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Clinton fired back that Republicans hadn't had better ideas. "I don't think it's a better idea to privatize Social Security," she said. "I don't think it's a better idea to eliminate the minimum wage."

That's not what Obama had said, recalled Dovel. "What Clinton said was a blatant lie," she said. "From that moment on, she was history. She was not to be trusted."

Obama's increasing ability to convince these women that he is on their side has contributed to their shift away from Clinton.

Most are old enough to remember John F. Kennedy, and it's common to hear them say how much the Illinois senator reminds them of the young president. "He's definitely someone who knows how to get everyone on board," said Jill Saul, a Bristol teacher.

Howard, the meditation teacher, was struck by how much her three children were impressed with Obama -- much the way Democratic youngsters were taken with Kennedy.

"If I ever want to look my kids in the eye again," she laughed, "I have to go with Obama."

Clinton's strategy

The Clinton forces realize that a new trend -- Clinton, after all, still leads Obama among white women by 28 points in the Quinnipiac poll -- could quickly become a tidal wave if left unchecked.

So they're planning more living-room visits, closed to the media and not publicized, as a way of reminding people of Clinton's personal qualities.

Clinton is getting to be a tougher sell, though, because a lot of women have thought long and hard about moving away from someone whom they've wanted for a long time.

"If elected, I'm sure she'll do a good job," said Michele Scarborough, a Quakertown borough councilwoman. "But I just don't feel she's one of us."

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