Has Clinton and her supports thought about why the "wine drinkers", "educated", and "afflulent" Americans...you could call them her PEERS...do not support her? Hmmmm...just something to think about.

No reason for Hillary to depart from the race at this juncture if the finances hold up for the next month. She won the Hooiser State despite the fact that it borders Obama's Illinois and shares many of the same media markets. Obama is George McGovern reincarnated. Funny that his namesake switched his candidate preference today. A coalition of latte liberals and African-American voters is enough to win the Democratic nomination, but the general election is an entirely different animal. Just an FYI to the presumptive nominee: most of the red states he intends to turn blue don't have a clue what arugula is and would never frequent Whole Foods even if one existed in their state.

Who decided it was over? The media (CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and all the liberal pundits/Obama supporters). If anyone cares to remember, Senator Hillary Clinton wasn't expected to win Indiana at all. The opponent was supposed to win by double digits. No one, especially the media ever mentions that little aspect. I think we all know that if the someone other than Clinton is the nominee, that person will lose. We can all "hope" for the best, but it will be another McGovern for the record books. Furthermore, Clinton's supporters will vote for McCain as well as the people in Florida and Michigan whose vote has not been counted by the "Democratic Party." I think we must remember that the General Election is not decided by Cacauses, but Primaries, where people's real feelings and thoughts about the opponent will seep through to the ballot box. If he is the nominee, you are all in for a rude awakening.

She has already loaned herself more money then she has made since she left the white house. That means some of the money has to be from somewhere else. Probably the sleazy dealings of here husband. The rules say she has to disclose where the money came from and she doesn't want to say. Bill doesn't want to have to show where they really got the money.

****************
5/7/08
Senator Hillary Clinton is well within her rights to lend her campaign money.

Ross Perot in 2000 financed his campaign and would not of had it any other way.

Additionally here in San Diego County we have a millionaire running for the mayor's office by the name of Steve Francis.

And Steve Forbes of the Fortune Magazine ran his campaign on his own funds.

It is the upcoming thing to do and someone like Hillary Clinton has the guts and fortitude to prevail over inexperienced candidates.

She will continue to fight on and has the brainpower to do it.

And did anyone remember we are in a free society of free speech and the 1st Amendment.

Women have fought for over 100 years to have the right to run for the presidency.

All the power to you Senator Hillary Clinton.

Diane M. Newman-Gregerson
Julian, Ca

Posted by: Diane M. Newman-Gregerson | May 7, 2008 5:38 PM

5/7/08
Senator Hillary Clinton is well within her rights to lend her campaign money.

Ross Perot in 2000 financed his campaign and would not of had it any other way.

Additionally here in San Diego County we have a millionaire running for the mayor's office by the name of Steve Francis.

And Steve Forbes of the Fortune Magazine ran his campaign on his own funds.

It is the upcoming thing to do and someone like Hillary Clinton has the guts and fortitude to prevail over inexperienced candidates.

She will continue to fight on and has the brainpower to do it.

And did anyone remember we are in a free society of free speech and the 1st Amendment.

Women have fought for over 100 years to have the right to run for the presidency.

All the power to you Senator Hillary Clinton.

Diane M. Newman-Gregerson
Julian, Ca

I love Obama.........Vote for Obama America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama's win in NC proves beyond any doubt that he is a racially-based candidate. He can't win the general election with just the blacks and the young. It would be another 'Tsongas' election! Clinton's win in Indiana, by a slim margin, also raises the big question why Obama lost a state that he is supposed to win! Her win is indeed a tie breaker!
The media continues to be anti-Clinton. Her win should be presented in the proper context of the quality of each of these candidates'electability!

**Sighs** The race for the nominee is over. I guess we're stuck with Obama.

Tim on MSNBC last night had an interesting observation. He said that one of the reason Clinton is still pressing on is bc of debt. Need to get donors to make up some of it.

The media makes me sick - first they predicted that Obama would win Indiana, but when he lost, they didn't give credit where credit is due. They took her victory from her and down played it. All in all, I thought it has been a great and close race. I commend Clinton for not giving up so easily. If we were going to have our first woman president, it would be her. I think that she's going to leave on a high note and that maybe she's doing all this to run again in 2012.

I pray that Obama can now prove us Clinton-supporters wrong and lead this country in the right direction.

No McBush in 2008!

What's the rush?

Is there something wrong with a campaign that runs through all the primaries? Are we to ignore the states whose primaries are not early?

All this feeble-minded twittering about the Democrats' lengthy primary campaign is Republican mind-control: the Democrats are so incompetent, they cannot make up their minds, but the Republicans are decisive and efficient. Sure, the lock-step Republicans are decisive: my way or the highway. And they are efficient: they need no discussion. They aspire to even more efficiency. The Nazis were efficient.

It is now clear that Hillary cannot win the Democratic nomination. The math is clear. It is not quite as clear, but appears to me that the Democrats have chosen another candidate that has soft support and did not convincingly carry major states.

I have been encouraged by Obama's stated willingness to work across the aisles and apparent fresh approach to solving what have up to now been intractable problems. However, I was also encouraged by Jimmy Carter's candidacy for some of the same reasons. When we support for a candidate in order to accomplish change, sometimes the change we get isn't what was expected. Nearly eight years of compassionate conservatism proves the point.

I'm left with a creeping feeling that we are again selecting a candidate who will not be electable. It is my view of our history is that we were better off with a Democratic pragmatist when Bill Clinton was in office, than we are likely to be with a more idealistic candidate who either can't be elected or if elected will be ineffective in Washington, DC. I would be more than happy to be wrong about either assessment.

blert,
thanks for your thoughtful response, very much enjoyed reading it. In case your checking again, (I have to be quick, I'm at work) unity for me, essentially boils down to class.

I know it's not always popular to say but I'm on the class warrior side.

Too often hard working poeple, no matter who is elected always eem to get the short end of the stick. It's why I liked Edwards. I want "progressive unity," I'm having trouble with the concept of post-partisanship.

Again thanks for you insight, much enjoyed.

jas

Dead pantsuit walking.

Listening to Obama supporter Mayor Clay of Gary, IN sparring with CNN reporters in the wee hours made it sound like they were trying to steal Indiana by a small margin. Very, very tacky on the part of Gary's mayor. Another "friend" Obama doesn't need.

Chris, Hillary so desperately wants to be the first female president that, now, it appears that it would be a terrible mistake for Obama to name her VP. Although it would probably strengthen the odds that he could beat McCain, as VP it may be too much of a temptation for her to put out a hit on him just to attain her dream. Seriously, she really is caput, but an Obama/Clinton ticket may be just what is needed to guarantee a Democratic victory in November, and Obama the presidency. She might be just as happy spearheading the effort to establish universal healthcare once and for all (something that she could accomplish from the senate, as well). It would be both a national and international triumph if we could in one fell-swoop elect a minority president and a female vice president. U.S. presige would soar worldwide.

I'm absolutely exhausted by this race -- and for once, I'm not even working for a Dem candidate.

We are tired.

We want a nominee.

McCain has all the advantages right now.

Clinton has lost, mathematically. Let's move on.

It's time for Hillary to show that she has the good judgment that she's been talking about during her campaign. It's time for her to demonstrate that she has the good judment to know when to hang up the gloves in the best interest of the Democratic party. By staying in the race in the hope of being handed the nomination by the superdelegates, is not a sound judgement call and in my mind reflects badly on how she will make the important decisions faced by a president.

It's time for her to step out of the race and to let the two preseumptive nominees begin the battle for the general election. By staying in the nomination race she decreases the amount of time the Democrats have to defeat McCain.

As an aside, does anyone know why Bill's face is so red?

by my count, clinton has won states having 295 electoral votes, a clear majority. Obama has won states with 217 electoral votes including red states of the south and big sky country. so unless one thinks he will win some of those states or will otherwise win the swing states that he lost to clinton, its hard to see that he is the stronger candidate to oppose McCain.

Let ALL the voters in ALL the states and territories be counted. Finally - we have a national primary and it should be a 50 state primary - not a 48 state primary.

If Hillary won't end it the Supers and money men will end it for her. I think they will allow her a graceful exit by winning WV and Kentucky in two weeks, and if she doesn't fold her tent they will endorse Obama en masse and ensure his nomination.

This is how it ends, that is how she climbs down, and Bill will negotiate that Obama's funds pay off 100% of her campaign debt (including the Clinton's personal loans to the campaign), so they get bought out and break even on the loans. At this point, there is no way she is going to raise $15M as a loser, and if she stays in until the convention, Obama will take that payday is off the table. She won't get the VP slot, but she might get something; I don't know what she wants. I doubt she wants to give up her senate seat for some cabinet level post, but maybe. The party bigs are probably willing to offer her some prestigious incentives, chairmanships, whatever.

Bill has never been politically stupid. You can tell from her body language and speech, and his and Chelsea's, that Bill told her she has lost. Bill was distracted, and Chelsea looked like she was choking back tears at one point when Hillary remarked, in the past tense and wistfully, "And hasn't Chelsea done a great job?"

They know it. The only person that doesn't believe it is Rachel Maddow, one of my very favorite commentators! Oh well, no harm in being contrarian Rachel, even smart people get it wrong sometimes. Hey, maybe you are right and I am reading the attitude wrong, we will find out in a few weeks.

blert:

That's a good point about the fundraising. I can't imagine that BHO would give up the money advantage. He'll have to find some poison pill so he doesn't have to fulfill his pledge to match McC by taking public financing in the fall.

It seems that most of the protest vote is going for Huckabee -- he's been getting double digit support still, even though he's suspended his campaign. I guess I'm wondering how strong this dissent is. Will they hold their noses and vote for him in November or will they just leave their ballots blank?

Clearly, no matter how much McC lurches to the right, many conservatives still consider him a RINO.

mteng,

20-25% of voters are voting against McCain in part because Ron Paul still has 5-10% of the electorate defiantly behind him and in part because a lot of people in the Republican party simply do not like John McCain. McCain has been doing a lot by making promises about Supreme Court nominations, etc., to win over conservatives, but for many conservatives McCain is a walking disaster as a candidate.

What is even more telling than the protest votes is McCain's weak fundraising. Despite having the nomination wrapped up for a couple months now, McCain still can't raise substantial money. Obama has outraised him 3-1, and in the last reporting Obama had $50 million in cash on hand in comparison to the only $80 million that McCain has raised throughout the entire campaign. The fact that Republicans refuse to open their pocketbooks after the huge fundraising efforts by Bush says a lot about how little Republicans like McCain.

There are a select few in the party who support McCain, many more who grudgingly tolerate him, and many, many more who despise him. McCain won the nomination by earning the votes of independents in places like New Hampshire and elsewhere, but independents tend not to donate to campaigns. Independents are important voters to court, but they are a terrible base for funding a campaign.

I am a young Hillary supporter and may just be the one besides Bill. That being said, I say that the nomination contest ends now. Hillary is out of this race now officially, as there is no logical way to get enough superdelegates to hop on to her campaign (granted it was small in the first place). It is time for her to bow out as the party uniter and elect a Democrat in 2008.

I guess the race continues a while longer, now that the Working-Class Heroine has lent her campaign another $6.4 million...

Obama will win with a majority of the vote among every race. There just aren't as many hardcore bigots in America as some of our commentators here seem to think. They need to get out more.

" - that she would continue fighting. "Tonight we've come from behind," she said. "We've broken the tie, and thanks to you it's full speed -- on to the White House." - - ??!! sounds like she is D-E-R-A-N-G-E-D !

Asked about why she was at the speedway, she said, "There's a good racing analogy -- if you want to go forward, put it on D, if you want to go backwards, put it in R." - - WHAT AN ELOQUENT STATEMENT ! reminds me of - - - GW !!!!!!!

I am just wondering, If the roles had been REVERSED, the Clinton campaign and the MSM would be SCREAMING for Obama to GIVE UP !
Ah, what SWEET JUSTICE it is GOOD LORD, that you have WHACKED, WALLOPED and STRUCK DOWN the P-H-O-N-Y Clintons, like the mighty waters of Niagra falls - - -
Amen!

As Clinton based he campaign by appealing to the older bigot vote.

========
It is interesting how Obama "the great uniter" wins big by racially dividing the electorate. I have not seen the country as racially divided over any issue since Gov. Faubus stood in the doorway of a school in Arkansas.

Posted by: Johne | May 7, 2008 10:55 AM

Their attack machine will be more then welcome. Mccain is such a dirty candidate he will be torn to shreads. He is just an ex drunk and druggie whose political career was bought for him by his father-in-law. He is also a wife abuser. He doesn't like to run a dirty campaign because he will always come out last. Start with the Keating 5.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five
You know Mccain was not the hero he is mad out to be. He cracked and ratted out his other prisoners as well as denouncing the US. He is no hero all he did was survive. He will completely destroyed in the general depending on just how dirty he wants to play.
The guy is a phony plain and simple.

========
So Obama won 91% of the black vote in North Carolina. Wonder why? In a general election with all Americans voting, this inexperienced orator will lose. Blacks number about 12% of the total population, and Obama has the disadvantage of an irritating sharp-tongued wife, and the prospect of an onslaught by the Republican attack machine who won't pull punches.

Posted by: Zaney8 | May 7, 2008 9:39 AM

It is interesting how Obama "the great uniter" wins big by racially dividing the electorate. I have not seen the country as racially divided over any issue since Gov. Faubus stood in the doorway of a school in Arkansas.

I know this is a BHO/HRC thread, but does anyone have an idea why McC can't break 80% in the R primaries? Are 20% of the R's just throwing away their votes because it doesn't matter or are they registering dissent on McC being their nominee?

A BLOWOUT

Obama beat her with a secret weapon she had no access to. He tells the public the truth and the public is not as stupid as Hillary thinks. Back in 1994 she was caught saying "Screw the public, they don't know anything". This kind of thinking is what the based their campaign on. Her last piece of political B**l S**t, probably in her career, was the gas tax thing. She finally told her last fatal lie and it didn't work.

So Obama won 91% of the black vote in North Carolina. Wonder why? In a general election with all Americans voting, this inexperienced orator will lose. Blacks number about 12% of the total population, and Obama has the disadvantage of an irritating sharp-tongued wife, and the prospect of an onslaught by the Republican attack machine who won't pull punches.

We know it is over. It is only the details that need to be worked out. I think it would be advantageous if Clinton stays in through June 6 so voters in Montana and South Dakota don't feel left out. They may be in play in the Fall.

Hillary needs to be less divisive in her rhetoric if she stays in the race, recognizing that her chances are slim to none. Paradoxically, if she tones it down and something comes up discrediting Obama, people might be willing to accept her as an alternative. At any rate, she will refurbish her place in party if she ends this amicably. She will earn her place in infamy if she does not.

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."

Confucius (551-479 BC)

Obama had the worst two weeks of his campaign; he stumbled and stammered, but last night, he showed again how important it is to have hope and keep dreams alive....he was slowed, but he did not stop.

It's too bad HRC and her campaign have been so "old politics"....the pandering makes thinking people nauseous. She really can be better than that, but desperate people often do things they may regret later.

Let's see if she can regain any class and lose graciously; time will tell if she is truly for the Democratic party or only concerned about herself.

Let's move on to the general election and focus on issues and solutions for all the people....now that would truly be "change"!

Gotta believe that Dean and company will see that this ends by May 31st, so that they can seat FL and MI delegates. The DNC is eager to keep the prodigal states in the fold for the general election, but cannot if it would change the outcome of the entire process. That is a pretty compelling argument for the Superdelegates to step in this month and say enough is sufficient.

US to take France's wine drinking crown
By Chris Mercer

25-Apr-2006 -

Its too late for you, Patric...

Obama IS the BLACK candidate, winning 99 percent of their vote. He can't win the whites except for the wine drinkers. Anyone who thinks we'll hold our noses and vote for Obama has another think coming.

Have y'all been following the rumor
mill about Veeps?

The latest faves are Nunn [D] and Jindal [R], apparently.

Bhoomes, good to hear from you. I will now be in the position of listening carefully for the Fall. I sent "The Charlie Rose Show" an email last night asking that Rose try to arrange a round table with McC and BHO. Tha would produce more thoughtful talk than the now tiresome debate formula.

Jac13, if these two presumptive nominees are their best selves, they will jump at the chance -
although their advisers are likely to restrain them physically.

I am tired of hearing about Hillary's tenacity. You all are talking like she is the underdog. When did that happen. Last year, the nomination was all but gift wrapped, but Obama's tenacity got him to where he is. Tell the truth!

Thank God, now just go away Bill & Hillary, the country has had enough of both of you. This Republican will vote for Obama in the fall for several reasons, but the biggest one is if he loses we will get Hillary again in 2012.

Very little discussion of the main reason, IMO, that HRC will not continue: she's broke.

Although the pundits will ascribe very noble motives to her if and when she folds, her reasons will be far more prosaic and practical: she probably won't be able to raise substantial money after last night. It's almost as if her donors/supporters said after PA, "OK, we'll give you some money to compete in NC and IN, but you'd better deliver. Otherwise you're cut off."

Well, she didn't deliver -- she got her clock cleaned in NC despite her, Bill and Chelsea's virtually blanketing the state, and but for Rush Limbaugh she would have lost IN. And it looks like her "hail mary" gas-tax-holiday gambit backfired: it changed the subject from Jeremiah Wright and gave Obama a chance to draw a distinction between two perviously-indistinguishable candidates.

Today will be important. If the Clinton campaign uses her newly-free morning to take stock, they'll realize that (i) she can't catch Obama in either pledged delegates or the popular vote without a party-rending floor fight over MI and FL; (ii) she's broke; (iii) she'll only rough Obama up some more in WVA and KY; and (iv) her and Bill's legacy is in jeopardy of being further tarnished. On the other hand, if she signals that she's going to press on and play the "nuclear" card on MI and FL on the 31st, the party elders and some supers may talk her down.

Either way, last night was indeed a "game-changer," -- but not the way HRC hoped. In fact, it was more like a game-ender.

Is it all over for Hillary Clinton?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=2353

.

It's been over since Wisconsin.

To the Hillary supporters here: I feel your pain, and I'm not being snotty when I say that. We've all been on the losing side in primaries and generals before, and it hurts. This one likely hurts more because of how long and hard-fought and close it was.

It's time, finally, that we all line up and shake hands. Good game, way to play, good luck next season. And then we work together to give McSame and the piggies a thumpin' to remember. We're Democrats. We fight like hell with each other, then we dust ourselves off and fight like hell alongside each other. That's how we do it here in the Democratic Party.

Hillary has been a great test for Obama. I have had moments where she really rubbed me wrong. I am registered but, I haven't voted in years. Politics to me is an ugly beast with no winner.

I will vote in November, because as someone close to me said.. "What?..You follow politics and have a strong opinion, BUT DON'T VOTE?"..

DOH!.. So, I am voting for Obama in Nov. He has inspired me to get off my arse.

Back to HRC..

She has also kept McCain from being able to really focus Obama..

McCain is a weak candidate, he will lose in Nov. hands down.

Obama is better prepared because of Hillary.

The dems win the house in 09.. hands down...

Hillary won't acknowledge it because (a) she's a "fighter", (b) she's burned so many bridges this year that there's no turning back for her, (c) she's so self-indulgent that she refuses to accept that her wishes are less important than the needs of the country, or (d) all of the above.

However, tonight was endgame. She can play it out until checkmate, or she can back down in the interests of the party and country.

Either way, there's no reversing things now. It's over, and Barack Obama has won.

This can't be the first horror movie you've ever watched? Of course it's never over. Hillary will be running against President Obama or President McCain well into 2009.

It has been said that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Obama has been through the wringer battling a very stubborn Clinton...and has survived both her and a massive political backlash in the Wright affair...and GAINED ground last night. This will make him stronger in the general...and will de-fang this issue as it has been beaten. Obama will win this battle, and will be ready to take on McCain in November...bring it on!

This race has been over for quite a while, but as much as I try to envision Hillary taking the podium, being magnaminous, and taking herself out of the race, I just can't see it happening. I really used to love these people; now they've become characatures of themselves.

Thanks North Carolina and Indiana, you are showing that when citizens are fed up with the status quo that they will listen to and vote for younger intellectual energy and against the simple minded slogans of failed political veterans and incumbents. Today's result augurs very well in the campaign that Barack started strongly today against Bush/McCain. Note Kibaki vs Raila in Kenya, Mugabi vs Msvangarai in Zim and Brown/Blair vs Boris Johnston in London is like Barack vs Hillary and soon Barack vs McCain. In 2008 the winds of political change are clearly gale force and global. Obama is very soon the US democratic nominee and he will prevail agaisnt McCain to be our 44th American president. No worries.It is not bad for Hillary to stay in if she chooses against the wishes of her own party and its super delegates. She's an empresses with no clothes now teaching the lessons of political and moral fossilization to millions of votes who have not yet noticed. This visibility is needed and is why our nomination process is so long and costly, but worth every second and penny. She must end her own political career. She will. She has campaigned with out dated ideas and supporters, from now on every day she stays in will toughen the skills of Obama vs the GOP. Asante Sana Kutoka KENYA!!!!!!!!

Mike Rainy in Kenya

I wish I would have thought of this narrative yesterday!

No money, no mo, time to go.

Both of these campaigns are very good at political calculus and the Clinton margin of error just became incredibly small. As someone who is an Obama supporter and tired of the length of this process I could understand why Clinton continued on to this point. Tonight, Obama extended his delegate lead despite the worst two weeks of his campaign so far and that can't give anyone hope in the Clinton campaign.

Her arguments to continue on now will fall on deaf ears in the media and on main street and she will feel a backlash. People are ready for a general election campaign and it's very clear after tonight that it will be Obama vs. McCain.

It is time to hold hands and sing Kumbaya in our Democratic Party (should we invite Rev. Wright?).

Hillary should go on, at least until 3 June and the Michigan/Florida debacle is resolved. Democrats are supposed to be the ones who ensure every vote counts.

The long primary hasn't been a debacle at all. There are more Democrat registered now than at the start and the "front runner" (first Hillary and now Barack) has been fully vetted. Would anybody here have preferred the a repeat of 2004, when the front runner swept through everything after Iowa only to have flaws as a campaigner revealed after the convention?

http://www.slate.com/id/2190778/

Check this out and then make up your own mind.

The race WAS over when she lost Texas and didn't do better in Ohio. She needed a convincing majority in both, especially Texas, and she LOST TEXAS. The math from there on out was that she needed overwhelming majorities in the remaining states. Pennsylvania's win was solid but not lopsided like his wins in Wisconsin, Virginia, Minnesota... the list goes on.

But because the media loves drama, we got people like YOU, Chris, and Dan Balz echoing the "why can't he close the deal" spin, and thus creating the illusion that this race wasn't over when it was.

Denial is not just a river in Africa.

It has been, in reality, over for quite a long time. It's just been a matter of time, and that time has come.

The only thing that remains to be seen is if Clinton will finally admit it.

All the kerfuffle about the Michigan & Florida delegates was for naught as well. They will, of course, be seated, but only after it no longer affects the primary, which is as it should be.

Michigan & Florida voters (and I'm a Michigan voter...) should remember well who caused the problems in the first place, and punish them appropriately.

jas,

I think the path to unity within the Democratic Party is much clearer than the path within the US more generally. Give people a month or so after Clinton concedes, and the primary divisions will heal up. Provided that the Clintons don't do or say anything to fan the dying embers of the primary back into flames, and especially if they (both Hillary and Bill) make a handful of the requisite campaign appearances for Obama, as Clinton indicated she would do tonight in her Indiana speech, the grudges between the two campaigns' supporters will dissipate quickly.

With the focus shifting to McCain, and with the specter of Bush hanging over the Republican party, Obama will have an even easier job reminding Clinton's supporters where the real fight is.

As for unity in the broader sense of bridging red-blue and urban-rural divides, good luck. This country can unify--the weeks following 9/11 showed precisely how much people can band together in a crisis. But now the country is even more divided than before 9/11.

Honestly, though, what is your aim in unity? Too often, people calling for unity actually mean something to the effect of "I want to convert people to my perspective." Nobody seems to come to the table saying, "I want you to convert me to your perspective."

Obama is interesting in that his message of unity has caught interest among unlikely conservative populations in western states, relatively conservative voters in rural Wisconsin, and the like, but it will be interesting to see if he can sustain this call through November (and potentially beyond).

Faced with the stark decision between Obama and McCain, and with issues like Supreme Court nominees, abortion, gun control, health care, etc., etc., weighing on people's minds, voters may fall back into a neat red-blue divide.

I'm also someone from small-town roots who now lives in a more cosmopolitan environment surrounded by a lot of highly educated, progressive, latte-sipping, self-professed liberals, and I agree with the frustration at hearing these people disparage rural conservatives as ignorant hicks who are being deceived by Republicans or whatever. Quite the contrary, plenty of people I know from where I grew up are quite intelligent and make extremely rational choices in their political decisions. They are simply deeply conservative. Whereas progressives seek to use government as the best tool for ensuring freedoms, these rural people distrust government and believe that freedom is best preserved under a small government. They are people who work hard and who are self-reliant. They don't want government handouts, nor do they want the government making decisions for them.

The problem is that a large number of liberals have no contact with rural society, and most small-town people don't have much contact with progressives or liberals. The geographic and social divisions are significant, and I don't think anyone has found a clear way to bridge them.

Ideologically, too, finding much ground for compromise, let alone unity, in divisive issues like abortion and gun control is hard. How does one find common ground between "Abortion is murder" and "Abortion is a woman's right." Despite PA Senator Casey's suggestion that Obama offers the best chance for compromise on the abortion issue, I think the lines will remain drawn much where they are.

Especially if McCain is elected in the fall, we will see the most mammoth Supreme Court battle ever in history should Stevens or Ginsburg retire. That the next president will not replace at least one of these two justices is almost unimaginable--Stevens is 88 and Ginsburg is 75. (Scalia and Kennedy are next at 72 and 71, with Breyer and Souter in their upper 60s.) Both Stevens and Ginsburg will retire, I suspect, if a Democrat is elected, but the fight would be huge if either should die under a Republican president, and you're not going to find much unity in such fights.

One of the real problems in this country's politics is precisely that the courts have been used over the past generation or so to enforce what legislators could not or did not pass. Many of these decisions were very much the right ones (Brown v. Board of Education, etc.), but the shifting of issues like abortion into courts has ultimately been counterproductive. Clear legislation on an issue like abortion offers a much more democratic solution, whereas the tactic of stacking the courts leaves politicians with little room to express nuance and circumspection.

We'll have to see how the rest of this election plays out. If Obama is as talented as he has been billed, perhaps he can establish a clear mandate to run the country, but nobody has really had that kind of broad support since Reagan. More likely, though, the same old battle lines will be drawn, and instead of Bush vs. Gore or Bush vs. Kerry, we will simply substitute "McCain" and "Obama" in for those old names and then fight the same old fight over again with fresh faces on our banners.

This is assuming, of course, that conservatives actually rally behind McCain, which remains to be seen at this point. He is still losing about a quarter of the vote in recent primary states, and his fundraising is lethargic at best. Much will depend on whether McCain decides to fight the same old fight by appealing to staunch conservatives, or whether he tries for a coalition of independents. So far, however, neither approach seems to be netting McCain much cash. Obama has almost as much cash on hand as McCain has raised total, so it's possible that this fight could fizzle.

In terms of Obama's electability, McCain's failure to energize that rural, conservative base might be the most telling measure of all at this point. Obama vs. McCain will play out much differently than Obama vs. Clinton has, despite Clinton's claims to the contrary (and her attempts to package herself to the right of McCain in many cases). Obama has been able to energize people in places like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho--he has raised more money than McCain has in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and a bunch of other "red" states, for crying out loud!

Clinton has been effective in defining herself as the "white" candidate, and in driving a wedge between Obama and many of these rural white voters in the most recent contests. With Clinton gone, however, and with a lot of people still unhappy with Bush and unexcited about McCain, we'll have to see if Obama is able to reclaim those small-town voters.

Clinton bows. There is no VP offer. Gore goes back to bed. Obama has to look seriously at his seeming inability to win the lunch pale white voters. Reagan Democrats are already choosing to vote McCain.

Clinton ran a reprehensible campaign and it is over not a moment too soon. She is a disgrace to Democrats everywhere.

Hillary hasn't got a prayer.
Obama has the D's nomination and he might as well make his 20 year political soulmate Jerimiah Wright his VP. Better yet, Louis Farrakhan is an even better choice, seeing as Wright took all of his racist white and America-hating sermons straight out of the Louis Farrakhan playbook. Farrakhan, Wright, or Obama are basically like peas of the same pod.

blert,
For the same of argument I concede it is 99.9% Obama's nomination. (I'm a political actvist who's worked for losing candidates and winning candidates in party fights)

I'm trying to seek an answer/views to my q's on party unity and electability w/ respect to the voting coalitions both candidates have amassed. The rhetoric is great and both candidates say what they have to say, but will the supporters come together. I think the road to make that happen rest with the elected folks, particularly the governor's. (I had much higher hopes for the dem congrest post 06, but have been very disappointed.)

Give Hillary some due, it's not like she's lost in four games straight. (sorry for the sports analogy, I'm a Cdn watching a boring round of NHL playoffs, and my favourites are out, perhaps my attitude has political parallels.)

I take polling with a grin of salt, but having some experience with political polling at a provincial electoral level, I can't help but look at the trends.

My comment re voting blocs post Feb 5 seems to be holding. I worry about McCain in the fall, and think he's the best choice for the Repub's.

Obama's win tonight was great for him and his supporters, but I don't believe he made substantive enough gains amongst her voting group.

Finally, a q more of curiosity, for all the talk of role of the internet and the netroots, what it's role in helping bridge this divide, or will it make it harder to do so.

Many people who were united against Bush have been ripping each other new ones. Words not only matter they live forever on the net.

Reaching out I'm a progressive, regular urban latte sipper, but with small town, blue collar roots. I see the great divides emerging here, except with potentially greater divides. Our urban population is very ethnically diverse, and unlike the strong roots and unique Black American history, there is not the same political parallel that can be made to BO.

The urban/small town divide here is huge and growing, at a time while our economy is growing unemployment continues to drop, but real wage have declined over the last 5 years. (mostly good paying jobs disappearing form small towns, replaced by low paying jobs, my barista, in urban centres)

I do believe progressives need to be part of that wider coalition. But my working girl roots are more and more offended by latte friends who dismiss my small town friends and family as rubes or a dying breed.

I appreciate the path for clinton is more than incredibly narrow, but how about a cogent path to unity, that isn't so narrow too.

Elrod,

The close Indiana win is no victory for Clinton in the overall scheme. She needed five points in Indiana, and she needed Obama to win by no more than single digits in NC. As it stands, Obama gains a net of about 15 delegates and about 200,000 in the total popular vote.

That Obama was able to keep Indiana close shows that he has not lost ground over the Wright flap, and superdelegates are free to come out of the woodwork.

Clinton made another fundraising pitch as the last Indiana votes came in tonight, but her campaign basically has no game plan at this point. Clinton will be huddled in her war room with top advisers tomorrow morning to talk through the situation, and then we'll have to see what kind of spin they put on this.

The sensible move would be to concede the nomination. Clinton literally cannot win at this point, and she has no argument to make to superdelegates anymore.

The only other alternative is counting Florida and Michigan, but even this won't close the gap in the delegate count or popular vote anymore (unless some really, exceptionally funny math is played with the Michigan vote where only Clinton was on the ballot), and Clinton will still need a strong majority of remaining superdelegates to give her a chance.

Unfortunately for Clinton, those superdelegates are harder than ever to court following today's votes, which is why the close win in Indiana still does not make Clinton a winner for the day.

what will the clintonites talking point be tomorrow?

perhaps they will insist that Hillary should be the VP?

I wonder what they're talking points will be tomorrow. Any predictions?

Chris,
This race is over as far as the nomination is concerned. Clinton may continue to run but Obama will be the nominee.
If she runs as the "loyal opposition," with honesty and a sense of responsibility for NOT undermining HER party's eventual nominee ... then it's not a bad thing. She can push good policies she really believes in. She can promote Democratic values and the Democratic "brand." She can highlight her potential goodness, competence and the legitimate concerns of her supporters.
Or she can choose self-destruction in a vain effort to take down Obama, her party, and the very people she claims to represent.
So, yes, the race is over. What's left is her choice to find a way to make her campaign a better fit with what's good for the party, the country, and the people who are counting on what Democrats have to offer.

The race has been over for at least two months. At last Hillary's Kool-Aid drinkers seem to be shaking off their muddle-headedness.

AJ,
After the close Indiana victory, she could go out a winner tonight too...

So (because of the upheld ID law) how many provisional votes are being held? I'm just curious.

I think Hillary will stay in the race until May 20th. She is expected to win West Virginia. But on May 20th when Kentucky and Oregon vote, if Obama wins Oregon and she wins Kentucky, Hillary will drop out a week after May 20th. Dropping out on May 20th, makes her go out as a winner. Obama will have 1 win and her 1 win.

thank god.

go barack!

I've been supporting Obama since early 2007, but I wouldn't mind seeing HRC stay in through Oregon. However, I like the idea that she appears to be "winding down" her campaign due to the math.

She will probably win WV and KY, but Obama will win big in Oregon - and that'd be a good signal, even more than tonight, that it really is over.

With apologies to SD, MT, and PR ...

the only thing she can do is denigrate her and her husband's legacy.

That, and she has no money.

It's over.

Obama is the nominee.

Please end the horror soon. This primary has turned our democracy into a farce. I would be ecstatic if Hillary had the decency to finally face reality (and I really need some good news right about now).

A very telling sign for Hillary's campaign status is based on two things:

1) HILLARY BEGGED FOR MONEY IN HER PRE-SUMPTIVE INDIANA VICTORY SPEECH (WITH MEDIA NEWS THAT SHE IS CONSIDERING LOANING HER CAMPAIGN MORE OF THE CLINTON FORTUNE)!

2) HILLARY HAS CANCELED ALL WEDNESDAY MORNING TV SHOW APPEARANCES!

The writing is on the wall. After his victory in North Carolina and good showing in Indiana, Obama will raise more money than Hillary over the next two weeks. And also, Obama will release his April fundraising efforts within the next week to show his campaign's strength!

Continuing now would be folly, and it will only earn her a backlash among party leaders.
And what exactly are they going to do, deny her the presidency?
I think it's in her interest to hang in there and see if any other shoes drop... she's strongly ahead in the next two states, so what is the downside?

jas,

This is nothing like pre-Pennsylvania. Then, Clinton was able to convince people that she still had a path to the nomination. Now, that path has been closed.

Clinton just lost a couple hundred thousand votes in the popular vote tally, and she fell further behind in elected delegates. Superdelegates now have more freedom to come out in support of Obama, and will be increasingly pressured to do so.

Importantly, too, Clinton is back to being broke, and no one will donate to her campaign in a significant way anymore.

Obama will be the nominee, and everyone with sense realizes this already.

Hillary is done. Obama won North Carolina by 15pts and netted 233,000 votes over Hillary which means he will have won about 15 more pledged delegates than Hillary. Hillary narrowly won Indiana by 1 to 2 pts and netted 22,000 votes over Obama which means she will have won about 1 more pledged delegate than Obama.

So when we look at Pennslyvania, North Carolina, and Indiana, Obama net more pledged delegates, and more popular votes than Hillary. So he is the winner!

Whoa, the rest of Lake County just came in almost all at once, and Clinton closed the margin. The AP is now predicting Clinton will win Indiana.

The scant 51-49 win (if that's what it remains) will not be enough for Clinton, however. Donations poured in after PA, but Clinton is going to be lucky to raise $50,000 tomorrow, let alone the $5 million she needs to keep going. I expect that at least 50 superdelegates will indicate their preferences in the coming week, all for Obama. More of the superdelegates supporting Clinton are bound to defect if Clinton presses ahead against all hope.

If Clinton already doesn't recognize that she has lost, her husband and campaign chiefs must be breaking the news to her. Continuing now would be folly, and it will only earn her a backlash among party leaders.

chris, this is your blog...whatdya think?

make your call!

pay close attention and i'll write it real slow....YES IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOUR WELCOME FROM NC.

ON TO NOVEMBER

LET'S GET THE HOUSE AND SENATE IN FOCUS. everything is in play, all the states.

THIS IS THE DEFINING MOMENT IN MY POLITICAL LIFE.

where are we today, it's pre-Pennsylvania with few remaining paths for Clinton. Given the tension tonight holding on to pull out Indiana will be good for Clinton. The national polls next week will be interesting to wacth.

The one thing about this race is that since Super Tues. demographics seem more important then momentum or anything else.

Clinton did not secure a game changer, but I think Obama managed to tighten his grasp on the nomination.

The questions on electability were not answered tonight. despite teh spin from both camps, the voting coalition was not substantially broken. Is she permanently damaged among his base, is he among hers. The numbers on who would vote for the Dem nom in Nov, if their choice wasn't on the ballot.
(on the margin's--while i'm a women who like the fortitude hillary's shown and while exit polls showed it helped her w/ white men, I'm wondering if it turned off some women.)
So I hold to my view after Super Tues, Howard Dean et all need to resolve Michigan and Florida, it's too big an issue to alienate Clinton supporters and the people of those states particularly Fla. Voting patterns would hold, and if at all possible result changers the nominee would have problems.

The tough q for dems is still electability, McCain has had an easy ride, but is showing he can beat Obama, particularly in the electoral college.

the interesting piece is this, Hillary could honorobly continue through, even if there is no path, her support to date has earned her that, Kennedy did, but for those Obama supporters wanting to end it tomorrow be careful of what you ask.

At least online, the vitreol between supporters has been offensive. In terms of the role of the internet this is an issue not often talked about, but virtual engagement could end up cementing very real world divisions. The tone over the next few days will be telling.

This is a view from a canadian observer. (my first choice was edwards, my second clinton)

I'm told that Tim Russert reported Hillary cancelled all her Wednesday morning appearances, and that he said we now know who the nominee is.

For MONTHS this has been like watching a grotesque horror movie, with the monster essentially vanquished, but refusing to quite die. If you rewind back to Jan. 8, you'll see that Clinton won NH 39-37. If only Obama had done 2 points better, this might all have been headed off. Then again, Hillary has shown the unbelievable tenacity of her family--she might well have found a way to keep going anyway. All indications now, from staffers to Bill and Chelsea's expressions at Hillary's speech, seem to be that the Clintons are finally (no amount of punctuation or bolding could emphasize that enough) bowing to the inevitable.

Tom,

Clinton also didn't say who it was that had broken the tie. The lines you quote are deeply ambiguous. Granted, these few sentences are out of context, and Clinton's apparent meaning is that she is full speed to the White House, but she doesn't actually say that it is HER on the way to the White House.

The vague language could just as easily mean "the Democratic Party is full speed to the White House."

Clinton is done, and she knows it.

Huzzah! The last nail has been driven into the coffin, the last stake into her heart, and finally we have peace!

... or do we?

She's cancelled all events tomorrow. And she's broke -- possibly having, yet again, floated her campaign another loan. Her performance tonight is only going to make raising money more difficult.

Moreover, notice that she said, in her speech tonight, that she will support whomever is the nominee. You don't say that -- and Obama didn't -- if you believe you're going to be the nominee.

She's done.

That would be a shame if it ended now. Barack Obama has a secret all of America needs to know about first. His speech mentioned truth many times. America needs to know whats going on in Illinois and they are not hearing the truth from Barack Obama.

This is the basic text of a letter I have faxed to Barack Obama.
"Truth" that needs to be investigated.

Attention to: Illinois, US Senator Barack Obama May 2, 2008
Washington, DC 20510
fax 1-217-492-5099

Ongoing Complaint, & Notice
It is important for history to reflect that while you have been running your Senate office and running this campaign your actions and inactions in your home state of Illinois have been completely antithetical to your message of inclusiveness when in fact your current handling of notice of discrimination against Americans who happen to be Hispanic makes you a racist and just another politician making untruthful statements which will have ramifications nationwide if you should be allowed to be ushered in as the next president without you having to publicly speak out on your involvement in allowing bias against Hispanics and racism to continue at IDHR & EEOC in your home state of Illinois. You would not deny you have a platform to speak to America when it concerns yourself. Most recently on April 29, 2008 for political expediency you in a self-serving manner used another public press conference to finally speak out and denounce your pastor after he made the same comment that upset Americans(I say it is only now you decided to do so because he happened to question your credibility and nothing more). This belief is based on my first hand knowledge of how you and your office have decided to handle the repeated notice of harm against Hispanics that is empowering this racism to continue. You have taken a new position on your pastor of 20 years, who cursed America, yet in my particular situation despite you and your Senate office again being placed on written notice by me you have not immediately taken a new position on even calling for any investigation into the Chicago office of the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Chicago office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission treating me, a Hispanic American, US-born citizen & one of your own constituents, in a racially biased and unequal manner even though the verifiable evidence is you and your Senate office over a course of years now with deliberate indifference towards me, an American who happens to be Hispanic, have never been willing to acknowledge the existing racism at IDHR & EEOC against me and never have been willing to stop the existing racism at IDHR & EEOC against Hispanics when as Illinois US Senator you must protect the full & equal rights of all your constituents in your home state of Illinois (despite any prejudice you may harbor towards us). I have two disabled siblings one with Down's Syndrome and an elderly mother who suffers from a chronic illness so I do not want to be subjected to any further reprisals as I have a close family member who was written up in likely to be fired for no justifiable reason at a major Illinois University you recently opened your Senate office to assist(I believe just for me trying to exercise the same civil rights as not Hispanics enjoy as a matter of record, unimpeded).
---------- --------------
--- ----- --
---, Il. -----

cc: IDHR director Rocco J.. Claps
EEOC Director John P. Rowe
US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi
Senate majority leader Harry Reid
NBC

Spooky Clinton lines today - she started her speach by summing up what would happen later in the night:

"Thank you, Indiana. Thank you. Not too long ago, my opponent made a prediction. He said I would probably win Pennsylvania. He would win North Carolina, and Indiana would be the tie-breaker. Well, tonight we've come from behind, we've broken the tie, and thanks to you, it's full speed on to the White House."

Except .... she didn't break the tie.

HILLARY GOT CRUNCH N MUNCHED!!!!!

...and I'm Mr. Munch.

I'm Mr. Crunch...

If Lake County keeps up with its margin for Obama, Clinton could very well face a loss in Indiana. I suspect that she realizes the fight stops here, and reports of her canceling tomorrow's events speak loudly.

I'm betting on an early afternoon press conference. The campaign will assess itself in the morning once all the numbers are in and Indiana's results are clear, and Clinton will concede the nomination later in the day.

Even a narrow win in Indiana isn't enough to justify Clinton continuing, and if she doesn't toss in the towel tomorrow, she will soon enough anyway because superdelegates now have a clear opportunity to come out in support for Obama in droves.

Howard Dean has to be the happiest man on the planet at the moment. Obama is probably just relieved, but Dean is whooping and doing back flips because Clinton conceding gets him out of the most difficult position a party chair has faced in decades.

It is over, and not a day too soon! Time for the Superdelegates to pull the plug on this and start getting the party together.

Drudge called this race first. Obama.

I am a young Clinton supporter and I say the nomination fight ends soon... I was hoping she could stay in long enough to force her hand onto a VP ticket with Obama, but that is quickly looking like a distant possibility. Nevermind that she would blow Obama out by similar margins in Kentucky, West Virginia and Puerto Rico.

She signaled the end on her own. Cancelled events, etc.

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