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Tuesday, June 3, 2008
AP declares Obama the democratic nominee
Less than five hours before the polling stations close, it’s already been a busy day for Democratic senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
It began with an Associated Press report that said Clinton planned to concede tonight after the primaries, and ended with another AP article declaring Obama as “the first black candidate to lead a major party into a campaign for the White House.”
The AP based this conclusion on a number of superdelegates who have not yet publicly endorsed Obama, but have secretly told reporters that they plan to.
Their report also said Clinton “signaled interest in joining the ticket as his running mate.” Although, she does not plan to end her campaign tonight.
Click here to read the rest of the AP’s report.
But it’s also been hectic for Clinton Campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who spent the morning reassuring several media outlets that Clinton had absolutely no intentions of conceding tonight.
“… the nomination fight goes on until we see the magic numbers …” McAuliffe said. “No one has the numbers to be the democratic nominee right now.”
Obama or Clinton must garner 2,118 total delegates to secure the nomination. This afternoon, Obama had 2,083, while Clinton trailed with 1,917.
Polls for the final primaries this election season will end today at 10 p.m.
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Political roundup: June 3
Today, residents in Montana and South Dakota will vote in the final primaries on a day that could possibly, finally solidify who the democratic nominee will be. Before that firestorm, here’s a summation of what’s been going on the last couple of days in politics:
Cheney insults W.Va.
Vice President Dick Cheney took a stereotypical swipe at West Virginians while speaking to the National Press Club in Washington.
When asked about being distant cousins with Sen. Barack Obama — and a possible family reunion — he responded by talking about his family history: “We have Cheneys on both sides of the family. And we don’t even live in West Virginia.”
“You can say those things when you’re not running for re-election.”
Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia condemned the remarks and said now that the vice president does not need votes from the American people, “Mr. Cheney apparently feels that he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia.”
Later, Cheney’s spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride responded and said Cheney apologizes: “On reflection, he concluded that it was an inappropriate attempt at humor that he should not have made.”
Michelle Obama bombshell to be dropped tomorrow? This morning on Fox News, DNC operative Bob Beckel claimed there were rumors that some news on Michelle Obama would cause a new scandal, and the information could be released tomorrow. If the new information is made public, Beckel said it could possibly come from Republicans.
Clinton boasts 17 million
During the last few days, Hillary Clinton and her campaign have focused on the popular vote, saying that 17 million Americans have voted for her so far.
Kennedy’s surgery deemed a success
Sen. Ted Kennedy underwent brain surgery for over three hours yesterday and is now recovering at Duke Medical Center.
Dr. Allan Friedman, leading surgeon on the procedure, said they “attacked” the brain tumor and “accomplished goals in their surgery.”
The next step for Sen. Kennedy is chemotherapy.
Bill Clinton takes on Vanity Fair
After an unflattering article on Bill Clinton was released by Vanity Fair over the weekend, the former president shot back at the writer calling him “sleazy” and “a scumbag.”
The article in question dealt with Clinton’s life since his time in the White House. Some of the writer’s claims include that his 2004 heart surgery altered his state of mind, his womanizing was cause for an intervention and aides worry about him.
Vanity Fair says it stands by the article.
