While the Clinton campaign builds another mountain out of a mole hill with their stunning 6 delegate pick-up in Pennsylvania, the big winner of yesterday’s Pennsylvania primary was Rush Limbaugh. Mr. Limbaugh had been urging Republicans to “cross-over” in the primaries to vote for Hillary Clinton to assist her bid for the nomination. Why? Because the Republican know what most every American knows – the Republicans can beat her in November. Not only have most of the major polls on electability pointed this out, but it stands to reason given the way that the Republicans like to campaign. Ms. Clinton has a lot of explaining to do about Bosnia, Whitewater, her husband’s impeachment and a variety of other skeletons in her closet. Barack Obama has not been in a position to hammer her completely on these issues for fear of damaging his party’s prospects in the big picture. The Republicans, however, will show no such restraint.

The day before the Pennsylvania primary, NPR reported that 130,000 Republicans had “crossed-over” to vote for the candidate that they feel would be most easily defeated in November. This explains why the state-wide polls in Pennsylvania taken just before the election showed that Obama had reduced a 12% deficit to 4% – 5%. If you remove the Republican “ninja voters” from yesterday’s tally, all of the numbers make sense. The actual outcome of the Pennsylvania primary was actually 52% to 48% or a difference of a mere 4%. This is consistent with the polls just before the election and give the Clinton campaign absolutely nothing to crow about. The Pennsylvania primary was not a repeat of Ohio and actually shows that Obama is taking ground in rustbelt states.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, the press has failed to pick this up and is fanning the fires of an election process that should be over by now. Mrs. Clinton has only closed the gap on pledged delegates by an insignificant margin and will undoubtedly head into the convention behind in the count. Obama will win North Carolina and probably Indiana, but because these are smaller states the Clinton campaign is going to claim this insignificant and try to work the back room at the convention.

What is certain is that Hillary Clinton will not be elected president in 2008. Even if she pulls off a super-delegates victory in the smoke-filled room, she will so upset the anti-corruption movement put together by Barack Obama that she will hang herself in the general election. For too many Americans, the Clintons are every bit as problematic as the Bush family. McCain is the perfect storm in the election of 2008. He is a moderate Republican, a bona fide war hero, and his tendency to irritate mainstream Republicans has captured the admiration of even liberal Democrats. More importantly, he is seen as a force against corruption. The election of 2008 is about one issue more than any other: corruption. Most Americans feel that the war in Iraq and the state of the economy are merely symptoms of the greater disease of wide-spread governmental cronyism and corruption. If there were one issue that nearly every American agrees on it is that the administration of the last eight years has sold the American people down the river for personal gain and as a favor to the global aristocracy.

Americans want a clean candidate more than anything. Mrs. Clinton, on her best day with her best spin cannot deliver the virtue required to win a majority of the votes in the general election. Her hands are far too dirty and she has shown time and time again her willingness to embrace the old-world paradigm of dirty politics as usual. The press may be missing the point, but the American people have not.

Rush Limbaugh has proven once again that he is a force to be reckoned with in American politics. The million-plus votes that each of the Democratic candidates earned in the Pennsylvania primary have changed nothing. But the 130,000 votes that Mr. Limbaugh drove to Mrs. Clinton’s cause may prove to be the most important votes in 2008.

They didn't pick up on it because it's total BS. 130K Republicans changed parties because 130K Republicans were sick and tired of being Republican.

I was listening to Talk of the Nation on my lunch break and they were discussing the upcoming primaries. According to one of the guests, the North Carolina Republican Party (yes, you read that correctly Republican Party) is going to run anti-Obama ads in the run-up to the primaries.

The number is 160,000 Republicans. And the fact remains that Rush Limbaugh did encourage his listeners to do the very thing in Texas and Ohio. Additionally, the North Carolina Republican Party is planning on running anti-Obama ads prior to that state's primary.

There are certainly some of the 160,000 that defected from the Republicans because they are tired of the party (my father, for instance, was a Reagan Democrat turned real Republican. George W. Bush helped him decide it was time to return to the party he abandoned almost 30 years ago). Others, though, certainly changed party affiliation for the mere purpose of voting for one Democrat over the other to prolong the race.

Spruce is correct. The North Carolina Republican party is going to run an Obama/Wright smear ad in the run-up to the primaries. They claim they are doing it because of some local candidate issues. What is most important is that McCain has explicitly asked them NOT to do it. The RNC has asked them to NOT do this. On the other hand is a smear ad or a truth ad?

Somebody needs to document this story, because if it is true, then we are in for hell and we NEED a third party to defend us.

If the Clintons are stealth Republicans, this is a monumental horror they are planning for us and I do mean world war.

It is so fishy, why Hillary keeps running; its almost as if it were designed to ruin the Dems and give the election to a war mongering Republican. Its fishy how many Cons are voting for her. Its fishy that now Billary are so racist, when they paraded themselves as anything but in the past (her claim that Obama cannot win is purely racist; who the hell ever raised such a thing before! Sheesh). It was fishy the build up to the congressional election and then ZIP, as if it were designed to demoralize the people; its fishy how even on television, Jon Stewart brought all these COns on so that a decent person did not even have a station to watch; talk about an about face, good God!

I know Obama won't do that, form a third party, but someone should be thinking of it, someone with stature, not like Ralph Nader, who stands for the people who have "assets"; and not some twit left wing talker who moralises more than freeaking priests do. Maybe Dennis Rivera or some trade unionist that is ready to die with us and for us.

Anyone else remember the Peace and Freedom Party? We need a PROGRAM.

Having not seen the ad yet, I cannot say for certain. However, if it tries to insinuate that since Wright holds certain views that Obama is unfit for President, then it is a smear campaign.

I know it is hard for some to understand, but Rev. Wright and Barack Obama are actually two different individuals. One is a sometimes vitriol (former) pastor, the other is a politician. Sure, the latter made the conscience decision to associate with the former, but try as many may, that does not mean they share the same views on all issues.

What's funny about all this paranoia, is that there are a whole bunch of stories in the news about Republicans voting for Obama, too.

I'd be real curious to review the basis of NPR's 130,000. Did they poll all of them to determine the reasons they switched over and who they voted for? I doubt it.

You misread the polls. The polls showing that Clinton and Obama were only 5 pts apart, also had 8 to 10 undecided. As undecideds always break for the incumbent or leading candidate, undecideds clearly would favor Clinton. That was stated over and over again by the pundits this past weekend, and it's a factor that makes some sense.

Obama keeps saying that he's going to reach across the aisle and he's going to work on the economy. Isn't it possible that some of these Republican "cross-over" voters actually voted for Obama for legitimate reasons? That they've seen the mistakes of BushCorp. and don't have any faith that McSame would change anything?

I'm a big fan of paranoia. It's a large part of what keeps me employed. But this level and breadth of it is silly.

Yep, it's pretty clear that the GOP is gaming the system to try to get her Hillaryness into the election in the fall. This sort of crossover voting should IMO be illegal. ALL of those Republican crossover votes should be taken down and the final margins re-calculated.

I'm not sure of the logic between the issues you've tried to tie together. Why would cross-over voters suggest a need for a third party? That doesn't seem to follow.

The Clintons are not stealth Republicans. If they were, the GOP wouldn't be so terrified of them, wouldn't have tried to tar & feather them so dilligently in the 90's, and wouldn't be so rabid in the crap they make up about them. As they are manifestly and clearly not Republican at all (a few moderate or even conservative positions does not make one a Republican or stop one from being a Democrat), this paranoia simply is unreasonable.

It isn't "fishy" that Hillary keeps running. She wants to be President and she believes this is her best chance. She's also convinced that she has a chance still. She may be incorrect, but she isn't "fishy." Again, it's unreasonable paranoia.

The "racist" label is ludicrous. Obama, Sharpton, Jesse Jackson have ALL said so. How is it "racist" to say that Obama can't win, but perfectly fine to say that Hillary can't? Do you see the silliness therein?

Do I remember the Peace & Freedom Party? Sure. A bunch of layabout do-nothings that couldn't garner any popular support with their radical and self-defeating agenda. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Wait a sec? You think Jon Stewart is now a closeted GOPer?

Never mind. Don't bother responding. It's clear that you're simply nuts.

There are a lot of things about the present Primary process that I think ought to be changed. Caucuses should be banned. It's not fair to disenfranchise people that work or don't have the ability to hire a babysitter while they spend hours arguing with others at a Caucus. And I really don't like the fact that the process isn't secret. Peer pressure to vote one way or another, much less out yourself as being in a party that would cause trouble at work, school, church, home, is something that isn't fair or good for the system.

I also don't like people being able to vote in a primary in which they aren't truly a member. But, what about individuals that are in the process of becoming more liberal in their outlook, or more conservative? I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I'd prefer to have a moderate Republican in the White House (with a Democratic Congress) in most circumstances. [Not after 8 years of BushCorp., but in a neutral model.] If a moderate Republican had run for the GOP nomination, I would have been tempted to support them in the primary. Isn't that a good thing?

And how would you determine who is who? Genuine changers verses those who want to play the system. Cross-overs that truly support one candidate over another.

Ah, back in the 1990's the Clinton's were still Dems -- they even believed in the things they were saying.

That was then. This is now.

A totally different Bill. And Hill.

Look, when Bill and Poppy Bush formed their more perfect union ... er, their non-profit Foundation ... that's when I knew it was all a different game. A totally different thing!

This is NOT the Hill/Bill machine of the 90's.

we're gonna have to come up with a new adverb for what we are going to do to obambo. we used to call it 'borking' but it has morphed into 'swift boating'.

any suggestions?

how about 'wrighting'? 'wrighting' the lefty... i kinda like it.

between the pajama wearing wright and the terrorist ayers, we'll come up with something good. you can bet on it.

'Ah, back in the 1990's the Clinton's were still Dems -- they even believed in the things they were saying.

That was then. This is now.

A totally different Bill. And Hill.'

man! are you behind the curve or what?! it has turned from a vast right wing conspiracy to a vast left wing conspiracy.

Irvingchump,

The only conspiracy out there is the school system that allowed you to graduate despite being a dumbass