(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

John Edwards has joined the growing chorus of voices who think the Democratic nomination battle is all over.

In his endorsement of Barack Obama yesterday, Edwards emphasized that it’s time for the party to come together behind Obama. The timing of Edwards’ endorsement was absolutely perfect. At a rally of more than 12,000 cheering Obama supporters, it was a masterstroke that literally wiped Clinton’s big West Virginia headlines out of the news.

And, there’s already some pay-off for Obama. He’s now picked up eight of Edwards’ 19 delegates. This puts him 180 delegates ahead of Clinton and just 127 short of clinching the nomination.

Edwards’ endorsement goes a long way toward quieting the voices that say Obama can’t win working-class, blue-collar voters. This is Edwards’ constituency. Edwards has particular credibility on “issues of poverty and the plight of working people.”

Actually, Obama may not need as much help among these working-class voters as some people think. Today, the United Steelworkers union – all 600,000 of them – endorsed Obama. It’s another big loss for Senator Clinton as she had been aggressively seeking their endorsement.

And finally, Obama picked up three more superdelegates today – two of them influential members of Congress. Henry Waxman heads up the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Howard Berman, who chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Here’s my question to you: How does John Edwards’ endorsement of Barack Obama affect the Democratic primary race?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

Clinton after her win in West Virginia.

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Hillary Clinton is sort of starting to look like the last guest at a dinner party who doesn’t recognize that it’s time to go.

Her win in West Virginia is being called “large but largely symbolic.” That’s because the numbers just don’t add up. In West Virginia she won 20 delegates. Barack Obama won 8, a net gain of only 12 for her.

In fact, Obama’s lead over Clinton has actually increased in the last week despite her big West Virginia win. He picked up two more superdelegates today, a sign that the Democratic leaders know exactly where this thing is headed. The Associated Press reports Obama has picked up an additional 30 superdelegates in the past week. He now leads Clinton by 11; she once led him by more than 100.

One of these new Obama superdelegates is Roy Romer, former Democratic Party chairman, who told reporters, “This race, I believe, is over.” He says only Clinton can decide when to withdraw, but that it’s time to focus on the general election.

Obama is also being endorsed by three former chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission, one of whom was appointed by Hillary’s husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Rubbing salt in the wound, this afternoon Obama received the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice America, a leading abortion rights group which has supported Hillary Clinton throughout her entire political career.

All this seems to beg the question: What part of “go away” doesn’t Hillary Clinton understand?

Here’s my question to you: If you could interview Senator Hillary Clinton, what would you ask her?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Americans are a gloomy bunch these days.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 82% of us think this country is headed in the wrong direction. That’s the highest percentage of people who feel that way in more than 15 years.

President Bush’s job approval rating is at another all-time record low. It’s been below 50% for 38 consecutive months – more than 3 years. People overwhelmingly say they trust Democrats over Republicans – 53% to 32% – to do a better job with the many problems facing the U.S.

This is a pretty dire picture for John McCain – a Republican and President Bush’s buddy. But so far, McCain has found a way to escape some of the anger facing his party. In a hypothetical match-up with Barack Obama, McCain remains competitive, trailing him 51% to 44%.

But you can bet Obama and the Democrats will do everything they can to exploit the discontent felt by many Americans. In fact, Obama runs more than 20 points ahead of McCain among those 82% in the poll who think the country is headed in the wrong direction. And about 7 in 10 of those who disapprove of President Bush say whey would back Obama over McCain.

Obama also holds double-digit leads over McCain on issues like health care, gas prices and the economy, while McCain has a 21-point lead on handling terrorism. Surprisingly, the two run almost even on the Iraq war and on immigration.

Here’s my question to you: Considering 82% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track and 66% disapprove of President Bush, what are the chances John McCain wins in November?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

George W. Bush may do as much damage to John McCain’s chances of being elected as Jeremiah Wright does to Barack Obama’s, according to results of a recent USA Today/Gallup poll. Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Turns out President Bush might do more damage to John McCain’s campaign than the Reverend Jeremiah Wright does to Barack Obama’s.

A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds 38% of likely voters say McCain’s ties to the president make them less likely to vote for the presumptive nominee in November. 33% says Obama’s relationship with Wright has the same effect.

However, there is more of an upside when it comes to the relationship with President Bush, with 7% of those surveyed saying they’re more likely to vote for McCain because of his association with Mr. Bush. That’s compared to only 1% who say they’re more likely to vote for Obama because of Wright.

The pollsters say it’s also important to look at how these personal associations affect the candidates among their bases. If you do that, it looks like Wright may do more harm to Obama. That’s because 19% of Democrats say they’re less likely to vote for Obama because of his ties to Wright, while just 10% of Republicans say they’re less likely to vote for McCain because of his ties to President Bush.

However, among the general electorate, the two appear to do the same amount of damage. In particular, President Bush may hurt McCain’s ability to attract Democrats and independents.

Here’s my question to you: Which is more damaging to the campaigns: President Bush’s relationship with John McCain or Reverend Wright’s association with Barack Obama?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Money talks in presidential elections… and it may be causing John McCain some heartburn or sleepless nights at this early stage of the game.

That’s because the presumptive Republican nominee is struggling to get money from many of the same industries that helped fund President Bush’s campaigns.

Bloomberg News reports that many people who work for securities and investment firms, construction companies, the pharmaceutical and energy industries have been turned off by McCain’s record, and are giving more money to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The two Democrats each raised about $11 million from these four industries through the end of March, compared with only $6 million for John McCain. Back in 2004, President Bush raised three times more money from these places than John Kerry did.

Meanwhile, here’s another sign of potential money trouble: the Houston Chronicle reports Texas has been slow to warm to McCain. Almost three months after sewing up the nomination, McCain has yet to get money from most of President Bush’s top Texas donors. In fact, McCain has raised less in Texas than either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

One political analyst puts it: “If a Republican isn’t outraising a Democrat in Texas, where are they going to outraise a Democrat? Vermont?” One Texas fundraiser says it’s been easier to raise money for a Democrat in the Lone Star State this year. The reason? “Bush fatigue.”

Here’s my question to you: Why is John McCain having problems raising money?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

For all those like Mitt Romney who said, when talking about Barack Obama, “The presidency of the United States is not an internship,” consider this.

The young guy with not nearly as much political experience is on the verge of toppling one of the most powerful political names of the last 50 years, Hillary Clinton. For all her claims of having more experience, the relative newcomer proved to have a lot more moxie.

She said “experience.” He said “change.” Voters bought change. He planned beyond Super Tuesday and paid attention to the caucuses. She pretty much ignored the caucuses and assumed she would be the nominee the day after Super Tuesday.

When she wasn’t, she was in trouble. Poor planning on the ground and a shortage of money immediately put her at a disadvantage for the rest of the way. She relied on friends and people who were loyal to her. In time, as things began to sour, there was friction and key people left. Her husband hurt her – some say a lot.

As things got worse, she grew more desperate. The kitchen sink strategy appeared. So did demands to count the elections in Michigan and Florida – elections that are invalid. So did false claims about things like her trip to Bosnia.

And all along, she failed to recognize the overriding theme of this election year. The people in this country are sick and tired of their government. They want “change.” How could someone with so much “experience” not see that?

Here’s my question to you: How will history view the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Now that Barack Obama appears on the verge of becoming the Democratic nominee, the buzz about a so-called “dream team” is starting up again.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos says that there are “intermediaries” discussing the possibility of an Obama-Clinton ticket. And he thinks Clinton “would be under some pressure and would like to accept.” Former congressman Harold Ford also says an Obama-Clinton ticket is something the Democratic Party is going to have to seriously consider in the next few weeks.

There’s even a group called “Vote Both” that’s trying to push for such a ticket. It’s seen as a way to unite the party after an often bitter campaign. A recent poll found a majority of both Clinton and Obama supporters like the idea.

But, not so fast. Obama’s campaign says the Illinois senator is still focusing on the upcoming races and undecided superdelegates, that it’s premature to talk about running mates.

The Clinton campaign says it hasn’t had any discussions with the Obama camp about the ticket, and spokesman Howard Wolfson says he hasn’t heard Clinton express any interest in such a ticket.

Some Democrats aren’t so sure it’s a good idea. One strategist who supports Clinton told Reuters if Obama picks her as his number two, it would counter his message of change. The same person said it might not be “all that useful” to Clinton’s political future to be vice president. Instead she could have “an enormous influence” in the Senate over a long period of time.

Here’s my question to you: Should Barack Obama offer Hillary Clinton the number two spot on the ticket as a way of getting her to quit the race now?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

Obama says Clinton scolded him about Iran before.

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Hillary Clinton sounds too much like President Bush. That’s Barack Obama’s take on Clinton’s threat to “totally obliterate” Iran if it attacks Israel.

Clinton initially made the comments a couple weeks ago, saying: “I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them.”

Obama says this isn’t the language we need right now. He says it’s too similar to the kinds of things President Bush says, what Obama calls “bluster and saber rattling.” Obama says Clinton is changing the rules right before an election. He said she scolded him about Iran before, saying “we shouldn’t speculate about Iran, we’ve got to be cautious when we’re running for president.”

Clinton’s not backing away from her comment. She says she wants to make it “abundantly clear” to Iran that if they attacked our ally Israel, they would face a “tremendous cost.” However, Clinton adds that “nobody wants to go to war with Iran.” She refuses to say whether she would order a nuclear response.

Here’s my question to you: Is Hillary Clinton’s comment that the U.S. could “obliterate” Iran if it attacked Israel with nuclear weapons appropriate?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Over the course of the campaign, Americans’ views of the top three candidates have changed some. According to a Gallup poll done in late April, here are some of the qualities associated with each:

John McCain: he’s “too old, he’s a “good man, likable,” he would give the country more of the same — be another George Bush, and he has a “good military background.” And the number of people who view him favorably are about equal to the number who don’t like him.

When it comes to Hillary Clinton, the most common perceptions are that she is dishonest or not trustworthy, past scandals or baggage associated with her husband, the former president, that she is qualified, capable, and strong.

But the number of people who have a negative view of her, 55%, is almost twice the number that view her favorably, 30%. Barack Obama is viewed slightly more positively than negatively, 42% to 39%.

People see him as young and inexperienced but with new ideas. He is also seen as lacking substance-all talk and no action. People disagree with his religious views (Thank you Rev. Wright) and he is seen by some as an “elitist” or “snob,” although those views are not widely held.

He is also, of course, much better known now than when the campaign began.

Here’s my question to you: How has your perception of the three major presidential candidates changed during the course of the campaign?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

When it comes to John McCain, his age is an issue with some people. The senator from Arizona is 71 years old. If he is elected President of the United States he would be 72 on inauguration day…making him the oldest person ever sworn in for a first term. If McCain served his full two terms, he would be 80 when he left office.

McCain spent MORE THAN five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and has suffered several bouts of melanoma…a potentially fatal form of skin cancer. His doctors assure us McCain is healthy and cancer-free…but so far his campaign has refused to release all of his medical records. We are told they will be made public some time next month.

In the meantime, reporters who are half McCain’s age say they can barely keep up with the septuagenarian as he campaigns for the nation’s highest office. Fourteen-hour days climbing on and off airplanes and buses and giving one speech after another are not uncommon.

And yet doubts persist. Being president ages a person in ways no other job does. The responsibilities are so big…the problems so important, that trying to handle them can take years off your life. Look at pictures of any president on inauguration day and compare them with pictures of the same man when he leaves office, and the effects are immediately apparent.

Here’s my question to you: John McCain have a better chance of being elected if he promised to only serve one term in office?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Read the rest of this entry »