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Hillary, Obama Nab Super-Dels
Despite Obama's big win yesterday, Hillary and Obama are running even in super-delegate endorsements since yesterday's contests got underway.
Clinton has been endorsed today by freshman Congressman Heath Shuler of North Carolina, whose Appalachian district Hillary carried by 13 points. Shuler had previously indicated he would back the district winner.
Obama has been endorsed by North Carolina DNC member Jeanette Council, who announced her support before the polls closed yesterday.
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Heath Shuler is standing by his prior commitment to back the winner of his congressional district.
May 7, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that's fair.
May 7, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can't argue with someone picking a metric before the results and then sticking with it. It's a rare thing this year.
May 7, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eric:
The difference between Heath and Jeanette is that Heath said he would go with the winner of his district, which went to Clinton.
May 7, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
But is Heath Shuler actually a "get"?
May 7, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fortiunately for humans, when they break their ankles, they don't get euthanized. See my comment below. (I hate it when I forget to check the "reply" button!)
May 7, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is the "Iron Woman" headline, on the front page, in reference to the fact that Hillary Clinton is on pace to break Mike Huckabee's "most consecutive days running a vanity campaign" record?
May 7, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Adding, I hope that Olbermann is consistent, and calls on her to concede the night before she breaks Huckabee's record.
May 7, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't McGovern a superdelegate?
If he is, then Clinton's at 0 net supers for the day.
May 7, 2008 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
No.
May 7, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
All right then.
Never mind, go about your business, people.
May 7, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
why isn't McGovern a superdel?? He should be---a lot of other worthless Dem establishment bureacrats are...
May 7, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
This the "new" politics?
May 7, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love the NewsMax banner that says "Obama Finished?"
Why yes, he did finish.
May 7, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is giving her some breathing room. He doesn't want to drop 25 super delegates on her and make it seem like he's trying to pressure her out. The ball is in her court and how she proceeds will determine how and when he decides to unleash his endorsements.
May 7, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
from Wikipedia:
May 7, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, that's what I said on an earlier thread. The candidate of inevitability being endorsed by a first round bust is very appropriate. Not to completely crap on the guy or anything.
May 7, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, Opus!! Easy does it! Some of us Obama supporters are also 'Skins fans, and those memories are dang painful!!! I watched every one of those accursed games (up 7th Round selection Gus Frerrote came out of nowhere...hint-hint...and took the job from him).
May 7, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
i am watching Terry McCuliffe on MSNBC being interviewed by Andrea Mitchell. I must say, I have never seen such spin in my life. Bill O'Riley would be proud.
May 7, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I watched that too - she was pretty tough on him and actually made him look mighty uncomfortable!
God, now Clinton is on and she's ridiculous - said she "remembers 1992 when in June Bill hadn't sewn up the nomination" - what utter horseshit! God, I can't stand this woman, I'll tell you!
May 7, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yesterday a columnist was comparing McCullife to the Iraqi Information Minister. Remember him?
May 7, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Baghdad Bob!
Perfect analogy.
May 7, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
** "Tuszla Terry".
May 7, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heard him on Potus yesterday, it's impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMwdAc1Dzfg
May 7, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Terry has become a caricature of himself. He's a buffoon.
May 7, 2008 2:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
what's Drudge cooking today..
"Clinton couldn't find any SD who wants to meet her today"? Is this why she's in WV?
May 7, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary's superdelegate has nothing to do with the results or her prospects, it was just follow through on a prior commitment.
May 7, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, the reporters are doing a decent job grilling Clinton during her news conference in WV - someone just asked her about the Operation Chaos voters and she just brushed it off. And now she just brushed off the McGovern defection.
I love it when she makes Obama's fundraising seem like a bad thing ('we've been outspent sometimes 4 to 1, 5 to 1). Hilarious!
May 7, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Keep bringing up that he has a much stronger fundraising base Hill, great strategy.
"It's not fair, look how much more he's spent than us! I would've won more if I had as many supporters as Bara...gas tax! Let's talk about the gas tax!"
May 7, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know, right? What an idiot highlighting her weakness in this regard. Sometimes I really wonder whether she's as politically savvy as she is touted to be.
May 7, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
If fund raising was the only metric of success, Ron Paul would be the GOP nominee. I seem to recall McCain lending his campaign money and that worked out pretty well for him...
May 7, 2008 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I just get afraid that people don't know he's not getting money from PACS or Lobbiests. If people are listening to her and think 'Oh jeezers, she's getting outspent by someone taking dirty money' then that's no good.
But I'm taking solace in the fact that he's wrapping this up, and soon he'll just have the republicans spreading that shit about him.
May 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eh, Shuler was a terrible quarterback anyway...
May 7, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Live from West Virginia,
"Under the republican's rule, I'd be the nominee today"
no, she didn't...sigh.
May 7, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really am baffled by that line of argument. Who does that persuade exactly?
May 7, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, unfortunately, she did - I heard it too. Crazy.
May 7, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shuler was QB for the Tennessee Vols. That makes his endosement easy for me to dismiss.
May 7, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
A reporter asked Clinton why, if she thinks she can regain the AA vote, which is going 92% to Obama, she thinks Obama can't do the same thing with her strongholds of older women and lower income voters? She had no real answer to that, just spouted some talking points about being the best candidate and having the better coalition. She said she thinks the AA community is going to forgive all and come back into the fold if somehow she steals the nomination - she's sadly mistaken, I think (and I just heard a "pundit" say the same thing).
May 7, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
The AA vote is really taken for granted by Democrats, the Clintons particularly.
May 7, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I agree. It really is insulting, isn't it, to be marginalized and thought of as a "bloc", as if every African American is a mindless robot lemming and can't think for his or herself. Other demographic groups get similar treatment, but none is as taken for granted - for instance, Latino voters are courted by Democrats because it is not a given that they will automatically vote Democratic.
May 7, 2008 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very.
I resent it when they do it to women.
May 7, 2008 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, me too. I can't tell you (and you probably know because it's happened to you) how many people look at me and say "how can you not vote for Hillary?" as if because I have a vagina I am beholden to vote for a woman - well, yes, I have a vagina but I also have a brain LOL!! ;)
May 7, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has anyone ever lost >90% of a significant community before? I find those numbers astounding and am amazed that more isn't made of it.
May 7, 2008 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama gets 4 more superdelegates:
May 7, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
But did they play in the NFL?
May 7, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
They play for The Starbuck Lattes.
;-P
May 7, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent - George S. seems to have been correct about the floodgates opening, huh?
You know, I'm watching Clinton and it is just so pathetic that she is out there pretending that everything is peachy keen and that she has any chance in hell of doing this. It is very, very sad and slightly delusional, and I can't imagine that the supers aren't thinking the same thing.
May 7, 2008 1:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know I had been thinking about the timing of Super Del announcements, and I wonder if the Obama campaign doesn't want to hold back just a bit to get some positive news after WV. The idea being, Hillary wins WV next week by a good chunk. A few days later Obama announces enough supers to take the lead over Clinton in that category. That would be significant and more positive than just another super coming ut. It would also change the story in the press in advance of KY and OR.
May 7, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
thnx...josh. excellent news.
May 7, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm going to keep posting it in every thread until it gets its own blog entry from Eric.
;-)
May 7, 2008 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess we'll be seeing your comments on every thread, then, cause I don't see it happening LOL!!
Keep posting it - good work, friend!
May 7, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's striking is how the narrative on the various news outlets has changed. Instead of hyping the fiction that Clinton can actually win, all you hear is a repetition of variations on the "dimming prospects" theme. Once that seeps into the national psyche it's over. I give it until the end of the week, tops.
May 7, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's really the key. If the 24/7 news bullhorn starts to harp on Hillary's unliley prospects, the social conscious will follow suit.
May 7, 2008 1:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope not. If Hillary dropped out by the end of the week, Obama would still lose WV and KY, and that wouldn't look so good.
May 7, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why?
He isn't expected to win them and
[whispering: they can't change the outcome] I don't want to say they don't matter, but actually, they don't.
May 7, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, well, you're living in the reality based community, Tena.
I think it'd be bad because all we would hear is a week of "Clinton's dominating wins", and then the talking hairdoes would probably start to convince themselves that Clinton might win.
And the Cubs will win the Series this year.
May 7, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that the nomination is secured.
However, as far as perceptions go, it's one thing to lose a contested primary and another to lose after your opponents have all dropped out.
Imagine what people would say if McCain lost KY to Huckabee. Sure, he'd still the nominee, but he'd be weakened.
May 7, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Except that he already knew his district would go for Clinton. It was an easy way of avoiding a real endorsement.
May 7, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Absent some sort of miracle on May 31st, it's going to be tough for us," said a senior Clinton official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to be frank. "We lost this thing in February. We're doing everything we can now . . . but it's just an uphill battle."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/07/senior-clinton-aide-its-g_n_100578.html
May 7, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Senator Clinton needs to do a lot better than "running even".
May 7, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
A senior campaign official and Clinton confidante has told me that there will be a Democratic nominee by June 15. He could not bring himself to say the words "Hillary will drop out by June 15," but that is clearly what he meant. I kept saying, "So, Hillary will drop out by June 15," and he kept saying, "We will have a nominee by June 15." He stressed what a reasonable person Hillary is.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-odonnell/hillary-will-drop-out-by_b_100625.html
May 7, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
God almighty, why do we have to wait until June 15, for Christ's sake? What is going to happen between now and then that's going to have any appreciable impact on the results? This is ridiculous. I'm sorry, she is not a reasonable person and prolonging this is just a vain, delusional decision on her part.
May 7, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
No shit - just go ahead and quit putting off the inevitable.
sheesh.
May 7, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think she will have to drop out well before then, but I wouldn't put much stock in anything O'Donnell says. He's a big mouth, and reckless. Willy Brown ate his lunch last night on MSNBC -- and you had to be pretty bad to be an Obama supporter getting but kicked by Hillary supporter last night!
May 7, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eric, you might want to update--as a poster noted above, AP is reporting 4 more SDs for Obama, which would make it 5-1 for today.
May 7, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
5 to 1 is consistent with the average year to date.
May 7, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
whenever I feel like reading NewsMax, I check my spambucket. Which is to say, never.
May 7, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has anyone heard from "gotalife?" No, I didn't think so.
May 7, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I may be in the minority here, but I think that Gotalife IS a real Hillary supporter and will be back here to help us beat McCain.
I think that Matthew Weaver and Marginal Player are just GOP thugs, though. They're probably off getting more Talking Points from NRO.
May 7, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah where is gotalife...I miss his cheerful missives.
May 7, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fatal Attraction.
May 7, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I think Goatlife might have signed off of TPM - here's the blog about it.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/05/gotalife-signed-off-of-tpm.php
I think I'm gonna miss that troll - he/she was always good for a laugh. ;)
May 7, 2008 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who are the 5 superdels?
May 7, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since it's impossible to post on the most recent post, the one about Hillary 'being in the race until there's a nominee', I'll just have to say it here instead:
Is this starting to remind anyone else of the plot to Die Monster Die!!!?
May 7, 2008 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or somewhat like the SNL skit featuring Jane Curtin, Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi as "The Guest Who Would not Leave!"
May 7, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was thinking more along the line of "Never Ending Story".
May 7, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, so it's not just me? I thought I got banned for telling Liam to stop invoking Fatal Attraction....
May 7, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the site is breaking down - traffic must be intense or something.
IT's not just you. I had a moment, too, and I have to laugh - anytime anything like that happens, it seems everyone thinks they've been banned! LOL!
May 7, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
She can't quit prior to June...Her offices and facilities contractors need notice prior to closing down...She also needs time to consolidate her communications operations prior to shutting that down...I am sure her leases have at least a 30 day clause...Letters must be going out now...That and she must account for funds...If she stays in, she may be able to hold on to money received for general election in her accounts to accrue enough interest before being forced to disgorge (refund) the contributions...It's all money now.
May 7, 2008 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Trying to earn enough to pay back the 11.4mil that she loaned the campaign?
May 7, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
She can't quit prior to June...Her offices and facilities contractors need notice prior to closing down
It's called pulling a Romney. Suspend now.
May 7, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Romneys campaign was mainly self funded by design and probably had firewalls in place to be able to avoid comingling issues.
In Clintons case, I doubt if they really know how much they owe, how much they actually have on hand and have a grasp of what assests they have that are fungible for the primary vs. the General.
May 7, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it IS all about the money now but as far as "letters going out", I think that's bogus. The word would be out SO quickly if that happened.
BTW, Carol, you ROCK!
HRC is indeed delusional. She has surrounded herself with "yes" people who will only tell her what they think she wants to hear.
Us "reality" based people are crazy!
Not that I miss them but the hillary trolls/supporters sure are thin on the ground today!
Carol, loved your purposeful misspelling "goatlife", BRILLIANT!
May 7, 2008 10:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's up with the comments thingy on the post upthread? I thought I was being blocked for a minute LOL!
May 7, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I dunno Carol but it happened to me too.
May 7, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL
Everyone always thinks that and I have yet to figure out why.
I've seen a whole community apologize to a blogger for no reason because they thought a critical post was aimed at them.
Why are we so insecure down here in the conversation?
May 7, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
My problem with the AP article about 4 more supers for Obama is that they only name the one. I'd be thrilled if it were true, but I'd like some names and sources first, please.
May 7, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, that does seem a bit strange. I'm wondering if a consolidated announcement won't be forthcoming this afternoon or tomorrow morning.
May 7, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think she is staying in as long as she has to to recoup the loans. But I'm highly cynical.
May 7, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Something's afoot. Hillary quitting?
It's on Huffingtonpost
www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-odonnell/hillary-will-drop-out-by_b_100625.html
May 7, 2008 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
What set me off on the funds thing, was the peculiar shift of the Clinton campaign, in accepting on short notice from ABC for a live town hall meeting on such short notice...It indicated to me a lack of resources, as your campaign has no control of content (setup, staging, message, etc..). This turned out to be a huge mistake...As it gave (Baghdad Bob)Stephanopulminus a chance to look reportorial and ask "The Hill" pointed questions vis a vis her tax gas plan etc... I am sure that that "Free" air time cost her more votes than rated so far. In politics FREE costs your candidate... more often than not.
May 7, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gloria Borger, not a Barack fan, pointed out to her Buchananesque colleagues that John Edwards only won 41% of the North Caroling white vote in his Senate race.
Obama won the whites by 1% less.
May 7, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gloria Bolger is an idiot. Obama ran in a democratic primary with 7 other candidates, so why would he get more than 40% of the white vote. The more candidates, the more the votes are split. so 40% of the white vote for edwards was a strong showing. Since Clinton Obama is a race between two candidates so the context is slightly different...unless you are a blathering idiot like Gloria Bolger.
North Carolina United States Senate election, 1998 (Democratic primary)
John Edwards - 277,468 (51.38%)
D.G. Martin - 149,049 (27.60%)
Ella Butler Scarborough - 55,486 (10.28%)
Bob Ayers - 22,477 (4.16%)
Mike Robinson - 20,178 (3.74%)
James Everette Carmack - 8,200 (1.52%)
Gene Gay - 7,173 (1.33%)
May 7, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Correction - of course I meant Edwards ran in a race with 7 other candidates
May 7, 2008 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Gloria Bolger is OF COURSE a Barack fan. She's just the only one that gives lip service to playing devil's advocate and occassionaly presents an alternate point of view half-heartedly so everyone else can trash it.
May 7, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't matter when, or if, she actually drops out. What's been damaging to Obama and the party has been her decision to go all Karl Rove on him these past couple months. If she wants to keep running, but in a way that doesn't do anymore damage to the presumptive nominee, more power to her. It's clear the party has lost its stomach for a continuation of the bloodletting. Any continued nastiness will only boomerang even faster on her now. If she's at all interested in the VP slot, the next month could provide her with a perfect audition.
May 7, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
As Rachael Maddow said last night on MSNBC (way past anyone sane's bedtime, except mine) HRC is waging a "post-rational" campaign.
May 7, 2008 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
What Bill Clintons confusion is; is that being a senior member of the Democratic Party is being a member longer than others, not having the longest member.
May 7, 2008 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary still has a good chance of winning.
They have to do something about Fla. & Mich. Michigan is holding an election in August and
Michigan could have added the candidates names to that ballot and a vote could be had. But no, Obama wouldn't agree to that. Because he knows Hillary would win there.
How unfair is that? What if each candidate could pick to run only in the states they know they could win! That's basically what Obama is doing to avoid Fla. & Michigan.
He's petty. He wants to win at any cost.
May 7, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
RAEK...there is one thing I wanted to say for a long long time. After weeks and weeks of your ugly post and my cordial response...I have one last thing, well not a last thing but one more thing to say to you:
f.u.
bye now..
May 7, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rae, truly you jest...What would you call a candidate that renegs on a signed contract not to enter a race? And what would you call an election
where your candidate is the only one on the ballot? Would you agree that that candidates speaks out of both sides of their orifice?
May 7, 2008 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Florida and Michigan, were not an issue for Hillary before Feb 5th. Once the numbers didnt work to her advantage; she conveniently forgot her pledge to follow the rules...We don't need no sinkin weasels as POTUS!
May 7, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
The latest "tactic" from the Clinton camp is to say that since Obama didn't win the "white" vote in North Carolina, he is therefore unelectable. Is it just me or is this the umpteenth non-sequitur that hrc's team has used. As dijamo pointed out above, the race was against other democrats!
HELLO! Are they purposely trying to act stupid or are they that dumb!
May 7, 2008 10:56 PM | Reply | Permalink