Super-duper Tuesday so far...

Well, so far it seems to be a dead heat. In the long run I'd say that favours the challenger, and despite pulling alomst level with the Hildog tonight, Obama remains the outsider and that's a powerful position. California is a big prize for Clinton to be sure, ditto Mass. and NJ. On the other hand, wins in Connecticut, Missouri, Colorado and the other western states should hearten Obamaniacs. One thing I hope we can put to rest tonight though is whether Obama can win white votes: YES HE CAN. After all - Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Alaska are not exactly "Jesse Jackson" territory. Enough of my attempts at punditry, I'll give over to a master, and steal a whole post, photo and all:


Image nabbed from here

Among Obama's states: Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Kansas, Alabama. His geographic reach is remarkable. His speech - just so glaringly, embarrassingly, surpassingly superior to his opponent's - has a theme of national unity and an end to identity politics. He actually rebukes voting on the basis of race whereas Clinton championed her role as a woman in politics. That's the difference. A reference to Washington's "dramas and distractions." An invocation of the wave of mortgage foreclosures. He praises Clinton by name but then puts the boot in - on lobbyists, Iraq, Iran, torture. And he's actually making tax hikes for the rich a positive reason to vote for him. No, Senator Clinton, he is not Ronald Reagan. And he is not George W. Bush: "We will make mistakes."
Look: he's a liberal. I'm not. But I'm not immune to this moment in history and this candidate's broad appeal. He appeals to the liberal in all of us. And it may be time for such a swing of the pendulum. Frankly, if that's going to happen, I'd rather have Obama represent that shift than almost anyone else.
If he loses California, the race goes on and he may not ultimately win the nomination. But he will have won this campaign. And he will have won the argument.

Heading off to bed now,

- Mr. Ed