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Quick blog post today: I've written before about my respect for John Judis, so I think this piece about the way the race issue could backfire on Hillary Clinton in the long term is worth reading. We'll know more on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Clinton camp held a conference call today to denounce a harsh Barack Obama mailer on healthcare they say borrowed from those infamous GOP "Harry and Louise" ads in the '90s. (Here's the whole mailer and here's the Clinton's campaign comparison.) It features a worried white couple (a little younger than Harry and Louise) sitting at their kitchen table, with the scary warning: "Hillary's healthcare plan makes everyone buy insurance, even if you can't afford it." The campaign "is parroting Republican talking points and insurance company talking points," said Doctors for Clinton head Dr. Irwin Redlener, professor of Public Health and Pediatrics at Columbia University. The call also featured two health experts unaffiliated with Clinton, including John Edwards' former health advisor, Peter Harbage, and Len Nichols, who directs health policy for the New America Foundation. "I'm on this call because I'm personally outraged," said Nichols, who has advised both Democrats and Republicans on healthcare. He and Harbage were bothered by the scare tactics the ad used, as well as Obama's failure to emphatically back universal healthcare. "It's as outrageous as Nazis marching in Skokie," Nichols charged. Hmmm. (The Clinton campaign has disavowed Michols' Nazi remarks.) The two candidates dialed down the tension in their debate Thursday night, but clearly the tension will continue.
Meanwhile, California's AsianWeek newspaper has endorsed Obama, calling him "a native Hawaiian" who "reflects the multicultural future of America," adding: "The energy Obama has ignited among young Asian Pacific American activists is unprecedented for presidential politics and could pave the way for future APA involvement."
I'm off to Oakland to see Sen. Ted Kennedy speak on Obama's behalf. More later.
BOOKS
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Obama's first book, a memoir focused on personal issues of race, identity, and community.
By Barack Obama
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
Obama's second book, in which he shares his personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people.
By Barack Obama
10 reasons there's a bright future for journalism
An optimistic take on what's coming, both for news outlets and news consumers.
By Mark Glaser, Salon
Obama: From Promise to Power
In this compelling book, a Chicago Tribune reporter draws on interviews with Obama, his family, friends, and rivals, as well as his own extensive coverage since Obama's days in the Illinois Senate, to offer a nuanced look at a man of idealism and ambition intent on making history.
By David Mendell
SPEECHES
July 28, 2004: Obama's first national prime-time speech
In this speech, Barack Obama urges America to remember its unity, pledging that "out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come."
August 28, 2008: Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Party's presidential nomination
In this speech, Obama lays into John McCain, describing him as "anything but independent."
November 5th, 2008: Obama's victory speech
In this speech, Obama tells his ecstatic supporters, and the entire nation, that "change has come to America."
January 20, 2009: Obama's inaugural address
The new president calls upon the nation to face its challenges head on, with determination, strength and a commitment to ensuring the delivery of freedom to future generations.
SALON STORIES
How would Barack Obama handle foreign policy?
The presidential contender on dealing with Iran, fighting AIDS in Africa and restoring America's standing in the world.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Chicago is Barack Obama's kind of town
The city has a unique history of launching the careers of powerful black politicians -- which is part of the reason Obama moved there.
By Edward McClelland, Salon
American revolutionary
In his acceptance speech, Barack Obama stood up for Democratic values, took the fight to McCain -- and proved that the United States is still capable of reinventing itself.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Barack Obama's epic win
The culmination of a brilliant campaign, Obama's unequivocal defeat of John McCain marks a political and generational transformation.
By Walter Shapiro, Salon
Barack Obama, honeymoon killer?
The Clintonites in his Cabinet, forgiveness for Lieberman, the creeping signs of centrism -- progressives aren't ready to panic, yet.
By Mike Madden, Salon
"A new era of responsibility"
Mixing straight talk about dire times with lofty rhetoric about hope and determination, Obama repudiates Bush and vows to get to work.
By Mike Madden, Salon
OTHER STORIES
The Conciliator
Where is Barack Obama coming from?
By Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker
Time's "Person of the Year" coverage of Obama
A strangely fascinating database of Obama-formation, including everything from "6 Degrees of Obama" to a collection of Obama-themed art from Flickr.
Time
The presidency of Barack Obama
This New York Times megapage is the last word on Barack Obama, including everything from his personal biography to his current political stance on detainees and Africa.
The New York Times
Afghanistan: What's the Best Bad Choice?
Tiger Comes Clean, Issues Statement
President Declares Friday National Day of Leftovers
