by Mike Dorning
Barack Obama's campaign is busy today building up the audience for the speech the senator will give from Iowa tomorrow night, celebrating a moment the campaign is portraying as securing the popular mandate for the Democratic nomination.
Moments ago, campaign manager David Plouffe sent out an e-mail to Obama's large Internet following, urging supporters to tune in for the speech.
Obama is certain under virtually any scenario to win a majority of the convention delegates elected through primaries and caucuses on Tuesday, once Kentucky and Oregon have voted.
"A clear majority of elected delegates will send an unmistakable message -- the people have spoken, and they are ready for change," Plouffe writes.
The message suggests Obama may also use the opportunity to try to define contrasts with presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain for the general election.
The e-mail claims President George W. Bush and McCain "have begun coordinating their attacks on Barack Obama," citing a Bush address to the Israeli parliament in which Bush suggested Obama was advocating appeasement in foreign policy.
Plouffe writes that Obama will respond to such challenges with "tough responses, though he does not say whether those responses will be featured in the Tuesday night speech.
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Comments
Let's see--she kicks his butt in a debate.
He flips her off.
She kicks his butt in PA.
He dodges her.
Now he's gonna say he's the one?
C'mon--he's the veep and not her---everybody knows this.
Posted by: Looking forward to August | May 19, 2008 1:41 PM
Let's see, he wins the majority of delegates, and she claims she's the winner. He takes the popular vote, and she claims he's sexist.
Now she's she gonna say she's the one? C'mon she lost, not him, and everyone knows it.
Posted by: Looking forward to November | May 19, 2008 2:07 PM
NO, you idiot--she's taken the popular vote---god read a newspaper
Posted by: head outta somewhere please | May 19, 2008 2:22 PM
Clinton has not won the popular vote by any reasonable standard. The only way she can even claim this is if she counts Michigan where she was on the ballot but he wasn't. Ridiculous. It's over.
Popular Vote Count
State Date Obama Clinton Spread
Popular Vote Total 16,108,538 49.3% 15,512,424 47.5% Obama +596,114 +1.8%
Estimate w/IA, NV, ME, WA* 16,442,622 49.3% 15,736,286 47.2% Obama +706,336 +2.1%
Popular Vote (w/FL) 16,684,752 48.5% 16,383,410 47.6% Obama +301,342 +0.9%
Estimate w/IA, NV, ME, WA* 17,018,836 48.5% 16,607,272 47.3% Obama +411,564 +1.2%
Popular Vote (w/FL & MI)** 16,684,752 47.6% 16,711,719 47.7% Clinton +26,967 +0.08%
Estimate w/IA, NV, ME, WA* 17,018,836 47.7% 16,935,581 47.5% Obama +83,255 +0.24%
Posted by: Liam Shannon | May 19, 2008 2:37 PM
Everyone firing on Obama - including his own party. Its SEEMS Republicans think only ONE of the Democrats is worthy of firing upon! Why is that??? Why havent FOX or Rush, or the Republican party said one word about Clinton?????????
MEDIA claim they want a big political story - and there it is.
Posted by: Keith Lifetime Southsider | May 19, 2008 2:57 PM
"It's clear, this election they're having is not going to count for anything," Clinton said Thursday during an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio's call-in program, "The Exchange." "But I just personally did not want to set up a situation where the Republicans are going to be campaigning between now and whenever, and then after the nomination, we have to go in and repair the damage to be ready to win Michigan in 2008."
Hillary Clinton October 11, 2007
Posted by: Looking forward to November | May 19, 2008 3:01 PM
Your loyalty to the Clintons is stronger than your desire to end the Bush/McCain years in our country's history? Seriously? Don't you remember the last 8 years? Let's not make this any dirtier than it has been... Let's get behind the presumptive nominee.
Posted by: Greg Schultz | May 19, 2008 3:29 PM
Pledged Delegate count = Obama
Super Delegate count = Obama
Popular Vote count = Obama
Democratic Nomination = Clinton?
Welcome to a world where you can win while losing because you make up the rules/criteria as you go.
After Sen Obama trounces Sen Clinton in Oregon, South Dakota, and Montana (primarly due to their overwhemingly African-American populations). Im sure we will be told that they are not big states, swing states, purple states, working class states, bellweather states, democratic states, or historically needed for a general election as a reason for us to discount them as an important Obama win......
Posted by: Fuzzy Math in the Flatlands | May 19, 2008 4:25 PM
And I hope that the faces of HRC's supporters are pushed DEEPLY into the cold hard fact that a majority of the electorate doesn't want her anywhere close to the Oval Office. Make the shrew eat crow - lots of crow!
Posted by: Wolfgang | May 19, 2008 5:37 PM
Obama can't win the General Election. He will lose most of Hillary's supporters.
Hillary can't win the General Election. She will lose the 30 million black votes.
It would be foolish for both of them to think they can win without the other. Even having Hillary smile and wave for Obama isn't going to cut the cheese or vice-versa.
I don't see how it can't be a Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama ticket. I'm going to laugh so hard if Obama runs by himself without Hillary. Edward is popular but he didn't carry a single state for Kerry! Shotgun Cheney beat Edward with a hammer in the debates.
Posted by: Lou | May 19, 2008 10:43 PM