Sunday, June 08, 2008

Clinton subdued at last; Obama VS McCain

While this is a great cartoon, I'm sure this isn't the last we'll see of Clinton, although this may well be the end of her 2008 campaign. Where did she go wrong, and where does the election go from here? John O'Sullivan at the British Telegraph provides and interesting perspective:

Amid Barack Obamamania, John McCain could still win the US presidential election
[...] Despite all the praise for her gallant uphill fight, Mrs Clinton blew a sure thing. As the candidate of inevitability, she lost. As the candidate of competence, she won most major battleground states, but lost the nomination because her campaign failed to organise in the smaller states. As the candidate with an unrivalled Democratic Rolodex, she lost the "super-delegates".

Even her late emergence as the friend of Joe Sixpack reflected her loss of most other Democratic constituencies rather than her recruitment of a new political base. She is a very implausible leader of a white working class that is drifting steadily towards the Republicans.

Her campaign's excuse for defeat - that sexism trumped racism - implicitly accuses all Democrat voters of being bigots. It leaves behind a poisonous atmosphere of internecine identity politics on the Left. None of this augurs well for her post-2008 presidential prospects - whoever wins in November.

John McCain is probably the only Republican who could win the presidency in a year when almost any Democrat should beat almost any Republican. Voters prefer Democrats to Republicans by 15 per cent.

Even if McCain makes it to the White House, their opponents may win the Senate majority sufficient to override a presidential veto. McCain might well campaign in the final days on the theme "Help me to restrain a rampaging Democrat Congress". [...]

(bold emphasis mine) The author goes on to examine the road ahead for McCain and Obama, and what they will have to achieve to win. And interesting analysis from across the pond.


Related Link: I'm grateful to Obama for one thing
     

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