50 Cent says he was impressed with Obama's speech on race.

(CNN) – Hillary Clinton appears to have lost a high-profile backer to rival Barack Obama.

Rapper 50 Cent, who told Time magazine last September he was supporting the New York senator's White House bid, now says he has decided to shift his allegiance to Obama.

The multi-platinum star, born Curtis Jackson, told MTV News Friday that Obama's recent speech on race was the deciding factor for his decision.

"I heard Obama speak," he said. "He hit me with that he-just-got-done-watching-'Malcolm X,' and I swear to God, I'm like, 'Yo, Obama!'

"I'm Obama to the end now, baby!"

But the musician also admitted he's lost interest in the protracted Democratic race, and may not support either candidate.

"To be honest, I haven't been following that anymore. I lost my interest," he said. "I listened to some of the debates and things that they were saying, and I just got lost in everything that was going on…Don't look for my vote, for me to determine nothing on that. Just say, '50 Cent, he don't know, so don't ask Fiddy.'

He also said he didn't think the country is ready for a black president.

"I just think there's people that might not be ready for an African-American president," he said. "It'll be an issue, believe it or not."

"You've got to be conscious of racism, period," he continued. "And it's still there. We don't deal with it as often as my grandparents did. My grandparents grew up in South Carolina, so they experienced the heart of that."

Stupak is proposing a new plan to seat Michigan's delegates.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak proposed a new plan on Monday to seat his state's Democratic delegates to the party's convention in August, factoring in both the results of the state's January primary and the total popular vote of all the primary contests nationwide.

In a proposal sent to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Stupak proposed allotting 83 of Michigan's pledged delegates based on the January vote, while the state's remaining pledged delegates and superdelegates — 73 total — are to be awarded based on the nationwide vote.

The DNC stripped Michigan of its convention delegates late last year after the state moved up its primary to January 15. Under pressure from other early-voting states, most of the Democratic presidential candidates removed their name from the ballot there.

But Clinton opted to keep her name on the ballot and ultimately received 55 percent of the vote, compared to the 40 percent of the vote that went for "uncommitted."

Under Stupak's proposal, Clinton would receive 47 delegates based on her vote total, while Obama would be awarded 36 delegates based on that "uncommitted" result; the rest would be divided according to the nationwide popular vote total after all the primaries are completed.

 Full story

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Clinton campaigned in Pennsylvania Monday.

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (CNN) – Despite the spitting rain and the chilly weather, Hillary Clinton lingered in a parking lot in Pennsylvania Monday before a campaign event to speak to a group of about two dozen truckers who had gathered to protest the effect of rising gas prices on their industry.

Clinton was set to host an afternoon economic roundtable at the Capital Diner here, but when Clinton’s campaign plane landed in Harrisburg, her campaign learned from her advance staff about the small but vocal demonstration being held at the diner.

The New York senator hustled out of her motorcade of SUVs on arriving to chat for several minutes with the truckers, who voiced concerns about fuel costs. As passing big rigs honked, some truckers told Clinton they were being blamed by retailers for the rising costs of trucking, a problem they said was owed to high gas prices.

Clinton listened intently and then spoke about the need for the next president to focus on working families and alternative energies. She also promised to combat price gouging and examine the possibility of regulating oil markets.

Two of the truck drivers, named Mark and J.B., were invited to join her economic roundtable inside the diner, where Clinton praised them for voicing their discontent.

“I want to thank Mark and J.B. because they are doing what Americans do,” Clinton said, concluding the roundtable. “When you finally get pushed to the end of the rope you have to stand up and say enough. And that’s what this election should be about.”

– CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

A new poll suggests Sen. Obama would be a tougher candidate for John McCain to beat.

(CNN)— A new poll finds a majority of Republicans and Democrats feel Sen. Barack Obama would be a tougher candidate against the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in a potential fall match-up.

In a Gallup poll released Monday, 59 percent of Democratic voters believe Obama has the best chance at beating John McCain. Thirty percent said Clinton was more likely to win a matchup with the Arizona senator.

Republicans surveyed say Clinton would be the easiest to beat: 64 percent said Clinton would make a weaker fall opponent for McCain, while just 22 percent said Obama.

The survey of 1,005 adults conducted March 24-27 has a sampling error of 4 percent.

The discussion of which Democrat stands the strongest against John McCain has been an ongoing debate since the Republican race narrowed leaving the Arizona Senator as the Republican nominee in waiting.

A Gallup poll released last week suggested a majority of Democrats would cast a vote for John McCain this fall if the candidate they support does not win the Democratic nomination. This is particularly true of Clinton’s supporters, one third of whom said they will vote for McCain if Obama is the Democratic nominee.

–CNN’s Emily Sherman

Cuomo’s plan is the latest proposal to resolve the Democratic impasse.

(CNN) — Another day, another idea to end the remarkable race for the Democratic presidential nomination — this one from former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.

In an essay in the Boston Globe, Cuomo warns of a potential disaster for Democrats if the race goes on and either Clinton or Obama supporters become embittered by the eventual outcome.

“Who can solve the problem?” he asks. “Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton by putting aside personal irritations, and to some extent personal aspirations, and agreeing to end the hostilities and form a ticket that gives us both of them, a candidate for President and a candidate for Vice President who is clearly good enough to serve as President, should the occasion arise.”

Funny: he doesn’t suggest which candidate should be the nominee, and which the vice presidential nominee.

And already, he is suggesting there are better odds for an alternative he raised in the essay: continue the nomination fight – but have both candidates commit now that if he or she wins, the other would be the vice presidential choice.

'Thanks, but no thanks' is the reaction of the Clinton and Obama camps. They say it is premature to begin thinking about the No. 2. spot on the ticket. But Cuomo tells us today in The Situation Room that he believes such an arrangement is the best hope for a Democratic Party he believes is losing votes to Republican John McCain “every day.”

It’s an interesting idea — and though it is unlikely to be embraced by camps Clinton and Obama, it is the latest reflection of the worry among some party elder statesmen that the protracted nomination battle is creating wounds that won't heal in time for the November election.

Of course, there are others who dispute that the damage is lasting — they see record Democratic turnout and fund-raising as a sign the protracted race is helping, not hurting. Count former President Bill Clinton among this group, though also be very well aware of his bias. His weekend suggestion — those pushing for a fast resolution to the race should just “chill out” — was the latest proof his wife the candidate is in no mood to listen to those who say she should call it quits for the good of the party.

Still three weeks to Pennsylvania. Plenty of time to chill, or debate the pros and cons of the protracted Democratic battle.

Related video: Watch John King's interview with Mario Cuomo

–CNN Chief National Correspondent John King

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Chill out. That's Former President Bill Clinton's advice to Democrats who think the race between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has gone on too long.

He says that letting all of the voters have their say will actually strengthen the party.

This comes on the heels of two senior senators, Patrick Leahy and Chris Dodd, themselves Obama supporters, calling for Hillary Clinton to pull out of the race — something she says she won't do.

Clinton told the Washington Post that she would take her campaign all the way to the convention floor if need be.

Barack Obama says that Clinton has every right to stay in the race as long as she wants to.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here

(CNN) – Nearly 79,000 Pennsylvanians registered as Democrats last Monday, the state’s deadline for those looking to participate in the April 22 primary.

A near-majority of the Pennsylvania electorate is now Democratic – just over 4 million of the greater than 8 million voters in the state. Fewer than two in five are Republican.

The one-day total includes more than 33,000 new voters and nearly 46,000 Republicans and Independents who switched their registration to the party, according to reports released Monday by the Pennsylvania Secretary of State.

By comparison, around 7,800 Pennsylvanians became Republicans during the same period, including 6,000 new registrants and roughly 1,800 party-switchers.

In all, 132,000 of the state’s voters have switched their registrations to the Democratic Party since January 1, while just 14,000 have moved to Republican rolls. Roughly 102,000 new voters have registered as Democrats since the beginning of this year; around 33,000 have become Republican.

Those numbers may rise, as registrations submitted before the March 24 deadline continue to be processed.

–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

Gore said Sunday he does not anticipate getting involved in the presidential race.

(CNN) – His name continues to get mentioned as a Democratic elder who could hammer out a resolution in his party's deadlocked presidential race, but former Vice President Al Gore said Sunday he's not interested in the job.

"I'm trying to stay out of it," the former vice president said on CBS' "60 Minutes" of the prolonged race for the White House.

"I'm not applying for the job of broker," he also said when pressed about the possibility he will be one of the few neutral Democrats who could sit Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton down together.

The comments follow increased speculation that Gore, the party's 2000 presidential nominee, may be called to forge a compromise between the two candidates, or even appear on the top of the presidential ticket himself.

In the interview Sunday, Gore laughed off that role as a modern day 'Boss Tweed.'

But last week, Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney of Florida suggested Gore, the party’s 2000 presidential nominee, could assume the role of a compromise candidate if neither Clinton nor Obama could reach a deal themselves.

"If it goes into the convention, don’t be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket,” he told a Florida newspaper, adding Gore could be that choice.

Gore shrugged off that suggestion: "I doubt very seriously that I'll ever be a candidate again," he said. Though in a CNN interview last December, Gore said if he did make a return as a candidate, it would only be as a candidate for president

But Gore isn't staying out of politics completely. The former vice president also announced Sunday he's funding a massive, bipartisan ad campaign to raise awareness on global warming. The $300 million venture, funded largely by profits from his Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" and the cash component from his Nobel Peace Prize, will feature political rivals jointly calling for action on the climate crisis.

"Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich, two people who don't agree on very much at all…are doing an ad together" Gore explained. Reverends Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson will also appear together, among others.

TIME.com: Is Al Gore the answer?

– CNN's Alexander Mooney and Peter Lanier

Obama has double digit lead nationally over Clinton, according to Gallup.

(CNN)—Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama extended his lead nationally over Sen. Hillary Clinton Monday according to the latest national polls.

The Gallup Poll conducted March 27-29 with a margin of error of 3 percentage points shows the Illinois Senator has a 10 point lead over the New York Senator among Democrats, marking the first time since early February Gallup polls have shown either candidate with a double digit lead. In February, Gallup showed Clinton held an 11 percent advantage over Obama.

Last week’s Pew Poll also confirmed Obama had weathered the media storm surrounding the Reverend Wright controversy and maintained his lead.

Despite pressure from some powerful Obama supporters and being behind nationally in the polls, Clinton said the race should not end before all votes had been cast. "I didn't think we believed that in America. I thought we of all people knew how important it was to give everyone a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted," she said.

Looking to the critical state of Pennsylvania, Clinton holds a 12 percent lead ahead of the state’s April 22 primary, according to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released earlier this month.Both candidates continue to campaign heavily in the state of Pennsylvania Monday, where there are 158 pledged delegates up for grabs.

Update: CNN poll of polls released Monday, which includes the results of several recent major surveys, shows Hillary Clinton with a 14 percent lead in Pennsylvania over Barack Obama.

Update II: The latest Gallup tracking poll out Monday afternoon has Obama up by 8 points.

–CNN’s Emily Sherman

Klobuchar is backing Obama.

(CNN) – Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Monday she's backing Barack Obama's bid for the White House.

"I am endorsing Barack Obama because he is a new kind of leader, he speaks with a different voice, he brings a new perspective and inspires a real excitement from the American people," Klobuchar said in a conference call with reporters. "He's able to dissolve the hard cynical edge that has dominated our politics under the Bush administration."

"Barack has inspired an enthusiasm and an idealism that we haven't seen in this country in a long time," she also said.

Klobuchar was elected to the Senate in 2006 — the first woman elected to the Senate from Minnesota.

"When I ran for the senate, I ran to bring change to Washington, not simply to become a woman senator. I am proud to be a woman in the Senate," Klobuchar also said. "My best friends are women in the Senate, but much like Senator Obama, I ran on a platform of change."

(Updates with comments from Klobuchar)

Related video: Watch Sen. Klobuchar discuss her endorsement with John King

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Sen. John McCain is on a multistate bus tour through places that he says shaped his views.

(CNN) — Sen. John McCain on Monday recalled his family history and patriotic roots as he kicked off a tour to introduce himself to the general electorate.

"I have lived a blessed life, and the first of my blessings was the family I was born into," McCain said.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, speaking in Meridian, Mississippi, focused on how his upbringing and his family's military history shaped his views for the future. (Related video: McCain greets voters in Meridian, Mississippi)

"By all accounts, the McCains of Carroll County were devoted to one another and their traditions; a lively, proud and happy family on the Mississippi Delta," McCain said, describing the area considered his "ancestral home."

Full story

Democrats could lose Mary Landrieu's Senate seat in November.

However dim their congressional prospects look this election year, Republicans are at least feeling pretty good about the state of play in Louisiana. The G.O.P. swept all but two statewide offices in last fall's elections, including the governors' office, where U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal replaced one-term Democrat Kathleen Blanco. Now Republicans have their sights set on an even bigger prize: the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mary Landrieu.

Full story

Bill Clinton campaigned in California over the weekend.

SAN JOSE, California (AP) — Allowing the Democratic presidential race to continue several more weeks will not hurt the party's chances in November, former President Clinton said Sunday, urging those concerned that the opposite will happen to "chill out" and let the balloting run its course.

Bill Clinton dismissed suggestions by supporters of Barack Obama that Hillary Rodham Clinton was damaging the party by staying in the race even though she is behind in delegates and unlikely to overtake the Illinois senator based on the contests to come.

"There is somehow the suggestion that because we are having a vigorous debate about who would be the best president, we are going to weaken this party in the fall," he said Sunday at the state Democratic Party convention. "Chill out.

"We're going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say," Clinton added.

Obama himself said Saturday that the decision about whether to drop out is for Hillary Clinton to make.

"My attitude is Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants," he told reporters in Pennsylvania, where he is campaigning for that state's April 22 primary.

The former president flew in from Pennsylvania to make his pitch at the convention, which attracted a large number of superdelegates, the elected officials and party insiders who will determine whether Hillary Clinton or Obama gets the Democratic presidential nomination.

Read the rest of this entry »

Richardson recently endorsed Obama despite his longstanding ties to the Clintons.
(Photo credit: AP)

(CNN) — Barack Obama supporter Gov. Bill Richardson, D-New Mexico, responded on Sunday to controversial comments by James Carville, saying that he would not "stoop to Carville's level."

Carville, a Hillary Clinton supporter and former strategist for her husband's 1992 presidential campaign, compared Richardson to the Biblical figure Judas in an interview with the New York Times last week. When later asked whether his comment was accurate, Carville made no attempt to apologize, saying that it had "the desired effect."

"I haven't gotten into the gutter on this. And you know, I'm not going to stoop to Carville's level. I barely know the guy in the first place," Richardson told Bob Scheiffer on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Carville had argued that Richardson's endorsement of the Illinois senator was an act of betrayal since the governor has a long history of political ties with her husband. Richardson disagreed.

"I think loyalty to the nation, loyalty to the party is a lot more important than personal loyalty," he said. "I owe the Clintons a lot. I served in the president's cabinet. That loyalty is to President Clinton. That doesn't mean that I'm going to for the rest of my life be in lockstep with whatever they do."

Read the rest of this entry »

Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau

WSJ: Treasury Plan Is Called 'Inadequate' by Obama
Sen. Barack Obama described the Bush administration's sweeping changes to financial market regulation as "inadequate." While noting that he hadn't yet seen the full proposal, which Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will unveil Monday, the Illinois senator said that, based upon news reports, he believed the proposed regulatory reforms didn't go far enough, though he lauded the proposed consolidation of regulatory agencies.

Washington Times: Clinton, Obama Debate Electoral-Map Strategy
Central to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's argument that she would be the better Democratic presidential nominee are her Ohio victory, her wins in the West and lead in Pennsylvania — with her underlying message that Sen. Barack Obama can't carry such swing states in November. Mr. Obama, who rallied more than 20,000 at Penn State yesterday, disagrees, and charges that her campaign is using an old map in a new environment. His advisers say Mrs. Clinton is writing off potential Democratic pickups such as North Carolina, Virginia and Missouri.

Politico: Cash-Strapped Clinton Fails To Pay Bills
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small-business circles.

NY Times: McCain Faces Test in Wooing Elite Donors
With attention focused on the Democrats’ infighting for the presidential nomination, Senator John McCain is pressing ahead to the general election but has yet to sign up one critical constituency: the big-money people who powered the Bush fund-raising machine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Compiled by Jonathan Helman, CNN Washington Bureau

*Hillary Clinton hosts a roundtable discussion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and attends a rally in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.

*John McCain delivers a speech at the Mississippi State University and partakes in a community service event both in Meridian, Mississippi.

*Barack Obama attends a town hall meeting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Sen. Clinton told her travelling press corps about her love for the Rolling Stones while aboard her plane Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Call her a Honky Tonk Woman: Hillary Rodham Clinton is a big fan of the Rolling Stones.

Speaking to reporters aboard her campaign plane Sunday morning, the Democratic presidential contender said she was eager to see "Shine a Light," the new documentary about the legendary rock band that was directed by Martin Scorsese and opens Friday.

Clinton said she attended her first Stones show as a high school senior in 1965, and has been a few times since. She praised Mick Jagger, the band's 64-year-old lead singer, and said she admired his work ethic.

"If you go to a Stones concert today and I have been, it's just amazing," Clinton said. "He has this incredible presence. He is very disciplined, he works out, and he's incredibly devoted to what he does."

The film, chronicling a Stone performance at the New York's Beacon Theater in fall 2006, even features a clip of guitarist Keith Richards meeting Clinton's 88-year old-mother, Dorothy Rodham. The Clinton Foundation, the former president's philanthropic effort, held a fundraiser during one of the concerts.

Clinton said her mother is an even bigger fan of the Stones.

"I thought she was going to just levitate," Clinton said of introducing Rodham to Richards and Jagger.

Rep. Lewis sung and locked hands with Sen. Obama at a church service in Selma, Alabama last year.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, Democrat-Georgia, said Sunday that the controversy over Barack Obama's former pastor has reignited a conversation about race that could ultimately be beneficial for the country.

"The civil rights movement had the power to…what I call bring the dirt, the filth from under the American rug out of the cracks and corners, into the light so we can deal with it," said Lewis, a superdelegate who supports Obama, at a forum on faith and civil rights at Washington's National Cathedral. "Just maybe, just maybe, what is happening now will bring something out, so we all can be educated and sensitized."

While he did not mention Wright by name during a sermon he gave at the cathedral, Lewis indirectly addressed the Chicago pastor's fiery comments on race.

"During the past few days, the issue of race and the need for reconciliation have emerged through the presidential campaign. We know, and we all know, it's not a secret America had a dark past of division and separation," Lewis said. "But if we are to emerge unscarred by hate, we must learn to understand and forgive those who have been most hostile and violent towards us."

Full story

–CNN's Rachel Streitfeld and Cody Combs

WASHINGTON (CNN) — This week, the spirited back-and-forth between the camps of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama led some in the Democratic Party to suggest that Clinton bow out of the race in order to unify Democrats against Sen. John McCain in the general election. The debate over whether it was time for Clinton to exit the race dominated the Sunday morning political talk show circuit.

CNN’s “Late Edition” featured a showdown between two Democratic strategists, Clinton supporter James Carville and Jamal Simmons, who backs Obama. Carville quickly downplayed any suggestion that Clinton drop out.

“The Clinton campaign has not had one one-second meeting about getting out of the race,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “Calling on her to get out of the race is…going to hurt him in terms of getting votes. And it is going to make it more difficult to reconcile the party.”

Simmons responded that it’s the negativity coming from the Clinton campaign that’s tearing the Democratic Party apart. He said that Democrats “feel like Senator Clinton is fighting Barack Obama like he's a Republican and not fighting him like he's a fellow Democrat.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Some pundits and prominent Democrats have said recently that the they believe the unresolved Democratic race is benefiting McCain.

(CNN) — Sen. John McCain this week begins a bus tour of five states that he says helped shape his views and make him the politician who will carry the GOP torch in the upcoming presidential election.

The presumptive Republican nominee heads to Mississippi on Sunday, where the tour kicks off the following day.

McCain will swing through Virginia, Maryland, Florida and Arizona in the upcoming week.

According to campaign officials, the purpose of the tour is to "introduce John McCain to the American people in an intimate way," and add significance to his "remarkable American tale."

McCain is now trying to style himself as the most attractive option for voters in November, while Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are still in a delegate-by-delegate battle to become their party's nominee.

Full story