California takes a pass on the Democratic roll call
DENVER -- As the roll call for nominating its presidential candidate got underway at the Democratic National Convention, the huge California delegation created a stir by ... passing.
The assumption was it made the move so that Barack Obama wouldn't reach the magic number too soon, preventing another state -- like say, New York -- from having its say.
Illinois -- Obama's home state with another large delegation -- also took a pass.
Arkansas, identifed by a speaker for the delegation as Hillary Clinton's "adopted state" (that would be after Illinois, her birthplace, but before New York), cast all its votes for Obama "in the name of unity."
In Hawaii, Obama's birthplace, unity wasn't quite achieved. Obama got 26 of its votes, Clinton 1.
-- Don Frederick
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Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the
thank you so much for explaining the meaning of "passing". i had been searching the internet to find the answer with no success. thank you!
GO OBAMA!!!
mary deshaies
massachusetts
Posted by: mary deshaies | August 27, 2008 at 03:51 PM
What about the delegation from Kenya, Barrack Hussein Obama's real birthplace?
Posted by: BrianK | August 27, 2008 at 03:52 PM
We are closing in on the biggest political mistake of our generation. I cry for America.
Posted by: v racer | August 27, 2008 at 03:56 PM
BrianK FYI: Obama was born on August 4, 1961, at the Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. I did not know Hawaii belonged to Kenya in 1961. ;)
Posted by: comment | August 27, 2008 at 04:00 PM
To BrianK
Senator Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961.Obama became a citizen at birth under the first section of the 14th Amendment.
Do you believe the earth is flat too?
Posted by: David | August 27, 2008 at 04:00 PM
BrianK, get with the program, stop fighting the change that is coming.
we will no exclude you because of YOUR lack of judgement, "get on board......"
Obama/Biden 08
Posted by: John | August 27, 2008 at 04:00 PM
I wish you would exclude me from Obama's coming tax increases and attempt to kill capitalism with his socialist agenda. Unfortunately, getting on board is NOT something I want, or anyone else who works for their money.
Posted by: Og | August 27, 2008 at 04:14 PM
I wish you would exclude me from Obama's coming tax increases and attempt to kill capitalism with his socialist agenda. Unfortunately, getting on board is NOT something I want, or anyone else who works for their money.
Og, I work for my money, but I think that for the past 7 years, the money I've worked for and paid in taxes to the Federal govenrment has just gone to kill mostly civilians, and to enrich the friends of the Republicans and war profiteers like Haliburton and Blackwater. I'd prefer my tax dollars go to work here in AMERICA, instead of creating more and more people who hate us for killing children and women and old men on the Asian continent.
Posted by: KAANSWFM | August 27, 2008 at 04:25 PM
The socialists are coming! The socialists are coming!
considering the way capitalists have fared... with a crumbling banking and finacial infrastructure, and rich just getting richer at the expense of the middle class and real working people of America, with the collapse of our housing market, a spiralling national debt, and gas at $4 /gallon... yes, it's time for a change.
Call it what you will.
I call it hope.
PS., and I forgot to mention the travesty that is our national healthcare system. Yes, let's try some nice socialism!
Posted by: Arthur D | August 27, 2008 at 04:25 PM
it a challenge to see what happen to my dream but i am trying to get on the wave of change with obama/biden
Posted by: ruben garcia | August 27, 2008 at 04:27 PM
when President Clinton tells to go on get on board with Obama Biden, then it will hurts less but not unscathing.
Posted by: ruben garcia | August 27, 2008 at 04:29 PM
Never been prouder of California. They represent their voters no matter what was asked for after the fact.
Posted by: Be | August 27, 2008 at 04:40 PM
The socialists are coming! The socialists are coming!
considering the way capitalists have fared... with a crumbling banking and finacial infrastructure, and rich just getting richer at the expense of the middle class and real working people of America, with the collapse of our housing market, a spiralling national debt, and gas at $4 /gallon... yes, it's time for a change.
Call it what you will.
I call it hope.
PS., and I forgot to mention the travesty that is our national healthcare system. Yes, let's try some nice socialism!
Posted by: Arthur D | August 27, 2008 at 04:25 PM
******************************************************************
Nothing nice has ever happened in any society that attempted to implement socialism.
For any American to suggest we as a nation should move towards is either ignorant or a traitor.
Posted by: None of the Above 08 | August 27, 2008 at 04:40 PM
i demand a full count
Posted by: people | August 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM
Socialism, Taxes, and Kenya...the thin minded GOP have nothing but a platform of Fear and Immaturity.
Posted by: SWMIssouri | August 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM
Did you even watch it, "people"? There is a full count, but they suspended the procedural measure of going state-by-state.
Posted by: Vince | August 27, 2008 at 05:05 PM
It was pretty exciting and very emotional watching NJ, NM, Illinois, and NY have their turn during the roll call.
History was made today and what a triumph for this country.
I know educated Americans around the world feel lucky to have witnessed this improbable event.
And I'm sure all of the sheep that have been following Bush with their 8th grade educations are more afraid than ever. But those people have been going through life with their eyes closed since birth. The earth is still flat for them and science is a hoax.
I am thrilled to see this nation becoming the progressive one that it deserves to be.
Posted by: matt | August 27, 2008 at 05:16 PM
Will Ayers be the one introducing the Chicago celebrity on
thusday ? Obama prooved his total lack of judgement one
more time by picking verbose Biden over the only smart
choice that was obvious to the most casual observer.
His choice of Wright,Ayers.gov. Judas,Rezco and Biden
disqualify him for the presidency.The bum will no doubt
endorse Kim Jong Ill or Amahdinejad as next head of the
UN.
Posted by: Lance the festering boil | August 27, 2008 at 05:38 PM
"The bum will no doubt endorse Kim Jong Ill or Amahdinejad as next head of the UN."
You've got to get your information from somewhere other than NeoCon-owned-and-operated Hate Radio. It's why you're ignorant of Joe Biden's real work in foreign relations, and why you've fallen for the fearmongering of transnationalist robber barons who are already stealing you blind.
Do you have a library card? Do you ever use it?
Do you understand that in eight short years, your children's entire future has been mortgaged by these people? And mortgaged to The People's Republic of China, at that?
Your Rethuglican heroes did that, Lance. They did it against your best interests, and they did it over and over and over. That's what happens when you side with an Unelected Fraud in the White House; they learned early that if they could steal once, they could steal again. And again. And again.
Every time you slam Hawai'i-born Barack Obama, you're supporting the imminent US reign of the totalitarian Chinese elite and their lackies. Given a chance, they will strangle us with our debt. If you're worried about your gun rights now, buckaroo, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
You want someone to fear? You want someone to hate? You want to tell scarey stories around a radio campfire? Tell that one, about the national debt and China.
Posted by: Tom Barclay | August 27, 2008 at 06:41 PM
to those strong and virtuous Republican supporters....
i want to thank for:
a record national debt
a record rate of job loss
record soaring gas prices
a record number of non-bid million dollar government contracts going to Bush friends
a record decline in the US dollar
you have much to be proud of....
as banks are failing, people are loosing their homes, young men and women who can not afford to go to college, it is good to see that loyalty is more important than integrity, that fear is more important than freedom and that you Republicans will rewrite history in order to fit into your narrow world view.
so thank you again for showing me what I hope to never become....a Republican.
Posted by: wake up | August 27, 2008 at 11:27 PM
Hey Tom Barclay
Thanks for reading me and all your kind words.You are a
shinning example of bipartisanship. But you should try to
distinguish between supporters of H. Clinton and the
robber-barons as you call them. You have every right to
be comfortable with Wright,Ayers,Farrakhan and co. To
me,they are nothing but spiritual pestilence totaly incom-
patible with the concept of democracy.The Chicago celeb
has demonstrated his total lack of judgement when it comes to choosing friends and associates and is unfit to
be the leader of the free world. I sense your nostalgia of
the gulag and for Stalinist blood baths...Stop reading Karl
Marx...look-up DE Toqueville and then get back to me with
apologies...
Cordialy...Lance
Posted by: Lance the festering boil | August 28, 2008 at 07:58 AM
Amazing how the LA Times will never post my comments. This is big brother at it's best. The LA times loves to just sit back while the right-wing of America runs its smear campaign.
Posted by: no posting for me | August 28, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Here's my Problem, I have been a Barack Obama supporter since his 2004 DNC Speech, BUT with his pick of Joe Biden I can not vote for the Change Ticket. I will just stay and home and let the cards fall as they may.
Dems.- Your listening to the party line about McCain fact is there are two Democrates running for Office what a coup!
Reps.-Boy are you in for a shocker IF McCain gets in office.
Posted by: Devin Partyka | August 28, 2008 at 11:17 AM
That is NOT the reason California took a pass. First of all it would not have put him over the "majic" number. They took a pass so that Hillary would not get too close considering the fact that she had tons of delegates from the great state of California which she won by the way overwhelmingly. Probably because you have a FAIR primary and not an UNDEMOCRATIC caucus where his thugs could cheat and intimidate. Hell Hath no Fury. Believe it.
Posted by: Kitty | August 28, 2008 at 11:30 AM
I watched most of the speech last night, I heard the quote "John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell -- but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives." which was rather offensive. It took a lot of gall to say that with McCain having been a tortured POW in Viet Nam and all. It was offensive. What has Obama done that has been courageous??? I also read that Obama voted to not increase funds for American military equipment. Sadly, most people are probably not informed enough to know that a lot of what he said he will do were a bunch of contradictions of his past performance. Also, their trying to link McCain to Bush is a reach. McCain was biggest bi-partisan Senator in DC.
Posted by: Cosmo | August 29, 2008 at 02:06 PM
Umm Swedan, Finland, Denmark, Norway are all socialist countries and are rated the best places to live and the most democratic. Maybe you need to understand what socialism is. Its based on the concept of community not individualistic self preservation of capitalism. Socilaism may be opposite of capitalism but socialism is not the opposite of democracy. Most democracies in the world have a form of socialism in their makeup. Only the US seems to think socislaim is bad. Odd since we have EI insurance, school vouchers, disabilities, social assistance, maternity leave, social security and pensions. All of these are social programs based on socialism. Dont like socialism? then give back your vacation pay, pension, and social security check. Oh yes also cancel public transportation if you are so against socialism.
Posted by: Glenn | September 22, 2008 at 10:20 PM