How the Air Came Out of Clinton's Tires

Pandering populism didn't play—except with pundits, Klein admits

(NEWSER) - After a career of sober-minded policy politics, Hillary Clinton let loose her inner populist pol in Indiana and North Carolina, Joe Klein writes, and, like much of the media, he thought the showmanship-over-substance (along with Obama's pastor problem) might pull it out for her. But that "shameless populism" proved not to be a game-changer after all. She lost the contest—and the race, he concludes in a Time cover story anointing Obama as the nominee. More»

Surveys show candidate recovering from Pa. setback

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama romped to victory in North Carolina and almost fought Hillary Clinton to a draw in Indiana by relying on his most loyal coalitions: young voters, African-Americans, and liberals. He also did better yesterday than in recent races among white men, pulling about 40% of that demo in Indiana. That puts Obama back at the level of support he enjoyed on Super Tuesday, reports Politico. More»

Seeks to add Florida and Michigan to delegate mix

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's resounding win in North Carolina and fight to the finish in Indiana has left the Clinton campaign with one final strategy to win the nomination: move the goalposts and play for time. Team Hillary is now telling journalists that the winning candidate actually needs almost 200 more delegates than both sides had said earlier, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

Voters evenly divided over Wright effect

(NEWSER) - In exit polling in both Indiana and North Carolina today, voters overwhelmingly said the economy was the No. 1 issue influencing their decision in the presidential primary. In Indiana, 65% said the economy was most important, compared to 60% in North Carolina. Asked if the recession had affected their lives, 89% in Indiana said yes, as did 81% in North Carolina, MSNBC reports. More»

Parsing a Clinton sweep, an Obama sweep and a split

(NEWSER) - With polls still seesawing as voters pull their levers, maybe it’s best to stop predicting results, and start figuring out what they’ll mean. Adam Nagourney takes a shot in the New York Times:

• A Hillary Clinton victory in both primaries could “change the world.” Indiana would be Barack Obama’s third consecutive loss due to a blue-collar gap, and the North Carolina result would be chalked up to Rev. Wright. Disaster for Obama.