Mississippi Democrats Head to Polls, With Obama Riding High
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Democrats are deciding the last in a series of presidential contests between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton before the two rivals settle in for a six-week battle to win Pennsylvania.
Mississippi’s large black electorate in Tuesday’s voting makes it fertile ground for Obama, who has swept the other Deep South states and has pulled huge margins among black voters. Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady, campaigned in the state last week, but by Monday was in Pennsylvania, where the primary is April 22.
Obama, the first-term senator from Illinois, spent the day in Mississippi, drawing enthusiastic crowds in Columbus and Jackson, the capital. At stake are 33 delegates and another chance for Obama to ease the sting of last week’s losses to Clinton in primaries in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island.
Mississippi’s delegates will be divvied proportionally between Clinton and Obama, although if Obama’s lead in state polls holds through the ballot counts, he should be able to add at least 17 delegates to his count. Obama leads Clinton in the race to 2,025 delegates — the number needed to clinch the Democratic nomination — by 106 delegates so far.
Clinton, who has had difficulty winning in heavily black, southern states, is focusing her campaign Tuesday on more friendly territory by campaigning in Pennsylvania, where she has a governor on her side and favorable demographics.
With Clinton’s camp saying she has little chance in Mississippi, the campaigning here focused largely on national issues.
Obama used his Monday morning visit to Columbus to try to squelch speculation that he might accept the vice president’s slot on a ticket headed by Clinton. He noted that he has won more delegates, states and votes than Clinton.
“I don’t know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is first place,” Obama said, drawing cheers and a lengthy standing ovation from about 1,700 people. He added: “I am not running for vice president. “I am running for president of the United States of America.”
Later, at a rally in Jackson with 9,000 people, Obama painted Clinton as part of the Washington establishment whose time has come and gone.
The nation does not need “the same old folks doing the same old things, talking the same old stuff,” he said, essentially lumping Clinton with President Bush and Republican candidate John McCain.
He accused Clinton’s campaign of leaking a photograph of him wearing traditional African garments, including a turban, during a visit to Africa. That was “straight out of the Republican playbook,” Obama said. “That’s not real change.”
Clinton has said she is not aware of anyone on her staff leaking the photo.
For her part, Clinton had moved on to Pennsylvania, where she held a rally in Scranton and carefully sidestepped questions about the sex scandal threatening the political career of Eliot Spitzer, her home state governor and political ally.
“I don’t have any comment on that,” she said when asked about reports that Spitzer allegedly paid for sex with a high-priced call girl at a Washington hotel. “Obviously, I am sending my best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family,” Clinton said.
Obama’s two Mississippi events drew heavily black audiences that cheered him unabashedly.
“I’m here because of the electricity, the energy that seems to form around Barack Obama,” truck driver Jasper Clark, 53, said in an interview before the Jackson rally. “It inspired me, and it’s been a while since I’ve been inspired politically.”
Clark said Clinton “is a nice person,” but among his friends and acquaintances, “I’d say it’s an 8 to 2 ratio” for Obama.
Holy Jeremiah! Have you seen this? This Obama feller playing the race card, pretending to be the Peacemaker.
Ah tell you folks, ah’m a Redneck, thinking before McCain came in I would rather vote Obama to keep that Clinton woman out.
But way I hear this fellow talking in Philly Sunday, he’s fixin’ on starting a race war, he’ll darn well have Denver in flames ‘cause either way he wins. Them stupid Dem’s have trouble, ah tell ya. His supporters are being primed to scream race if it looks like Hillary is winning. Meantime he sits back testing the waters, and when the whole damn place burns, he offers himself as the Peacemaker. Best part: nobody knows he started the riot.
Did you folks know, turned out most o’them terrorists planned and blew up ‘hem trains an’ buildings in England year, two years maybe now, they were trained and qualified medical doctors. Tellin’ ya …. Who would think a doctor do a thing like that, hey. Makes ya think?
Darn clever, that fellow …. darn clever …. don’t matter which way it goes, he wins.
But ah thinks someone should tell him to keep his slimy little fingus outa’ the race thing. We have plenty other problems. Ya, someone ought to tell him before this Country burns.
Every logical mind should be able to work out that 911 was planned years ahead and brilliantly executed. If you don’t know that, don’t even bother to read any further.
Many have said Senator Obama possesses a rare combination of skills, in fact so rare, no single other politician comes even close. What is not realized is the Senator also possesses a brilliant political mind. He knows everything he does, he does it with finesse, when he is not sure, he tests the waters to verify his plan. If he finds the test results satisfactory, his plan goes in. The Senator, to summarize, is a master Strategist; he leaves nothing to chance.
He knows full well he cannot win in November, so for now he goes in as the Peace Messiah. Nobody even knows or suspects he is testing the waters.
The Iran hate America Bush plan was executed with perfection. After that Ferraro and the race conflict. Nobody can point a finger at him. He rides across the screens hands clean, the Grand Uniter, Peace Messiah. Inside he knows he is closer to his goal than the day before. He knows it perfectly well.
You don’t believe this? Let me tell you his next big step [test] is Denver. If he fails in Denver he knows he will have to withdraw. But don’t think you know his private definitions of fail or win.
Herein lies the point. Senator Obama will win August if Denver erupts in flames. That is the grand and final test for him, inside him. So either way he wins. He simply cannot loose, whichever way it goes. …. Superbly confident, because everything has worked according to plan so far. He is the “Yes, I Can” man.
Another comment somewhere said: “don’t afterwards say you did not know I was a snake when you took me in.”
This race is showing what racist is the Democrats really are. They encourage blacks to vote for them, but not run for the presidency. Hiterly is a true racist for not firing her racist workers.
Will you people get real? I keep reading about life-long dems that will vote for McCain if their favorite doesn’t win the primary. Ya ain’t foolin’ anyone but yourself. No matter who goes the distance, you’ll vote for them and NOT McCain.
SHEEESH!
Why do all the blacks vote for Obama? And why do whites vote for Obama in states where there are no blacks virtually.
He cannot win a large state which has both blacks and whites.
People are naiive. Wake up. He is trouble Husein Osama Bin Laden.
Several comments I just read are very good. I firmly believe our country needs a real change!!Not a change of the wife getting to be a ‘first’. There just isn’t room here to put all the terrible things done in the Clinton 8 year reign. Lets have a new start. A real fresh start. And then people please start really deleting out these politicians that have stayed and stayed in office in congress and the senate. They get stalemate in Washington DC and get nothing done. Senator Obama is definately intelligent enough for the job. And I so liked what the person pointed out earlier here that he is real change and sincere change. He’s a strong man and when he speaks he don’t twist words and manipulate them to directly attack other as the ‘hill deal’ does. When I look at her I see an experienced liar and I don’t know which one is worse her or her husband. All they ever did was lie then disgraced us to the whole world with not having enough respect for ‘The Office’ to keep their morals in tact. He was impeached people… Why do we need more of their robbing us of everything great legislatures worked so hard to acheive? You didn’t even hear a lot of the truths about those two, because even the news media was afraid of them. How many deaths did we have surrounding them? People involved in dirty deals that just happened to come up comitting suicide or mysteriously dead. You better believe this is serious. Lets back the change and respectability that office deserves.
I so wondered why nothing was said about “I didn’t inhale’, when the Clinton backer announced Obama was ‘doing something’ in the neighborhood. Then retreating after making sure he got it out there. Obama wasn’t trying to cover it up in his book… like the out and out lie we were told and asked to even believe with ‘I didn’t inhale’ Lies lies lies… We need examples in the highest office in the land. Not people that in your face send a message to the youth in America it’s ok… just lie your way out of it. I also wondered why no mention was made of Bill BURNING the United States flag, when people were pointing Obama didn’t place his hand on his heart.
Someone also remarked here that Obama is winning because of black voters, which is more of Bill’s spin. The truth is Obama has won several states that aren’t heavier in one race than another. And for the record, I’m white and don’t want four more years of those two. No, I don’t hate them…. we all will meet our maker one day and know that all debts will then be paid in full and all truths will be brought to light.
That’s right Hillary down play all the states you think you won’t or can’t win and make them sound like they do not count. That sends a nice message to those states. Meanwhile pick a state where you think you can’t lose and say that is the state that will put you over the top. Remember every state counts in this election and to dismiss some as saying I expect to lose there and down playing the importance of that state in just not acceptable behavior for a potential president. Your best pitch person has been Gov. Rendell, you must have promised him something really big. He goes out of his way to be all over the TV media on a regular basis and now wants to help pay for Florida and Michigan so they can’t count there votes because you did well in both states. Hey just break the rules you agreed upon so you can get the nomination. You are truly a classless act.
When is Hillary going to release those tax returns? I’m sure it will be after the Pennsylvania voting. This would be no contest without the impact of the superdelegates-party officials tied to the Clintons.
Here is an article that states it simply!! Obama is winning in Miss with HEAVY support from the African American community, where there is a heavy AA population! Go figure… And people still want to comment that racism is NOT a part of it. Seriously!!
It’s a sad fact, but most blacks are voting for Obama based on race. I even know of some, especially since I live in Southern NC. Look at the statistics. Look at the race % population in Miss.
Reverse racism at it’s best…
And the media is helping by laying out the red carpet for Obama, while putting Clinton through the ringer! What’s worse is people are falling for it.
Obama lacks much of what is needed to be president. But, I have to give it to Obama for being a great motivational speaker. We just need SO MUCH MORE to pick up where Bush left off.
Why is everyone so afraid to talk about reality? Why has so many people forgot what Bill Clinton did for African Americans?
It’s not that Hillary doesn’t care and that is why she is not spending much time in the South, it’s that race is TRULY part of the issue and people are trying to pretend that isn’t so.
I’m voting on who can best get us out of this mess!
Clinton or McCain all the way.
word of advice to all voters…
do your homework before you vote.
just because the media paints a pretty picture about a candidate doesn’t mean they have the right agenda. a lot of people appear to be voting based on visual and charismatic appeal. a lot of people made that mistake when hitler came to power. do as much research on who you plan to vote for and you just might be surprised what you find.
check it