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Tuesday, June 03, 2008
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139 comments:
I just wanna say...GOBAMA!
Woohoo!
I second the GOBAMA!
I would like to be the first Canadian to state that I am thrilled about this and believe having President Obama will be good for us as neighbours also.
Could you keep posting the endorsements? I want to see him run up the score.
Democrats unite and take down the McCain/Bush machine. This is one of the most important elections in US history, and it's time for forward progress instead of 8 years of dragging our name in the dirt.
"The Next President of the United States"
From your mouth to God's ears.
Congrats Oreo and Matt, you did it :)
Go OBAMA!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Signed, sealed delivered baby!
From Sweden to the Internets...
OBAMA 2008!
*POP* goes my champagne!
I am sooooo proud to be an American.
I am sooooo proud to be supporting our NEXT PRESIDENT - BARACK OBAMA!!!!!!
All you guys at DemConWatch were absolutely AWESOME!!!!
Thank you for all your diligence.
20 reasons why Hillary shouldn't get a damn thing from Obama (no VP, no Cabinet, not even a free lunch):
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/donwinmtx/gGBmlG
Yes we did it! GOBAMA '08!
As I sit here fighting back the swell of tears, I want to thank you guys for this site. It was a regular stop for me as often as I checked my email accounts. Please everyone, know that the job is unfinished! We need to double our efforts to ensure that Obama is in the White House. I fear that people will conclude it's a done deal-well, let's make it that way by getting all the people who voted for both democratic nominees to the polls for the general election as well! Remember Obama is the face of OUR cause/movement!
I dunno....some clinton supporters seem determined to make sure he loses....especially if he doesnt name her veep.....And I dont think he does that.....
America, Pat Yourself on the Back.
(As posted by me earlier tonight on www.Politicalbase.com)
With the apparent nomination fight over, I can now say that I've never been prouder of my fellow Americans. 17.5 million people voted for the first woman candidate, and 17.5 million voted for the first African American candidate. And I have no doubt that the vast majority of Clinton supporters will turn out to vote for Obama in the fall. It's been a very long time since I've felt this good about my fellow citizens, maybe since the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11 when we came together as a people. The last few years it's been distressing to see us polarized, and distrustful of one another. It's a new day, America. Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it. Then it's time to get to work to make this country great again.
There will be difficulty uniting the Democratic party for this November but I believe that if any one can do it it will be Barack Obama. I know he won't get all of them but hopefully he'll get enough that the Opublicans and Odependents (Obama Republicans and Obama Independents)will get us the rest of the way.
Go Obama, first step taken. Time to show the world what McCain is really made of: rubber and plastic (flip-flops).
Thralen
Thralen
I'd like to see him run it up again. Anyone else see Clinton's speech? I didn't expect a concession, but it was certainly a defiant speech.
Yeah!!!! I haven't been so excited about a candidate in my 28 years of voting!
This is AWESOME! Go Obama! Go USA! We are no longer black, white, brown, yellow, or red. We are Americans! Now we can be good neighbors again! It takes all of us. We can make it happen.
Just watched Clinton's speech. She is still campaigning. Sigh, seems like everytime Obama is consilatory to Clinton at all. Clinton basically takes it as weakness and will not even come half way to meet Obama. Instead uses it as a springboard to promote herself.
This has been the case for the last month and big reason Obama has lost by such large amounts. Obama does not want to alienate Clinton's supporters anymore than he has too. Sigh, just sad to watch.
Well at least Obama seems to be rising above it. But bet she will just use it as another excuse to attack him. She is basically going to shove herself down his throat as his VP. Which will just strain the relationship between the two of them.
Will just have to see what happens, but the rest of this week may end up depressing. Depending on what Clinton does.
I am very happy. Is not only a chance for America but for the world too. A chance for Peace and a better world.
Thank you all.
Godspeed Obama.
I say not so fast there are 169 undecided supers out there and they could all go to clinton, so hold on to your celebratory hats, ok :)
Patrick Pate, she needs 204-OK?
I just got a call from Jerry McNerney's campaign office that Congressaman McNerney is endorsing Obama, as of 7:00 pm PT tonight.
Matt/Oreo. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I am overwhelmed by emotion.
Patrick Pate, Sorry, she needs 192 now. However, SD's will be leaving her, not flocking to her.
patrick,
basic math concept:
if one person has more than 50% of something, the other person can not also have 50% of that. It just doesn't add up. When Obama gets 2118, the reason he wins is that Clinton cannot have more than him after that
Hillary said that she "will not be making a decision tonight" - despite the fact that The People have already made the decision FOR her. Hmmm...
Let's all hope that Hillary supporters will be able to put on their "big boy & big girl pants" and go out to vote for their party's nominee, instead of this schoolyard crap they call a protest (whether it be a write-in or refusal to vote). If Hillary supporters can't get over their pouting problem, then they will likely - and rightfully so - be held responsible for a McBush presidency.
And I firmly believe that having her as VP will hinder - not help - the Dems this November. Grow up and let go, so we can go about the business of running the Republicans out of the Oval Office!!!
GOBAMA!!!!!!
There's one candidate who knows how to use visuals.
McCain spoke in front of a board.
Clinton spoke, backed up against about three people.
And then there's Obama, using perspective so that every picture of him will necessarily include what looks like a crowd of flag-and-placard-bedecked supporters.
PS - I was so caught up in this, that I forgot to give my heartfelt thanks to those of you that have worked so hard to keep this extraordinary website rolling as you have!!! You have been my pillar through all of this madness, the clarity you have provided on every single little item has proven invaluable. Really, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I think Patrick knows how to add. Ever hear of "tongue-in-cheek?" I think that's why he left a smiley icon.
HRC's speech was disingenuous, dishonorable and ungracious.
Her position is like the horse in the kentucky derby who comes in second thinking if it just runs one more lap around the course that it can win.
To be honest she CAN’T concede now, as there is a winner, all she can do is accept defeat. Concession is applicable when you can GIVE your opponent their victory. And she missed that opportunity.
@dmx
From the Great City of Buenos Aires, I want to give a huge shout out of:
OLE, OLE, OLE, OLE...OBA MAA
GO OBAMA!
Another great Obama speech!! This country once elected a great President from Illinois based only on his speeches calling for change -- Abraham Lincoln.
Clinton's speech was inexplicable except for the key part where she told her supporters to go to her website to let her know what to do now. The whole point was to try to get enough money to pay her debts, including the millions she lent herself.
I suggest that when Obama meets with her that he promise her a Supreme Court seat conditional upon exit polls that show 95% of Hillary supporters vote for Obama in November.
dmx
That analogy is disgusting.
Great speech! I am so excited!
Lots of work to do, but we're ready.
Thanks for the great work, demconwatch!
(my deleted post was a response to a post that has been deleted -- sorry!)
If Clinton really wants to be VP, she has a funny way of showing it. No concession or admission that Obama is the nominee, no conciliatory tone, precious little respect or tact, and a good amount of chest-thumping and back-patting, all with an underlying "I win anyway, no matter what the score is!" demeanor. If Obama needed any further reason to dismiss this "Dream Team" nonsense and simply pick a qualified candidate who won't drag the ticket down from the very solid pool of potential contenders, Hills gave it to him with her shameless, self-congratulatory performance this evening. With the exception of the lock-step faithful and the Republicans who know that Clinton on the ticket is good for McCain, it's hard to imagine anyone seeing that speech tonight and believing for a second that Clinton will be a supportive, complimentary running mate.
Congratulations, Senator Obama. Now do the right thing to promote real change by telling Hillary Clinton she isn't going to taint your ticket with her old-fashioned, divisive ways.
Hooray. Finally =)
I am so happy!!! I have waited for this for what seems like forever. I am over 50, white and female, middle class and I totally support Barack Obama. We're not all the same and we don't all think alike so there is hope! I can't believe this is no longer a dream but a reality...awesome!
FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!
I join in thanking everyone at DCW for your diligent, excellent work. You were (and are) the sorely needed authoritative source. Like my fellow obsessive campaign-watchers, I don't know what I would have done without you. (And to cap it off, you even responded to comments of mine.)
Many thanks!
Would it have killed HRC to congratulate Obama as the presumptive nominee according to the usual "play nice" rules of politics? I hear a lot about how much respect Hillary should be given, and Obama has gone out of his way to do that, but where is the respect coming the other way? I am as fired up as anyone on this blog, believe me, I'm all GOBAMA tonight, but we have to tread very carefully in this VP hoopla (PLEASE don't cave to the pressure, Barack) and take out McCain early, to the point where he looks like a doddering fool by October.
Poor jallen_007. He was hoping to score some points from the Mccain campaign for spamming a Dem blog with GOP talking points. ;-)
Thanks so much for all of your work DCW! It's been greatly appreciated!
I have been following DCW closely from early January onwards, and have aggregated some of its content on Electicker.
This seems like as good a time as any to say:
Thank you, DCW, and keep up the good work.
By the normal rules, Clinton's speech should have (like Obama's) mentioned the shared values of all the Democratic candidates, should have stated that all the Democratic candidates were great and ran their campaigns with honor and integrity, and have noted the differences between all of the Democratic candidates and the Republican candidate.
I have been involved with candidates who won the primary and candidates who lost the primary, and most of them have understood the normal rules.
OBAMA! Next President of the United States of America!
Actually, I think Hill's speech was not so bad. I heard her talking a lot about the issues that divide Dem and Repub, (health care, Iraq, energy) in a way that made me think she was getting in line with the general election campaign. And she closed saying something to the effect of 'No decision tonight, but I'm consulting with leaders about the good of the party'.
And then Carville on CNN said no one should have expected her to concede tonight because "these things take time". It's over, even for Hill.
OBAMA Will Be Our Next President of the UNITED States of America!
God Bless the Obama family and God Bless America!
I am REALLY proud to be an American right now!!!
First of all, I am so proud of my country tonight. What an historic event! I gathered my kidlets to see the speech by the next president of the united states.
Second, I was sorely disappointed in Hillary's speech. She smirked when her supporters chanted, 'Denver!'. Ungracious, and still smells of unethical underhandedness! I want to think she will take the dignified road, but have yet to see that.
Thank you so much all of you!! I have always come here when I need intelligent info and perspective and reassurance!!!
And God Bless Oreo and Matt and everyone here at DCW and everyone in the WORLD :)
DCW has done a superb job tracking the delegate math. Keep us informed until when the last delegate is counted.
Thanks a bunch DCW!!!
You guys really did set the standard for objective journalism in this primary!
I hope you guys win some sort of award for your efforts.
Congratulations to Obama and the Democratic Party from Paris, France!
Great day for Obama.
Great day for DCW.
Great day for America.
Great day for the planet.
and of course Hillary has to ruin the night in typical fashion, as shouts of "Denver" come down from the rafters of her non-concession speech.
Many, many thanks to DCW & crew--you guys got us through this one, and we'd have been lost without you.
After it become clear that delegates were going to decide this race, I was frustrated by the poor coverage on MSNBC, CNN and other news sites. I quickly learned to not bother with those other sites as you guys have done a fantastic job tracking all this information. I hope the thousands of hours don't go unnoticed.
YES WE CAN
OBAMA 08
Merci à Matt et Oreo: vous avez fait un travail fantastique et God bless the new America!
YES WE CAN!
Yay, I fixed my blogger profile so I'm no longer known as mix lol.
Anyways, I've been a longtime Clinton supporter, and I do believe she is the best candidate in the fall.
That said, however, I am voting for Obama (I ordered a GLBT for Obama button + Bumper Sticker tonight lol) (I so want one of those change we can believe in signs though :( )We'll see how the upcoming weeks go as to whether or not I'll full-out support him.
I signed the pledge months ago saying I would vote for the Dem nominee, because I believe all of our candidates would be great, and I can not let myself vote for McCain.
I am ready to triple my efforts and get REALLY serious about campaigning even harder for Obama. Don't worry folks! This is just the beginning for many supporters. JUST THE BEGINING!
"Yes we can" and "Now here's how"... Democrats unite!
Donate for Barack: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/JulieWhite
From one multi-cultural family to another! Congratulations Obama Family!
How can I help the kind folks that do this web site. You have also been my rock. Visit me at: http://juliemwhite.spaces.live.com/
Congrats Obama!!! Now its time that Obama and Hillary to come together and do what is right for the Democratic Party and the US. If they don't, might as well roll out the red carpet for McCain.
Gov. Richardson for Secretary of State.
alex, it's from fox news. that should answer your question.
First of all, to Matt and the others, thank you for all your efforts in making this the number 1 site for all those interested in following this campaign. Superbly done.
A lot of media outlets have tonight described how incredibly "close" this race was. I beg to differ, especially since it became clear after North Carolina that the race was over.
Today alone, June 3, the delegate score was Obama 93, Clinton 8. This includes the results from the last two primaries, superdelegates who endorsed today (including switches to Obama from Clinton) and Edwards pledged delegates who endorsed Obama today.
That's not close.
And yet Clinton is the only person on the planet not to accept that Obama is the Democratic nominee for President. Sad.
Clinton asked everyone to go onto her site and tell her what to do next. For the love of pete, would everyone please do so now:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/
Thank you.
ted p and everyone-
CAUTION!!!
Just be sure if you go to Hillary's website - do not put your real information in the form there - they SELL their email lists.
Alex Turkoglu -
I am not sure which rumor you are referring to - but I heard a rumor about a tape that she said a word that she shouldn't have. I DO NOT believe there is such a tape and that it is probably a rumor. If it is not a rumor it still can't be as bad as McCain and the Bush policy that will allow more of our American soldiers to die in Iraq.
I think that something might still come out on Obama and McCain that we don't know about but I think everything will be okay in the end.
OBAMA/Sebelius '08
I am so thrilled, excited, and optimistic. My cheeks are stuck in "smile" position. And I am beyond proud that I will be at the DNC convention in Denver to vote for Obama (and, of course, to meet the wonderful DCW peeps in person!)
I am living abroad for two months and couldn't wait to get up this morning to hear what happened last night. Obama's speech was uplifting, but I was extremely disappointed to hear only one sentence in Clinton's speech about party unity. How does she intend to unite the party when she keeps suggesting to her supporters that the nomination should have been hers? And not cutting off the Denver chants was really bad form. The longer she prolongs and promotes these attitudes the less likely there will be any party unity.
co-voter
I agree. She should have talked more about unity of the party and about being a DEMOCRAT and being loyal to the party. She did not do that and I think it is because she has some sort of tricky plan up her sleeve!
When those folks in the audience started yelling 'Denver' she should have put a stop to it IMMEDIATELY.
On the other hand, by not supporting Obama fully tonight she has shown that she would not be a good VP - so that makes me happy ;)
OBAMA/Kathleen Sebelius '08
Is not the celebration here a bit premature??I thought the rules are that super delegates are free to change their mind at ANY TIME up until they actually cast their vote at the convention in Denver, and I note that several have changed their mind already (mostly from Clinton to Obama). What happens if super delegates who endorsed Obama change their mind and move to Clinton in sufficient numbers to change his currently declared "winner" status? I seem to recall another premature MISSION ACCOMPLISHED celebration.
I just want to mention that Obama would have 2236 delegates if FL and MI were seated as is with the uncommitted for Obama. So any argument in front of the Credential Committee is doomed!
Europeans for Obama!
Erika,
here is the Hillary math delivered from Neverland:
1. Seat MI and FL at full. Those are 2236 Obama.
2. Lock for Clinton the last 6 Edwards delegates (3 not chosen yet).
3. Get all uncommitted supers! Including the add-ons that are 100% going to Obama.
4. Arrange 28 switches!!!!!
She has no chance unless something happens with Obama in aspect of health or really big big scandal...
BTW if Hillary gets to the ticket, that will be the first VP publicly announced he is thinking about the President's being shut in her favor!
Obama needs to act now and choose VP in the next 2 weeks!!!!
The celebration isn't premature and a mass switch of superdelegates isn't going to happen. Clinton should gracefully accept that fact and work toward uniting the party, not continuing to divide it.
co (colorado) voter: over 50, white woman who initially supported Clinton
p.s. Sebelius is an intriguing VP choice--smart woman, without the baggage and drama of the Clinton legacy
CO_voter,
do you personally think that Hillary's die-hard supporters will be pleased to see another woman on the ticket? I mean is it better no woman at all, or another woman, or Hlllary herself? I am for the first option but will accept the second with pleasure.
EUROPEANS for Obama!
Obama/Landrieu 2008
She is pretty, bright, sothern white and should deliver La in
Nov, you really think we wont win NY without Hillary?
I was pushing Hil as VP all week, but last night, I think she showed her true colors. You can't demand VP, and Obama can't give it to her under duress....
Forget her, pick the nice southern lady!!!!
Inshallah.
I realize that some women will not vote for anyone but Clinton, but I honestly can't see women from my generation voting for McCain as the alternative since he will put someone on the Supreme Court who would allow Roe v. Wade to be reversed. I think that Sebelius could attract the votes of women who want their concerns heard. That being said, a woman VP is not my highest priority, but I'm sure Obama will choose someone who will complement message, not detract from it.
flying squirrel, i am not a big god/allah person, but will take any blessing we can get for obama today and going forward!!!
If you want an amusing idea how about this. Get someone that helps with most the demographics Clinton does, pick a Catholic Latina. There are 6 Latina's in the house of representatives, one even from Florida. But did not do the research on them to see how compatible they really are.
But that would help in a lot of the demographics Obama is not doing well with.
From Sydney Australia:
I would like to congratulate the Democrats with your excellent choice of candidate to run for President.
The US Democratic Party give us hope for the future - and Obama 08 symbolizes this to us. We got rid of our federal government in and its prime minister in '07 - who was a close mate of pres Bush - now our hopes and prayers is with you to do the same.
With pres Obama as leader of the Free World - we can go te bed knowing the right, rational desicions will be prevail (even when the red phone rings!)
God bless Obama!
I am a fairly new reader here and just want to say thanks to the DCW team. I hope you are going to keep the lists up because I would like to be able to see which super delegates in my state are still in Clinton's column so I can start lobbying them hard to switch.
As a side note: I looked for and found a button to give a contribution to help run the site over on the right side of the home page. I had to search for it because there's so much content it is not prominent. I encourage others to also contribute. I certainly don't want this site going away anytime soon and I want the whole team to know how valuable it is to me.
From Toronto Canada
Congratulations to Senator Obama, the Democratic party for bringing forth such a candidate and to the American people who have embraced a new direction, a direction of hope and of engagement with the global community.
I also want to thank the people at DCW, I wrote this in another thread but just want to say again how important it was to me, a political neophyte and an american ex-pat living in Canada to find a place where I could both get the wide range of political discussion and factual and accurate reporting of the delegate race and election returns. Thank you so much and as they say "the cheque is in the mail".
I am so proud to be an American today. I have already taped one of the front page stories about Obama's win to the door of my office :)
This campaign dragged on for so long that I was really starting to lose my enthusiasm, but after last night, I am once again FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!
Can I ask all my fellow celebrants a small favor, though? Can we lay off Hillary for a bit? I realize she has upset lots of people (myself included), but now is the time for grace and magnanimity. We do need Hillary's supporters, and we need Hillary's support. So let's just bask in our moment of glory and leave the sniping aside for now (haha, I didn't intend that as a pun, but...). That said, I'm pulling for Sebelius as VP-she is one cool lady.
Finally, Matt and Oreo, thanks so much for keeping us up to date. I echo those who asked that you keep up with the tally of supers who endorse between now and the convention.
Thank you DCW. Since the endless HRC campaign will now only discuss math regarding the popular vote, omitting caucus estimates and including Michigan, any chance you'll post something that debunks that increasingly parroted meme?
RCP has the numbers.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html
Ironically, Clinton only reaches the 18 million mark she cited last night if she includes the caucus estimates, Florida and Michigan. In that case she only leads in the popular vote if she attributes zero votes to Obama in Michigan.
We need a less disingenuous VP.
Fired up and ready to go!
I agree, I think we should lay off Hilary and encourge her to help bring the party together.
Write to her and tell her how you think. You can bet the Hilary supporters are still encouraging her to go all the way. She should her from us too.
I am definately fired up and ready to go!
thanks for the blogging. Lets continue till Obama is in the White House
Here is a break out i did 2 weeks ago:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/
If you go through the head to head battleground states polls, it is true that
Clinton is more likely to deliver Florida and Ohio than is Obama, but if you
look at all 18 states expected to be in play, right now, obama beats mccain for
a total of 13 more electoral votes than clinton, as well as beating him
nationally by approximately twice the margin she is. of course we still have the
campaign and the election, but i cant see obama getting worse and i cant see
mccain getting better, i could see hillary doing both. still wonder about vp, i
see huck is jonesing for the slot on the gop side, edwards claims he wont take
it, what does hillary want, and does obama have to give it to her?
And the winner of the 2008 Primaries is DemConWatch.
Thank you again.
An Gobama, go.
Go expose McCain's contradictions, bring America back from Amerika, and restore some decency to US politics.
From a "cheese eating surrender monkey" with hope.
Congratulations to Obama and his whole campaign.
I think it is absolutely crucial that Senator Obama be allowed to choose whomever he wishes as VP. While Senator Clinton is a great fighter, I think her negative contributions to the ticket (e.g., undercutting his message of change) would outweigh the positive. That's why I signed this petition:
http://nohillaryforvp.com/
To the Demconwatch folks, thank you so much for this valuable resource. Thanks to Obama for this historic moment!
After waiting three hours in line last night, I finally got into the Xcel.
It was fantastic to be there and hear him speak firsthand - he is such an fantastic speaker, and he was doing it without notes! I don't think I've seen such an amazing or charasmatic speaker in my lifetime.
Interestingly, they had MSNBC on the big screens early in the evening, and the showed a good portion of McCain's pseudo-speech (to the boos from the crowd), but then they went to rock-and-roll music and hyping up the crowd. We never saw Hillary's speech, and after reading it, I can guess that they opted not to.
It was a fantastic evening, and well worth the wait. I met some amazing people, of all backgrounds, walks of life, and ages from kids to grandmas with walkers.
P.S. If you need an umbrella, stop by the Xcel...it was a gray, drippy day, and nearly everyone in line had an umbrella and umbrellas were not allowed. So 20,000 umbrellas got dumped outside the doors. I can only hope they were collected and can be given away somewhere.
Have a great day, everyone! I am so excited about our next President, I can't sit still!!!
P.P.S. I forgot to say thank you for this site - ever since I found it, I have been visiting multiple times a day. It's been a great resource - THANK YOU MATT & OREO!
DCW---I am hooked on you guys and new to the computor---I check in with you every five minutes---God and all else I am so proud of this country-----go Obama--go all the way and give us bACK OUR COUNTRY---EVE
Marissa
Yes, Obama is a great speaker, but he had a teleprompter. The technology makes them hard to see, but they're always used for major speeches.
Obama's best speeches are best to come! And the Democrats have had other great speakers too. I saw Cuomo and Ted Kennedy's convention speeches in 1980, and Jackson's in 84. Interesting that none of them were the candidate. You think through our candidates of the last 40 years: Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton (although he could give a great speech, his convention speeches weren't that notable, Gore and Kerry - none of them have the wow factor that Obama is going to bring to this campaign. The comparisons with McCain are going to be great for the Democrats.
Obama can't win. If he chooses Hillary as VP he shows he is just another politician willing to sacrifice his ideas for political expediency. If he shuns her, Hillary sends the message to her troops to stay home or vote for McCain.
Regardless, I hope he sticks to his beliefs, picks a VP consistent with his change message, and lets the chips fall where they may. I will be disappointed if he caves in to HRC.
I think George Mitchell would be a great VP pick for Obama. Respected by everyone (reps and dems), loved in the senate (would help get things done), undeniably a huge figure in the party (so it would hard to say that it's a slap in the face to Hillary), peacemaker (Northern Ireland peace vs McCain's war), provides needed gravitas, has experience outside of the Beltway. Yes, he's old (older than McCain), but I think the image of Mitchell coming back for one terms to get this ship sailing in the right direction would be a great statement about his commitment to public service. And if Obama chose him, everyone would agree that Obama has a flair for picking great people.
Matt and Oreo, you guys are wonderful. keep up the good work. There is so much excitement over here in Nigeria for Obama.
I am in love with DCW. Congrats
Love from Nigeria
Godwin
Thanks for the clarification, Matt - I didn't see how anyone could give a speech like that w/o notes. What threw me off was that the woman who introduced him had notes on the podium.
Regardless - fantastic speech, and I agree about the "wow" factor that Obama brings. I can't wait for his upcoming speeches, events, and the debates!
Sebelius is originally from OH, too, so she would bring that hometown support to the table.
Personally, I believe adding a woman with executive experience, strong support in the Midwest, and no baggage is a great way to go for Obama. Pundits warn that an African-American/Woman ticket might be hurt by too many ingrained prejudices, but I disagree. Women and African-Americans turned out in record numbers for the primaries, and there is no reason to believe they won't do the same in a general election in which one party is making history on both fronts. Scan back through wire articles about Clinton's support among women throughout the primaries and the majority of voters quoted mention either reproductive rights or the possibility of a woman President in their lifetime as prime factors in their decision. Does it seem likely that women voters who place those things at the top of their priority list will reject Sebelius simply because they originally supported Clinton? And if a large majority of women and an overwhelming majority of black voters come out to support Obama on Election Day, it will effectively counter any lingering prejudices among the rest of the electorate.
Hello,
I have a strange idea: maybe Obama could choose BILL Clinton as VP, and Hillary as some other Secretary
don-I'm inclined to agree about Sebelius. The truth of the matter is, there were a lot of women supporting Hillary because they want to see a woman President. I can't see why they would vote against a ticket with Sebelius (a very impressive woman) on it.
And in case anyone wants to jump on me for not understanding the female psyche, I should disclose that I am a woman.
Congratulations to Barack Obama and his many supporters on an incredible campaign. He pulled off what many people thought was undoable. While I still think Hillary would be the better nominee for many reasons, we need to unite here and put our differences of personality behind us, because they pail in comparison to the differences of policy that we have with the republicans. This is why this (see below) is not useful:
Sal Costello Sal@TexasTollParty.com said...
Go Obama!
You just made History!
Go (Away) Hillary!
You are History!
June 03, 2008 11:24 PM
The idea is to get the supporters to like you so you can win the real thing
No Clinton for VP!
Especially after the disrespectful speech she gave. She couldn't let Obama have his historic moment. Selfish and disingenuous.
Jim Webb is the best choice for VP. He will deliver Virgina for sure, and beef up Obama's lack of experience with the military.
Having said that, VP won't drag down the ticket, unless it's Hillary.
Thank you, DemComWatch,for your important and timely work.
Obama/Sebelius in 2008!
Matt/Oreo in 2016!
Micah:
Perhaps if Hillary had done anything over the last two months to encourage reconciliation, you would find Obama supporters more conciliatory.
As Andrew Sullivan said, her speech last night was "Classless, graceless, shameless, relentless." Unfortunately, I concur. It's too late for a concession. Now it's just about accepting defeat.
Hillary simply cannot bully her way into a vice-presidential slot. It runs counter to Obama's CONSISTENT message of change, and his VP selection will be under significant scrutiny. He can't look as if he is forced into accepting something that he is powerless to avoid.
20 reasons why Hillary should not be VP:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/donwinmtx/gGBmlG
And by the way, if you listened to Obama's speech last night, you heard Obama graciously complimenting Hillary, AND the supporters giving her generous applause. So we're doing our part. It would be nice to see some reciprocation.
Obama: The best hope this country has had in a long, long time. Best presidential nominee I will have the opportunity to vote for in my 38 years of voting.
Hillary: God's gift to Republicans. (Hope Obama can keep her off the ticket. Her lack of support and her viciousness would be more of an impediment than a help.)
DCW: Thank you so much for what you have provided!
This blog has been an invaluable public service. thank you thank you thank you!!
Go Obama!!
As a Brit who has been following the election but not living in the USA I find Sen. Clinton's behavior quite extraordinary.
A democratic process has been undertaken and a clear winner has emerged but because of Florida, Michigan and normal rivalry between supporters a deep fracture is splitting the party which will probably mean another Republican President.
If Sen. Clinton is honest about her support for the party why does she not concede so the hatchets can be buried (not in each others heads) and support Sen. Obama
Without the support of the large numbers of electors for Sen. Clinton Sen. Obama will have won the battle but NOT the war, so please think of the party, country
and hopefully the rest of the world.
In my many years of life and experiences I found life is made up of many compromises so be wise before you compromise and be whole hearted when you do.
Barack Obama does not need Hillary Clinton on the ticket because he does not need the backing of her supporters.
In fact, they need him.
American democracy has continuously survived due to the willingness of its people to steadfastly recognize that their collective needs override any personal bitternesses or disappointment.
I have little doubt that the vast majority of those who supported Hillary Clinton will resolve, once again and after the dust has settled, to act as true Americans, and to do what is in their country's collective best interest by supporting their party's nominee for President.
You're kidding right! Without Florida, Michigan, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and any southern state, dream on. The Dems just threw the white house in the toilet again.
The next President of the United states is John McCain.
True Americans by the way, believe in democracy and counting votes, not giving elections to candidaes who didn't run. That's Zimbabwe, not America.
Amerians who believe in votes being counted will vote John McCain.
Anyone who votes for John McCain out of anger or resentment because Hillary lost is simply not worthy of calling themselves an American.
About that fact, I am certainly not kidding.
I want to add my heartfelt thanks for your tireless work throughout this primary season. You guys have earned your high regard throughout the journalism and blogger worlds.
sb, Hillary was the one who broke the rules in Michigan by leaving her name on when all the candidates were asked to do so. And she was trying to get a North Korea result out of Michigan... talk about counting all the votes!
And the next VP could be:
John Edwards?
Kathleen Sebelius?
Bill Richardson?
You have so good names that is dificult to pick one.
Going to the Hillary site to post comments appears to be a waste of time. All of the comments there are in favor of her 'staying in the race', either to pull off the no-chance upset, or to run as an independent (!)
I saw one comment that appeared to suggest she should concede (based on the responses), but that comment was deleted by the moderator. Hmmm.
@s.b.
Adult Americans abide by the rules of the game they agreed to when they chose to play.
It is regrettable that you feel that true Americans, integrity, and fair play are incompatible.
Ray said...
Barack Obama does not need Hillary Clinton on the ticket because he does not need the backing of her supporters.
Really?
He doesn't need 18 million votes?
ok then. Run with that idea and see how far it gets you. You don't seem to understand. This isn't about how much you hate Hillary or how inexpeirienced i think Barack is. We NEED a democratic president. So those of you who are upset about Hillary's speech...ignore it...you're candidate just got the nomination, i think you can find stuff to be happy about. Those of you who think Hillary got screwed....deal with it....i'm not saying it was fair but we can't have McCain.
Obama/Clinton '08
"Unite Here"
The next President is John McCain, and I will be supporting him in the fall.
I supported Obama in the primaries because I prefer him over Clinton (and Repubs like Romney or Huckabee), but my support for him ends today.
John McCain is not a third term of Bush, rather he is one of the greatest leaders this country has ever had, and will be a Lincoln or FDR.
I believe that the Democratic Party, if true to its values should support John McCain so our country can unite.
Shawn, McCain as the next FDR or Lincoln?! I think you must have confused Obama and McCain!
Micah: I understand what you are saying, but the vast majority of Democrats are going to vote for the Democrat ticket. Clinton's 18 Million votes are not hers to solely claim and use at her whim. They are individual people, who will decide based on a lot of things. Obama may, or may not need Clinton the person, but he needs the Clinton voters and if you listen to his speeches last night and today you will hear him praising her and her run.
The winner of the primary needs to make their own choice on who should be on the VP slot, and not be forced into it. Whether or not that is Clinton at the number 2 slot is up to Obama at this point.
Micah: "We NEED a democratic president."
Precisely my point (clear to anyone not into selective reading).
And that is why you will vote for Barack, along with the vast majority of Hillary supporters, even when he does not pick Hillary as his VP.
The next president of the United States is going to be John McBush,
NOT.
I am so very PROUD to be an American today, and I am so grateful to all those who worked so hard to get Barack Obama the party nomination.
Thank you also to those at DCW for keeping up this website. Please keep up the good work!!
I'm not going to fight with you over semantics. Of course Obama should be able to choose his own VP and I think Rendell, Clinton, and Richardson would all make great choices and would prop him up in the areas he clearly lacks.
But lets think about hypotheticals.
We'll put the number of Hillary votes at 18,000,000 for this hypothetical. This seems like a number a lot of people agree on.
Now in exit polls in W. Virginia and the like as little as half of Hillary supporters said they would back Obama. This is obviously not true. But lets say that 10% don't, the independent white females and those who have been put off by the (false) Muslim rumors and revs. wright and pfleger etc.,. Thats 1,800,000 votes. Given how close the last few elections have been and how close McCain and Obama are polling do you really want to risk losing close to 2million votes? even if the number were 2% thats still 360K votes in places like florida and ohio and pennsylvania. Thats some scary math.
Keep trolling Shawn.
You wish it were still about semantics. But it is now about power. And as the strong support from the Democratic party insiders for Obama will continue to show over the next several days, Hillary's is dwindling fast.
Her followers will disperse pissed off, but you'll get over it by August, and regroup in Denver as newly invigorated Obama supporters.
As for that number you mentioned, I have a bigger one for you...2118. You may recall, this was the one that gave Obama the power to choose who best suits his ticket.
And the simple fact is that Hillary is one too many cooks for the Obama broth. Maybe had you guys played nicer...but...sorry.
Congratulations from London! Europe loves you!!!!
GOBAMA 08
Ray what you're not understanding is it's not strong support for hillary or obama that you're seeing.
Strong support is what we saw from the superdelegates that backed Obama before he was major, and the ones that have backed clinton since yesterday (ausman).
This isn't about "us" or "you". This is about finding the combination of two individuals that is most likely to get the backing of the majority of the electoral college in november and in my opinion, that duo is Obama/Clinton.
As I said I congratulate "you" on "your" victory. Obama's campaign has been incredibly impressive. But we've gotten past that stage and its not Obama and McCain or Clinton and McCain anymore. It's the Democrats and the Republicans.
If you believe in the potential of this country to be the gentle giant it once was, to help those who cannot help themselves, and to take care of its citizens and give them the greatest quality of life possible, if you believe that we need to protect the world we live in, if you believe that we need to support endangered democracies like Israel, if you believe in America, than you need to do everything you can to make sure that the people that take the #1 and #2 posts in this country are Democrats. And the best way to do that is with Obama and Clinton.
Unite Here.
Obama/Clinton 08
The problem here, Micah, is that "you" haven't gotten over the defeat yet.
Once "you" do, and "you" are calm enough to objectively chart the strengths and weaknesses of Hillary as a VP for Barack (perhaps you aren't understanding the nature of the position and the candidates involved here?), "you" will see that it just doesn't work.
Moreover, Barack doesn't need Hillary. At all. However, "you" need Barack, and so will vote for him in November, regardless.
That's just a simple fact. One Barack, obviously, cannot state publicly, but I can.
Nonetheless, I want you to know, Micah, that on behalf of Barack Obama, I forgive you and your candidate. And I commend you and Hillary on your bully rhetoric in defeat.
Please understand, however -- and the sooner the better -- the Obama train has passed your candidate by on its way to the White House.
Micah,
While I respect your opinion, I find myself disagreeing with the fundamentals of your arguments. The only part that I agree with is that it is now about the Republicans and the Democrats. Simply put, it is about putting the strongest ticket together that can defeat John McCain in November. Hillary Clinton is not part of that ticket.
There are really two reasons behind any given selection for VP.
1) Pander for votes in demographics that you are currently having trouble getting. In this case, Hillary is the best choice because her supporters are so staunchly behind her for whatever reasons. However, her negatives far outweigh this single benefit of having her on the ticket. If this were the reason for picking a VP, Obama could pick Sibelius, Richardson, or Edwards for a nearly identical result come November. If you disagree that there are far more Clinton supporters than the votes that would be picked up by adding one of these other three to the ticket, you are dead wrong. Current estimates are calling the defection voters at about 20% right now (it's normally around 10% at the time of the GE). If Obama can even pull it down to about 15%, he still wins the White House.
2) Experience, and balancing deficiencies. Many nominees pick their VP based on what they understand to be their weaknesses. In Obama's case, this would be his lack of experience and supposed weakness in foreign policy. We all know that Clinton is not the best choice for this either. You would be better off picking someone like Wesley Clark, Sam Nunn, or Jim Webb.
Overall, the only thing that Clinton can bring to the table is SOME of her voters (which as I've already stated, is not as big of a group as most would think. They are just INCREDIBLY vocal). But what does she take away? For starters, she is the type that would try to outshine Obama on every occasion. She is not a number 2 and she never will be. She has more skeletons in her closet than any of the other names that I have mentioned (Mostly, the scandals surrounding her husband). Speaking of her husband, his anger issues are another liability.
Hillary Clinton cannot offer more to the Obama Campaign than what she takes away from it.
GREAT job presenting the data on this site, gang. GO OBAMA !!! WOO HOO !!!
Micah:
Your support for Hillary is admirable, but you make some assumptions and statements that shouldn't go unchallenged.
First:
You only look at the existing universe of primary voters. The universe of general election voters is MUCH larger, and doesn't have a direct correlation to primary events.
Second:
You only consider Hillary's positives. You completely ignore any negative aspect to Hillary on the ticket. She had the highest unfavorable rating of any candidate in either party (49%). That simply cannot be discounted. She would be a compelling reason for a dispirited right wing NOT to stay home. Many people would come out not to vote FOR McCain, but to vote AGAINST Hillary. That's not Obama's doing, it's just Clinton history.
Third:
You ignore the fact that any VP choice will bring their own strengths to the ticket. Obama needs to make a bold choice that fits his message for change. Along the way he can try to balance a demographic, pick up a battleground state, shore up a major issue (ex.: foreign policy)... he doesn't need Hillary to do any of those. Other candidates fit those areas very well, and will bring their own votes to the table that will offset many if not all of the hardcore Hillary supporters who walk away.
Fourth:
You ignore the impact of the actual act of selecting her as VP. If she is on the ticket, it will seem to many as if she pushed her way there, and forced Obama to accept her. Given that the right will already try to make "experience" an issue (and Hillary helped them immensely in that regard), it would be even worse if it seems that Obama can't even manage his own VP selection process.
Finally:
You said, "Those of you who think Hillary got screwed....deal with it....i'm not saying it was fair but we can't have McCain."
If you're not saying it was fair, then you're saying it was unfair. It was no such thing. Clinton lost because she and her campaign made many mistakes. Start with voting to authorize the war in Iraq, then add running a campaign based on inevitability, then consider the shifting messages and slogans, top it off with a campaign team selected more for loyalty than skill, and throw in an over-reliance on big $ donors and poor fiscal management. That doesn't even account for a poor ground game (giving up on small states and caucus states). There's nothing unfair about upsets... just unexpected. She lost the race as much as Obama won it. Tough to take, sure, but you have to get over it. I've been in those shoes.
At this point I'm going to ignore ray because that's looking more and mroe like an open thread kind of discussion. You're right MM. I hadn't thought about the number of ppl who don't vote in the primary but do in the GE. I live in Massachusetts, so we don't really do any GE campaigning as its pretty much assumed that the democrat wins. I remain convinced that her positives outweigh the negative impact that she could have from the vp slot (although Bill is worrying me a bit) but Wesley Clark and some of the other's you mentioned would make excellent VP's as well. Clark might be great because of his position as a staunch Clinton backer (he could bring back some defectors) and his foreign policy credentials. I still think she'd be best but there do seem to be quite a few good options. I'm not big on sebelius because i feel she's lacking in some of the same areas barack is but some of those names made aa lot of sense. And Ray, as long as the train doesn't derail I'm really hoping it makes it to the white house. It was better than your soup metaphor though.
Yours in the fight,
Micah
Well out of all the names that I brought up in my earlier post, I am convinced that Sam Nunn would probably be the strongest candidate for VP. If you are unfamiliar with him, I would suggest you look him up. His foreign policy background is stellar and his only downfall is that he has not been an active politician since the 90's. However what he brings to the table is one of the strongest voices in foreign policy since the 70's.
they ignored me, Micah, not you. ;)
but the fact is, guys, no matter how arrogant any of us behave in a blog...Obama is going to win without Hillary on the ticket.
and that's the last word i have to offer in this thread.
i didn't even have to enumerate it. :)
goodnight, Barack! Smooches!
Chancellorpink
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