Concern trolling from the AP

from AP via sfgate:

some Democrats fear the contest between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton might have a nightmarish end

This has become a common discussion here, and the point isn't that different from any number of diaries and MSM articles I've seen. But this is built out of a different spin than most.

The chief worry is that Clinton may carry her recent winning streak into Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina and other states, leaving her with unquestioned momentum but fewer pledged delegates

One win isn't a streak. Successfully stopping Obama's winning streak isn't yet momentum.

Clinton halted the skid in Texas and Ohio on March 4 and is favored to win the Pennsylvania primary on April 22.If the New York senator also tops Obama in Indiana and North Carolina on May 6, West Virginia a week later, and Kentucky and/or Oregon on May 20, her supporters will argue that the dynamic has sharply changed

And if this happens they'll be right. And pigs will fly.

All of us who can count delegates know that Obama won in Texas, why can't the AP figure it out? Polling says Obama should win North Carolina big and is the favorite in Oregon.

There's actually some good stuff later in that story, but the headline and the beginning are all about constructing this impossible best-case scenario, apparently just for the fun of worrying about it. I wasn't at all surprised to see one of dKos's least favorite reporters given credit.

Associated Press Writer Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.

•  tips?

  by esquimaux on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:17:02 PM PDT

•  Nedra Pickler...

  such a beautiful name
  such a hack and a shame

  by JackieandFritz on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:20:25 PM PDT

  •  anyone who is perplexed by this article

    only has to know it was written by Nedra Pickler to understand it is not intended to be based in any reality or fact.

    by Liberal Youth on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:35:17 PM PDT

  •  she is really bad

    though this awful hackery only gets published because it's what her editors want

    by esquimaux on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 04:26:39 PM PDT

•  Ugh.

  I read that piece and had the exact same reaction. On what planet does Hillary win North Carolina? In what  universe does she win Oregon???

  by jenontheshore on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:20:44 PM PDT

  •  If she wins Pennsylvania by 110 points

    maybe she'll have the momentum in NC.  If not, not so much.

    by smash artist on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:22:02 PM PDT

  •  Answer: Planet Pickler

    It replaced the dethroned Pluto. It's far flung, and has an unstable, unreliable orbit.

    by earicicle on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 04:01:59 PM PDT

  •  I imagine that Gary will turn out big for Obama

    in Indiana.  Hilllary will need a lot of Rush voters to take that state.

    by tecampbell on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 04:12:02 PM PDT

•  Obama the underdog

  Facts are so confusing for Nedra

  by kiki236 on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:22:08 PM PDT

•  OMG OMG OMG!

  HRC has to withdraw NOW!  She's DESTROYING the Party!
  (I can do it too.)  

  by bugscuffle on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:22:59 PM PDT

•  He already stopped her winning streak

  did they not get the memo?

  by Into The Stars on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:23:16 PM PDT

  •  she never had a winning streak!!

    by foreign obesver on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:53:19 PM PDT

    •  when your sttrategy is to ignore 40 states

      you can't really get a streak going.

      What she did was stop HIS winning streak.

      He won 10 in a row, before she won another

      She's going to take 14 states, he's going to take 35.

      by nathguy on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 04:02:38 PM PDT

•  I agree with everything you say...

  ...also, why do they claim HRC has PA in the bag. I don't think it's a done deal by any stretch. Obama is closing and there's still 3 weeks to go.

  by lams712 on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:24:42 PM PDT

•  The AP wire sucks.

  I hardly read them anymore, for their stupid, biased reporting.

  I'd already seen this loathsome article, but thanks for providing the heads-up in this forum.

  by karmsy on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:24:54 PM PDT

  •  it's like reading any of the RW pundits

    which I only do for the sake of making fun of them here.

    by esquimaux on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 04:31:54 PM PDT

•  Pickler is no pro journalist n/t

  by emacd on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:25:05 PM PDT

•  The upcoming primaries are unique from OH and TX

  I think PA will be closer than we think. Also I will be interested to see Hillary's fundraising dollars for March.

  by wisconsin girl on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:26:42 PM PDT

  •  yes

    fundraising will tell a very important story. Even the blind pigs of AP did find this acorn

    Obama seems nearly certain to finish the primary season far ahead of Clinton financially. At the end of February his campaign had $30 million on hand, while Clinton's had only $3 million more in cash than in debts.

    of course she may not worry about some of those debts. Does she still owe money to vendors in NH and IA?

    it's also been funny to notice the Clinton campaign spinning their lack of $$ - how they won OH and TX (well almost) despite Obama spending so much more money there.

    by esquimaux on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:50:29 PM PDT

•  It's fast approaching the point

  where the only worthwhile MSM coverage is in the features.

  Maybe the AP wire will be acquired by Rupert Murdoch and Nedra will be fired.

  by karmsy on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:26:56 PM PDT

•  who won the last primary, by the way?

  i've always maintained that the AP people are involved make-believe journalism...how can she have the momemtum when she lost the last primary...how can they, this late in the day, be claiming that she won texas? how could she possibly be on the verge of winning the rest of the states when polls show that she is trailing in north carolina and indiana, and that he PA polls lead is even in danger?

  well, at AP all things are possible, all you need to do is indulge a little bit of the nedra-pickler asinine wit!

  by succinct on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:29:17 PM PDT

•  If and if and if and if and/or if

  If the New York senator also tops Obama in Indiana and
  If North Carolina on May 6, and
  If West Virginia a week later, and
  If Kentucky and/or
  If Oregon on May 20, ...

  ... her supporters will argue that the dynamic has sharply changed.

  What can I say?

  Oh, I know what I can say:

  If Davidson beats Kansas and
  If Davidson beats the Louisville/UNC bracket and
  If Davidson beats the Xavier/UCLA-Memphis Texas bracket...
  ...then Davidson will be NCAA basketball champs.

  That's only four "Ifs".  I think Davidson has a better chance meeting its goals than Hillary does.

  Go Wildcats!

  by sawgrass727 on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:35:13 PM PDT

  •  Oops... three "ifs" n/t

    by sawgrass727 on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:37:08 PM PDT

  •  yeah

    "If Clinton wins every state from now until June 3, she will have some momentum."

    In other words,

    "If Nathaniel wins the lottery, discovers a cure for cancer, and saves the world on Tuesday, he will be having a good day."

    Both statements are equally true, and equally likely.

    by Nathaniel Ament Stone on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 03:46:39 PM PDT

    •  If Nathaniel wins the lottery, he'll be sharing

      the proceeds with everyone who has rec'd this comment...right?

      Gotta run...I think I see a flying pig. Must alert the AP right away!

      by earicicle on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 04:05:51 PM PDT

  •  Well, sure

    If Hillary were to win all the remaining contests by substantial margins (as in, takes over 55% of all remaining votes/delegates), then the Democratic party has a problem, as she'd still trail in pledged delegates but would obviously have a strong case that she should be the nominee.

    And if McCain were to start campaigning as a pro-choice, pro-environmental candidate who wants to reverse the Bush tax cuts and withdraw troops from Iraq ASAP, I'd have a tough decision on who to vote for.

    Not to mention the problem I'd have finding room in my house for all the monkeys, you know, the ones which start flying out of my butt.

    by synchronicityii on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 05:30:35 PM PDT

•  Nedra is a GOP propaganda whore

  of the first order.

  Just do a search here for her name.  

  by Inky99 on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 06:50:55 PM PDT

•  OT

  but speaking of the AP, there was a "reporter" (and I use that term loosely) on Washington Journal recently, "reporting" from Iraq.  

  Maybe I just missed this fact, but he stated that when the British were in Basra, they were too busy keeping their own-self safe than trying to keep the militias from forming.  (I'm paraphrasing.)

  The AP is a good example of bad journalism.

  by gooderservice on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 06:54:43 PM PDT

•  What the Heck is a concern troll?

  I read that term all the time here.  Is it another Aspergers induced computer programming thing?

  by waztec on Sat Mar 29, 2008 at 07:24:53 PM PDT