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It's Not Over...

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March 22, 2008 3:08 PM

ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper report:  It’s not over.

That’s the message out of the Clinton campaign today.

On a conference call with reporters Saturday, campaign aides responded to an article posted on politico.com that states that “Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning” the nomination.

The article also quotes an anonymous “important Clinton adviser” as saying privately that Clinton has no more than a ten percent chance of winning her race against Barack Obama.

“Sen. Clinton has been counted out many times in this campaign,” said communications director Howard Wolfson.  “The press has on several occasions decided the campaign was over, Sen. Clinton was through.  And each time voters decided ... the campaign was not over.”

Wolfson said he had no idea who the unnamed “important Clinton advisor” was, but said that the ten percent comment did not reflect sentiment within the campaign.

“There are ten states yet to come. We have millions more Americans who are going to weigh in and express their preferences,” he said.

Wolfson argued that Clinton would do well in Pennsylvania and emerge from a victory there with momentum going into the remaining contests.  He said strong online fundraising was proof that Clinton’s supporters “do not want this race to end.”

“Obviously, we have to do well,” he said.  “There’s no question about that.”

He also said that one of the reasons the Obama campaign has reacted with negative attacks since losing in Texas and Ohio was because “they expected it to be over on March 5th and were stunned” when it wasn’t.

“If they thought this race was over, they wouldn’t be excoriating Sen. Clinton daily in personal terms,” Wolfson added.

Indeed, much of the conference call was devoted to scolding the Obama campaign for being negative.

It’s not that the Clinton campaign is claiming they haven’t been negative in their attacks on Obama.  They seemed to concede that they, too, have launched negative attacks.  But they contend that Obama promised his supporters something different, a better kind of politics, and in their view, he isn’t keeping his word.

Specifically, the Clinton campaign is complaining about a conference call the Obama campaign held on Friday in which they charged that Clinton is untrustworthy and has a “character gap” and a “perceived honesty gap.”

“I would invite the Obama campaign to play the tape of their call yesterday at all of their rallies in which Sen. Obama comes out and talks to his supporters about the need to change the tone in our politics and the need to elevate the discussion in our politics,” Wolfson said. “I think their supporters would be very surprised that this is the kind of campaign they’re running.”

Senator and President Clinton have both taken a short break from the campaign trail this weekend.  Neither will be campaigning today or tomorrow.

“She is, I’m sure, gonna be on the phone with staff today,” said Wolfson.  “I doubt she’ll do a lot of that tomorrow. But she’s primarily taking a couple of days around the Easter holiday down with her family.”

Following her mother’s victories in Ohio and Texas earlier this month, Chelsea Clinton took a break from the trail, as well, and has been catching up at work at her hedge fund job in New York City.

March 22, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (819)

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Per the DNC rules, pledged delegates are not bound to the electorate. They can change their vote at the national convention. While the number of thme that have changed in the past elections has been small, this race is so close and unpredictable that it will matter. The superdelegates may not be the one to tip the election to Clinton. The pledged delegates can do it also. Currently Obama's projected lead is 3.5% of the pledged delegates. It wont take many to change that. Voters need to realize the media sites are simply projecting a best guess and their margin of errors are greater than the margin of the projected lead. The race is not over by a longshot.

Remember when Obama said if he can get within 100 delegates, he has a shot? This is what his strategists in his camp were referring to. Clinton knows this is true also. Both camps have admitted that both of them will be going after pledged delegates (not just superdelegates) at the convention. There will be a lot more dirt known to the public by August.

I am seeing information about Obama coming out regarding stock purchases in a company that benefitted from his legislation, supposedly he got caught campaigning in his Senate office (federal offense), the outcome of the Rezko trial is not known yet and he has an advisor at the trial every day, and now a company headed up by one of his advisors employed the people who illegally peaked at passport records? Oh yeah... lots more to come! The accusations against Clinton that prompted the lawsuit on her schedules have been shown without merit now that the schedules were released. I suspect other accusations will also be shown without merit.

But in Obama's case, he has consistently denied, lied, then admitted to lying while trying to turn the attention off of him. His judgment is being questioned on many fronts and his credibility continues its dive downward. The race is not over, stay with it Hillary!!!!!!!!

Posted by: DCVoter | Mar 22, 2008 3:19:02 PM

Funny how the Clinton campaign has to keep saying it is not over yet.

Polical speak translation...... IT's Over

Posted by: Thinking | Mar 22, 2008 3:25:31 PM

Hillary's camp actually compared Bill Richardson to Judas. That tells me the Clinton people think they are in a Holy war. There is not going to be a pretty end to this. Hillary is going to take the whole Democratic party down with her...and she doesn't care. Do we really want this woman running our country?

Posted by: Janet | Mar 22, 2008 3:25:56 PM

CG - I am being realistic about the rules/delegates/superdelegates and how they have been applied historically in democratic nomination races. Bargaining doesnt even enter into the picture. The facts are as posted. This is going to the floor unless one of them withdraws from the race which is not likely. I think it is great because that is the way it should be. National conventions should not just be a gathering for speechmakers and party goers.

Posted by: DCVoter | Mar 22, 2008 3:30:02 PM

No, it shouldn't be over either. I hope all campaigns take a day off tomorrow, I think the whole country needs a day off to really digest what has happened over the last week without new spin to divert from some very important concerns. Happy Easter everyone!

Posted by: DWC | Mar 22, 2008 3:35:15 PM

Experts analyzing Obama's proposals agree that his plan for funding (admitted by him as tax increases) will double personal and capital gains taxes. If the Congress would be stupid enough (which I doubt) to implement his proposals, it would plunge us into an economic depression. Luckily Congress would block that but this would mean he would not be able to get anything done unless he implements Clinton's plans... oh wait... he already has been caught when his advisors told others that he would not implement anything as proposed in the campaign. He parrots her in every debate and on his website so why should that surprise us? he cant talk about the issues because he is not competent to talk about them and agrees that Clinton has the best plans. So what are we the voters left with to judge them? Voting records, resumes, judgment, credibility, and patriotism.

Posted by: DCVoter | Mar 22, 2008 3:38:02 PM

freedom20082009,

Please. It is common knowledge that the other group, Stanley Inc. Has ties to the Clinton Orginazation.

It is a non issue

Posted by: Thinking | Mar 22, 2008 3:50:43 PM

Believe me.....it's over.......we are very, very weary of Hilary....GO AWAY!

Posted by: MICHAELINPHILLY | Mar 22, 2008 3:51:14 PM

Democrats should watch what they wish for, they're liable to get it and in November wonder what happened. Obama is guaranteeing a McCain victory. I can't believe that the democrats are going to blow it and keep the white house republican. Damn, what a bunch of idiots.

Posted by: JR | Mar 22, 2008 3:59:03 PM

Of course they are going to say it's not over yet. They need to keep pople coming to the polls so they can get as many votes as possible in the remaining primaries. They know they can't beat Obama on actual votes, but they need to have some kind of "momentum" to plead the case the the people's vote should be ignored.

Posted by: jock59801 | Mar 22, 2008 3:59:10 PM

UNLESS THEY INTEND TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER DIRTY STRATEGY (INCLUDING, FURTHER SPLITTING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY), THE HILARY CAMP SHOULD START PACKING UP. IT IS TIME FOR A WHOLE NEW VOICE AND A WHOLE NEW WAY OF RESTORING AMERICA'S GLORY AND PRESTIGE.

Posted by: Dave | Mar 22, 2008 4:00:10 PM

And an Obama advisor is responsible for the passport breech after he tried to blame Clinton.

And they got caught.

Posted by: s.b. | Mar 22, 2008 4:00:33 PM

Hillary is a fighter and I am damn proud of her. B.O. is an embarassment to our counrty, he talks out of both sides of his mouth. He needs to focus on the issues, counting all the votes everywhere. You don't count all the votes he is anti-american. Is he WRIGHT?

Posted by: D | Mar 22, 2008 4:01:23 PM

sorry meant to say didnt spend their time in texas down south,,

Posted by: ATYPICALWHITEWOMAN | Mar 22, 2008 4:02:53 PM

everytime there is an article about obama or hillary they are here somepeoples you may think they dont sleep and they are just waiting to bring their negative comments,for today im done i dont know where you guys are from,but its sad that you are americans

Posted by: johnny | Mar 22, 2008 4:04:16 PM

Hate to tell you DCV, or was it Matt in Ohio -- sometimes can't tell you apart.

For Clinton Campaign, Euphoria=Denial!!

Like getting pain meds before an execution!!!

Posted by: Jackt51 | Mar 22, 2008 4:05:50 PM

The Clinton machine will do anything and I mean ANYTHING to win this nomination even if it means destroying the Democratic party.

I was a Clinton supporter for months but no there is no way I would now vote for such a vile candiate. It's over for her but still she's in disbelief.

Posted by: Jack | Mar 22, 2008 4:06:44 PM

Hilliary is hoping to do so well that superdelegates are forced to vote her in do to Obama being unelectable. If Obama runs, McCain will probably beat him at this point. Obama and his Bud Rezkos scam are yet to be fully vetted. Wait till they start showing pictures of those poor blacks that froze for months and then had the public housing completely condemned just Obama could buy his dream mansion with Rezkos help. Yikes.

Posted by: creature4444 | Mar 22, 2008 4:09:55 PM

......If Obama wins I can honestly say we are facing some new kind of communism .....there is something about all of that hatred that makes me feel like this man does not have our best interest in mind.....

Posted by: Jesse James | Mar 22, 2008 4:13:28 PM

Go Hillary, take it to the floor! Don't let the party traitors faze you. They will be sorry because now they have to worry about their own jobs for betraying the party base.

Posted by: Jacko | Mar 22, 2008 4:15:16 PM

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