Reply #255: Carter barely lost PA to Kennedy in 1980 - hardly a "humiliating loss"

[yellowcanine]

Carter was not going to win in 1980 as long as the Iranians were still holding the hostages and the economy was gripped by stagflation. IMO the Kennedy challenge had little to do with it and certainly not the very narrow loss in Pennsylvania.

As for the current contest, it would be good for Obama to win in PA so that things could be wrapped up more quickly. But even a double digit loss would not be that big a deal, particularly if Obama comes right back and wins convincingly in North Carolina. Still I hope he wins or makes it close. Having the Democratic primary go on this long is not all bad. It keeps the focus on the Democrats and it keeps Obama supporters fired up. Look at how many new Democrats are being registered in many of these late primary states. That would not have happened to the same extent had either Obama or Clinton wrapped things up on Super Tuesday. The gloom and doom really is not justified by the reality of the situation.