LIVE BLOG

In Butte, Obama and Clinton Woo Westerners

By Matthew Frank and Anne Medley, 4-05-08

The Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner at the Butte Civic Center was the main event in a weekend in which Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are battling for votes and momentum in Montana leading up to the June 3 primary, the country’s last.

We documented the night with this live blog. Enjoy.

10:12 p.m. - With Hillary’s last words the audience here at the Butte Civic Center is quickly filing out, and we’re about to wrap up too. Another batch of photos is being added to the slideshow above.

The speeches given here tonight by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton aligned well with what we’ve read and witnessed on TV and YouTube: that Obama’s energetic and eloquent oration is high on hope and individual action, less so on specific policy recommendations, while Clinton is more subdued and measured (though she got fired up now and again tonight) but hits on more subjects with nuance. Both candidates were effective, rallied the crowd of 4,000 here at the Butte Civic Center, and tweaked their messages to resonate in Montana and the West.

Thanks for following along tonight.

9:48 p.m. - Clinton wrapped up to big applause, and now...the Rocky theme song.

I just received in my inbox from the Clinton campaign excerpts of her speech as prepared for delivery, which I’ve pasted at the bottom of this post.

9:39 p.m. - The biggest cheers for Clinton so far follow her vow to “end the unfunded mandate of No Child Left Behind.”

She says she’s committed to “keeping faith with Native Americans, the first Americans.” She vows to fully fund the Indian Health Service.

“Every part of the world must be committed to reversing global warming,” she says.

9:27 p.m. - “You can hear the sound of the moving van pulling away from the back of the White House,” Clinton says, to laughs and applause. “I believe the whole world will breathe a sigh of relief when George Bush and Dick Cheney hand over the keys. But that’s not when our work ends, but when our work begins.”

She calls Bush’s presidency a “dangerous experience in extremism.” But despite so many of our current practices—like “borrowing money from the Chinese to buy oil from the Saudis”—she’s “totally optimistic.”

“There isn’t any problem America can’t solve…so long as we start acting like Americans again, rolling up our sleeves and working together.” We need to end Bush’s use of “fear to divide us and fatalism to discourage us.”

Clinton mentions the need to pass a good farm bill, use country of origin labels, and increase our use of renewable energy, to big cheers from the audience.

“This farm bill needs to move and the president needs to get out of the way,” she says.

9:19 p.m. - “I am thrilled to be here tonight on the richest hill on earth,” Clinton says in her opening. “The only party in Butte that’s better than St. Patrick’s Day is the Democratic Party.”

She says Butte is where the Democratic Party first put down roots in the West. She thanks Pat and Carol Williams for their support and endorsement.

“The Last Best Place is going to help choose the next president of the United States,” she says. “It will not be a moment too soon.”

So far, this is a much more solemn speech than Obama’s, but the audience is rapt.

9:04 p.m. - Clinton’s being introduced. A funny slip up by McDonald: “She’ll never deliver solutions (pause) to our urgent challenges, she’ll always deliver solutions to our urgent challenges.”

8:55 p.m. - For what it’s worth, I just overheard that at a campaign event last night in North Dakota at which both Obama and Clinton spoke, some people took off after Obama’s speech, perhaps as many as a quarter of the attendees, not bothering to stay for Clinton. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it’s certainly not the case here. It’s still a packed house. Clinton should be speaking soon.

8:31 p.m. - Chairman McDonald just announced that there’s going to be a bit of a break here before Sen. Hillary Clinton takes the stage. Clinton is in the building, we’re told.

During the lull, have a look at NewWest.Net’s slideshow from this morning’s Obama rally at the University of Montana in Missoula.

8:25 p.m. - Schweitzer proposes a toast to “the favorite son of Butte,” Mike Mansfield. “I know Mike Mansfield is watching,” he says. “Tap ’er light, Mike. Tap ‘er light.”

Schweitzer says he’s loved every minute of serving Montanans over the last few years, and asks the audience for four more years. “Are you with me?”

“The eyes of the world are on Montana,” he says toward the end of his speech. “Butte America will choose the next president of the United States!”

8:15 p.m. - Herseth Sandlin is delivering a very spirited speech. I haven’t been able to get many quotes, unfortunately, but the gist is the Democratic Party being “the party of We,” as in “We the People...”

Much of the focus of the talk is on the Democrats’ long-term vision: “We the people, we the Democrats, the party of ‘we,’ must set our sights well past this election...”

Now she’s introducing Schweitzer.

8:02 p.m. - “Boy-howdy, we’re having fun tonight in Butte, right?” Schweitzer hollers. He boasts that Montana elected the very first woman to Congress (Jeanette Rankin, in 1916, before women had the right to vote), and then he introduces South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the youngest woman member of the House.

7:50 p.m. - Baucus is pretty hard to hear from where I’m sitting, and it seems the crowd has been sidetracked a bit by food and booze. (Plus, Obama and Tester are tough acts to follow.) He says we’re “making democratic history right here in Butte.”

He’s introducing Schweitzer.

7:43 p.m. - Sen. Jon Tester, or “The Big Guy from Big Sandy,” as McDonald calls him, is introducing Max Baucus. Tester’s spunky, and asks the crowd to “blow the roof off this place,” and the noise reaches Obama levels. Tester makes a pitch for Jim Hunt, who’s taking on Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg. “You put your faith in me; put your faith in Jim Hunt,” Tester says.

An extended Baucus campaign commercial is playing on the big screens.

7:27 p.m. - Obama says the war in Iraq was unwise, and that we have to rebuild our alliances and restore our moral standing. He brings up 9/11: “We have real enemies out there, but we need to break this fever of fear...We have to stop using terrorism as an excuse to undermine the constitution. I know people in Montana—people out West—value their civil liberties.”

Obama has just finished his speech and he’s shaking hands. The crowd drowned out much of what he said toward the end, but it didn’t really matter, we got the gist. Good stuff. We’ll have more pictures up very soon.

7:18 p.m. - Obama has mentioned clean coal technology a couple times now, a contentious topic here in Montana and a big part of Gov. Schweitzer’s energy policy.

“Schweitzer knows we can do it. Tester and Baucus know we can do it.” It’s not the lack of know-how that’s holding us back, he says...and then someone shouts out, “It’s Rehberg!” Obama says it’s political will.

7:07 p.m. - “I know Montana’s fiercely independent. That’s the way Western states are,” he says. The crowd is standing and cheering after almost everything Sen. Obama says.

7:00 p.m. - “I am fired up and ready to go here in Montana,” Obama says. He gives lots of love to Baucus, Tester and Schweitzer, Montana’s trio of Democratic leaders.

“You (Montana voters) showed us wisdom when you sent us Max Baucus, who each and everyday is working on some of the most complex and difficult issues America faces, and he does it always with an eye for helping people in Montana.”

“As if that weren’t enough, we’ve got a tag team now,” he said, referring to Tester. “He’s an American original,” hardworking and dedicated.

“And if that weren’t enough, how about the character of your governor,” he said. “He should have a late night talk show...Instead, he also happens to be an expert on energy, an expert on land use.”

A few minutes ago the crowd got riled and began chanting, “O-Bam-A, O-Bam-A.”

He’s giving a speech fairly similar to the one he gave this morning in Missoula (including another joke about needing to learn how to fly fish). The war and the economy are the topics now. More quotes soon.

6:43 p.m. - Obama is on stage, welcomed by deafening cheers.

6:40 p.m. - Obama being introduced.

6:33 p.m. - Kevin (I missed his last name—sorry), of the Blackfeet Tribe, is singing and drumming a beautiful tribal prayer. Everyone is standing.

6:20 p.m. - Chairman McDonald is kicking things off. He said, to roars from the crowd, “It’s a good time to be a democrat in Montana!”

“Tonight we’ll hear from two of the most exciting speakers to have been in this building since Lee Metcalf and Mike Mansfield last crossed this threshold,” McDonald said. “Thanks for coming and welcome to the richest hill on earth—not because of the minerals underground but the people on the ground and here tonight. Welcome.”

McDonald also made pitches for Montanans to reelect Sen. Max Baucus and Gov. Schweitzer, who McDonald called the most popular governor in the country.

5:56 p.m. - Some of the national press stories coming out of Montana today are actually focused on North Dakota: Ed Schultz, a liberal talk show host based in Fargo and supporter of Obama, called Sen. John McCain “a warmonger.” Obama repudiated the comment.

Governor Brian Schweitzer just poked out and waved to the audience. We’ll be rolling here shortly.

5:30 p.m. - This place is beginning to buzz. Lots of food and libation stations. This is going to be a party.

5:20 p.m. - New York Times op-ed columnist Timothy Egan has a piece about this “Big Sky Slugfest,” and he reports that Montana’s primary June 3 is actually the last—apparently Puerto Rico’s June 7 election date was a misprint, party officials now say. Montana has 17 delegates in play, plus eight superdelegates.

5:08 p.m. - Barack Obama was in Missoula this morning for a raucous rally at the University of Montana. NewWest.Net’s Dillon Tabish writes, “When Obama strode into the arena, it was easy to see where the whole rock star analogy comes from.” Indeed. Read his whole piece here. The Adams Center was packed, and the line to get in, I’ve heard, started to form just after midnight. By 8:00 this morning, when the doors were scheduled to open, the line snaked around campus for what seemed like a mile. Video was piped into the Griz football stadium for those who couldn’t get in. We’ll have more pictures from the event up shortly.

Obama tailored his message to Western voters. The AP has this quote:

“I know Montana’s a coal state. My home state, Illinois, is a coal state, but we’ve got to make sure that we are investing in technologies that capture carbon because we can’t sustain the planet the way that we’re doing it right now,” Obama said. “Look at this incredible landscape around you. We’ve got to pass that on.”

Hillary will be in Missoula tomorrow for an 11:00 a.m. public event at the airport. More information here.

A few minutes ago Montana Democratic Party Chairman Dennis McDonald came by to say hello to the press (we’re all the way across the Civic Center from the stage). “It’s a good day,” he said. “A good day.”

5:00 p.m. - No political race in recent history has garnered as much attention and excitement as the battle between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, and the roadshow has rolled to Montana for the weekend. Tonight both candidates will be here at the Montana Democratic Party’s annual Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner. The event typically draws hundreds but tonight 4,000 people—who snatched up the tickets to the event in 15 minutes—will fill the Butte Civic Center, and they’re trickling in.

I and photographer Anne Medley are here and hunkered down and we’ll be providing updates and adding pictures to the above slideshow all evening, so check in often.

Here’s the evening schedule:

• 6:05 - Welcome from Chairman Dennis McDonald: National Anthem, Pledge, Invocation, Song
• 6:40 - Introduction of and remarks from Senator Barack Obama
• 7:50 - Remarks from Chairman McDonald, Sens. Baucus and Tester, Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin, Governor Schweitzer
• 9:00 - Introduction of and remarks from Senator Hillary Clinton
• 10:10 - Closing remarks from Chairman McDonald

____

Excerpts: Hillary Clinton Delivers Remarks at the Montana Democratic Party’s Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner

I am so thrilled to be here tonight on the “richest hill on earth.” I wanted to come out here for St. Patrick’s Day, but I’m glad I decided to come tonight instead.  Because the only party in Butte that’s better than St. Patrick’s Day is the Democratic Party.

They say Butte could be considered the birthplace of the Democratic Party in the Rocky Mountain West.  And Montana is at the forefront of our western resurgence today.  I am so glad that Montana’s voice will be heard in this election.  And by holding the last primary, the “last, best place” is going to have a critical role in choosing our nominee.

For seven years, the drug companies, the insurance companies, the oil companies and Wall Street have had a President who stands up for them – I think it’s time we had a President who stood up for all of you.

We need a commander-in-chief who is ready on day one to end the war in Iraq and keep our children safe – and someone who knows how to manage this economy and strengthen middle-class families.

The American people need a fighter on their side.  A President who will get up every day ready to work her heart out for you.  And I am here tonight because I am ready to be that President.  If there is one word that sums up what my campaign is all about, it’s solutions.  I’m offering real solutions, not just speeches, to create a better future for everyone.

When I say solutions, I mean an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.  An economy where prosperity is shared and we create good jobs – jobs rebuilding our infrastructure, jobs in clean, renewable energy – jobs you can raise a family on.

When I say solutions, I mean reining in those corporate special interests and rebuilding the middle class.  When I’m President, I’ll end $55 billion in corporate tax breaks and give the middle class a break instead.  You’ll get more affordable student loans, health care for all, and millions of good, new jobs that can’t be sent overseas.  And I’ll cut middle class taxes by at least $100 billion per year.

When I say solutions, I mean making our government a partner with rural America.  You may be surprised to learn that New York is home to 34,000 farms – and most are family farms.  I’m committed to passing a strong Farm Bill that works for true family farms, with priorities like permanent disaster relief, strengthening country of origin labeling, renewable energy advances and rural development, including rural broadband deployment.  And I want to salute the leadership of Senators Tester and Baucus on the Farm Bill.  President Bush needs to stop standing in the way of it.

And let me just say how important it is to have Senator Tester’s voice in Congress as both a family farmer and an organic farmer.  He has been a breath of fresh air in the Senate – and I want to thank you for sending him there.

When I say solutions, I mean declaring energy independence.  It is long past time that we declared our independence from foreign oil.  And we’ll start by building on the extraordinary work Governor Schweitzer is doing to tap our natural resources right here in Montana, including biofuels, clean coal, and wind energy.

As President, I’ll invest in alternative energy with a $50 billion strategic energy fund paid for by the excess profits of big oil.  And we’ll create five million new jobs – good jobs that can’t be shipped overseas.  Because it’s time we stopped holding hands with the Saudis, and started holding them accountable.

When I say solutions, I mean finally providing universal health care.  Because 47 million uninsured – including more than 160,000 here in Montana – is a national disgrace.  I’ll cover every single man, woman and child in America – no one left out.

And we will take specific steps to meet the health care needs in Indian Country, including fully funding the Indian Health Service.  Because we need solutions that honor our government’s responsibilities to Native Americans.  I will appoint Native Americans to key positions throughout our government.  As President, I will respect tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship between the federal and tribal governments.  And we will once again have a strong and active partnership.

I’m ready to go toe-to-toe with Senator McCain on national security.  He is willing to keep troops in Iraq for up to 100 years.  America needs a Commander in Chief who is ready on Day One to end the war in Iraq and keep our troops safe.  I’ll start bringing them home in the first 60 days of my Administration.  And I’m ready to be Commander in Chief and to answer that 3am phone call when something goes wrong in the world.

Senator McCain has also admitted he doesn’t understand the economy – and unfortunately he’s proving it in this campaign.  He looks at the home mortgage crisis, and who does he blame?  Not Wall Street, which helped create this mess in the first place.  But homeowners.  And his plan for the economy is to extend President Bush’s failed economic policy that brought us record deficits and brought this country to the brink of a recession.

You know, sometimes when that phone rings at 3am in the White House, it’s an economic crisis.  It seems like Senator McCain would just let it ring and ring and ring.

I think we’ve had enough of a President who didn’t know enough about economics, and didn’t do enough for the American middle class.  We’re ready for a President who will meet the challenges of our time.

That’s another reason I’m so glad to be in Butte tonight – because throughout your history you have never quit.  When the silver market crashed at the end of the 1800’s, you refused to give up, kept digging, and found copper.  When the deep copper mines closed in the 1950’s, you found new mining technology and kept going.

Many times the national press and pundits have said: “Butte is a goner.” But you said: “No, we aren’t.” And your progress today proves you were right. I’m proud to be among people who have the courage and determination to stay in the fight – and that’s the same spirit I’m bringing to this campaign.

And one thing you know about me is that when I say I’ll stand with you, I’ll stand with you.  When I say I’ll fight for you, I’ll fight for you.  That’s what I’ve done my whole life, and that’s what I’ll do in the White House.  We need to keep fighting because this country’s worth fighting for.

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