02-21-2008, 10:20 PM
Die Tageszeitung, Germany
âObama-Landâ Gets Larger
By ADRIENNE WOLTERSDORF
February 21, 2008
Germany â Die Tageszeitung- Original Article (German)
The results from Tuesdayâs Wisconsin primary present us with a clear guidepost. Barack Obama can start on the final stretch of his journey to the White House. His decisive victory in this northern state, 57% to 41%, is not just one more win, one of a convincing series of victories since Super Tuesday. The results from Tuesday also show that the candidate for president is gaining ground among the groups of voters who were seen as core supporters of his rival Hillary Clinton: women , union members, low income earners, and middle-age white voters.
The blue collar state Wisconsin, which has few African-Americans or other minorities, was a litmus test for Obama â and for the former First Lady Hillary Clinton. She now has to be worried about her chances in Ohio and Texas â her âbulwark statesâ â when they vote on March 4. After the loss in Wisconsin, Clinton must score landslide victories in both states in order to gain the number of delegates required for the Democratic nomination. But in view of Obamaâs momentum it appears more and more unlikely that the Senator from New York can beat him.
There are several reasons for this. Evidently Clintonâs newfound populism was not convincing enough for the voters. People in Ohio are reeling from the economic slowdown and Texas has the large immigrant communities, so Senator Clinton is aggressively making her case to unions and low income voters. But Obama has recently been gaining ground precisely with these groups. He also has just put forward tax incentive plans and investment programs targeted to middle class Americans. While both senatorsâ plans are virtually identical, Obamaâs approach connects well with his message of a new beginning in Washington. Clinton, on the other hand, seems to be struggling to find the right message.
Even the complicated Texan voting procedure in two weeks seems to work in favor of Obama. Not only do voters have to show up at an evening caucus, but they have to also cast a vote in the primary. Obama has demonstrated over and over that he succeeds best where a level of voter commitment is required â as in the caucus states. Texas also offers numerous delegates in places where in the previous primaries showed a high level of voter participation, namely college and university towns â traditionally âObama-Landâ. Both candidates now have fourteen days to regroup, but it now appears that Hillary Clinton will not be in a position to end her series of losses.
âObama-Landâ Gets Larger
By ADRIENNE WOLTERSDORF
February 21, 2008
Germany â Die Tageszeitung- Original Article (German)
The results from Tuesdayâs Wisconsin primary present us with a clear guidepost. Barack Obama can start on the final stretch of his journey to the White House. His decisive victory in this northern state, 57% to 41%, is not just one more win, one of a convincing series of victories since Super Tuesday. The results from Tuesday also show that the candidate for president is gaining ground among the groups of voters who were seen as core supporters of his rival Hillary Clinton: women , union members, low income earners, and middle-age white voters.
The blue collar state Wisconsin, which has few African-Americans or other minorities, was a litmus test for Obama â and for the former First Lady Hillary Clinton. She now has to be worried about her chances in Ohio and Texas â her âbulwark statesâ â when they vote on March 4. After the loss in Wisconsin, Clinton must score landslide victories in both states in order to gain the number of delegates required for the Democratic nomination. But in view of Obamaâs momentum it appears more and more unlikely that the Senator from New York can beat him.
There are several reasons for this. Evidently Clintonâs newfound populism was not convincing enough for the voters. People in Ohio are reeling from the economic slowdown and Texas has the large immigrant communities, so Senator Clinton is aggressively making her case to unions and low income voters. But Obama has recently been gaining ground precisely with these groups. He also has just put forward tax incentive plans and investment programs targeted to middle class Americans. While both senatorsâ plans are virtually identical, Obamaâs approach connects well with his message of a new beginning in Washington. Clinton, on the other hand, seems to be struggling to find the right message.
Even the complicated Texan voting procedure in two weeks seems to work in favor of Obama. Not only do voters have to show up at an evening caucus, but they have to also cast a vote in the primary. Obama has demonstrated over and over that he succeeds best where a level of voter commitment is required â as in the caucus states. Texas also offers numerous delegates in places where in the previous primaries showed a high level of voter participation, namely college and university towns â traditionally âObama-Landâ. Both candidates now have fourteen days to regroup, but it now appears that Hillary Clinton will not be in a position to end her series of losses.