Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Hillary takes New Hampshire

Wow. The women came out strong for Hillary Clinton. And Barack Obama got dunked in some ice-cold water. This race is gonna be see-ree-us.

If the Democratic nomination is Obama’s to have, I guess it’s good that it don’t come easy.

And isn’t it amazing how fast the game changes? Just 10 hours ago, Thomas B. Edsall – political editor of the Huffington Post – wrote:

“A panicked and cash-short Clinton campaign is seriously considering giving up on the Nevada caucuses and on the South Carolina primary in order to regroup and to save resources for the massive 19-state mega-primary on February 5.”

For the who in the what now? Team Clinton has tasted blood. Won’t be no more panickin’. And no giving ground.

30 comments:

DeAngelo Starnes said...

I knew it. The Clintons are brilliant campaigners and political strategists.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ And their bodies eat bullets.

Cal said...

Black people should always remain skeptical. And those that know their history should remember the Harvey Gantt vs. Jesse Helms Senate race in North Carolina in 1990. The same thing happened.

Anonymous said...

I like Obama, but I don't think he's seasoned enough to be president. If this was four years from now, I'd be all for him. But not now. And not against Hillary.

I am woman, hear me roar (and vote).

hisboyelroy said...

Hillary can't win the General Election, her negative numbers are too high 49% give or take a couple points. The best chance for the Dems in 2008 is Obama.

Undercover Black Man said...

I am woman, hear me roar (and vote).

I tell ya, dez, I way underestimated the mass-motivational impact of HRC's feminist appeal.

Michael Fisher said...

deangelo...

I knew it. The Clintons are brilliant campaigners and political strategists.

Come on now, Deangelo. The polls, both Clinton's and Obama's had Obama way ahead by some 14 points.

That shit had nutin to do with "brilliant strategy".

You know what the difference was between Iowa and New Hampshire?

Iowa was a public caucus and NH had closed curtain individual voting.

It's a case of saying one thing in public and acting another in private. White racism in action.

Thordaddy said...

fisher,

You mean liberal white racism?

Anonymous said...

I'll leave it to the two of you to demonstrate expertise in racism.

JUST
SAYIN,
R

Undercover Black Man said...

It's a case of saying one thing in public and acting another in private. White racism in action.

Well, Fish... what can I say? What the hell can I say, brah?

Eugene Robinson (of the Washington Post) was rather tentative last night on MSNBC when he first suggested a "Tom Bradley effect"... i.e., white voters telling pollsters they'd vote for the black guy when they never intended to vote for the black guy.

As I remember, Joe Scarborough almost bit Gene Robinson's head off for bringing race into it like that. (Could have been Chris Matthews, but I think it was Scarborough.)

Now, a few hours and a night's sleep later, Mr. Robinson's tentative suggestion has become part of the conventional wisdom of What The Hell Happened in the New Hampshire primaries. (Matter fact, Scarborough just told his "Morning Joe" audience: "We'll call it the 'Tom Bradley effect.'")

Ann Brock said...

She played on the women voters. (1) Getting a phone call in the middle of her speech,ending with a love you. (2)Hillary tearing up. I am a woman and that did tug at my heart only for a moment please!

Anonymous said...

I went shopping with Tom Bradley on my first trip to LA -- but I digress.

The minute they said Clinton was ahead, I was looking for my Chris Rock DVD -- what he said about Colin Powell. My black southern friends always said they didn't trust white notherners.

But for me, the bottom line is that this year I'm not totally gagging over the choices. It's interesting to watch. We'll see what happens in the next quarter.

Anonymous said...

Hillary and Co. will steal the election if the votes don't swing their way, just like the Bush crew did.
Because, she is slated to be the next puppet President, regardless of who runs. All this is for public show, to get folks hopes up for absolutely NOTHING!
They are all criminals.

SJ said...

The hardcore independents turned out for McCain instead of Obama this time. It was the other way around in Iowa. Hilary has a hardcore Democrat following but Obama has the edge when it comes to independents.

In any case it's becoming interesting.

wanda loves... said...

it was those damn semi tears she dropped and all those MSNBC reporters and pundits talking about how it was over for Hillary (even though they secretly want her to win).

wanda loves... said...

and it was Joe Scarborough (or how ever you spell his name), who challenged Eugene Robinson. I found that silly and extra funny because for the past 3 weeks, I've heard about the "Bradley Effect" from him and Chris Matthews non-stop.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Hey Wanda. Thanks for back-stopping me re: Eugene Robinson and Scarborough.

As for the "Bradley" thing, Scarborough and Matthews must've been talking about a different Bradley for the past three weeks. Because as soon as Eugene said "Bradley Effect," Scarborough assumed he was talking about Bill Bradley (who lost to Al Gore in 2000).

There would've been no reason for them to even think about Tom Bradley until the vote came down last night.

But of course Scarborough was all over the "Bradley Effect" today. By this afternoon, though, he was at least acknowledging that Eugene Robinson was the first to mention it.

Anonymous said...

You know what the difference was between Iowa and New Hampshire?

Iowa was a public caucus and NH had closed curtain individual voting.

It's a case of saying one thing in public and acting another in private. White racism in action.


Um, Obama got within the polls' margin of error for votes; Hillary just polled much, much better than predicted.

See here for polls, here for results.

Don't let the facts get in the way of your self-righteousness, though.

Dr. F. said...

New Hampshire was the first primary in which the voters cast their votes in privacy, unlike the open caucuses of Iowa.

That's what the pundits missed (although NPR made the point days ago). As such, I see the close results as a much more accurate predictor of the down-to-the-wire election we are in for in November 2008 (leaving it regrettably wide open to the likelihood of Republican dirty tricks).

Undercover Black Man said...

^ Republican dirty tricks? Oh Jeff... you won't have to wait that long, blood.

Thordaddy said...

Why doesn't Obama just come out and tell us how racist the independent voters are in New Hampshire?

I knew this would happen. We would see the racial aspect come into full focus with blacks showing solidarity and white liberals reverting to their racial instincts.

The next election will divide the liberal vote based on the first homosexual, atheist, Mexican, Asian, transvestite POTUS. It will be the dissolution of a party that thought they could cater to all the aggrieved minorities.

From here on out those liberals that don't vote for the historic Democratic candidate must be infected with some kind of racism or bigotry. What a way to push your voters towards the right.

If Obama loses then the taint of racism in the Democratic party is undeniable.

Anonymous said...

Obama can still win but it will just be more difficult.

No one has got a mandate...if you look back at old primaries for the last 25 years, people typically win them with 50%.

These primaries are very very competitive. You can see that by the fact that no one has even got 40% and Hillary barely won New Hampshire, a state she was supposed to have on lock, far stronger than Iowa. The fact she only won by 3 points shows how weak she is.

Obama's challenge is to show he is electable and he is a winner. That is harder for him to do being black with a weird Swahili name, but it is doable.

He has to win Nevada and South Carolina in a strait sweep. I don't think he will win Florida, but he should place very strong (within 2%).

Remember in 2000, Bill Clinton did not win New Hampshire or Iowa. They were calling him the "Come Back Kid" for getting 2nd place.

There are a hell of a lot of people in the Democratic party who obviously hate Hillary and a whole lot of independence who hate her even more.

Obama has to maximize that and REALLY FIGHT. In my opinion he was not fighting in New Hampshire. He was just chilling thinking Iowa gave him the nomination, obviously not. He lost women voters.

Hillary is not invincible and New Hampshire is not the end of the story...it is just a much harder road for Obama.

He really really has to kill it the next month going into Super Tuesday...then what it is is what it will be.

Undercover Black Man said...

If Obama loses then the taint of racism in the Democratic party is undeniable.

But Thordaddy... if Hillary loses, then the taint of sexism in the Democratic party is undeniable.

This is like some fucked-up liberal game of rock-paper-scissors.

And never forget, Thor: Hillary threw down the gender card long before Obama ever whipped out the race card. Why not be generous and give the black man credit for speaking beyond race? For appealing to white folks in terms that make white folks the most comfortable?

Undercover Black Man said...

In my opinion he was not fighting in New Hampshire. He was just chilling thinking Iowa gave him the nomination, obviously not.

In retrospect, DH, I agree; Obama was getting a tad regal in those last few days in New Hampshire.

He's better off not being the front-runner. Hillary is the establishment candidate, after all; Obama is the insurgent.

He oughtn't be anointed. He ought to earn it the real way. Like a man.

odocoileus said...

If gay marriage had been legal back in the day, he could've married the best politician of his generation, and let him do all the heavy lifting.

Oh, wait.

Sure, BO's not into sex with men, but then, neither is Hilary.

Undercover Black Man said...

Sure, BO's not into sex with men, but then, neither is Hilary.

Ooh. Bitchy.

I give that two snaps with a twist.

odocoileus said...

LOL.

I'm not hatin.

Huma Abedin's hot. And smart.

Way better taste than Bill. He went in for low rent floozies.

Anonymous said...

I met Tom Bradley when I was a kid. He was nice. And tall. Very tall (insert your own Giant Negro joke here).

I tell ya, dez, I way underestimated the mass-motivational impact of HRC's feminist appeal.

I think the bloggers and other internet posters who keep referring to her as a "bitch" or worse are also firing up her feminist base.

Undercover Black Man said...

^ And Limbaugh... good God. He was on the radio today accusing the Clinton camp of bussing in out-of-state voters to boost the vote count in New Hampshire. He straight-up accused her of voter fraud. He will say anything to malign her.

My heart goes out to her for that kinda crap. But I'm just ready to turn the page on the Clintons, period. The '90s was cool and all, but some new faces would be welcome.

We all know a woman's gonna get there eventually.

Anonymous said...

^ Yeah, this coming November! :-D