Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in the Wisconsin primaries on Tuesday, February 19, 2008. In the past week Hillary’s campaign has accused Obama of taking words for his speeches from one of his confidants. However Obama’s victory streak did not heed to Clinton’s new tactic. Obama held onto his small lead in the delegate count picking up 22, while Clinton received an additional 15 delegates. Hillary Clinton has a total of 1,233 delegates thus far, while Obama leads with 1,303. Results from the Wisconsin primaries show that Clinton and Obama were virtually split even for the amount of white women voters. This was yet another setback for Hillary Clinton, who was expected to gain the support of white women and also many blue-collar voters. For the Republican Party, John McCain beat the fading Mike Huckabee further cementing his way to receiving the Republican nomination.
The timeliness of this article is an important element because the fight for the Democratic nomination is evolving every day. Barack Obama’s ninth straight victory after the Wisconsin primaries boosted the confidence of his campaign and his supporters, but the winner of the Democratic nomination for president is still uncertain. The impact of the Wisconsin primary is of human interest and prominence because it influences the upcoming presidential election. After John McCain defeated Mike Huckabee in the February 19th primary, he secured his lead over Mike Huckabee and proclaimed that he will be the GOP nominee for the Republican Party. (Newsday, 2/20/08, p. A2 and A3)
The story that caught my attention this past week was the shooting at Northern Illinois University on February 19, 2008. The gunman opened fire in a lecture hall, killing five people and injuring around seventeen others. The gunman then shot himself onstage amidst the chaos of screaming people. He was described by a student as “a skinny white guy with a stocking cap on.” Classes were cancelled the rest of the day and the university school was closed the following day. The story caught my attention because it was the fourth school shooting in the United States within a week. (Newsday, 2/15/08, p. A5)
Fidel Castro resigned as president of Cuba on February 19, 2008 after nearly 50 years in power. (Newsday, 2/20/08, p. A6 and A7) President Musharraf was defeated in Pakistani elections by opposition supporters and is now being pressured to step down. (Newsday, 2/20/08, p. A20) Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia, forming a new country in Europe. (Newsday, 2/18/08, p. A6) Hezbollah chief leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel, accusing the country of assassinating one of Hezbollah’s most notorious operatives, Imad Mughniyah. (Newsday, 2/15/08, p. A26) New York State uncovered that Attorney Lawrence W. Reich was falsely credited and paid for working full-time at five different school districts in Long Island at once. (Newsday, 2/15/08, p. A7)
