John Berman has been at ABC since 1995, and allowed to appear on television since 2001. He covered the 2008 campaign extensively, following John McCain and Mitt Romney during the primaries and then Barack Obama in the general election. He also spent more than 20 months chasing George W. Bush around the country as a producer from 1999 until 2001, earning the clever nickname, "Pain in the Ass," from our 43rd president. He is a frequent and sometimes welcome contributor to all of ABC's broadcasts.
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Blogging the Kentucky and Oregon primaries by The Note's Rick Klein
May 20, 2008 5:35 PM
9:05 pm ET: So now Iowa for Obama tonight, then Florida tomorrow. His fundraising, again, blows hers away. The math is the math. Not much good from Clinton's perspective, given the fact that she's cruising to a 30-point victory.
How many supers fall tomorrow? What does Nancy Pelosi do?
Read about it in The Note tomorrow morning...
8:44 pm ET: Speech struck me as just gracious enough, but not overly so. Still sounds like she's in it to win it, or something like that. Phony numbers are what they are, but she's still got her argument. Maybe she's justifying her continued candidacy to herself at this point -- it's hard to tell.
8:27 pm ET: Support the nominee "whoever she may be." Nice touch.
8:20 pm ET: "We're winning the popular vote," she adds. OK, this remains more than problematic -- if not downright deceitful. But it's an argument -- and really the only reason to still care about what's going to happen with Florida and Michigan.
"Why do millions keep turning out to vote in the face of naysayers and skeptics?" There's your question to Obama tonight.
8:19 pm ET: "Pretty tough odds," she said. Yup. "You've never given up on me because you know I'll never give up on you."
8:15 pm ET: Also: "Count the Votes."
8:14 pm ET: Hard to miss that sign behind Hillary on stage in Louisville: "Yes Women Can."
8:08 pm ET: Here's one way to change the subject: From ABC's Jake Tapper: "ABC News has learned that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., hauled in $31.9 million in April (including $600,000 for the general election) to continue his battle for the Democratic nomination against Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Two hundred thousand new donors joined Obama's effort last month."
8:03 pm ET: From ABC's Sunlen Miller: "The Obama family just arrived on the plane in Chicago to fly to Des Moines. While they were boarding Obama was yelled at by reporters how he was feeling, "I'm doing good, " he responded. And with that he got on the plane - and as a side note, he was wearing the flag pin . . . as he has every day this week."
7:24 pm ET: So it's hard to change games that are already over, but if it's over, who forgot to tell the voters in Kentucky? Same folks who didn't tell the voters of West Virginia? The question will be asked among Democrats -- what does this say about Sen. Obama's prospects? I don't claim to know the answer to that yet.
7 pm ET: Right at poll closing time, from ABC's Decision Desk: "Based on exit polls, ABC News projects that Clinton will win the Kentucky Democratic Primary by a large margin."
There you have it -- "large margin." Don't look now, but Hillary Clinton's on a winning streak -- if it matters anymore.
6:30 pm ET: Another interesting point about tonight: These two states are a test case for Obama's socioeconomic problems, while factoring out race. Kentucky and Oregon are both overwhelmingly white states -- but Democrats look very different in those states. Thus Clinton is favored in Kentucky, Obama in Oregon. That split really is more salient for the general election.
6:26 pm ET: This whole phenomenon of people saying they'll leave the party if Obama's the nominee -- do you think we'd hear similar things if Clinton was on the verge of the nomination? And how much of it is people registering frustration via pollsters, versus actually committing to cross over and vote for McCain?
I'm still struck by how comparatively little Obama has sought to tailor his message for the working class. It may be that this thing was far enough along by the time his problems became evident that he hasn't had to. But does anyone think this won't be a problem in the fall?
5:57 pm ET: From the early exits, an early, glaring warning sign: "Nearly half of Kentucky Democratic voters say they would not support [Obama] in a November election against John McCain, similar to the result in West Virginia," per ABC's Gary Langer.
Yowsers. Remember that this guy is going to be the nominee...
--------------------------
Hi gang, Rick Klein here from ABC's The Note. I'll be online tonight as the results roll in, with the latest from exit polls and from our reporters in the field.
It almost seems awkward to have an election night tonight, given the news out of Boston that has frozen the political world. Here's guessing that you could get Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain to agree immediately that Sen. Ted Kennedy is a national treasure. We all pray for his swift recovery.
Some day we'll miss these election days -- but that day isn't here yet. So in the meantime -- what's at stake? I argue in today's Note that these contests could have bearing on the race for vice president, in the sense that this could be filling out Sen. Clinton's electoral resume. It has the potential to be an odd night indeed for Obama; he's been the all-but certain nominee in the eyes of the mainstream media for two weeks now, and still he could lose rather badly in Kentucky. He'll have Oregon, in all likelihood -- and more significantly he'll have Iowa tonight, and one of the most closely watched speeches of his campaign.
His tone will be all-important when he declares a majority of pledged delegates. That's about as important a threshold as all the other ways the Democrats don't determine the nomination (popular vote, number of states won, electoral college weight of states won, number of times your supporters go on TV to say you're winning) but this is a significant milestone that will be marked as such.
Yet the Obama campaign seemed burned when word got out that Obama would in any sense be declaring "victory" tonight. With all the ruffled Democratic feathers these days, what can he say or do to set the right tone?
May 20, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (283)
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Wow, another ObamaFest. What a surprise. I will get my beads and headband. And my wallet. He is the most egomaniac candidate in history. I am sure he will declare his birthday a national holiday at his coronation. Why vote? The media has decided Iowa decides our elections.
Posted by: Karen | May 20, 2008 5:50:36 PM
Karen,
I sure hope you are not one of those Republi-rats pretending to be a Clinton Supporter, because you sure make us real Democratic Supporters of Clinton look bad.
A real Democrat cannot be so negatiove towards a potential Democratic party Nominee.
Give it a rest "sweetie".
Posted by: Steve_NJ | May 20, 2008 5:56:19 PM
Karen,
I sure hope you are not one of those Republi-rats pretending to be a Clinton Supporter, because you sure make us real Democratic Supporters of Clinton look bad.
A real Democrat cannot be so negative towards a potential Democratic party Nominee.
Give it a rest "sweetie".
Posted by: Steve_NJ | May 20, 2008 5:57:19 PM
I think it is time to boycott the media! If Obama does get the nomination I will only watch fox News (I never thought I would be saying that) because they are the only ones that have been fair in this election. OBAMA IS A JOKE!
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 5:58:16 PM
He shouldn't be giving a speech tonight in Iowa. That would be setting the right tone.
But in his infinate arrogance he just doesn't get it.
All it will do is tick off women, Florida and Michigan, three things he needs to win in Nov.
But he isn't going to win in NOV and tonight's speech is just one more reason why.
Posted by: s.b. | May 20, 2008 5:58:19 PM
@ Steve_NJ
You obviously have a small P*nIs.
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 6:00:11 PM
By the way Rick just because the MSM says he is the nominee doesn't mean he will be.
There are 800 votes that can change their minds before August.
If they want to win in Nov, they may just do that, no matter what they have said in public.
Obama is unelectable.
Posted by: s.b. | May 20, 2008 6:00:24 PM
John,
You must be nuts.
Fox news objective?????
What have you been smoking buddy????
Posted by: Steve_NJ | May 20, 2008 6:01:01 PM
Rick Klein,
You are one of them too? There is no nominee yet.
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 6:02:48 PM
Clinton or McCain 2008 !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Never OBAMA .................
Posted by: keith1212 | May 20, 2008 6:03:41 PM
Early exit polls show 73% in Kentucy say that if Hillary is not the nominee than they will NOT support Obama. I also love how the Obama supporters say that if you say you will not support Obama than you are a pretend Republican. I am a True Hillary supporter and a Democrat BUT I will NEVER Support Obama! There is nothing that the Obama Kool-Aid drinkers can every say that will convince MOST Hillary supporters to vote for Obama. It is not that we like McCain, it is just that we will not support a MEDIA created FAKE.
Posted by: Noway Obama | May 20, 2008 6:06:33 PM
ABC, CNN and MSNBC have been in love with Obama from day 1 and told the world she was done after every primary. How could anyone compete with that? Obama is NOTHING and stands for NOTHING. How did he get this far? The majority of the media has gone to Sh*t.
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 6:08:08 PM
Ahh Rick, it's good to see you in charge of this blog. Now, at least Tapper's hounds won't censor every other post; That being said, what's up with all these Republicans spamming the Democratic primary blogs??? WTF??? I mean, I know your not happy with neo-lib McCain, but at least fein interest or act like the Republicans you are, rather than attack Democrats for being Democrats. Hell Hilliary's more conservative than McCain for christ sake. Are you sure you guys have registered as Democrats, or are you a part of Rush Limbaugh's overstated "Operation Chaos???" Any follower or person who takes their marching orders from Rupert Murdoch of FOX news or Limbaugh sure aint no Democrat!
Posted by: blog | May 20, 2008 6:09:12 PM
Obama, media and his supporters already made Hillary's supporters mad and they will vote against him in November. We will begin to switch to Fox news soon.
Posted by: Stephanie | May 20, 2008 6:11:44 PM
Never forget Obama's spiritual leader of 20 years:
"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. ... God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme." ... "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye." ... "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost." ... "We started the AIDS virus ...
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 6:13:34 PM
John,
You appear to be kinda dyslexic on this one grasshoppa.
This campaign has shown that Obama has gotten everything right and what he stands for eminates in millions of Americans.
You will soon bear witness to the powerful grassroots American Movemement of HOPE AND CHANGE.
To top it off, you or any other whiney cynic, even as a collective, can't stop it.
See you at the inauguration!
Posted by: Nat Turner | May 20, 2008 6:13:44 PM
NO TRUE DEMOCRAT WILL REFUSE TO SUPPORT THE PARTY NOMINEE.
I AM A HILLARY SUPPORTER AND A TRUE DEMOCRAT. I WILL SUPPORT THE PARTY NOMINEE EVEN IF THAT NOMINEE IS OBAMA.
SAY IT AND FREE YOURSELVES PRETENDERS.
YOU ARE NOT DEMOCRATS, YOU ARE REPUGNANTS.
Posted by: Steve_NJ | May 20, 2008 6:15:03 PM
Ahh our first lady is so lovely:
"For the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change." --Michelle Obama
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 6:15:26 PM
John, Ditto to your comment at 6:00:11.
Posted by: Brent | May 20, 2008 6:16:55 PM
John,
Son, don't you get it? Nobody's hearing you. Relocate to Fox news where other neanderthals whine and grunt at each other over who has the biggest stick.
You're funny. Barnum and Bailey are looking for some good clowns.
Posted by: Nat Turner | May 20, 2008 6:17:08 PM
I'm a life-long Democrat, but there is no way on God's green earth that I'm voting for Radical Obama.
Obama supporters do not get it, but Obama is too far left for most blue collar Americans to vote for.
Obama will say whatever he thinks will get him elected, but his actions speak much louder than his words-- and his actions show that he went out of his way to listen to the anti-American and racist sermons of Radical Left-Wing Pastor Jeremiah Wright for the last 20 years.
Posted by: USmarine0331 | May 20, 2008 6:17:50 PM
Over 70% of Clinton voters in KY say they will not vote Obama.
Wow! I hope those 800 super delegates ar thinking hard about those numbers.
He is unelectable.
Posted by: s.b. | May 20, 2008 6:18:04 PM
Things I never though I would do: Watch Fox News, Vote Republican, but then I never expected DNC to act like this or the MSM to be so biased. Never expected them to nominate such a green person. So never say never.
Posted by: Hillary1st,McCain2nd | May 20, 2008 6:18:31 PM
To blog
What do you mean by Republicans spamming these blogs. Are you also one of the ones who calls everyone who post against Obama a Republicans. Most of the post are from Democrats (Hillary Supporters) that wil not support Obama no matter what anyone says. A TRUE AMERICAN AND DEMOCRAT WOULD NEVER SUPPORT THE MEDIA CREATED FAKE CALLED OBAMA!
Posted by: Noway Obama | May 20, 2008 6:18:34 PM
@ Steve_NJ
You obviously have a small P*nIs.
Posted by: John | May 20, 2008 6:00:11 PM
************************
John,
This must also apply to Obama "Sweetie".
Posted by: Steve_NJ | May 20, 2008 6:18:51 PM
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