Can Obama Close the Sale?
03 March 2008 10:20 am by Taylor Marsh
Above video sent to to us via email.
The video above is an example of the trouble
Obama could be heading into. Getting caught in double speak, when the truth doesn’t back you up. But there
is a larger issue waiting out there for him tomorrow.
You hear it everywhere: Tuesday is Hillary Clinton’s last stand. If she can’t
win Ohio and Texas, she’s history.True, mostly. But it’s not the whole story. The rest goes like this:
This is Barack Obama’s third chance to knock her out. If he can’t close the
deal this time, maybe he can’t close the deal, period.Either the third time is the charm for him, or it could be strike three against
him. Any result tomorrow that doesn’t finish her off lets her argue that Democratic
voters’ love affair with Obama was just one of those flings. She’ll say buyer’s
remorse has set in, and it’s time to get serious about winning the White House.Tuesday
night might be Barack Obama’s last chance to knock Hillary Clinton out
I think this article hits the exact problem facing Obama’s team. We all know Clinton’s challenge: She has to win. However, because of looming questions finally surfacing about an Obama candidacy in the general election, Clinton isn’t the only one with challenges.
Obama’s campaign might also have been taken by surprise by the Public
Policy Polling out of Texas today, because they’re counting on Texas, thinking
they’ve got a win there, which they may. “Clinton takes lead in Texas”
is the headline, with PPP giving Clinton a 50-44 lead. Going on what I’m hearing,
I’d say it’s quite a bit closer than this number, but they back it up by saying
the Hispanic vote is surging for Clinton. Rasmussen
has Obama ahead by one, 48% to 47%.
Ohio is at Clinton 49%, Obama 45%, according to Quinnipiac.
But in the end, Obama is as much in the hot seat tomorrow as Clinton. Some
will say this is spin, but I don’t think so. He’s ahead in delegate count, but
there’s more to the story. NAFTA-gate hasn’t helped, but the prospect of Tony
Rezko appearing, with Obama having to show up in court, is another one. And
as much as everyone ranted about Clinton’s “3:00 O’clock” ad, coupled
with the flag
officer endorsement and the call yesterday (includes audio of the call,
here
and here),
I’d say Obama as commander-in-chief isn’t selling well. Against John McCain
it’s going to get tougher.
So, yes, Clinton has to win, with her hill harder. But the question remains, Can Obama close the sale? He hasn’t so far and if he doesn’t tomorrow, with all the scrutiny starting to come his way, it’s going to get even harder going forward. That said, he’s still got the edge and what happens tomorrow will either add to it or obliterate it.
