Obama Says Nomination Now “In Reach”
McClatchy says Sen. Barack Obama “took a major stride” yesterday, “locking up a majority of the elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention and declaring that the title is within his grasp.” Speaking at a rally last night in Iowa, site of his first nominating contest victory, Obama also “offered what sounded like a valedictory to Clinton as he tried to nudge her out of the race. ‘The road here has been long…partly because we’ve traveled it with one of the most formidable candidates to ever run for this office,’ he said.” USA Today, in an article titled, “Obama crosses key threshold,” reports this morning that Obama “sought to pivot from a fierce primary fight to a general-election battle” after his win in Oregon yesterday. Obama reached out to Clinton, praising her for her “commitment and perseverance,” while “focusing his fire on McCain and what he called a contest of ‘the past vs. the future.’”
The AP adds that Obama “declared himself ‘within reach’ of” winning the Democratic nod. Obama also “paid tribute to Clinton in his remarks, but left little doubt that he has put the lengthy and hard-fought contest against her behind him.” The Chicago Tribune reports Obama “also called for unity in his party following the 15-month nomination fight. ‘More than anything, we need this unity and this energy in the months to come, because while our primary has been long and hard-fought, the hardest and most important part of our journey still lies ahead,’ Obama said.”
Obama Preparing To Take Over DNC In another sign that he is moving to general election mode, the AP reports this morning that Obama “is quietly planning to take over the Democratic National Committee and assemble a multistate team for the general election. … Top Obama organizer Paul Tewes is in discussions to run the party, several Democratic officials said Tuesday.” According to the AP, Tewes “is one of the leading architects of Obama’s success. … He engineered Obama’s critical victory in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3.”
