And not only has Gov. Christine Gregoire endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, she just rearranged her schedule: she will be at Key Arena at noon today, standing on stage beside him.
I’m not sure about the value of endorsements, but I suppose in terms of local ones, that’s about as dramatic as they come here in WA just a day before the Democratic caucus. (That’s also, by the way, one more super delegate for Obama, countering Rep. Norm Dicks’ endorsement of Clinton.)
UPDATE:
Gov. Gregoire’s statement on Presidential endorsement
SEATTLE – Democrats in Washington state and across the country are fortunate to have the opportunity to select between two outstanding candidates, either of whom would be a great president. I have decided to endorse Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.
We must restore hope in America. We must put an end to politics of division – by gender, race, and faith. I know Washingtonians are tired of these divisions. They want us to tackle the tough challenges we face, and get result that make their lives better.
Barack Obama has a unique ability to reach across all the artificial divides and divisions to move our nation forward. At a time of great division in our country, we need a leader who will unite us. Barack Obama is that kind of leader.
I was inspired to pursue a career in public service by John F. Kennedy. His presidency heralded the arrival of a new generation of Americans to lead our nation. Like President Kennedy, Barack Obama is inspiring a new generation of young people to get involved. If elected, I believe he will lead us all – young and old, “blue and red” – to create a positive change in our communities, this nation and the world.
Personally dissapointed with her decision, and I think this will actually hurt her in the general election.
What’s the latest on Hillary’s money situation? I hear it’s not too good. The Clintons had to use 5 million of their own money just to draw with Obama on Super Tuesday.
We helped support her with over $7 million in 72 hours after Super Tuesday.
This surprised me.
My guess is that it means CG sees Obama as a the more likley winner?
Gregoire’s administrative talents could serve OB well … she would be a reasobale candidate for Commerce or HHS.
Good for her. I admire her courage to follow her heart. I think she realizes this country has much more serious problems than what kind of health plan people have. The first attempt to destroy the World Trade Center happened under Bill’s presidency, so why would anyone think Hillary would do anything different to address the hatred that many Muslims throughout the world have toward America? And I think Gregoire is not fooled by all that “ready from day one” crap Clinton talks about. The office of President is more about vision and leadership. Clinton makes it sound like she’s applying for the position of office manager. Anyway, good for Gregoire.
@1: Get a life Dustin: This is an Obama state – it will HELP Gregoire in the general election. This is what I dislike about the “partisan” Hillary supporters – they don’t even pay attention to the reality on the ground…
No matter who wins the Democratic nomination – I am voting for the democrat. Who supported what candidate will make so little difference in November…except to people totally invested, like Dustin above…
I will vote for Jay Inslee despite his (in my opinion) bad choice for Hillary….and it won’t hurt him at all in the general election despite what is going tobe an Obama blowout win tomorrow.
The two candidates are very similar in their platforms and views – it comes down to who do you trust more, who is more principled and who can inspire for the general election – and Hillary loses on all of these for me.
What NEW democratic voters will Hillary bring in?
CorrectNotRight – So instead of asking me WHY I think it may hurt her than help her, you just attack me. Good job!
But, I’ll expand anyway. The core of voters, whether you want to try and sway me with this ‘youth movement’ that Obama supposedly has going for him, is older voters. Older voters are SOLIDLY going for Hillary. Women are more typically apt to vote than men – Women are SOLIDLY going for Hillary. They estimate that even though youth are solidly for Obama, less than 10% of the California electorate was youth. The youth vote never showed up at the polls to support him. The same can be argued here, that the core of the base that will reliably show up and vote is older and women, and she alienated a substantial core of those folks by endorsing Obama, and I think that, especially with the women, may really come to bite Gregoire in the ass if the race is as close as it was in 2004 with Dino.
Like you, I’m voting for the democratic candidate no matter who it is, I just think the candidate I am supporting is better, so of course I’m going to be dissapointed by this, but I think my reasoning above is pretty sound when it comes to the election box direction.
As for new democrats: I can tell you from personal experience, that Hillary is bringing my parents, two of my uncles and aunts, and my grandma to the caucuses for the first time ever, and for my parents, they are voting democrat for the first time ever because of Hillary.
My Grandma hasn’t voted for a democrat since Carter, and she is going for Hillary. My uncle and aunt haven’t voted ever before, and they are excited and I am proud to say I helped them register.
So, there’s 5 NEW democratic voters that I personally know of that will be voting, and again, up on the hill at the Deluxe Bar & Grill where I was doing outreach on Wednesday, I know a lot of first time voters that are voting for Hillary and caucusing for Hillary that have never voted before. Not because of age (although there are a couple of those), but because Kerry didn’t excite them last round.
@7 Dustin: I think it is great that you are enthusiastic for a candidate. However, your analysis is a bit off.
Do you really think women voters will turn off to Christine Gregoire (a woman) in the general election?
I DOUBT that.
As far as new voters:
My son has over 100 of his buddies skipping school today to go to the Obama rally. My nephew has close to 200 kids from his other school doing the same – almost no one from their schools is for Hillary. At the colleges – I see very little for Hillary. While older voters usually vote more often – the youth with this enthusiasm are trying to make a difference.
Hillary just has too many negatives – including bad votes on Iraq, earmarks and cluster bombs. Everyone makes bad votes – but she is percieved as not standing up for principles and for making political decisions versus decisions of conscience. She is also percieved as divisive and many independents will vote against her because of that. Obama does not have those negatives.
As far as electability:
The latest polls out show Obama with a better lead over McCain than Hillary. the polls atart to mean more now that we know the republican candidate is McCain: Rasmussen has Hllary losing to McCain nationally – while Obama is in the lead. Time mag. has Obama winning by a stat. sig. margin and Hillary barely beating McCain.
Here is the link:
http://tpmelectioncentral.talk.....lltracker/
@7 Obama is far and away garnering more support in Eastern Washington as well. If you think that is not important in re-electing Gregoire, you are a fool.
I’m saying that the people who are going to go vote for Obama, are not the same people who will vote for Gregoire. Obama has, I think, a bit more propensity to get people that identify themselves as Republicans to vote for him than Clinton does, however, I don’t see that as ANY advantage down the ticket in the Governor rematch as they LOVE Rossi. @ 9 – You think those people from Ephrata and Quincy and other bum fuck towns east of the mountants that are being mobilized by Obama are going to turn around and vote Gregoire because they want Obama? If you honestly think that, then YOU are the fool.
Clinton really mobilizes the base that is key to Gregoire’s reelection.
I loved the spin when he won Idaho and Utah – my personal analysis – great, he won Idaho and Utah, but is there a chance in hell that those states are going to vote for a democrat for president? I’d level my odds between zero and none.
Great choice Governor! This should come as no huge surprise to most when you consider that Barack’s message for our nation fits well with Gov. Gregoire’s focus on “One Washington”.
Her first term has produced many examples of where the philosophy she shares with Obama has brought about solutions to issues bogged down for years due to partisan and geographic barriers here in Washington. If our next president cannot build a wave of support from across this nation aimed at mending all of the damage caused by Bush and his administration then recovery will take a generation.
Obama has this capacity.
As for the Clinton’s, it is not really their fault that the embers from the divisive days when Bill was president would be instantly fanned into raging flames if Hillery became the party nominee and then President. But, this is the inevitable reality her campaign and administration would be faced with and it would have debilitating consequences.
The good news for Washington voters and for our nation is that in this democratic year, we have another candidate prepared and able to lead our party and Nation back to greatness and back together. This candidate is Senator Barock Obama.
Dustin, your “logic” is lacking in reality.
The match up between Obama and McCain is far stronger here than even nation wide, when contrasted to the dead heat a Clinton / McCain race would create.
Our state has a high percentage of voters who define themselves as independents and these folks favor Obama, then McCain and then Clinton as a distant third. Ad to this the fact that a large number of first time voters coming out for Obama are much less inclined to vote at all if the choice is between Clinton and McCain and you can begin to see why Obama has the coat tails here.
Though it should not be only the basis for peoples vote on Sat, the clear advantage an Obama candidacy would give down ticket candidates like Gregoire and Darcy should be understood.
Particle Man – can you show me data that backs up your claims that these people favor Obama, then McCain, then Clinton?
I’m using exit polling data for my logic that shows ages and sexes of voters, I’m hoping you can have some stuff for me to look at to back up your ‘facts’?
DustinJames @ 13
Take a look at the SurveyUSA poll in Washington on February 3 & 4. Obama beats McCain 55% to 38% in Washington, while Clinton and McCain are tied at 46% each:
http://www.surveyusa.com/clien.....cbc6a0295f
McCain beats Clinton among independents 56% to 33%, while Obama carries this group by 53% to 41%.
Even more interesting is REPUBLICANS. Only 6% of them prefer Clinton over McCain (in spite of the Ann Coulter endorsement of Clinton in this hypothetical matchup). However, 25% of Republicans prefer Obama over McCain.
DustinJames @ 13
Also, the PRIMARY exit polling would have not so much to do with general election viability. Truly independent voters are much less likely to vote in party primaries. In addition, crossover voters (such as the 25% of Republicans here who prefer Obama over McCain) will either sit out their own primary, or vote for a different candidate of their party who they actually prefer (or who they view as the lesser of two evils). You have to look at polls done of all voters (or those intending to vote in November), and see who they prefer in a general election and why.
Thank you Richard. I was off at other places. Another fact involves the woman vote which has understandably been favoring Clinton. The democratic party has a higher % of woman to men then does the nation’s voters. This has the result of helping Clinton in the primaries and caucuses and reducing her percentages in the general.
This country is doing virtually nothing to prevent another terrorist attack.
If another one is allowed to occur to help Republicans, how do you think it will change the race?
Will there even be one?
Another possibility, albeit a remote one:
Gregoire wins re-election in 2008. Obama wins election in 2008. Gregoire resigns a few days after taking office, to take a national position in Obama’s cabinet? I kind of doubt it. Maybe if Obama is re-elected in 2012, and there are cabinet openings available then? Perhaps as U.S. Attorney General?
If Gregoire is defeated in her re-election bid, would the Democratic party want to put her in a position of national prominence (a cabinet position?) Possibly, but I doubt it – they would be better served by putting in someone with more of a political future. Being a one-term governor and losing re-election is usually considered evidence that you have reached the limits of your ability to get elected to higher office. But that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t get a pretty impressive appointment as an ambassador somewhere along the line.
I don’t see Gregoire as a candidate for President in the future, she has no national following, and it’s a bit late in her career to cultivate one now. Perhaps she will make a run for the Senate, if Cantwell or Murray go on to do other things?
Does this mean Barack won’t get the Rossi vote?
I just got back from trying to get in to Key Arena to see Barack. I was one of the thousands turned away, which is alright as I assume some young person got to enter in my stead. It was truly inspiring to walk with the stream of people toward the event; there was such a hum of enthusiasm. Politicians in my experience rarely if ever inspire the passion that Barack does. The most inspiring aspect of the trip was how young the crowd was. I am in my mid-forties and I’m confident I was older than 90% of the attendees. We have a chance to capture the youth demographic for a long time to come. I sure as hope we don’t disappoint young voters by choosing Hillary.
@1:
Horray to that!
I;m really surprised by this…I had heard the Gov had already committed to the Clintons.
In hindsight, it’s a good move by the Gov. Obama would be much better down ticket, Obama is not far removed from working in state government and understands better what the states are having to deal with when the feds send down legislation responsibility to the states and no money to support it.
Good choice Gov!
BTW, if anyone is interested in how the Clintons gathered so many superdelegates, check this site out:
http://demconwatch.blogspot.co.....-list.html
Obama leads the Clintons in regular state primary/caucus results delegates.
The Clintons hold by all accounts between 75-95 superdelegates committed.
The Clintons therefor keep claiming they old a lead in the overall delegate count.
The Clintons have 107 DNC (unelected by the general populace party machinery folks) to 38 for Obama. That alone accounts for 69 of the Clintons delegate lead overall they claim.
The two states that the party disallowed seated delegates go 14-3. The Clintons have been ragging on about including those skewed election results. That makes up the vast majority of the difference in the Clintons overall superdelegate lead.
In short, the Clintons are the establishment candidate that can’t seem to win over the people that should count in this election…the voters.
Hmmm.John Kerry Endorses Barak. Then Gregoire. Hmmmm.
I can imagine a conversation going something like this: “As you know, I’ve endorsed Barak Obama. Now I would be the last person on earth to ask you to do something you don’t believe in. . .but I would truly apprciate you giving your full consideration to endorsing Barak. . . .”
On another note: In the past three days the @#$!#$% blinking frapping King County Democratic party has directed us to three different caucus locations in past five days.
This sort of balls-up is reminiscent of the Rodney Tom/Darcy Burney fiasco and the Jane Hague/Richard Pope farce.
Thank you Gov Gregoire for helping negate the “girls club” or as it used to be called “good ole boys club” and going with Senator Obama. He is such a breath of fresh air and I’m glad you were able to see what he can do for our country being different than a Bush or a Clinton. I hate the superdelagate idea that the Democratic party has adopted and without even knowing what the constituents of the area want Sen Murray and Sen Cantwell threw their hat into the Clinton ring. I’m so disappointed, I’ll remember this when they seek re-election. You will have my vote again on your re-election.