Barack Obama Elected President!

[EricaKane70]

Clinton: It'd be 'terrible mistake' to pick McCain over Obama

Story Highlights

Clinton: "Grave error" for her supporters not to vote for Obama if he is nominee

Clinton trounced Obama in West Virginia on Tuesday

Despite being more than $20 million in the red, she vows to keep going

Talks of a joint ticket would be "premature," she says

(CNN) -- Hillary Clinton on Wednesday reiterated her vow to stay in the Democratic presidential race, but she said it would be a "terrible mistake" for her supporters to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama.

"Anybody who has ever voted for me or voted for Barack has much more in common in terms of what we want to see happen in our country and in the world with the other than they do with John McCain," Clinton said on CNN's "The Situation Room."

"I'm going to work my heart out for whoever our nominee is. Obviously, I'm still hoping to be that nominee, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that anyone who supported me ... understands what a grave error it would be not to vote for Sen. Obama."

Clinton was responding to a question from a CNN iReporter who asked why she thought so many of her supporters would choose McCain over Obama. Watch the question

Exit polls out of West Virginia indicate that only 36 percent of Clinton's supporters would vote for Obama if he were the nominee. A bare majority of Obama's voters said they would vote for Clinton over McCain.

In response to Clinton's comments, Republican National Committee Spokesman Alex Conant issued a statement:

"Just as Sen. Clinton herself has questioned Obama's qualifications to be president and enact change, so do many of her supporters. The biggest mistake would be to raise taxes and prematurely withdraw from Iraq like Clinton and Obama have proposed," he said.

Clinton trounced Obama on Tuesday, carrying West Virginia by a 41-point margin. Because she trails him in pledged delegates, in superdelegates and in the popular vote, she's faced calls to drop out of the race.

Despite her campaign being more than $20 million in the red, Clinton confirmed that she plans to keep going.

"I'm not going anywhere except to Kentucky and Oregon and Montana and South Dakota and Puerto Rico," she said. Watch what Clinton says about the road ahead »

Those five contests round out the primary season, which ends June 3.

Kentucky and Oregon hold primaries Tuesday. Clinton expected to do well in Kentucky, but Obama is the favorite to carry Oregon.

Clinton has continued to do better than Obama with the white working-class voters, and Obama continues to get more than 90 percent of the black vote. The racial gap has become a key issue in the media, but Clinton said she regrets "people exploding an issue like that."

"It's offensive. I think people vote for me because they think I'd be the better president. I think people vote for him because they think he'd be the better president. ... That's the way it's supposed to be." Watch the full interview »

Clinton drew criticism last week for comments she made to USA Today about having a broader appeal to white voters.

"There was just an [Associated Press] article posted that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me," she told the paper.

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she added.

New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, a Clinton supporter, said "that was the dumbest thing she could have said."

Clinton conceded Wednesday that "he's probably right."

"Obviously, I have worked very hard to get the votes of everyone, and I have campaigned hard. I understand that we've got to put together a broad coalition in order to win in the fall. ... I know Sen. Obama has worked hard to reach out to every community and constituency," she said.

Clinton said the Democrats will have a unified party once they have a nominee, but she shied away from the idea of a joint ticket, saying talks about it would be "premature."

Obama said the same thing while campaigning in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Tuesday.

"Sen. Clinton is still competing; we haven't resolved this nomination; I haven't won the nomination yet," he said. "I'm not going to talk about vice president this or vice president that until I've actually won. It would be presumptuous of me to pretend like I've already won and start talking about who my vice president's going to be."

Asked how she's able to keep campaigning each day, Clinton said that something always happens that lifts her spirits.

"A lot of the people who have worked their hearts out for me in this primary season, they're not quitters in their own lives," she said.

"It's been a privilege and an honor to have met so many Americans, been to so many of the beautiful places in this country, and I feel like I'm doing it for the right reasons."

Clinton teared up as she described what she called "one of the most incredibly gratifying experiences" of her life: having her 28-year-old daughter, Chelsea, campaigning for her.

"She is an exceptional person, and she's worked so hard, and she's done such a good job that I'm just filled with pride every time I look at her," she said.

"She's doing it because she's my daughter, but she's doing it because, as she says, she's a young American who cares about our future."

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Good for hillary, this party needs to be united so we can beat McCain. Bush needs to STFU nobody listens to that rambling idiot anymore, he has the worst approval rating in history and he has the nerve to criticize anyone???

[Roman]

No.

GWB needs to keep running off at his mouth. That way, JM will latch on to everything he says....

And BO will be POTUS in January.

[Wales2004]

YW.

The Tennessee Republicans aren't being any smarter than the Republicans that tried the guilt by association times 2 ads that backfired. McCain appears to be running a smart campaign by tailoring a plan to appeal to what people are saying they want but he can't go from saying 100 years and now down to 5 without seeming dishonest. And if he's distancing himself from being referred to as a third term of GWB then tag teaming with him on his latest stupid statement isn't a wise move either. You should have seen one of his supporters who is a radio talk show host spend a few minutes shouting and ranting in an attempt not to admit that he couldn't answer Chris Matthews' question about the Chamberlain reference that GWB made. I can only imagine how people listen to his radio show and get all riled up but can't sensibly articulate the reason.

I'm loving this and I'm guessing that KO will say something that will make me laugh even more.

I am so huge on the importance of education and people reading for themselves instead of being led around and manipulated like sheep. I know that other countries probably have some idiotic people sprinkled throughout their governments but how embarrassing is GWB as a world leader of a super power nation? When he is the best that the Republicans could offer and the Democrats' best candidate couldn't eclipse him then it really makes me wonder.

The job description for the president needs to be revised to include the ability to speak effectively to the public and to make sense as well. Those two items alone would have ruled GWB out and forced the Republicans to look further.

[DevotedToAMC]

I am very glad she spoke out about the mistake it would be if her supporters went for McCain...and, when John Edwards endorsed Obama, Obama spoke and said, "Hillary Clinton and the rest of us have a better vision for the country and that is in sync with the Democratic Party" or something along those lines. So all those rumors about them not being friends can be put to rest

Well Roman we agree again! ....let him talk and poison the GOP so McCain slips behind Obama and Hillary in head to head poll match ups

They are always doing something like this, huh?

BTW, our state made me proud today! CA overturned the ban on same sex marriage! Woot to CA!

[Roman]

I also wonder what the very same people who DESTROYED The Dixie Chicks for making that statement about Bush are now saying about this !@#$%^&*].

He has set this country back in foreign policy 50 years or more.

The worst this country has had in a generation. Bar none.

[DevotedToAMC]

Odds are they have purchased all their CDs by now!

He set the country back more, like, 140 to 150 years when we fought to abolish slavery...after all, he is favoring cheap labor through his tax cuts to corporations that ship jobs to Mexico (and he ships them there due to NAFTA), which is close to slave labor.

The worst period. No argument there....James Buchanan, Richard Nixon, Andrew Johnson, Herbert Hoover, Warren Harding, and Ronald Reagan can all breathe a sigh of relief. They are no longer the worst presidents

[Roman]

Whew.

I know KO lit that ass UP tonight on his show. That SC he had last night was the best. It's about time Bush gets it handed to him. And.......they better treat Michelle with respect. That just may be the next FL.

[DevotedToAMC]

The sad part is KO is the only one who takes him to task these days. Cmon media! Be like you were back in the McCarthy and Nixon days...risk your lives to tell us the entire story without curtailing the real truth. I like Anderson Cooper but he has no spine

[Jess]

KO really did hand Bush his ass last night. It was the best commentary I have heard in decades.

Wop to California. Now let's see Arnold do the right thing and say the courts have ruled, we're moving forward.

Big hats' off to Hillary Clinton. She stepped up today and told the pres to stick it and good for her. She called hiim on his Nazi BS.

You know, I read about California and I'm proud of em. I'm from Texas and GWB is the shame of Texas. Believe me, it's not easy being the shame of Texas. Maybe the Dixie Chicks could write a song about Bush the Embarrassment.

[Wales2004]

If they're not being hypocritical then they should have a problem with this.

KO's Countdown item #4 Four Year Fantasy Plan is very funny. His interjected comments on McCain's outline are great.

I had to choose between KO and Campbell Brown and he won.

[DevotedToAMC]

Well hey we are starting to agree on a lot more Jess! ....there is a good reason why I just added you to my friends list. I love that KO is the only intrepid journalist these days. Let's have the rest of the spineless media go after him. Yes, I am talking to YOU Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Soledad O'Brien, Katie Couric, Elizabeth Vargas!

Arnold did say that he respects the Supreme Court's decision. Odds are he is opposed to same sex marriage but more opposed to banning it because he sees that millions of California residents support the decision for gays and lesbians to marry. If you ask me, he supports civil unions. He did go on record saying that, if there is a measure on the November ballot to ban same sex marriage out here, he will oppose it. Why is he still in the Republican Party? I am telling you he is more of a Democrat than anything. Something tells me his wife and her Uncle Teddy have a lot to do with his liberal ways

I like that Hillary is making a strong stand against Bush and his little tantrums. The guy reminds me of a two year old (I think I am being generous and kind there).

LOL about the song "Bush the Embarrassment"...well Eminem wrote the anti Bush song "Mosh" so why not the DC?

How do you deal with all those rabid right wingers in Texas? Eek! I was in El Paso in August/1997 and it was like the Tiquana of the United States: filthy, hot, muggy. I ain't going back there. I noticed that EP does not have any sewers and yet there was a huge storm when we were there. Well guess who was TX governor at that time they had no sewers? His truly! Surprise surprise!

KO always wins for me....we need more journalists like him who step up to the plate and do not kow tow to this administration....he is never afraid to speak his mind. I love me some Keith!

[Wales2004]

He's good today as well. I could do without the Bill O'Reilly stuff but I know their feud is the joy of their lives.

He said that he respected the court's decision and that he won't support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn the ruling. It might become a voting issue in November depending on whether the people wanting to add it to the ballot are able to do so.

Arnold needs to come up with a viable plan for balancing the budget because now he wants to dip into the transportation tax along with some other bad ideas. I can't even think of anyone in office in the state, city or county of interest to me today besides Henry Waxman.

I saw that earlier. She did a good thing.

[DevotedToAMC]

Yea I don't like what is going on with the budget but I tend to think the cuts will be used to pay off the deficit but yea it is never good to see cuts...some taxes are necessary to keep things balanced (like I disagree with getting rid of the gas tax)

[Jess]

The right wingers here are awful. I hang out on web sites because it reassures me that all people don't think this way. El Paso is actually one of the more progressive parts of the state. In 1997, I doubt the governor even knew it existed! I will say that Texans will do anything for someone they know. But so many people believe everything they hear. And talk about the buckle on the bible belt, it's right here and it's welded shut.

You know, I've actually been impressed with Arnold. I don't know why he is a Republican.

[DevotedToAMC]

Yea I have a friend in Austin (the most liberal part of the state) who told me most Texas people are just sheeple. But yea not everyone in Texas is awful (here you got mateo22, you, Soapsuds, and alwaysAMC all living in Texas...and you all are great! ).

LOL yep I bet he did not know of many things' existence when he was governor...but glad that El Paso is somewhat progressive but just too many places there are hillbilly h#ll.

Arnold has actually been the best governor I have lived under, believe it or not. LOL! He is one of few Republicans who is paying off a Democrat's debt (the guy we recalled-Gray Davis...he was such an idiot)...overall, I would have to grade his performance as governor with a B. He has been good