Oregon Demographics Typify Dem Divide

Politico : State seems 'tailor-made' for Obama

(NEWSER) - 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.

Where Barack's missing out and what Hillary needs to do

(NEWSER) - 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.

Repub must become a fighter

(NEWSER) - 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»

He returns to Iowa, says 'change is coming to America'

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama said tonight that his campaign had reached a pivotal milestone by clinching a majority of the pledged delegates at stake in the Democratic primary, CNN reports. Addressing a rally in Iowa—the state that put his campaign on a winning path—Obama declared that victory is "within reach." He spoke just before learning that he had defeated Hillary Clinton in the Oregon primary. With 72% of returns in, he led 58% to 42%. More»

Waters calm ahead of primaries

(NEWSER) - There’s an eerie calm over the Democratic battlefield ahead of tonight’s primaries in Oregon and Kentucky, as the candidates have reached a tentative détente. Clinton doesn’t want to be seen as hurting Obama’s chances in November, so she’s softened her tone considerably. But it’s a fragile peace that will be tested tonight, when Obama is expected to celebrate his pledged delegate majority in Iowa. More»