Senators to Hold Off on Endorsing
EmailABC’s Z. Byron Wolf reports: While many of the Democrats in the Senate remain uncommitted superdelegates, it is unlikely there will be a wave of endorsement announcements by those Senators for Sen. Barack Obama — at least not tonight.
After meeting with Democratic Senators at a weekly strategy meeting, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-NV, said that he is ready for the primary to be over and will, in the next week or so, "set an example for the rest of the Senate."
Presumably, that means he will make a public announcement about the candidate he will endorse as a superdelegate.
Reid and other party leaders have said for several days that they will encourage uncommitted superdelegates to make their endorsements known and avoid a battle at the convention in August in Denver.
However, today Reid asked Senators to "keep their decisions in their pocket" until the primaries in South Dakota and Montana are done this evening.
Watch the VIDEO HERE.
"I want the primary over. I want everyone, until the elections are over, to keep their decisions in their pocket.
Reid said that Senator Hillary Clinton should not be pressured by her Democratic Senate colleagues to get out of the race today.
"Senator Clinton needs to be left alone to get through the primary process and let it run it’s course."
Reid also said he has already spoken with Democratic Party Rules Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein about fundamental changes to the primary process. He said he hopes such reform will be one of the first things Democrats tackle next year.
There are 16 uncommitted superdelegates left in the Senate, Reid included. Only four of those showed up to a meeting called yesterday by uncommitted Senators Tom Harkin, D-IA, and Ken Salazar, D-Colo, on how to move forward endorsing a candidate. Not much came of it yesterday, but maybe it was just a bit early.
Harkin and Salazar will call another meeting for Wednesday after the final primaries in South Dakota and Montana are over, and again invite all the undeclared Senators to determine how to go about endorsing. Harkin told reporters today that a number of things are on the table for that meeting, including discussions of a mass announcement by many of the remaining uncommitted superdelegates in the Senate. But he said nothing is set in stone yet.
"There is a genuine feeling that people want to bring this to a close very soon," Harkin told reporters before going into the weekly policy strategy lunch for all Democratic Senators this afternoon.
"The purpose of the meeting is because there are a lot of us, about 15 or 17 of us who are… not undecided or uncommitted, but undeclared and we wanted to see is there something we might want to do as a group or do we want to do it individually," Harkin said.
Harkin said he is not concerned that the nomination fight will jeopardize party unity in November or even in August at the Democratic National Convention.
"Passions will cool down. Things will cool down. We’ll have a nominee and we’ll all be focused as a party long before the convention," Harkin said.
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They must be scared of the Clinton’s political retribution.
They should endorse anyway and stand up to the bullies.
Posted by: Lynne | June 3, 2008, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
Harry Reid should be thinking about the new nominee and making sure John McCain and the republicans don’t have another day to campaign unchallenged. Everyone is a adult and should be take a lose like a leader and move on.
Posted by: leslie | June 3, 2008, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
A good sign for Hillary…..wheeeeee….
Or not. She’ll have to take her campaign into exhile tomorrow.
Posted by: The Commander Guy | June 3, 2008, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
thats why nothing gets done in the senate, listening to spineless Harry Reid
Posted by: really | June 3, 2008, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
Thank you Harry Reid. Hillary needs to wind down. I can’t stand the spin and the pressure the press and Obama supporters are putting on Hillary. Question for Obama supporters: Are you going to vote for your man if Hillary is on the ticket? Let’s just see how loyal you are to your man because I have a feeling he may just do that. Now choke on that.
Posted by: Louise | June 3, 2008, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
Hillary has indicated that she is willing to take the VP position. So why waist time! The primaries are over and the next step must start immediately.
Posted by: Peace | June 3, 2008, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
Louise-The only way Obama can win is with Hillary; the reason they want her to take her time is because the dem party knows whithout Hillary, Obama loses!
Posted by: Cindy | June 3, 2008, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
Reid and Pelosi are terribly weak leaders. That is why nothing has gottwen done in Congress. Just endorse for gosh sakes. Lets get this thing over with and start focusing on McCain. It is this type of weak response that hurts the democratics. Get a backbone!
Posted by: mike | June 3, 2008, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
If they wnat to win the white house they should endorse Clinton.
If they want to continue this ridiculous juvenile farce of pretending that a fringe, extreme left candidate can win without Michigan, Florida, Ohio, any southern state, Kentucky or West Virginia, nominate Obama.
Then get ready to lose in Nov.
Their job is to nominate the candidate who can best win. That candidate is clearly Hillary Clinton.
But if Nancy and Howard are determined to lose, let them. Then kick their behinds so hard out the door, it can’t hit them on the way out.
This process has been a discrace.
Posted by: s.b. | June 3, 2008, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
My how they NEED Hillary….well too bad McCain is the next president.
It is their own dam fault!
I will never vote Obama, never.
Posted by: HP Boston | June 3, 2008, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
Cindy said:
“Louise-The only way Obama can win is with Hillary; the reason they want her to take her time is because the dem party knows whithout Hillary, Obama loses!”
I totally agree with you on this point.
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:21 pm 4:21 pm
Harry Reid is leader of the do nothing Senate that still wants to do nothing. He is a spineless dweeb, whose lack of backbone is only prolonging the division between Democrats.
Posted by: robby10001 | June 3, 2008, 4:21 pm 4:21 pm
I must say I may be satisfied with Hillary on the ticket. I said this before. If Obama supporters won’t vote for a Obama/Clinton ticket then I know they are fake. If Hillary supporters, such as the women voters, won’t vote for Hillary on the ticket, then you never wanted her to be in the WH. I’m a realist. Hillary will not be nominated. But I will vote for a Obama/Clinton ticket. If there are folks that won’t vote for that ticket, then their fake and you’re part of the Rush’s “Chaos” inititive. I won’t promise to know how this will turn out but I will wait to see.
Posted by: Lois, California | June 3, 2008, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
The only way the Democrats can unite at this stage in the game is if Hillary will accept the VP spot, and I’m not so sure that most of her supporters will vote for this ticket. Many of them have become upset and dismayed, not necessarily at Obama, but at the DNC and the SuperDelegates and the chaos they have created to split the party this year.
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Di-
Rules are not made to be broken but followed. If HRC had objected to them in the first place, then penalities might have been different. However, all agreed to them and thus they should be followed – personally I would have kept both FL and MI unseated, but I guess I come from a generation that actually followed the rules that were laid out.
HRC has never been ahead in pop votes (unless you used Clinton math – and besides pop votes do not matter), she is behind in delegates (which matter). If you don’t like the system – get up off your bottom and get you congree-person to change it. I am tired of hearing all of this crap about how “we don’t like the way this works” but nobody is willing to fight to change it. so unless you are – do not complain about it.
Posted by: jozy | June 3, 2008, 4:24 pm 4:24 pm
John25, you definitely have a point there. It may be too late to try to bring Hillary supporters over to vote for an Obama/Clinton ticket. Her supporters are sick and tired of the pro-Obama media, StuperDelegates, and everyone else that have tried to shove him down our throats. I don know he is the weaker candidate and if he has any inkling of winning in the GE, it will be because of Hillary, not of his own merit!
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm
I don’t know if it is out of consideration for Hillary or not, but I think it wise to not have the flood gates of spineless superdelegates rush out tonight before the end of the primaries. If they do, it will just tick her supporters off more because it will show total disrespect. I don’t see what the big hurry is anyway,except that Obama just wants to have a movie ending at his rally tonight. I can’t say it enough, the appalling treatment Sen. Clinton has gotten throughout this primary season not only from the press, but from her supposed friends and colleagues, is going to be hard to get over.
Posted by: dwc | June 3, 2008, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm
If Hillary agrees to take the VP, I will vote for the ticket. I think she will reinvent the VP description and will be the real leader running this country. Obama will be there for show-see we have a BLACK PRESIDENT-now the world can love us again!
Posted by: Cindy | June 3, 2008, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm
How many votes did the media COST HILLARY CLINTON TODAY?? With reports that she is conceding tonight? How many other things can the media do to help the weakest of the two candidates win?? This is horrible. If you’re in SD or MT and you wanted to vote for Clinton, the message sent by AP was “why bother?” If the media had done this to Mr. Obama, America would have been accused for doing it for racist reasons, so that he would lose. Whether it’s Time magazine with her tied to train tracks or this from AP, the media is playing an active role in choosing the presidential nominee.
Posted by: LonghornMama | June 3, 2008, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
If you remember in the debates, Obama’s usual response was as follows:
“uhhh….mmmm…..uhhhh……mmmmm…uhhh…I agree with what Mrs. Clinton said.”
She literally ripped him to shreds in the debates, even though the Obama supporters don’t like to admit it, she definitely is stronger on the issues. Added to this, her tenacity, endurance, perserverance, and above all, stamina would make Obama’s life easier in the White House. I’m still concerned that this VP position will not be enough to beat McCain in the GE, though.
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
LonghornMama, that’s exactly what the media did to her…and I wonder who put them up to it???
Posted by: Cindy | June 3, 2008, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
“thats why nothing gets done in the senate, listening to spineless Harry Reid.”
And that WORTHLESS Pelosi. May be – she is just busy doing her make up and hair everyday and forgetting that sh’s got to get something done in the Congress.
Posted by: Jkan | June 3, 2008, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
@ LonhornMama:
Good point! I didn’t think of that earlier, but you are absolutely right! I wonder how many votes Hillary lost because of the AP report? And, if this had been done to Obama, the media would still be ranting about it! Man, that was the final nail in the coffin….I can’t believe the media hates a candidate as much as they hate Hillary. It has to be because she is a strong woman and the strongest of all three candidates. I know on CNN, Donna Bazille and Roland Martin sicken me with their mistreatment of Hillary…they both are extremely racist to the point of even saying its time that the blacks rule America.
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Maybe she should lay low, do her senate gig, let him lose and come back in four years…I’d agree to that too!
Posted by: Cindy | June 3, 2008, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
I would really be surprised if Obama took her as VP. The things that Babba has been sayiing are really terrible. He is totally out of control. Plus what do they do with him? He coudl explode anytime.
Posted by: truthtell | June 3, 2008, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
“If Hillary agrees to take the VP, I will vote for the ticket. I think she will reinvent the VP description and will be the real leader running this country. Obama will be there for show-see we have a BLACK PRESIDENT-now the world can love us again!”
YES, if Hillary herself talks to us to vote for her as VP, we will do.
Posted by: Jkan | June 3, 2008, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
I am a Hillary supporter, but if she takes the VP slot, I WILL NEVER SUPPORT HER. PRIOD!
I will vote for McCain.
Posted by: Tim | June 3, 2008, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
jozy,
personally, I would have run them again…too late now.
Posted by: Di | June 3, 2008, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
If Hillary accepted the VP position, I honestly think it would be a power struggle, or, Obama would get the glory while Hillary did all the work. He’s not capable of running this country, we all know this.
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
newera-What don’t you like about Hillary; not the Clintons, not Bill-Hillary, she’s the one running for President.
Posted by: Cindy | June 3, 2008, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
DI -
Your missing the point – the rules were laid out – everyone agreed that there would be penalities if broken – all states breaking them should have penalized – period. If the voters truely cared they should have foought beforehand to keep from breaking them – it is time for us to be responsible for our actions,, and wuit blaming the results on everything else!
Posted by: jozy | June 3, 2008, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
newera……I lived through the Clinton years, and actually, America was in a lot better shape then than it is now. As for Obama, he deserved to be cruicified on the Wright deal and still needs to be vetted on that and a lot of other things. What amazes me is that he spouts off at the mouth and the media just support him, without question. A lot of us older Dems see right through him…he’s a fake, no substance.
Posted by: david from texas | June 3, 2008, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
for any of you so called democrats – if you vote for McCain – and the war goes on and on – then be sure to sign your child for the military – because they’ll be needing more bodies to send over there to be killed by the terrorist! Sleep on that my fellow american, becuase you will be giving the green light to continue on as usual – forget that it was because of your pride that you didn’t vote for the party…not true democrats at all – just wannabe’s
Posted by: jozy | June 3, 2008, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm
I am a Hillary supporter and I am not going to vote for Obama no matter who the vp is.
I have no choice but vote for McCain.
Posted by: YJ | June 3, 2008, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
Hillary as VP is the only way that I would ever vote for Obama.
Tonight I’ll be at her speech in NYC, I expect it to be a bitterweet moment.
Hillary, you can hold your head high, despite the naysayers in the media and in your own party you made it to the last primary. Not only that, you won 7 out of the last 13 primaries and some of them by a huge margin.
Go Hillary!!!!!
Posted by: Bea | June 3, 2008, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
LeeLee,
You can make your point without the name calling. It make you seem small and mean. I am sure you are not like that in real life. I’m sure you are a very decent person.
I know you are disappointed, but please be respectful.
Posted by: jmc663 | June 3, 2008, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
LeeLee your are a dumb sista.We do not need any more fighting in the democratic party.It is black women like you that cause brothers like me to go to white women.Always causing confusing and ready to start an argument. Typical ghetto minded woman
Posted by: TV | June 3, 2008, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
LeeLee your are a dumb sista.We do not need any more fighting in the democratic party.It is black women like you that cause brothers like me to go to white women.Always causing confusion and ready to start an argument. Typical ghetto minded woman
Posted by: TV | June 3, 2008, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
I look forward to Obama and Clinton together from this point forward.Remember the debate when they embraced. They look good together!
Obama/Clinton 08
WINNING TICKET!!!!!
Posted by: TV | June 3, 2008, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
Passions will not cool down…women in droves for McCain (the men I know too).
John McCain being a moderate Republican is perfect for defecting democrats and far right Republicans have to vote McCain. Look at the sorry alternative in Obama.
Posted by: Debra | June 3, 2008, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
Jeane in MI – I concede your point. You are right, so I will try and remember that all Obama supporters are not the same and truth to tell, we have wild Hillary supporters too. I will try to temper my words better. Have a great day.
TAKE IT TO THE CONVENTION, HILLARY!
Rise, Hillary, Rise!’08
A Proud, Black, Hillary Supporter
(It ain’t over until the lady in the pantsuit says so!)
Posted by: LeeLee07 | June 3, 2008, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
Debra,
I understand your passion. But please keep an open mind.
Hillary still has a chance to do something wonderful for our Nation and in our lives.
Just give her a chance.
Posted by: jmc663 | June 3, 2008, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
It is too late for the Rules Committee, it is too late for Harkin and the committee, and it is too late for the Democrat Pary. Sadly, you have shown already how unwise you are, and the Party will pay the consequences. You have many less members now who will definitely not be uniting with you.
Your process is about as flawed as any party can get. You put reform on the horizon as if you will fix it. You have a chance to fix it now, but, you won’t.
Posted by: georgia | June 3, 2008, 6:44 pm 6:44 pm
I’m not suprised Reid is saying this! If Hillary goes all the way to August, he knows that DNC will have to put right the mess they made on Saturday when they gave UNCOMMITTED votes to OBAMA which, going by their own constitution, is ELEGAL! The whole election is a stitch up!
SUPPORT HILLARY
Posted by: Di | June 3, 2008, 7:03 pm 7:03 pm
Post is about the Senators/supredelegates and most of the coments are about Hillary as Veep. Okay, I’ll go there:
I think I see the Clintons simultaneously threatening to carry the fight all the way to the convention and also angling for the veep spot. Both at the same time, and doing both in public. Damnedest thing I’ve that I’ve seen lately. Do they not have any backchannels they can send messages through?
One of the things I’ve noticed in the margins and thought significant: The Clintons’ campaign has been promoting the idea that Hillary can deliver “the Hispanic vote”.
1) I don’t think that’s true. I think Hillary was their favorite on account of their history with Bill, but Obama is acceptable to most.
2) McCain is going to be more popular with Hispanics than any other Republican would have been, don’t matter what Hillary does.
They’ll vote for Obama or McCain pretty much as the spirit moves them, pretty much independent of whether Hillary is in Obama’s #2 slot. I just don’t think she’s got the clout to swing the Hispanic vote as the spirit moves her.
And…. I find it significant that the Clintons are trotting out such fallacies in an attempt to bolster her shot at the veep spot.
She wants it! She’s already padding her résumé to try to get it.
Posted by: Lee C. ― U.S.A. | June 3, 2008, 8:32 pm 8:32 pm
I want to see the colour of those pundits when half of democrates are voting for McCain and the independents lines up not for their BO but for McCain.
BO is unacceptable. He is disgusting and his connections smells.
McCain should be a better president than the man that the undemocratic Democratic Party so fix on stick down the throats of voters.
Say no to the disgusting BO and his fanatics.
Posted by: John_Lai | June 3, 2008, 8:35 pm 8:35 pm
Reid is so brave and magnanimous! After he, Pelosi, and Dean manipulated the Rules Committee decision, they intended that the Superdelegates make their decisions this week. What are they thinking now in asking Superdelegates from the Senate to hold their decisions until Wednesday until SD and Montana primaries are completed? How gracious of them. They have been calling for those endorsements before half the primaries were completed.
We did not create this flawed Democrat Primary process. If it runs until June, why not complete it before any Superdelegates weigh in? Stop putting pressure on one candidate to get out so that your choice is made before the Convention.
They must be thinking deeply now about the 18 million who voted for Hillary. Of course, they want them to unite with the Party now. Hillary will campaign, if asked, but too many of us will vote for McCain.
Posted by: georgia | June 3, 2008, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm