Obama claims milestone, Clinton wins Kentucky
By Joseph P. Williams
Globe Staff
WASHINGTON -- Senator Barack Obama has passed a key, though symbolic, milestone in his historic quest for the White House -- winning a majority of all pledged delegates at stake in primaries and caucuses -- and declared himself "within reach" of the Democratic nomination.
Even though Senator Hillary Clinton trounced him in the Kentucky primary, Obama still picked up picked up a portion of the delegates there and he also won yesterday's other primary, in Oregon. That gave him more than half of the 3,253 delegates being chosen by voters in the long season of primaries and caucuses -- and left him within about 70 delegates of clinching the nomination.
Returning to Iowa, whose January caucuses catapulted the untested freshman senator to the front of his party's presidential race, Obama recalled how political analysts dismissed his candidacy last year -- and declared that voters nationwide had answered his call for change.
"Tonight, Iowa, in the fullness of spring, with the help of those who stood up from Portland to Louisville, we have returned to Iowa with a majority of delegates elected by the American people, and you have put us within reach of the Democratic nomination for president of the United States," he said.
But Clinton's resounding win in Kentucky gave her justification to keep challenging him through the last contests on June 3 and perhaps raised further doubts about Obama's reach to white working-class voters, a constituency crucial to Democrats' hopes in the fall.
With all precincts reporting in Kentucky, Clinton had 65 percent of the vote to Obama’s 30 percent.
In her victory speech, Clinton praised Obama, but also delivered a message to her party: The odds against her are long, but she’s not giving up because she firmly believes she would be the stronger nominee.
‘‘Our party will have a tough choice to make: Who is ready to lead our party at the top of the ticket? Who is ready to defeat Senator McCain in swing states and among swing voters?’’
Obama, however, was declared the winner in Oregon. With half of precincts reporting, he had 58 percent to Clinton's 42 percent. The Illinois senator was careful to laud Clinton even as he neared the nomination.
‘‘We have had our disagreements during this campaign, but we all admire her courage, her commitment, and her perseverance,’’ he told a huge outdoor rally in Des Moines. ‘‘No matter how this primary ends, Senator Clinton has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and your daughters will come of age, and for that we are grateful to her.’’
But he still devoted most of his speech to the fall campaign against John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.
McCain, Obama said, "arrived in Washington nearly three decades ago as a Vietnam War hero, and earned an admirable reputation for straight talk and occasional independence from his party. But this year’s Republican primary was a contest to see which candidate could out-Bush the other, and that is the contest John McCain won."
Obama criticized McCain's health plan, scolded him for hiring lobbyists to run his campaign, and said the Arizona senator would continue President Bush's aggressive foreign policy "that has left this country more isolated and less secure than at any time in recent history."
Though Obama positioned himself as the likely nominee, political analysts agree that neither he nor Clinton can clinch the nomination without the votes of superdelegates -- the nearly 800 elected officials and party officers who can decide on their own whom to support.
The only way Clinton can defeat Obama is if the superdelegates side with her and if the party names her the winner of disputed primaries in Florida and Michigan. But Obama's campaign believes that the superdelegates will not go against the will of the voters who granted him pledged delegate majority.
Clinton was undaunted. Calling her win ‘‘an overwhelming vote of confidence,’’ Clinton told cheering supporters in Louisville, Ky., she is "more determined than ever" to make sure "every vote is cast and every vote is counted.’’
'‘Why do millions keep turning out to vote in the face of naysayers and skeptics? Because you know that our political process is more than candidates running, or the pundits chattering, or the ads blaring. It is about the path we choose as a nation and whether or not we will solve our toughest problems. ... That’s why I’m going to keep making our case until we have a nominee — whoever she may be,’’ Clinton said.
Yesterday’s results underscored what many say is Obama’s political Kryptonite: his struggle to attract blue-collar Democrats.
Kentucky’s electorate — mostly white, more rural, and less educated than the nation as a whole — was in many ways similar to West Virginia, which Clinton won last week by 41 percentage points, and to portions of Pennsylvania and Ohio, both of which she won decisively.
Clinton supporters point to her landslide wins in white, working-class states like Kentucky, and they say it’s evidence that she is the stronger candidate among a core Democratic constituency. The woman-of-the-people message seemed to resonate with voters in those states, where residents struggle as quality hourly-wage jobs vanish.
Emphasizing her middle-class roots, Clinton played up her support for the working class, downing shots in local taverns, calling for a gas tax holiday, and portraying Obama as out of touch with the everyday struggles of the average American.
In Oregon -- the largest remaining prize in the race -- analysts saw Clinton’s last and best chance to knock Obama off course.
Casting herself as the underdog, the New York senator tried to appeal to Oregon’s blue-collar voters, most in the eastern and southwestern parts of the state. In those sparsely populated regions, residents earn their livings from the land as farmers and ranchers as well as in the lumber and fishing industries.
But Obama had a clear advantage in the state’s more urban, upscale corner — home to the state’s two largest cities, Portland and Eugene, and high-tech manufacturers such as Intel and Hewlett-Packard as well as Nike and the 16,500-student University of Oregon. The Illinois senator outspent Clinton by a wide margin, and his popularity in what many consider the liberal beacon of the nation was hard to ignore: On Sunday, Obama drew an eye-popping 75,000 people to a rally in downtown Portland, his largest crowd of the campaign.
The blue-collar vote ‘‘could be a real problem for him,’’ said William Lunch, a senior political analyst at the University of Oregon. ‘‘We don’t know fully how he’ll respond to that. One answer to that may be encapsulated in the decisions he makes regarding the vice presidential nomination.’’
Though the bruising Democratic nomination fight is nearly complete and Clinton has mostly avoided direct attacks on Obama in recent days, she chose yesterday to lodge her strongest complaints of the campaign that she has been the victim of sexist coverage in the media.
‘‘I think that both gender and race have been obviously a part of it because of who we are, and every poll I’ve seen shows more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman to vote for an African-American, which rarely gets reported on either,’’ Clinton told The Washington Post. ‘‘The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable or at least more accepted.’’
While racism should be equally rejected ‘‘when and if it ever raises its ugly head,’’ Clinton said, she believes ‘‘the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by comments and reactions of people who are nothing but misogynists.’’
Obama — who himself is making history as the first AfricanAmerican with a legitimate shot at the presidency — told ABC News said Clinton faces "certain burdens" as a woman and front runner "in the same way I’ve got to deal with some issues as an AfricanAmerican ... That is part of the groundbreaking nature of her campaign.’’
Obama also continues to lead in the money race.
His campaign announced last night that it raised $31.3 million last month and added 200,000 donors, bringing the total to nearly 1.5 million. His campaign, which raised about $40 million in March, also said it had $37 million to spend at the end of April.
The Clinton campaign said she raised about $22 million last month, compared with about $18 million in March.
I am one of those women that will vote for McCain even though I am a Democrat. Why? Because I am bitter and disappointed and I wonder why Obama couldn't wait a few years, gather more experience and then have run - I would have given him my vote then but he has taken away a life-long dream and I have to make up some explanation for my daughters about why no woman has ever been president of this country. It saddens and sickens me. Obama can count on nothing from me. The men who have outshouted and strong-armed the women in the caucus states will see where their tactics have gotten them. My voice may not be loud but my vote is mine to give away to whomever I choose and it will not be to the guy who pushed Hillary out.
Thats a selfish reason to vote for a republican. You should consider the greater good of the nation. I too choose Hilary but Obama is the next best thing. Grow up.
So punishing him is the right move? What about my own kids, who I can't truthfully tell them that they can be anythng that they want to be because white working class America won't vote for them? Wait? Why? Hillary's refusal to stop, is a clear indication that this country is much more racist than people would admit. When does this vicious cycle end? When people like you, stand for what right, instead of doing wrong. Check your thoughts.
Vote for the policies not for the gender. McCain will extend the life of Bush policies by another term if he wins.
When a country has voters like Laura Pinar, it deserves to have a President like Bush or may be a President like McCain.
Yeah, support the Republicans, they are doing a great job. I'm going down to New Orleans and gamble this weekend.
Okay, that first comment is simply ridiculous. Is it rational to decide that not having the candidate of your choice is some kind of personal attack? I don't think Obama's nomination is a signal to the world that no woman can ever be president. If you believe in what Hillary Clinton stands for, then you should vote for whichever candidate--Clinton or Obama--receives the *Democratic* nomination.
What if Hillary won the nomination and every African American decided that she had "taken away [their] life-long dream" of having a person of color in the White House? Would it be reasonable for all of them to vote for McCain as a form of protest? That sounds absurd, and yet it is exactly what the comment suggests.
A response like this smacks of racism and lacks reason or sound thinking. If you need to hide your prejudice, so be it. Tell your daughters that you like George Bush and want to see McCain carry on in his tradition rather than have a black man in the oval office.
the same could be said about Hillary if she was in the lead. pushing out a person of color from becoming president would sadden some people just like you because they would have to explain why no person of color has ever been a president. Vote how you like but don't for a republican just because Obama might win. Vote for what they believe in. If you believe McCain would be a better president then choose him.
Obama has risen from nothing to be in a place of power and people seem to think he would do a good job being the president. I say maybe his "lack of experience" will be good for this country. He is not just the same old rich white guy that gets the job. I say good luck to him with whatever may come.
Obama didn't push Hillary out. Hillary pushed Hillary out. I'm all for a woman president, but not one like her:
divisive, dishonest, manipulating, lacking integrity.
Laura, with all due respect. McCain will be Bush's 3rd term, and we cannot afford that. Please don't vote based solely on gender, vote on the issues... and when it comes to those, Obama and Hillary share a lot of the same platform.
Obama 08, McCain just cannot be elected.
too bad your stuck on the gender issue
I am a white female who supports Obama all the way. He has his finger on the pulse of what the people; middle class working people want and need and have needed for some time. I cried when Bush was elected for a second term. Not since President Bill Clinton have I been this excited about the prospect of what a new president will bring to my life, respectfully. I really wish that Hillary would just bow out and support Obama, he is clearly the best choice. I would be so disappointed if by some miracle she pulls off the Democratic nomination. However, if she does, she will get my vote by default, because I do not think I could take another four years of Bush through John McCain.
Obama Has Clinton in a corner with no way out. He has beaten Hiliary at any game she throws at him. I'm Tired of seening bush in office.But another clinton wow I wouldn't be able to take. But this Obama Character is different he's a different way of politics and he cares about the people more then his paychecks. So I say let's give this guy a chance...I don't know I may just be a 17 year old lost-minded kansas boy
Obama 08
I wonder if Laura were a black woman if she would vote for Obama. This election is not about a woman or a black man being elected. Though either would be a major milestone for the people of this country. It is about finding the best Democratic candidate to run against McCain. When you consider how close Hillary's and Obama's politics are compared to McCain, I'm surprized anyone would go from either Hillary or Obama to a man who would basically "stay the course" of the Bush disaster. If you really want to do something for the basic rights of all Americans, please vote Democrat.
Laura, that is the dumbest reason to vote for McCain imaginable.
That's amazing - you want Hillary to live out a dream for your daughters - you are the best visual of that dream. You should break the barriers you are hoping for others to break and by YOUR example show your daughters "power of the woman". You can tell your daughters Hillary is not president NOT because she is a woman but because she is dishonest, has been involved in more scandals than any other President, deals with lobbyist and has sponsored or authored way less bills and legislation than Obama. She is not President and will not be because her integrity is not reflective of everyday honest Americans and internationally she is not liked or respected - that's what you need to tell your daughters.
BITTERNESS IS A HUMAN RIGHT BUT..
GIVE ME A BREAK.. YOUR DREAM DEFERRED BECAUSE OF OBAMA??
PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT BEFORE OBAMA OUR
BELOVED NATION HAS BEEN LEAD BY SEXIST/CHAUViNISTIC RACIST AND
CONTROL ORIENTED THINKING BY WHITE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.
THANK YOU FOR DEMONSTRATING A VALID POINT THAT HAS BEEN MADE:
"WE WILL VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITION OR NOT AT ALL BEFORE WE VOTE FOR
A... (FILL IN THE BLANK)!!! " ... SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY. AT LEAST OBAMAS
SUPPORTERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT HILLARY A MUCH MORE INFORMED AND VISIONARY DEMOGRAPHIC... LET GO OF YOUR FEARS..
SIGNED .. GROW UP AMERICA
It is not the question he is a black man or she is a woman that he or she should have been giving a chance. Logic must rule over emotions. It is sad to see that some people can't make a sound judgement. Imagine if you were in charge of this country..huh?
Blaming other candidates for Hilary's shortcomings and our lack of a female president is an unworthy post. Hilary has no business staying in this election. Fortunately you and like minded people only have one vote to cast and the rest of us, reasonable members of society will be able to overshadow and counter your uneducated stance and vote. You give women everywhere a bad name for playing the victim, assume responsibility and choose the better candidate based on platform and politics not gender.
Number one, the Dream Ticket is still a possibility. That said, neither candidate has negated verbally the possibility of enlisting the other in some capacity in their administration. It's a long way to November and many who now support Obama were staunch Clinton supporters and are still dedicated Democrats. And yes, at the outset it seemed that Obama was just what the doctor ordered for Republicans, a possible divisive factor that would give Republicans a fighting chance. Now many Democrats are unbelievably talking about abandoning the principles and hopes of a positive future their own two candidates represent. I say don't despair. Time has a way of healing wounds. The divisive hyperbole of the emotionally disenfranchised will prove temporary when substantive dialogue takes place in the months to come between the two nominees no matter what the outcome of the primaries. If anyone feels that their emotional reactions justify a negating of their positive and productive future because of one type of historical first overtaking another then they are missing the bigger and more relevant picture. Regardless of the outcome a woman has broken the barrier of "second fiddle" mentality. Hillary has represented her positions with dignity, professionalism and tenacity. Soon many will be asked to put emotions aside and vote their conscience. It will take much inner reflection, foresight and intestinal fortitude to effect progressive change that is long overdue. It is more than gender or race, it is a resurgence of national and international pride and respect. All countries have their eyes fixed on the inner bickering and nay saying. It is time for all who honor democracy to simply stand up and vote. Let the chips fall where they may and stand behind the result. Otherwise, you are standing for nothing but selfish ideology. Stop the negativity.
Ridiculous, simply ridiculous. You're no Democrat if casting a vote for John McCain is in your best interest. Only idiots vote against their best interests, I never have as it's very easy to see what McSame offers.
Too soon, that's a hoot. His time is now, the time is now. He has won the majority of pledged delegates (and winning the majority of supers) because his ideas are better and his message of change resonates better with the electorate.
No one pushed Hillary out, Barry Obama has won the majority of pledged delegates in a very democratic process to which all candidates agreed to almost 10 months ago, long before the first votes were cast.
Laura Pinar is going to far
what i got out of your statement is the only reason why you will vote for Hillary is the fact that she is a woman. you said nothing about her stance on poltics. and you said you will not vote for obama is because he decided to run against a woman. now i am all for feminism, and I also feel bad that in our nation past the only presidents have been white males. but to be so narrow minded and just vote for a person based on sex, race, religion, or anything but the persons political views is not right. so please miss pinar please dont count obama out just because he ran against a woman and won, count him out because you dont agree with his views
It really drains my heart to learn that the present day american white democrats are making such comments as to crossing lanes to vote for McCain if eventually Obama wins the primaries. Is n't it time for the Democrats (in that margin) yet to learn that majority of Americans want a good and enduring change which Obama seem to be the likely apostle? And for those comments about Obama's inexperience in politics;le them take time to study American history and find out that America's most successful Presidents were not 'experinced in politics'.It may also interest us to know that many Republicans are ready to cross lanes and vote Democrats should Obama win the Democrats primaries....where does this leave us? Let the numbers decide!
What a reason to vote for "McSame". How about the fact that we have a chance to have the first African American President? I am a white woman and I dont' see Barack as having pushed Hillary out- that's a cop out. Hillary has lost this race because she has run a dirty- win at all cost campaign that has turned off voters- no matter the gender or race. I would, however vote for her rather than endure another Republican admistration. Voting against Obama because you're disappointed- talk about biting your nose to spite your face. He has run an honorable and intelligent campaign despite being attacked on all sides in ways no white candidate has ever had to endure. I hope you reconsider once you've had time to digest what really is at stake here.
I can't understand Laura's thinking that she would turn away from the Democrats
and support McCain. He supports useless War in Iraq where so many good
American soldiers are dying . As an Canadian I can't support are Prime Minister
with the Liberal opposition who are keeping our soldiers in Afganistan to die
till 2011. We even have more soldiers dying per population. Their is many other reasons: like heath care.
During the Hillary and Obama's debates - she always talks about doing things and what are her ideas. She was the first to put her ideas out there and all that Obama does is criticize her for thinking of a solution first. He just promises that he will look into things. She is a doer - and she has proven that. What makes Obama think he can change a huge beast -the political process in Washington - while trying to fix all of our problems that need to be address right now. I see it like this - Hillary is a candidate who knows how to work with the political system that is there smartly - and Obama thinks he can change it. First of all to change things takes time - time we don't have. We have to fix the issues now before things get really bad!! Also by fixing things one can also change how the political process should work too.
It is time to grow up and face the reality of our role in the world. We are the super power like a giant or an elephant in a china shop, any move would make tremendous damage. I want to see the US back restoring its integrity and hope that by voting Obama in office, the world will see the real america, that cares and redeem herself from the damage that the Republicans have cause. Regardless who the nominee is, I am voting democrate. The other reason is I want to see either an african american or a female in the white house. My daughters are very happy to see an african american in office because I taught them not to be racist since they are babies. That is how we could redeem ourselves from the damage that Bush has inflicted on us.
Vote for what the candidate stands for and which direction they plan to take this country. I am all for Obama, but if Hillary gets it, she's got my vote. She agrees with many more of my views than McCain. Vote for what you believe in, not a persons gender or race or hair color or any other useless physical trait that will have absolutely no effect when it comes to our men and women dying in Iraq.
No matter what, we cannot let McCain in office.
The thing in life that really bothers me about the society that we inhabit is not the mere fact that we have some who would venture to say that they would not vote for Obama for we know full well that racism still exists whether it is overt or covert. The problem for me is that we still live in a society that has enslaved our minds to believe that one struggle that was suffered by both blacks and women can actually be looked at as separate. This world in which we know it is in utter turmoil as a result of the Bush administration. The desire and hope for change is at an all time high. We have people of all nationalities who are suffering around this great nation, the challenge that we face here is not weather we should coral our selves around Obama or Hillary but in the face of adversity do we actually allow ourfffffffffffffffffffffff ffellfellings to get involved to the point that we
Laura, as another woman and more importantly, as a person - your comment is frustrating. The irony is that you're stating you would oppose Obama for the same principles for which you're fighting. You suggest that gender should trump democratic values. It shouldn't be about male or female. It should be about whose principles are closest aligned to yours. To cross lines and vote Republican would be to ignore the importance of overarching values and issues that transcend gender. Clearly, the fact that Clinton is still in this race demonstrates that a female President is not just a pipedream. W'e're getting closer...but we have to realize that if we are asking for a woman to be seen as an equal on all accounts, it also means that she can stand beside another candidate - who might just happen to be male - and that EQUAL and opposing human candidate just might offer something she doesn't; just might move people and inspire people in a way this country has not seen in decades; just might be what America needs. My vote will be going to the person brave enough to breathe life and integrity into old school, elusive politics.
#1's post reflects not our female line but a female's incisive analysis of the character question....I concur with her assessment Obama is narcissistic and lacks maturity of character. As a registered Dem I will nevertheless vote McCain in the fall rather than Obama. simply because of who he is, what his positions are, and NOT the color of his skin.
The only reason Hillary lost the nomination is because she did not have a coherent message before or after February 5th. Her campaign assumed she would be anointed on Super Tuesday, and when that did not happen, they had NO game plan. Senator Obama had organization in all February states and a message that was coherent and dedicated to the future. Following February 5th, Clinton's team sought out to destroy Obama's character, at which point they reminded me and many Americans of how destructive the 90's were politically over petty things. This paved the way for W's stronghanded approach. Did you ever stop to think maybe, just maybe, Obama's call for openness in the Executive branch is something people actually want, instead of just more of the same.
If you can in good faith vote for McSame because of your crappy selfishness, then Ammerica truly deserves more of the same.
God bless those Clintons! Ol’ Hill and Billy are roaring out of the hills of Kentucky, fired up on the moonshine of victory, driving their trusty old rattletrap Ford all the way to Denver if she’ll make it!
While you’ve got to admire their gumption and conviction that the South Will Rise Again, reality bites. While the ol' engine keeps sputtering along, real regular like, them darn wheels are about to fall of that tired old truck and soon it’ll be back to the hills (Capitol Hill) for Ol’ Hill and Billy after all.
Shucks, pass that jug of moonshine, will ya? I'm gonna crank up the ol' Victrola, put on Stephen Foster's Greatest Hits, sing along a mite and cry me a crick of tears! "Oh, Beautiful Dreamer..."
Hillary's accomplishments to date must not be underestimated nor ignored. Once she has conceeded the race, settled her oustanding debt ("outstanding" might actually understate the stupendous enormity of it), and reconciled with a man she's previously reviled, we can move forward as a party. She has certainly earned a reward from the eventual Obama administration and is deserving of no less. Might I suggest that oft-overlooked political plum...NASCAR Commissioner?
If Obama wins then America is sexist and eventually he will be assasinated by some ' Good Ole boy '. If Obama loses then America is still racist and this could spark riots or even the 2nd civil war. It's a lose-lose situation. Don't get me wrong because I am voting but, what the hell can we do when all this stuff goes down?
Did I mention Obama is the AntiChrist?
vote AntiChrst '08
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