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By Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON: For all the hue and
cry of the Democratic White House race, Barack Obama is tipped to
emerge a stronger candidate for November’s general election after
his searing examination by Hillary Clinton.
But if the Illinois senator does
go on to wrap up the Democratic nomination, he will still face
questions about his ability to reach out to the white, working-class
voters and older women who have rallied to Clinton’s flag.
The former first lady scored an
emphatic win in Tuesday’s primary in West Virginia. Among women
and lower-income voters reeling from economic crisis, more than
two-thirds backed Clinton over Obama, according to exit polls.
Democratic strategist Tad Devine,
who was the chief political consultant to Al Gore’s presidential
campaign in 2000, said that for the freshman senator, “it’s much
better for him to have run the gauntlet of a long and tough
nominating process.”
“Obama has been forced to
endure this and have things like Reverend (Jeremiah) Wright aired
now. So by the time it gets re-litigated by the fall, it will be old
news,” he told AFP, referring to Obama’s fiery former pastor.
“And he’s learned to be
better in fending off these attacks. It will strengthen him in the
fall and will certainly strengthen the party.”
But the West Virginia results
underscored work ahead for Obama with a Fox News exit poll
suggesting just over half of voters believed the senator shared
Wright’s race-baiting views.
Pollster John Zogby said that
“on balance, you can make the argument that Senator Obama has been
tested and proven resilient to the test.”
But he warned that Obama’s
November chances against Republican John McCain would depend in
large part on how Clinton comports herself, on how hard she works to
bring her blue-collar supporters to his side if she does lose.
“There is reason to believe,
based on the last two elections, that Democrats have a difficulty
securing this vote anyway,” Zogby said.
“It’s an acute problem this
time because some of that lack of support will be race-based. Not
all, not most, but some.”
The “dream ticket” answer
would see Obama select Clinton as his vice presidential nominee.
Both campaigns say such talk is premature, and deny that any
back-channel talks are underway to fix a deal and end the primary
race.
Obama looks to be relishing a
November match-up against McCain fought on the premise that the
Arizona senator would amount to a “third term” for President
George W. Bush, a new airing for Bush’s policies on Iraq and the
economy.
“There is a lot of talk these
days about how the Democratic Party is divided. But I’m not
worried, because I know that we’ll be able to come together
quickly behind a common purpose,” he said Tuesday in Missouri.
“We know that the American
people cannot afford any more of the Bush-McCain program. Not this
time. Not when the stakes are so high.”
At her victory rally in West
Virginia, Clinton was adamant she was still in the race and
stressed: “Our nominee will be stronger for having campaigned long
and hard, building enthusiasm and excitement.”
The Obama campaign pointed to
polls that suggest the Illinois senator would beat McCain handily in
November, including among independent and working-class voters.
He led McCain by 51 percent to 44
in a new ABC News-Washington Post poll, which identified the
faltering US economy and the Iraq war as voters’ biggest concerns.
And while McCain enjoyed a big
lead over Obama in terms of experience, 39 percent of respondents
were uncomfortable with the Republican’s age. At 72 next January,
he would be the oldest president sworn in to a first term.
Indiana University political
scientist Marjorie Hershey discounted poll findings that suggest
droves of Clinton supporters might defect to McCain if Obama is the
Democratic nominee.
“Most Democrats will come home
to their party’s nominee in the fall,” she said.
“There have been significant
advantages to the length of the primary campaign: Senator Obama has
been able to test out organizational strengths in every state and to
lay the groundwork for his fall campaign,” Hershey added.
The analyst played down talk that
Obama could emerge weakened from his bruising encounter with
Clinton.
“Goodness knows, we’ve had
many election campaigns in America that have been much nastier,”
she said.
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