What will McCain’s spinners make of all this?

For weeks I have been arguing that Obama has got to find a way of dealing with the Clinton supporter issue – many of whom feel, rightly or wrongly, that the nomination was stolen from the former first lady.

Now, on the day of the roll call vote, party bosses have put into place an extraordinary plan to stop splits appearing on prime time television. So, according to the Independent, there will be no roll call on the floor of the convention – instead voting will take place at delegates hotels over breakfast.

All this will do is fan the flames of discontent and provide great material for the legions of journalists in the city who loathe being “managed”. They want copy that’s not from the official spin machine and this action will provide it.

All it requires is for a couple of highly emotional TV interviews with disgruntled Clinton backers and that becomes the defining “image” of Denver.

You can see the move being brought up time and time again by the McCain team as they seek to undermine the legitimacy of their opponent. Remember if the Democratic party primaries had been fought according to Republican party rules then Hillary would have been the nominee. It was that close.

Obama’s handling of his erstwhile opponent is coming under increasing criticism. As the Politico site reports: “..he has taken few of the extra steps that Clinton allies say would have gone miles toward fostering goodwill. He did not work hard to help her retire her $24 million campaign debt. He did not make a high-profile statement repudiating any suggestion that Bill Clinton played “the race card” in the nomination contest — an allegation that the former president considers grossly unfair and that continues to infuriate him. Just as significant, Obama has maintained a certain cool diffidence toward the former president.”

Ever since he secured the nomination in June I’ve been underwhelmed by Obama. In the betting, as I have recalled on many occasions, I backed Obama in May 2005 at the then price 50/1. This gives me a nice prospective cash pool to play with and I’m now using that to bet against the senator from Illinois.

I think his chances are declining all the time and whatever I’m determined to come out of this with a profit.

Mike Smithson