New Republic: Obama's Coalition Shifting From Moderates To McGovern-esque

Hillary Clinton won a decisive ten-round decision over Barack Obama in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary, but she didn't score a knockout. The struggle continues. Clinton still has virtually no chance of overtaking Obama's delegate lead or his edge in the popular vote. And the superdelegates will be loath to ignore this advantage. Meanwhile, Obama's weaknesses as a general election candidate grow more apparent with each successive primary.

Clinton's best chance of winning the nomination was to win Pennsylvania so decisively that she would have set off a media firestorm about Obama's electability--one that would lead superdelegates to wonder whether she would not be a much, much stronger candidate in November. In the wake of revelations about Obama's relationship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright, Clinton was ahead by 15 percent or more in polls. I visited Pennsylvania during this time, and could feel the growing disillusionment with Obama.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[ajax2]

As Hillary thundered for nuclear annihilation and fired the flames of bigotry, John B. Judis herd a nuance that shifted Obama. What big ears you have sir.

[beautykilledbeast]

Even though I was only nine years old, George McGovern's loss hurt me very deeply and in this Republican Ascendancy, the anger and pain have become chronic.
Please remember people a statistic I saw in the Spring of 1973. Had they known then what they didn't know before, sixty-five percent of the public would have voted for George McGovern.
That's some serious buyer's remorse.

[vsign]

That was painful to have him lose so badly. We all lost so much.

[heal57]

It is apparent that since Obama is going to win the Democratic nomination, all the republicans, MSM, the Wall Street Jurnal owned now by Rupert Murdoch, our conservativer newspapers such as the Arizona Republic are spinning this nosense against Sen Obama because they don't know what else to do but try to somehow ruin his campaign. However, this is an impossibility. Just do the math!
Even Jenna Bush said she may not vote republican. The status quo is not ready for the sweeping changes an Obama administration will make. Obama will pull from the middle and even some on the right. I ought to know. Obama supporters, hold tight.

Independents for Obama '08

[castlerider]

Hold everything!

I was there, and witnessed very strongly the McGovern campaign. Because of the lack of good communication and the total ease that corporate elites had in manipulating the Media in 1972, McGovern's message was never really brought forth.

People, get a clue!!
McGovern would have been a HELL OF A LOT BETTER PRESIDENT THEN RICHARD NIXON!!
What did Nixon give us that term? Watergate.

[antaeus]

Who is saying that McGovern would not have been a better president? Of course he would have, but that's not the point. The point is that Middle America, rightly or wrongly, perceived McGovern as being too far out of the mainstream. As did the voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania with Obama.

[vsign]

I think as Democrats we have ignored "Middle America" too long and not won the Presidency because of our own failings. My husband is a "Reagan Democrat" and is upset that he voted for Reagan. He is a disabled worker from the lead and gold mines. His career was shortchanged when the mines shut down in the mid 80's because of economic changes that Reagan made. He was determined to vote Democratic this year. He does not want to vote against his economic interest ever again. But he will not vote for Obama. Obama is not in touch with who he is and he cannot feel right about voting for someone that out of touch with America.

Obama is too far out of the mainstream. I don't like the way working class people are talked about by his supporters either. And I don't like the way Obama praises in anyway Reagan and disses on Bill Clinton's presidency. If he doesn't respect the Clinton era - why call yourself a Democrat?

[MoreCowBellNow]

Anything that isn't completely pro-Obama is scare talk?

Women that have spent more than a few years on the professional field that support Clinton in the remaining primary are now NEVER going to switch to Obama. They've been hearing the same bs for years--that they're not polite enough and need to soften up. This whole, "Clinton is a negative campaigner" is not only going to fall on deaf ears to these women, but it's totally sexist. No person ever running for president has been accused of being negative like Clinton and this is soooo benign of campaign compared to past years. Unless you compare it to Kerry who was too nice and failed. JFK primary was the nastiest one in history. So cut the crap with this negative campaining argument aginst Clinton.

[vsign]

I agree "MoreCowBellNow".

There are so many of us that will not vote for Obama - I hope the superdelegates listen to us.

Obama shows how weak he is by complaining about Hillary's campaigning. His trying to pretend to "be above it all" does not work with us and it won't work with the general public in the long run. His campaign tactics are far worse than Hillary's because he has to pretend too much to be what he isn't. Hillary makes comparisons. Obama's campaign kicks and screams at Hillary (gives her the finger) and then runs away and hides behind Obama's "coolness". None of it will connect to voters outside of the far left who are elitist enough to think Obama actually represents them.

We are beginnning to see how the Republicans will "define" Obama as an extremist. And he is. Hillary supporters have seen it for a long while. The definition will stick because it is true.

[ajax2]

Anybody against corporate wars is extreme to war profiteers.

[ballewb]

I actually think that the primary has not been all that negative, despite what people would have me believe. I remember other primaries and general elections that were much more mean spirited.

Additionally, I think the notion of switching to an entirely different political party simply because your prefered candidate does not in the nomination is retarded. Sorry, I meant to say immature (at least as immature as calling someone's ideas retarded). The positions of BO and HC are not that far apart. Switching to the Republican side rather than voting for the OTHER Democrat boggles my mind. It's like saying that if you cannot have Oreos rather than Hydrox cookies, you will just munch on some broken glass instead. It does not make sense.

Finally, please stop generalizing your opinions on larger portions of society than you have the authority to speak for. Just because you may never vote for BO does not mean that all women that would have voted for HC will not vote for BO in the general election.

[vsign]

The results from the exit polls in PA show that about twice the number of Hillary voters will either not vote or vote for McCain.

Hillary supporters represent more of the moderates in the party so this makes sense to me that the strongest feelings against Obama are from this group. We will not vote for someone so ill prepared to have this much power and control over our resources - no matter that he is a Democrat. As far as I'm concerned, Obama represents a third party trying to take over the Democratic label.

[EinChicago]

Did Obama start out as a McGoivern type candidate? No. But he has effectively been backed into a corner by the fringe who have selected him as their Cult leader following Kucinich's withdrawal, and now he is stuck in the McGovern role. That's the problem with the fringe; they're louder and more shrill than any other group, which creates a false impression of size. Obama is on track to make McGovern look like 72 look like a respectable loss. He is systematically alienating the important swing states and putting all his eggs in one basket that hardcore red south-eastern states will have some type of apotheosis on a mass scale and turn blue in the fall. It won't happen. McCain, for all his faults wa sa pretty smart choice by the repugs because he effectively takes most western states out of play when run against Obama. UT, NV, NM, WY, TX, WY and ID are guaranteed wins for Arizona McCain if he runs against Obama, who is as unpopular with the hispanic voters in the southwest as he is with the AA voters in the south east. Obama has done a bang up job of alienating the traditional big swing states such as FL, OH, PA and MI. The so-called 50 state strategy was always nothing more than a small state strategy as it intrinsically involves telling the traditional big swing state voters they don't matter to the dems anymore, e.g., Obama's handling of FL/PA.

[ajax2]

Is Racism Moving Clinton Camp From Bush Lite To Goldwater Crazies.

[fourex]

Has Hillary move past Bush Lite into pure bigotry and racism, the core of the Radical Right?

[heal57]

Yes, Hillary should be on the McCain ticket.

[EinChicago]

And the core of a Rev. Wright sermon. ;)

[ajax2]

No it wasn't. But it is centered in Bush, Lott, Thurmond, Hannitty, Rush and O'Reilly, racism a core Republican value.

[bison1]

McGovern has endorse Clinton.

[ajax2]

Hagee has endorsed McCain.

[ibsteve2u]

Hey, watch it - this is politics...you know that facts just get in the way.

[JerryTheAngel]

Senator McGovern was a war hero. He received medals for flying dangerous missions during WW2. Richard Nixon became one of the most corrupt presidents in our history. Just another example of where the American voters cared more about negative campaigning then the issues and got it wrong AGAIN, just like in 2000 (scratch that, Al Gore won in 2000) and especially in 2004, when Senator Kerry another war hero who was attacked for his service to his country and Bush the war criminal won, instead of an American war hero. It just shows you how the majority of the electorate in this country can be manipulated so easily with propaganda and lies. Will it happen again this fall?

[ballewb]

Go read some history.

[vsign]

McGovern represented the anti-war activists, far left of the Democratic Party. Obama represents the same people within the party.

Most Americans prefer leaders who govern from the center. We really don't want extremists as leaders.

Anti-war activists believe they are more powerful than they are at times like this when there is an unpopular war. They come out in great numbers and challenge the centrists in the party during the nomination process.

It has happened before - it is happening now. And like before - they will lose in a big way in the general. They are over estimating the sentiments of the country. They do not know the American people. They have always tended to be elitist - thinking they know "better" than most people.

Most of us want a change in Iraq - but we are not ready to lay down our weapons.

[heal57]

I'm pretty conservative on quite a few issues [economics, etc] and I have been against the Iraq war since it started. I am no left winger. Go spin somewhere else. Our soldiers are dying for oil revenues. You're terrified of an Obama victory; well get used to it.

Independents for Obama

[KYSmiling]

Most Americans prefer leaders who govern from the center. We really don't want extremists as leaders.

Can we say Bush?

[ballewb]

Can we say wedge issue voters being manipulated by the evil genius Karl Rove?

Can we say that using the first person plural annoying?

[vsign]

Bush got elected (kinda) with the help of the religious right who were extremely anti-abortion. I think Bush got re-elected because Americans wanted experience since we were in the middle of a war. Now the Republicans have gauged it correctly again by excluding the religious right to a great extent and are presenting Americans with a General Election candidate without the an extreme wedge issue like anti-abortion. They will run on experience again.

If we offer a candidate with little experience - Obama will fit within the "extreme" stereotype.

[SuppersReady]

Unlike in 1972, the majority of the public was not against the war. Only the young who were regarded as hippies who were crazy and irrational. The young of that time (Including Hillary) are now in thier late 50's and early 60,s. The middle-aged majority who voted for Nixon are either dead or living in a nursing home in Pennsylvania. This was over 30 years ago. The most high-tech thing in an average home was a T.V. and a blender......You cannot even compare the two. This time Obama supporters want to think about the future not dwell in the past.

As for you VSIGN, you don't want to lay down YOUR weapons? How ironic. It is those who are not fighting in this war and probably never will who are so pro-war. Why don't you vote for McCain. He will surley give you or one of your family members a chance to die for thier country. The Draft....it;s coming and you will be crying your eyes out when it does.......

Veteran for Obama

[vsign]

I am not pro-war. In 1972, I voted for McGovern. Most Democrats in 1972 were against the Vietnam War. Isn't that what got McGovern nominated? Did McGovern win the General? Nixon knew he had to bring our troops home from Vietnam to get reelected and did.

The Republicans know they have to stop our troops from getting killed in Iraq in order to continue our presence in the middle east. That will happen no matter who is elected. Americans will not support this war if we are paying too great a price. McCain is promising to end the "cost" of this war. With his experience, he will likely win the General.

[JerryTheAngel]

70 percent of the country wants our troops out of that civil war in Iraq. I guess that means 70 percent of the country is Left Wing. LOL

[ibsteve2u]

lolll...not to mention that when someone uses "we" and "us" a lot but has never actually solicited any other opinions [or votes], you know you're about to be coerced into a plan of action you're way not going to like.

By the way - did you know "centrists" and "moderates" is code for "Business as usual"?

[harriscrl3]

You know whats interesting for someone who has no chance of winning the white house be it because he cant stand up to the republican smear machine, He is too leftist or radical, He is an unknown the republicans and Hilary are sure as heck working overtime to destroy his chances of coming out of the primary. If he's just another George McGovern wh