Evita says she's got Super Tuesday all wrapped up.
Not so fast.
The more people see him, the faster Barack Obama is closing the gap.
Polling and election results so far suggest that the more time Obama has to present himself to voters, the better he fares. In each of the first four states where voting was sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, Clinton maintained essentially level support in polls in the months leading up to the contests, while Obama saw a steady upward trajectory the more he campaigned. In Florida, by contrast, where the candidates did not campaign after the DNC punished the state for moving its primary to January, Clinton soundly defeated Obama, offering a rough gauge on how much the senator from Illinois relies on voter contact.
The LA Times--a paper that has not endorsed a Presidential candidate since 1972--endorsed Obama with these words.
"[Obama] electrifies young voters, not because he is young but because he embodies the desire to move to the next chapter of the American story. He brings with him deep knowledge on foreign relations and on this nation's particular struggles with identity and opportunity. His flair for expression, both in print and on the stump, too easily leads observers to forget that Obama is a man not just of style but of substance."
Clinton's judgment was brought into question.
"Experience has value only if it is accompanied by courage and leads to judgment. Nowhere was that judgment more needed than in 2003, when Congress was called upon to accept or reject the disastrous Iraq invasion. Clinton faced a test and failed, joining the stampede as Congress voted to authorize war."
Close the history books on HRC.
It's time to MoveOn.
links
- MoveON (http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/02/moveo n-members.html)
- Political Ticker (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/01/la -times-endorses-obama-mccain/)
- Evita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evita_%28film%29)
- The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic le/2008/02/01/AR2008020103714.html?wpisrc=newslett er&wpisrc=newsletter)


The endorsements you mention are heartening. Of course, we're preachin' to the choir around here. Besides our supporting Obama, we're supporting each other. Many times I've needed to be braced and encouraged, over the past year. And, sometimes, I've done the bracing and encouraging. It's a team effort.