Obama Turns Campaign Focus to Race Against McCain
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama turned his focus to the expected presidential contest against Republican John McCain, but Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to keep her campaign afloat even though her Democratic rival has an almost insurmountable lead in the delegate count. Clinton spent Sunday wooing voters in West Virginia ahead of Tuesday’s primary, aiming for a big win that she hopes will keep her campaign afloat.
Obama, inching closer day by day to claiming enough delegates to secure the nomination, was spending the Mother’s Day holiday off the campaign trail at home in Chicago.
Obama’s chief strategist said in a television interview Sunday that his campaign is considering a suggestion from McCain’s campaign for the two presidential hopefuls to participate in joint town meetings and debates around America starting this summer.
Asked on “Fox News Sunday” about the suggestion and how seriously it was being considered, David Axelrod said: “Very seriously. … We believe that is the most significant election we’ve faced in a long time.”
“We’re at war. Our economy is in turmoil. And we’ve got so many challenges that the people of this country deserve a serious discourse, and it shouldn’t be limited necessarily to three kind of very regimented debates in the fall,” he added, referring to those sanctioned by a presidential commission.
Axelrod declined to discuss details. So did aides to McCain, saying they would rather wait until they have an official opponent.
But Clinton showed no signs that she was going to quit the race anytime soon.
She toured the birthplace of Mother’s Day in rural West Virginia, offering Democrats a subtle reminder that her candidacy remains strong among women and blue-collar, white voters.
Clinton made a brief afternoon visit to the home of Anna Jarvis, who is credited with founding Mother’s Day 100 years ago. Clinton afterward told stories about women who have changed history by pressing for equal rights and breaking into male-dominated careers.
She highlighted her own mother’s working-class upbringing and quoted from letters she said mothers have written her recently.
Clinton said her favorite letter ended, “It’s not over until the lady in the pantsuit says it is.”
At an evening campaign stop in Eleanor, West Virginia, Clinton quoted Eleanor Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag. you never know how strong she is until she’s in hot water.”
Clinton, who is vying to be America’s first woman president, started the year with a lead of 169-63 among superdelegates. Now, after adding five superdelegates to his column over the weekend, Obama has endorsements from 276 superdelegates, according to the latest tally by The Associated Press. Clinton has 271.5.
Superdelegates are the nearly 800 party and elected officials who attend the Democratic national convention this August in Denver and are free to support whomever they choose, regardless of the primary results.
They are key because the Democratic race has been so close that neither Obama nor Clinton can win the nomination without them.
Clinton is trying to highlight her support among women, white working-class voters, and older voters. Those demographics make West Virginia friendly territory where polls show her leading Obama by as much as 40 percentage points. Obama planned to campaign in West Virginia and Kentucky on Monday.
Her chief strategist Howard Wolfson said West Virginia is a key swing state that Republicans won in 2000 and 2004, and that the former first lady will put back in the Democratic column. He said Obama should beat her there if he wants her out of the race.
“Why can’t Senator Obama beat Senator Clinton in West Virginia? Voters there have heard that he’s the presumptive nominee,” Wolfson said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“They’ve seen the great press he’s gotten in the past couple of days. Let’s let them decide. They have an opportunity. They want to end this on Tuesday, they’re perfectly capable of it.”
But even a dramatic primary win by Clinton in West Virginia won’t make much of a dent in Obama’s overall lead in the delegate count. Only 28 delegates are at stake in West Virginia.
In the overall race for the nomination, Obama has 1,864.5 delegates and Clinton has 1,697, according to the latest AP tally; 2,025 are needed to secure the Democratic nomination.
Clinton has struggled to raise money in recent weeks, and was set back further last Tuesday when she squeaked by with a narrow win in Indiana while Obama won handily in North Carolina.
Obama campaigned Saturday in Oregon, which holds its primary on May 20.
Barely mentioning Clinton, Obama, who is bidding to be the first black president, warned that he won’t stay away from controversial issues and he attacked McCain’s proposal for a temporary halt in the federal gasoline tax as a “pander.”
In a sign of his new focus on McCain, Obama is beginning to campaign in states without upcoming primaries. He said he will soon visit Michigan and Florida, two battleground states whose Democratic primaries were essentially nullified by party disputes, and Tuesday he is slated to visit Missouri for a campaign event focusing on economic issues.
Obama said he realizes he must continue introducing himself to millions of Americans who do not know him well, and acknowledged that some question his patriotism because he no longer wears a lapel flag pin.
He said the test of patriotism “is whether we are true to the ideals and values upon which this country was founded,” and willing to fight for them “even when it’s politically inconvenient.”
He wants to determine or define the issues to suit him best. Senator, you are the issue. Your Pastor/Mentor Jeremiah is an issue. Your newly found Faith on the Campaign trail is an issue. Your scorn for Typical White Persons is an issue. You made Small-Town Americans an issue. Why don’t you wear your Flag pin? For America the reason you don’t is an issue. I can go on and on. Your Cousin Odinga is an issue. Let us work through them and answer our Questions. Stop the sound bytes, and the Wind and the Spin. Tell us the truth.
When will people get out of the twilight zone and ask “will the REAL Barak Obama please stand up”.
Let us join together and trample John McCain. The guy is old and outdated in his policies. What this country needs right now is a fresh young politician namely Barack Obama. We need to dicuss the future of this country, John will not be around long enough to see where we are headed to. Those that will be around for a longtime need to come out and vote for Barack!!
So much is at stake, lets take the John back to Arizona.
Wait a minute, the guy that is for spending my tax money to fund abortions-on-demand and partial-birth abortions is ready to defend LIFE, liberty & the persuit of happiness ??
What’s the matter with HRC supporters now? You usually have so much to say about the race-what cat got your tongue-you say? MAY THE BEST PERSON WIN!- THE PANTSUIT WILL HAVE TO GO!
Why should I vote for someone who does not even feel strongly enough about this country to wear a pin with our flag on it? Come on, Actions speak louder than words and his actions have not shown me someone who is pro-America, it shows me someone who does not truly care about the regular people who work hard to keep this country afloat! Those are the people who are proud of our flag and show it! Also, why would cutting the gas tax at least for a summer be pandering, it makes sense to give some relief for the summer…
“is whether we are true to the ideals and values upon which this country was founded”
Must I remember You American Founding Fathers?
Because some time I think that some persons in America believe the communists like their new founding fathers.
It’s a WRONG!
Listen me, American People: before the United States. Then all others.
Before our family, then others family.
If I not defend my family, I cannot defend nother family or nation in the world.
Defend America, American People. With UNION which buid the United States.
And God bless all You.
I Think Obama is doing the right thing focusing on McCain
Its very disheartening to see John stay the course of a failed administration. Obama will offer a more pragmatic way of dealing with the US and the world. He comes from humble beginnings and has become successful through hard work and determination. Obama understands the plight of both rich and poor. He also comprehends the lives of Americans and other countries around the world. When John offer us more of the same wretched times. It is shameful to embrace Bush and his tactics. He’s not a patriot of America, he exploited America for his own personal gains. It new day and age where transparency matters in Government. Obama 08