Obama On A Roll While Clinton Flounders

Sen. Obama has swept Democratic primaries in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. The results can be found on Yahoo’s political dashboard. It was no contest. Obama clobbered Clinton at each turn. As a result, Obama not only leads in the delegate count but also has momentum for upcoming elections being held next week in Wisconsin, and in Ohio and Texas on March 4th.

Why is Clinton faring so badly? She had, at the beginning, in almost insurmountable lead in the polls, but now is trailing behind Obama. Part of the reason, I believe, has to do with the fact that Obama has more charisma, and is a better speaker, than Clinton, whose skills are more attune to working behind the scenes. Another issue is that Clinton is perceived as an establishment candidate, a creature of Washington; while Obama is perceived as a genuine outsider, who is willing to shake things up. It doesn’t help, of course, that Clinton has a history of flip-flopping on key issues, like the war in Iraq.