| Page 2 of 3 < > |
Clinton: Pa. a Must-Win State
TOOLBOX   Resize Text
 Save/Share +
COMMENT
|
Discussion Policy
CLOSE
After visiting Philadelphia in the afternoon, Obama is scheduled to fly to Indiana, which holds a Democratic primary May 6. Clinton planned to remain in Pennsylvania through today, holding an "election night celebration" at a Philadelphia hotel. She is scheduled to campaign in Indianapolis tomorrow.
On NBC's "Today" show, Clinton declined to make any predictions about how she would fare in the Keystone State and sought to shift the onus to Obama, whose campaign has more money in its coffers and who she said has outspent her three or four to one.
"And if he doesn't win, what does that say about his ability to win the big states that a Democrat has to win in order to win the White House?" Clinton asked.
"It doesn't say much," retorted Obama, who appeared on the same show, "because the fact is that my approval ratings here in Pennsylvania among Democrats are extraordinarily high." He said Clinton "started off here with a 20-point lead" and has the support of a popular Democratic governor, Edward G. Rendell.
The two contenders then sparred over electoral math, with Clinton dismissing the idea that she needs to win by at least 10 percentage points to remain in the race. Half a dozen separate polls taken since last week showed her leading in Pennsylvania by margins ranging from five to 13 percentage points.
"Well, I don't think the margin matters," Clinton said. "I think a win is a win. . . . This is a really close race. And it's not just about the math. It's about an assessment. . . . And I feel very strongly that I would be the best president."
Obama disagreed. "I think it should be about who's going to win in November, and I think that's going to be me," he said. "It'll be all about the math. It'll be about who's voted for whom."
The two also argued over who was waging the more negative campaign and offered their takes on gender versus racial discrimination.
"Nobody knows quite how to cover a woman running for president," Clinton said. "And it is like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. You know, I have to do everything Fred does, only backwards and in high heels."
She added: "The most pervasive form of discrimination in the world, no matter what the ethnicity, the race, the religion of the people who live in any society, is discrimination against women."
Obama said that "race is always a factor in our society, but I think it's greatly diminished."
The former first lady and the freshman senator from Illinois also traded jabs in separate interviews on ABC's "Good Morning America."
