit" this year. Therfore, this presidential campaign should be about the issues, not about "glitz and glamour."

John Podesta noted his "battle scars" from 1994 when he worked in the White House during the Clinton's effort to achieve universal health care. He noted that the ranks of the uninsured are rising and that there are now 7 million more uninsured than in 2000. He sees today's forum as "a critical next step" saying that he has "high hopes that what happens in Las Vegas will leave Las Vegas and set the tone for the presidential campaign."

Also on the call was Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners who conducted a poll in the four early primary and caucus states regarding health care. The poll asked 400 voters in each state about their attitude towards health care. While the overall picture did look pretty good for universal health care, I was a little disturbed by the sample. 400 voters in one state is not the best sample and when you break it down into half Democrats and half Republicans, the margin of error is just insane.

Nonetheless, here are some numbers from Nevada:

Thinking specifically about the economy, what are you personally worried about the most?

Rising health care costs 39%
Higher taxes 23%
Secure Retirement 19%

The 225 million dollars a day being spent in Iraq would be better spent investing in affordable health care for every American here at home.

Strongly agree 48%
Not strongly agree 19%
Not strongly disagree 12%
Strongly disagree 18%

Who do you think would be the BEST president on the issue of health care?

Hillary Clinton 34%
John Edwards 16%
Barack Obama 9%
Bill Richardson 4%
Dennis Kucinich 0%
Chris Dodd 2%
Joe Biden 0%
Mike Gravel 0%

Now, please note that they're just asking who would be best on health care. Clearly, Hillary has an edge here both because of name recognition and because of her work on health care during the Clinton presidency.

What I found really disturbing about these numbers though, was that 50% of the respondents were 65 or older. How representative are numbers when you have a sample of only 5% below 40 years of age? And it really made me wonder how representative other poll numbers are that do not publish the age range of respondents.

Anyhow, I'm very much looking forward to this forum, as it will hopefully force the candidates to take a stand beyond "I'm for health coverage for all" and maybe they'll even tell us how they plan to achieve it.

You can view the live webcast of the health care forum over at Think Progress starting at 9am PT/noon ET.