Senator Claire McCaskill adds a bit of drama by saying a number of superdelegates will be committing to Barack Obama by sunset. The South Dakota and Montana polls close at 6 and 7 pm respectively (Pacific time). We'll get to hear Barack Obama talk from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and Hllary Clinton from Baruch College in New York City.
From the Washington Post -
"Obama campaign officials, meanwhile, held out hope that the senator from Illinois would be able to cross the finish line when the polls close in Montana on Tuesday evening, and that superdelegates would then be ready to come forward in large numbers.
He expects to pick up about 20 pledged delegates in Tuesday's primaries, leaving him roughly two dozen superdelegates short of the 2,118 mark. Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), an Obama supporter, told reporters in the Capitol on Monday afternoon that she had spoken to 10 undeclared superdelegates since Sunday and that they all understood that the race was likely to be over Tuesday night.
'They think this competition is about to wind down,' McCaskill said. 'Yes, they will be committing, and yes, they will be committing before sunset tomorrow (Tuesday).'"
I'm not going to get set to celebrate the magic number of 2118 delegates being reached tonight. It's obvious that Barack Obama will be the Democratic Presidential Nominee. The key will be to watch Hillary Clinton bow out gracefully. She fought a hard fight, but it just wasn't the right time. People are tired of polarization, conspiracy theories and politics. We want government to address issues on the economy, jobs, energy, education, health care, veteran's benefits, foreign policy, national and social security - not a continuation of the partisan us vs. them - anyone who disagrees is our enemy and "win" at any cost mentality that rules our almost non-functional federal government today.
I've linked to this New Yorker article by George Packer previously but it should be required reading for anyone who wants to know something about how we got where we are today -
The Fall of Conservatism - The New Yorker
