You are using an outdated browser.
Please upgrade your browser
and improve your visit to our site.
Skip Navigation

How The Caucus Timing May Help Obama

One other point about expectation-setting, bounces, and timing: The Clintons are obviously spinning this result as a triumph over overwhelming obstacles, what with the culinary union's endorsement of Obama. Had this contest ended late in the evening, I think you'd have seen a lot of that spin reflected in tomorrow's coverage. But because the media got the caucus results so early in the day--about 4 pm eastern if I remember correctly--they've had plenty of time to get beyond the spin and see that Hillary was actually pretty well-positioned in Nevada all along. (Again, she had strong support among non-union casino workers and management, which helped her do pretty well along The Strip--even better than I'd initially heard.) For that matter, the Obama campaign even had time to convene a conference call for reporters at 6:30 eastern, which obviously wasn't the case after New Hampshire.

Also, as this was hardly a decisive or especially surprising victory for Hillary, expect tomorrow's coverage to focus more on the closely contested, high-profile GOP contest in South Carolina.

--Noam Scheiber