The Kerry momentum

[isbister]

Behind string of victories, 'electability'

As Senator John Kerry further tightened his claim to the Democratic presidential nomination, party leaders said Wednesday that the race was generating record turnout by Democrats eager to find the candidate best equipped to defeat President George W. Bush in November.

Kerry demonstrated broad geographic appeal Tuesday, prevailing over six competitors in Delaware, Missouri, North Dakota, New Mexico and Arizona. Polls show he is carrying this momentum to Michigan, which, along with Washington, holds its Democratic caucuses on Saturday. A Detroit News survey gave him more than twice the combined vote of the next three candidates in Michigan.

Senator John Edwards of North Carolina won handily Tuesday in South Carolina, his birth state, where Kerry placed second.

Oklahoma gave Wesley Clark, the retired general and NATO commander, his first electoral victory ever, just ahead of Edwards and then Kerry....

http://www.iht.com/articles/128130.html

[aldian159]

1. As the Chicago Tribune editorial page put it

We are the Lombardi Democrats: Just win, baby.

However, suffice to say the only Republicans in metropolitan Chicago are on the Tribune editorial board. These guys said keeping Padilla at Gitmo was a good thing, among other things.

[wyldwolf]

2. "There is excitement about beating George Bush. You can feel it."

Great article!

More highlights:

Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic National Committee chairman, spoke Wednesday of "record turnouts in all these primary states."

"Last night in Oklahoma, three times more Democrats showed up than ever in the history of the state," he told an NBC-TV interviewer. "Same in South Carolina, same we had in Iowa, same thing in New Hampshire." He added, "There is excitement about beating George Bush. You can feel it."

The "electability" factor has emerged increasingly as the reason for Kerry's broadly successful showing Tuesday, following his surprise victory in Iowa and a follow-up in New Hampshire.

In nearly every state Tuesday, the ability to defeat President Bush was the No. 1 quality voters were looking for, exit polls showed... Bush, though he has enjoyed high historical levels of popularity, has looked increasingly vulnerable of late. A USA Today/CNN/Gallup survey on Monday showed that his popularity had fallen 11 percentage points in a month, to below 50 percent, as voters expressed unhappiness with the economy and the Iraq war.

[izzie]

3. Used to be a sort of joke around here.

See who comes to Wolfbora NH and it will be the Republican that gets on the ticket, as that is where the money was for that party.And they did and they got to run. I am sure the Dem have the same back room power. Dean is out and Kerry in and the big money people set it. It was the same with Clinton. He took off like a shot once he had meeting with the big money guys in NYC. Ike was most likely the last man who ran that people wanted. The money guys had picked someone else.