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Hillary Super-Delegate Defects To Obama
Barack Obama is picking up yet more super-delegate support -- and Hillary Clinton might be starting to bleed hers.
Virginia DNC member Jennifer McClellan has now switched from supporting Hillary over to Obama, further diminishing her slim advantage in the super-del count.
The super-delegate scoreboard from NBC News before McClellan's switch was 273.5 for Hillary, 259 for Obama -- making the new score 272.5 Hillary, 260 Obama.
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Comments (126)
And so it begins...
May 7, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Drip Drip Drip....drip a little longer to make a little stronger...drip drip drip.
Bye Bye Love, Bye Bye Hapiness Hello Lonliness...
Sorry couldn't resist.
May 7, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
For some reason a prescription ad just popped in my head. Why is that?
May 7, 2008 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!!!
May 7, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
The snow is balling now.
May 7, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Another Judas, huh?
And so it continues...
May 7, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Evidentally
May 7, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Judases all around.
May 7, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess they see that Obama is a true leader, not just a bald face panderer.
So let's see, that is 5 today for Obama and Hillary won one and lost one, so no movement for HillZilla.
Nice
May 7, 2008 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Uh oh.
I'm not sure she can make it to the 20th, but I bet Obama and Plouffe have the whole scenario worked out to the day.
May 7, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Try to the minute.
May 7, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Last night was Hillary's Iceberg, people are grabbing for whatever they can to stay afloat.
May 7, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS
May 7, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
IS
May 7, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
IS
May 7, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
EXCELLENT
May 7, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
NEWS!!!!!
May 7, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
FOR
May 7, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
HILLARY!!!!
May 7, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
IS
May 7, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
TOAST!!!!
May 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the save!
May 7, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
First Read is now explicitly drawing the Huckabee comparison.
May 7, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Linkage?
May 7, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/07/991935.aspx
May 7, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you!
May 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good news, this. Here is hoping that the supers can all agree to come out for Obama in a big way so that his lead is so large that he can end the whole MI/FL fracas by simply agreeing to seat them as is based on the (flawed) January votes.
May 7, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Via kos--Hillaryis404.org
May 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dude, now that is funny!
May 7, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Love it!
Blogged it. Dugg it. Stumbled it.
;-)
May 7, 2008 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
My new wallpaper -- thanks!
May 7, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank You!
May 7, 2008 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Priceless!!!!
May 7, 2008 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is finally happening. We are almost there. May 20th is the day.
May 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
May 20th. Oregon will apply the coup de grace.
No need to thank us.
May 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Watch out on May21st - there is going to be an enraged and drunken 3-balled woman on the loose.
May 7, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe she can roll like she's on heelies.
May 7, 2008 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if that woman will be found in on the deck of a bar in a small town in PA?
May 7, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, and once she's ready to slough it off with a pot of coffee, she can head on up to that diner in New Hampshire.
May 7, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
The funny thing is, as a registered Oregon voter, that I explicitly participated in the Dems Abroad primary in order to have a meaningful say in the outcome. That now seems like eons ago....
May 7, 2008 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
NBC overstates HRC's superdelegates, DCW stated HRC to have 270.5 supers, not 273.5.
The lead is in the single digits now! 9.5 to go.
May 7, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ahhh.... :)
My home state makes me proud! VA is going blue. Maybe not this cycle, but that day is coming soon. Where I see NC today, reminds me of VA before 2004.
Political Realignment, baby! Realignment!!
HRC couldn't realign the map with all the money in the world.
Gonna kick back and enjoy a magic hat pale ale.
May 7, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Texas is awful close, too.
We are only 5 seats away from taking back the Texas lege- for what it's worth, which is very little (but we only let them meet every other year - we're not totally insane).
Obama will carry the cities in Texas. It just remains to be seen whether or not Hispanic voters will vote for him. I hope they will, for the most part, Hispanic voters are very loyal Democrats. We have outstanding Hispanic activist leaders in Dallas.
I think it is going to be fine. No - great. :)
May 7, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
TX? Dare I hope?
May 7, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Ohio will FINALLY get back to sensibility in Presidential politics this November.
May 7, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Rick Noriega will bring out the Hispanic vote big time for the Democrats in Texas.
May 7, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
A good reason to have Richardson as Obama's VP, turn New Mexico blue and possibly put Texas over the edge.
May 7, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
1.5 Million people voted in the democratic primary, there are only 1.9 million registered republicans in NC. Just a little fun fact.
May 7, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kinda partial to Heart of Darkness, myself. Enjoy!
May 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fish, Virginia definitely is very close. It may very well go blue in this election. The dems just took back the Senate in the General Assembly. We also have the Governor and one US Senator. The other senate seat will go to the Dems this fall also. Mark Warner has about a 65-70% approval rating in the Commonwealth while the closest Republicans running for the seat are in the 30's. Remember the former RNC chair Jim Gilmore, the same one that as governer of Virginia almost bankrupted the state. Yeah, he was leading. As long as Warner doesn't have a macaca moment, he should be a lock.
May 7, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I predict that my home state of Virginia will go Blue in November!
May 7, 2008 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now Feinstein's complaining:
http://ruralvotes.com/thefield/?p=1167
There's probably a 50/50 chance of this being over extremely soon IMO.
May 7, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Beautiful! Keep 'em coming!
5-0 today!
May 7, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great, let see your hero show some leadership on this issue:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/07/iraq-sellout-thursday-call-congress-today/
Go Obama.
May 7, 2008 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, are your parents brother & sister?
May 7, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually they are. And they live under powerlines and feed their children nothing but lead chips.
May 7, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bitter Troll.
May 7, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Our hero, gotalife. Ours. He's your hero too whether you like it or not.
May 7, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will wait for him to actually do something before judging him as a hero or a zero.
Step up and lead.
The spineless dems really need one right now.
May 7, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, it sounds like you are a Republican, who'd of ever guessed it?
May 7, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Show some leadership? How about he runs for President on a platform of getting out of Iraq, using as much sense as we lacked getting in. That work for ya?
And want to be treated like more than a gutter-rat? Lose the bullshit avatar, and answer the daily question: Will you support Obama in the Fall?
(remember, Operation Chaos will be over, so don't get confused)
May 7, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Darn, like a puppy going belly up (but they're so cute when they do that).
I'm tempted to say, after all the slurs you cast on him...now you wanna crawl into the big tent.
Look, just take the fershlugginer chicken off his head before you get your hand stamped, OK?
Oh, by the way, remember your old buddy Universal, from DKos?
Caught him rallying the organisms over at Hillaryis44.com this morning...are you SURE you don't hang out over there? (Somebody named ineedalife does...)
May 7, 2008 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
To everyone who dissed Howard Dean for not fixing this:
Howard Dean fixed this problem - I'm sure that he and Reid and Pelosi have talked to everyone about the contingencies and trying to get this over with. Howard is rightly concerned about our main objective, and so is everyone else, by now.
May 7, 2008 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I give Dean props if only because he didn't cave to the mighty Clintons.
May 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cue the theme from Jaws.
Why is our GAL-pal linking C&L?
May 7, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
How do you get a half a delegate?
May 7, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dems abroad.
May 7, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Some delegates only have half a vote, such as Democrats Abroad and Guam
May 7, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Supers from states that don't count have a value of .5
May 7, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
You get a whole delegate with half a vote.
May 7, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn, I was waiting on the punchline...
How about: "by using a very sharp knife"
May 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
You have been on such a roll lately!
ROFLMAO!
May 7, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
he/she only gets half way into the building at the convention
the good news is, the delegate gets to choose which end of his/her body gets in, heads or tails
May 7, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I actually hope she can stick it out for a bit, provided she calls off the dogs in trying to make Obama look unelectable. There's a lot to be said for this process continuing through to June. Mostly organizing a battle tested GOTV effort in Oregon and perhaps North Dakota, introducing Obama to more states before the general election, and that we're effectively starving McCain for airtime.
May 7, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even if Hillary were to drop out in the next 10 mins, Obama would not stop campaigning.
May 7, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great drama on C Span in the House.
Good luck with that unity trolls.
All he is to do is talk and not lead to make you trolls happy.
But there is more to the job than just talking.
May 7, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
sigh. I was really hoping you'd come around.
Why don't you look at some of the laws Obama has passed. As a ACLU supporter, I think you'll find him quite the man.
May 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
gotalife,
So where's Hillary's great leadership here? Last time I checked she skipped a vote on telecom immunity while Obama showed up to vote Nay...
May 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you know what a troll is? Here is a hint; look in a mirror you insufferable twit.
May 7, 2008 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
The effluence continues. Take some Imodium.
May 7, 2008 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ok, assuming Obama is the nominee, here is what the Democratic Party is up against:
John Judis writes in TNR that the Dem primary is over but that Obama has actually done worse with key voting blocs the closer he's gotten to wrapping things up:
The Base: As the primaries have proceeded, he has become more dependent on strong, almost unanimous, support from African American and young voters. For instance, he lost the California primary in February, but he still beat Clinton by a whopping 55 to 35 percent among white men. In North Carolina, where the white Democratic electorate is liberal and tolerant (only five percent of the primary electorate voted against Obama because of race, compared to over 11 percent in Pennsylvania and Ohio), Obama could still win only 36 percent of white voters. In the fall, when African Americans will only make up about 23 percent of North Carolina's electorate, he would have to win 38 percent of all whites to carry the state.
Ideology: In the Iowa Caucus, Obama defeated Clinton among "moderate" voters by 33 to 31 percent and barely lost "conservatives" by 22 to 21 percent. He was perceived as a middle-of-the-road candidate or, even better, as standing above ideology. But he increasingly is seen as the "liberal" or even "very liberal" candidate. In Indiana, he bested Clinton among liberals 55 to 45 percent but lost moderates by 53 to 46 percent and conservatives by 65 to 35 percent. He can't carry that political image into the fall and hope to defeat McCain. In most of the swing states that he would need to win, liberals occupy a much smaller niche than they in the Democratic primary. Moderates are the key. They make up 45 percent of the electorate in Virginia and 43 percent in Colorado--two states that the Obama campaign thinks it could win.
Forcefulness: In the 2004 election, voters repeatedly expressed their preference for a "strong leader," but Obama has yet to establish himself in this respect. He is regularly judged more "honest and trustworthy" than Clinton, but those qualities have proved less important to choosing a president. In Indiana, voters thought Clinton more qualified to be commander in chief by 54 to 43 percent. Nine percent of Obama voters acknowledged that Clinton was "more qualified to be commander in chief." In North Carolina, eleven percent of Obama voters preferred Clinton. Obama appears to be somewhat effete, which will, unless remedied, cause him difficulty against McCain in the fall, particularly among white males.
Policy priorities: Obama based his campaign against Clinton on his vote against the Iraq war and on a promise to change "Washington." But the public's priorities have changed. In New Hampshire, 31 percent thought the war the most important issue. In Indiana, only 18 percent of voters thought that. Still, Obama seems far more comfortable talking about the war and government reform. In his stirring speech tonight, which my colleague Jonathan Cohn discusses here, he stumbled when he started talking about jobs being shipped overseas. He has to be able to drive home his differences with McCain on the economy if he wants to broaden his political base.
Values and religiosity: Obama initially held his own among voters who attend church regularly. In New Hampshire, he bested Clinton by 37 to 32 percent among weekly churchgoers--and he didn't have to include religious African Americans in the total. But Obama has increasingly lost this vote and gained adherents among the non-religious. In Indiana, he lost to Clinton among weekly and occasional churchgoers but defeated her among those who never attend church. That can hurt him in the fall in states Obama wants to win. In Virginia, for instance, weekly and occasional churchgoers made up 83 percent of the general electorate in 2004. The challenge for Obama will be to reach out to religious voters without reminding voters of his ties to Reverend Wright.
May 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it's up to people like you who went around telling people who didn't know any better that Obama was evil incarnate to now go BACK to those same people and convince them otherwise.
May 7, 2008 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for forwarding the Repub playbook for the Fall! It'll be a great help!
May 7, 2008 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah - no shit.
That was so breathtakingly wrong in so many ways that this is going to be more fun than I thought.
I especially love the part about the liberal, tolerant white southern voters. That's in direct opposition to what I would expect from the Republicans. I'm not sayin we're not, I just thought it was an article of Republican faith that we're not - they've been using that in every election since segregation.
What the hell is going on now?
May 7, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Integration.
Now they got my brain going backwards. motherfuckers!
May 7, 2008 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you actually believe you own straw man, apples vs. oranges bullshit comparisons?
You sound like Terry "Baghdad Bob" McAuliffe.
She lost. It's over. You're done. Now you just look silly.
May 7, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are you going to be equally dismissive of Obama when he gives McCain an epic ass kicking in November?
May 7, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is this your punditry or someone else's sophistry? Either way, it's unpersuasive and pointless. Obama won. The lightning has flashed. The thunder is not far off.
May 7, 2008 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
The most encouraging thing that I see about the Obama campaign is the fact that he has started to learn how to do press the flesh retail politics style in larger white working class regions. He started out doing it in Iowa, but dropped it for the larger States. He should never have abandoned it fully. He will continue to hone those skills, and he will be much better at it in the fall. Most people who meet him, end up really liking him.
May 7, 2008 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jennifer McClellan a month ago in response to petitions to support Obama:
No snark, I'm just glad she's seen the light, and point out that any past declarations from supers of how long they're going to wait should be taken with a grain of salt.
May 7, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
She was under tremendous pressure from constituents. She endorsed early because Clinton had personally helped her get her start in politics.
This is what needs to happen. Not just that undeclared supers make up their minds, but that Clinton supers recognize that the game has changed and switch their endorsement. This would mean that Clinton's path to victory would get even longer. A few have done so, and I hope the trend continues.
May 7, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is GRRRRReat news for Hillary!
Only 272.5 to go . . .
May 7, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone else having trouble loading Obama website? Must be craaaazy traffic going on there. Hopefully that means a lot of new donations, and new donors.
May 7, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
And *old* donors too (hello there) :)
Got in last night just fine (wanted to counteract any "look how much moola we got after her victory speech" hoo ha from Wolfson).
May 7, 2008 4:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Meanwhile McCauliffe is still being Baghdad Bob.
On the plus side, she seems to have stopped tossing the kitchen sink about. I heard her WV campaign stop today and while there were little digs it was a good Dem speech. It also took on some of Obama's talking points that I hadn't heard her on before (college $ in exchange for service). Makes me wonder if she is starting to tout the Dem position in addition to her own.
As long as she isn't Evil Hillary, I would be happy to see this go all the way to June 3. Give the good people of WV & WY etc a chance to get think about the Dems & get to know them.
May 7, 2008 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
There might be something to be said for her redeeming herself somewhat. She also might be in a better position to expect some money from Obama and from other donors if she plays nice for a change and acts like she's an actual member of the Democratic Party.
She does that - I will be happy. I always thought it would just rock to have Bill Clinton campaigning with Barack Obama. Maybe the Clintons will sit down and get reasonable.
Or not. I don't know what to expect from them anymore.
May 7, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
After all the shit they've said about Obama, how could they ever campaign for him? I guess their credibility couldn't get any lower...
May 7, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/feinstein-asks-clinton-for-her-primary-game-plan-2008-05-07.html
Feinstein to ask Clinton for her primary game plan
By Manu Raju
Posted: 05/07/08 02:39 PM [ET]
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) most prominent Senate supporters, said Wednesday that she will ask the former first lady to detail her plans for the rest of the Democratic primary.
“I, as you know, have great fondness and great respect for Sen. Clinton and I’m very loyal to her,” Feinstein said. “Having said that, I’d like to talk with her and [get] her view on the rest of the race and what the strategy is.”
Clinton, who eked out a win in Indiana Tuesday night but lost big to front-runner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) in North Carolina, has not responded to Feinstein’s phone call, the California senator said.
“I think the race is reaching the point now where there are negative dividends from it, in terms of strife within the party,” Feinstein said. “I think we need to prevent that as much as we can.”
May 7, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that Hillary is about to live a Johnny Cash song:
"How high's the water Mama? 5 feet high and rising"
May 7, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Friends,
Shadenfreude only lasts a few precious hours in this modern age of campaigning. Please savor every last iota of grace this moment has provided us.
And by that I mean "laughing at trolls on every message board you can find."
May 7, 2008 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL
I do love that gravatar.
May 7, 2008 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Time for Obama to step up and lead on this issue:
http://www.democrats.com/iraq-sellout-alert-call-congress-today
May 7, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
What? Is Clinton no longer a leader? Has she dropped out of the race?
Take some Imodium.
May 7, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think this is a watershed moment, actually. It's the first time the trolls are starting to accept the inevitable here, and changing their posture to the clinton-era dittohead bitching about the status quo.
May 7, 2008 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, its all about Obama and Iraq is not an issue.
Interesting.
May 7, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, nice pidgeonhole, chief chickenhead. I never said that. It's just the first time you've started framing your trolls with that tinge of an inevitable Obama nomination, that's all.
May 7, 2008 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink