Today should be a big day for superdelegates. The goal is for Obama to get enough superdelegates today, that when the results from South Dakota and Montana come in, those pledged delegates, the voice of the people, will push him past the finish line. He'll be officially starting the general election campaign where the Republicans will be holding their Convention, which is quite symbolic. I think we'd all like him to be able to declare "game on" there, instead of tomorrow after enough superdelegates have gotten off their asses to make it "official". Anyway, it is still quite early, yet we already have a superdelegate for Obama, Missouri State Rep. and superdelegate Maria Chappelle-Nadal who remarked:
This is a year that the mere existence of a single candidate, Barack Obama, has inspired people in my district to believe in the greater good.
Also House Majority Whip James Clyburn, who has remained steadfastly neutral throughout the entire campaign, officially endorsed Obama today.
Update: Another one for Obama, political activist and Michigan superdelegate Joyce Lalonde has endorsed. Since she is from Michigan she only has half a vote. Keep 'em rolling.
Update #2: Massachusetts Rep. John Olver has endorsed Obama.
Update #3: Michigan superdelegate Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick has endorsed Obama, giving him another 0.5. That's 4 so far today.
Update #4: Obama gets two more Michigan superdelegates: Debbie Dingell and Rick Wiener, for a total of 5 so far today.
Update #5: Rep. Clyburn also announced that he knows of three more superdelegates who will endorse Obama today: Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, New York superdelegate Ralph Dawson, and Tim Moore, a South Carolina Edwards delegate. If those pan out, that would bring us up to 8 for the day.
Update #6: I should also point out that five superdelegates from Montana, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Sen. Max Baucus, Sen. Jon Tester, state party chairman Dennis McDonald and vice chairman Margaret Campbell have committed to endorsing whoever wins Montana as soon as the winner is decided tonight, and all expectations are that this will be Obama, so that gives a total of 13 for the day so far that are pretty much secured for Obama.
Update #8: Maine DNC Committeewoman and superdelegate Jennifer DeChant has endorsed Obama, raising his total to 14.5? ish? I guess it gets hard when you are counting people who you know will endorse but haven't yet and new endorsements just keep coming. Some are calling it an endorsement tsunami.
Update #9: Obama has received 2 more endorsements: DNC member Joyce Beatty of Ohio and Kwame Kilpatrick of Michigan, giving him 1.5 more delegates. Sooo...let's call that 16 for today so far!
Update #10: California superdelegate John Perez endorsed Obama this morning. 17?
Update #11: Rep. Jerry McNerney of California is set to endorse Obama today. That makes at least 18 today.
Update #12: Massachusetts state party vice chairwoman Debra Kozikowski has endorsed Obama. That makes at least 19 today. Pretty soon we'll be hitting the point where Obama will have enough superdelegates to have MT push him over!
Update #13: Former president (and superdelegate) Jimmy Carter has announced he will endorse Obama tonight after the polls close. Woo hoo for having the best living former Democratic president on Obama's side! That gives us at least 20 for today. Keep 'em coming!
Update #14: Mississippi party vice chairwoman Carnelia Fondren. At least 21 today, definitely a one day record for this one and a half year (seriously) primary season.
Update #15: State Rep. Sharon Nordgren of New Hampshire and Michigan DNC Member Tina Abbott have endorsed Obama, giving him another one and a halfie. It makes you wonder who was really hurt more by the decision to half the delegations from Florida and Michigan. Even if it hurt Obama more, I still support it, the rules must have enforcement if there is to be any order, and nothing less would have been fair to the 48 states that actually obeyed the rules.
Update #16: Halfies DNC Member Mike Tardiff of Michigan, and DNC Member Diane Glasser of Florida have endorsed Obama, adding up to a fullie.
Update #17: FOUR Hillary superdelegates have switched to Obama, a huge blow to Hillary, giving Obama a net of 8 and showing that she can't hold the line. These superdelegates are DNC member Ben Johnson of DC, DNC member DNC Kamil Hasan of California, California Rep. Maxine Waters (major female African American supporter), and DNC Member Rhett Ruggerio of Delaware. That pretty much seals it, he will be the nominee tonight.
Update #18: More endorsements for Obama, coming in like a tidal wave now: DNC Members John Daniello and Harriet Smith-Windsor of Delaware, Kansas Rep. Dennis Moore, and Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson.
Update #19: The Obama campaign has announced that 8 more Edwards pledged delegates from Florida have moved over to Obama:
With today’s announcement, every delegate pledged to Senator Edwards in Iowa (four delegates), New Hampshire (four delegates) and South Carolina (eight delegates) will be voting for Senator Obama at the National Convention. In addition, 10 of the 13 Edwards delegates from Florida will be voting for Senator Obama at the National Convention.
Update #20: DNC Member Bel Leong-Hong of Maryland has endorsed Obama.
Update #21: California Rep. Sam Farr endorsed Obama. This puts him 10 or 11 delegates away from securing the nomination.
Update #22: DNC member Ivan Holmes of Oklahoma endorses Obama. 9 away I think.
It looks like Party leaders are finally reaching the end of their patience with Hillary and this primary season. Today Speaker Pelosi warned Hillary's supporters (and essentially Hillary's campaign, although she wouldn't say it) who are threatening to divide the Party by taking the fight all the way to the Convention that they are pursuing "a scorched earth philosophy" (as if they didn't already know that) that would seriously damage the chances of electing a Democratic president in November, and she vowed to step in to prevent that from happening. She continued:
"There is too much at stake in our country for us to be thinking that we can afford the luxury of intra-party battles eight weeks before the election," said Pelosi, in her strongest words yet on the battle over seating delegates from Florida and Michigan. "We've had many months to have a debate, to come to a conclusion. And one way or another ... we have to come together."
She also hit back at Hillary about trying to break the rules for her political gain:
The American people have to know the Democratic Party can run its own delegate selection process ... if they want to govern America. The rules are what the rules are.
And she addressed the failure of the media:
"Instead of talking about process," Democrats now need to "talk about how we have a progressive economic agenda. ... That's what the American people want to hear about," she said. "That's how we can take America in a new direction."
And she also mapped out how she envisions this primary process ending:
"This is the democratic process ... we take it one step at a time. This weekend the (party's) rules committee will act," followed by the final three primaries - Puerto Rico on Sunday, Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday. Then, she predicted, "there will be some movement of the superdelegates after that ... and we'll make a judgment at that time on what is needed."
All indications are that this time will be soon, as Reid made clear on Wednesday:
There are only three places to go for superdelegates, the Senate the House and the DNC," Reid told the Writers Bloc at Town Hall Los Angeles on Wednesday. "I have talked to Governor [Howard] Dean. I talk to [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi. We are pretty much in tune. We are going to tell our folks there are only a couple days to make a decision for those who haven't made a decision."
"We are not going to choose a candidate at the convention. We are going to choose the candidate a week from today."
You can't get much clearer than that. He also took aim at Bush, calling him the worst president "we have ever had in the history of this country." And he went after Greenspan as well too, who he called a "fraud", the "J. Edgar Hoover of the financial world", and "the biggest political hack in Washington."
It sounds like the Party leadership is about tired of bullshit from every source.
And I like it.
Oh, and I shouldn't have to point this out, but I probably do: Pelosi isn't saying this because she hates women. Oh, and Ferraro, Pelosi isn't saying this because you are white either. Sometimes you are just wrong, grow up and deal with it, you are giving women everywhere a bad name.
I believe that Sen. Obama and his message of change is what Colorado wants and that he will defeat John McCain in November. In fact, the most recent Rasmussen poll on May 19, 2008 shows a Sen. Obama with a 6-point lead in a head-to-head race and I think that margin will only increase as voters see the clear difference.
Finally, I believe that our country needs the type of visionary, uplifting leadership that Senator Obama has shown during this long campaign. In the state of Colorado his message of hope has attracted young people, new Democrats and Independent voters who will make up a winning coalition this fall.
Oregon superdelegate Meredith Wood Smith:
Why Obama? Because he received the majority of the votes in the Oregon primary, and he demonstrates the leadership needed to get us out of Iraq, restore our economy, begin the tough job of providing health care for all Americans and, most of all, heal the divisions in our nation. His commitment to grass-roots organizing, similar to Howard Dean's "Fifty State Strategy," will help Democrats win our down-ticket races. His deep understanding of our Constitution ensures that he will appoint judges, to both the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, who will truly defend our constitutional rights and freedoms.
and Guam superdelegate Ben Pangelinan:
Senator Obama is my choice. I believe he is the best candidate to deliver on the promise that is America, for all of America.
In speaking to members of both teams, I have come to trust in Senator Obama's commitment to turning the promises on the issues that are important to the people of Guam, into progress for the people of Guam.
If I'm not mistaken, this puts Obama a full 200 delegates ahead of Hillary, or essentially 10% of the racetrack ahead going into the final few feet. It may not sound like a lot, but picture a sprinter 30 feet behind on the 100 meter dash, is that a close second? Definitely not. Is there any chance of closing that 30 feet? No way in hell. And Obama is only picking up speed.
Obama picked up a couple superdelegates over the weekend. Today he added three superdelegates from Hawaii: Party Chairman Brian Schatz, vice chairwoman Kari Luna and retired Judge James Burns.
Obama received two endorsements this morning, one from Rep. Jim Costa of California, and another from Rep. Cardoza of California, who switched from Hillary to Obama, saying that Obama will be the nominee and that Obama will take us in the right direction. He also specifically disagreed with Hillary on her attempts to divide the Party by trying to change the rules at the end of the game:
This is the most important election of my lifetime. While I continue to greatly respect and admire Senator Clinton and feel she has made history with her campaign, I believe that Senator Obama will inevitably be our party’s nominee for President. He has proven himself to be a thoughtful, knowledgeable, and inspirational leader and will take America in a new direction, which we desperately need.
The Bush Administration has been a huge disappointment. Mr. McCain, while certainly an American hero, represents more of the same failed Bush policies.
I am deeply concerned about the contentious primary campaign and controversy surrounding the seating of delegates from Florida and Michigan – two states Democrats need to win in November. I will not support changing the rules in the fourth quarter of this contest through some convoluted DNC rules committee process. Yet, we must find a resolution to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates so these states’ voters are represented at the Convention. I believe we need to avoid this potentially divisive situation by uniting behind one nominee and bringing the party together immediately. Therefore, I have made the decision to support Senator Obama at the Democratic Convention in my role as a super delegate.
Update: State Sen. Peter Burling and Deborah Nelson, two Edwards pledged delegates from New Hampshire are officially switching over to Obama. Burling said of Obama:
We chose Obama because he so clearly understands the American yearning for change. He understands it, he embraces it, and I think he has the leadership to deliver it.
Update #2: Oregon DNC member Jenny Greenleaf endorsed Obama saying:
The voters of Oregon have spoken, and I have listened.
I will be supporting Senator Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August. Senator Obama has the vision and leadership ability to move this country forward and to undo the damage done by the Bush administration. I am proud to support him in this endeavor and will do whatever I can to make sure Oregon's electoral votes are Democratic this fall.
The Field has learned that Cardoza is the first of a group of at least 40 Clinton delegates, many of them from California, that through talking among themselves came to a joint decision that all of them would vote for Obama at the convention. They have informed Senator Clinton that it’s time to unite around Obama, and that they will be coming out, one or two at a time, and announcing their switch between now and the convention if Senator Clinton doesn’t do the same.
Update #4: Ouch, it turns out Rep. Cardoza was also co-chair of Hillary's National Hispanic Leadership Council, ouch, that hurts.
Expect more endorsements coming to Obama now that he has a majority of the pledged delegates, especially from the so-called Pelosi Club (if they have the guts to stand up to angry Hillary and her neo-McCarthyite sexism squad, that is). The first post-pledged delegate majority superdelegate is Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut.
Today the United Mine Workers union, who are very strong in Appalachian coal-country, endorsed Obama after a unanimous vote, saying:
Senator Obama shares the values of UMWA members and our families. He understands and will fight for the needs our members have today and the hopes our members have for a secure future for themselves and their families.
You don't get more white and working clas than that. It is too bad they didn't endorse until after the last Appalachian state went to Hillary. Oh well. The United Mine Workers were the second to last previously pro-Edwards union to go to Obama, now only one remains: the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.
Look at those latte-sippers.
Update: Mississippi Democratic Party chairman Wayne Dowdy has endorsed Obama.
Two so far this morning: Michigan superdelegate Eric Coleman and Iowa DNC chair Scott Brennan.
Update: Obama also received the endorsement of Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo.
Update #2: Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu hints that she will probably support Obama, because that is who the voters of her state chose overwhelmingly.
Today it came out that just before the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Haim Saban, billionaire entertainment magnate, big Clinton supporter, and the country's biggest donor ($13 million in less than a decade) allegedly tried to bribe the Young Democrats of America with $1 million if their two uncommitted superdelegates endorsed Hillary for the Democratic nomination. While Saban has predictably denied the charge, it has been confirmed by four independent sources, and is reinforced by the turmoil caused within YDA by the offer, which was described to the Huffington Post:
Members of the Young Democrats agonized about the potential fallout of Saban's call; his financial offer represented one-third of the group's 2008 budget. Democratic officials and fundraisers were consulted about how to respond, and at times the discussions were "emotional," one participant said. "It is scary for them, Haim is very powerful, he has great influence over donors who give to them."
Another source said that Hardt and others were acutely aware of Saban's status within Democratic circles and were concerned that their organization would suffer long-term harm if they declined his offer or if news of the proposal became public.
"I said I thought that the appropriate response was to call Haim back and say thank you but we are not interested," said the source. "I also said that it was surely the case that this story would get out because it is too interesting not to and they should think about how to deal with it. It was a day or two [before they responded]. They felt afraid. They were like, 'Holy shit, this is Haim Saban.'"
Of course if Saban hadn't tried to bribe them in exchange for their two remaining votes at the Democratic Convention there would have been no internal discussion and fears of retaliation inside the organization, which only reinforces the truth. The only other alternative is that the Young Democrats of America are involved in a sophisticated conspiracy to slander the Democrats' largest donor and Hillary Clinton, but I don't find that very likely, especially when the future of their organization would be in jeopardy. In the end YDA declined the bribe citing moral reservations and the fact that there is an overwhelming consensus among its members (young Democrats) in support of Obama.
In fact, there is absolutely no reason to suspect that the Young Democrats of America are lying about this, but there are plenty of reasons to suspect that Saban is, and that he did in fact try to bribe this group with $1 million in exchange for their support of Hillary (and a much needed, but still hopeless, change in momentum). Now I find it very unlikely that someone so high profile and close to the Clintons would be actively hunting for superdelegates like this without the Clintons having any knowledge whatsoever. It is possible that he was acting alone, and there is no evidence one way or another, but I'd be very surprised if the Clintons were in the dark while a major donor was out trying to buy her superdelegates. But of course Hillary can always fall back on plausible deniability, so her hand in this will probably never be known, unless Saban throws her under the bus, which isn't likely.
And no, none of this is illegal, but it does reek of the dirty politics and desperation so characteristic of the Clintons. You may remember when Hillary couldn't get the DNC to embrace her completely unfair "solution" to the Florida-Michigan problem she had her major donors threaten Dean, Pelosi and other Party leaders that they would withhold donations in retaliation. In short, extortion. Extortion being the natural negative doppelgänger of bribery. Sticks or carrots, threats or rewards, politics as usual.
Kudos to the Young Democrats of America for resisting that huge amount of money, and risking future donations by standing up for what is right.
Add-on delegates aren't really superdelegates or endorsements generally speaking, but they do affect the math, so I'll jump back to yesterday really fast and acknowledge that Obama picked up a handful of add-on delegates from various states. He picked up add-on delegate and former Denver Mayor Federico Pena and Kansas Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson. He also picked up 2 add-on delegates from California that were awarded according to the popular vote (so Hillary received 3).
Obama also received the endorsement of superdelegate and Maryland DNC member Greg Pecoraro.
Today, Obama got the endorsement of Washington State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, who urged unity and told his supporters that, "Sen. Obama will be our nominee, and that it is time for us as Democrats to begin the final stretch of this historic 2008 campaign to take back America. It is time to unify our party around one candidate."
Update: A big get for Obama today, West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd endorsed Obama today stating that Obama is "a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support." This should definitely give Obama some help in fighting Hillary's lies that he has some sort of "white problem". A little background on Byrd: Byrd is the longest serving senator in Senate history, and the oldest member of the current Senate (91). In his youth he was a member of the KKK, and openly pro-segregation. In 1964 he stood with Republicans and aided them in their 83 day filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was essentially a Republican, but never switched over in name when the South became Republican territory and the North became Democratic during the Civil Rights Movement. He has since rejected his segregationist views, called joining the KKK "the greatest mistake I ever made", supported the 1968 Civil Rights Act, and has recently received a 100% rating from the NAACP. Obama wrote this of his first meeting with Byrd in The Audacity of Hope:
Listening to Senator Byrd I felt with full force all the essential contradictions of me in this new place, with its marble busts, its arcane traditions, its memories and its ghosts. I pondered the fact that, according to his own autobiography, Senator Byrd had received his first taste of leadership in his early twenties, as a member of the Raleigh County Ku Klux Klan, an association that he had long disavowed, an error he attributed—no doubt correctly—to the time and place in which he'd been raised, but which continued to surface as an issue throughout his career. I thought about how he had joined other giants of the Senate, like J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and Richard Russell of Georgia, in Southern resistance to civil rights legislation. I wondered if this would matter to the liberals who now lionized Senator Byrd for his principled opposition to the Iraq War resolution—the MoveOn.org crowd, the heirs of the political counterculture the senator had spent much of his career disdaining.
I wondered if it should matter. Senator Byrd's life—like most of ours—has been the struggle of warring impulses, a twining of darkness and light. And in that sense I realized that he really was a proper emblem for the Senate, whose rules and design reflect the grand compromise of America's founding: the bargain between Northern states and Southern states, the Senate's role as a guardian against the passions of the moment, a defender of minority rights and state sovereignty, but also a tool to protect the wealthy from the rabble, and assure slaveholders of noninterference with their peculiar institution. Stamped into the very fiber of the Senate, within its genetic code, was the same contest between power and principle that characterized America as a whole, a lasting expression of that great debate among a few brilliant, flawed men that had concluded with the creation of a form of government unique in its genius—yet blind to the whip and the chain.
Update #2: Kansas Democratic Party Chair Larry Gates has endorsed Obama, saying the following:
Kansans can unite behind Sen. Obama and his positive campaign, and that is why I have chosen to endorse him. He has proven his ability to bring Democrats, Republicans and Independents together, and holds the same commitment to working across party lines as Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (TPIP: Who has been floated as one of the top choices for Obama's VP spot).
Senator Obama inspired record numbers of voters to turn out to the Kansas caucuses, which not only strengthens our Party but also the whole political process. He is the best candidate for Democrats to stand behind as we work to take on John McCain – who supports the war in Iraq and Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans – in November.
Update #3: Obama received the endorsement of Alaska superdelegates Cindy Spanyers and Blake Johnson, bringing Obama's total to 5 for the day, to Hillary's 0.
Yes, it's the weekend, but that doesn't mean Obama can't get superdelegates!
This morning Obama got the endorsement of Maryland superdelegate Greg Pecoraro who said in a statement:
Today, I am very excited to join the large majority of Maryland Democrats who expressed their enthusiasm for Senator Obama’s candidacy in our state's presidential primary. Like them, I believe Barack Obama is the right leader for our time. With Barack Obama as our nominee and as our President, we have real hope that a new way of governing the nation is at hand. I strongly believe that Senator Obama offers us the best opportunity we have had for many years to turn away from the politics of division and despair, and look towards an America of opportunity and progress.
Obama is also likely to get an add-on delegate from Colorado as soon as former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, an Obama supporter, is officially becomes the add-on delegate.
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama succeeded in driving more supporters to the Nevada state convention than his opponent U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, who had won the state in the Jan. 19 caucuses. Obama essentially reversed Clinton's lead from the caucuses, capturing 55 percent of the state delegates to Clinton's 45 percent.
The heavy turnout earned Obama one more delegate to the national convention, than previously expected based on the caucus results.
The final tally: Obama won 14 national delegates and Clinton won 11 national delegates. Under the caucus results, Obama was expected to win 13 national delegates to Clinton's 12. Although Clinton won the caucuses, Obama out-performed her in rural Nevada and Washoe County.
The convention has one more delegate to name, although that person goes to the national convention unpledged.
It's Friday, the last (week)day of a long week of endorsements, and Obama just added another, Rep. Pete Stark, chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. Obama seems to be racking up the powerful committee chairs left and right nowadays.
I'll keep you posted as more endorsements arrive.
Update: Arlene Prather-O’Kane of Iowa, an Edwards pledged delegate is the latest to switch to Obama. This puts Obama only 16 pledged delegates away from winning the primary (the majority of elected delegates).
Update #2: Politico says that at least 8 of Florida's 13 Edwards delegates are switching to Obama, and none to Hillary. Obviously this doesn't give Obama any delegates at the moment, but this assures that even if Hillary manages to get Florida seated as-is, it won't make a damn bit of difference. Excellent news!
So yesterday Edwards finally got off his ass and endorsed Obama, so now the question is what will his pledged delegates, superdelegates and union endorsements do? Even before he endorsed Obama the vast majority Edwards supporters went straight to Obama, so now that Edwards has officially made his choice and the primary is all but settled it would be hard to imagine them not flowing straight to Obama. Well today (actually late last nighht) we have our first, New Hampshire Democratic Party delegate Joshua Denton:
Joshua Denton of Portsmouth, 26, an Iraq war veteran, says he thinks that both Obama and Hillary Clinton would be a better president than Republican nominee John McCain. He thinks that Obama is the change the country needs, along with having the best chance of beating McCain in the general election.
"My fear with Hillary was just because she is who she is -- for better or worse -- she would sink, not just lose the presidency," but Democrats in Congress, Denton said Wednesday.
I'm sure there will be more where that came from.
Update: Today the United Steelworkers Union became the first pro-Edwards union to endorse Obama since Edwards' endorsement yesterday (other unions switched to Obama before Edwards' endorsement). They released this statement:
We find ourselves once again in agreement with Senator Edwards, this time with his decision last evening to endorse Senator Barack Obama. And thus today, the United Steelworkers enthusiastically endorses Senator Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States.
All of us, including we hope Senator Clinton for whom we have the utmost respect, must now do everything we can to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president of the United States. Now is the time for contention and division to cease, and for us to unite behind the changes for which Senator Obama and our members are calling.
Update #2: Washington Rep. Jim McDermott endorsed Obama.
Update #3: Obama was also endorsed by Communication Workers of America president Larry Cohen, who is also a superdelegate.
Update #4: It has been announced that Reps. Henry Waxman and Howard Berman of California, and both powerful committee chairs, have endoresd Obama as well. Here's Waxman:
Senator Obama’s vision for change has inspired tens of millions of Americans. And he’s also proved that he has the experience, judgment, integrity, and toughness to bring real reform to Washington. Our nation faces big challenges. We need to bring our troops safely home from Iraq. We need to solve global warming and finally enact universal health care legislation. And we need to create new jobs and strengthen our middle class. Senator Obama is the leader we need both here and around the world. He will be an extraordinary President, and I look forward to working with him to make his vision for change the new reality in Washington.
And Berman:
Barack Obama has laid out a foreign policy vision driven by principle and conviction, and he understands that our moral authority and our safety as a nation go hand in hand. I spoke with him about a number of foreign policy issues that most concern me. He assured me that he shares my views. The moment President Obama takes office, we’ll send a powerful message to the world that America is back and ready to lead again—that we haven’t abandoned the values that made us the light of the world, and neither should anyone else.
Quite a busy day.
Update #5: At least Six (possibly all 8) Edwards pledged delegates from South Carolina have switched to Obama. They are Daniel Boan, Christine Brennan-Bond, Robert Groce, Susan Smith, Mike Evatt and Lauren Bilton. You can definitely say goodbye to Hillary's WV advantage from WV.
Update #6: Obama just gained an extra pledged delegate from North Carolina, and Hillary lost one, after they actually finished calculating the vote. It seems weird that they are constantly giving Obama more delegates after the fact in all these elections, but they never underestimate Hillary's delegate numbers on election night. Not saying there is some conspiracy there or anything, it just seems odd that they always overestimate the number of delegates for Hillary. It seems to happen quite often.
Before I even finished breakfast Obama picked up two more superdelegates this morning. First was Indiana Rep. Pete Visclosky, the second was Democrats Abroad Chair Christine Schon Marques, who only has half a vote. This makes 9.5 delegates Obama has gained over Hillary between yesterday and thus far today, which pretty much ensures that whatever Hillary gained from her win last night in WV is already gone.
Update: Young Democrat Chairs Awais Khaleel (WI) and Lauren Wolfe (MI) endorsed Obama, but only the Wisconsin superdelegate counts toward Obama vote total at this time. Any Michigan and Florida superdelegates Obama receives will count if/when a deal is reached with the DNC for those states.
Update #2: Obama has also received the endorsement of three more former SEC chairmen. No superdelegates there, just econ street cred.
Update #3: DNC members Lena Taylor of Wisconsin and Mike Morgan of Oklahoma also endorsed Obama.
Update #4: And of course the big surprise of the day was that John Edwards endorsed Obama, and although he isn't a superdelegate, he controls his share of pledged delegates, superdelegates and endorsements, so that will probably loosen a bit of a floodgate.
In addition to the pledged delegate who switched to Obama this morning, Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly endorsed Obama, issuing the following statement:
Today, I am pleased to announce my support for Barack Obama. At a time when too many Americans have lost faith in their government, Senator Obama can move us beyond the politics of stalemate and gridlock that has kept us from meeting the monumental challenges of our time: our dependence on foreign oil, a health care gap that leaves tens of millions uninsured, the steady deterioration of our manufacturing base, and an economy that is not working for working people.
The Democratic Party's strength comes from its core commitment to the American Dream and from a coalition that is ideologically, economically, geographically and ethnically diverse. Barack Obama will stand with working families while building that coalition so that we can change this country, and that's why he's the best choice for America.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin also endorsed Obama this morning, bringing Obama's net gain for the day up to 4, and it is still early in the morning.
Update: Make that 5, former Colorado governor and DNC chair Roy Romer is also endorsing Obama this morning.
Update #2: Make that 6 (and it is still morning), Anita Bonds, chair of the DC Democratic Party endorsed Obama.
Update #3: Remember when they finished counting the ballots in Ohio and Hillary lost her double-digit lead there? Well that also gained Obama two pledged delegates today. Wee! 8 delegates for Obama today, 0 for Hillary, at least until WV votes.
A new week, new endorsements for Obama. First, yesterday Obama was endorsed by California superdelegate Crystal Strait.
And today Rep. Tom Allen of Maine endorsed Obama. In a released statement he urged an end to the primary:
Most of the primary voters across the nation have now spoken. It is time to bring a graceful end to the primary campaign. We now need to unify the Democratic Party and focus on electing Senator Obama and a working majority in the United States Senate. That is how we can change the direction of the country.
Update:Hawaii superdelegate Dolly Strazar just endorsed Obama, echoing Rep. Allen's call for unity:
I am now convinced that it is time to pull together behind a single candidate who has the backing of a growing number of Americans. I therefore announce my wholehearted endorsement of Senator Barack Obama. ... The will of Democrats in Hawaii was expressed loudly and clearly in February and I am proud to see that that same vision has been reflected throughout the country in Democratic support for Senator Obama.
Update #2: Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii just announced his endorsement of Obama a few minutes ago saying:
Rather than echo his supporters or review his platform on health care, the environment, or the war in Iraq, I want to add a different voice to those who believe Senator Obama would make a fine President. He is the antidote we need to cure Washington of the uninspired, partisan politics that has plagued our country far too long.
Update #3: Idaho Democratic Party Chair Keith Roark has announced his endorsement of Obama saying:
The unprecedented enthusiasm Senator Obama has generated here in Idaho is unlike anything I have seen in my 31 years of active political participation in this State. He has captured the imagination and mint fresh optimism of young voters from Coeur d’Alene to Caldwell, from Murphy to Montpelier, from Twin Falls to Idaho Falls. I firmly believe that the critical process of rebuilding the Idaho Democratic Party will receive a once in a lifetime boost from Senator Obama’s candidacy.
This makes today 4 for Obama, 0 for Hillary. Also, this makes Idaho a clean superdelegate sweep from Obama, they now all officially support him, which is no surprise given his huge victory there (oh, and I might add that people in Idaho are really really white).
Obama picked up five more superdelegates today, including two who switched from Hillary, giving him a net of seven for the day. The two supers who switched were Kevin Rodriquez and Carol Burke from the Virgin Islands, and they were joined by Dave Regan of Ohio, Kristi Cumming of Utah, and Rep. Henry Mitchell of Arizona. As of today, officially by all measures, Obama has overtaken Hillary in superdelegates, which has been the ONLY metric she has ever had a lead in from the very beginning until now. Now she is behind in EVERY SINGLE METRIC, whether it be states won, pledged delegates, popular vote, land area won, or superdelegates.
Hardcore supporters of Hillary have apparently launched an anti-Obama email writing campaign to superdelegates in a desperate last ditch effort to save Hillary's campaign from reality. These emails are characteristically packed with vitriol, shocking ignorance and right-wing talking points. Some attack Obama on electability, with no evidence to back up their claims. Some attack him on Wright, and for supposedly being friends with "anti-American terrorists". Some call his racist and misogynistic. Some have the audacity to call pander-me-Hillary's opponent a fake. Some attack people who support Obama. Some attack hope. Many vow they will vote for McCain if (when) Obama is the nominee. Essentially they are hateful, desperate, and completely misinformed. And the best part is, they are completely counter productive, they just further highlight the negativity of Hillary's campaign, and the ignorance and negativity of many of her hardcore supporters.
Here is a response from Donna Brazille to one of the writers:
Honestly, this is the 9th email today. So I believe you're ready to not only destroy Roe versus Wade, voting rights, civil liberties and civil rights. Perhaps adding trillions more to the deficits through non-stop tax cuts to the wealthy and 100 more years in Iraq. Yes, please join Rush and McCain asap. The train has left. Catch it.
Another exasperated targeted superdelgate had this to say:
I spent my entire life in the two reddest states in the entire U.S. so please excuse me if I fail to discern the nuances of the arguments sent my way this evening in what appears to be an orchestrated campaign to intimidate the remaining unpledged delegates by threatening to leave the party and vote for a third Bush term if I and others like me don't vote for Sen. Clinton. I have been uncommitted throughout this campaign because I wanted to see how the candidates performed in a variety of settings. I am proud of them both. But I am horrified by this effort to threaten votes for McCain if super delegates don't vote for Sen. Clinton. I have received hundreds of emails from both sides - but I can say without exception that I have not received a single email from an Obama supporter that threatened a vote for McCain if I didn't support Sen. Obama. You really ought to be ashamed.
I think this latest development speaks for itself. I, for one, am ashamed that these ignorant, hateful people are in my party. I don't fault the run of the mill Hillary supporter because they are entitled to their opinions and they likely haven't been exposed to accurate information about Hillary or Obama. I DO fault her hardcore supporters who resort to this kind of hate and viciousness, against their own party. And this includes the Clintons and the nasty and divisive GOP tactics they have employed in their quest for power. I expect this kind of behavior from Bush and McCain and Fox News and the Republicans, but until this election I really thought that Democrats were better. These kind of people proved me wrong.
I wrote a while back ago about Hillary backer George McGovern speaking out against Hillary's negative tactics and basically calling bullshit on every argument for her candidacy that she has made.
Well today, after her big loss in North Carolina and the ass kicking she took in Indiana, George McGovern is officially switching his endorsement to Obama, and urging Hillary to drop out. This is huge, and likely a good indication of what is to come. First we had former DNC chair Joseph Andrew switch to Obama last week, and now George McGovern has had enough, two big signs to other Hillary superdelegates that they have a green light to switch over and ask her to drop out.
And newspapers are seeing the light as well. The Washington Blade, which endorsed Hillary has called for her to drop out:
Last night's results in the North Carolina and Indiana primaries have left Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton out of options. She ran a tough and spirited campaign that will be talked about for a generation. But it's over.
The time has come for Clinton to adopt a gracious and conciliatory tone, end her campaign and endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.
It also went after how she has run her campaign:
Unfortunately, all the talk of experience and competence was belied by a campaign rife with incompetence. From Bill Clinton’s ruinous (and arguably racist) campaign swing through South Carolina, to an obvious failure to craft a strategy past Super Tuesday, her campaign staff made so many miscalculations that Hillary went from a coronation to a shocking defeat.
And her behavior during the recent and infamous ABC News debate was over the line. During that debate, Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos grilled Obama over the Rev. Wright controversy and, incredibly, his thoughts on wearing flag pins. Obama was overdue for some more aggressive questioning from the mainstream media, but not on those topics.
Rather than insist on taking the questioning to a higher level, Clinton gleefully joined the Obama bashing that night. The Obama campaign should never have agreed to a debate in which Stephanopoulos was asking the questions. As a veteran of the first Clinton administration, he could hardly be expected to approach the event with any modicum of objectivity. He’s a celebrity talking head, not a journalist.
And in contrast it spoke highly of how Obama has risen above such tactics:
In sharp contrast to Clinton’s transparent, over-the-top pandering (downing shots with the locals and touting a phony love of guns), Obama has managed to stay above the fray, even during the darkest moments of the Wright saga. He could have gone sharply negative in the run-up to North Carolina and Indiana, as some advised him to do. Instead, he stuck to his own metaphorical guns and rose above the faux controversies and petty attacks. Even in victory Tuesday night, Obama praised Clinton and promised that his supporters would back her if she emerged as the party nominee.
I'd call this another flip, the first newspaper endorsement to be withdrawn and switched over to Obama, at least since last night's election.
Update: These aren't switches, they are fresh, three new superdelegates for Obama: DNC member Inola Henry of California, North Carolina party chair Jerry Meek, and North Carolina DNC member Jeanette Council.
Update #2: Hillary lost a second superdelegate to Obama today, Virginia DNC member Jennifer McClellan.
Update #3: Prominent Hillary supporter Senator Diane Feinstein is now hinting that Hillary needs to drop out, but hasn't explicitly said so yet.
Woo! Two delegates for Obama!! And two for Hillary. Okay, so it was basically a wash, but Obama won, giving him officially more than double Hillary's number of wins, 31-15. On the bright side the pro-Obama party chair and vice-chair in Guam won their race, thus becoming superdelegates, so two more for Obama there. Obama also picked up a few more add-on delegates giving Obama a +4 over Hillary for the day. Every day the math gets even more impossible for Hillary, if that is even possible at this point. It also doesn't help her that she is now threatening superdelegates in Congress with Republican talking points to support a Republican $10 billion handout to oil companies. Her pandering to voters might fool enough voters to get a win out of Indiana, but it isn't going to make superdelegates happy, or environmentalists.
And for those who believe in signs, earlier this week Hillary told supporters:
I hope that everybody will go to the [Kentucky] derby on Saturday and place just a little money on the filly [Eight Belles] for me. I won’t be able to be there this year -- my daughter is going to be there and so she has strict instructions to bet on Eight Belles.
To which Eight Belles' trainer replied, "It looks like it could be the year for the girls. Eight Belles I’m sure would want to endorse."
Only Eight Belles finished second, collapsing immediately after crossing the finish line, and was euthanized shortly thereafter. It was a very sad and tragic end to the race. But for those who believe in signs, maybe this means it isn't "the year for the girls", and maybe Hillary should just drop out before it is too late and she euthanizes her own political career.
For what it's worth, the winner was the Kentucky Derby was crowd favorite, Big Brown.
[Today a big Clinton supporter, former DNC chairman Joseph Andrew switched from supporting Hillary to Barack Obama, and he called on others to do the same. He did so in large part because of Hillary's embrace of Republican tactics and her destructive pursuit of power at all costs. He summed this up in a conference call today saying, "I had hoped, like Nancy Pelosi, that this [primary] decision could be have been made after the primaries were over. But I have grown concerned that the actions of one candidate, my former candidate, are going to hurt us in the fall... And so now I am calling upon my fellow superdelegates, however they make their decision, whatever they make it by, to do it now." The final straw, as The Huffington Post reports, was Hillary's latest cynical campaign ploy, embracing a bad gas tax policy that is little more than a gift to oil companies, all for political gain, and then attacking Obama for not doing the same:
Specifically, Andrews pointed to Clinton's proposal for a gas-tax holiday -- an idea derided by economists but, likely, welcomed by voters -- as evidence that her candidacy promised not principle, but merely the opportunity to "play the political theater better than anyone else."
"The idea that we would step back from the real energy policy and environmental policy...for half a tank of gas," he said. "Is something that really was the straw that broke the camels back for me."
"Along comes a principled elected official in Barrack Obama and he says no, you don't have to do it, that is crazy," he said, "Lets talk about some real solutions to problems... lets not talk about giving someone back a half a tank of gas, lets talk about a real environmental and energy policy."
Below is his letter to superdelegates urging them to step up and back Obama so we can bring this fight to a close and start going after McCain, instead of helping him. He aptly points out that a vote for Hillary at this point is a vote for McCain. It is long, so I've highlighted the best parts, although I encourage you to read the whole thing, because it is quite good:]
Today I am announcing my support for Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. I am changing my support from Senator Clinton to Senator Obama, and calling for my fellow Democrats across my home State of Indiana, and my fellow super delegates across the nation, to heal the rift in our Party and unite behind Barack Obama.
The hardest decisions in life are not between good and bad or right and wrong, but between two goods or two rights. That is the decision Democrats face today. We have an embarrassment of riches, but as much as we may love our candidates and revel in the political process that has brought Presidential politics to places that have not seen it in a generation, we cannot let our family affair hurt America by helping John McCain.
Here is my message, explained in this lengthy letter that I hope is perceived as a thoughtful analysis of how to save America from four more years of the misguided polices of the past: you can be for someone without being against someone else. You can unite behind a candidate and a vision for America without rejecting another candidate and their vision, because in real life, opposed to party politics, we Democrats are on the same side. The battle should not be amongst ourselves. Rather, we should focus our efforts on those who are truly on the opposite side: those who want to continue the failed policies of the last eight years, rather than bring real change to Washington. Let us come together right now behind an inspiring leader who not only has the audacity to challenge the old divisive politics, but the audacity to make us all hope for a better America.
Unite the Party Now
I believe that Bill Clinton will be remembered as one of our nation's great Presidents, and Senator Clinton as one of our nation's great public servants. But as much as I respect and admire them both, it is clear that a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists John McCain.
I ask Hoosiers to come together and vote for Barack Obama to be our next President. In an accident of timing, Indiana has been given the opportunity to truly make a difference. Hoosiers should grab that power and do what in their heart they know is right. They should reject the old negative politics and vote for true change. Don't settle for the tried and true and the simplistic slogans, but listen to your heart and dare to be inspired. Only a cynic would be critical of Barack Obama inspiring millions. Only the uninformed could forget that the candidate that wins in November is always the candidate that inspires millions.
I ask the leaders of our Party to come together after this Tuesday's primary to heal wounds and unite us around a single nominee. While I was hopeful that a long, contested primary season would invigorate our Party, the polls show that the tone and temperature of the race is now hurting us. John McCain, without doing much of anything, is now competitive against both of our remaining candidates. We are doing his work for him and distracting Americans from the issues that really affect all of our lives.
We need to be talking about fixing the economy, not whose acquaintances once said what to whom. We need to be talking about stopping the attacks in Iraq, not stopping the attacks in Indiana. We need to be talking about policy, not politics.
Barack Obama is the Right Candidate for Right Now
While I am a longtime critic of our Party's rules that created so-called super delegates, we have the rules we have and we must live with them. I am humbled and honored to be a super delegate, and I understand the seriousness of the duty it entails. I recognize that this is a difficult decision for super delegates like me, who owe so much to President Bill Clinton. It is right to be loyal, to be grateful and to be consistent. But it is also right to acknowledge the inevitability of change, right to dare to dream for a better world, and right to know what in your heart is the right thing for the future even if your friends and family disagree. Good things, just like good people, can disagree. But as Democrats, we must disagree with dignity, debate with admiration of each other, and in the end, go forward with mutual respect.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore gave me the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the Democratic Party. I pledged my loyalty to them, and I will never forget Al Gore putting ego aside, gently demurring, and simply asking me to put our country ahead of politics. It is a lesson I will remember forever, and it is what guides me now in this decision. What is best for our Party and our country is not blind loyalty, but passionate support for the candidate who can best correct the misguided policies of the last eight years.
We need a candidate who will re-invigorate the economy and keep good jobs here in America. We need a candidate who will end the war in Iraq. We need a candidate who will provide health coverage for our 45 million uninsured neighbors. We need a candidate who will end our addiction to high-priced foreign oil by investing in renewable energy here at home.
That candidate is Barack Obama.
What was best for America sixteen years ago was electing Bill Clinton. What would have been best for America eight years ago was not only electing Al Gore, which we did, but allowing him to serve as President of the United States. Imagine how the world would be different if Al Gore and not George Bush, would have been President of the United States. Let's seize the opportunity and vote for someone who like Al Gore, was against the war from the beginning, and who brings a new energy, a new excitement, and a new politics to our country.
Let's put things right.
Time to Act
Many will ask, why now? Why, with several primaries still remaining, with Senator Clinton just winning Pennsylvania, with my friend Evan Bayh working hard to make sure Senator Clinton wins Indiana, why switch now? Why call for super delegates to come together now to constructively pick a president?
The simple answer is that while the timing is hard for me personally, it is best for America. We simply cannot wait any longer, nor can we let this race fall any lower and still hope to win in November. June or July may be too late. The time to act is now.
I write this letter from my mom's dining room table in Indianapolis, Indiana. Four generations of my family have argued and laughed around this table. But what I humbly believe today is that we, as Democrats and as Americans, face what Dr. King characterized and what Senator Obama reminds us is the fierce urgency of now. As a nation, we are at a critical moment and we need leaders with the character and vision to see us through the challenges at hand and those to come. I can't guess what will happen tomorrow, so I can't tell you what kind of experience our next President will need to have to deal with those challenges. But I can tell you what kind of character and vision they will need to have -- and that is what inspires me about Barack Obama.
As Democrats, however, we risk letting this moment slip through our fingers. We risk ceding the field to the Republicans and allowing the morally bankrupt Bush Agenda to continue unabated if we do not unite behind a single candidate. Should this race continue after Indiana and North Carolina, it will inevitably become more negative. The polls already show the supporters for both candidates becoming more strident in their positions and more locked into their support. Continuing on this path would be a catastrophe, as we would inadvertently end up doing Republicans work for them. Already, instead of the audacity of hope, we suffer the audacity of one Democrat comparing John McCain favorably to another Democrat. When that happens, you know it is time for all of us to stop, take a deep breath and unite to change America.
We must act and we must act now.
The Problems of the Process: 2000 and 2008
When Al Gore got a half million more votes than George Bush in 2000, yet the Electoral College elected George Bush President, we saw the absurdity of any system that does not elect the person who gets the most votes. That is why the Democratic Party's nomination process is flawed. I will continue to fight for a 2012 process where there are only primaries, and which ever Democrat gets the most votes becomes our nominee. Delegates should decide the party platform -- voters should decide who our nominee is.
But we are struck with this absurd system for 2008, and, flawed though it may be, we must work within it without betraying the voice of the people. No amount of spin or sleight of hand can deny the fact that where there has been competition, Senator Obama has won more votes, more States and more delegates than any other candidate. Only the super delegates can award the nomination to Senator Clinton, but to do so risks doing to our Party in 2008 what Republicans did to our country in 2000. Let us be intellectually consistent and unite behind Barack Obama.
A New Era of Politics
My endorsement of Senator Obama will not be welcome news to my friends and family at the Clinton campaign. If the campaign's surrogates called Governor Bill Richardson, a respected former member of President Clinton's cabinet, a "Judas" for endorsing Senator Obama, we can all imagine how they will treat somebody like me. They are the best practitioners of the old politics, so they will no doubt call me a traitor, an opportunist and a hypocrite. I will be branded as disloyal, power-hungry, but most importantly, they will use the exact words that Republicans used to attack me when I was defending President Clinton.*
When they use the same attacks made on me when I was defending them, they prove the callow hypocrisy of the old politics first perfected by Republicans. I am an expert on this because these were the exact tools that I mastered as a campaign volunteer, a campaign manager, a State Party Chair and the National Chair of our Party. I learned the lessons of the tough, right-wing Republicans all too well. I can speak with authority on how to spar with everyone from Lee Atwater to Karl Rove. I understand that, while wrong and pernicious, shallow victory can be achieved through division by semantics and obfuscation. Like many, I succumbed to the addiction of old politics because they are so easy.
Innuendo is easy. The truth is hard.
Sound bites are easy. Solutions are hard.
Spin is simple and easy. Struggling with facts is complicated and hard.
I have learned the hard way that you can love the candidate and hate the campaign. My stomach churns when I think how my old friends in the Clinton campaign will just pick up the old silly Republican play book and call in the same old artificial attacks and bombardments we have all heard before.
Yet, despite the simple and overwhelming pressure to do anything and everything to win, Barack Obama has risen above it all and demanded a new brand of politics. People flock to Senator Obama because they are rejecting the hyperbole of the old politics. The past eight years of George Bush have witnessed a retreat from substance, science, and reason in favor spin, cronyism and ideology. Barack Obama has dared not only to criticize it, as all Democrats do, but to actually reject playing the same old game. And in doing so, he has shown us a new path to victory.
Uniting for Victory
The simple fact is that Democrats need to be united in November to win, and Clinton supporters, in particular, will be vital to victory. We will not convince Clinton supporters to join the Obama campaign, however, by personally criticizing them. We must welcome everyone and avoid doing Republican work for them. It is therefore incumbent on all of us who once supported Senator Clinton to welcome the thousands who should now switch their support to Senator Obama. Similarly, a necessary part of the healing process for our Party is for those who supported Senator Obama early to have the grace and good sense to broaden the tent and welcome newcomers into the fold.
The old players of the old political game will claim that I am betraying my old friend Senator Evan Bayh by switching my support to Senator Obama. I believe that Evan Bayh would be a great President, and therefore a great Vice President. I will continue to argue that he would be a great choice to be on the ticket with Barack Obama. Evan Bayh is uniquely positioned as a successful governor with executive experience who is now a U.S. Senator with foreign policy experience and who is young enough to not undercut the message of vitality and hard work that Barack Obama represents. Part of healing the Party may be to have a Clinton supporter on the ticket, let alone someone who would help with Indiana, Ohio and the moderate Midwest in the general election.
Being for Evan Bayh, however, does not mean that you have to be for Hillary Clinton. The important message to Hoosiers, and to super delegates, is that being for someone does not mean that you agree 100 percent of the time. Regardless of whether Evan Bayh and I support different candidates, I will support Evan Bayh.
We must reject the notion that we have to beat the Republicans at their own game -- or even that the game has to be played at all. It is so easy for all of us involved -- candidates, campaigns and the media -- to focus on the process and the horse race that we forget why we got into it in the first place. Barack Obama has had the courage to talk about real issues, real problems and real people. Let's pause for a second in the midst of the cacophony of the campaign circus and listen.
In 1992, I was inspired by Bill Clinton because he promised, and delivered, a framework for addressing America's problems. President Clinton ended a long-running left-right debate in our Party, and inspired millions. He drew giant crowds and spoke passionately for a generation of Americans who often disenfranchised and rarely participated in governing. Today, Barack Obama does the same thing. Winners redefine the game. Winners connect with the American people and not only feel their pain, but inspire them to take action to heal the underlying cause. Barack Obama is that kind of candidate and that kind of leader, which is why he will win in November.
Welcoming Everyone into the Party
We face significant challenges as a nation and as a Party, but time and again, Americans have shown the resilience and determination necessary to overcome even the highest obstacle. We have a difficult road ahead, but I have complete confidence that Barack Obama is the candidate who can lead our Party to victory and the President who can guide us to even greater heights.
Many Democrats know me for one short speech I gave over and over again in the 2000 Presidential campaign. That speech was about welcoming people into our Party and welcoming undecided voters to our campaign to elect Al Gore. Today, we need to welcome Clinton supporters, undecided voters, and all Americans to join Barack Obama's cause to fight for a better America. My speech ended with these words, which are even more relevant today:
The difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is that you are always welcome in the Democratic Party.
Because Democrats don't care if you are black or white or brown or a nice shade of green, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.
We don't care if you pray in a church or a synagogue or a temple or a mosque, or just before math tests, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.
We don't care if you are young or old, or just don't want to tell your age, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.
We don't care what gender you are, or what gender you want to hold hands with; as long as you want to hold hands, you are welcome in the Democratic Party.
We don't care about the size of your bank account, just the size of your heart; and we don't care where you are today, just where you dream you want to be tomorrow.
That is your Democratic Party.
That is Barack Obama's Democratic Party.
That is the Party that will win in November.
Sincerely,
Joe Andrew
*[Note: Hillary spokesman Howard Wolfson proves Mr. Andrew's point about how her campaign will attack him beautifully here when he is asked to respond, and Wolfson responds by saying that Andrews really isn't from Indiana (I have little doubt he was from Indiana yesterday when he still officially supported Hillary), even though he was born and raised there, as his family has been for generations, yet Hillary of course is supposedly "from" Arkansas, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania. Classic Clinton politics, and just a perfect example of what Joe Andrew warned would happen, like clockwork. Below is the video of Wolfson, and below that is the video of Joe Andrew's response.]
The primary is finally over, and now it is really time to get to work. The Republicans still think they can deceive the American people into accepting another 4-8 years of Republican disasters, so we have to keep the pressure on. Any support you can give to Obama's campaign, whether monetary or voluntary will help us keep this movement successful. The time for change is now!
