Analysis: Obama Wave Crashes Through

Vaughn Ververs Says Big Wins In Maryland And Virginia Build Lead, Momentum For Obama's Campaign

(CBS)  This analysis was written by CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs.

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Hillary Clinton spent years of maneuvering and over $100 million building what was supposed to be an impenetrable seawall capable of warding off any political assault. But Barack Obama has created a wave that began in the caucuses of Iowa, ebbed in New Hampshire, grew again in South Carolina, endured Super Tuesday and in Virginia and Maryland may have broken down the Clinton seawall at last.

From the beginning, Obama has faced the challenge of turning an air of excitement and energy into a movement on the ground and votes in the ballot box. In what's been called the Potomac Primary, he has gone a long way toward completing that task.

The erosion in Clinton's base of support in Maryland and Virginia was striking. Throughout this tightly contested race, Clinton has relied on the support of women, lower and middle-income voters, those with lower levels of education, older voters and Hispanics.

In Tuesday's voting, she lost to Obama overall in every one of those categories, winning only narrowly among all white voters and slightly larger among white women. The makeup of the electorate was clearly friendlier to Obama but he has eaten into areas of her strength. Hispanics, a small slice of the total vote, also broke for Obama.

The margin of victory for Obama in both states widened his lead in the overall delegate count, according to CBS News estimates. In Virginia, Obama won 64 percent of the vote and in Maryland with a similar number. In contests held since Super Tuesday, Obama has consistently won with numbers like that, not nail-biters.

The Obama movement has now materialized at the polls. In Virginia, over one-third of voters who turned out to vote in the Democratic contest were first-time primary voters.

Signs of downfall, if not panic, have been on display within the Clinton ranks. Her campaign manager was ousted last weekend and the deputy campaign manager was gone before the results were in from Maryland.

The campaign has talked down caucus contests, where Obama has done so well, for being unrepresentative. They have questioned the media coverage of their opponent, challenged him to more debates and argued about the delegates in limbo from the party-sanctioned states of Florida and Michigan. Meanwhile Obama is raising money at the clip of about $1 million per day while Clinton's folks say their finances have "stabilized" after a $5 million personal loan from the candidate herself.

Such process arguments haven’t fazed the tens of thousands of people who pack arenas at every stop to see Obama. They haven't stopped voters from flooding to the polls in record numbers from Iowa to Virginia and points in-between. Obama has won caucus states and primary states, big states and small ones, red and blue, north and south, east and west.

Clinton now faces a daunting challenge to not just stop a movement but do so emphatically. Next week, there will be contests in Wisconsin, where Obama leads in recent polls, and Hawaii, an Obama home state. Without a breakthrough win, Clinton will have gone ten straight contests without a victory. Those process questions may yet come into play with the battle over the unpledged super delegates who are likely to decide the final outcome but it's a long-shot at best should she end substantially behind in the overall vote.

Her campaign will look at making last-stands in Ohio and Texas on March 4th, two large states where she may have some built-in advantages. But the recent spate of losses has given Obama a widening delegate lead, one that will only be overcome with large-margins of victory for Clinton because of the proportional allocation system.

One factor working in Clinton's favor could be time. As clear front-runner, Obama is likely to undergo a new round of scrutiny in the three weeks between the Potomac primary and March 4th. Democratic voters yet to be heard will have time to ponder the decision their party appears ready to make. More importantly, Clinton will have that time to give them something to think about.

When Hillary and, more precisely, Bill Clinton went on the attack prior to the South Carolina primary and injected racial overtones into the discussion, it backfired. Big time. But Clinton has little choice now than to sharpen the distinctions she sees between herself and Obama. That will again create accusations that the Clintons are injecting race into the campaign. The Clinton campaign will have to figure out how it intends to walk that tricky path.

Clinton's seawall has broken down, bit by bit, contest by contest with the relentless waves of support for Obama, slowly eroding barriers once believed to be impenetrable -- and it's a tide that threatens to break down even more walls. In the first-ever Potomac Primary, the Obama wave finally crashed through Clinton's wall. Can her protection be rebuilt in time?

[rhopeg]

If you read his book The Audacity of Hope, you will know that Obama has consulted with the Warren Buffet on the economy and the economic classes and education and distribution of wealth. A Leader-President seeks and applies the ideas of all the "experts" he can uncover: He knows it takes more than one brilliant mind__that it takes a brain-trust to address the global economic and national economic problems of the masses of working class and middle class Americans of this 21st Century. We cannot time warp to Prez Bill''s ''90s!
Hillary? She cannot manage her own Campaign budget. Why should she be trusted with the budget of the people, the government, the U.S.A.?

[rhopeg]

Hillary beginning on DAY ONE__IOWA--was __NOT READY__to run the bureaucracy of her own Campaign! A little crying in NH made it better, bringing out the "pity" woman vote. Now after Obama wins Nebraska, Washington state, Louisiana, Maine, Virgiania, Maryland, Washington D.C. and V.I., she has "thrown" out top aide Solis-Doyle (having used up all the Solis-Doyle value on Super Tuesday). The CLINTON strategy to take Obama out on Super Tuesday FAILED !
Do you trust Hillary on Day One to run the bureaucracy and staff of your House, the Government of the United States of America if she was not ready on Day One _Iowa_with the right strategy to win?

Now, the insurgent Senator Barack Obama got it RIGHT on Day ONE__he has mounted a campaign that has OUT-STRATEGIZED, OUT-ORGANIZED and OUT-GALVANIZED and OUT-MOBILIZED the youth voters and the rest of us! Super Tuesday he was still standing for change we can believe in. While a day after Super Tuesday Hillary was whining "poor mouth"__I had to infuse my campaign with My $50K__OBAMA campaign was raking in the money_"Flush"!
FIRE UP! READY TO GO OBAMA ''08!
P.S. Bill''s campaign manager ''92 just endorsed Obama. David Wilhelm knows OHIO every inch because he''s a developer. What an asset Wilhelm will be in the Ohio campaign for Obama. He is one of the superdelegates to boot. Wilhelm praises Obama campaign smarts in his endorsement__"I know organizational excellence."

[chitown639]

I''''ve started to read and to hear people saying Obama is the anti Christ..Is this humor..or is it true??
Be careful Americans..there''''s something wrong here...


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Posted by PSEUDO19

Anti-Christ...Hahahaha Now thats a ''FAIRTALE''

Obama 2008

[pseudo19]

I''ve started to read and to hear people saying Obama is the anti Christ..Is this humor..or is it true??
Be careful Americans..there''s something wrong here...

[jimmyc1955]

Hillary is running to be President - so she can be President.

That is her sole reason - pure, unbridled ambition. Her use of power, in the past, has been secretive (he health care program in the first year of Bills first term was famous for being closed door, no information, no leaks, not inclusive and not interested in any input) to punitive (white house travel office, 2 campaign managers. . . ) so if your talking about somebody fit to lead - it aint'' Hillary. She will drive - not lead - and accept nobodies input and will listen to not one individual. She will be a micromanager''s micromanager preventing her staff from getting anything done.
And as things turn bad she will again scream about right wing conspiracies. We haven''t seen an ego this big in the White house since . . . *** - I can''t remember the last time.

[nikitia11]

Please check this link if you haven''t already. It''s quite moving!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cySK6q2P_Nw


Obama thinks that putting all of problems (Mortage crisis, Iraq, healthcare, immigration, economy)...
.Also issues he has not spoken about (homelessness, education, increasing war veterans support,
abuse against children, Foster care, predatory college loans, Unemployment, National security, etc...) in a box,
and paint a pretty picture of change and hope. Well, news flash.
You can have a hobby lobby party and take turns with your paint brushes of visionary tales(change--The Kennedy''s right).
And, if he is elected, after 4 years will we still have the same issue stuck in that box?
Or, Do what we know Hillary Clinton will vigorous do to seek, solve, shift, and refocus the U.S. on the vast issues
Bush forgot that existed these past 7 years. Hillary is not running for show or the high school yearbook title for most popular.
As we know Popularity of President comes when you have shown with leadership that you have resolve, added clarity,
forward movement of solutions. She has spent her public life to try to resolve issues that matter.

[jimmyc1955]

Prinzofwhales - check your facts. Rezko didn''t give that much to Obamma - not nearly as much as Hillary got from a convicted Chinese agent - Norman Hsu.

Like I said - accuse others of what your doing.

Bill and Hillary have one track and they stick too it.

[jimmyc1955]

It has become standard practice for loosers in the Democratic party to claim election fraud - getting kind of tired since nobody has ever proven anything or even come up with something remotely tangible.

The Clinton brushes with illegal campaign contributions are legendary so the whole Rezko is pure Clinton campaigning at it''s best. Just keep yelling the accusation till everybody believes it to be true.

Nobody seems to want to remember Hillary trumping up charges on the White House travel staff, having one guy arrested on false charges just so she could put her own people in. The charges were dropped as baseless but it doesn''t seem to come up anymore.

Clinton''s accusing anybody of wrong doing is humor at it''s very best.

The next 4 weeks will be rife with unfounded innuendo about Obamma, from unnamed sources and untraceable web sites. Clinton''s will claim they have nothing to do with it - and express outrage at the content.

Old as politics. Thomas Jefferson accused John Adams of child molesting. But the Clinton''s spin is that they always seem to accuse others of what they themselves are doing. Wonder if the press will turn a blind eye like they have in the past.

[prinzowhales]

My last post should read "illinois" for the last "Ohio"

[prinzowhales]

croft777--Yeah, he was one of Rezko''s biggest beneficiaries as far as campaign contributions go...its little wonder nothing has changed in Ohio since the election was stolen there in 2004--Obama didn''t say a thing about New Hampshire this year about the election fraud there...wonder why?--he suffered the most to give Clinton a win. He''s part of the culture of crime and corruption in Ohio and the United States. But, as with Bush, try to tell his chuckle-headed worshippers this....

[prinzowhales]

Posted by glossypan at 04:49 PM : Feb 13, 2008---

You made me look! Here is the link to the obama webside where he gives himself a loophole you could fly a Boeing through to keep troops in Iraq.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

He says if al Qaeda has a base in Iraq...we''ll have to hang around to launch attacks on them...We brought al Qaeda to Iraq and use it now to justify our continued presence. He has said before that we would have to stay in Iraq to "take out" thousands of "activist extremists."

Obama is just gift wrapping a tur-d.

[frb01]

There is a wave of support following Obama, the likes of which this country has not seen in years. Even if he doesn''t get the nomination, he has brought a lot of new voters into the process and possibly has put a dent into the politics of finger pointing and name calling.

[croft777]

Another stealth Hitlery plant, pretending to be for Obama--it would work even better if they did not try to be sooo ethnic. No black man says "bros" its "homes" or homey or "cuz" --tool troll. find a black male and have them teach you the code. LOL b-easy63

we don''t need no more men running around with their pants falling off.

[croft777]

Obama said he was against NAFTA, but supports Peruvian trade agreement which is an extension on NAFTA.

OBama said he is against politicians taking money from PAC and lobbyist. Obama takes money from state based PAC and lobbyist who are affiliated with the Washington lobbyist.

Obama said to help pay for his purposed health insurance he would raise taxes and raise the tax on SS wages.

Obamas real estate deal and relationship with Arab- American activist Tony Rezko raises ethical questions. Rezko is in jail, he was a large contributor to Obamas fundraising. Obama was sold his home and land at a huge discounted price by Rezko.


Oh, and lets not forget about his racist Church, his racist pastor, and Farrakhan the church members admire so much that they gave that black muslim leader their highest award, and wrote a story about him in their church magazine. How sweet, their not only racist, but terrorist!!!

[candide777]

McCain trumps your people seven ways to Sunday.
LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT!
Posted by DemWatcher at 07:14 PM : Feb 13, 2008

Wow, well, you''ve persuaded me! You must have been captain of the debate team!

[vortecmax]

My wife wears flip flops in the summer. One on the left, one on the right. We named them Kerry and McCain.

[jimmyc1955]

OK - I stand corrected - he is for Mother, apple pie, a chicken in every pot, the betterment of mankind, uplifting the poor, correcting injustice and has his picture taken with Superman. Yup he knows how to go out on a limb this guy does!

But to be fair - its his best strategy - no details nothing to get wrapped around. As long as he keeps getting popularity votes - just keep it rolling.

Hillary will thrash out ever greater wonkish plans to save the economy, the war, the UN, healthcare and all with that same deadly serious tone that Al Gore used to lose an election that he had absolutely no business loosing.

All he had to do was shut up and wave and he would have won - but he opened his big ego/mouth and shot the election.

And as to experience - tell my why 8 years of deciding how to decorate the white house Christmas tree and seeing right wing conspirators behind the bushes qualifies her any more than Obamma''s time in grade?

If you excuse the obtuse metaphor - claiming experience points here is a pot calling a kettle black (and in this case - it is - mostly :-)

[diallosma]

Obamma hasn''''t said anything of substance - at all
Posted by jimmyc1955 at 04:56 PM : Feb 13, 2008


He did say there were more important issues to deal with than arresting and prosecuting medicinal marijuna
(sic) users. That sounded like a definate stand on one issue at least, and I''m sure if you asked the man he might have a few more...

[demwatcher]

A GOP nominee so angry and arrogant that he scares the neocons?
Do you want this man as your Commander-In-Chief?

Posted by glossypan at 05:26 PM : Feb 13, 2008

You mean a MAN as opposed to a inexperienced dolt like Obama? Or a byoch like Billary?

McCain trumps your people seven ways to Sunday.

LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT!

[excoachken]

At the present time, I see Obama as an small improvement on what we have now, but limited by his need for on-the-job training in international affairs. McCain has more experience in International Affairs, but is too unstable to be trusted near the Big Button. He needs extensive anger management work before that level of trust can be given to him and he has no clue of how to cure our economic woes. The only real hope for "CHANGE" is an old fashioned Convention that goes to three or four ballots and then John Edwards gets nominated as the compromise candidate. He is truly the only person with the character, leadership, experience, and negotiating ability to lead us out of the hellhole that the Cowardly Cowboy has created.