Washington Post does not believe Hillary has crossed the line. Plus she should stay in the race [View All]

[anselmo]

In an editorial today, The Washington Post agrees with the majority of Democrats in the nation who want the race to move on with Hillary in it. They also tell us the following:

Ms. Clinton cannot rack up enough votes in the seven contests remaining to overtake him. So does that mean that she ought to quietly fade away? Is she serving only to tarnish Mr. Obama and help Republicans win in November? Have the Democrats -- Ms. Clinton in particular -- crossed the line from appropriately tough to unacceptably ugly campaigning?

Excuse us if we don't join in the general hand-wringing, but our answer to all three questions is no. This is a contest between two formidable candidates, each of whom has proven appeal to millions of voters. The party rules provide for primaries through early June. Why should voters in those states be told, "Never mind"? The lengthy primary contest may not be in the best interest of the Democratic Party, which would rather be gearing up for November, but it has served to clarify the two candidates' strengths and weaknesses -- matters that would come to the fore in the general election anyway. Thanks to the continuing race, Democrats can assess now the impact of Mr. Obama's relationship with his former pastor or his comments about "bitter" working-class voters; likewise, they can take into account Ms. Clinton's rising unfavorability ratings. Democrats can look at the clear demographic divide between the two contenders -- Mr. Obama does better among affluent, better-educated voters; he lags among lower-earning whites, especially men and Catholics -- and decide whether that affects their assessment of the party's chances in November. Information now is better than information later.

Read entire editorial:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/23/AR2008042303073.html
http://www.surveyusa.com/index.php/2008/04/22/national-poll-regardless-of-pa-outcome-clinton-should-stay-in-race/