Posted on 05/10/2008 11:55:54 PM PDT by lowbuck
Bill Clinton stands on a small stage in this tiny town, torrential rain beating on the rooftop, his all-white crowd of coalminers, schoolteachers and union members cheering him on. “Don’t let them tell you she can’t win this thing,” he hollers, his voice hoarse after another day of campaigning. “I’m telling you, she can win this thing, because of people like you, and places like this.”
There is huge affection for Mr Clinton in West Virginia, where his wife faces her next primary contest with Barack Obama on Tuesday. The former First Lady holds an overwhelming 25-point lead among one of the whitest, oldest and most rural electorates in America. The state voted for her husband twice, but backed President Bush in the last two elections.
Yet as the former President appears before loyal crowds across small town Appalachia, and his wife stubbornly refuses to heed calls for her to quit the race, there is a palpable sense for many Democrats that they are witnessing a changing of the guard, the final days of the House of Clinton, after 16 years of dominance.
Even as Mr Clinton spoke, Mr Obama was paying a surprise visit to the House of Representatives, where congressman flocked around him, grasping for the hand of the man many believe is about to become their new leader. Five more super-delegates pledged their support for Mr Obama yesterday, including one who had previously backed Mrs
But if Mr Obama has his sights on a general election against John McCain, he has a more immediate and equally testing challenge: how to unite a party, and a Democratic electorate, where large, crucial swaths of voters – especially white, blue-collar and the elderly – remain passionately loyal to the Clintons, and openly hostile to him.
As Mr Clinton’s barnstorming performance in Fairlea proved, he is still a potent force, and Mr Obama is going to need him, his wife and their supporters on side if he harbours any hope of reaching the White House.
It will not be easy. Such is the hostility among many of their supporters, that nearly half of Mrs Clinton’s backers in Indiana said they would not vote for Mr Obama if he were nominated. More than a third in Pennsylvania said the same. Not one Clinton supporter met by The Times in West Virginia said they would turn out for the Illinois senator. “You’d have to twist my arm a long way,” said Lonnie Ward, 62, a retired miner queueing to see Mr Clinton next to Cowboy Dan’s Meathouse. “Bill’s my main man.” Peggy Bland, 69, said: “She’s a strong, strong, strong lady.” And Mr Obama? “Oh no, I wouldn’t vote for him.”
Matthew Towsley, who has been selling Hillary and Obama badges, said: “It’s got real bad. Unless they can put them on the same ticket, there’s going to be trouble.”
Mr Obama’s big win in North Carolina last week, and Mrs Clinton’s narrow victory in Indiana, means the nomination is within his grasp. He is planning to declare a victory of sorts on May 20, after the contests in Kentucky and Oregon, when he expects to have secured a majority among the pledged delegates on offer.
Yet Mrs Clinton and her husband passionately believe that she is a better candidate to take on Mr McCain. She correctly pointed out on Thursday that she has a much broader base of support, even plunging into the minefield of racial politics by declaring that Mr Obama’s backing among “white Americans” was weakening.
In recent contests, she has won Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana with overwhelming backing from whites, blue-collar voters, women, and voters over 45. Mr Obama has been propelled toward the nomination mostly by African-Americans, the young, and the well educated. Paul Begala, a former Clinton strategist, inartfully summed up their case: “We can’t win just with African-Americans and egg-heads.”
Howard Dean, the Democratic party chairman, whose once-promising 2004 presidential bid collapsed in Iowa, said he spent months trying to persuade his supporters to rally behind John Kerry, the nominee. And they did not even dislike Mr Kerry. Gary Hart said that after he lost his divisive primary battle against Walter Mondale in 1984, he worked tirelessly – and held more than 40 campaign events – imploring his supporters to back the nominee. “And I was not able to move [them],” he said.
Even if Mrs Clinton loses, she will return to the Senate one of the most powerful politicians in the US. Yet for now, she has tens of millions of supporters across America that believe the House of Clinton must not fall.
who will vote for the black marxist besides the blacks and ivory tower liberals!!!
Until Johnson got the "Hillary Syndrome" and the Dallas shooting came about.
He was arm-pit deep in that but the facts didn't really come together until after his death....by coincidence, of course.
Hillary is a chameleon and she will change any facet of her candidacy to appear the way she thinks will help her get to power.
It seemed to start way back when she stopped calling herself Hillary Rodham and became Hillary Clinton again.
Michelle seems to be all about hate. As bad as Hillary's tantrums around the White House were rumored, I'm guessing it will be even worse with Mrs. O
“They always threaten to leave, but alas, never do.”
www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass_bd11may11,0,4134722.column
chicagotribune.com
Obama magically unstained by grime of Chicago Way
John Kass
May 11, 2008
Will Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy serve his state and city by finally drawing national attention to the sleazy and corrupt politics of Illinois and Chicago?
It is all about context. The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate’s politics were born in Chicago. Yet he is presented to the nation as not truly being of this place, as if he floats just above the political corruption here, uninfected, untouched by the stain of it or by any sin of commission or omission. It is all so very mystical.
Perhaps viewing Obama as a Chicago political creature would conflict with the established national media narrative of Obama as a reformer. Actually, there’s no “perhaps” about it.
“I think I have done a good job in rising politically in this environment without being entangled in some of the traditional problems of Chicago politics,” Obama told reporters and editors at a Tribune editorial board meeting several weeks ago.
Yes, an excellent job. Except for his dalliance with his indicted real estate fairy, Tony Rezko, a relationship Obama considers a mistake, the senator has not played the fly to Mayor Richard Daley’s spider. Almost, but not quite.
excerpt
*snip*....socialist policies really start taking a toll (the last one was Doctor Alan Keyes, who’s inseparable decency and goodness cost him the election.)...
I have several computers running complex and sophisticated algorithms designed to monitor dozens of message boards and alert me whenever Alan Keyes is mentioned. Just checking in.
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