Hillary's Next Must-Win: Indiana

International Herald Tribune:

As Pennsylvania voters cast their ballots in Tuesday's Democratic primary, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers were already preparing for an all-out battle through the last nomination contests in early June, though many in her camp agree that she needs victories, not only in Pennsylvania, but also in Indiana in two weeks.

Clinton advisers were predicting a victory over Senator Barack Obama in Pennsylvania, though a narrow one. Indeed, two associates of Clinton said she was taking nothing for granted, and they even predicted that she would end her campaign if she were to lose this primary.

Read the whole story: International Herald Tribune

Comments

[Trinidad707]

I don't think Clinton has anything to do with the fact that Obama hasn't won any Big States, and lost all the battleground states except Missouri.......those battleground are states that must be won in the general election against republicans and McCain, and it looks as though Obama can't cut the mustard. Thats not Hillary doing anything at all, that is Barack not pulling in the 50k and under white voters

[Tyrione]

Speaking of Missouri: he didn't win the blue-collar white vote. He won because St. Louis has a very large black vote.

His Protestant Preacher cadence becomes more and more of a negative with every big loss.

[ForeignCommenter]

Obama already gained ground in Pennsylvania in key voter groups compared to Ohio, which means Clinton is LOSING support against him. Besides, primaries are very different to general election, and in GE the opponent is McCain, whose policies are not going to be anywhere near as popular with these demographics as Clinton's and Obama's are. She can't win the pledged delegates (in the end, probably not even with Michigan and Florida counted fully, and them counted fully is quite unlikely) so basically she wants the supers to overthrow the public vote. I'm sure the democratic base and all the activists and new voters Obama has brought in will be happy with that.

[madkey]

Yes it does, because Hillary Clinton is very negative and if he begans calling her out on all of her negatives she would have been out of the race along time ago. I think he should expose her for the fraud that she is.

[mortrefuge]

Dear God! Let Hillary win already! She will lose to McCain and finally end our national nightmare!

[Lazycrockett]

actually the GOP is kinda leaning towards Obama at the moment as the one to beat, not being truly vetted he is seen as the one that they can do the most damage to.

roll the wheel again.

[DSully]

Oh please. The Republians would love to face Hillary. She unites the party. That's why they are attacking Obama now, that way they have a better chance of facing easy target Clinton.

Can you imagine how many ads they can make just off the Bosnia lies?

THe NAFTA lies? Bill Clinton lies? The Columbia conflict of interest? The Norther Ireland lies? She is completely unelectable.

[madkey]

If thats true why are they helping Hillary Clinton to win. They know she cant beat them once they start pouncing on the Clinton dark years in the White House and her new blunders its over. Obama has less to pounce on.

[jcause28]

then she will run in 2012. Obama fans, HELP US IN INDIANA!!! this is it. f&#cking hell, who would of thought that this podunk state I call home would have so much choice. Regardless, speak past the idiots and please help Obama win Indiana. Make my state cool for once.

[madkey]

And you think Mccain is better both of them are wrong for what we need in the White HOuse.

[stoptheworldiwant2getoff]

Why are all my fellow Obama supporters sounding so glum?

He is still winning? Who really thought he could win this state? I didn't not thinking even when he was closing in. The state is more Ohio than Ohio.

Do like i did go to the Obama site and make another donation. It made me feel better.

He will win the nomination.

The consequences of her stealing this nomination are far to great to consider and at this stage she can only steal it. There is no path to winning for her.

Stop stressin' out, keep supporting Obama and keep your heads up

It's okay.

Obama '08

[PuritanDescendant]

Hillary is trying to have it both ways.

She's trying to argue that Obama is inherently unelectable and that he can't win big states. At the same time she's also arguing that she's winning because of her message and she is a strong candidate.

If she won PA because of any problems Obama has, then she gets little credit for winning PA and it says little about her strength in the general. If she won PA because she ran a strong campaign, is a fighter, talks about solutions, etc., then it says little about Obama other than voters preferred her as a first choice.

To top it off, exit polls show that 85% of Hillary voters plan to vote for Obama in the general (a number sure to rise when McCain is the opponent instead of a fellow Dem).

She herself said at the debate that he can win the General Election. Therefore, if she's to win this nomination, she'll have to do it the honest way, by winning the most delegates and votes. This baloney that Obama can't win in November is easily disproven and is nothing but a tactic to try to scare superdelegates.

The Dems have two strong primary candidates, so when one loses it does not mean that the loser can't win the general, it doesn't even mean that the loser is in trouble. It just means that the loser was less preferable in a given state.

[Buddhabman]

The demographic map in Pennsylvania was never In Obama's wheel house, high % of older white females, poor white voters. Months ago his campaign had predicted a 5% loss even before Rev. Wright, Bittergate and Ayers. None of those issues are truly significant, but it gives people who were disinclined to vote for Obama a plausible logical excuse not to. He spent money in order to get it back down to 10% or less.

So here we are she nets + 8 delegates and 200,000 votes. She is still down 150 delegates and 500,000 votes. Hillary is virtually out of money, although she will get a cash infusion bump from tonight. But she is -$9 Million in hole, with Obama $42 million on hand.

That being said team Obama has to get to work in Indiana and North Carolina. I am going to donate again and get to some phone bank work for those states. There is still work to do.

In terms of the party dynamics or dysfunction, people be serious You are willing to vote for McBush just because Hillary or Obama doesn't win the nomination. Get a grip, be a real Democrat

A vote for McCain is a vote for 4 more years of Bush and a vote for the culture of ignorance, incompetence and corruption.

Obama 08

[victoriajubilee]

great post.

[lumina]

The fact is, of the primaries/caucuses held so far, HR Clinton has the lead in the 'electoral votes' represented by the states she has won versus Obama's. We all know that has no play now --- that it is the Super Delegate count that determines the nominee. But surely Dean, the Super Delegates, and the various human cogs in the party apparatus know that it doesn't matter if one wins the popular vote, or the most states, or the most/necessary Super Delegates to take the nomination if one cannot muster the necessary 'electoral votes' to win in November. Both already pledged and undecided Super Delegates should responsibly consider this measure as they weigh placing, holding, or shifting their votes. I know, I know: Most of us want to jettison the electoral system. But it is in effect for now, so we must be aware that in the end, it will matter most. This is a main reason HR Clinton's continuation is valid. By that standard she is frankly in the lead.

[JR49]

In the lead of what? Lead in lies she and her red nose adulterer Bill are spreading around? Lead in connecting with Republicans to win or some other leads she has? Iam just amazed by people in PA to vote for someone like that. I guess years of loosing jobs progressed some to lose their mind too and support somebody who pushed NAFTA and had all her hands in it until she so it ws politicaly correct to refuse it. As same as with war in Iraq, as same as with connections to China. May be her new friend Mr.Scaife helps her to win nomination. I heard already from Tim Russert on MSNBC that Republicans are preparing some discussion forum to disgrace Obama in eyes of Democratic party and Democratic voters.
Is HRC still Democrat? I just wonder.

[ResidentChimp]

Hillary will win Indiana by seven, maybe 12, if Obama grows a pair of cojones and debates her one on one. I believe his inability to face her in North Carolina hurt him in Pennsylvania and later in North Carolina. He has to convince voters he's tough enough to smack down a little old lady.

[Buddhabman]

Chimps are good at many things but delegate math ain't one of them. Indiana is Cllinton +3 now but will be even in by vote time. Obama will have huge ground game from Chicago. Evam Byae is a big factor but he is kind of a douche. North Carolina is not coming your way, even if the Republicans go Willie Horton as they plan to. Now you might be a Hillary supporter or you might just be a Republican Troll, but you know the end for Hillary is near.

Obama 08

[JR49]

And I think all these polls and talks about his closing gaps to 4% was mainly medias game with voters. How come that for example Zorby polls showed one evening Obama nearly even with HRC and over night they had poll with 9% for HRC? Over night people changed mind in poll? Come on. It was over Monday to Tuesday night. I bet situation was very different than it was presented to us and Obama never came so close to HRC. For example on Sunday or so Ed Rendell and few other said she is going to win by double margin and I believe more to the insiders than some pundits from TV.

[stoptheworldiwant2getoff]

Smacking down little old ladies is not Barack's style. Maybe that's Hillary's style. You know "no class"!

Any way Barack just needs to stick with what he is doing and maybe, just like some deranged old lady Hillary will wonder off in to the sunset.

[madkey]

She's not going to win anymore primaries because once Obama start calling her out on her credibility its over for her.

She failed at healthcare.

She lied about everything she claimed as experience because the real people came out and disputed it.

she lied about Bosnia

60% of Americans don't trust Hillary Clinton, thats big problem. She lied about almost everything

All the stories she claimed as experience in the White House turned out to be false or little or nothing.

she's run a terrible campaign. She doesnt pay vendors who provide her service for her events, she cant maintain a budget for her campaign, shes always broke, she didn't pay her employees medicall bills in over a year. This is who yall believe is going to maintan our economy. She cant even maintan her own campaign how is she going to manipulate the situations the country is in.

All she is good at is attacks but all of that is going to change once he calls her out on all of her issues.

[Mort]

Hillary's next must-win? Bingo on group night at the retirement center.

[cog1000]

cfordyo,
it's so appalling. i hope if i tune out for 3 weeks maybe i'll miss all the stench and come back and keep fighting for Obama. but more and more i wonder if it's even worth it.

[mesuki]

I know exactly how you feel,sometimes I feel this country doesn't deserve Obama. Maybe McCain or Hillary should win....this country deserves the mess they will bring.

[lgmurphy]

I agree. It wouldn't be so bad if these die-hards were committed enough to follow their candidate throughout, but like those who were so sure Bush was the man, he got in and the voters paid no attention to him as he set about rearranging the constitution. No outcrys to their representatives, no complaints, nothing. Now he's a terrible guy. He always was. Now who will watch Hillary who has already made it perfectly clear that she lies and cannot be trusted. Her repeatedly saying "you cannot choose your family, but you can choose who you associate with" makes me scream. Did she not choose her husband? Should she become the nominee and win the general, what will we do when she begans to deal with those who did not support her, when she cannot do all the things she says she will do, when she obliterates Iran? While Blll keeps setting up ways to make more money for the Clinton family. If she is the nominee I will not be able to vote for her. Not because Obama lost, but because I am appalled at her conduct and would not trust her as a leader.

[fignozzle]

can republicans register as democrats for the indiana primary too?

[Cfordy0]

COG1000.......I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU...THIS RACE IS SAD...!!!!!

[moda31]

who cares that none of the remaining contests will substantially change the state of the race? roll those goalposts people! how many days till mccain becomes president elect?

[PensacolaTiger]

McCain hasn't got a chance against Obama.

[cog1000]

The longer all this negative campaigning goes on and the longer she does anything to discredit a fellow Dem, the more I feel like my nephew is right. Politics in this country is a joke. It's all controlled by people like Clinton. The media is just along for the ride and ratings and they'll seize on anything she throws out if it's a slow news week. Especially if it's negative or racist or controversial or trivial gossip. I'm beginning to think that if this goes on much longer, I won't be voting at all. I am truly and thoroughly disgusted by the whole debacle. Hillary's negative campaigning is just empowering the McCain campaign and all this crap will start all over again tenfold in the fall. Someone like Clinton wins another state because of voters who... well I won't go there. But it's hugely depressing that negative campaigning, possibly racism, wedge issues, and Rovian appeals to the worst instincts and fears of voters are once again going to give this presidency to the Republicans. I'm beginning to think that the people who survive political careers and/or work in the field have lost all perspective and decency.

[dadele]

Indiana, a must win for Clinton? I'm sorry but they are all must wins for Hillary now. She must win every contest left and by more than she won tonight.

[Fighter4USA]

> A fine Lady for President!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9z-Aatd0wA
****Lets help Hillary ***
https://contribute.hillaryclinton.com/form.html?sc=1789&utm_source=1789&utm_medium=e
> DONATE $10.00

[mesuki]

I'd burn my $10.00... before I give it to that piece of S---!

[madkey]

Why should anybody donate money to her she made 109 million let her use that. I'm not giving my money so she could buddy up with republicans to steal the election from Obama.

[skoryras]

To the people of Indiana, Please don't make the same mistake that the people of PA. did tonight. For those of us born before 1950 time is running out. We have had a Bush or Clinton in office for 28 years and look were we are today, in a mess. If Hillary wins the election we will have another Clinton in office for 2 terms, that means a Bush or Clinton for 36 years. With Jeb Bush ready to run in 2016.

For those of you born in 1980 or later, the Bush's and Clintons are all you know and your future depends on the right choices. Your kids will either be rewarded or devistated by the decisions you will make on May 6th, make the right choice.

Real change comes from new ideas, policies and sound judgement. Hillary can't deliver any of those.
She will lie, steal and turn on her supporters once she is in office. All the promise made in 2004 by now President Bush to the people of PA. were never delivered, not one. Clinton will do the same.

Hillary said this morning that if Iran attacks Isreal or any of our friend in the middle east she will oblierate them with Nukes, but she promises to get us out of Iraq, something smells in Denmark.

If Obama wins the deligate count, popular vote and number of States but the Superdeligates pick Hillary the consequences will destroy the Democratic Party. You can count on it.

[Lazycrockett]

If the people of this nation wants to vote for another Clinton its there choice. Funny thing that . A nation that allows pretty much allow anyone to run for a public office.

This whole dynasty BS is just lame.

[Cfordy0]

Im so thru with this mess.! If slinging dirt n lying is a way to Victory..Then it shows what type of people are in this Country and why its so fugged up.....Obama 08

[skoryras]

Cfordyo

I'm with you, enough already all this negativity all this nastiness helps no one. I thought that after Bush that a Democrat that offers real change would be the nominee. So much dirty politics. I thought, but I could be wrong that a Black man could be President. I thought Colin Powell would have been perfect.
But America is more likely to vote for a Woman before a Afro-American. The wrong woman.

[Lazycrockett]

If you think this primary is dirt n lying, sunshine you need to do some research.

pick up a book bout politics and learn the reality of the game.