Obama Is Racing Against the Clock

Washington Post: With Half Of Democratic Delegates To Be Decided Tuesday, Short Calendar Favors Clinton

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Alec MacGillis and Anne E. Kornblut.

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Sen. Barack Obama has two opponents: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the clock, which is rapidly running down.

With three days to go before Super Tuesday, when roughly half the delegates in the Democratic presidential contest will be awarded, Obama is racing around the country, still trying to introduce himself to voters, speed-dating style.

On Tuesday, he touched down in his grandfather's home town, El Dorado, Kan., where many residents did not realize until recently - if at all - that Obama has Kansas roots. From there, it was on to big rallies in Kansas City, Mo.; Denver; and Phoenix, followed by Los Angeles, where he tried during an hour in East L.A. to make an impression on Hispanic voters who know little about him. On Friday: Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Boise.

Polling and election results so far suggest that the more time Obama has to present himself to voters, the better he fares. In each of the first four states where voting was sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, Clinton maintained essentially level support in polls in the months leading up to the contests, while Obama saw a steady upward trajectory the more he campaigned. In Florida, by contrast, where the candidates did not campaign after the DNC punished the state for moving its primary to January, Clinton soundly defeated Obama, offering a rough gauge on how much the senator from Illinois relies on voter contact.

The compressed primary calendar presents a challenge for all of the remaining candidates, as they try to visit as many as possible of the more than 20 states holding elections or caucuses on Tuesday. But the time crunch is particularly acute for Obama, who, for all the hype around his candidacy, remains far less well known than Clinton. Obama vaulted into contention against her by spending week upon week in Iowa before the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. He engaged in an intensive grass-roots effort and visited the smallest towns and the most remote county fairgrounds to introduce himself to voters, who rewarded him with a big win over his rivals.

Now, with far less time and broader territory to cover, he must make do with a radically truncated version of that outreach, relying on a single final visit to big cities to win over voters to whom he remains little more than a first-term senator with an exotic name and a reputation for oratory.

His efforts appear to be paying off, as his standing in polls inches closer and closer to Clinton's. The question is whether he has enough time to make up the gap.

"The schedule is compressed, so no doubt Senator Clinton has an advantage going into February 5 states," Obama said during one leg of his travel this week. "She's better known, and I'm still being introduced to a lot of casual voters in the other states."

The lack of time concerns Obama's rank-and-file supporters in the Feb. 5 states, who see him packing arenas this week - 15,000-plus in Denver, 13,000 in Phoenix - yet know that most of those turning out are the converted and that countless more undecided voters will not see Obama make his case in person.

"It worries me. Everyone in Arizona ought to see what we saw today," said Tim Nelson, a lawyer for the state government, after bringing his 9-year-old daughter to see the candidate in Phoenix.

If a few extra weeks would help Obama, the opposite is true for Clinton, whose advisers would be happy with just a few extra days, they said in interviews Friday.

Clinton at one point declared that she would have the race wrapped up by Feb. 5. Now, her strategists concede, as Obama appears to be closing the gap with her, she needs the days until then to keep pushing her message - outreach that includes visiting critical states and luring former supporters of John Edwards, who ended his candidacy this week. "There are a lot of places to touch," one strategist said.

After a heavy emphasis on the West Coast this week, Clinton will seek to maintain her national lead between now and Tuesday with a whirlwind travel schedule that extends from Missouri to Massachusetts and is capped off with a 90-minute "national town hall meeting" conducted via satellite Monday night. Her campaign also believes that, with her performance in Thursday's debate, the senator from New York moved past questions about her husband's role in the campaign and their approach to African American voters, and is now running on comfortable ground - the issues of health care and the economy.

Still, Clinton strategists are not planning on seeing the nomination contest end on Feb. 5. They are looking ahead to March 4, when both Ohio (161 delegates) and Texas (228 delegates) vote, as the date that could be decisive.

[taddles-2009]

"The difference is back in Lincoln''''s day the Democrats used slavery to keep black Americans down.
Today they use Welfare.

Posted by hawksprings at 11:28 AM : Feb 03, 2008"

Thanks for playing "Really Stupid Analogies"...bob tell him about his parting gifts...

[taddles-2009]

".I''''m not a racist just wise...

Posted by micherr at 11:36 AM : Feb 03, 2008"

No you''re just a moron who can''t be bothered to read a book or learn to spell. It''s low-brow pinheads like you that give this country a bad name around the world. It''s ignorant ranting hate spewing dolts like you who allow a psychopath to steal our government and wipe his a$$ with the constitution.

[taddles-2009]

"Posted by akona2 at 04:12 PM : Feb 03, 2008"

Lame...the next Muslim President?!? How stupid are you? For f**ks sake, read a d4m book once in your useless life.

[taddles-2009]

"Please check out this website before you vote for Obama http://www.obamatruth.org/

Posted by riskytime at 04:08 PM : Feb 03, 2008"

First off, the article from the Chicago Sun-times points out what everyone already knows and Barak has already stated, that he did 5 hours of legal work for Rezko in ''93 as he was directed to do by his employer, Davis Miner Barnhill. So what.

Second, the posting of the 990 form of the University of Chicago Hospital shows a standard 501 c3 non-profit corp., again...so what. You and the publisher of this "swift-boat wannabe" site don''t seem to have a grasp of how non-profits work.

This is just ignorant ramblings from disgruntled Repubs who have no real issue.

[tbweb]

Posted by akona2 at 04:12 PM : Feb 03, 2008,,,

Like the New York Giants just proved winning the Super Bowl, nothing is inevitable, anyone can be beat, no matter what the odds are! Its the American way, underdogs always have a shot :)

[tbweb]

Posted by akona2 at 04:12 PM : Feb 03, 2008,,,

I''m not an Obama supporter, so who cares! I just want to see a fair election, not see lies and untruths like those like you spew out, religious haters!

[obama1289]

Obama supporters check out this video that will bring tears to your eyes!!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPev5sEdTjg

[tibu987]

Perhaps akona is an unelightened woman or a Republican.

[pacific_c]

Let''s look at the current congress for voting records.

Senator Clinton has missed 105 votes (23.5%) during the current Congress.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001041/

Senator Obama has missed 168 votes (37.7%) during the current Congress.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/

Senator McCain has missed 251 votes (56.3%) during the current Congress.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/

[girlofsaturn]

akona, I live in Illinois. When senators here vote present, that means that they support the goal of the proposal, but they do not support certain aspects of the bill. Our state is plagued by political corruption, and the only way to stand against it for years was to vote "present."
Also, I''d explain the contrary of the Muslim comment, but after doing so a million times, I don''t think it should be dignified with a response.

[girlofsaturn]

akona, I live in Illinois. When senators here vote present, that means that they support the goal of the proposal, but they do not support certain aspects of the bill. Our state is plagued by political corruption, and the only way to stand against it for years was to vote "present."
Also, I''d explain the contrary of the Muslim comment, but after doing so a million times, I don''t think it should be dignified with a response.

[tibu987]

The work ahead for the next president is awesome.
The evil Bush cabal is dumping a lot of bad decisions onto the Democrats.

Only one candidate, Obama, has the courage, the destiny, to change the old ways of Washington.
McCain and Hillary are still members of the "good ole boys" club of Washington pols with a lot of political favors to be repaid.
Obama may bot be able to resolve all the problems facing the presidency, but is the only candidate to
that can make change a possibility.
I will vote for Obama as long as he does not select Hillary or Edwards as his VP running mate.

[eddynewhope]

akona - You are towing the slimy Clinton lines (drug-dealer, Muslim, etc.) and THAT is what is dividing the Dem party. Clinton voted with Bush every step of the way, then lied about it. They lied to us in the 90s and indirectly gave the election to the GOP after lying back then. Now they are using a Karl Rove campaign strategy (lie, cheat, and steal) against a fellow Dem - a Dem who I happen to like - and you are on the boards pointing a finger at Obama screaming "Muslim! Muslim!". That''s why half of Dems, all Indis, and all GOP loath the thought of 3rd term for the Clintons. Your B S represent what the Clintons have done to the Dem party to win-at-all-costs. Weak.

[eddynewhope]

Obama will indeed win the general election in Nov. But if the Dem party rewards the Karl Rove style Clinton operation who have voted with Bush every step of the way (NAFTA, Iraq, Iran, etc., etc.) - the proclaimed the opposite: "I''ve been against the war since the beginning". No 3rd term for the Clintons. They have lied to us over and over again. I''m all for a woman in the White House - just not this extremely divisive woman at this point in our history when we need new approach to governance. Obama opposed NAFTA, Iraq, Iran, and appeals to Repubs and Indis where as the Clintons enrage them. Beware of brutal buyers remorse on Wednesday morning if Clinton gets the nomination.

[bdrlnt4rl]

BILL GATES FOR PRESIDENT

[roxy000]

Obama is a pack of lie!!! I do not think he has a chance to get elected in the general election. NO WAY. Even I am a democrate, but definitely in general election I will vote for McCain if he wins the primary.

[akona2]

OBAMA voted 130 times PRESENT... 130 times MAYBE...

IS THIS THE PRESIDENT WE WANT?

SAY 130 TIMES...

ARE WE READY FOR THE NEXT MUSLIM PRESIDENT?

[akona2]

PRESENT means YES. PRESENT means NO. PRESENT means MAYBE.

When we are under attack by a nuclear missile and needs an answer immediately, OBAMA will say PRESENT.

Either one of us will not be here anymore because the word PRESENT which is really MAYBE. NOT YES. NOT NO.

The President should be ready to say YES or NO only... NOT PRESENT... NOT MAYBE.

[riskytime]

Please check out this website before you vote for Obama http://www.obamatruth.org/

[bobbymac91]

The New York Times article on Obama and the nuclear bill in the Senate is very interesting. It talks about how he changed the bill and added provisions to it that people in Illinois were very concerned with, that Obama''s donor Exelon had interest in the bill and that David Axelrod worked for Exelon. While the Obama camp is arguing these points what they are unable to do is argue abou what Obama has been saying on the campaign trail. He has said that this is one of his greatest accomplishments in the US Senate but guess what? The bill did not even pass in the US Senate. If he claims that one of his greatest accomplishments is a bill that did not pass then why doesn''t he let people know that?