Hillary Clinton, "wobbly after a far-less-than-super Tuesday" in NC and IN, "has been forced" to lend her campaign $6.4M in recent weeks -- "and she may shell out more cash to compete with Barack Obama" in the remaining 6 contests. The "emergency infusion of money, which came in three allocations over the last month," comes on top of the $5M she loaned the campaign in late January, bringing her total outlay to $11.4M.
Spokesperson Howard Wolfson, on the loan: "She is willing to do so going forward to make sure our message gets out." Wolfson also said there have been "no discussions" inside the campaign of her dropping out (Thrush, Newsday, 5/7).
"We're Going To California And Texas And New York"
Clinton "was very clear" when she addressed her supporters following her IN win last night, saying, "I'm going on, I'm going to West Virginia, I'm going to Oregon. I'm going to Kentucky, don't worry, we'll keep on going."
She made a "glancing reference to the difficult path ahead" and Obama's "numerical and financial advantages entering the final month of the primary season. Just three minutes into her victory speech, she implored the several hundred supporters gathered at a theater here to go to her Web site and contribute money." Clinton: "Tonight once again I need your help to continue our journey."
Her "remarks were a combination of combativeness and of a wistfulness that had not been heard in her voice in recent weeks. Throughout them, Chelsea Clinton kept up a smile, and at one point Bill Clinton wiped away a tear" (Broder, New York Times, 5/7).
•ABC's Stephanopoulos, on B. Clinton: "There are moments that you see President Clinton, he drifted away several times during her speech last night. You can tell he was calculating what are we going to be able to do next, how are we going to be able to wrap this up, feeling sorry for her. He then came back and reminded himself to smile again, but you saw on their faces last night, you heard in their words, they know reality here" ("GMA," 5/7).
•MSNBC's Matthews, on B. Clinton: "He didn't have a poker face last night. I thought President Clinton was very much a human being last night in the way he showed it in his face. I guess Chelsea did, too" ("Morning Joe," 5/7).
•NBC's Williams: "The body language with Chelsea and the former president was nothing less than fascinating" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 5/7).
•Salon's Shapiro writes, "The essence of Hillary's speech can be reduced to three words -- one that she never uttered (Quit!) and two that she dwelled on (Michigan and Florida)." Clinton: "I am running for president of all of America ... That's why it is so important to count the votes of Michigan and Florida." Just in case anyone failed to get the message, the crowd chanted on cue, "Count the vote. Count the vote" (5/7).
•Rocky Mountain News' Littwin writes, As supporters came into the hall, they were given "Count Michigan and Florida" stickers. As she said, it "would be strange" for the race "to be decided by 48 states," and the crowd started cheering (5/7).
Well, He's Still Anti-War
Clinton's failure to alter the race with a "resounding victory could increase pressure on her from party leaders to consider ending her campaign" (Helman/Williams, Boston Globe, 5/7). And today produced the first such scenario:
Ex-HRC supporter/ex-Sen. George McGovern (D-SD) is urging Clinton to drop out of the Dem race, and said today he has decided to endorse Obama. After watching the returns from the NC and IN primaries, McGovern "says it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination." McGovern says he is calling Bill Clinton to tell him of the decision (Gale, AP, 5/7).
Good Night, And Good Luck
Despite the fact that Clinton "eked out a narrow victory" in IN, Obama's very strong showing in NC is leading many in the media to predict that Clinton's campaign is all but over:
•The "result was so tight as to deprive her of the kind of clear-cut victory that would make it easy for her to fend off calls for her to drop out, raise money and campaign on into" WV. She was "unable" to "build her base of support substantially beyond the white, working-class voters who had sustained her for the last month. That will not be lost on the superdelegates" (Nagourney, New York Times, 5/7).
•New York Post's Morris and McGann write, Clinton "just doesn't have enough straws left to clutch. The best (or worst) she can hope to do the rest of the way is bloody Barack Obama enough to make him lose in the fall, allowing her to come back in 2012" (5/7).
•NBC's Russert, after saying the Dem nominee will be Obama: "They'll continue to try to go on, but it's going to be choreographed. She's going to have a hard time raising money. ... The obstacle she confronts in terms of the delegate count are just overwhelming, and they know that. Last night, e-mails from Democrats who were very loyal to Hillary Clinton are saying, 'We can't do it. It is over'" ("Today," 5/7).
•Politico's Smith writes, the 5/6 results "diminished Clinton's rationale for urging Dem superdelegates to override his delegate lead and give the nomination to her. Her "case to party elders -- that Obama was a flawed, flagging candidate -- lost much of its altitude... What had been, in the best of scenarios an up hill climb, became far steeper" (5/7).
•Salon's Shapiro writes, "Not only is Hillary clinging to the hands of a clock in an old-time Harold Lloyd silent movie, but the clock face has begun to wobble" (5/7).
•CBSNews.com's Ververs writes, Clinton's "path to the nomination has nearly vanished" (5/7).
•Chicago Tribune's Kass writes, "The Clintons are like a cat that gets run over but refuses to die." She's "determined, a tough and gritty cat under that deck. But it's over Hillary. It's done. Come on out now" (5/7).
•" For Clinton, it was hard to find a silver lining" (Katz/Saltonstall, New York Daily News, 5/7).
•Clinton's "presidential aspirations took a severe blow...Time is now running out for Clinton." It will be "increasingly tough for her to convince superdelegates to remain uncommitted as momentum has clearly swung back to Obama" (Youngman/Marre, The Hill, 5/7).
•AP's Pickler writes, Clinton "needed a game changer. Instead, it's almost game over." Her defeat in NC took away her last best chance at the WH (5/7).
West Virginia, Mountain Mama, Take Me Home
Other reports today focus on the likelihood of Clinton staying in the race:
•New York Post's Powers writes, "Unfortunately for Obama, Clinton didn't come this far to drop out. So the fight continues" (5/7).
•The "results left the dynamics of the presidential race essentially unchanged... Clinton has an incentive to keep campaigning" (Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 5/7).
•Aides to "Clinton insisted that she had no intention of dropping out of the contest, pointing out that she had won in a state -- albeit narrowly -- that Obama had cast as the 'tiebreaker' in the nomination fight" (Cillizza, Washingtonpost.com, 5/7).
•New York Daily News' DeFrank writes, two separate sources in the "Clinton orbit insisted" 5/6 "it's now more likely Hillary will pursue her quest until" the covo "unless party leaders rise up en mass and publicly tell her it's time to stop" (5/7).
•NBC's Mitchell: "People close to Clinton say if she believes there is no chance to win, she will enthusiastically support Obama. But she is not there yet. To prove that point, when we landed here at two o'clock this morning, her aides huddled with her at the front of the plane and she decided to add a campaign stop today in West Virginia, which votes next Tuesday" ("Today," 5/7).
Word Of The Day--And Every Day Thereafter: Electable
Clinton's camp "is eagerly turning its attention" to WV, which votes 5/13, and KY,5/20. In both states, "large numbers of rural, older, low-income and white voters make her the heavy favorite, and the campaign hopes to use these to press its case that" Clinton "is more electable." Polls show that Clinton "could rack up blowout wins in both states" (Timiraos/Phillips, Wall Street Journal, 5/7).
Clinton "seems to have the lock on two of the next three primaries," in WV and KY, "which have strong contingents of older and blue-collar voters that play to her strengths" (Calabresi, Time, 5/7).
See Accounts Receivable
MSNBC's Scarborough, to Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson: "Howard, you must have had the lucky sweater in mothballs last night. "
Wolfson: "Look, Senator Obama predicted victories in both of these states. People forget that, but for the longest time the Obama campaign predicted he would win Indiana and North Carolina. Given that, I think our result in Indiana was strong and impressive. ... I don't think there's any question that we're going to have to have a very good month between now and the last contest on June 3rd, and it starts next week in West Virginia. ... We have to make sure that Florida and Michigan are counted. ... We're not going to decide this nomination based on 48 states."
Scarborough: "Do you guys have a majority of the rules committee that will make that decision?"
Wolfson: "I have no idea."
Scarborough: "I love you, Howard, but you know."
Wolfson: "That's Harold Ickes' department" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 5/7).
Oh Good, Your Fate Rests In Howard Dean's Hands
"After failing to win the decisive sweep" in NC and IN "that could have reshaped" the race, "disappointed aides to" Clinton "conceded it would be difficult for her to catch" Obama in either delegates or overall votes in the 6 remaining contests. The outcome caused the candidate and her camp "to intensify their efforts to persuade party leaders to include the results of disqualified contests" in MI and FL, both of which she won. Senior Clinton aide: "Absent some sort of miracle on May 31st, it's going to be tough for us. We lost this thing in February. We're doing everything we can now... but it's just an uphill battle" (Bacon/ Kornblut, Washington Post, 5/7)
In a phone interview, Clinton adviser Harold Ickes said: "We don't believe that this party is going to go forward into a presidential race without seating both Florida and Michigan. As of midnight June 3rd, neither Obama nor Hillary will have enough delegates to clinch the nomination. Therefore, they're going to have to persuade enough of the uncommitted, automatic delegates to come their way" (Allen, Politico, 5/7).
Los Angeles Times' Wallsten writes, Clinton "is preparing to push the contest beyond the voting phase of the process and into the realm" of DNC cmte "meetings and credentialing rules, where her campaign believes she may have a chance to overtake Obama before the party's nominating convention in late August" (5/7).
Rocky Mountain News' Littwin writes, Clinton's campaign is planning to take the case to the Rules and Bylaws Cmte in DC this month. "Don't expect the argument to work. It was a long shot before, but now the dynamic of the race has shifted again. Now, Clinton is left with only bad math, a short calendar and slowing momentum. Not a lot to be happy about" (5/7).
Heath Shuler By Default? We'll Take It!
"Though Obama's win" in NC "could steer more superdelegates his way, one, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC), "apparently will throw his support to Clinton. That's because she appeared to carry the counties in his 11th District, and he vowed to support whomever won his district" (Morrill, Charlotte Observer, 5/6).
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