Down in the Democratic dumps

I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps this morning (it didn't help that I went all the way across town to try to go to a different physic lab section this morning, only to find out that it had been canceled!).

I'm not so much down because of Obama's losses last night as with the realization that the Democrats may blow it in November.

McCain is in a perfect position now, sitting back, consolidating his support in the Republican Party, gathering ample ammunition from the Hillary-Obama battle, and watching them spend their millions.

I fear that Hillary is damaging Obama in a way that will make it difficult for him to win in November. I am dismayed that so many whites in Ohio admitted that they wouldn't vote for a black man (as heard on NPR's "News and Notes" today). I also saw this piece on Obama's appearing blacker than normal in one of her ads. When I originally read it, I hesitated to post it because I wasn't sure what to think, but after reading of the reversal in white support for Obama, I decided to go ahead.

And on the flip side, I worry that if Hillary pulls ahead and wins the nomination, she'll energize the otherwise unenthusiastic Republican base, propelling McCain into the White House. Rush Limbaugh and other right wing commentators have been cheering her wins yesterday because they 1) prolong the race and 2) raise the odds that she'll be the nominee. And boy do they want to run against her.

I'm not the only one feeling this way. Read this post from James Fallows:

In a live CNN interview just now [3/5/08], Sen. Clinton repeated, twice, the "Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience, I have a lifetime of experience, Sen. Obama has one speech in 2002" line. By what logic, exactly, does a member of the Democratic party include the "Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience" part of that sentence?

Andrew Sullivan is feeling some of it, too, but holds on to hope.