In the Left blogs today, it is considered a mortal sin to point out that Barack Obama has trouble connecting with white working class voters. It is a mortal sin to point out that in the South Carolina campaign, the Obama campaign fed the narrative that the Clinton campaign was race baiting. Indeed, the Left blogs themselves led the charge with this smear, notwithstanding the fact that it was utterly illogical. In South Carolina, the last thing the Clinton campaign would have wanted was African American voters rallying to Barack Obama.

In February, Obama was able to nimbly straddle appealing to African American voters while maintaining a broader appeal. Wisconsin and Virginia appeared to be watersheds, where Obama won both the white and African American voters (he has consistently lost Latino voters.) But from Ohio on, it became clear that Obama would not be able to sustain that. Jeremiah Wright was the biggest reason why. More . . .

If the Obama campaign believes, very reasonably, that he is virtually assured of the nomination, the time is now to agree to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations.

It is time for Obama and his supporters to realize that NOT seating Florida and Michigan hurts him in terms of unifying the Party and in terms of the general election in Florida especially.

The time is right Senator Obama, agree to the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations.

By Big Tent Democrat

Comments now closed.

Some have learned a lesson:

There's clearly an effort not to appear to be forcing Clinton out of the race and Rep. James Clyburn -- formally uncommitted, but recently critical of the Clintons -- said on MSNBC this morning that it's "absolutely not" time for her to drop out.

Good for Clyburn.

By Big Tent Democrat

What are Hillary's options? The AP reports she lent her campaign another $6 million last month and George McGovern today called for her to drop out.

Hillary is campaigning in West Virginia today. The Boston Globe reports/p>

Her senior aides told reporters in a conference call this morning that her win in Indiana, however narrow, allows her to go forward.

Update: On CNN just now, Superdelegate David Parker from North Carolina said he's saying uncommitted. Taylor Marsh live-blogged the Clinton press conference today.

She fights on:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to fight on, heading early Wednesday for a new round of speeches, rallies and town meetings in West Virginia, which holds its primary on May 13.

She is putting up her own money:

Mrs. Clinton has lent her campaign more than $6 million over the last month, according to campaign officials. She did so, they said, in three installments: $5 million on April 11, $1 million on May 1, and $425,000 on May 5.

It has been said by some none too bright people that it is up to the losing candidate to unify the Party. This is simply balderdash. It is almost certain that Obama will be the nominee. He needs to unify the Party. His blog supporters are silly so one need not consider them too much. But people like Donna Brazile can do him great harm. Her performance last night was proof positive that she should be shooed off the stage by the Democratic Party:

Whatever she feels is right. She has earned that.

My own view is she should run her campaign against John McCain. She will win West Virginia and Kentucky by huge margins.

She might even challenge Obama in Oregon.

What she should not do, imo, is run against Barack Obama. If there is a path to the nomination for her, and I doubt there is, it won't come from attacking Obama now.

My two cents.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Here's an open thread on tonight's election results. My thoughts are expressed in the title.

Shame on the Mayor of Gary, Indiana for withholding the vote results until after midnight, ET.

Class Act of the night: Mayor Tom McDermott of Hammond, Indiana.

CNN says seniors brought it home for Hillary all by themselves in Indiana. 69% of them voted for her. They made the difference, and they vote in much greater numbers than younger voters.

Comments over 200, thread closed, I'll clean it of chatterers and insulters tomorrow.

Update: CNN finally calls Indiana for Hillary. 51 to 49% with 99% in. A win is a win, tonight is a split decision between NOrth Carolina and Indiana. John King says it will be roughtly a 50/50 split of the delegates.

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Late Night Drama in Indiana

Update: Obama won't win Indiana. 98% of Lake County is in, the later votes are for Hillary, it's 65% to 55%. She's still 21,000 votes ahead statewide. 5% of the state is still out, but CNN says Hillary will squeak by in Indiana. More...

Update: Obama has 65% of Lake County, Hillary 35%. John King says 17,000 vote difference statewide between them and Obama could win. 44% of Lake County is in, 95% of statewide vote.

Mayor of Hammond says every Mayor in Lake County except the Mayor of Gary endorsed Hillary.

Update: Wow. The Mayor of Hammond, also in Lake County, just said on Larry King Live that Hillary won Hammond by 600 votes and they turned the votes in at 6:30 and Lake County didn't release the votes. The votes they are releasing now are from Gary. They also failed to report the votes of four other cities in the county that she won. He says the mayors know the results and don't know why Lake County refused to release the vote count.

Here are the cities and towns in Lake County. Obama did well in the machine vote in Gary, Merriville and East Chicago. Hillary won Hammond Whiting, Schererville, Crown Point and some of the suburban cities in the southern part of the county. More...

Graceless loser?

Via Fox: David Axlerod attributes Hillary's better numbers in Indiana to Rush Limbaugh.

It was an open primary. 11% of voters in the Democratic primary said they were Republicans -- half of those said they voted for Hillary. There's no support for the theory that this 5.5% listened to Rush. It's just as likely they are sick of Bush and don't like McCain and prefer Hillary to Obama. 5.5% voted for Obama. Maybe they listened to Rush but decided Obama is the more unelectable against McCain and wanted him to be the nominee to help McCain win in November. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

Obama urged Republicans and Independents to register as Dems and vote for him in earlier open caucuses and primaries. I guess what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander in Obama's world.

Another election night proves what I have written too many times to count - demography is political destiny. As Jeralyn's post below demonstrates, Donna Brazile and many Obama supporters (see Chris Bowers for instance) think Democrats can win in November without white working class voters. I believe they are wrong.

Barack Obama's "big night" was not fueled by solving this electability problem. He lost whites in North Carolina by 61-37. He lost whites in Indiana by 60-40. He won African Americans 91-7 in North Carolina. He won African Americans in Indiana by 92-8.

Obama won North Carolina because African Americans were 33% of the vote. Obama kept it close in Indiana because African Americans were 15% of the vote. In terms of the electability problems Obama is facing, nothing changed tonight. And West Virginia next week will confirm that. More . . .

CNN says Hillary Clinton is expected to address her supporters shortly. I'll live-blog when it happens.

Not too long ago my opponent made a prediction. I would win PA, he would win North Carolina, Indiana would be the tiebreaker.

We've broken the tie and now it's full speed onto the White house.

Talks about gas problems, "tonight is your victory right here."

Commends Obama on N.C. win but "we are on same journey." It began long before we were born. Tonight once again I need your help to continue our journey. More...