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Obama Campaign: We're Only 17 Pledged Dels Away From Clinching The Primaries
In a sign that they are likely to declare victory in the presidential primary very soon, the Obama campaign is now boasting in a memo to reporters that they are on the cusp of winning the pledged-delegate majority, thanks to the endorsement from John Edwards and a group of his delegates.
By the Obama campaign's math, they are only 17 elected delegates away from the pledged-del majority, a number that they are guaranteed to pull off next week in Oregon and Kentucky. Expect them to court super-delegates to break their way en masse after that happens, on the basis that Obama has the popular mandate to be the nominee.
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As Jon Stewart said: Obama and any other half-black senator from Illinois who happens to be the nominee.
Ahem.
May 16, 2008 9:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good morning T. Hey, I know this is off topic, but did anyone here watch hardball last night? I've never seen a better smack down of a right wing hate radio host, it was brilliant. Matthews just totally takes this Dogzilla type talking head out to the woodshed and gives him the beating of his life.
Check the video, you won't be sorry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99BY4IBZGT4
May 16, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I watched that here last night - Josh put it on the front page. It was pretty amazing.
But I really was so blown away by Keith Olbermann's comment the other night that I'm still half-stunned by that. That was the most amazing thing I've seen since Stephen Colbert emceed the DC Press Club Dinner.
May 16, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Instead of "come to mama," it's Come to Obama!
May 16, 2008 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm using that one.
May 16, 2008 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's your trademark? sorry... I too grew up speaking English!
May 16, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
The MATH.
May 16, 2008 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just let everybody vote. Is three weeks really that much more to ask for?
May 16, 2008 9:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
This milestone does not and should not prevent anyone from voting. They are just underscoring that by the rules of the DNC, they are up by 21 points with 30 seconds on the clock. Whatever happens in the last 30 seconds, they are going to win the game.
Cue the fat lady.....
May 16, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
I misunderstood the significance.
May 16, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
To whit, I voted for Kerry here in the 2k4 NC primary *long* after that game was obviously done.
May 16, 2008 9:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but if Obama's going to tout the fake milestone that he's won more pledged delegates, he shouldn't get to use Edwards' delegates to reach it. Obama didn't "win" those delegates--Edwards did.
May 16, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama did not automatically get Edwards delegates, they were released. Which means that they are free to choose who they want to stand behind, and so far the ones who have decided have decided to support Barack Obama.
Take a little time and learn about the process, it will make it easier for you to understand what is going on. Edwards may have endorsed Obama, but his delegates can do as they wish now.
May 16, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
If it's not going to affect the results at all, it's pointless. I really doubt Hillary's going to drop out until the end of the primaries either so you'll get your wish. Bear in mind if she had gotten her way, she would've clinched this nomination on Super Tuesday and none of the votes after early February would've counted for anything.
May 16, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Look at the Calendar on the right hand side of this page... below the Prediction Market info.
Hillary has no events scheduled today!
May 16, 2008 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Time to move on. Forget about hillary. This thing is over!
May 16, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well she does have some events listed for today, but nothing for the weekend. That's how it goes when you're 20+ million in the hole and no vendors will do business with you.
May 16, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I swear to God I have no idea what you people mean by this. Even if Obama clinches the nomination, nobody's going to be calling off any of the remaining elections.
May 16, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Three sources close to senior Republicans that they have a video that shows Michelle Obama railing against “whitey” at Jeremiah Wright’s church. It will be played in Republican Ads in the general election. They will not release it until then.
May 16, 2008 9:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
complete. unsubstantiated. bullshit.
May 16, 2008 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
You must be a charter member of your local chapter of ABBO.
May 16, 2008 9:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Uh... source? Link? Something if you're gonna make a claim like that?
May 16, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oooooooh-how about some "black" magic too!
Did they catch her reading Harry Potter to her kids?
Show me! Show me! Show me!
May 16, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dirty Tricks! They have nothing... so they pretend they do! And they're trying to scare us!
This is nothing more than bush saying WMD in Iraq!!!
May 16, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is that your equivalent of the "live boy/ dead girl" deal killer? Don't think that's going to be enough to get Clinton back in the picture.
Look, we can pretty much presume that race is going to be the ugliest thing that Obama opponents can throw out there. The more they air the issue, the better the chance we have to finally clear the air of this malingering stench that everybody dances around but does nothing about.
May 16, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
THIS
May 16, 2008 9:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
IS
May 16, 2008 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
EXCELLENT
May 16, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
NEWS!!
May 16, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
FOR
May 16, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
HILLARY!!!
May 16, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
EXCELLENT
May 16, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
NEWS!!
May 16, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
FOR
May 16, 2008 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
HILLARY!!!!!!!!!!
May 16, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
HILLMENTUM!!!
May 16, 2008 9:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
NEWS!!
May 16, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
EXCELLENT
May 16, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Mmmmmmmm....love it
May 16, 2008 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm curious if he'll get those 17 delegates before May 20th.
May 16, 2008 9:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, pledged delegates, never mind...unless there's enough Edwards delegates still undeclared.
May 16, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
But wait, won't Shrillary just move the goalposts again and claim 4,000,742 is the new number to reach for the nominee? I mean, come on, people, we're disenfranchising the voters of squirrels, raccoons, flies, birds - all of which inhabiting FL and MI.
So, Obama still has a lot of work to do to "appease" the wildlife vote! :-)
May 16, 2008 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!
I do think my favorite move so far was the move to a different delegate total in order to win.
When she said that that cracked my shit right up. O Hillary - girl, you do try.
May 16, 2008 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm still laughing at that. The first time I read about that, I just about died on my floor. Now how you gonna move a goal post further away from your opponent, when you are behind. And the HillBots that go out online and regurgitate her talking points kill me. When you ask them how is she going to reach the Newer, Higher Number when she's behind, they either don't answer or say, "Well, neither of them are going to win it." So why say anything? Dumbest talking point since writing off a majority of voters as "insignificant".
May 16, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, this just in...Shrillary also wants the votes of fleas and ticks in OH and FL to count, too!
May 16, 2008 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well if the ticks in my backyard in FL all go for Hillary she might just get the nomination.
May 16, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Flea elections, indeed.
May 16, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
No surprise, it's just politics* as usual.
* From: poly = many; ticks = blood-sucking parasites.
May 16, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Okay guys, can we stop with the Shrillary and Hillary baiting now? I am an Obamanite but it is over and picking on Hillary is pointless now. It will just make it that much harder for the other half of the dem party to feel good about Obama.
Time to focus our venom on McCain & Bush.
May 16, 2008 9:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Look, if someone does something absurd, I reserve my right to make fun of it - no matter who it is.
sorry.
May 16, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
You have the right to do many things that are not in the best interest of the Obama campaign. Having the right to do a thing does not make it the right thing to do. Sen Obama has set the standard for good sportmanship. We should follow his example and, if we fail, not get self rightous when some one calls us on it.
May 16, 2008 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
O puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze.
Self-righteous? Me? Reread your comment, dude. It fucking drips with it.
May 16, 2008 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
HTX
I like your coments and look forward to them. My poor choice of words makes me look like an ass, OK. But that has nothing to do with wether we should be piling on Hillary now. We should not. It is well within your rights. It is still counter productive. We all fail in our efforts to remain positive even when we are trying. I surely have. But it just looks childish when someone calls you on it and your defense is, 'I'm within my rights.' Our rights have nothing to do with wether we should be piling on. We won. We should not be dicks about it. Do not act like the spoild baby 'in your face' athletes who have no home training.
May 16, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously. Unless you're actually ON the Obama campaign team, this self enforced pledge to give up snarky attacks is just silly. Like a few comments from blogs is going to cause mass numbers of Democrats to vote for McCain. Those that want to hold themselves "to a higher standard" are free to do so. But BS is BS, be it from a Democrat or a Republican and as such it should be pointed out.
May 16, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seconded.
May 16, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that Hillary riduculousness is somewhat fair game but it isn't about Hillary it is about fellow democrats. Will snark drive away droves of people that might otherwise vote for Obama -not likely but that is beside the point.
The point is it is a little mean. How would you feel if Obama lost and people kept rubbing salt in the wound. Politics are a very emotional and personal thing for a lot of people and HRC supporters are seriously going through some mourning stages. I just don't think it is very nice to kick people when they are down.
That doesn't say that HRC people have been saints and perhaps they deserve a little dig now and again but it doesn't solve anything and just makes things worse in the long run.
Anyway its a free country and you can do what you want, I was just expressing my opinion that I think this is unhelpful.
May 16, 2008 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why is it that when a creepy racist troll like Dogzilla starts making monkey jokes about black people, the mods here don't shut them down? This is an abiding mystery to me.
May 16, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just let everybody vote. Is three weeks really that much more to ask for?
What was it in that article that had anything to do with not letting everybody vote? The primaries aren't going to be canceled. Surely you aren't saying that Obama should somehow prevent himself from getting a majority of the pledged delegates. He's had an insurmountable lead for quite a while, a lead Hillary hasn't had any chance of breaking in even the rosiest of rosy scenarios.
Is the objection here to superdels endorsing Obama? It's hard to see how that could make any sense. Even Hillary has said the superdels are free to endorse anyone they want. Superdelegate endorsements can't force Hillary to withdraw if she doesn't want to, because the superdels are allowed to change their minds right up to the last minute.
There's nothing in this article asking Hillary to withdraw. I think, now that she's running a more positive campaign and isn't doing shit like endorsing McCain over Obama, most people don't care much if she stays in the race or not because it doesn't make any difference. Her name will be on the ballots either way. It won't make a difference in the race for pledged delegates. She doesn't have any new arguments to try to sway the superdelegates, and the old arguments clearly haven't come at all close to working, since the superdels are going to Obama at better than five-to-one. So what's the harm?
So what is it you're asking? What's the objection?
May 16, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's over. We've won.
I think it's time to try to make nice to Hillary. Not enough to support her going on the ticket, which I think would be a huge mistake. And not enough to make nice to her campaign's hacks and scumbags like Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson, Lanny Davis and the abominable Terry McAuliffe, who deserve to rot in obscurity for the rest of their days. But enough so at least we don't come off like sore winners.
Hillary actually made nice yesterday, saying the right things in response to Bush's bullshit, as Joe Biden so aptly put it. If she's really turning over a new leaf, I think us Obama supporters should try to do the same. Even though it is hard.
Kumbaya baby.
May 16, 2008 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!
There isn't much that amuses me more than the spectacle of comments board commenters taking themselves soooooooooo seriously that they draw their garments back from the hoi polloi and sniff that we are lowering the tone.
That and the thought that anyone outside this board gives one shit what is said here.
Cause nobody does.
May 16, 2008 9:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know how many non-troll Hillary supporters are left on this site for us to offend, truth be told.
May 16, 2008 10:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Me neither.
But I do get tired of thread monitors.
I'll repeat what I've said about a thousand times - I am here for the conversation because it is funny and witty and edgy. And if we're going to have a goddamn tea party here every day, I'm out.
I'm here to talk like people talk - sometimes mean, but funny is always good - I don't care what anyone says. Dayum! Why does everyone continually strive to ruin what we have?
May 16, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
No tea partys, just maybe a little less volume on the Hillary bashing. Certainly a fair amount of snark about ridiculous comments is one thing but there has been a nastiness about it on occasion that I think is the wrong focus now that the race is over. JMO
Don't worry McCain and apparently Bush seem to be throwing out enough insanity that there will be no shortage of interesting commentary.
May 16, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
The true Trolls here are Republicans and racists pretending to be Hillary supporters.
I have no problem with the true Hillary supporters here, the few that are left.
May 16, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Never stop being real Tena. If anything, you also keep me real.
May 16, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
thanks, sweetie!
LOL!!!
May 16, 2008 10:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Senator Clinton is finally doing the responsible thing and closing out her campaign on a positive note (and defending Obama from Bushit.). Let's reciprocate by dealing with her respectfully, something that, now that she's back on the reservation, she's very much earned, as a leading figure in the party and a formidable primary candidate.
May 16, 2008 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's reciprocate by dealing with her respectfully, something that, now that she's back on the reservation, she's very much earned, as a leading figure in the party and a formidable primary candidate.
Sure, just as soon as all of this talk about having to appease Hillary by giving her the veep slot is over and done with.
May 16, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Tena, nobody's trying to ruin everything. Part of a conversation is having people disagree with you. Disagreement isn't censorship. Nor does eliminating it make the conversation more "edgy."
The point is, the race is over. Calling Hillary "Shrillary" or whatever was always pretty much in bad taste, but at this point it just starts to look a lot like bullying.
I don't know how much or whether threads like this affect the election in November; I suspect you're right and it's probably not a whole lot. Still, I don't quite understand why childish name-calling and general mean-spiritedness equals "keeping it real." By those standards, Dogzilla's a lot more real than anyone else.
May 16, 2008 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm with Tena. If it's going to be all hugs and kisses, pc sanitized, no "f" word circle jerks, I'll just read stuff over at Kos. Not that I have anything against the Great Orange Satan. Love that place, I'm there everyday and it is filled with info, but it can be a bit sanitized.
Fuck Hillary and her gang if they can't roll with the punches. This ain't fucking T-ball, it's full on fear and loathing out there. They need to, as my Aussie mates say, harden right the fuck up.
May 16, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Matthews smackdown was amazing, but the key question will be whether he has that idiot on the show again. Matthews is kind of a bottom feeder, always looking for crappy commentators he can beat up on.
It is pretty ironic that the mainstream news media employ some real bozos to give straight commentary, while Stewart and Colbert host the real experts on their comedy programs.
May 16, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
well, once in law school I brought my pet monkey Thurgood with me to class, but I dressed him up in a little suit and tie. It was really cute : )
anyway, that same day famous Critical Race Studies "scholar" Derrick Bell was visiting the school. So about two dozen people come up and say "welcome Professor Bell." And when Thurgood would start jabbering away, it would take about two to three minutes before people realized, hey! That's not Derrick Bell, that a monkey in a suit!
May 16, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary stil won't drop out of the race.....
Because she is going to do really good in kentucky, oregon and puerto rico.....
also she believes that once florida and michigan are counted, she will be leading in the popular vorte and less than 100 delegates behind obama.
She says that to win you have to have 2,209 delegates once michigan and florida are included.... so if obama reaches 2,025 she ain't going to care.
Once all is over.... "IF" obama wins, he will pick her as his VP.... She will do the same, "IF" she wins.... they are going to be on the same ticket.....
Going to win in November:):) by a huge victory:):)
May 16, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Congratulations.
You have officially reached the bargaining stage of the levels of grief - though you haven't entirely given up on denial yet. You are bargaining for a Hillary VP nod (though it won't happen). You are more than halfway to acceptance, at which time I'm sure you will still be ready to work for that huge Obama victory in November.
May 16, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
also she believes that once florida and michigan are counted, she will be leading in the popular vorte and less than 100 delegates behind obama.
She means that she might have a small lead in the popular vote if you count the votes in Michigan without taking into account that Obama's name wasn't on the ballot, AND if you don't count the caucus states. Somehow I don't think the superdelegates are going to find that argument persuasive.
Thanks, BTW, for being one of the few Hillary supporters who maintains a decent tone.
May 16, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
And he got a new SD today from CA
irst super today goes to Obama. Rep. Pete Stark, chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, endorses Obama...
Are we expecting more endorsements before Wednesday 21st?
Obama 08
May 16, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think she wants a re-do of all the states...:) without the caucuses, and the primaries she lost...
May 16, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jeez Louise!
Stop fighting kids. Obama is our nominee. Hillary is not. We won.
John McSame and Chimpy McFlightSuit (and their posse - Boner, EPA Dude, Abu Gonzalez, Turd Blossom, et. al.) are great targets for the snark, edginess, angst, grief, friskiness, whatever else you have to throw. Please direct all your mud, etc. at them.
HRC is done, finito, over, ...
May 16, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
HRC is done, finito, over, ...
She's not done. She's just angling for the veep slot now.
May 16, 2008 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
And, as I pointed out above, we are Democrats, not Republicans who march in lockstep with their leaders, come hell or highwater. As a Democrat, I reserve the right to throw snark and derision at Democratic leaders anytime that they fail to live up to Democratic principles (which lately has been a lot).
May 16, 2008 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
well, once in law school I brought my pet monkey Thurgood with me to class, but I dressed him up in a little suit and tie. It was really cute : )
anyway, that same day famous Critical Race Studies "scholar" Derrick Bell was visiting the school. So about two dozen people come up and say "welcome Professor Bell." And when Thurgood would start jabbering away, it would take about two to three minutes before people realized, hey! That's not Derrick Bell, that a monkey in a suit!
May 16, 2008 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is not a Democrat, but rather a racist, middle-aged Republican sitting in his mother's basement, eating Cheetos and pounding away at his sticky orange keyboard while wiping flecks of spittle and Cheetos off of the 14 inch CRT monitor with their greasy orange fingers.
May 16, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, everyone has the right to be an asshole. Doing it in public just confirms the designation. Consider, for example, the resident troll....
May 16, 2008 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Mathematically, the race is over. Agreed. But anyone who believes Hillary is finished is too naive or paid too little attention to this campaign.
At this point, I don't think she's even leaning for the VP slot. She is waiting for a opening. Take it from me, you'll hear a lot about back room deals and drama, lots of temper tantrums for FL and MI seating, exploitation of victim cared, etc. Though its looks less likely, she wouldn't mind witing a month or so before dropping out.
I don't agree but I don't fully blame her. This lady had devised the last decade or more to be the POTUS. She's loosing not the GE but the primary. She will not give up so easily.
May 16, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
The fascinating thing for me in watching this play out, is not that Hillary is not going gracefully - I expected that. It's how the Party Leaders are handling it. She really can't believe that they aren't backing her up. She assumed that even if Obama somehow managed to get the votes in the primaries, that the Party powerbase would help her finagle the win. She's still clinging to that. As the SuperDels slowly but surely edge over to Obama, and once it becomes clear that there will be no deal in her favor in regards to MI and FL, she'll have to find a way to save face and bow out. But, the fact that the Party has played it this way speaks volumes about where they see the Party going, I think. I haven't had a lot of warm fuzzies for the Dems in recent years, but I'm liking that they seem to be backing Obama here.
May 16, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
the Harvard physics department. 62 faculty, of which:
women: 4
AAs: 0
http://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/faculty.html
May 16, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
And your point is....what??
May 16, 2008 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is Harvard even particularly known for physics? You, my friend, are douche-tastic.
May 16, 2008 12:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
He'll probably declare victory five minutes after Hillary's victory speech in Kentucky.
May 16, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink