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News is just coming out a short time ago that Hillary Clinton will end her campaign on Friday and express support for Barack Obama on Saturday, June 7th. Apparently some kind of agreement has been reached which has persuaded Clinton to officially call it quits. She will retain her delegates and a seat at the convention will be concede the nomination to Obama based on the delegates.
The report from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON – Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to end her historic presidential campaign while leaving her options open to retain her delegates and promote her issue agenda, a campaign official says.
The former first lady told House Democrats during a private conference call Wednesday that she will express support for Barack Obama’s candidacy and congratulate him for gathering the necessary delegates to be the party’s nominee.
“Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, D.C., to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity. This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton’s supporters who want to attend,” her communications director Howard Wolfson said.
Also in the speech, Clinton will urge once-warring Democrats to focus on the general election and defeating Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
The announcement brought to a close an epic five-month nominating battle pitting the first serious female candidate against the most viable black contender ever.
Obama Tuesday night secured the 2,118 delegates to claim the Democratic nomination, but Clinton stopped short of acknowledging that milestone, saying she would.
An adviser said Clinton and her lieutenants had discussed various ways a presidential candidacy can end, including suspending the campaign to retain control of her convention delegates and sustain her visibility in an effort to promote her signature issue of health care.
This was fairly expected as the rumors had been leaking all day.
More as it develops and as reports come out.
Update
A video report from the Associated Press on Clinton’s decision:
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Ah… so it happens.
I can’t help but be curious as to what convinced her to do this. An offer for the VP spot on the ticket, maybe?
In either case, Obama is much better off now that this has happened.
Hillary knows that she’ll have to rally behind the Democratic nominee. If she doesn’t, the party (and history) will probably blame her if McCain whips Obama’s butt in November.
McCain IS going to whip Obama’s butt in November anyway. I have two words for you: George McGovern!
Don’t be so sure, Raymond. Two words: Sanjaya Malakar.
I’ve watched enough American Idol to know that many contestants get voted off because voters assumed they were safe.
Contestants who are thought to be “in danger” end up surviving because their fans rally to save them.
And I also worry about McCain getting the brunt of voters’ anti-Bush sentiments. It could cost him in November.
And what will Hillary do next? The CFR wanted her kept afloat . . .
I notice she’s still holding on really. She said in one news report yesterday that she will “suspend” her campaign Friday. The report above says she will retain her delegates. She’s keeping a foot in that door, I think she’s expecting something to happen before the convention.
IT Is finished.The last nail on the coffin was punched.I will have to keep my mojo stronger now.Lol
He is President.Thats all that I can say.Hillary has made him the president already but I do not dream nor every hope for to be VP.IMPOSSIBLE.She is not a good match for Obama though Obama needs her.
She and her Husband should pack their packs.
God Bless the Southern Cameroons.
God Bless America.
“He is President.Thats all that I can say.”
*LOL* You sure misread something somewhere, SC, he is NOT President. Maybe you should weaken that mojo a bit.
Raymond,
I’m confused by your comparison of Obama to McGovern. Is this just a tactic to marginalize a candidate by pointing to a losing candidate from the same party? Or are you citing some historical analogy, for example, that McCain will resort to illegal Watergate-like tactics to win the presidency?
Maybe I should make a similar analogy that McCain is Barry Goldwater…both military men who became Arizona senators. I guess the difference there is that Goldwater rebuked the neo-cons in his old-age, while McCain has embraced them.
1. Obama won’t be president for several reasons:
a. He has proven he can’t debate, McCain will destroy Obama in debates and make him look like an inexperienced little kid.
b. The Jeremiah Wright issue will be made bigger than ever, and trust me it’s going to hurt Obama.
c. Hardcore Hillary supporters refuse to support Obama because of the rift she created.
d. Hillary won’t be his VP which would most likely be the only thing to gauruntee him a win in November.
e. There are people who sadly, will not vote for Obama because of his name and his color. Argue all you like but it’s fact.
f. Even Hillary’s points made against Obama will be used by the RNC, exposing Obama’s inexperience and weakness.
g. Last but not least I fully believe the man lacks substance, he’s empty. He’s preaching and promising nothing but he ties it in a nice little package selling it as “something” and the RNC will destroy him on that.
Now make us a list of why you think John McCain is going to be a great American president…
Obama will be president for several reasons:
a. He beat Hillary, who was a much stronger campaigner and candidate than McCain.
b. McCain has aligned himself with Bush.
Whobody,
I would like to see that list, too! Not in a spiteful way, but I just am always seeing such negative rhetoric against Obama (from McCain and Clinton supporters), I just want to know what people’s opinion’s are exactly of McCain that makes him so much more appealing than Obama.
Angry American,
I must disagree with your following points:
AA: He has proven he can’t debate, McCain will destroy Obama in debates and make him look like an inexperienced little kid.
Personally, I think Obama is a fantastic orator and look forward to the upcoming debates. A primary debate and a general election debate are two very different things. Also, I remember McCain performance in some earlier debates not being so great, so let’s give both candidates a chance to prove themselves.
AA: The Jeremiah Wright issue will be made bigger than ever, and trust me it’s going to hurt Obama.
I think the Wright controversy has been blown up to a degree where it will not be helpful to Obama, but McCain will have trouble slinging “preacher mud†when he has his own controversial pastor associations. Also, the ties to Bush are equally if not more harmful for McCain.
AA: Hardcore Hillary supporters refuse to support Obama because of the rift she created.
I don’t doubt there is a portion of Hillary supporters who oppose Obama, but I wonder if they will continue to do so if she campaigns for him or is also on the ticket. I would like to take her at her word and believe she will fight her best to get a Democrat in the White House, and may her supporters follow suit.
AA: Hillary won’t be his VP which would most likely be the only thing to gauruntee him a win in November.
Not necessarily true, as I stated above if she campaigns for him. There’s also the chance that he will make a Clinton surrogate the VP. Honestly, she is not the only option for VP because the polls as of right now show Obama winning against McCain with a couple of other VP’s in a hypothetical general election.
AA: There are people who sadly, will not vote for Obama because of his name and his color. Argue all you like but it’s a fact.
I know. But in this day and age I also know that those are a dwindling type and if the Obama camp continues to grow it as it has been will not matter.
AA: Even Hillary’s points made against Obama will be used by the RNC, exposing Obama’s inexperience and weakness.
Obama has ran an incredible campaign up to this point, and I have no doubts that he will be strong enough to fight the upcoming fight.
AA: Last but not least I fully believe the man lacks substance, he’s empty. He’s preaching and promising nothing but he ties it in a nice little package selling it as “something†and the RNC will destroy him on that.
This is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. Obama is actually full of substance, and he has proposed a solid blueprint for the future. I do hope you will give him a chance to prove himself in the upcoming debates.
Angry, actually two of the worst debaters between the Republican and Democratic candidates are right now the nominees. They won through pushing soundbytes and promoting political platforms. I do not see either one of them overmatching the other in debate skills.
What is actually to McCain’s detriment in communications is his lackluster speeches as of yet. He will unfortunately be compared against Obama’s speech skills, which is different than debates. While these skills do not go to the heart of a candidate’s experience, expertise, or intellect, it unfortunately has a big impact (overblown in my eyes) on popular voting. For examples, see the JFK/Nixon, Bush/Gore situations.
Micheal, I think both candidates will do better with the proposed town hall settings. McCain seems much more comfortable and in command in the these settings, letting his personality come through more, and Obama seems comfortable enough in any setting. So if Obama agrees and these happen, I think I’m going to enjoy them.
This is going to be so much fun…..
Whobody… I never said McCain would be a great president, I simply noted why Obama wouldn’t. Pay attention.
Michelle, your spewing AP rhetoric I’ve hear a billion times throughout the election, try to be original.
1. Obama has been called a great orator through the election, that means he’s been good at public speaking on the campaign trail, it has nothing to do with the debates and it’s been no secret that he hasn’t done well at any of them. It’s been duly noted in the press as much, you picked up on the term orator but you managed to miss that little nugget of info.
2. McCain has never aligned himself with Bush. McCain has in fact tried to SEPERATE himself from Bush, and in fact didn’t much care for Bush’s backing. Read the news kiddo. McCain has had comparatively minor preacher troubles and immediately disavowed the preacher who endorsed him, stating he didn’t want the endorsement and has not attended the church of this preacher, huge difference between McCain and Obama….try to keep up.
3.Hillary supports have been routinely interviewed and asked if they will support Obama whether or not Hillary is on the ticket(which she won’t be) as the Vp, the majority response is No.
4. Hillary will not be the VP, Hillary brings too much baggage with her for example Obama would have to contend with Bill Clinton being around,s omething he doesn’t want nor need. In his historic bidding for the seat, he needs clear seperation from the Clintons.
5. Obama does NOT have substance, if you had listend to his speeches for the words that come out of his mouth rather than buying into a dream world, you would notice that he actually priomises things that are either already in existance, things, that are not in despair or need of repair, or he alludes to very very generic terms like using the word “IT” alot, and a lot of you just don’t pay attention to that, you subconciously in your mind are replacing his generalized generic terms with whatever you seem to think belongs there. EXAMPLE: IT is time for THINGS to change. YOU have said you wanted CHANGE and you got IT.(sometimes he says PROVED IT, or SHOWN IT) What things, change what? he doesn’t tell you, he lets you insert that part on your own, you just assume he is thinking or talking about the same things you have in mind. Here’s an excerpt from his speech:
“That is why this campaign can’t only be about me. It must be about us – it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. IT (What exactly?) will take your time, your energy, and your advice – to push us forward when we’re doing right, and to let us know when we’re not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship,(We don’t know what citizenship is? Why in the hell do we need to re-claim it?) restoring our sense of common purpose,(Last time I checked people didn’t have a problem with figuring out thier sense of purpose….who the hell needs government for that?) and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
By ourselves, THIS CHANGE (what change?, what exactly are you changing?)will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.
But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.
He tells us that there is power in words.(Such as?)
He tells us that there is power in conviction. (yeah and….this is leading where?)
That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people. ( So we garner this information from Abe Lincoln’s life growing up to the point he reached in garnering the Preidency how? Interesting….)
He tells us that there is power in hope.
As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say: “Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through.” (This has what to do with any of the rest of this speech?)
That is our purpose here today. (What is?)
That’s why I’m in this race.
Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation. (And you caim to this conclusion from Abe’s speech also?)
I want to win that next battle – for justice and opportunity.
I want to win that next battle – for better schools, and better jobs, and health care for all. (Ah socialized medicine huh ?)
I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America. (You mean a socialist government.)
And if you will join me in this improbable quest,(so you mean you don’t have any faith in it, yet you want us to join you?) if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us;(Oh so now you see possibility) if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I’m ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth. (earth? what happened to worrying about the good ole usa first? So you want to continue to do pretty much what Bush did by pushing our way of life on others? Gotcha.)
My Rebuttal to The Angry American:
Dude, chill out. Everything I posted was my opinion, I didn’t lift it from anywhere. The AP doesn’t own the word ‘orator’, and I chose to use it because it’s part of my vocabulary. I was simply stating that McCain hasn’t done great in debates either, so just give each a fair chance.
McCain has voted many times IN ALIGNMENT with George Bush. His voting record will attest to that, and McCain only tries to separate it from Bush when it’s convenient, which just so happens to be during election years. The polls state that McCain’s ties to Bush are more damning than Obama’s to Wright, so maybe you should “Read the news, kiddo†and “try to keep upâ€.
A lot of Hillary supports have stated that they will switch over to McCain, but that is just the attitude right now. I believe that those who actually care about the issues and vote based on the issues will unite with the party. If not, they are spiteful and are voting for the president they deserve.
Hillary doesn’t have to be the V.P. to untie the party, as I had stated in an earlier post. Obama will pick the right V.P., and Hillary will back him no matter who it is.
I HAVE listened to his speeches, but unlike you have probably done I have also researched his voting records, his stance on the issues, and his plans for our country’s future. He delivers incredible speeches, and I DO pay attention to them. The theme he is always trying to get across is hope and unity, because like it or not we are not in the best place right now as a country, and we’ll need both those things to press on.
But it doesn’t matter WHO gets elected into office, because NOTHING will be different unless WE change.
Change what, you ask? Obama actually does tell you, but I guessed you missed it. Here we go:
For starters, our community is in peril and has been for a while. Obama has created an incentive to volunteer in our communities by offering college scholarships in return for community service.
When he says the campaign isn’t about him, he is saying exactly this: We all need to start thinking of each other for once because (my favorite saying) we succeed as a team and fail as individuals. We’ve been living for ourselves for quite some time and it’s all been going downhill.
The IT Obama refers to is the effort of unity and rebuilding our country from the inside out. And it WILL take time, energy, and OUR PRESIDENT ACTUALLY LISTENING to the people of the country. You can see where the opposite has gotten us.
Citizenship (noun): membership in a community / the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community
I would have to concur with the statement that we do not act as members of a community, and we would be a much better place to live if we were. You know, if we were a place where people care as much about the public schools as do about their 401k.
AA: (Last time I checked people didn’t have a problem with figuring out thier sense of purpose….who the hell needs government for that?)
Actually, a lot of young people have trouble figuring out their purpose in life. What job to pursue, how to pursue their job. Do they wanna be like their parents, or better than their parents? Do their parents even care about them? Maybe you don’t need guidance, but a lot of young people out there are begging for someone to show them they care enough to help find their way.
And you go on and on, picking apart the speech and tearing apart the words of a “gangly, self-made Springfield lawyerâ€.
MAYBE you are the type of person that doesn’t vote based on speeches and doesn’t need an uplifting speech to get you interested in a candidate. Maybe you will actually take the time to look into voting records and visit each candidate’s website or even http://www.ontheissues.org or http://www.procon.org to know what each candidate stands for.
You certainly like to paint yourself as that type of individual.
But, and this may come as a surprise to you, some people are actually impressed when their candidate can quote a historical figure with passion. Some people actually care about the future of the earth because they will have children living on it after they’ve died. Some people don’t have healthcare are all for a plan that will make healthcare affordable for all. Some people know that working together for a better country does not translate automatically into “socialismâ€.
“Some people†are actually a lot of people. And those people are voting for Obama.