Obama held weekend call with Sanders

[Stellar]

?itok=L4Gh7giR

President Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke over the weekend, NBC News reported Monday.

The conversation came as Obama is preparing to officially come off the sidelines in the 2016 presidential campaign by endorsing the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton.

The White House declined to comment on the conversation, but the president is expected to help broker a truce between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who have run an increasingly nasty campaign.

Clinton is expected to amass enough support in Tuesday’s primary contests to claim the Democratic nomination.

An endorsement from Obama could come as soon as the day after the primary, though the exact timing remains unclear, White House officials say.

Obama’s backing of Clinton is a signal to Sanders to exit the race. The president is eager to make the case against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump on the campaign trail.

But the Vermont senator has pledged to fight all the way until the party’s convention in late July, hoping to pick off enough super delegates from Clinton to win the nomination.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Monday indicated the delegate math is clear cut.

“Certainly somebody who claims a majority of the pledged and superdelegates, you know, has a strong case to make,” he said.

“After the Democratic voters in New Jersey and California weigh in tomorrow, you know, we may have a better sense of where the race is headed,” he said.

Sanders said later Monday that he would “assess” his path to victory following Tuesday’s contests.

The Hill

[democrattotheend]

1. The president has been very gracious throughout the primary

I respect and appreciate that he has (mostly) given people the chance to vote before weighing in, and that he was courteous enough to give Bernie a heads up if he plans to endorse Hillary. I do wish he would wait another week as a show of support for DC voters, who have already been marginalized in so many other ways.

[Maru Kitteh]

2. Apparently the President felt it was time, after tomorrow with her delegate count

the writing on the wall will be/is undeniable. I understand why he's so anxious to get out there and pound Trump. It's going to be quite fun to watch - PBO eviscerating that crunky orange monkey.

[democrattotheend]

3. Like I said, I wish he'd wait a week

Not for Bernie's sake but for the voters in DC. Still, he could have jumped in a lot earlier and I respect the fact that he didn't. So no, he is not going "under the bus", at least not for me.

[Joe the Revelator]

4. I'll always love Obama

I don't agree with him at all in this case, but I will always love him.

[democrattotheend]

6. Me too

I am glad I am not the only Bernie supporter who feels that way.

FWIW, I think it's to his credit that after the bitter 2008 primary, he brought Hillary into his cabinet, buried the hatchet, and got to the point where he now wants to support her.

[Joe the Revelator]

7. I think it reeks of a lot of quid pro quo

But...politics.

[democrattotheend]

9. I don't

In part because from what I remember reading, Obama at that time did not feel that he really needed her support. Also, it wasn't clear for a week after it was reported that he was offering the position to her after the election that she was going to take it. I really don't think he offered her SOS before he was elected.

[book_worm]

5. It's Bernie who has run the increasingly nasty campaign not Hillary

she has been, by and large, sticking it to Trump--not Bernie for the last month or so.

[Brickbat]

8. Bernie has the chance to show the level of class HRC did at the 2008 convention.

Not holding my breath, though. And I mean, Vermont is at the end of the roll call.

[charlyvi]

10. Then he'd better stop trying to overturn the decision of a 3 million voter lead

and a majority of pledged delegates. It's a futile task anyway; they will never flip from the people's choice. Hillary got 55% of the vote, Sanders got 45%.....they aren't going to overturn that.

[Brickbat]

11. Agreed.