Well, After That Disastrous Campaign She's Gonna Need It:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been photographed with a beer or two on the campaign trail, but now perhaps she'll switch to vodka. Now that she's officially dropped out of the race, Svedka Vodka today will run a full-page ad in The New York Times offering a coupon that Clinton can redeem for a personal supply of the brand's vodka for the remainder of the election season. In memo form, the ad will thank Clinton for making the primary season so exciting, said a Svedka spokeswoman. It's part of Svedka's "Join the Party," marketing campaign, which parodies the traditional election by trying to elect a fembot named "Svedka_Grl" to the White House.
Clearly a publicity ploy, right? But a full-page ad in the New York Times doesn't come cheap. Unless you're buying it for Moveon.org.
She's Already Toast - Might As Well Make It Official:
Sen. Hillary Clinton will hold an event with supporters by Friday, likely ending her historic bid for the White House and ceding the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama, ABC News has learned.
Clinton's decision to leave the race ends a long, often bitter battle for the right to challenge Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the general election.
Obama, D-Ill., who claimed victory after clinching the necessary delegates on Tuesday, will be the nation's first African American running with the nomination of one of the country's two major political parties.
For those of you hoping she'd march on until the convention, don't fret. Hillary will find a way to interject herself into the mix. But for now, she's out. Obama wins. Game. Set. Match.
Hillary Clinton Defiant, Refuses To Concede To Barack Obama:
WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Clinton Tuesday hailed winning rival Barack Obama and his supporters for an extraordinary race but stopped short of recognizing his victory in the race for their party's presidential nomination.
Clinton told supporters in a speech that she would consult party leaders in coming days on how to move forward, but that, "I will be making no decisions tonight."
In a speech to supporters in New York, Clinton said it had been “an honor to contest these primaries with him.”
“I am so proud we stayed the course together,” she said to cheers. “I am committed to uniting our party so we move forward stronger and more ready than ever to take back the White House this November.”
But she emphasized that she had won more votes in primaries and caucuses than Obama, and she refused to say she was ending her campaign.
Aides said that was a strategic decision to preserve her leverage to negotiate over policy disagreements and the possibility that she would join Obama’s ticket as the vice presidential nominee.
AP Tally: Barack Obama Effectively Clinches Nomination:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.
Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.
The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.
The 46-year-old first-term senator will face Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the fall campaign to become the 44th president.
Clinton was ready to concede that her rival had amassed the delegates needed to triumph, according to officials in her campaign. These officials said the New York senator did not intend to suspend or end her candidacy in a speech Tuesday night in New York. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to divulge her plans.
Hillary Clinton - 'Will She Stay Or Will She Go Now'?:
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials told the Associated Press, but Clinton's campaign manager denied the report.
The former first lady will stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City, said the officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to divulge her plans.
However Terry McAuliffe, Clinton's campaign chairman, told CNN that AP is "100% reporting incorrectly."
It's a battle of the leaks at the moment. It appears Hillary Clinton's campaign is leaking information hinting or outright saying that she will concede tonight and throw her support behind Barack Obama. At the same time, spokespeople for the campaign are claiming that this is ridiculous and Clinton is prepared to fight on. There's two possible reasons for this confusion; Either Hillary's campaign is trying to save face in case she pulls off the miracle she's hinting at in South Dakota (Clinton's campaign is predicting a 25 point win and the latest polls have Obama up by 12) or they're planning for the after-party. There's a decent chance that if Barack Obama doesn't offer her the VP slot (which he won't) that she'll claim the media was responsible for her loses in South Dakota and Montana because they kept saying that she was going to drop out. Who wants to vote for a candidate that will drop out at the end of the day? Hillary would contend, no one.
Even if Hillary doesn't concede tonight, and there's a good chance that she won't completely drop out, this battle isn't over. She'll take a shot a VP, fail and then whine to anyone who will listen about how she wasn't given a chance because of the media's sexism. Oh, this isn't over at all. In fact, it's probably just begun...
The Rigors Of The Campaign Trail Are Getting To Terry:
Clinton campaign Chair Terry McAuliffe boldly combined flacking for Senator Clinton with an audition for A&E's Intervention in one completely loopy Morning Joe appearance. Clad in the most hideous shirt ever made, bearing a large bottle of rum, and braying at host Mika Brzezinski that they were going to drink on on the set of the show Wednesday morning.
Brzezinski responded to the overture with a noise that sounded like: "Weeehhhh-heeeheeeeheeeoookay," later adding, "...wow." But McAuliffe, despite being overtired, seemingly sauced, and on the run from Obama-supporting Puerto Rico based chupacabras, nevertheless effortlessly recited the campaign talking points, predicted a victory in South Dakota, and offered the somewhat presumptuous statement, "I don't think Hillary will declare victory tomorrow night." Then, it was off for some more pina coladas!
The video tells the tale much better. There are rumors flying around that Hillary will drop out tomorrow night in NYC but I'm skeptical. I think she's going to wait until Wednesday after Barack wins South Dakota and Montana and she'll feel out the super delegates. Then, when they flood to Obama, she'll drop out before Friday and, MARK MY WORDS, she will cry as she withdraws.
Tom Vilsack, Ardent Clinton Supporter, Throws In The Towel:
(CNN) – Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, one of Hillary Clinton's most ardent supporters, said Sunday it's time for Hillary Clinton to acknowledge she has lost her bid for the Democratic nomination.
Vilsack, who was briefly a presidential candidate himself last year, told the Associated Press it's "pretty clear that Senator Obama is going to be the nominee."
"After Tuesday's contests, she needs to acknowledge that he's going to be the nominee and quickly get behind him," Vilsack also said.
(CNN) -- Despite Hillary Clinton's landslide victory in Kentucky, Barack Obama has won a majority of pledged delegates in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Clinton won Kentucky by more than 30 points, but Obama's share of the state's 51 delegates was enough put him over the threshold, according to CNN estimates.
Obama is expected to pick up at least 14 delegates in Kentucky, and by CNN estimates, that will give him 1,627 of the 3,253 pledged delegates at stake in all of primaries and caucuses.
Obama will also pick up a win in Oregon, CNN projects, giving him the larger share of the state's 52 delegates.
Obama came fairly close to declaring victory but all signs point to this fight rolling on for the remaining three contests.
Mark My Word - Obama Wins Oregon - Hillary Wins Kentucky:
(CNN) — A new CNN "poll of polls" shows Hillary Clinton holds a big lead in Kentucky while Barack Obama is on top in Oregon — the next two states to weigh in on the Democratic presidential race.
According to CNN's analysis of several recent polls from both states, Clinton holds a 30-point lead in Kentucky while Obama is up by 10 in Oregon.
In Kentucky, Clinton is winning 58 percent of the vote while Obama is at 28 percent. Kentucky has a broad swath of working class white voters — the demographic that has long supported Clinton and propelled her to a 41-point victory in West Virginia one week ago. Her large margin in Kentucky appears to indicate those voters are sticking with Clinton, even as Obama appears to be the presumptive Democratic nominee.
In Oregon, Obama is winning 50 percent of likely Democratic voters there while Clinton is at 40 percent. With a large population of young voters and those who are college-educated, that state has demographics that have long favored Obama's candidacy.
Another split decision that won't allow for Clinton to eject sensibly. This back and forth looks destined to carry on until the convention.
Hillary Clinton Supporter James Manning Needs Some Attention:
"Now, this trinity of hell. The father, the Reverend Doctor Jeremiah Wright. The son, the Senator Barack Hussein Obama. And the whore girl, Oprah Winfrey. These three now, they are looking to be the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State."
The left has been doing their best to give John McCain an Obama-like pastor problem with little or no success but no one is calling on Hillary Clinton to denounce the words of Reverend James Manning.
Update: Hillary Clinton is already trying to spin her 'big win':
The Clinton campaign just released a memo that tries to raise the stakes of today's contest, which Clinton is expected to win by a considerable margin. "Given the attempts by our opponent and some in the media to declare this race over, any significant increase in voter turnout, coupled with a decisive Clinton victory, would send a strong message that Democrats remain excited and energized by Hillary's candidacy," the memo says.
More: "In the face of grim poll numbers, the Obama campaign has attempted to dismiss today's outcome despite the fact that Sen. Obama has outspent us on advertising, has more staff in the state, and more than double the number of offices. He has also benefited from the support of the most high-profile endorsers in West Virginia-Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Nick Rahall. By every measure, the Obama campaign has waged an aggressive campaign in the Mountain State."
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton used her big win in West Virginia on Tuesday to make her case that she has a better chance of beating the Republicans in the general election.
Sen. Hillary Clinton told supporters Tuesday that she believes she's the stronger candidate.
1 of 2 "I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign," she told supporters in Charleston, West Virginia.
"I am in this race because I believe I am the strongest candidate. ... I can lead this party to victory in the general election if you lead me to victory now."
...and the beat goes on. The Democrats canabalize as McCain plans for November. She will win next week as well but it means nothing...
Hillary Talks To USA Today About Staying In The Race:
Hillary is still flailing around out there and until the Clinton family realizes exactly how much damage they are doing to both their reputation and their party, this embarrassment will continue.
Game. Set. Match. We're Headed To The End Of A Long Goodbye:
"This nomination fight is over," ABC's George Stephanopoulos said on "Good Morning America" Wednesday. "More superdelegates will come out today for Barack Obama --they will come three, four, five at a time, and this nomination will be locked up. . . . People close to her say that she's more likely to stay in if she feels cornered in by the party leaders."
ABC News' Kate Snow confirmed this morning that Clinton made three new loans totaling nearly $6.5 million to her campaign over the last month, two of them following her win in Pennsylvania.
As the tough conversations begin inside Camp Clinton (Clinton Wednesday will be huddling privately to gauge the reaction of uncommitted superdelegates, in addition to a buck-up-the-troops, midday event in West Virginia), the candidate herself has to decide whether and how to make a last push -- with nothing less than the Clinton legacy in the Democratic Party at stake.
The end of an era. Details on the impending doom via ABC News.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Former Sen. George McGovern, who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton, is urging her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race.
McGovern said Wednesday he has decided to endorse Barack Obama.
After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, McGovern says it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination.
McGovern says he is calling former President Clinton to tell him of the decision and adds that he remains close friends with the Clintons.
Both North Carolina And Indiana Hold Primaries Tomorrow:
This, folks, is what they call the 11th hour. Two big contests will dominate the cycle tomorrow. Barrack Obama has a solid lead in North Carolina and Hillary Clinton is ahead in Indiana. Once again the DNC is facing a nightmare scenario as it looks like Obama will win North Carolina by somewhere in the neighborhood of five points and Hillary will take Indiana by about the same margin.
Taking a look at the New York Times delegate calculator and factoring in these predictions I can see a black cloud forming over the Clinton campaign. Come Wednesday there will be no statistical chance at victory for her and it will be a race to the finish line for Superdelegates. Barrack Obama has picked up quite a few in the last week or so, including two more today. When the sun sets and the polls close tomorrow, the pressure will mount for somebody to quit.
The Person Who Posted The Video (Indy007q) Has Been Reached:
The YouTube poster who initially posted video with subtitles indicating Clinton advisor Mickey Kantor used a racial slur in 1992 has reposted it without the subtitles.
He tells me he enhanced, but didn't alter, the audio.
Another reader extracted and enhanced, again, the audio which you can listen to here.
To my ear, the slur seems like a plausible -- but hardly conclusive -- hearing, but one among many. It's far less clear without the subtitles -- a normal effect. In the context Pennebaker describes -- polling showing Bush weak in, of all places, Indiana, due to Perot's strength -- a reference to the "White House" seems to make more sense.
Ben Smith says Indy007q is an Obama supporter acting independent of the campaign. I've also listened to a isolated clip from the video in question. Smith and others are standing by the original quote but I just don't hear it anymore. Even the tweaked audio is inaudible...
Informal Adviser And Hillary Supporter Mickey Kantor Unleashed:
Mickey Kantor -- Bill Clinton's Trade Representative, a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and an informal adviser to her campaign -- once had some not-so-nice things to say about the Hoosiers his chosen candidate is working so hard to pursue.
As seen in The War Room, watching election returns come in, Kantor said in hushed tones to James Carville, “Look at Indiana, wait, wait – look at Indiana. 42-40. It doesn’t matter if we win. Those people are s---. Excuse me."
You'll also hear Kantor calling Indianians 'white niggers' in the end of the clip. Major question here is, will Hillary Clinton have to, much like Barrack Obama, hold a major campaign speech about racial relations in this country? Will the press tear after Clinton as they have after Obama in the wake of the Reverend Wright scandal? Or will Hillary get a free pass and these comments be deemed 'old news' in a new campaign? The fact is, these comments are just as, if not more, offensive than the comments from Obama's Reverend Wright. I expect a press conference from the Clinton campaign before the end of the weekend. Also, any inroads Clinton may have been making among black voters will dissolve as this story makes the rounds.
James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, the latter of which will be hosting a Clinton Town Hall event in Indiana no less this weekend, seemed to be unfazed by Kantor's offensive comments. Currently, Hillary Clinton leads by six points in Indiana but with this event, and the obvious questions to follow, can she maintain that lead?
Update: This video has already gone viral in the short time it's been floating around the web this morning. There's just one problem; I'm not sure that Kantor is saying 'white niggers.' Sure, you can make a case that he's calling Indiana voters 'shit' but is he really? Or is he talking about something else? This full length unedited version of the video provides more clarity.
Pro-Obama sites are running the edited clip like crazy. The video was clearly doctored by someone intending to hurt the Clinton campaign before the Indiana Primary on Tuesday. If you listen to the original clip you can tell that the audio was, at the very least, amplified. Also, try listening without looking at the on-screen transcript. You'll notice, especially in the original clip, it's unclear what he's actually saying. Let's not rush to judgment on this just yet. More to come...
Update: BUCKLE UP - Mickey Kantor tosses out conspiracy card.
A former aide to President Bill Clinton, and current informal adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton, expressed outrage and shock on Friday after a videotape from 1992 surfaced allegedly showing him describing Indianans as "white n---rs."
Mickey Kantor, who served as campaign chairman during Clinton's 1992 run for the White House and says he has offered help and advice to Sen. Clinton, insisted that the tape was a fraud and that he was exploring legal steps against the individual who posted it online.
"I've never used that word in my entire life, ever, under any circumstance, ever," an angry Kantor told The Huffington Post, citing his and his parent's work fighting for civil rights. "I have listened to [the video] and so have you. You can't tell what it is I'm saying in that second sentence, you can't decipher that."
Indeed, a review of the original copy of the 1993 film The War Room, from which the excerpt was taken, is virtually inaudible. The sound suggests, if anything, that instead of saying "How would you like to be a worthless white n****r?" Kantor says, "How would you like to be in the White House right now?"
Update: Kantor claims he said 'how would you like to be in the White House right now.' I've listened several times and it's clear that isn't true. I still think both he and the Clinton campaign are in hot water over the Indiana voters are 'shit' comment. Mickey Kantor has libel lawyers on the phone and hard at work in an effort to remove the video from YouTube.com. Don't fret, I have a backup.
Update: 'War Room' director D. A. Pennebaker says it's doctored.
Update: Drudge has changed his headline, everyone's backtracking. My best guess, with the laptop to the eardrum, is that Kantor said something to the effect of 'they must be shitting in the White House right now.' The story now turns the corner from these comments to where did this video, clearly intended to hurt Hillary Clinton, come from? The edited version was uploaded by a YouTube user by the name of Indy007q. The account was created about 4 hours ago and the user claims to be 45-years-old and living in the United States. So the next question is, who is this Indy007q character?
Boy, if she's half as good with economic issues as she is with that coffee maker, we're in terrible shape. Does this make Hillary look out of touch for her inability to function like a working-class stiff? Or is that machine a lot harder to work than I think it is?
