Keystone Confrontation

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton must rack up unprecedented numbers in tomorrow’s Pennsylvania primary to challenge Barack Obama’s 800,000-vote lead in the national popular vote, Bloomberg reports. She needs a 25-point margin plus record turnout—2 million in a state where only 800,000 went to the polls in 2004—to have any hope of closing the gap and arguing that she's better positioned to take on John McCain. More »

(Newser) - Lagging a day before the high-stakes Pennsylvania primary, Barack Obama has intensified his attacks on Hillary Clinton, painting her as a typical Washington insider, the New York Times reports. Clinton fired back, accusing Obama of dropping his hopeful message in favor of old-style politics himself. Clinton holds a 5- or 6-point lead over Obama in polls, down from 16 points a few weeks ago. More »

(Newser) - Chelsea Clinton met with wild and drunken support on her “gay pub crawl” through Philadelphia last night, the Patriot-News reports. “Chelsea, the gays love you!” cried one supporter. “We love your highlights,” shouted another. “Thank you, but that’s not why you should vote for my mom,” said Chelsea. “I grabbed her ass!” one woman shouted. More »

(Newser) - No winner emerged in last night's Democratic presidential debate, but for one columnist the loser was clear: ABC News. Over the course of a commercial-crammed broadcast, moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous dwelled on petty half-controversies to incite Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to get nasty, writes Tom Shales of the Washington Post . More »

(Newser) - Several new Pennsylvania polls confirm a slight shift in Hillary Clinton’s direction, but not one substantial enough to suggest Barack Obama’s “bitter” gaffe has deeply affected support. CNN’s poll of polls shows Clinton’s lead rising only two points (from a four- to six-point margin). Half of respondents disagree with Obama’s controversial comments—but only 33% of Dems say they were offended. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama was “basically right on target” about Pennsylvania bitterness, the product of one small-town household says: John Baer, in the Philadelphia Daily News , writes that the people he grew up around were, and still are, angry. And they have a right to be, Baer adds: Blue-collar Pennsylvanians see their interests ignored by gutless politicians beholden to special interests. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama is catching flak for comments made to an audience of wealthy Californians about small towners, Reuters reports. Talking about people in towns where jobs have vanished, the candidate said, "It's not surprising they then get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama has been expected to do well in Philadelphia in this month's Pennsylvania primary, but a test of wills between his campaign and local party bosses might jeopardize his chances. The Philadelphia political scene has a long tradition of "street money"—payment to Democratic operatives who dispense $10, $20, and $50 bills to those who help get out the vote. But Obama's people won't pay up, writes the Los Angeles Times . More »

(Newser) - The demotion of Mark Penn in Hillary Clinton's campaign hasn't ended the problem the errant consultant is causing her in Pennsylvania, Bloomberg reports. Unions supporting Barack Obama have pounced on the strategist's advocacy of a Colombian free-trade deal, calling him pro-business and anti-worker. "She has to sever completely with Mark Penn," said Teamsters president James Hoffa. "Her credibility is at stake." More »

(Newser) - Futures traders are betting Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee—and that the Democrats will take the White House. Although they expect Hillary Clinton to take three upcoming primaries, groups based in Iowa and Dublin give Obama an 86% chance of winning the party’s nod, compared to 12.8% for Clinton. Studies say such predictions are about as accurate as public polls, Reuters reports. More »

(Newser) - College kids' love for Barack Obama won't help him in the Keystone State, Politico reports. Many of Pennsylvania's 680,000 students hail from elsewhere and have voted absentee; among natives, a high number are Independent and therefore barred from the April 22 primary. Worse, attempts by Obama backers to enroll student voters may have come too late. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama is aiming to win pro-gun votes in Pennsylvania by touting the Second Amendment, Politico reports. His camp emailed state gun clubs this week about “the right and traditions of sportsmen" as Obama courted Pennsylvania's pro-gun Democratic lawmakers. The NRA fired back at Obama—and Hillary Clinton, too—calling overtures “scripted rhetorical tricks.” More »

(Newser) - Polls in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida show Hillary Clinton faring better than Barack Obama in swing state head-to-heads with John McCain. Clinton beats the Republican by 8 points, 9 points, and 2 points, respectively, in those states while Obama wins by 4 points in the Keystone State and 1 point in the Buckeye State—and loses Florida by 9 points, McClatchy reports. More »

(Newser) - Turns out that Obama Girl, aka Amber Lee Ettinger, hails from Hazleton, Pa., which is right in the heart of Clinton country. To get a sense of how her candidate’s message is getting through, McClatchy visited Ettinger’s family and neighbors in this former coal town near Scranton, Hillary’s family home. Turns out the town definitely does not share her crush on Obama. More »

(Newser) - Many Democratic observers are looking past the April 22 Pennsylvania primary to the May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina as a chance to finally determine the primary race before the national convention. With 187 delegates at stake, May 6 holds the biggest delegate trove remaining, and the outcome of the day's contests may sway uncommitted Dem superdelegates, Newsweek reports. More »

(Newser) - The endorsement of Sen. Bob Casey will give Barack Obama aid right where he needs it, Shailagh Murray notes in the Washington Post —among Pennsylvania’s lower-income white men. So-called “Casey Democrats”—anti-abortion, pro-gun social conservatives—are the kind of voters Obama must prove he can sway April 22 in Pennsylvania, and nationwide in November. More »