Obama Wins Wisconsin, Steps on Hillary's Speech

Posted on February 19, 2008

John McCain won the Wisconsin primary tonight and in his victory speech said that as a superstitious navy pilot he was finally ready to announce that he will be the Republican nominee in the fall. He also indirectly alluded to Michelle Obama's narcissistic and obnoxious remark that "for the first time in her adult life" she is proud of America (apparently the bringing down of the Berlin Wall, the placement of two women on the Supreme Court, the election of a black women to the U.S. Senate and a successful rover landing on Mars were nothing to be proud of). McCain said that he has always been proud to be an American and that he didn't feel that America owed him anything, that she had already given him more than he deserved. He also said some nice things about Huckabee, who is remaining in the race even though he cannot win the nomination. Cindy McCain had her First Lady game face on in a big way: she looked really happy.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama won Wisconsin as expected. It looks like he will win it by a larger margin than was predicted, most likely because of the 29% of voters who were not Democrats (it was an open primary). Hillary is in Youngstown, Ohio tonight at a rally and sent out a memo earlier today noting when she would speak and that she was launching a major new speech which would contract her positions with those of Obama's. So what does Obama do? He waited just a few minutes into her speech, then began his speech to a crowd in Houston right when she started into the meat of her speech. This caused quite a bit of consternation at the cable news outlets, because the accepted courtesy is to let your opponent who lost speak first. After some hemming and hawing, the anchors apologized and cut away from Hillary's speech to Obama's.

It was a deliberate, obnoxious and very discourteous thing of Obama to do that immediately put me in mind of his "you're likable enough, Hillary" snipe during an earlier debate. Luckily for Hillary, he didn't cut her off before she told listeners that "we can still win this." She then asked listeners to go to her website and make a contribution -- even just $10 as one supporter did who "wanted her two little girls to know that anything is possible." Hillary has been raising $1 million a day this month and her statement tonight was a clear signal to those who aren't buying into the Obama hype: if she has the cash she can win on March 4th.