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Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI) Endorses Obama
Barack Obama has picked up the support of a major former backer of John Edwards: Rep. Dave Obey, a major fixture in Wisconsin, where the primary will be held on Feb. 19, with 74 delegates at stake.
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I see that Clinton's Super Delegate numbers have gone down on CNN's delegate tracker.
Obama's also just been endorsed by WA Governor Gregoire. WA's caucuses are tomorrow.
February 8, 2008 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obey Rocks.
February 8, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good deal. We need all of the superdelegates we can get.
February 8, 2008 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is now the establishment candidate. Pretty soon he will collect more super delegates than Clinton. It will be interesting to see whether Obama supporters and Brazile will change their stands against super delegates casting votes to decide the nominee if Hillary ends up with higher number of pledged delegates. That will be poetic.
Imagine Clinton collects slight more pledged delegates than Obama. Super delegates put Obama over the top but not the number need for nomination. On the other hand, counting FL and MI put Clinton over the top for nomination. How the dogs of Obama will bark then?
February 8, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that sounds like the worst possible outcome and something supremely not to be desired. I wish I had a magic wand that could be waved to prevent said outcome, but I have not. Absent that, I hope that Dean can bring both the Clinton and Obama people together right now to figure how that is to be avoided. The last thing we want is for ~1/2 of the democratic party (including democrats in a lot of swing states) to leave the convention feeling that they were robbed.
February 8, 2008 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pretty hard to avoid that at this point. Think Michigan and Florida. yes they broke the DNC rules, but it has provided a clear basis of grievance for the Clinton campaign, regardless of their revisionist history.
February 8, 2008 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lest we forget, Michigan and Florida did not hold "traditional" elections where the Democratic candidates vied in any sort of level conditions. The Michigan ballot did not even contain Edwards' and Obama's names. Results in Florida were flawed--candidates did not campaign there. Obama critics crying "foul" about his airtime commercials neglect to mention one cannot "buyout" Florida when you buy national coverage. For Hillary Clinton to announce "on to Florida" and then hold a victory rally is morally hollow. (Ummm, sound familiar?) She did not win those two "contests." There were no contests. Nobody won, least of all the voters. She reminds me of the child who doesn't like the rules or the way the game is going and takes her ball home. Hey, how about this? Let her take her Bill home, oops, I mean ball.
February 9, 2008 3:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is pretty good news, because if polls mean anything (and that's a big if), he could use a bump in Wisconsin.
February 8, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obey commands a lot of respect in Wisconsin. Nice pickup.
February 8, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Totally off topic, but it seems that the folks over at Red State.com have their own predictions about the outcome of our race. Predictions, mind you; not preferences. Given that they have no dog in this fight, I find their objectivity interesting (albeit somewhat disheartening). Still, it makes for interesting reading and perhaps worthy fodder for discussion for those who are interested.
February 8, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
How will this be seen in Wisconsin?
February 8, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
CT Voter:
Saying Obey's a "major fixture" is the polite way of saying that he's the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee - the man who controls the nation's purse-strings. Suffice it to say, there aren't many politicians or Democratic activists in Wisconsin who aren't in his debt, and even fewer who would dare cross him. It's big news.
February 8, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
No doubt, but I was thinking about the average voter. The politicians and activists (and readers of TPM Election Central, e.g.) are going to know Obey, but is he a huge name to the average Wisconsin voter?
February 8, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obey is "kind of a big deal", as the kids say, in Wisconsin. I'd like to see Feingold come on board as well, but this in itself is good news for the Obama campaign in Wisconsin.
February 8, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Schweet.
February 8, 2008 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Congressman Obey, thank you! I agreed with how you fought to untangle us from Vietnam and then how you've fought to untangle us from Iraq. You also said that Congress needs to keep us out of miserable wars because it's danged hard to get us out--the same position Obama had in 2002! Sweet.
February 8, 2008 6:36 PM | Reply | Permalink