Superdelegates Push Barack Obama Over The Top
They dripped, then drizzled, then flowed in Barack Obama's direction Tuesday. And even before the votes were counted in Montana and South Dakota, SDs gave Barack Obama the nomination. His "over-the-top" moment (2,118 delegates to "clinch") came at 9 p.m. EDT:
Sen. Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN projects as polls in the South Dakota primary closed at 9 p.m. ET.
So much for his campaign's early - and frequent - protests that if superdelegates were to "override" the will of voters it would be seen as an insult.
He Gave A Stemwinder
I listened to it. I watched it. Historic? Absolutely! I doubt there is any thoughtful person in the world tonight who wasn't happy to see this - finally - after nearly two centuries of racism in our country. Barack Obama's victory tonight is historic. This entire Democratic campaign has been (and is) historic (lest anybody forget that). For the first time in our country's history we have an African American and a woman competing head-to-head for the highest elected office in this land. So, while I don't want to rain on Barack Obama's historic victory, let us not forget that Hillary Clinton also has some bragging rights. Women are justifiably proud of Hillary Clinton and her historic accomplishment, just as African Americans are justifiably proud of Barack Obama's historic accomplishment.
Excerpts of Obama's Speech:
Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.
Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said -- because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, 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. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
At this defining moment for our nation, we should be proud that our party put forth one of the most talented, qualified field of individuals ever to run for this office. I have not just competed with them as rivals, I have learned from them as friends, as public servants, and as patriots who love America and are willing to work tirelessly to make this country better. ...
That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. 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.
Barack Obama is a great orator. He showed it again tonight with his fiery message and delivery, with every eye in the country and the world on him. And he clearly blew John McCain out of the water: the two speeches, in fact, were like night and day. And Barack Obama was gracious. He heard what Hillary Clinton said in her speech, as we all did. He made an important overture to Hillary Clinton and her supporters tonight - as he should in his new role as leader of the Democratic Party.
Too bad his surrogates and supporters (a whole lot of them in the media) can't be as gracious:
"I probably shouldn't write any more about this woman and her staff. Suffice it to say that I've found her behavior over the past couple of months to be utterly unconscionable and this speech is no different."
"The more I think about it, the more it seems that Hillary's entire speech was manufactured to rile up her supporters -- instead of priming them to shift their allegiance to Obama."
"I don't know what the fallout will be, but at minimum, I'd say that anybody on her staff who cares about their party has a moral obligation to publicly quit and endorse Obama."
"What good could possibly come of this? And if she doesn't [concede], you've just drawn a ton of attention to the fact that a large chunk of the party doesn't accept Obama as the legimiate nominee."
"...her speech tonight was combative and petty ... " [behavior] *
* [behavior] is my addition to fill out the line, but you get the idea...
That's just the online crap. There are also Jamal Simmons' comments on CNN, Gloria Borger's comments on CNN, Carl Bernstein's comments on CNN, Roland Martin's comments on CNN...
I won't even get into MSNBC's "take" on Hillary Clinton's speech. In fact, I won't give any more credence to the cretins at MSNBC. Thank god Steve Capus has enough good sense to stick Tom Brokaw in there every now and then to inject real journalism into the ONN.
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