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Rank and file in no hurry to end race

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 12, 2008 07:20 PM

While pundits and some party leaders are ready for the Democratic race to be over already, voters are fine with the contest continuing, according to a new poll.

In the ABC News/Washington Post survey released late today, 64 percent of Democrats -- and even 42 percent of Barack Obama backers -- say Hillary Clinton should keep going. A majority of Democrats say the protracted primaries won't hurt the party's prospects in November, and 15 percent in the poll said they would actually help the party.

By a 12-percentage-point margin, according to the poll, Democrats prefer Obama as the nominee.

The race will definitely continue through Tuesday's primary in West Virginia, which Obama has effectively conceded and has suggested he could lose as badly as 80 percent to 20 percent.

While Clinton has planned a victory rally in Charleston, West Va., Obama plans to leave her the spotlight. He does not have a primary night event of any kind scheduled, but plans an afternoon economic town hall meeting in Missouri, a possible swing state in November.

3 comments so far...

  1. "Rank and file in no hurry to end race" but Obama is in a race to end it.

    Obama and his superdelegates are now engaged in a desperate end run game to prevent Sen Clinton from winning the presidential nomination at the conclusion of the presidential nomination process.

    This end run maneuvring was the reason for the superdelegate endorsements on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, and this subversion will continue in repudiation of the Democratic nomination process.

    Obama and his superdelegates have chosen to take the Democratic Party on the path to a train wreck in November. This is entrenching votes for McCain. Obama will crash and burn in November if he swipes the nomination.

    "OBAMA BACKERS MAKE THEIR THREAT" - Executive Intelligence Review - "Those who are attempting to shut down the Clinton campaign and control this Presidential election have no allegiance to (the) Democratic Party, or to the United States."

    http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2008/3520threat_to_clinton.html

    Posted by crat3 May 12, 08 07:45 PM
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  1. The reason Obama and his supporters want the race to continue: how do you explain losing 3 or 4 primaries by huge margins when you are the nominee? And how damaging a talking point is that for Republicans for his general election campaign?

    While the idiotic Obamabots in the blogosphere keep chanting for Hillary to bow out, those with half a brain realize how damaging the above prospect is.

    Posted by JLS May 12, 08 09:15 PM
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  1. I agree. Everybody has the "right" to vote and the party elite like Ted Kennedy wanted to take that "right" away from voters in several states. I suppose if he had the intestinal fortitude to say Hillary Clinton should quit before the folks in his home state (Mass) had voted, one could say he still had guts.

    Posted by Al from Portland, Oregon May 12, 08 09:22 PM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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