Greetings From The Scene Of Hillary's Party Tonight
We're here at Baruch College in New York City -- just across town from TPM World Headquarters in the Flower District -- which is the site of tonight's victory party for Hillary.
Here, Hillary either will or won't end her presidential bid tonight. Or perhaps she'll merely concede that Obama has numerically clinched the nomination, without actually conceding defeat.
Here in the traveling press room are Maureen Dowd, Politico's Ben Smith, WaPo's Anne Kornblut, Newsday's Glenn Thrush (who wrote today's story on Mark Penn), and many other reporters.
The scene immediately drives home why it is that the big news orgs are cutting back on sending reporters to travel with the candidates. This isn't news to the traveling reporters, of course, but readers might be surprised to learn that we're all going to watch Hillary's victory (or defeat) speech on two big TVs, in a separate room, meaning that in some ways anyone watching the event on TV in their basement might be able to cover it every bit as effectively.
We'll be blogging tonight's results right here.















You should be in St. Paul.
June 3, 2008 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Election Projection has had this thing settled for a good while - they don't even mention Hillary in their projections. Obama leads McCain by a good margin - which is sure to grow between now and November. Electoral-vote has been carrying Hillary (read: Dead Weight) along til now. I bet that changes real soon.
By the way, EP has Bruce Lunsford winning the McConnell's seat in Kentucky. It's going to be a fun summer!
June 3, 2008 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oops, missed the first link...
a href="http://www.electionprojection.com">Election Projection
June 3, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
grrrrr....again....
Election Projection
If this doesn't work, forgeddaboudit.
June 3, 2008 8:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I keep mucking things up with links too. It really is time for a preview function.
June 3, 2008 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can't he watch TV as well in NYC as in St. Paul?
June 3, 2008 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greetings from St. Paul!!!
I will be blogging live and direct from the Larry Craig Memorial Men's Room, MPLS-St Paul airport
June 3, 2008 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
No one gets to have all the fun all the time.
June 3, 2008 8:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously, you are rather missing the historical moment.
June 3, 2008 7:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rubbernecker. Some cannot resist the scene of the collision...
June 3, 2008 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nicely done, friend!
June 3, 2008 7:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, to be fair, TPM is on a tight budget. I don't expect TPM to fly him out to St Paul, but they can afford a cab or subway ride across town.
June 3, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
He should have arranged a remote or pool to have someone reporting to here from there.
Alas, Sounds like a penny-wise and pound-foolish decision to miss history unfolding.
June 3, 2008 9:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, I guess you guys are getting cut-off from the gravy train. Make sure you turn in your expense info, including receipts, by Friday. Just a friendly reminder gregg.
June 3, 2008 7:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
CNN sez 2,112 ...
June 3, 2008 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you get one of those one-way plane tickets?
June 3, 2008 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Greg,
Thanks for your input/work.
June 3, 2008 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
OMG - do you mean to tell me I've been yelling at someone with honest to god cred? LOL! Just kidding, Greg.( as if I thought you'd read this.)
Good on you - and thanks for being there to tell us about it.
Thanks a lot.
June 3, 2008 7:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good for you.
Have fun.
June 3, 2008 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg - If you could tell Ms. Dowd that she's a fucking hack, I'd appreciate it. Thanks so much.
June 3, 2008 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL. Seriously, I second this comment.
June 3, 2008 7:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to see that. "Excuse me, Ms. Dowd? Greg Sargent here from TPM. Yeah. we broke the purgegate story. Yeah, yeah, Josh is adorable, whatever. . Um, listen, I'm supposed to tell you from mftalbot, let's see, 'You're a fucking hack.' Okay! anyway, have a nice day! And, great shoes!"
June 3, 2008 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ooo - don't leave me out! I want to co-sign that note about Dowd and hackdom.
June 3, 2008 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Finally, something i can agree with you on Tena.
June 3, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well be still my heart.
June 3, 2008 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is EXACTLY as I imagine it :D
June 3, 2008 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait, wait wait. Not so fast.
Is she going to write a nasty, anti-Hillary article for tomorrow?
Let's find that out first before giving her the bum's rush.
;-)
June 3, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't matter, she'll just follow it up with some lame article on how despite Obama's competence, she simply can't picture them snuggling with coco and marshmallows by the fireside.
Then she'll probably mention that despite not even knowing who rules Iran, McCain is quite the snugglebunny.
June 3, 2008 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope she lays in to John McCain something fierce tonight.
June 3, 2008 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey seats at the party is for *donors* who can help pay off some debt. Go away you free-riders, the queen's done with using you!
June 3, 2008 7:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
A little surprised that MoDo is in NY, instead of Chicago, however, the Clintons are one of her obsessions so it probably makes sense.
Wonder who the Times sent to cover Obama?
June 3, 2008 7:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why Chicago?
Obama is in Minnesota tonight.
June 3, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm thinking she's not really going to concede, at least not in the ways we normally understand what that word means.
June 3, 2008 7:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
She wouldn't be a Clinton if she did...
June 3, 2008 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course not.
It'll be in "so many words."
The thing that is getting to me is that the more like a sore loser she looks and the more embittered some of her supporters are, the worse they are making this for the next woman candidate.
I'm serious here - she is making us look bad. The next time a woman candidate looks promising, how many people will stop and say to themselves: "I don't want to go through that shit again..."
Hillary - please stop this and please ask your followers to stop with the bullshit yelling and the threats to campaign for McLame.
June 3, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think whether Hillary's refusal to bow out gracefully (so far, at least) makes it harder for the next woman candidate depends a lot on the outcome in November. If Obama wins, this painful primary cycle will fade pretty quickly from the collective memory. If (god forbid) he loses, people will start assigning blame and the Clinton campaign's seemingly endless attempt to undermine Obama's qualifications (only she and McCain are ready to be Commander In Chief) is where many will start.
June 3, 2008 9:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
My prediction is that Hillary gives the first ever "wait, was that a concession speech?" speech. She'll go right up to the border, and then tiptoe back. She'll try to have it both ways--acting like the gracious one, yet reserving the right to steal (sorry, "convince") delegates, appeal the FL/MI decision, etc. I think it will be a speech unlike anything any of us have ever seen.
June 3, 2008 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wonder who the Times sent to cover Obama?
Bill Kristol
June 3, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg,
I take back every mean and unfair thought I've ever had about you.
Promotions for everyone!
June 3, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Harold Ford laid it straight regarding Obama and Michelle's struggle in America. I must give my props to the little DLC fella, he actually stood up for Obama.
June 3, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't worry, he will shank Obama latter next week and beyond.
June 3, 2008 8:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mark Penn. Jeeez, but that guy is quite repulsive.
June 3, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Like what falls out of a grease trap.
June 3, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey! That grease trap stuff can be made into biodiesel and become a useful commodity.
Penn, not so much.
June 3, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
On one hand it should not surprise anyone that the Clintons, with the assistance of the media and Republicans, will make this night all about her regardless of Obama's historic victory. And we shouldn't be surprised that a deluge of anti-Obama propaganda will commence immediatly.
On the other hand it doesn't matter. This is what Obama fought against the whole time and he won. The people have spoken and they are not listening to the Democratic establishment or the corporate media or the Republican message machine any more. They can scream and shout and lie and whine but it doesn't change the result; it is over, Obama won.
June 3, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg, if you see mark penn, will you tell him he's UGLY.
June 3, 2008 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
And that he's sweating a lot.
And that he should get rid of that combover.
June 3, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Beware of hemlock in the punch there tonight Greg.
June 3, 2008 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey. I have been crazy busy at work for a while. Has anyone seen gotalife? I was hoping he/she would not miss the party.
June 3, 2008 8:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you see Lanny Davis, discretely spit on his shoes, will ya, Greg?
{giggle}
June 3, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
NO NO! Piss on his shoes!
June 3, 2008 8:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
greg, if you see patty solis-doyle there, wait...
June 3, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg Sargent:
Wow.
Never thought I'd hear Greg make an oblique reference to gotalife's fancy basement.
What a partisan!
June 3, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guffawed!
June 3, 2008 8:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, you radicals have your nominee.
I am going Independent due the this joke they called an election. Done with the spineless dems.
I hereby declare both candidates suck.
Now kindly, GFY.
June 3, 2008 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bob Barr?!!!
Hey, I'm an independent and even I would not vote for that guy. You claim to like Hillary and you'd vote for HIM???!!!
June 3, 2008 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am undecided.
June 3, 2008 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Have you considered LaRouche, Gottalie? He's been frothing-at-the-mouth batshit-crazy anti-Obama, based on links kindly posted by one of his admirers here. I think you might find yourself feeling right at home among the LaRouchies. Give it a try.
June 3, 2008 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cheer up. I hear McCain is going to embrace Hillary tonight.
June 3, 2008 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, yes. Nominating Barack Hussein Obama. So spineless!
By the way, which of Obama's policies would you consider radical compared to Hillary's?
June 3, 2008 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
his blackness.
very radical.
June 3, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Done with the spineless dems."
right, 5 months ago if you would have said that the dems would nominate someone named Obama over someone named Clinton, i think the definition of that would be spineless....geesh!
June 3, 2008 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
You have five months to think about this, gotalife.
Five long months.
June 3, 2008 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Radicals? Like all those folks who turned out in huge masses and demolished primary records? Man, this country must be FULL of radicals!
Power to the radicals!!!
June 3, 2008 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Word!
Throw it up if you're banging for freedom
and if you're tired of all the talkin let's sumpin'
get gangsta wit it!
June 3, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's funny, I doubt anyone actually ever thought you were a Dem in the first place.
June 3, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey gonadlife, thanks for taking time out from your new duties as a "commenter" on Huff Po to join us.
I guess that was the only blog you could post comments to, where an exploded head actually helps.
(BTW...could you make that your next freaky avatar? Kthxbai
June 3, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
So why are you there?
June 3, 2008 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because Maureen's a babe, silly!
June 3, 2008 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
And lets not forget Terry Mac.
Greg, if you see him -- RUUUN!!!
June 3, 2008 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!!
June 3, 2008 8:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
The people were willin'
Now the champagne is chillin'
And hist'ry's about to be made.
In a matter of time
We'll have made that long climb
From the nightmare of Palm Beach and Dade.
An exciting young man
Came to say, "Yes, we can!"
And the people responded en masse.
And tonight's celebration
Will assure this great nation
That the woes of Bush-Cheney shall pass.
So call all your friends
Call your long and lost kin
And, for sure, call your Daddy and Mama!
Tell 'em all, far and wide,
and, friend, say it with pride,
"The time is RIGHT NOW for Obama!"
June 3, 2008 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well Done!
June 3, 2008 8:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome, Aubie! Blog this. Now!
June 3, 2008 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
What time is Hillary suppose to speak?
June 3, 2008 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tell HRC, NO you cannot be VP.
(CNN just said Obama only needs 4 more!)
June 3, 2008 8:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, we need to decide on an official count, because it's getting close. CNN says he's four away? What say others?
June 3, 2008 8:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
obama says 10....lets say it 10
June 3, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
DemCon Watch still says 9.
June 3, 2008 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nope, they just dropped to 8.5, with another MI SuperDel coming out for Obama.
June 3, 2008 9:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Petty cruelty, especially when absolutely unnecessary, reveals a teenager in you, Greg. But the night belongs to you, so congratulations and happy celebration.
June 3, 2008 8:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
You need a hug.
Give me a hug [*takes hat*]
June 3, 2008 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cricket's a thug!
I like Cricket!
June 3, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
"...tonight's victory party for Hillary."
Is that the official name of the event? What victory is she celebrating?
June 3, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I fully expect McAuliffe to come to the stage to introduce Hillary and yell, "First is the worst, second is the best!" and then run off stage.
June 3, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Terry Mac is such a floon. TPM has some of the best of Lanny, Terry and Gerry Ferraro on tube for posterity.
June 3, 2008 8:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I know. Sumpin, innit?
June 3, 2008 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
She beat the odds?
No, that won't work ...
June 3, 2008 8:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama'a speech leaked?
June 3, 2008 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
link
June 3, 2008 8:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
This election is such a mess, they have no idea about the delegate count. Fox says he has reached it. MSNBC says 10 away and CNN says 4 away.
What a freaking joke of an election.
June 3, 2008 8:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kleenex is next to the Q-Tips.
June 3, 2008 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know. I mean seriously. To think that three different cable news sources would vary in their delegate count by a handful of votes. Fuck it! I'm switching to the Socialist party. It's a fucking outrage. What kind of democratic process is this. Actually, fuck it even bigger! I'm going to move to a real country where primary voting organization is taken seriously, like... uhhh.... hmmm... ahhh...
June 3, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great poem, Aubie84. Following your suggestion and calling everyone, everywhere to share this astonishing triumph of substance over spin. BTW, nice neighborhood you have here at TPM. Cheers to y'all and to that tall, cool drink of water we shall now call Mr. President.
June 3, 2008 8:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Cheers to you, Staebler. Isn't a great time to be an American?
June 3, 2008 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
hillaryclinton.com, says that Clinton will not concede tonight..... she will not be dropping out of the race.....also on hillaryclinton.com website she is still saying that she has won the popular vote.
Look for her to drop out by the weekend and Obama to pick her as his vp by early next week.
Obama/Clinton '08..... Change & Hillary is going to take place this novemeber.
GOOD JOB OBAMA...... I have changed my mine, i will vote for you this november, even if hillary isn't on the ticket.
June 3, 2008 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not sure if you're being sincere, HC08 (I really can't get a read on whether you're a troll or not), but if you are, glad to have you on our team.
June 3, 2008 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bravo. Thank you.
June 3, 2008 9:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I hadn't come to the realization that the race was over two months ago, tonight would be pretty exciting.
As it stands, I'm grilling chicken, drinking a beer, and throwing flames at some idiot Penguins fan on a hockey blog.
June 3, 2008 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
You and Mr. Tena [rolls eyes]
By the way, peeps - Kos has Obama's speech:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/3/20542/43784/234/528616
June 3, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nope.
Not gonna kill the suspense.
I want to hear it from him.
June 3, 2008 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!
June 3, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I feel confident in predicting that Hillary will not be the VP pick. Her negatives outweigh the positives with regard to a ticket headed by Obama.
June 3, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
No she won't.
I read his speech. He devotes a lot of attention to her right at the start and compliments her a great deal, but no, I can tell - she's not going to be Veep.
I still think HEW would be perfect for her.
June 3, 2008 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, HEW is exactly what I was thinking for Senator Clinton as well. It is a very good fit.
June 3, 2008 8:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
It just can't happen. The core message of this campaign has been change. The Clintons do not represent change.
And, I sorta hate to say it, but Sen. Obama cannot afford to bet that Bill will keep his pecker in his pants.
June 3, 2008 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
MSNBC just reported that the location of Hillary's event was two stories underground, and there was no cell phone or internet access. Hope that doesn't put a damper on your liveblogging efforts Greg. :)
June 3, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
When does the Hillary party actually start? One doesn't like to be late to a wake.
June 3, 2008 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
:)
June 3, 2008 9:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
MSNBC: Howard Fineman reports that Sen Obama will only offer Sen Clinton the VEEP if he is assured she will not take it. "Clinton Insiders" indicate she does not really want it, but wants the kabuki theater for her supporters.
June 3, 2008 8:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
ROFLMAO!
Seriously?
What the fuck is this - Junior fucking High? It's like Cheri Oteri and Will Farrell as the two cheerleaders who aren't really since they weren't elected, but formed their own squad.
June 3, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I heard that too. Very risky. It would not surprise me if they agree to that, only to have her then accept it!
Meanwhile, McCain is now talking. It is quite laughable how he actually thinks he stands for change!
June 3, 2008 8:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's not that stupid.
June 3, 2008 9:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
jeez. now msnbc (h fineman) is saying that clinton wants the vp offered to her so she can symbolically refuse it. i don't know if i trust her to follow through on anything she claims she'll do. isn't that what happened with kennedy and lbj? he offered assuming he'd refuse and he didn't? the gall of the clintons. she thinks she deserves the offer. and he's not allowed to offer it to any other woman???
does this seem like crap to anyone else or is it just me? i just don't trust her enough to be sure she'd really say no.
June 3, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Never mind that - this is just silliness.
I doubt very much that he'd entertain such silliness.
June 3, 2008 8:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't doubt for a second that she would suggest something ridiculous like this - it fits her need for narcissistic satisfaction perfectly. But, Obama would never entertain this. Where's SFMcCain who kept stating that Hillary's preparing for her Sunset Blvd moment? This is it...she's ready for her close-up.
June 3, 2008 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, I'm not all starry-eyed over Obama like some folks are. We see that every election - every candidate has some supporters who think the guy can do no wrong, that he walks on water, etc. But I think he's smart, I think he does have genuine concern for all the people in the country who are struggling, and I think he has demonstrated over and over again the simple courage to speak openly, frankly, logically, and honestly about a number of topics that most political leaders try to avoid altogether, and when they can't avoid, address with platitudes. I think the guy has every quality needed to not just be a good president, but to be a superlative one. Only time will tell if he uses all of strengths wisely, but for the first time in a long time, I'm actually feeling positive about a candidate's chances of really cleaning up some of the shit that is rapidly turning us into a third world nation with oases of the first world scattered around here and there.
Having said all that, am I the only one here who, after seeing Obama address the 2004 Democratic Convention, thought, "wow, I just saw our first black president"? Because that's exactly what I thought to myself that night. I just didn't think it would be this quick.
June 3, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Without Sen Obama, Sen Clinton's skinning could not have proceeded to these depths, exposing how she handles a crisis: abject denial.
June 3, 2008 8:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nope. It called ZeitGeist baby!
June 3, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, you are not the only one. I watched with my whole family and we were all like, "Oh, okay. We're going to have a black president in our lifetimes. Wow."
June 3, 2008 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
our next president's about to drop this timeless speech (courtesy of daily kos). forgive me, but i had to share.
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Tues., June 3, 2008 19:02:11 ET
Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.
Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said -- because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another -- a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
I want to thank every American who stood with us over the course of this campaign -- through the good days and the bad; from the snows of Cedar Rapids to the sunshine of Sioux Falls. And tonight I also want to thank the men and woman who took this journey with me as fellow candidates for President.
At this defining moment for our nation, we should be proud that our party put forth one of the most talented, qualified field of individuals ever to run for this office. I have not just competed with them as rivals, I have learned from them as friends, as public servants, and as patriots who love America and are willing to work tirelessly to make this country better. They are leaders of this party, and leaders that America will turn to for years to come.
That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she's a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she's a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.
We've certainly had our differences over the last sixteen months. But as someone who's shared a stage with her many times, I can tell you that what gets Hillary Clinton up in the morning -- even in the face of tough odds -- is exactly what sent her and Bill Clinton to sign up for their first campaign in Texas all those years ago; what sent her to work at the Children's Defense Fund and made her fight for health care as First Lady; what led her to the United States Senate and fueled her barrier-breaking campaign for the presidency -- an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, no matter how difficult the fight may be. And you can rest assured that when we finally win the battle for universal health care in this country, she will be central to that victory. When we transform our energy policy and lift our children out of poverty, it will be because she worked to help make it happen. Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.
There are those who say that this primary has somehow left us weaker and more divided. Well I say that because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who have cast their ballot for the very first time. There are Independents and Republicans who understand that this election isn't just about the party in charge of Washington, it's about the need to change Washington.Ê There are young people, and African-Americans, and Latinos, and women of all ages who have voted in numbers that have broken records and inspired a nation.
All of you chose to support a candidate you believe in deeply. But at the end of the day, we aren't the reason you came out and waited in lines that stretched block after block to make your voice heard. You didn't do that because of me or Senator Clinton or anyone else. You did it because you know in your hearts that at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- we cannot afford to keep doing what we've been doing. We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future. And for all those who dream of that future tonight, I say -- let us begin the work together. Let us unite in common effort to chart a new course for America.
In just a few short months, the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda. They will come here to nominate John McCain, a man who has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. My differences with him are not personal; they are with the policies he has proposed in this campaign.
Because while John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign.
It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush ninety-five percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.
It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs, or insure our workers, or help Americans afford the skyrocketing cost of college -- policies that have lowered the real incomes of the average American family, widened the gap between Wall Street and Main Street, and left our children with a mountain of debt.
And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians -- a policy where all we look for are reasons to stay in Iraq, while we spend billions of dollars a month on a war that isn't making the American people any safer.
So I'll say this -- there are many words to describe John McCain's attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush's policies as bipartisan and new. But change is not one of them.
Change is a foreign policy that doesn't begin and end with a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged. I won't stand here and pretend that there are many good options left in Iraq, but what's not an option is leaving our troops in that country for the next hundred years -- especially at a time when our military is overstretched, our nation is isolated, and nearly every other threat to America is being ignored.
We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in - but start leaving we must. It's time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their future. It's time to rebuild our military and give our veterans the care they need and the benefits they deserve when they come home. It's time to refocus our efforts on al Qaeda's leadership and Afghanistan, and rally the world against the common threats of the 21st century -- terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. That's what change is.
Change is realizing that meeting today's threats requires not just our firepower, but the power of our diplomacy -- tough, direct diplomacy where the President of the United States isn't afraid to let any petty dictator know where America stands and what we stand for. We must once again have the courage and conviction to lead the free world. That is the legacy of Roosevelt, and Truman, and Kennedy. That's what the American people want. That's what change is.
Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and workers who created it. It's understanding that the struggles facing working families can't be solved by spending billions of dollars on more tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs, but by giving a the middle-class a tax break, and investing in our crumbling infrastructure, and transforming how we use energy, and improving our schools, and renewing our commitment to science and innovation. It's understanding that fiscal responsibility and shared prosperity can go hand-in-hand, as they did when Bill Clinton was President.
John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy -- cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota -- he'd understand the kind of change that people are looking for.
Maybe if he went to Iowa and met the student who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who's ill, he'd understand that she can't afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and wealthy. She needs us to pass health care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it and brings down premiums for every family who needs it. That's the change we need.
Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he'd understand that we can't afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators. That man needs us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raise fuel standards, and makes corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future -- an energy policy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. That's the change we need.
And maybe if he spent some time in the schools of South Carolina or St. Paul or where he spoke tonight in New Orleans, he'd understand that we can't afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America. That's why I'm running for President.
The other side will come here in September and offer a very different set of policies and positions, and that is a debate I look forward to. It is a debate the American people deserve. But what you don't deserve is another election that's governed by fear, and innuendo, and division. What you won't hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon -- that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize. Because we may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first.
Despite what the good Senator from Arizona said tonight, I have seen people of differing views and opinions find common cause many times during my two decades in public life, and I have brought many together myself. I've walked arm-in-arm with community leaders on the South Side of Chicago and watched tensions fade as black, white, and Latino fought together for good jobs and good schools. I've sat across the table from law enforcement and civil rights advocates to reform a criminal justice system that sent thirteen innocent people to death row. And I've worked with friends in the other party to provide more children with health insurance and more working families with a tax break; to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and ensure that the American people know where their tax dollars are being spent; and to reduce the influence of lobbyists who have all too often set the agenda in Washington.
In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.
So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.
So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.
So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom's cause.
So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder, and more just.
And so it must be for us.
America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.
The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment -- this was the time -- when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
June 3, 2008 8:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
now, whatchu got, miz clinton?
June 3, 2008 8:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
CNN has live video of McCain's speech tonight. Boring as yesterday's dishwater. Lots of cliches and platitudes. From the applause I would guess there may be 3,000 people in the audience. Paid tribute to Hillary --big applause, polite nod to Obama. ("I'm surprised that such a young man has bought into so many failed ideas.") Playing the reverse-age card here. Wise old man vs. dumb whippersnapper.
Rejects Bush III idea.
It is going to be a fun campaign.
June 3, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thats not change we can believe in!?!?!?! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
June 3, 2008 9:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm curious about something ... If TPM could cover this event just as well on television; wouldn't we all be better served if someone from TPM was also actually in a basement with 4 or 5 TVs keeping track of everything going on tonight and blogging that?
If it's one or the other, it kind of sucks that we'll get Hillary's "victory" speech instead of Obama's official launch of the democrat's general election campaign.
June 3, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, to those not watching msnbc, the best news network by the way, clinton doesn't want vp. She wants obama to offer it and she will reject it, allegedly. Also, part of the deal is no other woman can be on the ticket. Gee, she is such a fighter for women's rights and cares about women. Talk about f*cking hypocrisy. F*ck her. God, I can't wait until this bullsh*t is over. In addition, based on the clintons track record, it sounds like a set-up to me. Don't do it obama.
June 3, 2008 8:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know what? Our guess is as good as theirs. But, I would bet you that Obama will not offer it to her, so it doesn't really matter whether she would accept it or not.
I can tell you that I'd accept a night with George Clooney if he offered, but I'm not expecting it any time soon.
June 3, 2008 9:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, at least they're not making the journalists blob from the bathrooms this time.
June 3, 2008 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
really, michael? i heard on msnbc that clinton wants the offer, but obama would only offer it to her if she says no.
June 3, 2008 8:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's not what fineman said. I'm just repeating what he said.
June 3, 2008 9:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ok, I am watching mcbush. I hate to say it, but I liked him in 2000. I think that he got beat upside the head repeatedly since 2000 and is not the same person. I don't get it. He could be running a completely different campaign and he isn't. Why he is all over iraq is a fatal flaw to his strategy. The diehard republicans will be with him, but he can't win with that. Also, he doesn't sound like he knows what he's talking about concerning the economy. I see a 60/40 election in November. Knock it out of the park obama tonight.
By the way, if I were him, first off I would have praised over the top the fact that obama is the first african american nominee of a major party and praise clinton's battle as well. It would only help and could not possibly hurt his campaign. It's kind of like obama saying all the time that mcbush is an american hero. Obama is smart. Mcbush is tone deaf and dumb as a rock.
June 3, 2008 9:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
much as I dislike lou dobbs, i did go vote no.
http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/
A viewers poll:
Do you believe Barack Obama should invite Hillary Clinton to join him on the Democratic Presidential ticket?
June 3, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh please, no...No...NO!!...NOOOOOO!!!!!
Sorry, lost it there for a sec.
June 3, 2008 9:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wouldn't dignify Dobbs with a response to his poll.
June 3, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why is there ho Obama Victory thread up on Election Central? Who gives a flying f**k about Hillary's victory/concession/confusion speech? History has just been made and TPM is sitting in some basement in NYC?
June 3, 2008 9:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
hope you all are right. i don't really think he would normally do it. and so far, she hasn't won any of these interparty fights, so....just the idea she might get away with it freaked me out. and you know even if she doesn't, she's likely to control the headlines for the next few days with this power play.
June 3, 2008 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I too freaked about the Obama speech at the Dem Con. So much so I called my wife (traveling on business – or so she tells me) and prated like a girl scout who won the cookie sales contest. I went on so effusively I felt seriously less like a man when I saw her next. I think I may have started to project this lower self image on her by fostering misgivings about her current and future business travels. Can we talk?
June 3, 2008 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's the deal with Harold Ford? All he seems to do these days is spout the talking points of whoever is opposing Barack!
June 3, 2008 9:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
He's DLC material. The battle between Clinton and Obama was really a battle for the leadership of the Dem party - Clinton and the DLC vs. a new, more populist and back to roots group of Dean and Obama.
June 3, 2008 10:20 PM | Reply | Permalink