Obama Sweeps The DMV

To the surprise of very few, Barack Obama looks like he'll be pulling a sweep in today's Potomac Primary. Despite hella bad weather here in DC, the pollsters are calling this a record turnout, which I guess is indicative of just how energized voters feel about this campaign.

On that note, I can't help but wonder if this latest run has buried Clinton for good. While Obama packed arenas from Baltimore to Richmond, Clinton could barely fill up the local public library. While Obama was practically ubiquitous around these parts the last couple of days, Clinton did a half-assed job and pretty much mailed it in. Most are predicting Obama will win the Wisconsin as well, which means the March 4th primaries in Texas and Ohio are shaping up to be Hillary's own personal Waterloo. If she can't stop the Big Mo' there, or April 22nd in Pennsylvania, it's pretty much lights out.

That said, we all know momentum is fleeting. I just watched my Washington Wizards blow a 23 point lead last night and lose to the Golden State Warriors. I darn near destroyed my remote control off that one. So the next couple of weeks before these major primaries will prove a crucial time for both camps. Will Obama find a way to translate winning the Hispanic vote in Virginia into success with a very different type of Latinos in Texas? Can Hillary stop the bleeding? Inquiring minds want to know.

My theory is the Clinton camp will pump up the Hispanic pandering (look for lots of photo ops of Hillary eating chimichangas surrounded by kids in sombreros) and ratchet up the attacks in the weeks leading up to Texas. One that note, I found a pretty cool Wiki-type page that catalogs all race-related Clinton vs Obama slights thus far. It's interesting stuff, and I expect the list to keep on growing.

Question: What does Obama need to do to win more of the Hispanic vote in Texas? Is there any hope for the Clinton campaign? Will Mike Huckabee ever throw in the towel? Did Alan Keyes get a single vote in his home state today? Take your pick, and weigh in early and often you-know-where.

[Editor's Note: Be sure to join me and my fellow bloggers tomorrow (Wednesday the 13th) on NPR's News and Notes with Farai Chideya, airing around 1:30pm EST on your local affiliate. We'll be discussing the Potomac Primaries, Nas' N-Word Fiasco, and the growing influence of Black Bloggers. See ya' then!]

Obama takes Virginia to stretch winning streak over Clinton [AP]

The Clinton/Obama Incident Tracker