OBAMA POISED TO LOSE NORTH CAROLINA TO CLINTON

[Moderate Voice]
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For months it has been a “given” that Democratic Senator Barack Obama was way ahead in North Carolina. But new polls suggest otherwise.

Obama has a big problem: the latest Rasmussen Poll gives Clinton a two point lead — but indicates a TEN POINT DROP in Obama’s polling since Obama’s former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright’s press conference.

And now this: a slew of polls show a Clinton surge, the Boston Globe reports:
A bevy of new national polls, plus surveys in Indiana and North Carolina — which hold key primaries on Tuesday — suggest that Hillary Clinton is closing the gap since her campaign-saving victory in Pennsylvania last week, and that the controversies dogging Barack Obama are having an impact.

In a national Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, Clinton leads Obama 44 percent to 41 percent. The Illinois senator is viewed unfavorably by 42 percent of all voters, up 9 percentage points since February. Clinton’s unfavorable rating is still slightly higher than Obama’s, but it has dropped slightly. And by 10 percentage points, Democrats now view Clinton as likelier than Obama to beat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Democrats gave Obama a 4-point edge last month.

The Clinton campaign’s strategy to raise doubts about Obama’s electability is clearly succeeding, but not only due to the two Clintons’ at times Rovian style negative campaigning. Three other contributing factors are Obama’s political bungles, his former Pastor’s insistence on a controversial high profile that sucked the air out of Obama’s daily media coverage, and Clinton’s increasing enthusiasm as a campaigner which many analysts are noting.

It’s clear Obama knows he has a problem.

This morning he went on the Today show (VIDEO HERE) with his wife Michelle — a husband-wife damage control appearance that was reminiscent of when then-Governor Bill Clinton went on 60 Minutes with Hillary Clinton in 1992 to be grilled by Steve Kroft amid allegations of (pre-Oval office) infidelity.

Last night Michelle Obama went on CNN. And on Sunday Obama will enter the Lion’s Den and be on “Meet The Press” with gotchya! journalist Tim Russert. [TO SEND TIM RUSSERT SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR SENATOR OBAMA ON MEET THE PRESS THIS SUNDAY, WHERE OBAMA WILL BE QUESTIONED FOR THE FULL HOUR, CLICK HERE.]

But Obama’s immediate concern is likely North Carolina. The vibes coming from polls aren’t good ones. And if he loses there, the ugly and divisive Democratic party race will likely get uglier and more divisive as Clinton moves in for the political kill and Obama pulls out all stops to stabilize his campaign.

Once again — as in all polling — polls are contradictory but this one should be of intense concern to the Obama campaign:

A survey of 571 registered likely voters in North Carolina’s May 6 Democratic primary shows Sen. Hillary Clinton having moved from a double digit deficit in an InsiderAdvantage poll taken in mid-April to a two point lead over Sen. Barack Obama in this telephone survey, conducted April 29.

The results were: Hillary Clinton: 44%Barack Obama: 42%Undecided: 14%

Even with the pollster’s hedge the bottom line is that this is awful news for the Obama campaign. Narrowing polls are one thing in NC; Clinton pulling ahead is another.

OUR TAKE: Stay tuned for a huge game changing upset in North Carolina. It's in the air.....