2008 It’s Over: Blogging the Last Primary Night as Barack Obama Becomes the Democratic Nominee, John McCain Speaks, and Hillary Clinton Says… ?
posted by on June 3 at 19:24 PM
The order of business, as far as I can tell: McCain speaks in a few minutes in Louisiana, then Clinton speaks in New York, and finally Obama speaks in St. Paul. And during all of that, the polls will close in South Dakota (6 p.m. PST) and Montana (7 p.m. PST).
5:40 p.m. McCain is up, and begins with a brief recognition that “party elders” and voters have given the Democratic nomination to Obama. (So now superdelegates are the ones stealing the nomination from Hillary Clinton?) He follows that with a long paean to Clinton, whom he calls his friends and credits with giving his daughters hope for a better tomorrow.
5:45 p.m. This is not what anyone would call a rousing speech. McCain seems to be straining to appear cheerful and optimistic—hopeful, even—but he has the unenviable task of having to explain that he’s not George Bush, that he too was alarmed at the failures in New Orleans after Hurrican Katrina, that he may be a lot older than his opponent but he’s a lot wiser. The crowd cheers and boos on cue, but it’s pretty sedate compared to what I’ve seen on the Democratic side this year. And McCain does not look very convinced that he’s the true change candidate.
5:55 p.m. The McCain mantra: “That’s not change you can believe in.” (Said in soft tones and with a wide smile.) Now where have we heard that before? Off the top of my head: Clinton’s famous attack line in a Democratic debate that referred to Obama borrowing lines for his speeches and went something like, “That’s not change you can believe in, that’s change you can Xerox.”
6 p.m. CNN calls the nomination for Obama. (Joining the AP and others.) By the way, for Seattleites looking for an Obama celebration party:
Seattle, WA- Grassroots supporters of presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-IL) announced today that they will be holding an “End of Primary Campaign Season Celebration”… Tuesday, June 3, starting at 5:00 pm at the World Sports Grille (in Gameworks), located at 1511 7th Ave in downtown Seattle.
6:05 p.m. McCain’s speech is now over—CNN didn’t even carry it in its entirety—but I find myself wondering if this was a smart line of attack/defense:
You will hear from my opponent’s campaign in every speech, every interview, every press release that I’m running for President Bush’s third term. You will hear every policy of the President described as the Bush-McCain policy. Why does Senator Obama believe it’s so important to repeat that idea over and over again? Because he knows it’s very difficult to get Americans to believe something they know is false. So he tries to drum it into your minds by constantly repeating it rather than debate honestly…
Who do you think of when you hear someone talk about the use of rhetorical repetition to convince Americans of something that’s false? Is it Obama? Or is Bush and his administration, with their repeated talk of “mushroom clouds” and a link between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein before the Iraq war? I’d venture that for a good number of Americans it’s the latter and that, at least subliminally, this somewhat undercuts McCain’s attempt to use this line of argument to separate himself from Bush.
6:15 p.m. Next up, Hillary Clinton speaking soon(ish) in New York.
6:20 p.m. MSNBC calls South Dakota for Hillary Clinton. Safe bet you’ll hear about that in her speech.
6:30 p.m. Clinton is about to speak. She arrives on stage in New York with Bill and Chelsea, all of them all smiles and clapping hands.
Clinton begins with a half-truth: That South Dakota, which went for her, had “the last word” in the primary season. Uh, I believe the last word belongs to Montana, which still hasn’t delivered its results yet.
Then she praises Obama as her “friend” and asks the crowd to show a moment of appreciation for Obama and his supporters. Everyone politely cheers. But she doesn’t acknowledge that he is the Democratic nominee—or, at least, she doesn’t do that yet.
6:40 p.m. I almost missed it, but I believe I just heard Clinton say, as the logical conclusion to her praise for her campaign and its many victories in swing states, that she is now committed to uniting the Democratic party. That’s pretty close to saying she recognizes that her job now is to bring her supporters into the fold behind Obama.
6:42 p.m. Clinton says: “A lot of people are asking, ‘What does Hillary want?’” Yes, they are. Clinton then answers by saying that she wants what she’s “always” wanted—to end the war in Iraq, get universal healthcare, improve the economy. And, the key line and bargaining chip: “And I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard, and to no longer be invisible.”
This speech is in large part about Clinton convincing her supporters that they are a bloc that can only be represented by her. She is encouraging them to continue their emotional investment in her campaign so that she can… What? Well, we’re going to find out.
6:45 p.m. Key line: “Now the question is, ‘Where do we go from here?’” Clinton says. “This has been a long campaign and I will be making no decisions tonight.”
6:50 p.m. Clinton closes with a story about a woman in South Dakota who came to her on a rope line weeping about her lack of health care. It’s “shameful,” Clinton says, that anyone in this country should have to have such a worry. Whatever she does in her future, Clinton says, she will be focused on solving that problem.
The speech ends and the music comes up: “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner.
The crowd, by the way, was chanting “Denver! Denver!” at times.
6:57 p.m. CNN calls the last primary state of the season, Montana, for Obama.
7:07 p.m. Obama is up, standing before some 20,000 people in a St. Paul arena after entering to U2’s “Beautiful Day.” He can’t get the crowd to stop cheering.
7:11 p.m. Full text of the speech is here.
Tonight, I can stand before you and say that because of you I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.
7:15 p.m. Quite a contrast to the crowd at the Clinton speech. There are loud, sustained cheers for this:
Tonight I also want to thank the men and woman who took this journey with me as fellow candidates for president.At this defining moment for our nation, we should be proud that our party put forth one of the most talented, qualified field of individuals ever to run for this office. I have not just competed with them as rivals, I have learned from them as friends, as public servants, and as patriots who love America and are willing to work tirelessly to make this country better. They are leaders of this party, and leaders that America will turn to for years to come.
That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.
7:22 p.m. It’s as if the Obama campaign knew McCain was going to try to claim the “change” mantle in his speech earlier tonight. Here’s Obama’s response:
While John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign.It’s not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.
It’s not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs, or insure our workers, or help Americans afford the skyrocketing cost of college—policies that have lowered the real incomes of the average American family, widened the gap between Wall Street and Main Street, and left our children with a mountain of debt.
And it’s not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians—a policy where all we look for are reasons to stay in Iraq, while we spend billions of dollars a month on a war that isn’t making the American people any safer.
So I’ll say this—there are many words to describe John McCain’s attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush’s policies as bipartisan and new. But change is not one of them.
7:25 p.m. King County Executive Ron Sims, a superdelegate and former co-chair of Clinton’s campaign here, switches his support to Obama while Obama is speaking:
As a superdelegate and President of the National Democratic County Officials, I supported Senator Hillary Clinton early on and am truly honored to have been co-chair of her Washington State campaign. She is an extraordinary leader, and I have maintained my support for Senator Clinton through the grueling national primary and caucus process. Through it all I have been impressed by the wealth of riches we have had with two exceptional candidates. Now it is time for me to join other Democrats to unite behind Senator Obama. Senator Obama will bring much needed change and excitement to this country when he is elected President of the United States.
7:37 p.m. Obama is very much on his game tonight. The contrast, in the quality of the delivery, between him and all of his competitors is so stark, so striking, and so greatly to his advantage.
He closes having to shout over the screams and cheers of the audience…
America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
…and he exits to Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising,” followed by his usual closing song, Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
The talking heads on CNN are saying there were 17,000 people in the hall where Obama was speaking and 15,000 people outside listening to his address.
7:56 p.m. Before I sign off, it’s worth repeating something that everyone’s saying incessantly now—but that is still news, and still quite remarkable, when you stop listening to the repetition and think about the sweep of history:
Tonight the Democrats nominated the first African American candidate ever to head a major party in a presidential contest.
Craaaaaaaaaaaaaap ... McCain is delivering the shit out of that speech.
Damn right he should be thanking Hillary Clinton. He should pay her $20 million campaign debt.
Funny to have McCain speaking in the middle of LA and see nothing but a sea of white faces in the audience. Is he speaking at a Klan rally?
McCain is trying to preempt Obama too.
Is he saying New Orleans should lift itself up by its bootstraps?
anybody know what times Clinton and Obama are going to be speaking tonight?
McCain's smirks after each slam on Obama are driving me crazy. This speech is exactly what will woo people into trusting McCain. Notice how he keeps casting Obama as the other: "he doesn't trust us", etc.
Is this the part where Hillz reveals her true identity?
White She-Devil!!
wow, mccain has great timing. preempted by closing polls.
transcript of Obama's speech tonight has been released at
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash7.htm
u r welcome !
Unity!
@5: Clinton any minute (probably around 6:30) and Obama's speech is scheduled for 7pm Pacific Time
World Sports Grill? That's it, I'm voting for McCain.
@3,
There are plenty of Latino Republicans. They couldn't be bothered to find any?
I'm surprised by the SD result. I guess I shouldn't be.
Clinton enters the building underscored by "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (cough)
Hey Eli, Obama is actually speaking at the Xcel Energy Center in ST. PAUL (the same location as the GOP convention). But don't worry too much about it. The national media can't figure out the difference between St. Paul and Minneapolis, either.
Party at the Gameworks bar?? Are you fucking kidding me??? Goddamn amature hour at the apollo.
Jesus fucking christ, what the hell is wrong with you people? You may as well start at the cheesecake factory....
I'm almost getting ready to crack open that bottle cork...
almostttttt....
She *still* won't fucking concede! UNREAL
world sports grille isnt the worst bar to have an impromptu get together that is in an easily accessible location.
Fuck you Hillary.
Oh for the love of all that is holy.
Someone is going to have to wrestle her to the ground.
hillary: "i'll be making no decisions tonight"
that fucking bitch.... i'm sorry to offend those but this is fucking ridiculous. this needs to end.
Why can't she just say it? Why can't she just say it? Why can't she just say it? Why can't she just say it?
Well, she invoked 9/11, she can say that, but c'mon.
she just brought up 9/11 to finish it off. boo.
no she di'int.....please someone tell me she did NOT just invoke 9/11....
I'm just listening to her speech. She is not conceding.
*bangs head on desk*
Infuriating. But... somehow not all that surprising.
Hahaha Dan, I love you. I didn't even read the comments, and apparently we hold the same disgust for that "bar".
So goddamn gross/bad/dirty
*sigh* Leave it to the bitch to have no class and stay in. Its pathetic that she continues to drag out the inevitable.
Guess I'll have to wait a day to record her defeat for posterity. That video will be played over and over and over again as I enjoy every single moment of her concession.
patience. one more day of patience.
okay so hagetha said in her speech that we can go to her website and tell her what to do....but where the fuck do we find it on her fuglyass site?
i mean personally i want to tell her a FEW things....
sad that you didn't do a live blogging tonight for this last evening of the primary. :(
@16 Original Monique--there's also an Obama results-watch party at the Spitfire Grille. Does that meet with your approval? For future reference, would you like to list here exactly what local hot-spots are cool enough to deserve your support or patronage?
holy crap. the line for the obama rally got to be 1.5 miles long.
Abso-fuckin-lutely amazing. How can she claim to be winning the popular vote and counting every vote in the same breath? YOU'RE NOT COUNTING THE GODDAMN CAUCUS STATES IN THAT MATH. How can she claim that no one is invisible? THE GODDAMN CAUCUS STATES ARE INVISIBLE. Not one single nice word to Obama. FUCK YOU, Hillary. A big, hearty FUCK YOU from this invisible, not-counted-in-popular-vote-math, white-working-class male.
WHY... WON'T IT... DIE!!!!!!?!??!
It's ST. PAUL, dammit!
I'm disappointed by the SD results. I mean, it doesn't matter, ultimately, but ... it's a slightly disappointing end to me, somehow.
Oh well.
@Andy:
The spitfire is acceptable. Sorry but the gameworks bar is the worst bar in Seattle hands-down, other than the Turf.
ohhhhh there you go you fucking dick. Go to the turf. Or maybe you could hold the rally in Bellevue at that bowling alley that charges $100 a game. /rolls eyes
By not conceding tonight, despite the math, the delegate count, the defection of her own supers, the wave of other supers, the calls for unity, etc.... how Clinton claim she wants unity and ask for the V.P. spot?
She continues to stun us, doesn't she?
Maybe she'll run as an Indie.
Sitting in the car, in the rain, listening to
Obama's speech...it's sweet stuff. Cheers, all! Glad to be here with you.
Listen. And understand.
Hillary Clinton is running for President.
She can't be bargained with.
She can't be reasoned with.
She doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear.
And she absolutely will not stop.
Ever.
Until she gets the nomination.
this is a great night. obama had an excellent speech; mostly positive. i can't wait until he and mccain debate. it's going to be kennedy/nixon all over again.
@ 39: Shut your pie hole.
yes, but when is ECB going to officialy switch to Obama?,
so the fascists @ komo4 played the hillary psuedo-concession speech, then cut back to wheel of fortune, but refused to play the barack speech? um, they're more interested in white trash that think they can spell than letting their viewers know history is being made?
awesome.
karma's a bitch, eh kathy?
Buckle up, Obama, it's going to be a bumpy ride because the conservatives are salivating and waiting to unload the copious amounts of research they've been doing about your past.
Seriously Obama is going to have to do a lot to move more toward the center because the conservative's biggest point in their favor right now is the perception that he wants to lead this country into either socialism or communism. They've been working hard to build the case, take time to read the conservative blogs and it becomes clear.
And, though I'm not voting for McCain, I think you all do a man who has been in government for years a disservice if you think he won't be able to handle debating Obama. It would be a mistake to underestimate him.
Is anyone watching CNN? Why is Anderson Cooper talking about Donna Brazile's boobs? WTF?
@ 43, I don't want her to run independently, but her speech tonight left me thinking she'll stop at nothing. I hope I'm wrong, but it is a possibility.
While I agree, PopTart, that it would be a mistake to underestimate McCain, I do believe Obama's up to the task. He knows what's in store. He's just fought--and beaten--the Clinton machine by out-organizing, out-funding, and out-doing them. He's ready.
The choice between the "past" and the "future" couldn't be clearer.
46: Yes, moving to the center has really helped Democrats in recent years. This election is going to be decided on partisan lines and ideological debate, not by moving closer to the center. Let's not make this another chapter of the Al Gore-John Kerry saga.
She won't run as an independent. If she's going to sabotage his campaign, it will be in a passive-aggressive fashion. I'd like to think she wouldn't, and that her and her remaining supporters aren't the sort of people who have to break everything they can't have, but, well ...
@49 - Agreed. A few months ago, all the HRC supporters were saying that her aggressive campaign tactics, should he win the nomination, would help toughen him up to deal with McCain and the GOP. I think they may have been right.
46, but mccain is not a good orator, and obama is truly gifted in that department. plus, on the fly, no script, mccain is guaranteed to get all red in the face and put his foot in it, whereas obama is rather nimble on the fly. i wonder why mccain and his people don't seem more worried...like they know something we don't. scary.
If that speech is any indication, Obama's going for the shutout in November. McCain looked godawful. Obama's speech was outstanding. I still think it's going to be a blowout, and part of the reason is that Clinton IS, finally, going to move her supporters to the Obama camp. It's easy to get caught up in the primary emotions, but realistically, Clinton voters are going to think about the Supreme Court in November (see Erica's abortion item, for instance), and they're going to see more and more cluelessness from McCain, and it's going to be a record-breaker.
is the transcript for hillary's speech anywehre? i can't find it.
Eli! Firstly, let me just say this: your primary coverage rocks my face off. Seriously, man, its awesome shit.
Secondly, about this sentence fragment: ".... and finally Obama speaks in Minneapolis."
No, he didn't, actually. Obama spoke at what will be the site of the GOP convention, which is the Xcel Center, which is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minneapolis and Saint Paul - together known as the Twin Cities - are officially co-hosting the convention. But all of the political action will be at the Xcel Center. Please make a note of it, and pass along a memo to all your buddies in the national media.
Once and for all, he's not African-American.
@56: Thanks much on both counts. I've changed the location to St. Paul.
Odrama loses South Dakota tonight and nope nothing to worry since S. Dakota won't vote Dems right? Like all the states he lost it won't matter come November. Take it to Denver Hillary!
@57: Yes, he is. His father was from Africa and his mother was from America. Ergo: African-American.
What a treat for America if we elect this man President. Honest to god...I am very proud of both Dem candidates tonight.
Who cares what Hillary said tonight. Obama gave a fucking great speech. A presidential speech. He has come out of this nomination fight totally ready to kick McCain's ass!
from the NYT blog:
"11 p.m. | Clinton ‘Family Drama’: In a discussion on CNN about Mrs. Clinton’s speech, Carl Bernstein said Bill Clinton was very upset too, and “we’re in the midst of another Clinton family drama.” He said that Mrs. Clinton did not concede because she wants to leave her options open — and doesn’t want to leave her husband’s legacy “where it is right now” (which is not good).
Mr. Bernstein also said she had expected a much bigger turnout in Puerto Rico in Sunday’s primary, and that “she was shocked and hurt that she couldn’t claim a much bigger portion of the popular vote tonight.” She had intended “to be even more combative” in her speech tonight, he said, and did not want to go as far as she did.
Jeffrey Toobin, one of the commentators who had started this conversation on CNN, blamed “the deranged narcissism of the Clintons,” for preventing her from conceding to Mr. Obama or being more magnanimous toward him."
I can't believe we're this close to electing a black President. I know it's not there yet, but ... holy shit.
O's speech is full of uninspiring "unity" craps. More than half of the Americans won't give a freaking crap about what he says.
Eli, that's not the usual definition of African-American.
An African-American is a descendant of the slaves. He's only half African-American. His other half is just plain American, plain white.
Which isn't to say it's not impressive, but it's not quite as amazing as an actual 100% (or at least 75%) black man elected. Just as a woman riding her husband's back into office wouldn't have been impressive either.
It's a start. But it's not the kind of amazing breakthrough of diversity we could have. Obama doesn't have a loopy religion, speaks in a plain white American accent, and so on. He's pretty boringly white American.
"im in ur base killin ur d00dz"
Now a black man is gonna be the prez all whiteys' sins are absolved. Oh don't forget reparation.
Holyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy cow. I found out where ECB hangs out online.
http://blog.hillaryclinton.com/blog/main/2008/06/03/163233
My ancestors already paid reparations, devon, in blood. Three of them, that I know of, dead, and another sick for the rest of his life from spending the war chest deep in mud in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.
But yes, a black man, a black man; I have never been more proud of what my country can do. One more step, that's all.
@ 69 - Wow, and we arent allowed to use the word "hysterical" to describe those reactions, right? that is some straight up crazy shit in that link.
You remember how as a kid, no matter how much it hurt, you wouldn't say 'uncle'? Say 'aunt', Hillary... It's time.
66: Yeah, a boring white American with a black wife and black kids, formerly a member of a progressive black church. I think you're "whitewashing" Obama a bit there. If he wasn't famous and was driving a sports car down a road at night, he'd be far more likely to be pulled over by cops for appearing to be a black male. White racists certainly wouldn't distinguish him from the black community. In society's eyes, he's black. He might not be super-ethnic and slanging the Ebonics, but in a society hellbent on seeing color, he's black enough.
My mom, a 65 year old, white, single mother offered this up, via email tonight:
His speech was excellent...it was outdone only by the idiocy of Hillary's.
This was after she'd left me a voicemail, imploring me to turn on the TV to watch history being made. She's got plenty of time to monitor the news, having retired from her blue-collar job to care for my grandfather, a lifelong Dem and Obama supporter until his recent passing.
It was a good day.
ronald wilson obama.
Remember, Jack Kennedy was assassinated in his first term.
America, I'm here for you!!!
@69 - Holy crap, that was the scariest thing I've ever read on the Internet.
Oh jesus, I think I just figured out what Clinton might do. It's a long-shot, but it's the one sure way of defeating Obama in November. She'll take the VP slot...
...for McCain.
Sure the Republicans will flip out, but he can make up for the loss of some by telling them privately that it's a token appointment, while reaping the rewards of all those rabid Clinton supporters who will never vote for the scary black man who cheated their chosen goddess out of being President.
Dear god, I hope I'm wrong. I don't think I can take four years of McCain, let alone McCain/Clinton.
@77,
Fear not - she'll spend a few days extracting her pound of flesh from Obama (which, even though I think she took her campaign way too far in some regards she probably has earned more than a few ounces of) and will jump into line because...
@ 62,
Sven has conceded gracefully, as will the vast majority of the other passionate Hillary supporters who will get over their personal disappointment and realize what's really at stake in this election once the campaign focuses on the staggering differences between McCain and Obama/the failed path we are on vs. the changes that a clear majority of America wants to see.
Seriously, though, mad props to Big Sven for modeling the tone we need to ensure the huge majority/turnout/tidal wave it will take to keep these crooks from stealing this election, too....
Thanks, Mr. X. I think all the Clinton supporters around the SLOGosphere- even unPC and Odrama- will eventually see the big picture and support Obama. I was thrilled to see Rhett, one of my oldest and bestest compatriots, the man who gave me my Clinton button at one of the first SLOG happy hours, stand up for Obama @72.
It's the socially conservative blue collar Democrats that need the convincing. I want to be part of that conversation- "here are your economic realities, here's what McCain would do to you, here's what Obama would do for you. And oh by the way- McCain doesn't really want to expand gun rights or overturn Roe vs Wade or put prayer in school..."
We stress the social issues here at the SLOG, but if the working poor were shown how badly they've faired under eight years of Bush, there's no fucking way they'd vote Republican this time.
My daddy, who is very politically far left has listened to Rush Limbaugh for years. I asked him why he did that and he told me it is important to listen to hear what the other side actually is talking about, instead of assuming we think we know what they are talking about.
In that vein, I've spent a lot of time reading the conservative sites. And I've got to tell you they are about to open a whole can of scary on the American people about Obama. And it has nothing to do with the color of his skin.
They will play up his extreme left political connections and ask whether the country wants to move toward socialism. They will argue that he has no experience and no diplomacy skills yet he wants to sit down and talk to thugs who support terrorism. They will play again and again clips of him telling Americans they have to give up their cars and not eat what they want in order to appease other countries. And, all it will take is a few photos of alleged terrorists cheering for him to paint him as the candidate the terrorists want to see us elect.
We are lucky that we live in a mostly socially progressive and liberal area and the majority of us are well educated and can apply critical thinking skills to these arguments. But, we're not their target audience.
I guess I'm saying, like my daddy told me, we have to listen to what they are actually saying to hear what we need to fight against.
I'd just like a moment to say:
YAY!
Sorry for the mean spirited remarks. They were meant to be funny, but I was drunk and now they come off as lame.
Remember kids: Don't Slog Drunk!
Don't snog drunk, either.
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