OBAMA GAINS ON CLINTON

Who won the smackdown in Selma over the weekend? I supposes it depends on who you ask who's button they're wearing on their chest.

But in the first opinion poll to be released after the weekend in which Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama squared off face-to-face for black voter support, Obama has gained on Clinton.

The weekly Rasmussen Reports Democratic presidential preference poll shows Obama moved three points closer to Clinton in a week's time.

In the latest poll Clinton leads the Democrats at 34% to Obama's 26%. Last week Clinton was at 37% while Obama's numbers have held steady in the week. John Edwards picked up two points this week as well, polling at 15%.

Unfortunately, the poll does not break out respondents by race, so there's no real reading on if either candidate gained or lost support in the black community.

HotlineTV's Chuck Todd and John Mercurio had some thoughts on the events in Selma and the fight for the black vote. The two hosts spend too much time being pithy but eventually makes some points worth noting if you stick with the video.


Mercurio predicted that when all is said and done, Obama will get 70% of the black votes cast in the primaries, but he also said Clinton played solid defense by coming to Selma to block an Obama "coming out party" in the black community.


Todd said Clinton's late decision to crash Obama's party made Clinton look a little desperate by allowing Obama to set her campaign's agenda.