No matter how she spins it...

Do the math: the Pennsylvania primary changed nothing. Sen. Barack Obama still leads Hillary Clinton by 131 delegates overall and 156 pledged delegates. NBC News has allocated a 75-65 split for Clinton out of Pennsylvania; 18 delegates have not been allocated. So Clinton won only ten delegates more than Obama in Pennsylvania. Since Super Tuesday, Clinton has gained 12 Superdelegates; Obama has gained 83. With just nine contests remaining, Obama has won more delegates, more votes and twice as many contests.

Clinton would have to win 69 to 70 percent of the delegates in every remaining state to catch up to Obama. Even if Obama and Clinton each win a state in the May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina, Clinton would need to win 80 percent of the delegates in every remaining state and that's impossible! The race is over, but Clinton refuses to admit it. And the media is having a field day covering the Clinton-orchestrated circus.

In reality, the Clinton campaign is in the red, running negative attack ads while not paying its bills. Mark Penn's firm is owed $4.5 million; other debtors - including small businesses - are owed over $6 million. After an appeal last night, Clinton apparently raised about $2.5 million - but that should go towards paying her debts, not propel the campaign forward.

From the New York Times editorial board:

"The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race....

It is getting to be time for the superdelegates to do what the Democrats had in mind when they created superdelegates: settle a bloody race that cannot be won at the ballot box. Mrs. Clinton once had a big lead among the party elders, but has been steadily losing it, in large part because of her negative campaign. If she is ever to have a hope of persuading these most loyal of Democrats to come back to her side, let alone win over the larger body of voters, she has to call off the dogs."

In exit polls in Pennsylvania, voters complained about the negative tone of the race, with 68 percent of voters saying Clinton attacked Obama unfairly. Meanwhile, John McCain still refuses to release his medical records or his wealthy wife's tax records.

Update 6 p.m.: Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry - a superdelegate - announced today he is endorsing Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Henry called Obama "an inspirational leader who can unite the country."

Also, nearly 50 of John Edwards's most prominent backers lined up behind Sen. Obama today, less than two weeks before the North Carolina primary. The group includes Ed Turlington, Edwards’s former national general campaign chairman; three North Carolina members of Congress and 46 local activists, philanthropists and business leaders, among others.

Speaking from his law office in Raleigh, Turlington said he had not expected to endorse a candidate after Edwards dropped out of the race. “I thought I was going to be on the sidelines,” Turlington said, adding that he made the decision about ten days ago, after speaking to Mr. Obama. “I think his candidacy is doing a lot of important things that are similar to themes that John Edwards ran on.”

Among those things, he said, were Sen. Obama’s pledges to change the culture of Washington and fight for issues important to working people.

Comments

[JanePoe (aka Deborah)]

Like BushCo, Clinton is self-serving and proving that she's not willing to do what is in the best interest of our country, which is to step down and back Sen. Obama. Her behavior and choices have been so disappointing.

[Di Overton]

Clinton still scares the crap out of me. The women does none of us other women any favours

[karen]

Bravo Christine!

[Christine]

I don't know what stations you were watching, but the ones I watched were not as negative in regard to exit polls. They emphasized the excitement voters had in being important in this late stage of the election. I think it is disgusting the way the media is trying to place the blame on Hillary for separating the democratic party. She has every right to stay in this election, as did Huckabee and still Ron Paul. The only thing she is doing is pointing out how Barack Obama can not close the deal. His main voting groups are youth (unreliable in elections) and black voters. Hillary has women, blue collar workers, seniors, catholics, jews, asians and latinos. Some of these groups will go over the the moderate McCain if he is competing against Obama.

Last night I heard one pundit say, 'the longer this goes on and the more the vote splits the more likely they will have to be running mates.' I would love that and it would be a win for the dems in the general election.

Plus, asking Hillary to drop out when she is not that far behind is typical traditional sexism - a woman has to sacrifice for the good of family or a political party. She sacraficed for her husband and daughter in not venturing for a major political career. This is her time for opportunity.

Tara responds:
Hillary Clinton certainly has a right to run as long as she can. But it would be best for the party if she would stop focusing on the negative and concentrate on the issues. And Hillary has had plenty of opportunity on her own, as US Senator. I would love to have a woman president; I don't believe Hillary will be that woman.

Obama's supporters certainly extend well beyond youth and black voters - this is why he's well ahead in votes and delegates. And I seriously doubt that either Obama or Clinton would agree to be running mates. Initially I was an Edwards supporter and early in this campaign, I would have been fine with either Clinton or Obama. But the negative Rovian-style tactics Clinton has used, as well as her outrageous remark this week - not once but three times - about "obliterating Iran" makes me think she lacks the good judgment to be president.

As for the stations I was watching, they were BBC and CNN. I also read several American and British newspapers online, which is where I got the exit poll information.

[karen]

Maybe there are two good Democratic candidates? Both on the same page on conservation, education, the economy and the war. Should we give them an equal chance and save our anger for the Republicans? Maybe we ought to be keeping an eye on them.

Tara responds:
Early in the campaign I would have agreed there were two good Democratic candidates. I have lost confidence in Hillary Clinton's judgment. If she ran the country the way she's run her campaign, we'd be in even bigger trouble than we are already. As for both candidates being on the same page with regard to war, I'm not so sure about Clinton, after she cavalierly threatened to destroy Iran - a nation of 71 million people - with nuclear weapons. Idle threats are dangerous when one is president of the United States.

[Becky]

I'm so sad/frustrated. I couldn't sleep last night and watched replays on MSNBC between 2 and 4. It seems like the commentators refuse to focus on the numbers, which clearly put Obama in the lead. Arg.

But on a lighter note, thanks for your comments on my blog yesterday! You are a special person and I'm so glad to know you!

[ally bean]

It's the vacuous part of this campaign that gets to me. I want substance and details-- not shots and accusations. How difficult is that to do? Apparently, incredibly difficult, I guess. *sheesh*

[My Melange]

And another disturbing fact in those exit polls is that people are now dividing in the party. More voters are now starting to stake claim on *their* candidate and now refusing to vote for the other democratic candidate if that person gets the nod. More are saying they will stay home and not vote. That would be a shame, since the democratic party has gained a huge number of new voters in this election. Many of those, in my opinion, are for Obama.

And Clinton, the party and the pundents still suggest this *contest* isn't tearing apart the party. What more proof do you need?

She all but begged the public for money in her speech last night. She is broke, very much in debt.

I swear, if they give her the nomination...I will be writing to Dean and every Democrat and Super Delegate I can get an address for....

And don't even get me started on that snide, overbite, out of the side of her face, smile. I want to throw my shoe at the television every time I see it.