Emanuel: Obama 'presumptive nominee'

Posted: Friday, May 09, 2008 1:06 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Rep. Rahm Emanuel called Obama the "presumptive nominee" in an interview with the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza. Emanuel has obvious ties to the Clintons, but he is also from Illinois. It's why, he says, he's held out and not endorsed. That's “why I’m hiding under my desk,” he says.

Emanuel also joked that the undeclareds that remain are part of "an exclusive club.”

When asked if there “is there a way for Democrats to blow this election?”, Emanuel said, “The answer is in the question ... I’d rather be us then them.”

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Comments

The Race is OVER when Rasmussan no longer tracks your campaign:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

Reality Check, NY (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:11 PM)

If she is not a Racist ... Then could you tell me what she is?

She is not a Racist as far as I know!

mary lee atlanta georgia (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:11 PM)

The Race is OVER when Rasmussan no longer tracks your campaign:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

Reality Check, NY (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:12 PM)

Which means Obama is the presumptive loser this fall.

Kala Bridges (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:12 PM)

Can't confirm any of this until white smoke comes out of the Capital chimney.

Sonya Thompson (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:14 PM)

I guess just like MI and FL, these remaining primary states don't matter.

Tullis Winecoat, Dallas (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:15 PM)

The Democrats will probably "blow it" if they don't unite behind 1 candidate. Hillary needs to throw her support to Obama or else she is just ruining her chances for later.

Connie, Tennessee (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:15 PM)

It's certainly amusing to watch the Democrats hitch their wagon to this dead horse.

True Patriot (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:16 PM)

Go Obama!

Frank
Chicago
Obama '08

Frank, Chicago, IL (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:17 PM)

Why aren't you printing the full quote?

------------------------
"At this point, Barack is the presumptive nominee," he said at a conference sponsored by The New Yorker magazine, according to The Huffington Post. "Hillary can't win but something could happen that Barack could lose the nomination."
...
"What Hillary does in the next month is important," he said. "If she spends her time contrasting with Senator McCain, drawing distinctions that help the Democratic Party, that's productive. If it's done in another way, that's not productive."
------------------------

Rahm Emmanuel is VERY loyal to the Clintons. It's OVER. Even Rassmussen is going to stop putting Hillary in their Daily Presidential Tracking, it's only Obama vs. McCain from now on.

Linda. Boston, MA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:18 PM)

what is more racist?

Blacks voting for Obama because he is black

or
whites not voting for Obama because he is black?

FLAME AWAYS OBAMABOTS

BUT REMEMBER

you need Hillary supporters if you want to win in November.

I will NEVER vote for racist black liberation believer like Obama.

patty,sd,ca (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:18 PM)

[When asked if there “is there a way for Democrats to blow this election?”,]

Emanual answered "We already have blown it".

Typical White Rural Person (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:18 PM)

"Which means Obama is the presumptive loser this fall.
--Kala Bridges"
*******************

Only if petty people vote for McCain out of bitterness or revenge. But however upset you are over your candidate losing, never forget that a vote for McCain will cause more US soldiers to DIE!!! That is a fact. And I don't know about you, but I don't treat other people's lives so lightly.

Linda. Boston, MA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:20 PM)

oops wrong Al qaeda leader, sorry.

end the police action please so we can prepare for a potential real war.

Billy S, Seattle, WA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:20 PM)

patty,sd,ca (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:21 PM)

Great of you to finally get on board there sir!

http://www.politivine.com

Cory (SC) (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:21 PM)

Please, stop whining about MI and FL! They broke the rules! They should be happy with any crumbs they are thrown by the DNC.

Mark R., South Montrose, PA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:22 PM)

Oh yeah, Obama now leads in the superdelegate count also!!

http://www.politivine.com/2008/05/09/obama-takes-lead-in-superdelegate-count/

Cory (SC) (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:22 PM)

Yes, he was correct. In fact, I am a 20something Democrat. The only way to take down Obama is for either a bigot to attempt something, or for a greedy, attack dog politician like Hillary.
I am really tired of this campaign season and am longing for an end. We have had enough of Hillary's soooo divisive tactics that it seems fitting to call the Democratic Party a Divided Party. Because if Hillary really cares about Democrats winning the White House, she should have either toned down her tactics or dropped out and rallied around whoever is mathematically the winner.

Jon, TX (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:24 PM)

Those of you who refuse to vote for Obama (or Clinton, for that matter), please, please, PLEASE remember that the balance of the Supreme Court is already tilted towards ultra-conservatism. A vote for John McCain is a vote for a prohibition of abortion. A vote for John McCain is a vote to increase, rather than decrease, the power and influence of the Executive Branch. And yes, staying home counts as a vote for John McCain.

John Paul Stevens is 88. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is 75. Antonin Scalia is 72. Anthony Kennedy will be 72 in July. Stephen Breyer will be 70 in August. At least two of them (likely Stevens and Ginsberg) will be stepping down shortly. Do we really want John McCain making those decisions??

Brendan D, Niles, IL (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:24 PM)

can you hear it? repub's are getting nervous....they have NO energy behind their accidental nominee - and could only hope for half the energy clinton OR obama have brought to the table...

Dem's back in the whitehouse in '08...

write it down.

McCain will be McRetired after November...

sean, atl, ga (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:25 PM)

as a black man im offended by the clinton's who we did not want to believe are racists...however in light of recent and previous statements out of their own mouths i am convinced that a big F..K O.F is in order!!!!

now i call on all whites to stand up and speak forwhat u believe...but be HONEST! there's more respect for a known racist than the many of you who are secret "card-holders";yet you act like its all these other things when in fact the only problem you have is that MR. OBAMA IS BLACK. AND IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL ANY BETTER HIS MOTHER WAS WHITE/BUT WAIT!MAYBE SHE WASNT WHITE ENOUGH BECAUSE SHE MARRIED A BLACK MAN!

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!

IF YOU WANNA STEP UP I WILL LISTEN: BIGGCUZZN@YAHOO.COM

DIARY OF A MAD BLACK MAN IN AMERICA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:26 PM)

The republicans lack imagination.

All they have are their stale platforms, in a 'change' year, growling through their long in the tooth candiate's dingy snarl.

pa voter (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:26 PM)

It's certainly amusing to watch the Democrats hitch their wagon to this dead horse.

True Patriot (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:16 PM)

It's certainly amusing to watch the Republicans hitch their wagon to a nearly dead human.

CitizenJ (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:27 PM)

why is that is so clear to a lot of us that Obama is going be destroyed in November?

I guess that is why Obama supporter are called Obamabots. They are not programed to face reality.Obama thinks Blacks and college kids are enough to win in November. LOL

patty,sd,ca (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:21 PM)

I'm not sure why it is so clear, but I bet it has something to do with the level of meds you are taking.

CitizenJ (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:28 PM)

I am so tired of people complaining about states not mattering! I do understand that everyone likes to vote but lets gets real people this is NOT the General Election, This is a primary and rarely do all 50 states vote in a primary. And if you want to play it like a General Election then we must not count the delgates or Popular vote from Puerto Rico because they are not allowed to vote in the General Election!

It is time to wake up people and stop complaining. You can't have it your way all the time! there are always 2 sides to every argument. I leave you with 1 example!

People are always complaining about the voters in MI & FL being disenfranchised well what about the voters that sat home and didn't vote because they were told teh election didn't count. If you look at the number of people that turned out to vote it is considerably less (percentage) then all the other states. Anyway you look at it someone will not be treated fairly.

I feel for Clinton but the truth is there is no way for her to win unless she does it dirty! It is time for us all to come together and backup our nominee sen. Obama! Unless you don't want to win come Nov.

Jill - DE (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:30 PM)

This looks more and more like a Shakespearean tragedy for the Clintons...everything builds up to a climax in Act III which was Tuesday night in North Carolina and Indiana.

All that remains in Act IV and Act V is the antclimactic ending.

BRING ON MCSAME!!!!

Obama '08!

Pete - Albany, NY (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:31 PM)

ah, we finally hear from mr. big, rahm emanual. a former clinton attack dog, and lackey. hillary, a cookie laced with arsenic. i also understand propaganda minister howie, wuf wuf wolfson has a book deal. i love this dirty country. has anyone asked mrs. vince foster who she is supporting?

j,j, hunsecker, the globe, manhattan, ny (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:31 PM)

Off the subject, but I'm curious. We've heard over and over how Obama outspent Hillary 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, even 5:1 but I'm beginning to believe the Clinton's accounting follows the same, mysterious math as they're popular vote calculation, etc.

Consider this, according to CNN's report on fundraising and spending:

Clinton raised $195 million, spent $163 million, and has $32 million on hand.

Obama raised $240 million, spent $189 million, and has $51 million on hand.

So, just dividing Obama's spend of $189 million by Clinton's $163 million yields 1.2:1. I guess the real question is, then, how well did she spend it?

Certainly in the media market, she may have been outspent, but that's only because the Clinton's have "HIS" and "HERS" jets to criss-cross the country. This was a topic of conversation earlier on when her well first started drying up after big parties and extravagent luncheons for her staff, but it seems her problem of being outspent in the media could have been avoided with a little better planning.

ujw (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:32 PM)

Is there a way to blow the election? Yes! Just let Hillary steal the nomination from the rightful winner. She asks if Obama can win the white voters. Someone should ask her how many people will sit out the general election or switch to McCain, if she ignores the will of the people. I am an Obama supporter, and I will crawl over broken glass to vote for McCain if Hillary is allowed to steal the nomination. Obama leads in states won, popular vote, and pledged delegates. Before long, he will lead in supers. If he is denied the nomination in spite of all of this, McCain will wipe the floor with Hillary in November.

Obama in 2008. Integrity matters and the Clintons have none. Time to go furniture shopping, Hillary. You won't be stealing any more furniture from the White House.

Sick of corruption, sick of the Clintons (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:32 PM)

Why is it MSNBC only approves comments from racists and people promoting their blogs?

Floyd, Elmhurst, IL (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:32 PM)

Hillary has her scorched earth plan, and not only does she not care about damage to the party, she's TRYING to damage it. Here's why:

If she doesn't win, she wants McCain to win, because she'll go after him in four years saying "I told you so". If Obama wins, the Clintons are done for good.

I expect her to soon get the votes of superthugs Tonya Harding and Jeff Galooly.

Lynn, Seattle (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:33 PM)

[never forget that a vote for McCain will cause more US soldiers to DIE!!]

Never forget that a vote for Obama will cause more US civilians to DIE!!

Jenkins Moss, Concord, MA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:34 PM)

After reading Clyburns remarks if he thinks we believe he is neutral I will sell him the Brooklyn bridge. Obama has been shoved down our throats by the media and the blacks who do not seem to care whether the president is capable but their race is most important. Now who are the racists? My daughters and grandaughters are as important as Clyburns and I believe Hillary is the best candidate not for her sex but because she is so bright that sometimes it is scary. I would be proud to call her my president. But Obama has no qualifications to be a senator. I will no longer consider myself a democrat and will work to see that McCain becomes president. He will be the most qualified if he has to run against empty suit Obama.

lee, sarasota (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:35 PM)

The best thing to do with Patty is just ignore her.

Andress (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:35 PM)

I'd give anything to hear even one interviewer ask Hillary the question 'would you be concerned about disenfranchising MI & FL voters if Obama had won those contests?' Of course, she'd just have Lanny Davis or Kiki McLean spin the answer for her.

Sally, Virginia (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:36 PM)

patty, sd,ca,

you don't have to vote for him, he's still going to be your president unless you leave the country, which i am sure we would all FULLY endorse and enjoy

christian (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:36 PM)

\\ Please, stop whining about MI and FL! They broke the rules! They should be happy with any crumbs they are thrown by the DNC. \\

Another compassionate Obama supporter concerned about millions of disenfranchised voters. Be sure to fill the MI and FL seats at the convention with clowns. They will best represent the Democrats and Obama.

Harevet Weiss (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:38 PM)

To Patty, SD

The blacks are not voting to Obama because he is black... If you check the vote history of the African Americans you will see that the HAD NO PROBLEM voting for a white candidate.. ask Bill Clinton himself and he will let you know if the black vote went against him even when J Jackson was still in the race. So, the black voters did stand behind white folks.. But what you should ask yourself and the racists behind Hillary is when did they EVER vote for a person with colour or a different name?? The answer is NEVER. The black voters don't vote against Hillary because she is white... whereas the racist white supremecists won't vote for Barack because he is black...

Okay now... have I answered your question?

On a side note... What is the % of Mormons voted for Mitt Romney in Utah?

What % of white women voting for Hillary?

What % of Catholics voted for JFK

What % of latino voted for Bill Richardson for the governor race?

It is called association with a candidate.. not racism.. When yopu vote against a candidate because of his color.. that is a problem.. Apparently the "white" vote problem against Obama is not shared by people of colour!!! Got that smartie?

TEH, Gibsonia, PA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:38 PM)

McCain is a broken man since he got Roved in SC in 2000. I would have voted for him in that election.

He has since abandoned his principles to have a shot at the presidency. Examples: 1) Cozying up to Hagee and Falwell the former agent of intolerance, and 2) going from moderate to far right in judicial appointment philosophy in recent speeches; both acts to shore up support from far right wing, 3) dropping former insistence on fiscal responsibility to pander to rich by preserving unwise Bush tax cuts, and 4) going to the gutter on day 1 of the de facto general election with Hamas comment, because he's figured out that he can't win based on the issues.

Tom in LA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:38 PM)

patty,sd,ca (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:18 PM)

Patty - I said the first time that I saw one your posts, there is a McCain supporter in Hillary clothing.

Go vote for an adulterer and flip-flopper, McCain was married when he started dating Cindi. He has never made a decision that he didn't change his mind on.

OBwan, IN (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:39 PM)

I don't know how uber-Clinton female supporters are so hell bent on moving to McCain if Obama is the nominee. Are you all that desperate to lose your basic female rights? Say goodbye to Roe v Wade, ladies. That's going to happen if you let McCain seat supreme court judges. All this out of spite? Really?

zach, San Geronimo CA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:40 PM)

Jon Tx,

The only way to take down Obama is for either a bigot to attempt something, or for a greedy, attack dog politician like Hillary.

---------

Well, that, and Obama's total lack of any ideas, any plans, any message that is remotely comprehendable, his racist and criminal associations, and last but certainly not least, the fact that he is an elitist without being elite.

SumsItUp (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:41 PM)

patty,sd,ca (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:18 PM):

patty:

You are truly ignorant are you not?

The difference is that African Americans are voting for Obama because they are "For" Obama (not against Hillary's race). Where many whites are voting for Hillary because they are "AGAINST" Obama (because of his race).

Try it this way and perhaps you can learn patty. If Obama had not been a candidate at all many if not most African Amercians would have voted for Hillary. They liked Hillary and would have voted for her regardless of her race. As it is Obama is running and they like him better, but still would have voted for Hillary. But if Hillary had not been a candidate many white voters would still not have voted for Obama because of his race. As it is Hillary has been running and they like her, but they still would not have voted for Obama if Hillary had not been running because Obama is Black.

Now do you get it patty? Now tell me where the racism is.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:41 PM)

I see the Obama hates are starting the same hate routine, but now on McCain. Pleasant bunch. It appears they don't like anyone. It will be fun to watch them riot in despair after the election fails to qualm their hate.

Here Kitty Kitty (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:43 PM)

Time to euthanize this filly, called Hillary. Come on Emmanuel. Stop being such a coward. Do you think Obama is going to forgive you this, being from Illinois as well as he? I think not. Get moving, and back Obama.

John S (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:43 PM)

To all the 20 something Obamabots,it's good that you're interested in the political election this year. My question to you all however, is specifically what "changes' does your "annointed" one stand for? I would love to have a concrete answer, other than the change and hope rhetoric. The one thing I do know is all our taxes will go WAY UP, if he gets elected. Since most of you are mooching of your parents, I guess that won't matter to you!

FREE AND THE BRAVE (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:44 PM)

Give McCain some credit. He did survive a POW camp and didn't spill the beans. That is impressive. But he was a poor student and cadet who only got into Annapolis because of daddy, he later crashed several jets before getting shot down, he's been on the gov't dole his entire long life, involved in Keating 5 and has done anything but represent the poorest and weakest in the nation. All in all does that add up to hero?

bill, okla (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:45 PM)

Obama has as much of chance of Hillary endorsing him as he does of Karl Rove endorsing him. Don't be surprised if Hillary endorses McCain.

Obama Makes People Ill (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:46 PM)

Which means Obama is the presumptive loser this fall.

Kala Bridges (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:12 PM)

___________________________________

why is that is so clear to a lot of us that Obama is going be destroyed in November?

I guess that is why Obama supporter are called Obamabots. They are not programed to face reality.Obama thinks Blacks and college kids are enough to win in November. LOL
patty,sd,ca (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:21 PM)
_______________

Funny, I seem to remember your incessant drivel how Obama will be finished on Feb 5th, and he'll never win the nomination. Sorry if I don't trust your amazing ability to predict the future.

BL, Cincinnati OH (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:47 PM)

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