Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) says she is looking forward to having Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) back in the Senate. Today was the first day that Sen. Clinton has been back to the Senate since suspending her presidential campaign on June 7, 2008. (0:16)
Support for democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama was expressed during a news conference held by the Democratic National Committee. DNC Chairman Howard Dean thanked former democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for bringing inspiration to the democratic primaries and motivating millions of voters to vote for the Democratic Party. This gratitude was echoed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying that it is now clear that the United States is ready to have a woman president.
Pelosi and Dean emphatically stated that electing republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain would be comparable to a third Bush term. Dean said that McCain has voted with Pres. Bush’s policies 95 percent of the time, a higher percentage than any other senator has. Pelosi said that economic stability has been “sucked out of our economy,” by the top one percent of the United States due to Bush’s economic policies, causing the middle and lower class to fall behind. Pelosi said that McCain would continue to support these destructive procedures through taxes that support the wealthy. Pelosi repeatedly stated, “We do not need four more years.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) described the climate in the Senate as “surreal,” saying that republicans have disrupted debate on topics that are crucial to Americans like gas prices, renewable energy, and torture. Reid said Obama will lead the United States in a new, needed direction and that McCain is a “flawed candidate.”
Speakers strongly stated that Obama will win in November will be attributed to Americans’ dissatisfaction with republican policies. Despite a long primary election, Chairman Dean said he has “every confidence” that the party will unite. Pelosi added that woman and blue-collar voters, two demographics that voted strongly for Hillary Clinton, have the most to benefit from Obama and the most to lose from McCain.
Vice President Dick Cheney criticized the press at the National Press Club when referring to the Pulitzer Prize won by the New York Times for a piece that divulged information pertaining to US security, an action that he deemed was “less than honorable.” When asked, Cheney said that the most difficult part of his jobs involves the press since his role as an adviser necessitates an ability to keep important information secret. (more…)
At the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee hearing May 31, 2008, an Obama delegate (Eugene Kinlow) and a Hillary supporter (James Quinn) told TRNS what they wished to see as a result of the hearing. (2:39)
Outside the Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC, protesters and supporters gathered in a crowd as the Democratic National Committee held a hearing to discuss the votes of Michigan and Florida. I asked them, “Why did you come?” (2:03)
Harold Ickes, an adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), says that the Clinton campaign is practical, realizing the need to win 270 electoral votes in the November election. (0:39)
Howard Wolfson, a member of the Clinton campaign, says that it is important to Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) to secure the nomination and bring the party together regardless of the nominee. (0:23)
The 2.3 million votes that would be excluded at the Democratic National Convention were highlighted in a conference call with advisers to the Hillary Clinton campaign. In reference to the Florida and Michigan primaries, adviser Tina Flournoy emphasized that the January results should count, that January results should be used to allocate delegates, and that full delegates from each state should be seated and given full votes. Flournoy said that the habit of awarding half votes is a precedent that should not be set by the Democratic Party. (more…)
Mara Rudman of Hillary for President says that bringing international students enhance the national security objectives of the United States and that the National Security Council should be running a more efficient visa process. (0:38)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says that both Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) have a good chance to win the Democratic nomination. (0:40)
