The final two primary elections were held in Montana and South Dakota today. The evening ended with Sen. John McCain taking shots at Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton announcing that she would not concede and Obama declaring that he had won the Democratic presidential nomination after securing more than the number of necessary delegate votes.
I kept The Pendulum Web site updated throughout the evening as more news came in and as speeches were being made. You can find all of The Pendulum's
Election 2008 Coverage here.
For now, here are stories on speeches delivered by Obama, Clinton and McCain, minute-by-minute updates on the primary results and Clinton's announcement early Tuesday that she would not condede after tonight's election results.
Obama says 'This is the moment'Illinois senator claims presidential nominationWith some 15,000 people outside and 20,000 gathered inside an auditorium in St. Paul, Minn., Sen. Barack Obama announced that he has won the Democratic presidential nomination.
He now has 2,154 delegate votes and won Montana with 56 percent of the popular vote.
“Tonight, Minnesota, after 54 hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end,” Obama said.
Obama said he was able to clinch the nomination because of what people have said, “because they decided that this is the year that must be different than all the rest” and because they chose not to listen to their doubts and fears.
“Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another,” he said, “A journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Because of you, tonight I can stand here and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for the United States of America.”
His announcement received uproarious applause.
Obama thanked all the people in Montana and South Dakota who stood up for change in today’s primaries.
At this defining moment for our nation, Obama said America should be proud that the Democratic Party put forth such a talented field of people to run for the title he now holds. He said he not only competed with them as rivals, but worked with them as friends. They have all worked tirelessly to make this country better.
“Sen. Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign,” Obama said. “She has made history not just because she’s a woman who’s done what no woman has done before,” but because she inspires people with her strength and courage.
Obama congratulates her “for the race she has run throughout this contest.”
Despite the differences he and Clinton have had over the last 16 months, he recognizes Clinton’s passion for the American people.
“I can tell you what gets Hillary Clinton up in the morning,” he said. “An unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans.”
Obama said he and Clinton will win the fight for universal health care. And Clinton “will be central to that victory.”
“I’m a better candidate for having had to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton,” he said.
Because of this primary, there are millions of young people, African Americans, Hispanic Americans and women “who have voted in records that have inspired a nation,” Obama said.
“We [the Democratic Party] aren’t the reason you came out – you didn’t do that because of me or Sen. Clinton or anyone else. You did that because in your hearts, you know…we cannot afford to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Obama said.
It’s time to chart a course for a new America, he said, and we owe our children and our country a better future.
Obama then took time to comment on Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee who focused much of his speech earlier in the evening on Obama’s policies and qualifications.
“[McCain is a] man who has served our country heroically,” Obama said. “We honor the service of John McCain.”
“I respect his many accomplishments,” he said, “even if he chooses to deny mine.”
The differences Obama has with McCain are not personal, he said, but based on what McCain has proposed in his campaign for president.
Debunking McCain’s mockery of Obama’s campaign slogan, Obama said that change is not one of the words that can be used to describe his opponent’s politics.
“What’s not an option is leaving our troops in Iraq for the next hundred years,” Obama said. “We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in.”
Obama said his definition of change is vastly different from McCain’s.
“We must once again have the courage and the conviction to lead the free world,” he said. “That’s what the American people demand. That’s what change is.”
Some changes Obama said he will make:
- Give a middle-class tax break to those who need it
- Invest in the crumbling infrastructure
- Renew commitment to science and innovation
- Make an energy policy that creates new jobs
- Work to improve schools
- Invest in early childhood education and invest in new teachers
“[McCain] doesn’t understand the kind of change that people are looking for,” he said.
The choice of arena where Obama delivered his speech is ironic because it’s the same arena where the Republican National Convention will be held later this year.
“The other side will come here in September and offer a very different set of policies and positions,” Obama said. “And that is a good thing. That is something that I look forward to.”
He said that Americans are a decent, generous and compassionate people untied by a common hope.
“America, this is our moment,” he said. “This is our time. Our time to turn the page of the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for this country that we love. This journey will be difficult and our road will be long.”
Obama will face this challenge with “limitless faith in the capacity of the American people because if we are willing to fight for it, then generations from now, we will be able to look back and say…. This was the moment. This was the time when we came together.”
Clinton does not give up, does not make decision
Sen. Hillary Clinton said that she will make no decisions tonight. After the long campaign, she will now consult with some people and determine “how to move forward with the best interests of the party and the country.”
She is most interested in hearing from the American people and urges them to share their thoughts with her on her Web site, http://www.hillaryclinton.com/splash/sdmt/.
Clinton was welcomed in New York on Tuesday night by a cheering crowd and the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Signs of defeat were nowhere to be found.
Clinton began by thanking South Dakota for its votes.
“You had the last word in this primary season and it was worth the wait,” she said of her 56 percent win in the state.
Clinton congratulated Sen. Barack Obama and his supporters on their achievement of the Democratic presidential nomination. She credited him for inspiring so many Americans to get involved in politics.
“Our party and our democracy are stronger and more vibrant as a result,” Clinton said.
She considers it an honor to call Obama her friend and to have contested these primaries with him. She asked the gathered crowd to congratulate him as well.
“We saw millions of Americans registering to vote for the first time,” Clinton said. Americans were knocking on doors, talking to neighbors and giving money for the first time.
A most stunning product of this election occurs when children sit on moms’ and dads’ shoulders, and parents whisper in their child’s ear, “See, you can be anything you want to be.”
Clinton said she also thinks of “all those wonderful women in their 90s who came out to see me because they were born before women could vote and they wanted to be a part of making history.”
“On election day after election day, you came out in record numbers,” she said. She addressed the “hard working men and women who don’t always make headlines, but have written America’s story.”
“In all of the states, you voted because you wanted a leader who stands up for the deepest values of our party,” Clinton said. A party that believes everyone should have a chance at the American dream, a party that counts every single vote and a party that cherishes every child and family in America.
Clinton said she often felt that each person’s vote was “a prayer for our nation” and a “declaration of dreams for your future.”
During the 16-month journey, Clinton said she was proud that she and her supporters “stayed the course together.”
Clinton is also proud of the record 35 million people who voted in this primary and the number of people she and her supporters have brought into the Democratic Party.
“I am committed to the Democratic Party,” she said. And to making it “stronger and more committed than ever to take back the White House.”
Clinton professed her faith in her supporters.
“None of you is invisible to me,” she said. “I see you and I know how hardworking you are. I have been fighting for you my whole adult life and I will keep standing for you and working for you.”
The big question of the evening and one that has been speculated throughout the day has been, “What does Hillary want?” Clinton asked, “What do I want? I want what I have always fought for in this whole campaign.”
She said she wants to:
- End the war in Iraq
- Turn the economy around
- Provide health care for everyone
- Allow children to live up to their potential
- Respect all Americans, let them be heard and no longer invisible
“I have an old fashioned notion,” Clinton said, “that public service is about helping people solve problems and live their own dreams.”
She said she wants to restore faith in the leadership of the country. The issues she has discussed for so long and so passionately are the “lifeblood of my campaign.”
“And your spirit has inspired me every day in this race,” Clinton said. “You reached out to help me: To grab my hand or grip my arm. To look into my eyes to tell me, ‘Don’t quit. Keep fighting in this race.’”
When so many people thought her race was done five months ago after the Iowa primary, she thanks the supporters who brought her back.
“I will carry your stories and your dreams with me,” Clinton said.
She said she is honored and humbled by the support and trust of voters, and thanked all those who had the courage to share their stories with her on the campaign trail.
“Tonight, we stand just a few miles from the Statue of Liberty and from the site where the towers fell,” she said. “Lady Liberty’s presence and the towers’ absence show our resilience…and that we’re courageous.”
McCain talks about change Americans cannot believe inRepublican nominee starts campaigning for general election“And that’s not change we can believe in.”
That was Sen. John McCain’s line of the evening as addressed supporters in Kenner, La., on Tuesday. He was referring to Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign slogan – “Change we can believe in” – each time he discussed some aspect of Obama’s policies that differed from his.
He announced that, “Tonight we can say with confidence that the primary season is over the general election campaign can begin.”
He applauded the two Democratic candidates for the individual qualities that made them worthy opponents. McCain complimented Sen. Hillary Clinton for her tenacity and courage. He said the media overlooked how passionate she spoke to her supporters throughout the campaign.
As a father of three daughters, McCain said he is inspired by Clinton and proud to call her his friend.
Putting Clinton in the past, McCain turned to discuss Obama, whom he calls a formidable opponent. At the time of McCain’s speech, though, it was still undeclared that Obama had secured the nomination.
“This is, indeed, a change election,” McCain said. No matter who wins this election, the country will change dramatically.
The next president must, “change what must be changed and make the future better than the past.”
Disaster relief, education, diplomacy, military and intelligent services are some of the things that must undergo widespread reform, McCain said. And this can be done with “the right kind of change.”
McCain said he has not seen eye to eye with President Bush even though they have worked closely together. McCain said he strongly disagrees with the Bush administration’s “mismanagement of the war in Iraq.”
“I know Americans are tired of this war,” he said, but he does not want to “recklessly” pull soldiers out. He said that he hates war because he personally knows its costs.
“No problem is more urgent today than Americans’ dependence on foreign oil,” McCain said. “We need to lead a great national campaign to lead us on a course to energy independence.”
McCain said that we also need to:
- Rebuild the structure of our military in order to keep Americans safe
- Strengthen our alliances
- Preserve moral credibility
- Prepare to respond better to a natural calamity
Remarking on Obama’s youth, McCain said, “The American people didn’t get to know me yesterday as they’re just getting to know Sen. Obama.”
“I have a few years on my opponent,” McCain said, presuming Obama’s nomination. “So I’m surprised that such a young man has bought into so many failed ideas…. He seems to think government is the answer to every problem.”
Full coverage of the final two primaries in Montana, South Dakota9:24 p.m.Sen. Hillary Clinton has been projected to win the South Dakota presidential primary. She has earned 57 percent of the votes so far.
9:00 p.m.
Sen. Barack Obama has earned the necessary 2,118 delegate votes to gain the Democratic nomination. The delegates in South Dakota have pushed him over the critical delegate mark to 2,119 votes.
8:08 p.m.Sen. Barack Obama is only four delegates away from securing the nomination. Polls in South Dakota are now closed. The polls in Montana will close in about one hour.
Sen. Barack Obama chose to meet with supporters in St. Paul, Minn., because he wants to stake his claim on the state where the Republican National Convention will be held in early September. The center he will speak in seats 18,000 people. Some Clinton supporters have showed up as well to hear Obama’s message.
The Clinton campaign continues to assert that she will not concede after tonight's results are finalized.
7:56 p.m.Sen. Barack Obama has won another delegate vote - he only needs six more to clinch the nomination.
7:29 p.m.Sen. Barack Obama has just earned three more delegate votes, putting him at only seven more votes needed to earn the nomination.
7:06 p.m.Sen. Hillary Clinton is 205 delegates short of the nomination.
Nearly 180 superdelegates have yet to endorse a candidate.
Sen. John McCain is in Kenner, La., this evening and is expected to launch his general election campaign. He is ready to announce the contrasts between him and Sen. Barack Obama.
6:52 p.m.Sen. Barack Obama needs only 10 delegate votes to clinch the Democratic nomination. Obama has won 1,748 delegates and 360 superdelegates.
Sen. Hillary Clinton is more than 100 delegates behind at 1,624 delegates. She has 289 superdelegate votes.
In order to win, 2,118 delegate votes are needed.
6:41 p.m.Sen. Barack Obama needs only 11 delegate votes to clinch the Democratic nomination.
6:20 p.m.With less than two and a half hours until the South Dakota polls close, Sen. Barack Obama needs only 12 delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination.
Clinton announces she could accept being Obama's running mateSen. Hillary Clinton told New York lawmakers on Tuesday that she wouldn’t mind being Sen. Barack Obama’s vice president. Her main goal is to get a Democrat into the White House.
For several weeks, former President Bill Clinton has been suggesting that his wife accept the position should Obama win the Democratic nomination.
Clinton’s campaign chairman said she will not concede the race after tonight’s polls in Montana and South Dakota. She will continue to fight for the Democratic spot on the ballot.
The spot she may fill has yet to be announced. As Obama’s potential running mate, Clinton could attract those voters who might otherwise be pulled in by presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain. This would give the Democrats a stronger chance at a seat in the Oval Office.
As of Tuesday, Obama holds 2,083 delegates. He only needs 35 more delegates, while Clinton needs 201 to achieve the nomination. A number of superdelegates have already announced their support for Obama, but 193 superdelegates have still not endorsed either candidate.
The superdelegates consist of nearly 825 Democratic governors, members of Congress and party officials. Each superdelegate’s vote counts in the delegate nominating process.
Obama will spend Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn., while Clinton will attend a campaign event in New York City.
In Montana, Obama is ahead in most recent polls. He campaigned in the state last week before spending the weekend in South Dakota. Clinton spent Monday in South Dakota and recent polls favor her over Obama.
Tonight’s primaries are expected to determine more than just who won each state.
First I came across, not the cygnets and their mother, but a whole family of baby geese with their mother. Who knew that so many birthdays would happen at once! 
When I approached the edge of the lake, I couldn't help but think the mother swan kept looking at me from the corner of her eye. 
When I approached the edge of the lake, I couldn't help but think the mother swan kept looking at me from the corner of her eye. 
