Barack Obama notched up a win in the Wyoming caucus over the weekend, a result that’s demoralising for Hillary Clinton for a number of reasons. First is that she didn’t concede the state. Both husband and daughter were out on the hustings selling the virtues of another Clinton presidency, yet Obama strolled to victory with 59% of the vote. Second is that the loss checked any momentum Clinton had rebuilt with her strong performance in the Texas and Ohio primaries last week. And thirdly, Obama added another 12 delegates to his tally. A small number, granted, but it puts his delegate lead at around 140, with another 33 up for grabs tomorrow in Mississippi.
In a bid to break the deadlock, thoughts within the Democratic party are turning back to Michigan and Florida, states which ran their primaries early and had their delegates disallowed by the DNC as punishment. Now pundits are predicting a costly second ballot in those states and, accompanying it, a costly legal battle.
While Obama and Clinton duke it out in an increasingly dirty campaign which threatens to damage both of the candidacies, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain is taking careful note of which campaign slurs seem to work against which candidate — invaluable information for when the real campaign gets underway.
Obama gets campaign back on track: Obama’s victory in Wyoming is likely to help settle nerves in his campaign. The huge rural Western state might seem an unlikely place for Obama – who is seeking to become America’s first black president – to perform strongly. But Obama was actually widely expected to win in a state that is more famous for its cowboys and rodeos than its role in national politics. – Guardian
The Clintons, a horror film that never ends: The Clintons have always had a touch of the zombies about them: unkillable, they move relentlessly forward, propelled by a bloodlust for Republicans or uppity Democrats who dare to question their supremacy. You can’t escape; you can’t hide; and you can’t win. And these days, in the kinetic pace of the YouTube campaign, they are like the new 28 Days Later zombies. They come at you really quickly, like bats out of hell. Or Ohio, anyway. — Andrew Sullivan, Times Online
Democrats’ nightmare a sweet Republican dream: The campaign for the Democratic nomination has demonstrated that neither contender is flawless. But it has also shown that both would be impressive competitors for the presidency in a year that should belong to their party. Barack Obama has displayed a remarkable capacity to inspire a genuine enthusiasm that you so rarely see in contemporary politics. – Guardian
DNC struggles to solve big-state kinks: As Democratic officials increasingly seem to favor a revote in Michigan and Florida (in a bid to break the deadlock between the two candidates), the two states penalized by the Democratic National Committee for hosting early primaries, one critical question remains unanswered: Who will pick up the roughly $20 million bill? – Politico
McCain Sits in Campaign’s Catbird Seat as Democrats Bicker: As his rivals clash over who is qualified to answer a 3 a.m. phone call in the White House, McCain will meet with foreign leaders in Europe and the Middle East. While Obama and Clinton argue about do-over primaries in Florida and Michigan, McCain will be free to roam the country, giving speeches, holding town-hall meetings and raking up cash. – Washington Post
Girl in Clinton ad supports Obama: Casey Knowles didn’t much like a recent campaign commercial for Hillary Clinton _ even though she’s in it as a sleeping 8-year-old. After all, she about to turn 18 now and is a big supporter of Barack Obama. “What I don’t like about the ad is its fear-mongering,” Knowles told ABC’s “Good Morning America Weekend Edition” on Sunday. “I think it’s a cheap hit to take. I really prefer Obama’s message of looking forward to a bright future.”— Newsweek
Clinton a “monster”: One of Barack Obama’s senior advisers, Samantha Power, was forced to resign today after describing Hillary Clinton as a monster, one of the most personal comments yet in what is becoming an increasingly negative campaign. – Buzzle.com
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