So this is it, then, yes? Tomorrow is the day. Or, it could be, anyway… Tomorrow’s the day of the next primary contests in Ohio and Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. And by the end of the day the Democrats could have finally selected their party’s nominee for President.
There are those who are now predicting a clean sweep of all four states by Hillary Clinton. (It would be good to remember that until recently she had been predicted to easily win Ohio and Texas. But that was before Obama began closing the gap in those two states. The former First Lady is expected to do well in Rhode Island–which is next door to New Hampshire, where she pulled off a surprise victory early in the primary season. And Vermont could go either way.)
So a Clinton sweep is not out of the question–and the “Comeback Kid” would certainly be back in business in the Presidential Race. Barack Obama has his work cut out for him. Yet if he can take one of the two big states–delegate rich Ohio or delegate richer Texas–it is being said that he will then be virtually unbeatable for his party’s nomination. His delegate count would be too high for Sen. Clinton to overcome.
If you live in any of tomorrow’s primary states, I surely do hope (although I don’t honestly think you need much convincing) that you will make a gargantuan effort to vote. Please let nothing stop you. Nothing. This could be the most important election year in the history of this nation. We, all of us, have some tough decisions to make, and we must step to the line and make them.
I am sorry to see the campaigns of all three remaining candidates starting to turn a little bit negative. On the Democratic side, Senators Clinton and Obama have been trading barbs all weekend, and it is beginning to sound more than simply unbecoming. Disparaging remarks by either candidate about the other do not serve the Democratic Party or the American people.
On the GOP side, Sen. John McCain has himself thrown from tough punches lately–mostly at Obama, who he presumes to be the Democratic front runner. I think that Mr. McCain would secretly like more to campaign against Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama. This could be the reason that he has been lobbing some barbs at the senator from Illinois. If he can pull some votes away from Obama and shift them over to Clinton, it would serve his campaign mightily, one presumes.
If it is the assessment of the McCain campaign staff that Sen. Obama would be a tougher opponent than Sen. Clinton, I agree with that. So within that context, I can understand the sudden focus by the McCain campaign on the weaknesses of Obama (as Mr. McCain sees them).
On the other hand, if Sen. Clinton proves her mettle once more with important wins in tomorrow’s primary contests, she could prove to be a more challenging opponent for John McCain in November than the GOP and some pundits figure. Because if Hillary Clinton can pull off another miracle tomorrow as she did when she came from behind (according to all the polls) in New Hampshire, she will demonstrate herself to be someone not to be taken lightly, someone who has the political clout to pull off major upsets.
So tomorrow is going to be a very interesting day for politiofiles. It could be a day on which history is made.