memeorandum: After One of Campaign's Roughest Patches, Obama Tried to Change the Narrative (Washington Post)

9:40 AM ET, May 7, 2008

Top Items:

Alec MacGillis / The Trail:

Gary Mayor Predicts Possible Indiana Shocker — As the fate of a nailbiter Indiana primary — and possibly the course of the Democratic race — hung on his city, Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said just now that it might take a while yet to finish counting the vote in Lake County, which includes Gary …

Discussion: The Page, protein wisdom, Live Indiana Primary …, TalkLeft, Wizbang, AMERICAblog, The Primary Source, Corrente, The Moderate Voice, CCPSBlog, Commentary, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and Ben Smith's Blogs

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

For Clinton, Options Seem to Dwindle — In this case, a split was not a draw. — Despite narrowly winning Indiana, while losing North Carolina, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton did not fundamentally improve her chances of securing the Democratic presidential nomination.

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Washington Wire, Reason Magazine, The Caucus, The Politico, Fox News, Betsy's Page, The Huffington Post, Shadow of the Hegemon, Outside The Beltway, marbury, Connecting.the.Dots, The Moderate Voice, The Daily Dish, American Power, The Page, AMERICAblog and MyDD

Marc Ambinder:

First Glance At The Exits: Democratic Party Cracking Up? — Here's what jumps out at me from the first wave of exit polls that have been released to the Edison-Mitsofky consortium: — Forget the horse race numbers for a moment: if the surveys are accurate, the polarization within the Democratic Party has reached critical levels.

New York Times:

It's About the White House — Like many Americans, we have been intrigued and often exasperated by the long-running Democratic primary and the ever smaller-bore spats between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. So we are thankful to Senator John McCain for reminding us Tuesday …

Discussion: Althouse

David Paul Kuhn / The Politico:

What happened in Ind. and N.C. — The contests in Indiana and North Carolina continued long demographic trends that are proving to be destiny in the 2008 Democratic primaries. — According to exit polls, a third of North Carolina voters were black — and with the support of more than nine …

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Washington Post:
Obama Is Decisive Winner in N.C.; Clinton Ekes Out Victory in Indiana

Discussion: TownHall Blog, MSNBC, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Raleigh News & Observer and Hot Air

Dylan Loewe / The Huffington Post:
Obama's Coming. Clear the Way.

Discussion: Boston Globe, Comments from Left Field and Taylor Marsh

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Exit Polls: Limbaugh Effect Seems To Rear Its Head

Discussion: The Raw Story, Political Punch, SFGate, Lynn Sweet, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Dish, The Radio Equalizer, Marc Ambinder, The Trail, CNN, The Campaign Spot, News Hounds, Too Sense, Top of the Ticket and Political Machine

Krooney / The Page:
THEY BEGIN TO DECIDE — The media turns up the heat on Clinton.

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Pam's House Blend, American Power and marbury

Washington Post:
Clinton Aides Doubtful About Future

Discussion: New York Times and BuzzFlash.org

Rick Moran / Pajamas Media:
Hillary: Should She Stay or Should She Go?

Discussion: Fausta's blog and The Belmont Club

Christopher Beam / Trailhead:
The Popular-Vote Death Knell [Updated]

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Political Machine, The Campaign Spot and Hot Air

Steve Kornacki / New York Observer: The End of the Clinton Strategy

CBS News:
Clinton, Obama In Battle For Indiana, N.C.

Discussion: Associated Press, Climate Progress, TPM Election Central, FishBowlDC, CNN, Pollster.com, CQ Politics, Fox News, Firedoglake, Political Machine, Hot Air, Corrente, Marc Ambinder, The Reaction, FiveThirtyEight.com, The Raw Story and The Moderate Voice

Jennifer Parker / ABCNEWS:
Obama Solidly Routs Clinton in N.C.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Political Radar, American Spectator, The Swamp, Washington Times, Reason Magazine, JammieWearingFool, American Street, Liberal Values, The Field and AMERICAblog

The New Republic:
Measuring the Limbaugh Effect

Discussion: The Jed Report, Fox News, Trailhead, Salon, LiberalOasis, The Moderate Voice, American Spectator and The Opinionator

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Russert: Clinton cancels morning show appearances — Tim Russert, a colleague reports, just said that Hillary Clinton canceled her scheduled appearances on the morning shows tomorrow. — It's a sign of weakness she can ill afford at a moment when questions about whether she can continue are mounting.

Discussion: The Raw Story and michellemalkin.com

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

HMMM — NBC just reported that Hillary Clinton is holding no public events tomorrow. We'd earlier reported that she'd cancelled her morning show appearances. But that's not that surprising. There's not a lot good to talk about. But canceling all public appearances, if that's what they're saying, is a different story.

Discussion: Blog of the Moderate Left

Todd Beeton / MyDD:

The Tie Has Been Broken — Yep, I'm still up. Sorry it's taken me so long to weigh in with a sort of post-mortem on tonight, this has taken me longer to compose than I had expected and I now realize I should have put an overnight thread up. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts - Todd

Discussion: The Mahablog, FiveThirtyEight.com, Comments from Left Field, TPM Election Central and Election Inspection

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Hillary Reportedly Will Hold No Public Events Tomorrow

Discussion: GINA COBB

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

GOP leaders warn of election disaster — Shellshocked House Republicans got warnings from leaders past and present Tuesday: Your party's message isn't good enough to prevent disaster in November, and neither is the NRCC's money. — The double shot of bad news had one veteran Republican …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, The Page and Instapundit.com

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

Preview — If you want to know what Hillary's strategist, Harold Ickes, might whisper in the ears of superdelegates if she decides to stay in and fight, here is a good taste. Nothing quite beats Paul Begala lecturing Donna Brazile that Democrats can't win with a coalition of “eggheads and African Americans.”

Discussion: The Page

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Brazile vs. Begala on CNN: Brazile's Blowout

Discussion: Corrente

Deacon / Power Line:

“THE BIGGEST FAIRY TALE EVER” IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE — Hillary Clinton held on to win the Indiana primary by a bit more than 20,000 votes, and two percentage points. Losing a neighboring state isn't usually a path to nomination, but in these circumstances it may well be enough effectively to end the hopes of his rival.

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Clinton pushes new math — The campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has begun urging party officials and news organizations to include the disputed Florida and Michigan delegations when figuring the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. — That unorthodox approach could put …

Discussion: The Page, Political Punch and Hotline On Call

Will Bunch / Philly.com:
Team Hillary warns of Obama “October surprise”

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

David Neiwert / Firedoglake:

Primary Late Night: Did We Hear Hillary Concede Tonight? — Indiana (88% reporting): — North Carolina (97% reporting): — I know, I know. Hillary's victory speech in Indiana tonight was not a concession speech. She vowed to keep fighting on. Florida and Michigan and all that.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Needlenose

David Neiwert / Firedoglake:
Primary Late Night II: Indiana By A Sliver

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, AMERICAblog and The Page

Washington Post:

Obama Delivers Victory Speech in North Carolina — SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-ILL.): Thank you, North Carolina. — Thank you so much. Thank you very much. — AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you! — OBAMA: I love you back. I truly do. — (APPLAUSE) — I want to thank Kim Winns (ph) …

Discussion: Power Line, JustOneMinute and Marc Ambinder

Sam Graham-Felsen / my.barackobama.com:
Obama's Remarks in Raleigh, North Carolina

Discussion: Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny!, Open Left and Gateway Pundit

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:

A Phony ‘War on Science’ — There are few things in American politics more irrationally ideological, more fanatically faith-based, than the accusation that Republicans are conducting a “war on science.” — According to Hillary Clinton, the Bush administration has declared “open season on open inquiry.”

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Crooked Timber and Too Sense

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Hillary and Bill Clinton in defeat and victory: When pictures tell the story — Just look at his face! — Doesn't William Jefferson Clinton look absolutely delighted with his wife's Democratic presidential primary victory in Indiana? — Sure the Clinton campaign (Hillary's) had hoped to do much better in North Carolina.

Discussion: Power Line

Krooney / The Page:

BUNCHES OF SUPERS — George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America”: “More superdelegates will come out today for Barack Obama -they will come three, four, five at a time, and this nomination will be locked up.”

Discussion: TPM Election Central

Wall Street Journal:

The Reformers Who Ruined Politics — Nearly halfway to choosing the next President, voters are witnessing an amazing spectacle in addition to the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton scrum. All three of the contenders are avowed believers in ever more restrictive and convoluted campaign finance laws.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Dean's World