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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Hillary Clinton's ticking clock

It's becoming clear, after the quotes by key Clinton backers Schumer and Rangel, that this Democratic primary race will not be allowed to go into the convention, that, at some point, a consensus of Dem powerbrokers and superdelegates will come in to effectively call an end to this race.

This is a second front that the Clinton campaign is battling that is getting almost no coverage. Right now, they've effectively bought time through Mar 4, Texas, Ohio, and Vermont, but to keep that clock alive after that, they are going to have to start winning.

A win in Wisconsin today could turn that clock off.

(Politico) Clinton targets Obama's pledged delegates.
(Later: The Clinton campaign denies this.)

7 Comments:

  • Obama better hope he has some brass knuckled politicos on his team. The campaign -- both in public and behind-closed-doors -- is going to get much nastier as desperation and desire come to a nexus.

    Obama's best strategy, in my opinion, is to make the Clinton campaign look petty and desperate.... the "do and say anything to win" refrain. This only works if he can appear to stay above the politics-as-usual fray. But this is politics as usual, isn't it?

    Today all eyes are on Wisconsin... and I'm sure the spinmeisters are all ready working overtime, pre-packaging spin for every possible outcome.

    By Blogger -epm, at 8:54 AM  

  • Obama started that a little bit over the "plagarism" thing.

    One of the more interesting analyses I've read recently was buried in a Politico piece saying basically, Clinton has hit her ceiling, and her only hope is to drag Obama down below that line.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:48 AM  

  • Oy! That "plagiarism" allegation was such bullshit! I mean COME ON!

    But.... it's getting press. Even if the media concludes by saying it's a silly change, Clinton got what she wanted: a headline that says "Obama: Plagiarist?" It doesn't matter that below the fold it say "No," the headline is out there. It's like a judge telling the jury to "disregard that outburst form the defendant"...

    By Blogger -epm, at 1:39 PM  

  • It was. That's why I put it in quotes.

    I think it's campaign chaff, more designed to make Obama's TV clips about this rather than clips of soaring rhetoric.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 1:41 PM  

  • If you sell yourself, I guess you might as well try to tear down the other guy. Is this and example of result of 35 years of experience? An example of the kind of leader she'll be on day-one?

    I guarantee, whoever becomes president, within months they'll be faced with problems where it'll be more important how they think than what they were doing in 1975, or where they picked up an affective rhetorical idiom.

    By Blogger -epm, at 2:04 PM  

  • of course they deny it! but would anyone be suprised to know the Clintons would consider it? Of course not! Win at any costs...I'm sure bill already has shmoozed up to some already...Tomorrow Wisc and Hawaii learn they don't matter...Next month Tx and maybe Oh...soon she will realize she hasn't mattered for 3 weeks. bill will always matter -- to himself.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:40 PM  

  • EPM, "CocaCola says, Pepsi is full of rat poison." That's how you sell in a closed market. In a market with expansion possibilities, you say Coke is great.

    That's where they are.

    .....

    Anon, agreed. They definitely want to keep such shenanigans under the radar til the voting's done.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 5:33 PM  

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