Clinton's Goal: Win Big in Pennsylvania, Sow Doubts Over Obama

[DeepModem Mom]

WSJ: Clinton's Goal: Win Big in Pennsylvania,
Sow Doubts Over Obama
By AMY CHOZICK
April 18, 2008; Page A6



PHILADELPHIA -- With Sen. Hillary Clinton widely expected to win Pennsylvania's Democratic primary on Tuesday, most of the focus is on the margin. Anything less than a double-digit victory could solidify the perception that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is the inevitable Democratic nominee, sparking a flow of superdelegates to his side.

But even if Sen. Clinton wins strongly, she still will remain behind in delegates, so her goal must be to change the dynamic of the race, raising doubts about Sen. Obama's ability to carry states like Pennsylvania and lifting her chances of replicating the win in Indiana on May 6. Most important, a strong Clinton victory would send a message to the superdelegates -- whose support she needs to win the nomination -- or might at least persuade them to stay neutral longer to see if a similar pattern plays out through May.

The prospect that Sen. Clinton will win by only a small margin appears to be growing. She has seen her roughly 10-point lead of a month ago erode to as little as one percentage point. A Zogby poll of likely voters conducted this week showed Sen. Clinton ahead with 45% compared with 44% for Sen. Obama. Other polls give her a wider lead....But analysts say she will have to win by an 8-to-10-point margin for voters in Indiana, North Carolina and the other states with coming contests to perceive Pennsylvania as a real win....

A large victory would help the Clinton campaign drum up donations and offset what may be a weak showing on May 6 in the North Carolina contest, where an Insider Advantage poll of likely voters released early this week put Sen. Obama ahead by a 15-percentage-point margin.

If Sen. Clinton wins with a margin of two to five percentage points in Pennsylvania, the campaign says, it would play up the victory and continue. But pundits say such a showing could weaken fund raising and the campaign's argument to superdelegates that Sen. Clinton is the best candidate to win in big swing states in a general election. Democratic Party members and observers generally agree that a loss in Pennsylvania, which offers 158 delegates, would cripple the campaign and that Sen. Clinton would be under intense pressure to withdraw from the race....

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120847005353924485.html

[NJmaverick]

1. My goal is to become a millionaire over night and never have to work again

neither goal is achievable.