Well, hide your chubby daughters.

I have a solution for America. Why doesnt Bill and Hill drop the hell out of the race and spare a whole hell of alot of trouble for something that is going to happen anyway.

Stay out of our state Bill.

Think about it this also - the carbon fontprint of a Presidential campaign is massive. From the thousands of gallons of jet fuel to the placards it takes an emense amount of energy (in the literal sense) to run a race.

If Billary drop out they will finally do something that is actually for someone other than themselves...the environment!

We had a new Trader Joe's open in Bend on Friday. It's a good bet that Trader Joe's will be thought of much more positively than Slick Willie.

Get out of Oregon, Bill. Hillary's election tactics sicken me.

Welcome to Oregon President Clinton. And welcome to Medford.

I am sorry that I will miss your event. Along with hundreds of other excited Oregonians, I spent the day canvassing for the best candidate, our next President. His name is Barack Obama. So tommorrow, my kids and I are going up Table Rock instead of attending your event. Enjoy your stay in Oregon.

Please let your wife know that its time to end this fight and bring the Dem Part together against McCain.

Today we got a robo-call, turned out it was announcing the details of the Clinton visit to Salem.

Too bad the voice was so faint that anyone with even normal hearing had to strain to hear the details. Comm. College campus---great place for such an event. But for those not on the campus, parking is a problem.

Ah, yes.. the "big dog" out campaigning for John McCain. No doubt he will make an ass out of himself and bring more votes to Obama. After the harm he's done for the Hillary campaign you'd think they would hide him in the attic somewhere.

Are we really gonna populate this thread largely with quick atacks? Blue Oregon seems to be becoming not much more than a non-educating bummer.

The destruction of a Democratic majority starts with undue disharmony. And a discussion space will drift towards a dispersing trickle of the lunatic fringe if the discussion houses too much pointless venom.

J: "The destruction of a Democratic majority starts with undue disharmony."

Have chat with Bill Clinton about that. He's the guy that says there are only two candidates who really love their country, McCain and Hillary. Such a charmer that guy! He's a disgrace to the party and to the country. He's the best reason not to vote for the Clinton co-candidacy.

Well said J. It's nice to read some common sense on this blog again. It's been moving into the fringe lately. Something that has honestly been turning me away from my normal reading.

Let's not lose our real goal here. We must help move this country in the right direction. I am confident either of our candidates will do that. Let's support both our candidates with the excitement and support they deserve. For once we're not picking the candidate we like least.

I welcome all campaigns to Oregon. It's just nice for our state to matter on the national level for once. Time will work the election out. Last I checked, there's nothing wrong with a little democracy.

Moses, you are right. Bill Clinton deserves all the respect Obama was given. It is the old "is that how you would treat people who came to your house" question, not to mention common courtesy and common sense.

There are women who are not voting for Hillary for whatever reason (from votes to the way the campaign has been run), but lack of respect does no one any good.

Years ago someone I met on a presidential campaign said "Manners cost nothing, but can reap large rewards".

Don't get so gung ho in a primary that you regret it in the general when someone says "Would like to help you, but am instead working on a different campaign where people don't stoop to namecalling".

"It makes me sick to read the comments to this post."

What should make any Democrat sick is the manner in which Clinton has conducted her campaign.

I hold Bill in very low regard because of his recent actions. He doesn't get a pass because he was a president. There, did I manage to express myself in a way that doesn't get me labeled as a member of the lunatic fringe?

I have no problem with Bill coming to Oregon. However, it would be pretty low on my priority list. I'd rather be door knocking for Obama or Steve Novick. Speaking of, it was pretty amazing that 500 folks showed up yesterday on Division to door knock for Obama. This is what democracy looks like.

It's too bad that Clinton is coming here to speak on behalf of his wife. I saw him speak at a Senator Cantwell fundraiser about a year and a half ago, and I was blown away. He truly is a great speaker, and extremely articulate, but it is unfortunate that his speech will be solely on the race and not on the broader issues that are facing our country or how America can rebuild its reputation abroad.

I simply can't decide which Clinton makes me sicker. Frankly, probably Bill.

I assume the Clintons will be endorsing Gordon Smith, as he's a big McCain supporter and they already endorsed McCain.

I used to have great respect for the Clintons, and of course I still do to some extent but the recent actions they have taken on behalf of this campaign has thoroughly sickened me. I'm having great difficulties with the idea of supporting her in November if she is somehow the nominee.

I know I will vote for her when it comes down to it (though I really doubt I will have to), but I don't think there is any way I would ever lift a finger to get her elected much less try to convince a friend (or stranger) to vote for her either. The way they have conducted themselves on this campaign actually makes me somewhat ashamed that I still would support them in a general election, though I realize the specter of a McSame administration would undoubtedly be at least somewhat worse.

It's a sad day that we have people on "our" side throwing so much BS into the system willing to corrupt the truth for the chance of more power. Machiavellian to the core.

Ah, they've sent "The Old Charmer" to Oregon try and sell us a used car that has this bad habit of turning right at inconvenient moments. No thanks.

As a guy who worked for Bill Clinton in the '92 election, and proudly attended his inauguration with my family, I will not forget the depth of his betrayal of his wife and daughter, his family, his party, and his country, for the sake of his sex organ. He should have resigned from the presidency and we would have had Al Gore instead of George W. Bush in 2000.

He is a disgrace, and should have stayed out of politics for the sake of the party and stayed with charity work. It is a fatal flaw in Hillary's judgment that she undermined her own candidacy by putting Bill front and center running on his legacy, and twisting her public relations experience as first lady into national security experience (Bosnia-gate). The sooner the party rejects the Clinton influence, the sooner the party will be redeemed. Not the least it includes the policies of the Clinton era, like NAFTA, like the Salvage Logging Bill, like the de-regulation of the mortgage and banking industry in the late 90s, which has the roots of our current sub-prime mortgage crisis, and the disgraceful sale of pardons. In the '92 election Paul Tsongas, candidate of integrity, warned the party about the Bill Clinton character and we should have listened.

Beware Salem vendors. Don't take any credit from Bill Clinton or the OR. Clinton campaign. Or perhaps Josh Kardon can give his credit card # for back-up:

From Politico.com: "Clinton’s camp has put off paying bills for months earning campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small business circles.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys, but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small business circles.

A pair of Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 by Clinton for staging events for her campaign are warning others in the tight-knit event production community — and anyone else who will listen — to get their cash upfront when doing business with her. Her campaign, say representatives of the two companies, has stopped returning phone calls and e-mails seeking payment of outstanding invoices. One even got no response from a certified letter. "

"What should make any Democrat sick is the manner in which Clinton has conducted her campaign. "

What did you expect? For her not to run around and lie, cheat, steal? That's the Clintons trademark. What amazes me is the fact that democrats are finally seeing that. What also amazes me, is they replace her, with a black guy and his racist, amerikan hating friends. Who will be Obama's vice, Louis Farrakan?

I agree that Oregonians should welcome the Clintons and the debate over the issues and candidacies.

This article on Politico about not paying bills of the campaign is a bit of a concern though.

Wow, could there be more of a disconnect between voters and blogs? What an odd thread. It reads like FreeRepublic.

It is disappointing to see such attacks on Bill and Hillary Clinton. Obama-maniacs you have really lost it.

My daughter is 28 and doesn't remember Reagan, my sons ages 20 and 18 have only known a Bush or Clinton in the White House. None of them will be casting a vote to extend the plutocracy this time around.

I extend respect and welcome to a former President, while at the same time have personal disgust for the former governor of Arkansas for the disrespect he and his wife have shown the military over the years.

The only fiscal restraint exhibited by this former president was imposed upon him by the opposite party in Congress. That they forgot the true meaning of fiscal restraint when one of their own took over the White House led us to our current economic situation for the country.

I'll be on my knees for Bill's visit.

It is such a shame that a respected elder statesman isn't coming to our state. Gore was right not to have him around.

He truly is a great speaker, and extremely articulate,

There is much to be said for this talent, but the key point is to ask if it is to be used for good or for ill? This skill can be used by a leader to inspire or a con artist to cheat others. It should no longer be necessary to explain how Clinton has abused his abilities, and it appears from comments made on this web site it would be pointless to try to persuade Clintonistas from their addiction.

I have repeatedly for several weeks asked Clinton supporters what their opinion was of Hillary's (and others') reneging on her oath to uphold the Constitution with the vote to authorize war on Iraq and not one has been able to make a response in defense of her action. If her oath to uphold the Constitution is meaningless, what does that say about whatever else she has said? I'll take the liberty of presuming the Clintonistas don't care about her vote or the Constitution. It's like talking to an alcoholic or drug addict. They don't care what you say, they are sticking with their addiction.

Not only should Bush and Cheney be impeached, so too should everyone in Congress who reneged on their oaths and were accomplices in this crime against humanity in Iraq.

Please do not assume all of the crude remarks on this blog were posted by Obamamaniacs.

...it appears from comments made on this web site it would be pointless to try to persuade Clintonistas from their addiction.

The people supporting the Clintons in their quest for a return to the White House are like the 30% or so sticking with Bush. No matter what the facts may show, they are sticking with their deity.

Matthew posted: "Please do not assume all of the crude remarks on this blog were posted by Obamamaniacs."

No, but some of us are Obamamaniacs -- I freely admit to liking Barack a lot. Then again, I'm also a life long Democrat and former member of the Saxaphone Club (back in 1992-3) who has LONG ago given up on the Clintons.

So I have to say, what does the fact that some of us affirmatively like Barack have to do without our distaste for Bill and Hillary? Why are we required to like them? Are they our monarchs? They certainly seem to think they are.

Bill Clinton did more good for the people of this nation as President than any President in the past 30 years, debatably longer.

That's no great achievement when you consider the presidents we have had over the last 30 years: Carter who was undermined by the oligarchs in the Democratic Party, Reagan, Bush I and Bush II.

When you consider that the Clintons presided over the U.N. sanctions on Iraq that cost an estimated half million Iraqi children their lives, what did they achieve that would offset that crime against humanity? Inspiration for al-Qaeda to attack on 9/11? A good economy that was in great part due to American businesses as much as or more than the Clinton Administration? How about NAFTA? Welfare reform? Increased concentration of corporate media? Dignity in the White House? Many Democrats continue to insist that Nader cost Gore the election despite there being other and more significant factors. How many Democrats voted for Bush because of his promise to restore dignity to the White House after Clinton trashed it?

Chris, your platitudes are just silly. Can you seriously insist that the people who are calling for the Clintons to leave the race are the power hungry ones? When this nominating process is mercifully over maybe you can get a job spinning John McCain's Iraq policy. Just quit trying to persuade people that the DLC approach is the path to Democratic victory. It's not, and Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Howard Dean prove it.

In the meantime, accuse people of hate and blame. You really have gone off the deep end.

If I had more time and energy I'd organize Blue Dress receptions for Clinton wherever he went. Imagine hundreds of men and women all wearing blue dresses waving to Bill as his motorcade drives by. That would make a popular video on the net.

Actually Clinton was an okay President. He made a few stupid mistakes but that is normal. The one thing that I really don't like is the lying. He stands there at a podium and looks the nation in the eye and tells lies. Hillary does the same thing. If they were just a little more honest they wouldn't be hated so deeply.

No one is "required to like" the Clintons, the Obamas, Kroger, Macpherson, Novick, Merkley, or the Sec. of State candidates.

But one of the wisest people I ever met on a presidential campaign used to say "Manners cost nothing, but they can reap huge rewards".

Which leads me to say that what attracts many people and leads them to say nice things about Obama is that he appeals to "the better angels of our natures".

Comments like this are the reverse: "...it appears from comments made on this web site it would be pointless to try to persuade Clintonistas from their addiction."

I think Hillary Clinton is running a campaign full of mistakes. But it does not install a Democrat in the White House to say anyone supporting her has an addiction.

I'd walk a mile for a Camel...uh, I mean, to see Hillary Clinton speak, out of general interest and curiosity, although I intend to vote for Obama. But sorry, not very interested in seeing Bill Clinton. And by the way, he's not running for president, so whatever may or may not have happened during his administration is frankly of no interest to me during the present campaign.

Yeah, plenty of dumb and offensive remarks here. Great mediuim, the Internet: you get to say things that would get you smacked, or thrown out of your guest's house, etc., with no consequences.

I'm glad that Clinton is coming to campaign, as it's always exciting to hear/see an ex president. He has his work cut out for him, as OR, like Idaho and WA, seems to be Obama Country all the way. CLinton's petulance, especailly after IA, clearly has turned off many Democrats, but when at his best he is still a gifted campaigner.

Regarding the post about the Clinton campaign debt, any vendor who bills a campaign and doesn't demand cash up front does so at their own risk. Gary Hart's campaign ran up a debt of $5 million in '84 ($10 when indexed for inflation) John Glenn's '84 campaign still has a debt of $3 million. A relative of mine who worked on Bobby Kennedy's 1968 OR campaign (their national debt was $5 million, or $30,000,000 in current $) as a bookkeeper still talks of all of the rooms at the Benson hotel that were booked in her name and it took months to get it all straitened out. That was before the strict reporting provisions of the '74 Campaign Finance Act, but that act did not outlaw debt, which is still a fact of life for many campaigns.

from: How Did Conservatives Convince the Public to Think Differently About Government? by Sara Robinson itsthedemocratsstupid

Huebeck [right wing propaganda] noted ruefully that movement conservatives "shot ourselves in the foot by expecting too much from the Republican Party." It's a feeling that's becoming all too familiar to progressives assessing their relationship with the Democrats.

We're tempted to forget that Progressives are not necessarily Democrats, any more than movement conservatives were necessarily Republicans. In each case, they are a separate movement that often finds its interests in consonance with those of a certain political party. But in both cases, they stand to lose tremendous amounts of power if they allow themselves to become co-opted and turned into an appendage of that party.

In the end, many conservatives -- especially the religious right -- lost track of that boundary, and forgot to consider their interests apart from the party.

Without enough daylight between the two entities, it was easy for the GOP to start taking their Evangelical base for granted. With every passing election, it seemed, the party relied more and more on the religious conservatives for organization, money, and votes -- and gave them less and less in return. This year, the conservative churches are in full fury over this betrayal. If the GOP loses, Evangelical disappointment will be at the heart of their defeat.

This is a special problem during election season, while progressives and the party work especially closely together to take back the White House and ensure a Democratic Congress. But, even as we fight the good fight together, progressives need to remember they are not us; and we are not them. Our movement must never forget that its an entity apart from the Democratic party, with different interests and expectations of a different future. If we allow ourselves to be co-opted by the party, and are diverted into channeling all of our actions into activities that further the Democrats instead of our own progressive agenda, we'll very quickly end up in the same place Evangelical conservatives are in right now -- used, abused, and tossed aside.

It's basic physics: Holding ourselves at a little more distance gives us extra leverage, forces them to work a little harder for our votes, and ultimately gives us more power to create the changes we seek.

But good luck to the Obama/Dean axis winning without Michigan, without Florida, without Arakansas (which Hillary will win), and without the Clinton supporters you ostracize so vehemently or, at best, insult with your calls for their candidate to step down.

I want to see Hillary (not Bill) Clinton come to Portland. Frankly, I wish she'd been president back in the early 90s (but not now). I am one Obama supporter definitely not calling for Hillary Clinton to quit now. She's a grown up and gets to decide that for herself. Mr Corbell--there are plenty of Obama supporters such as yours truly who do NOT think Hillary Clinton is some sort of devious monster.

The Michigan/Florida/Arkansas argument is at best peculiar. One, it implicitly riffs on the "Obama is disenfranchising millions of Democrats" rigamarole--which I think is entirely bogus--and two, it seems to play into the mindset that only the "pros" have the ability to figure out which states a Democratic candidate can "pick off", and that these pros should be the ones to select the candidate.

Welcome President Clinton.

We will not be silenced, but will silent the nay-sayers with our vote.

No amount of bullying, whether this site, or the "'ole boys" in the Democratic party, will stop us.

There are approximately 611 pledged delegates left; with the remaining 10 primaries. There are approximately 300 un-decided automatic delegates. Why would anyone be so transparent as to ask a candidate to "drop out" ?

There are 100+ delegates separating the two candidates; let the people vote and be heard. ALL THE VOTES !

I drove by NMHS about 30 minutes ago and all parking lots are rapidly filling up. Bill Clinton will have an interesting audience if those milling around outside the venue are any indication.

This is democracy at its best, and some might say messiest. Two committed candidates, neither can win outright and there will be some very interesting events between now and the convention.

Comments like this are the reverse: "...it appears from comments made on this web site it would be pointless to try to persuade Clintonistas from their addiction."

Okay, LT, how do you explain the repeated failures by Clinton's supporters to respond to challenges about her negatives? What explanation is there other than denial or strategy hoping that if they repeat their pro-Hillary mantra enough people will believe it?

Despite all of the dumb things Bill did and the lies he has told, I will support the nominee of the Democratic Party in 2008. I suspect that most of the posters above will vote for McCain in November even if Barrack is the nominee. Both of my children have served in Iraq and I don't want my 8yo grandson to be there in 10 years. The first Presidential nominee that I voted for and saw at a live event was HHH. My mother ran as a Democrat for a county office in a very Republican county in PA that year and got a few more votes than HHH. I think the "Bill Bashing" should stop and consider who (Hillary?) has the experience (good & bad) to handle the next 8 years. I'm going to listen to Bill tomorrow. I want to hear about the future instead of the past.

Here you putzes go. No more apt description of this race (and the Blue Oregon crowd), than this "We're Still in High School", http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2008/03/listener-figures-it-all-out-i-read-some.html. Note this speaks to both Obama and Clinton supporters, neither of whom are really looking for a mature, competent leader because that leader would tell them both to quit their whining first, and then grow up.

And that goes double for Merkley, one of the worst candidates and Democrats we've put up in a long time. His entire campaign is about how he wants us to know how he's the most popular kid in the class, even though anybody with half a brain knows he's a really sad wannabe.

I want to hear about the future instead of the past.

"The politician performs upon the stage; the historian looks behind the scenery." A. J. P. Taylor

"The more we know of History, the less shall we esteem the subjects of it, and to despise our species is the price we must too often pay for our knowledge of it." Charles Caleb Colton

"Peoples and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it." Hegel

"The game of history is usually played by the best and the worst over the heads of the majority in the middle." Eric Hoffer

In other news, more than 1,000 volunteers went canvassing for Barack Obama in Oregon on Saturday.

"In addition to the office openings in Portland and Eugene, more than 1,000 Oregonians Canvassed for Change. Teams of supporters also knocked on doors today in Corvallis, Tigard, Hillsboro, Oregon City, Forest Grove, Beaverton, Salem, Newberg, Keizer, Medford, Bend, Ashland, Grants Pass, Roseburg, Prineville, Terrebonne, Gresham, and Troutdale."

"The Eugene field office is located at 1280 Willammette St, while the Oregon state HQ is at 3016 SE Division St in Portland. Additional field offices throughout the state will be cutting their ribbons in the coming weeks."

It's a juvenile notion that because a political agent such as Bill or Hillary Clinton are found to be unworthy of support, deference, respect, or credibility, somehow is equivalent to hatred. I am aware of many such people in my life, and I don't hate any of them. I just don't want them to be the president of my country or to be in positions of power. Attributing personal hatred is a cheap and ineffective way of trying to marginalize the criticism.

As an aside, one criticism of Bill Clinton I haven't quite understood, is that he apparently is stalked and heckled from time to time at these public events by 9/11 conspiracy hecklers.

Thank you, Bill R. Well said.

To the people on the thread complaining that we are not giving the former president and first lady due respect, I have to say that I am respecter of persons and not positions. How can one respect a president who lied to a grand jury? How can one respect the Clintons for promoting a Republican candidate over a fellow Democrat and groundlessly undermine that Democrat's ability to lead and be commander-in-chief or even get elected? How can one respect Hillary Clinton for what Frank Rich is calling her "St. Patrick's Day Massacre"? Between the blow job and Tuzla they've made laughingstocks of themselves not only at home but across the world. How can one respect so-called Democrats who are leaving small business owners high and dry across the country by not paying their campaign bills?

Bill Boden of Bend, I forgot to ask if you know where I can purchase an Obama button in Bend. They're back ordered on-line, and being a white haired older woman, I'm afraid everyone is going to peg me as a Clinton supporter. We (mostly older women) have 5 Obama signs up in our neighborhood in Redmond, with another 5 ordered, and there are no Clinton signs at all.

Dear Obama “supporters”

No doubt that my post will be met with the same classy responses you give other Hillary supporters – which, while not nice is still your right to express.

But allow me leave you with this simple thought. All the hate and venom you blogged all these months, may, (and I say may because Hillary still has a chance at the nomination) get Senator Obama the nomination, BUT, you can kiss goodbye most of Hillary’s supporters. We will not be voting for Obama and it isn’t even because of the candidate, it is because we are sick and tired of the personal attacks by you.

Think I’m bluffing? Check out the latest poll numbers. Enjoy your moment in the sun, it won’t last very long. Hope it was worth it…

Viki sez: We will not be voting for Obama and it isn’t even because of the candidate, it is because we are sick and tired of the personal attacks by you.

When I was growing up, my parents referred to this sort of behavior as "cutting off your nose to spite your face." It is distinctly unappealing and unproductive.

Suppose Viki had never once read a political blog but simply encountered some arrogant jerk going door-to-door canvassing for Obama. (Hey, lots of canvassers out there, kind of tough to weed out every potential arrogant jerk.) Would she then deem Obama unworthy of her vote on account of that canvasser?

I'm an Obama supporter who will, with no problems at all, take my #2 pencil and fill in the oval next to Hillary Clinton's name if she is the nominee on the ballot in November. Frankly, I expect we're the rule, not the exception. The blogosphere is a small, self-referential world, Viki; don't take it too seriously.

I hope that Hillary Clinton becomes president, because she's the most effective and capable person for the job. But if Obama is the nominee I will support him.

I'm beginning to think, however, that the worst thing that could happen for Obama and his movement would be for Clinton to drop out.

Looking at what Blue Oregon has become over the last few months, it's pretty clear that you people don't have half the hate for McCain that you do for the Clintons. Add to that the fact that most of Obama's policy ideas have been cribbed from somebody else, and you're going to have some reall message problems. If your campaign is more than just a Clinton hatefest, you're going to need to have something to say beyond screaming about Whitewater or blue dresses.

John

naschkatzehusseint: I have no idea where to get an Obama button or other paraphernalia.

To all those who accuse critics of the Clintons of hatred and spouting venom, you're distorting what people say. I suspect your problem is that you can't come up with a defense against valid criticism leveled at them and these unfounded accusations are all you can come up with, which is worse than nothing.

Dear joeldanwalls,

I don’t discount the merits of your blog – although I think you fail to gage the blogging experience of Hillary supporters. For 12 months of blogging for Hillary, I have experienced responses to my points for Hillary that have come in areas of targeted swearing against “my” candidate: everything from questioning her sexuality to accusing President B. Clinton of “pimping” their daughter.

We can share our different positions for months if you like, you were articulate and even fair in your constructive criticism of my blog. I just share that a large percentage, be that 20 percent, be that 55 percent of Hillary supporters will not vote Obama, not now, not November, not any time, simply because they are so offended by the level of insults leveled at Hillary.

There is nothing that will change that. Nothing. Ironic that some Obama bloggers created this inevitable reality, not even the candidate himself.

Again, I’m not making this up; the polls support it, and feel free to visit supporter blogging on Hillary’s website if you doubt me. There is nothing that you or any reasonable Obama supporter can say or do to change that. To your reference of “cutting off the nose to spite the face;” I say “you’ve won the battle but lost the war.”

PS: I understand that some Democrats in Deschutes County are encouraging a boycott of Bill Clinton's visit. That won't deter celebrity groupies.

There is nothing that you or any reasonable Obama supporter can say or do to change that.

In other words, this Clinton supporter will not be persuaded by reason. He is representative of one of the many reasons so many people have abandoned both parties for non-affiliated status and independence. No wonder the parties are screwed up.

Just checked all my usual sources for polling data. Where do I find the numbers that would give Clinton supporters so much hope?

I really think Obama's run is 4-8 years premature. Just think...we could easily look forward to 16 years of Democrats in the White House. Hillary first, with Obama as VP. He's still young enough, and their policies are so close to one another's that, if they do a good job, Obama can walk into the Oval office with lots of experience in 2016.

The change I am seeking in this country is not so much how government is run, but that I want it run by Democrats. I want the troops home, or at least sent where they can actually do some good. I want our Constitution back; I want religion back where it belongs, in church, synagogue or mosque. BC was a great President despite being under constant seige both personally and professionally. Hillary is cut from the same leadership cloth.

Hillary/Obama 2008

As a woman who cringes at even the most sanitized, rehearsed, clipped and "relevant" soundbites that the Bush administration releases to the media of our current president bumbling and mumbling, I cannot wait to hear an intelligent, thoughtful, and dynamic speaker again. Especially one who is passionately and excitedly campaigning for such a dignified, informed, and realistic candidate. The mere fact that he was a former president, and the only president that I have had any personal faith in, is an absolute bonus.

I liked the way Bill mispronounced Oregon today.

It's too bad we have a problem forgetting the good of the Clinton years. He was a great President and did a lot of good for a lot of people. I respect and admire the man a lot. It's too bad people try to sully his reputation. He did some bad things but I haven't heard a big surge of people going after Larry Craig recently. I mean Monica was a willing partner and Larry Craig was just trying to troll the toilets. Remember who the enemy is here and quit trashing Bill because you're not a big fan of Hillary's campaign. Quit trashing Hillary because of her campaign...we know what it is and all will make their own votes based on the facts.

It's too bad people try to sully his reputation. He did some bad things but I haven't heard a big surge of people going after Larry Craig recently. ... we know what it is and all will make their own votes based on the facts.

It takes a lot of ignoring of facts to equate what BC did as president with what Larry Craig did. Presiding over sanctions that cost an estimated half million Iraqi children their lives, NAFTA, lying to the nation (remember "I did not have sex with that woman"?), increased concentration of media ownership, "welfare reform," etc.

re: "The change I am seeking in this country is not so much how government is run, but that I want it run by Democrats."

Clinton-Obama-McCain.

No difference on military spending or on militarism, but it's OUR military spending and OUR militarists.

No difference on law and order for elites (e.g., impeachment of war criminals), but it's OUR elites who will be protected from the consequences of their own future crimes.

No difference on support for corporate health care, but it's OUR corporations that have bought OUR candidates.

No difference on nuclear power vs. solar, on corporate crime crackdown, on a carbon polution tax, on reversal of the vicious Middle East policy that endangers us all, on repeal of Taft-Hartley, on a Wall Street securities speculation tax, or on an end to corporate personhood. But it's Democrats rather than Republicans, so it must be right. Far right.

Looking at what Blue Oregon has become over the last few months, it's pretty clear that you people don't have half the hate for McCain that you do for the Clintons.

I have a pet peeve for the use of "incredible" by people who are too lazy to think of a more apt synonym to describe something impressive. Now I'm developing another peeve for the way the word "hate" is being tossed around indiscriminately by commentators on BlueOregon and other blogs.

If we are to choose the best (or least objectionable) candidate for president, then we must reject distortions of the truth with blunt candor. Wishy-washy or mealy-mouthed criticisms won't cut it especially if we are against someone using no-holds-barred tactics. If someone despises something about another person, that doesn't mean that he or she hates the person at whom any criticism is directed. Hate destroys judgment and has no place where objectivity is called for.

I find it contemptible the way John McCain is driving his Straight Talk Express in circles and the way the media let him get away with it, but I don't hate the man. To the contrary, I have some degree of pity for him.

40 years, Wayne? What about a quarter of a century?

The reason some Oregonians got to attend the SF convention who otherwise would not have seen the inside of a national convention was the Hart / Mondale primary of 1984.

Not only that, it brought a group of new people into the process at all levels, and the state and district central comm. as well as local parties, were re-invigorated by that addition of "new blood".

So yes, 1968 was an amazing primary. But both 1976 (Frank Church) and 1984 (Gary Hart) brought people into the political process who may or may not have been voting for the first time in 1968 (had to be 21 back in those days).

Hart scored a major upset victory (59% pretty good for an anti-estalishment candidate)--if not in national terms, it certainly was an earthquake in Oregon politics. 2 of our current members of Congress were Hart delegates a quarter of a century ago.

I was a local volunteer coordinator for Hart that year (one reason I never believe election results are pre-ordained, but also believe winning any election means hard work including grass roots efforts, discussing issues, not alienating potential supporters). I became a national convention delegate and then a member of State Central Comm. (when a friend from the campaign nominated me at a county organizational meeting without asking me first!).

My years on State Central Comm. were fascinating, and I'm far from the only person who might never have had that opportunity without the Hart campaign. So yes, I believe this is a major primary and no Oregonian in their right mind would want to deprive us of it by asking someone to drop out. But in the lifetime of Bill and Hillary Clinton, it is not the only major primary this state has seen. For those of you who don't recall the 1976 primary, some friends met working on a 1982 primary were still talking about the Frank Church campaign and how those involved with it had formed a bond.

Volunteering for Hillary (Bill) today was an honor. The decision to support her over Obama was easy. I've been around long enough to remember how my family benefited from the Clinton years and their policies, and if those policies are politics as usual (per Clinton), I look forward to getting this country back on track with those politics as usual. Examples, our son was able to attend the college of his choice through the Pell Grant and low interest loans. We were able to buy our home because of the low interest FHA Programs created during those years. Our church was able to expand its services to individuals and families because the economy was so good, donations were up.

Just as Bill had Hillary around to help him with ideas (one of his campaign slogans was "Two for the price of one"), she'll have him around, too. I consider that a huge selling point.

I have to admit that I was much more impressed with Bill than I thought I would be. He came in, was relaxed, unhurried, talked of nothing less than the important issues and how Hillary will handle them. Afterward, despite the grueling schedule he was on, he stepped down from the small platform he was on, allowed himself to be surrounded by almost everyone in the place, took time to talk to them personally, answer their questions, sign autographs and take photos with them. He never hinted that he was late or rushed, even though all the volunteers knew he was. I noticed how he listened and responded to individuals, and I saw first hand why he was elected President twice. I have been told by friends that Hillary is the same way, and I full well expect to experience that when she is in town this weekend.

I believe Obama is a good man, brilliant perhaps, and certainly inspiring. If he were to humble himself enough to run as VP, or even to stay in the US Senate long enough to really change things there (which is where the change really does need to take place), the POTUS he will be in the not so far future will be heads above the one he would be now.

But for now, for me, it's Go Hillary '08, and I'm going to do everything I can to help her get there.

Also meant to add something here... A lot of talk about respect and bringing up Bill's lie to the grand jury. I have little respect for a political party that would spend so much time with their noses glued to Monica's dress. While they were head first into Bill's sex life, Osama was planning 9/11.

I don't care that Hillary embellished or made up what happened when she got off the plane in Bosnia--I care that she was there, working for our country.

And as far as personal attacks go, I suggest you take a stroll through the first debates and watch how Obama attacks Hillary. Look at her expression of shock. Then she saw what she was up against from the very man she helped get into the US Senate. I say to Hillary, throw the kitchen sink at him if you must. He would have done more for this country had he chosen to support her for the Presidency and had the decency to get a few years experience under his belt (which is just what she did), rather than having the audacity to think he is ready for the big leagues with almost no national experience. Had he chosen to support her, the democrats of this country would not be split, and the two of them may have actually had a chance to run together as Clinton/Obama and steamrolled over McCain-Bush and company.

Respect comes in many forms. Obama has shown very little of it.