The Page
Politics up to the Minute
Headlines from May 6th, 2008
OBAMA WINS NORTH CAROLINA
The Illinois Senator speaks in Raleigh post-win: “I believe in our ability to perfect this union because it’s the only reason I’m standing here today. And I know the promise of America because I have lived it.” Spends more time focusing on McCain than his Democratic rival. Read McCain camp response here. Watch video clip above. Read his full remarks here. With 99% of the precincts reporting: Obama 57%, Clinton 43%. Latest results here. Plus: WashPost on how Obama tried to change the narrative: "By engaging Clinton in a heated debate about a summer suspension of the gasoline tax, Obama was able to shift the campaign discourse away from his former pastor." Permalink
Michigan Dems Settle on Delegate-Seating Plan
The state party's executive committee voted to ask the Rules and Bylaws Committee to give Clinton 69 delegates and Obama 59 as a way to get them seated at the national convention. Clinton won the Jan. 15 Michigan primary and was to get 73 pledged delegates under state party rules, while Obama was to get 55. The state also has 29 superdelegates. Permalink
Campaign Strategists on the Results
Both sides scramble to claim victory in Tuesday's match-ups: Obama's David Axelrod: Clinton's team is "going to have a lot to think about." Only she can decide whether to drop out, but "the math is the math," "no matter how many times you change the rules." Adds that if she starts to hurt Obama's chances in November when it's clear she can't win, that's something she should think about. Read more. Clinton’s Mo Elleithee: “We're pumped. Senator Obama called this the tie-breaker, and it's looking very strong for us. We started way behind in both states and made up significant ground tonight. Momentum is clearly on our side, and we're going to take that momentum to West Virginia, Kentucky, and the remaining states.” Clinton’s Jay Carson: “We have won the state that Sen. Obama said was a tie-breaker and we've won the swing voters Democrats need to win in a general and it's on to the May contests and beyond.” Permalink
Nearly a Quarter of Republicans Vote Against McCain
The GOP nominee-in-waiting wins less than 80 percent of the vote in Tuesday's Republican primaries. Permalink
Brazile-Begala Debate With Vigor
Required reading: Transcript of CNN debate between “undeclared” (not “uncommitted”) superdelegate Donna Brazile and Clinton-supporting Paul Begala about Obama’s electability. Read it here, and watch video here. With a key cameo by Republican Alex Castellanos. Permalink
NORTH CAROLINA, INDIANA PRELIMINARY EXIT POLLS
Fox: 48% in Indiana and in North Carolina say Rev. Wright was "very" or "somewhat" important to their vote. Watch video above. Read more from Fox here. CNN: Among black voters in Indiana: Obama 92%, Clinton 8%; Among black voters in North Carolina: Obama 91%, Clinton 6%. About half of Clinton voters in both states said they would not vote for Obama in November. Most Obama supporters would vote for Clinton in both states. More from CNN here. ABC: Voters made up their minds earlier than in some other states. Read more. CBS: Half of voters in both states valued the ability to bring change most; less than a quarter valued experience most. Read more. AP: Two-thirds of Democratic voters in Indiana and nearly as many in North Carolina said the economy is the biggest issue. Read more. MSNBC breaks down early voters: 37% white women, 30% over 60, 39% college grads, 7% first time voters To know why “caution” is no ordinary word in the North Carolina and Indiana exit polls-- click here. Permalink
Ickes Throws Down the Gauntlet on What Constitutes a Majority of the Delegates
Clinton delegate honcho tells The Page that his camp believes 2,209 -- not 2,025 -- is the magic number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination because they're counting Michigan and Florida. "I know the Obama people like to use the smaller amount. We don't even like the implication of it, much less the amount. It implies he doesn't recognize Florida and Michigan. We don't see how he can do that politically...So our target is 2,209 and we think Hillary is in a good position to get there." Also repeats his calling card to supers: “We don’t know enough about Senator Obama yet. We don’t need an October Surprise. And (the chance of) an October Surprise with Hillary is remote.” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe responds: “Suggesting that Hillary Clinton is the best avenue to avoid an October Surprise is a curious strategy, to say the least.” Read more from The Page’s interview with Ickes here, including his thoughts on whether Obama has 50 supers in his back pocket and what he thinks of Mark Penn’s role in the campaign now. Permalink
Clinton's Wallet Might Have Opened Again
Politico: Clinton chair Terry McAuliffe says "Might be. Might not be,” when asked if she has ponied up for another loan to her own campaign. Permalink
Obama Gets Another Cover
June Esquire features Land of Lincolner. Permalink
The Goracle Speaks
Former Veep doesn't rule out an endorsement, and/but expects the party to come together, a de facto nominee to be determined sooner rather than later, and the Florida and Michigan delegations to be seated in Denver. Read more of what Gore said on NPR Tuesday-- click here. Terry Gross asks if there's a chance Gore might intervene in a deadlocked race: Listen to his answer. Permalink
Limbaugh Relishes Apparent Indiana “Chaos”
Conservative radio host leads Tuesday broadcast with news reports, testimonials he says he's getting from the field of Republicans participating in crossover voting to keep the Democratic race going. Listen to first few minutes of broadcast here. Plus: Indy Star reports traditionally GOP voters seem to be participating in Indiana's Democratic primary. Permalink
Democrats Assail McCain's Speech on Judges
Clinton response: “We won't take lectures on the right way to approach the Constitution from Senator McCain, who voted for extreme conservative judges like Justice Thomas." Read full response. Obama response: "John McCain promised his conservative base four more years of out-of-touch judges...." Read full response. Earlier Tuesday, McCain criticizes Clinton and Obama in address assuring conservatives he will nominate judges who strictly interpret the Constitution. Click above to watch. Read full remarks here. Permalink
Clinton Charges Forward
The Senator returns to the campaign trail, holding rally with her daughter in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. "We were excited about our come-from-behind-victory in Indiana," she says, noting she'd been behind by about eight points. Makes no mention of North Carolina or Sen. Obama. Upbeat finish: "I hope next Tuesday you will give me a chance to be your president!" Permalink
The Candidate and the Consultant
On ABC's "Nightline," Obama says, “James Carville is well-known for spouting off his mouth without always knowing what he's talking about.” Find out what set Obama off-- click here. Permalink
John and Elizabeth Edwards to Sit Out
North Carolina power couple tells People magazine they won't endorse. But they do give their likes and dislikes about Obama and Clinton in a rare joint interview. Read those eye-popping answers here. Permalink
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