I don't understand the "unelectable" meme, given the wide variety of

[Doctor_J]

endorsements Obama's gotten. Sam Nunn, Kathleen Sabelius, Bill Richardson, the Teamsters, and Russell Simmons, among others. That's not exactly a narrow focus group. Is the "unelectable" lie from the MSM?

[Toucano]

1. I don't think it's from the MSM, but who knows.

I see both camps using it, and both are wrong about it.

Both Obama and Clinton are electable.

[4themind]

2. I wouldn't worry about it too much

Just another one of those words, that often seem to have ill defined sufficient criteria, and rely upon polling based evidence, to support a conclusion as absolute as "Unelectable", rather than saying "polling evidence suggests that he/she is at a disadvantage in an election relative to ____"

If obama (or hillary) were unelectable (at least in the way I understand english), the only possible way that could be proven is to have either one BECOME the nominee and run versus McCain in an election, but they're saying that he/she should NOT become the nominee because they are unelectable (which can't be proven yet, short of finding out that the person is either a foreign-born, or is in fact dead). I'd chalk it up to silly season and move on.

[Captain Hilts]

3. Surveys show both Obama and Clinton are electable. Can't wait to vote for one or the other. nt

[boobooday]

4. It's all they got

They're hoping if they say it enough times, we will believe them.

[TragedyandHope]

5. Well, in some contexts, it has been used as code

to spread a whisper of doubt: "Of course none of us are racists, but you know the bigots would come out of the woodwork and never allow a black candidate to be elected."

That is totally untrue and this race has already proven that Americans are ready for a black President. Truth doesn't seem to have much bearing on a lot of what is whispered in this campaign, such as the Muslim rumor. Probably 95% of stories and headlines reported something like, "Obama isn't really a Muslim" and "Obama Muslim Rumors Untrue," but somehow a not insignificant fraction of the population only saw those two words "Obama" and "Muslim" repeated over and over again and it became cemented in their consciousness that he is, in fact, a Muslim.

All these kind of things are pure horse manure.

Both Democrats are not only electable, but I am confident that one of them will be sitting in the White House by this time next year. Once we get into a two candidate race, McCain won't have a chance in a country facing the immediate and dire consequences of 8 years of Bush.

[phrigndumass]

6. That one just kills me ...

The ultimate test of electability is winning your party's nomination for President, and winning it by the rules. I don't know where the meme came from, but it smells like a Hypothetical Hillary viewpoint, given the math doesn't much suit her campaign.