On to Gettysburg

By Rick Moran

Barack Obama’s victory in Mississippi was no surprise. But in a very large way, both last Saturday’s win for Obama in the Wyoming caucuses and tonights win in the Magnolia state’s primary are insignificant. Already, the attention of Democrats is turning toward Pennsylvania and what is shaping up to be the campaign’s Gettysburg – the decisive contest where the winner could very well be the nominee of the party:

While Mrs. Clinton, of New York, campaigned in Mississippi last week and former President Bill Clinton dropped in over the weekend, the Clinton campaign has mostly been looking ahead to Pennsylvania, with its 158 delegates at stake.

Mrs. Clinton was campaigning in Pennsylvania on Tuesday when Mr. Obama began the day with a final appeal for support in the Mississippi Delta. After having a scrambled-egg breakfast at Buck’s Restaurant in Greenville, he shook hands with those who had gathered outside the strip mall and urged people to vote.

“We need some jobs!” someone from the crowd called to Mr. Obama. “I promise when I’m president of the United States, I’ll come back to the Delta,” Mr. Obama said. “You all keep me in your prayers, now.”

A couple of danger signs for Obama; while Mississippi blacks gave him 90% support, Mississippi whites voted against him by a 3-1 margin. That kind of polarization is what Obama has been hoping to avoid - something he couldn't do in racially divided Mississippi.

Once again, Obama will have an opportunity to finish Hillary off this time in Pennsylvania. A win there would start a flood of Super Delegates moving toward him while knocking the chocks from underneath Hillary's arguement that only she can win the states vital to Democrats in November.

But Hillary is way ahead in the most recent polls and a win for her in the Keystone state could very well start a stampede of Supers toward her campaign. The Democrats can hardly afford to go into a general election with a candidate who has failed to win any of the large swing states except Illinois, the senator's home state. Hillary may come very close to closing the sale if she wins Pennsylvania convincingly enough.

It will be a long six weeks before Pennsylvania votes on April 22.