Barack Obama has momentum and excitement after his five-contest sweep over the weekend — the margin of his Maine victory was especially impressive, given that the demographics (white women, blue-collar) were said to favor Hillary Clinton.
Obama also is pulling away on fundraising, clearing $32 million in January, compared with $13.5 million for Clinton, who lent her campaign $5 million of her own money.
With Obama’s expected wins in Tuesday’s primaries, it’s looking like a long, demoralizing month for Clinton.
But can Obama close the deal? That remains the nagging question, this article points out. He still hasn’t shown that he can put away Clinton. He’s running up a string of wins and attracting funds and crowds — but can he translate it into a vote shift where it matters, in Clinton’s March 4 firewall states, Texas and Ohio?
If he can win those contests, especially Texas, he’ll be on his way to the nomination. That’s still a big “if.â€
Asked on “Fox News Sunday†by host Chris Wallace about what he might write in a note to his successor, President Bush dictated: “Dear Republican President . . . . Occupying the White House is a huge honor. Savor every minute. Stay focused on your beliefs. Rely upon a higher power to help you through the day.â€
Nice sentiment, especially the “huge honor†part. But many historians would suggest that Bush’s focus on his beliefs — at all costs, and to the exclusion of evidence to the contrary — has been the root of his administration’s failings.
Bush told Wallace it’s too early to say how history will regard his presidency. (Who knows? Maybe it will look better in the rearview mirror.)
Bush also defended John McCain’s conservative credentials (while not endorsing him or Mike Huckabee). “I know his convictions,†Bush said. “I know the principles that drive him and no doubt in my mind that he is a true conservative.â€
In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton holds an edge over Barack Obama in the “superdelegates†— leaders and party officials pledged to a certain candidate. They could prove decisive, some say, if the delegate count remains split going into the convention.
Although superdelegates aren’t committed, the chances of them changing their allegiance is remote.
What could change that, this article points out, is if Obama wins more delegates in the primaries and caucuses.
Political scientist William Mayer of Northeastern University agreed that the party leadership likely would support the candidate who earned the most popular-vote delegates — otherwise they risk a popular revolt within the party.
“Do the superdelegates have the capacity to resist the choice of the overwhelming majority of primary voters and caucus participants? The answer, I think, is a clear ‘no.’â€
As Wichita looks to another school bond issue, Wichita County is dealing with another school bond defeat — the third in five years. The latest proposal, which lost last week by five votes, would have built a $5 million elementary school by raising property taxes an average of $8.43 a month in Leoti. Bringing the outdated and termite-damaged school up to code could take $6.5 æmillion, but the naysayers prevailed. “People need to understand,†said supporter Charlie Ayers, “if you don’t pay for your community, your community dies.â€
Each endorsement of Barack Obama by a woman raises questions about why she chose him over Hillary Clinton. State Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita, told Harris News Service she saw both as strong candidates but was swayed to endorse Obama by a call she received from a 72-year-old constituent. “It just really moved me when he said, ‘I know there is a God. I’m going to get to vote for a black man for president before I die.’â€
