“OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS Wednesday May 7, 2008

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

WELCOME TO “OBAMA SUPPORTERS” DAILY NEWS

Wednesday May 7, 2008


Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his wife Michelle
react to the crowd in Raleigh, N.C., after Obama won the North Carolina Democratic presidential primary Tuesday, May 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment (or more) to graciously participate
by posting news and announcements about the Obama campaign on this thread. You can:

1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web. :think:

2. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU,
providing a link to the original thread :applause:

3. Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page :thumbsup:

4. Clinton supporters or “anti Obama posters please start your own “Clinton Daily News Thread”.

Get your DU-o-matic codificator (to format your posts) here
Read the Daily News Archives here

[MadBadger]

1. SEIU DECLARES OBAMA THE PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Obama triumphs!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. **Need 1,000 Recommends for thread below.."its time to show that the Dem Party is not wishy washy...

help us send a message that its time to get behind the front runner so we can
win the General Election

Please kick and recommend this post, and invite your friends:

phrigndumass Tue May-06-08 09:35 PM
We believe that we have a MATHEMATICAL PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
This post is compiled and written jointly by grantcart and phrigndumass
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5851052&mesg_id=5851052

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. It’s Almost Over (and It Really Is Over)

It’s Almost Over (and It Really Is Over)

Posted on May 6th, 2008 by Al Giordano at The Field

It may take a day, a week, two weeks, maximum four weeks, but Obama turned out to have gotten his inoculations back in March, the race card didn’t work (except counterproductively for the Clinton organization), but the body language of all three Clinton family members tonight, and the words of the candidate, revealed all: Now it’s about how to get out gracefully.

I’m very proud of the Field Hands tonight for having not let the media spin guide your reaction to events. Very proud. Those skills will serve us well in October.

This is an open thread.

Tony Stark is proud of you, too, Iron Men and Women!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. The Field gives overview of Obama's North Carolina win, Clinton reaction

Obama Takes North Carolina (with Updates)

Posted on May 6th, 2008 by Al Giordano

Fox News projects Obama the winner of the North Carolina primary at the moment the polls close.

CNN and NBC also call it for Obama.

The network still won’t call Indiana, where most polls closed 90 minutes ago.

Note: North Carolina is one of the ten biggest states. So, in Clinton-speak, probably only some “big states” matter now. Exit polls show Obama getting around 40 percent of white voters in North Carolina, as in Indiana, again, an advance over the tallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

ABC: Obama Solidly Routs Clinton in N.C.

Flashback: Senator Clinton, last week, calling the contest a “game-changer,” said: “North Carolina will decide the next president of the United States.”

Quote of the Night from Markos: “Ha ha, you know the Clinton people were desperate to get Indiana called before North Carolina. Too bad.”

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. Why Tonight Matters

Why Tonight Matters

Andrew Sullivan 07 May 2008 12:04 am

Because of the last month of total slime warfare against Obama. Nagourney:

For Mr. Obama, the outcome came after a brutal period in which he was on the defensive over the inflammatory comments of his former pastor. That he was able, at a minimum, to hold his own under those circumstances should allow him to make a case that he has proved his resilience in the face of questions about race, values and patriotism — the very kinds of issues that the Clinton campaign has suggested would leave him vulnerable in the general election.

Wright is a grenade that will fizzle. The right will try other gambits - the Ayers crap and if that doesn't work, look for them to take aim at Obama's wife. But Obama's survival - or rather the voters' refusal to make this election about the Freak Show - suggests that Newt is right. This will not work this year.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. The Story Of The Campaign

The Story Of The Campaign

Oliver Willis May 6, 2008

How the Clinton family has been decimated in the black vote.
The erosion cannot simply be explained away by the idea that Obama is “the black candidate”.
A big chunk of that number is a community finding hope with Obama as their vessel,
but that doesn’t explain why Clinton now gets single-digit support among black voters.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. Russert: It's over for Hillary. She just lost the nomination.

Russert: It's over for Hillary. She just lost the nomination.

by John Aravosis (DC) · Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Russert's quote in response to the question "Did it just end tonight?" from Olbermann:

We now know who the democratic nominee is going to be and no one is going to dispute it.

This is it. The media finally turned on her. It's over. It's finally freaking over.
I say this because the race was over 2 months ago. But the media kept it alive
by pretending as though Hillary had a chance, when they knew she didn't.
But, their pretending permitted her to keep going with a straight face.
Now that the media is turning on her, she's going to have an impossible time continuing.
If she continues to run the only question she will be asked from
now on is "you've lost, why are you still in this race?" There is nothing she
can do now. Yes, she can stay in the race, says she's not quitting until the convention in August.
But now that the media has turned on her, good luck with that.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. McCain Lapel Checkup: Still Pinless, Still Unmentioned

McCain Lapel Checkup: Still Pinless, Still Unmentioned

Princess Sparkle Pony Blog Tuesday, May 06, 2008

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) speaks during a visit in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 5, 2008. (Chris Keane/Reuters)

OK, so I was just reading Richard Cohen's latest brain-damaged reflections on scary black man Obama. It turns out Richard's OK with Obama's pinlessness! Neat! Late to the party but eager to please! I'm relieved a thinker of Cohen's caliber has weighed in on this crucially important issue.

So I thought that I'd check again to see if McCain is still pinless himself. And he is! But it's OK! Because it only matters when Democrats don't wear pins! Yay!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. The Rude Pundit: expounds on the Indiana primary, rednecks and shivs

True Tales of Indiana: An Attack With a Caveat and a Note on Gas Tax Relief:

The Rude Pundit Proudly lowering the level of political discourse 5/06/2008

As the Hoosier state votes today on the Sherman's March to the Democratic nomination for President, the Rude Pundit figures now's as good a time as any to out himself: he lived in that hideous shithole of a state for over half a decade, and if Barack Obama wins the primary today, it's because someone told the backwards ass rednecks hunched over in the toxic ditches that bisect the poisonous landscape of Indiana that black people would be at the voting booths waiting to shiv any whitey who dared show his inbred face. Don't worry, though. As Hillary Clinton assures us, these racist motherfuckers are the salt of the earth.

Ah, fond memories of living in a town northeast of Indianapolis, of car rides past homes that that flew the Confederate flag on poles on their front lawns (and this was in a medium-sized city, not a small burg), of towns with black populations so disenfranchised and isolated that they are practically invisible, of migrant workers regularly abused by employers when violence wasn't being committed against them by townspeople. And that's not even to get into how flat and gray and ugly most of the state is for most of the year, after harvest and before planting season.

When a large swath of a state is populated by people from the Appalachian region who migrated northward for factory jobs decades ago and then those factory jobs dry the fuck up for the most part, what you are left with is a bunch of resentful crackers looking to play "where's the scapegoat?" Thank Christ that Gary is in the state, because that violent rat's nest gives whites all the ammunition they need for hating blacks all around the state.

You wanna hear stories? Howzabout a black friend harassed by cops while driving through small towns in the state looking for the Rude Pundit's place out in the country? (Hoosier cred: the Rude Pundit lived in an apartment in a barn on a working corn farm. No shit. When the farmer's wife left him for a black guy, he told the Rude Pundit he was going to kill himself.) Howzabout another black friend who was told while singing in front of his all-white band at a bar that he needed to get the hell out of there as soon as the gig was over because some of the guys in the parking lot were "preparing a noose"? And that wasn't a metaphorical noose. He and his band were followed out of town by a couple of cars until they reached the town line.

...more at the link

note, thd Daily News does not endorse, accept, reject or denounce the views expressed in our news and opinion articles.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. Indiana: More than 1 in 8 Clinton voters actually support John McCain

Indiana: More than 1 in 8 Clinton voters actually support John McCain

Tue May 6 The Jed Report

Based on numbers from the Indiana exit poll (via MSNBC), I determined that 13% of Clinton voters in Indiana actually plan to vote for John McCain in November, nearly three times the number of Obama voters who plan to vote for McCain.

As we assess the election returns tonight, it is imperative that we factor out pro-McCain voters for both candidates. The exit poll will continue to be tweaked as the night goes along, but based on these preliminary numbers, 13.4% of Clinton's total vote should be discounted and 4.9% of Obama's vote should be discounted.

Effectively, for Clinton to say she won without the help of pro-McCain Republicans, she needs about 53% of the vote.

Update at 9:19 PM, Pacific: Indiana is so close that even if Clinton "wins" she will not be able to claim a "Limbaugh-proof" or "McCain-proof" majority. Remember, it doesn't really matter who wins the state. Delegates are what matters. Winning a state is really a matter of perception, and given these numbers of pro-McCain voters for Clinton, by that standard, tonight Clinton lost Indiana.

Continue reading this at The Jed Report »

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. Were GOTV efforts hindered due to bomb threat in Terre Haute Indiana?

Obama Campaign Offices In Terre Haute Targeted By Bomb Threats

By Greg Sargent - May 6, 2008, 4:46PM

So reports the Tribune-Star:

TERRE HAUTE -- Indiana State Police swept Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama's Terre Haute campaign headquarters on Wabash Avenue this afternoon following an alleged call to a WTHI Channel 10 reporter claiming to have placed a bomb there and at six other Indiana locations. Campaign workers were allowed back inside to continue their voter calling once police determined it was safe.

[grantcart]

13. wonder how many more days we will need this page?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. Obama supporters -Dont throw your materials away - Obamacycle!

This site was set up to help Obama supporters who have or need campaign gear find each other. Don't throw your
materials away, reuse them for future primaries! Go to the forum section and you will see many posts. And remember,
all of the materials from NC, IN can be used in upcoming states- http://www.obamacycle.com/

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. Media Largely Sees Clinton As Finished

Media Largely Sees Clinton As Finished

U.S. News & World Report, DC -

Despite the news that Sen. Hillary Clinton had eked out a narrow victory in Indiana (51%-49%), Sen. Barack Obama's very strong showing in North Carolina yesterday (56%-42%) is leading many in the media to predict that Clinton's campaign is all but over. Indeed, there is evidence his morning that the Clinton campaign is debating whether to continue the contest. Reporting from the Clinton campaign plane at 2:05 AM EST, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell said Clinton is "poised to throw in her lot with Barack Obama," although Mitchell added that no firm decision had been made at that point. CNN reports this morning that Clinton's "morning schedule has been moved around a bit after the results came out which has some thinking they are discussing options internally. We expect to hear from her in West Virginia this morning."

However, the Washington Post reporting that early this morning Clinton aides "insisted that she had no intention of dropping out of the contest, pointing out that she had won in a state -- albeit narrowly -- that Obama had cast as the 'tiebreaker' in the nomination fight." In addition, ABC's Nightline reported Clinton "was very clear" when she addressed her supporters following her Indiana win, saying, "I'm going on, I'm going to West Virginia, I'm going to Oregon,' she said 'I'm going to Kentucky, don't worry, we'll keep on going." The New York Times reports Clinton's "remarks were a combination of combativeness and of a wistfulness that had not been heard in her voice in recent weeks. Throughout them, Chelsea Clinton kept up a smile, and at one point Bill Clinton wiped away a tear."

Whatever Clinton's internal decision making is, the media today seems to have decided that the race is all but over. The New York Times, in a front-page article titled, "Options Dwindling For Clinton," reports that "because Mrs. Clinton did not appear to come particularly close in North Carolina, despite a substantial effort there, she lost an opportunity to sow new doubts among Democratic leaders about Mr. Obama's general-election appeal. ... She was unable to build her base of support substantially beyond the white, working-class voters who had sustained her for the last month -- and that will not be lost on the superdelegates." The AP's Nedra Pickler, in a widely-distributed analysis piece, says "Clinton's defeat in North Carolina Tuesday took away her last best chance at the White House. The results dented if not doomed her hopes of convincing superdelegates to disregard Obama's lead in delegates, states won and popular vote to nominate her." USA Today reports the "disappointing results Tuesday - including a rout in North Carolina after the campaign devoted enormous resources there - could make it difficult for her to raise money to compete effectively in the handful of states that remain."

...more at the link

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. Breaking News: AP: Clinton loaned herself $6.4m

Would you trust her to manage the US economy?

WillYourVoteB...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3299496

I believe Sen Clinton only got as far in the presidential contest because
of her name. There were several other self made candidates in the running that
outflanked her in policy and ideas.

[Avalux]

17. I wonder how many SDs for Obama today?

Last night's results are evidence he can overcome character assassination and bounce back. It should be enough evidence for any SDs who had doubts he wasn't tough enough.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. Some young enthusiastic Obama supporters in NC:

These guys probably can't vote until 2020, but they're already working for change in Charlotte.(NC)

from the Jed Report article on Obama Nomination Countdown
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/05/the-obama-nomin.html

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

19. Sen George McGovern switches endorsement to Obama, urges Clinton to drop out

Just heard on MSNBC at 11:15 AM eastern.

McGovern, former Clinton backer, urges her to drop out
DENNIS GALE and DAVID ESPO AND LIZ SIDOTI

Associated Press

May 7, 2008 at 11:15 AM EDT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Former senator George McGovern, who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton, is urging her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race.

Mr. McGovern said Wednesday he has decided to endorse Barack Obama.

After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, Mr. McGovern says it's virtually impossible for Ms. Clinton to win the nomination.

Mr. McGovern says he is calling former president Clinton to tell him of the decision and adds that he remains close friends with the Clintons.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080507.wmcgovern08/BNStory/International/home

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

20. Clinton may have 9 lives, but she's down for the count

Clinton may have 9 lives, but she's down for the count

John Kass Chicago Tribune May 7, 2008

The Clintons are like a cat that gets run over but refuses to die. It crawls off the road and makes it to a backyard, hiding under the deck, in the shadows, eyes like slits, panting for days, stubbornly refusing to give it up.

Please, I don't mean this as any criticism of cats or the Clintons, but as a compliment to the Clinton tenacity and toughness. And though many of us can't stand her First Laddie, you can't help but admire how she knocked back those Crown Royal shots to show she's not elitist and how she changed personalities, repeatedly redefining herself, refusing to quit, trying to cut down Barack Obama.

Though the Clintons are despised by many Democrats—and obviously feared by the Democratic beefeaters in Illinois and Massachusetts—there's more grit to Hillary Clinton than in our gentle Mr. Tumnus from Chicago.

...Her people will argue that she's still politically alive. His people will say that the delegate math belongs to him. And what's left, for a short while, are those angry men and women in those little boxes on TV, bickering at each other about Democrats denied their votes in Michigan and Florida.

But it's over for Hillary.

...It didn't begin with Tuesday's Democratic Party primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. Those two states aren't the cars that thunked her in the road.

So it doesn't matter, really, what happened in Bloomington or Mayberry. What counts are the delegates. And she can't catch him. She couldn't have caught him on Monday. She won't catch him on Wednesday.

....more at the link

[grantcart]

21. GOD DAMMIT DON'T LET THEM TOUCH OUR DIRT

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5867816

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

22. Louisiana SOS complains -WVWV (robo caller) mailers went mostly to registered voters!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x502076

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

23. This Clinton Moment (too many jello shots)

This Clinton Moment
07 May 2008 02:20 pm Andrew Sullivan

A college senior reader has seen it all too often:


Hillz is now that person at the party who's had 6 too many jello shots, is talking abnormally loudly and is incapable of understanding the fact that she has overstayed her welcome. And she's starting to hiccup.


C'mon Hillz, let's get your coat and we'll walk with you to the door..."

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/05/this-clinton-mo.html

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

24. BREAKING- Committed Virginia Clinton Super Switches To Obama

BREAKING- Committed Virginia Clinton Super Switches To Obama
Posted on May 7th, 2008 by Paddy
Jennifer L. McClellan DNC member is switching to Barack Obama per MSNBC just now. Info here-

The support comes the day after Obama’s victory in North Carolina and closer than expected finish behind Clinton in Indiana.

Among the supporters is Virginia’s Jennifer McClellan, who used to support Clinton.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080507/ap_on_el_pr/superdelegates_1

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

25. Tenacity or narcissistic and power hungry?

Yglesias Award Nominee

Andrew Sullivan 07 May 2008 12:15 pm

"It has become popular in conservative circles these days to suggest that "you just gotta admire her tenacity," a sentiment that is advanced at her campaign rallies...

But what is there to admire about this so-called "tenacity"? Clinton began this campaign with a financial edge, the support of a popular former Democratic president, a built-in political apparatus, a consistent lead of more than 20 points in national polls, and more than a hundred superdelegates.

If a candidate starts off with all of those advantages and is too stubborn to drop out of the race, it's no surprise that she is still hanging on.

There is absolutely nothing admirable about a politician so narcissistic and hungry for power that she is willing to say or do whatever suits her political interests at any given moment. If the Republican Party has declined to the point where conservatives are so worried about defeating a freshman Senator that they are rooting for Clinton to do their dirty work for them, it is simply pathetic," - Philip Klein, American Spectator.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

26. Obama picks up three superdelegates (since last night)

Obama picks up three superdelegates

Wednesday, May 07, 2008 2:59 PM by Domenico Montanaro at MSNBC First Read

The Obama campaign annoucned three superdelegates --
Jeanette Council (NC); Jerry Meek (NC) and Inola Henry (CA) -- have pledged support.
AP is reporting one more, a switch from Clinton in Virginia, Jennifer McClellan.
(We're working to confirm that and will update.)

The Delegate Counts:
PLEDGED: Obama 1,588-1,422
SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 273.5-259
OVERALL: 1,847-1.695.5

* Obama is 178 from the Magic Number of 2,025.
* There are 262.5 undeclared superdelegates, including about 50 who
are not yet named and will be added on at state conventions or the like

(Jerry Meek is the Chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party)

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

27. "Facing South": NC Primary Watch: Big day for democracy, Obama

NC Primary Watch: Big day for democracy, Obama

Chris Kromm at Facing South May 7

It was a hard-fought primary, but a big day for democracy. Some odds and ends from last night's results in the North Carolina primary:

* At 36% voter turnout, the 2008 primaries set a new record -- beating the previous mark of 31% set in 1988.

* Big interest in the Democratic presidential contest changed the dynamic of the state's down-ticket races. For example, high African-American voter turnout inspired by Barack Obama's campaign likely helped candidates endorsed by African-American PACs and groups in places like Durham and Mecklenburg counties. Durham County, with the highest percentage of African-American voters in the state, also had the 2nd-highest turnout.

* John McCain only won 74% of the GOP primary vote, despite having already sewn up his party's nomination. Mike Huckabee, who has dropped out, got 12%.

* Hillary Clinton might have lost, but it was an otherwise good day for women candidates, notes Under the Dome. The U.S. Senate contest will be between Sen. Elizabeth Dole and challenger Kay Hagan. Janet Cowell (state treasurer), Beth Wood (state auditor), June Atkinson (state superintendent) and Mary Fant Donnan (labor commissioner) also won their primaries. (UPDATE: Donnan didn't win -- she was the lead vote-getter at 28%, and will go into a runoff with John C. Brooks, 24%)

...more of NC's interesting political scene at the link

[grantcart]

28. **** ZOGBY SAYS 30 SDS IN NExT 2 DAYS

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7387919.stm

If you have a thread post it in GDP