Obama gets another boost in Nevada: He picks up a new delegate

[Emit]

May 18, 2008


Obama gets another boost in Nevada

He picks up a new delegate, despite speech by Clinton's husband


U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton relinquished her Nevada victory Saturday, failing to recruit enough supporters to the state convention amid flagging national momentum and a race that appears to be inching closer to naming U.S. Sen. Barack Obama the Democratic nominee.

Although Clinton had a decisive win in the Nevada Caucuses in January, Obama reversed the results at the state convention. He captured 55 percent of the state delegates, earning him three more delegates to the national convention than Clinton.

Obama was expected to win 13 national delegates but turned out enough state delegates to capture 14. Instead of the expected 12 national delegates, Clinton won 11.

A final add-on delegate remained to be named late Saturday, which could increase either candidate's national delegate slate by one.

The state convention loss came despite Clinton's effort to motivate supporters with a last minute appearance by her husband, former President Clinton. When he took the stage, Bill Clinton found himself faced with a crowd heavy with Obama supporters who repeatedly interrupted his speech with chants of "Obama, Obama."

He quickly struck a tone of unity, barely mentioning his wife or her strengths in the race.

"I'm not sure that we Democrats fully appreciate the opportunity we have to unite people across all these lines that divide us," Clinton said.

"What I want you to do is stand up and have your arguments. Stand up and have your differences and if you're for Hillary, that would tickle me. If you're for Obama stand up for him," he said.

He made only an oblique argument for his wife as the nominee, imploring the crowd to stand with "the most electable" candidate.

Some took that as a concession.

"Bill Clinton gave a unity speech," said Marilyn Melton, of Reno, an Obama supporter. "He didn't say Hillary but twice. That's a closing of the ranks."

Rory Reid, Clinton's Nevada chairman, called that "ridiculous."

"He was trying to unify folks," Reid said. "He felt he had to be a calming influence."

Reid also downplayed Obama's capturing of the state convention and blamed the lackluster enthusiasm on the national media.

~snip~

http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080518/NEWS/805180376/1002

[ccharles000]

1. congratulations to Obama.

[DerekJ]

8. Aren't you the sweetest Hillary supporter ever?!

[ccharles000]

10. ...

Thank you.:hug:

[hendo]

12. why can't hrc have more nice supporters like you? n/t

[DerekJ]

13. This is for you:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6023976&mesg_id=6023976

[ccharles000]

14. ...

How nice I send you hugs and kisses!

[Cha]

2. Nice Rory Reid..

"He didn't say Hillary but twice. That's a closing of the ranks."

Rory Reid, Clinton's Nevada chairman, called that "ridiculous."

"He was trying to unify folks," Reid said. "He felt he had to be a calming influence."

Reid also downplayed Obama's capturing of the state convention and blamed the lackluster enthusiasm on the national media."

Blaming anyone but clinton is a hilary trait, rory.

bil clinton a "calming influence"? Don't make me laugh, rory.

[Cha]

3. BTW, So glad Obama won Nevada after

what the Teacher Ass. tried to do there with stopping the caucus voting..Karma's Payback is a bitch.

[Gore1FL]

4. The real story here is Bill Clinton

a unity speech! That is the Big Dog I remember

[Carrieyazel]

5. This delegate stuff is so complex its maddening. Hillary wins NV decisively

in the caucuses, yet the state convention reverses the results of the caucus.

Kind of runs counter to the Obama mantra doesn't it? You're not supposed to reverse the will of the people, right?

[Cha]

7. Obama has nothing to do with it...those are

the caucus rules and it's the caucuses that hilary has been mocking the whole time. Can't stand the heat get the fuck outta the kitchen.

[ossman]

9. So you are going to write in Hillary in the fall? She's done. Thats why they voted for THE NOMINEE

at the st conv

[Emit]

16. IMO, the notion that 'Hillary won NV decisively' was always misleading

Our caucus, modeled after Iowa, is a three-stage process. It was well known that the original delegate count from caucus day would change, given, for example, that Edwards' delegates would be absorbed into either Obama or Clinton groups somewhere down the line in this three-stage process. It is inapproriate to look at this from the point of view that the state convention "reversed the results of the caucus" or "reversed the will of the people." The delegates that realigned to Obama or Clinton later in the process were the same delegates (or, substitutes if the original delegates chose not to attend) who originally attended our first caucus.

[AllentownJake]

6. This shows that

at the end of this Bill and Hillary will do the right thing.

[goclark]

15. I have a Bridge to sell you in New York

:)

[Zachstar]

11. Good!