Barack Obama cleaned house in the Potomac Primary yesterday.
The Senator from Illinois trounced competitor Hillary Clinton in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Obama’s win shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise: all three regions have large black populations, which have helped Obama take the lead over the past few weeks. While his traditional base may have secured Obama’s win, something new seems to be taking place: women and white voters are headed to Obama, a development that could spell disaster for Hillary Clinton. From MSNBC:
In Virginia and Maryland, Obama and Clinton were splitting whites almost evenly, according to an exit survey conducted for The Associated Press. Even white women were beginning to move toward Obama – Clinton won 60 percent of their votes, a much lower percentage than in contests past. Clinton has based her candidacy in large part on her appeal to white women.
In addition to his usual strong showing among young voters, Obama was also running about even among those over 65, a group Clinton usually dominates.
Clinton has had a rough few days. First the Senator revealed she loaned herself $5 million to survive the primary season, then two senior advisers bounced from her campaign.
Some are saying Clinton’s dead in the water. If the Clintons have taught us anything, however, it’s that they’ve got the fighting spirit. Mrs. Clinton is currently in Texas, a state she desperately needs to win if she wants to stay in this race. The Lone Star state’s Latino voters may be her saving grace. So, too, will Ohio’s working class citizens. The former first lady has held a lead in these groups since the beginning of the election season. If Obama’s able to cut into her support, however, Hillary may need to take a fresh approach – or accept defeat.
Regardless of what people – including ourselves – say, this fight’s far from over. Hillary’s not giving up any time soon, so Obama better not get too cocky about a potential win.
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Jesse
If I were a voter in DC, Virginia or Wisconsin for that matter, I would be offended by Hillary Clinton taking off to Texas to campaign. She isn’t even campaigning in Wisconsin. She is taking the Rudy Guilliani “If I can win Florida” mentality and showing voters in smaller states (or where she doesn’t think she’ll win) that she doesn’t care enough about them to even campaign there.
DavidDust
Obama can get cocky with ME anytime he wants.
hisurfer
Huhn what? I don’t even know where to start.
“Obama’s win shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise: all three regions have large black populations” / “The Lone Star state’s Latino voters may be her saving grace.” / “Clinton has based her candidacy in large part on her appeal to white women.” Hasn’t this line of reasoning been rebutted enough? Let’s drop it.
“Some are saying Clinton’s dead in the water. ” Sources, please. No article should start with this vague ‘some say … ‘ Because someone somewhere is always saying something. I don’t know anyone who’s saying Clinton is dead in the water.
“She isn’t even campaigning in Wisconsin.” Except that Hillary is there as I type this.
At this point, what I don’t want is a fight at the convention, so I’m starting to lean more towards Obama, hoping that he gets enough votes to secure the lead. However, I look at the numbers and I don’t think it’s possible for either to win on the first floor vote anymore – they’d need to get about 80% of the remaining vote. Not gonna happen.
seitan-on-a-stick
Do we have to do-over Michigan and Florida? Texas has a lot of delegates and Hispanics there like Hillary. Will all this be decided in Puerto Rico or Pennsylvania? What happens if Barack wins popular vote and Hillary wins Delegate (including apportioned Super-delegates) count! Should they ratify a joint ticket to the Democrat National Chairman Howard Dean? Is Hillary ready for one more surge or will Barack take lead in delegates and popular vote?
chris
“… a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany … and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama” – Barack Obama Lebanon, New Hampshire.
“At the end—or maybe somewhere in the middle—a shaft of light comes through and hits you and you experience an epiphany: I have to vote for Barack.†–Barack Obama, Iowa.
Then there is this,
“In three days’ time …Go vote for me on Jan. 8…In three days’ time,…In three days’ time,…send a message to Washington that the old days are over.” Let the tomb open up…
He is just a bit eerie and creepy. Oh and a practical socialist.
logan767
I dont know why people still think Barack is this liberal voice for change. Look at him on the issues – Hillary is more progressive. Not to mention the understated fact that she has a plan, not just rhetoric, in place.
hisurfer
NO. 5, you’re full of shit. The video you linked to panders to homophobia. And the full quote is actually kind of funny:
“My job this morning is to be so persuasive…that a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Barack,”
He said this to a group of students, who are apparently better at understanding irony than you are.
seitan-on-a-stick
INDEPENDENT TICKER-TAPE NEWS: Hey, Texas. Hil-yeah! Hey Ohio, Hillary leads in Buckeye State! Barack backs out of debate in Wisconsin!! Headlines! Headlines! Wow! END OF INDEPENDENT TICKER-TAPE NEWS / Crap after this
ProfessorVP
#6, Hillary progressive? She has slipped up and admitted she wants to keep US troops there to train Iraqis, protect the embassy, be there for emergency back-up. You call that withdrawal? She is not for taking back the Clintons’ gift to red state rubes: the Defense of Marriage Act. She keeps telling anyone who’ll listen that she is against same-sex marriage. As a lesbian, she should have more empathy. Also, she has never apologized for voting to authorize Bush to go to war with Iraq. She claims she didn’t know what the bill was really about. Hint: The name of the bill was “Authorization for the President to Go to War.” You call that progressive? On what galaxy?
hisurfer
“Look at him on the issues” I’m unaware of any significant differences on the issues between the two. This one is gonna be all about personality and style.
Log Cabinnette
Anyone for McCain, bitches?
Bitch Republic
Obama is naive and Americans are dreaming if they think he’s going to be able to accomplish anything.