Blogging the Pennsylvania Primary

John Berman has been at ABC since 1995, and allowed to appear on television since 2001. He covered the 2008 campaign extensively, following John McCain and Mitt Romney during the primaries and then Barack Obama in the general election. He also spent more than 20 months chasing George W. Bush around the country as a producer from 1999 until 2001, earning the clever nickname, "Pain in the Ass," from our 43rd president. He is a frequent and sometimes welcome contributor to all of ABC's broadcasts.

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April 22, 2008 8:38 PM

That's it for tonight gang -- check back tomorrow, as always, for the latest analysis in The Note...

11:03 pm ET: A lot of talk from Obama tonight reaching back 14 months, to his campaign launch. He's come a long way since then -- and he's still the frontrunner tonight. But there's just a hint that this race could be interesting again yet....

10:57 pm ET: Obama's tweak at Clinton: "We can be a party that thinks the only way to look tough on national security is to talk, and act, and vote like George Bush and John McCain. We can use fear as a tactic -- the threat of terrorism to scare up votes."

10:51: How about those Abercrombie & Fitch shirts directly behind Obama? Can't buy that kind of publicity! (Unless they did.) That's three shirts in a row in prime location. Incredible.

10:48 pm ET: Obama quickly labels Clinton's win a "victory." Seeks to be gracious. Then mentions that people thought he'd be blown out. (Who are those people?)

10:47 pm ET: Obama says he married up -- would that the end of the Bush administration mean the end of that joke...

10:42 pm ET: Jason and others -- I do know the situation in Florida and Michigan, of course. I'm just positing the Clinton argument, not endorsing the idea of counting them in the popular vote -- obviously, including Florida and Michigan is tossing an orange and a mitten in with the apples. Just in the sense of actual votes, though, the numbers are the numbers.

10:26 pm ET: A potential watershed moment: With Pennsylvania results, Clinton just overtook Obama in the overall popular vote -- if you include Florida and Michigan. That is a very big if, particularly when it comes to Michigan, but this is a major moment in the argument Clinton is making to the superdelegates. And if there were any question about whether Clinton will hang on to the end, that should answer it.

It is now, with 67% of PA precincts reporting, Clinton: 14,547,729; Obama: 14,516,766.

Dig at Obama -- question isn't whether "we can," but whether "we will."

10:23 pm ET: "The tide is turning," Clinton says. Watch for currents among those swimming superdelegates.

10:21 pm ET: Mentioning her opponent gets scattered boos -- and of course, the shout-out for the Website -- need to refill those coffers.

10:17 pm ET: This is in-charge Clinton we're hearing from tonight. A measured tone -- not overly triumphant, like she knows this race is not even close to over. "We are in many ways all on this journey together," she said.

10:15 pm ET: No more Bruce -- it's Tom Petty -- "won't back down" -- in Clinton's intro tonight. And Bill is behind her very, very briefly.

9:48 pm ET: We're hearing that Sen. Clinton is about 15 minutes away. I'd look for her to be gracious in victory -- but rather sharp in the lessons she's drawing from this. It's been a while since she had a chance for a straight-ahead victory speech -- she'll relish it, rightly.

9:42 pm ET: From ABC's Eloise Harper, traveling with the Clinton campaign: "Lots of smiling happy staffers wandering around. Huge rousing cheer when CNN which was blaring in the room - announced for Clinton."

That's going to be the photo of the night, surely.

9:36 pm ET: From a Republican friend: "I notice that self-ID'd crossover Republican vote is way down in PA (only 4%). By comparison, OH & TX both had 9%, which is pretty typical â- if not low -- for every primary until PA."

Wonder what Republicans did tonight?

9:20 pm ET: If you want to see the show first-hand -- travel to Indiana. That's going to be the next showdown, no doubt.

9:09 pm ET: It will depend on the definition of "close" -- and remember we won't get Philly numbers until late. Early returns are really good for her -- and every point is that much doubt she can place in the minds of the super-Ds.

8:55 PM ET: Clearly Clinton lives on for another day -- or at least another two weeks, I should say. As attention turns to the margin, I wonder to what extent the media will be able to communicate any sense of a split decision -- or a less-than-clear decision. Sen. Clinton wins -- she gets the big speech and the big photo in the papers. If she only wins by five -- how does that play? Not the day one story -- but very possibly the story on day two, three, four, and five.

8:52 pm ET: ABC PROJECTS THAT PENNSYLVANIA WILL GO FOR CLINTON.

8:41 pm ET: Don't forget to stay up to date with the Real Time Results on ABCNEWS.com.

8:24 pm ET: I wouldn't expect to see significant results until the 9 pm hour -- and the most densely populated part of the state, the Philadelphia area, will probably be the last to come in.

ABC's Russell Goldman just got off the phone with the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office in Pennsylvania: "No major problems reported."

8:17 pm ET: Kevin -- many smart people are puzzling over the exit polls, indeed. Much of it does not compute. Internally, at the Clinton and Obama campaigns, nobody I've been in touch with has been remotely optimistic. So the short answer is, we don't know what will happen. But as I noted, if it's close, that could be the big story.

8:14 pm ET: Indeed no network calls at 8 pm poll closing time. It's a long time before we know the margin, naturally, but the longer this night goes, the more difficult it's going to be for Sen. Clinton to declare a resounding victory. An interesting side story tonight will be who speaks first -- with Sen. Obama in transit at the moment, it's likely to be Clinton who gets first crack -- unusual position for the victor to be in.

7:58 pm ET: Jerome -- yes, they always move on, but the one who expects to win typically spends a few more hours on the ground -- to thank supporters and for a victory party. Sen. Clinton will be in Philadelphia tonight. Sen. Obama will be in Indiana. What does that say about what they expect?

7:55 pm ET: Hope everyone is settling in for an interesting evening -- it doesn't look like ABC or the other networks will be able to call this one at poll closing time.

Quick exercise in myth-busting: The Obama campaign DID try to win in Pennsylvania. And the Clinton campaign DOES need to win convincingly.

7:14 pm ET: From ABC's Sunlen Miller, covering the Obama campaign: "Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod and Communications Director, Robert Gibbs just came out of the Philadelphia Sheraton wearing "Stop the Drama, Vote Obama" t-shirts. The t-shirts were purchased off a street vendor, and were written in large blue and black letters."

"Obama is currently en route to the Philadelphia airport and will fly to Evansville, Indiana for a rally with John Mellencamp. Obama is wheels down in Indiana at 9:45 EST. The rally starts at 10:30 EST."

I do find it interesting that he is doing the Clinton maneuver of skipping ahead to the next state as (expected) bad news flows in in the last-voting state.

6:55 pm ET: The general word in political circles, it I may sum up: Don't believe the exit polls. Everybody's being cautious at the moment, best I can tell. Of course, there's still an hour left of voting -- and many, many hours to spin.

6:22 pm ET: It does appear that Clinton is paying more of a price for the negative turn than Obama. In PA, according to the preliminary numbers, 67 percent say Clinton attacked Obama unfairly, up from 52 percent in all previous primaries. Only 49 percent think Obama unfairly attacked Clinton (up from 38 percent). This feeds the argument of both candidates being diminished by this race.

6:08 pm ET: Lori asks below about the Great Divide -- which is well reflected in the comments below. Will it heal? My sense is -- it will and it won't. That is to say, most Democrats will still vote Democratic, and most Clinton supporters will wind up supporting Obama, as would most Obama supporters eventually support Clinton. BUT I also think that every passing day weakens whoever the Democratic nominee will be; the charges and accusations being tossed about do have a corrosive cumulative impact. There are more reasons every day for Democrats (and Republicans and independents) to find reasons not to like Obama and Clinton. And John McCain is particularly well-positioned to pick up independents.

So yes, I think the Democrats are past the point where it can be reasonably argued that an extended campaign is good for the party's November prospects.

6:02 pm ET: With the preliminary exit poll numbers out, a few points that strike me off the bat. First of - people made up their minds early. Per ABC polling director Gary Langer, "nearly eight in 10 Pennsylvania voters made up their minds at least a week ago, and six in 10 decided on their candidate more than a month ago â- a higher number of early deciders than the norm in Democratic primaries to date." That suggests that all of these little stories we've obsessed over in recent days may not have mattered -- for better, worse, or indifferent.

Democrats are sick of the tone of this campaign -- with two-thirds of voters blaming Clinton more than Obama for the negative turn.

And watch for this to be THE story coming out of the evening, if it's close: More than half of Democratic voters in Pennsylvania (54 percent) expect Obama to be the nominee, REGARDLESS of what happens in the Keystone State. Of that group, roughly eight in 10 voted for Obama; one would assume this includes people who would have been with Obama even without his momentum. But what if it's more than that? If the inevitability storyline is sticking, is there bounty in that for Obama? Enough to bring him a couple points in PA?

5:10 pm ET: A word on Bill Clinton -- another election day where he's dominating the news, with him saying that the Obama campaign played the "race card" against him, and then denying that he said it. Truly remarkable -- it's hard to argue that he's been a net-positive for the Clinton campaign at this point. Do you think his actions have cost her votes?

Rick Klein here from ABC's The Note. I'll be live-blogging tonight as the returns roll in in Pennsylvania, with the latest from the exit polls and our ABC reporters in the field.

First -- a word on the expectations game. Of course, both sides try to downplay what needs to be accomplished, and dueling memos speak to that this afternoon.

From the Obama campaign: "The bottom line is that if Senator Clinton is going to make meaningful inroads in this race for delegates, she will need a huge margin in Pennsylvania. Tonightâs outcome is unlikely to change the dynamic of this lengthy primary."

From the Clinton campaign: "After the Obama campaignâs 'go-for-broke' Pennsylvania strategy, after their avalanche of negative ads, negative mailers and negative attacks against Sen. Clinton, after their record-breaking spending in the state, a fundamental question must be asked: Why shouldn't Sen. OBAMA win?"

That's a fair question from Camp Clinton -- and my colleague Jake Tapper blogs on that very subject this afternoon. Nowhere is it written that Obama cannot win Pennsylvania, and he's certainly spent enough money there to signal a desire to win. The other argument from the Clinton campaign is also correct -- neither candidate can win without superdelegates, and the fact is that superdelegates could end the race (and could have done so weeks ago) if they were either completely comfortable with Obama, or completely convinced that he will be the nominee. That hasn't happened, for whatever reason.

But we're not at a stage in the campaign where all wins are created equal. Clinton trails by 145 delegates, with only 10 contests left, and she will NOT make up that gap via pledged delegates, even under the most optimistic scenarios for her campaign. That means what she needs to do is more difficult than what Obama needs to do: She needs to give superdelegates serious pause about Obama if she has any hope of turning a critical mass in her direction. The way to do that tonight is with a resounding victory that reinforces his demographic weaknesses, particularly with white, working-class voters.

This is not fair to Sen. Clinton in a critical sense: To repeat, the bar IS higher for her tonight. But that's what happens when your opponent wins the early rounds. That makes this evening like the RPI in college football: Running up the score matters.

What constitutes a convincing victory? Conventional wisdowm says double digits. 15-plus and things look much different tomorrow. Less than five (or an Obama victory) and there's more pressure on Clinton to bow out. It's the range of 6-10 that gets fun. In the end, it doesn't matter what I say or you say -- only what the superdelegates perceive.

What do you think? What does Sen. Clinton need to achieve tonight?

April 22, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (722)

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to Chipo: Why does he have a 4 to 1 spending advantage? Because more people are willing to pay money to support him. How is the money a valid excuse? Both candidates have been deceptive, and both are flawed. Obama has a hate baring pastor, and Hillary's husband can't seem to shut up. I'm looking at the numbers, and a candidate winning by the rules will fair much better against McCain than a candidate that has to change them (stealing pledge delegates) and having to do damage control after the fact.

Posted by: No Republican in 08 | Apr 22, 2008 5:17:03 PM

For all of you that for some reason believe the only reason Hillary inc. (equals Bill, Hillary and daughter) are doing all this just so Hillary can be President you failed to do the math on the Clinton's Tax return. This has nothing to do with being President, or being a true Democrat. It has to do with money, $$$$$$$$, lots and lots of money. You don't make money being president, you make money with all the book deals and speaking engagements that come afterward...whether you win or loose. So for all you Hillary fans that think she is doing this for you and because she wants to be elected President...you had better think again..it's about Hillary inc. and $110 million dollars in book deals and speaches. She doesn't give a darn about destroying the Democrats' changes of taking back the White House or you.

Posted by: How To make 110 Million Dollars | Apr 22, 2008 5:19:02 PM

Vote for Hillary or you are dumb.

Everybody know that Obama is tricking people

with his jedi mind trick and also race baiting.

Look at what he did to the Big Dawg.

Everybody knows the Big Dog was called before

America's first blak president and now Obama

made him say that he was similiar to Jesse Jackson.

Bill didn't mean to say it but Barack Husseing made

him do it.

I can not trust Barack Hussein Obama.

Can you?

GO HILL!!!!

Posted by: Taylor Marsh | Apr 22, 2008 5:19:31 PM

Paige, you are one of the few Obama supporters I have met or heard from who cares in the least about fact or playing by rules. Regardless of who wants votes to count or not, the fact of the matter and the rules are that all votes should count. It should not/Can Not be up to anyone in the DNC to determine that millions of voters should be disenfranchised ever, for any reason. Who gave anyone the right to tell Florida voters to vote on a specific day and who gave anyone the right to tell those same voters that their votes wouldnt count? If a vote was cast with teh intent of voting ofr a specific candidate and that vote was not manipulated then it should count. period, end of story. Don't ever try to tell me to vote andhave me show up and then tell me it didn't count.

If the DNC didn't want to count the votes the ballots should not have been provided, the polling places should not have been staffed!

Posted by: Chipo | Apr 22, 2008 5:20:11 PM

If Hillary wins, it proves again and again Obama can't just win big states, and can't win over white votes...

Without majority of white votes to support, how can he win GE over white McCain?

Posted by: True Truth | Apr 22, 2008 5:24:18 PM

For all you Hillary fans that can't add..please tell me when the last time your friend with a $110 million dollars stopped by your house for a BBQ and sat down and listened to you? Oh, you don't have any friends with that much dough? Perhaps because you aren't an elitest like Hillary inc. You don't mass the much money kissing up to the little people, that comes from high rollers that are not in your league.

Posted by: 110 Million Dollars Isn't Elite | Apr 22, 2008 5:27:09 PM

merle7,

Obama win NC only because of his black skin...It just proves again he's playing his race card...

Posted by: True Truth | Apr 22, 2008 5:27:36 PM

Chipo- think it is important a Dem. get into office. In my first post, I referenced that Obama is not a lot of people's choice for the nomination. FL and MI are a lost cause and I would have more respect for Hillary's argument if she had protested from the beginning. I can't say if Obama will win a General Election, but I can say Hillary will because her only path to the nomination at this point and time is via the superdelegates. Obama supporters are passionate and you combine their disenfranchisement with Hillary's polarization with the Republicans and you have McCain as our next President.

Posted by: Paige | Apr 22, 2008 5:27:51 PM

Some in the media have wondered what would Obama's supporters do if he is not the nominee? Yet, no one gives a rodent's backside about what Clinton's supporters will do if she isn't the nominee? I'd say that's a tad bit disingenuous. And, Obama's name was on both the MI and FL ballots, but he opted to have his name removed. So any stink about this and how unfair, blah, blah, blah it was to poor Obama is a real crock. The Obama camp is full of muopic, dellusional whiners. They also give blind allegiance to someone that they really don't know much about and then throw a hissy-fit when their idol is challenged with the hard questions. Hey folks, this is for the US Presidency, not American Idol.

Posted by: Terry | Apr 22, 2008 5:27:56 PM

merle7

Obama would win NC only because of his black skin....It just proves again he is playing race card....

Posted by: True Truth | Apr 22, 2008 5:29:31 PM

I want to know why my emails have been blocked? It seems to be because I am pro-Obama.

Posted by: Terresa | Apr 22, 2008 5:30:33 PM

As a FL democratic voter, if my vote is not going to be counted, I will be voting for McCain. I hope every democrat in FL feels the same way.
It is payback time baby.

Posted by: Mike Mahooney | Apr 22, 2008 5:30:37 PM

I think the media like you keep fousing on every word he utters, which is absurd.

Enough already. Nothing he has said is outragious, nothing.

Posted by: s.b. | Apr 22, 2008 5:30:50 PM

I agree with Jacob Markham 100%.

Posted by: shalabalaboo | Apr 22, 2008 5:31:02 PM

Chipo- meant to say "Hillary won't". Also, if the ballots in FL and MI are like the ones in my state, you receive your ballot based on party, are voting on numerous issues and state races. That is why their polling places were staffed.

Posted by: Paige | Apr 22, 2008 5:32:21 PM

The thing I have not heard anyone say is this! Can Hillary really get anything accomplished. The Republicans would fight her tooth and nail if she wanted a dime to fix a bridge in Minnesota. They would use every procedural trick in the book and nothing would get accomplished. Then 4 years later the Republicans would come back into power (because nothing was accomplished during her tenure), and be able to take the White House and Congress.

Posted by: Leon | Apr 22, 2008 5:34:22 PM

The media continues to claim that Obama has an insurmountable lead in "pledged" delegates. But even Howard Dean now says that Florida and Michigan's delegates will be seated at the convention. So, His lead isn't 140 +, it's actually about 70 delegates when you COUNT EVERY VOTE AND SEAT EVERY DELEGATE. Obama is trying to steal the nomination the way that George W. Bush stole the election in 2000 from Al Gore. And the media is buying into it.

Posted by: Drew Rowe | Apr 22, 2008 5:34:29 PM

Posted by: Drew Rowe | Apr 22, 2008 5:34:35 PM

Time will tell, "is the Witch dead" or "the bitch is back".

Posted by: who knows | Apr 22, 2008 5:34:47 PM

I look at the Obama supporters as akin to Scientology fools. It's a cult, and the people make fools of themselves.

Posted by: N'Obama | Apr 22, 2008 5:35:12 PM

Obama has already won the nomination. There is no way that Hillary can win. That's the simplicity of this whole thing.

In all actuality, I'd wish she would continue to run her further in debt.
It's going to come down to mean green for Hillary. Once she was on top with the biggest war chest, and now with being 10 mil in debt and donors maxed out, ultimately it will be the lack of funds that will end the Clinton campaign as she surely won't use her own money.

Posted by: Common Sense | Apr 22, 2008 5:35:58 PM

tomdavie

Isn't it the opposite that you all keep chanting Hillary Hillary

ignoring every issue that someone states on here with some kind of "slanderous-take-your-eye-off-the-issues-and-clintons-huge-weaknesses-because-she-is-our-queen"
argument...continuing fighting and destroying the great year we had.

Hillary can't close the deal with 15 years of relationships and system...and with Rendell and President Clinton tripling her presence in PA.

It's like the three of them are running as one person.

Ridiculous.

What obama has accomplished against her enormous strongholds says an overwhelming victory for the American people.

Rmemeber even teh American revolution had it's revolutionaries and it's loyalists... guess which party you would be in.

Posted by: dl | Apr 22, 2008 5:36:20 PM

Obama lost his "magic" after Rev. Wright appeared. Then his rhetoric just didn't match up to his past actions.

President McCain - get use to it.

Posted by: Jo | Apr 22, 2008 5:36:46 PM

Obama has already won the nomination. There is no way that Hillary can win. That's the simplicity of this whole thing.

In all actuality, I'd wish she would continue to run which would drop her further in debt.

It's going to come down to mean green for Hillary. Once she was on top with the biggest war chest, and now with being 10 mil in debt and donors maxed out, ultimately it will be the lack of funds that will end the Clinton campaign as she surely won't use her own money.

Posted by: Common Sense | Apr 22, 2008 5:36:59 PM

The Clintons have so damaged their image and legacy that they must win in order to avoid being all but disgraced. Think of it, a young guy that >95% of Americans never even heard of 24 months ago is beating the hand-picked successor (and wife) of the last Democratic President who has his political machine behind her. Beating her on most every metric, including in elected delegates which is what probably should countthe most.

I think people, and even Democrats, are ready for a fresh, new team. Especially after what people are seeing of Bill and the other nasty campaign tactics, the Clintons have self-destroyed their legacy.

If that doesn't say people have had enough of the Clintons

Posted by: Bob | Apr 22, 2008 5:37:16 PM

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