"Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed" - NYT

[swag]

The Low Road to Victory

The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race. It is true that Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering a good part of what was once a 20-point lead.

On the eve of this crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the narrator intoned.

If that was supposed to bolster Mrs. Clinton’s argument that she is the better prepared to be president in a dangerous world, she sent the opposite message on Tuesday morning by declaring in an interview on ABC News that if Iran attacked Israel while she were president: “We would be able to totally obliterate them.”

. . .

[stevedeshazer]

1. Yeah, buddy

This just prolongs the agony.

[mod mom]

6. Ouch!

[unc70]

21. When was this written? 10% win looks relatively large to me.

This editorial appears to have been written ahead of time and ran based on exit polling data, not on the actual returns which are giving her about a 10 percent victory.

[mod mom]

31. PA SOS has it under 9% AND PROVISIONAL BALLOTS HAVEN'T BEEN COUNTED! LINK:

http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/

[unc70]

32. OK. 9% looks rather large, too. Even 8+%

The early exit polls had Obama leading by 4%, later ones had Clinton leading by 4%. My guess remains that the NYT wrote this editorial when they thought the results would be nearly a tie.

The SoS site will not be "official" for some time. It has some reported errors/differences with county reports. But it doesn't really matter much to most of us who are not strongly opposed to either of these candidates.

I am more concerned with the new tactic in NC with the GOP using Obama and his associates to attack our local candidates who endorsed Obama. Moore and Purdue will be attacked with Rev. Wright, Rezko, et al.

[HughMoran]

2. Neither did Obama

This was his chance to put her away once and for all - how annoying :(

[wisteria]

20. He needs to fight her with ads questioning her abilities. He has been far to nice and look where it

has gotten him? He can do this w/o changing his message of hope. Just remind people big time what it was like in Washington when Hillary was there with Hubby. How much work actually got done for the American people.
Also, the stupid idiots in PA (I live there BTW) fell for the good o' gal routine along with the fear card she played. The "bitter" comments hurt also. Interesting that these comments were made a week before they hit the airwaves. Oh, and the ABC BS.
Clinton has benefited from help from the press. Their entire tone has changed towards her and against him. Perhaps, if they realize she could cheat her way to a win they will turn on her again.

[Jane Austin]

3. That editorial sounds like if they had to endorse today

they wouldn't endorse Clinton.

[swag]

4. Right. They wouldn't endorse their own senator.

[Jane Austin]

9. Well, they're certainly taking Their own senator to the woodshed

tonight.

[mrbluto]

29. Tennesee didn't vote for Gore.

That's what I heard every time I argued with a republican about how the 2000 election was stolen.

As if it proved anything.

Before you have a coniption: I'm not suggesting that Pennsylvania was stolen.

What I am suggesting is that minds that don't want to discuss the implications of a situation tend to think alike.

[Eurobabe]

5. Sounds like some balanced news. n/t

[swag]

7. It's the lead editorial.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

19. they need to write about the deliberate shortage of voting machines

From John Gideon of Voters Unite:

What is wrong with election officials in Pennsylvania? They knew that
voter turnout was going to set records today yet many precincts only
have two machines. Two machines equal long lines and voters turning
around and going home. On top of that there were wide-spread machine
failures. And, on top of that, in areas like Philadelphia officials will
not allow voters to use a paper ballot unless both machines are
out-of-service and then, the paper ballot is a provisional ballot that
may or may not ever be counted. At the same time that voters are
reporting problems to the local news blogs and the voting assistance
groups, local officials were telling the broadcast media that there were
very few problems and they were all expected (normal). In fact the
problems were numerous enough to warrant VoterAction to go to court in
an attempt to keep the polls open for two extra hours. That attempt was
denied.




PA: Pennsylvania Primary: Polling Place, E-Voting Problem Wire...
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5918

PA: Voter Story: Battling Administrative Incompetence And Technical
Failure At The Polls
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-fine/voter-story-battling-admi_b_97891.html

PA: Reports of disenfranchised and uncertain voters
http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php/?p=28239&cat=197

PA: Heavy Turnout In Pa.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/heavy-turnout-in-pa/

PA: Obama camp charging voting problems in PA
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_camp_charging_voting_problems_in_0422.html

PA: Election Protection in Full Swing in Pennsylvania
http://newsblaze.com/story/2008042212030400006.pnw/newsblaze/POLITICS/Politics.html

PA: Voting Problems In Pennsylvania?
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/04/22/politics/horserace/entry4035618.shtml

PA: Breaking: Voter Group Requests Extended Poll Hours
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/politics/Extended_Hours_Paper_Ballots.html

PA: Poll problems: The case to extend hours
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/politics/Poll_Problems_the_Case_to_Extend_Hours.html

PA: Judge: Polls Will Close As Scheduled
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/politics/Judge_Polls_Will_Close_As_Scheduled.html

PA: Allegheny County - Early Polling Issue Reported In Green Tree
http://kdka.com/local/Poll.Green.Tree.2.705572.html

PA: Bucks County - Downed voting machines caused delays in Falls
http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blog.php/?p=28259&cat=0

PA: Centre County - Update: Voting brisk in county, at HUB
http://www.centredaily.com/116/story/541302.html

PA: Monroe County - Changes should eliminate long lines, lengthy waits
for voters
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080422/NEWS/804220302

PA: Northampton County - Polls open for Pennsylvania primary
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-n-l-voters-042208-cn,0,5655617.story

PA: Northampton County - Palmer Twp. voter reports ballot confusion
http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/04/palmer_township_voter_reports.html

PA: Philadelphia - Court Appointed Machine Inspector Denied Entrance to
Poll
http://www.electionjournal.org/?p=129

PA: Westmoreland County - Election workers brace for onslaught
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_563612.html

[truedelphi]

25. Not a thing wrong in PA. It was Machine Politics at its best

With Rendell seeing that his Secretary of State and the Registrar of Voters' workers did as required.

[Diane R]

8. Gee, the confetti hasn't even been swept from the floor...sounds like introduction for the fat lady.

[Yael]

10. Now, this was a beautiful piece of prose,

:D

[Longtooth]

11. Maybe but it's enough to keep her in the race.

[swag]

12. Her narcissism alone seems up to that task.

[Longtooth]

17. Weeeelllllll. . . .

Can't argue with that.

[aquart]

13. Ah, the truthful unbiased NYT.

They never tell outright lies about anything.

[swag]

15. Apparently Senator Hillary Clinton bought the Judith Miller line.

[Chris Knight]

27. The NY Times has many reasons to lie about the candidate they ENDORSED :-0

[Tarheel_Dem]

14. my sister tells me that the robocalls were just as disgusting as her

ads. On to NC & Indiana! Hillary folk need to understand that Hillary will not be the nominee. She can't put a significant dent in his popular vote totals, his pledged delegate lead, and I imagine the flood of SD's that will want to put this thing to rest before the convention. But good luck with that. And you have Rush Limbaugh and Faux News to thank as well.

[swag]

16. Does anybody (other than political bloggers) listen to robocalls?

I just hang up immediately on those hectoring, belligerent, inhuman voices.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

18. and this paper endorsed Hillrod once upon a time

its got to be really dank and filthy for the NY Times to disown it.

[Jack Rabbit]

22. They also employed the aforementioned Judy Miller

That got pretty dank and filthy, too.

[swag]

23. They currently employ one Mr. William Kristol

who, judging from recent comments of both him and the failing Democratic presidential candidate, may very well be a stealth foreign policy advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton.

[cap hill]

24. a matter of perspective

That was negative?

Gee, I thought all the nasty comments by Obama supporters about Hillary were negative. Of course, I must be wrong what with him being the candidate of hope and change and unification and all the good stuff.

[Skittles]

26. what is this "Mrs. Clinton" bullshit? n/t

[noel711]

28. If voters are getting tired of the negative campaigning..then why

did Hillary win by 10?

She panders to the lowest common denominator,
and has lost credibility with educated whites,
and African Americans.

White blue collar rural voters will not carry
the day in the GE.... coz they're voting for McCain...

[madmom]

30. Sounds to me like Obama has some work to do because he has yet to connect with the white blue collar

worker and it's not their fault IMO it's his, his message is just not there for them, so stop with the name calling and try to find out what the problem is, might be a better use of time and money don't ya think?

[acmavm]

33. Wow! And here I was reading all these (as it turns out) premature

victory threads from all the Obamites. Then they lost.

Now it's all sour grapes.

You guys are a 'hoot' as they say.

I can't stand either one of 'em.