It's Big D Day...
That's D in terms of decision, not Dallas. But Dallas is the place to be watching along with Dayton as Texas and Ohio voters go to the polls in the Democratic primary.
For weeks now the word is that Clinton needs convincing victories in both states. (Obama is expected to take vermont easily and appears it could even take Rhode Island.) But it's the two big states that really matter.
The latest word -- according to the pundits close to her campaign -- is that if she wins the popular vote in both states (no matter how the delegate split goes) she's staying in the race.
In the other campaign -- the pundits are saying -- Obama is sitting on 50 super delegates who are ready to come out and publicly endorse him -- and he's holding back on announcing a record setting fundraising effort in Febrruary. The obvious strategy there is to wait until the delegate tally is finalized, and then make those annoucements to put pressure on Clinton to get out of the way.
But we may not know exactly how well either candidate does today in picking up delegates. There are winter storms battering Ohio, and at least one county has been given a 10-day extension for voters to cast ballots. And in Texas, it's a complicated process of an open primary AND caucus voting. It could be a day or two before the dust settles there.
Speaking of open caucuses -- all four contests today are open -- Republican voters who don't have much of contest to get them excited could decide to vote Democratic today. If that happens, it's really hard to try and figure out how that might affect things.
For weeks now the word is that Clinton needs convincing victories in both states. (Obama is expected to take vermont easily and appears it could even take Rhode Island.) But it's the two big states that really matter.
The latest word -- according to the pundits close to her campaign -- is that if she wins the popular vote in both states (no matter how the delegate split goes) she's staying in the race.
In the other campaign -- the pundits are saying -- Obama is sitting on 50 super delegates who are ready to come out and publicly endorse him -- and he's holding back on announcing a record setting fundraising effort in Febrruary. The obvious strategy there is to wait until the delegate tally is finalized, and then make those annoucements to put pressure on Clinton to get out of the way.
But we may not know exactly how well either candidate does today in picking up delegates. There are winter storms battering Ohio, and at least one county has been given a 10-day extension for voters to cast ballots. And in Texas, it's a complicated process of an open primary AND caucus voting. It could be a day or two before the dust settles there.
Speaking of open caucuses -- all four contests today are open -- Republican voters who don't have much of contest to get them excited could decide to vote Democratic today. If that happens, it's really hard to try and figure out how that might affect things.
posted by Ray Hackett at 1:27 PM
1 Comments:
Now it is the morning after the night before and Clinton is still in it with a vengance. A strong win in Ohio and Rhode Island and a narrow victory in Texas have kept Clinton in the race. There are two primarys next week in Mississippi and Wyoming. Clinton probably has a chance in Wyoming unless Obama's distant cousin campaigns for him (not likely). Then we have to wait six weeks for Pennsylvania. That is a political eternity. I just hope that Clinton and Obama are able to keep it to the issues and not get personal. It would be a real shame to have the conclusion of this contest cause a split in the Dem party that would permit McCain to win the general election.
Post a Comment
<< Home