Pre-Tuesday willies

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I can't put my finger on it, but I'm getting this vague sense of slight Barack Obama slippage. Something along the lines of what happened in New Hampshire. Women rallying 'round, yahoos buying into the red-phone bullshit, the hate, the beginnings of the '08 swift-boating. I'm not saying Hillary Clinton will take Texas (Obama will almost certainly finish with more Texas delegates, no matter how the vote tips) but Hillary's possible winning margin in Ohio -- 5% or 6%? -- is starting to scare me. And if she stays in and it goes to Pennsylvana the old James Carville definition of that state -- "Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west and Alabama in between" -- is also unnverving.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 2, 2008 at 7:13 PM

comment #1

Noah says ...

Shouldn't that be a good thing (regarding Pennsylvania) considering Obama beat Hillary in Alabama 56-42?

Posted by Noah at March 2, 2008 7:33 PM

comment #2

mutinyco says ...

Well, if Hillary does wind up beating Obama for the nomination, we can then blame all those people who donated all that money to his campaign for the impending recession...

Posted by mutinyco at March 2, 2008 7:36 PM

comment #3

D.Z. says ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080302/ap_on_sp_ot/run_la_marathon_5
gave me a similar bad vibe.

Posted by D.Z. at March 2, 2008 7:38 PM

comment #4

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Impossible expectations coming back to earth, perhaps?

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 2, 2008 8:34 PM

comment #5

oakling says ...

Hey, plenty of women are rallying 'round Obama. I don't think women are her audience - besides Ann Coulter.

Posted by oakling at March 2, 2008 8:58 PM

comment #6

christian says ...

From Obama acolyte Andy Sullivan's page:

"Who would have ever imagined that the next Ronald Reagan would be a black Democrat?" - Royal Masset, long-time Republican analyst in Austin, Texas.

Posted by christian at March 2, 2008 9:59 PM

comment #7

K. Bowen says ...

Hilary's dig about celestial choirs and such was her first really good body shot to Obama in I don't know how long. His appeal to unspecified hope and change, and the general Messianic tone of his campaign, and the fainting spells, will wear thin eventually. Then we'll see if he has a next act.

Posted by K. Bowen at March 2, 2008 10:52 PM

comment #8

Nate West says ...

Sunday's 60 Minutes interviews a Ohio voter. He's "leaning" towards Obama, but finds himself a little bothered by the fact that Obama is a Muslim who refuses to sing the National Anthem. Now here's an American with an open mind! By golly, he just might vote for the America-hating Muslim.

Later, Hillary is asked if Obama is a Muslim.

"No," she says. "AS FAR AS I KNOW."

One must admire the ruthlessness of the Clintons!

Posted by Nate West at March 2, 2008 11:11 PM

comment #9

CinemaPhreek says ...

Being new here I have to ask: is D.Z. always this idiotic and irrelevant?

Posted by CinemaPhreek at March 3, 2008 12:18 AM

comment #10

thatrader says ...

D.Z. is just being funny. A sense of humor is something that many here are lacking.

Posted by thatrader at March 3, 2008 3:41 AM

comment #11

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

D.Z. is our drollest wit, no question.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 3, 2008 5:39 AM

comment #12

Joe Leydon says ...

I don't necessarily agree with this, but an interesting take on why Hillary may keep running:

http://thepage.time.com/halperins-take-why-hillary-clinton-is-determined-to-fight-on/

Posted by Joe Leydon at March 3, 2008 6:52 AM

comment #13

Bocephus says ...

I thought the "celestial choir" bit really hurt her. She came off, to me, as kind of a prick.

"You stupid little people and your foolish pathetic dreams!"

When your opponent is running on a platform of idealistic hope, how can you run against that without coming off as a mean, pessimistic asshole?

Posted by Bocephus at March 3, 2008 6:56 AM

comment #14

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Yeah, it's one thing to run against hope as a Republican, since by the time you become a Republican you've had the joy of life squeezed out of you by bitter reality, and the only hope you have is that the bottle will stop the pain for a brief moment. But Democrats are still high on absurd notions that the world can get better, it would just be cruel for Hillary to back over their puppy. The puppy will get run over soon enough.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at March 3, 2008 7:25 AM

comment #15

vp19 says ...

"Shouldn't that be a good thing (regarding Pennsylvania) considering Obama beat Hillary in Alabama 56-42?"

Trouble is, Pennsylvania is Alabama -- but with old people instead of black people.

Posted by vp19 at March 3, 2008 7:30 AM

comment #16

JHRussell says ...

No slippage, just no real closing in in the last few days - Hillary had a 30 point lead in Ohio not too long ago, now it is within the margin of error.

There appears to be built-in resistance in Ohio and PA to Obama, though. He really needs to win a big blue state. Texas will be a nice win if he gets it, obviously, but he will not win that red state in November.

Posted by JHRussell at March 3, 2008 7:37 AM

comment #17