Eight Questions About Today’s Primaries

(Via washingtonpost.com.)

Some Democrats think this is now largely a media-driven story, though a few party strategists say the controversy will hurt Obama today in Indiana and North Carolina. And there is near-universal agreement among strategists in both parties that, if Obama emerges as the Democratic nominee, the Wright issue will continue to dog him through the November election. “This story will continue to drip and seep into the electorate,” one Democrat noted. Another said that “all bets are off if the reverend decides to go on another press tour.” Republicans were adamant that Obama will have to deal with the Wright fallout through the rest of his campaign. They argue that his handling of the controversy has raised questions about his judgment and veracity. But they predicted, and Democrats agreed, that John McCain and the Republican National Committee will try to stay away from the story, though other groups — whether state parties, as happened in North Carolina last week, or independent groups — will put it into the laps of voters. One GOP strategist, however, offered this warning: “The chance that such an attack could backfire, though, seems to be relatively high.”