Welcome to Texans for Obama

Obama Picks Up Endorsements in Iowa

The momentum continues!

by Jeff Zeleny - New York Times:

On the second day of his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidiate, Senator Barack Obama has picked up the endorsement of two top state Democratic officials here.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a longtime fixture of state politics, and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, are announcing later today that they have signed onto the Obama team.

The endorsements from Mr. Miller and Mr. Fitzgerald also show that the Obama campaign will work to appeal to the Democratic establishment even as they try to bring new supporters and non-political junkies into the fold.

The two Iowa officials - the longest serving Democrats in top offices - may help lend credibility to the Obama campaign. And the endorsements certainly will cause a stir in rival presidential campaigns here.

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones supports Obama

It'll be interesting to see how loyal African-Americans voters stay to the Clintons.  President Clinton was wildy popular, but Sen. Obama is gaining momentum and beginning to chip away support.

by Ben Smith - The Politico:

A key supporter of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama urged united African-American support for his presidential bid, questioning whether black Democrats still "owe" Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton their support, according to several people who attended a meeting of black Democratic politicians.

The comments by Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr., which he confirmed Saturday, angered Clinton backers and deepened a sharp rift among African-American political activists.

"How long are you going to owe politicians for past favors?" Jones asked in a speech Friday to more than 100 members of the Democratic National Committee's black caucus and other political operatives gathered at the Washington Hilton for the winter meeting of the DNC, according to people who were there.

Obviously, Obama and his surrogates are going to do whatever they can to chip away at Clinton's support among African-Americans - which has been strong thus far. The interesting backdrop to the question of whether blacks will vote for Obama is just how much he needs African-American support to win the nomination given the paucity of black voters in crucial early states.

Clinton pal Bobby Rush: I'm supporting Obama

Another long-time Clinton ally jumps on the Obama train.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Calling it "one of the most difficult decisions that I've had to make in politics," Rep. Bobby Rush said Friday he is backing Barack Obama for president -- despite Rush's long friendship with rival White House hopeful Hillary Clinton and her husband.

"Barack is a favorite son, and I'm going to be with Barack," Rush said of his fellow South Side Democrat. "I intend to work very hard with him and for him. And this challenge is going to be enormous, but I'm going to be with him. ... We come from the same neighborhood and represent the same constituency, and I'm going to be with my constituency and Sen. Obama."

In 1991, Rush was the first elected official in Illinois to back Bill Clinton's first presidential run. He went on to serve as national director of voter registration for the Clinton-Gore ticket in 1992.

Hillary's Hollywood Friends Switch to Obama

The Clintons have spent the last decade courting the Hollywood indsiders.  Apparently that wasn't enough.  These big-time donors are now leaving Hillary to support Obama.  The momentum continues!

From ABC News:

Is Hollywood abandoning Hillary?

On Wednesday morning, hundreds of Hollywood's movers and shakers received an invitation that they may find hard to refuse.

They've been invited to come meet Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's new superstar. He already has the buzz, but can he bring home the prize?

Movie moguls Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg want their Hollywood peers to join them at a Feb. 20 fundraiser the three are throwing for Obama.

The fundraiser represents a major slap for Obama's main competitor, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has received financial support from all three moguls in the past. Their company, Dreamworks SKG, has contributed $47,000 to Clinton since her 2000 New York Senate campaign.

Obama may benefit from connection with Oprah

Don't mess with Oprah.  Just ask the author of a Million Little Pieces. 

But if Oprah's on your side, then you've got a lot of wind in your sails.  Her suburban female audience is a politican's dream.  Sen. Obama is a major step ahead of his competition with Oprah's enthusiastic support.

From Allan Freeman of the Toronto Globe & Mail:

Her viewers listen when she tells them what books to read and what jeans to wear, but can TV talk-show hostess Oprah Winfrey persuade Americans whom to choose as the next president of the United States?

With Tuesday's announcement by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois that he's formed an exploratory committee to seek the Democratic presidential nomination for 2008, Winfrey has suddenly been thrust into the role of potential arbiter of the country's political future.

Winfrey clearly loves the 45-year-old senator, who, like her, is a Chicago-based black personality with an uncanny ability to connect with ordinary Americans. He has appeared on her program at least three times over the past two years and has been urged by Winfrey on her show to seek the presidency.

He even agreed that if ever he decided to run for president he would be tempted to make the announcement on her show.

"I think Oprah is tremendously influential," said Jennifer Harris, who teaches English at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and is co-editor of a soon-to-be-released book, "The Oprah Phenomenon." "If she tells people to read an 838-page Russian novel, they do it. If she tells people to buy a particular type of candle, they do it. If she makes Barack Obama one of her favorite things, that has tremendous potential to sway voters."

Winfrey's Monday-to-Friday talk show has 30 million viewers a week in the United States and is aired in more than 100 other countries. Her U.S. audience is primarily female, middle class and suburban, a politician's dream.

A rich Clinton pal helping Obama

The joke going around political insiders is "Don't tell Mama (Hillary), I'm for Obama."

From the New York Daily News:

A Wall Street high roller who has helped bankroll Clinton campaigns in the past will host a Feb. 2 "meet the candidate" night in Manhattan for Sen. Barack Obama, his presidential exploratory campaign confirmed last night.

Deep-pocketed Democratic donor and investment fund manager James Torrey will host the private gathering at an East Side residence as Obama makes a potential cash-haul foray into Clinton country, the Daily News has learned.

Torrey forked over $3,000 to Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign, but has been an Obama booster since hearing rumors the Illinois senator was considering a run for President in 2008.

Torrey has given hundreds of thousands in hard and soft money to Democrats since the Clinton administration, records show.

Other New York-area fat-cat Democrats are expected to attend the invitation-only event.

Jesse Jackson: 'All of my heart leans toward Barack'

My parents voted for Jesse Jackson in 1988.  It was an exciting time, and it's great to hear that the civil rights leader is now leaning towards endorsing Sen. Obama in 2008.

From CNN:

Rev. Jesse Jackson, a leader in the African-American community and two-time presidential candidate, told CNN Thursday he is all but certain to endorse Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Illinois, likely bid for the White House.

"All of my heart leans toward Barack," Jackson said. "He is a next-door neighbor literally. I think he's an extension of our struggle to make this a more perfect union."

"I will talk to all of them, but my inclinations are really toward Barack," he added.

Jackson also spoke highly of others seeking or likely to seek the Democratic nomination, and said Obama cannot take the African-American base of the party for granted.

"It will be a feisty, competitive campaign," he said. "I don't think it will be hostile, or nasty, but it will be a very competitive campaign."

Rangel Says Encouraging Obama on ’08 Is No Big Deal

The New York Times reports that Congressman Charlie Rangel is thinking about supporting Sen. Obam for president, even though Rangel is a member of Hillary Clinton's New York Delegation.

Are Charles B. Rangel's loyalties mixed?

Mr. Rangel, the longtime Harlem congressman, has let it be known he encourage Barack Obama to run for president, which could complicate the presidential ambitions of Mr. Rangel’s fellow New York Democrat, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“I told him if he didn’t run, he’d regret it, and that he’s a young man and he ought to test the waters,” Mr. Rangel said in an interview yesterday, echoing comments he made on MSNBC and that will appear in the coming issue of New York magazine.

Bobby Kennedy's Widow Supports Obama's Presidential Bid

Ethel Kennedy says Sen. Obama "has it all."  Check out this CBS News video.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama made the rounds in Washington Thursday. He still has not announced whether he will run for president, but if he does, CBS 2's Political Editor Mike Flannery reports he will have at least one well-respected woman backing him.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Bobby Kennedy, told CBS 2 she would support Obama in a presidential run. Many people often compare Obama with Kennedy.

Kennedy said she thinks Obama should run for president. When asked why, she said, while walking next to Obama, "He's so adorable. Because he's got it all."