Local delegates vote for Obama

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DENVER — The National Democratic Convention peaked Wednesday when delegates cast their official votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton released her delegates, and vice presidential pick Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware addressed the crowd at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Megan Nagel, a Clinton delegate from Nampa, said the senator from New York released her delegates during an afternoon reception. Clinton, who garnered 18 million votes during the national primaries, urged her delegates to support Barack Obama.

“It is imperative that we support Obama,” Nagel said. “We’re worse off than we were four years ago and worse off than we were eight years ago.”

During the reception, held exclusively for her supporters, Clinton told delegates that Obama represents the same ideals that she campaigned for.

“At the end of the meeting, people cheered for Obama and the new journey we’re about to embark on,” Nagel said.

During opening day of the Democratic National Convention, Republican nominee John McCain claimed Obama had snubbed Clinton by not naming her his vice presidential pick. However, Nagel said most Clinton delegates are pleased with the selection of Biden.

“Biden is a true statesman with an impeccable record,” she said.

Pocatello delegate James Fletcher said Sen. Hillary Clinton left little room for doubt regarding her support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama following her appearance at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday.

But Fletcher, an Obama delegate, said the question now is whether or not Clinton’s speech was successful in convincing her supporters to get on the Obama bandwagon.

A report posted on AP News Monday said disappointed Clinton supporters are divided and open to voting for John McCain.

However, Fletcher said most Clinton delegates at the National Convention in Denver are behind the Democratic nominee and concerned about the negative national coverage.

“They feel that they have unified for Obama,” Fletcher said. “But they feel like the Republicans and the national media has capitalized on a few dissenters. It was crystal clear from Sen. Clinton that she supports Obama.”

Fletcher, who was also elected as a delegate for Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy in 1980, understands the frustration of Clinton supporters.

“We worked hard for Sen. Kennedy. But when he didn’t win the nomination, we turned around and supported Jimmy Carter,” Fletcher said. “I think we’ll see the same thing here in Denver. There will be unity.”

Delegates were instructed to be in their seats at 3 p.m. Wednesday for the vote, which was set for 3:47 p.m.

Fletcher said delegates are mandated to vote for the candidate they originally pledged to support during the first vote. Clinton delegates were released following the vote and Obama was eventually nominated by acclamation.

Jim Hansen, executive director for the Idaho Democratic Party, said nomination by acclamation is common during presidential conventions. But he emphasized Idaho delegates are united in support for Obama.

Idaho delegates received special recognition from the Obama camp after the state posted the highest percentage of support in the nation for the Democratic nominee. Obama earned 80 percent of the vote during the Idaho Democratic caucuses.

Fletcher said Idaho delegates are seated with Texas on their right, Tennessee, which supported Clinton in the primaries, to the left and the District of Columbia in front of them.

Fletcher said the atmosphere at the Democratic National Convention is hard to convey.

“There is this tremendous energy, this tremendous sense of happiness,” he said.

Fletcher said the crowd inside Pepsi Center, which includes about 5,000 delegates and 15,000 members of the press, broke into a series of eruptions Tuesday — first when President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter entered the venue, again when President Bill Clinton was spotted and finally when a video introduction for Sen. Hillary Clinton began to play.

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