Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination
Networks are estimating that Barack Obama has secured the support of enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee — but Hillary Clinton isn’t exiting the race just yet. PJM has been compiling the best in news and analysis from across the net.
Obama’s Speech in a Nutshell: Change. Hope. Health care for all, and make the evil corporations pay for it. Surrender in Iraq. (LGF)
Gaps and Contrasts: “Barack Obama had rhetorical lift and volume tonight. John McCain had neither but quite a bit of substance.” (Jennifer Rubin)
How Obama Won and Clinton Lost: “This is a race that Clinton could have won and should have won, and came very close. And her gender ultimately didn’t have much to do with the loss.” (Matthew Dowd)
Hillary’s Tough Decision: “Staying in the campaign will not be very expensive now that the priimaries are over. And Obama may be one or two damaging YouTubes away from becoming borderline unviable.” (Power Line)
Report: Clinton Seeking Private Meeting with Obama (Mark Halperin)
Hillary’s not conceding anything: “She just made a reference to ‘count every vote,’ which would suggest she’s not at peace with the DNC decision on Michigan and Florida.” (Jim Geraghty)
Click “Read” for more updated coverage…
[Newer items on top]
An Astonishing Fact: “A black man will be his party’s nominee to be president of the United States. If you were a betting man and you had to place a bet on who is going to win in November, you would be prudent to place it on him.” (John Podhoretz)
A Few Points on McCain’s Speech: “One — McCain is a very bad public speaker.” (Matthew Yglesias)
Liveblogging Hillary’s Speech (TalkLeft)
GOP Eager to Use Video of Hillary to Attack Obama: “You can concede, but you can’t take back that video.” (Ann Althouse)
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama — Final Primary Night (Drudge)
Clinton Wins South Dakota (Fox News)
McCain Officially Recognizes Obama as Opponent: “McCain welcomed Democrat Barack Obama to the fall campaign for the White House on Tuesday with a blistering attack on his judgment and a charge that he ‘voted to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant job’ in Iraq.” (AP)
A Farewell to Hillary: “It’s enough to make a grown woman cry.” (Michelle Cottle)
Pawlenty: McCain will compete for Clinton backers (Jonathan Martin)
Clinton Campaign Confronts AP Report that Hillary will concede: “Asked what Mrs. Clinton would say if tonight ‘the numbers are on the side of’ Obama, Mr. Ickes said, ‘When you hear it you’ll hear it.’” (The Caucus Blog)
Former President Carter says he will endorse Obama: “The fact is the Obama people already know they have my vote when the polls close tonight.” (AP)
Golden Boy Wheezing Across Finish Line: “But even as Hillary Clinton sends mixed signals about her willingness to leave the race, Obama, unlike his counterparts in recent presidential cycles, is not exactly sprinting across the finish line.” (Jammie Wearing Fool)
Clinton says she’s open to becoming Obama’s VP: “Hillary Rodham Clinton has told congressional colleagues she would be open to becoming Barack Obama’s vice presidential nominee, saying she would consider it if it would help Democrats win the White House.”(AP)
“Senator Clinton Will Not Concede the Nomination this Evening” (Time)
Dianne Feinstein Tells Clinton It’s Time to End (CNN)
Clinched: “Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates.” (AP)
It’s a Surge: “A tsunami of superdelegates is poised to rush to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) over the next 12 hours, giving him a mathematical lock on his party’s presidential nomination.” (Politico)
Dems In Chaos: “The Republican National Committee will send out an agenda-setting memo later this afternoon that portrays the Democratic Party in a state of disarray and claims that legions of Hillary Clinton voters are poised to jump to John McCain.” (Marc Ambinder)
Lengthy Primary Season Was a Boon to Cable News (Reuters)
Five things to Watch in South Dakota … and Montana (Politico)
Clinton Set to Concede? “Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation’s first female president.” (AP) — UPDATE: Fox News (live broadcast, no link) reports that Terry McAuliffe of the Hillary campaign categorically denies the Associated Press report.
Obama Pushes Effort to Claim Victory Tonight: “The rollout of the Congressional endorsements as the polls close on Tuesday night is intended to show that the party is coalescing behind him.” (NY Times)
Bill’s Last Day? “‘I want to say also, that this may be the last day I’m ever involved in a campaign of this kind,’ the former president said at a town hall at the Milbank Visitor Center.” (First Read)
Let’s End it Already: “It won’t be easy, but let’s hope that tonight, after the voting ends in South Dakota and Montana, Hillary Clinton starts the work of unifying the Democratic party.” (Daily Kos)
Hillary’s Only Chance of Redemption: “There is only one place for her to be tonight: St. Paul, Minn. That is where Barack Obama will kick off his general-election campaign tonight.” (Charles Hurt @ NY Post)
August, and no earlier: “A Clinton donor tells me that on a conference call today with major fundraisers this afternoon, Harold Ickes told them Clinton isn’t planning to drop out. He pressed donors to stay unified, and reviewed tactical options, including challenging the Michigan delegation.” (Ben Smith)
Superdelegates Predict Quick Primary End: “As the Democratic nomination marathon neared a potential finish line, key senators said the results of Tuesday’s South Dakota and Montana primaries will have a domino effect on uncommitted superdelegates – quite possibly clinching the nomination for Barack Obama.” (Politico)
Hillary’s South Dakota Surge: Latest poll has Hillary ahead by 26 points in South Dakota: Obama by four points in Montana (American Research Group)
Montana: The Democrats’ Last Stand: “The main issues that concern Montanans: high gas prices and gun rights.” (Time)
Competing Until The End: “Hillary drops a positive last-minute mailer in Montana, another indication that she’s spending at least a bit of money to compete in the final states until the last.” (TPM Election Central)
A Muddy Endgame (CQ Politics)
Trouble Signs As Obama Closes In: “Obama, unlike his counterparts in recent presidential cycles, is not exactly sprinting across the finish line.”(Boston Globe)
Clinton Hinting At the VP Slot? A close friend and adviser: “She will do whatever it takes to bring the party together to win and whatever is asked of her to make sure the Republicans are defeated.” (CNN Political Ticker)
Hillary Sure Sounds Like She’s Ready to Rock On (Video @ Hot Air)
The Clintons’ Mixed Message: “On the day before the curtain dropped on an interminable 2008 primary season, Bill Clinton upstaged his wife one more time.” (Newsday)
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25 Comments
1. ElliotNC:Obama to claim victory at site DRIPPING with symbolism — according to a NY Times Story
The Xcel Energy Center may be dripping in symbolism as the site of the Republican Convention, but it is also dripping in irony, because the name is so confusingly similar to Excelon Energy, the energy company for whose benefit Obama caved on legislation he had introduced to protect the public with mandatory notification of any radiation leaks, then subsequently accepted $100s of thousands in campaign contributions.
Finally, just revealed this last week, Obama campaign manager David Axelrod was hired as a clandestine lobbyist to coordinate Excelon’s fake citizens’ organization calling for reduced restrictions.
It’s a bold move in its brazeness, almost tempting voters to make the connection to one of the biggest hypocrisies of the Obama campaign. Axelrod is thumbing his nose and gatting his final laugh, knowing that the public won’t make the connection.
It would be as if John McCain claimed his nomination under a banner proclaiming, “Mission Accomplished.”
Jun 3, 2008 - 6:40 am 2. Dan from Milwaukee:BREAKING NEWS!!!
Jun 3, 2008 - 8:40 am 3. Nahanni:Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her divorce with former President Bill Clinton after she realized she can’t use him anymore!!!
Kos is smoking crack if he thinks that the Clinton’s are going to do much of anything to “unify” the party after the way they and their supporters have been treated.
No, Kossyboi, here is where you learn that paybacks are a bitch.
My guess is that the the Clinton’s take a nice, relaxing vacation until the convention while the Obama’s dirty laundry gets is held up for all to see. The Obama’s have so much of it that it must be difficult to pick which items to pull out.
Jun 3, 2008 - 8:40 am 4. ZEITGEIST:[...] HERE’S A CONTINUOUSLY-UPDATED ROUNDUP of Wyoming and South Dakota Primary news. [...]
Jun 3, 2008 - 8:40 am 5. Lexi Levy:Hillary has shown time and time again that her judgment is poor, i.e., her mismanaged campaign, her mismanaged husband, her mismanaged staff, her miscalculations, her misspeaks continually ………….
Let go and let the party come together as a united front. The forces that have driven this country apart for the past eight years must be stopped & swept from the White House … it’s time to step down and encourage your supporters to support the Democratic party. We NEED to win the Whitehouse back. Our country can’t take another 4 years of Bush which is what we’ll get with McSame.
When will this end. Enough already, Hillary. ENOUGH!!!!
Jun 3, 2008 - 8:46 am 6. Howard:I would be very sorry to see Hillary drop out. She is the better candidate, and she would be a much better President. So now I guess we get to hear the Obama supporters accuse the McCain supporters of being racists, every-time one of them disagrees with their candidate. Don’t the Obama supporters understand that it’s not racism, it’s the fact that their candidate lacks judgement, lacks experience, has spent his entire campaign criticizing, but has put forth no solutions … and, has surrounded himself with
Jun 3, 2008 - 9:44 am 7. myna:a continuous precession of despicable anti-American racists. Although I’m a registered Democrat, but like Harriet Christian – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KACQuZVAE3s – I can barely recognize today’s highjacked democratic party … and, I feel like it’s moved away from me … that’s why, like millions of other democrats … if Obama becomes the democratic candidate, I’m voting for John McCain in November.
You are dreaming, Levy. It will be McCain for the White House ‘08. Your Obama messiah will be running out of steam even before the DNC Convention. It is just the media who are drooling for this guy.
Hillary is a better candidate.
Jun 3, 2008 - 9:47 am 8. Ed Wallis:Howard said, “I can barely recognize today’s highjacked democratic party…”.
A pity, the hijacking of a Party. It has been such a concerted – and transparent – effort of the (pick your term) radical/far/socialist Left, which seems to have quite a following (not to mention bankroll…) this year.
The Democratic Party can just as well take on its “partner”-name as in Germany: “The Lefts” (Die Linke).
And with that name, comes such irony, Howard: The Democratic Party has “LEFT” you, as it has millions of others.
Jun 3, 2008 - 10:21 am 9. gus3:“which seems to have quite a following (not to mention bankroll…) this year.”
Hey, Mr. Soros, is that a bankroll in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
Jun 3, 2008 - 10:40 am 10. John M:I hope they both drop
Jun 3, 2008 - 11:14 am 11. Gary Bonner:out. They are against
any thing that is Good
in this Country.They
are fueled by the tree
huggers and the homosexual perverts.
OK This race is WAY too stressful for me to continue to follow, so consider this my parting comment on this circus that is posing as “election coverage.”
Here is why Hillary shouldn’t become President. She is a good politician, but she doesn’t actually stand for anything and she doesn’t actually have any core beliefs. She stands for what ever will get her elected.
Think about it. Her campaign was failing in the beginning, because she ran on being the “experienced strong leader – commander-in-chief” type of leader who would be ready on “day one” to take the world stage and kick butt. That didn’t work. She floundered for a while, conducted a few more “focus groups,” hired a few more pollsters and figured out how to tap into the worst instincts of the remaining voters. She became the “champion of the ‘hard working white people’ and the ‘blue collar’ baroness. It’s not that she believes anything in particular, but that she figured out how to “connect” with a group of people by telling them what they wanted to hear.
Obama, on the other hand, has remained remarkably consistant about what his core beliefs are. You might not agree with him, but I have not seen any attempts on his part to “re-invent himself” during the campaign. When ever I hear a politician is trying to “re-invent” themselves, it almost always means, they are transitioning into – morphing into – a fresh new series of lies about who they really are.
It sickens me that the media plays along and refuses to call Clinton on her “blue collar” make over. Before Pennsylvania, I never saw Clinton wearing powder blue pantsuits with too much eye shaddow. Since Pennsylvania she has even changed her accent. This is rediculous.
Wake up America. Our leaders should be chosen from among the very small handful of sincere leaders who just happen to have ideas and approaches that capture the imagination of the American people and propel us forward into a positive future.
The first Clinton Presidency was a disaster because the Clintons did not have a set of core beliefs. Thier strategy was to morph themselves into what ever public opinion seemed to expect. They made no real attempt to mold and craft consensus. That type of amoral approach to governing is extremely dangerous and lends itself to all manor of excess which eventually lead to Bill’s impeachment.
Don’t be fooled friends.
Gary Bonner, Baltimore, Maryland
Jun 3, 2008 - 11:54 am 12. rotwang:Cheer up, John M. You’re going to enjoy what the tree huggers and homosexual perverts have planned for you…moreso, probably, than you’ll care to admit.
Inside every God-fearing patriot like you is an insecure man who just wants someone to tell him he’s “pretty.”
Jun 3, 2008 - 12:01 pm 13. Hillary will suspend, not concede - UPDATED | The Anchoress:[...] So, tonight. Obama declares victory and Hillary – hopefully wearing her yellow suit – will smile like the canary ready to swallow the cat. Pajamas Media has the roundup. [...]
Jun 3, 2008 - 12:28 pm 14. The Wizard:Hillary Clinton as VEEP would be a disaster! The “co-Veeps” Billary, would certainly create havoc, disloyalty and malice for Obama. Given the tone of the Clinton’s unsuccessful political fracas, he would be crazy to even consider such a thought. The Clinton’s need to go on a long,long, vacation — away from the DNC and the political process. Their continued presence will only serve to breed discontent and anger,destorying the democratic party. Perhaps that is exactly what Mrs. Clinton has in mind. She is evil, vile and totally repugnant.
PS: I am a woman, and would NEVER vote for Hillary Clinton, she makes me ill.
Jun 3, 2008 - 1:31 pm 15. Ed Wallis:You know, “rotwang,” I guess your remarks could be expected for someone with the German name of (translated into English) “RED CHEEKS.”
Maybe the following can inform and others to the contrary….
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjY1ZWRhODA2NTViOTJhN2YyMDFjOWI3M2RkZjJjZmM=
Jun 3, 2008 - 3:05 pm 16. Mary in LA:If Hill is offered the Veep slot and takes it, I fear that ticket will win. However, in that case, I predict that inside two years we will see a sort of coup in all but name. Look for President Obama to delegate all kinds of things to his Veep, not just state funerals. (Health care, for example?)
Jun 3, 2008 - 3:36 pm 17. Papa Ray:“but I have not seen any attempts on his part to “re-invent himself” during the campaign”
You must not be keeping up with what he says and his keepers say. He has changed is mind, his position, his take on things more times than I could list here.
Do a little research on the web and you will see that he also stands for nothing, will say almost anything, and change his position to get elected.
Not only does he not believe in anything but socialism, him and his wife are racists, disguised as people who despise the same, but encourage and spread division and hate among Blacks.
Do your research.
Papa Ray
Jun 3, 2008 - 4:01 pm 18. joyce:Obama is the weaker candidate, yet the delegates are flooding to him. He’s deeply flawed and has very shady and racist associations (including his wife), yet nothing turns the delegates away. How can we explain this inexplicable phenomenon?
Can you say, MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE?
Jun 3, 2008 - 4:05 pm 19. Terry Gain:Ed Wallis:
You know, “rotwang,” I guess your remarks could be expected for someone with the German name of (translated into English) “RED CHEEKS.”
Maybe the following can inform and others to the contrary….
—-
Thanks Ed. And here I thought rotwang meant diseased penis.
Jun 3, 2008 - 8:55 pm 20. little much:Obama would make a fine actor, when all else fails.
Jun 4, 2008 - 9:03 am 21. Bill Bradley:She’s not staying in the campaign, as I already told you.
>Hillary’s Tough Decision: “Staying in the campaign will not be very expensive now that the priimaries are over. And Obama may be one or two damaging YouTubes away from becoming borderline unviable.” (Power Line)
Report: Clinton Seeking Private Meeting with Obama (Mark Halperin)
Hillary’s not conceding anything: “She just made a reference to ‘count every vote,’ which would suggest she’s not at peace with the DNC decision on Michigan and Florida.” (Jim Geraghty)
Jun 4, 2008 - 5:39 pm 22. Bill Bradley:Have you ever actually seen The Manchurian Candidate?
Do you know what it’s about?
Did you know that it was directed by one of Bobby Kennedy’s closest friends?
I am guessing the answers to each of my questions is … NO.
>joyce:
Obama is the weaker candidate, yet the delegates are flooding to him. He’s deeply flawed and has very shady and racist associations (including his wife), yet nothing turns the delegates away. How can we explain this inexplicable phenomenon?
Can you say, MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE?
Jun 4, 2008 - 5:41 pm 23. Bill Bradley:Jun 3, 2008 – 4:05 pm
… There is a conservatism which is relevant to the real world. And there is a conservatism which is relevant to a fantasy world.
Jun 4, 2008 - 5:42 pm 24. Errol Smythe:It is common knowledge that there are standard conventions to choose running mates. So it is in election 2008. The alleged friction between the Clinton and Obama camp could have reached vitriolic levels that could have endangered the Democratic Party,but it did not. Guess what,it attracted and invigorated uncommitted voters in the history to stand up and be counted and make history. Where to now with all this talk about the Clinton camp not supporting the Obama camp? It’s all talk. It’s all politics.To be more accurate it’s politricks. The truth is the Clinton camp like the Obama camp are both democrats and like all good families have a little squabble then make up and go on , so what else is new.
Jun 5, 2008 - 1:35 am 25. Errol Smythe:Most people know that what is most likely to happen is that there will be a shifting of primary voting position by the majority of voters that were in the Clinton camp moving to the next level of commitment, to Presidential voting position , that is from individual level to party level, from a primary election 2008 polling statement to a declaration of party loyalty rallying around the Democratic Party Presidential Nominee for November 2008.
The polls made it appear that there was going to be a Clinton Administration in Election 2008.It never happened. It would appear that most of the polls polled a small section of a carefully chosen community to present a carefully cardiographed miniscule representation of so called voting trends
in Election 2008 to what would appear to be to scientifically engineer and manipulate poll figures to bolster previous statements of support for one candidate against the other.
True or false? You tell me, did the polls get it right 80% of the time or 65% of the time or maybe 43% of the time? Ask the pollsters, no one is really sure what the self ordained priests posing as self appointed political analysts sitting on their tripods in their temples of media spin were spouting when they made wild predictions of this and that and were wrong most of the time. Why?They relied on cooked up figures that were souped up to make one candidate look better than the other candidate in election 2008.
When things went contrary to the cited polling figures, then media spin kicked and kitchen sink strategy and mudslinging politics. But that is history now. It will be swept under the carpet or placed in a hired skip to dump all the vitriolic garbage in the dumping site graveyard of failed election campaigns.
The Democratic party is on the road to November 2008. One camp lost another camp won. So what? Both camps are democrats and everyone knows the party interests take precedence over individual interest.
The Obama camp has earned the right to choose their own VP. Convention rules in American politics have always been that way. Their choice must be respected because it will be the choice of Obama camp and Barak Obama.Errol Smythe.
A joint ticket with Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton may not be a bad idea after all. But it is up to the Obama camp and Barak Obama to make the final decision. It is good to have an open mind and examine all options and choose what is best for the Democratic Party and what is good for the country. It may be a tough call to make. But then again it is just a everyday routine decision that one may expect of anyone aspiring for the high office of the President of the United States of America, because to be the President of the United States of America you have to be a great person loved and accepted by all Americans.
Jun 6, 2008 - 3:20 amThe great President John F Kennedy said “..ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country…”
Another great President Abraham Lincoln said “…united we stand,divided we fall…” and Ronald Reagan, a third great President said “…America is a shining beacon of democracy……”
Like many that originally considered that it wouldn’t work, because of the fierce exchange of words between the two camps, a joint ticket sounded out of the question. But then my opinion don’t matter. It don’t matter because it is not my call, it is the call of the Obama Camp and Barak Obama.
On reflection it will be good to heal the party. It will demonstrate that in primary elections , individuals may have different opinions but still have the grace to unite around a common purpose for the good of the people. In Election 2008 the Democratic Party people have spoken in the primaries by voting in their millions that they have a high opinion of both Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama .
Is a joint ticket a U-turn to rhetoric that would prefer the Obama Camp administration totally independent of the Clinton Camp and the Clinton Camp totally independent of the Obama Camp?Yes! An emphatic yes! Why? Because both Camps have excellent election and administration teams and best of all they belong to the same party. It will be good synergy for the party for the Obama Camp and the Clinton Camp to progress to the next level.
The media has been kind to both candidates . That is the maturity of American politics. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech,transparency and accountability.
Together Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton with John Edwards will make a formidable team. It is common knowledge that convention states that the winning candidate gets to choose his running mate. Public opinion and street wise talk on the streets suggests that it will be gracious for Barak to choose Hillary as a running mate.
In the past at the height of the primaries some negative press reports suggested that a joint ticket was not a good idea. I am guilty of thinking that it was not a good idea. But I would like to go on record for whatever it is worth and say that I salute Hillary Clinton for her tenacity, her courage,her patriotism, her great zeal and love for America, her love and commitment to Israel and her dedication to the high call of duty. Hillary as VP will bring a wealth of experience and advice for the Obama Administration.
To date Hillary’s has not publicly conceded. No one knows what is actually being said by both party camp loyals about the future direction of the party behind closed doors and what is being whispered by party camp die hards around coffee tables in restaurants , hastily convened crisis meetings etc. Just kidding!
Word on the street is that the party has to have a united front. To do this it may be recommended by persons close to Barak Obama that since Hillary’s name has been put forward for the VP slot it is respectfully suggested that he appoint her as his VP running mate and have John Edwards as Secretary of State.
The final decision will be up to Barak Obama who has the interests of uniting and healing the wounds of division of the Democratic party. That is an urgent priority and the “…urgent need of now..” and the “…fierce urgency of the hour…”.
It is hoped that this contentious hurdle of appointments of Hillary and John Edwards can unite and galvanize the party to be a political force to reckon worth.
No one doubts the patriotism , maturity and graciousness of Barak , Hillary and John who have the Democratic Party interest at heart and will do whatever it takes to unite the party around a common purpose with a view of November 2008 . Errol Smythe.