OBAMA CLINCHES MAJORITY, OPENS 8% LEAD OVER McCAIN
Late night host Conan O’Brian joked this week that Hillary Clinton told her supporters that John McCain was “out of touch” right before she told them how she’s going to win the Democratic nomination. Who exactly is out of touch again?
Barack Obama did two very important things this week: First, and most importantly, yesterday he officially clinched more than 50% of the total number of pledged delegates, meaning that if Clinton’s miracle super delegate scenario was to happen, it’s a deal that would be clearly overturning the will of the people.
Second, the powerful image of the Obama campaign event in Oregon which showed a sea of 80,000 supporters — most of them “hard-working white voters” (take that, pundits!) — showed that Barack Obama is unlike any political figure America has ever seen — and a force that no unpledged delegate, no matter how “super”, should dare stand in the way of.
And then just to add a cherry on top, this today from Reuters:
Democrat Barack Obama has opened an 8-point national lead on Republican John McCain as the U.S. presidential rivals turn their focus to a general election race, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.
Obama, who was tied with McCain in a hypothetical head-to-head match up last month, moved to a 48 percent to 40 percent lead over the Arizona senator in May as he took command of his gruelling Democratic presidential duel with rival Hillary Clinton.
The Illinois senator has not yet secured the Democratic presidential nomination to run against McCain in November.
The poll also found Obama expanded his lead over Clinton in the Democratic race to 26 percentage points, doubling his advantage from mid-April as Democrats begin to coalesce around Obama and prepare for the general election battle with McCain.
EARLIER STORY:
As voters in Kentucky and Oregon are heading to the poll today, Barack Obama’s campaign is preparing to declare victory tonight — well, sort of.
After the votes are counted this evening, one thing is certain: Obama will have won a clear majority of the total number of pledged delegates (that is, delegates awarded in every state based upon actual voting), making him “the people’s candidate”.
While it is still *possible* that the so-called super delegates (party officials, Democratic members of Congress, and other party elites with special voting power) can overturn the result of these contests, of which Obama has already won 32 of 49, it is very unlikely.
For her part, Hillary Clinton is still not giving up. Although the math is next to impossible to overcome, the former First Lady says she’s staying in the race until the very last contest.
As for Obama, he’ll be speaking tonight from the site of the first contest: Iowa.
Bringing to full circle, as the pundits describe it, Obama returns to the state that gave him the first win of the 2008 Democratic Presidential contest and proved to many people that he could indeed win.
Here in St. Louis, Obama supporters will gather to watch the results of the Kentucky and Oregon primaries in what they are calling the “LAST Primary Watch Party”.
They’ll be at Bar Italia, 11 Maryland Plaza in the Central West End, from 6:30pm “til Barack speaks.”
RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rv3
About This Author: Antonio D. French is a writer, political consultant, and newly-elected Democratic Committeeman living in north St. Louis, Missouri. Have your own opinion about this story? Go ahead and leave a comment. But be respectful to others and show you own a pair by actually using your real name. Anonymity is cowardice. And don't forget to subscribe to our feed and get PubDef stories delivered right to your feed reader or email inbox.
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