Pundits Judge Obama 'Phenomenon' and Growing Lead

By: E&P Staff Leading newspaper political pundits paused on Sunday, two days before the vote in New Hampshire, to consider the surge by Sen. Barak Obama and reality that Hillary Clinton is now fighting for her political life.

Two new polls showed Obama with a double digit lead -- after two other polls showed the same thing on Saturday.

Chris Cillizza at his The Fix blog at www.washingtonpost.com, cautioned, "that an abrupt surge in the polls should be taken with a grain of salt. Voters could well have been energized and enthused by Obama's win in Iowa last Thursday night and got swept up in the excitement of the past couple of days of campaigning here, but they may reconsider that support before Tuesday's primary. Unlike in years past, however, there is so little time between the votes in Iowa and New Hampshire that even a temporary bounce could be enough to carry Obama to victory in the primary, a win that would be another major step forward in his quest for the nomination."

The New York Times reported: "Advisers to Mrs. Clinton were privately looking ahead to the next Democratic contest with delegates at stake, the Nevada caucuses on Jan. 19, in hopes of revitalizing her candidacy.

"As Mr. Obama drew standing ovations in crowded gymnasiums and theaters across southern New Hampshire, he barely acknowledged the [new Clinton] criticism. Yet he derided Mrs. Clinton for suggesting during a televised debate on Saturday evening that his candidacy was rooted in a false hope. 'What kind of agenda is that? False hope?' Mr. Obama said. He declared: 'There?s something going on out there. Something?s stirring in the wind.'

"Two polls released Sunday, aides to Mr. Obama said, explained his burst of confidence and unwillingness to engage Mrs. Clinton or John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator who vowed Sunday to remain in the race through the Democratic convention. A poll conducted by CNN/WMUR-TV here showed that Mr. Obama had a 10-point lead over Mrs. Clinton, while a USA/Today Gallup poll showed that his lead had grown to 13 percentage points."

Politico.com quoted a Clinton adviser: ?It?s still possible to win or take a close second in New Hampshire, but if the turnout even begins to mirror what happened in Iowa, all bets are off." The adviser added that the campaign has come to accept that African-American voters are convinced that Obama is viable and shifting rapidly in his direction. ?We?re going to lose South Carolina,? he said.

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe's boston.com notes that the Clinton campaign is now joining John Edwards in using Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" as a campaign rally song, while also sticking to her old faves, such as Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" and Tom Petty's "American Girl."

Time's Mark Halperin reports that Obama on Monday's "Good Morning America" tells Diane Sawyer that he feels it's kind of "depressing" the way the Clintonistas have been conducting themselves lately.

In his Monday column, Dana Milbank at The Washington Post observes that if Hillary Clinton borrowed any more from Obama's campaign theme of "change" at her rally in New Hampshire, state troopers guarding the entrances would have been compelled to charge her with grand larceny.
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