Junior Super Tuesday
Posted: Monday, March 03, 2008 9:09 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The Washington Post: "Betting the future of her campaign on victories in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday, Clinton is closing out her effort with the argument that she would be best prepared to handle an international crisis, even running a provocative ad on the topic. She made that case again on Sunday, blending the argument with a description of herself as a ‘fighter, a doer and a champion’ for low-income workers in this economically stressed region that has seen massive job losses. ‘You know, for some people, this election is about how you feel. It's about speeches,’ Clinton said at a high school near where Obama spoke. ‘Well, that's not what it's about for me. It's about solutions.’”
Clinton added, per the Boston Globe: “‘My opponent gets a little unhappy when I talk about national security. He says that talkin' about the realities of the job of being commander in chief, like these 3 a.m. phone calls that come out of the blue, is somehow fear-mongering,’ Clinton said, often dropping her g's as she addressed boisterous rallies in Fort Worth and Dallas. ‘I gotta tell you, I don't think people in Texas scare all that easily.’” More: “ ‘If Senator Obama doesn't want to debate me about national security, how is he going to debate Senator McCain?’ Clinton asked.”
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times say, Obama "told a raucous rally" in Ohio "that he has ‘tried as much as possible to spend my campaign talking not about the flaws of the other candidates, but [about] why I'm running.’ But he took jabs at Clinton, deriding her for voting to authorize the war in Iraq and for her argument that "she has supposedly all this massive foreign policy experience."
“‘When it came time to make the most important foreign policy decision of our generation -- the decision to invade Iraq -- Sen. Clinton got it wrong,’ Obama said. ‘She didn't read the National Intelligence Estimates. I don't know what all that experience got her. Because I have the experience to know that when you have a National Intelligence Estimate and the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says, “You should read this, this is why I voted against the war,” then you should probably read it.’”
Obama was referring to then-Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), who was head of the committee in 2002 when the Senate voted to authorize military action against Iraq. Graham encouraged his colleagues to read the intelligence report. Few did."
OHIO: A new Quinnipiac poll has Clinton leading Obama by four points in Ohio, 49%-45%. A mid-February Q-poll had Clinton leading by 21 points (55%-34%) and one about two weeks later had her up by 11 points (51%-40%). So the race appears to be narrowing. But not according to a new Suffolk poll, which has Clinton up by 12 points, 52%-40%.
While there's been a lot of focus on Texas and the likelihood that the candidate who wins the popular vote could lose the delegate count, Ohio has a similar issue. "Not all areas of the state are created equal. Southwest Ohio’s congressional districts can provide candidates only four delegates each; the more Democratic-rich congressional districts in Northeast Ohio get more." Obama is expected to do well in those areas with more delegates.
The New York Times takes a look at the two Ohio campaigns and concludes Obama's campaign is in better shape. "Although both campaigns got a late start in Ohio, with most field offices opening in the last 10 days, Mr. Obama appears to have a greater presence as the fight for the state enters its final hours. In part that is because he has more money and television spots, but mostly because he has capitalized on a surge in grass-roots organizing that preceded the arrival of paid staff members. Most of them did not show up until a week after the Feb. 5 nominating contests, when it became clear the Ohio race would be pivotal.”
“Chris Redfern, the state Democratic Party chairman, said the Clinton campaign, backed by Gov. Ted Strickland and his party machinery, was doing an admirable job. But the energy and organizing prowess of the Obama followers have been unlike anything ever seen before in Ohio."
TEXAS: The New York Times takes a look at the Clinton and Obama campaigns in the Lone Star State. "In dozens of interviews across Texas over the last two weeks with campaign workers, volunteers and voters, a similar picture has consistently emerged from place to place: a well-prepared Clinton campaign has relied on longtime friendships and deep connections to the state’s party operation here, especially in the highly organized, heavily Hispanic cities of South Texas. At the same time, the Obama campaign nearly always feels smaller -- sometimes even makeshift, despite its considerable money advantage -- but it also seems remarkably self-generating, drawing hundreds of the first-time campaign volunteers that have fueled his success elsewhere."
The Boston Globe’s Canellos looks at Obama’s chances in Texas. “In Texas, where size matters, Obama is mounting what may be the most elaborate primary campaign in any state in history: His ads are ubiquitous on radio and television, his famed online operation is bringing together people in towns way off the normal campaign trail, and his rallies -- in dramatic settings, showcasing the rampant enthusiasm of his youthful supporters -- are advertisements in themselves, for the pure momentum of his candidacy.
“Now, with two days until the voting, Obama has been so successful at building the appearance of momentum that he has reversed the conventional wisdom: What was once considered fertile ground for Hillary Clinton is now assumed to be Obama country. A win in Texas could be Obama's knockout blow -- but a loss, amid such heightened expectations, may sting a little more than was assumed a few weeks ago.”
The Boston Globe looks at the potential impact of Katrina victim transplants. “Despite their large numbers and dependence on government -- and the fact that if, properly mobilized, they could help to swing the balance of power in local elections and the allocation of primary delegates next week -- the overwhelmingly black population resettled by Katrina remains a largely silent force in Texas political life.”
THE REST: They’re in the shadows, but Vermont and Rhode Island are being hotly contested.
