Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "are barnstorming" IN "pitching ideas to fix the economy and help the middle class." Clinton "had weekend campaign events in South Bend and Fort Wayne, where she detailed an economic stimulus plan that seems to have resonated with the voters in" OH and PA that have demographics similar to IN.
Obama was in Indianapolis 4/25 "where he blamed entrenched politics and oil companies for the nation's high gas prices. He said he would bring a new attitude to the WH, "one that would negate the influence of lobbyists and focus on the needs of working Americans," (Stedman, Lousville Courier-Journal, 4/28).
A presidential campaign in which IN matters "is like a wedding or a high-school graduation. It happens once in a lifetime." Clinton and Obama spent the weekend in IN "campaigning on each other's turf." Obama was deep in IN, "trying to bolster his metro-area support by rallying African-Americans and laid-off factory workers in small downs." Obama "drew a diverse crown in Marion, a city that has a history of racial conflict (McClelland, salon.com, 4/28).
Obama supporter/Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO): "He's going to have a conversation with the voters of Indiana. And even if Hillary Clinton wins by a few, he will take a number of delegates out of there" ("Late Edition," CNN, 4/27).
Leather Pantsuits
Clinton supporter/Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): "I do think Hillary Clinton is going to win Indiana. She's going to win by a significant amount. I think she's going to surprise the pundits" ("Late Edition," CNN, 4/27).
Clinton "promised to get tough with everybody -- the Republicans, the Saudis, Big Oil, Big Pharma. As this campaign enters the closing rounds, "Clinton is becoming more and more confrontational. If she takes the act any further, she'll be riding a Harley on stage in a leather pantsuit." Clinton's nighttime rally was at East Chicago H.S. The industrial suburb is 50% Latino.
"Both Obama and Clinton are using this trip to prepare for a far more difficult task:" winning IN in Nov., a feat accomplished by only 3 Dems in the 20th century. INans "are unlikely to embrace the government programs Clinton and Obama are offering. "They believe in the marketplace and they dislike taxes -- a libertarian streak that also makes Indiana a good place to buy cheap cigarettes, fireworks and 190-proof alcohol". On the other hand, IN was one of the key state in the Dems' '06 takeover of the House/ IN dumped 3 GOP congressmen (salon.com, 4/28).
MSNBC's O'Donnell: "Polls show the upcoming Indiana primary is as tight as a tick. John Mellencamp is played at just about every rally there, that song 'Small Town.' But what many people may not know about Indiana: it's actually 70 percent urban. That might benefit Barack Obama in that degree" ("Chris Matthews Show," NBC, 4/27).
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