Momentum Makes Obama the Leader

Racist call to State newspaper shines light on primary's racial angle

(NEWSER) - As South Carolina hits the polls today, one word looms large: race. This is, after all, the first primary state with a notable black population, which pollsters say will help boost Barack Obama to a double-digit victory. It’s also home to a newspaper that got an angry phone call for “supporting a black man for President of the United States.” More»

Early primary could make or break Obama in battle with Clinton

(NEWSER) - The Jan. 29 Democratic primary in South Carolina might come down to black women, the Los Angeles Times reports. Half of Democratic voters in the state are African American, and most of those are female—40% of whom have yet to pick a horse. That decision may hinge largely on whether gender or race is more important to those voters. More»

Seeks support in Jewish community

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama sought to quell skepticism about him in the Jewish community yesterday by addressing a tough audience of older Jewish voters in a Conservative synagogue in Boca Raton, Florida. He asked the audience not to judge him by his 'funny name' or his skin color, to ignore the erroneous emails and rumors that he is a Muslim. "Judge me by what I say and what I have done," he asked, saying he has been a passionate and consistent supporter of Israel. More»

Clinton made mess in NC—and has all but lost her crucial blue-collar argument

(NEWSER) - The pundits agree that Hillary Clinton barely has a leg to stand on, though explanations vary:

• John Dickerson writes in Slate that Barack Obama closed the door on his blue-collar problem, shaking off the elitist label. Evidence is that Obama barely lost among poorer voters and actually won in “sharing your values” exit-polling; to win now, Clinton “must bring more states into the union.”

Clinton can't win, but if she keeps winning, she can't quit, either

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton can’t win the Democratic nomination, Charlie Cook concedes in the National Journal, but if she keeps winning primaries, she’s stuck in “political purgatory:" She can’t quit, either. The primary system is such that for all Clinton's big-state victories and the media flak buffeting Barack Obama, she can’t possibly turn the ship around—but she can't go home either. More»