Visualizing the Clinton-Obama race
April 24th, 2008 – 10:30 AM by Bob von SternbergA couple of images have been floating around the web that give striking portraits of how the battle between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama has been playing out across the nation.
First, there’s a geographic rendering:
Next, what’s called an “decision tree” that shows how counties nationwide have been breaking for the candidates:
Not breaking news exactly, but worth chewing over.
7 Responses to "Visualizing the Clinton-Obama race"
There were many exit polls coming from many states, particularly Miss, which reported that a large number of blacks who had voted for Obama (often greater than 80 - 90 % of their total numbers) yet had done so w/o knowing a thing on the pollers list about Obama except his race. So, that, as expected, explains the black vote. It wasn’t then a “racial vote” as many p.c. designated apologists had put it then, but a racist vote.
But, the more highly educated vote is more difficult to explain. If we factor out the black higher ed voters (a number that remains unknown) that leaves the educated and, as often reported, affluent white group, and for them I have a theory.
I think this group is also older and, unlike students (the other group that makes up Obama’s three prong support..blacks, students and affluent whites) these older whites remember the heady idealistic days of other campaigns, campaigns like that of Bobby Kennedy and this campaign of Obama has awakened in them the feeling that this could well be their last chance at the Ring, the last chance to recover their idealism lost long ago. They feel, I do believe, as my grandfather used to say long ago that they are getting older and now have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.
This explains the giddiness of the aged, a parallel loss of control to the giddiness of students who also are running on emotion far more than thought
Students, God love them, that have not endured the hardships of life, loss of friends in wars, financial pains, marriage, children, grandchildren, economical highs and lows, changing attitudes toward America based largely on liberal reporting, fiscal responsibilty, etc.
But thankfully, they are being led by the wise professors/teachers at our educational facilities around the United States who seem so open minded in most cases.
Years ago, when a particular professor of mine was spewing his political beliefs, I kindly reminded him that I was paying for an education, not his political opinion.
Ditto, Robert, but showing my own age, I was at thr Univ of Wisc during the Age of Kennedy (Robert). I was majoring in math back then, and I had this prof, a sincere but very intense guy who would have been benefited in his later years by Xanax ramble on and on about the ‘Cong and American atrocities ..in short, when speaking to 17-18 year olds he was either speaking over their heads or like those at Mac College just preaching to the same rabid crowd,
Point being, leave such talk to poli-sci courses even history courses but Math ? I ended up in a study group with equally disenfranchised math people, and it would have been fitting if the UW repaid us for the money lost during his diatribes. Dream on..
By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE and PATRICIA LOPEZ, Star Tribune
Last update: April 24, 2008 - 10:50 PM
Responding to new Republican charges that DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken hid income from California tax authorities for years, Franken’s campaign said Thursday that his accountant is trying to sort out whether taxes are owed.
Bob,
What say we get the facts correct. This issue was under investigation by the state of California and the IRS prior to the the claims in this article, (strange how this one was selected by your paper)that it was led by Republicans.
Why do your editors continue to allow this?
Why not inform the few readers you have left about the facts, and let them make their own conclusions about the candidate in question. Now, you’ve steered the blame to the Republican party. Did Franken pay his taxes? That’s the issue, Bob.
New York state officials stated Al Franken Inc. failed to carry workers’ compensation insurance for employees from 2002 to 2005. Franken paid the $25,000 fine to the state of New York upon being advised his corporation was out of compliance with the state’s workers compensation laws.[12] [13]
The California Franchise Tax Board reported the same corporation owes a minimum of $800 dollars as well as penalties and interests to the state of California because the corporation did not file tax returns in the state for four years. A Franken spokesman said that it followed the advice of an accountant who believed when the corporation stopped doing business in California that no further filing was required.[14][15]
I want to add ..briefly..that it is far to easy to go after Obama’s kiddee corps (though I do), since I well remember being such a true believer during ‘Nam days. What is hard for these kids to keep in mind is that their focus really isn’t on this man from Illinois we know so little about. Their focus is really on themselves, their emotion, their singleminded desire to win..and that is much of what this is all about..winning, a leftover from the high schools they just left.
To keep that in perspective, I love the old Dylan line “I was so much older then. I’m younger than that now” ..it just takes so long to grow young