A House Divided

(Newser) - It's time for Democrats to panic, the editors at New Republic say. Americans are ready for a lefty, yet Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are locked in an ugly battle over racism, sexism, and the minutiae of health care policy. When one of them emerges—probably in June—that candidate will have little time to drum up "narratives that justify their claim on the White House."  More »

(Newser) - A new plan from a Michigan congressman would apportion about half the state's Democratic delegates based on its outlaw January primary and the other half according to national popular-vote tallies, the AP reports. “The last thing we want to do as Democrats," Bart Stupak wrote to Democratic Party chief Howard Dean, "is to disenfranchise voters.” More »

(Newser) - Amy Klobuchar endorsed Barack Obama today, saying her Senate colleague can "dissolve the hard cynical edge that has dominated our politics.” Obama and Hillary Clinton are now tied in upper house support, Talking Points Memo reports, with each Dem boasting 14 Senate backers. The vote among the Senate women is now 6-2 Clinton. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama apparently overtook Hillary Clinton in Texas’ pledged-delegate count after this weekend’s regional Democratic conventions netted him seven to nine more at-large delegates than Clinton, the Houston Chronicle reports. “We can confirm now that Barack Obama won Texas,” an aide said after the campaign's math gave the Illinois senator a five-delegate lead; Clinton's camp puts Obama's edge at three. More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has been boosted by her ability to connect with blue-collar voters, despite her not-so-blue-collar personal history, Jim Tankersley writes in the Chicago Tribune . Analysts say Clinton's focus on economic issues, her clear speeches and her own past struggles in the public eye all help the candidate endear herself to working-class voters. More »

(Newser) - Former President Bill Clinton told California Democrats to "chill out" and let the long, bruising battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination continue. "We are going to win this election if we just chill out and let everybody have their say," Clinton told the state Democratic convention in San Jose yesterday. He said it would strengthen the Democratic Party to allow the rest of the states to vote. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama jumped to his largest national lead of the year in a new Gallup poll, pulling ahead of Hillary Clinton 52% to 42%. The figure marks the Illinois senator’s third consecutive lead, and the first double-digit lead since Hillary chalked up a 11% lead over Barack in early February.  More »

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton’s campaign is earning a deadbeat reputation among some campaign vendors, reports Politico. To keep pace with Obama and maintain reserves for future media buys and events, it has put off paying hundreds of bills, leaving many—mostly small and local—businesses grousing. Clinton ended February with $16 million in primary funds, including $5 million of her own money, and $8.7 million in unpaid bills. 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) - Hillary Clinton insisted today that she will not drop out of the race early, and Barack Obama thinks that's just fine. Clinton told the Washington Post that she will compete in every primary, then take her fight to the convention in August if necessary. Could any scenario change her mind? "No," she said. In Pennsylvania, Obama said Clinton "can run as long as she wants,” AFP reports. More »

(Newser) - Democrats continue to clash over the effects of a long and bitter primary race, the New York Times reports. "If we have an ugly, divided convention, we will lose" the November election, said Howard Dean, who has called on superdelegates to decide by July. But Hillary-backer Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa said, "We’ve become a bit too squeamish. I, for one, want my nominee to be battle tested.” More »

(Newser) - Many women who support Hillary Clinton—and even some who don't—find that the New York senator's bid for president has unleashed unsettling sexist hostility in the workplace and elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal reports. A woman shouted at by a stranger for her Hillary bumper sticker says the "level of venom" always takes her by surprise. More »

(Newser) - Citing the rights of voters to speak their piece and the “many differing opinions and strong-minded individuals” of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton yesterday reaffirmed her candidacy in the face of senator Patrick Leahy’s call for her end a campaign with “no very good reason” to continue and make way for Barack Obama, the New York Times reports. More »

(Newser) - Continued sniping with Hillary Clinton is hurting Barack Obama's chances of winning the White House, and "she ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama," Sen. Pat Leahy told Vermont Public Radio in an interview aired today. The harsh assessment coincided with a suggestion from another influential Vermonter, DNC chairman Howard Dean, that the superdelegates make their plans public by July 1. More »

(Newser) - If the Democratic nomination isn’t wrapped up before August's convention, the party might have a third choice: the one they crowned in 2000. If Barack Obama is too bloodied and Hillary Clinton too divisive, Joe Klein writes in Time , a superdelegate coup could yield an Al Gore-Obama ticket on the spot. Of course, the party would have to be “monumentally desperate.” More »

(Newser) - In a troubling sign for Democratic