Clinton Camp: It's A Miracle We're Not Behind In Pennsylvania

If you were operating off of the tone of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign it's a downright political miracle that the she isn't trailing Barack Obama by 20 points in the current Pennsylvania polls.

In a Wednesday conference call with reporters, aides to the New York Democrat offered a heaping dose of expectations-setting roughly two weeks before Pennsylvanians hit the polls.

"The fact that we still maintain a lead after Sen. Obama spent six days here and got the backing of [Pennsylvania] Sen. [Bob] Casey, and in light of being outspent, I think it is remarkable that we still maintain a lead," said T.J. Rooney, the state's Democratic Party chairman. "We don't think we have any weaknesses in this state. It has been said before and it bears repeating: we are being outspent financially."

And indeed, Obama is pouring massive resources into the state. Estimates have him outspending Clinton by a margin of three-to-one in Pennsylvania, and his campaign has been flooding the airwaves with advertisements. With these advantages, Clinton's aides say, its remarkable that Clinton is even hanging on.

"If Senator Obama is not able to win Pennsylvania with all the resources he has thrown at the state... it will again demonstrate that he has serious problems winning the large states and closing the deal with voters," said Clinton's spokesman Howard Wolfson. "We all now that the road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue runs through Pennsylvania. If Sen. Obama, outspending us three to one in the state, is unable to win Pennsylvania it would be another sign that his campaign is not the best to face Sen. McCain in the fall."

The reality, of course, is much more nuanced. For weeks Clinton supporters have been predicting her victory in the state, some by double-digit margins. As recently as yesterday, a poll had the Senator besting Obama by 16 points, although that could be an outlier; the distance between the two candidates has narrowed sharply. And Pennsylvania's political landscape - with more blue collar white voters - and its primary structure - which is limited to only Democrats - lend itself more favorably to Clinton's candidacy.

That said, Obama has devoted myriad resources to besting Clinton in the Keystone State, in what would perhaps be a knockout win. As Wolfson told the reporters, referencing to the 37-point score Obama recently rolled at a bowling alley: "He has been willing even to put his bowling skills on display in an effort to do well here."

Comments

[VOTER]

The only "MIRACLE" surrounding the Hillary Clinton Campaign is the fact there are still

small business owner vendors willing to do business with her and her staff without getting

their payment up front.

DON'T THEY READ? HILLARY DOESN'T PAY HER BILLS!

And yes, she has millions of dollars or Euros.

[vincie]

AT LEAST SHE IS NOT TAKING MONEY FROM PEOPLE THAT CAN'T AFFORD IT. BLACK PEOPLE WHO GIVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THEIR PAY EACH WEEK TO OBAMA. THIS MONEY WOULD BE BETTER SPENT ON THEIR FAMILY. OBAMA HAS DONE NOTHING FOR BLACK AMERICAN AND IS USING THEM. I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THE MAN THAT ONLY WANTS TO FEATHER HIS NEST. PLEASE DON'T COMPARE WHAT THE CLINTON'S DID FOR MINORITIES AND WHAT OBAMA DID. THE AMAZING THING IS HOW BLACK AMERICA HAS TURNED AGAINST THE CLINTON'S. I GUESS WE WHITE AMERICAN'S SHOULD VOTE FOR THE WHITE AMERICAN IN THIS CAMPAIGN. WE SHOULD THINK LIKE BLACK AMERICA. BUT IF WE DID THE SAME THING WE WOULD BE RACISTS.

[kamenwati]

The captial letters do nothing but amplify the ignorance and bigotry of your post.

[timm0]

Hey professor, take off your caps-lock. Are you not smart enough to capitalize only the first letter of certain words?

[pghdem]

Putting aside the question of what about the white folks (like me) who contribute regularly to Obama--what you're saying is that black folks who contribute to the campaign are doing so with money they can't afford to spend?? Really?? Because all black people are poor and couldn't possibly have extra income to do with as they damn well please?? Seriously?? And "think like black America"?? Again--really?? Yet I bet you're one of those folks who goes ballistic when someone points out how racist you are, am I right?

[cindyw]

Black Americans can decide for themselves how best to spend their money. If they decide to donate to Obama, I wouldn't presume to tell them that they shouldn't, anymore than I would tell Clinton supporters what to do with their money. Your statement that "she is not taking money from people that can't afford it" (and you have no way of knowing that) implies that her supporters have more disposable income than Obama's. Some might see that as a good reason for the less fortunate to support Obama.

[Grunty1]

I would assume that all the businesses that Hillary is stiffing cannot afford to have their money taken either.

[tfangmel]

Oh please, stop using the election as a cover for your racism. Would you vote for Clarence Thomas??? I don't think many black people would!!!!

[dwmulenex]

Of course Hillary is not the underdog in Pennsylvania; she will win by a handy 8-12 points. Howard Wolf's Son is a master at the kind of victimology that takes a candidate who lies repeatedly, whose husband pockets money to support the same Colombian agreement she opposes, and nonetheless makes her candidacy that of the downtrodden (multi millionaire) woman. Believe it at your peril, voters of Pennsylvania! Ask her to show you her signature legislation as U.S. Senator, or anything she actually accomplished on the policy front as First Lady except giving the speech written for her in Beijing. As Hill would say had Obama given the speech, "Just words!" Don't be fooled again.

[GhostOfSchlesinger]

Interestingly, asked in a recent poll whether the fact that Bill Clinton recently accepted an $800,000 dollar check from the government of Columbia to support a program to fire American workers and destroy American jobs, over 90 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed said this FACT would cause them to vote AGAINST the Clinton's for president.

ALSO, asked whether the FACT that Hillary did not fire Mark Penn, but continues to pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars to continue with her campaign - EVEN AFTER he took MILLIONS of dollars from the government of Columbia to support a program to fire American workers and destroy American jobs - over 90 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed said this FACT would cause them to vote AGAINST the Clinton's for president.

[halyscomet]

Let's hope that Penn Voters WILL vote for Obama based on the lies and double-talk of the Clintons.

Let's also hope that there are only a few who would rather vote for a job-stealing liar, rather than a Black Man.

[greatbear451]

I think there's a major factor that is contributing to Hillary's decline in PA polls that is being underreported: The Rendel factor. Gov. Rendel has been making stupid statements reminding PA voters that we're supposed to be too racist to vote for Obama. Also, there are presistant rumors that he's angling for the VP slot or a cabinet position.

Most people outside the state may not know this, but our Lt. Governor, Catherine Baker Knoll is seriously senile. She once referred to Ed Rendel, the man she serves under as "Edward G. Robinson". She's 78 and even people who hate Rendel want him to stay on until the end of his term so we don't get stuck with her.

[Blackstone]

Rendell has said some crazy things but like Strickland he is loyal to Hillary. When this nomination is over and Obama is the nominee I think he should use Rendell in his campaign, if he falls in line, the man is a born 'attack dog' and he should help to keep the McCain swiftboaters at bay.

[vincie]

AFTER YOU BAD MOUTH RENDELL, YOU WANT HIM TO GO TO THE MATT FOR OBAMA. THINK AGAIN. WHAT A BUNCH OF PEOPLE YOU ARE. DO YOU REALLY EXPECT, AFTER BAD MOUTHING HILLARY, THAT WE WILL VOTE FOR OBAMA. THINK AGAIN. YOU HAVE BEEN DISGUSTING IN YOUR COMMENTS AND NOW YOUR ARE GOING AFTER RENDELL, JUST BECAUSE HE SUPPORTS HILLARY. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY SICK ABOUT YOUR THINKING.

[greatbear451]

Why would Obama pick up such a huge liability as Rendel?

I think he's hurting Clinton more than he's helping her right now. He recently went on Fox "News" and called them the "most balanced" of the networks covering the campaigns. Someone needs to remind him that he's supposed to be saying things that will make democrats MORE likely to vote for Clinton, not less.

[AxelDC]

I prefer Edward G. Robinson to Ed Rendel as well, so who can blame her?

[greatbear451]

Well who doesn't?

[weinbob]

Lanny Davis - UGGGHHH!!! - Rev. Wright - Always welcome on Hannity.

Clintons Six Personal Fouls Worthy of Ejection

1. Drivers License, Clinton Restoration, Inevitable, Third Place in Iowa (kindergarten essay)= I lump all of these into one foul called delay of game.

2. Sheehan "drug dealing", BET B. Johnson Trash Talk, Bill Clinton "Jesse Jackson" = race

3."Shame on You" - "I am honored" = SYBIL - - The whole NAFTA and N. Ireland bogus claims proven false by both schedules and Irish Noble Prize winners.
Foul

4. Bosnia = this calls for a ten day suspension from the league, not just ejection. This is the worst personal foul you can committ.

5. Failure to pay health insurance premiums, other vendors, running out of money, failure to organize in caucus states, and working the ref's over Fl and MI which along with popular vote, electoral college del, big states, etc. are not actually how you win the game.

6. Commander in Chief attact against dem rival.
"McCain and I are ready, he gave a speech....
This is not basketball people - this is Tanya Harding with a thug (WJC) and a crowbar.

What is most alarming to me - the MSM requires an attempt to show a balance. If a terrorist blows up twenty kids on a school bus, the MSM will interview the Ambassador plus a representative or sympathizer of the terrorist position. Likewise, HRC continues to terrorize the truth, diminish the probable nominee of her party and

[SLone08]

Great Post

[garbovatwins]

Pledge yourself to making the survival of your species your #1 priority. It is not too late, but time is rapidly running out.

[weinbob]

WOLF EATEN BY OBAMA'S GRANDMOTHER & LRR

Issue 1. Name recognition and brand combined with state political apparatus and hyper endorsement of only modern day dem president. This is a built in firewall which takes more than money, it takes six months of retail politics like in Iowa.

Issue 2 - Race - Demographics indicate that voters with less than HS education in states with 6% to 16% black population may not be voting on issues alone. Supporting Clinton after Bosnia seems contrary to everything I know about white factory workers.

Issue 3. The Lead - Obama is well ahead. Objective measures range from intrade at 86 percent, Slate Clinton death watch at ten percent... The point is when you are in the lead you do not have to "win", or "catch up". It is Clinton who needs to win, needs to take risks. It is exactly the need to overcome this insurmountable lead that has caused HRC to take so many risks which have backfired.

Issue 4 - Should Clinton Get Out = YES. First congrats are in order, she is the first women to win a primary. However her need to take risks to change the nature of the race ever since Iowa have created an ugly campaign. She should get out because she has "exceeded the number of fouls" allowed. The key word is personal, like in Basketball regardless of the score you get six fouls. Clinton should have fouled out,

[AxelDC]

Obama needs to win in PA. It will shut the door on her candidacy forever and force her out. Had he won the Texas Primary, she would be vacationing in the Grand Caymans right now, nursing pina coladas to drown out her tears.

She's not going to quit because she knows it is her only shot at the White House. A ten percent chance is much greater than her chances in 2012 or beyond.

[vincie]

you say after bosnia. what about rev right. this sick old man that bad mouths america, while the church builds him a million dollar home. and no hillary should not get out and hand the nominee to obama. this man that states like kansas, utah, s carolina, alabama. all these states that democrats will not carry in the general election. i almost wish that obama wins, just to see how it feels to be man handled by the media, when the republicans ge through with him.

[qdog112]

Vincie use the shift key to capitalize a letter. There is usually one on each side of the keyboard.

[standforpeace]

Why do these reporters allow Clinton's campaign to continue to make the claim that they are being outspent without asking some additional questions and providing some follow-up. For example, a question that should be asked next time, they complain about being outspent.

"You often note that Obama is outspending you. This is true and no doubt a result of the fact that he is raising more money than you, primarily from small donors. Why do you think that Obama has beeen so much more successful at generating contributions from so many Americans of $25-100 than has your campaign? Why are you so much more reliant on fewer donors who give the maximum amount? "

When Obama's spending is not put in the proper context, it allows the Clinton campaign to get away with insinuating that he is unfairly outspending her to win the election, when in fact, his fundraising is more accurately viewed as another measure of his greater appeal to larger numbers of Americans.

[weinbob]

What is most alarming to me - the MSM requires an attempt to show a balance. If a terrorist blows up twenty kids on a school bus, the MSM will interview the Ambassador plus a representative or sympathizer of the terrorist position. Likewise, HRC continues to terrorize the truth, diminish the probable nominee of her party and

[HowietheScreamer]

Come on dude, the MSM is far too beholden to the Corporate interest to actaully ask, you know, relevant questions. They perfer to ask her about her pantsuit choice for the day, or prop up her talking points. Clinton is the Corporate candidate, the MSM just supports the corporate view, so she is their natural.

[AC500]

Does it really matter who's outspending who? Hillary is finished and is just trying to remain relevant by stirring people up. Best to just ignore the bad loser she is.

[SEQUOIABISON]

It is pathetic how we can never get a straight answer from the pandering Hillary.

No matter what the issue she is always hedging her bets by being on all sides of the issue until it is clearly defined where the polls are going.

This is how she helped get America in trouble by voting for and vociferously supporting the invasion of a sovereign nation.

How could anyone possibly trust what she would have to say if she ever gets the nomination? We can't. She is G.W. Bush in a skirt.

[Blackstone]

I don't think she's worn a skirt for over 30 years, but you are dead right she never gives a straight answer to any question put to her. To my mind reporters are wasting their time quizzing her.

[dawlishgal]

Yeah, Hillary, a miracle...­.same way it is a miracle that the Democratic party-machine crooks who endorsed you are still in office (much less not IN JAIL where they belong). We moved here from two states (CT, then MN) where the crooks in government tended to be Republicans, so it was a shock to see how things operate here. The Democrats lost their majority in the PA state government because they sneaked back into the capitol in the middle of the night and voted themselves a big fat raise. And Rendell has no shame at all...ther­e were even photos of him in the newspaper yukking it up and celebrating the retirement of some of machine pol who is quitting before he is indicted. And then there is the matter of Norman Hsu and his and Rendell's mutual favors.

Just yesterday, yet another scandal (after the one in which 4 or 5 chronic wife-beaters were promoted in the police department) in which our boy-mayor's two top aids...a married couple.... were caught taking bribes from the guy who was granted approval (without hearings) to put up a bunch of big ugly MOVING picture billboards all over Pittsburgh. Inplementing this goofy idea (billboards are a bad enough distraction even when they are STILL) brought down a bunch of traffic lights and caused who knows how many accidents a couple of weeks ago.

Welcome to PA, where Democrats are crooks too. .

[TheSecularist]

Is it me, or did the goal post just move again?

[timm0]

I can't stand more of these dishonest karl rove marketing scams. This isn't "spin" - this is a full, F5 bullsh*t tornado.

[Nyland8]

The damage that Rodham does is that she keeps the public’s eye from the smaller, local races and the Congressional and Senatorial races by pushing them off the front pages. If we are to gain true majorities in both houses, if we are to really empower our next president to change the way business is done in American politics, then we need to focus our attention on our Senate and House races, and stop depleting our resources, pissing away Democratic funds while just forestalling the inevitable. 
How many people are still contributing to Rodham who might otherwise be supporting candidates in other races? We can’t even measure the damage.


Please drop out, Rodham.

8

[kay]

The damage that Clinton does is she makes it impossible for Obama to make his two best arguments against McCain: the run-up to Iraq and the fact that our government is bought and sold to the highest bidder.

Obama can't make those arguments because Clinton is vulnerable on both of them.

He can't draw a clear distinction between McCain and the Democratic nominee, using the Democrat's two best arguments, as long as Clinton is in the race.

Her presence makes it impossible. She bought the Iraq War argument and she and her surrogates are some of the worst offenders in the "bought and sold" category.

[Nyland8]

Acknowledged. There are lots of good reasons to drop out, not the least of which is to start supporting Obama in his run.

8

[Nyland8]

All this ... and it's still too early to tell. Rodham may still lose PA. In any event, it is unlikely that she will enjoy a large, double-digit win that she might have had PA held their primary on Super Tuesday. Since then, she has suffered the death-of-a­-thousand-­cuts. The only time she's even appeared on the radar since Tsunami Tuesday was Ohio and Rhode Island, and whatever delegates she garnered there were eaten up by her de facto loss in Texas.

And since then ... ?

Obama continues to pile on - Wyoming - Mississippi -

And if she doesn't lose PA? Well his juggernaut continues with North Carolina. She can never lead in States won - she can never lead in popular votes - and, most importantly, she can never lead in earned delegates. Why would she think she can possibly win the nomination trailing in ALL of these? Has she really been told by someone - anyone - that she can cajole, seduce, threaten or bribe enough Super Delegates to give her the nomination OVER AND AGAINST the will of the American people? Where might that bad council have come from? Does Bill really think he can pull that many chains ... ?? Call in that many markers ... ??? How many Super Ds owe the Clintons big-time enough to have their votes run roughshod over the will of the American people?

8

[shanester]

More BS from the Clinton camp. She was ahead by 20 points now its down to below 10. She should still win but it won't be a landlslide

I think even Pennsylvanians are beginning to tire of the endless drama and lies that come out of her camp.