Subject: Hillary For President News Briefing for Wednesday, May 21, 2008
From: "Bulletin News Network" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: 21 May 2008 06:27:57 -0400

HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT NEWS BRIEFING (Executive Version)
Full version is attached and available online at http://www.bulletinnews.com/clinton

TO: CLINTON CAMPAIGN

DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008 6:30 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEN. CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN:

+ Clinton Take Kentucky By 35, Obama Takes Oregon By 16.

+ Clinton's Kentucky Win Said To Spotlight Obama's Weaknesses.

+ Clinton Vows To Press On.

+ Massachusetts AG Next Superdelegate To Back Clinton.

+ Clinton Pressing Her Case For Seating Michigan And Florida Delegates.

+ Clinton And Obama Will Both Be In Florida Today.

+ Obama Outraised Clinton And McCain In April.

+ Obama Says Nomination Now "In Reach," Reaches Out To Clinton.

Sen. Clinton's Campaign:

CLINTON TAKE KENTUCKY BY 35, OBAMA TAKES OREGON BY 16. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton split yesterday's primary contests, as expected. Clinton won big in Kentucky, CNN (5/21) reports, topping Obama 65%-30%. In Oregon, with 86% of the votes counted, CNN report Obama defeated Clinton 58%-42% -- a larger margin than predicted by the two most recent polls (ARG and Suffolk), which had him up by about 5 points. The AP (5/21) reports that Obama now has 1,956 delegates to Clinton's 1,776 delegates, although not all of yesterday's delegates have been allocated as counting continues in Oregon. Obama needs 2,026 to secure the nomination.

There are several themes in the media's coverage of yesterday's races. The first is that Obama has crossed what many refer to as an important milestone by security a majority of pledged delegates (that is, those awarded in primaries or caucuses). A second is that his poor performance among working-class white voters in Kentucky raises questions about his ability to win over this group in the general election.

Bloomberg News (5/21, Dodge, Bliss) says that Clinton's Kentucky win handed Obama "a defeat that will do little to slow his momentum in the party's presidential nomination race."

The Hill (5/21, Youngman) reports, "Despite another landslide loss to" Clinton "in Kentucky earlier in the evening, Obama further strengthened his hand with the Tuesday night win" in Oregon. The New York Daily News (5/21, Saul, Saltonstall, 729K) reports that Clinton "sailed to a landslide victory" In Kentucky, "but it was" Obama "who edged ever closer to the finish line for the Democratic nomination with a win in Oregon."

The Boston Globe (5/21, Williams, 373K) reports that while Obama reached a "milestone in his historic quest for the White House - winning a majority of all pledged delegates at stake in primaries and caucuses," Clinton's "resounding win in Kentucky gave her justification to keep challenging him through the last contests on June 3 and perhaps raised further doubts about Obama's reach to white working-class voters, a constituency crucial to Democrats' hopes in the fall."

The Louisville Courier-Journal (5/21, Gerth, 219K) reports that Clinton's "Kentucky win cements her sweep in a series of swing states from Pennsylvania to Arkansas, which she says means that she is the candidate most likely to beat McCain." However, Obama's campaign "downplayed the results of the Kentucky race and noted that he won Oregon. And while Clinton continues to press her case for superdelegates to back her, Obama's campaign said he's nearing the nomination. 'We were always the underdog here (in Kentucky),' said Clark Stevens, a campaign spokesman. 'More importantly tonight, we're that much closer to the nomination.'"

Clinton Wins 28 Of 43 Kentucky Delegates. The AP (5/21) reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton, at press time, had won 28 of Kentucky's pledged delegates, "with 15 still to be awarded." Meanwhile, "Sen. Barack Obama won at least eight as he edged closer to claiming a majority of the pledged delegates at stake in all the primaries and caucuses."

CLINTON'S KENTUCKY WIN SAID TO SPOTLIGHT OBAMA'S WEAKNESSES. The New York Times (5/21, Grynbaum, 1.18M) reports Sen. Clinton won the Kentucky primary 65%-30%, "buoyed by support from white working-class voters." The Times notes that Clinton's Kentucky victory, "with its large population of blue-collar Democrats, underscored the problems that Mr. Obama faces as he tries to persuade the party to support him as the nominee.

The Washington Post (5/21, A1, Balz, 723K), in a front-page article, says Sen. Clinton "came close to replicating in Kentucky her blowout victory in West Virginia a week earlier, and in doing so she once again exposed Obama's weakness among working-class white voters in that region. ... The outcome in Kentucky continued Clinton's winning steak across a swath of the country that includes Appalachia, as well as industrial states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania that will be battlegrounds in the general election." Sen. Obama "was routed by Clinton among virtually all groups of voters in Kentucky. According to exit polls, she was carrying about three-quarters of white voters who earn less than $50,000 a year and who do not have college degrees. She was winning about four out of five white voters older than 60 and even romped among younger white voters, normally an Obama constituency."

According to the Wall Street Journal (5/21, Chozick, Phillips, 2.06M), "Exit polls show just 40% of Kentucky's working-class white voters said they would back Sen. Obama if he gets the nomination. ... About an equal number said they would support [Sen. McCain], and the rest said they wouldn't vote. Clinton staffers will likely point to that metric as they try to persuade superdelegates that Sen. Clinton would be the best nominee to take on Sen. McCain in November. Preliminary results pegged Sen. Clinton's support among white voters at seven in 10, including 75% of whites who haven't finished college."

The AP (5/21) reports, "White voters played a decisive role in" Clinton's "lopsided victory" in Kentucky. Obama, meanwhile, "got the victory in more liberal Oregon, where race and the hard-edged rivalry between the two embattled candidates were muted. Nearly nine in 10 of each state's voters were white, surveys of voters showed, but there the similarities ceased. ... About one in five whites in Kentucky said race played a role in choosing their candidate. ... Nearly nine in 10 of that group backed Clinton -- the highest proportion yet among the 29 states where that question has been asked. Only 29 percent of whites in the state who said race was a factor said they would vote for Obama should he oppose McCain in November." In Oregon, "57 percent of whites were backing Obama." And Obama and Clinton" were evenly dividing working-class whites -- those who have not finished college -- a group that has decisively stuck with Clinton in most states this year. In addition, only one in 10 voters in Oregon said the race of the candidates was important, one of the lowest proportions in primary states this year."

In his "Washington Sketch" column for the Washington Post (5/21, A3, 723K) Dana Milbank writes, "Maybe it's the Kool-Aid talking, but this kind of lopsided loss feels like a big problem for Obama."

CLINTON VOWS TO PRESS ON. The AP (5/21) reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton told her Kentucky supporters that "she has pressed on in the race 'not because I've wanted to demonstrate my toughness, but because I believe passionately that for the sake of our country, the Democrats must take back the White House and end Republican rule. ... That's why I'm still running and that's why you're still voting.'"

The San Francisco Chronicle (5/20, Marinucci, 380K) reported on its website that Clinton's "blockbuster victory - on the heels of a whopping 40-point win in West Virginia last week - handed her ammunition to argue that she is the stronger candidate for the general election." Clinton, in a speech that "was clearly aimed at superdelegates," argued "that she is more competitive among working class, less educated and white rural voters in key swing states critical to Democrats in November. 'In one of the closest races for the nomination in the party's history... we're winning the popular vote, and I'm more determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot counted,'" said Clinton.

The Lexington Herald-Leader (5/21, Alessi, 113K) reports that in Kentucky, Clinton "defeated Obama by 35 points and 250,000 votes. And with an upbeat resolve, she pledged to keep her campaign going in Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota. 'This continues to be a tough fight and I have fought it the only way I know how: with determination,' she said at her victory speech at Louisville's Marriott Hotel Downtown. She added, 'I'm going to keep making our case until we have a nominee, whoever she may be.'"

The Kentucky Post (5/20, McKee) reported on its website that in her speech, Clinton "asked the crowd several questions. 'Who is ready to lead our party? Who is ready to defeat Senator McCain in the swing states? Who is ready to rebuild the economy, end the war in Iraq and protect our national security?' she queried. ... 'Who is ready on 'Day One' to lead?' she asked. The cheers from the audience provided the answer Clinton was looking for."

Clinton Reportedly Has No Plans To Drop-Out Soon. According to the New York Times (5/21, Healy, 1.18M), Sen. Hillary Clinton "has made it clear to her camp in recent days that she will stay in the race until June because she believes she can still be the nominee - and, barring that, so she can depart with some final goals accomplished. Mrs. Clinton has disagreed with suggestions, made directly to her by a few friends recently, that her continued candidacy was deepening splits within the Democratic Party and damaging...Obama's chances of emerging as a formidable nominee. She has also disputed the notion that she was unintentionally fostering a racial divide with white voters in some states overwhelmingly supporting her." The Times says that Sen. Clinton "has begun asserting that she believes sexism, rather than racism, has cast a shadow over the primary fight, a point some of her supporters have made for months. Advisers say that continuing her candidacy is partly a means to show her supporters - especially young women - that she is not a quitter and will not be pushed around."

MASSACHUSETTS AG NEXT SUPERDELEGATE TO BACK CLINTON. The Boston Globe (5/21, Rhee, 373K) reports, "Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley added her superdelegate vote yesterday to Hillary Clinton's column." Coakley praised both Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, but touted Clinton's "energy, stamina, and resolve [which] have changed the course of history for women seeking office, including the presidency, and I dare say, have changed the course of history of presidential politics in the United States."

CLINTON PRESSING HER CASE FOR SEATING MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA DELEGATES. According to the Los Angeles Times (5/21, Martelle, Barabak, 833K), yesterday "top Obama aides told reporters they expected to claim the nomination after the last nominating contests June 3, and that by then Obama may have the 2,026 delegates needed to win on a first-round vote at the convention." Sen. Clinton "plans to campaign in Florida on Wednesday, a trip driven by a simple calculation: that her scant hope of winning the nomination rests on the seating of delegates she won there and in Michigan. The party's Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet May 31 to discuss whether to rescind its ban on Democratic National Convention delegates from those two states, which held primaries ahead of the party-approved start date of Feb. 5." The Times adds that an anonymous Clinton aide said: "I don't want to sound naive or foolish, but if she's willing to play this out for two weeks to see where she gets and take a run at it, then those of us who believe she'd be a better candidate in the fall don't want to give up too soon."

CLINTON AND OBAMA WILL BOTH BE IN FLORIDA TODAY. McClatchy (5/21, Reinhard, Clark), in an article titled, "Clinton Horns In On Obama's Planned Trip To Florida," reports Sen. Clinton "plans to overlap with his much-ballyhooed trip to Florida that begins Wednesday. Florida voters will see back-to-back visits from Republican John McCain and Obama that signaled the general election campaign was under way - until word leaked out Monday that Clinton, too, is coming to the state this week. ... Details of her visit to Palm Beach County on Wednesday were not available Monday night.

OBAMA OUTRAISED CLINTON AND MCCAIN IN APRIL. The Washington Times (5/21, Bellantoni, 87K) says reports Federal Election Commission reports filed yesterday "showed continued good news for Mr. Obama, who collected $31.3 million in April from more than 200,000 new donors. He had $37.3 million cash on hand to spend until the convention in late August. Clinton aides said she raised $22 million."

The AP (5/21, Kuhnhenn) reports Barack Obama, "his presidential money apparatus slowed only slightly, raised more than $31 million in April, outdistancing Republican John McCain, who nevertheless enjoyed his best fundraising month yet." McCain "raised nearly $18 million in April as his presidential campaign consolidated his fundraising base. He spent only about a third of that, capitalizing on his status as the Republican Party's presidential nominee-in-waiting." McCain had about $22 million in the bank at the start of this month. Clinton finished the month with $8 million in cash she can use in the primary and $19.5 million in debt, including $10 million to herself. In addition, the Clinton campaign had $22 million that could only be used in the general election.

OBAMA SAYS NOMINATION NOW "IN REACH," REACHES OUT TO CLINTON. The AP (5/21, Espo, Kugler) reports Sen. Barack Obama "stepped to the brink of victory in the Democratic presidential race Tuesday night, defeating Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Oregon primary and moving within 100 delegates of the total he needs to claim the prize at the party convention this summer. 'You have put us within reach of the Democratic nomination,' he told cheering supporters in Iowa." According to the AP, "Obama lavished praise on Clinton." Sen. Clinton earned "a lopsided win in Kentucky" and "vowed to remain in the race, telling supporters, 'I'm more than determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot is counted.'" However, the AP says that "in a fresh indication that their race was coming to an end, Clinton and Obama praised one another and pledged a united party for the general election. 'While we continue to go toe-to-toe for this nomination, we do see eye-to-eye when it comes to uniting our party to elect a Democratic president this fall,' said Clinton."

USA Today (5/21, Page, 2.28M), in an article titled, "Obama crosses key threshold," reports Sen. Obama "sought to pivot from a fierce primary fight to a general-election battle." Sen. Obama "praised Clinton for 'her commitment and her perseverance,' focusing his fire on McCain and what he called a contest of 'the past vs. the future.'" However, "there were signs of Democratic discord in surveys of voters as they left polling places in Kentucky, especially among working-class whites. Only a third of Clinton voters - and half of Democratic primary voters overall - said they would vote for Obama over McCain in November. One in five white voters called race an important factor in their vote; they supported Clinton 4-1.

McClatchy (5/21, Thomma, Talev) says Obama "took a major stride...locking up a majority of the elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention and declaring that the title is within his grasp." Sen. 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. 'We've had our disagreements during this campaign, but we all admire her courage, and her commitment and her perseverance. And no matter how this primary ends, Senator Clinton has shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America in which my daughters and your daughters will come of age.'"

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