Day Forty-Eight, June 3

If you managed to read a newspaper headline or tune into any network tv station tonight, you already know why tonight is one of the most important nights in Obama's presidential campaign run: it's the night he nudged over the line to claim the 2,118 delegates necessary to gain the Democratic nomination! Although the delegate milestone is a major step in his confirmation as the party's nominee, it doesn't clinch it just yet (keep reading). Nevertheless, this is definitely a joyous occasion, and Barack recognized it and claimed victory in a speech that aired nationally at around 8pm MST (I was at work; a portion of that speech can be viewed here). Obama also picked up a win in Montana's state primary, according to CNN estimates.

It's a great day to be an Obama supporter, and an even better day to have politically-likeminded friends. But before we start patting ourselves on the back too much, the truth of the matter must be acknowledged: although Barack has the numbers in his favor, and has passed the quantifiable finish line, Hillary Clinton still has not withdrawn from the race. Senator Clinton, who won the South Dakota primary today (the final contest of a drawn-out electoral season), has been the focus of a swarm of rumors about her impending concession speech, but it didn't come tonight. This leaves Obama's flagbearers--and members of the Democratic party at large--in an awkward position. On one hand, we are compelled to do the right thing and allow her to carry on her fight as long as she chooses. It has been apparent for a long time that it was only a matter of time until Obama netted the required delegate total, and Hillary has still not given any indication that she's going to drop out yet. And in a way, that sort of passion is both unsurprising from her, but still commendable.

On the other hand, we have the plain reality of today's primary outcomes. In terms as varied as delegate counts to superdelegates to popular support to media coverage, Obama is the objective winner of the Democratic contest. It would take a series of miracles (or disasters) to undo the achievement that Obama has symbolically reached today. What sort of realistic claim can Hillary make to the Party that the nomination will still be in contention when the DNC rolls into town? As of tonight, Senator Clinton is still not making her concession speech (check it out), but logically, it will be a matter of weeks or days until she will back down and let the race between McCain and Obama take center stage. And no matter how much ground we've gained today, there is still a long march ahead toward the White House this November. However, the tone of Obama's speech today is enough to put chills up my spine, and makes me look forward to the work that's left to come.

So at the end of the day, today was a pretty nice day for Barack Obama and all his fans out there. But in spite of the passage of a very important campaign mile-marker, and the hope and confidence it may inspire for our country, it's also a day that presents a lot of interesting questions. How will this victory impact Barack's behavior for the remainder of his campaign? When Hillary does decide to bow out, what steps can she (and we) take to unite the party? What fun political Fruit Roll-Ups will John McCain's campaign roll out with next? We shall see. But no matter the answers, there can be no mistaking the growing feeling of hope that will continue to gain momentum across the country in the months ahead.