A Divided Democratic Party, Clinton Won't Quit

As expected, Barack Obama won North Carolina. Hillary Clinton eked out a slim victory in Indiana. The outcomes were preordained by the demographics of the two states.

CNN exit polls show Democrats have not moved beyond race. In North Carolina, African Americans made up one-third of Democratic primary voters. Obama received 91 percent of the black vote to Clinton's seven percent. Sixty-one percent of white voters supported Clinton, 37 percent supported Obama.

In Indiana, Obama received 90 percent of the black vote to Clinton's 10 percent. Sixty percent of white voters supported Clinton, 40 percent backed Obama.

In his victory speech, Obama said:

This has been one of the longest, most closely fought contests in history. And that's partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton. Tonight, many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided – that Senator Clinton's supporters will not support me, and that my supporters will not support her.

Well I'm here tonight to tell you that I don't believe it. Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win. But ultimately, this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain. This election is about you – the American people – and whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future.

Meanwhile, Clinton doesn't know the meaning of quit:

Now it is on to West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, and the other states where people are eager to have their voices heard. ...

And I am running to be the President of all of America - north, south, east and west, and everywhere in between. That's why it is so important that we count the votes of Florida and Michigan.

With only six contests remaining, neither candidate will have enough pledged delegates to clinch the nomination when the primary season ends on June 3. So the superdelegates will have to make a Solomonic decision about which candidate is more electable.

They will have to consider the racial divide. There's also a bitter divide between Clinton's and Obama's supporters. While 70 percent of Obama supporters say they'd pull the lever for Clinton if she's the nominee, half of Clinton supporters say they would not vote for Obama if he's the nominee.

In the coming weeks, there will be renewed calls for Clinton to drop out. But a new Gallup poll found that 60 percent of Democrats want the Clinton-Obama drama to continue.

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