NDN Blog

This is going to be quick since we'll be posting more over the next day or so while we're in Nevada for the Democratic Caucus. Below are two introductory videos from NDN's own Joe Garcia about what we'll be talking about on the blog in the hours ahead. The first is in English and the second in Spanish. (I know the video quality isn't that great. Our videos are going to look a lot better in the future, but in the meantime please be sensitive to my MacBook's feelings :))

This is just a reminder that tomorrow is Michigan's GOP primary. Mitt Romney is in the lead in the latest polls, a result which, if it holds, would put three different candidates in the GOP's winning column. For more information, check out MSNBC.

NDN is featured in this week's feature of NOW on PBS. NDN's Director of Hispanic Programs, Joe Garcia, was interviewed for the feature, called "The Latino Vote in 2008", in Miami. NDN's new report, Hispanics Rising, is also featured in the web extra on why Latinos are considered a swing vote.

For more information on our work, visit our website or read more of our commentary here on our blog.

On Saturday, January 19th the Democratic Presidential campaign moves to Nevada where the Democrats will caucus to express their preference. A week later, South Carolina votes, completing the new Democratic calendar that added these two states to the traditional Iowa and New Hampshire mix.

Adding these two states brought new regions and new voters - particularly African-Americans and Hispanics - to the early and important stages of the nominating process. To help our friends and allies, we've pulled together some background materials on the Nevada Caucus, including background on the importance of the Southwest, the fight to reform America's broken immigration system, and the rise of Hispanics in American politics:

The Nevada Debate and Caucus (November 15, 2007)This memo explains the strategic importance of the Southwest and how it drove the decision in 2005 by the DNC to change the decades-old Democratic Presidential nominating process, long dominated by Iowa and New Hampshire.

The 50-Year Strategy (October 30, 2007)This article lays out a grand strategy for how today's Democrats could build a lasting electoral majority and today's progressives could seize the new media, build off new constituencies like Hispanics and the millennial generation, and solve the urgent governing challenges of our times.

Hispanics Rising (September 20, 2007) This major new report reviews the emerging politics of the fastest-growing part of the American electorate, one deeply changed by the immigration debate. The report addresses how critical the Southwest is in the lead up to the 2008 Presidential Election.

We've added a page to our website that contains all of this information and will be updated frequently, so be sure to check back in the days ahead.

For more background, check out the following memos:

On Obama, race and the end of the Southern Strategy (January 4, 2008)

On the mortgage crisis, immigration and the need for a new economic strategy for America (December 21, 2007)

1%, 62% and the failure of Tancredoism (December 20, 2007)

Can Democrats seize the opportunity the immigration debate offers them? (December 11, 2007)

There are also two great resources from the Nevada Democrats worth reviewing: a website that helps viewers understand and explore the details and significance of the caucus, as well as a YouTube channel they are debuting to help educate Democrats about the caucus.

Check out the speeches below from John McCain and Hillary Clinton. As always, let us know what you think of their message:

John McCain (part 1):

John McCain (part 2):

Hillary Clinton:

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

The largest union in Nevada, the Culinary Workers Union, and its parent Union UNITE HERE! have endorsed Barack Obama. This comes along with the endorsements of SEIU of Nevada, as well as Shirley Franklin, the Mayor of Atlanta.

UPDATE: Obama's Campaign Manager, David Plouffe, just released this campaign memo outlining Obama's 4th quarter (2007) fundraising numbers as well as his plans in the next primary states.

UPDATE II: Below is a video of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 endorsement. For more, check out Zach Edwards' blog on the Obama blog.

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Rudy Giuliani added a TV ad to his Spanish-language media buy in FL. (You may remember my earlier post about the radio ad he went up with.) Check out the TV version of "Liderazgo" below:

(Via CandidatoUSA)

I'll join Azi Paybarah from the New York Observer in saying that this will probably incite conspiracy theories, but Mike Bloomberg is running Google ads like the one below. They link to his website, which looks awfully like a campaign site...

Google ads are a great way to get your information out there. Read more about online advertising in a memo on online ads from our New Politics Institute.

(Best if read while listening to Michael Jackson. That's right, I went there)

They're hoping to do something, alright. With little sleep, the candidates woke up this morning to great weather and started shaking hands as they closed out their final arguments and began to hope for the best. Meanwhile their staffs are doing anything to give their campaign an edge, inconveniencing (but not upsetting) many locals. Welcome to New Hampshire, the first in the nation primary!

Here are a few links to check out if you're looking for some interesting reads:

- Dan Balz from the Washington Post poses the "8 Questions New Hampshire Could Answer".

- Michael Powell from the New York Times takes a look at the influence of the youth vote in the Obama and McCain campaigns. (NDN plug: for more information on the youth vote, particularly the Millennials, click here.)

- As Pat Grossmith reports in the Union Leader, large voter turnout is expected as folks work to get past the media to head to the polls. For an on the ground account of voting, check out what TPM reader (and New Hampshire resident) CS has to say, or head over to the Boston Globe and see what their New Hampshire readers are saying.

- For fun, Chris Cillizza offers the "Top Ten Reasons The Fix Loves New Hampshire".

It'll be exciting to watch as the votes come in, that's for sure. So grab your Huckaburgers, sit back, and enjoy!

For more information on NDN's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election, click here.

Below are the results from Dixville Notch and Hart's Landing, the two New Hampshire towns who vote first in the primary. According to the AP, there were three registered Republicans, two Democrats - one of whom registered Monday - and 12 who were undeclared in Dixville. Hart's Location had eight Democrats, eight Republicans and 13 undeclared. Here's how they voted:

Dixville Notch:

• John McCain 4 votes
• Mitt Romney 2 votes
• Rudy Giuliani 1 vote

• Barack Obama 7 votes
• John Edwards 2 votes
• Bill Richardson 1 vote

Hart's Location:

• John McCain 6 votes
• Mike Huckabee 5 votes
• Ron Paul 4 votes
• Mitt Romney 1 vote

• Barack Obama 9 votes
• Hillary Clinton 3 votes
• John Edwards 1 vote

(Via SusanG from Daily Kos) For more on these two towns, check out Dave's post.