The question should be why hasn’t the Clinton name, the Clinton money machine, and the Clinton polarization not been able to close the deal? Hillary Clinton is behind in delegates and money. If she were the people’s choice, this would have ended a long time ago.

Obama has won or closed the numbers in each state so far in this primary. This question does not apply to Obama. Let’s talk again after Indiana.

Jack

I think with all her experience, she should be asked why he is so close after such a short time in the public’s eyes.

Why couldn’t she close all the states he won?

Jack, I think there is a large populous that does not see Barack as the ideal candidate and the same goes for Hillary. The campaigns are becoming increasingly negative and it raises doubts about the type of President Barack Obama will be.

I know if it wasn’t for Obama’s questionalbe friendships with some shady characters, I would probably support him.

It’s a contest and one doesn’t always win every game, especially when it’s in someone elses statdium. My question is why can’t she win big in her own backyard? She should win by 30% or more. If she steals the nomination via the super delegates then we should not consider this democratic.

Jack, this question has always been a matter of deflecting attention away from the opposite question: Why couldn’t Clinton close the deal? She’s the establishment candidate, the putative inclumbent, the one with name recognition throughout the country, the one with a full blown political machine and a former President-husband behind her. Why didn’t she close the deal long ago? I think the media should ask that question and cover the whole story, don’t you?

Hey Jack , I love it . i want more people heard from and the more he go through this tough campaign the more tough he becomes , By November anymore attack from the GOP will be old news . Let Clinton stay in the race and make him more though.

Because (1) the race is too close to call (2) Hillary has support among white & women voters in some states like PA & IN (3) she has a point that she has won big states (4) electability (who can win) is now a question (5) superdelegates should come forth with their choice. It will all be over by May 7.

it difficult to seal a deal when u have a party already divided and encouraging the losing side to continue on ,the media is also contributing to the foolishness by making big deal of silly things

Are you kidding me Jack? Obama has already closed the deal. He has taken a beating from the Clintons and still is ahead. He has the delegates and he has the money. Clinton has already lost the delegate game can’t recover.

Jack,

Obama did a good job last night. He won in all cartergories with the exception of WHITE WOMEN. Look AMERICA, there are a lot of women that are pround of Hillary and they should be. But the reality is soon she will be out of the race then it is going to be either Obama or McCain? Those Catholic votes (which is approx 70 white women over 50 years of age) are goin tohave to choose or stay home and they are not going to move to McCain. Even if they do stay home it will nueturalize McCain’s base. For you to expect Obama to win the Catholic vote (prodominately white women) is the same as you saying she is losing more of the african american vote so she can not win in November. She is not going to take his base, and she is not going to take hers so stay tuned. Obama with those women that are true Democratics and Americans will DESTORY McCain. But with his voters, she would beat McCain also.

Jack, Obama is having trouble closing the deal because the Washington politics of old is like one of the robots in the Terminator movie. The old politics morths into different shapes and personalities and no matter how many times you take it out it always seems to revive and get back on mission. The problem is that the mission it is on is the advancement of individual candidates and not the best interest of the country.

There’s nothing he can do. A significant number of voters in this country – myself included – simply do not believe he has the experience or qualifications necessary to be Commander in Chief. He can outspend Hillary as much as he wants to, but in the end, he is still lacking in experience.

Jack it is so sad to have a good canidate like Barack Obama defeated by a liar and her cronies. The media fails to forget that she had the entire political machine behind her in PA. Rendella and that sellout Nutter.

I think Obama needs to forget about HIldabeast and return to the message of hope and unity. Oh and Jack this race will end when God says its time

Very simple , Jack. It is an uphill battle to change the status quo of the political culture which has been imprinted on our expectations. People have become so used to the slick B.S. over the years they are leery of change and sincerity.
Hopefully their apprehension will calm down in time to prevent
“business-as-usual” from triumphing, as usual. We’re needing a new beginning, or we’ll have another disaster for 4(or 8 years).

I think the reason Sen. Obama did not win in PA is because of the older female voters. These are the people that remember how things were during the Clinton administration. They think that everything is going to be fine again if the Clintons serve a third term. What they are not understanding is, that Hillary is no Bill Clinton. She cares about winning and that’s it. It’s ok. The rest of the country will get it right.

Obama for President 2008

Obama has always been the underdog in this race.

The question should be- why can’t a former first lady with 100 percent name recognition who has been poked and prodded and in the public eye for 16 and a half years wrap up the nomination easily? With her vast network and connections through her husband, she should have twice as much money as Obama does.

Hillay, herself, predicted last year that the race would be over on February 5th (assumedly with herself being the presumptive nominee)

Well, then, she’s also said last year that she agreed with the DNC rules regarding Florida and Michigan not getting any delegates.

He can’t seal the deal because he won’t steal the deal. Hillary will beg, ,borrow, and steal to get the deal! Jack, it is that simple. Bill stole the show when he was president. In fact he ruined the office by with his many affairs, those we know about and the those we don’t
Enough is enough of the Clintons…
Thanks for reading this , Jack!
PS Why do you think Clinton can seal the deal??? I would like to know!

The only way Obama can close the deal is if the Democratic Party takes a play out of the Republican playbook and does not count all the votes. If I was a Floridian Democrat I would stop voting- it seems neither party wants to count their votes.

Jack, “close the deal” is like Bill wanting us to define “is”. Or Hillary now wants us to define “win”. So define “close the deal”.

Hasn’t he already come close to, or in my opinion achieved that?

Remebering that less than 12 short months ago, Hillary was considered a shoe-in, all she had to do was say she was running and was hers. Or the highly touted Clinton political machine that Obama is bucking. I think since he currently leads in states won, the popular vote, and pledged delegates, he has overcome tremendous odds just to be where he is.

And her position that she’s more electable seems a contradiction to the facts already in evidence. Those are, he’s ahead and he’s winning.

But in typical Clintonesque politics, if you don’t like the results, change the rules…or remembering Monica, change the definition…..

Senator Obama could close the deal if he didn’t have a fellow party member trying so hard to distract him from the message. He is bringing in more and more people every day. He is raising more money and getting more delegates. Then Senator Clinton comes along and makes claims and comments that are totally unfounded and play on the fears of Americans who just want to feed their families and bring their sons & daughters home from the war.

It’s actually pretty simple. Obama is a relative newcomer, so he has to cover a lot more ground than Hillary. That’s why he won so many small states with blue collar workers, but not the large states.

In fact, he has trouble with most large states except Illinois, because they already know him in Illinois.

By the same token, Hillary couldn’t win the South except Arkansas.

So we can ask two questions: Why can’t Obama win large states, and why can’t Hillary win the south? Both candiatates are flawed by themselves, but together they might be able to pull it off.

Unfortunately, because of Hillary’s incessant nastiness, that’s not likely to happen. I look at it like a political “sibling rivalry”.

I think the writing is on the wall. Obama can’t close the deal because some Americans would rather vote for the person that started the trade deals that caused them to lose their job than to vote for a qualified black man. This of course has been disguised behind inexperience and this unseen connection Clinton has with blue collar workers. The PA map shown on CNN of where her support showed it clearly!!! Anyplace there is a large population of white blue collar americans, she wins.

It’s ok, let them vote her in and let the superdelegates give it to Hillary. I am not a blue collar worker, so when their homes continue to foreclose and their jobs continue to be shipped oversees…I will continue to reap the benefits of their decision.

It’s simple Jack!

Some of the blue collar voters/elders grew up with Hillary and/or set in their ways. They don’t want change! They like things the way it is!

Obama can’t close the deal with blue collar/elder voters who probably do the samething everyday–take the same routes everyday–eat the same foods everyday—its about change and they don’t want change..

closing the deal with blue collar/elder voters would be like going back in time and growing up with them like Hillary.

This is an easy one, Jack. It is because some of the people in the larger states think they are voting for BILL CLINTON. They remember good times financially and associate her with that. I personally have good memories of his term in office relative to economics.

BUT and this is the BUT, Bill is not running and Hillary has not only her baggage but his and believe me the republicans will have a hayday with it. Obama did great coming back from a 25% delegate lead she had–Bill lived there a couple of months so he got her a good head-start.

Obama will overcome this–he is a good candidate and has surrounded himself with good managers of his campaign. Oh yes, got to get off to send him a check!

Carol
Knoxville, TN

Let’s see. Maybe it’s because the media spent 24/7 for a good week on “bitter-gate,” but has yet to report much at all on Hillary’s desire to “obliterate” Iran. Maybe it’s because the last debate was a tabloidy affair that focused on everything negative that has ever been associated with Obama. Maybe it’s because the media is afraid to talk about why Senator Clinton would have a tough time in the general election: her husband’s antics in the White House. Maybe it’s because no one has bothered much reporting bits and pieces from Hillary’s past that are negative, but focus on Obama’s link to a guy considered a terrorist when Obama was 8 years old. (Bill Clinton pardoned his 2 associates.) Journalism isn’t what it used to be.

He can’t close the deal because he’s not the right candidate and America is beginning to realize that. If he wins the nomination it will be due to his large amounts of money spent on advertising. And the Democrats will be left with a Dukakis instead of a Clinton.

Jorge
San Fancisco

States like PA and OH… Are still stuck in there raciest ways….

OBAMA 08

His lack of experience has been a blessing for his campaign in that he has not done much to alienate anyone, but it also means that when things do come up, he has nothing to fall back on. Voters only know what he tells them. They don’t actually know what he would do in any given situation (besides talking to everyone). As economic concerns get bigger, people are going to want a familiar face who they’ve seen handle crises as opposed to someone who can only tell you how well he’ll handle a crisis.

Because there are a lot of dumb people out there.

Reason why Barack can’t close the deal is simple. Caucuses are Barack’s forte. The regular voter does not have the time to spend 30 to 2 hours debating who is the best candidate. Primaries are easy, just go in the voting booth and place you mark, and the best thing is that you don’t have to listen (which is what happens in caucuses) to what ususally is a young college educated person, who right of the bat thinks that he/she is better than you.

Jack-

First let me say that Obama WON the delegate vote in Texas, so TX should be taken out of the Hillary “win” column.

Second – Obama has had a much bigger challenge than Clinton. She started out this campaign with more delegate votes and the recognition of the ‘Clinton name’ and all that comes with the name. Obama was the unknown underdog.

Third – when you look at the states that Obama “lost” , he actually won if you look at what the gap was supposed to be. Look at PA for example – he started out with an over 20% gap and he CLOSED it at 9% (yes, 9% as of 2 PM) with 99.44% of the vote counted. You guys should check out the PA voter returns website.

Same with Ohio – CLOSED the gap there.

You have to look at the big picture of what Obama has done. He campaigns in the states he is expected to “lose” and CLOSES the margain significantly.

Clinton, on the other hand, ignores the states she is expected to lose in and says they do not count.

Now you tell me, who is the closer? Clearly it is Barack Obama. Still very far ahead in number of states won, delegates, and popular vote totals and all without the negative campaign tactics and lies that are the stuff of Hillary Clinton.

Kathy F/ NJ

I think the pressure should be that we ask Obama to step down. Americans are giving away so much money to Obama to do what?

I feel for all the people who is watching their money go down the drain. STOP giving money to Obama and let’s put the pressure for NOBama to get out of the race NOW!

The real question is, why hasn’t Hillary closed the gap? I believe it’s because people are drawn to each of them for their own reasons, much more to do with personality or ethics, than their issues. I believe that Barack Obama is the answer because he has a vision for this country and he speaks with honesty and understanding. Yet we have seen his ability to address the negativity in this campaign with reason and wisdom. The fact that his campaign came out with negative ads during the PA primary, to me, indicates that this democratic primary process has gone on too long. Those of us who are watching and listening to all of this are stressed and tired. Do you really want to go into the general election with a democratic base that’s exhausted and disillusioned from this process? It’s time for her to give it up. Without overturning the popular vote, she cannot win this, and I for one have already lost my vote and don’t think everyone else’s should count for naught.

She did not win Texas. Just trying to keep you people in the media honest if that’s possible. He won more delegates in Texas and the popular vote was shewed by Republicans voting for her to beat him. Several people at the caucus in Texas that we attended said they voted for Hillary so McCain would win and besides, Texas is a red state and will be again in this election so it doesn’t really matter much.

Racism…However his mom was white…!
The good news is that the new generation is much better and that is the reason young and educated whites are his main support

The demographics in PA did not favor Obama. I think he did a hell of reducing Hillary’s lead by at least 50%. I grew up in Western PA. There is no way that an African American candidate stands a chance there.

Jack,

It should be obvious to everyone.

He rudely insulted the good people of Pennsylvania.

We do not need a president who slams the people.

And there’s no more he can say about it because it would sound phony

He obviously does not have the experienced to be president.

Strongely for Hillary Clinton

I voted for Hillary yesterday. South philly, white female, late 40″s, catholic and earn slighty over 50k. I may not have a master’s degree on my study wall but I do have something more important. “Street Smarts” over “Book Smarts”. (for all those who called us uneducated voters)

Obama is inexperienced, not seasoned to the polictical attacks, lacks substance & can only provide pretty speeches. We need more than that for the top job. He needs to pay his dues and prove he’s ready for the position, maybe he can achieve this over the next for 4 to 8 years. The way his campaign stands now, the republicans will destroy him in November. Including taking this die hard democrate vote with them at the ballot booth. The Media Darling is just that!

Mike, Vicksburg, MI
He has to spend too much of his time answering innane, fear-mongering questions. Take the “flag” question as an example. While at the last debate, he was AGAIN answering why he doesn’t wear a pin, I noticed that Hillary didn’t have on a pin and neither did either of the two asking questions! The amount of misinformation still circulating regarding him and his background is staggering. But why should I be surprised? Jesus spoke of hope, peace and equality and the world crucified Him – why should little ol’ Barack from Chicago get a better shake?

Because it is not his deal to close. Clinton has the ability to bring it to closure but won’t. He has not established his credibility enough (the “overhelming case”) to distance himslef from Clinton. Absent that, he has to slug it out until she cries “uncle”

Jack,

To imply that money can dictate the ideas of American’s means that our country is not as democratic as we would all like to think. The fact that Hillary would win PA is not a suprise or a news headline. Hillary should be asking why her support in such states is slipping. She didn’t win as big as she could have and that has to do with her policy and personality, not Obama’s campaign money.

In addition, as a Texan please, please please stop saying Hillary won Texas. She did not win Texas, Obama won Texas and as strange as our process may be, it has been that way for years. Considering Clinton’s “experience” and “connections” to Texas, she should be aware of our process. She should stop trying to deceive Americans and accept that she lost our 2-step process and stop trying to change the game to suite her perception of victory.

geee.. you spose it has something to do with the fact that he doesnt want to play the game of dirty politics…? meanwhile Mrs H thrives on it… she is pretty creepy… now threatening to use nukes.. I believe her.. Im afraid she would do it just to make history… its what she appears to be shooting for

I believe that Obama has a world of potential and one day will make an exemplary president. However, this is not his time. With less than one full term in the United States Senate, he is lacking the experience to lead the free world. I pray that he would accept a vice-presidential offer from Clinton. After two terms as the V.P. he will still be a young man and will make a great Democratic President. In short, the longer the primary runs, the more doubt regarding his experience comes to light. My open plea to both Barack and Hillary is please do not destroy the Democratic Party. Look to a future with a Democratic President for the next sixteen years. The decision is yours.

J.D. in NH, you took the words right out of my mouth. The reason Obama can’t seal the deal is because the media won’t let him.

Because people lie to pollsters in an effort to seem “cool” or politically correct

He has no expierience, is not qualified to be president and the
American people will not vote for him in the general election.

Jack

Don’t be mislead by the Clinton spin whihc is enhanced by the media coverage. Obama still has a 157 delegate and Clinton can not catch him in elected delegates, states won or popular vote.

This spin from her, is all about raising money for her debt ridden campaign.

NC, Guam and Indiana will end this charade.

After watching this race for the last couple of months, the reason I have given is the MEDIA. Most folks are unable to reason deeply for lack of time etc. But the media jumps on every impossible stupidity the Clintons come up with and it suddenly becopmes truth…even her mis-peaking is not called lies. So the spotlight is on HER and the people resopond. Michigan and Florida are a non-issue by her own statements until she made them an issue and the media AGREES. People I speak to dont even know why Barrack was not on the ticket in Michigan. Electoral votes are between Republicans and Democrats. Sudden she has made it an issue and the MEDIA agrees.
Big states is a non-issue as we all know…but she said it is an issue and the Media agrees…
The Media is making Clinton into a winner and we NEED TO KNOW why?

It’s Hillary and Bill Clinton who say he can’t close the deal. Senator Obama has an insurmountable lead in delegates. The race for the Democratic nomination for president is over.

It’s Hillary and Bill Cllnton who don’t appear to understand the math or the will of the American people.

Jack,

‘Machine’ politics is still a mighty force, and the Democratic Party its last successful national figure, who happens to be Hillary’s husband. It isn’t good enough for Obama to beat just Hillary … he has to either ‘win over’ or beat the machine too.

I attend Democratic Party meetings regularly. Obama is still regarded as an ‘object of curiosity’ and a usurper. Had he earned the backing of the party ‘faithful,’ this primary campaign would have long been over. His ‘new politics’ must win … not just over Hillary Clinton, but also over the organization he chooses to lead.

I think, as much as Hillary will hate to admit this, Bill Clinton’s enormous success with the economy during his time at the white house is resonating in the blue-collar states. People will rather take the change with the devil (not saying Hillary is “the devil”) they know. Because they can argue that they know what the worst case of another Clinton presidency would be, but have know clue what an Obama presidency will be like. But to argue that blue-collar democrats will rush to McCain if Obama wins the nomination is a fact less argument. If they have the economic in mind and are voting based on the policies and not personal difference, Obama should do just as well as Hillary. It all comes down to self preservation, people will not destroy their economic futures to spite one candidate (as someone noted in one of the CNN blogs). I personally think all the people who say they would vote the other McCain in the general elections if their candidate loses are just trying to blackmail the opposing supporters to support their candidate.

Jack, Obama can not close the deal because people are beginning to realize that he is not the real deal! The more you scratch the surface the more he is exposed and the more people realize Hillary is the real deal.

Sorab
Toronto – Canada

Well the Media now is in Hillary’s pocket… so they will distract us from the issues and away from what we should be looking at. Hillary knows fear works, so she has almost copied the GOP playbook of dirty politics. Her latest ads could have been from the GOP. Obama doesn’t want to go to her level, but he might.

Simple-dirty politics. He’s now being forced to play that game and he doesn’t know how to as well. He’ll have to learn to win-unfortunately .
It’s amazing she has the arrogance to critisize others and she is not ashamed of her own skeletons! Yes, she’s been vetted but I don’t want all that to be vetted again. This country was embarrassed by 8 yrs of Clinton, 8 yrs of Bush( for different reasons). Do we really want that to continue? I don’t.
Go ABC(anybody but Clinton).
Preferably Obama!!!!

The real question to me is why anyone believes in Hillary Clinton & wants to support her? I can’t understand why she has one supporter, let alone enough to still be close.

Jack,
Obama was, is amd will always be the underdog. She had a 20 point lead in Penn and (if you believe that windbag Lanny Davis…a 30 point lead)based on her name and personal demographics alone. Obama spent a ton of dough on advertising so that he could diminish that lead significantly, which he did. He also bankrupted her campaign and made it very difficult for her to compete from here on in. He is closing the deal as best as any minority candidate, relatively unknown 3 years ago, fighting a recent president and his wife possibly could.
Did Kennedy or Carter “seal the deal” this early? In large measure Obama already has sealed the deal…Hillary can no longer win in either the primary or General, although she may simply have guaranteed a McCain victory.

Thanks Jack,
Peter in Canada

Neither of them can close the deal because they both have what the other needs. Experience and charisma.

Let’s see, Hillary lied about Bosnia Trip, lied about NAFTA, lied about her daughter Chelsea being in danger on September 11, Lied About Ohio Woman Who Was Denied Treatment, and who knows about what else she lied, she is crazy, and she never apologizes about these things, she just says she “misspeaks”. Hillary starts a war of negative attacks to bring down Obama in what could also be a destroying event for the democratic party. The pastor of Obama says something that Obama repudiates and he apologizes for that but still he has to pay for it, and he apologized for the bitter remarks wich states something that is true he just wasn’t gentle enough when he said it giving his adversaries the advantage of taking it out of context and use it against him, something like that, something that small

Why can’t Barack Obama close the deal?

Because people are being really stupid?

I believe Obama can’t “close the deal” is because Hillary Clinton is making deals that will only surface if she becomes president. Which goes back to the same old politics; special interest groups, lobbyist, etc. Should I say anymore.

You pundits raise the question of Obama’s failure to ‘close the deal’ as if he has some terminal flaw in his campaign style. Obama has managed and run a flawless campaign despite the questionable tactics of the Clintons. As a former Pennsylvanian I am painfully aware of the question of race in this campaign. Exit polling in PA shows clearly that whites refused to vote for this well qualified black candidate. That’s not so much an indictment of him as it is those who persistently maintain racial animus toward those of a different hue. As for going negative and more aggressive toward her, you pundits damn him for not being aggresive enough, not hitting back and similarly damn him when he does, suggesting he’s moving away from his message of hope. Which way do you want it, guys??

Close the deal? Wasn’t he behind almost 20 points? Yep, she got to him this week with her sleazy style of campaigning and drudging up things about him that have nothing to do with him as our future president. What did happen though is that people in PA don’t like change. She’s a brand name. When you have a governor like Ed Rendell behind you who is so beloved, why wouldn’t you vote for her? PA has been known for being an old boys club (she gets to be a part of that I guess!) However, Nutter gave her nothing in Philadelphia. She says she’s been vetted herself and I give him a lot of credit for staying above the water on her style of campaigning. But, there is just that little part of me that wants some Obama supporter to remind everyone of “Whitewater” , the pardons, etc. I mean is everyone so afraid of her they are going to let her bully her way into the Whitehouse? As for closing the deal, remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. The deal is closed (hopefully in June) when he gets the nomination.

He can’t seal the deal because he is just not the right person for the job right now.

Yes, Clinton won.

Whoop-de-do.

And now she’s strapped for cash, way behind in delegates, still way behind in the popular vote, and you have to wonder how this “Big State” mentality is going to play in a state like Indiana. It’s a fairly elitist comment itself. Further, she’s tossing in the towel on North Carolina and it’s fairly hefty 115 delegates and substantial population.

Look, we all know that Hillary Clinton is a big dog in Democratic politics, and she’s being allowed to carry on her campaign because of that. The extended primary is also giving CNN and other outlets plenty of fuel for the fire. I think they’re pretty much the only ones at this point happy that this is continuing.

But do you think that maybe, just maybe, CNN can stop buying the Clinton post-election talking points, hook, line and sinker?

There are clearly going to be places where Senator Clinton is stronger. Pennsylvania was one of them. That she wins with voters who are more set in their ways or are still uncomfortable with the idea of a black president doesn’t bode well for getting anything done positive for the country if she gets elected. I heard her speech on getting tough with China, and she’s sounding more like Bush all the time. She better learn fast that Clinton bully tactics would be met with a polite smirk in China. She’s way way out of their league when it comes to power politics. ( they’ve been refining the art for about 5000 years.) That she is playing on the worst of our instincts to get votes is the same Clinton strategy they’ve had since Bill first took office. Just plain ugly.

The question should be why hasnt she won more delegates, more popular votes, more states. Why is she behind in money. Why, since super tuesday, has she only gained 12 superdelegates and Obama has gained 83. Why did she lose a 20 point lead in Pennsylvania. Why are the republicans attacking Obama right beside her. Seems with all those questions, the real question should be why cant HILLARY close the deal.

Obama has already “closed the deal” but the Clintons refuse to face up to it because their egos are outsized. The latter care more about themselves than the country, always have, always will. I voted for Billary in 1992 and 1996 but not in 2008, even if they get the nomination and yes, I did mean to say “they” because they’re a duel threat. Go Obama!

Jack:

Obama is the deal.

The Clintons have campaigned in Pennsylvania for the last generation.

In his six-week campaign, he managed to sway many voters who are not really open to something new, and narrowed a huge gap in the face of the Ed Rendell political machine.

I’m disappointed, but proud today.

The race will end on May 6. He will win N. Carolina and Indiana.
Hillary was very negative in the last week. The same strategy worked for her in Ohio and Texas…
The question is: where is the red line, and can the democratic party allows candidates to use all means to win?
McCain stopped campaigning, since Hillary is doing for him more than what he could do for himself.
Howard Deen needs to send a clear message that this type of compaigning will not be tolerated. Otherwise, Obama has to do the same

Igrew up in PA and it was all about “Gentlemen’s Agreement”. If you
sold your house to a Jewish family you were maligned and trashed.
Fortunately those days are past for the Jewish community. However,
Ron Reagan had it right onLarry King last night when he said the
elephant in the room was “race”. For whatever reason people seem to need someone to look down on, The llower income, less educated
whites in PA have to a great degree looked down on blacks. I think it
may take one more generation for those mostly senior citizens to pass
on for us to truly get past racism. Hopefully when the whole country
weighs in and the west in particular…it can give Obama the numbers
he needs to close the deal.
Why aren’t you asking why are the giants of the Democratic party like
Sam Nunn backing Obama and volunteering to be on his foreign
policy team?
Nancy

Why when Obama loses it is a big deal? These are two candidates with a very strong reliable base. Can you challenge Hillary to win North Carolina, or keep it within the same margin that Obama kept it in PA? Oh, by the way, the difference was only 9.4%, not double digits.

I really get tired of people talking down about blue collar workers and older women and then of course there are the uneducated voting for Hillary, What about all the blacks voting for Obama why is that OK

There is not only racial divide in this country, but many ileitis and condescending people just like Obama.

You know you just should not mess with older, uneducated, lower income white or black women.

Why can’t Hillary close the delegate count AND popular vote?

Why Hillary won in PA?
1. Northerners are more racist than southerners. Pennsilvania comprises of more Whites than Blacks. (10:1)?
2. Northeastern States usually support Hillary.
3. Obama’s passion for “Change” is becoming weaker. So the message does not appeal enough to voters.
4. Northeastern Whitse appear more narrow minded in various aspects thatn Southern Whites. ( You ask any person of other race moving from the South to the Northeast.)
Michael

It just shows that people are not as excited about Obama as his campaign may think. In recent weeks, his actions and comments have given people some hesitation before giving him the Democratic nomination. I really don’t want Hillary to be the nominee, but Obama is consistently hurting himself by his personal associations and through his comments. This nomination fight will continue until the convention because the superdelegates are now starting to question if Obama really can be the savior for this party.

The question is why hasn’t Billary closed the deal. They have name, the party machine behind them.. Obama has closed the deal, she just won’t listen. She’ll have it her way or no one will win. I can’t believe the party members are standing on the side lines letting this happen,

It’s the democratic parties fault Jack! As they do every four years the party has failed to offer any candidate that can feel the pulse of the voters and offer to represent their ideals. Neither Senator Clinton or Obama can show us a record of success in their public life or offer us a vision for the country. Mr. Obama cannot close the deal because as usual we the voters are being forced to guess instead of choose.

Well, well, how can he close the deal when we know that every where he goes, he has to start from scratch , introducing himself and what he has been doing. In the case of Clinton, thanks to her husband, most people have this sentimental attachment to Clinton’s era, so people easily relate and feel comfortable. Obama on the other hand had to spend more and work more to introduce himself and what he stands for. Come on, shouldn’t the question be, how come Clinton is still in the race? After all, she is famous, and going against unknown person like Obama should have been easier right? Well, obviously he is a tough cookie, so tell her to keep playing catch up.

I agree with the Huffington Post analysis that Pennsylvania was Clinton’s Waterlloo. She won a battle but she will still loose the war. Obama is still ahead in delegates, popular vote, campaign cash, and states won. That will not change in the contest to come. Clinton did not gain any new ground on Obama with last nights win in PA. She was expected to win that state given its demographics.

Senator Obama can’t close the deal because most of the die-hard Democrats like me don’t believe that Mitch McConnell or John Boehner is going to let any of their members work with Senator Obama to change anything. While the Senator is a good man, I want someone in their who is going to slap down McConnel and Boehner when they want to give even more to the rich, put in judges that are pro-business/anti-personal privacy to a fault, and believes that every poor/needy person is just abusing the system rather than needing a helping hand to get thru the next day. That would be Senator Clinton.

Obama CAN close the deal. In fact, he’s ahead in votes, states, and delegates! Why he didn’t win PA is a combination of his being not a Democratic party machine insider, and the mud that was thrown at him the last days of the campaign. This is a contest between change and the old party politics.

Obama is having trouble because of three big reasons. 1.) His agenda lacks substance. Even his own financial experts have difficulty explaining where the money is going to come from to finance his new deal policies for education, the poor, healthcare. Blind faith doesn’t work–he needs to clearly describe how he expects to accomplish his objectives–just putting a different thinker in the White House–probably isn’t the answer unless there are some strategies, tactics, goals, and objectives that are measurable. 2. ) He is an unknown candidate to most Americans. His resume is scant for a run on the White House; his record in the Senate and in the state house–isn’t that remarkable. 3.) His antipathy towards the Pentagon–and his declared ideals of seeking peaceful resolutions with despots who are essentially war criminals for their acts against Americans in Iraq, and others–isn’t selling well. As Commander-In-Chief he must effectively utilize the most powerful instrument of policy the world has ever know–the U.S. Armed Services. It isn’t clear if he has the knowledge or the resolve to make tough decisions that aren’t politically correct, but are in the best interests of the nation. George Bush made horrendous sacrifices to do what he believed was the right thing–Obama doesn’t seem to understand when it’s required, nor have the force of will to take the heat if his actions become unpopular. A vacillating CIC is not what we need in this dangerous world we live in.

Why not ask, Why can’t HRC close the deal? Don’t forget last summer she was the “inevitable” candidate, had record amounts of money, and all the party “poobahs” behind her. This contest has been like David against Goliath and Obama is 150 pledged delegates ahead.

He was close to closing the deal until someone took his words and twisted them to try and scare people into voting for her. If thats what it takes to win then Obama shouldn’t want to win. Shame on all of you who voted for her. She is a liar and a cheat. She couldn’t win running a clean campaign, so she had to go dirty and make up lies about Obama. She says how she wants little girls to look up to her, but she is no role model for my daughter. She is a liar and manipulater who will do anything to win. If that’s the type of person democrats
want to represent their party than so be it. I will vote for someone else.

Jack, what irks me is how the Clinton campaign is saying that she can win the “big states” and he can’t (hence, he can’t “seal the deal”) — but look closer, my friends.

Senator Clinton is getting vote in the parts of all these so-called “big” states that are traditionally Republican — not Democratic. No matter what she does, that part of the state will vote Republican in November and the trick is to get enough traditional Democrats in the urban areas to counter the sea of red in the rural parts.

Senator Obama, on the other hand, is getting out the vote and winning by large margins in the traditional Democratic areas — urban ridings. Yet, Clinton insists that she is the best candidate because she can win the big states? She may very well lose the big states if the traditional Democratic areas decide to sit it out or vote for McCain because they didn’t want her as their candidate ….

Bottom line — Obama is only struggling to close this down once and for all because the Clinton campaign is using false reasoning with the voters and superdelegates.

Think about it!

(Oh yeah — LOVED your book, Jack, and so did my curmudgeony 78-year old dad!)

It is a primary, the choice is Democrat A or Democrat B. In a general election, would women who vote for Hillary or Blacks who vote for Obama go Republican? Only if the race stays negative and the looser refuses to support the winner.

I hope Obama wins. I chose him over Hillary in the Primary. But I still like Hillary over McCain. Go Dems!

What kind of a question is that ? How about, “Why isn’t Hillary Clinton able to gain any ground on Obama ? ” Why is it the media and the all not so silent ” minority ” constantly putting the onus on the Obama campaign to “close the deal ” .Always trying to make out that he doesn’t have the experience. Since when does being the wife of a President make you experienced as President. If she was married to a heart surgeon does that mean I should trust her to give me a bypass.Time to vote with intellect not emotion.

jack he can close the deal its about timeing .all of the media knows ohio pennsylvania is her kind of place meaninng they have more of the so called blue collar workers.so what happens is they make it seems like theres a chance he can win in those places and its not going to happen in those two states. im glad this is happening because I never knew what blue collar meant until now and it means some whites who have glass cielings for blacks.but the good thing about all this is it will not be in there hands this year its other states he can swing his way like he has already done . THANK YOU A BLACK BLUECOLLAR WORKER WHO MAKES UNDER $50,000.00
PS IM tired of being used by the democratic party

this is not a mortage on our house we are talking about here its a election for the right person for the presidency which we screwed up in trusting her husband 16 years ago lets not make the same mistake in her its all preditory lending or campaigning

Jack, It is simple really. People do not trust him. He doesn’t really say much, except yes we can, and I did not vote for the war in Iraq. His biggest problem is he doesn’t do well without a well rehearsed speech. ( Which was most likely written by someone else.) He may inspire, but we question his ability to deliver.

Ah, the dilema of choice between two unqualified affirmative action candidates. Now we know what colleges and universities go through every semester.

Why isn’t anyone asking, “Why can’t Hillary surpass Obama?” The Clinton campaign didn’t just steal Karl Rove’s playbook, they also lifted the “New Rules” game from Bill Mahar. At first, it was “New Rule”, Iowa doesn’t really matter. Then, “New Rule”, only Texas and Ohio matter. Then, “New Rule”, delegates don’t matter. Now, it’s “New Rule”, only states that Hillary wins matter. Don’t be surprised when you hear, “New Rule”, only older white female and blue collar votes matter.

Why hasnt she caught him? She is well known. He has to spend more money because no one knowns him.

Sadly, the 800-lb elephant in the room is that he is an African-American. People can say racism is dead & America is equal opportunity for all, but we all secretly know that is not true. There are just some people who will not vote for an African-American for president. If you put their policies side-by-side & didn’t know their race or gender, most Democrats would not have a problem with either candidate. Once race is revealed, some racial discomfort is revealed. Sexism is alive & well too, but I would guess that HRC’s life as a white woman has probably been a lot easier than BO’s life as an African American.

Barrack is having trouble because of his “High Road” campaign. If he attacks then he gets accused of playing dirty, If he doesn’t respond, then he must be guilty of whatever she said. Hillary will say and do anything to get elected. Mark my words, Now she will say whomever gets the popular vote should be the nominee, when that fails. Its who gets all the big states. If that fails, It will be because hes not strong enough ( subliminal message – he is black ). When that is done she will subtly undermine him in the guise of campaigning for him. I think her political machine is already designing HIllary 2012 signs

Way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory old school PA democrats! McCain thanks you for your support!

The media really pisses me off—He was way back in The Penn State—he closed to within 10 points that is huge—why not say what a phenominal job he did in staying close… The media is hyping up nothing make things up to make it have more drama –the media needs to get a life and look at the real picture—I am from Canada and love America as or sister state. We want Barack to win because it will be good for the world…Clinton is a fraud, a drama queen, makes up stories to make her movement look good and Make it look like a smoke and mirrors game that she is beating Barack—The american people are not stupid—they all will vote for him when he is running against Mcain—-He will be the next president..America make the right decision—he should win change the way you people think —he will make the world not just america better for eevryone–

I am a white woman and am over 50 and I am for Obama!

Because there are just some people who won’t vote for a Black man, no matter what. It really is that simple. Governor Rendell was right.

Obama was able to bring down Hillary’s lead from over 30% to 9.4%. Obama did something that was nearly impossible considering that Hillary had the “perfect” storm in Pennsylvania. Demographics!!!
First there was a very high percentage of voters who were over 60.
Secondly, she had the advantage of having a higher percentage of women voting.
Thirdly, a lot of negative press was thrown Obama’s way. Funny that Hillary has so much baggage but the press hardly counters with that! If you don’t know of any baggage to counter with then its time to get new people!
Fourth, 75% who voted with race being important voted for Hillary. Maybe this is racism? Just a question or thought that stands out! Fifth, more people know her Clinton brand name and the older people tend to not like change.
Sixth, Hillary had almost all of the high profile Pennsylvania politicians on her side

Why not state that its really Hillary who had a very average night considering all of the above PLUS she had to win BIG. Remember that she is losing not Obama. What would you have said if Obama had won by only that margin in states that he was expected to get over 15-20%? Get what I am saying? Why isn’t anyone saying that Obama did what was expected by keeping the # of delegates close to the status quo?

By the way, Obama WON Texas. He won another key state Missouri, Illinois & Wisconsin.

Actually it really doesn’t matter that Obama does not win them all since some he will win with his eyes closed (NY, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts) in the GE. If Hillary holds to her promise she will help Obama in some of the states he may have difficulty. See, there is a solution!

Also, Obama has done way better than Hillary when it comes to winning the others strong demographic supporters. Jack, its time CNN brings up that Hillary has more question marks than Obama when it comes to that!

You think I am wrong? Lets see Hillary do better in NC than Obama does in Indiana. Actually, Obama could win both states. The real question you should ask, do you think Hillary can win both states? Media has to put that question out there since she MUST win both to come even close to Obama.

When Obama is outscoring his opponent handily and Hillary has NO mathematical chance of catching up and there is very little time remaining in the game, all that Obama has to do is run the clock!

When Obama wins more delegates and gets more votes on May 6, what will that say about Hillary?

I really don’t think that Obama supporters are looking at the big picture. Time and time again I hear about the republican crossover votes for Obama. Are those votes true votes?

I personally know republicans who voted for Obama in Texas, yet they have no plans to vote for him in the general election. The only reason they voted for him is because they don’t want a race between Hillary and McCain.

It would be a big mistake to make Obama the nominee. The only way Obama can win the GE is by having Hillary as a running mate.

That being said, I do believe that Hillary can beat McCain, that is why she should be the nominee. I also think that if she is the nominee, she should pick Obama as VP. They would be unstoppable then.

Obama can then groom for eight ears, run in 2016 and win the presidency. That would garantee democratic rule for the next sixteen plus years.

Jack, he has closed the deal in my books. He closed the deal when she accepted the support of the Right Wing Majority leader, Richard Scaife and when her campaign overlord Terry McAuliffe said that Fox news had the most fair and balanced coverage.

Is it going to get even more disgusting?

Why is Obama still in the race? Hillary predicted a year ago that she would be the nominee. She shouldn’t even be behind. The question should be why is she behind? Obama was an unknown newbie and he managed to LEAD her and win 12 contest in a row. The Clinton Machine was suppose to in PA by 20-30 points with all the powerful democratics in the state supporting her. Instead it is less than 10%…Obama even after the bitter comment did great in my opinion. Obama is in great shape right now because he is still in the lead and Hillary is still lying, scheming, and destroying the party in hopes of making Obama lose in NOv.

Obama is closing the deal. Obama has more pledged delegates, more of the popular vote, won more states and is closing in on Clinton in superdelegates. Furthermore, Obama has over $40,000,000 in the bank plus the $25 I sent his campaign today!

Obama can’t close the deal because Hilary doesn’t know how to quit when she is beaten! the math is key… in a true democracy, which we claim to be, the person who gets the most votes, wins, plain and simple! If hilary could win the popular vote then i would vote for her in November… she can’t win the popular vote or even the pledged delagate vote, therefore if she is “chosen” by the super delagates to be the democratic nominee, throwing out democracy, then i will not vote for her! I would rather see McCain mess up the country for another 4 years then have another president who did not actually get elected by the people!

He HAS closed the deal.He’s ahead in votes,pledged delegates,and states won. That,by any measurement,is success and the sooner Hillary Clinton acknowledges the reality of it, the sooner we Democrats can target the Republican nominee.

My question is why has Clinton lost so much ground as a total?

Wasn’t she up 20 plus points – and she won by around 9 points in a state that was ‘a perfect fit’ for her, with Rendell and Nutter doing a great job for her.

I have to wonder if the exit polls that showed a majority saying they felt Obama would win the primary and were giving their ‘home town gal’ a final gift by showing some support in PA.

She lost ground in quite a few of the exit poll questions from Ohio to PA among different segments of the profile.

I think it was a bit of a lose for her – 20 plus down to 9 points and her negative ratings are very high. The NYT article today has made front page news and the exit polls agreed with the NYT – they felt it was Clinton who had gone very negative and were disappointed in the Osama bin Laden ad. When does the madness stop?

I have been listening to the spin from the Clinton camp today regarding MI and FL – I am going to say they are delusional.

Sandy in NE

I think it would have been much easier on the obamanauts if they would have accepted along time ago that he is out of his league and he isn’t capable of beating Hillary Clinton.He’s going to make a good vice president, and with Hillarys training and guidance, he may become a good president someday.This truth is probably a little hard on you also jack huh?Hillary is our next president and it’s time you all accepted that.

Who the heck does Obama think he is ? He is always talking about Hillary being part of the Washington Status Quo, Well he is just as much a part of the Washington statu Quo as she is. He is a Sentor too.Glad you won last night Hillary. Hope you go all the way, I don’t want to have to vote for McCain.

Hillary went into PA last month with a 20% lead in the polls – he cut that in half, in a state that she had STRONG ties. He won in that matter. I echo what others have said, “why can’t she close the deal”? Because more than half of America can’t trust what she says. I was a supporter of Hillary and Bill until 2 months ago – maybe I couldn’t see who they truly were before – but she has revealed a face that is unpleasant to look at. I will vote McCain before I vote Clinton.

Jack,

The real question is whether or not we (democrats) have, by continuing to let this obtuse charade go on, effectively screwed ourselves out of a democratic president. Clinton and Obama are almost identical on every single issue, yet we are constantly hearing things like “If Hillary does not win the nomination, I will vote for McCain,” or even worse, “If Hillary does not win the nomination, I WILL NOT VOTE AT ALL!” These are the words of spiteful, ignorant children. I personally have stopped caring who gets the democratic nomination; it seems a moot point now. All i care about is ending this foolishness; how are we to unite the country with a divided party?

Obama hasn’t closed the deal because the people who both candidates claim to represent are still choosing. These artificial time tables are a creation of the media and the political pundits. Give the people the opportunity to choose. Just because it has been a while since the decision was made at the convention doesn’t mean it can’t happen now. Thi is a process no shortcuts let it play out, if it is short cutted the side that losses is not going to be inclined to support the candidate and Democrats won’t win if the supporters of one one of these candidates don’t show up and vote Democratic in November.

Obama is running on a message of hope that delivers not much more than…well “hope.” Americans are cynical at heart, and Obama needs to start adding substance to his campaign and stop the Hope Floats crusade. Hillary sounds more concrete in her plans to run this country which is annoying to someone who wants to give a “I have a hope” speech.

Jack—He outspent her 2-1 because he outraised her in March 2-1. He found the solution to the fundraising problem and she didn’t.
When the media just repeats the spin without pointing out the truth behind it, the deal is harder to seal.

Jack, you’re asking the wrong question!
The question is why is Hillary spinning the measly (14 is it?) delegate gap she closed with PA as such a victory?

We all new she was a shoe in for PA and Barack did just enough damage to maintain his delegate lead. Not much changed except the Clinton camp speaking as though they were the frontrunner now, when the reality is Barack’s lead has pretty well stayed the same.

Her comments on FL and MI further demonstate that she wants the nomination, whether she gets the mnajority or not and no matter what kind of damge it does to the DNC.

Hillary is a bad cold that just will not go away.

The reason that the deal can’t be closed is that if Barack’s opposer were named Smith and not Clinton ..it would already be over. Another reason is that you people in the MSM are feeding this “kitchen sink strategy ” because it gets ratings. Some misguided voters are confusing Bill with Hill.

jack.. hillary didn’t win Texas, last time i heard Obama had more delegates from texas than her….Obama can’t close the deal because it seems people keep falling for the old washington politics…with the Bosnia, Nafta and others they still like the same old style..this is what we have to face against Mccain

Jack-

He has closed the deal. He is ahead in all respects and Clinton cannot catch up. This race really is over, but Clinton is taking it somewhere that it shouldn’t go; this notion of superdelegates overturning the will of the people is very dangerous.

Further, even considering that she is now making her argument to the superdelegates and not really the American people any more… the argument that she wins big states, and that Obama cannot, is absurd. She won the big states by narrow margins, not margins that suggest that Obama couldn’t win them in the general, especially if the democrats wake up and unite around their nominee for the good of the party and the nation. If Clinton had not smeared Obama so badly in the primaries, winning these big states wouldn’t even be an issue. If there is any doubts about Obama winning the general election, we have Clinton and her stubborn supporters to blame.

I salute you Jack
After long time back you asked very reasonable question
There is third political party in this country that is called Clinton party
That party is invisible to the pundits, But they have very strong hold in big states
Vic
Nashville ,TN

Jack, the reason Obama can’t put Hilary away is that they are too evenly matched. There are not enough significant differences between these 2 candidates and therefore is just turning into a drawn out, toe to toe, slug fest, with neither opponent having the ability, time or resources to KO the other.

Beacuse…….

America is a country full of uneducated sheep and for that, I am truly ashamed.

Jack, I believe Barack needs to have a bare knuckles, no holds barred primary that he holds no punches. Hillary has more skeletons in her closet than a mortuary. He needs to get tough, angry, and fed up with this Hillary nightmare and exploit her baggage. He missed exploiting her Bosnia lies, not misstatements, lies….He contunually lets her off the hook. I was a Barack Obama supporter, but if he doesn’t get the knockout punch on Billary soon, I may defect. Its time to stop being Mr. nice guy!

Well, Jack this is news to me. Someone who is constantly being called a neophyte has won twice as many states as the democratic veteran whom by all accounts was supposed to seal the deal on Super Tuesday is actually running a good campaign. There wasn’t all of this discussion for Mississippi or Wyoming, but then again, those states don’t matter. I like Barack Obama–he wins the states that don’t really matter for the people that the government doesn’t think really matter either. Since when is a 10 point lead a decisive win, when your grandpa built a cabin and taught you how to duck hunt in that very state and some elitist neophyte still manages to close the gap. So the question isn’t why hasn’t Obama sealed the deal. It’s why didn’t Hillary Clinton beat him 3 to 1 across the state? I mean, she is from Scranton, right?

His campaign has a fatal flaw. He says he embodies change, that somehow electing Obama is realizing MLK’s dream, that he is new kind of politician and only he can heal this country’s soul. This is way to ambitious and the more we see of Obama the more we are offended at his messages. We are not bitter. We do not cling to religion, this one really hurt because the Pope visited this country and people were feeling proud about their religion not bitter. He refuses to apologize, Obama is not infallible. And because his campaign is based on his infalliblity he will not withstand the tests before him. Implosion!!!

Why can’t Obama close the deal? Several reasons:

Because deep-seeded racism passed down from generation to generation is still alive and well.

Because chipping away at her base of poor whites is like chipping away at his base of blacks. Let’s be realistic, people…

Because he’s not as well known in this game as she is and she had Rendell and Nutter on her team.

Because he’s not attacking her like he could on her husband’s scandals, her failed health care plan from before, or her LIE about Bosnia.

Because Obama is a gentleman and a true team player of the Democratic party.

Because he is just now getting the huge number of group endorsements by state that he has needed to appear credible.

And finally because he’s gonna do it his way, not anyone else’s way.

The question oughtta be: Why can’t SHE seal the deal?

Obama ‘08 and ‘12!

The question isn’t why can’t he close the deal, the question should be why are we, as in the voters, always duped by the so called “experience card”. Supposedly “W” brought in the most experienced team ever and look at the mess Cheney, Rummy et. al. have gotten us in to! If PA had listened to Hillary’s words instead of her rhetoric, they would have heard that she is going to run this country as badly as she’s running her campaign!

But alas – we’ll get what we deserve, and unfortunately we may not deserve someone as outstanding as Barack Obama. Thanks PA for dumping on the rest of the country!

He can’t close the deal because people are starting to see him for what he really is. He has no experience. He hangs out with anti American racists. He is going to ignore the advice of the military leaders. He wants class warfare in this country, etc. It’s always troublesome when a candidate talks too much about bringing us together. Those usually are the most divisive candidates. A true leader doesnt have to talk about bringing us together, it just ends up happening.

Wrong question Jack, Why can’t the person who was all but crowned queen last year close the deal? She has taken a well run political machine and run it into 10 million dollars in debt. He was always behind in Pennsylvania, She took a 20 point lead and whittled it down to 10. Then she claims to have come from behind. Why is Barack outspending her? Because more of us common people are willing to donate to bring about real change in Washington. Not send another insider who is beholden to big business, dug companies, and the oil conglomerates.

Perhaps it is due to a continued underlying racism on the part of the blue collar voters in the rust belt.

Jack,

I see last nights PA primary outcome as an incredible strength for Sen. Obama for the following reasons:

- A year ago, Sen. Clinton thought her nomination was a sure thing, and look at where he is, ahead in every count.
- He was able to narrow down a Clinton 20 something points lead in PA down to 10 points, don’t forget he was the underdog in PA.
- He did run an amazingly great campaign, even under incredibly negative attacks towards him from Sen. Clinton, and came out still untouched (for all practical purposes), ahead.
- He ran against a major Clinton support base, including the Governor of the State, over 100 Mayors.

Therefore, the question really be, why can’t Sen. Clinton close the deal?

v/r

Lily

Bill

The better question should be, “Why couldn’t the ‘inevitable nominees’, the Clintons, close the deal since Iowa? lol

Senator Obama is now the front runner; but he became the front runner only after making up much ground.

How quickly we forget that Hilary Clinton started out the contest as the overwhelming favorite, with ‘name recognition’ and the Democratic machinery behind her in all the states.

The Clintons’ campaign is just PLAYING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. And it is too bad that some Americans have not got enough of a vision to recognize the ‘politics as usual’, WHICH WILL NOT MOVE AMERICA FORWARD, even if politicians do win with deception,.

Jack,its like the old movies when they only came in black and white.People just dont change,they must die off before a new generation can lead.

He can’t put her away because he is not just fighting Clinton. He is also fighting the GOP. The GOP KNOWS the only possible way they win in November is to be running against Clinton. If Obama wins the Democratic nomination, he wins in November. Why? People who are pro-Clinton will vote for Obama if Clinton does not get the nomination. I don’t think Obama supporters will vote for “GOP Lite” if she gets nominated. I certainly won’t vote for her–I mean the lesser of two evils is still evil. With the Republican nomination locked up so early, the GOP can unify with Clinton against Obama…they can run one of their world-famous smear & fear campaigns FOR her, using their money and allowing her to remain pure. It’s brilliant and sadly it works on the uninformed, headline-reading masses. She started using fear tactics with her 3 AM phone call ad and it worked. I certainly believe she has the STOMACH for a smear campaign, but she may be afraid it won’t make her seem lady-like. This way she gets the best of both worlds and the GOP wins again!

Obama couldn’t close the deal in Pennsylvania, because his skin is black. I sat in a bar this afternoon, in an adjoining community to Wilkes-Barre, PA, and listed to emotional comments like this: “If Obama wins the White House, all whites will be enslaved.” “Obama will turn the White House into the Black House.” I’m white, and they never knew that I voted for Obama in the primary yesterday. These comments were generated by interchanges amongst the half dozen white folks, ages ranging from 60 through 70 sitting at the bar, and were not from me the observer. There were no voices, including me as the stranger (first time visitor), uttered on behalf of Obama. Although this comment may not be “politically correct,” it is an accurate picture of where we are with equal rights and considerations, at least in mid-Pennsylvania.

Harold Davis
Wilkes-Barre, PA

Obama has closed the deal. The Clintons just refuse to quit. The press and the democratic establishment just continue to give her credence when by any standard she should have dropped out of the race. What other politician in America would have stayed in the race when they could not catch up in the delegate count.
But her quitting doesn’t fit the horserace narrative the press wants and the party doesn’t have the kahunas to send the Clintons packing

I and delighted we have this race. My concerns about Obama are the shady people he has associated with to get where he is today. For me, it is too big of a chance to take. I will vote for Hillary, but the reasons mentioned are most likely what many Americans are considering, making it hard to vote for Obama.

Jack,

Why can’t Obama close? Imagine 2012 in Texas – at the height of a fierce GOP nomination battle between Huckabee and Jeb Bush. the Huckster is up 950 to 820 in delegates but needs Texas to put a fighting Jeb away. The Bush’s are to the GOP what the Clinton’s are to the Democrats.

Think he can close – under this scenario? Imagine going into Texas down 25 – 30 points in the polls and has to outspend Bush 3 – 1 to compete. Still can’t compete!!

In Barak’s case – eventhough mainstream press wants to downplay it – Race is somewhat of an issue, in a number of areas in the country.

Note with interest, some political pundits reference to (white) working class persons/males as real people. What about black and hispanic working class persons, with the same mortgage, bills and fears.

I believe that a subtle Race (fear) card is being played and protected with the red herring question of ‘why can’t he close’?

Why can’t Clinton seal the deal? That’s what I want to know.

Pennsylvannia was Clinton’s state from the outset. It would have been foolish for Obama to choose Pennsylvannia as his ‘hill to die on”.

Speaking of higher ground, if Obama continues to get sucked into the Clinton negativity machine, like he did in Pennsylvannia, he is going to lose it all.

let me think. clintons have an expresident, the democratic machine, the back room boys. obama did not have a penny when he started, nobody even knew his name in illinois and obama has the problem??? Now, add to this the personal attacks that are outside of his control–you go to a church you don’t go to a preacher, had lunch with someone. and those idiots from ABC who spent all the debate on these attacks and he can’t close the deal??? NO, YOU ARE ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION. WHY DIDN’T CLINTON WIN–SHE HAD 65% OF THE “VOTE” AT ONE TIME AND COULD NOT PUT IT AWAY????

I think the PA Primary would have turned out a whole lot differently if Independent and Unaffiliated voters were allowed to have their say. But the un-enlightened Good “ole Boys will not allow that to happen.
I think PA results come Nov will prove to be very interesting.

Obama has closed the deal, actually. But he’s competing against an opponent that doesn’t know when enough is enough.

Even when she was $10 million in the hole, she vowed to carry on til the Convention. I guess some might see that as being noble and passionate.. but I see that as being crazy… There was a time when the name “Clinton” was a very powerful force in the party… in the country… in the world even. But now, I just see… delusional. The Pennsylvania primary win, which, she was suppose to win anyway, despite Obama’s valiant efforts, will only be used to bolster her crazy crusade. History will not look kindly at the final Clinton legacy.

Do the math. Why is she still even running and wasting all that money? Why is her campaign so mis-managed? Why is she $10 million in debt? Why is she not paying her bills- especially the small businesses and vendors that she “claims” to be repesenting? Why is Penn still involved with her campaign?

Can’t close the deal? please. It’s been sealed for a month now. Question should be- Why can’t Hillary do the math, be gracious for once in her life, and stop perpetuating her failed campaign?

Absolutely disgusting that she continues this circus. Even more disgusting that the media and CNN keep egging her on to do so. Shame on all of you.

Does America want to vote for another President based on a last name ? Look what happened the last time. Being married to the President of IBM doesn’t mean you the spouse should run IBM……Obama has displayed enormous cool under the circumstances…he is the only true candidate who can offer refreshing change…..

Jack… sometimes it just comes down to the collective “we” getting exactly the candidates and the government “we” deserve. It could be that “we” can’t close the deal and make a truly meaningful change in the fundamental way we are governed. Maybe Barack is holding us to a higher standard than we are willing to hold ourselves.

Obama made condescending and degrading remarks about the blue collar, small town people in America.He tried to flick off these people like dirt on his shoulder by then trying to laugh it off as though he just mangled his words or that we ‘misinterpretted’ his words–words Obama made sure to only say behind closed doors, out of camera’s view, at an elite fundraiser in California. Obama also has upset the Catholic and religious people of America , people that can and will not accept the attitude that any child of God is a “punishment”. Oh gosh, here comes the next great Obama speech–all for political positioning! And maybe that’s why Obama can’t close the door, the more the door is open the more people see him for who he truly is–and who he is an empty suit dressed up just for political positioning.RB in PA

Jack,

Simply put, America is not ready for a candidate of change such as Obama. For most Americans, knowing that there must be a change in the way we operate as country is one thing; being willing to take that leap of faith that brings about change is something else. America is just not ready for Obama and the kind of honest hard work and challanges that represent that change.

Barack Obama can’t close the deal because he lacks the killer instinct that’s necessary to do so in a tough election campaign. Warm and fuzzy platitudes don’t cut it in that environment. And that should be a warning to convention superdelegates who want to put a Democrat in the White House next January 20th.

Jim T.
Corvallis, OR

Hillary husband has been campaigning for her. If she was to campaign like Obama she wouldn’t even be in the race. She uses her husband status to campaign. Basically, Obama is campaigning against the president Clinton and Hillary. Double-teamed is what it is. She can’t close the deal because she can’t do it alone. She need her husband to do that for her.

Once and for all, the absurd statement that “Racism in America no longer exists” has been confirmed as an unconditional LIE. Governor Ed Rendell said it best ” No White man in his state will vote for a black candidate for president. Its not that he can’t close the deal. Its Racism that’s actually blocking his way from becoming the President of the United states Of America.

If what I’m saying is true you won’t print this or speak of it on your show. Because the real people who are not racist understands what I’m saying. Besides if you go back to your clips. You’ll find the actual quote from Governor Rendell

Jack,There is a double standard here and I don’t know whether the party elders are afraid of the Clintons.If Obama was the one who lost eleven in a row after Feb 5th,the so called “party elders” (I call them you know what) would have all gone to Obama to drop it including Bill citing ” for the sake of party unity” while scratching his left ear lobe with his right hand and we all know what that means when he is doing that

Hi Jack,
Well I believe that she should be asked that question since she thinks so highly of her experience and background in politics. Why is she the one lagging behind???
Plus it isnt true that she won Texas. He did. So why can.t that be cleared up on the news?
Would you please do that, Jack?
I am waiting over here in Switzerland for this to end so we can get on with the general election. Say goodbye to Hillary please.
American citizen living in CH

Jack,

The real question should be, “Why can’t Hilary close the deal?”

She started this campaign with all the money and all the institutional support as well as a sense of inevitabiltiy and entitlement.

Is it because people don’t trust her chameleon persona or because they recall the deviseness of the last Clinton reign?

John in Montana

Hi Jack
Hillary has won all the populous states. In your staement you had mentioned that young and the educated goes for Obama.So it then means that illeteracy is high in those staes. Her speech boderlines with soap opera lines . No wonder she appeals to the uneducated and the illeterate mass. Is illeteracy a problem in a country like USA
Thomas

Hillary has done a fantastic job of propogating negative spin. She has appealed to the latent bigotry among ethnic and racial minorities at every opportunity. The kind of benign racism that the Clinton campaign has adopted is a divide and conquer tactic that ultimately will benefit no one. The argument that Barack cannot carry White blue -collar workers may seem to be to her benefit, but she underestimates the black vote. If she succeeds in getting the nomination by superdelegates overturning the will of the people, she cannot win in November. Black voters will stay home and she cannot win without the Black vote. Unfortunately, the ultimate loser will be the Democratic Party.

Obama does not have the experience! I don’t trust his judgement to get this country out of the mess. Perhaps he might make a better Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton when she’s elected. He does make good speeches.

Why can’t Hillary? She had everything going her way going into the election. PA was her arena and he came back from being 20 points down to only 10%. I think the questions is why is Hillary still pretending like she can win unless she has some more lies up her sleeve?

Because the status quo is still too good to give up for lots of Americans–specifically, blue-collar white voters. HRC plays to their fear of becoming an ignored minority.

Obama already closed the deal. Hillary is only hanging on for dear life so some miracle can happen for her to have a valid argument to try and appeal the closed deal. Her victory is mathematically impossible, she’s not really viable anymore. Obama has to be caught making out with Osama Bin Laden if Hillary wants to overturn the will of the people with super delegates — this is all she’s aiming for at this point.

Hope doesn’t solve problems, solutions do. If Obama was tougher on taxes and healthcare reform we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Oh by the way, experience wouldn’t hurt either.

WHy is it that folks keep asking why Obama hasn’t sealed the deal by now?

WHy are we not asking that of Clinton? She is the one with the household name, who had the initial backing of so many “important people”, who is the wife of a president that so many admired–at least once upon a time.

Comparatively, Obama was the new kid on the block. It’s understandable that he would have to make more of an effort and spend more money just to put himself out there on the same playing field as Clinton–and he did.

Comparatively speaking, Obama has made much more significant headway than Clinton.

So CLinton, why haven’t you taken the ball and rolled with it?

Obama did well when he was new and somewhat of an unknown. Now that people are coming to know him, we are beginning to see he is less change and more of the same.

The real question is why did she not close. She was the front runner. Everyone thought she would have taken him down on super tuesday. I am so tired of the spin for ratings. Does this nation really care about the issues that are bringing this country down.
Media loves fear mongering for ratings. Hillary is a lier and that seems to be ok with some people. She out right lied and she still got a pass.
Barack has been ordaned to bring this country together. GOD IS WATCHING.

We are having a heat wave down here: it got above freezing for a few hours, WOW. Being so far away, we don’t “get” the daily cat-fights the Dems are having. It’s obvious, HRC doesn’t “quit”, but to us girls here, she should. We think she is loving the world stage & will keep it as long as there’s a crowd that will cheer. It’s opium to her & she will not leave it until kicked off. Thus, be prepared for 4 more months of this death march. Obama is grinning from ear to ear because he sees HRC destroying herself in front of the world. The fact she has only one last thread to hang on to (the supers), shows how desparate she is. Her great win in PA gained her all of NINE delegates. Big whoop! Get it, jJack, only 9? And that was her last big stand. Obama will wipe that out easily in NC, and it’ll be a standoff in IN, thus where is she to go? We forecast that there will still be 150 elected and caucused delegates between the 2 after June, plus 800K popular votes. She’ll STILL claim she’s the better candidate. I really think she needs sympathy and therapy. And so too the folks that vote for her. May God have mercy on your souls that you’ll wake up one day and realize you’ve been following a lipsticked pig all during her campaign. Now back to work in the beautiful fall here.

The question itself is erroneous. Clinton tries to suggest that winning votes is all about money, and that it means something when he can’t win over “her” voters. Why aren’t people asking why Hillary can’t win Obama states? This is because she is making an issue where there is none, and I will not help her push this pseudo-issue into the minds of gullible people.

Hi Jack, the race is not over yet. We all know Clinton
was to win, why make a big deal now. We all know who will be
the nominee(Barack) there is no question about it.

Hello jack The real questionis is why do 60% of the people view Sen Clinton as un trustworthy yet continue to vote for her . Also have you noticed a trend in the last few elections ie Texas, Ohio, and now Pennsylvania that the week prior to the primaries the Clintons drop a negative bomb on Sen Obama. Prior to Ohio and Texas it was the Nafta meeting, this time it was Charlie Gibson And George Stephanopolis With William Ayres. These are plays from Bill Clintons playbook not to mention the Republicans Also controversial as it may be race is an issue that is being played by the Chamealon Bill Clinton. God help us if we end up with 8 more years of grid lock. But you always get what you pay for in the end.

He had a great opportunity to close the deal in the last debate by bringing into question her honesty but he chose to take the high road and let her off the hook. When the issue of her “sniper fire” story came up and she said she made a mistake and misspoke, he should have countered by saying that if she had only told the story once then maybe that excuse was plausible. However, repeating the same story over and over again goes far beyond a misstatement. It’s a down right fabrication and dishonest. Is that who we want in the White House another dishonest leader? Isn’t that what we’ve had for the last 7 years? As a Vietnam vet, I can honestly say that when you do come under fire it’s something you don’t normally forget.

Jack…

It’s not that Obama can’t close the deal, it’s that Hillary Clinton can’t see the deal is already closed and she has shown she will sacrifice party and country for her own gain.

The only way she can get the nomination is to disenfranchise and completely alienate so many people that not only will there not be a Democrat in the WH this election, the Democratic party will not be able to heal – maybe ever. The risk Hillary is willing to take is dividing the Democratic party to the point it may become two lesser parties; neither of which will come close to contesting the Republicans at any executive or legislative level for some time to come.

Welcome to Hell.

Obama can’t close the deal because far too many people in this nation have been hypnotized by the Bill & Hillary “mystique.” Come on, America, get over your irrational love affair with this scheming, arrogant duo and let’s give Barack a chance.

Frank, Schaumburg IL

Jack, Senator Obama can’t close the deal because, the Clinton’s are hell bent to ensure he doesn’t. His lead in the popular vote and pledged delegates indicate he will close the deal at a time not of his choosing or at the convention. Anything can change between now and May 6th, you know.

Unfortunately, each time he is close The Clintons target race in some way, the campaign runs fear ads, petty discussion of a flag pin that done of the candidates wear but just because your AA you cant love your country as much as a White person not wearing the flag pin. Why is this questioned asked of AA people (Obama) is it because we came in chains as the Pope suggested. It saddens me this is how she wins, because just as Michelle Obama stated the first time “really” proud of America, I felt the same, I thought the world around me accepted us. I’ve read the hatred on these sites towards Obama in a racist manner, I’m disgusted and I revert “really” proud.

In short, lets make the selected few “the ones we know” we can scare fear this AA man, do you want him in “our” White House. Her campaign time and time again has stated and its always in a larger state that tends to be changing his way. Latinos dont like Blacks, Jewish dont trust Blacks, Rendel himself, said “whites are not ready to vote for a black”, and to look at the break down of his state they knew what they were doing, as in Texas and California.

He can’t close the deal because we don’t trust him. He didn’t explain why he stayed in Jeremiah Wright’s church for 20 years. He appears arrogant and out of touch with people who live in rural area. His comment about small town America has offended those of us who live there. He told us we were unaccepting of others who are different than him. People resented it, and they voted against it.

He cannot close the deal because his hands are tied. The only way to beat a Clinton is to fight like a Clinton. As a candidate of Hope, Obama does not want to stoop to those levels but he is going to have to find a way to hit her a knock out puinch. I wish he would hurry up and do it, she is becomming a nuisance.

As long as Obama plays the race card, and he does it well, he will not be able to close the deal!

1) We don’t really know Obama
2) He lacks experience
3) His campaign is spending too much time on the defense and offense of attacks – hardly a new kind of politics

are all these talk show people idiots? they question why cant obama close the deal. perhaps the fact that he was behind in most polls in pa by 20% six weeks ago and cut that in half in a state where most of the white people were never going to vote for him anyway in my opinion is closing the deal. there are people who will say that they have no problem voting for barack but they no good and well that they wont because he is black. thats a reality. im a white male and i grew up in queens, ny where there are alot of white neighborhoods with people that say they are not racist but god forbid a black person move into their neighborhood. people say its harder for hilary as a woman then it is for barack to get elected as a black man however my opinioin is this, every white person personally knows a white woman but a lot of those same white people do not know a single black person and many of those people have an ignorance when it comes to race. ciao.

Jack,

Over the last six weeks Hilliary was favored to win Pennysviania. Why are we so suprise, she pulled it through?
Obama did close the gap!

k, Joy

Obama won amongst middle class voters. He lost among poor and uneducated voters. It is these poor and uneducated voters who elected Bush twice. Their small minds are easily swayed by spin and fear.

Jack-

I think the question should be why wasn’t the media asking ‘what is wrong with Hillary’ when she lost 12 states in a row to Obama.

Also, another question to ask is ‘why can’t Hillary win caucuses and can only win states that use electronic voting machines’.

And why did the results in New York come in with 80 districts showing ZERO votes for Obama. It is time that ALL voting machines have a paper back-up!

In short: “For the first time in my adult life I am proud to be an American.”

I supported him until then. I will now do whatever I can to keep Obama and his wife out of office.

His church giving Farrakan a life time achievment award?

He is American by name only. Behind the talk and the smiles is something far different, that has been exposed by accident only. The press won’t reveal who he is. He won’t reveal who he is. But his wife? She said it all.

Jack, two thoughts:

first why do the media and the politicians continue to use “Blue Collar Worker” when what you all mean is “white people” — in fact more clearly racist white people. The voting patterns analyzed last night clearly demonstrated that “Racism” continues to be alive and well and are using silly comments like the “bitter” remark as an excused not to vote for Barack. Hilary has exploited people’s fears and racism has used negative advertisement to leverage.

Second it is insane that the media is not acknowledging and seriously addressing the fact that Republics are voting for Hilary in large numbers in all of these primary. This needs to be addressed as it has sewed the numbers in Hilary’s favaor in Ohio, Texas, PA and it will happen again in Indiana.

Also, media basis against Barack has been unparalleled; you continue to give the Hilary and Rev Right videos free play and keeping it top of mine; —- The ABC debate was an perfect example; whenever you have Fox News congratulating a journalist you know its bad.

By the way I am from Florida and I did not vote because I thought my vote would not count. So Hilary should not be allowed to use the Florida vote as I know many others who did not vote because they felt it would not count.

Maria, Miami Beach

I was a Barak supporter. I am back on the fence. Hillary is acting like the neighborhood bully and letting it be known, Barak, you dont belong in this neighborhood.

Barak, my question is where is your balls. You are acting like you dont want the nomination. Are you depress, whats going on. Its all in your body langage and the Clintons are picking it up.

I am not sure if I can support you Barak. I am a 43 year old African American man. I understand fully the history of rasism in this country and the stereo types that are potrayed of African American men around the world.

You have all the right to the nomination, but I am starting to think you are not ready.

The Clinton’s are potraying you as a smooth talking PIMP from Chicago, They are using subtle race code language to insight fear into the White Middle Class American. Dont worry about the Asian community, you are out numbered 7 out of 10, the Hispanic community 8 out of 10, for Hillary.

With whats facing us, the country needs a fighter. Even with all of Hillary lies, rasist code laguage campayne, People want her know because she is a fighter. Dude you are tryin to crusie into the nomination.

Do you watch Boxing- Well get this one right. “Lets Get Ready To Rumble.” Hillarry is ready, are you!

At first I thought Hillary should quit, but what I see in this contest is that Rasism is fully alive in the US. You are not bringing the full court press and I hear you play basketball. Barak, you have to be kidding yourself if you think that White Men are going to let you run this country without showing your balls. I hate to say this but man, Hillary looks like she got the balls. Barak, you are waiting for the Super Delegets. Dude, that is so girlly. Get you butt up and stand up to the Clinton’s. Throw the bathtub if you have too. You are trippin Barak. Dont you know that the Clintons are having fun doing this 21st century lynching on you. Man this is like Uncle Tom’s cabin.

You have gotten alot of Whites taking a chance on you. Where is your balls. White women are going to give this election to Hillary. Why? Because they have had it with White Men ruling everything. They are using there numbers. You are African American, Hillary is using not the numbers, but the names of prominanat Black Politicians.

Now I say this, I am not talking about Non Blacks who are ready to see a new America. I am talking about those gun totten, religion grabbin White Americans who are also willing to elect a Black Man. But Barak, you seem not to get it. They are looking for a fighter, even if the person is a lier. You see how they follow BUSH. Man these Washington Insiders are laughing at you Barak. Where are your Balls.

SHE DIDN’T WIN TEXAS. Check your facts.

The question is not why hasn’t Obama closed the deal, the question is why couldn’t she close it on February 5th? THAT”s what was suppose to happen way back then. SHE is the one with the name, SHE is the one who has clout in the political world, SHE is the one who has the Clinton Machine behind her, SHE is the won who had many,many superdelegates already supporting her. SHE had the financial backing. SHE is the “Establishment”. So, I ask once again, why hasn’t she closed the deal????

Barack is not experienced and is not ready to be president yet. A great orator does not translate to a great or even good president. If the Democrats want to win they need Hillary. If she doesn’t get the nomination many of her voters will defect to McCain. If Barack doesn’t get the nomination his voters will vote for Hillary because they are die hard dems. I am an independent who switched to vote for Hillary. I would not vote for Barack.

Jack,

Your looking at this as if it were a sport, specifically boxing, which is historically the most controversial and dishonest sports in history. It has no integrity and there is a lot of backroom deals. However, if you want a true analysis of the primary, apply the basketball or baseball theory. This is a series, you don’t have to win every game to win the series. The series is 3 games to 1 right now if you look at the four major components you are using to make your analysis, 1) Delegates, 2) Popular vote, 3) States won, 4) Blue collar workers.
Obviously Obama leads in three of these categories. In order for Clinton to have a realistic chance, she would have to add at least one of the other three, or we won’t have a “Super Bowl” in November, we will have another over-hyped heavyweight boxing match! and you know what thats like……..

Miramar, Florida

it’s simple, jack. women made up 47% of voters on Tuesday and hillary clinton won more than 60% of them. there was no disgrace for obama in losing pennsylvania. clinton was strong there. he made it into a contest … that was a + for him. the problem is that hillary refuses to accept that what once was inevitable is now an unavoidable loss. all she can do by remaining in the race is make the campaign meaner and more vacuous. this presents obama with something of a dilemma. take the high road or go for the knock out. i suggest that if she continues to go negative that he retaliate quickly and then get back on message. everybody supposedly hates negative campaigning but it seems what’s worst is to be perceived as weak. somehow strength is equated with a killer instinct not civility. too bad really, but the media does love spilled blood. remember … if it bleeds, it leads.

chea prince
hartwell, georgia

Maybe the question should be Jack, why can’t Hillary close in all those other states that have voted??? Let’s see, first she said it was the super delegates that count, then the majority vote, then the plegded delagates, now were back to popular vote. Either the woman is nuts or simply lies all the time. Take your pick, Obama was not favored in Pennsylvania to begin with, I have relatives who live there, lifetime relatives, I spoke with them this morning and they said the negative ads by Clinton were awful, at every turn she bad mouthed him and made up stupid stories while campaigning. They voted for Obama but figured she would win, and their Republicans!

Because he is unelectable in the general election and people are beginning to realize this. He simply cannot connect with the democratic base. If he is nominated, it is going to be a sad election for the democrats- the only suspense will be whether he can carry any state besides NY, VT and IL. It might be too late, unfortunately, to prevent this disaster brought on by the exuberant and delusional left wing of the party.

Jack, obviously, neither one has been able to close the deal. Clinton with all the “experience” and “tuffness” remains number of states, number of delegates and popular votes well behind Barak. We have two fantastic candidates who both have zealous and passionate supporters. At least we have two good choices with the Dems, while the Republicans have an old fogy who can’t seem to get his facts straight. After all is said and done in the Dem race, media beware, the Dems will unite and McCain won’t have a chance in hell.
Zack in Brevard, NC

Hillary has had about a 20 year head start on Obama. Once he is known in the states he is campaigning in then he does well. We have one good candidate and one great candidate. Each candidate has a base especially in the large states. Once Obama is the nominee, then the Hillary supporters will get behind him; especially if they are true Democrats.

As a “bitter” “typical white person” the reason that Obama can’t close the deal is because in his slice and dice strategy, he has neglected the needs and concerns of the core of the Democratic party. He has gone after college students, African Americans, latte liberals and progressives. He has completely forgotten about the middle class lunch bucket dems who make up the core of the party. He is like a farmer who use the massive circular irrigation systems in a square field. He spends all his time worrying about the corners and he forgets to water the middle. Hillary Clinton has run a campaign that address issues that affect most Americans, Obama has pandered to splinter groups so he could get the “math” on his side. While he claims he brings large groups of people together, he has forgotten the needs of the largest group of all.

Why? Hillary is doing what she does best…..being a congenital liar. Fate must have brought President Clinton and her together, cause they have only made each other worse.

Obama can’t close the deal because the more people know about him they more doubts they have. He no longer seems like a fresh face with a different approach; he’s just another politician. He no longer seems like someone who can unite the two parties; he’s just another urban liberal with a big house who lives in an neighborhood infested with liberal academics.

He can’t “close the deal” because this is a very close race. Despite what the Obama camp and the media would like to report, voters are evenly divided between the two — in fact, if Michigan and Florida votes are counted, Hillary is actually now ahead in the popular vote.

Obama cobbled together his lead in delegates a while back based on several caucus states (in which less than 5 percent of registered voters participate, and typically favor activist types that are enamored with Obama). But, despite Hillary winning by huge margins in big states, she Obama maintains that delegate lead due to the quirky proportionate system used by the Democrats for their primaries.

The truth of the matter the longer this primary goes on, the more evident it becomes that Obama is simply not a viable candidate for the General Election.

So, PLEASE quit the coddling! It is really tiresome.

A simple upfront answer to our energy crisis

Whatever happened to the 55 mph Speed Limit. If only states would have the nerve to push for this you can imagine that the crisis we now face will receive a direct blow. The supply and demand chain would be broken, prices would begin to lower , and the trucking industry would be able to manage costs which control all commodities.
I personally would not like this change however, let’s really think about what the outcome would be if we don’t start nibbling at it. Even our Super Power Military Machine would be useless without available energy to propel our mechanized forces. We could not respond to any crisis in the world nor would we be able to get a foothold on those resources elsewhere for future necessities.
55 NOW OR DIG OUT THE PLOW….

Hey Jack, Obama hasn’t closed the deal because his campaign is kinda like a joke.

Barack Obama is polite. He’s probably never dealt with a woman like Hilary Clinton before. She reacts to polite remarks with rude rejoinders and he’s too much of a gentleman to get down in the mud with her.

June

Danville, Virginia

obama was never gonna win pennsylvania against hillary, that was clear, watch out for the string of wins for obama moving forward.

Obama has a lot of problems, but rather than face these issues, his supporters prefer to complain about Cliinton staying in the race. As for last night’s vote in Pennsylvania, it’s a good thing for Obama that he dominated in the Philadelphia metro area, or he would really have been trounced. Also, why do we sometimes hear talk about whether some white voters don’t choose him because of the racial issue, but no one ever says a thing about how Obama always gets 90% of more of the African-American vote? Sounds like a double-standard to me!

I honestly feel that the euphoria that Barack Obama had going for him has died down a little over the last few weeks. I think voters may not have the confidence in him beating McCain like they once did and democrats are now just not asking themselves who can bring change, but also who can beat McCain. Staunch supporters of Obama like myself, are now starting to realize that maybe experience does matter. Too bad. By the way, American politics is far more entertaining than what we have in Canada.

Michael
Victoria BC

Why couldn’t Sen. Clinton drop out when she lost so many states in a row back in February? In my opinioin the questions are the same.

barack hussein obama and his wife michelle talk down to certain groups of people. they can’t break away from Rev. WRIGHT, WILLIAM AYERS and there is REZKO.was supposed to be helping the poor commuity? money sure can come in handy when you’re buying million dollar mansions. we all know that the CLINTONS had this country in good shape. so lets vote CLINTON 08…thelma….ky.

This is obvious. FOX News making false accusations of Obama being Museum in the past and ABC News first reporting on Jeremiah Wright the way that they did. If these reports had never happened, the deal would have been closed about now. Though I will say Obama’s “bitter” comments didn’t help him either because of how it was twisted. Hopefully he will chose his words more wisely like he always have up to that point.

Scott, shady characters? Clinton’s whole life and political experience are made up of shady characters. She is very bad for this country. Wake up please America!!!

Jack,

Luring new voters is very much like picking someone up in a bar. Obama is the “nice guy”, and we all know that nice guys just have a hard time “closing the deal”.

His other main problem is that his “mysteriousness” has worn off at this point. He is no longer the tall, dark, handsome stranger who road into town on a silver horse. Now he’s just Barack; a smooth talker, sure, but notice that nobody seems to be fainting at his rallies anymore. People don’t want a flash in the pan, they want someone with staying power, if you get my meaning.

As long as they are playing All in the Family reruns and Archie Bunker has his say thats just the way it will be. He will never win. Ah Geez, Edith you can’t run for President either. London, Ontario Canada.

It’s simple. He can’t close the deal because there is no one on the other side of the table. This is really what we mean when we say “typical” white person. Yes, we do say it. As a black man, Obama is simply held to a higher standard than Hillary. He can’t go negative, he can’t do this, he can’t do that, he has to apologize for every word that comes out of his mouth. And typically, white people will do their talking in the voting booth. They might as well post signs at the poles. President of the United States – “White only need apply! Black people came to America in chains and yet we are bashed about our Patriotism. Even though his mother is white, he is still too black for this America. The old BLACK TAX is kicking Obama’s _ss and no one can deny it. The closer he gets to the nomination, the worse it gets. It’s like white folks are panicing at the idea that this man could really win the WHITE HOUSE.

“The trouble with nostalgia is that you tend to remember what you liked and forget what you didn’t.”

-John Edwards

Lots of Americans think all they have to do to restore the peace and prosperity of the 1990s is to put a Clinton back in the White House. What they’re forgetting is we’ll be mired in another “Travel-gate” controversy within a week of Hillary taking office.

It’s ok to remember the Clinton presidency in a positive light, but let’s not be too quick to forget about all the Clintons’ scandals.

Jack,

I hope Obama reads the blogs here, Obama stay with the real issues and don’t stoop down to the dirty politics, and yes you will prevail!!! I hate dirty politics and that is what Hilary has been doing all the while. Stay true to who you are, smart, intelligent, and will most definitely be a strong leader. When you start lying about things that happened and they didn’t she lost all respect…..If you tell stories about little things what are you going to tell the world? OBAMA 08

He can’t close the deal because he’s not the best person for the job and people know that. Plain and simple. No matter how much money he throws into the campaigns, he hasn’t been able to win a single big state where a majority of the population gets to vote. His large string of wins comes from caucases…..you know, those states where only 3-5% of the state population are able to vote. And no one in their right mind believes that just because he won Georgia and Wyoming means those states will go blue in November simply because he’s on the ballot. They won’t.

Barack can’t buy the White House, though he’s trying with all his might. And the press is certainly helping him out as much as they possibly can. While the media has sabotaged and undermined her campaign for nearly a year, Barack has been able to get away with nearly all of his negative campaigning and behavior without so much as being challenged on it. On top of that, his supporters and Obama himself have the audacity to whine and complain that he was challenged on his personal associations and such during one little debate. If he can’t deal with one debate where he’s in the hot seat for 45 minutes, he certainly won’t be able to withstand the stress of being president.

Obama can’t close the deal because he speaks in platitudes and has no real idea how to accomplish his goals. He whines when he is pressed and has an attitude of arrogance. We have a Governor in Massachusetts ,Duval Patrick,who Obama has stolen speaches from Duval has demonstrated the folly in voting for the idea of change and “together we can” and then see these “change” candidates in action. I voted for Patrick, only to see him decide he could make closed door decisions without public imput because he knew best. I will not vote for another no policy candidate.

In my opinion, Obama cannot close the deal because he is like the Pide Piper. People seem to follow him but are not sure why. When it comes to his answers on issues, he stutters and he is vague. He does well campaigning but cannot be cornered into answering the tough, straight forward questions. It turns out that time is against him.
Americans can only be snowed for a little while.

He WILL close the deal, don’t be so impatient, there’s plenty of time. In fact, technically he HAS closed the deal because there is no mathematical chance that Hillary can beat him in the numbers, she is only betting on a travesty of democracy, for the delegates, pledged or super, to overturn the popular vote, the likes of which the Democratic Party has not seen since 2000. And this would poison her candidacy and make her unpalatable for both democrats and independents.

Obama is having to fight an uphill battle that has never been faught before. He took a huge lead by Clinton (liar) and knocked it down to nothing. Clinton should be asked why can’t she close the deal. She is the one with all the history and Ex-President husband (cheater) who is backing her. The women who are voting for Billary need to open their eyes and realize that Obama is the right choice. He has united the nation and brought more voters to the polls then any other time in history. I am a white man who has no problem electing an African American to be my president.

Obama 08!!!!!!!!!!

Jack,

Maybe the older white folks just can’t see their way clear to elect a black man to run this country. Perhaps it is not conscious racism but rather a product of their time and upbringing. Something weird is going on and last night when the pundits kept askin, “Why can’t he get the white votes and the older folks?” The only logical answer is they are afraid deep down. I was afraid that many in this country would not elect an African American until I listended to Obama and studied hispositions on the issues….but now I am afraid again. I sure hope I am wrong.

Amy
Orlando, FL

Jack, for one Barack is held to a different standard than Clinton. Case and point, the whole Bill Ayers thing and his loose association with him through a committee. What about Clinton’s association with Goldwater’s campaign for goodness sakes! If that were mentioned in the media and in debates, the 12-13% of the black vote Clinton carries would vanish. Two, Obama is often criticized concerning the white, working class vote, but Clinton had a 60% to 40% lead in the African-American vote just a couple of months ago. The media doesn’t focus on how she lost that.
Though Clinton paints the picture of being treated unfairly in the media, she’s gotten off on a couple of scandalous and questionable issues. ….and we’re still talking about the “bitter” word. ? Sealing the deal? Maybe when the gaps close.

Obama close the deal?? Why is CNN using Clinton talking points? The Clintons should be able to deliver a slam dunk given past presidency and 35 year name recognition. The question should be why is Clinton barely holding on?!! That is the real question! She needs to let go before she drags the entire country down with her personal ambitions. I would rather vote McCain or NOT at all if she wins the nomination.

I didn’t realize the deal had been placed on the table for closure… when did that happen? I’m puzzled by all the talk concerning Senator Obama’s personal qualities: not trusting him, elite, …etc.; when it is very evident what the Democratic party contest has boiled down to… Hillary, believe, it or not being a woman! Black’s (male & female), other racial groups, and enough white men have gotten over “the bridge” of Obama’s blackness, at least those with a grain of thought process; however, women are still clinging to the historical premise of the 1st woman president , come hell or high water! There have been many comments about Senator Obama being in the position he’s in (the front runner in case anyone’s forgotten) simply because he’s black; however, no one is talking about the voting segment that’s keeping Senator Clinton in this dog and pony show! The main reason for her wins in Texas, Ohio, and now Pennslyvania is attributed to female voters. Senator Clinton has deftly used her gender in putting on the “gloves”. You know a man can’t fight a woman and win, popularity. Everyone’s ignoring the scenario when Senator Obama wins the Democratic nomination and the gender factor is removed, who will all those women then cross the bridge to support?

I’m having trouble with the oft repeated claim that Clinton won Texas, as Mr. Cafferty has again stated. I know she won the primary, but didn’t Obama win the Caucus and did he not win more delegates in the end? I’m also having trouble with the moving target. First she had to win Texas and Ohio by double digits. Then she just had to win them. Then she had to win Pa by more than 17 points, then she just had to hit double digits, and finally she just had to win. How is this a comeback?? The expectations have just continued to steadily decline.

Jack,
It seems to me that Hillary did well in a place she was supposed to carry. She won by 10% points in her home state. Obama won by almost 30% points in his home state. I’m not really sure why Pa. meant so much when demographically she should have done much better than she did.
Colorado Springs

The better question is way can’t Hillary close the deal? She was in the White House for 8 years, she has a former president talking for her, the whole republican party behind her, the race card and she has all the cable networks working hard to be sure that this race goes on and on for rates.

Dear Jack, There is a stubborn refusal on the part of a segment of the population that refuses to believe in the inherent goodness of this man, Barack Obama. I have turned to my spirituality on occasion to block out negative things over which I have no control. If I had a tradition of dance, or drums, or guns, or sports, I would also turn to them to maintain a feeling of the familiar to keep myself steady and centered. Barack was explaining this to people of a different region who use other means to find refuge from a government that frustrates them. The so-called “bitter” comment is deliberately misunderstood as an excuse to hide racism. This nit-picking and fault finding is being exploited by the Clintons who know all to well that people need an excuse to justify their deep prejudices no matter how shallow the excuse. That does not show a love for this country and its potential to grow, heal and prosper with everyone involved.
Kalamazoo, Michigan

As one of those left-coast elitists, it occurs to me that Obama may have failed to close the deal because he called Pennsylvanians racists (”antipathy toward people who don’t look like them”) and xenophobes. The media have always focused on the “bitter” aspect of his comments or the “cling” clause.

Maybe Pennsylvanians are smarter than the media and caught the true nature of Obama’s insulting comments.

Obama will close the deal, praised be Allah. We the Muslim community will continue to work hard to ensure that Allah’s Will, praised be He, is realized and that Obama will triumph over the infidel woman. Women don’t belong in leadership roles, especially not infidel women!

Obama 2008 and onto remaking our great country even greater, praised be Allah!

Because there are people out there that hold him accountable for his words and actions. For all the blinded followers who melt away at his words, thankfully their are those who truly see through his empty promises.

Why can’t he close the deal? Well, he had a free ride with the media for the first half of this campaign. Now that people are seeing a more balanced race, they see Hillary for what she is, an intelligent, experienced candidate that can beat McCain. I wish things had been fair from the beginning. Then Hillary would have a commanding lead over her opponent.

I agree with those who want to know why that question is not being asked of Hillary Clinton. Besides, Obama has been labeled unpatriotic (I’m a retire Navy Corpsman and school teacher and I don’t wear a lapel pin either), Muslim, and an elitist. For some reason, people think those non-issues matter. Bush wore a lapel pin, went to the right church, and made everyone feel like he was just one of the guys, and look where we are today! Same for the experience excuse. For all the collective experience we have on Capital Hill, we are still in a mess. Nevertheless, even if Hillary manages to sway super delegates to her way of thinking, she’ll not be elected. This process is so polarizing, Obama supporters will NEVER support Hilliary if they think she stole the nomination.

Senator Obama cannot close the deal because people are getting to know him better. As they do, they realize the perception he created is much different from reality.

Hey Jack,

The reason is this Hillary is a fighter and thats what this Nation needs right now. Obama is a great speaker but Hillary can speak and lead this country in the direction it needs to go. I feel that if Clinton were to go against Mccain right now she would have the advantage. She also listens to the people and she knows what is at stake.

Jack, I’m not sure why Hilary Clinton can’t close the deal, but I do know why Obama can’t. We live in a country that is proud of the fact that we actually try to avoid electing intelligent leaders. This, as you well know, is not even open to argument. It is a demonstrated fact. In the past two presidential elections we’ve elected a man who can barely speak our language. Let me see? Obama has the “Elite” vote and Clinton has the “Dumb” vote. You’re asking the wrong question. Your question should be, “Why can’t the United States feel good about electing someone smart?” I’m not sure I want to know the answer.

He can’t close the deal because slowly but surely democratic voters are realizing what he is- a fast talking underqualified elitist candidate. Every time I listen to him speak I’m nauseated by his pathetic attempt to recreate Dr. Martin Luther King and JFK’s charisma and promise, and vomit because people actually buy into it. Yeah HIllary isn’t perfect, but what politician is? At least you know what you’re getting when you vote for her instead of the false “hope” and “change” Obama promises. The only thing this country will get if he wins is a whole lot of nothing.

And yeah, the majority want Obama, forget the other millions of voters who have spoken and made their voice heard- for Hillary. People are acting like she has 200 delegates! Its a race, and who backs down from anything when its thisclose?

Hillary 2008!

He had 6 weeks to campaign in PA, and he outspent Clinton 3 to 1 and still did not win – that’s the bitter truth that he has to come to grips with. She is by far the stronger, more electable candidate and the American people are able to see that. And hence her win in PA.

I believe that the GOP is sabotaging the Democrat primaries by having their people vote for whoever is losing, so as to drag out the process, instill doubt and cause the Dems to waste monatary resources.

It is a good plan, as it worked in Texas.

Obama would have probably already won by now.

“Why Can’t Barack Obama close the deal?”

Nobody has accurately and honesty answered this question more than Penn State Governor Rendell answered far back in February. Time has proven him right. Race is still the most important ingredient in American politics. Rendell is on the mark; other explanations are just side shows.

I’m afraid one of the key reasons is race. This country still has a whole bunch of ingrained racism and my home state of PA is a prime example. There are a large portion of the white rural population (rednecks) in PA who won’t admit to it publically but in private, embrass it. Take out Pittsburgh and Philly and PA is just another southern state.
Clinton has also been ruthless in her campaign and will do anything at any cost to win. Although poll after poll touts how much Americans hate negative ads they still work. I’m deeply in fear that even if he wins the nomination, he’ll be so bruised by the Hillary bashing machine that he won’t be able to beat George Bush light(John McCain).
What once was deemed the Dems race to lose has proven to be just that. Everyone keeps saying Americans aren’t that dumb to vote for 4 more years of Bush policies, but those people are wrong, they are that stupid.

He can’t close the deal because people are starting to question the messsiah myth..Really, will platitudes get us out of this economic mess, does” hope” get me health insurance. He is inspirational yes, but we have problems that need to be fixed and he has no record of doing anything other than giving a good speech. I know when clinton pulls up her sleeves she means business, when obama does it, he is posing for the camera

The answer is somewhat simple: Republicans are crossing party lines in droves solely to vote for Hillary Clinton in their state’s primaries. If she’s nominated, they not only have the Republican candidate they want – McCain – but the Democratic candidate they can most easily beat in November – Clinton.

He couldn’t close the deal because he is black. Pure and Simple. Think about the demographics: seniors, high school education or less, and catholics, and probably 99.9% white. Considering all that — he did good.

One thing I don’t understand, Jack, is how can 58% of people don’t trust Hillary but yet they vote for her! Don’t you think something is wrong with this picture??

It’s interesting that this question isn’t posed for Hillary who’s still behind in this race, short of funds, delegates, votes, and integrity. Or perhaps, that’s why Hillary still isn’t the front runner. It took her kitchen sink strategy to attempt to demoralize her peer Democratic opponent just to break his 11-state winning streak, BUT she’s still behind. Lost, 2 races thereafter and you said nothing. Now, finally wins another state and you’re asking why the frontfrunner can’t close the deal in such a close race, when the “prized, experienced, Clinton machine” has gone MAD trying to make it to the top after 40 races, most of which she’s lost. Republicans love this and laughing at Dems because they know the Clinton’s have too much baggage that will surface if she’s the nominee and will be ready to aim and fire! Whereas with Obama, they have to try to dig up something negative about “anyone” he’s every had contact with and spin it to attack him because his level of integrity far exceeds the infamous Clintons.

Obama can’t “close the deal” because every time he has the opportunity, voters are coming out the the woodwork to say “no” or to send a clear signal that there is deep doubt about him.
And also because Clinton is connecting with very signficant segments of the Democratic base in ways that he isn’t. And, because the profile of the Clinton vote strongly suggests that she would be the stronger candidate in the general election, and more and more people are thinking about that. The first horse out of the starting gate does not always win the race, and often doesn’t.

Jack,
I’m sendingthe following letter to Hilary:
Enclosed is my American flag lapel button. Until you pointed it out I didn’t know you had to wear one to be a patroit.
Also enclosed is my Democratic membership card.

Like we don’t already know. Its the mischaracterization, the negative spin, the media defined race of must win states for some candidates, and skepticism. If Clinton is as good as she pretends to be why hasn’t she closed the deal despite all her manipulation? Shouldn’t Obama be the one asking Clinton this question?

This is very simple. Obama has worked hard, the math is in his favor, and the finish line is in site. Oh Yeah, Sen. Obama has raised over $240M since the inception of his campaign from hardworking white and blue collar Americans and is still gathering more donations.

Hillary Clinton is out of gas, out of time, and oh yeah…out of money. Unless she wants to make another multi-million dollar loan to herself, which I doubt she will do. She doesn’t want to go broke and lose the nomination. The Clintons don’t want to lose their upper crust lifestyle. Sorry Hillary, you’ll still have your Senate seat, at least until the next election. Let’s hope you don’t lose that one too.

Obama 08, 12

After watching the Hillary & Barack Obama it’s now becoming clearer what the American public needs. They need someone to protect them from all the evils brought upon them by the current but expiring Bush administration. Barack promotes hope which is good but Hillary can get it done with strength and direction. Just watching her fight and claw for this presidency is all the marketing her campaign needs to win over the American people. Either Obama gets tougher or Hillary will win this election.

Obama can’t close the deal because Americans are so stuck in their ways it is sickening. I’m not sure why no one can see that this man has an idea for America that is better than anything we’ve seen in a long time. But, this idea would require change, and that’s just not very American now is it? Way to go Pennsylvania, you had a chance to end this thing and let Obama focus on McCain, but now he’s stuck fighting Mrs. Clinton some more. Thanks a bunch.

Jack,
These people in Ohio,Pennsylvania and
Indiana voted Georgie Porgie into
office.What make you think they’ve
got any smarter in the last 4 years?

Go Obama

Obama can’t close the deal because no one wants to tell the truth. The only reason Hillary is in this is because of Deaf Limbaugh. His “Operation Chaos” started in TX and OH. And if not for that reason, she would be out of it. The funny thing is is that his “supporters” are unaware that he is secretly campaingning for Hillary over John McCain. She was on his show and all of a sudden this “chaos” senerio happened.

If she is the nominee, she will be destroyed in November. She’s hoping that people will forget and support the Democrat party regardless of her Bush like tactics. The anger is too deep for her belief that it can be repaired. They will use everything she has done against her and it WILL STICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the rosey rhetoric from Obama cannot hold a candle to Clinton’s experience. She is knowledgeable & does her homework.

Perhaps it’s time for a woman to take charge…I know that men haven’t done such a good job.

Jack, Jack, Jack… We Americans have a very short memory. We are easily distracted. Obama was such a breathe of fresh air in the beginning and hope of what this country could become. He is smart with common sense and has the uncanny ability to motivate people and they get involved. He had good judgment about the war and will use that good judgment to put people around him that will also have good judgment.

I guess I’m dreaming. You know we vote for people that lie to us, tell us they like us and want to be our friend, and tell us we are smart and they agree with our religious beliefs. Remember we are the same dumb people that put Bush back in the white house for a second term. People say well we just don’t know enough about Obama. So did we know enought about George Bush?

Alyce,
Washington, DC

Are you forgetting that Ed Rendall’s machine was completely dedicated to her winning. Why is it pundits readily forget he has come from behind in every state? It is Clinton that has done poorly all through the primaries – win or lose. She has the Clinton name and Clinton machine. I agree with the previous comments. Why has she done so poorly since before December?
On a different note. How many Americans are still racist?

Jack:

Senator Obama already has closed the deal – several months ago actually, but the press like a story and Clinton provides them one – (and will provide a great one when she concedes). There is no realistic way that Senator Clinton can gain the nomination unless she convinces several hundred superdelagates to overturn their own constituencies. That simply won’t happen.

Paul K.

Ottawa Illinois

Jack, try it the other way. She was the inevitable candidate, remember? Why all the nonsense about why he can’t close the deal? The question clearly is why can’t she? By the way, the pro Clinton bias in CNN and MSNBC is rather sickening, and it’s a shame to see you join in with the likes of Pat (the nut) Buchanan, Morning Joke Scumborough, and the other dummies at MSNBC.

Obama is an empty suit running on a super ego of old time revival song song delivery of dreams of CHANGE.” only. Obama could make a fortune as a ‘ Promotiona Speaker ‘

The bottom line is that Obama lacks the neccessary experience to be President and Chief. I agree with other people that he is indeed charasmatic and has managed to snag voters with his theme of “Change.” In this economy as it stands today, people are grasping for any bit of “change” that may provide a more solid economic ground. However, I dare all Obama supporters to name just one political accomplishment of his. I have been following the race for quite some time and cannot name one.

Excuse me for sounding like a whiner, but are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet?

How come everyone claims that the Clinton’s play the race card. When Hillary made a statement about MLK and Johnson, the African American community went nuts, screaming she was racist. I was not aware that MLK was able to sign bills into law, if he could, was he not the first African American President. Obama and his minions are looking to scream racism any time they think there is a 10% possibiltiy anyone will belive them. he is a hypocrite, his wife is not on the racial equality bandwagon, neither is his uncle/preacher, so there is a reason that white people won’t vote for him, it is the same reason that African Americans won’t vote for Hillary, they think the candidate of their race will do more for them.

Jack-
I do find it troubling that Obama has found it so difficult to win some of these states. But then again, consider the position Hillary Clinton is in. She is in her own backyard, her absolutle perfect state (Older voters, large percent of blue collar workers, white, catholic, etc.), has a long standing base there, and was ahead by 20 points just weeks ago. But despite all that, she lost a strong portion of her lead to a man whose ideal voters were sparse and few between in the state. And yet she wants to prove to America that she ought to be the Democratic nominee? I’m more troubled by that.

Because the media thinks that the unemployed and foreclosed upon are not “bitter” and that Hillary’s talk of nuking Iran is irrelevant. The media is too busy selling tabloid papers instead of discussing policy.

I believe that last night’s win by Senator Clinton raises a troubling question about whether Senator Obama is truly the overall leader in terms of the will of all of the Democratic voters. What would both the delagate count and the popular vote be like today if all states had held a popular vote primary versus a number of states holding caucus meetings? Furthermore, Florida and Michagan do not figure into the mix.

Danny Wilson
Murrells Inlet, SC

I am surprised by how many people are blaming this on race/gender, and how many people think that Obama is “obviously” the “democratic” choice based on delegates/popular vote. Thee caucus system is inherently un-democratic, and if you want to compare popular votes, you should only look at primaries.

Given the general lack of participation in the United States, it is ridiculous to think that any candidate is truly the most popular candidate — people are simply to jaded/sick of politics to do their duty and vote. And while if you don’t vote, you have voted for the eventual winner by default, it still doesn’t make the winner supported by the majority.

Can’t the answer be very simple? Because many of us simply prefer Hillary Clinton — no big politics, no racism, no Bill Clinton — we just want Hillary to be our next president.

The problem isn’t that Barack ‘can’t put her away’…. but that we have two movements of relatively equal size and of different compositions. The members of each movement are strongly committed to their collective vision of the future and to support of the nominal movement leader.

the deal is close already. hilary cant win.

Jack:
If Obama was where Clinton is now, they would have pushed him out. I agree with some of the other comments that the media has practically made this into a circus. Hillary was in PA celebrating last night as if she had won the general election and she is behind in every area. The deceitfulness of the Clintons never cease to amaze me. Why does she think that she is the only one qualified on DAY ONE. If she is qualified, why has she mismanaged her campaign and is in debt. I ceratinly would not trust her with the nation’s economy.

Obama has run a sensible campagin and is much more honest and accountable than Clinton. Hillary believes that she and Bill can manipulate everyone and do as they please just to get back in the White House. she was asked today on GMA about her running a negative campaign. Her arrogant response was that’s what the American people want because it appeared to have worked.

Well I am an American who is in the Union and I find her tactics deplorable and condesending.

Obama has already won

Senator Obama can’t close the deal because American voters are FINALLY getting a real sense of who he really is and are asking themselves whether or not he is READY to be Commander-in-Chief. A large portion of early primary and caucus victories were based on the media praising the then unknown Senator and the American public bought into it and voted for him. Today, more voters are taking a step back and rethinking who is better suited TODAY to be Commander-in-Chief. EVERY candidate(heck every human being) has his/her flaws, but voters need to take a SERIOUS look at who is ready NOW. They are both excellent candidates, but Senator Clinton is BEST PREPARED to lead this country TODAY. Senator Obama will someday be an outstanding President……now is just not his time.

The deal is closed.

What are you talking about?…Media may need some Math lessons….Mathematically, it is closed

Barack cannot close the deal since over the last two weeks, the media have been highlighting the so-called associations with Myers and Wright, just to keep those issues alive to help Hillary. It is not the campaigners taking things out of context, it is the pundits and the anchors. The 4th estate is pushing this country into further decline because of its greed for sensationalism. I used to enjoy CNN’s political team, but, now, I much prefer Fox’s blatant prejudice to CNN’s pretenses of being fair when all along, they, too, like the Republicans, wish Clinton to be the nominee; she feeds sensationalism with her lies, meanness, and hypocrisy–it’s how CNN, MSNBC and FOX news sustain the ratings. Moreover, since many media pundits earn big money, they do not want the threat of eliminating Bush’s tax cuts for the rich, because many of them earn so much. Worse, they do not care that this black man of humble beginnings–never mind the white DNA flowing through his veins–has had the “audacity” to challenge white establishment. I’m sorry, but white America needs to learn some history and some demographics, because white might will soon be white flight when all the Hispanics come through to reclaim what was taken from their ancestors in the past. That said, Jack, you are an exception from the pundits group because of your audacious nature which I just love. Keep up the good work, and why don’t you start your own party–without Lou Dobbs. Much aloha.

Seems to me that the question should be the other way around; Before a vote was even cast, Clinton was almost ready to be crowned as the “presumptive Democratic nominee”. She had a huge lead in every poll; she had the Clinton “brand name”; she had all these years of experience that she kept touting, as First Lady, then as Senator; and she had the backing of the Clinton political machine. Yet despite all of this, she finds herself in a position where she is just about out of the race, just about beaten by a political rookie. Asking “Why can’t Obama close the deal on Clinton?” is almost like asking “Why can’t Villanova pull away from Georgetown and just put them away?”

He has for all intents and purposes already closed the deal! The media has too much to gain by pretending that he hasn’t and perpetuating the fantasy of a Clinton “victory.” She CANNOT catch him in pledged delegates. The primary election has ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT DELEGATES no matter how frantically the Clintons try to change the rules and goal posts now that she has lost. They act like spoiled children “I want what I want and damn the consequences.” It’s as if they truly believe that the rules do not apply to them. What is truly ironic is all of the hysterical female voters who are so passionately vowing to vote for McCain or stay home in November once Hillary loses. They can cut off their noses to spite their face as we get a 6-3 or 7-2 extremely conservative SUPREME COURT for the next 30 years and they can kiss Roe v. Wade goodbye. Maybe girlfriends and wives have been getting away with this kind of “I’ll hold my breath until I turn blue in the face” behavior but we should expect more from a presidential candidate.

“I think Obama needs to forget about HIldabeast and return to the message of hope and unity. Oh and Jack this race will end when God says its time.” – Renee St. Louis

It’s Obama’s followers like this that keeps him from closing the deal. Calling a woman Hildebeast and then invoking the name of GOd. It’s a reflection on the man they support. It reeks of hypocrosy. That’s why people don’t trust him as a man much less as president. He spouts beautitudes in public but reeks of something vicious and patronizing in private.

The serf showed up to overthrow the Queen-elect the night before her assumed coronation and you ask why he can’t close the deal?? Give the voters some time. As the Clintons continue to remind us of who they are and what they stand for, the anti-Clinton movement will continue to gather momentum and hopefully they will be forced to go away, if not with the Primary then certainly in the general election.

Obama has been using typical establishment political rhetoric and we are finally seeing it for what it is. His refusal to distance himself from his radical pastor of 20 years who said “God Damn America” in a sermon; his flip dismissal his wifes negative comments about America; his “bitter” comments are disturbing – these present to us a different candidate than his PR has been advertising. Yes folks – his candidacy is no more than an advertisement of what we now know is a faulty product.

It’s simple. Hillary pretty much ran the White House along with Bill. She has her own experience in the Senate, and more importantly standing up to the Republican smear machine.

Her positions are not that much different compared to Obama’s, except for where it counts– like universal health care. The difference is that voters know that they need someone who can and has delivered on these promises. Howard Dean talked about changes in policy and a great direction for this country, but I also supported him because of what he had already accomplished as governor. Obama’s still new and should be allowed to gain more credit and experience (dream ticket?).

All you get out of Obama supporters are empty exhortations and nastiness toward Hillary. The youth vote gravitates around Obama because they don’t remember the prosperity of the Clinton years– except for Monica. Well, if only Bush had his Monica, he’s committed enough other crimes in office.

I find it hard to believe there are still a lot of Clinton supporters out there. Granted, I have lost some favor torwards the Barack camp, since he is beginning to seem like less of a “fresh face” in politics and more like a politician, but come on…..Hilary Clinton is a fake. I don’t care what her experience is. That doesn’t make you a great leader. I disagree with Thelma in KY, the Clintons should not return to the White house in 08. Bill did an exceptional job when in office, despite some personal issues, but his time is over. Our country has new and different problems that does not need the “thinking of the old ways”. As Americans we should crave for a leader who stands for what he/she thinks, can put us back on track, and then has the foresight to steer our country clear of these problems. I’m not saying Barack, or McCain are the right person for the job, but the Clintons are definitely not right for the job.

End the Rope-A-Dope. It’s time for Barack to fight. Stop dancing. Start stinging. The Gorilla in Manilla is the Clinton Machine.

You can’t lean against the ropes forever. You can’t dance endlessly around the fight, good or bad. There comes a moment when you have to knock your opponent down, stand over them…and gloat.

He did win. Hillary was supposed towin by 20 points, and she won by 10. Thats a 100% win in my book. Besides can you see Bill back in the whitehouse with all thoes interns? And if Hillary won would she have to return all that silverware and dishes?

Not all voters, especially blue collar workers, enjoy the previlige of following the speeches and debates that are covered by the media and get a chance to weigh in the candidates, as they do not have time to spare for this. Elections come and go, but they still have their work to hold on to. Most of them would have decided to vote for Clinton based on the name recognition and her being in the public eyes for a long time. To add to this, in PA, the one debate they would have probably made time to watch would have been the ABC debate which was mostly centered around the negative distractions against Obama and that could only have worked against him instead of helping him in any fashion.
Politics needs a fresh outlook and Obama is offering that. As Obama has mentioned in one of his speeches earlier, politics is not just about the President, this one person, it is a team work. I am sure he would have more experienced candidates in his team for offering the best possible advice to him for leading the nation. Hope he wins the nomination and proceeds to win the election this fall.

For all those posters blaming it on the “Clinton’s” and their terrible attack ads on race, grow up. Even if they are doing what you say, which simply is a huge exaggeration, it’s nothing like what BArack will face in the GE from the Republicans. If he can’t defend himself and win facing those type of attacks within his own party, he will get crushed in the GE.

He hasn’t closed because HE hasn’t closed, not because of something others are doing to undermine him. If he was really everything some are making him out to be, this would be over.

Why does he need Hillary to quit to get the win. Everyone keeps saying Hillary should quit, why? She hasn’t lost. In fact she has won the most important states for the GE.

Who do you want for your President, the person who never stops figthing for what they beleive in, or the person who needs the otherside to quit to get the win? Yeah, that’s how we will solve all the problems in this country, wait for them to go away by themselves.

Also all this stuff about people not knowing Obama, come on! What they don’t know are his ideas beyond the phrases ‘hope and change’. It is well documented he is the media favorite, he just hasn’t really provided any substance yet.

Everyone relax, it will work itself out in the coming weeks.

Obama can’t close the deal for three reasons. First, he lacks experience. Second, while he is a wonderful orator, what is he really saying? You can’t tell from his non-specific speeches, nor can you figure it out based on his NUMEROUS votes of “present”. Third, you need to look at the people he surrounds himself with. Racists and unrepentent sixties radicals. He really worries many voters – we don’t know who he really is. Many of us also believe that that is exactly what he wants.