Clinton Never Said Obama Can’t Win.. Maybe

MISSPOKE, MISHEARD, MISUNDERSTOOD

It seems the Clinton camp has been telling superdelegates that Obama can’t win. No surprise there. However, her subsequent denial of the statement and then retraction of the denial have people yelling: Liar, liar, sniper fire.

Sources with direct knowledge of a conversation between Senator Clinton and Governor Bill Richardson, prior to the Governor’s endorsement of Obama say she told him flatly,

“He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win.”

Clinton responded to the allegations at a press conference in Burbank, California, “I have consistently made the case that I can win because I believe I can win, and you know sometimes people draw the conclusion I’m saying somebody else can’t win.”

At the end of the conference, when directly asked if she made the comment in a private conversation with Richardson, Hillary Clinton told reporters “That’s a no.”

Clinton aides now insist the Senator misunderstood the question, asserting the candidate believed she was answering whether or not she would discuss a private conversation.

SOURCE: Clinton Denies Telling Richardson Obama Can’t Win

Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Endorses Obama

Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has endorsed Barack Obama today for the Democratic nomination for president.

“The endorsement comes as something of a surprise,” Dan Pfeiffer, Obama communications director, said in a statement. “Casey … had been adamant about remaining neutral until after the April 22 primary. He said he wanted to help unify the party.“

Obama strategists hope Casey can help Obama make inroads with the conservative, white working-class men who are often referred to as ‘Casey Democrats.’

“There are few stronger advocates for working families in Pennsylvania than Sen. Casey,” Pfeiffer said.

Casey, who is also a superdelegate, will actively tour and campaign with Obama. His endorsement brings to 12 the number of U.S. senators backing Obama, compared with 13 for Clinton.

Casey is impressed with how Obama has handled his campaign, and how he sacrificed at the beginning of his career to be a community organizer “in the shadows of the closed steel mills in Chicago,” said a source close to Casey.

Hillary Clinton currently has the lead in Pennsylvania, and has the endorsement of the state’s governor, Ed Rendell, and Philadelphia mayor, Michael Nutter.

Clinton is poised to win the state, but a strong showing by Obama would keep his accumulated lead in delegates and in the popular vote intact.

SOURCE: Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey Will Endorse Obama, Tour With Campaign

SOURCE: The Early Word: Casey to Endorse Obama

Governor Bill Richardson to Endorse Obama

OBAMA GAINS ANOTHER SUPERDELEGATE

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation’s only Hispanic governor, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, calling him a “once-in-a- lifetime leader”. Richardson, a superdelegate, is scheduled to make a formal announcement alongside Obama at a campaign event in Portland.

• Read Richardson’s Full Letter.

‘Once-in-a-lifetime leader’

“I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America’s moral leadership in the world,” Richardson said. “As a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama’s unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation,” Richardson said.

Richardson is a two-term governor, eight-term congressman, and former 2008 presidential candidate. He served as ambassador to the United Nations and as secretary of the Energy Department during the Clinton administration. Richardson is still close friends with the Clinton’s and watched the Super Bowl with Bill at the New Mexico governor’s mansion earlier this year.

• (As I have said before, what does it say that some of the people who know the Clinton’s the best, are publicly endorsing Obama?)

‘The judgment we need’

Richardson went on to say, “There is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama has the judgment and courage we need in a commander in chief when our nation’s security is on the line.”

Richardson described Hillary Clinton as “a distinguished leader” but said Obama “will be a historic and great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.”

Obama said he was “deeply honored” to have Richardson’s support and said: `Whether it’s fighting to end the Iraq war or stop the genocide in Darfur or prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, Gov. Richardson has been a powerful voice on issues of global security, peace and justice, earning five Nobel Peace Prize nominations.”

Bill Richardson joins this growing list of endorsements for Barack Obama.

 

SOURCE: Bill Richardson to Endorse Obama’s Presidential Bid, New Mexico’s Richardson endorses Obama, Richardson Endorses Obama

Clinton Darkens Obama’s Face for Ads in Ohio

HILLARY GETS ARTISTIC, BLACKENS RIVAL

Political candidates have done it before, slightly darkening images to make their opponent appear more sinister. Hillary Clinton’s camp took it one step further and heavily doctored debate footage to make Obama blacker. Presumably they forgot the widely available footage on the net which would make the contrast evident. A few DailyKos.com users noticed it first.

• WATCH AD
• VIEW SIDE BY SIDE PICTURE
• It’s been done before… (OJ Covers)

The ad, which was played throughout Ohio, is taken directly from her official website and her official YouTube channel. The footage was darkened so much, that the normally red background of MSNBC’s walls appear purple. Obama has a darker face, darker hair and eyebrows.

John Ararvosis of AmericaBlog compared the same debate footage from 3 different sources and noted that none of them had such a darkened hue as Hillary’s ad.

Clearly the image was darkened. The question is “why.”

The Clinton campaign finally responded to the claims. Since the footage is clearly and deliberately darkened, they decided to claim that the ad footage on DailyKos was not theirs. (Note: in spite of this lie, they have not removed the darkened footage from their own website as of yet.)

See the original DailyKos write up with images and video footage here.

Race-baiting continues to be a tool in Clinton’s artillery.

Clinton camp also lied in the ad about a subcommittee that Obama chairs, saying:

As chairman of the oversight committee charged with the force of fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan, he was too busy running for President to hold even one hearing.

Scroll down to the bottom of the story at this link, to see why this is false.

March 4th: Why Hillary Still Lags Behind Obama

CLINTON WON BUT FAILED TO CLOSE GAP

Congratulations to Hillary Clinton on her wins. After a 12 state winning streak by Barack Obama, she has managed 2.5 wins (Rhode Island, Ohio and step 1 of Texas). The problem is, she needed to win by larger margins in order to gain more delegates.

• In spite of media headlines touting Texas for Clinton, step 2 of Texas seems to be going to Obama, so they may have to call Texas a draw. Texas allots 126 delegates in the primary (step 1) and 67 delegates in the caucus (step 2).

There are those who will call Hillary “the Comeback Kid”, and declare her momentum back on track. The truth is, Ohio and Rhode Island were great wins for Clinton morale, but a bust for delegates. Delegates, after all, are what this race is about.

Obama had a 100 delegate lead before March 4th. Here is what changed on March 4th:

• Texas primary: 64 Clinton, 62 Obama (+2 Clinton)
• Texas caucus:  38 Obama, 29 Clinton (+9 Obama)
• Ohio primary: 75 Clinton, 66 Obama (+9 Clinton)
• Rhode Island primary: 13 Clinton, 8 Obama (+5 Clinton)
• Vermont primary: 9 Obama, 6 Clinton (+3 Obama)

March 4th primaries gave Hillary Clinton an addition of 4 delegates more than Obama gained, which still leaves Obama with a 96 delegate lead. Additionally, Obama stands to gain his own momentum back with upcoming primaries in Wyoming and Mississippi.

The only thing this race proved is we have another several weeks of a drawn out (and dirty) race, while the candidates battle for votes and delegates. Neither will be able to handily secure the 2025 delegates needed to seal the nomination, so at some point superdelegates will need to step in to decide what is best for the democratic party.

In that case, clearly the candidate with the most pledged delegates, should be the victor. That will be a tough task for Hillary Clinton, unless she manages a few landslide victories.

SOURCE: Results Center

Also see:

CNN Delegate Counter

Newsweek: Hillary’s Math Problem

One Millionth Donor & Clinton Superdelegate

When Barack Obama first joined the Senate, he went to Senator Hillary Clinton for advice. She told him, “Work hard and keep a low profile.” He’s working hard, but far from keeping a low profile.

Barack Obama gained his 1 millionth donor early this morning, and has already added another 8900 in less than 24 hours. A sizable surge in donations came as an aftermath to last night’s debate.

In other news, Senator Obama has also hit the 200 mark in superdelegates.

• Obama has gained 30 publicly declared superdelegates since Super Tuesday, and Clinton has lost four. Clinton still leads with 56 superdelegates more than Obama.

Two of the latest endorsements were from Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, the first former presidential candidate to endorse Obama and Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a former high profile endorser for Senator Hillary Clinton.

VIDEO: Hillary Says It Will Be Over By Feb. 5th

Was Hillary Clinton convinced she would have the democratic nomination hemmed up by Super Tuesday? In her mind: she was entitled to it the front-runner, she was the best candidate, and after all, she had Bill.

Sure, she took the pledge not to campaign in Michigan and Florida. She was certain the remaining states would seal her nomination. This wasn’t a contest to her, it was a minor formality.

Then Iowa happened. She came in third after Obama, after Edwards. And, we know how the story continues. Hillary now wants the votes of Florida and Michigan.

“I’m in it for the long run.” Hillary says “It’s not a very long run, it will be over by February 5th.”

• WATCH VIDEO – 12/30/2007

We can’t really say that Senator Clinton was implying it would be over by Feb. 5th and she would be the clear winner. It certainly seems like it though. She and Bill have seemed outraged since, that the race isn’t going as they expected.

What we have learned since then? Hillary doesn’t respect the votes of the people and take it as an indication to campaign harder, and smarter. She dismisses us. She picks and chooses her favorite states. She spins.

Afterall, we can’t be trusted to figure out who we should elect to lead our country. If we sound our voices the wrong way, well then, she’ll just have to go over our heads to get that corrected. If we don’t vote for her, then our votes don’t matter.

She started off touting her “experience“. As that seems to have failed her, she now touts her ability to provide “solutions“.

• Funny thing is, Hillary has only one solution in mind: winning the democratic nomination at all costs.

Even if it means using questionable tactics, dividing the democratic party, dividing the American people and giving more ammunition to the Republicans in the process, Hillary wants to win the democratic nomination.

Why then, should we be expected to believe she will represent our best interests once we put her in office?

Votes for Obama Under-Recorded in New York

VOTE RESULTS SHOW OBAMA RECEIVED ZERO VOTES IN 80 DISTRICTS IN MANHATTAN & BROOKLYN

Barack Obama’s primary results from Super Tuesday were significantly under-recorded in several districts around the city – in some cases leaving him with zero votes when, in fact, he had pulled in hundreds, the Board of Elections said yesterday.

A review just released by The New York Times of the unofficial results reported on primary night found about 80 election districts including Harlem among the city’s 6,106 where Obama supposedly did not receive even one vote, including cases where he ran a respectable race in a nearby district.

Alician D. Barksdale of Harlem said she had voted for Mr. Obama and her daughter had, too, by absentee ballot.

“Everyone around here voted for him,” she said.

At the Archive, a cafe and video store on the border of Bushwick and East Williamsburg, the manager, Brad Lee, said,

“There were Obama posters in everyone’s windows,” he said. “There was even Obama graffiti.”

Initial results in the 94th District of Harlem, for example, showed a 141-0 sweep for Hillary Clinton, but the recount changed the tally to 261-136.

In such a close race, a swing of even a couple of hundred votes in New York might help Barack Obama gain a few additional delegates. Currently Senator Clinton was awarded 139 and Senator Obama, 93, from New York.

Assemblyman Keith Wright, a supporter of Clinton, said, “Being around elections for the last 25 years, no candidate receives zero votes.”

The Board of Elections said a ballot-by-ballot canvassing of all voting machines has begun.

SOURCES: Unofficial Tallies in City Understated Obama Vote

Clinton Says I Will Not Concede the Race If I Lose

HILLARY WILL BE PRESIDENT, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

According to her campaign advisers, Hillary Clinton will take the Democratic nomination even if she does not win the popular vote, but persuades enough superdelegates to vote for her at the convention.

Clinton’s communications director, Howard Wolfson, said she will not concede the race to Obama if he wins a greater number of pledged delegates by the end of the primary season, and will count on the 796 elected officials and party bigwigs to put her over the top, if necessary.

Ironically, back in November 2000, Hillary said this:

“I have thought about this for a long time,” Mrs. Clinton said at a rally in an airport hangar in Syracuse. “I’ve always thought we had outlived the need for an Electoral College, and now that I am going to the Senate, I am going to try to do what I can to make clear that the popular vote, the will of the people, should be followed.”
***
She said she wanted “to be on the side of the democratic process working,” and so would support the effort to establish direct presidential elections.
***
“I believe strongly that in a democracy we should respect the will of the people.”

Apparently, Hillary has changed her mind. Thank goodness for this.

SOURCE: Clinton Counts on Superdelegates

More Clinton Superdelegates Switch to Obama

Two former Clinton superdelegates have switched to Obama. Three have switched to “uncommitted”.

• Christine Samuels, superdelegate from New Jersey
  

Until this week Samuels was supporting Clinton. She said today that she is now supporting Obama. In addition to agreeing with his stance on the Iraq war, she said:

“I now support Barack Obama because he has brought about a new wave of hope and energy to this country, especially among our young people, who represent our future. People want to see change. Barack can help unite this country and help us embrace our diverse nation.”

• US Congressmen David Scott