I woke up this morning expecting to see Obama's face on the front pages: no more need of "hope," just all smiles after an easy victory in the latest slog of primaries.Not to be. Hillary took Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island, while Vermont went to Obama.
It looks like she's going to stick around, and the press couldn't be more bummed about it. All week I've been hearing their veiled "Hillary's toast" prophesies, and how she had to at least win Texas and Ohio in order to keep her own audacity of hope alive. Then she went them one better, by winning Rhode Island, and this is what you get:
Newsweek: HIllary's Math Problem - Forget Tonight: She Could Win 16 Straight and Still Lose.
Ron Fournier (AP): Consider that a shot across the bow to the Clinton campaign because Brazile — like many other superdelegates — worries that Clinton's only hope for victory is tearing down Obama and dividing the party. Party chairman Howard Dean recently told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he was concerned about the possible impact of a nominating campaign that stretched through the end of the primaries in early June.
Some superdelegates are bracing themselves to intervene on Obama's behalf if necessary.
Patrick Healy (New York Times): Those two states were the battlegrounds where Mr. Obama was going to bury the last opponent to his history-making nomination, finally delivering on his message of hope while dashing the hopes of a Clinton presidential dynasty.
(I take it he means "history making nomination" because Obama is a junior Senator from Illinois. Hillary being the first woman and former First Lady nominated for President wouldn't be history making in the least.)
Nedra Pickler (AP): But even if she wins every contest left, Clinton still would have a hard time overcoming Barack Obama's pledged delegate lead. In fact, her task got even harder because even though she won Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island Tuesday night, she didn't do much to close the delegate gap - and with every contest that passes, the number up for grabs drops.
The past week has been an interesting shell game. One moment Hillary must win in order to stay alive, the next she's a winner but it doesn't make a bit of difference.
Ron Fournier's comment is the most revealing. Here I thought it was the Republican party that needs to be united with a cool balm of handshakes and atta-boys. Turns out, the Democratic party is the one with a division problem, as their own chairman gets concerned about a pesky Hillary and some Superdelegates prepare to intervene on Obama's behalf.
In other words, a backroom hit job.
Should be fun days ahead.
Photo: The Telegraph
1 comment:
The media here in the states, where I am to dodge global warming for March, is suddenly talking about McCain a lot. I wonder if they don't want to talk abut what's her name's victories. Wasn't it just the other day Obama was talking about how it was the popular vote that mattered?
Post a Comment