Will Dem Fissures Doom Obama?

Matt Lewis | May 07, 2008 10:20 AM

Now that Obama has become the presumed presumed Democratic nominee, it is fair to ask whether or not he will be able to consolidate the Democratic Party.

Jake Tapper's "To-Do List for Hillary Clinton

" notes that her 5th priority is to:

"Point to ugly exit poll data from Indiana showing 50% of Clinton supporters say they will not vote for Obama in the Fall.”

While it is unlikely this argument will be enough to persuade superdelegates to abandon Obama, Clinton's argument is a legitimate one.

The Washington Post also echoes the problem today, noting that,

"Fewer than half of Clinton voters in both states said they would support Obama over McCain in the general election should that be the matchup. More than half of those backing Obama said they would be unhappy with Clinton as the party's standard-bearer."

... I don't honestly believe that half of Clinton voters will vote for McCain. However, if 10 percent of Clinton voters stay home -- a more realistic possibility -- McCain probably wins. As you can see, this is a real problem for Obama ...