A couple of days ahead of the SC vote, Hillary Clinton did a whirlwind of visits to Feb. 5 states, drawing packed houses, tons of support.  She seems clearly energized.  Here a bit of a potpourri what has been going on with Hillary over the last few days:

1. Clinton draws huge crowds in Arizona

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/221828

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.23.2008

LAVEEN -- Hillary Clinton took the stage here Tuesday night, rallying a crowd of thousands with promises to bolster the economy, pull troops out of Iraq, and end Washington corruption if elected president.

In what was a brief campaign stop, the Democratic presidential candidate addressed an estimated 2,500 people in an auditorium at Cesar Chavez High School in this community just southwest of Phoenix. But thousands -- 10,000, the campaign estimated -- lined up outside and were turned away due to space constraints.

That is huge turnout for Clinton, anyway one looks at it.  Her message clearly resonates out west.

Saying the Bush administration has taken "a detour from our destiny," Clinton said she wants us to "get back to acting like Americans again." The New York senator promised investments in alternative energy and a "pay-as-you-go" policy on federal spending.
"On day one, we're going to tackle globe warming," Clinton said. "We can do it and create jobs and give our children a future they can count on."
Clinton said as president she would work for every American, "not just the wealthy," pointing to the mortgage crisis and trouble in the stock market as proof of what she called failed Bush administration policies.
Clinton also repeated her goal of offering Americans the same health-care plan that members of Congress receive.
"This is not government-run health care," she said. "At the end of the day, I figure if it's good enough for Congress, it's good enough for the American people."

 

You know, that is substantive talk, and very convincing.  The word HOPE does not appear here, but it is all over these substantive comments rather than a concept for its own sake.

2. Clinton with commanding lead in Arizona

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/p resident/articles/0123elect-poll0123.htm l

On the Democratic side, Clinton claimed 45 percent of the voters polled, putting her well ahead of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who drew just 24 percent. Obama gained little ground since the last poll, even after winning the endorsement of Gov. Janet Napolitano.
...
Merrill said one reason McCain and Clinton have built such a wide lead in Arizona is because they have attracted a broader base of support among voters, while other candidates seemed to appeal to narrower constituencies.

3. Clinton takes her campaign to NJ

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/01 /hillary_clinton_campaigns_in_n.html

VIDEO of the energetic appearance:

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2008/01 /hillary_clinton_visits_bergen.html

Hillary Clinton arrived to a roaring welcome at two campaign rallies in New Jersey tonight, urging voters to back her as the presidential candidate who will "set some big goals for our country."

"New Jersey, on February 5, make it clear we are going to take our country back," Clinton told the crowd at the first rally in Hackensack. "We have to have leadership again that believes in America."

About 1,000 people filled the Bergen Tech high school gym, and another 800 spilled over into the school auditorium to watch Clinton on a live feed. After finishing the rally on the Bergen County Academies campus, Clinton arrived at a rally for Latino voters at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, where 1,000 supporters packed the ballroom and another 200 watched on video screens.

The candidate walked onto the stage at 8:25 p.m. to chants of "Hill-ar-y! Hill-ar-y! Hill-ar-y!" Clinton spoke for about 25 minutes, then lingered for another 10 minutes shaking hands.

Earlier today, Clinton was in Philadelphia, where Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell endorsed her candidacy at a midday news conference in city hall. Rendell is a former mayor of Philadelphia.

4. Quinnipiac New Jersey poll

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1299.xml?Rele aseID=1135

Among Democratic likely primary voters, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Illinois Sen. Barack Obama 49 - 32 percent, with 10 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
...
Sen. Obama leads among black Democratic likely primary voters 62 - 27 percent, while Sen. Clinton leads among whites 54 - 23 percent. Clinton also leads 54 - 28 percent among women and 44 - 36 percent among men.

Although Sen. Obama has picked up some strength in New Jersey, Sen. Clinton appears to be maintaining the sizable lead she needs for a Super Tuesday string of victories in her Northeast strongholds," Richards added.

NJ and AZ appear to be going for Clinton big-time.  I don't see how Obama cuts into Clinton's lead here.  In the case of NJ it looks as if Obama's 62 to 27 share of the AA vote is already at high levels that are more likely to come down in favor of Clinton rather than increasing, IMO.  

5. Clinton in California to pick up United Farm Worker's endorsement

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/story.p hp?sid=65103&storySection=Top+Storie s

SALINAS -- Sen. Hillary Clinton basked in the glory of her newly won United Farm Workers endorsement Tuesday, choosing to celebrate the moment in the city that's home to some of the labor union's most profound battles.

"We'll solve the problems facing agriculture," she told a noisy crowd of more than 2,000 at Hartnell Community College, many wearing red shirts emblazoned with the union's Aztec eagle and hoisting Spanish-language campaign signs.

The New York senator was not only thousands of miles from South Carolina, where the night before she had engaged in a testy televised debate with Democratic rival Barack Obama, but was far removed from the prior day's wrangle over legislative records and campaign ethics.

Instead, standing in the gym that's home court to the Hartnell Panthers, Clinton evoked an almost populist message. She pledged universal health care, new jobs for the middle class and greater access to education.

"We know that the economy is beginning to slide into recession," Clinton said, commiserating with the crowd over the rising cost of health care, energy and mortgages.

Her nearly 45-minute message, which focused largely on economic issues ripe for a city hit as hard as any by the downturn, struck a balance between hope and policy details.

also see:

http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/01 /23/united-farm-workers-say-viva-hillary /

http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/c i_8052093?nclick_check=1

The link above is from an article titled: "Clinton slams Bush for economic policies"

NO chance whatsoever to see that headline from an Obama campaign appearance.  NONE.  EVER.  That, in a nutshell, is the biggest difference between Obama and Clinton.

6. Roundup of latest polls

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/ 2008/latestpolls/index.html

In addition to the aforementioned large Clinton leads in Arizona and New Jersey, these following polls have come through since Sunday:

Nationally:  

LA Times - Clinton +9%

Rasmussen - Clinton +12%

States:

SC: Zogby - Obama +15%

FL: Miami Herald/St. Pete Times -  Clinton +19%

CA: Field poll -  Clinton +12%

NY: Quinnipiac - Clinton +26%

FL: Survey USA - Clinton +33%

NY: Zogby - Clinton +21%

NY: Siena - Clinton +25%

Alabama: Press Register - Clinton +3%

CT: Hartford Courant -  Clinton +14%