THE PLANK APRIL 20, 2008
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And now, for some meaningless, but hopefully harmless, Sunday night commentary on the horserace...
Joe Klein's dispatch from the campaign trail on Sunday noted that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had appropriated theme music from the now-defunct John Edwards campaign. Clinton has been playing John Mellencamp's "This Is Our Country," while Obama has been playing Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising." Obama's choice presumably has something to do with recent Springsteen's endorsement. But, as Klein observes, the song selection also signals something else:
What does this mean? Could it be...something significant? Actually, no: both are perfect for the populist pandering of the moment.
More about the campaign in a few days...but presidential politics sure can get tawdry in a hurry when the candidates are desperate.
Just to be clear, Klein isn't suggesting the candidates are desperate just because of their theme songs. He's basing that on his observations from the campaign trail. For more details, you can read his full dispatch here.
Assuming he's right--and Joe Klein usually is these days--it occurs to me you don't often see a situation like this, in which not one but both candidate are desperate.
But it also makes perfect sense.
Clinton is desperate because, without a signficant win in Pennsylvania, any tiny chance of taking the nomination would vanish altogether. But Obama is desperate, too, because if Clinton does win significantly, then she'll be able to continue her campaign, at least through the Indiana and North Carolina contests.
He'll remain the presumptive nominee, of course; the delegate math will look pretty much the same no matter what the result on Tuesday. But if Clinton stays in the race, it means more time spent fighting with Clinton rather than John McCain. It may also mean more persistent questioning about Obama's ability (or relative lack thereof) to win over working class whites.
--Jonathan Cohn
10 comments
Clinton's going with that "This is ourrrrrrrr country" song? It's over. Countless white male sports fans tired of that song years ago.
- Crock1701
April 20, 2008 at 10:47pm
Yeah, Chevy pretty much killed that song for me. Two years of hearing it during every commercial break of every NFL game will do that.
- AlanSP
April 20, 2008 at 11:50pm
"The Rising" is a terrific song and all, but the first Democrat to use Fogerty's "Gunslinger" as a theme song gets my vote:
www.youtube.com/watch
- rhubarbs
April 21, 2008 at 7:50am
In summary: Obama is desperate to get started with the business of winning in November, and Clinton is desperate to win the nomination, no matter WHAT it costs the party or the country. What's wrong with this picture?
- sullydog
April 21, 2008 at 8:08am
sully, don't you know that only Hillary can save the country, and that only she (as the candidate most identified with the Democratic party) ,even though in second place among Democrats, is more likely to win the support of independents than Obama is (even though he is winning more votes among them now).
Isn't this clear to you? What is wrong with you, huh? you Obama Kool aid drinker. (I write as I sit back in my chair confident that my witticism has utterly destroyed you) Hillary has the means, the will, the power, the strength, the goodness, the greatness, the determination, the all around everything. Can't you see that? Huh?
- blackton
April 21, 2008 at 10:32am
Barack Obama has taken a negative turn, criticizing Hillary Clinton for her negativity, among other things, and both candidates are debating just how bad John McCain is.
- Anonymous
April 21, 2008 at 11:35am
The reason for Hillary's desperation is plain to see. I suspect that Obama's frenzied negativism over the weekend is his campaign's correct assessment that late deciders are breaking for Hillary in the PA primary. He has reason to worry. Obama has out-raised and out-spent Hillary more than 2-to-1 and has sharply contested her in PA. An 8-10% Clinton victory (entirely possible) raises serious doubts about Obama's ability to put away an opponent and evidences deep reservations about him among important blocs of Democratic voters. In such circumstances, Hillary would be foolish to withdraw. And I have every reason to believe that her supporters will keep her sufficiently funded to contest Obama in NC, IN and WV.
- porterm
April 21, 2008 at 12:02pm
"first Democrat to use Fogerty's "Gunslinger" as a theme song gets my vote"
Yikes! I'd rather back someone who uses Alice Cooper's "Is it My Body."
- emcgargle
April 21, 2008 at 1:41pm
porterm is drinking the Hillarista Kool-aid. Hillary has been unable to "put-away" Obama. Indeed, she has been unable to garner as many votes, by about 700,000, or as many delegates, by about 160. This evidences deep reservations about her among important blocs of Democratic voters. If I were Hillary, I would start to worry that my campaign of winning by losing isn't working.
If there is less than a 10-delegate change in PA, more than likely, that is covered by about a 9% spread in NC. The latest polls there have Obama up by an average of 18%. The most likely case is that after PA, NC and IN, Obama will be further ahead in both delegates and popular votes than he is today, with very little voting left. Maybe at that point Hillaristas will start to worry.
The narrative on PA was that Hillary was going to blow Obama away. Now she's just hanging on. Maybe that is something for Hillaristas to worry about.
I think, taken together, there have to be serious doubts about Hillary's ability to win an election.
- roidubouloi
April 21, 2008 at 5:19pm
Hillary Clinton refuses to accept the verdict of the voters in the Democratic primaries and caucuses. She refuses to allow the party to consolidate around the candidate who will emerge with the most delegates once all of the voting and caucusing is over. She refuses to give her party the breathing room it needs in order to secure a victory against John McCain in November. Instead she hopes to damage the likely nominee of the Democratic Party so badly that (she hopes) she will win in backroom trading what she has been unable to win by campaigning among party activists the voters. She is exhibiting the epitome of baby boomer narcissism and self-obsession with no regard for the greater good and no regard for the future of the nation or the Party.
- matthawk
April 21, 2008 at 5:44pm