The Polls and Pundits Were Wrong: Clinton Defeats Obama in New Hampshire

The polls were nearly unanimous in predicting a double-digit win for Obama over Clinton today in New Hampshire. And if you’re a news junkie like me, you’d heard enough from media pundits to last a lifetime as they shook their heads and made condescending remarks about Clinton for the past 24 hours.

I once relied on PBS’ News Hour for balanced and fair political coverage. Yesterday, I heard Jim Lehrer, with his crooked half smile, sardonically refer to Clinton’s moment of “weakness” in the restaurant when her eyes momentarily welled up as she explained to her listeners that her campaign was not just political, but very personal for her.

You probably wouldn’t understand, Mr. Lehrer, but that was a moment of strength for Hillary Clinton that made winning the New Hampshire primary all the more meaningful. It was a tight race, but Clinton maintained her lead of 3 or 4 percentage points over runner-up Obama throughout the evening with John Edwards remaining 17 points behind in third place. For full New Hampshire primary results, go here.

There was no gloating on Clinton’s part in her victory speech tonight as she mentioned warmly the other candidates and thanked her family members and hundreds of supporters gathered at her campaign headquarters in New Hampshire. But make no mistake. She was clearly charged up for the long road ahead to the presidency where we all know she'll continue to work her heart out for the country she holds dear.