Seems that Hillary has put $5 million of her own money into her campaign to help make up for shortfalls. Meanwhile Barack Obama is raking in the contributions...
Posts: 2277 | Location: Martinsville, IL | Registered: 06-03-02
Romney, on the other side, poured in personal bucks and called it quits today.
The parallels may end there, but Mrs. Clinton appears to be in serious trouble.
Did anyone hear the news that Obama won both the black and the white vote in California? If not for early absentee ballots he may have taken the state. And he rocked in the South - where people know the Clintons all too well.
Posts: 7891 | Location: in the backwoods of North Carolina | Registered: 06-07-02
I've looked pretty carefully at the list of Super Delegates and they will start to shift camps soon. They are mostly Democratic elected representatives - not sure why the media casts such an air of mystery about them. Today he got an important, perhaps pivotal Super Delegate - the former head of the Clinton I campaign, also formerly the DNC chairman. I think that will send a signal of things to come.
I really don't think anyone can justify Texas swaying the balance towards a Democratic nominee but there are a lot of delegates there and if it's a pretty even race then Obama seems to have the advantage in a big way. Texas is likely a weak state for Obama but as long as he holds his own, it should turn out well. The general election delegates aren't going to a Democrat in any event so why would a Super Delegate let that sway them?
Hillary probably has several lawsuits pending - the FLorida and Michigan primaries being the main one I can think of. The only way that can resolve is for those states to completely redo because Obama did not campaign there with the understanding that the delegates were not going to count.
It's an interesting primary and of course I say Go Obama Go!
Posts: 3056 | Location: USA | Registered: 06-04-02
Good point about Aransas, DG. Clinton also took Tennessee after my post.
Why on earth must someone approach a 3-1 or a 2-1 ratio against anyone to have won big in politics? Isn't 1.5:1 (60/40) traditionally considered a landslide in a two person race? And how about when the loser was only a short time ago considered the front runner?
Well, here are the results from southern states where Obama has won:
57% to 36% in Louisiana (1.58:1) 56% to 42% in Alabama (1.33:1) 67% to 31% in Georgia (2.16:1) 55% to 27% in South Carolina (2.04:1) 64% to 35% in Virginia (1.83:1)
Pretty significant victories by any measure.
Posts: 7891 | Location: in the backwoods of North Carolina | Registered: 06-07-02
As I understand it, we have about three weeks before we see some more primaries. A lot can happen. Right now Barack Obama is leading the delegate count. The leader for the first time. We may very well start to see more hard ball questions directed his way. And just how well will he answer them??? While he is very good at giving speeches on hope & healing the country, Hillary has a better handle on answering questions on specific issues. It will be very enlightening to see when they schedule some one-on-one debates between these two.
Posts: 2277 | Location: Martinsville, IL | Registered: 06-03-02
It will be very enlightening to see when they schedule some one-on-one debates between these two.
Ha! We live in hope. Since when has a debate between two politicians ever been enlightening? I guess they'll just fire predictable and test-marketed soundbites at each other.
I read that Clinton hadn't fired her campaign manager, but that the manager had planned to quit around this time anyway. That's almost as bad, however - the manager had planned to quit at this point because Clinton was supposed to be coasting to an easy victory by now.
I guess the lesson from the Clinton and Giuliani campaigns is not to count on big wins later in the process.
[/QUOTE] Ha! We live in hope. Since when has a debate between two politicians ever been enlightening? I guess they'll just fire predictable and test-marketed soundbites at each other.
[/QUOTE]
Obama improved with practice. Once he got into his stride the show reminded me of Cassius Clay fighting Sonny Liston.Clinton had all the experience, all the confidence, all the ring craft and the heavy punches, was odds-on favourite,like Liston, but, like Liston, she'd never been against an opponent like that.He wasn't fighting in a way she was used to.He avoided the punches and skipped away landing a sharp counter in the process.At times she looked bemused.There was a particularly telling strike when he said that he'd take advice from her.That's not what you say, it's not orthodox, but everyone got the point
She has the annoying habit, perfected by Tony Blair in Britain, of affecting to answer a question but using the opportunity to recite her history and campaign speech, so what you get is not really an answer at all.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has commanding leads in polls in Texas and Ohio. If she can't hold 20 point leads in these two states by primary time, she is in trouble.
Posts: 7891 | Location: in the backwoods of North Carolina | Registered: 06-07-02
Originally posted by coldfuse: Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has commanding leads in polls in Texas and Ohio. If she can't hold 20 point leads in these two states by primary time, she is in trouble.
She's effectively given up on Wisconsin but it assuredly won't help if Obama gets another huge lead there, favourite though he is.One poll reported now has Obama leading nationally by quite a margin. It would be a surprise if Obama didn't close the gap in both Texas and Ohio, wouldn't it? Once he turns up somewhere and starts campaigning personally and in earnest he does produce quite a swing in his favour.
What is Mrs Clinton's appeal? She's no Mrs Thatcher, that's for sure (I mean as she presents, not her politics).Hearing Mrs Clinton talking of being tough on security and a commander in chief, just doesn't convince. Can you visualise her in a tank ? (Mrs Thatcher not only looked good in one but gave the impression she wanted to use it!) Mrs Clinton doesn't come across, for all her talk of experience and how she'd take on vested interests (e.g in healthcare), as someone who is that fearsome or tough that vested interests would quake or would not think that, if they entrenched, she'd tire of the battle. (In her own way she's a vested interest herself: part of the established old guard of political life)
By comparison, Obama, for all his rhetoric, looks tougher as a person, no respecter of traditions, no friend of vested anything.You just knew from one glance at Thatcher that she would bring change, had absolutely no respect whatsoever for tradition for tradition's sake, and , not being in the hierarchy of male dominated Conservative politics, would feel no conscience about doing so.She did take on the strongest, most powerful, and most entrenched elements in our society (in her case the trade unions) and fought so hard and so long that they gave up.Had it been drugs companies or insurers she'd have been just the same. Obama does look, to this outsider, to be someone who has a bit more of that than Clinton does.
I think they are, too, frank. The Superdelegates must be accounted for, and there are a number of delegates left in large states. The Clintons are politically as savvy as anyone and there is time to regroup right now. It is incumbent on her to take Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Posts: 7891 | Location: in the backwoods of North Carolina | Registered: 06-07-02
Despite Obama's big lead, I still think Hillary will win big in Texas ,thanks to the Hispanic vote.
As far as Ohio and Pennsylvania are concerned,the Blacks will help Obama. Whether Obama gets much of the White vote,we'll have to wait and see.
In the long run the Superdelegates will pull the fat out of the fire for Hillary,plus she'll probably end up with the Michigan and Florida delegates.
I won't vote for McCain,he's too soft on illegal immigration ,and I wouldn't vote for Hillary if she was the only candidate running,do I'll either sit this one out or vote for Mickey Mouse.
Thems me thoughts at the moment.
hippolips
Hillary should win big in November because of McCain's stand on th war.Let's hope she knows what the hell she's doing.