Starting Gate: Something In The Air?
Bill Clinton is doing his all to keep the ball in play, urging those still-uncommitted superdelegates to "chill out." Speaking at California's Democratic state convention, the former president asked for patience. "Don't let anybody tell you that somehow we are weakening the Democratic Party. Chill out and let everybody have their say. We are going to win this election."
Is there a hint of desperation in the air? More than halfway through the seven-week gap leading up to the Pennsylvania primary, the pause has not worked out as Clinton's campaign might have hoped. Rather than a contemplative period for the party to re-think the idea of nominating Barack Obama, it's been a lull in which his support appears to have solidified, if not grown. And the road ahead appears daunting for Clinton.
While she continues to hold a wide lead in Pennsylvania, her supporters are now trying to tamp down the expectations that she might run up the score there. Governor Ed Rendell, an early Clinton supporter, told ABC News this morning that he expected that lead to shrink before the April 22nd primary. And Obama is just getting started with his push in the state. Yesterday he drew an estimated crowd of 22,000 in an appearance at Penn State.
Clinton could still win there but if Obama can come within five points or so it may be a pyrrhic victory for her campaign. Then, pressure will mount for her to sweep the next two states of North Carolina and Indiana. Losses in both would almost certainly spell the end to her campaign. Even one loss would prove hard to overcome. Clinton needs to pile up some victories to claim the momentum at the close of this race and prove something to those superdelegates. A smaller-than-expected margin of victory in Pennsylvania and possible losses two weeks later does not equate with that need. She needs to run up the score on April 22nd and shock Obama in North Carolina. Until then, she's still in it, whether she can win it or not.
Biography Tour, Day One: John McCain kicks off his week-long bid to reintroduce himself in Meridian, Mississippi, home of an airfield is named after his grandfather who was a Navy Admiral. In his speech, McCain will talk about his family's history of service – stretching back the beginning of the country's history.
"We trace my family's martial heritage back to the Revolution," McCain will say according to prepared remarks. " A distant ancestor served on General Washington's staff, and it seems my ancestors fought in most wars in our nation's history. All were soldiers – both Henry and Bill McCain were West Pointers – until my grandfather broke family tradition and entered the Naval Academy in 1902. He was succeeded there by my father, then me, and then my son. The family I was born to, and the family I am blessed with now, made me the man I am, and instilled in me a deep and abiding respect for the social institution that wields the greatest influence in the formation of our individual character and the character of our society."
Pulling Away? Gallup's daily tracking poll shows that Obama is putting some distance between himself and Clinton nationally. The latest numbers show Obama with a ten point lead over Clinton, 52 percent to 42 percent – up from a virtual tie in the poll just a week ago. And, it's the first time in the poll either candidate has held a double-digit lead. The last time was in February when Clinton led by 11 points.
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