Rich Lowry, New York Post
HE self-appointed 19th-century prophet William Miller attracted an intense following when he predicted the end of the world and the arrival of the Second Coming sometime between March 1843 and April 1844. When the appointed time embarrassingly came and went, one of his followers pluckily predicted a new date of Oct. 22, 1844. The Millerites gathered that night to await the blessed event, and instead experienced what became known as “The Great Disappointment.” Barack Obama’s supporters and the media (excuse the redundancy) have expected his ascension to presumed Democratic nominee (accompanied, no doubt, by blazing lights of Unity and trumpet calls of Change - in New Hampshire, Texas and now Pennsylvania - and experienced a “Great Disappointment” each time.
They’ve hoped for a secular political Advent; instead, they’ve gotten Hillary Clinton - stolid and barely solvent, yet with a persistent appeal to Democratic voters.
Pennsylvania was the first post-Pastor Jeremiah Wright and post-”bitter” primary, and Clinton’s victory shouldn’t be underestimated. She won by nearly 10 points, after getting outspent by roughly 3-to-1 in a state where Obama campaigned for weeks in an effort to finish her off.
Democrats lost the last two presidential elections by nominating candidates who had trouble connecting with down-scale white voters. They’re about to do the same - but with their eyes wide open.
When Republicans portrayed John Kerry as an out-of-touch elitist, Democrats were shocked: How could this have happened to a candidate they nominated because he was a manly, bomber-jacket-wearing war hero?
With Obama, no surprises will be necessary. He’s already been losing blue-collar white voters to . . . Hillary Clinton, whose sense of entitlement, nonexistent common touch and dubious credibility throwing back whiskey shots with a beer chaser hardly make her a natural populist. But Obama has transformed her into one.
