Crosses of Lafayette - Memorial Day 2008

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This doe and two fawns came to the Crosses of Lafayette on Memorial Day to pay their respects during the vigil to honor U.S. men and women who have perished while in military service to their country.

California Consolidates Behind Obama

According to a new survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California, if the election were held today Obama is favored by 17 points over McCain by likely voters. By comparison, Clinton is favored by 12 points.

If the general election were held today, likely voters would favor Obama over McCain by 17 points (54% to 37%), an improvement for Obama since March (49% to 40%). Likely voters favor Clinton over McCain by 12 points (51% to 39%), an improvement for her also since March (46% to 43%).

U.S. News and World report summarizes:

SAN FRANCISCO—A new poll released today in California finds political momentum shifting dramatically toward Barack Obama—and away from both Hillary Clinton and John McCain—in the nation's most populous state. According to a survey conducted over the past 10 days by the Public Policy Institute of California, 59 percent of likely voters here now have a "favorable" impression of Democrat Obama, while a majority view both of the other candidates unfavorably. In a state whose Democratic primary Clinton won in February, 51 percent of voters now say they have an unfavorable opinion of her; 53 percent of voters feel the same way about Republican McCain.

Obama, meanwhile, seems to be making strides across nearly every constituency. If the general election were held today, 54 percent of Californians say they would vote for him, compared with 37 percent for McCain. That gap has widened by 8 points since March. Obama enjoys the support of more than 80 percent of Democrats here, along with over half (55 percent) of independents. He leads McCain among men and women and is viewed favorably by nearly 70 percent of Latinos—a powerful political group, experts note, not just in California but in several other western states, including Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada.

That Was Quick: Obama Lead at 16% Nationally

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The pattern above is clear. Wonder if it's connected to this photo below?

Obama Rally in Portland, OR
Originally uploaded by Tom Turnbull

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Obama up by 11 over Clinton

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On May 18, 2008, Gallup's daily tracking poll showed Obama's nationwide lead over Hillary Clinton widening.

Crosses of Lafayette: 4065

Colette Swim-Headley, May 13, 2008

Cross Posted at The Crosses of Lafayette.

Disasters Around The World

Clay Bennett

Clay Bennett may have moved to the Chattanooga Times Free Press but he is still the best.

Obama - The Die is Cast

Photo by Alan Chin

Tip of the hat to Michael Shaw at BagNEWsNotes for posting this photo taken by Alan Chin in Westerville, Ohio, outside Columbus on March 2, 2008.

Clinton and the Superdelegates - "There's a pattern emerging here."

New York Times

In today's New York Times, there is an annotated graph entitled "How Clinton Lost the Lead in Superdelegates" that mirrors the pattern of Hillary Clinton's primary run. She begins with a huge lead and all the advantages - in name recognition, in party connections and in money - but over time, she gets overtaken by that skinny kid with the funny name.

It is possible for reasonable people to disagree about the reasons but the trend is indisputable. As Hillary said in an interview with USA Today in a different context -

“There’s a pattern emerging here.”