Pennsylvania Expectations: Clinton, Obama Set The Bar

On the day of the Pennsylvania Primary, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ratcheted up the expectations game into the final hours.

"I think the question maybe ought to be why can't he close the deal," Clinton told reporters outside of a polling place after greeting supporters. "With his extraordinary financial advantage why can't he win a state like this one if that's the way it turns out. ... The road to the White House for a Democrat leads right through Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania Avenue."

Clinton said if she is victorious, "a win is a win" regardless of the margin. A close race, however, would limit her delegate pick-up and make it more challenging to catch Obama in the pledged delegate race.

Barack Obama's campaign circulated a memo today, "The Bar for Clinton in Pennsylvania and Beyond," that layed out how much Clinton will have to win Pennsylvania to alter the race at all.

The Philadelphia Inquirer observed that there is "consensus" that Clinton has to "take the state big, perhaps by double digits, to be able to claim that she'd won it a way that matters in the overall nomination struggle - given her deficits in both the delegate race and the overall popular vote." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/3/08]

That's exactly right. And Clinton's own supporters have been predicting big wins. Governor Ed Rendell and Congressman Jack Murtha - no strangers to Pennsylvania politics - have both predicted runaway wins for her. [MTP, 4/6/08, MSNBC, 4/1/08]

The Clinton campaign has been trying to spin away their earlier confidence and move the goalposts for victory in Pennsylvania. But the bottom line is that if Senator Clinton is going to make meaningful inroads in this race for delegates, she will need a huge margin in Pennsylvania.

Comments

[AnnieinOR]

Wow, Ed Rendell seems to be switching sides before the results are in - now that is a good DEM.

[EyeWantOneNation]

He gets SOOO boring going on and on about "what if FL"...and .."what if MI"

Sounds like now he's trying to cover all his political bases !!!

Not for nothing...but I was in Florida the first week of March...this delegate issue is also very big on the minds of FL voters. The local Tampa/St. Pete TV station did a "man-on-the-street" survey. Talked to over 1,000 people - from office buildings, shopping malls, Tampa International Airport, etc. .. 4 out of 5 people they talked to would vote for Obama if they had the chance to vote again !!!

Hillary should lay off how well she did in MI and FL...if there ever was to be a re-vote, (which there won't be) she would most likely be in for a HUGE surprise !!!

[AnnieinOR]

you're absolutely about covering all his bases - that's exactly how he comes off - like he's for Obama too... LOL!

[eej]

She does look nice today. Much nicer than last night on Olbermann with the bullfighter red jacket and dragon lady makeup.

[Fighter4USA]

A caring, strong lady for President!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9z-Aatd0wA

[Gilda]

You're hilarious in a Elmer Fudd kind of way!

[LiberalRebel2]

This Clinton is just simply "Hillarious"...how any woman who had her Husband cheating on her (leaning more towards a several digits then "a mere one Lewinsky") and then still keep him though he made not only him self look bad after them rotten lies straight at the faces of senators and public at the impeachment show, but the whole country and especially her, is that having a good judgment? and higher moral ground???..Then at this present time, to BECOME as her husband and again and again be shoving us all with lie after lie. Not to talk about her double moral and double standards calling someone else (Obama) a plagiarist and in the next breath, steal his and Edwards style, composure AND slogans (you who have not seen that happen are in for a ride if voting for this clown girl) then calling him (Obama yet again) with names like "softish", yet crying when the media gets a bit hard on her own flat behind.

[kyeblue]

I like Obama, but his supporters like you make me wonder if I would vote alone with you. In fact, 80% of Obama supporters posting on his board belongs to that category but you are definitely the champion of that category. Can we, american voters, take politicians personal affair out of the politics. What is the cry about bush taking away our privacy all about? Nobody has right to tell anybody what to do with their personal life as long as they don't break law.

I don't care what Hillary, Obama or McCain does in their personal life, as long as they are not hypocritical about it.

[Bluesage]

I'll try again.

LiberalRebel2

Why do Obama supporters think it is acceptable to throw out Bill's infidelity and blame and mock Hillary for it? You sound just like a dispassionate republican when you do that. This woman and her daughter had to weather this shame in front of the whole world and now you "good dems" relish in that. Disgusting! This is what will bring Obama down in the General - many are sick and tired of the constant degrading and hateful rhetoric coming from his supporters.

[OrionGal]

And let's talk about NAFTA - and how I didn't care for that back in the 1990's either. Wow, did I get busted back then for thinking this wasn't quite right for jobs here in the United States. Now Hillary says she doesn't like NAFTA.

Or the Health Care Insurance that never came to fruition - thanks, guess what, my state of Oregon does offer an Oregon Health Care Plan. At least we're trying to do something, rather than wasting 8 years of an administration never resolving that.

Or Hillary's campaign calling Obama a Muslim. I am pleased that a possible Presidential nominee as Obama finally has more education in the differences between Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity, and also recognized in a televised discussion that there are people in this nation that are atheist.

Which brings me to the issue of Foreign Policy - which me - as a former graduate student in Anthropology - I feel I have something to say. I want a President who is willing to sit down and Negotiate with countries.

[OrionGal]

I'm an Obama supporter and I'm not throwing Bill's Infidelities - my problem with Hillary is she doesn't have the temper to be the Next President of the United States. I truly believe she has Control issues - and she has since the day of Bill's inauguration with wanting Gore's Vice-President office as her own.

I don't like that she voted for the Iraq war and I noticed that in 2002! When I was angry because Bush and Cheney and Colin Powell at that time were not waiting for UN Sanctions.

As a United States born and raised citizen, I'm frankly tired of listening to the Clinton's excuses one after the other after the other after the other. We are a forgiving nation and Bill has been forgiven for whatever finagling he was doing in the Oval Office or wherever else he got his knob polished. I could care less about THAT. What I do care about is the utter lack of respect the Clinton's have for the Oval Office, for the FBI, and for the Secret Service who put their lives in the line of fire.

[EyeWantOneNation]

Bluesage: it posted below, at 6:36 .....

[Bluesage]

Thanks - Oops!

[Bluesage]

OK Huff Post - What happened to my reply to LiberalRebel2

[EspritDeVoltaire]

There's been database problems here for a long time. Comments disappear and reappear. They just lost the database entirely before 5:00 PM Eastern today for a few minutes.

[EyeWantOneNation]

They are also installing a program (and working out the bugs) that will "auto-ban" spam URL's....accidentally banned a whole bunch of bloggers over the weekend !!!

OOPS !!!

[Bluesage]

Why do the Obama supporters think it is perfectly acceptable to throw out Bill Clinton's infidelity and somehow blame her for it? You all sound like dispassionate repukes when you do that. This was devastating for her and her daughter to have this play out in public and now all you "good Dems" relish in that. Disgusting! She is not Bill and she is not the first woman to forgive a wandering man. That's personal and none of our damn business.

[StillIRise]

I agree with everything you wrote, except the "She is not Bill" part. Most of her supporters are supporting her either because she's a woman, or because to them, she IS Bill. They want the nineties back, and they want Bill back; and they assume that if Hillary is elected, they will get both ... or all three in this case! For many of the rest of us, this is the nightmare scenario that we hope never to see again. Not that the nineties were bad, and not that Bill was so bad, but because that was then and this is now! Hillary should not be held accountable for Bill's philandering; but neither should she be elected to the White House because she's a woman or because of fond memories!

Still I Rise

[Bluesage]

Actually, I think you are wrong about that. She is NOT Bill - she is smarter than Bill and this may surprise many but she is a lot more liberal than Bill and will really work harder for the people than Bill. I live in AR and I can't say I know her but have met her many times and I will tell you that she is a warm and formidable woman. If she wins it will be in spite of Bill. I think that will be her sweetest revenge. Good on Her!

[EyeWantOneNation]

"That's personal and none of your damn business."

Now THAT is what Bill should have said when asked about Monica !!!!!!!

[Bluesage]

That Exactly was for you EyeWantOneNation.

[Bluesage]

Exactly!!

[WHusseinLA]

And inhaling.

[LiberalRebel2]

And again, to start trying sounding like a mountain of a man proclaiming "if one can't take the heat then why be around" and in the next second, having her husband going all nuts and covering for her frailness by threatening journalists for behaving bad and unfair towards his wife..then (phiiu!) calling her own party's biggest enemy (MacSame from the other side of the isle) a better choice then her Democratic challenger though party colleague. To have her self been seen on stage after stage (actually four of them) trouncing around telling a story with straight face and choreographed emotionless bravery.

[LiberalRebel2]

That was something directly choreographed by her speech writers for in the next, been shoved evidence after evidence of the whole untruthfulness of that whole debacle, and then still have the nerve to laugh it all off with a more rigid face of that now globally laughed about "deer caught in the limelight look" while trying to succeed in hypnotize the masses with yet another "Rovian bounce off spin" like the utterly lame statement of, "I miss spoke"..if the American people choses to elect this person I think it will be time to move out from the funny farm and join a more intelligent group of people. like lets say, Any where in Scandinavia, Sweden for instance who have not had a war in more then three hundred years yet has one of the most formidable army and highest standard of living and security in the world. Now thats a country any one would be proud in living, at least since they seem to be able to chose politicians and keep the accountable for their mistakes.

[AnnieinOR]

Chris Matthews just admitted that the media is to blame for the fact that polled voters for Clinton 4 out of 5 thought Clinton was in an even battle - and that it was due to the Media making it seems as such, when she mathematically cannot catch up.

[EyeWantOneNation]

I saw that...hillarious !!!! We KNOW the media is playing up this fight for their own jobs. Heck - what would they ever talk about if not how the Democratis Party is divding ???

Oh, CRAP - MSNBC has just added Joe Scarborough (sp) to their panel.....where's Rachael ???

lol

[AnnieinOR]

you spelled it right - I cannot stand him. He is nearly as bad as Pat Buchanan - and talk about being so full of himself - walking off shows like a child that does not get his way - I would have fired him if he worked for me, doing it twice.

[EyeWantOneNation]

Agreed !!!!
and thanx !!!

:-)

[Noodlz]

I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard him say that.... someone in the media actually taking responsibility for something!

[Nyland8]

Sometimes the host of Hardball throws us a curveball.

8

[AnnieinOR]

he's planning to run in 2010 for Arlen Specter's seat - he pretty much announced it on the Colbert Report - so he's trying to seem even handed - but he still slips - at least he's trying, but you never know with these talking heads - the only one that is consistent is Keith Olberman - I like him even when he chastises Obama's camp, cause he's just being fair, not biased.

[MM5]

Please PA, put an end to Hillary's run...put the rest of us THINKING, EDUCATED folks out of our misery.

[Bluesage]

THINKING? EDUCATED? Surely you jest. Because the media told you that he's getting the educated vote, you believe it and assume that Hillary's supporters are all non-thinking ignorant people. HMMM

That kinda shows your ignorance!

[Fighter4USA]

OK, al the educated folks go to play in the traffic, you will be put out of your misery, quick.

[JuneCleaversBeaver]

Doesn't help your claim of being educated when you misspell all.

Nor when you use the word quick instead of quickly.

[Fighter4USA]

sorry, another typo, ms perfect!

[DontBeFoolish]

Com'on Pennsylvania. VOTE OBAMA, Hillary is SNAKE EYES ..........

[AnnieinOR]

the "fighter" does not understand your "snake eyes" term is a gambling term. LOL!

[Fighter4USA]

Its ok, at least you are laughing, good for you