Obama Hot On Hillary's Heels In California

[WillyT]

<snip>

At Thursday's town hall meeting in Los Angeles, Mitchell Schwartz, the head of Obama's California Campaign, was jubilant. "The latest Rasmussen Poll shows us within 2-3 points," he said. "Then that's a win," I replied. "No, no," Schwartz countered, "I want us to win!" He spoke like a man who thought he could. Irrespective of our disagreement about what constitutes a victory for Obama in California, one thing is already clear: California will not be the firewall on which Hillary Clinton has always counted. Whoever leaves the state on Tuesday with the most delegates, it will be a very close outcome. Since Obama is the encroacher, he has the momentum. Just in the last twelve hours, the Los Angeles Times has endorsed Obama (for a total of 33 in-state paper endorsements), the campaign has announced a Sunday morning rally in Los Angeles with Oprah, Caroline and Michelle--need last names?--and Ted Kennedy has begun a series of electrifying rallies in the state. In the end, it will all come down to getting out the vote, and which demographics throng the polls, in what surely will be unprecedented primary numbers for California.

Obama's town hall meeting in Los Angeles is instructive. Media such as The Washington Post and Time have reported it as a lead-in to a piece on the California Latino vote and how Obama is coming late to wooing a demographic that, as the tallies in Nevada reveal, views Hillary Clinton most favorably. However, the town hall meeting (billed as such because Obama took questions from the audience rather than delivering a full stump speech) was not a Latino event per se. Since the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College hosted Obama, some Trade-Tech students, many of whom are Latino, were seated. But the real purpose of the event was two-fold: to gather together and to honor the many community leaders, about half of them African-American, who have endorsed Obama in Los Angeles and thereby to create a video opportunity for television and some free media coverage. Therefore, it was an intimate crowd (by Obama standards) gathered on lawn chairs in the school courtyard among the loquat and olive trees. There were almost as many press as guests. A local journalist for a Japanese language LA paper pointed out the various crews not only for Japanese television but also for Taiwanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Malaysian. Telemundo and Univision were there, of course, as well as several smaller Spanish-language outlets. As usual, the Obama Campaign is one step ahead of press consciousness--here in recognizing that Los Angeles is a hugely multi-cultural multi-lingual citizenry that Obama has only a small amount of time to reach. At this late hour, television/radio is the best way.

If the wealth of increasingly visible California Latino endorsements (18 CA politicians on the new Latino Steering Committee alone) makes even a small difference, then Obama is nibbling at that vote. Even though the conventional wisdom is that Clinton has that vote locked up, what happens Tuesday will depend on how many young Latinos, new to voting, turn out. There seems to be some anecdotal evidence that many, like their peers across the party, are for Obama. But then there is anecdotal evidence for everything. After the Trade-Technical College event, The Washington Post and Time talked to young Latinos who said they still support Clinton. On the other hand, when I was riding the LA light rail back to LAX, I eavesdropped on a half-dozen Trade-Tech students, male Latinos, talking about Obama. They were evenly divided: half for Obama, half for McCain. "McCain, man!" one guy shouted, pumping his fist in salute.

And...

Where it is clear that Obama will pick up votes is from the substantial number of John Edwards supporters in Northern California; at the grassroots level the two groups have been on friendly terms, even attending the other team's events. In Northern California, these supporters have been educated middle class mid-level professionals like teachers and nurses. On the progressive scale, the Edwards folk here have been the most liberal among Clinton, Edwards and Obama; therefore, the candidate perceived to be the next-most-liberal, Barack Obama, is a better fit for these voters than Hillary Clinton, farthest to the right. Moving the Edwards supporter into the fold will help to balance the Clinton-leaning Latino voter.

<snip>

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-hot-on-hillarys-he_b_84577.html

Go California !!! - Yes We Can !!!

:bounce::woohoo::bounce:

[Bullet1987]

1. I wouldn't say he's on her HEELS anymore

There about tied now...

[WillyT]

2. You Say Potato, I Say Potahto...

It's all lookin good!

:hi: