Friday, May 09, 2008
Mr. Super Endorses Barack Obama
WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
He kept it a really good secret but today Ed Espinoza (aka Mr. Super) endorsed Barack Obama. We tried many times to pry the information out of him but not even kryptonite would make him tell.
Only a day after revealing his true identity Espinoza become Barack Obama’s 264th superdelegate vote by our count.
Obama is now 5.5 superdelegates vote behind Clinton.
Today, California DNC Member and superdelegate Ed Espinoza endorsed Barack Obama, citing his judgment, character, and ability to unite our country for change.
Espinoza is the 268th superdelegate to endorse Barack Obama. Obama is 163 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.
Espinoza said, “I am endorsing Barack Obama today because throughout this process I have seen him show a judgment and character that we need in our next president. From day one he opposed the Iraq war and has a plan to end the war in a responsible way and bring our sons and daughters home. He has shown he has the character to lead our great nation, from his choice to spend his career serving people in the poorest communities in Chicago to his commitment to speaking truth to the American people, even when it isn’t politically convenient to do so. To unify the country at this time in our history we need a president who has these qualities, and that is why I am proud to endorse him today. My good friend Bill Richardson, who backed Obama some weeks ago, knows what it takes to lead and I trust his judgment in this decision as well. I look forward to working with this great movement to bring victory in November.” – Obama Press Release
Update: Another California DNC member endorsed Obama today. Vernon Watkins has been added to Obama’s list bringing Clinton’s lead down to 4.5
At-large Democratic National Committee member Vernon Watkins told the Associated Press in an interview Friday that he has decided to endorse Obama.
“The election is over, everybody knows that. Obama has won,” said Watkins, a retired union member from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – AP
Also… we got word from the Utah Democratic Party that they will announce the add-on superdelegate tomorrow.
Posted by Matt at 1:09 PM 
AP’s numbers are now 271.5 for Clinton and 267 for Obama
This is fun. After reading this blog every day for the past few months it feels like a friend of mine just endorsed Barack Obama.
Do I now see that Vernon Watckins (CA) has endorsed?
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_ENDORSEMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Obama now needs 170 to win (DCW is listing 171).
There were another four supers that pledged today, three for Obama and one for Hillary according to this article:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/09/20080509Obama09-ON.html
What’s weird is that according to this, the totals would be exactly two more on each side compared to your count. They have it at Clinton 271.5 & Obama at 266. And yet, I see the person that posted just before me has Obama at 267 (says AP).
Why is it that there is such a HUGE discrepancy between all the networks’ count of the supers too? Is Hillary’s math disability spreading to the media?
The AP just made a correction, so it’s 271.5 to 268 now.
Howdy Ed,
Is the air less stuffy out of that closet? Nice to finally see a face to go with that site of yours! Welcome aboard the O Train.
(BTW – what’s the hold up on the Watkins listing – since you’re one of the inside folks!)
USATODAY: Watkins endorses:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-05-09-obama-endorsements_N.htm?loc=interstitialskipe
The discrepancy in the delegate counts are that for pledged you have folks trying to estimate based on uncertified counts that might not include district-by-district vote totals. Thus, some sources merely count those delegates that are solid (no split counties, whole delegates not fractions) with the rest treated as still to be chosen. Others attempt to split counties and award fractional delegates based on current unofficial vote counts.
A similar thing happens with unpledged delegates. Every site has a different rule for what it takes before it counts a commitment as sufficiently firm. As shown by other posts on this site showing errors by the networks in accounting for individual unpledged delegates, the rules used by some networks have them counting delegates as declared without a valid source showing a firm declaration.
What I like about this site and Green Papers is that they display for the public how they have made their estimates. The major networks do not do the same so we don’t know how they reached their estimates.
Well done, Mr. Super!
When you asked me about those remarks back Tuesday I saw it coming… I just didn’t know it will be that soon! I am glad we share one and same important issue – anti-war, an issue that differs Obama from the rest!
You ROCK Mr. Super!!!
If we would have had a bet going, I would’ve lost big time. :-O
Good thing we didn’t have a pool going! 😉
I was just over at the Obama campaign website and I saw their great article about your endorsement. Lots of praise and comments over there for you.
=JUST AWESOME!!=
Laurie Weahkee endorses Obama!
3.5!
http://www.newmexicoindependent.com/view/nmi-exclusive-count
I’m now hearing Sout Carolina Chair Wilber Lee Jeffcoat has endorsed Obama. No link yet
Hawaii Congresswoman Mazie Hirono Endorses Barack Obama, according to an announcement from the campaign.