Sunday, January 13, 2008

What Obama's Endorsements Mean

Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo offers a good analysis on the significance of Obama's 7 endorsements.

Obama has been endorsed by
  1. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD),
  2. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE),
  3. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO),
  4. Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ),
  5. Rep. Miller (D-CA) - significant because of his closeness to Pelosi,
  6. Sen. Kerry (D-MA) - significant because of his 3M email list & his stature as the former, nominee
  7. Ned Lamont - D nominee in CT Senate race (lost to Lieberman)
Generally he makes 2 points -
1. that these endorsements are politically risky if you think Clinton has a real chance of recovery, ergo they signal a lack of confidence in Clinton's viability
2. that, as many of them are from conservative states (purple states), their endorsements signal that they feel Obama can win in those states (and incidentally help raise and elect other Democrats down the ticket).

Tom Edsall, of the Columbia School of Journalism, posts at The Huffington Post on his take on the meaning of these endorsements.

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