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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



NC congressman endorses Obama

Posted: Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:37 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: , , ,

From NBC's Ken Strickland
North Carolina Congressman (and superdelegate) Brad Miller today will endorse Obama, according to his office.

Miller represents the 13th district, which includes Raleigh and Greensboro.

Miller met with Obama today.

*** UPDATE *** So with Miller's endorsement, here's NBC's delegate breakdown:
PLEDGED: Obama 1590, Clinton 1426
SUPERS: Clinton 273.5, Obama 261
TOTAL: Obama 1851, Clinton 1699.5

There are now 260.5 undeclared superdelegates.

*** UPDATE II *** Here's a statement from Miller: "I will cast my vote as a delegate in Denver for Senator Barack Obama. The decision was not easy. Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns to working and middle class American families. She is one of the great leaders of this generation."

"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president. Americans know that Republican policies have failed because their ideas are wrong. Americans know that our government has not acted to use Franklin Roosevelt's words, as trustees for the whole people, but have taken the side of powerful economic interests on every issue. Americans want a fundamental change in course."

"Senator Obama seized that opportunity."

"If Senator Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ticket win this year and then deliver next year, we can build a consensus that will last a generation."

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Comments

Finally ... first one today .. I was beginning to wonder .
Cheers
I wish about a 150 more would join him.

PLEASE
Praise the Lord!  Lets get this finished, because I'm pretty sure Clinton needs a break...

Hard working single mother with a young college student for Obama!
Bless you, Congressman, for stepping up to help bring this thing to a close.
drip... Drip... DRIP... D R I P . . .

Time for the

  drip

to turn into a

  W A T E R F U L ! ! !

Nice work work Brad Miller welcome aboard.....
Thank You Brad Miller!!!!! You will not regret it!

Let's end this and take on McCain!
To first read staff,

Ellsworth didn't endorse Hillary.  He said he could change his mind if there was a compelling reason.  He said that list could be long.

Please subtract Ellsworth from your list.
Dear Fellow Americans.

Our Great-grand Nation, the United States of America
is and will face very critical and substantial
"Challenges" in coming,
months, years, and decades.

It is very essential that we pick our next
President on the basis of following criteria.


1. A candidate with a clear "Vision and Mission".

2. A candidate with a sound " Character and Integrity"
.

3. A candidate with a evident "Presidential
Temperament" and  " Principled Judgment".

4. A candidate with "little "Washington exposure"
and  "real future and past Voters".

5. A candidate who "Inspires us up" rather  than
"Tears us down".

6. A candidate not based on past "sexism, racism, and
ageism".

In my professional and personal opinion, the only
candidate who has shown the above qualities and
characteristics is Senator Obama.

As an independent registered voter since 1980. I voted
for Carter, voted for Reagan, voted for First  Bush,
and second Bush in 2000 and In over time last
interest in "Washington politics".I stopped voting.
Not a good idea under any circumstance, particularly
at present time.

This time we can not afford to stay on side lines and
let Washington remain the same.We can not afford our
Greatgreat Nation to become less than what we are  and
can be.

We need to send clear and candid message to the world
and some 24 hour partisan piosonous hateful media.

These type of media outlets are trying to deprive,
dupe, and derail us from getting it right this time.

I pray and hope that we the American people won't be
part of this deception, seduction, and confusion.

These type of media and pundits are trying there best
to deny us better and replac our past remember some of
our bitterness and differences. { "Our Greatgrand
Nations people are persistently and constantly
subjected to Psychological terrorism" without our
knowledge by these these poisonous hateful partisan
media outlets".

We Americans are should not and would not to allow
these type of media psychologically terrorized,
traumatized and silence us this time.Not this time.

I am sure that we will get it right this
time and elect Senator Obama our next President. let
us not get dragged down into racism, sexism and
ageism.

Let us remember that our Greatgrand is constituted of
family, friends,fellowships, faith, funds,foundations,
fun, and future with fairness and freedom and without
fear or favor.

We can not afford to lose any of above conectins. Let
us stand up, be counted, save, build our Greatgrand
Nation for decades to come and regain our world
economic, and power status back.

God Bless our Great grand Nation and its diverse
people.

Our Greatgrand nation needs present and future
stability, security, safety,sustained progress and
restoration of our due status in this perilous Global
World at the all levels.

Yours sincerely,

COL.[retd] A.M.Khajawall
Forensic Psychiatrist.
Disables American Veteran.
Las Vegas Nevada.


Thank you Congressman Miller.
The supers who stand up now and endorse Obama will be the ones who will be remembered as stopping the madness and setting the Dem party on a path to healing.  The REAL leaders of the party. If we don't end this thing and focus on the general we are going to foul up this chance to get the GOP out of the White House.
I'm gonna donate to Obama to celebrate!!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

(Of course, the Obamanation is not 'into' the idea of paying off Clinton's campaign debt with our hard-earned contributions to Obama.  Have you heard the news?  ABC is reporting that Clinton is debt more than $20 MILLION -- over and above the $11.4 million she's 'loaned' herself.  ....Let the woman drown in her mess.)
Thank You!
The .5 a dwarf?
I'm from MI and I could care less if the damn delegates get seated. As long as Obama is on the ballot in November, I can then finally vote for him. I did not vote in the primary because it was stated that our primary vote would not count.

I've lived in this state for almost 50 years. I am a white male, veteran, some college and between 50 & 60k yr. Obama will win this state in a landslide.

Mrs.C needs some help. If you support this woman and care about her, please help her get out. IT'S OVER
and she is only hurting "our" nominee. We need you to win the white house. Don't be short sighted because your cantidate didn't make it this time. McSame will take away your right to choose, as well as eliminate the middle class.

She is losing her dignity and any respect she has left. Help her help herself. Please.

Go Obama!
Obama wins this thing when he gets a SD drunk on a Tuesday night and gets him to sign a statement of support. Just like everyone planned it months ago.
THANK YOU!

Hillary nor Bill are even working for the African American vote, while Obama is working tirelessly to reach out to the "white" blue collar Americans.

Hillary really needs to think twice about this electability argument. Let's say she pulls this off (not gonna happen), what does that say about the democratic party? We can't simply deny a candidate the nomination because there are whites that will not vote for a black man (by the way idiots he is half white). The democratic party does want to win but we have always showed loyalty to, above all, principle and for the first time in decades we have a candidate that actually has the ability to win on principle.

Obama can and will win the presidency. If we go by the bar of experience then Cheney and Rumsfeld are better than Clinton would be.

OBAMA 08
he picked upone more form big sky contry .Please update
Obama has almost caught up in SuperDs ... just a few more who can stand up against the wall of hate from the Clintons
I hope 13 more join so he can be ahead in every single measure of the race.
Mark that looks a little misleading the way that Supers dont line up to the candidate. Thank you for the good news.  Thank you for the person from San Diego for handling that nut job patty that keeps saying racist things. I guess she does not understand that,that is the beauty of true Americans we try to learn from our mistakes and move on. But then when you see the examples given by her Candidate of choice, and no I am not talking about John McCain. It is no wonder that she keeps being dsrespectful in this blog. I really am feeling sory for her.
OK I missed it who is the .5??



its been a running joke i unsderstad but for those of us who missed it the first time cant we get a shout out?


I hear Sonny and Cher singing ... and the beat goes on..and the beat goes on
who will be the super credited with switching the majority of supers in Obama's favor?

Make it before WV. Please.
History will smile on such courage.  Maybe we could have a gas tax holiday to retire the Clinton campaign debt (even if those elite economists say it won't raise enough money).
He needs less than 75 more Superdelegates.

Even Counting FL and MI, he pobably only needs 100.

If Edwards goes to him, that would add 18 or so to his totals.

Did Hillary have a math class in College or high school?

.

I live in Rep.Miller's district. While he is "low key", he is a straight-shooting, solidly progressive congressman and his district voted overwhelmingly for Sen. Obama.
the only thing wrong with north carolina is that it won't
vote for obama in the general election.
GO OBAMA GO OBAMA ... I HAVE BEEN CHECKING THIS THING BY THE HOUR TO SEE A CASCADE OF ENDORSEMENTS BUT I GUESS I CAN BE OKAY WITH ONE BY ONE....

SO NOW WE HAVE 1851 WHICH MEANS ARE ONLY 174 DELEGATES AWAY FROM THE NOMINATION AND THAT IS NOT COUNTING THE YET UNALLOCATED PLEDGED DELEGATES!!!!
PLUS THE NEW SD TO COME....

HILLARY PLEASE DO US A SERVICE, MORE ESPECIFICALLY TO YOUR OWN HEALTH, DROP OUT GRACIOUSLY. YOU DID A GREAT JOB BUT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE IS WITH OBAMA.
Thank-you Congressman Brad Miller. We LOVE you down here in North Carolina. Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you Congressman Miller.
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!
Thank you Mr. Miller,

I am beginning to wonder if it would not be in the best interest of Hillary's mental health, for the supers to support Obama enmasse now. I think dragging it out might have a more adverse affect on her. You know, like quickly pulling off a band aide.

The steady as you go approach, is prolonging this woman's agony.
An article detailing our call to electoral arms from this moment until we have won the nomination in August. Obama has absolutely no place to hide now, and it is time to rhetorically take he and his uncritical supporters to the proverbial woodshed:

http://www.villarrealsports.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=496

Clinton supporters and all those opposed to Obama, now is our time to, as the movie Gladiator so eloquently put it, “unleash (metaphorical) hell” against the fatally damaged and ready-to-be-put-out-of-its-misery Obama nomination campaign.

All hands on deck for the coming offensive.
I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself...Senator Obama doesn't represent the next generation of Democrats.  If he does, then we can expect to have another Republican President this Fall!
"If Senator Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ticket win this year and then deliver next year, we can build a consensus that will last a generation."


While we're all trying to put food on our tables, a roof over our heads, and cloths on our children, we can all take the time to listen to one of Obama's daily speeches as he tells us how wonderful he is.

The DNC’s ‘Rules Committee’ offers Hillary a significant advantage  --- 13 of its members have openly endorsed her, and just 8 are declared Obama backers.  

FACT:  (A Committee Chairman is Alexis M. Herman, Labor secretary under President Clinton; another is Harold Ickes, the top advisor to Hillary’s campaign in charge of stealing superdelegates; and another is from the Michigan DNC.)  

The ‘Rules Committee’ has wide latitude concerning Florida and Michigan.  It could uphold the rules and punishment it and both candidates agreed to initially, or it could --- seat the entire delegation from each state,  split the delegations in half,  or even seat all of the super delegates but only some of the elected delegates.

This is the REAL REASON Hillary is staying in the race.  Hillary fully expects that the ‘Rules Committee’ with its almost 2-to-1 ratio of declared Hillary-to-Obama supporters will go along with whatever she wants regarding Florida & Michigan delegates.  She believes, and probably rightly so, that the ‘Rules Committee’ will seat as many of the delegates from Florida & Michigan as Hillary needs to obtain the 2025 delegates needed to win the nomination.

IT WILL be GRAND THEFT by MANIPULATION of the RULES COMMITTEE.

==========================================================================
Keep going Hillary! Expose this fraud of a pitiful man for what he really is!!
Note to Senator Clinton:

I am not black

I am female

I am elderly

I am middle class

I am rural

Shouldn't I be supporting you?  

Sorry - - - - the answer is NO - a resounding wonderful and very clear NO!

I have supported Obama since 2004 and have not waivered one bit since that time.  Only in the fact that my resolve has become stronger!
Hey, look it everybody, Hillary is still running! Can she do that?
to bl in cincinnati oh
 are you reading mind?  could not have said it better myself?    
                 

As i understand it, Senator Clinton can use one-half of the Clinton's l09 million dollars.  Let's see - - that's 54.5 million.  That sounds reasonable to me.

Then, since President Clinton is offering her his total support, I think that he should also donate HIS 54.5 million dollars to the cause.

THEN - but only then - they will truly be able to relate to the middle-class, the poor, those having difficulty paying their bills.  THEN - but only then - she will not be pandering to the "low information voters" in order to get their vote.  



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