Democratic heavyweight Rahm Emanuel declared today At this point, Barack is the presumptive nominee” adding “Hillary can’t win but something could happen that Barack could lose the nomination.”

In addition to taking the lead with superdelegates Obama is now growing his list. Mark Ambinder reports a California superdelegate is about to jump on the bandwagon, he just doesn’t give details on who it is.

Could it be Steven Ybarra, who made news by saying he would give his vote to whomever committed $20 Million to go towards registering and educating eligible Mexican-American voters?

The GOP has launched a new campaign targeting Senator Obama and asking visitors to submit questions.

From ABC News today’s superdelegate pickups now make Obama the winner in that metric as well. So we have popular vote, states, delegates and superdelegates. So basically, we have a nominee.

Founr at Changing Parma from the tax foundation.

Rep. Donald Payne jumps ship from Clinton campaign to Obama.

Also Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio announces support for Obama.

Payne’s former endorsement of Clinton:

“These serious times call for a leader with Hillary Clinton’s ability to tackle our biggest challenges from her first day in office,” Rep. Payne said. “Her 35-year record fighting for children and families demonstrates the kind of change she will deliver as President. Having worked closely with Hillary in the White House and in the Senate, I can personally attest to her effectiveness and commitment to the issues facing our community.”

Current endorsement of Obama:

“After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs,” Payne told The Star-Ledger for today’s editions. It was “one of the most difficult decisions I have made,” Payne said. “I’ve really been mulling it over for quite a while.”

“At this particular time we need to really unite behind one candidate,” Payne said. “It’s time now for us to pull our party together. The quicker it’s over, the better we’ll be able to bring all of our forces together.”

Thomas B. Edsall at the Huffington Post writes a provocative that explores what could be the monkey wrench for any potential funding from the Obama camp to camp Clinton in order to pay off his rival’s debt in exchange for an end to the race. Yes there is the growing backlash of those online who may see any payment to the Clinton’s, whom they see as making an issue of race and working to hurt Obama’s chances in the fall. The real issue though is with Clinton campaign manager and “quintessential Washington insider” whose firm is owed most of the campaign’s debt.

In addition to bungling Clinton’s message, strategy and being the source of many of the most negative attacks against Obama, Penn’s firm represents the corrupting interests Obama’s campaign has been rallying against.

Though the Obama campaign would not directly be paying off debt, they would be working hard through joint-fundraisers, opening up their donor base and sending out signed appeals. Will Obama backers be willing to help fund a man who so boldly represents all they despise about Washington while funding the very candidate who has spent months mocking their message of change? Judging from what has been written and commented at Huffington Post and throughout the netroots, it won’t be an easy appeal.

Found via Mark Halperin:

“I think Barack Obama is the nominee, I think we should get ready for (Dominic: Wait, Barack Obama is the nominee?”) Oh, I think he’s won. There is no possible scenario that I see without the total destruction of the Democratic Party for Hillary Clinton to become the nominee. I mean the vote in North Carolina and the close vote in Indiana was it, as far as I can count. As far as I’m concerned it was over before, but now we are just kidding ourselves. I think that there is no possible way that Mrs. Clinton can win this nomination, and I think that if there are those looking at this and are concerned about her they would tell her that it’s time to just say it’s over. As you know, I’ve been in the ministry of civil rights all my life, but had dealings with entertainers because of James Brown.

The worst thing in the world is when an entertainer doesn’t know when the show is over. The audience is gone, the lights are down, you’re getting ready to cut the mics off and you are still on the stage singing. It’s over, it’s all right, it’s over. Come sing another day, but this show is over Senator Clinton.It is over in terms of this nominating process, unless we’re going to change the rules, change how we do things; and when and if you do that in my judgment you are destroying the party. Barack Obama has run not only a good campaign and a credible campaign, and I told you before I respect it, he has won. He has got the most popular votes, he has got the most committed delegates, only unless you are going to change the rules can you deny him the nomination.

If Mr. Clinton called me, or Senator Clinton called me and asked me for my advice I would tell them it’s over, they should withdraw for the good of the party because I think that there will be a formidable race in November that we need to start getting ready for now. And I think we need to stop playing this whole game of continuing to act like there is something to decide here, when the majority of democrats have already decided.You can still have good days, that show is over I said. I’m not saying she can’t sing another day, but this show is over.”

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May 8, 2008

Senator Barack Obama

Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680

Dear Senator Obama,

This has been an historic and exciting campaign. Millions of new voters have been brought into the process and their enthusiasm for the Democratic Party and the principles for which you and I have fought and continue to fight is unprecedented.

One of the foremost principles of our party is that citizens be allowed to vote and that those votes be counted. That principle is not currently being applied to the nearly 2.5 million people who voted in primaries in Florida and Michigan. Whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee will be hamstrung in the general election if a fair and quick resolution is not reached that ensures that the voices of these voters are heard. Our commitment now to this goal could be the difference between winning and losing in November.

I have consistently said that the votes cast in Florida and Michigan in January should be counted. We cannot ignore the fact that the people in those states took the time to be a part of this process and to make their preferences known. When efforts were untaken [sic] by leaders in those states to hold revotes to ensure that they had a voice in selecting our nominee, I supported those efforts. In Michigan, I supported a legislative effort to hold a revote that the Democratic National Committee said was in complete compliance with the party’s rules. You did not support those efforts and your supporters in Michigan publically [sic] opposed them. In Florida a number of revote options were proposed. I am not aware of any that you supported. In 2000, the Republicans won an election by successfully opposing a fair counting of votes in Florida. As Democrats, we must reject any proposals that would do the same.

Your commitment to the voters of these states must be clearly stated and your support for a fair and quick resolution must be clearly demonstrated.

I am asking you to join me in working with representatives from Florida and Michigan and the Democratic National Committee to arrive at a solution that honors the votes of the millions of people who went to the polls in Florida and Michigan. It is not enough to simply seat their representatives at the convention in Denver. The people of these great states, like the people who have voted and are to vote in other states, must have a voice in selecting our party’s nominee.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton