I know it looks like Hillary will have to steal it, but this is not necessarily the case. Forget Pennsylvania, the key, the absolute key that will decide everything, the key to the entire nomination, is the North Carolina primary May 6th. Hillary knows this, and I believe Obama knows it too, as he played down Pennsylvania on the campaign trail.

 The reason for this is simple mathematics. Hillary is going to win PA - she has that sleazy governor "Fast Eddy" Rendell backing her (the racist garbage this guy spewed out on a Pittsburgh radio station a couple months ago - which went under the media radar - makes what Ferraro said look like child's play). She also has the mayor of Philly on her side, and, most importantly, the demographics - mostly older, poorer, less-educated Dems - the people who buy into her lies about her being good for the working person, strongly favor her. Hillary will of course will continue her "rabid dog" attacks and twisted logic and lies against Obama's economic policies for the next six weeks. She will beat that argument like a dead horse in Pennsylvania. As Senator Bill Bradley said the other day, "the bigger the lie, the better, according to the Clinton campaign".

So, she will get PA with a margin of somewhere between 56-44 and 58-42. Now, delegate wize, that only means 25-30 delegates or so. But the scary thing is, what if she pulls 60% to Obama's 40? It sounds scary, but it is within the realm of possibility. Now, if she does get 58 to 60% we are in big trouble, because she may get a bounce from that.

This is where North Carolina comes in. I am from North Carolina, and I will tell you, we are no little state - 10th largest in the US, and almost as many delegates as PA. So this is why things get dicy here - the polls have been shifting. A month ago, an absolute Obama lock, 15 point lead or more. But now, according to Rasmussen Reports, its down to a 7 point lead. If Hillary gets that bounce from a big PA win, it really could have a ripple effect here, and actually end up carrying her to a North Carolina win.

 That is what makes North Carolina the key the whole nomination. Cenk, you may think I'm wrong, but I know I'm right on this. An Obama North Carolina win is absolutely essential to halting any further Hillary momentum. She wins here, in a state that was really expected to go to us, we are really dead, because then she can probaly get just enough momentum to win Oregon too. But more importantly, that momentum could give her the POPULAR VOTE. Yes, I crunched the numbers a couple times, and Hillary still ends up 25 to 50 delegates short (counting a Florida revote), but she gets that popular vote total higher than Obama's, thats all she needs to convince the Superdelegates. Game over.

So, I beg, I implore, anybody reading this post, whatever you can do to help Obama in North Carolina - phone banks, or if you live down here or closeby, just going door to door in poor neighborhoods of Charlotte or Durham getting people to register (our registration deadline is April 11th).Whatever you can do, DO IT. Send your brother or your cousin or your nephew if you can - but we MUST WIN HERE. Please help.

 North Carolina is THE ENDGAME. Obama wins North Carolina or its all over. Mark my words, I know this may sound drastic being almost 2 months away, but its not.