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Clinton: The Last Thing We Need is a Quitter as President

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May 19, 2008 8:58 PM

ABC News' Kate Snow, Sarah Amos and Eloise Harper Report: On the last day before Kentucky votes, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., seemed to have regained some energy, even while struggling with a raspy voice. The auditorium in Lexington, Kentucky was packed with enthusiastic supporters who erupted in hoots and applause after nearly every line of her speech. Voters who spoke to ABC News said they would stick with Clinton in the Democratic presidential race until the end and expressed anger at the media for "writing her off".

The Senator offered some new language about her bid for the presidency, as her husband, former President Bill Clinton sat off to the side, saying to the crowd "You know, the last thing we need is somebody who gives up and quits as our next president. This country is worth fighting for, it is worth standing up for and it is sure worth voting for tomorrow."

Clinton has been getting loud applauses for saying to crowds across the state that she wants their voices to be heard and votes to be counted. "I have been excited to campaign across Kentucky along with my husband and my daughter. We have loved every minute of it, we’ve been all over this Commonwealth and what we know is if Kentucky votes tomorrow and sends a message, that is sure going to count and it will matter to everybody watching this election."

The crowd was around 1,300 people, one of her bigger crowds of late. That numbers, of course, pales in comparision to her rival Sen. Barack Obama's recent Oregon rally which drew an estimated 75,000. 

President Clinton introduced his wife making the same arguments that she has in the past saying that the media has counted her out before, but she has always come back. He later said that he is tired of people dissin’ his wife. "Every time you turn on the TV and you listen to one of those people dissin’ her they’ve all gone to college, they all have a degree, they’ve got a good job and they’re havin’ no problem fillin’ up their gas tank." The former president did say that he agreed with his daughter that his wife would be a better president than he was.

The former president has done four events today - and has made at least 20 stops in Kentucky

May 19, 2008 in Bush, George W. | Permalink | User Comments (173)

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Democrats need to unite now and stop fighting each other.

Waiting until the Democratic convention would mean McCain will have had 6 months head start on this fall. Leaving the Democrats only 3 months to prepare for the fall. Even Bill Clinton was considered the nominee in March.

Americans can not afford another 4 years of Republican leadership. Republicans have cost us thousands of American lives in Iraq.
Republicans have repeatedly given tax breaks to large corporations who turn around and move jobs overseas.

Posted by: Debbie | May 19, 2008 9:14:58 PM

I would just love an upset in Oregon tomorrow (though it's unlikely to happen). The hippy-dippy liberals should know enough by now, that Hillary is the better Democratic candidate to take on McCain. Only centrist Democrats have ever won the WH, and Obama is the most liberal Senator/candidate EVER. Plus, his lack of judgement with who he associates with is beyond belief (most of all his angry wife and reverend). C'mon, Oregon.....make this a close race. Everyone wants Hillary to see this to the end....if the tables were turned you just know Obama would not pull out yet.

Posted by: Debra | May 19, 2008 9:18:22 PM

She is so smart. Obama doesn't get it. If she had quit, all these people in the rest of the states left to hold their primaries would feel like they didn't matter, like they weren't good enough to campaign to. She is connecting to these folks and proving that they matter. Obama should be campaigning his heart out, just like she is, to show the working class that he's listening. But he's not. And that's going to hurt him in November.

People should remember that not too long ago, some working class folks in Minnesota were fed up and felt like no one was listening to them. Except Jesse Ventura. He won as an Independent with only 37 percent of the vote.

This thing ain't over. Not by a long shot.

Posted by: Karen | May 19, 2008 9:19:05 PM

Hillary supporters will not just fall in line for BO. There is something about him that is so unelectable, and McCain looks way better if we can't have Hillary. This election we will have a new term.....McCain Democrats.

Posted by: Debra | May 19, 2008 9:22:04 PM

And I predict we won't vote for Obama thier is no way I 'm drinking from that well. And 75,000 kids does not make me even get a chill up my leg.Or a bunch of egg heads

Posted by: Bishop | May 19, 2008 9:25:30 PM

this hillary voter will not fall in line....i am done with the demogratic party after 20 years

Posted by: Christel | May 19, 2008 9:31:08 PM

This is a good time for Obama to show to all hard working class people in Kentucky and W. Virginia that he cares about them but he refuses to listen to their problem. He can't win GE without these working class population from all swing states (PA,Ohio,W. Virginia and Kentucky).

Posted by: stephanie | May 19, 2008 9:31:51 PM

everyone talks about us obama people drinking kool-aid but have any of you people heard the hillary people?

I mean c'mon the chances of her getting enough delegates to win the nomination..

which is how you WIN the nomination

is....impossible.

She has to win 80+% of the remaining primaries, and has to win 95% of the rest of the super delegates...

Oregons loss will only make that number rise.

She DOESNT have the popular vote, and NO karl rove isnt a good source of info.

Everyone knows its over, and no one is being sexist, in fact they are being very refined with hillary.

The tv networks and john mccain would like nothing more then this to go on.

Hillary you had a really great run, and had you NOT thought you were always going to win this and actually campaigned like you are now, had you not turned negative, had you not redefined what the metric to win is every primary, had you found your "voice" earlier, and had you actually been honest with the votes and true...

this would probably be a different story. instead we would be talking about how close it was but how obama has really no chance.

Obama is not stealing anything from you. For you and any of your supporters to think so is absolutely ridiculous.

You can claim that you have won the electory college, but a lot of those states are going democratic anyway, california, new york

You CAN NOT claim you have won the states needed to win when you are fighting against your own kind.

you CAN NOT claim you have the road to the white house and obama doesnt when he not only keeps your strong holds, but also adds new states into winning.

You will not win WV, and KT in the GE...

Hillary... it is over... im sorry

now you can focus on being the new teddy kennedy of the senate... and you can continue to be defined as a real leading american women who has blazed the biggest trail

now it is time ot unify the party, and destroy the GOP

its over, and yes

BY A LONG SHOT

Posted by: bhrandon | May 19, 2008 9:32:32 PM

Thinking-

I'm a Hillary supporter who would love to believe that Obama has the ability to make real change. Everything he says sounds wonderful. Like the perfect world. But it isn't a perfect world and I don't believe he has the experience or the personality to handle the stress of the presidency. He already can't handle people picking on his wife. That worries me.

When all of the began I did my research and chose Hillary based on her experience. Oh, and I met a guy on a plane out to LA who is an expert in developing "green" communities. I asked him which candidate was the best for the environment (not necessarily who his overall favorite was). He said Clinton. Hands down.

Posted by: Karen | May 19, 2008 9:32:37 PM

Amid reports that the Democratic Party’s leaders and largest fundraisers are beginning to take steps to try to bring their party together after a long, hard-fought primary campaign, the latest Gallup daily tracking poll suggests Democratic voters are beginning to coalesce around Sen. Barack Obama.

Obama holds a 16-point lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton in Gallup’s latest daily tracking poll released Monday. He has the support of 55 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters while Clinton’s support is at 39 percent.

Previously, Obama’s largest lead over Clinton was 11 percentage points, in daily tracking polls conducted in mid-May and mid-April, according to Gallup. Prior to John Edwards’s exit from the Democratic nomination race, Clinton held a 20-point lead over Obama in mid-January.

The results are based on a survey of 1,261 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters using combined data from May 16-18, 2008. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Kentucky and Oregon hold their Democratic primaries Tuesday. Obama is favored in Oregon’s contest and Clinton in Kentucky’s, according to CNN’s latest poll of polls in each state.

Posted by: 08Democrat | May 19, 2008 9:35:23 PM

The "Clinton's" depend on the "Little People" to vote for them.They pretend to know how it feels to be.....with out a job...kicked out of your home...no money to put food on the table...car repo'ed...(couldn't afford gas anyway)..Some body needs to ask them if they have personaly experienced any of the above??

Posted by: orange cat | May 19, 2008 9:36:53 PM

All the way to the convention, Senator Clinton. Maybe it is time the working class rallied outside a convention center so the so-called leaders of the Democratic Party could hear what real Democrats want.

Let's give 'em a tailgate party Denver will never forget... and compete for the best bar-b-que. We'll even feed the Obama supporters. That's what good Democrats do.

Posted by: len | May 19, 2008 9:38:29 PM

While BO is running show biz and beauty contest, the Clintons have been campaigning to the heart of the people.

People enjoy excitements. BO has been promoted as a star, a new borne politician whether he lives up to it with his credential is another problem. As time goes, people vote with their head, specially at difficult moments.

The worst a politician does is to delineate people. The rally singles points to a clamour. After that it is expectation. From now to November, there are six months. The long waiting is going to take its toll.

BO keeps on stumble and provides anticlimax. His inexperience shows in many ways. People in the middle are alarmed. This is why he can't put away Hillary in all those opportunities. One wrong move from the party, the party is over for a decade.

McCain represents the mid stream; not too far from the left and from the right and they are cleaning up for November elections. I can't believe McCain is Bush III. It is smearing. His career shows otherwise.

The politicians do not control people's votes and the media can't either. That is why Hillary is in such good shape in the primaries since Ohio.

BO requires superdelegates to stump for him but he is in a slum in election.

Posted by: John_Lai | May 19, 2008 9:44:34 PM

So Bill was whining again?

Anyone who oes NOT yet see what a bunch of fools the Clintons have become?

They're totally laughable.

They remind me of an ABBA reunion concert -

it was canceled.

Posted by: maria whittaker | May 19, 2008 9:48:26 PM

Obama believes we need permission from other countries to eat our meals, drive our vehicles, and cool or heat our homes. WOW!

Posted by: geevill | May 19, 2008 9:49:56 PM

Texas Voter-

75,000 doesn't surprise me. College students have a lot of time on their hands.

Posted by: Karen | May 19, 2008 9:51:14 PM

Alot of college students are also 18, which means they can vote...and will vote...for OBAMA.

Posted by: Karen | May 19, 2008 9:52:48 PM

Hillary has already pleaded with her supporters to not vote McCain under any condition.

A vote for McCain would be a vote against everything that she has worked so hard for.

Posted by: Debbie | May 19, 2008 9:53:10 PM

Even a 1/2% point win in Oregon would make me happy.

Posted by: Ken | May 19, 2008 9:53:37 PM

Karen, what a silly thing to say. Who cares whether they were college students or hobbits. They are 75,000 PEOPLE that came out to hear the next president of the United States speak.

Stop hating.

Posted by: Jeb | May 19, 2008 9:54:19 PM

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