Obama in lead with women, but the vote is still in the air

Lifetime’s Every Woman Counts campaign hosted a conference call to discuss the results of a new poll on how the women’s vote looks after Senator Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) candidacy. Toby Graff, the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Lifetime said neither Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) nor Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) have a majority in the women’s vote, so there is still a lot of room for the candidates to push to secure the female vote.

Celinda Lake, a pollster at Lake Research Partners, said Obama has a solid lead over McCain, with 49 percent, but 10 percent of female voters are still undecided. She said Obama does very well with black and hispanic voters, while McCain does best with white and older women. Obama is most liked for his personal attributes, such as his empathy and likeability, while McCain is most liked for his experience. 81 percent of self-described “democratic” female voters will vote for Obama, and independent female voters far prefer Obama as well.

76 percent of former female Clinton supporters now support Barack Obama, but 18 percent of them will instead vote for McCain. Kellyanne Conway, a pollster at the Polling Company, Inc., said former Clinton Supporters would be more supportive of Obama if he chose a female running mate. When asked why Clinton did not win the nomination, one in five women responded that it was because of her gender.

Hoyer said McCain is continuing to flip flop

At the pen and pad briefing with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-M.D.) today, Hoyer said that McCain changes position so rapidly and is continuing to flip flop in his policies. Oil and gas companies hold the leases to 6.8 million acres of government land on the outer continental shelf, and they are not producing oil. 4.8 million barrels of oil could be produced if they drilled there, but McCain is ignoring what has already been authorized, Hoyer said. He said that democrats are supportive of offshore drilling and that alternative energy is what Congress and others should be focusing on.

Hoyer thinks that Obama is doing the right thing meeting with Clinton and others. He said in reference to Democratic party unity, “I believe it will happen” because there is a gulf of differences between McCain and Obama. While Clinton supporters are rightly disappointed right now because their candidate lost, Hoyer believes that more then 90 percent will support Obama because their country’s interest come first.

The supplemental bill going through the House right now will offer funds for the troops, address all the issues the President recommended and also offer assistance for the emergency in Iowa. Hoyer said the supplemental is the “critical focus” of the next 24 hours.

Clinton ends historic run in triumphant fashion, endorses Obama

The historic presidential campaign of New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton came to an end as she delivered an enthusiastic “thank-you” turned “Barack Obama endorsment” speech to thousands of her supporters.

Clinton’s speech, while coming at the end of a long, sometimes bitter battle against Obama, was both reflective of the accomplishments she made during her run to try and secure the Democratic presidential nomination, and was a platform she used to offer her support to the Illinois Senator.

Flanked by members of her family, including former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Clinton’s speech focused on the compelling nature of a race featuring both a female and an African American. Clinton noted that she hoped it would be “easier the next time around” for a woman running for the presidency, and she assured the audience that she would “continue to fight on the front lines of democracy” for middle class Americans.

When Clinton talked about how she will now be endorsing Obama, her sentiments were met with a loud chorus of both boos and cheers. Describing the Democratic party as a “family” she said she would now "work her heart out” to help Obama become the next president, urging her supporters to do the same.

Last day of AIPAC conference sees Obama, Clinton

AIPAC, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, held the last day of its annual conference today in Washington D.C. With a week of speakers that has seen Republican candidate for President Senator John McCain and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, today was capped off with Republican Leader of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Majority Leader of the Senate Harry Reid (D-Nev.) - and those were just the warm up speakers. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and presumptive democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) closed out the day with extended speeches.

Obama started with "we are among friends," and continued with "as president, I will never compromise when it comes to Israel's security." Obama also spoke on the issue of identity. He relayed his story of trying to find what to identify with as a child to the struggle of Israel, who over sixty years ago were struggling to find themselves and a place in the world, as Obama was when he was a child. He said he and Israel have found themselves and now partake in a working, strong relationship.

Obama also said Iran poses the greatest military threat to Israel. His goal is to eliminate this threat. He also said that Iraq is unstable, and this is jeopardizing the security of Israel. He said he will stand up for the right for Israel to defend itself in the United Nations and in the world, and that security for Israel is "non-negotiable."

The other speakers responded with similar speeches in their support for Israel and the necessity of the continued U.S.-Israel relationship, along with the threat Iran poses to Israel and the United States as it pursues nuclear weapons. Clinton said Obama will be a "good friend to Israel," and that the country needs a fresh start from the "wrong direction" President Bush moved the country in.

Clinton campaign: Michigan and Florida are vital partners

The 2.3 million votes that would be excluded at the Democratic National Convention were highlighted in a conference call with advisers to the Hillary Clinton campaign. In reference to the Florida and Michigan primaries, adviser Tina Flournoy emphasized that the January results should count, that January results should be used to allocate delegates, and that full delegates from each state should be seated and given full votes. Flournoy said that the habit of awarding half votes is a precedent that should not be set by the Democratic Party.

To clear confusion, Flournoy said that Michigan and Florida requested waivers for their early primaries after the dates had already been set and that candidate’s decisions not to campaign in Florida and Michigan was requested by New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, and Iowa, not the national party. Advisers reiterated that Clinton’s push for a re-vote was not successful and that the allocation of delegates should adhere to the available results. Advisers also stated that uncommitted delegates in Michigan should be registered as uncommitted at the convention, saying that one cannot judge the stance of an uncommitted vote accurately.

Clinton’s lead in the popular vote and her electability in other key swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia were given as reasons why the committee should rule in favor of Clinton. Adviser Harold Ickes said the goal of the party’s convention is to determine who can win 270 electoral votes for the Democratic Party and that the Clinton campaign, believing that Clinton is best able to achieve that goal, is a practical organization. Listeners were reminded of Florida and Michigan’s importance in the general election as Ickes said it is important to include these states as full partners in the electoral process.

When asked if the Clinton campaign is facing an uphill battle, advisers said that neither candidate can win the party’s nomination without the votes of superdelegates. Ickes and Flournoy, who both serve on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, were confident that their colleagues would agree that seating Michigan and Florida is in the party’s best interests.