UPDATE - 7:29 PM -- Minehaha Forman is now on site at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, liveblogging the event for us. We've posted her first update. Alexa Stanard is expected soon. Check back for updates!
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Michigan Messenger will have live coverage of both the Flint and Detroit campaign events today -- at least the public ones.
Todd Heywood and I are now on site, sitting with Marcy Wheeler in the media area. What nice digs here at Kettering -- great WiFi, air conditioning, lots of happy, friendly help. It's going almost too well!
Minehaha Forman and Alexa Stanard will be covering tonight's event from the Joe.
Marcy just told me to get my head out of my ass, after I said out loud I thought this was going very smoothly -- and Todd has too eagerly volunteered to help. (I think we may have been waiting too long, getting stir crazy...)
(Wow! Not one, not two, but THREE public events in Michigan! Gee, someone must think we're pretty important... - promoted by Hazen Pingree)
On Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17, Senator Barack Obama will continue his “Change that Works for You” tour with events in Michigan.
Obama will host an event in Flint and a rally in Detroit, as well as an event in Wayne County on Tuesday.
On Monday night, Obama will host a high-dollar fundraiser in Detroit.
The Obama campaign announced on Monday, June 9th the “Change that Works for You” tour - a two-week economic swing across the country. During this time, Senator Obama will travel across the country, talking to Americans about how the economy affects their everyday lives. He’ll hold events with voters where they work and where they live, discussing the challenges we face and his plans to turn the economy around.
“The middle class has always been the engine of prosperity in this country—but for nearly eight years we’ve had an administration that tells working people ‘you’re on your own,’” Senator Obama said. “Not when I’m President. I’ll reform our tax code to benefit the middle class instead of the big corporations. I’ll make sure that quality health care is affordable and accessible for every American. And I’ll provide real relief from the housing crisis by creating a foreclosure prevention fund, providing a tax break for homeowners, and cracking down on fraudulent lenders. Those are the kind of solutions that will make a difference for working Americans—and that’s the kind of change we’ll be discussing on this tour.”
Information on the events and ticket pick up locations below the fold.
Hillary just sent out the following message to her supporters:
Dear Friend,
I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.
On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.
I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.
When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.
I made you -- and everyone who supported me -- a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I'm going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.
I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.
I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.
In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.
I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.
A very interesting article in the Washington Post about how Obama went about winning. The quote below if from that article.
Michigan was different. A revote was backed by the state's Democratic governor, Jennifer Granholm, and by the state's senior senator, Carl M. Levin. The campaign by Obama's supporters there was subtle. Legislative leaders said they needed Obama to sign off on the plan, but he demurred. Obama campaign lawyer Robert F. Bauer drafted a lengthy memo on March 19, raising a series of questions about the revote but stopping short of opposing it. Campaign aides then said they wanted to see what the legislature would do.
Meanwhile, two key Obama supporters, state Sens. Samuel Buzz Thomas III and Tupac A. Hunter, were finding every reason possible not to send Michiganders back to the polls, said Ballenger, of Inside Michigan Politics.
"The Obama camp never wanted a vote in Michigan," said a Michigan Democratic insider involved in the revote effort. "Let us be very real."
In short, Obama ran out the clock. When Michigan state senators adjourned March 21, they left Granholm's revote plan on the table. By the time the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee decided on Florida and Michigan, they hardly mattered. Without revotes, Clinton could not indisputably claim their tallies for her national vote total. The torrent of superdelegates that some Obama advisers had feared would never come.
Staff writer Alec MacGillis and staff researchers Madonna Lebling and Alice Crites contributed to this report .
Michael Blake, Interim Political Director of the Obama Campaign in Michigan will join Todd Heywood of Michigan Messenger at about 9:15 for a live interview from the Nuthouse in Lansing.
"Give me a few minutes to let this sink in," Blake said about the news on NBC that Obama was now the presumptive nominee.
Yesterday, I welcomed Senator Barack Obama to the 9th Congressional District for a town hall meeting in Troy. From the energy in the crowd, you could really feel how much the momentum for change is building here in Oakland County.
Below the jump is the video of my speech welcoming Senator Obama to Oakland County.
I just got back from a "Town Hall"-style event with Barack Obama here in Oakland County, Michigan. In addition to being the first time I (and my wife) have seen him in person, this particular event was noteworthy for being his first appearance in Michigan since the DNC/RBC/Delegate Allocation brouhaha was settled over the weekend.
The event was thrown together on short notice and was held at the gymnasium of Troy High School in the heart of Oakland County, Michigan. Many pundits state that no Democrat can win the White House without Michigan, and no Democrat can win Michigan without winning Oakland County, so between that and Obama's need to mend fences with Michigan Clinton supporters anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't his last visit to Oakland County--but I had the honor of being present for his first.
Couldn't get tickets or take time off to go to the Obama '08 event today? Not to worry; Michigan Messenger has two team members on site now at Troy High School to cover the Obama campaign event. Minehaha Forman is already getting opinions from the crowd now waiting outside the venue, and Todd Heywood has already spoken with school officials.
We're guessing that Senator Obama will speak about party unity after the outcome of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting this weekend in Washington DC. We're also speculating Sen. Obama will make a two-pronged pitch directed at the Democratic Party base, while addressing the concerns of the leaning-conservative area in and around Oakland County. What's your take -- is there another message that Sen. Obama will have for the folks of Michigan?
We'll be filing most of the content on a liveblog basis to a single post -- or until the content gets too unwieldy for a single post.
On Saturday, the Oakland County Democratic Party gave away over 1000 tickets to the Barack Obama Town Hall meeting in Troy. Channel 4 wasn't able to send a crew, so I sent them my video footage and they aired this story last night with my personal video footage. Over 500 people were turned away after tickets ran out. The response was amazing. Barack Obama is creating excitement, the likes of which I've never seen.
Today was probably the biggest day in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Race. The Delegates from the State of Michigan and Florida will be seated in full, with each delegate having a half vote. I believe that this was the best possible to way bring Michigan and Florida to Denver. This decision was hard for everyone on both sides, but this is now in the past, and together we must unify for the good of the Democratic Party and for the good of America. As a son of a Rural Blue Collar Middle Class Family, we cannot afford to have another Republican in the White House. No matter if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama takes it home, I will stand behind the winner 100%! I encourage all people no matter who wins this to support the Democratic Nominee. America and Michigan cannot afford to have four more years of the Republican Agenda running this nation. With the rising costs of gas prices, college, and healthcare, a missed manage war, the threat of our natural resources disappearing, and equal rights for all people, it is time for a Democratic to move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, no matter if that person is younger or older, male or female, black or white, an old timer or a new comer. A DEMOCRAT MUST WIN THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IF WE WANT TO MOVE AMERICA IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. Our Time Is Now My Friends, and with another four years of the Republican Machine, we mind as well go to hell in a hand basket. SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE, WHOM EVER IT SHALL BE!!
I have to admit, I thought Mark Brewer was going to have a tough job today. Whereas the FL delegation came in united in their belief that the primary should be used to select delegates (though they disagreed on the strength at which it would be seated). MI proposed something that--as one RBC member just called it--might seem willy nilly, completely arbitrary.
Mark just got asked whether he's relying on the rule that requires that the delegation be based on a "fair reflection" of the voters partiicpating in the presidential selection. He said no. He said there is no primary or caucus to measure the fair reflection of the voters.
Brewer--in all his glory as a numbers geek--did a very good job of presenting the 69-59 compromise seem very logical and fact-based.
He still has a hard challenge in front of him--the RBC members are obviously uncomfortable with the idea of awarding delegates without a vote on which to base them. But to his credit, he very quickly got to the point where RBC members are discussing how to figure out how to measure the voters.
We knew Obamarama was coming back to Michigan on Monday. Now we know he's coming to Oakland County (good choice). From the AP:
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will host an event in Oakland County during a return trip to Michigan.
Campaign officials say the Illinois senator will visit the state on Monday, but further details have not yet been released
Anyone else have any more specifics? If so, put them in the comments.
There's something disturbing in the Rules and By-Law Committee Meeting Materials handed out for Saturday's meeting: the distinct possibility that the RBC will overturn the results of MI's April 19 Convention, the only thing approaching a real exercise in democracy this year. It's the problem of how to assign uncommitted delegates as supporting Obama.
First, the document pretty much throws out the possibility of doing a 69-59 split, which is what MI recommended.
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) will make a stop in Michigan next Monday, less than 48 hours after an expected ruling by the Democratic National Committee about the fate of the Wolverine State's delegation to the party convention in August.
Those familiar with Obama's schedule insist the trip is not designed as victory lap in anticipation of a favorable ruling this weekend at the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting or an attempt to kick-start the Illinois senator's general election campaign in the state. [snip]
Republicans, on the other hand, are seeking to use the delegate imbroglio in Michigan and Florida to convince voters that Democrats have written them off. Told of Obama's trip next week, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis said that the Illinois senator had "ignored" the state, adding: "He will have to do more than make the obligatory photo op stop here to explain his position on bashing the domestic auto industry."
It;s over. Hillary just crossed a line--intentionally or not--that goes way, way beyond anything resembling acceptable behavior.
She just invoked Robert Kennedy's assassination in 1968 as one of the main justifications for her not dropping out.
If she chose her words deliberately, it was unforgivable.
If she chose her words in error, it was a gaffe of gargantuan proportions.
Either way, I don't think we need to worry about what's gonna happen on the 31st, because I think Hillary Clinton just ended her Presidential--*or* VICE-Presidential--ambitions forever today.
I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to cover last night's rally, but once I arrived I figured I should do what I do best--Twitter.
It was a mixture of live-reporting, attempts at wit/humor, and analysis.
I'm just going to copy & past the full stream-of-consciousness tweet-fest, please excuse the spelling error.s
Apparently, the line for the Obama event is already forming in downtown... 02:35 PM May 14, 2008 from twhirl
Retweeting @Spout: For a limited time only: 50% off all DVDs on Spout! Get 'em while they're hot. http://www.spout.com/store/ 02:48 PM May 14, 2008 from twhirl
Have to leave here at 4:30pm to get credentials for an event that doesn't start until 7:00pm. Stuuupid. 03:19 PM May 14, 2008 from twhirl
@tonytagliavia i'll be there in about an hour! 03:41 PM May 14, 2008 from twhirl in reply to tonytagliavia
Heading over to VanAndel to check in and get my wristband... 04:25 PM May 14, 2008 from twhirl
At this point, I was heading down Ottawa from my workplace to the Van Andel Arena... read the rest of my journey below the fold
But first...
And the tweet that defines the night for me. Although its a simple take-away, it was all over the news last night.. and I tweeted it first (well, probably not really):
Endorsement shifts focus away from obama's trouncing in WV. Now he has to live up to increased expectations among workingclass whites in KY. about 22 hours ago from txt
But on to the fun! Again, I apologize about the spelling. I removed the irrelevant tweets (mostly me asking my friend for a ride home).
As
one who's been an early
backer of yours,
it truly gives me great pleasure to finally be able to offer you a
hearty: "Welcome to
Michigan!" Sure was nice of you to
bring that John Edwards fellow along too!
Unfortunately, family obligations prevented me from
attending either of your events today. However, I know you'll be back -
A LOT - between now and November, and I'm sure we can catch up sometime
down the trail. In the meantime, I figured I'd pass along a few tips on
how you might best hand John Sidney McCain III his second straight
Michigan defeat in 2008:
Make up for lost time
Because
of the primary snafu, we need to make up for lost time...pronto. Good
call on starting off the general election campaign here. But Michigan
needs to see you some more...and not just in October. We need you to be
so familar around here that the papers will finally get bored
mentioning how we were overlooked in the primary process, etc.
If
you're going to move forward in Michigan, that storyline needs to be
put to bed now (the Edwards endorsement certainly did help with
this).
West Michigan is fertile ground
Also nice call on your choices of venue today...particularly Grand
Rapids. You're
not going to win Kent County, but there are a whole lot of
good folks
over there in West Michigan who are too often ignored and who might be
amenable to your message. People take their faith extra
serious in West Michigan, and you have demonstrated a strong ability to
talk sincerely and openly about the role of faith in your life (unlike
John Sidney McCain). So talk about Jesus. Talk about him a lot.
BTW, did you know that over in Holland (the reddest part of
the state), they actually have an institution called Hope
College? How's that for campaign synchronicity? Just for kicks, it might be worth a quick visit
sometime.
More Oakland; less Macomb
As
it has for the past 30 years, the national press will continue to
repeat over and
over and over about how critical it is that you win back
the "Reagan
Democrats" in Macomb County. This is massively overblown. Don't get me
wrong, Macomb is important and you do need to hold onto as much support
there as you can (fortunately, you have a classy guy in David Bonior to
help with that). But Oakland County, with it's more affluent and
educated base will be much friendlier to you. It's
been trending more Democratic every year. Case in
point: in
2002, Jennifer Granholm became governor by winning Oakland -
and while losing Macomb. Another factoid: in 2006 the ballot
proposal banning affirmative action passed in
Oakland with 57% of the vote - slightly less than the state tally of
58%. In Macomb, the total was 68%.
Spending more time in Oakland County will also enable you to help Gary Peters,
who is one of our best prospects for taking a U.S. House seat this
year.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Democrat John Edwards endorsed former rival Barack Obama on Wednesday, a move designed to help solidify support for the party's likely presidential nominee even as Hillary Rodham Clinton refuses to give up her long-shot candidacy.
The surprise endorsement came a day after Clinton defeated Obama by more than 2-to-1 in the West Virginia primary, and it helped the Obama campaign steer much of the evening news coverage away from a painful subject. The West Virginia outcome highlighted Obama's challenge in winning over "Hillary Democrats" _ white, working-class voters who also supported Edwards in significant numbers before he exited the race in late January.
Edwards made the carefully timed announcement at an Obama rally here, as the Illinois senator campaigned in a critical general election battleground state.
