Despite several public appearances and speeches, Hillary Clinton has failed to convince many of her staunchest supporters that the race is over, that Barack Obama is (and deserves to be) the nominee, and that we need to get behind him in order to prevent four more years of McBush.

How did it happen?

As long ago as April 1, it was obvious to anyone who crunched the numbers that Obama was going to be the nominee. If Clinton had ended her campaign then, or shortly afterward (perhaps after the Pennsylvania primary on April 22), we wouldn't be having this problem. Instead, she ratcheted up the divisive rhetoric, pushed for every vote, and insisted for two and a half months that she, and not Obama, deserved the nomination. It was, to say the least, incredibly selfish, and we may pay the price come November. The result was a cadre of near-fanatical delegates and voters (a sizable percentage of the electorate, according to the polls) who would have given Obama a double-digit lead, but instead may stay home on election day.

Full disclosure: I have never been a big fan of Hillary Clinton. Many of you have read my rants against some of her campaign tactics. With that history in mind...

She gave a speech today!

It had to be the most difficult speech she has ever made. It had to be the most difficult public act she has ever taken. And she rose above all expectations, even those of her most ardent supporters. Hillary Clinton is not a great public speaker. She is good, and has gotten better over the campaign. But this speech exceeded any she has ever made, but a very large margin. It was, in many ways, classic Hillary, but the speech she made, in terms of both the writing and the delivery, lifted her to a new level.

There are some questions about why Barack Obama was not there; I believe he wasn't there because this was her day, her speech, her moment in the sun. And I believe she shone.

For those of us who believe we absolutely need a Democratic victory this fall, today is a very good day.

MSNBC has just assigned the 9 remaining delegates from Texas that were still up in the air. Seven went to Obama and two to Clinton. Plus, they reassigned one Mississippi delegate from Clinton to Obama.

Their current total of pledged delegates is 1,416-1,252. With 567 pledged delegates left to choose, that means Clinton now needs:

366, or 64.6%, to pass Obama,
341, or 60.1%, to get within 50,
316, or 55.7%, to get within 100.

The odds are she won't get even 316. Here's why:

Let's say she actually gets 58% of Pennsylvania's delegates. It's unlikely, since her recent 16% seems to be fading, and also the areas where Obama is strongest are the more "Democratic" areas and will count for more delegates, but let's give it to her anyway. That's 92-66 for Clinton. New total: 1,482-1,344. And that's just the start.

The New York Times is now reporting that Clinton supporters are demanding that their donations to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) be returned. This is merely the latest cheap tactic, straight out of the “divide and destroy” playbook of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove, that Hillary Clinton and her campaign have resorted to in a desperate attempt to pull victory out of certain defeat. Or perhaps it’s her way of ensuring a Democratic loss this fall so that she can run again in four years.

Whatever her reason, she should be ashamed of herself. She isn’t, of course, because she, like her husband, never gave a damn about the Democratic Party. All either of them cares about is their own personal power. Maybe, 35 years ago, they actually cared about making things better, but somewhere along the line they lost sight of that goal.

Today, March 15, is Ruth Bader Ginsburg's 75th birthday. Next month, John Paul Stevens will turn 88. Chances are, the next president will get to name their replacements. Do you want a right-wing-controlled John McCain to be the one?

Yup -- I'm playing the fear card, and I'm fine with that.

First, for the record, I am not planning to vote (in the Feb. 5 primary) for either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

A federal judge has thrown out a last-minute lawsuit challenging the Nevada Democratic caucus plan to allow casino workers to vote near the casinos where they work. The plan was originally designed to ensure the largest possible turnout in Nevada's first-ever presidential caucus.

The suit was brought by the state teachers' union; they claimed that the formula discriminates against rural Democrats. But the real story is that a group "which has ties to [Hillary] Clinton" according to the New York Times and several other media sources, didn't file the suit until Local 226 of the Culinary Workers Union, which represents most casino workers, endorsed Barack Obama.

I suppose we'll never get to the bottom of the finger-pointing over the "race issue" (which includes yet another apology from a Clinton supporter today). This lawsuit, however, is a clear indication of the depths to which the Clinton campaign will sink. It begs the question of whether we want a Democratic Karl Rove in the White House next year.

I don't think so.

Crossposted at One Million Strong and DailyKos.

I'm a member of a merry little band of Obama volunteers in New York City. This is the story of what we're doing on the ground.

I'm just one person in a small group in a big city in a very big Super-duper Tuesday state, a state in which the front runner in the race is a popular U.S. Senator.

Our group, Downtown East for Obama, may be a small piece of the overall campaign, but we've had a big impact. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished, and have seen first hand that Obama supporters are the most fired up, hard-working volunteers out there. It's exciting to imagine groups all across this city, state and nation doing their part--just as we've been doing ours--to help Barack win the nomination.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president:

Acting on behalf of its more than 1.4 million members, the AFT executive council on Wednesday endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, citing her proven ability to advance our nation's key priorities, and her bold plans for a stronger America.

"Our members have told us that they want a leader they can trust to strengthen public education, increase access to health care, promote commonsense economic priorities and secure America's place in the world," said AFT president Edward J. McElroy. "Hillary Clinton is that leader."

Chris Bowers at Open Left calls it, "the biggest endorsement of the campaign for me so far." Here's a longer quote:

The pundits in Washington all agree that Hillary Clinton had the line of the night in last week’s AFL-CIO candidate forum in Chicago with “I’m your girl!” – a figurative touchdown on Chicago’s Soldier Field. At the same time she may have also committed a crucial turnover on a later drive to secure her front-runner status.

Specifically, as she sought to paint Barack Obama and the rest of the field as ill equipped to deal with serious presidential issues, Mrs. Clinton told the crowd that candidates and presidents should not always say what they are really thinking. To the D.C. establishment of politicians, pundits, consultants and party insiders this is as much of a verity as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.