Lady Voldemort

In her March 30, 2008 column, entitled "Surrender Already, Dorothy," New York Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd said that New York Senator Hillary Clinton was being cast as "Lady Voldemort" by voters who wish she would drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential ticket.

Dowd's column follows a week of calls from party officials, including DNC Chairman Howard Dean, to end the race between Senator Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama by July 1, 2008. Obama supporters Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy and former presidential hopeful Chris Dodd called for Clinton to drop out the race altogether. Clinton responded saying that she would prolong the race until the DNC Convention in August if necessary.

"Lady Voldemort" is a reference to Voldemort, the villain in the Harry Potter series of books and films. Quotes:

1. Many voters decided last week to stick with Obama despite his less-than-convincing explanations about the Rev. Wright — even as many soured on Hillary, casting her as Lady Voldemort. - Dowd, "Surrender Already, Dorothy"
2. Democrats are coming around to the point Jay Rockefeller made 10 days ago after introducing Obama in West Virginia: "Democrats always make a mistake by nominating people who know everything on earth there is to know about public policy. I introduced both Al Gore and John Kerry at their rallies. They knew all the policies, but people didn't connect with them. You don't get elected president if people don't like you." - Dowd, "Surrender Already, Dorothy"

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