Hotline After Dark -- Fanning The Flame
There was a lot of TV talk last night about the protests surrounding the Olympic torch but in political news talk centered on the upcoming NC and PA primaries:
NBC's Todd: "North Carolina is going to be Hillary Clinton's 'Achilles Tarheel.'"
More Todd: "North Carolina has got the sort of perfect storm, just like a Virginia: large African-American population, large populations of students, young voters, 11 historically black universities and colleges are in that state. Throw in this, the large, you know, University of North Carolina system, and throw in the high-educated Research Triangle. It's just the perfect storm of the Barack Obama supporter" ("Race to the White House," MSNBC, 4/9).
Newsweek's Fineman: "The inner circle of the Clinton campaign can't believe that the Reverend Wright issue hasn't turned this campaign upside down. The fact that it hasn't has them furious and confused" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 4/9).
Karl Rove: "I want to resist saying that Clinton is out of it. It's a very steep hill to climb. She needs to just get 60.5 percent of the delegates [in PA]. The polls are tightening in Pennsylvania. Let's see if that remains the case up through the election. ... But look, it's not impossible, and all kinds of things that have been improbable have happened in this campaign. But it's very, very difficult for her to do it" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 4/9).
Time's Klein: "I don't know that it's any news at all in Pennsylvania, although he has been cutting into her lead. I mean, she's had a pretty awful last couple of weeks. He's had a very good last couple of weeks, and he was especially good yesterday in the Iraq hearings. He really pinned down both Petraeus and Crocker in a way that a lot of other senators didn't" ("Election Center," CNN, 4/9). (EMILY GOODIN)
and she ain't dead yet????
"Just" 60.5% of the delegates in PA? Even if he meant popular vote thats impossibe... there's no way she wins by 20+, she didn't pull that off in either of her states (NY or Arkansas). I don't know what kind of landslide she'd need for 60+% of the delegates... Rove is still a Republican (he's working closely with McCain) and its in GOP interest for this messy primary to continue and most GOPers think thats its beneficial for Hillary Clinton to be their opponent. Therefore, he says that Clinton still has a shot when she clearly does not.