Hillary Clinton won't be spending nearly as much time in Wisconsin as Barack Obama, even less than she originally planned.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) -- With the state primary looming Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton is renewing her call to debate Democratic rival Barack Obama in Wisconsin.
The call comes even as Clinton acknowledged plans to scale back campaigning in the state. She'll leave one full day before voters go to the polls.
...Clinton advisers have downplayed her chances in Wisconsin even as polling indicates the race could be close here. The state is home to many liberal, college-educated Democrats who have typically favored Obama. But it also boasts a large population of white working-class voters who form the core of Clinton's electoral base.
And from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
While Clinton said she was happy to be in Wisconsin, even before she arrived, she decided to cut her visit short.
Instead of staying through Tuesday, as initially planned, she'll be departing Monday morning - a move that either underlines fading hopes in Wisconsin, or the rising stakes in the next round of states.
At one point, campaign aides cited weather concerns for the abbreviated schedule.
But the snowstorm is expected today, when Clinton will be circling the state, not Monday, when she'll be leaving. Her itinerary is expected to end with six stops, though her husband, former President Clinton, and her daughter, Chelsea, logged additional time. Chelsea Clinton is to return this week.
In contrast, Obama will have made 12 stops in the state by Tuesday.
...Dan Leistikow, Obama's state spokesman, said it was a "big mistake (for Clinton) to overlook Wisconsin."
Leistikow said: "It doesn't make any sense for someone who has been demanding a dialogue with the voters in Wisconsin and now has decided she has better things to do."
Translation: The Obama campaign is nervous about Hillary focusing on upcoming races, such as Texas and Ohio.
I don't think Hillary has overlooked Wisconsin. Furthermore, Hillary has been demanding a dialogue with Obama, a debate for Wisconsin voters. Obama has refused to allow that to occur. He prefers to hold rallies where he can deliver his well honed stump speech and show his concern for fainting women.
Just because Hillary is rearranging her schedule doesn't mean that she's not happy to be in Wisconsin.
Good grief.
Actually, I'm surprised that Obama is spending so much time here. That might be a mistake. His campaign must have determined that he can't take Wisconsin for granted.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Hillary isn't about to roll over.
Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton on Saturday defended the independent role of top party insiders to determine a nominee and said she was prepared to go the distance as her campaign predicted the race with rival Barack Obama will go to this summer's national convention.
But Obama's campaign accused Clinton of trying to persuade convention superdelegates to disregard the will of voters and of attempting to seat disputed delegations from Michigan and Florida, two states that Clinton won and that have been stripped of their delegates by the national Democratic Party for advancing their primary dates.
The Democratic back-and-forth came on the last full weekend of campaigning before Wisconsin's primary Tuesday—a contest that could determine whether Obama will maintain the momentum gained from winning the last eight state nominating battles or whether Clinton can keep up in the delegate count.
Both were in Milwaukee on Saturday night for a Wisconsin Democratic Party fundraiser, and each engaged in unusually sharp criticisms for a party function.
Obama accused Clinton of making "false" claims that his plan for expanding health care would not cover the uninsured who want insurance.
"Now, all of us should be in the solutions business, but all too often it is business as usual," Obama said, chiding Clinton's theme of providing solutions instead of speeches. "What we need is a president who's in the business of solving problems, and we will solve those problems by bringing this country together and rallying the United States of America around a common purpose."
Clinton told the crowd that she has dedicated her life to wanting "to be a voice for those who are voiceless" as she also took an indirect swipe at her rival's oratory skills and celebrity status.
"It's not about speeches for me. It's not about the bright lights and the cameras. It's about the changes we can make that actually deliver results in people's lives," she said, adding later that "it will take more than just speeches to fulfill our dreams. It will take a lot of hard work."
Obama keeps talking about bringing America together.
If that's what he plans to do, he's going to have to move to the center.
His words about hope and change have their appeal, but when the primaries are over, a candidate as liberal as Obama is going to have a problem.
Hillary would be better.
John McCain would be better still.
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