ROSEBURG, Oregon - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama appears ready to put his opponent, Hillary Clinton, into the past tense of the grueling primary campaign.
When asked on Saturday at a rally in Roseburg about party unity, the Illinois senator acknowledged people’s concerns about the length of the nominating process but assured them that Democrats would come out united in the end.
“It was pretty tough and hard fought,” he said about the primary season, describing the former first lady as a “formidable opponent.”
“She was relentless and very effective.”
Was? Note the use of the past tense.
Obama has not wrapped up the nomination and Clinton is still campaigning hard in the remaining primary states.
But the Obama campaign has shifted its focus, at least partly, onto a general election against Republican John McCain. Obama stopped in Michigan and Missouri this week and intends to campaign in Florida and Iowa next week, all of which are states that have already voted and will be crucial to a Democratic win in the fall.
Clinton is seen winning Kentucky on Tuesday while Obama is expected to take Oregon, at which point the campaign predicts he will have more than half of the pledged delegates needed to help secure the nomination. Superdelegates — party leaders and elected officials with the deciding vote in this close race — will follow from there, his camp believes.
Clinton has said she will stay in the race until there is a nominee. The last nominating contest is on June 3.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Richard Clement (Obama waits to speak as he is introduced at a town hall campaign event)
Trackback
33 comments so far
Previous | 2 | 1 | Next
Americans will not support War Party candidates like Clinton and McCain. Americans want the Bush/Cheney/Clinton/McCain wars over now.
- Posted by RichSClinton spent the first half of her campaign running with the “inevitable nominee” angle. The Presumptive nominee angle is fair game.
- Posted by youfailHillary Clinton has lost. This race is over. No need for Clinton supporters to get angry that the winner and nominee has shifted his focus to the general. That’s the smart thing to do. It’s the only thing to do. There are far more important issues facing Senator Obama. He has beaten Hillary Clinton. He did it fair and square. She and her supporters choose to stay in this race, pretending she has a chance. That’s all and good, but the presumptive nominee has a fall race to win. He cannot wallow in that fantasy with Clinton and company. That’s the reality of the situation. Obama is the nominee!
- Posted by Wanakee HillObama is using the “presumptive nominee” angle to phase Hill out the same way she used the “inevitable nominee” angle all the way up until Iowa. Seems like fair game to me. Obama is an excellent leader, I hope Hillary supporters can get past their loss and help put this great man in office.
- Posted by solUm….people have been vitriolic, mean-spirited, sexist, and hateful. The media has been relentless in their criticism of Hillary, who is clearly a superior candidate. I’m an educated man with a Master’s degree, and I’m disgusted by the sexism that has been so dominant in Obama’s campaign and in the media. This Democrat is voting for a gentleman with a lifetime of experience, since it seems the Democrats are determined to lose yet another election by nominating an unelectable candidate. John McCain gets my vote this time.
- Posted by Brianclintons latest ploy to confuse the voter—presented to her rabid bloggers on a call Friday;
Clinton is maning an all out effort to confuse the low knowledge voter about obama…and is getting little coverage for her outrageous claims from MSM or Cable so she has turned to the bloggers with this on Friday…
“But by confusing the facts and casting doubt on his legitimacy, she can encourage resentment among her supporters that will persist even if she drops out after June 4 and endorses Obama. If they feel that she was pushed out illegitimately, at least some of her supporters may decide to sit it out or vote for McCain in hopes of giving her another chance in 2012.
In addition to creating questions about Obama’s legitimacy as the nominee, she played the gender card yet again last night. She said that she “deeply regrets the vitriol and the mean-spiritedness and the terrible insults and rhetoric that has been thrown around at you for supporting me, at women in general, at many of those who support my campaign because of who they are and their stand based on principle.” This is not the first time she has claimed that she is being treated differently because of her gender, and it appears to encourage women who feel she has been mistreated because she is a woman to keep feeling that way.
This, like the talking points designed to cloud Obama’s legitimacy in terms of the math, could be part of a strategy to fan the flames of resentment among her supporters, particularly women. Yes, she may bow out gracefully after the primaries are over, but she wants to make sure her supporters are as disappointed and even angry when she does. She appears to want them to feel that she was wronged, making it harder for them to turn around and support Obama. She’ll bow out eventually and give a speech that will probably tug at people’s heartstrings and make them wistful, with some people perhaps hoping that she gets another chance in 4 years.”
- Posted by DocbThe problem with Clinton supporters is not the fact that she lost the battle, but rather it is racism. They are pretending as if Obama is to be blamed. Many of them said she should be the nominee. Then why did they allowed Obama to run in the first place instead of just giving it to her? They are even trying to instigate the media aginst him, so that negative things could be written about him, regardless of if they are true or not. They hammered frequently on the words of his pastor, but not on his own words. The-i-told-you-so attitude they are displaying now is only but a cover up the issue is Obama’s color. if Obama lost again McCain in the general election, so what? the point now is Obama is the choice. Some says she need Clinton to help him. Obama needs more than Clinton to help him he needs every body. If you people refused to vote for him nobody would be suprised, people will only be suprised if you voted for him. Obama may not be the president, infact I don’t believe he would be but, definitely not Clinton. Before now, Clinton offered Obama the position of vice president, while she was even behind in polls. None of of you complain about that. I hope your Clinton will win through the vote of the so called less educated ones. Please don’t vote for Obama
- Posted by solaIt doesn’t matter why Obama is our nominee. What does matter is getting a Democrat in the White House to change the downward spiral we find ourselves in. Both Obama and Hillary took the political landscape as they found it and ran very good campaigns. Let’s quit the bickering and unite.
- Posted by Joe T.Obama is speaking in the past tense because the DNC has already chosen him as the nominee, even if this is not yet public. Look at other articles that detail the ways the DNC is beginning to bring supporters from both camps together,and starting to talk about joint fundraising for the fall. They are starting to discuss the choice of a vice presidential nominee from among Clinton’s top supporters, to bring the party together. Look at the way Clinton has stopped bashing Obama, and started supporting his statements against Bush and McCain. They have both changed their rhetoric substantially, and it is clear the end game has been decided. It is time for all democrats to stop making angry and inflammatory comments about each other and start supporting each other.
- Posted by katharineSpeaking as a citizen of the world out side of the US, the only candidate who could start the process of rekindling a sense of respect for the US (so utterly destroyed by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld cabal) will be Obama. The era of Anmerican dominance is rapidly drawing to a close, with China and India emerging as the new economic superpowers. The US still has so much to offer the world in terms of leadership, but it needs to shed some of the flagrant arrogance displayed by past and present Presidents in the past fifty years. Posted by Barry Vorster, South Africa.
- Posted by Barry Vorsterhillary and her supporters are a bunch of sour graping losers. pathetic…
- Posted by jorge nunezThis race has been over since Feb. Clinton did not have a game plan past super tuesday. Why are the Clinton people so bitter. No one likes to lose, but HRC lost this race, it was not taken from her. In a contest there is one winner and one loser, in this case Hillary is the loser. If see cares about the Democratice party, she would move towards the unification process.
Dems United to beat John McCain
- Posted by Gail JThanks to the Internet this campaign has shown the world the true colors of Americans. Their democracy is only skin deep. They should have Clinton or McCain for president. Not Obama.
- Posted by matt_alyThis race is over because Senator Clinton no longer has a mathematical chance. It has nothing to do with sexism. Please, let’s get together now as a Democratic Party. What unites us is much more significant than what divides us.
Clinton was a formidable opponent and an excellent example for men and women in America in this campaign. It is precisely Senator Clinton’s and Senator Obama’s viability as presidential candidates that shows exactly what’s great and right about America at a time when Bush has almost succeeded in spoiling our great nation.
Please! Unity!
- Posted by NateObama has not won this race yet…I realize he is an overly confident, silver tongued eletist and has been super lucky that the press has not vetted him yet…However…You never know what tomorrow brings. He will never win against McCain in November. HRC is the only candidate that can..If the media would do their job perhaps his messiah persona would disappear…HRC 08′. Bring our Soldiers Home Now….
- Posted by kaye c.Clinton lost girls. Now if you are the proud women you claim to be you had better start writing like grown ups.
- Posted by An adultEvidence of confidence? Audacity? Rudeness? The reality is, he’s not officially the nominee. Perhaps he’s just being presumptive. Yeah, presumptive nominee being presumptuous. Probably not helpful in his quest to appeal to Clinton supporters.
- Posted by joywinnie[...] Clinton in the past tense? Almost with ObamaReuters - USAROSEBURG, Oregon - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama appears ready to put his opponent, Hillary Clinton, into the past tense of the grueling primary campaign. When asked on Saturday at a rally in Roseburg about party unity, the Illinois senator acknowledged people’s concerns about the length of the nominating process but assured them that Democrats would come out united in the end. “It was pretty tough and hard fought,” he said about the primary season, describing the former first lady as a “formidable opponent.” [...]
- Posted by Hillary Clinton - HOT LINKS #24 |It seems that Obama does not believe in superstition. He starts selling the bear’s skin without killing it yet. Without Michigan nor Florida, this nomination is flawed and will yield a weird result. He is pushing his cart before his horses. No he will not unite with my vote, we don’t want another uniter, Bush style.
- Posted by NeutThe sexism is his campaign, the press and the DNC is just non-stop! First he constantly critized the strong woman, along with much of the press that has called her everything from a bi**h to a wh**E. Now he is ignoring her as irrelevant. Attack, if that doesn’t work,ignore….both are classic sexist moves! How very disappointing. Don’t give up Hillary. Run as Independent if need be. We’re behind you all the way.
- Posted by gaypastor