|
Clinton vows tide is turning
23/04/2008 12:06 - (SA)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Yet again, Hillary Clinton refused to let Barack Obama kill her White House dreams, pulling back from the brink of bankruptcy and extinction with her Pennsylvania primary win.
It was unclear whether her campaign-saving victory left Clinton's road to the White House any easier, as she still trails her Democratic rival in nominating contests, pledged delegates, fundraising and the popular vote.
But Clinton's victory in the Pennsylvania primary did make one thing crystal clear: the never-say-die former first lady has no plans to leave this riveting, exhausting, presidential nominating battle any time soon.
"We won a critically important victory tonight in Pennsylvania. It's a giant step forward that will transform the landscape of the presidential race," Clinton predicted in a jubilant post-victory note to supporters.
"There will be much more to do beginning tomorrow."
Clinton aides said her cash-strapped campaign raised two and a half million dollars online in two and a half hours after the polls closed, the fastest fundraising rate of the campaign. There was no immediate way to verify the claim.
"Some people counted me out, and wanted me to drop out," Clinton told her victory party packed with maniacally cheering supporters at a downtown Philadelphia hotel.
Time to stoke doubt
"The American people do not quit, and they deserve an American president who does not quit either."
Clinton marched into a ballroom erupting in relief and euphoria, with a vow to fight on through the last nine nominating contests.
Her latest campaign theme song by rocker Tom Petty belted out a stark message to Obama: "You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won't back down."
Most observers said she needed double digits to sharply change the dynamic of the race.
With 99% of precincts reporting in the gritty northeastern state, she squeaked through that threshold, beating Obama 55% to 45%.
But Clinton's fourth win out of the last five Democratic contests gave her a rationale to carry on, and will allow more time to stoke doubt over Obama's appeal in a general election.
It also bolstered her narrative that she is the only Democrat who can capture states like Ohio and Texas, crucial swing states in any general election.
Cash crunch
Her aides quickly raised new questions about Obama's viability in a general election against Republican pick John McCain in November - one of the few arguments that she has to counter Obama's mathematical advantage.
And Clinton's Pennsylvania triumph, built on strong populist appeal to women, older voters and the working class, may have once again warded off an exodus of "superdelegates" to Obama.
Superdelegates are the top party officials who will decide the Democratic party nomination, since neither candidate can reach the 2 025 needed to claim the nomination outright.
The Obama camp was quick to point out that he was always expected to lose here, and once trailed Clinton by 20 points.
"We always knew Hillary Clinton was going to win," Senator Claire McCaskill, an Obama backer, told MSNBC. "This is a tailor-made state for Hillary Clinton."
The next Democratic electoral tests, on May 6, are in Indiana, which appears to be a toss-up, and North Carolina, where one Clinton campaign official said it would take a "miracle" for her to win, given the large number of African American voters, who tend to favour Obama.
The two sides were preparing for a new round of hardball politics, to the dismay of Democratic leaders who fear the Clinton-Obama tussle is hurting the party's chances of beating McCain in November.
Clinton's team also hoped her victory would inspire a fresh injection of campaign cash, as she wallows with $10.3m of debts, and only $9.5m cash on hand.
Obama has a huge cash advantage: as of April 1 he had $43m available to fund his battle.
|
News
