US News
Obama surges to lead in New Hampshire
Jan 7, 2008, 19:00 GMT
Illinois Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama during a campaign rally held at Stevens High School in Claremont New Hampshire USA 7 January 2008. Voter polls show Senator Obama with a strong lead over his fellow candidate, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, in the state of New Hampshire where the first in the nation primary is held on 8 January 2008. EPA/CJ GUNTHER
Washington - Barack Obama surged ahead of his rivals in polls Monday on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary, a crucial early test of momentum in his bid to become the first African-American in the White House.
Obama opened up a double-digit lead over former first lady Hillary Clinton in several polls as candidates made their last campaign pitches for Tuesday's vote, the first state primary and the second contest in the Democratic and Republican nomination battles.
'There's something stirring in the air. You can feel it,' Obama, 46, told a cheering crowd Monday. 'It will be your turn to stand up and say to the rest of the country: 'The time for change has come. The time for change has come.''
On the Republican side, polls pointed to a win for John McCain, the independent-minded US senator who called for more troops in Iraq long before President George W Bush, but has drawn fire from more conservative rivals for his moderate stand on illegal immigration.
Obama, a magnet for younger voters, is looking for a one-two punch after winning last week's Iowa caucuses, the first preference vote on the long road to the November 4, 2008 presidential election.
Clinton, 60, the longtime presumed front-runner for the centre- left Democrats, was under intense pressure to bounce back after slumping to third place behind populist former senator John Edwards in the Iowa poll.
But a USA Today/Gallup poll published Monday gave Obama 41 per cent, Clinton 28 per cent and Edwards 19 per cent. A CNN/WMUR poll put Obama at 39 per cent, Clinton at 29 per cent and Edwards at 16 per cent.
Another loss in closely watched New Hampshire would be a severe blow to her bid to be the first woman to become US president.
Clinton attacked in a Democratic debate Saturday, portraying Obama's soaring message of change as just talk.
She sharpened her claim that her 1993-2001 stint as first lady and seven years as a US senator gave her the experience to lead. 'Words are not actions,' she said.
But Obama found a tactical ally in Edwards, who branded Clinton a symbol of the status quo.
McCain, 71, defeated later US President George W Bush in the 2000 Republican primary in New Hampshire before seeing his White House bid falter. A former prisoner of war in Vietnam, he is again touting his image as a maverick Republican with appeal to critical independent voters.
Suddenly, almost everyone was talking about change - not surprising given Obama's success, political gridlock in Washington and dismal approval ratings for both Bush and the Democratic-led Congress.
Republican Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist who badly needs a strong showing in New Hampshire, said he would 'bring change to Washington' and tackle burning issues such as immigration, education and health care.
Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, a Republican who rode his evangelical Christian appeal to victory in Iowa, realigned his message for less socially conservative New Hampshire and talked about the threat of globalization and the slowing economy for working Americans.
But Huckabee was running a distant fourth in New Hampshire behind McCain, Romney and Rudy Giuliani. The former New York mayor ignored Iowa and limited his campaigning in New Hampshire, gambling on later big wins in delegate-rich states such as Florida, New York and California.
The next major votes in the series of state-by-state contests to choose the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are in South Carolina and on January 29 in Florida. Nearly two dozen states hold primaries on February 5, a crucial nationwide test some have dubbed Mega Tuesday.
© 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Nice try, Hillary. You can't fool us by naming yourself 'Jon'.
Btw, can you give me an unbiased quote that Obama's only idea is to raise taxes?
Next time, try to tell us where you heard that he was going to raise taxes. Leave out the insults, so the message gets across, or at least be more tactful. Being insulting to his person deracts from your mesage.
That, of course does not make you wrong.
SP4 is telling someone else to leave out the insults, or to be more tactful? Holy mother of Allah, what is going on in 4's brain pan? He is the worst transgressor on the web.
I saw no insults in Jon's post. It was comparatively tactfull as well. I guess that his medication is playing tricks with what is laughingly called his brain. He also tells Jon to quote his sources, something that 4 steadfastly refuses to do. Could it be that there are no sources for 4's information other than his fevered brain?
'He truly is just empty. And so mean. I don't like him at all. '
I would call that insulting, not that I'm offended. In fact, it doesn't even make him wrong.
why are all these idiots voting for a guy WHO HAS DONE NOTHING IN ILLINOIS EXCEPT COLLECT A CHECK OFF MY TAXES!!!
He has no record, no accomplishments, no suggestions, no completed tasks or achieved a fart, yet all these idiots fall over themselves and fill their pants to vote for him.
What can he do for America when he has ZERO in Illinois.
It is truly senseless.
White people are the most idiotic group on planet earth.
I thought the Europeans were morons.
to have his meds adjusted. As the comment 'He truly is just empty. And so mean. I don't like him at all.' is not aimed at him, it is not insulting to Service Pack 4. I see no reason for said Service Pack to take umbrage at a comment that was merely the personal opinion of another person. Maybe this Jon person sees something that SP doesn't. That would not be news, for SP sees only what he wants to see and disregards the rest. But, then again, SP4 is not known for his discerning intellect. I would think that it is up to Mr. Obama to be insulted, if there is an insult, which is a moot point. So, take your post and use it for toilet paper, Mr. SP, it is off base, like you.
When you say this: 'White people are the most idiotic group on planet earth.' I do believe that what you mean to say is Americans are the most idiotic group on the plant. If you said that, then you would have no arguement from everybody that I know and probably most of the people in the world. So, let's just leave the racism at home, OK?
the dumbest people on planet earth as evidenced in Europe with their muslim population and here in America.
You call it racism, but I WILL call it what I choose and you will like it.
Leave your cissified mentality and dress at home and TRY to act like a man.
I know you are not American so shut your sewer you call a mouth.
SP4 calls people pieces of crap. He calls them a lot worse. Now he is up in arms because somebody is polite about his dislike for Obama. What a piece of fecal matter. What a fantastic piece of hypocracy.
RE:'Obama is such a flake. His only idea is to raise our taxes...'
Dear Jon,
This is the first thing out of every Democrat's mouth and it never really seems to matter to them how high taxes already are. The only one of them that I ever heard admit that taxes had been raised too high was Bill Clinton and he did NOT apologize for his oversight.
The North Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners ALL butchering native Europeans in their own homelands.
The leftist establishment is worst in England and the govt does all it can against its own people who just try to defend themselves against muslim gangs roaming the streets.
Malmo, Sweden, the natives form blockwatch groups against muslims trying to set fire to cars and churches in an effort to force out Swedes.
These same criminals are soaking up all the welfare and than have the nerve to attack the hand that works to feed them.
Later, we have the explosions in London and Madrid with nearly 300 dead Europeans, all courtesy of peaceful muslims.
Dont forget about the hundreds of butchered Russian SCHOOLCHILDREN at the hands of muslim terrorists.
Muslims kill and this keyboard monkey not tries to deny the right to SPEAK as it is something that offends her.
It is time to fight back against the islamic cancer filtering through the planet.
Now, I have to see this fruit of a European say 'Dont be racist' when all the racism originates from non-whites.
What a twit.
'You call it racism, but I WILL call it what I choose and you will like it.'
A little pretentious, say what?
'I know you are not American so shut your sewer you call a mouth.'
You are the only sewer mouth here, you inbred hillbilly.
You are definitly out to lunch.
'Now, I have to see this fruit of a European say 'Dont be racist' when all the racism originates from non-whites.'
How typical of american scum. Assuming, with no facts whatsoever, that I am european.
What a jackass to say that all racism stems from non-whites. I guess this fool slept through american history classes.
'What a twit.'
Yes you are, aren't you?
Racism is the bitter fruit of ignorance.In this case it is probably uncurable ignorance for it is a common truth to say racism is universal .Our era of colonialism is deeply rooted in racism as most of you know .And what else to say about the slavery period in the USA and of course other countries as well (no use to be offended if you are a US citizen,it was universal )What kind of vision on black people allows to reduce him to be nothing but a cotton picking machine .Is that not slavery ?
What about claiming to be the 'choosen people' to live in a country that belonged to Palestinians for at least 6 centuries ,all based on a bronze age rite book dreamt up by some priests and kings to glorify their own legends .Do you find no racism in this ?
I cab only laygh at people their own racism is inspired by the racism of others .Too absurd to even waste much energy on such paradogm.
'All I see is racism being thrown at whites.' - seems to be a very confused person. Since when are all Muslims dark skinned ? Or does he think all Chistians are white skinned ?.
I assume the writer is a badly educated 10 year old who has yet to learn anything
Which Black Person are you refering to?
page: 1
JonJan 7th, 2008 - 23:57:50
Obama is such a flake. His only idea is to raise our taxes, even on those of us who can't afford to buy our own homes because it is so expensive in most places now. He wants our money to give ex-cons a free education. That is so offensive and unbelievable. How many kids are busting their behinds now going into debt on student loans, and no one is going to help them. He wants to insure children - which is ridiculous because there are already tons of subsidized programs for children. And it would just be a direct funneling of money from working folks bank accounts to the insurance companies for them to profit. He truly is just empty. And so mean. I don't like him at all.
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