Way to go Bill. The people have spoken and they want Obama. You know it. I know it and Hillary knows it too but wants to finagle a way to get the nomination anyway.

It seems that almost every day the Hillary camp comes up with some bizarre new "reason" why she should be the nominee but it comes down to delegates and she simply can't win barring some total meltdown by Obama but that seems more and more unlikely. He weathered the Wright "scandal" admirably and used the occasion to deliver what was one of the best sppeches on race ever given.

I think the main reason that people like Obama is that he treats them with respect. He doesn't talk down to them and tells them that they need to step up if we are to have real change in this country.

Hillary message seems to be that we need her to change things and that other then voting for her we are more or less irrelevant. Come to think of it, if she gets her way even our votes are irrelevant.

What I think we are seeing is a clash of the classes. I believe what is being interpreted as a racial divide, is actually a social divide.

Clinton's campaign is addressed more to the blue-collar worker, they feel oppressed and she is their savior, the only one "tough" enough to fight for them. It is the disenfranchised worker who is angry and wants to be reassured that things will get better. She promises healthcare and jobs, and that is their primary concern. They trust her to be aggressive enough, tough enough, to get the job done.

Obama's campaign plays better with the college-educated, white-collar workers. They are less concerned about healthcare and jobs for themselves, but more concerned that others have it.They are concerned with a dwindling middle-class and a loss of civil rights. These folks are looking for a change in how our government conducts itself in the global community, and how it treats it's own citizens.

What has got everyone so confused is that you can no longer determine social class by race or gender.

You may be right Sandy but if the blue collar people really want things like healthcare and job security then they should join together and demand that they, and the rest of America have them.

Many of these same blue collar types bought the BS the Republicans sold them about the needs for tax cuts for the wealthy and de-regulation and now Hillary seems to be fooling them once more.

Wake up people! Hillary won't help you. Listen to Obama. He tells you that you need to drive change. This country has many urgent problems such as health-care, huge national debt, the need for alternative energy to lower greenhouse gas emissions and end our dependence on foreign oil, the Iraq war, outsourcing of jobs overseas, crumbling infrastructure due to years of neglect...the list goes on.

Real meaningful change rarely comes from the top down but rather from the bottom up.

"Real meaningful change rarely comes from the top down but rather from the bottom up."

Mad props here. I think this is really the fundamental difference between our dem candidates.

Very good descriptions of the Obama and Hillary movements. Thats exactly how I feel about both candidates.

I guess if you believe this - "Real meaningful change rarely comes from the top down but rather from the bottom up." you should vote for Obama. However you will not get "real meaningful change."

The last time meaningful economic change happened, and happened to the extent that it reversed the trend of "the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer," was the institution of the "New Deal" under FDR. Real meaningful change and not from the bottom up.

Until the "New Republic" Conservatives started using race and race baiting to sway "the solid south" from voting Democrat because it was in their own interest, to voting Republican because "the Soviets/Terrorists are coming" and "the Cadillac-driving Welfare Queen (implying Black)" were taking their tax money, the Democrats retained the House and Senate for 4 decades. This was because of the New Deal.

IN 1994 THE Republicans gained the majority in the House and Senate. But they actually lost seats relative to the Democrats in all regions of the US other than the "solid south." the South was enough to turn the balance of Congress totally upside down.

Progressive Bulldog's post is what is really wrong with the Democrats lately, namely that they are more focused on, sometimes erroneous, ideology than on achieving goals, in this case - wining the general election for President of the United States.

Look at the demographics of the Dem. Primary and extrapolate it to the general election where the Democratic candidate will have to draw from a much larger set of people than voted in the primary Sen. Obama had overwhelming support among Blacks as a group, where Sen. Clinton tended to draw from more mature women. Sen. Obama drew from the higher educated more affluent voter where Sen.Clinton tended to draw from the working class.
How many more Blacks will Sen. Obama draw from the independents/Republicans in a general election? How many higher educated more affluent? Contrast this to the draw on mature white women or working class whites.

Imagine the "swift boating" of Sen. Obama using just what is known about him now. Now imagine the reaction of the independent voter where they hear about WhiteWater for the Gazillionst time.

You mean they should hold out to see who gives them the best possible deal?