Why Barack Obama Has Already Won (and Hillary Has Become a Republican)

In spite of the Clinton campaign's latest outlandish claim that Barack Obama must win all four contests this Tuesday or he's in trouble, those of us still residing in a place called reality understand the actual picture is much different.

According to most major news networks, Barack Obama now has a 100 point total delegate lead. Among pledged delegates the lead is now over 150.

What does this mean? Barack Obama could lose every state this Tuesday and as long as he kept the contests reasonably close he would still maintain a commanding lead.

In this way, he has already won.

He is leading in all the latest polls in Texas by a margin of 2-6 points. He is blowing Clinton out in Vermont. And he has now drawn within two points in Ohio.

After these contests, there are simply not enough states or delegates for Hillary to catch up. The margin is now within 4 points in Pennsylvania.

Where else can she win and collect a total of 100 delegates? What big states can she rout by 20-30 points?

The answer is: she can't. She can draw this thing out, continue to make spurious attacks, continue to sell low expectations. But now that Obama has clearly established there won't be blowouts this Tuesday, SHE CANNOT WIN.

Meanwhile, before our very eyes, she is becoming a Republican. The latest example is this blatant manipulation of fear to convince voters that only she can make Americans safe.

Unbelievable. I pray Americans are smarter than this. Fear carried the day in 2000 and 2004. It's gotten us nothing but war, torture, corruption, secrecy, and abuse of power. Hillary might have different policies (though on foreign affairs I have serious questions), but her methods are really no different than the last eight years: she surrounds herself with bad people, she is a top down leader, she is resentful of the press, she is secretive, she can't admit mistakes, she uses fear and manipulation as weapons...

I think America is ready to turn the page. While Barack Obama technically doesn't need to win this Tuesday, one big state (like Texas) should be enough to close the deal. Then we can respond to the real Republicans' fearmongering and failed strategy in Iraq instead of this downward-spiraling, futile civil war.

Comments

[AWest]

Thank you thank you thank you, great column, spot on target.

The Hillary that's emerged from this campaign is a great disappointment, and it's time to move on from divisive, mean-spirited politics and return to the ideals that have made America great, and the appreciation of all viewpoints, rather than a demonization of everyone not already in agreement with us.

[princechewy]

The only viewpoint that matters is self-interest. The only system of government that can achieve this is laissez-faire capitalism. It is politicians who compromise that are the worst enemies of America. If everyone selfishly pursued an accumulation of material wealth then the country would flourish. Lower taxes, increase military and law enforcement, deregulate business, stop the myth of global warming and stand by traditional American principles.

[Plowboy]

Laissez-faire? But that means not interfering! And yet who is interfering with other peroples more than those crying "laissez-faire"? Globalism is not "free economy" capitalism. Please go and read Adam Smith once more. In "Wealth of Nations" he expresses great opposition to corporatism. Corporations are not created to promote freedom or fairness,but to gaain advantage. They are by nature monopolistic, and are untended to be. The myth that we have a free economic system is ludicrous. Neocon globalism is merely the global extension of the stuff that has been pushing our working people down, for the further enrichment of those who had the vforesight to inherit great wealth.
As a case to consider, before New Zealand opted for the American Business Model, that nation was high in per capita income, etc., but since that option, it has fallen to a level not far above third world.
It is the newest version of Empire. As everyong knows an empire drains resources from other nations to their detriment. But what some haven't realized is that all empires also drain resources from the homeland in order to maintain hegemony over those others. And that is to the detriment of the nation's majority. Only a very small "elite" profit.

[GoreyFantod]

Hey, Ebeneezer! When you finish your croquet match, Tiny Tim would like his crutches back.

[olderdem]

Hillary was the prohibitive favorite before any of the primaries, leading in national polls by double digits over any other Democrat contender, including Obama. The fact that she has been unable to gain the nomination at this point, and is now 150 delegates behind Obama, should tell Democrats that she has problems that can not be overcome by sticking around until the convention. After Tuesday, short of blowouts in Ohio and Texas, it’s time for her to go. It is shameful behavior for her to still be in the race. Obama would have been chased out of the election if the results were the opposite

[zendem1]

For Hillary the end it is looming,
You can hear the death-knell, it's booming,
She'll go back to N.Y..
with a tear in her eye,
and the gal with whom she is rooming

[LolaM]

As one who defended the Clintons for the past 15 years, when she announced her run for Prez I was a bit nervous and anxiously awaited who else would be running in the Dem Party.. I wasn't crazy about this country being so divided and polarized, we get nothing done.. That said, I was thrilled with the many choices we had. When the debates began, I noticed she was almost always put in the middle, flanked by the other male counterparts on either side. She started looking like the "Queen" surrounded by her servants, and when she opened her mouth she sounded like one. Turn Off..?? YES ...
Her unexpected defeat in Iowa, and her Campaign "strategy" ever since, was the last straw for me..I am a 51 year old, white woman who supports Obama, and I have since the beginning. The further along we go, the more disdain I have for her..and her husband. Her supporters are starting to remind me of the Bush supporters..and now, as she sinks to the Bush/Cheney/Rove tactics.. then again there is Chelsea Clinton, she is sent all over the country to campaign for her mother, yet she will not speak to the Press although she is 27 years old now.. then of course the MSM is treating her unfairly..oh poor Hillary, I would like to see Obama lose 11 in a row and have the MSM calling him a serious contender as they repeatedly say "don't count out a Clinton"..Those who dare suggest that she may have to bow out if things don't change, be careful, if she wins she may send you to one of those "secret Prisons" ..
I could go on, but I will end here on these points:
1. I have never been more convinced that she (they) will do ANYTHING to win..
2. She (like our current President) finds it particulary difficult to admit to making any mistake.
3. She wants it both ways..I'm being picked on because I am a woman vs. I am a Fighter, I am Tough,
I am the Only One who will Protect you, I have beat the GOP Politcial machine..on and on
4. She changes from , the soft and kind Hillary, to the Shame on You mother chastising her child, to
the scarcastic shrew mocking her DEM opponent..this in a time period of 4 days.
5. She has surrounded herself with the sleaziest campaign adivisers since Karl Rove and Co.
6. I detect a condescending tone in every "speech" she gives..unless she's at the table with a small
group, when she adopts the "I feel your pain" tone, that worked for her husband.
7. She "loans" her Campaign 5 mil and then brags how her supporters have come to rescue her now.

Lord knows there are many more points, but my bottom line is this: No matter if she "Wins or "Loses"
there is no win for the Democratic party. We have already lost. Her supporters constantly threaten they will vote for McCain if Obama is the Nominee. She is giving the GOP all the ammo to use against Obama, which will hurt him more than what the GOP will do. When I hear the Democrats who say, "in the end we will all come together and unite" I think they are dreaming no matter which side they are coming from. I have already voted in the primary, and after the General Election, I intend to change my Party Affiliation to Independant. I am so ashamed of what has happened and I cannot wait until this ends. So Congrats Hill, you've really gone beyond what I thought you were capable of , and I for one pray that when all is said and done, we can get a LAW passed that No spouse of a former President can run for President without a substantial time period in between. I don't want to live under a Dynasty, I don't want to be called a member of a "Cult", I don't want to be called a traitor..and I don't want to Vote for YOU, because of YOU ..ok..?? nuff said....

[LyricalLexicon]

I look at it this way, Hillary in a twisted way is actually helping Obama. She talks about how he hasn't been vetted or had to deal with the republican attack machine before. By her throwing out all these attacks against him this stuff will seem old when the republicans try to use it against Obama in the general election. Obama will be ready to respond to this crap when McCain throws it at him

[princechewy]

Lets not forget that it was a democrat by the name of Lyndon Johnson that ran the add of the little girl picking daisies with a nuclear cloud in the background. He was running against Barry Goldwater and used this fear tactic to draw support for his candidacy. Ironically it was him that escalated Vietnam. Both sides use fear tactics and to say its regulated to Republicans is an over generalization.

[DennyCrane]

Thank you for making this so clear. Surrounded by bad people, a top down leader, resentful of the press, secretive, unable to admit mistakes, using fear and manipulation as weapons. This a perfect description of both Hillary Clinton and George Bush. Hillary supporters must be blind if they can't see how much Hillary is just like Bush.

[OroLee]

Spot on -- remember "triangulation." There isn't a thimble full of spit's difference between the DLEC type Democrats and the non-radical Republicans, nor between the monarchial designs of Geo. W and Hillary.

[trbone]

I'll take Hillary any day versus the politics of stupidity and blind faith. Obama has gotten nothing short of carried on a pedestal to this point in the process. Take the story about him reassuring Canada that his stance on NAFTA is only for the campaign. The only network that thinks this is newsworthy is CTV (Canadian TV). So save the BS about OBAMA is more electable because until his negatives are exposed,and there are plenty of them out there for those who care to look , polls will be very misleading.

[Mollye]

trbone...you are so right!!

[standforpeace]

As I recall, last Sunday on Meet the Press, conservative commentator William Kristol argued that the only option left to Hillary was "the politics of fear." I guess she took him up on his suggestion. Too bad that she doesn't care that this desperate ploy is only serving to provide soundbites that the Republicans will use against Obama, who is increasingly likely to be the Democratic standard bearer.

Her actions in the past week only serve to underscore her fundamental failure to understand the Obama's appeal. Barack Obama is appealing to the best in Americans. And for many that appeal feels like a lifeline after 8 years of Clinton scandals (some were totally concocted by the vast right wing conspiracy and others were the result of poor judgement and unethical behavior on the part of the Clintons) and 8 years of Bush's disastrous foreign policy and conservativism minus the compassion here at home. In contrast, the Clinton campaign's attempt to race bait, fear monger, and mock Obama's appeal and by extension the millions who support him feels like more of the same. Unfortunately for her, we are not having that this time around.

[JimmyCrackcorn]

When can we start calling her Hillary Huckabee?

[AZModerate]

Hillkabee?

[Tankan]

Hillary is reverting back to her true Republican nature!

By her actions and words, that's how we know her!

[Denni]

Well, she started out as a Republican, a Goldwater girl, and if the addage is true that we run back to what makes us most comfortable in times of stress... well... she's baaaaack!

McCain can stop looking for a running mate! Hills is up for grabs.

[iburl]

I sleep with makeup a pant suit and glasses too.

[olderdem]

She probably put the glasss on after waking up.

[jstock]

Ladies and Gents, Brothers and Sisters, Liberals and Progressives all: Please remember that all of this campaign stuff is transitory. What matters - and what will have a LASTING impact - is which party has THE POWER beginning the afternoon of January 20, 2009. As HRC, via John Edwards, so aptly put it, she and Obama will be okay, no matter who advances to the general. It is most of the rest of us who will suffer should the unthinkable happen, and we end up with more of the same Republican policies for the next 4-8 years (and, more importantly, a conservative Supreme Court for the next 30 years!) All of which is to say, vote for the eventual Democratic nominee, no matter who he/she ends up being. Do not let discouragement or distraction cause you to lose sight of what is REALLY important.

[57andfemale]

If Hillary is elected, she will continue, with obviously great pride and relish, this divisive politics and nothing will get accomplished. Nothing. Except the Clinton penchant for caving to Republicans and calling that progress. Did you ever hear the Clintons say, "You get welfare reform, we get healthcare." She is so awash with money from the health industry and defense contractors, there will be nothing progressive out of her administration. She'll throw us a few bones, get on her brittle high horse about not negotiating with anyone, willing to drop a few bombs to show how tough she is. That's if she gets elected. Her foreign policy is almost identical to McCain's, the independents will flock to him, and we get a Supreme Court that will doom us for the next generation.

In the Zogby poll this morning, it shows that her negativity in Texas worked: she closed the gap. That's all Hillary needs to hear -- negativity work. God, Mark Penn tried to say is worked in Wisconsin because Obama would have won by more than 17 points if she hadn't gone negative. But Texas ain't Wisconsin.

It is not a "leap of faith" to vote for Obama. He is competent, visionary, intelligent beyond anyone who has run for president practically in my lifetime. We embrace a destructive gridlock with Hillary -- it may be the devil we know. But we don't need to settle for the devil we know this time.

I still have faith in the American people and the good people of Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. We've allowed ourselves to be dragged down to our baser instincts by the likes of Bush/Cheney/Rove for seven disastrous years. Let's change the tide.

[ginnypoo]

Obama has quesionable ties that go on trial Monday, he has been using intimidation on Superdelegates like John lewis, they even have a guy now running against him that is pro-Obama and have let him know in no uncertain terms if he doesn't switch they will campaign against him. So, now who is using intimidation? And tactics like Obama used in SC to win, pushing the racist crap, was disgusting to say the least. Obama is just like Bush...you don't want to think it but it's true. Or did you forget how Bush ran as the DC outsider, the new guy, the change candidate. Obama's healthcare flyer looks exactly like the one the repugs put out agaist healthcare in the 90's. Exactly like it. Obama has not has one meeting to oversee NATO and Aphganistan? This is important, NATO is meeting now to figure out how many troops, where to place them, some allies are wanting to pull out or reduce troops...this is important and he has done nothing in 15 months and his excuse is he is too busy running for President...that's the lamest, stupidest thing I have ever heard. Why should he get a better job, he can't even show up and do the one he has. He also promised his constituants he wouldn't run his first term and broke his word to them, Hillary made that same promise her first term and she kept it. Same situation, same promise, one kept it, one didn't. That speaks loudly.

[Plowboy]

She will get things done, just not the things that should be done. She will continue subverting our interests to those of the Likud party in the ME. To back that up, she will continue our war making there. She will continue subverting our interests to those of the globalist plunderers. And she will continue to support those parasites sucking the blood of working Americans. Wake up. She will continue the wonderful ways of Bush and Lieberman and all those great Neocon creeps.

[goodsnservices]

Jstock, we aren't conducting a parliamentary election -- we are electing a president, not a party. No matter how similar policy issues are between these two, style of leadership does indeed matter, as does character, as it applies to perceived intent. Bush has managed to usurp powers formerly held by congress and the courts. I seriously doubt, given Hillary's character and leadership style, that she will undertake to correct these abuses. Obama may, on the other hand, given his focus on transparency of government. Among all the reasons to vote for Obama over Hillary, this one stands out as preeminent in my book.

[andhakari]

Do you want a bitter desperate cruel Hillary or an emotionally stable Obama answering that phone?