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South Dakota Switchers, Screw-ups and Signage

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May 16, 2008 10:40 PM

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller reports: Former Sen. George McGovern appeared at Barack Obama’s Sioux Falls, S.D., rally, and explained why he switched his early endorsement for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., to the senator from Illinois.

"I do so partly because I believe he now has an insurmountable lead, and we Democrats everywhere need to be gathering in a united way behind him," McGovern said to the 6,500-strong rally. "And I hope that will occur soon."

While McGovern made his switch to Obama official earlier this month, this was the first time the former presidential candidate made an appearance with Obama.

McGovern referenced his friendship and history with both Clintons. "Last October, I endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton. She and her remarkable husband, President Clinton, way back 36 years ago, worked their heart out for me in the ’72 presidential campaign. And let me make clear, while I endorsed Sen. Obama, the Clintons had been my treasured friends all these years and that will continue; after all we’re all joined behind Barack Obama."

McGovern said that Obama represented a "ripple of faith and hope that began to reach us from Chicago, the heartland of the country, that ripple first touched down in Iowa."

An ode to his Iowa days -- or a candidate who is in multiple cities every day -- when Sen. Obama took the stage, he made a campaign blunder.

"Thank you Sioux City," Obama shouted. Quickly realizing his mistake, that he was in Sioux Falls, S.D., he shot back, "I’ve been in Iowa too long."

Midway though Obama’s stump speech, there was another distraction: A Hillary Clinton supporter waving a "Hillary for President" sign caused a small ruckus, which displeased Obama supporters in the audience around her.

"Oh let that person with the Hillary sign put up their sign," said Obama, stopping his speech to address the murmur to the left of him. "This is a free country, and we’re a united country. I don’t know what all the fuss is about."

Obama continued about the dust-up: "We’re gonna have a lot of Hillary signs at the convention. There will be a lot of Obama signs, too."

Although saying that Hillary supporters had a right to wave their sign, the presidential candidate did offer up a manners lesson at the end.

"The only thing I will say is that person behind you probably can’t see very well. That’s not very nice of you. … That’s just not being neighborly."

The lone Clinton supporter stood up, holding a blue Hillary sign over her head for the duration of Obama’s 45-minute stump speech.

May 16, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (268)

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Joel

Its not gonna happen... WVA is not racists... she won in nearly every demographic again... you will not deny us period! We will take it national as independant and beat you to piecces Obama and the surrogates suggested it was race in the beginning it was not made race by the clintons ever... Obama is an amateur and should not be president this is not about race ... we will not abide reverse racism LEAVE!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 12:56:01 AM

Catleya

This thing is turning around toward Hillary .. even on the most hardcore Obama networks today they were getting a little exasperated! it was our fault to let him take advantage to begin with but we will finish this! Obama will not be president!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 12:58:14 AM

GRA

you all, and Obama himself playing up the single mother thing with obvious present day contradictions to the narrative will backfire! I guess if you hear somethign over and over enough you begin to believe it but dont you are about to be let down!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 1:00:52 AM

Those worried about every little word Obama says, well, none of them, come time to be president are going to be able to have things fall the way it's envisioned today. What tomarrow brings is a long way off. As for barack's arrogance, show me a leader, superstar, hero or anyone constantly in the limelight and I'll take a little arrogance any day as it's necessay part of a confident leader.

Posted by: Ken Berg | May 17, 2008 1:11:15 AM

I appreciate many Hillary supporters saying here that they won't vote for Obama in the GE, and I'm one of you!!! Yes, we need to have such a tenacity to stand up strong for our belief. Hillary is the best candidate who cares deeply for the American people and has a strong record of fighting for the country. Obama is just an opportunist who promote himself by making empty promises and raising false hopes. The majority of the democratic party has been mistreating Hillary and shown no respect for her. This party's nomination system is a joke. I can't believe such undemocratic caucuses system actually exist! I can't believe this party allows Obama bribe those superdelegates in order to get the nomination!!!

Screw them up! We need to pay them back and hopefully they'll learn a big lesson in the fall.

Posted by: Cici | May 17, 2008 1:14:59 AM

It is politics folks. Here is how it works. Someone wins, someone looses, then they compromise.

This blog sounds like the Congress and the White House where nothing has been accomplished in 8 years.

Might be that couple hundred of you will carry through maybe even a couple of thousand, so what?; it will make no difference. The only thing you will accomplish is remaining angry.

Obama08

Posted by: Thinking | May 17, 2008 1:24:15 AM

Awesome aall the super delegates should step up and be counted so we can unite the party and start the process or Reclaiming America.

Vote OBAMA 2008

Posted by: Lou | May 17, 2008 1:29:36 AM

Anne and Cici are dead on and all you Obama snots will be very sorry because either in the nomination process or the GE Obama will be soundly defeated the SD do not have to go with popular vote .. and that argument is moot because Hillary will have the popular vote! and Hillary can and will crush you in a GE 3 or 4 way matchup... theyve done the numbers, theyve had it planned all along and all you young, and rich elitist obamasnobs will pay and cry in the end believe me it will happen!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 1:30:02 AM

Fakebama
you may say that and Mr $400 haircut breck boy.. isnt going to reverse the working class vote for Obama

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 1:59:45 AM

Anne

Im not sure Freud or any psychologist can help Obama and his Obamateam

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 2:01:09 AM

catleya

yea did you see the medias fake surprise today abotu the women taking out a full page ad in USA Today.they didnt know peopel could be this fed up with a subverted process!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 2:03:06 AM

are you guys real? You would sell your freedom for anger? Boy am I glad I am an Independent. Are group has been waiting for a change in Washington. I guess you are telling me that if you don't get your way I might as well stay home? Is this what you want? Is Mrs. Clinton more important then America? Is Obama the most important? I am sick of this when you all grow up let me know. Until then we can be at war another 4 to 8 years, you can pay higher taxes so the rich get richer and the middle class moves to a point they don't exist. OK as long as you like others making your decisions I will go along with that. Thanks

Posted by: Independent | May 17, 2008 2:07:24 AM

Are you better off today then you were in 2000? In 2004? Is America better off? Be careful how you answer, your phone is being tapped and, on the say so of the executive branch, poof, you're gone. Remember, the Republicans have kept you safe from abortions and from being forced to marry a homosexual and made sure that you can say "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. So, as you give up your home because of the unregulated mortgage industry, show your appreciation and Vote Republican. It Can't Get Any Worse!

Posted by: thebob.bob | May 17, 2008 2:09:41 AM

Independant

Hillary or Mccain no other candidate will do!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 2:10:39 AM

thebob

it maybe cannot get any worse but Obama will not do any better! accusing Clinton and now Mccain aof what he himself is doing is farsical at best!

Posted by: ncdem | May 17, 2008 2:12:36 AM

When Hillary had a protester at one of her meetings waving a sign, the Secret Service frog marched him out of the building and intimidated him for forty five minutes. Obama was pretty cool about this.

For the angry Hillary supporters, I have a suggestion. How about if all of you get together and make a list of everything that Obama has done that you feel was hurtful to Hillary personally, including his official surrogates on news shows. We'll do the same about Hillary and her official surrogates. But neither side gets to count unofficial supporters who the candidate has no control over. Then we submit our lists to a neutral judging panel to decide who was more unkind/negative. We decide before hand what the loser has to do to make it up to the winner, but it can't be government policy. That's for elections. The prize might be eating a humble pie. Or doing the other's yard work. Or something else that just gives recognition for the humiliations suffered. Think about it.

Posted by: karela | May 17, 2008 2:18:07 AM

ok let me state the facts. My choice is Obama or McCain do the math. You Democrats have some strange rules. I don't understand them, but I am pretty good at math.

Do you have any unity in your party or is Hillary owed the nomination? Like I say you need to explain the rules? so you I take it are willing to torpedo your own candidate just to wait four years and see if you can get Hillary elected in 2012? By then the rules will change.

Posted by: Independent | May 17, 2008 2:48:47 AM

I don't understand fill me in are you willing to give up your freedom to get a woman elected? Is this that important?

Posted by: Independent | May 17, 2008 2:54:03 AM

are you voting for a woman or a President? Are you willing to let a party that has nothing to run on win the White House? and if she doesn't win in 2012 then what? Why have parties? That is the reason I left the party during the Regan years.

Posted by: Independent | May 17, 2008 2:57:20 AM

right on magda!!! that is why hillary should run as an independent, or all of us write her in on the ballat . we don't want a bigot in office.

Posted by: carlasue | May 17, 2008 2:58:59 AM

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