memeorandum: Chasing Utopia, Family Imagines No Possessions (New York Times)

9:05 PM ET, May 18, 2008

Top Items:

Powerful Video of Ugly Sexist Vilification of Hillary Clinton — Sexism is alive and well in America. — One exit poll I saw had almost twice as many voters having trouble voting for a woman for president than voting for a black man. — The New York Times had a long piece about a future woman president today, Kate Zernike writes:

Discussion: Tom Watson, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, TBogg and Balloon Juice

Kate Zernike / New York Times:

She Just Might Be President Someday — If not her, who? — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton may or may not become the first female president of the United States, but if fate and voters deny her the role, another woman will surely see if the mantle fits. — That woman will come from the South, or west of the Mississippi.

Discussion: Liberal Values, The Mahablog, No More Mister Nice Blog, JustOneMinute, Swampland, Open Left and Althouse

Libby Spencer / Newshoggers.com:

Better messaging please — Man, I really don't want to step into this but it just really bothers me. Yes, the blatant sexism in this Youtube is horrible. It's unfair, but so is the central message the video seems to be conveying, at least to me. — I'm hearing that I should be blaming Obama for not solving sexism.

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Another top McCain official resigns — Former Rep. Thomas G. Loeffler, a Texan who is among the McCain campaign's most important advisers and fundraisers, has resigned as a national co-chair over lobbying entanglements, a Republican source told Politico on Sunday.

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Obsidian Wings, Blue Girl, Red State, RADAMISTO and The Other McCain

Matthew Yglesias:
Real Americans and Lobbying

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:

Obama To Spend Tues. Night in Iowa, Possibly Will Claim Victory — Barack Obama will return to Iowa Tuesday night. The New York Times says it may be to “claim victory” and declare himself the Democratic nominee. His campaign views winning a majority of 2025 pledged and unpledged delegates victory.

Discussion: Denver Post, NO QUARTER and Corrente

Larry Rohter / New York Times:

Obama to Return to Iowa, Possibly to Claim Victory — Senator Barack Obama has chosen to spend Tuesday night not in Kentucky or Oregon, the two states that will be holding their primaries that day, or even at his home in Chicago. Instead, Mr. Obama's staff announced on Saturday …

Discussion: The Trail, The Confluence, Open Left, Taylor Marsh, The Jed Report, Degree of Madness, Jeff Mapes on Politics, TalkLeft, The Page and Political Radar

CNN:

Clinton: ‘Think about this as a hiring decision’ — (CNN) — Despite Sen. Barack Obama's commanding lead in the delegate count, Sen. Hillary Clinton campaigned hard Sunday, telling voters she's “running for the toughest job in the world.” — Clinton spent her weekend in Kentucky, which …

MSNBC:

May 18: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-VA), political roundtable — Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), Harold Ford, Jr., Mike Huckabee, Mike Murphy, Bob Shrum — MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday, John Edwards endorses Barack Obama after Hillary Clinton's landslide victory in West Virginia.

Discussion: Shakesville and Top of the Ticket

Ali / Think Progress:

Webb: Bush Would Be First President In History To Veto Benefits For Vets — On NBC's “Meet the Press” this morning, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) discussed his 21st Century GI Bill, which would dramatically expand educational benefits for returning veterans. President Bush, however, has vowed to veto the bill.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Big Brass Blog and Shakesville

Naftali Bendavid / Chicago Tribune:

Obama courts Jewish vote as doubts persist — WASHINGTON — Two days after seemingly locking up the Democratic nomination for president with impressive performances in North Carolina and Indiana, Sen. Barack Obama took time out from courting party leaders to speak at a 60th birthday celebration …

Discussion: TalkLeft and UNCoRRELATED

CBS News:
Bush An “Appeaser,” Says Egyptian Press

Discussion: RADAMISTO, Newshoggers.com, Israel Matzav and Raw Story

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
The Middle East in the Year 2068? Some Presidential Prognostications

Discussion: Commentary and The Impolitic

Lisa Stone / BlogHer:

BlogHer EXCLUSIVE: Barack Obama answers policy questions from women who blog (Video) — Sen. Barack Obama sat down with BlogHer today to answer key policy questions developed by this community of bloggers for 2008 presidential candidates. — In an exclusive on-camera interview with BlogHer …

Discussion: Bang the Drum

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Mike Huckabee thought McCain's ‘bomb, bomb, bomb Iran’ song was funny.

Discussion: The Trail

Zzaki / Political Radar:
Obama: Bush, McCain Should ‘Explain Why They Have a Problem With JFK’

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and Prairie Weather

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

75,000 ATTEND OBAMA RALLY IN PORTLAND — From NBC's Mark Hudspeth — Per the Obama campaign, 75,000 people (60,000 in the gates and 15,000 outside of them) turned out in Portland to hear Obama speak there this afternoon — making it the largest Obama crowd to date.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Jed Report

Susan Milligan / Boston Globe:

As Clinton chances wane, old slights come due — Some prominent Democrats recall past grievances — WASHINGTON - When Democratic superdelegate Jim Cooper, a Tennessee congressman, pondered the choice between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, his thoughts wandered back to 1993.

Mark Steyn / The Corner:

Shoot the messenger — You may recall, from early last year, a riveting documentary from the British TV network Channel 4. Undercover Mosque showed preachers at some of the most “moderate” mosques in Britain urging their congregants to beat their wives, toss homosexuals off cliffs, etc.

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

California's Gift to McCain? — The state supreme court imposes same-sex marriage. — Eight years ago, 4,618,673 California voters—61 percent of those casting ballots—approved an initiative that stated: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

Discussion: Political Machine and Don Surber