Now what?
For seven weeks Pennsylvania has been in the national spotlight, Ground Zero in a heavyweight title bout between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The dynamic duo are staging an old-fashioned, bare-knuckles brawl for the Democratic nomination for president.
The conventional wisdom was that lowly Pennsylvania, usually an afterthought in the nominating process, would, via some fortuitous timing, be the deciding factor in the race.
Many were looking for a knockout blow, for Obama’s to win and have his hand raised in victory over a vanquished foe, claiming both the state and the Democratic nomination.
Uh, not exactly.
The race electrified the state, sparking huge surges in registration. Those voters showed up at the polls in record numbers all across the state.
So what have they decided?
Very little, actually.
Hillary Clinton won the state, taking a solid 10-point win over Obama, even while getting shellacked in Philadelphia and also losing a tight battle in Delaware County. It means she’s not going anywhere.
She will undoubtedly will remain in the race, at least until May 6, when primaries are held in Indiana and North Carolina. It’s more likely now that this fight will go to the convention and involve some serious wooing of the so-called superdelegates.
For Obama, who clearly saw the writing on the wall and had already started campaigning in Indiana before the polls closed in Pa., the spin is that he cut into what had once been a huge Clinton advantage in the state.
It’s not playing. The whispers continue to hound Obama, that despite his lead in both the popular vote, he can’t finish the deal by winning in the big key states that Democrats will need to take to secure the White House in November.
It’s been a wild 7-week ride. The state certainly was energized. The process has been validated, and even resuscitated with a huge influx of new, engaged, young voters.
But the question remains: Clinton or Obama?
This one is no closer to being decided, despite the Battle for Pennsylvania.
Now it’s someone else’s turn in the spotlight. The national media will move on, following the candidates to Indiana and North Carolina.
Pennsylvania will soon be forgotten. But not what happened in the past six weeks.
It’s been one to remember. And will pay dividends in a reinvigorated state for years to come.
For seven weeks Pennsylvania has been in the national spotlight, Ground Zero in a heavyweight title bout between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The dynamic duo are staging an old-fashioned, bare-knuckles brawl for the Democratic nomination for president.
The conventional wisdom was that lowly Pennsylvania, usually an afterthought in the nominating process, would, via some fortuitous timing, be the deciding factor in the race.
Many were looking for a knockout blow, for Obama’s to win and have his hand raised in victory over a vanquished foe, claiming both the state and the Democratic nomination.
Uh, not exactly.
The race electrified the state, sparking huge surges in registration. Those voters showed up at the polls in record numbers all across the state.
So what have they decided?
Very little, actually.
Hillary Clinton won the state, taking a solid 10-point win over Obama, even while getting shellacked in Philadelphia and also losing a tight battle in Delaware County. It means she’s not going anywhere.
She will undoubtedly will remain in the race, at least until May 6, when primaries are held in Indiana and North Carolina. It’s more likely now that this fight will go to the convention and involve some serious wooing of the so-called superdelegates.
For Obama, who clearly saw the writing on the wall and had already started campaigning in Indiana before the polls closed in Pa., the spin is that he cut into what had once been a huge Clinton advantage in the state.
It’s not playing. The whispers continue to hound Obama, that despite his lead in both the popular vote, he can’t finish the deal by winning in the big key states that Democrats will need to take to secure the White House in November.
It’s been a wild 7-week ride. The state certainly was energized. The process has been validated, and even resuscitated with a huge influx of new, engaged, young voters.
But the question remains: Clinton or Obama?
This one is no closer to being decided, despite the Battle for Pennsylvania.
Now it’s someone else’s turn in the spotlight. The national media will move on, following the candidates to Indiana and North Carolina.
Pennsylvania will soon be forgotten. But not what happened in the past six weeks.
It’s been one to remember. And will pay dividends in a reinvigorated state for years to come.
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