Hill & Bill in PA Today
On the day a new poll from the reputable Monmouth University outlet shows Hillary leading Sen. Sanders in Pennsylvania by 13% (52%-39%), she and Bill were taking nothing for granted. Hillary held a roundtable on gun violence and police reform with Eric Holder and the Mothers of the Movement before heading to a rally in Philadelphia.
Tanya Brown Dickerson, mother of Brandon Tate, spoke at length about her son's 2014 death at the hands of police, describing his shooting in detail, down to the way his body lay on the ground and how the bullet entered his skull. Before Dickerson endorsed Clinton, she said she had direct questions for the former first lady.
"I want to know, is this presidential candidate still a mother? I know what I see on television. But is she a mother," she asked, Clinton seated nearby. "Can she understand where I am in my life? How this hole in my gut won't close?"Dickerson, after acknowledging that she too has a daughter named Chelsea, laid out her requirements for Clinton."If I'm voting for Secretary Clinton, I'm expecting her to have my back," she said. "If I'm going to ride or die for her, I want her to ride or die for me."The former secretary of state appeared moved by the story, telling Dickerson that she "can't even imagine" losing her daughter in the same way. "I think that these women are asking all of us to ride and die, they are asking all of us to be there for them," Clinton said. "I can only guarantee you I will do everything I can imagine" for them.
Meanwhile aspiring First Gentleman Bill Clinton stumped for his wife in Pittsburgh and Alleghney.
“She's the best single change-maker I've ever known,” Clinton told hundreds of college students in his first public appearance of the day at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
Several hours later when addressing about 100 seniors at the Allegheny County Housing Authority's Homestead Apartments, Clinton donned a pair of reading glasses that crept to the end of his nose as he talked about being a grandfather and how his wife is “committed to the America of tomorrow and to honoring the people that made that all possible.”
Clinton ended his public appearances in Pittsburgh's South Side, telling about 150 people at a Pennsylvania State Education Association monthly meeting that teachers were a big part of Hillary's resounding win Tuesday in New York.
Hillary Open to an All-Woman Ticket
Hillary Clinton’s short list of vice presidential options will include a woman, a top campaign official said in an interview — creating the possibility of an all-female ticket emerging from the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.
Clinton wants “the best person to make the case to the American people,” her campaign chairman, John Podesta, told the Globe. “We’ll start with a broad list and then begin to narrow it. But there is no question that there will be women on that list,” he said, adding that staffers are still focused on clinching the primary.
NY Latina Voters Turned Out for Hillary
Clinton supporters were under-represented in the early exit polls, and I’m not sure which round these data come from, but they show she had strong support from Latina women last night.
Latinas made up 8 percent of all voters casting ballots on the Democratic side, with Latinos making up 14 percent in total for Democrats. Latinas voted 67 percent for Clinton and 33 percent for Bernie Sanders, according to the exit polls.
One Latina woman who supports Hillary Clinton is Salma Hayek.
Oscar-nominated actress and activist Salma Hayek believes in the power of women—in particular, the power of Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton, the candidate she believes is best suited to run America come November.
“Because she’s a woman she’s always been in the shadows operating under the rules of men, and she’s navigated beautifully in it,” Hayek told The Daily Beast from London on Tuesday. “We have not seen her full potential yet.”
Hayek, who threw her support behind Latinos for Hillary last October, describes Clinton’s gender as a strength in a field dominated by men. “Men are too passionate and their egos are too stubborn,” she said. “She is levelheaded. She is kind. She has a heart. She’s human. She’s smart. But nothing brings her down. They’ve been trying to put this woman down for 30 years. She’s indestructible. She gets up with grace. And she gets things done with grace—not bullying.
“And the thing is, she doesn’t oversell a fantastic dream,” added Hayek. “I think she tells you what she thinks can be done, and I think she will surprise us by doing much more than that. I think the things she’s saying aren’t only to catch votes. Everyone else is trying to catch the votes.
Let’s Talk Superdelegates
Clinton has 502 superdelegates and Sanders has 38.
Now, I don’t like the concept of superdelegates, but tonight Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver was on CNN again touting the superdelegate strategy. Tad Devine made his own appearance shortly after and, although he first said superdelegates should follow the pledged delegate count, he then told Rachel Maddow he and Weaver were in sync. He also confusingly implied that the number of states matters more than total votes or delegates and that caucus states count more than primaries. Another aide to Sanders reinforced the plan to Huffington Post.
Mark Longabaugh, a top aide to the senator, told The Huffington Post that Sanders is prepared to stay in the race even if it becomes clear that Clinton has a majority of the pledged delegates and an insurmountable lead after the final primary on June 7.
Neither candidate, Longabaugh argued, will have enough pledged delegates to secure the presidential nomination without the help of superdelegates. The latter officials will then have to decide which candidate gives the party the best shot to win in November. Sanders and his aides believe they have the better case.
“We intend to go to the convention and make the superdelegates vote,” Longabaugh said.
MoveOn.org’s director, Ben Wikler, is not on board with the strategy.
“But superdelegates shouldn’t overrule the will of the Democratic grassroots,” Wikler added. “If the primary and caucus winner is Hillary Clinton, then Clinton should be the nominee. If it’s Bernie Sanders, then Sanders should be the nominee.”
If superdelegates are now fair game, the Associated Press reports that superdelegates could put Hillary over the top even before California:
Including superdelegates, the race stands at 1,930 to 1,189, for Clinton. She needs just 27 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates to reach the magic number, 2,383.
Clinton added 33 new endorsements from superdelegates over the past month, according to a new Associated Press survey, expanding her already overwhelming support, despite Sanders' recent string of victories in Wisconsin and the West. Sanders picked up just seven such endorsements.
Here’s what Charles Blow from the NYT has to say about Sanders’ strategy:
At this pace, Clinton will finish this nomination cycle having won more votes, more states and more pledged delegates than Sanders. Furthermore, Clinton has also won six of the nine general election swing states that The New York Times listed in 2012.
But Tuesday, Sanders’s campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, told MSNBCthat if Clinton doesn’t clinch the nomination by pledged delegates alone, even if she has won the most popular votes, pledged delegates and states, Sanders will still take his fight to the convention. Sanders will “absolutely” try to turn superdelegates, who overwhelmingly support Clinton, and win the nomination that way.
First, barring something unforeseen and unimaginable, there is no way I can see that this strategy stands a gnat’s chance in hell of coming to fruition. It’s a fairy tale written in pixie dust. But still, stop and consider what this means: The purist-of-principle, anti-establishment Sanders campaign would ask the superdelegates — the Democratic Party establishment — to overturn the will of the majority of participants in the Democrats’ nominating process.
The whole idea is outrageous coming from anyone, but coming from Sanders it seems to undermine the very virtues that make him attractive.
Girls (Like Hillary) Are Amazing!
I just had to add this. A writer for Fusion talked to kids waiting to see Hillary give her victory speech last night.
“I’m here for Hillary,” [Burton] told me, eyes moving from me to the front of the line and back to me again. But he went quiet after I asked him where he lived. Which, to his credit, was a reasonable response. I was a stranger, and Burton was nine years old….
As one 12-year-old explained in a simple but not inaccurate history lesson: “Since the early ages of George Washington and everything, women have been in the shadows. And now women are finally breaking through, and it’s time for a girl president.”
Sunil Santry, nine and from Massachusetts, seemed to agree. He had a campaign sticker covering half of his face and was gripping the rope line excitedly while we talked. He liked Clinton, he said, “because she has experience.” And because “she would be our first female president,” he added, a little breathless.
Caitlin Reardon, 12 and also from Massachusetts, was waiting around with her mother...I asked her what she liked about the Democratic frontrunner, and she did not mince words. “She’s a girl!” she told me. “And I think it’d be awesome if we had a first girl president,” she added, rapid-fire. “I think girls are amazing, and I think she is really presidential. And I think she could really get things done for America.”
Delegate Calculator Fun!
And for those of you who like to play with the delegate calculator, they have updated the program with the New York results. Here is my fun new model (NOT a projection), which shows how formidable Hillary’s lead truly is:
I have Sanders winning every single race, including California by 20 points, and she still wins the nomination. (NOTE: Calculator starts her out 4-6 delegates ahead of her likely current total, but she wins by 7 i the model.)
Sorry this isn’t exciting as the usual diaries, but the thread was getting too long for my tablet, so I took it upon myself to put a new one up!
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