We all remember when Tom Buffenbarger, the head of my Union (The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) from when he launched into this memorable rant that ended up on national TV:
Channeling Howard Beale from the movie "Network," he yelled into the microphone, "Give me a break! I've got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius- driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak! This guy won't last a round against the Republican attack machine. He's a poet, not a fighter." MSNBC
In the Machinists Union, a predominantly blue-collar union, the impression continues to grow that Senator Barack Obama could care less about folks like us.
The breaking is a little tongue in cheek, and I'm not sure if he's come out before tonight, but tonight was REM's last stop on their US tour, in Atlanta, and Michael Stipe gave a great nod to Obama during the encore. The opening band was "The National" and apparently they have a song called "Mr. November" which is about Barack. The merch stand was selling t-shirts with Obama's likeness that said Mr. November as a caption.
At least 14 Republican members of Congress have refused to endorse or publicly support Sen. John McCain for president, and more than a dozen others declined to answer whether they back the Arizona senator.
Many of the recalcitrant GOP members declined to detail their reasons for withholding support, but Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) expressed major concerns about McCain's energy policies and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) cited the Iraq war.
What a surprise in the print version of the Washington Post (Former Ally Of Gilmore To Endorse Warner by Tim Craig) this morning.
Fairfax County Republican Vincent F. Callahan Jr., former chariman of the Virginia House Appropriations Committee and onetime ally of James S. Gilmore III, said he would announce Monday that he is supporting Democrat Mark R. Warner in the state's U.S. Senate Race.
And so this primary season ends. I'll get to the actual speech and endorsement of Obama in a moment. First though, I must speak of the heavy heart I have this morning for my mother and the women of her generation (in fact, women of all generations). They wanted, with every fiber of their being, to see the first woman president. I know full well that this loss hurts more than any other political loss, that it's very personal, and that it feels like the ultimate punch in the gut...
"This isn’t the party I planned but I sure like the company," Hillary said as she opened her concession speech at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
Speaking to the "18 million...from all walks of life," who voted for her, Hillary congratulated and endorsed Barack Obama, stating:
"The way, the way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passions, our strengths and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States."
For the next few days and week I'm sure we will see more news of this happening. This is a good sign and I welcome the Clinton supporters to Barack Obama. We are all Dems hoping to get a Democratic President in the White House. Here are signs that we are coming back together.
WASHINGTON - Some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's biggest backers from New York rallied around Barack Obama Thursday as she signaled her candidacy was ending. The likely Democratic nominee said he won't be hurried into a decision on whether to make her his running mate.
Some of Clinton's closest supporters — the nearly two dozen House Democrats from her home state of New York — switched their endorsements to Obama Thursday.
The public announcement from the 23 New York followed two days of private phone calls weighing her options.
"Now is the time for all of us to come together. I enthusiastically support Senator Obama. He will be our nominee, and now it's very important that we all unite behind his candidacy. He has energized millions of new voters, and if we can sustain that momentum by coming together, he will be the next president of the United States."
It's pretty exciting, a great expansion of participation from young people, from women, from minorities, people in minority communities. And now we have a nominee, and that's pretty exciting. The campaign of Sen. Clinton is one that will go down in the history books as a great one for our country, breaking what I call the marble ceiling, what they call the glass ceiling. Glass is easy compared to the ceiling that she broke. And I couldn't be prouder of her eloquence, her knowledge, her judgment, the stamina that it took to have this campaign. And so I salute her and all of her supporters.
Be careful what you wish for. After enduring day after day of superdelegates dripping out for Obama, today is the day we finally get the flood. It's hard to keep up, but in a good way. Since BoBo2020's diary was getting long, I thought it was time for a later afternoon/early evening superdelegate Open Thread.
Greg Pettis, a Cathedral City Councilman for more than 14 years, a former Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City, and Democratic candidate for the 80th Assembly District to replace the termed out, thank God, Bonnie Garcia (R), has long demonstrated his commitment to the environment and considered growth. In its endorsement, The Desert Sun, stated:
Pettis has been in office 14 years as a Cathedral City councilman. He knows the Coachella Valley best. He has strong relationships with local officials and understands local issues.
He has built a solid record of achievement while on the council, and we believe he is electable and will be effective in Sacramento...
...He plans to focus on...expanding incentives for green and renewable energy sources.
Sorry about the brief diary, but I just heard about this on Hardball and confirmed it online. James Clyburn, the House Majority Whip and highest-ranking African American in congress, just announced that he will formally endorse Obama on Tuesday. He is the first member of the Democratic leadership to do so. No doubt many will very soon follow.
Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills, a Lakota Sioux born and raised on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, today endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for President. Mills, who won the 1964 Olympic gold in the 10,000-meter run in one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, said that he was a lifelong Republican, but that he had been inspired by Obama’s track record of uniting Americans from all walks of life. He also noted Obama’s background as the son of a single, working mom and his youth in Hawaii and Indonesia as predictive of his ability to understand and work for people in underserved communities.
I can remember when "Running Brave" as he was called, became the first American to win the 10,000 meter race in an Olympics.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 440 has endorsed Greg Pettis, Candidate for the 80th Assembly District, in his race to replace Bonnie Garcia. IBEW Local 440 has long been active in Coachella Valley politics and Progressive Democratic circles.
Chuck McDaniel, an IBEW Local 440 leader and activist, is also Vice-President of the newly formed Desert Hot Springs Democratic Club, is a member of the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee, and had previously endorsed Pettis for 80th AD.
According to sources in both presidential campaigns, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie and his wife and DNC member Betty Richie will announce their public support for Barack Obama.
Both are Democratic superdelegates, though as chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, Boyd Richie's superdelegate vote is dependent upon his re-election at the Texas State Democratic Convention June 6-7. Barack Obama's delegates are expected to control the Texas convention by a margin of at least 10% points.
