Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards shakes hands with supporters as he enters the California Democratic Convention in San Diego, Sunday, April 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Posted on 04/29/2007 5:21:10 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN DIEGO - It isn't every day on the campaign trail that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson proclaims himself a Californian, or that Hillary Rodham Clinton pledges to be a president who respects gay relationships.
But with trendsetting California set to move its primary to next Feb. 5, candidates are scrambling to adjust to a new reality in which the state's votes, and not just its money, may have a decisive impact on the nominating process.
California's enhanced role in the political calendar was on full display this weekend, with nearly all the major Democratic contenders flying in to address the annual state party convention. Front-runners Clinton and Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) took the stage Saturday, along with Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Richardson and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards addressed the gathering Sunday.
The candidates competed for the hearts of the mostly left-leaning delegates with fiery speeches denouncing the war in Iraq, and they took turns praising the state for its leadership on issues like energy efficiency. Each one extolled the ascension of San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) as House speaker earlier this year.
"I would have campaigned in California regardless, and California will now play a huge role in who the Democratic nominee for president is," Edwards said. "It's clear in the last two days ... that Democratic candidates are going to take it very seriously."
California has long been a political piggy bank, dispensing vast quantities of cash to presidential contenders while expecting little attention in return.
Frustrated with that arrangement, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation earlier this year moving the state's primary to Feb. 5, shortly after the traditional small-state powerhouses of Iowa and New Hampshire. New York and New Jersey have since followed suit, and several other large states are expected to do so soon.
Most of the presidential hopefuls here insisted they were happy to see the nation's most populous state taking a bigger role in the nominating process. But Clinton, for one, openly acknowledged the shift had added a host of challenges to a campaign season already in hyper-drive.
"We've never had a primary process like this. we're all trying to figure out how to manage the resources, the time, the organizational challenges," she said. "It puts an enormous burden on me and my campaign. Obviously we have to cover a lot more ground, and raise a lot more money."
As if to illustrate that point, Clinton headed from the convention to fundraising events in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles. She raised over $5 million in the state during the first fundraising quarter that ended March 31.
Obama, who raised $4 million here in the first quarter, had three fundraisers following his convention speech, including one hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and another by powerhouse Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel.
But publicly at least, the weekend offered candidates a chance to hone their messages for California's famously diverse electorate. They also addressed the challenges of illegal immigration, a major issue in this state.
Richardson, who is running to be the first Hispanic president, won applause as he shouted "Si se puede!" — Yes, it can be done! It's slogan made famous by Cesar Chavez, legendary founder of the state's farmworkers union.
But Richardson acknowledged that the sheer size of the state made traditional retail politics nearly impossible.
"If I do every living room, I'll be dead," he said.
For his part, Edwards said California deserved to be a major electoral player but that Democrats needed to move beyond their traditional strength in coastal areas.
"We need a candidate for president who can campaign and compete hard in California and New York, but who can also campaign and compete hard in Iowa, in Missouri, in Georgia, in Kentucky and in Virginia. "Everywhere in America," he said.
Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards shakes hands with supporters as he enters the California Democratic Convention in San Diego, Sunday, April 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Clinton, Obama vow to end war
Dem front-runners pitch to party activists
By Mary Anne Ostrom, San Jose Mercury News
Article Launched: 04/28/2007
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_5777787
(Excerpted)
SAN DIEGO - In the race for the White House, the two front-runners for the Democratic nomination each sought to pitch themselves as the best agent for change in Washington and promised to end the war in Iraq.
Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, appearing before enthusiastic party activists at their annual state convention Saturday, had generated high expectations, and they didn’t disappoint their legions of sign-waving supporters, underscoring what many expect to become a fierce contest among the top-tier Democratic candidates for the delegate-rich state.
The two senators spoke a few hours apart to about 2,000 delegates. They did not mention each other by name, instead saving their criticisms for President Bush and his handling of the war.
—snip—
In some of her strongest language yet condemning Bush, she called his actions in the war “one of the darkest blots of leaderships we’ve ever had.”
Clinton has refused to apologize for her authorization vote, saying she made “a sincere vote” ...
—snip—
A few heckles could be heard in the audience.
If Clinton’s goal was to prove she’s gotten the message about the war’s unpopularity, particularly among grass-roots activists who attend conventions, Obama’s was to spark the crowd with his call for “a new kind of politics.”
In a not-so-subtle reference to Clinton’s authorization vote, Obama said, “I’m proud I stood up in 2002 and when it wasn’t popular to stand up and urge our leaders not to take us down this dangerous path. And many of you did the same.”
I bet you pretty boy has a large bottle of hand sanitizer in his limo!
Just go away -— your ilk has ruined this state — that not enough ???
“Don’t touch the ‘do !”
Hell, no. They’re just getting warmed up.
Bill and Obama Hussien are married and running as a couple?
Well if that doesn't throw this whole thing in a tizzy!
They are the same-in more ways than one.
Is there any part of the universe that Bill Richardson doesn’t claim to be a citizen of?
“I would have campaigned in California regardless, and California will now play a huge role in who the Democratic nominee for president is,” Edwards said.
But Mexico’s role will be bigger, eh, Bill?
(That's a pretty accurate quote of JR's) (Hilliary spelling my doing though)
I got a chuckle out of that
On a more formal vein; Hillary is a virago!
If Termagant is capitalized, it refers to a mythical deity popularly believed in the Middle Ages to be worshiped by the Muslims and introduced into the morality play as a violent, overbearing personage in long robes a pant suit.
I just had to make that change...
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