Whirled News - Analysts Explain Clinton's Surprising NH Win

January 10, 2008 (CHICAGO)—Media and political analysts, struggling for the last few days to explain Hillary Clinton’s surprising win in the New Hampshire primary, have finally decided that a last minute change on the ballot, designed to capitalize on her insistence that she is the most electable candidate, was the deciding factor. “By appearing on the ballot as White D. Eisenhower, Ms. Clinton in one fell swoop recaptured the middle,” said one analyst.

Ms. Clinton’s come-from-behind victory immediately set off a round of finger-pointing at the Obama campaign for not challenging her last minute name change, but Obama staffers defended their refusal to act. “We hoped it wouldn’t work,” said one. “We really, really, really hoped.” The spokesperson added however that, “In retrospect we were wrong not to challenge her use of the name White D. Eisenhower, if only because Eisenhower was against the military-industrial complex.”

Obama himself issued a clarification on his spokesperson’s comments later in the day. “For me to accuse Ms. Clinton of misrepresentation would have been hypocritical,” he said. “After all, I’ve been billing myself as the candidate of change, when everyone knows that the only genuine Democrat candidate of change is Dennis Kucinich. Further, had I attacked Ms. Clinton for misrepresenting herself, she could have pointed out that I’m proposing meaningful changes in health insurance while I’m the Democrat candidate who’s accepted the second largest contributions from the health insurance industry--$266,384 to Ms. Clinton’s $274,436.”