The Marathon Continues

Now that the Clintonian claw has reemerged from the grave, Barack Obama is heading into a long, grim slog. Barring the unforeseen, the NAFTA/Canadian government flap, the trial of Tony Rezko and the possibility that the “3AM” commercial actually may have worked continue to dog him as his momentum slows and the superdelegates remain silent.

Hillary’s gamble of attack and charm offensive on comedy shows paid off, and despite her delegate deficit she has a good argument to make with superdelegates. After all, she has won the big states necessary to win in November, and Obama couldn’t get close; she won them mostly by double digits. In my column this week, I wondered how the superdelegates will choose between the two coalitions Obama and Hillary command — his composed of younger voters, black voters and white males, while hers is made up of older voters, Latinos and white women. The process threatens to further divide an already starkly divided party.

As Clinton and Obama each fail to break the stranglehold the other has over certain constituencies, an unfair burden has fallen to the superdelegates, who must give one of them the majority they cannot win on their own. Obama can argue he is the winner of the most states and the most delegates, but just as Clinton can’t stop him, he can’t stop her.

***

What happens next in this dreadful marathon? Will we make it to April 22? ASK A.B. returns Monday, March 11, so please write! Send your comments and questions to askab@digital-release.thehill.com.