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Obama Moves on to General Election Before Primaries Conclude

May 26, 2008 9:39 PM

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was campaigning in New Mexico today, and this week he will also hit Nevada and Colorado.

These are states that have already held their primaries -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., won New Mexico, she won Nevada, though Obama won more delegates, and Obama won Colorado.

Is the Democratic primary season over? No, it's not. But Obama is signaling that he has moved on to the general election.

Puerto Rico and its 55 pledged delegates are up for grabs Sunday, and Montana and South Dakota will hold their contests -- with a combined 31 pledged delegates available -- on Tuesday, June 3. Obama will spend time in all three states, but he will also be spending time in these general election states, instead of spending time in the primary states.

So, is it presumptuous for Obama to be campaigning in states other than the three holding contests this week?

Depends who you ask.

Certainly the math is tough, if not impossible, for Clinton.

But then again, what signal does it send that Obama is taking time he could be spending in PR, MT, and SD, focused on the general election? Certainly that signal is something his campaign wants to be sending. They want everyone, especially the media and the 200-plus uncommitted superdelegates, to say this is all over.

But we don't know what the Democratic National Committee's rules and bylaws committee will decide to do on Saturday, when it rules on the Michigan and Florida contests.

The ruling will likely mean the number of delegates needed to win the nomination will change.

And what happens if 900,000 Puerto Ricans turn out on Sunday and vote 70-30 for Clinton? Won't that seriously buttress her popular vote argument so that she doesn't have to rely on that fuzzy math where she gives herself 320,000 votes from Michigan and gives Obama zero?

And what happens if Obama doesn't win Montana or South Dakota, states he's expected to put in his column? Will he regret his time in Las Cruces?

The math is the math, yes, but Obama acting as if this is all a done deal certainly might rub some Democrats the wrong way. What say you? Is he being arrogant or pragmatic? Presumptuous or wise?

- jpt

May 26, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (273)

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It is SO tragic how the media has hurt Hillary OVER AND OVER again, how the late night show hosts ridicule her, not her policies, but her laugh, her facial expressions, stupid things that are WAY below the belt, from everyone, mostly men, who are really scared of a woman in a previously man's position. That shows their insecurities and stupidities. But precious Obama has never been subject to such verbal torment by the media, probably because he is a man.

The men cannot accept that a woman is really that intelligent, qualified to be President, experienced, and that would make the best President we would have ever seen in a long, long time.

The two-faced treatment of Hillary in the press, and with Obama not facing the same treatment from everyone, has given him an unfair advantage. No one ever heard of him before this, he has no track record, and if he wins, he will have won unfairly, by stupid people.

GET REAL. GROW UP. VOTE FOR THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON, WITH THE BEST HEAD ON THEIR SHOULDERS. WE NEED A GOOD PRESIDENT LIKE HILLARY!

Posted by: GET REAL | May 28, 2008 11:40:42 AM

Obama is an idiot. Get Real. He has NO experience in Washington or foreign affairs, and will make blunders that will REALLY harm America. But if he is elected, it will be too late. And we all know he will mostly support a "particular" group of people.

Hillary knows what she is doing. She will be truly "READY ON DAY ONE", and she was supported by 34 AMERICAN GENERALS to that effect, (see video). And she has spent her whole life helping children, the underprivileged, the underdog, and the elderly. She has a strong sense of justice.

It will truly be wrong if she is not elected. She is the best candidate I have seen in many, many years.

Posted by: GET REAL | May 28, 2008 11:29:10 AM

Arrogant? You bet. Let the people finish voting please. Then the MI and FL votes have to be worked out and then the SuperDems must vote. This is not a done deal. To act like it is, really is presumptious and disrespectful to the remaining voters and it's disrespectful to the process. June 3rd is just a week away, the Obama camp could have waited until then at the very least.

Posted by: OceanCityGirl | May 28, 2008 10:13:59 AM

Tired of Ignorance....Obama has actually only worked in the Senate about 150 days...heard that on Fox news about a month ago. A three year Senator has been working more on his Presidential campaign, it seems.

Posted by: Debra | May 28, 2008 1:31:09 AM

YES WE CAN speak truth to power.
YES WE CAN stand in righteous indignation against the injustice we have felt from members of our own party.
YES WE CAN exercise our right to vote for whomever we feel will best serve the nation.
YES WE CAN refuse to support a party that has turned it's back on it's most loyal supporters.
YES WE CAN stand on principle, in large numbers, because there are more important things than politics.
YES WE CAN change our party affiliation.
YES WE CAN stand up against fear mongering from our former party(Roe v. Wade)
YES WE CAN recognize incompetence in our Democratic Congress and feel secure in knowing that they don't get anything done anyway.
YES WE CAN say NO to change we don't believe in.
YES WE CAN vote for McCain in Nov, and deny the presidency to a man we consider to be nothing more than a politically expedient, self serving, corrupt fraud.
YES WE CAN, and many of us will.

Posted by: rosietheriveter | May 28, 2008 12:04:23 AM

Wow. All of this talk about Obama not having enough experience!
Hilary actually has less experience as an elected official.
Hillary - 2000-present as NY Sentor
Barack - 1996--2004 in Ill Senate
2004-present Il Senator

Sleeping with the president doesn't count. There are a lot of women who could claim that same experience. lol

Posted by: Tired of Ignorance | May 27, 2008 8:49:17 PM

If Obama was seriously campaigning to WIN the general election, you'd think he'd start mending some fences with all the HRC "sweeties" he's royally ticked off!

Posted by: Amy | May 27, 2008 7:20:59 PM

HoosierSue | May 27, 2008 4:10:48 PM

;-)

Posted by: eyes open | May 27, 2008 6:42:06 PM

Many women who are avowed Hillary Clinton supporters are declaring they won't vote for Barack Obama in the fall. I get the anger and the disappointment. But to quote SNL's Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers: Really? You'd rather vote for John McCain, a man who has a 25-year history of voting against a woman's right to choose? A man who over the last eight years that NARAL has released a pro-choice scorecard has received a 0 percent rating? A man whose campaign website says he believes Roe v. Wade "must be overturned"? A man who has vowed that, as president, he will be "a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement"? Really?

Posted by: Kate | May 27, 2008 5:56:36 PM

dennis writes, "it's high time this country get united..."

I agree. United against Obama!

Posted by: HoosierSue | May 27, 2008 4:10:48 PM

Obama has to move on because McCain has moved on! The DEM party continues to hide its head in the sand an hope it all works out.

Hillary probably will win PuertoRico by 70-30 and loose MT and SD moderately....this is getting very predictable. But it won't matter.

Posted by: Young Atheart | May 27, 2008 2:38:40 PM

You're kidding, right? Obama has won the majority of pledged delegates and is clearly the inevitable nominee while Hillary Clinton continues a disgraceful strategy of lying and cheating her way to a stolen nomination, which won't happen. Everyone knows this except the Clintons and perhaps yourself. Everyone knows that the popular vote measure doesn't matter and is wholly illegitimate and impossible to calculate fairly, except the Clintons and perhaps yourself. This silly, speculative post suggests that the Obama campaign knows nothing more than you about the internal polling of the final primaries and what will happen on May 31. For the record, I have no problem with Obama campaigning for the general election now, as he should. Not even the Clintons have complained about that, they're too busy lying and cheating and, well you know the rest.

Posted by: DoctorJ | May 27, 2008 1:50:49 PM

I think he has to manage a fine balancing act. On the one hand, he needs to go back to S.D., MT, and PR, and campaign like he wants to win these states. On the other hand, campaignig as if he were already in the GE, as he did over the weekend sends an important signal not only to the Supers, but also to McCain.

But it is a fine line.

Posted by: Suzanne | May 27, 2008 1:38:28 PM

Jack Tapper is showing his true worth, trying to elongate the democratic primary season. It makes for good copy.

This is why the DP has dragged on so long, is articles like this one that perpetuate the myth that Clinton can win. The MATH IS IT. Yes it is impossible... so why all the hand wringing and nay saying.

This thing has been over for some time now, it's just that the Hillary will not admit it (hoping for the worst quite clearly) and that the media is playing along.

This has been damaging for the country, but it sells papers and makes for 'interesting' commentary. But in then end, it will be Obama, he has already won. So there is no need for him to contest these last primaries... get over it Jack.

Posted by: BubbiSmith | May 27, 2008 1:13:09 PM

Obama is doing the right thing, let's get the DNC juggernaut going, dispel RNC's hogwash, and patch up Clinton's slurs.

We've all seen how fast things have changed since Last November, by November '08 it'll be "Hilary who?"

It's high time this country gets united, gets Bush/Cheney into the historical best seller list, and starts using the incredible amount of tax dollars we Americans give to the IRS for humanitarian aid and diplomacy instead of bombs.

Us babay boomers thought we'd done it right by getting Nixon gone and the US out of Vietnam. Looks like we were just priming the pump so the next generation could really step up to the plate.

Obama in '08 and '12.

Posted by: dennis | May 27, 2008 12:58:27 PM

Old Soldier, the Graham-Burr-McCain GI Bill is a better bill.

Posted by: James Danley | May 27, 2008 12:54:16 PM

and it will show the dnc, the media, and obama supporters who voted for him before really knowing anything about him
obama is underqualfied to be president.
he should have tried to add to his political resume' before running for president.
the dnc should have tried to be fair. they were not.
the media should have not taken sides they should have vetted obama early on
if they had the dems would have been going back to the wh.
if not with sen. clinton, biden or edwards.
black people voted blindly for obama for all the wrong reasons for voting for a president.
and now the country will suffer

Posted by: worldcitizen | May 27, 2008 12:38:15 PM

WHITE FEMALE VOTER | May 27, 2008 9:28:38 AM:

How about some facts to quantify your rant!

Posted by: EYES EXTREMELYWIDE OPEN | May 27, 2008 12:37:31 PM

Democrats who are getting their feelings hurt by how Senator Obama is choosing to finish the primary campaign season should just vote for John McCain and get 8 more years of the Iraq War, the inasion of Iran and, for domestic policy, the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. That will show Senator Obama a thing or two.

Posted by: Bob malone | May 27, 2008 12:20:11 PM

this supporter of sen. clinton will be voting for mccain.

Posted by: worldcitizen | May 27, 2008 11:43:00 AM

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