Clinton Options Dwindle with Tiny Indiana Victory, Loss in NC

Hillary Clinton put on a strong facade last night as she cheered supporters on in Indiana, but it's the cancelation of all public appearances today (reported by Talking Points Memo) and the anointment of Obama as nominee by Tim Russert, Matt Drudge, and MSNBC's Chuck Todd that have people wondering about the direction the Clinton campaign will take next.

Obama won a 14-point victory in North Carolina, and lost by just 23,000 votes in Indiana.

The Washington Post reports: "Both candidates looked ahead to contests next week in West Virginia and May 20 in Oregon and Kentucky, but Clinton was nearly out of opportunities to change the course of the race. 'We have seen that it's possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction, that it's possible to overcome the same old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems,' Obama said at a victory rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Illinois senator's 14-point victory in North Carolina was a dramatic comeback from a difficult campaign stretch that began last month with a big loss in Pennsylvania and was prolonged by the controversy over racially charged comments by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright."

The NYT reports: "The results from the two primaries, the largest remaining Democratic ones, assured that Mr. Obama would widen his lead in pledged delegates over Mrs. Clinton, providing him with new ammunition as he seeks to persuade Democratic leaders to coalesce around his campaign. He also increased his lead in the popular vote in winning North Carolina by more than 200,000 votes."

The candidates' speeches, below:

Russert told Keith Olbermann: "We now know who the Democratic nominee is going to be, and no one is going to dispute it."

Watch that clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Additional reading
Reality Has Well-Known Obama Bias [huffington post]
If You Want to Crown Him [shakesville]
An obituary for the Clinton campaign [daily voice]

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #284

HEAD OVER HILLS: Belinda Carlisle's gay son lets it be known who his mother is supporting for president.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BARACK: Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO: Behind-the-scenes of last week's Ugly Betty appearance.

OIL: John McCain reveals the real reason for the war in Iraq. More here.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Kevin Rudd, Jesus, Christian Siriano, Patrick McHenry, Mariah

Clinton advisor Mickey Kantor statement on Indianans unearthed: "Look at Indiana...it doesn't matter if we win. Those people are shit. How would you like to be a worthless white ni**er?" Kantor denies... UPDATE: Director Pennebaker says clip doctored...

Barack Obama pledges to stop fighting between Lauren and Heidi on The Hills.

Christian Siriano hosting virtual prom.

Australian PM Kevin Rudd signals that he may block a move by the nation's capital to legalize civil unions: "The Prime Minister warned today that he would never agree to gay marriage, which would require amendments to the Marriage Act. The act expressly states that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. While the ACT government, led by chief minister Jon Stanhope, argues its civil partnerships are different to gay marriage, the Government is concerned it too closely mimics marriage. Mr Rudd now holds the power to disallow any ACT laws that he deems to replicate marriage, just as the Howard Government did during its final term. Despite previously arguing it was a matter for the states, the Prime Minister said today that no other state was proposing laws similar to the ACT."

Mariah Carey marries Nick Cannon in the Bahamas.

Banksy, who has curated an underground graffiti exhibition in London in a tunnel which opens tonight, tells Reuters: Creating graffiti "better than sex, better than drugs."

Tom Ford makes debut as costume designer for Santa Fe opera The Letter.

Massachusetts publishes 120-page anti-bullying guide for schools. Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach: "Our kids deserve to grow up in an environment that is free from harassment and violence. The consequences of bullying can last a lifetime, but all too often it is treated as a rite of passage."

Brazilian gymnast takes his talent to the street.

Never has a shirt on: Lipstick Jungle's Robert Buckley is the new Matthew McConaughey.

Jesus is coming in 2015, look busy.

North Carolina congressman Patrick McHenry behaving conservatively.

Man charged in killing of Florida gay activist Scott Graham: "A man has been charged with murdering West Palm Beach, Fla., gay rights activist Scott Graham, who was found dead in his home on April 16, The Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday. Ricardo David Fuenes-Valle, 20, was arrested on Tuesday near Tampa by Hillsborough County deputies and U.S. marshals. He is being charged with first-degree murder. Investigators found the suspect on Tuesday after they were told that Fuenes-Valle was planning to rob Graham or burglarize his home to steal jewelry and money, West Palm Beach police captain Pat Maney told the Post. Witnesses said Graham was last seen on April 14 with Fuenes-Valle. 'We don't really have a motive at this point,' Maney said in the article. 'We are working under that assumption.'"

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Barack Obama Repudiates Reverend Jeremiah Wright

Press conference on the left, Q&A on the right, via Talking Points Memo.

Said Obama: I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday. I had been a member of Trinity United Church since 1992. I've known Reverend Wright for almost twenty years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met twenty years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church. They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Reverend Wright thinks that that's political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well, I might not know him as well as I thought, either.

Wright's comments at the National Press Club, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #281

GEORGE W BUSH: His speech at the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner over the weekend. Part two here

GQ COVER: A reporter asks Obama whether he's too good-looking to relate to working class people.

100 YEARS: The DNC's new McCain attack ad.

TRAVIS CHILDERS: Mississippi Republican congressional candidate Greg Davis using Jeremiah Wright - Obama ad to attack his Democratic rival Travis Childers.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Obama's Abercrombie Boys: Case Closed

Questions regarding the origin of the Obama Abercrombie boys have been answered:

"The so-called Abercrombie boys who showed up behind Senator Barack Obama during his speech Tuesday night in Evansville, Ind., were just random Obama fans...Because they were all wearing T-shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch, they stood out in the crowd, even receiving cell-phone calls from friends who had spotted them on television during the speech. Soon the media mentioned them, wondering whether they were part of an advertising campaign, a shrewd bit of product placement by the retailer, which is geared toward the same young crowd attracted to Mr. Obama’s candidacy. Not so. The young men saw a report on CNN and called the network to say they had not planned anything. One of them works at the Abercrombie & Fitch store in Evansville. He and one of his brothers and a friend decided to go to the rally; they wear A&F clothes all the time and didn’t think twice about the T-shirts. At the rally, a campaign volunteer asked them to stand behind Mr. Obama during his speech. It was not clear what role the T-shirts played, if any, in their selection. Spokesmen for the Obama campaign and A&F said there was no plan to highlight A&F, and both were caught by surprise when the T-shirts drew such attention. Virtually all campaigns strategically select the audiences who appear behind their candidate so as to send a message to television viewers."

As I noted yesterday, folks are already selling Obamacrombie T-shirts.

Said Tom Lennox, VP-corporate communications for A&F: "We appreciate the exposure, but can not take credit for it. So, thanks to the Obama campaign for this great product placement. We wish we had thought of it. If Hillary is interested, we have stores all over North Carolina, Indiana and Oregon."

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Obamacrombie: The Latest in Campaign Fashion

It was inevitable. The unauthorized Obamacrombie campaign T-shirt.

What will the Clinton response be? "Hillister".

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North Carolina GOP Defies McCain Request, Runs Wright Ad

Despite John McCain's request to state party chair Linda Daves that an ad running in North Carolina featuring Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright (and using Wright's rant "No! No! No! Not God bless America. God bleep America!") not be run, the North Carolina Republican Party has decided to defy McCain and run the ad anyway.

The ad criticizes both NC Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's and state Treasurer Richard Moore's endorsements of a candidate they claim is "too extreme."

Said Obama of the ad: "My understanding is that the Republican National Committee and John McCain have both said that the ad's inappropriate. I take them at their word, and I assume that if John McCain thinks that it's an inappropriate ad, that he can get them to pull it down since he's their nominee and standard-bearer."

He assumed wrong.

UPDATE: NC Republicans pull ad...

Watch the spot, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Obama Wins Key Abercrombie & Fitch Vote

Did they coordinate their fashion choices before the rally, or is this actually a niche segment of voters that we've not seen pull together until now?

(also spotted at gawker)

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Deciding the Democratic Nomination in the WWE Ring

Screw Pennsylvania. The WWE's Raw let the candidates have a go at it last night. Even Bill showed up for a little action.

Watch pre-taped messages from the candidates themselves, which are just as amusing as the clip above, AFTER THE JUMP...

And for fairness' sake, they let John McCain get a word in too.

(via new york magazine daily intelligencer)

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Grabbing the Golden Girl Vote

On the left, a viral campaign video for Barack Obama from "White Haired Women for Obama" that has been making the rounds. Daily Dish notes its similarities to the Kids in the Hall sketch "30 Helens" on the right.

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ABC Criticized for Lack of Substance at Democratic Debate

ABC is being roundly criticized for the line of questioning at last night's Democratic debate, with 11,032 comments on ABC's website, the majority of which criticize the network for not dealing with substantive issues.

Above, a clip of some of the questions (these are questions only, not answers), via Crooks and Liars and Pam's House Blend (she also has a transcript of these questions) regarding electability, Reverend Jeremiah Wright (3 questions!), Clinton's Bosnia trip, flag lapel pins, and radicals from the 1970's. Below, Talking Points Memo's round-up:

A transcript of the debate can be found here.

I didn't watch the debate, but I'm not upset I didn't at this point. I'll add any interesting clips I come across to this post as they come in.

AFTER THE JUMP, Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos are turned on by an audience who wants to know, 'where's the beef?' as they go to yet another commercial break...

The HuffPo writes: "Reflecting what seemed to be the main consensus of the night - that ABC botched this debate, big time - Charlie Gibson tells the crowd there will be one more, superfluous commercial break of the night and is subsequently jeered."

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News: Taxes, Ken Livingstone, Titanic, Milo Ventimiglia, Scientology

On tax day, a reminder of how the U.S. inflicts extra financial burden on gay citizens.

The last meal on the Titanic, which went down 96 years ago today. Researchers have a new theory behind the sinking — rivets.

ABC's Jake Tapper calls attention to the "Compassion Forum" appearance of Clinton and Obama at Messiah College, which I posted about last week. One of his readers asks, ""Shouldn't Democratic presidential candidates, both of whom are explicitly on the record as being in favor of gay rights, avoid schools like this as assiduously as previous generations of politicians were urged to avoid Bob Jones University? How can politicians appear at a college that espouses these ideas and then turn around and court the gay community at the same time? How can the two leading Democratic candidates appear on stage at this college and not be questioned by the press about the hypocrisy of appearing there?"

Kentucky GOP Rep. Geoff Davis on Obama: "I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country." Davis apologizes...

The gay Navy lieutenant from Melrose Place, Jason Beghe, escaped the clutches of Scientology and now he's speaking out on video: "It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s fucked up."

Lack of support from London Mayor Ken Livingstone leaves 2008 International Gay & Lesbian Football Association World Championship with a funding shortfall: "Peter Tatchell of Outrage! described as 'scandalous' the lack of any funding or support from City Hall. 'Ken Livingstone is organising billions of pounds for corporate mega events like the 2012 Olympics but can’t give a few thousand pounds to help host the gay football world championship.'"

A really mean box of jelly beans, which I'm actually really curious to taste.

Project Runway is getting not one but two spin-offs on Lifetime: "The first of them doesn't have a title yet, but Weinstein said it will look at the Project Runway world through the eyes of the show's models. The second, dubbed Project Pygmalion, is a makeover series that will turn its winner into a high-society socialite."

Somebody got carried away at the tattoo parlor.

Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World wins big at Italian animation festival: "Cult hit half-hour show about three gay couples in the fictional 'gay ghetto' of West Lahunga Beach took the Pulcinella nod for TV series of the year. The Pulcinella for TV series for all ages went to RAI Fiction’s 'Acqua in bocca' (Water and Bubbles), about two fish in a tank and their interaction with an Italian family, from helmer Guido Manuli."

Milo Ventimiglia dreamt of being a fighter pilot.

GYM bar in NYC to open up its locker room.

Queerty talks to author Scott Heim about his new novel We Disappear: "There were all these different disappearances in the book–including Scott Heim the writer disappearing into Scott the character—I liked this idea of readers not knowing where one starts and the others begin. There are a lot of things in the book that are total fiction. The danger of doing this blurring is when people do read this as a memoir."

Tom Cruise and David Beckham to buy a soccer team together?

A townhouse in New York's West Village transformed, part of New York magazine's excellent new occasional real estate section, Vu.

Fight to allow gay blood donors heats up in Scotland.

Judicial Watch calls on FEC to investigate Elton John's Hillary Clinton benefit concert: "Recent news reports suggest that Hillary Clinton and Hillary Clinton for President have accepted an in-kind contribution from a foreign national, Sir Elton John, in contravention of federal electon laws. On behalf of Judicial Watch and its supporters, I hereby request that the FEC investigate this matter."

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Obama and Clinton to Speak on 'Compassion' at Anti-Gay College

Jacob Reitan of Soulforce, which visited Messiah College last year on its Equality Ride (one year to the day of the candidates' upcoming forum), writes in the Huffington Post:

"This Sunday, Senators Clinton and Obama will be taking part in something called the 'Compassion Forum' at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Ironically, Messiah College has a severe lack of compassion towards its LGBT students. The school's community covenant prohibits 'homosexual behavior' and effectively bans LGBT students who are open and self affirming from attending Messiah...

"...In spite of our visit last year to Messiah College, their discriminatory policies are still in place. This brings into question why Senators Obama and Clinton would agree to discuss compassion in this setting. Both Clinton and Obama speak about uniting America and both speak against the politics of fear and division. It also calls into question the judgment of John Podesta's Center for American Progress' Faith in Public Life program. Why would they select a college where gay people are not welcome to hold a discussion on issues of compassion? There are plenty of faith-based colleges to choose from. I attend one. I am a second year Masters of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School."

Reitan asks: "Will they speak out against the Messiah's policy that would bar me and countless other Americans from attending the school? Will they make clear to the American people that LGBT people are wonderfully made in the image of the Creator and loved as they are by the Creator without reservation?"

We shall see if either will rise to the occasion.

previously
Soulforce Trip Continues as Arrests Made at Bob Jones University [tr]
Soulforce Bus Defaced with Gay Slurs in Iowa [tr]

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Barack Obama Talks Gay Issues with The Advocate

Barack Obama sat down with The Advocate for an interview addressing what he'd hope he could achieve in his term as president, black civil rights vs gay civil rights, his first experience with a gay person, and the lingering distrust over the Donnie McClurkin fiasco. Here are a few excerpts.

On what some have perceived as a "silence" toward gay press: "I haven’t been silent on gay issues. What’s happened is, I speak oftentimes to gay issues to a public general audience. When I spoke at Ebenezer Church for King Day, I talked about the need to get over the homophobia in the African-American community, when I deliver my stump speeches routinely I talk about the way that antigay sentiment is used to divide the country and distract us from issues that we need to be working on, and I include gay constituencies as people that should be treated with full honor and respect as part of the American family. So I actually have been much more vocal on gay issues to general audiences than any other presidential candidate probably in history."

On federal benefits: "...an area that I’m very interested in is making sure that federal benefits are available to same-sex couples who have a civil union. I think as more states sign civil union bills into law the federal government should be helping to usher in a time when there’s full equality in terms of what that means for federal benefits."

On asking same-sex couples to "wait their turn" for marriage equality: "Anybody who’s been at an LGBT event with me can testify that my message is very explicit -- I don’t think that the gay and lesbian community, the LGBT community, should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, wait your turn. I’m very mindful of Dr. King’s 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' where he says to the white clergy, don’t tell me to wait for my freedom. So I strongly respect the right of same-sex couples to insist that even if we got complete equality in benefits, it still wouldn’t be equal because there’s a stigma associated with not having the same word, marriage, assigned to it. I understand that, but my perspective is also shaped by the broader political and historical context in which I’m operating."

On homophobia in the African-American community: "I don’t think it’s worse than in the white community. I think that the difference has to do with the fact that the African-American community is more churched and most African-American churches are still fairly traditional in their interpretations of Scripture. And so from the pulpit or in sermons you still hear homophobic attitudes expressed. And since African-American ministers are often the most prominent figures in the African-American community those attitudes get magnified or amplified a little bit more than in other communities."

Obama Talks All Things LGBT with The Advocate [the advocate]

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Barack Obama Gets Blank Space Punishment from Philly Gay News

Fed up with the fact that Obama has not done an interview with local gay press in 1,522 days, the Philadelphia Gay News, which yesterday published a long interview with Hillary Clinton, made their point with a big white space in the paper today.

They even let a typo in his name go uncorrected.

The paper's publisher Mark Segal spoke to the Philadelphia Inquirer: "We had great success with the Clinton campaign. They were very open to us and inviting from day one. The surprise to us was the Obama campaign. When we realized we weren’t getting very far with them, we decided to enlist other people — who are supporting Senator Obama — to assist us. These people happen to be some of his superdelegates and his strongest political supporter in the state: [U.S. Senator] Robert Casey and congressman Pat Murphy. All of whom advised him this was an interview he should do. We were told there had been scheduling problems. We’ve been told this now for weeks."

UPDATE: Segal neglected to disclose that he donated $1,000 to the Clinton campaign back in 2007.

Segal: Obama Hasn’t Spoken to Gay Press Since 2004 [the daily examiner]

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #270

GAY BACHELOR: MyPartner.com (a Towleroad advertiser) kicks off nationwide search for Most eligible Gay Bachelor.

LAURA BRANIGAN: The Filipino prisoners are back, performing "Gloria".

FAMILY: One of three powerful new PSAs shot by Babel director Alejandro González Iñárritu for the Montana Meth Project. View the others here.

BARACK OBAMA: Gets a gay marriage question on Hardball.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Water, Gay Porn Twins, Coffee, New Kids on the Block

Is China cracking down on gay establishments as the Olympics approach?

Mother of twin gay porn bandits arrested for serving as their getaway driver: "Towana Goffney, the mother of 25-year-old twins Taleon and Keyontyli Goffney, was arrested late Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Her sons, Taleon and Keyontyli were linked to nearly 40 break-ins. Cameras were rolling as the men were led away in handcuffs and it turned out, this was not the first time the pair was in the spotlight. According to internet gossip sites, the brothers are gay porn stars. Now the family has the arrest of the matriarch to add to their rap sheet and online profiles."

Kylie Minogue hits up the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

McCain won't be fighting party platform on gays: "McCain associates told The Washington Times that his operatives are not going to work behind the scenes to eliminate the party's calls for constitutional bans on abortion and homosexual marriage before the GOP convention in September."

Search for most eligible gay bachelor begins in San Francisco.

The premiere international prize in electronic media: A list of the 2007 Peabody Award winners.

Woof: Madison, Wisconsin gets new gay sports bar.

Northern Ireland town of Strabane prepares for opening of first gay bar. Proprietor: "All the feedback I've had about the bar has been positive, I was so surprised by everyone's reaction, I've received no negativity whatsoever. Even elderly residents of the town have voiced their support and have been wishing me all the best."

Famous tranny Dana International prevents Wentworth Miller from escaping!

Obama says he would hire Al Gore: "Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem. He's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I'm already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now."

The New Kids on the Block are back together. Here's their first photo together in more than 15 years.

An update on gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi: "Mehdi Kazemi is still in Rotterdam, awaiting deportation back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty, where Home Secretary Jacqui Smith still hasn’t granted him asylum. It appears that a Dutch MP has secured a parliamentary debate in the Netherlands to take place tomorrow, because he doesn’t believe Jacqui Smith can be trusted with his safety."

Iranian gays left out of Human Rights Watch annual reports.

Scientists: There is no benefit in drinking 8 glasses of water a day. And drinking coffee may protect you from dementia and other debilitating brain diseases.

British activist Tatchell to European Feminist Summit: "By challenging the cult of heterosexual masculinity, queer liberation is about much more than the limited agenda of equal rights. It offers a unique, revolutionary contribution to the emancipation of the whole of humanity from all forms of subjugation."

In case you were wondering, Chace Crawford is doing 'okay' after his break-up with Carrie Underwood.

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #269

ELEPHANT ZEN: An elephant paints a self-portrait.

I'M F**KING OBAMA: A spoof on the Jimmy Kimmel clips.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: Performing at the Universal Charm Pageant / 1992 West Tennessee State Finals.

MADONNA - ELLE: Behind the scenes of her Madgesty's cover shoot.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Uh Oh, More Scary Crap at 3am

This time, it's economic disaster! Clinton is broadcasting an ad in Pennsylvania saying that she's ready for the crisis. McCain has one waiting in the wings using the same footage warning that Clinton and Obama will raise your taxes.

According to Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic, the McCain campaign is waiting to see if they'll actually broadcast the ad, but it will be sent to his email list.

Watch the clips, AFTER THE JUMP...

I think I need a Lunesta.

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Michael Stipe Has Had Enough of the Fear and the Arrogance

Michael Stipe talks to The Huffington Post's Scott Thill, and though back in January he told Sirius' Jane Pratt that for some unknown reason Mike Huckabee's charms were luring him in, this time Stipe makes it clear to Thill that he's a Democrat.

Says Stipe: "I'm for Barack Obama all the way. The Clinton campaign has took a desperate turn and has, I think, shown its true colors. How dare they use fear against Americans after these past seven years? I'm really tired of politicians telling me what to be afraid of. On the other hand, Obama is hopeful, grounded and clearly intelligent. He is, relatively, an outsider to the beholden D.C. club, and I think that is what America is calling out for; not a career politician but a true outsider candidate. He represents I think the true spirit of the beginning of the 21st century. Looking back, I feel like we've all had enough of the fear and the arrogance, and losing our place in the world. Our very big idea of a country and democracy has been brought to a near end by very small people."

Stipe and R.E.M. performed this morning in New York's Rockefeller Center for the Today show. That performance, and interview, is AFTER THE JUMP...

You may have missed...
Michael Stipe Has an Announcement to Make [tr]
Michael Stipe comes out? [tr]
Michael Stipe Hearts Huckabee, But He's Not Sure Why [tr]

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Barack Obama Addresses Gay Crowd at NYC Fundraiser

The Advocate spoke with Corey Johnson (pictured here — you may remember Johnson as the Massachusetts high school football player who received national attention when he came out to his team in 1999) about a fundraiser held last Thursday hosted by GLSEN founder and executive director Kevin Jennings and his partner, Jeff Davis, which raised $170,000 for the candidate:

"Johnson, who is 25, has supported Obama for about a year but prefaced his remarks by saying he has never been an 'Obama-phile.' He said the senator addressed some of the most contentious LGBT issues without prompting, such as same-sex marriage and the inclusion of transgender people in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In fact, those were the two issues Sen. Obama singled out as being potential disappointments to the LGBT community right now, while he signaled that a hate-crimes bill could likely be passed and signed into law and that repeal of 'don’t ask, don’t tell' might be on the horizon. According to several sources, including Johnson and Lenore, Obama said he did not think it was “politically feasible” to secure marriage rights for same-sex couples in the country at this point. Sen. Obama acknowledged that the community wanted full marriage rights but said that he favored civil unions for now while leaving open the possibility that his position might evolve in the future. In terms of ENDA, Obama said he supported an ENDA that included transgender protections but that he didn’t believe a fully inclusive bill had enough votes to pass the Senate at this time."

Johnson told Towleroad that Obama also addressed the incident last year in which it appeared he hesitated before offering an answer on whether or not he agreed with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace when Pace said he thought homosexuality was immoral.

Said Johnson: "Senator Obama was asked at the fundraiser if he would publicly state that he didn't find being gay immoral in front of a non-gay audience. The question was clearly alluding to the Peter Pace firestorm from last year and Obama said that there was a misunderstanding that took place. He gave a policy speech in the morning and was walking to his car when a reporter kept shouting the question about General Pace. He said he wasn't answering any questions at all that day about anything other than the policy speech. So he said 'I'm not answering that' and got into his car. It was spun as him not speaking out against Pace's remarks. He was genuinely upset that it was portrayed in such a way in the media and tried to have his campaign clear it up immediately by repudiating General Pace with a public statement."

As to whether or not he would publicly state that he didn't find homosexuality immoral in front of a non-gay audience, Johnson said Obama declared "he absolutely would, and he has in the past."

(photo: mathew bergman)

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Barack Obama the Hot Topic on The View

Barbara Walters hit on Barack Obama today on The View, telling the Democratic candidate he was "very sexy looking." They also touched on some other topics.

On being a distant relative of Brad Pitt: "I guess we're ninth cousins something removed or something. I think he got the better-looking side of the gene pool."

On surviving the attack machine: "I'm skinny but I'm tough. I think the way to handle attacks, wherever they're coming from. And there have been some tough punches thrown in this Democratic primary. It's not like I've kind of been taking a cakewalk through this primary. The way I like to handle attacks is to answer honestly, swiftly, forcefully and truthfully. I think the truth is a powerful weapon."

On Jeremiah Wright: "Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws — then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church."

View the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Obama and Clinton Just Birthed a Gay Twink?

And the morphs continue.

This 'Dream Ticket' morph, which is on the cover of The New Republic, which they dub 'Hillarack" illustrates a piece by reporter Noam Scheiber.

One reader on the magazine's blog commented:

"Frankly, I didn't see it. I thought it must be Noam, since it headed his big piece. I thought, Wow, not only is this guy a really good writer, he's also very cute in a Fire Island or Ptown sort of way."

Slouching Toward Denver [the new republic]
HillarACK: All About Our Cover [the plank]

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The Missing Links?

You may have heard the latest news celebrity fodder from researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society:

"Barack Obama is a distant cousin of Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie."

David Gilmore at Pretty on the Outside has come up with some fairly creepy renderings of what may be the respective relatives somewhere in-between...

Additionally, "Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins. McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush....Obama has a prolific presidential lineage that features Democrats and Republicans. His distant cousins include President George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison. Other Obama cousins include Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Civil War General Robert E. Lee."

Basically, we're all related and most of us have relatives we wouldn't mind running from.

Obama Related to Pitt, Clinton to Jolie [ap]
The Candidates and their cousins... [pretty on the outside]

Related
The Dream Ticket and the Scream Ticket [tr]

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Barack Obama Criticizes Use of Gay Marriage as a Wedge Issue

Speaking to a crowd in Medford, Oregon last week, Barack Obama criticized the use of gay marriage as a wedge issue that distracts from the more important issues at hand.

Said Obama: "The reason that we have to talk about and deal with these divisions is because we get distracted every political season and election cycle by these divisions. And then we end up ignoring these big problems. Think about what these last few election cycles have been about. We argue about immigration, but we don't try to solve the immigration problem. It's an argument that is all about people's passions instead of trying to figure it out. We argue about gay marriage. In the meantime the planet is...potentially being destroyed. We've got a war that is bankrupting us. And we're going to argue about gay marriage? (applause) I mean, that...doesn't make any sense."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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News: Passport Breaches, Bill Richardson, HIV, The Office

State Department acknowledges security breaches on Obama, Clinton, and McCain passport information: "[Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice expressed concern over the privacy violations as well as the fact that they weren't reported right away. Rice said the incident "should have been made known to senior management. It was not to my knowledge and we also want to take every step we can to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again."

The Clintons and Rev. Jeremiah Wright: "The recent coverage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright has often cast him as a marginal, almost fringe figure, but Trinity Church is a major Chicago institution, and Wright has long been a prominent pastor on the American scene. And an anonymous blog set up to defend his church offers some compelling photographic evidence of this: A photograph of Wright and President Clinton, which it says was taken on Sept. 11, 1998 — the date of a White House gathering for religious leaders."

Jake Gyllenhaal had some kind of accident.

London protest: a protest will be held opposite Downing Street this Saturday, March 22 from 2-3 pm in support of gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi and to demand Britain recognize the right of refugees to claim asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama: "I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America's moral leadership in the world. As a presidential candidate, I know full well Senator Obama's unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation."

Dept. of regrettable tattoos: Like father, like son.

Donald Hitchcock vs the DNC: Howard Dean's gay headache.

Jim McGreevey wins a round in divorce court: "Former Gov. Jim McGreevey didn't plan to torment his wife while they were married, a judge in their divorce case ruled Thursday, while allowing her to continue with a claim of marriage fraud. The judge dismissed Dina Matos McGreevey's claim of emotional distress against her estranged gay husband. 'Mr. McGreevey was not out to destroy her emotionally,' Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy said."

Match drag queens with their baby pictures.