Bloomberg News: Obama Looms as Giant-Killer in Ohio, Texas as Clinton Star Dims
By Catherine Dodge
March 3 (Bloomberg) -- If Barack Obama defeats Hillary Clinton in Texas or Ohio tomorrow, he will take control of a unified Democratic Party and enter the race against John McCain with an already-established reputation as a political giant-killer.
Polls show the Illinois senator has overcome Clinton's Texas lead, and a win may drive the former first lady and once front-runner out of the race. If that happens, "you're looking at Jack and the Beanstalk,'' says Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster who isn't aligned with any candidate. Obama will have "taken down one of the true giants in politics,'' he says.
For all the months of campaigning and the large initial field of candidates, Democrats have so far largely managed to avoid the kind of rancor that would split the party and endanger its prospects in November, analysts and party operatives say. Most party members right now would be happy with either candidate, says Boyd Richie, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, who's neutral in the race.
That may change if voters fail to deliver a clear verdict tomorrow. "Certainly, if the race gets protracted and drags on, there's always the risk that both sides are going to alienate some voters on the opposite side, and we'd rather not have that,'' Richie says.
Clinton victories in both Texas and Ohio would raise the prospect of having to wait until at least the April 22 Pennsylvania primary for a potential resolution of the race between Obama, 46, and Clinton, 60, a New York senator. Such a battle would delay the start of the campaign against Arizona Senator McCain, 71, the all-but-certain Republican nominee, undermining Democratic prospects in the Nov. 4 election....
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGibqe.b3IlY&refer=worldwide 
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
