Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

May 16, 2008 6:01:04 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Back to the grid

Pundits Mull Dems' Race the Day After  

Posted Feb 6, 08 1:52 PM CST in Politics    Most Covered

(newser) – Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are deadlocked after yesterday's nearly national vote. Here are four takes on their race:

  • Upcoming votes favor Obama heavily, Noam Scheiber argues. Primaries in black-heavy Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland and DC—and several caucuses—should break for him. Clinton has a March 4 firewall in Texas and Ohio, but Obama has time to contest those.

  • Dahlia Lithwick liked Clinton’s speech, saying Hillary “came as close as she comes to looking comfortable in her own skin.” She finally appropriated Obama’s line that this campaign is bigger than its candidates—and looked good because she got out of her own way.
  • The expectations game hurt Obama, Craig Crawford says—turning a decent night into “a public relations defeat.” Big spin had found a hold in the media, making his losses in Massachusetts and New Jersey look like upsets.
  • John Judis gives Clinton the Super Tuesday edge, but both candidates have big problems going forward. Hillary can’t win white men, losing them by 18% even in California, where she dominated. And Obama will need to find more whites to stand a chance in the Midwest.

Sources New Republic, Slate, Huffington Post, New Republic

open commentscomments (0)

Editor Recommended

Clinton challenges Obama to four pre-March 4 debates
UPI | Feb 6, 08

Another voice: Obama won electability points
Nation | Feb 6, 08

Related News

  • Is Obama Playing It Too Safe? Is Clinton Really Finished?

    May 15, 08 10:24 AM CDT
    John Edwards’ endorsement may have helped Obama turn the page on recent troubles, but pundits say he should face up to them—or he leaves an opening for Hillary to climb back in:

    • Sure, it was a “rational, prudent decision” to skip West Virginia, David Broder allows, but it will keep Obama’s blue-collar question alive into the fall. He could have staged a JFK-style coup in the Mountain State—he certainly had the money and foot soldiers.
    More »

  • Edwards' Endorsement Is No Game-Changer

    May 15, 08 9:45 AM CDT
    Edwards' Endorsement Is No Game-Changer John Edwards’ endorsement of Barack Obama may “hammer another nail into Clinton’s subterranean coffin,” but it won’t do much to sway primary voters, Andrew Romano writes in Newsweek. Had Edwards taken a pro-Obama stand a few months ago, it might have helped the senator with blue-collar voters. But at this point, the endorsement was inevitable: “Edwards is a Democrat. Obama's the Democratic nominee. It had to happen eventually.” More »

  • Dowd to Obama: Don't Blow Off W. Va. Loss

    May 14, 08 12:41 PM CDT
    Dowd to Obama: Don't Blow Off W. Va. Loss Barack Obama may have the nomination all but wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean his electoral problems are over, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times—and feigning indifference that the Mountain State gave him a raspberry last night isn't a winning strategy. If Obama wants to capture these West Virginians in November, he’ll have to fight for them,  the way JFK did "despite raging anti-Catholicism." More »

  • Does W. Va. Blowout Really Hurt Obama?

    May 14, 08 11:06 AM CDT
    Does W. Va. Blowout Really Hurt Obama? Barack Obama's West Virginia loss by a whopping 30 points probably won’t cost him the Democratic nomination, writes John Dickerson in Slate. But the loss does put a chink in Obama’s argument that he can unite disparate groups, since, apparently, these powers have failed him among at least one key voting block—the blue-collar whites that are Hillary Clinton's base. More »

  • Congress Votes to Stop Stockpiling Oil

    May 13, 08 9:44 PM CDT
    Congress Votes to Stop Stockpiling Oil The House and Senate voted today for a pause in deposits to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to stem rising prices, the Los Angeles Times reports. The White House expressed skepticism about the measure, but the Senate backed it 97-1 and the House passed a similar bill 385-25. It is expected to be sent to Bush within days. More »

Pundits Mull Dems' Race the Day After
US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during a rally...   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
Pundits Mull Dems' Race the Day After
New York Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary...   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
Pundits Mull Dems' Race the Day After
New York Senator and US Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary...   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
Pundits Mull Dems' Race the Day After
Supporters of US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator...   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
prev   next
play

Threads (1 of 7)

Tags

Barack Obama  • Hillary Clinton  • Texas  • Ohio  • the white vote


Loading...

Loading...

Related Threads: Superdelegate Watch, Super Duper Tuesday, Clinton 2008, Election 2008, Showdown in Texas, Obama 2008, Clinton-Obama Tussle

Next story from this section »

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »