Hampshire: January 6, 2008 - There was a strong impression that Clinton may move to Victory, a sure victory, but he wave looks to have suddenly changed. The political landscape is now different. Clinton is now facing the battle of her life in New Hampshire to rescue something from the wreckage of her life-long presidential ambitions.

Barack Obama is reported to be so mobbed by supporters that a security announcer had to beg people surging towards the stage to retake their seats. Many were chanting Obama's new signature

Clinton only chance is to come out swinging in New Hampshire, wresting a comeback victory in the state where her husband first made his name. Campaign aides are already signalling that they are going to go negative on Obama. The only question is how negative.

But it is not just Democrats gearing up for a bloody political scrap in the icy woods and hills of New Hampshire. Obama's win was seen as a voter plea for change, a cry echoed in full in the Republican contest. Iowa's Republicans resoundingly rejected the big money establishment candidacy of ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

Instead, they elected Mike Huckabee, a little-known religious conservative who ran a grassroots effort on a shoestring budget. It is not a coincidence that Obama and Huckabee are the two youngest candidates.

The fact is that change is in the air in America. In Iowa both parties saw their own political machines given a bloody nose by the voters. Insurgent candidates rode to victory over the bodies of mainstream favorites and insiders. But the thing about establishments is that they do not go away quietly. Now that the dust has settled the battle lines are being drawn for round two. The fight is just beginning.

When Obama walked on stage at Concord High School in New Hampshire last week, the huge banner behind him condensed his message in one word: CHANGE, it read in huge capitals. To reinforce that, the word was rarely off his lips in his 30-minute speech.

'The people of Iowa put American on the road to change and in four days' time in New Hampshire it is your turn to stand up and change America,' he told a packed gymnasium full of hundreds of supporters, curious bystanders and high-school pupils skipping lessons.

There is little doubt that the political wind is in the sails of the Obama campaign. After his stunning Iowa win, his supporters are openly emotional when they talk about the experience of suddenly being the favourite.

'It's been out of this world,' said campaign volunteer Chris McCreight, who had travelled from Chicago to New Hampshire to work for Obama. The confidence is clear and runs from top to bottom. On his campaign plane to New Hampshire it was Obama himself - not his aides - who delivered the message to journalists about his campaign's future tactics: 'It's not broken. Why fix it?'

The Clinton campaign would love to be able to say that. Instead, they are now facing the opposite truth. Their whole strategy is broken and needs a radical overhaul before voters head to the polls again on Tuesday. While Clinton herself has been playing down the defeat and saying she never expected to sweep Iowa, her aides have said they will learn the lessons of the battle. They believe her retooled campaign can still win.

As she landed in New Hampshire, a new, tougher style was already being trotted out. In an early morning rally at an aircraft hangar outside the pretty town of Nashua, Clinton was noticeably aggressive, appealing to Democrats not to embark on a 'leap of faith' in backing Obama.

 She made veiled criticisms of Obama's lack of experience and concerns that Republicans might make mincemeat of him in a national election.

However, such criticisms increasingly seem to miss what many voters are concerned about. A great many in Iowa put the need for 'change' as their biggest motivator. That explained the large number of new and young voters appearing in Iowa, both of which are likely to be repeated in New Hampshire.

 Obama won both groups; he even beat Clinton among women voters.  

Full Story:

Print Version

Go Back

Applelounge Network (Website Design India, Web Design India) Sites
Astrology India | Google Sitemaps | Matrimonial | Coaching Jobs

About Us | Advertise With Us | Write for Us | Contact Us | IR Syndicate | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Copyright © 2008 Media International Limited. All Rights Reserved.