Likening Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama to a political “trailblazer,” singer Barbra Streisand has become the latest Hollywood celebrity to join the Obama campaign bandwagon, switching from her past support of Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“Barack has awakened in many of us the notion that we can again be hopeful, enabling us to believe that we are capable of lifting our brothers and sisters out of poverty, of providing quality education for all our children, of ending this unjust war in Iraq and bringing our troops home 
safely,” Streisand wrote on Tuesday in a posting on her Web site, http://www.barbrastreisand.com/.
“He’s reminded us ‘yes we can’…we can make the transition from fossil fuels to green energy; we can take care of our elderly and make sure that good healthcare is not just a perk for a few, but a right for every man, woman and child,” she said. ”We are experiencing not just a presidential campaign, but a movement; a movement of inspired young people who have been cynical about politics for too long.”
Since narrowly defeating Clinton at the end of the U.S. primary elections in June, Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, has picked up numerous endorsements. Clinton, a U.S. Senator from New York, has appeared with him in a show of Democratic party unity. Last week, Obama held a fundraiser in Los Angeles that raised some $4 million to $5 million, and several Hollywood stars such as Dennis Quaid and Samuel L. Jackson were there.
Streisand, of course, is a major Hollywood celebrity and fundraiser for Democrats. Yet, celebrity endorsements have a mixed track record in helping candidates, the experts say. Republican candidate Sen. John McCain also has celebrity endorsements including from actors Sylvester Stallone and Robert Duvall.
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Supported by Fidal Castro, Jane Fonda, Luis Farrahkan and now Barrbara Streisand.
- Posted by GarlandWow…. this guy must be good.
And this is news how??? Nobody really cares what she thinks, but do care that a major news service cares! What idiocy!
- Posted by JenniferHere are several reasons why Obama will not only win in November, but will garner at least 400 electoral votes:
57% of the American public has a positive view of the Democratic Party; 39% of the Republican party. 53% want a Democratic congress; 32% a Republican congress. These gaps are the largest ever recorded (last 40 years or so) even during the years when Reagan got 500 electoral votes (1984) and the Republicans took 50+ seats in the House in 1994, or when Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford in 1976. There is not a single key issue where the public feels that the Republicans can do a better job than the Democrats, including terrorism, military readiness, foreign policy, the economy - the issues where they used to lead by wide margins.
Bush’s approval rating is heading for 25% in nearly all polls; McCain will not be able to disassociate himself from Bush after voting with him 100% of the time in 2008 and 95% of the time in 2007. Only 52% of Republicans are satisfied with him as the nominee; evangelicals are bailing. The Ron Paul/Bob Barr effect may be very significant, particularly in the south.
The housing sub prime lending crisis will hit its high-water mark in September or October with perhaps a half million homes under foreclosure during each of these months alone. The price of gas may come down, with Saudi and oil company cooperation, to $3.50 a gallon - not exactly a price the public is going to want to cheer.
The Republican Congressional campaign committee has about $6 million; the Dem side about $45 million; the Republicans, because of the audit of the $750,000 theft by their treasurer, will not be allowed to borrow any money until the audit is completed.
The Senate campaign committee situation is nearly as good with the Dems holding twice as much money as the Republicans and the Republicans having 23 seats to defend, of which 15 or so are vulnerable, to 12 for the Dems, with only seat even remotely in danger (Landrieu is leading by six in the latest polling). Republican leaders, in an effort to reduce expectations, are already talking about losing 8 Senate seats. It is too early for them to be upping the ante on Democrats’ expectations; the 8 loss figure actually means they are very concerned that they might lose 12 or more.
Obama will not accept federal financing, because he will be able to raise upwards of $500 million for the fall campaign, while McCain will have difficulty raising one fifth of that, assuming he doesn’t use public financing.
Current polling shows that Obama is ahead nationally by 5-7 points in nearly all major polls; 12 percent in the latest LA Times poll (which could be an outlier).
Individual state polling shows Obama well ahead in states that figured to be close; unusually close in red states that Bush took by 20+ points in 2004 (Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, even Wyoming). Even in the south, Obama is poised to make it a battle (that the Republicans will need to spend a lot of money to avoid losing) in South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia and Louisiana. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa are tending in Obama’s direction, where he already leads. Even McCain said that Arizona could go Obama’s way. Add Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana to the list. Obama is already leading or close in the most recent Florida polling, he is going to win Texas - mark my words.
McCain has clearly shown that he will not be able to run a good campaign. He will certainly be helped by the Swiftboating crowd, who are running his “Truth Squad”; Obama’s wife will be treated like they used to treat Hillary, but the mood of the country is such that these kinds of Rovian attacks won’t work as well as in the past. McCain’s campaign organization borders on disastrous. The reaction to Clark’s and Webb comments that being a POW is not a qualification for president is a act of desperation.
Obama has clearly shown that he is masterful at campaign organization; his takeover of the DNC and moving its key operations to Chicago is unprecedented. The Obama campaign is already sending thousands of volunteers for six week periods to states that are not normally in play to organize block by block, county by county. His is the most sophisticated political organization in American history.
Still not convinced? The two major political betting sites have Obama a 2-1 favorite; Right Track/Wrong Track polling shows 18% of the American public think we are on the right track; 82% (a record) think we are on the wrong track. Republicans are beginning to criticize McCain for doing nothing for four months to help the down ticket candidates; he even cancelled appearances with the RNCC and RSCC which were to help raise funds for other Republicans. The generic Presidential ballot poll is 50 for Democrats; 40 for Republicans. Bush financial backers are staying away from McCain in large numbers and Wall Street contributors are backing Obama 2-1 according to the New York Daily News analysis (these guys usually know where to put their money). And the real kicker: 68% believe that McCain is too much like Bush; let’s go back to Bush’s 25% approval rating…
Obama wins this, in a HUGE way.
- Posted by homeboyIn other news, the sky is blue, water is wet, ice is cold and Babs is STILL AN INSUGNIFICANT HOLLYWOOD MORON!
- Posted by kirkEverybodyLovesReagan(not):
Regarding the statement that McCain will be trustworthy during a terrorist attack - you do realize that you’re calling someone “trustworthy” who can’t even keep the Shia and the Sunni straight, right? Joe Lieberman won’t be there to help McCain during the debates.
- Posted by homeboySince this is obviously a right-wing website and full of McCain supporters, let me ask this question:
What about Senator McCain excites you and makes you want to vote for him?
I’m asking this seriously, because I just don’t see anything there.
- Posted by homeboyI don’t like Obama’s former pastor either, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a Christian. No one knows the heart of anyone else as to that matter. And I’m sure he didn’t spend 30 years at that church because he really didn’t believe in Christianity.
- Posted by homeboyEverybodyLovesReagan(not):
Why do you believe that Obama is a muslim? What evidence do you have to support that belief? And please respond with more than “his name” - that’s passe by now.
- Posted by homeboyEverybodyLovesReagan(not):
Have you ever heard of snopes.com? It’s an objective website that investigates various claims people make. Here is what they say regarding the claim that Obama is a muslim:
- Posted by homeboyhttp://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/mus lim.asp
It won’t matter if our military is high and dry. It will be spread so far out in various conflicts under McCain that it won’t be effective.
- Posted by homeboyYes, I believe he’s a muslim. Absolutely. And that “pastor” you’re referring to is no Christian.
- Posted by EverybodyLovesReaganI’m still waiting for 27 accomplishments of McCain’s that qualify him to be President…
- Posted by homeboyI bet most of you who think Obama is a muslim also live in Appalachia and visit Elvis regularly, too.
- Posted by homeboyI’m not the biggest McCain fan in the world, but at least he:
1. Won’t leave our military high and dry
2. Will fight the war on radical islam efficiently
3. Will be trustworthy during a terrorist attack on US soil (and if you don’t think that’s an absolute, you’re kidding yourself.)
Obama will not do any of the above. VOTE FOR MCCAIN!
- Posted by EverybodyLovesReaganYet another reason to vote for Senator John McCain!
- Posted by GENE LALOREverybodyLovesReagan (not):
Do you really believe Obama is a Muslim?? Is that why there was such a big flap over his CHRISTIAN pastor of over 20 years??
If you really believe that, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arizona to give to you.
- Posted by homeboyAs if there weren’t already enough reasons to vote against Barack Hussein Obama we get this caveat. Streisand is at the very top of the list of the most clueless people on the planet. She is an idiot and that’s being kind.
- Posted by Ping2007Nice try Joe, but you’re wrong. If I came up with 10 of the most ironclad reasons in the world, you wouldn’t admit it. Can you give me 27 accomplishments that qualify McCain?? After all, he’s been in Congress for 26 years. I’ll be here waiting.
- Posted by homeboyNot that I needed one, but there’s another reason not to vote for this socialist.
- Posted by JoeFour biggest reasons to be afraid of a “President Obama”:
#1: Obama has gotten the endorsements recently of Qaddifi, Kim Jong Il, Castro and Hamas! American liberals see this as a resume enhancement. (Did I forget any terrorists? All we need now is Achmedinajad’s endorsement.)
#2: He has stated his first priority as president will be shutting down of our nuclear defense system and will “have discussions” with extremist countries. He has no intention of protecting the American people.
#3: Obama is a muslim who will say whatever he has to for the White House. Considering that he has surrounded himself with hate-speech radicals (including the wifey.), I have yet to be persuaded he is worthy of running this country.
#4: The beheaders have said over and over they want to take over the US from within the White House. This is a very real possibility with Obama. And there are enough brainless twits in America who, if they can contain themselves from “fainting” on election day, will vote for him and probably get him elected. What better way to invoke change than to put a radical muslim in the White House?
The stupidity on the part of Obamassiah’s followers, and the destructive intentions of O himself, should have us all very afraid.
…but “change” is all that matters.
- Posted by EverybodyLovesReagan