Most Obama supporters are eager to end this primary and get on to the general election. The math, as I posted below, makes it close to impossible for Hillary to win at this point. She is sticking it out, it seems, just to knock him down so that he’ll be unelectable in the eyes of superdelegates.
Much of Barack Obama’s appeal has been his positive messaging. For most of the campaign he has been able to successfully parry back against attacks while continuing to remain above the fray. But in the last days before the PA primary he started going more negative: on guns, health care and trade. Now there are stories circulating that suggest he’ll drudge up old Clinton scandals.
Don’t go there! It is not necessary. Be patient and people will continue to rally to the positive message as they have all along. There is a thirst for a new politics in this country. Hillary Clinton is “in her element” in the nasty world of Rove/Morris politics. But Obama only suffers if he fights the same game.
There is a time to go negative, but this is not it. Obama needs to make sure that Hillary supporters come to Obama’s side for the fall, and that he doesn’t lose Independents in a slugfest. The hard edge pleases hardcore Obama supporters but it turns off a lot of voters who find him a refreshing change.
Barack Obama will win this nomination. The only question is whether or not he continues cultivating the high road as he has done all along, or whether he gets dragged into the ditch by Clinton. The latter would make him a damaged candidate for the fall. The former makes him stronger. Stay positive!