Reality Hits the Clinton Camp (and friends)

The Hillary Clinton political machine has spent the last year trying to convince the Nation that the Democratic primary race is over before the first vote is cast. Their "inevitability" strategy has worked quite well amongst their comrades in the media. The pundit round-table discussions on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox revolved around the various Republican primary candidates chances against Hillary in the general election. Barack Obama and John Edwards haven't been acknowledged as legitimate candidates, much less potential Democratic nominees. One has to wonder why three mainstream media outlets with overwhelmingly conservative right leaning on-air personalities would be so obliging to portray the image that the Clinton Camp wishes to create.

Regardless of the reason Hillary has had so much right wing cooperation with her inevitability strategy, the voters have thrown a major monkey wrench in her strategy. The latest polls show that Barack Obama is running four points ahead of Hillary, John Edwards is four points behind Her, and most importantly all candidates are within the margin of error. It is increasingly difficult for the Hillary people to argue that she has the Iowa race won when the polls show a three way tie. The pundits present the poll numbers to give the appearance that she has a significant lead in New Hampshire, but the reality is that approximately 50% of the voters are undecided. Hillary's 12 to 14 point lead seems much less impressive when we take into account that half the voters have yet to commit.

It has been obvious during the debates that Hillary has played to the pundits while Obama and Edwards have directed their remarks to the voters. Unfortunately for Hillary, her hawkish right wing foreign policy has been extremely successful in both endearing her to the conservative media and alienating her from the progressive democratic base.