Posted by John Publius Jr. on June 7th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Hillary Clinton gave an important speech today to thousands of her supporters gathered at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Senator Clinton said:
“The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand, is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.”
“Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulated him on the victory he has won . . . I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.
Clinton’s speech was powerful and moving, perhaps one of the greatest concession speeches in U.S. history. I cannot recall a more important one.
Watch Hillary Clinton’s full speech:
For months many have wondered “What will Hillary Clinton Do?” Some suggested that she would not concede and would take the fight for the nomination all the way to the Democratic Party National Convention in Denver, August 25-28.
Today Clinton’s speech for Obama ended all speculation as she echoed a mantra of the Obama campaign: “Yes we can!” Clinton fulfilled an important campaign promise that she would give full support to the Democratic Party nominee once all the votes were counted.
Democrats must be ecstatic to see yet another extraordinary event in the 2008 Presidential campaign.
I am especially moved by this line from Senator Clinton’s speech:
“Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it has about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before.”
Hillary Clinton and her supporters are essential for an Obama and Democratic Party victory over Republican John McCain in November, 2008.
Some pundits suggested the Hillary Clinton’s speech today was an audition to be Barack Obama’s running mate.
Vote in Our Opinion Poll about the Obama/Clinton “Dream Ticket”.
Sphere: Related Content
3 Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on June 5th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Here is the full text of Hillary Clinton’s email to her supporters:
Subject: I want you to know
Dear John,Â
I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.
On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.
I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party’s nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.
When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.
I made you — and everyone who supported me — a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.
I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.
I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.
In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.
I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.
Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Sphere: Related Content
No Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on June 4th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Today a number of Hillary Clinton’s supporters in the U.S. Congress had a conference call with Senator Clinton and urged her to end her campaign and to endorse Barack Obama. Clinton agreed with this advice, and she is expected to endorse Obama in the next few days. The plan is to have a closed meeting on Friday with her close allies and then have a public announcement on Saturday.
This development is a major step in the direction of party unity and healing for the Democrats.
Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, some of the most fanatic supporters of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have visceral hatred for their rival Democratic Party candidate. Some staunch Hillary Clinton voters are so angry that they say they will vote for John McCain in November. Likewise, some Obama voters vehemently oppose the suggested Obama/Clinton “dream ticket” and may not even vote for Obama if Clinton is his running mate.
This level of animosity strikes me as unhealthy. If you really think either Obama or Clinton is so great, why not listen to what they are saying? Both Clinton and Obama have expressed admiration for each other and have urged their supporters to unite for the Democratic Party and its presidential nominee, who is Obama as of yesterday. Is this just a cult of personality or do the issues matter too?
People have their reasons and we have the right to vote how we want without providing reasons.
Almost all Democrats will vote for Barack Obama in November. Obama will also need many votes from independents, especially in “swing states”. Clinton voters who vote for McCain are ultimately disrespectful of Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is passionate about the issues and also about her Democratic Party. “Obamaniacs” must respect Barack Obama’s choice for running mate, especially if his choice is Hillary Clinton.
“Obamaniacs” and “Clintonistas” must unite or John McCain is the next president.
The Democratic Party must do some “political triage”. Many people are already onboard the Obama train. Democrats must energize and mobilize these voters. A few people are so angry that they are hopeless. It’s best to isolate and ignore them. The Democrats must focus on winning over the group of voters that is still undecided but open to voting for Obama and the Democratic Party in 2008.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can accomplish more now that they are united than they ever could do separately.
Vote in Our Opinion Poll about the Obama/Clinton “Dream Ticket”.
Sphere: Related Content
3 Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on June 3rd, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
Barack Obama is now the “presumptive” presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Â
The final day of the 2008 Democratic primary season ended with Barack Obama winning Montana and Hillary Clinton winning South Dakota.
The nomination came down to the last day and every vote was counted. This has been an amazing journey for the history books.
*************Â BOX SCORES ***********************
GAME 1 - South Dakota
Delegates:Â Â Clinton:Â 9Â Â Â Â |Â Obama: 6
% of vote:Â Â Â Clinton: 55%Â |Â Obama: 45%
vote totals: Clinton: 54,014 |Â Obama: 43,574
keys to the game: white middle class voters, Westerners, more rural, less historical racial division.
GAME 2 - Montana
Delegates:Â Â Clinton:Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â |Â Obama: 9
% of vote:Â Â Â Clinton: 41%Â |Â Obama: 57%
vote totals: Clinton: 74,702Â |Â Obama: 102,373
keys to the game: white middle class voters, Westerners, more rural, less historical racial division.
************* SCHEDULE Â ************************
On to the General Election November 4th, 2004!
- Democratic Party National Convention: August 25-28, Denver, Colorado
- Republican Party National Convention: September 1-4, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Debates between John McCain and Barack Obama, to be determined.
- Much more ahead!
************* STANDINGS ************************
*Delegate Count: Obama clinches the nomination!
Obama: 2,158 (total), 1763 (pledged), 395 (super delegates)
Clinton:Â 1,926 (total), 1640 (pledged), 286 (super delegates)
Edwards: 6 (total), 6 (pledged), 0 (super delegates)
* Updated June 4, 2008, according to CNN.
2,118 delegates required to win the nomination.
Sphere: Related Content
No Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on June 1st, 2008 — in General Election Rules, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
The Puerto Rico primary results are in: Clinton overwhelmed Obama 68% to 32%.
*************Â WRAPÂ ******************************Â
Today Hillary Clinton predictably and decisively defeated Barack Obama in Puerto Rico’s primary. Clinton gained 38 pledged delegates and Obama added 17, putting him within 48 delegates of clinching the Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nomination.
This is a bit anti-climactic for the Clinton campaign. Yesterday’s Democratic Party resolution of the Florida and Michigan controversies ended yet another avenue for Clinton to change the outcome. Puerto Rico’s primary gave Clinton a net gain of 21 delegates, but this is much too little, much too late.
In her victory speech, Hillary Clinton ended by promising repeatedly to “keep on fighting”. Obama also gave an interesting speech today at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. Obama’s speech focused on defeating John McCain in November.Â
Tuesday finally marks the end of the road. Soon “every vote will be counted” and Hillary Clinton loses another “talking point”.
I am happy to see Puerto Rico and all states/territories have a voice in the nomination process.
Hopefully you already know this:
Puerto Ricans are full U.S. citizens. Puerto Rico does not have any electoral votes for the general election because it is not a state. Many Puerto Rican voters are residents throughout the 50 states, especially in New York City, Chicago, and other urban areas.
Obligatory demographic discussion:
Obama needs to continue to improve his standing among Latino voters, but he already has some solid Latino support as a strong base on which to build. Latinos typically vote about 60% Democratic to 40% Republican, and often even higher for Democrats. Of course, Puerto Ricans are a separate demographic box than Mexican-Americans and other Latinos, but the voting patterns are similar inside the bigger Latino box. Puerto Ricans are among the most loyal Democratic Party voters of any demographic group. Obama could easily get overwhelming vote percentages from Latinos in the general election against John McCain.
*************Â BOX SCORE ************************
Puerto Rico
Delegates:Â Â Clinton: 38Â Â Â Â |Â Obama: 17
% of vote:Â Â Â Clinton: 68%Â |Â Obama: 32%
vote totals: Clinton: 263,120 |Â Obama: 121,458
keys to the game: Latino working class voters, lower-middle income, Clinton name recognition.
************* SCHEDULE Â ************************
2Â primaries contests remain (the number of delegates at stake is in parentheses):
- June 3rd: Montana (16) and South Dakota (15)
Also, we are waiting for approximately 200 super delegates to announce their intentions.
The last day is Tuesday!
************* STANDINGS ************************
*Delegate Count: Obama needs 48 more delegates to clinch the nomination.
Obama: 2070 (total), 1741 (pledged), 329 (super delegates)
Clinton:Â 1915 (total), 1624 (pledged), 291 (super delegates)
Edwards:Â 13 (total), 13Â (pledged), 0 (super delegates)
* Updated June 1, 2008, according to CNN.
2,118 delegates required to win the nomination.
Note on delegate counts: each news agency has its own set of numbers. This is primarily due to the complex rules involved in awarding delegates to the candidates. I’ve been using CNN as a baseline, but this is somewhat arbitrary and not an endorsement of CNN. Their website updates the count frequently and I find it easy to use and informative. See MSNBC and FoxNews for alternative delegate counts.
Sphere: Related Content
No Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on June 1st, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog, Democratic Party Rules
On Saturday, the Democratic Party’s Rules Committee finally settled on the new rules for seating delegates from Florida and Michigan.
The Rules Committee reduced its punishment of the Florida and Michigan state Democratic Party organizations. Originally, the Rules Committee stripped these states of all their delegates as a sanction for violating the rule of holding primaries before Super Tuesday. See my earlier posts in the category of “Democratic Party Rules“ for background information and opinions on the Florida and Michigan delegate controversies.
Also, read this summary from Yahoo! News and CNN’s summary.
New Rules and Numbers as of Saturday, May 31st:
- Basically, all delegates from Florida and Michigan will go to the Democratic Party National Convention in Denver, August 25-28, and participate in the formal nomination of the party’s presidential candidate. Each delegate from these states will have half a vote, instead of a full vote, granted to all the other delegates.
Â
- Clinton picks up delegates: 105 from Florida, 69 from Michigan, with a total of 87 votes.
Â
- Obama also gained delegates: 67 from Florida, 59 from Michigan, with a total of 63 votes.
Â
- Adding the Florida and Michigan half-vote delegates changes the “magic number”. 2118 is the new “magic number” of total delegates needed to win the nomination; the old number was 2,026.
Â
- The new rules move back the goal post for Barack Obama. Obama previously needed only 48 more delegates to clinch the nomination, now he needs 67.Â
****** LATEST STANDINGS ************************
*Delegate Count: Obama needs 67 more delegates to clinch the nomination.
Obama: 2051 (total), 1724 (pledged), 327 (super delegates)
Clinton: 1887 (total), 1586 (pledged), 291 (super delegates)
Edwards: 13 (total), 13 (pledged), 0 (super delegates)
* Updated May 31, 2008, according to CNN.
2,118 delegates required to win the nomination.
*****************************************************
Is everybody happy?
Of course not. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and its Rules Committee have supporters of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Both the Clinton and Obama camps came to Saturday’s meeting with proposals to resolve the Florida and Michigan disputes. Neither side got exactly what it wanted, but that’s the nature of compromise. Clinton gained more delegate votes than Obama, which was significant because the Rules Committee had the option to stick with its original decision to NOT seat any delegates from Florida and Michigan.
Nevertheless, the Clinton campaign continues to raise objections and argues that Clinton should have received an additional four delegates from Michigan. Here is an official statement from Clinton campaign operatives Harold Ickes and Tina Flourney:
Today’s results are a victory for the people of Florida who will have a voice in selecting our Party’s nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party’s convention. The decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee honors the votes that were cast by the people of Florida and allocates the delegates accordingly.
We strongly object to the Committee’s decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan’s delegates without reflecting the votes of the people of Michigan. The Committee awarded to Senator Obama not only the delegates won by Uncommitted, but four of the delegates won by Senator Clinton. This decision violates the bedrock principles of our democracy and our Party.
We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.
Conversely, Obama supporters argue that they were quite conciliatory toward the Clinton campaign. As reported in Yahoo! News:
Allan Katz, a Rules Committee member and Obama supporter, said the Obama campaign had enough votes on the committee to support the campaign’s proposal to split the delegates 50-50 in Michigan. Ultimately, the campaign agreed instead to support the compromise negotiated by the Michigan Democratic Party as a way to resolve the matter.
“The ironic thing is Obama had the majority of that committee,” Katz said. “The Obama campaign wants to move on and compromise. We did not muscle our way through it. It was a wise decision from a well run and wise campaign that will reverberate.”
Once Barack Obama clinches the nomination and exceeds the necessary total of 2118 by a comfortable margin, maybe his campaign will simply give Clinton the four disputed delegates as yet another gesture of magnanimity to further unite the Democratic Party. Of course, some day Hillary Clinton may finally accept that Barack Obama is the 2008 presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
Sphere: Related Content
1 Comment »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on May 24th, 2008 — in Referee whistle, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mainstream Media, Blog
In South Dakota yesterday, Hillary Clinton made a very unfortunate comment during an interview with the Editorial Board of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper.
While discussing why some people want her to end her campaign, Clinton said the following:
I don’t, because again, I’ve been around long enough. You know my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere around the middle of June.
We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. Um you know I just I don’t understand it. There’s lots of speculation about why it is.
This video of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is the most passionate criticism of Clinton’s statement that I have heard:
See these related links:
My commentary on this controversy:
I agree with much of Keith Olbermann’s commentary. It seems that every time I write something positive about Hillary Clinton, the next day she sparks a new, unfortunate, ill-advised controversy. I have always had a “soft spot” for Hillary Clinton because I don’t like the way she has been unfairly demonized over the years. Sadly, her 2008 campaign has alienated many people unnecessarily.
These recent remarks by Clinton cross a line, touch the third rail. Obviously, her comments were not intentionally meant this way. But it shows a lack of judgment. She should know better than anyone else to be more thoughtful in presenting her political messages. Everyone makes mistakes, and when we do, it is important to correct them as effectively as possible. Her “apology” was oblivious to the seriousness of her mistake.
I have gone out on a limb by advocating an Obama/Clinton ticket. I’ve always had doubts about this, but I have thought the potential upside outweighs the downside. Today I am much less enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton.
I do believe in redemption. Hopefully, her next attempt at an apology will invoke her “better angels”. Hillary Clinton needs to prove that she can transcend her own narrow political ambitions. She needs to do this because it’s the right thing to do instead of weighing the potential political consequences.
Sphere: Related Content
2 Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on May 23rd, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog, Democratic Party Rules
John McCain is not officially the nominee of the Republican party, he is only the “presumptive” nominee now. The party nominee is not the official nominee until a majority of delegates at the party convention officially vote for the candidate.
Soon Barack Obama will be the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. Hillary Clinton must decide how long she will keep her party in limbo.
Hillary Clinton continues to fight for every last delegate. She will certainly end up with the best second place showing in modern party nomination history. But as Mitt Romney knows, politics does not award “silver medals”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sphere: Related Content
2 Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on May 21st, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
 Today is one of those days when political coverage is more like sports news.
*************Â WRAPÂ ******************************Â
Yesterday’s double-header between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama resulted in a predictable split decision.
Clinton defeated Obama in Kentucky, outscoring Obama 37 to 14 in pledged delegates. In Oregon, Obama won over Clinton, and we’re still waiting for the final score.
May 23rd UPDATE: Oregon resulted in 31 delegates for Obama and 21 for Clinton.
Media analysts repeated the usual exit poll demographic discussion. Some white voters in Kentucky apparently don’t like Obama. Hillary is in it until the final primaries on June 3rd. Most speculate that Obama will be the official Democratic Party nominee by mid-June at the latest.
Obama needs only 57 more delegates to clinch the nomination and finally advance to the political World Series against John McCain. To defeat McCain, Obama needs to expand his roster to bring in as many Clinton voters as possible.
*************Â BOX SCORES ***********************
GAME 1 - KENTUCKY
Delegates:Â Â Clinton: 37Â Â Â Â |Â Obama: 14
% of vote:Â Â Â Clinton: 65%Â |Â Obama: 30%
vote totals: Clinton: 459,124Â |Â Obama: 209,778
keys to the game: white working class voters, lower-middle income, more rural
GAME 2 - OREGON
Delegates:Â Â Clinton:Â 21Â Â Â |Â Obama: 31
% of vote:Â Â Â Clinton: 41%Â |Â Obama: 59%
vote totals: Clinton: 252,270 |Â Obama: 360,728
keys to the game: progressive white voters, middle income, more urban
************* SCHEDULE Â ************************
3 primaries contests remain (the number of delegates at stake is in parentheses):
- June 1st: Puerto Rico (55)
- June 3rd: Montana (16) and South Dakota (15)
Also, we are waiting for approximately 209 super delegates to announce their intentions.
Hang in there, it’s almost over, really!
************* STANDINGS ************************
*Delegate Count: Obama needs 57 more delegates to clinch the nomination.
Obama: 1969 (total), 1660 (pledged), 309 (super delegates)
Clinton: 1779 (total), 1500 (pledged), 279 (super delegates)
Edwards: 7 (total), 7 (pledged), 0 (super delegates)
* Updated May 23, 2008, according to CNN.
2,026 delegates required to win the nomination.
Note on delegate counts: each news agency has its own set of numbers. This is primarily due to the complex rules involved in awarding delegates to the candidates. I’ve been using CNN as a baseline, but this is somewhat arbitrary and not an endorsement of CNN. Their website updates the count frequently and I find it easy to use and informative. See MSNBC and FoxNews for alternative delegate counts.
Sphere: Related Content
No Comments »
Posted by John Publius Jr. on May 15th, 2008 — in Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Blog
On Wednesday, former presidential candidate John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama. The endorsement from Edwards signaled another step toward Obama’s nomination. John Edwards is an important leader of the Democratic Party and was John Kerry’s running mate in 2004.
John Edwards ran a somewhat disappointing campaign in 2008. He did not win a single primary or caucus. He did sharpen his message, specifically reaching out to people struggling with economic hardship. His prestige within the Democratic Party and support especially among a segment of blue collar and lower-income voters helped pressure both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to pay more attention to poverty issues.
John Edwards’ wife Elizabeth Edwards is also very well-respected and liked. Many speculate that Elizabeth Edwards supports Hillary Clinton.
This endorsement was good timing for Barack Obama’s campaign. A key rule of politics is that when the media is focused on negative stories about you, you need to change the story. Obama’s loss to Clinton in West Virginia by a huge margin was the negative story, and the Edwards endorsement replaced it.
John Edwards has been a harsh critic of the Iraq War and a passionate advocate for universal health care. Edwards won 7% of the vote in the West Virginia primary even though he has not been a candidate since February.
Edwards’ appeal to white working class voters may help Obama slightly, but ultimately Obama needs to do a better job reaching out to this constituency. In the aftermath of his endorsement, 8 of Edwards’ 19 pledged delegates are now pledged to Obama. Meanwhile more super delegates are jumping onboard Obama’s bandwagon.
This has been a long and interesting ride. Hang in there, this one is almost over. I sense that even Hillary Clinton and her campaign realize that she will not be the nominee in 2008. The battle between John McCain and Barack Obama is just beginning.
Sphere: Related Content
1 Comment »
Loading ...