Clinton Facing Narrower Path to Nomination

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Political Memo
Clinton Facing Narrower Path to Nomination
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: March 20, 2008

WASHINGTON — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton needs three breaks to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Senator Barack Obama in the view of her advisers. She has to defeat Mr. Obama soundly in Pennsylvania next month to buttress her argument that she holds an advantage in big general election states. She needs to lead in the total popular vote after the primaries end in June. And Mrs. Clinton is looking for some development to shake confidence in Mr. Obama so that superdelegates, Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who are free to decide which candidate to support overturn his lead among the pledged delegates from primaries and caucuses.

For Mrs. Clinton, all this has seemed something of a long shot since her defeats in February. But that shot seems to have grown a little longer.

Despite Mrs. Clinton’s last-minute trip to Michigan on Wednesday, Democrats there signaled that they are unlikely to hold a new primary. That apparently dashed Mrs. Clinton’s hopes of a new showdown in a state she feels she could win, and it left the state’s delegates in limbo. The inaction in Michigan followed a similar collapse of her effort to seek another matchup with Mr. Obama in Florida, where, as in Michigan, she won an earlier primary held in violation of party rules. Without new votes in Florida and Michigan, it will be that much more difficult for Mrs. Clinton to achieve a majority in the total popular vote in the primary season, narrow Mr. Obama’s lead among pledged delegates or build a new wave of momentum.

Mrs. Clinton’s advisers had hoped that the uproar over inflammatory remarks made by Mr. Obama’s longtime pastor that has rocked his campaign for a week might lead voters and superdelegates to question whether they really know enough about Mr. Obama to back him. Although it is still early to judge his success, the speech Mr. Obama delivered on race in Philadelphia to address the controversy was well received and praised even by some Clinton supporters.

Tad Devine, a Democratic consultant who is not supporting a candidate, said Mrs. Clinton faced a challenge that although hardly insurmountable was growing tougher almost by the day. Mr. Devine said it was critical for her to come out ahead in popular votes, cut into Mr. Obama’s lead and raise questions about Mr. Obama’s electability to win over superdelegates. “They are going to have to be flawless in executing the strategy, which achieves the goal of taking away the advantage Obama has in pledged delegates and the popular vote,” he added. “Any major setback could undercut that goal. Obama is in the advantageous position.”...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/us/politics/20memo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[saltpoint]

1. She needs Gore's endorsement, a huge PA win, one good idea, a bleed of delegates

her direction, first or even in NC and/or IN, a slip-up by her opponent, decidedly improved media relations, a shitwagon full of rabbits' feet, a field of 4-leaf clover, a new speech writer, a new campaign team, and a new husband.

I'm not seeing that combo shaping up for her any time soon.

[papau]

2. Good fair article - but Wright and PA & pop vote lead including original Mich/FL seem possible - but

Obama speech may stop the slide to "unelectable because of Wright".

The polls in 10 days will tell if the speech worked.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[greeneyedstone]

4. Main Stream Media Sux

Just one more example of how the MSM has jumped into bed with Senator Obama. Not one word about fallout from his pathetic attempt to exonerate his hate-mongering church and pastor, all they can clarion is how Senator Clinton needs three miracles like manna to have any chance. Were Senator Obama white, he'd have been made to resign his Senate Seat in shame for involving himself with a racist pig like Wright and a church which spews the most one-sided, blame everything bad on white people rhetoric I've ever heard. (UCC exists in E. Texas where I was born and raised too, and they're no different there)Yet not one news outlet is calling for his removal. Oh, just FYI? I did some research of my own and figured out that the large majority of Sen. Obama's wins in the Primaries/caucuses were in states that have gone Republican in the General for the last FOUR elections.. Don't believe me? You can check it yourself on Wikipedia.. And at this point, im past caring... I'll vote for anyone rather than this two-faced, lying, POS.