In DC today, Barack Obama will hold "rounds of in-person meetings with uncommitted superdelegates" (Sweet, Chicago Tribune, 5/7). While "most uncommitted superdelegates still want to remain on the sidelines," AP interviews find "comments of some of the uncommitteds" have been "anything but encouraging" to Hillary Clinton (Pickler, AP, 5/8).
Obama picked up endorsements from four more superdelegates 5/7. VA Del. Jennifer McCelellan announced 5/7 "she is switching her support" from Clinton to Obama, because of "the math" (Whitley, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/8). Obama also picked up three previously uncommitted superdelegates: NC Dem Chair Jerry Meek, NC DNC member Jeanette Council and CA DNC member Inola Henry (release, 5/7).
The camp reports Obama is "now only 169 delegates away from securing" the Dem nod (release, 5/7).
Also 5/7, FL superdelegate/state Rep. Dan Gelber endorsed Obama. Gelber: "My vote doesn't count. But if it did, I would say it's time to move on and choose Senator Barack Obama" (March, Tampa Tribune blog, 5/7).
A "quiet consensus is emerging" among Dem lawmakers that Obama "has all but sealed up" the Dem nod, "but a sense of suspended animation prevailed" 5/7. "Several uncommitted lawmakers signaled they are moving toward endorsing Obama," but also that they're willing to "let the dust settle," in the words of Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC). Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) "said he already told Clinton" he would vote for Obama if he's ahead in popular vote and delegates, but he "said he is prepared to wait until June to make his decision, saying that Clinton has earned the right to make up her own mind on ending her campaign" (Newmyer, Roll Call, 5/8).
Know Your Exits
Saying the camp can "see the finish line," Obama mgr. David Plouffe held a conf. call 5/7 with several Obama-backers "to urge superdelegates to pick sides." Plouffe: "We're only 33 pledged delegates from achieving a majority of the pledged delegates. That will happen on the night of May 20th, which we think will be an incredibly important moment in the campaign."
Also on the call were Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), AZ Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) and MA Gov. Deval Patrick (D). Napolitano said it's "now time for the superdelegates to begin bringing this process to a close." Kerry argued Obama "had beat expectations" in NC and IN, which "fundamentally changed this race" (Jones, NBC/National Journal, 5/7).
But the camp "would only put pressure on Clinton indirectly." McCaskill: "There is sincere respect for Hillary Clinton within this campaign. It would be inappropriate and awkward and wrong for any of us to tell Sen. Clinton when it is time for the race to be over. It is her decision and it is only her decision and we are confident that she is going to do the right thing for the Democratic nominee."
Plouffe, meanwhile, "wouldn't engage in speculation about whether Clinton might be slotted as a potential veep" (Timiraos, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 5/7).
And he "said Obama still is looking for ways to make sure" FL and MI's delegates are seated, but said, "It's just not going to happen that Michigan and Florida are going to be used in some way to overturn the result of the primaries and caucuses" (McCormick, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 5/7).
An Opening Act?
Ex-John Edwards mgr./ex-Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) endorsed Obama today (release, 5/8). The 5/6 election results "were said to be key" to Bonior's decision, and he "is also said to like Obama's general positive tone, as well as Obama's message of change and stance against taking money from federal lobbyists" (Tapper, ABCNews.com, 5/8).
The Multi-Task At Hand
"Confident that he has build a near-impregnable lead," Obama's camp is "about to try another approach" to "force" Clinton out of the race: "ignoring her." Obama's "still plans to campaign" in the remaining Dem primary states,"but he may also start showing up in states that are considered important" in Nov. Obama strategist David Axelrod: "We've got to multi-task here. ... Sen. McCain has basically run free for some time now" (Nicholas, Los Angeles Times, 5/8).
Plouffe "suggested" the camp would step up efforts in FL and MI, and said, "We're going to put a lot of states in play" (Raum, AP, 5/7).
And Obama's camp "has begun recruiting Clinton loyalists to take positions with his team across the country." The camp "is hoping to recruit field organizers, finance officials and press officers, a campaign source confirmed." There is "no evidence" that Obama's camp is "poaching" current Clinton camp staffers -- "yet" (Bazinet, New York Daily News, 5/8).
High Interest Loans
Plouffe wrote in a fundraising e-mail 5/7, "We need to show that the voices of more than 1.5 million ordinary people donating whatever they can afford are more powerful than one person giving more than $11 million to their own campaign. ... Make a donation of $25 to match Senator Clinton's loan" (Hotline sources, 5/7).
Eyes On The Prize, Plus What May Be The Most Awkward Interview Ever
Along with "pivoting" into the general, Obama's also tasked with "united a divided party" and "clinching" the delegates needed to win the Dem nod (Page, USA Today, 5/8).
"Adorning the restroom walls" at Obama's Chicago HQ "are large road maps of states with upcoming caucuses and primaries. In prime position, above the urinals, is a map" of WV. "Standing at the urinals, an Obama campaign aide told a reporter" 5/7 "that the maps rotate based on which state is next on the calendar" (Nicholas, Los Angeles Times, 5/8).
And in KY, a "group of leading" Northern KY Dems "has thrown its support behind" Obama (Crowley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5/8).
Just Keep Doing What You're Doing
There was plenty of commentary and advice for Obama on how he should play out the end of the primary race:
• Karl Rove: "Senator Obama should let this play out. Don't rush it. Both candidates had a friendly and appropriate tone last night. And you know, pressuring her to get out is only going to make her feel aggrieved and her supporters feel aggrieved. And having a bunch of superdelegates come forward and say we're for Obama, everybody ought to join us, it's going to look like they're short circuiting the process" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 5/7).
• Newsweek's Wolffe: "On the Obama campaign, you're seeing space. They've trodden into this minefield before and it hasn't been pleasant. It allows her to play the victim card and say that they are denying voters the right to have a voice here" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 5/7).
• New York Times' Herbert: "I think that Obama is going to be conciliatory. He does want to make a deal with the two other delegations. He's going to say nice things about the Clintons because he really doesn't have to do much, at this point" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 5/7).
• Washington Post's Robinson: "I think one element of any sort of negotiated settlement with the Obama camp would have to be, how do we retire this campaign debt? And the vibe I'm getting from the Obama camp today is that, you know, yes, they would love to be rid of her, but ... they're not scrambling to grab for their checkbook at this point" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 5/7).
• Syndicated columnist Mark Shields: "Understand this. What Hillary Clinton is going through right now is reality setting in. It's painfully public and publicly painful. It's the implosion of all her aspirations, all her ambitions. And this is a time for the Aretha Franklin approach, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. ... Respect on the part of the Obama people. They shouldn't be taking victory laps. They shouldn't be gloating. They should give her time" ("NewsHour," PBS, 5/7).
• New York Times' Brooks: "I think Obama pretty much has this won, and I think the crucial thing ... is that you give her space. You have nobody calling for her to get out. I think what McGovern did was not helpful. You give her some self-respect and give her time to set the retreat of her own time and of her own making. And I don't think you fight at all. And I think what they're doing is the right thing. They're focusing on the general election. And you turn it all on John McCain. That's the right focus right now" ("NewsHour," PBS, 5/7).
• Time's Klein: "Obama is going to have some real repair work to do. And the fact that he treated Hillary Clinton and this race with so much respect [5/6] is an important indication of how he's going to go about doing it" ("AC 360," CNN, 5/7).
If They Tease You, It Means They're Interested
GOPers are "practically ignoring" Clinton as they've "greatly stepped up their criticisms" of Obama. GOP consultant/ex-Mitt Romney spokesperson Kevin Madden: "Right now Hillary Clinton may not be able to do the math, but Republicans have been for the last couple of weeks."
The RNC "prominently features an anti-Obama" ad on its website's homepage, "which has no mention" of Clinton. And "at least one independent group that had prepared" ads attacking Clinton, Citizens United, "is compiling material to produce new ones attacking" Obama, looking into material on Rev. Jeremiah Wright, ex-Weather Underground member William Ayers and Chicago fundraiser Tony Rezko.
Some of the early GOP lines of attack are "traditional," while another "seems to be squarely directed" at indies and swing voters, arguing Obama "lacks a record of bipartisan achievement to back up his calls for healing partisan rifts" (Cooper, New York Times, 5/8).
Robert Novak writes, "the test of Obama's strategy" of dismissing GOP attacks as "attempts to play on our fears and exploit our differences" may be "his friendship with and support from" Ayers. "A photo of Ayers stomping on the American flag in 2001 has been all over the Internet this week. That was the year Obama accepted a $200 political contribution from Ayers." How Obama "handles this in the future will help define whether he is seen as flawed or fantastic in the long campaign ahead" (Chicago Sun-Times, 5/8).
And Newsweek's Kliff writes, "in some ways, Obama's fresh burst of momentum may only stoke the GOP's determination to yoke down-ticket" Dems to Obama, whom they see as "excessively liberal" and "weak among the kinds of white, blue-collar voters who could be key" in the fall (5/7).
... But Are They Getting Tired Of Wright?
"It doesn't seem likely that the renewed focus on Wright" has helped Obama, "but for now, there's little evidence it hurt him much" in this week's contests. Pollsters "said there was not enough data to draw conclusions about whether the attention on Wright drove people away from Obama" or "drew some toward him because of how he denounced the pastor" (Fram, AP, 5/8).
Boston Globe's Jackson writes of the Wright-themed polling and analysis, "It was as if a significant chunk of the media and pollsters were daring America to rear its ugliest head. White voters responded by saying, enough is enough" (5/7).
Meanwhile, The Phoenix's Stark writes, Gennifer Flowers "was the Wright of the '92 campaign." She "burst onto the scene" and "most pundits concluded that the damage to the Clinton campaign was close to terminal. ... Obviously, there are huge differences," but "the key for Obama is whether the Wright episode will follow the same course" and eventually fade away (5/7).
Let's Not Get Ahead Of Ourselves And Say We Did
Analysts, columnists and ed boards took up the topic of Obama's seeming inevitability, and started looking ahead to the general. Some highlights:
• Time's Stengel: on the potential cover of Time showing a picture of Obama with the text, "And the winner is ...": "We have a little asterisk saying 'we're pretty sure this time.' ... Just because we've all been so mistaken in the past. But it does definitely look like things are coalescing" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 5/8).
• Time's Klein writes in the coverstory, "In the end, Obama's challenge to the media is as significant as his challenge to McCain." A "general-election campaign between John McCain and Barack Obama doesn't need any hype. It won't be boring. The question is whether we, politicians and press alike, will grant this election -- and electorate -- the respect it deserves" (5/8).
• Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal, Clinton "may battle until June and possibly until the convention," and "there's nothing Mr. Obama can or should do about it." The length of the primary has been "in some ways" a plus -- Obama "is a better candidate for having been battle tested" -- but the primary has also "created a deep fissure" in the Dem ranks and "revealed weaknesses" in Obama, painting him as "a typical liberal Chicago pol with a thin record, little experience, an array of troubling relationships and, to top it off, elitist sensibilities." Wright "remains a large general-election challenge" (5/8).
• Washington Times ed board writes, if Obama emerges "with a majority of pledged delegates (as seems almost certain) and if he is then denied the nomination by superdelegates, then millions of black voters" are "likely to sit home" on Election Day, "probably dealing a fatal blow to a Clinton-led ticket. On the other hand, back-of-the-envelope calculations from published exit-poll data reveal that about" 49% of Clinton's NC voters, 47% of her IN voters and 41% of her PA voters "would either vote for" McCain "or not vote at all" if Obama's the nominee (5/8).
• CNBC's Harwood: "I think the Indiana results bode fairly well for Barack Obama. Look, he does have a problem in this primary running against Hillary Clinton getting those white, working-class votes. Does that mean he can't get them in the general election? Not necessarily. ... John McCain is going to take some votes at the bottom of the income scale away from him, but Barack Obama is going to take some at the top of the income scale from John McCain" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 5/7).
• Esquire magazine's new issue, hitting stands 5/13, features the coverstory, "Ready, Set, Obama." The article, by Charles Pierce explores Obama's "message of hope and inspiration" and warns, "The cynic will need to be convinced" (Silva, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 5/7).
• National Review's Byron York writes in The Hill, look for Michelle Obama "to continue sending out her message of dissatisfaction and resentment. She appears to have begun the presidential race in an angry mood, and, despite her husband's extraordinary success, it looks like she'll finish it angry, too" (5/7).
It's All Relative?
According to Gallup, "almost as many Jewish voters say they would vote for" Obama against McCain (61%) as say they would vote for Clinton against McCain (66%). Gallup "suggested the poll indicated that Obama hasn't been noticeably hurt by" Wright among Jewish voters, which could be especially important in FL (James, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 5/7).
But the Republican Jewish Council notes Kerry won 75% of the Jewish vote in '04. But this could be due to his "Jewish heritage" (James, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 5/7).
Fiscal Conservatism Starts At Home
Slate's Grobart/Bernard write, "It's not as if the Obamas are some modern-day version of the Clampetts, but compared with the competition, they're at best nouveau riche." The Obamas have invested their "swift and strong" increase in wealth "very, very safely -- like a couple who wants no risk of ever being middle-class again," in mostly a "collection of run-of-the-mill mutual funds." And "compared with John McCain and his $270,000 in expenditures on household help, the Obamas lead a much more middle-class lifestyle," spending $6-24K annually on "household expenses, which appears to be child care" (5/7).
Briefly Tearing Wolf Away From The Magic Wall
Obama will speak with CNN's Blitzer today on the "Situation Room." This will be Obama's first nat'l interview since the 5/6 primaries (release, 5/7).
Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & PM Must Reads. News and analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.
Join the Discussion