Pennsylvania

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 | 2:54 PM

By Sarah Scully
Party members, pundits and political junkies alike are watching today's primary with rapt attention but will the results change anything? How much does Hillary Clinton need to win by to make the case for her nomination? Each person has a different (arbitrary) number- some say double digits, others say five to seven and still others say with certitude that 10 points is the demarcation line. What is Clinton's number for herself? She says that she doesn't have one. It is likely that she will win by enough to justify staying in the race, with her campaign reminding everyone that they've won in spite of Obama spending three times as much money in the state. So, presuming Clinton wins, nothing is going to really change... this week. With two weeks until the next big primary battles (North Carolina and Indiana), Clinton's momentum could get stuck in reverse. While the Obama campaign has accused Clinton's team of moving the goal posts, the opposite could be said as well. Only two small primaries have occurred since Clinton's "decisive" and "triumphant" victories in Ohio and Texas yet thinking has shifted with every passing week to the point that her stunning comeback is now viewed by many as a faltering insurgency, despite little change in numbers. Also, the longer this goes on the itchier the trigger fingers of party insiders. They see McCain charming the press and voters alike with his unorthodox campaigning. MSNBC is reporting a rumor that "superdelegates could be about to support Barack Obama en masse," but this seems unlikely if she wins today's contest by any margin. How do you quantify decisive?