The competition pits old loyalties against new passions, and traditional kingmakers — many of whom backed Mrs. Clinton months ago — against Mr. Obama’s grass-roots energy. And as the Clinton camp doggedly pursues women, in some cases it is splitting families, like Representative Sanford D. Bishop Jr., co-chairman of the Obama campaign in Georgia, and his wife, Vivian Creighton Bishop, a public official in Columbus, Ga., and a Clinton supporter.“A.D.C. is going to spend a lot of money,” she said, “and they’re going to put out a ballot, and voters are going to follow that ballot to the letter because they’ve been doing that for 30 years. Those that might would consider voting for Barack won’t commit publicly because they don’t want to be seen as going against the A.D.C.”
That hesitancy cuts both ways. In Atlanta, Mark Johnson, a 35-year-old seminary student, said he was the first to put a political sign up in his predominantly black neighborhood. It was a Clinton sign. “My son said, ‘Dad, what if they throw rocks at the window?’ ” Mr. Johnson said.
Read More
