Dems Want Clinton In the Race

A new poll out will be music to Hillary's ears...assuming she can win either Texas or Ohio tonight:

"Democrats by more than a 2-1 margin say Hillary Clinton should stay in the presidential race even if she loses either the Texas or Ohio primary on Tuesday," according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. "But if she fails in both, fewer than half say they'd want her to fight on."

"If she were to fail, many Democrats have a runner-up prize in mind. Asked whom they'd like Obama to pick for vice president, should he win the nomination, 36 percent name Clinton, a broad level of agreement on an open-ended question."

I just don't see her accepting a VP slot, a job which is virtually useless and is certainly no guarantee of the presidency when Obama is done (just ask Al Gore, Walter Mondale or Hubert Humphrey about that). I think it is much more likely that she would return to the Senate and take Harry Reid's job as Majority Leader, a position she'd probably be very effective in and one that the Democrats would gladly hand her to get the ineffective Reid out of there.

Obama is running slightly ahead in Texas and the polls in Ohio have been mixed (my Ohio buddy Mark Daniels thinks Obama will pull it out up there too). If she loses both there will certainly be an increase in the volume of fellow Democrats suggesting she leave the race, but I don't think she's inclined to leave anytime soon Neither candidate is going to be able to cobble together enough delegates to gain an electoral majority, so there are still plenty of shenanigans to go if neither candidate withdraws.

The weather in Ohio could make a big difference today. A winter storm is expected to hit the state all day, and since Hillary's voters tend to be older, they may be less inclined to go out in bad weather, especially if it appears to be a lost cause.