Are there any white working class voters in Oregon?  I wonder if he'll do better in OR than in WV.  I wonder if this is more a regional problem than a class problem.  Hmmmm.

What about Idaho? Or Colorado?

So caucus states don't count?

I wonder how much stock should be put in the mythic spreadsheet at this point given it's data is 3 months old.

I thought the more interesting bit in the Obama campaign memo you cited was this:

Obama's Strong Position in the Race Ahead
Nationally, Obama is running stronger among Independent voters than any winning Presidential candidate since 1988 and is significantly outperforming Sen. Clinton among these voters as well in general election polling.

To understand a potential general election match-up between Obama and McCain, the only analysis and data that should be considered valid are the current head-to-head National polls rather than extrapolating irrelevant assumptions from exit poll data in Democratic primaries.

And, on the issue of Democratic unity in the Fall, analysts need only consider that in April of 1992, on a night when Bill Clinton won four primaries and was the presumptive nominee, 6 in 10 Democratic primary voters said they wanted another candidate in the race.  Despite this, five months later, Democratic voters were unified behind Clinton and he won his first of two terms in office.

Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but what is the particular relevance of how big her margin is in WV in a May primary that has no chance to undermine the overwhelming delegate advantage enjoyed by Obama. As many other posters have said on this site in recent days, this is not the state in which Obama's GE success rests. As Jerome himself said earlier today, it is unlikely Obama will even come here in the GE. So why the copious amount of verbiage spent in the pursuit of determining the final tally?

So you are setting up Obama for the possibility that he may beat expectations. He did it in indiana and he might do it in indiana you fear.  All I can say is I hope you don't spin this as Obama's inability to win this state in the GE. You know that would be a lie and harmful to the Compaign if he does win the nomination.

**I think you all should enjoy this as much as you can.  Your victories have been few and you deserve to celebrate when you hit a home run.  

I wonder if Obama has received more votes from whites than has HRC this campaign? I wouldn't be surprised if he has. He has won huge in states that are almost all white.

The groups he doesn't get a lot of votes from are Appalachian whites. Most everywhere else he wins the white vote.

Appalachian whites are among the least educated and least informed groups in the county. The less informed one is, the more susceptible they are to political pandering. HRC panders to them and they buy it.

Also the less informed and educated groups are more likely to believe lies like "Obama is a muslim" and such. Also those groups are more likely to harbor bigoted views. HRC appeals to those people more than Obama does.

If Hillary gets 100% of the votes than she will get 28 delegates.  She will still be FAR BEHIND in the delegate count.

I think we need another WV thread.  Maybe two!

Congratulations to Clinton and her supporters.

I think the problem is in large part the Obama hangover.  I think people got caught up in the (false) novelty of Obama, but as the campaign wore on, it became clearer and clearer that he's not all that, and I think a lot of people acquired some buyer's remorse and that a sort of groggy waking up occurred.

Too late, of course, but it was inevitable.

Gasp!  Both campaigns are pre-spinning the results!  I'm shocked, I tell you!  It's pretty much in the DNA of campaign operatives to try to set the campaign narrative, but it's all window dressing at this point.

And my lilly white, rural CD went to Obama by the same margin.

And, by the way, this contest is damn near over.

Congratulations on today's victory, though.

First he was Bad Obama.

then......The Coward.

Why won't B.O. put  work into West Viginia???? "they" asked.

Now, they bash Barack because he spent money there.

Obama is a politician, and get this, HE'S INTO STRATEGY!

The way I see it. He's doing real good.

Sorry Hill!

Senator Clinton should savor her victory. Congratulations to her and her supporters. As Bill Clinton,said, she might win Virginia by as much as 80%. Still why this expectations game? At this point, Clinton is running a vanity campaign nothing more, nothing less. I go back to November, 2006, when, as a good Democrat, I was doing a literature drop in my little Upstate town. Senator Clinton had so much literature I thought it  terribly exscessive. She blew tens of millions on a campaign where she was basically running against the equivalent of the local dogcatcher. A more careful, less arrogant candidate would have not blown money on what was the first inkling of her penchant for vanity campaigns. At least, Senator Clinton won that one.

I was surprised to see how many blowouts Obama's won, especially in such populous states.

Clinton has a series of policy positions that are strong to help single mothers, people needing to work part time to go to school, working families...

It's amazing how few in Oregon are even aware of it.

I too am completely sick of the media trying to decide elections and this season has been positively disgusting.

Thank goodness there's finally a chance on MyDD to talk about Hillary's expected blowout win tonight. What a remarkable opportunity this is.

In all seriousness, Clinton should be commended upon her strength in Appalachia -- it's clear from the above-posted map (and follow the link, it's a fascinating study that, by focusing on counties, gives a deeper view of voter preferences) that she's done amazingly well in this important area of the country.

But at what point do victories in Appalachia become like "black vote" victories to Obama -- that is, no one in the blogosphere seems particularly impressed because his strength there is old news. Maybe it's because of, as Hillary notes, Blacks are reliable democratic voters, whereas the Appalachian majority of blue-collar whites tends to vote reliably republican.

I suppose with only Kentucky outstanding, that'll be part of the discussion.

In the constant antipathy of this site and others (I'm past pretending otherwise) it's important to note the places where Democrats truly are changing the map. I hope the enthusiasm in Appalachia translates into votes in November, no matter who is on the ticket. And I'm sure Hillary's campaigning for Obama (since even if Hillary gets one of those large margines it'll still translate only into a gain of 10-12 dels) in the general will help make a difference.

P.S. Lived in the Appalachian foothills along the WV border for a while. Good people, and while race may play a part in it, it's there I truly think Clinton's labeling of Obama as "elite" really worked. Sadly, I think West Virginia could use more "elites" but that's the way the cookie, and the GDP, crumbles.

about its outright exclusion of caucus states. What do 14 states mean to be bigger picture, after all, compared to West Virginia?

seeing the parallel between the 2000 stolen election and what is happening to HRC.  In 2000 the RWCM called a close election for Bush and set the tone for Bush to stop the vote count and steal the election. Obama is doing the very same thing.

The shocker is that Josh Marshall, Markos, Henrick Hertzberg, etc... were all there in 2000, they all saw what the RWCM media does.  Once upon a time the blogosphere and smart writers were working against the RWCM.  But these pundits have not made a deal with the devil.  They have tried to catapult Obama to the nomination with the aid of the right wing media, which is only too willing to try to destroy Hillary, one of the most qualified candidates we have, at a time when the country needs leadership incredibly badly.

It is so critical that we continue to fight this bias - HRC is the MUCH better nominee for winning in November.

Jerome - thank you for staking out serious commentary when it has become as rare as hen's teeth.

So when are these two Hillary supporters gonna duke it out as to whether Obama tried really really hard in WV or is giving the state "golden showers" by not paying it enough attention?

I don't see how it can be both.

Thank you Jerome for posting more truth.  

I am stunned at the arrogance of the Clintonistas making parallels between Gore-Bush and Clinton-Obama in 2008. There might be parallels but -- if there are -- Clinton aligns with Bush, e.g. changing the rules, counting some votes and discounting others. I have always regretted that I did not grab a pitchfork and head for Washington in 2000 to protest against what I still l regard as a coup d'etat. To see Clintonistas spreading disinformation and gaming their poor, arrogant campaigning as some kind of assault on democracy is incredulous.

I don't understand what's so wrong about spending the money that Obama has been given to campaign to actually campaign.  You have to know Senator Clinton would be spending just as much if she could get the donations, but instead you cry foul like Obama's somehow cheating. Grow up. Please.

The mood is reminiscent of an Irish wake. Lot's of fun and laughs tonight, but everyone knows there will be a funeral pretty soon.

My sincerest condolences.

Unless they are connected to a patronage system, like a Mayor, or even a Governor, endorsements mean nothing.  

Oh, and Congratulations to the Clinton campaign on their win.  

You know, those breakout wins of Obama's were all in fairly sizable states with the exception of Mississippi. West Virginia brings a paltry 28 delegates. She stands to gain about 10 delegates tonight. Now if only she can find another 150 she'll be looking good - except the wins for her just aren't there.