It’s a Storybook, Man
Barack Obama has ostensibly* passed the magic number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination. The media have declared him the winner. He’s declared himself the nominee. Hillary Clinton hasn’t acknowledged either reality, yet, but seems resigned to it.
Obama Claims Victory
Sen. Barack Obama achieved the 2,118 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for president last night and made history by becoming the first African American to win a major party’s presidential nomination, according to the ABC News scorecard.
The presumptive Democratic nominee locked up the nomination even before the votes were counted in the party’s final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana last night. Obama went on to easily win Montana last night by a margin of 57 percent to Sent. Hillary Clinton’s 42 percent. But Clinton, D-NY, snatched one last upset victory in South Dakota, with a 55-44 percent win. Nevertheless, Obama picked up enough delegates from those states to pad his margin of victory and was expected see additional superdelegates rally to his side today.
Making history by becoming the nation’s first African-American presidential nominee, Obama, D-Ill., emerges victorious from one of the longest and most closely fought Democratic nomination fights in recent history.
“Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another — a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Because of you, tonight I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” Obama told cheering supporters at an arena in St. Paul, Minn.
He graciously praised Clinton, despite the sometimes bitter exchanges the two had during the campaign. “Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign, not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight,” Obama said. “Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete” with her, he said.
Were I a lit major, I’d find lots of symbolism in this:
Later, the candidates played some phone tag, ABC’s Sunlen Miller reports. A little after 11 pm, Obama left Clinton a message on an aide’s cell phone, congratulating Clinton on her South Dakota win and asking that she return the call. ABC’s Eloise Harper reports that some time later, Clinton returned Obama’s call. The two spoke very briefly and then the cell phone call dropped out. Clinton called him back and got his voice mail.
Clinton Keeping Options Open
For her part, Clinton refused to concede the race tonight. “This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight,” she told supporters in New York.
She does her best decision-making at 3 a.m., as we all know.
“In the coming days, I’ll be consulting with supporters and party leaders to determine how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way,” she said as supporters chanted “Denver, Denver!” pointing to the party’s convention in August.
Bringing the Party Back Together
Divisive as this race has been, mostly because Clinton continued a scorched earth campaign months after it was all but certain that Obama would prevail, I continue to believe that most Democrats will rally behind their nominee. It’s going to be a long five months to Election Day.
Still, let’s just say that white, religious folk in Appalachia aren’t the only ones who are bitter. Armando, one of the blogosphere’s most die-hard Clinton supporters, has graciously thrown in the towel. His commenters? Not so much.
From the other side, both Andrew Sullivan and Matt Yglesias have some harsh words for the Clintons.
More so than getting the Clintonistas on board, Obama’s biggest problem may be ridiculously high expectations. Sober journalists are asking questions like, “Can Obama make [the] American dream come true?” That’s a bit much to ask, methinks.
On the the General Election
Barack Obama is ever-so-slightly ahead in the national head-to-head polls with John McCain and should get a big bounce from last night. Barring major developments, that lead will grow as Hillary supporters make their way through the stages of grief and reach Acceptance.
Clinton’s dogged campaign provides something of a roadmap for Team McCain. Certainly, she’s provided plenty of footage for Republican television spots. It may well be that the weak points Clinton identified, which didn’t quite work with a Democratic nominating electorate, will go over better in a general election campaign.
It’s worth noting, too, that Clinton continued to win states right up until the last night despite the media having (rightfully) declared her campaign dead weeks ago. For all his oratorical skill, he’s a flawed candidate.
So, of course, is McCain. McCain publicly admitted that he would be too old to run for president in 2008 and yet here he is. The contrasts with the young, vigorous Obama will be stark. And any Democrat would be favored over any Republican this year, given the unpopularity of President Bush and the Iraq War. High gas and food prices, while having virtually nothing to do with Bush, let alone McCain, will also make things harder.
Still, McCain has a puncher’s chance. He’s not the orator Obama is but he’s good in debates and in front of crowds. His geezerly fifty years of public service is an asset as well as a liability. He’s got five months to convince people that he’s the better choice.
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*I have no doubt that Obama will win this thing and should win it given that he is ahead by any reasonable, objective measure. I merely note that, while Obama is leading Clinton among pledged delegates with no more contests remaining, he is only past the 2118 threshold by virtue of the inclusion of 394 superdelegates whose promise to vote for Obama is absolutely unbinding. Indeed, a handful of that number had previously pledged to vote for Clinton.
If anti-conservative McCain wins it wont be because the masses of Americans are for him or what he proposes -it wil be because they fear Obama even more than they want Obama’s “free” government gifts.
Too quote a famous comedian whose name slips this feeble mind -“What a revolting development this is!” (Red Skelton perhaps?)
I still think that following a failed line of attack is a bad idea for McCain. Unless of course Hillary is in the VP slot, in which case the attack will take the form of a wedge, not a hammer, and may work that way.
Via the power of Google, it’s William Bendix of “The Life of Riley,” a show of which I’d heard, mostly because its title became a catchphrase, but I’ve never seen.
For some reason, I thought it was Jackie Gleason from “The Honeymooners.”
Jimmy Durante.
Well, I’ve been saying for months, now, that the best reasons Conservatives had to vote for McCain was Clinton and Obama. That’s not changed, nor is it new that the vote comes down to the lesser of two evils. That’s what we’ve been presented with since Reagan left office, truth to tell.
I wonder a bit if the extended Clinton campaign might not have been the best thing for Obama and company, given that it diverts the press and it’s focus away from Obama’s biggest liabilities, and onto the Clinton Circus. Now that’s (mostly) done, he’s not going to have Clinton as a diversion anymore and he’s actually going to need to address the issues. I can’t but think his numbers will drop faster than the Stock prices of NTSC/525 televisions with the kind of exposure he’s about to get.
Other way around. The title was taken from an old turn of phrase.
Yeah, I think that “What a revoltin’ development” was a catchphrase of Durante’s from his radio program (“Hot Lips” Houlihan was a reference to the Durante program, too—Florence Halop’s “Hot Breath” Houlihan) which Chester Riley quoted.
Indeed, the contrast between the two men’s oratory skills were quite clear last night.
Yeah, it was William Bendix in The Life of Riley — and I’m old enough to remember the TV and radio show. Speaking of being old, my wife and I watched McCain’s speech last night, then Clinton’s and Obama’s. She said that in the campaign marathon to come, McCain might be run into the ground by the sheer physical demands of it all.
Any reason to believe these folks ? ..
Maybe the MSM can do their jobs and put this to rest.
What about Bush’s support of ethanol subsidies which makes gas less efficient, more expensive, and makes food more expensive? McCain, to his credit, opposes the subsidies.
True, although that’s both a longstanding, bipartisan policy and one that has a relatively negligible effect on fuel prices. It’s a lousy policy, though.
When Democrats took over Congress:
* Gas was at $2/gal.
* There was no housing/credit issue, indeed, there was a boom going
* Food coss were far lower
Since Democrats took over congress:
* Gas is over $4/gal
* THere’s a housing crunch, and a credit crunch
* Food costs are skyrocketing
Bit, are you trying to point out the stupidity of blaming people for events they don’t control, or being serious?
On the one hand I know you’re smart enough to realize those are stupid arguments, but on the other side I know you like to blame Democrats for things they don’t control, so I can’t be sure.
You figure that one out.
But it seems to me that it also points up the massive benefits of bipartisanship.
And BTW, Durante did it as well, though he may have borrowed the phrase.
It seems clear that the victory of style over substance in the presidential campaign is complete and irreversible.
I, for one, do not welcome our new overlords.
And we’ll thank you to keep that particular meme off of OTB.
Benefits to us, yes, but not to the people who we need to be bipartisan, which is why we will never see it.
Your sarcasm meter appears to be malfunctioning.
<sarcasm>Hmmm, nope, the meter’s fine, but it looks like you forgot to use sarcasm tags.</sarcasm>
Please follow W3C specs in your comments.
W3C(a) (provisional)?
No, this one
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Riley
Appears it did originate with William Bendix in The Life of Riley.
Seems like I also remember Jimmy Durante using it.
How long before we see the new preschool mdatory book reading of “The Little Messiah That Could”?
When Bush took office:
Gas price $1.46 Gallon
WTC intact
Health care costs under control
Since Bush took office:
Gas price $3.95 Gallon
WTC destroyed
Health care costs up over 100%