NEWS
Clinton left with hill to climb
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by Kevin Bargnes
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A feeling of gloom briefly rose above The Stadium Bar at 8:22 p.m. Tuesday when CNN projected Barack Obama as the winner of the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary.
But the dozens of Hillary Clinton supporters present quickly recovered with chants of “Who’s house? Our house! What house? White House!”
The loss came after former President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea Clinton and the senator herself made visits to Madison last week — during which time Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton said she got to know the Clinton family “very well.”
“This is a woman who is determined and smart and decisive and impressive by every measure,” Lawton said. “We’re disappointed we’re not going to deliver all of Wisconsin’s delegates, but we’re going to deliver a big chunk of them.”
With the Wisconsin race now over, Clinton must look to Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania to improve her chances at becoming the party’s nominee.
State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, believes that Wisconsin’s need for specifics from Obama will continue into future primaries.
“They want a little more substance, a little more meat on the bone when it comes to the issues,” Erpenbach said. “I think that need for substance gets hotter in Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio.”
Also present at the party was Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, an avid Clinton supporter who appeared onstage with Bill Clinton at his Thursday rally.
Falk dismissed the notion that Clinton is deterred by Obama’s recent victories.
“Not only does it not deter her, but as she would say herself, she’s been in a lot of tough fights in the last 35 years, and she’s not one to shy away from a tough fight,” she said. “It’s very close in the delegate count with a lot of big states to go.”
Many members of area unions were present, including the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Both unions lent their support to Clinton.
Members of the University of Wisconsin chapter of Students for Hillary were present as well.
Students for Hillary Chair Erica Buthmann said while disappointed with the loss, she does not believe Obama will continue to carry the big states, pointing to Clinton’s poll leads in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.
“I don’t think Obama has the momentum. The margins of victory have been smaller these past few weeks,” she said.
Since the start of the semester, Students for Hillary has gotten word around campus about Clinton, and Buthmann hopes to continue that.
“We still believe Hillary is the best candidate for president, and we’re willing to keep helping her,” Buthmann said.
Student supporters present seemed to echo the thoughts and comments made by Falk, Erpenbach and Lawton.
“I think she’ll be able to execute plans most effectively once in the White House,” said Jessica Grenwald, a UW graduate student. “I also think her plans are more laid-out. She’ll be more apt to make change immediately.”
The primaries in Texas and Ohio will be held March 4, and the Pennsylvania primary is scheduled for April 22.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 2:26am):
they got owned. 17 points is a small margin?
these people are nuts.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 3:09am):
Images of the Titanic come to mind.
Yet many of these people are acting like the ship's almost docked?
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 8:12am):
Oh well, looks like Wisconsin is yet another state that doesn't matter...
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 9:51am):
ha! the polling numbers are already getting close in texas and with two weeks of nothing but coverage about how hillary is tanking those numbers are only going to get closer.
also, anybody who thinks obama lacks substance is clearly either too lazy or too stupid to take 30 seconds and find his platform which starts with a 64-page pdf document entitled "Blueprint for Change."
while I'll agree that his campaign has been less effective at communicating the fact that his policy positions are not only much more pragmatic and sensible than hers but also more detailed and comprehensive, it doesn't seem to be hurting him too much.
GOBAMA!
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 9:53am):
also, how many "chairs" has students for hillary had, like 6?
wow, are they a sad organization.
from what I've seen on this campus students for barack could out-organize them in their sleep.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 10:49am):
âWhoâs house? Our house! What house? White House!â
Wow, pretty cool guys.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 10:59am):
i wonder if sfh will concede defeat since hillary forgot to do it last night
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 11:05am):
Hilary Clinton Who????? Who WAS She?? ha!
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 2:00pm):
SFH got creamed. The SFO blog is showing that Obama won over 80% of the campus vote.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 2:08pm):
Is it interesting to anybody else that Students for Barack Obama celebrated right off of Capitol Square with the Mayor and Governor and UW Students for Hillary did whatever it was that they did on the other side of town?
At the very least, it should be interesting to watch Kathleen Falk try to run a campaign without student volunteers should she choose not to support her constituency's choice.
Tammy Baldwin has better join the winning side too.
Two elected officials who could never win an election with the free labor of UW students going against an 80% supermajority of students? Good call, girls.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 2:21pm):
hillary would need to win 71% of the delegates in texas and ohio to retake the lead.
maybe they can chant their way to a blowout? unlikely.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 2:30pm):
CNN is reporting that Obama just secured the nomination of the Teamsters. I am seized by a mental vision of Hillary Clinton pounding on the lid of her coffin as the final nails are driven in.
Hopefully, the Obama bubble will burst before November.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 3:58pm):
Haha! I get it! It's a pun! Hill to climb - because her name is Hillary! Haha!
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 4:44pm):
Obama's margins of victory have been smaller these past few weeks? It's been two weeks since Super Tuesday â what time frame is Buthmann using? Obama spent all of that time on the upswing here in a state with demographics that supposedly favor Hillary, and he came away big. If that's not momentum, then I have no idea what is.
It's time to accept the fact that Obama is not the black candidate, not the caucus candidate, not the candidate of disorganized students, not the candidate of the liberal elites, and not the candidate of empty rhetoric. Obama is the Democratic frontrunner and likely nominee. Hillary would be best-served by paying attention to why that is, rather than trying to brush him (and his broad base of Democratic supporters) aside in an attempt to claim her "inevitable" nomination.
Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 10:40pm):
Good thing they aren't the same :(
Anonymous (February 21, 2008 @ 1:52am):
âI donât think Obama has the momentum. The margins of victory have been smaller these past few weeks,â she said.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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