Preview of Tonight's Wisconsin Democratic Primary: More Than Meets the Eye

    Tonight's Wisconsin primary isn't going to determine who wins the Democratic nomination, though in a race this close everything counts. But it bears watching. So far, if you accept the notion that Clinton and Obama represent roughly equal constituencies (old vs. young, Latino vs. African-American, working class vs. upper class), there's only been one real surprise in the primary results so far. (The caucus results are another matter where Clinton, for tactical reasons, has been unexpectedly wiped out.) Missouri should have gone to Clinton but Obama won it.
    Wisconsin could be a repeat of that -- which would be good news for Obama. On paper, the Badger State should be Clinton territory. Sure, there are the liberals around Madison but it's got a strong constituency of working class Democrats of the sort that have voted for Clinton in the past. If she loses tonight -- and she's expected to, which will cushion the blow -- she can still win the nomination by winning Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
    But it won't be easy. Tonight should be close and could provide a key clue to the future of the race and how far Obama's campaign has come in the last month.