ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC Political Researcher



Delegate update: Shuler makes it official

Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 12:56 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: , ,

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler is throwing his superdelegate endorsement to Clinton. Note that Shuler said he would back whomever won his congressional district. Clinton was widely expected to win the district (CD-11), which borders Tennesse. She did so -- by 13 points.

Shuler is one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress and won election to CD-11 as part of the Democratic wave in 2006 .

The Delegate Counts:
PLEDGED: Obama 1,588-1,422
SUPERDELEGATES: Clinton 273.5-256
OVERALL: 1,844-1.695.5

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

A 'Feel Good' for Hillary!
Tim Russert said it all.........The nominee is Obama.
Even now the superdelegates are still going to Clinton! What is wrong with Obama? Why won't the superdelegates commit to that man? They obviously know something, and that thing is that Obama is unelectable against McCain.
Spittin' in the wind.  Maybe it's symbolism?
We will come together, even those who don't want to.

Do you know why?

Because, Obama said to tell the truth.

The truth is we are all part of this great land--no matter our individual opinions and prejudices.  Like the man said,  "I am imperfect."

But he is right, people, it is not about Obama, Clinton, or MCCAIN.  

The real question is do we want to continue the war in IRAQ?  With more dead and wounded.

Do we want to reward the rich and pull every spare dime there is out of the poor and middle class? (more Bush)

Do we want health care for all--or should we let, at least some of them, die in the streets?

What do we, the people, want?

Go ahead, you narrow minded individuals, go ahead and jump ship.  Cut of your head to cure your headache--yes, that will make you feel better (or bitter)  However, in the end you are only acting in a self-destructive way.

Surely, if Hillary had won, I would want her policy--not McCains!  It doesn't matter that I find Hillary completely repulsive, and dishonest.  Her policies are sound, and they are very close to Obama's, and they well help Americans!  And they will help my friends, the soldiers!  And they will help us all!
Those Policies will help our education and our economy.  Those policies will determine and define all of us.  

The rich, are rich for a reason.  Special interest lobby for a reason. Politicians accept money from special interests for a reason!  Obama's policies, the same in many ways as Clinton's policies, are this contry's great chance to change the course of our  dependence on oil, on special interest, and on dirty politics in general.  It's time to have a little discipline and not act like a spoiled brat.  

It is time to come together as Democrats!

Republicans:  Beware!
C'mon supers--I don't care which way you go but grow a spine and commit already.  The reason the DNC is broke is many of us won't give a dime until we quit wasting money on this primary.  
That will accomplish something.
Man!!!! you just threw that endorsement away.
Yeah, but check this out from the BBC:

"probably today, but certainly within 48 hours, about 30 super-delegates will endorse Mr Obama."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7387919.stm

...Even if that's an exaggeration, the truth is:  this is the end of the trail.  Hillary just has to be shown (politely) to the door.

Why isn't MSNBC running the McGovern story?  Hillary entered politics working for McGovern and he has switched his endorsement to Obama.
It's nice to see at least one congressman who sticks to their word.
Finally, someone with morals and values, someone who can keep his word...Shuler, I truly admire you!
The number of delegates needed to win the nomination must include delegate numbers from Michigan and Flordia. We are the United States, not the United States minus two big states. It is unpatriotic, and probably illegal, to not include these two states.
Down with the ship I guess.  I thought the crew get to leave the boat.  (???)
Hillary selfish,egotist,careless,She is ME<ME<ME.
Perhaps Clinton won Shuler's congressional district by 13 points, but does the fact that Obama won NC by a state wide margin of over 15 points matter?  
Another loser backing a loser.....

Hillary is caught in Obama's figure four leglock...

She's wisting and turning to get out of it, but eventually she will pass out and lose....



I have been reading various blogs all day and I'm disappointed that Obama supporters are being relentlessly curel to Clinton supporters.  (I am convinced this is not what Obama would want.)  We'll never get him elected in November if we keep behaving in a way that keeps us divided.  

They have every right to be as loyal to Clinton as we are to Obama.

They think we've been more cruel; we think the same of them.  They feel victimized by media; we feel the same.    

Think how you'd feel if Obama had lost yesterday.  
Why don't you report McGovern's defection from Clinton to Obama? Newsweek clearly shows he has "endorsed" officially.
This update should be entitled "Shuler throws another incompletion."  
MSNBC never posts anything I write. Hopefully this will be the one they finally post.

Hillary Clinton is the right person for the job, too bad Black America is so prejudice and h**l bent on having a Black president they don't see the fact that Obama hasn't got a plan, just full of words. They say this election isn't about race but it is and every one of those 91% of Black Americans has proven that fact.

I WILL NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA, not because of his race but because of his lack of plan and anything concrete.

I WILL NOT VOTE FOR MCCAIN, he is too much like Bush.

I WILL WRITE MY VOTE IN FOR CLINTON, no matter who is the nominee.
What a fool to jump on a sinking ship now that it's apparent that Obama is the presumptive nominee.  Oh well what can we expect from the most conservative dullard in the Democratic Party?

Where the heck are the supers at that should be jumping aboard the ObamaNation juggernaut?  I'm really peeved that the super chickens are still sitting on the fence waiting for some idiotic miracle to hand Hillary "Republican" Clinton the nomination.

Go Obama 08/12!
Former Sen. George McGovern switched to Obama today.  Is he a superdelegate?
I suppose a man has to keep his word, but this is just feeding the fire-this needs to end now.
A man of conviction...another Superdelegate for Senator Clinton!!
probably a republican in hiding.
it's a shame.
Crissie Matthews says Republicans crossing over to vote for Hillary is unfair. Really? What is unfair is that the Democrats don't want to hear what Flordia and Michigan wants to say. Democrats do not want to hear what the remaining primary states have to say. That's what is unfair. But Crissie says nothing about that unfairness.
I guess he wants to win his seat back.  Too bad he is not courageous enough to say..."I AM VOTING FOR XXX BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN XXX.
Shuler has a spine of jello. Some might at first think he is brave backing the overall loser; I have a buddy in his distict that is an Army recruiter. He says Shuler is afraid of losing his seat this year, espicially since the local population is more than 50% republican, very few minorities there.
Way to throw your vote away Heath!
Shuler, I understand you loyalty to you constituents, but we have to end this thing so we can come together as a party.  Its over, Please do the right thing.
Now Hilary says West Virginia is "one of the most important races".  I think the woman has cracked, she is becoming delusional now, it's sad. Go home Billary, it's over!
Shuler may have kept his word, but a word, given in haste, makes for a mouth full to swallow. That is why there are erasers on pencils, delete buttons on PC's, and a God given right to change one's mind.
Enjoy it, its probably the last one she'll get.

Time to end this thing.
Who cares.. He was for Hillary all along..SD's please come out and end this because the clinton camp will try to run with this especially since this clown is from NC and she got demolished here..  I am a grassroot volunteer for Mr. Obama.. I truly believe it makes a difference..
People don't understand the purpose or the full effect of Operation CHAOS being waged by Rush Limbaugh, so here is the original intent and direction given to people by Rush himself.  If you don't think it made a difference, early conservative estimates put the # of CHAOS voters in Indiana at @ 7% of the total vote.  It's significant, and it shows the influence Mr. Limbaugh has.

Operation CHAOS:
A campaign worker said he would quit the McCain campaign if he was told to do ads critical of Obama.  Now, at this time -- this is before Texas and Ohio -- Obama is running away with this; and if he wins Texas and Ohio, Mississippi, he puts her away -- and it's over, and there's no way the superdelegates are going to be talked out of supporting him.  So Operation Chaos was born primarily for the purpose assuming Obama was going to be the nominee at the get go of this.  He needs to be bloodied up politically since McCain is not going to do it. Since the Republican Party is not going to be on the field in this way, somebody's gotta bloody up Obama.  The only person that can do it is Hillary, and she can't do it if she's not in the race -- and so the purpose was Operation Chaos was to keep her in the race and to have her bloody up Obama in the process of staying in the race.  I'm talking about politically.  

And, lo and behold, it's happened.  This is the crucible of chaos.  Look at what Operation Chaos has forged.  Mrs. Clinton now is threatening to obliterate Iran.  She says she gonna break up OPEC.  She wants to hold the money brokers responsible for the alleged recession.  She says she gonna renege on NAFTA.  She'll take what she calls the excess profits from Big Oil.  And she's going to do all that while hunting and downing shots of Crown Royal followed by a beer.  None of that, not one of these Clinton promises would exist were it not for Operation Chaos.  The train would not have come off the tracks of the Obama campaign, were it not for Operation Chaos.  The Jeremiah Wright stuff and all that, yes, that would have happened, but nothing could have done anything about it because Mrs. Clinton would have been effectively out of the race, not able to mount a campaign.  So we'd be in a far different spot today than we were so the purpose of this is to keep this going -- exactly what's happened.  

And not only do we have chaos in the Democrat ticket and the Democrat race and the Democrat race; we've got chaos in the Drive-By Media.  Chaos has sprung up all over this campaign.  That was the objective, and I need to issue a sincere thanks to all of you commandos, volunteers, and operatives for one hell of a job.  I know how hard this has been for those of you to go out there and follow orders and actually vote for a Clinton.  You have had to trust me that I know what I'm doing here and that that will not end up harming you or us, and I appreciate this trust that you have invested in me, your commander-in-chief. RUSH LIMBAUGH
That's some good news for Senator Clinton. :)

Otherwise, Ouch!

Today seems like the fall of the Soviet Union, all of a sudden you find out that they're financially bankrupt and couldn't keep up.
Not that it matters now...
Good for you Shuler even though it won't make a difference now. Obama08
Are you planning on mentioning that George McGovern has switched his support from Clinton to Obama and asked Senator Clinton to drop out? That's big news!
The CW on the protracted Democratic nominating campaign is that it has been bad for the party.  But what about this:  look at all the new registered voters that have been recruited to support either Clinton or Obama!  This would not be happening until the fall if not for all of this.  And those new voters are engaged and motivated and will vote in November.  For all the glee the Republicans have shown at the protracted and divisive race for the nomination, they have failed to consider the unintended consequences.  Once united, the Dems will be unstoppable in November!
As clear as the nomination is at this point, he was a fool to make such a ridiculous promise.  No worries!  Obama will win anyway!
Heath -

You are a little late.  You weren't the smartest QB and obviously you are not the smartest politician.  Good luck in the next election.
O.K.  Where are all of the other undecided N.C. rep supers from the other districts that Obama won?  Shouldn't they come on board now consistent with their respective districts if they are still undecided?
He was also a lousy quaterback for my Redskins and looking at how many Super Bowls they have won since they drafted him, they better keep Hillary off any Democratic ticket.  
Did Heath Schuler then break his hand by punching the goal post. It looks like his ability to pick a winning candidiate is only rivaled by his skills on the gridiron.
Waste of time and energy, no backbone just protecting his own backside.
Do the Democratic voters realize that all of their votes do not count? Democrats have a small group of so called leaders, that are unelected and accountable to no one, making their choice, and not the peoples choice, for the Democratic nominee. Talk about disenfranchisement, the DemocRATs wrote the book on that concept.
Promises are made to be broken.  See ya later sucker!

Obaam 08 and 12
It's Ok to be loyal, but it may hurt him in the next election. If he were that close to the Clinton's & went to church with Bill on Sunday, maybe this tells you that she still has something up her sleeve. If Rep Shuler were a smart man, he may of made that phone call today, to ask if he should wait to endorse, or she informed him that she was going on and had a Ace up her sleeve. Who knows what her game plan is now.


SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=990939

First Read e-mail alerts


Sign up for First Read alerts
The first place for key political news and analysis

Syndicate This Site

Add First Read to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google