"LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan Democratic leaders on Wednesday settled on a plan to give presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton 69 delegates and Barack Obama 59 as a way to get the states' delegates seated at the national convention."
Is this fair? I say NO!!!!
Democrats Needed to Win = 2,025
Candidate Pledged Superdels. Total
Obama 1584 252 1836
Clinton 1415 266 1681
WASHINGTON -- On the rebound, Barack Obama left Hillary Rodham Clinton with fast-dwindling chances to deny him the Democratic presidential nomination after beating her in North Carolina and falling just short in an Indiana cliffhanger.
Obama was on track to climb within 200 delegates of attaining the prize, his campaign finally steadying after missteps fiercely exploited by the never-say-die Clinton.
His campaign dropped broad hints it was time for the 270 remaining unaligned party figures known as superdelegates to get off the fence and settle the nomination.
It was in that arena _ even more than in the scattered primaries left _ that the Democratic hyperdrama was bound to play out.
"You know, there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election," Obama told a roaring crowd in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night, referring to Clinton's hope that an upset there would recast the race in her favor.
"But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C."
Clinton vowed to compete tenaciously for West Virginia next week and Kentucky and Oregon after that, and to press "full speed on to the White House."
But she risked running on fumes without an infusion of cash, and made a direct fundraising pitch from the stage in Indianapolis. "I need your help to continue our journey," she said.
And she pledged anew that she would support the Democratic nominee "no matter what happens," a vow also made by her competitor.
Polarizing, protracted and often bitter, the contest is hardening divisions in the party, according to exit polls from the two states.
A solid majority of each candidate's supporters said they would not be satisfied if the other candidate wins the nomination.
Fully one-third of Clinton's supporters in Indiana and North Carolina went beyond mere dissatisfaction to say they would vote for Republican John McCain instead of Obama if that's the choice in the fall.
Obama scored a convincing victory of about 14 points in North Carolina, where he'd been favored. Clinton squeezed out a narrow margin in Indiana after a long night of counting.
Racial divisions were stark.
In both states, Clinton won six in 10 white votes while Obama got nine in 10 black votes, exit polls indicated.
It was a slightly better performance than usual by Clinton among whites, while Obama's backing from blacks was one of his highest winning percentages yet with that group.
Against the backdrop of disunity, pressure is certain to intensify on the superdelegates to declare themselves and lasso Democrats together for the fall campaign against McCain. They are not bound by results in primaries or caucuses.
"There is an eagerness in the party to get this done and move on," said David Axelrod, chief Obama strategist. "There is no question that we can see the finish line."
David Lutz, 53, of Trinity, N.C., who lives on his Army pension and flea market sales, paid tribute to Obama's resilience in explaining why he switched from supporting Clinton in the final days.
"I finally got swayed Obama's way," he said. "He's like a magician _ he pulled a lot of good tricks out of his hat."
A look at the night's numbers:
_Obama won at least 69 delegates and Clinton at least 63 in the two states combined, with 55 still to be divided between the two candidates.
_Obama's delegate total reached 1815.5 to 1,672 for Clinton in The Associated Press count, out of 2,025 needed to win the nomination.
_Obama won North Carolina 56-42, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.
_Clinton won Indiana 51-49, with returns from 99 percent of precincts.
And the races still ahead:
_28 delegates at stake in West Virginia in a week.
_103 delegates up for grabs a week later in Kentucky and Oregon.
_55 in Puerto Rico on June 1.
_31 in Montana and South Dakota on June 3.
On Tuesday, Clinton fell short of the Indiana blowout and the North Carolina upset that might have jarred superdelegates into her camp in a big way.
They have continued trickling toward Obama despite the fallout over his former pastor's racially divisive remarks and Clinton's win in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.
Obama sounded increasingly focused on the fall campaign.
"This primary season may not be over, but when it is, we will have to remember who we are as Democrats ... because we all agree that at this defining moment in history _ a moment when we're facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril _ we can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term," he said.
Clinton was joined at her rally by her husband Bill, his face sunburned after campaigning in small-town North Carolina, and their daughter, Chelsea.
The New York senator stressed the issue that came to dominate the final days of the primaries in both states, her call for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax. "I think it's time to give Americans a break this summer," she said.
Obama opposes the tax suspension, calling it a gimmick.
The impact of a long-running controversy over the Illinois senator's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, was difficult to measure.
In North Carolina, six in 10 voters who said Wright's remarks affected their votes sided with Clinton. A somewhat larger percentage of voters who said the pastor's remarks did not matter supported Obama.
Obama and Clinton both planned to campaign in the next primary states starting Thursday, after a day in Washington. Obama headed to Chicago after his Raleigh speech before coming to the capital.
Sen. Barack Obama and his wife Michelle greet supporters in Raleigh, N.C., after Obama won the North Carolina Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday.
Barack Obama swept to a convincing victory in the North Carolina primary Tuesday night and declared he was closing in on the Democratic presidential nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton eked out a win in Indiana as she struggled to halt her rival's march into history.
Obama has held a statistically significant lead the last two days after Clinton enjoyed a temporary increase in support following last Wednesday's Philadelphia debate, which brought the race back into a statistical dead heat. Prior to that, Obama led Clinton for 11 consecutive days, with margins ranging from seven to 11 points. (To view the complete trend since Jan. 3, 2008, click here.)
New Obama spot responds to Clinton ad
Clinton and Obama have traded negative ads this week.
(CNN) – Less than a day after Hillary Clinton’s campaign released an ad that said voters were “insulted” by Barack Obama’s recent remarks about some small-town Americans, the Illinois senator’s campaign released a new Pennsylvania spot Tuesday that says people are “rejecting Hillary Clinton’s attacks.”
The 30-second ad opens with some members of a Pennsylvania crowd reacting badly to Clinton in Pittsburgh Monday when she said “I know that many of you, like me… were disappointed by recent remarks that [Obama] made.”
Says an announcer, “There's a reason people are rejecting Hillary Clinton's attacks. Because the same old Washington politics won't lower the price of gas or help our struggling economy. Barack Obama will represent all Americans. He offers a new approach….”
Obama himself adds: “When we get past the politics of division and distraction and we start actually focusing on what we have in common, there's nothing we can't accomplish…”
The current 11 percentage point lead is the largest for Obama this year, and marks the ninth consecutive day in which Obama has led Clinton by a statistically significant margin. The current Gallup Poll Daily tracking average is based on interviewing conducted Saturday, Sunday and Monday -- after the initial reports of Obama's controversial remarks about "bitter" small-town residents began to be reported in the news media.
“I think that he’s a rogue operative that they’re having trouble shutting down. …He’s a totally separate entity unless, of course, we’re talking about the time that he was president and Hillary Clinton was getting experience by being his wife.”
Watch Stephen Colbert on Larry King Live.
Blitzer: Dem elders starting to worry
Democratic elders are starting to worry about the increasingly bitter presidential race.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A lot of Democrats are increasingly worried about the tough back-and-forth that is now part of the tense Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama race for the party’s presidential nomination.
There are some very passionate Clinton supporters who clearly don’t like Obama. And there are some very passionate Obama supporters who clearly don’t like Clinton. That is very evident. Just talk to both sides.
In fact, a poll in the current issue of Time magazine has alarmed many Democrats. The poll asked Obama voters if the presidential election were between Clinton and John McCain, whom would they vote for. In the poll, 16 percent said McCain and 16 percent said they don’t know. That’s 32 percent who refused to say flatly they would support Clinton – the other Democrat.
When Clinton supporters were asked whom they would support if the presidential race were between Obama and McCain, 26 percent said McCain and 18 percent said they don’t know. That’s 44 percent who refused to say flatly they would vote for Obama.
Thus, Clinton voters were more likely than Obama voters – at least in this poll – to actually pick McCain if their respective Democratic candidate lost the nomination.
Those of us who cover politics like to caution that all these polls are only snapshots. Once the political dust on the Democratic race settles, and there is an eventual nominee – whether Clinton or Obama – a different snapshot might emerge. Democrats, in the end, might still come together against the Republican candidate.
But right now, I can assure you, a lot of party elders are deeply worried that all this nastiness could wind up helping McCain.
'Bittergate' sparks new look at candidates and guns
Guns are on display at Ace Guns in Washington, Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The battle over the word "bitter" between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has sparked a new look at the candidates and their stance on the Second Amendment.
At a closed-door fundraiser just over a week ago, the Illinois senator referred to some small-town Pennsylvanians as "bitter" people who "cling to guns and religion."
"I didn't say it as well as I should have," Obama admitted in Muncie, Indiana, on Saturday, the day after he first defended his comments, "because the truth is that these traditions that are passed on from generation to generation — those are important."
Two Americas or two Pennsylvanias?
Is there anything we can do about this?
Barack Obama, who has come under attack by his presidential rivals for describing small-town voters as "bitter," seems to be weathering the storm to this point as far as voters are concerned. He maintains a 10 percentage point lead over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, 50% to 40%, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking.
That 10-point lead matches Obama's best of the campaign, and even as the controversy has dominated the political airwaves, Obama's support remained strong in tracking interviews conducted on Saturday and Sunday. It is likely Clinton and Republican John McCain will continue to remind voters of the remarks, and the possibility remains that it could affect voters in the coming days, but so far they seem unaffected by the controversy.
