MoveOn, Kos Love Obama

Barack Obama is simply exuding unstoppability . But is it the right kind of unstoppability?

MOVEON ENDORSES OBAMA...

Today Barack Obama earned the endorsement of MoveOn, one of the largest grassroots membership organizations in the United States, after clobbering Hillary Clinton by 40 percent in Internet balloting. Obama led the final tally 70.4% to 29.6%, clearing the supermajority required for the endorsement. MoveOn, which has never endorsed a presidential candidate before, boasts that it has 1.7 million members in Super Tuesday states. The group has over half a million members in California alone – roughly one out of ten primary voters in Tuesday's largest state. (The Nation)

That voting result -- 70.4% to 29.6% -- may just be the most significant vote count for Obama so far in this campaign. Sure, MoveOn failed to stop Bush, but they didn't even endorse John Kerry in the campaign. This will be different.

This follows a Thursday Daily Kos reader poll which saw Obama suck up nearly all the Edwards votes, bouncing 35 points to 71%, as Clinton hung in at her usual 11%.

Those who like Obama just because he talks so well won't be aware of these endorsements, but anyone who follows the nuts and bolts of campaigning knows exactly what they mean: The hard left understands what's behind all those pretty words, and they're very, very happy about it.

Clinton could try a last-minute redirection of her campaign, becoming the champion of the middle of the Democratic party and using the hard-left Obama endorsements to scare the party regulars into believing Obama won't be able to win the general election ... especially against a centrist McCain.

She's going to have to do something dramatic. According to RCP, the two most recent national polls have Clinton by three points and six points, but polls taken in late January have her by 11 and 12 points. Polls taken in mid-January have her by 13 and 17. In other words, she's collapsing as Edwards supporters and undecideds swarm to Obama.

For the GOP, there are problems and opportunities in these developments. The problem is, of course, that most of us always felt Hillary was the more beatable of the two candidates, and it's looking less and less likely that we'll be able to campaign against her.

The opportunity is that Obama may just become as unlikeable as Clinton to mainstream GOPers. As Obama's endorsements pour in, many will stink of George Soros, Hollywood whack-jobs (now that Kucinich is out), and other bogeymen of the Left that tend to motivate conservative voters. Says the Token Dem:

He needs to chill them out. They [MoveOn.org] haven’t exactly been the voice of hope and optimism in the past.

The MoveOn and Kos endorsements, following on news that McCain may have very nearly deserted the GOP in 2001, also give Romney some opportunity to slow down the McCain momentum machine that's been trouncing him lately.

And all this is unwinding just four days before Super Tuesday .. with Sunday all but lost to SuperBowl. What a campaign!

hat-tip: memeorandum