Stories related to: Hillary Clinton

It’s a bit weird to defend something like eloquence, but that’s just the task to which the primary season has inspired Calvin Trillin, writing in the Los Angeles Times . Rivals and pundits alike dismiss Barack Obama’s eloquence as some kind of liability, whereas Trillin sees in the Democrat's ability a key component of the role of president. More »

There’s Hillary Clinton, writes Libby Copeland in the Washington Post , and then there’s “Poor Hillary.” Though Barack Obama destroyed her “inevitability,” she continues to quixotically pursue the Democratic nomination, touting the power of “grit” against arithmetic, and moving op-ed writers, news anchors and conservative talking heads to raise another chorus of “poor Hillary”—“an attempt," Copeland notes, "at death by condescension.” More »

In the wake of the California decision, gay advocates hope to bring the issue of same-sex marriages to the forefront of the general election. But all three candidates have similar views—they support civil unions but think marriages should be between men and women, the New York Times reports. They differ in nuances, however, and if the issue gains traction in the next few months, look for those differences to come into play. More »

Democrats stood shoulder-to-shoulder in fury yesterday to lash President Bush for indicating that Barack Obama is like a Nazi appeaser because he supports outreach to countries like Iran. Even Hillary Clinton leaped to her rival's defense, Reuters reports. "President Bush's comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous," Clinton said. More »

Hillary Clinton will almost certainly not be the Democratic nominee for president, and the end of her campaign is a relief for Marie Cocco in the Washington Post —but not for political reasons. The end of the Democratic primary, she writes, will also put to rest the sexist rhetoric of Clinton's opponents and the media, who have called her a "she-devil," "whore," and worse. More »

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 »

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 »

Hillary Clinton can crow all she wants about West Virginia, but the media won't hear. “This may be the first time in election history,” Roger Simon writes on Politico, “in which the press has withdrawn from a race before the candidate.” Barack Obama was off campaigning in Missouri—a state he already won—and the media agreed with him: The primaries are over. More »

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 »

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 »

For Bill and Hillary Clinton, 2008 is smacking of 1998, as the struggle to stay in the presidential race looks remarkably like the battle to survive impeachment, argues Michael Crowley in the New Republic . The former first couple is under siege again, and again is willing to “ride out any crisis”—wrapping themselves in the mantle of populism and indicting the press. More »

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 »

Hillary Clinton said tonight she is "more determined than ever" to continue her campaign for the White House after what she termed an "overwhelming" victory in West Virginia, NBC reports. "I believe I'm the strongest candidate," she told supporters in Charleston after romping in nearly all-white West Virginia. With the odds stacked against her and her campaign $20 million in debt, she again urged supporters to go to her website to contribute. More »

Early exit polls in West Virginia suggest that Democrats have much healing to do when the primary season ends, CNN reports. Only 25% of Hillary Clinton supporters said they would be satisfied if Barack Obama won the nomination, and only 38% of Obama supporters said they'd be satisfied with Clinton as the nominee. More telling, 36% of Clinton supporters said they would vote for Obama if he's the nominee, but 35% said they'd jump ship for John McCain. The economy was voters' No. 1 issue. More »

Hillary Clinton won a decisive—and expected—victory tonight in West Virginia, the Charleston Gazette reports. With 95% of returns in, Clinton led 67% to 26%, and her camp hopes a big margin of victory will raise new doubts in superdelegates' minds about Barack Obama's ability to win over white voters. The state is nearly all white and has a high percentage of the working-class voters that have eluded Obama during the primary season. More »

Harry Reid brushed aside yesterday suggestions Hillary Clinton, fresh from a primary defeat to Barack Obama, might ascend to the top Senate job. “Keep in mind,” he told the Huffington Post, “a senator coming back who’s run for president is not a very unique one. Sen. John Kerry ran, he’s back. Chris Dodd ran, he’s back. Joe Biden ran, he’s back.” More »

Abraham Lincoln’s modesty and Ronald Reagan’s warmth were evident in their handwriting. Now, the Los Angeles Times wants to know what analysts think of the strokes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain: Obama's writing is described as “fluid, graceful”; intelligent but also emotive. His words end in lines that reach out, a sign of flexibility—though a certain illegibility can be seen as subtly guarded. More »

Barack Obama won the support of five more delegates today, putting him within 145 total of clinching the nomination, by Huffington Post’s count. Obama's new backers include New Orleans' mayor, a former Democratic National Committee chair and the chairperson of DC’s Democrats. Obama also gained the support of an elected Hillary Clinton delegate from Maryland, a markedly rare switch of a pledged nominator. More »

Some analysts see today’s West Virginia primary as a final chance for Hillary Clinton to raise questions about Barack Obama’s weaknesses. Here’s what to watch, via Kenneth Vogel on Politico: How will Mason County go? The 30,000-strong district has been a remarkably reliable indicator of statewide results in the past. More »

Divisions among Democrats have killed the party’s presidential chances on more than one occasion, and it must not happen this time, writes George McGovern in the New York Times . The 1972 Democratic nominee—who recently switched his endorsement to Barack Obama—offers a plan to unite the party: Obama and Hillary Clinton should campaign side-by-side in the remaining states, outlining their plans for the country without attacking each other. More »