BUTTE, Mont. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accused Hillary Clinton on Saturday of slighting small, Western states through her statements that the road to the White House runs through heavily populated states like New Jersey and Ohio.
Courting Montana voters who go to the polls on June 3, Obama told a state party dinner in Butte he was looking forward to campaigning in the state over the next few months.
“I know that there’s some people who have been saying that these caucuses — the caucus states out West with these small populations, they don’t really count all that much,” Obama said in a thinly veiled reference to Clinton.
“I don’t know about you but I think they’re pretty important,” he said to loud applause. “I think it’s important to note that we have seen record number of Americans who turned out for us in Idaho, and in Wyoming, and in Utah, and in Colorado.”
The Illinois senator has taken offense at comments from Clinton playing down the importance of his wins in small states like Idaho and Wyoming and his skill in sweeping states that hold caucuses rather than primaries to pick the delegates who will help determine the Democratic nominee for the November presidential election.
Clinton, a New York senator, said in an interview with the Politico magazine in February that her wins in larger states showed she would be more electable than Obama in a general election race against Republican Sen. John McCain.
She noted that many of the Western states that Obama had carried had voted solidly Republican in the past several general elections.
“With all due respect, unless there’s a tsunami change in America, we’re never going to carry Alaska, North Dakota, Idaho,” Clinton told Politico. “It’s just not going to happen.”
“But we have to carry the states that I’m carrying, the primary states, the states that really have to be in the winning Democratic column,” she said.
Among the larger states Clinton has won, some, like New Jersey and Ohio, are battleground states that are considered by pundits to be up for grabs by either the Democrats or Republicans in presidential election cycles. Some other larger states that have gone to Clinton in the primary, such as California and New York, are seen as highly likely to remain in the Democratic column.
The Montana state party’s Mansfield-Metcalf dinner where Obama spoke was to be the venue for a speech by Clinton later in the evening. The speeches by the two Democratic rivals were scheduled two hours apart so it appeared unlikely their paths would cross.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo Credit:Reuters/Tim Shaffer (Obama speaking in Philadelphia)

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Correction on my previous comment:
This sentence should have read:
“Look at the female leaders of other nations, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, all handled themselves with grace, dignity, and respect. They did NOT have to be loud, overbearing or pushy to establish respect and to be known as being ‘tough’” Note the addition of the word NOT, which I have capitalized, and the addition of a phrase to the sentence.
- Posted by Cely BelyZarthus: I agree with you whole heartedly. I could never vote for Hillary Clinton for the same reasons. She lacks integrity, honesty, unity, tolerance, and all the characteristic traits of a respectable states person.
Moreover, Hillary embraces 2 of the 7 deadly sins, greed and envy. Her quest for presidential power has become one of greed for her personal agenda. She is not in this campaign because of public service; it’s is for her own personal satisfaction and power. She will use any means necessary to win, that is, lie, grossly embellish her experience, run a negative campaign, and cannot even hold her contempt and envy towards Obama during debates.
Her body language and non-verbal communication are atrocious and would not be conducive for a head of state. Her arrogance would perpetuate the political and racist divide that still exists in the country. More damaging, is her style of communication would further alienate America in the eyes of the international community. Bush has succeeded in making America a hated nation. Hillary’s arrogance would not do one iota to change that.
A leader must inspire and be able to get action and results through people. Obama’s ability to run a positive campaign, continously take the high road, raise the amount of funding he as been able to far outweighly Hillary and McCain, aspire to take on the positive attributes of well known orators, like Martin Luther King, Jr, John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, and others is what America needs now to unite.
Obama’s basis is for true public service. His slogan, “yes, we can’ means that despite the odds, we can overcome and achieve greatness as a nation and a global example. Hillary does not inspire confidence, hope, belief, strength of character, and not giving up. When you look at Mahatma Gandhi, MLK, JFK, all had the public’s interests in mind for their campaigning and ultimate goal for presidency. Hillary does not have that agenda and never will.
Why is it that her thesis at Wellesley is sealed? Why is it that she support a racist like Goldwater who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Why is it that she went on public TV to dramatize her feelings when MLK was assassinated? She was so false, throwing her book bag across the room. I would assume that is ‘just like how she dodged sniper fire in Bosnia’. She is untrust worthly and will lie in a minute and would go down dying before admitting to making an error or apologizing. She is egotistical, pretentious, and divisive.
We will never accomplish universall health care and all of her platform with her polarizing attitude and arrogance. We need unity, we need a collaborator, we need honesty, we need sensitivity to the international world. Hillary’s demeanor is unpolished and propogates what other nations dislike about Americans.
Other than her recent visit to Memphis dramatizing her concern when MLK died, I don’t know of any time in history during the 40 years of his death that she went to Memphis, especially as the first lady, to state her concern! She was a republican during the King days. Did she ever march to support the civil rights movement or do anything in her college days to support equality? Obama was a young boy, so I would not have expected him to.
In her speeches in general, where do you hear the underpinnings of unity, of inspiration, of hope. What you hear is ‘I’. ‘Me’, and the satisfaction of her personal agenda not ours. Yes, she is tough. You can be tought without being obnoxious! Look at the female leaders of other nations, Benazir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, all handled themselves with grace, dignity, and respect. They did have to be loud, overbearing or pushy to establish respect.
Hillary lacks the fundamental spiritual faith of a great leader. If you evaluate all of the great leaders of any nation, male and female, the common denominators are public interest, a belief in hope, a willingness to join hands and reach out to enemies, a willigness to forgive, a sense of honesty, a strong sense of unity, and a distaste of any of the 7 deadly sins.
Hillary is her own worst enemy. And her ill will and total self interest, unforgiving, and constant defensivenss will be her own undoing! I am a staunch democrat, who would rather vote independent if Barack Obama does not get the democratic nomination. I cannot vote for someone for whom I have lost respect and trust!
- Posted by Cely BelyI would not vote for Hillary if it was the only way I would -ever- see a female president and I am female. I do not vote based on gender or color of skin. I vote on the quality of the person and the credentials as well as the platforms they stand. Hillary is a liar where it matters most and why women love her so much I have no idea. I have not liked her actions since Bill Clinton was in office and the Whitewater Conspiracy came out. More lies on what she has done overseas and this vaunted experience she has also has dimmed her prospects. Why would any woman want the first woman president to be a liar, thief, and passive aggressive B? Think on that, seriously. We can do better. I’d vote for McCain before I’d vote for Hillary because if I cannot trust anything the woman says, I don’t want her ruining everything for future better women candidates, let alone the democratic party.
- Posted by ZarthusObama has the nerve to complain about the “big state” strategy when him and his paid for supporters dont want to count the “real” votes in Florida and Michigan??!!?? The reason being is because he cant win them- Hillary should not even consider quitting. What kills me is all these so called Democrats turning on the Clintons is sickening - you are weakening your own party and playing into the hands of the republicans by diminishing one of your strongest fund-raisers…there is still a general eletion that has to be won! Obama supporters and their republican-attack machine mentality is why I will never vote for him and why I will actively campaign for McCain if she loses.
Vote for Hillary or McCain!!!
- Posted by Pamelaobama cant win pennsyvania, ohio, florida, and michigan against mccain…hillary can and she would also be a better presideny…simple but true…whacked out liberal elitists and black turncoats will ruin our opportunity to have the power…sooooo naive
- Posted by kerry laferI could never vote for Hillary Clinton. She supported a genocidal war waged against the Iraqi people because it seemed “politically expedient” to do so. And let’s remember her husband’s Iraq policy: he was bombing the country almost every week of his presidency, and enforced sanctions that murdered over a million people, including hundreds of thousands of children. She refuses to “rule out” military strikes against Iran. She’s so close to the Neocons in terms of world view that it’s terrifying.
- Posted by Estebanto Chris:
I have never heard the media refer to any of those dozens of mysterious deaths that seemed to revolve around the clinton’s. Decapitation listed by coroner as natural causes..”little stuff”
- Posted by tinaMrs. Clinton said she remembered sniper fire in Bosnia. She landed under tight military guard in what was considered a war zone, but there was no actual fire even though reports said there could be. I think she exaggerated. But, I don’t think she lied. I think that over time, memories change. She also did not lie about the woman who died giving birth (the woman did)–she simply said her campaign had heard (read 3rd party) about a woman who had died because of a lack of insurance, and she used this to illustrate the disparity in healthcare in the US–this story was relayed to the campaign by a state trooper. Again, she’s guilty of not vetting the story, but not lying, in my opinion. The connection people keep trying to make between HRC’s WalMart board connection and some anti-worker activity is simply not true; board members who served at the same time as she have attested to HRC’s pro-worker stance while she was on the board. It’s also worth mentioning that WalMart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. It makes a lot of sense to me that a First Lady of Arkansas would be involved at one of the largest employers in her state. I’ve heard a lot of mud thrown, and have seen $40M wasted in taxpayer money (remember the Ken Starr investigation?) trying to crucify the Clintons. What we got was a waste of paper. Are the Clintons’ perfect? No, but no one is, and no one walks on water. I would be proud to have Hillary R. Clinton as my president.
- Posted by TinaI am so sick of Obama, how could so many like this guy. Rather than vote for him, should he become Dem candidate I would change parties.
- Posted by Sandra OlsoncLINTON IS BEING OUT SPENT IN PENNSYLVANIA AND FORWARD BECAUSE SHE SPENT ALL HE MONEY ON THE IMPORTANT STATES!!!!
- Posted by DocbObama likes the caucuses because they’re easy to cheat with! From before Iowa and since, I have heard from various sources that he buses in people from other states - between 800-1,000 people to go from precinct to precinct and caucus for him! That’s WHY he wins caucuses and why he loves them so much!!! He’s a FRAUD!!!!
- Posted by AlwaysforHillaryClinton is dillusional, Dems, always carry the states she has squeaked by in–they are not going to turn Repub in Nov but with the Obama turnout many of the states, she considers unimportant, could be ours in Nov.
- Posted by DocbSenator Obama would NOT choose Hilliary as his VP. He is a great man of Integrity, Honesty, Wisdom, Vision, and truly wants “A GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND OF THE PEOPLE” A man who has taught Constitutional Law who would abide by our Constitution. This is the kind of President we should put into office, a President “WE, THE PEOPLE” will be proud to have leading our country into this new century.
“Home / Globe / Opinion / Op-ed Tripp Jones
(QUOTE)My fellow Clintonites, it’s time for Obama
Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – + By Tripp Jones
April 5, 2008
FOR SUPPORTERS of Senator Hillary Clinton, like me, it’s time to get behind her rival, Senator Barack Obama.
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The exposure of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.’s outrageous and divisive remarks has injected the raw emotions associated with race relations into the presidential campaign. This new dynamic raises the stakes in an already high-stakes race. Our responsibility as progressive-minded voters is to show Americans a positive alternative to the toxic politics of race. Rallying around Obama now increases our chances of doing just that. Obama has run a positive and inspiring campaign, and has attracted a majority of pledged delegates. It is hard to envision a scenario in which Democratic superdelegates override the will of millions of primary voters and caucus participants. Obama will be the nominee.
Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Wright presents Republicans with a polarizing wedge issue to exploit with general election voters. This approach not only risks an Obama loss in November - denying us a fresh, capable leader - but it would set the country back in its racial reconciliation process. Americain 2008 should be better than that.
As we have done at many key junctures in our nation’s history, Democrats and other progressive-minded voters must lead the way. The current firestorm is an opportunity to move beyond the anger and resentment that have characterized our nation’s dialogue on race. By throwing our enthusiastic support behind Obama now, voters of all political stripes can echo the candidate’s refrain, “Not this time.”
There have been many moments in our history when we failed to heed that call. Twenty years ago, as a staffer of Governor Michael Dukakis’s presidential campaign, I observed the use of the now-famous “Willie Horton” ad to undermine a good man’s character, fan the flames of racial division and distract voters from the most important issues of the time.
Not this time. We have an opportunity to show that we have learned from our mistakes. The first step, which Obama took in his recent speech on race, was to condemn Wright’s offensive rhetoric.
The second step is in our hands: Strengthen Obama as the Democratic nominee by uniting behind him now. Amplify his postpartisan message to American voters. Families in Pennsylvania, like those across America, are feeling insecure about their jobs, healthcare, their children’s education, and the safety of the nation. They want leaders to be bold and practical in addressing our most serious challenges, and to work across party lines to achieve results. Obama promises to do that.
Those of us who have supported Clinton and continue to believe that she would be an excellent president can play an important part in moving our nation forward by supporting Obama. We can spread the word that he offers the right leadership for these challenging times.
Our support would send a powerful message that the United States is headed in a new direction - on race relations, certainly, but perhaps most importantly, on what it means to be an American.(UNQUOTE)
Tripp Jones is cofounder of MassINC.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.”
- Posted by NinaK