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

July 25, 2008 10:33:53 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Is Barack on the Rocks?

Posted Apr 23, 08 2:19 PM CDT in Politics 

(Newser) – How bad is the Pennsylvania result for Team Obama and what does it mean going forward? Three writers think it through:

  • “He can’t finish her off,” says Dan Kennedy in the Guardian. Obama scooped up presumptive-nominee status too soon, and now Americans have “buyer’s remorse”—realizing Clinton is the scrappier fighter. But it’s probably too late to tap the former first lady.

  • More weaknesses in the Obama argument keep presenting themselves, sighs John Judis in the New Republic. His base looks ever more like George McGovern’s—as the candidate, formerly seen as middle-of-the-road, looks increasingly leftist. More working-class tests await in Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.
  • Walter Shapiro notes in Salon that despite the incessant campaigning, demographic groups keep performing as initially expected. The longer Obama goes without a big victory, the less inevitable he looks.

Sources: Guardian (UK), New Republic, Salon

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • McCain Needs Clinton-Style Rebranding

    Jul 21, 08 4:30 PM CDT
    McCain Needs Clinton-Style Rebranding John McCain desperately needs a dose of the strategy that kept Hillary Clinton competitive with Barack Obama during primary season, Rich Lowry and Ramesh Ponnuru write in the National Review. McCain should adopt a “conservative version of her occasional theme of a ‘fighter for you’”—the “you” being middle-class Americans and the enemy being “lobbyists, institutions, and liberals.” More »

  • ...And 5 in Oregon

    May 20, 08 12:36 PM CDT
    ...And 5 in Oregon Oregon voters' sympathy for "the cool, cerebral type" bodes well for Obama in today's primary, according to the folks at Politico, who bring us five things to watch for in the Beaver State:

    1. How quick will it be called?—Oregon is three hours behind the eastern seaboard, but the mail-in votes can be quickly counted electronically.
    More »

  • Oregon Demographics Typify Dem Divide

    May 19, 08 3:47 PM CDT
    Oregon Demographics Typify Dem Divide Oregon’s primary tomorrow finds the Democratic race at its most typical, with Barack Obama hoping to get a bigger slice of the blue-collar vote and Hillary Clinton trying to break further into the white-collar one. The progressive, urban, western part of the state and the rural east have little in common, the Boston Globe reports, and are at odds over the most suitable candidate. More »

  • 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 »

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., waves to media members on her campaign plane.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., reads a newspaper on his campaign charter.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Dorothy Rodham, top right, hugs her daughter Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.   (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 7)

Tags

Barack Obama  • Hillary Clinton  • Pennsylvania primary  • Indiana primary  • blue-collar vote  • George McGovern


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


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 »