Clinton Lowers Expectations

(CBS)

Trying to downplay a possible ninth loss in a row for Hillary Clinton, her campaign talked up Barack Obama's chances in today's Wisconsin and Hawaii primaries. "They are on the record claiming a sizeable victory in Wisconsin and Hawaii," said Communications Director Howard Wolfson. "These are states they are predicting victories in." Wolfson is referring to a leaked memo from the Obama campaign a few weeks ago that showed their projections in coming contests.

Clearly, the campaign is trying to cushion themselves against a loss in Wisconsin while still working to pull out a win. On Election Day, it's all a game of expectations. A win would mean a lot to Clinton and her campaign, while a loss would add to Obama's momentum. But by lowering expectations, the campaign can argue that Obama was always predicted to do well in Wisconsin. "We have always said we think Wisconsin is challenging," said Clinton's chief pollster Mark Penn. "There's a very substantial independent vote." Independent voters tend to favor Obama, but a majority of voters in Wisconsin are lower-income whites, who have supported Clinton. Some pundits argue this is Clinton's race to lose.

Looking forward, the campaign has said for weeks now that it is looking to March 4th states like Texas and Ohio. But today, Wolfson continually referred to those contests as "real battlegrounds," despite the fact that most national polls show Clinton with sizeable leads. Lowering the bar once again, Wolfson said that Obama's campaign was "pulling out all the stops to do all they can" in Texas and that the race will be "hotly contested."

The campaign discredited some polls that show Obama gaining ground among Hispanic voters, a key base of support for Clinton. "We haven't seen any evidence of support dropping," said Averell "Ace" Smith, Clinton's Texas state chair. "There is a deep connection and long term relationship that Senator Clinton has with that community."

Overall, the mood of the campaign going into today's Wisconsin primary and looking to Ohio and Texas seems to be positive. Wolfson remains confident that Clinton will be the nominee. At one point he was asked about the campaign's finances, particularly since Senator Clinton loaned $5 million of her own money to the campaign back in January. Wolfson said the campaign raised $15 million in 15 days after Clinton announced coughing up the cash for her campaign.