As Clinton trudged through a week of momentum-sapping process stories — her supposed failure to leave a tip, the presence of a planted question in a town hall — Obama appeared to gain energy. His speech at the dinner was the performance of a politician, not a rock star. But he has found his voice.

Too little, too late? [TIME]

Common recently made a video encouraging young people to vote for Barack Obama. And while Common is certainly well-loved, does his candidate preference make any difference to you? Let me know after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Snapshot from Barack Obama’s MTV/Myspace forum yesterday in Iowa, where, according to a recent poll, he’s in a statistical dead heat with Hillary Clinton:

Asked via an IM question if he’d be willing to run on a ticket with Clinton and if he’d bring Republicans into his cabinet, Obama answered the second part first, saying, yes, he would absolutely consider having some Republicans in his Cabinet, noting that “Democrats don’t have a monopoly on wisdom.” As for the Clinton question, Obama said forcefully that it’s too early to say who he might pick as his vice president, but stressed that “I am not running for vice president.” What if the position was offered, Cillizza wondered? “No,” said Obama. “Because, as I said, I’m not running for vice president, I’m running for president of the United States.” Coming more than 20 minutes into the forum, the latter received the first sustained applause of the afternoon.

According to an unscientific study in the New York Post, Hillary Clinton owns Harlem. Especially Harlem women.

More than half of the 96 people questioned by a Post reporter in Harlem this week said they would vote for Clinton, with most preferring her experience as senator and first lady over relative neophyte Obama…

Fifty-seven percent chose Clinton; 19 percent favored Obama.

Clinton was not surprisingly a favorite among females, with 75 percent in her corner.

Most men found the anti-war Obama to be a fresh face.

“A lot of black voters have a problem with the war. And also, Obama is a mentor to us,” said George Danquah, 28.

Bill Clinton, a Harlem favorite who actually has his offices there, and the fact that Hillary is a New York senator has probably made her victory in NYC a foregone conclusion from the beginning. But forget politics, I’m wondering if the people in Harlem acted shockingly civilized during their interviews.

[]

Some people might think that when Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement doesn’t make a difference in the polls, it’s time to give up. But Barack Obama isn’t “some people.” And that’s why he’s called on the services of the Butter Cow Lady to forge a lead over Hillary once and for all.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) needs to make a cultural connection with the rural caucus-goers of Iowa, a state that will make or break his presidential campaign.

So Obama has enlisted Duffy Lyon, a farmer famous for sculpting cows out of butter at the Iowa State Fair, to give him tractor cred on the radio, amid the farm news and pickin’ music.

CONTINUED »

Barack Obama has responded to the controversy surrounding his decision to include anti-gay gospel star Donnie McClurkin in his last ditch, please-vote-for-me-black-people gospel tour in South Carolina. To the disappointment of anti-McClurkins, he did not respond by booting the “formerly gay” Pentecostal minister from the tour.

“I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country,” Obama said in the written statement.

“I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin’s views and will continue to fight for these rights as President of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads tolerance instead of division,” the statement added.

Not to generalize blacks in South Carolina, but this issue might not be as controversial for them as it is for Obama supporters (of other races and/or religious backgrounds and/or sexual orientation) in other parts of the country. Still, if the gospel tour buys you a few votes in South Carolina but costs a lot more everywhere else, is it worth it?

[]

As do most ranking government officials in the Bush administration, John Tanner, Chief of the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, seems to be working opposite his organization instead of along with it.

At the National Latino Congreso in LA earlier this month, Tanner, in response to a question about whether or not laws requiring voters to show photo IDs are discriminatory, had this to say:

“It’s probably true that among those who don’t [have Photo ID], it’s primarily elderly persons. And that’s a shame. Of course…our society is such that minorities don’t become elderly. The way that white people do. They die first.”

Right. Well, um… That’s some sound logic there, and I don’t think it matters whether you agree with photo ID laws or not. I’m glad he’s in charge of such an important office. But guess who’s not? Barack Obama!

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Oprah Winfrey has spent a lot of time and money on Barack Obama, as have Magic Johnson and other supporters on Hillary Clinton, Danny Glover on John Edwards, etc. But do big name celebrity backers really made a difference when it comes time to vote? Will Al Gore’s pending endorsement make any sweeping changes in the polls? Yes and no, experts say. Voters who are big on global warming issues might take a Gore endorsement very seriously. And daytime television watchers and basketball fans might be swayed by Winfrey or Johnson. But many endosements, particularly celebrity ones, don’t really show up in the polls.

Shea weighed the importance of other endorsements from labor unions and celebrities. Labor unions, he said, can offer a campaign volunteers who work night and day knocking on voters’ doors and work in “phone banks” to recruit other volunteers and votes. Labor unions also help a candidate with raising money, which Shea called the “mother’s milk of politics.”

He also discussed the importance of celebrity endorsements. Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of fellow African American Barack Obama, for instance, has not helped lift Obama’s numbers in the public opinion polls for president.

Shea said Winfrey has succeeded in going beyond the “color barrier” in America and is “venerated by lots of people, not just in the African-American community.” Winfrey’s endorsement, he said, translates into more money and exposure for Obama.

I feel slighted. The “experts” in this story didn’t analyze blog endorsements, which obviously have the power to change the tide of an entire election.

[USINFO]

Today is cursed. First Bobby Brown is rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a “mild” heart attack, then Michelle Obama gets in a car accident as she tirelessly campaigns for her husband in Iowa.

She’s okay, thankfully. I don’t know what I would do without her. But seriously, what’s next? I know bad things come in threes.

[]

Bill Clinton took a not-so-subtle dig at Barack Obama recently, when he compared the level of experience the Illinois senator has today with the level of experience Bill had in 1988 — when he decided not to run for president.

“I was, in terms of experience, was closer to Senator Obama, I suppose, in 1988 when I came within a day of announcing,” Mr. Clinton said in a interview on “Political Capital with Al Hunt” that was scheduled to be broadcast tonight on Bloomberg television and again this weekend.

Mr. Clinton did not run that year, he added, because “I really didn’t think I knew enough, and had served enough and done enough to run.”

The former president quickly noted that he did not mean Mr. Obama should not be pursuing the nomination. But he said that compared to Mr. Obama, who went from the Illinois Legislature to the United States Senate in 2005, Mr. Clinton had far more experience when he finally did run in 1992, as governor of Arkansas for nearly 12 years and as a leader of national policy initiatives.

If only B.O. had a beloved ex-president stumping for him on a daily basis. Michelle is great and all, but she’s no Bill Clinton.

[NYT]