Thursday, January 10, 2008

In the aftermath of Hillary Clinton's surprise win in New Hampshire, most everyone is talking up the moistened-eyes episode and the power of sisterhood. Dan Kennedy points to something else:

Robert David Sullivan, one of my editors at CommonWealth Magazine, has analyzed the results of the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama contest in New Hampshire and finds an eerie resemblance to the 2000 Democratic primary between Al Gore and Bill Bradley.

Apparently the archetype is more important than the person. I can't see much resemblance between Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, but each appealed to New Hampshire's more traditional Democrats. And the smug, self-regarding Bradley couldn't be more different from the electrifying Obama (OK, Obama is a bit self-regarding, too), but both had their base among the affluent, the well-educated and the young.

Robert does things with maps and stats that I can barely comprehend, but he makes a plausible case that the way to win a Democratic primary in New Hampshire is to go after the party regulars. Among other things, unlike young people and independents, they can always be counted on to vote.

1/10/2008 9:57:39 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  
Related posts:
A non-age related concern about McCain
Will fear help the GOP to beat Obama?
McCain opens NE office in NH today
Wall St. (hearts) Obama, the NRA not so much
Al Qaeda regrouping in Pakistan
Reed: I don't want to be Obama's VP