Senator Barack Obama Wins the Montana Primary!

140 Years ago, slavery ended in this country. The journey began for equality for African Americans. Tonight Barack Obama took an historic step toward that long held goal. The first African American Nominee of the Democratic Party in our country’s history. …”By the content of their character”

It is long overdue.

It is a moving, important, Proud moment for those who struggled and died to be thought of as equal to their European American counterparts.

His Speech, “This is Our Time” will become one of the great speeches. Never in the history of American Politics have more new voters cast their votes and been so engaged. This campaign is energized and ready for a different America. The world is watching. Eloquent and magnanimous, he will lead this country into a chapter consistent with the challenges of a new millenium. Most importantly away from politics as usual.

A leader has vision. He also realizes that he is as strong as those who believe in change. Barack Obama is a leader. Americans are ready for change. This will not be a campaign of fear. That will be John McCain’s campaign. Tonight the campaign of Hope became the campaign of real possibility.

This is our time for celebration for those Americans who realize that this is a momentous occasion which leads all of us that much closer to not a Divided America but The United States of America.

Unity. Hope. Change. For all.

Congratulations to Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama.

Let The Play Begin.

Speaking before a crowd in Saint Paul, Minnesotta, at the location of this summer’s Republican National Convention, Barack Obama acknowledged this victory in the Montana primary. Striding into the room to strains of U2’s Beautiful Day, Barack Obama thanks his supporters, his staff, and his grandmother, and said tonight is for her. “Tonight after 54 hard fought contests our primary season has finally come to an end. Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey and the begining of another.  Because of you, I can stand here tonight and say to you that I will be the Democratic Nominee for President of the United States of America”  He saluted the other candidates in the Democratic primaries, and said he is proud of the Democratic Party.  “Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign. She has made history not just because she is a woman who has done what no other woman has done before, but because she is a leader with an unyielding desire to improve the plight of ordinary Americans” Obama said our country and our party are better off because of her, and “I have had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton”.  Obama hinted that Hillary will be at the forefront in achieving Universal Healthcare in this country.  He called for unity and stated the party was stronger for the long-fought race. “Let us begin together, let us unite together to chart a new course for America” Obama said, kicking off his general election campaign. Speaking in the same arena that will host the Republican National Convention, Obama challenged McCain’s independence from the Republican Party and his past reputation as a maverick has not been forthcoming in his Presidential Campaign this year. 

While not calling for a direct end to the war in Iraq, Obama said it’s time for Iraq to determine its future, and it’s time to carefully withdraw from Iraq . He also called for better treatment and benefits for the returning war veterans.  He hammered home his theme of change, and defined it before a vibrant crowd, renewing a commitment to science and innovation, fiscal responsibility and shared prosperity. Obama came out swinging against McCain, and set the tone for change. In what had all the hallmarks of an acceptance speech, Obama gave a preview of what he will tell the delegates at the August convention, and what he will tell the nation.  He said he looks forward to a debate that the American people deserve, and one he looks forward. “What you won’t hear from this campaign is a politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon”

Barack Obama is the first African-American nominee for president of any major political party in the United States. The Illinois Senator spoke before 19,000 supporters in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with his wife Michelle.  Obama called once again for a more perfect union, in the spirit of every generation that faced the greatest challenges to leave a better world. “America this is our moment, this is our time, our time to turn the page on the policies of the past…I face this challenge with profound humility, but I also face it with limitless faith in the American people.”

Statement from the Clinton Campaign

The AP story is incorrect. Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination this evening.

Radio Wars…or is that Radio Whores?

I got radio whiplash this morning from competing “auras”…

Usually I listen to the BBC World Service or Radio Australia when I get up, but the reception wasn’t as good as usual today. So, I skipped the radio until I had to go to the dentist.

My oldies station was going to the news as I took off. They carry “ABC Now,” one of the most uninformative, chatty, gossipy, waste of time “news” breaks I have ever encountered, and the first thing out of the dulcet-toned “newsreader” was:

Barack Obama woke up feeling good today. He’s (sic) in reach of gaining the Democratic presidential nominee. Primaries in South Dakota and Montana…

The “Barack Obama woke up feeling good today” is a DIRECT QUOTE. My first impulse was to ask, “What, did you call him up and ask him?” “Did he have a press conference and tell you how he was feeling?” My second questions was, “Isn’t someone else running against him today?” since there was no mention of Hillary Clinton.

After I was finished at the dentist I came home and my mother was listening to Rush Limbaugh. “The tape, they have the tape,” she informed me. I was surprised to actually hear Limbaugh say that he hadn’t seen it, but he spoke with great assurance, as has Larry Johnson over at No Quarter. My immediate reaction was that if Limbaugh is airing it all over the country, then there must be something to it. He gets Republican talking points for sure, so he must have a direct feed on this…

I then noticed the time. It was between 10:15-10:30 local, MST. A good time for the voters in Montana and the western part of South Dakota (and probably the rest of the state, too) to hear this as they drive to the polls this morning, and I’m sure, this afternoon as other talk show hosts, like Hannity, take up the next shift.

We’ll have to see how all this works out. Does the chirpy woman on ABC Now telling me “Barack Obama woke up feeling good today” get run over by Limbaugh and the tape??

Stay tuned…

UPDATED…John Fund (icky but connected) and Democrat Bob Beckel both saying a “bombshell” will be hitting tomorrow….NO QUARTER has the details/video…but their servers are going nuts…

People are really getting fired over their favorite 2008 political candidates. A couple folks have even paid for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tattoos! Oh the humanity!

(No reports yet of anyone getting inked with the mug of John McCain.)

Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton

According to the Associated Press and confirmed by two of my confidential sources, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation’s first female president. The former first lady will stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City. She will pledge to continue to speak out on issues like health care. But for all intents and purposes, the two senior officials said, the campaign is over. The senator will not formally withdraw from the nominating contest, giving her delegates a place at the convention, and giving her leverage to negotiate with the Obama campaign on several issues, including the possibility of the vice presidential nomination. My sources tell me that she will passionately emphasize the importance of health care and is keen to discuss this with Barack Obama, and these discussions would take place as early as today or tomorrow either in New York or in Washington, D.C.

Most paid campaign staffers will be let go and will be paid through June 15th. Former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe said on “The Today Show” that once Obama gets the majority of delegates he things that “Hillary Clinton will congratulate him and call him the nominee”.

Senator Clinton will address key supporters, staff, and donors tonight in New York City following the results of the South Dakota and Montana primaries. Many insiders view this as a concession speech, and the beginning of healing within the Democratic Party. She will have a role at the convention, including a primetime address to the delegates.

For those who supported Hillary Clinton, particularly the volunteers, this is not good news for you. If I can give you some solace, I have tasted defeat many times in Democratic Politics, and particularly Democratic Primaries. Your work has not gone to waste. You got involved which is more than a lot of people can say. You used your time, your money, and your bodies to get out the vote for your candidate. You believed in her and believed she was the right choice for the country.  You are nothing short of patriots. Hold your heads high and revel in your role in the process.  This was a historical primary season for the Democratic Party. Who would have thought 20 years ago that the front-runners for the Democratic nomination would be a former First Lady and an African-American.  We as a country have made history and it shows that we are ahead of the curve of the political pundits and experts that said America was not ready for a woman or an African-American.  By millions of votes, Americans  of all colors and stripes proved them wrong. It is my hope that Barack Obama offers the vice presidential nomination to Senator Clinton. I think this unity ticket would be a powerful force to be dealt with in November. It can also shatter the glass ceiling once and for all, one that was only dented by President Kennedy when he became this nation’s first and only Catholic President. Glass ceilings are indeed shattering all over the place in many industries, and in many civic arenas.  Gay marriage is becoming a possibility in many states. There is a fundamental shift in race relations at the grassroots level.  There is still more work to be done. But as many people around this country undergo a personal transformation within themselves, our country is changing. People are taking very seriously the dreams of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” that was promised by the founding fathers in our Declaration of Independence

People want their voices heard. They are tired of the War in Iraq. Economic insecurity plagues the land and social ills are once again coming to the forefront. Gender issues have silently crept into this presidential race and the definition of all are created equal is coming to mean something new. Americans by birth and Americans by choice are making their voices heard across the land.  They want hope.  They want our country to be seen again as a moral leader in the world, taking the lead on global warming, ending world hunger, curing cancer and AIDS, upholding human and civil rights.

In the end, this is what the Democratic Party should courageously stand for in November and as this campaign moves forward. The plight of the elderly, the inadequacy of the educational system, the increasing violence both in our homes and in our streets, the scourge of addiction, a war that is costing us more than money, but our very reputation.  The time has come to take  strong stands on the issues and choose the “Harder Right” rather than the “Easy Wrong” Sacrifices will have to be made. The bill that the Bush administration will leave behind will come due, along with many of the things left undone on the domestic front. We can’t sit on the middle of the fence and try to be all things to all people.  We can’t let the Republicans swift boat us this time.  My friends, this is going to be a battle for the soul of our country. We need to get behind the ticket and get behind Democratic candidates who are willing to step up to the plate and end this war and start conquering the social ills and domestic problems that our country faces. In the final analysis, this could be our finest hour.  This is not the time for fence sitting or flag waving.  A true patriot is one that will stand up for what they believe in, regardless of the consequences. So let us soldier on with courage, with the wind in our sails, with high hopes and whole hearts, and achieve a victory that years later, long after we are gone, generations will look back and say that when America needed to make change, when America needed to take an inventory of itself, when America needed to change course and right some wrongs, that America did it. And some child, somewhere in the future will be inspired by that. And whatever issues face the America of tomorrow, 20 years, 50 years, a hundred years from now, that child can look back at this time and draw from this experience and take up the banner.  But for now, it is time for each of us, in our own way and with our own capabilities, answer the call. It’s time to put aside personal animosity and hurt feelings, and work together for the common good. I will write more later on Senator Clinton, and it will definitely not be a political obituary, that’s for sure. She deserves our thanks and our admiration.

Fox News reports at 11:08 AM that AP reports that Hillary Clinton will acknowledge tonight that Barack Obama has the delegates needed to win the nomination. The Clinton Campaign explicitly say this is FALSE. Terry McAuliffe and Harold Ickes DENY this report AS FALSE. Now, who do you think is responsible for this little announcement?

Ickes on MSNBC:

Obama does not have the delegates and will not have them tonight. It might be over by Thursday, but I don’t see it going to the Convention. Mrs. Clinton continues to make her case. I don’t want to leave any impression about the credential challenge; she’s made no decision. We continue to make the case that she will be the strongest candidate.

He refutes reports that have him saying “it’s over,” declaring he has said no such thing!

Statement from the Clinton Campaign:

The AP story is incorrect. Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination this evening.

Keep going! It’s not over! Have courage. Make calls to Montana and South Dakota. Vote for Hillary! Contribute. Keep going!

As Hillary Rodham Clinton made a last-minute appeal to South Dakota voters all signs are now pointing that her marathon race against Barack Obama would end soon. Senator Clinton will be joined by her husband, former President Bill Clinton and their daughter Chelsea at an evening rally in Sioux Falls, South Dakota before flying back east. Clinton plans to hold her primary night rally Tuesday in New York City, a rare departure from the campaign trail and according to sources I have, she plan to meet with key advisers at her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Tuesday.

A source speaking on condition of anonymity said it was highly unlikely she would announce an end to her campaign Tuesday night, adding that she would consider all options until Obama secured the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. In other inside baseball news, Clinton Campaign staffers and former campaign staffers are being urged by the Clinton campaign’s finance department to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week. That’s a sign, to them, that the campaign wants to get its affairs in order soon. If Clinton were staying in the race, there would be no real reason to collect these receipts now; she’d still be raising and spending money from the same primary campaign account. The campaign is in arrears to the tune of about $11 million.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are expected to speak before AIPAC on Wednesday in New York City. A private meeting between the two could be held that day or arrangements for such a meeting could be made. While the Clinton people are still working the superdelegates, and there are still plenty of them to work, and the idea of a re-vote in Michigan and Florida is still being bandied about, I think everything mentioned here suggests a campaign that is slowly but surely coming to its conclusion. I still believe the Clinton campaign could soldier on to the convention in August and bring up its legitimate gripes as to how the Michigan delegates were apportioned to the credentials committee. Like her or not, Clinton needs to get some respect from the party apparatus, many of whom have Bill and Hillary Clinton to thank for being in the positions they are in. It will be a difficult moment for Senator Clinton when the time comes for her to end her campaign. How she does it will be important. To take the real measure of a person is to observe how they conduct themselves in defeat. She has good cause to go scorched earth on the Democratic Party. In the end, she probably will not do so. She will never be a footnote in American History, and still is one of the most important and most powerful people in Democratic politics today. Barack Obama needs her support and wise counsel if he hopes to win in November. She should at least be offered a spot on the ticket, with the promise of an active role as Vice President, with a specific role as carrying the ball on the Universal Healthcare Issue. She can and already has dodged the slings and arrows of this in the past. Its an issue that needs addressing and she as vice president could steer it through Congress like no one else can. It is my hope that the Obama folks, in the midst of their victory lap, stop the cheerleading for one moment and start this campaign off on the right foot by making some sound decisions. Hillary on the ticket would be one. Publishing a serious economic recovery plan as a book, much like Bill Clinton did in 1992 is another. Tomorrow South Dakota and Montana have their say and the primary results may yield a nominee. If they do, certain things have to be done to insure a unified Democratic Party. We can’t afford four more years of drudgery and drift. The time of slings and arrows within the party is over. The time for healing has begun. To all who took part in this process, well done, all of you. You are patriots. Maybe your candidate did not win, but you took the time to hang signs, hand out leaflets, make calls, show up for rallies, make phone calls. You did your part. Take a break. Enjoy the sun. You will be needed again in the fall. Let us make no mistake – The Republicans are tanned, rested and ready and are not going to give any quarter. But this year is different – neither are we. There will be no swift boating this year. It’s on, Senator McCain. And we can write checks just as big as yours. You have been warned.

• Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) goes to Hillary. HRC won his district last night. Daily tally finishes 4-1 in favor of Obama (at least so far).  UPDATE:  Even her little glimmer of good news gets dinged today.  Ellsworth’s staff hastily calls media this evening to clarify that at Convention, he will vote the will of his district “unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.”  Ahem, like support the Party nominee, perhaps?
• AP says Obama won 97 delegates and Hillary won 86 last night, with 4 still to be awarded.
• The Right struggles with how to “brand” McCain. Apparently, “An American President Americans Have Been Waiting For” isn’t cutting it. I still like “A Panama Canal Zone-Born President American Lobbyists Have Been Waiting For” — conveys the product clearly and honestly, like good branding should.
• Saddened by Obama’s strong performance last night, and worried that it means he is coated in teflon, the Right has one last hope: lasting division and bitterness between Hillary and Obama’s camps post-nomination.
• Daily Tracking Polls. Gallup has Obama’s lead narrowing to 47-46%, although that was before last night’s victory. In Rasmussen, Obama holds same 47-43% advantage as yesterday.
• The Beginning of the End. Obama picks up four new super delegates, including one who switches from Clinton to Obama. Hillary picks up Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) who had earlier pledged to endorse the candidate who wins his rural district (Hillary did). For the day, Obama gained four and Hillary “netted” zero (she gained one and lost one). In addition, Obama gained former Presidential nominee McGovern as a switcher from Hillary, but he is not a super delegate.
• New Hillary Loan Controversy. Ben Smith of Politico uncovers a new controversial element to the loan news. Total value of Hillary’s loans ($11.4M) seemingly exhausts value of her personal assets, meaning she likely drew from Bill Clinton’s assets to make the loan. Her campaign tried to discount this issue when pressed today. But it raises a troubling point: the campaign still refuses to be fully transparent about Bill’s donors to his presidential library and his business relationships. Recall also that Bill Clinton was paid by a pro-Colombia Free Trade Agreement organization to give a speech, which Hillary tried to deflect as simply Bill’s business and not relevant to her campaign. But if she is drawing from his earnings to fund her campaign, she can’t treat his business dealings and income sources as irrelevant. Recall when she was asked this directly, she reacted with her tell, the hysterical laughing non-answer.
• At last, somebody said the unspeakable. Sally Quinn says Bill Clinton is Hillary’s Rev. Wright. You don’t choose your family, but you do choose your husband.
• Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times: Obama to meet with superdelegates in DC on Thursday.
• George McGovern, for whom the Clintons worked as young aspiring political wonks during the 1972 election, switches from Hillary to Obama and calls for Hillary to drop out.
• Running On Empty. Hillary loaned her campaign anther 6.4 MILLION last month, on top of the $5M loan earlier. On the Today Show this morning, Tim Russert suggested that Hillary and Obama’s campaign are or will discuss a diplomatic exit strategy for Hillary which will include Obama paying off her debt (including some $12M owed to Mark Penn), so arguably Obama just loaned her $6.4M. Indeed, if this is true, you could say as she continues to run in West Virginia, she’s doing it on Obama’s dime.
• Keys to Obama’s performance: He cut into Hillary’s base of working class whites, Catholics, and women. Obama also won the gas tax holiday argument – it reminded folks of his honesty and change candicacy, and of her propensity to say or do anything to get elected.
• David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign chief, sent out a memo last night to superdelegates reminding them of the delegate math. In the memo (link to full copy here), he noted Hillary would need to win 68% of the remaining delegates. The reality is Obama is likely to win the majority of the remaining contests (Oregon, Montana and South Dakota, while Hillary is projected to win West Virginia and Kentucky (Puerto Rico’s delegates are ceremonial)). Plouffe said: “With the Clinton path to the nomination getting even narrower, we expect new and wildly creative scenarios to emerge in the coming days. While those scenarios may be entertaining, the are not legitimate and will not be considered legitimate by this campaign or millions of supporters, volunteers and donors.” He also noted, “With North Carolina and Indiana complete, Barack Obama only needs 172 total delegates to capture the Democratic nomination. This is only 36% of the total remaining delegates.”
• Andrew Sullivan: In a form of sweet justice, African Americans brought down the House of Clinton. NBC’s Ron Allen adds a point about the Clintons’ seemingly worsening relations with African American voters, and how they seem to be “taking for granted” (ahem) that such voters will return to the fold if she is the nominee.
• NY Times: Delegate math seals deal for Obama nomination.



• WaPo gets inside story on Obama’s adjustments to campaign after loss in PA.
• WaPo gets inside story on Clinton aides sense of doom. One aide says “We lost this thing in February.”
• MSNBC’s First Read offers an excellent summary of the MSM print coverage of the primary election results.
• Politico looks at the demographics of NC and IN contests.
• NY GOP Congressman’s (an increasingly endangered species) DUI arrest could cost the GOP yet another seat in November.
• Politico’s delegate guru says Obama’s net gain is +15 for the night, and notes that the battle for pledged delegate majority is essentially over.
• Tim Russert declares during election coverage that it’s all over for Hillary – Obama has won:
• After factoring in Rush’s “Operation Chaos,” by which GOP voters were encouraged to vote for Hillary to manipulate Democratic primary, Obama effectively won Indiana.
• Vote in Indiana is now within 17K votes with 95% counted.
• With NC victory and very narrow IN loss, the fat lady will sing for Obama.
• Fire Dog Lake: Did we hear Hillary concede tonight? I think she came as close as she could. She couldn’t go any further. Not yet. But if she loses IN, it will be very difficult for her to go on.
• Hillary has canceled all morning TV appearances for Wednesday, including planned appearances on morning TV shows.
• Drudge, Russert and Chuck Todd call the nomination for Obama tonight.
• Nagourney’s CW: Hillary’s options are dwindling.
• WaPo: Gary, Indiana Mayor thinks that Obama won city so big that he will win Obama.
• As the candidates waited, the surrogates spun and spun.
• McCain says he’ll stock SCOTUS with right wing judges. What a maverick.

To Montana and South Dakota

The Huffington Post has been kind enough to provide us with fresh polling averages for the two states casting primary ballots this Tuesday. The averages themselves are courtesy of RealClearPolitics.

Indiana

North Carolina

Neither of the numbers from either state have surprised many. Obama’s strong support from the research triangle, youth voters and blacks have been predicted to deliver him victory in the Tarheel State; Indiana, while initially described as a blank slate of a contest, appears to be following its rural-conservative instincts and trending the way of Ohio, towards Clinton.

What do the numbers mean? Obama’s likely win in North Carolina will net him more delegates than Clinton’s likely win in Indiana (the states have 134 and 84 delegates, respectively), but due to Indiana’s battleground status Clinton will likely claim the day and the race will run through June 3rd, when Montana and South Dakota hold the final contests of the season.

Latest Indiana And North Carolina Poll Numbers – [The Huffington Post]