Clarence Page wonders whether Hillary Clinton can “rally Obama’s coalition”:
A big looming question: How much have black voters gotten over hard feelings left over from Clinton’s long-running primary battle against Obama in 2008? A lot of people have long memories, especially in politics.
Another question: Are Obama’s core supporters so disenchanted over what he was unable to accomplish against his strong Republican opposition that they won’t bother to vote this time?
If Chicago is any gauge, the answer to Mr. Page’s question about rallying the Obama coalition is a resounding “No” unless Sec. Clinton picks a black running mate. Here the difference between the percentage of black voters who show up to vote when there’s a black candidate on the ticket is drastically different from when there isn’t. And I don’t just mean by two percentage points.
