Senator Hillary Clinton is one rude, sore loser. For the second week in a row, after taking another beating at the poll from voters, she once again failed to exercise good etiquette and manners by publicly congratulating Senator Barack Obama on his victory.
Tonight, Senator Obama moved another step closer to securing the Democratic nomination with a resounding win over Senator Clinton in Wisconsin. Repeating a pattern that occurred last week in Virginia and Maryland, Senator Obama dug squarely into Senator Clinton’s base winning men two to one, while drawing even with women and blue-collar workers. His estimated 15 percent victory was significant and put the pressure on Senator Clinton to not only win in both Texas and Ohio – but win big. Judging by Senator Obama’s nine consecutive wins, that possibility is certainly in doubt.
What does this victory mean for Senator Obama:
With more money and a superior ground organization to Senator Clinton, the debate on Thursday night could be the difference between seeing the light at the end of the tunnel or having the groundhog see his shadow, extending this race to political winter in Pennsylvania. If Senator Obama is able to avoid a costly misstep in the upcoming debate and mobilize his ground forces in Texas and Ohio and either win outright or lose very closely, his lead will grow. The conventional political wisdom is that if Senator Obama is able to open up a 150-point pledged vote lead over Senator Clinton that the superdelegates will vote with the will of the people and throw their support behind Senator Obama. In addition, the senior leadership of the Democratic party (DNC chairman Howard Dean, Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi) will approach her with instructions to cease-and-desist because the perception will be that she can’t win. The one thing that the Democratic party doesn’t need is a disruptive convention in Denver. We think that one way or another, the matter will be settled prior to the convention.
What does this defeat mean for Senator Clinton:
It has been well documented that after enjoying a double-digit lead in national polls through last fall, Senator Clinton’s campaign went into cruise control – before the Iowa caucus. She was sure that her experience, early support, name recognition and high-profile endorsements would not only bring her victory, but that it would occur by Super Tuesday. After shooting herself in the foot by mismanaging early financial support, making internal changes on her campaign team and the curious decision to not contest any other primaries and caucus and taking ten hard defeats on the chin. At this point, with her message unfocused, she needs Senator Obama to make a mistake, any mistake to help get her back in the race. In addition, she need stop Senator Obama’s momentum and figure out, quickly, how to reenergize her base of support.
Senator Obama has run a campaign with the resources of Mitt Romney, the experience and poise of John McCain mixed with the charisma of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy – and a young Bill Clinton. If he manages to secure the nomination, this primary season will be used as a teaching tool on how to run a winning political campaign as well as what not to do if you want to win.
Next stop: Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island
[...] filmgordon wrote an interesting post today on Obama Seizes Control With Victory in WisconsinHere’s a quick excerptFor the second week in a row, after taking another beating at the poll from voters, she once again failed to exercise good etiquette and manners by publicly congratulating Senator Barack Obama on his victory. … [...]
[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]