Obama's Iowa momentum has proven too much for Hillary Clinton's campaign team to fight off. With multiple polls in New Hampshire showing a double digit lead for Obama, it looks like there is no chance that Clinton will be the Comeback Kid in Tuesday's primary. Depending on turn out, even a third place finish behind John Edwards is possible.
The relevant question now is whether Hillary has any hope of winning the nomination? The key indicator to watch post-New Hampshire will be Clinton's national poll numbers. If her once 25 point lead in national surveys falls to close to a dead heat or worse, expect major donor and VIP defections. The media will amplify her woes with a postmortem narrative on how her campaign has spiraled out of control.
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I am utterly undecided. Feel free to make a suggestion.
To me, it is simply not the case that in most regards one candidate has better positions than the other. The main difference I see is in that Clinton has articulated her positions in more detail than Obama. Obama seems to be running more of…
She is already falling in national polls.
And Clinton is slowly falling (and Edwards slowly rising) in New Hampshire as well.
Hillary still has more delegates than Obama. 169-66, to be exact. Obama got 18 from Iowa, Hillary got 16. If Obama wins NH, Hillary will still have the delegate lead. The media is a hype machine.
Bill Clinton lost Iowa (bigtime) and New Hampshire. Don't think Hillary doesn't know that...She's going to win NY big (think how many delegates that is) and probably do very, very well in California.
Don't count the old girl out too soon.
Hillary, and Bill, have come through the most well funded, at least $40 Million in taxpayers money and uncounted millions from private sources, opposition research and slander campaign ever leveled against a person without finishing it by having them drawn, quartered and having their bowels burned before their eyes. Even though I feel Rove dreams of this every night.
She has been accused of murder, importing cocaine to finance her career (and to spite the blacks) and lesbian affairs. This later point likely backfired. Abhorrent to the harpies on the religious right it has been a point of momentary pleasant contemplation for many older males.
B&H have been savaged and scourged with every weapon the right could bring to bear and they have emerged bruised, bloodied but unbowed. They have faced the radical-right noise machine at highest possible rant and spittle. The GOP strategist have been facing their own 'up to eleven' moment. They have given it all they had and all they could manufacture and the Clintons have stayed standing.
If Hillary has a dark side and hesitates a bit when trying to be entirely spontaneous it is entirely understandable. This hesitation is seen as being less than genuine and 'calculating' but it is to be expected given the attacks and distortions her every word has been subjected to for most of two decades.
Before people count Hillary out people might want to contemplate that so far Obama has only been bracketed by only the GOP fringe. Limbaugh is filling his usual role and the fringe religious right has been dissembling their way into heaven with talk of madrases but the big guns have been either silent or still aimed at the Clintons. The Clintons stood in the blast of editorials and 'investigations' and jackhammering talking point that surfaced every time the first story started to lose momentum. This lasted for over a decade unabated.
Obama has barely heard the sound of the guns so far. I keep getting the impression that the big guns are swinging toward him. They may be timing their fusillade to coincide with the SC primaries. Sad fact is the southern states are still mired in racist undertones and memes.
I have had a few working class whiles confide that race and religion are still issues for Obama. Some in no uncertain terms. It would be a shame to see Obama's campaign crippled by the simultaneous attack of the GOP war machine and the ugly head of southern racism and radical Christianity but it might come down to Obama's ability to take a beating.
Hillary has shown that she can take the beating. Almost twenty years of a beat down, and keep going. Only time will tell if Obama is as tough.
The Clinton machine may not be the sexiest, prettiest or fastest on the lot but those dents, dings and occasional blowing smoke are badges of honor bestowed by the GOP. Obama is sexy and sweet with all the attractiveness of a new sports car. It remains to be seen how he will look after a few miles traveling down bad dirt roads in the south while the GOP wrecking crew pounds on him every step of the way.
He's pretty but can he take it and remain effective?
Hillary Clinton wins New Hampshire. Once again - the media knows nothing.
I wonder why people are typically framing the male candidates with their last names but Clinton by her first name?
because there is already a prominent clinton in politics. there are many prominent johns, so you see edwards and mccain. i see a lot of rudy and a lot of mitt.