<p>Also it’s important to note that puerto rico (65 delegates) is winner take all.</p>
<p>That is confusing. They can vote for a candidate but can’t vote for president.</p>
<p>Actually, it looks like Puerto Rico has 55 pledged delegates not 65 up for grabs in their primary. They also have 8 unpledged. According to the information that I have seen, eg at [Puerto</a> Rico Democratic Delegation 2008](<a href=“http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/PR-D.phtml]Puerto”>Puerto Rico Democratic Delegation 2008), 36 of them are proportionately allocated by senatorial district among those who receive at least 15% of the vote and the remaining 19 are allocated proportionate to the island-wide vote. Can you provide a reference for them being winner take all?</p>
<p>I think LaxAttack09’s point about the popular vote is critical - this really cannot be underestimated. Why? Because Obama and supporters have spent weeks (and look to continue) harping on about how using superdelegates to do something other than go along with pledged delegates is going against the popular decision.</p>
<p>But what happens if Hillary wins the popular vote? She turns around, and takes his argument to a whole new level, giving her much more legitimacy in arguing to superdelegates to vote for her - and utterly removing his ammunition. Yes, by the rules of primary contests, overall popular vote doesn’t matter - but by appealing to the superdelegates to vote not on their opinions/conscience but rather by the pledged delegate counts, BO could open the door for Hillary to argue that they should vote on the popular vote… and if they are at all amenable to BO’s line of argumentation, she will take it and run tons of superdelegates over.</p>
<p>According to abc poll vast majority of democratic voters didn’t want her to pull out if she won OH and TX.</p>
<p>Another Media Delusion Punctured
John Podhoretz - 03.04.2008 - 19:22</p>
<p>Journalists love a good story, right? Just love one. Love the competition. Love a good race, especially in politics. Yes, theres nothing like conflict thats the bread and butter of modern-day journalism. What media bias?</p>
<p>The last month disproves this fantasy. The relentless hunger of the mainstream media to run Hillary Clinton out of the race is palpable even though there exists a real possibility of a battle that will continue all the way to the Democratic convention in August. Whats more, this battle is generating excitement and ratings, with MSNBC crowing about the 8 million plus viewers it got for last weeks Obama-Clinton debate. Thats ten to fifteen times its ordinary rating on a weekday night.</p>
<p>The great story would be Hillary stays in. Shes tough. Obama feels the heat. Neither one of them has it nailed down. The superdelegates are up for grabs. Its a fight for every last superdelegate.</p>
<p>But thats not whats happening. Instead, you will see, tomorrow and for the rest of the week, no matter what happens tonight, a constant drumbeat that Hillary must drop out. Politicians will be sought to deliver this message. Talking heads will talk themselves hoarse on MSNBC and others. Op-eds will be drafted on the nobility Hillary will show by giving way to Obama. And so on.</p>
<p>The night Obama slaughtered Hillary in Iowa, and delivered that brilliant stemwinder, media liberal hearts were lost to him forever. They want her gone because they want him. Oh, how they want him. And how they will fight, fiercely, the notion that it will be good for them that there be a hot race between Obama and John McCain. They wont want that race. They want a coronation.</p>
<p>[Commentary</a> Blog Archive Another Media Delusion Punctured](<a href=“http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/jpodhoretz/2800]Commentary”>http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/jpodhoretz/2800)</p>
<p>It would have been nice to have both parties nominees cast in stone by now but that is not the case after last nite. </p>
<p>As to a death by a thousand cuts, if Obama cannot stand up to a Clinton campaign he will not be prepared for what would come his way after the Denver convention. But the same goes for both Clinton and McCain too. The primary season is a dress rehersal for the general election campaign and to hone a general election strategy. Will McCain now drift a bit left to capture more independents? Will Clinton/Obama pare back the populist message? What will be the strategy in selecting a running mate???</p>
<p>Will the overwhelming advantage the Democrats have in fund raising and voter turn out equate to a general election edge???</p>
<p>And then there are the intangibles like a terrorist attack, a major campaign blunder or an economy slipping further into recession. And I will take Buffet’s word that we are in recession.</p>
<p>No, what is happening now in primary season will be ignored footnotes in September. But as always it will be interesting!</p>
<p>When considering this process, the issue of sportsmanship rises. If this were a ball game, neither team would quit, no matter the score, until the time is up. Each team would owe it to its fans to stay on the playing field or court and represent its fans with effort, energy, drive, and purpose. To further the analogy, take the upcoming UNC vs Duke basketball game this weekend…the thinking is that whoever wins this game, assuming they do not fall apart in the ACC tournament, has the best shot at a #1 seed in the “Big Dance”. So, when they get to half time or even mid-way through the second half, and one team has a small lead, does anyone expect the team with fewer points to give up so that the team ahead does not get beat up going into the tournament, even for the sake of the ACC? Each team is expected to play on until the game is decided, at the end of regulation or whatever overtime is needed. Charges will continue to be taken, there will be turnovers and steals, players will hit the floor, and there will be fouls. </p>
<p>Of course each candidate wants to win. I assume they also are representing an ideal that they are the best person for the job, better than the other candidate, and they know they represent a constituency which views it the same way. No matter our own political perspectives and preferences, we cannot read their minds about any other motives. They want to win, or they would not have entered the game.</p>
<p>Duke and politics in a single thread. Wow! ;)</p>
<p>It may be a good analogy. Which candidate has Coach K ?</p>
<p>At 13, I walked door to door in support of JFK. At 60, I cried this a.m. and donated to a presidential campaign for the first time with hard cash: Go Hillary!</p>
<p>I think Coach K is a Republican, so probably neither!</p>
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<p>Have to agree. For those of us who don’t get to vote until May, we’d like to have a choice. As well as she did last night, those guys on MSNBC were still all about her quitting. They just don’t give up.</p>
<p>I agree with Lorelei’s post above, too.</p>
<p>I’d still like to see a ticket with both of them on it. I really do believe that would be the absolute sure-fire way to beat McCain.</p>
<p>Hillary was talking today about a ticket with her and Obama.</p>
<p>poetsheart: still You said,"“If I were Hillary, I’d not drop out after tonight either…”</p>
<p>People keep talking about the math for Hillary, but the same math does not work for Obama either. Unless He or She can bribe enough superdelegates no one will have 2,025.</p>
<p>The math only works if MI and FL are re-done with winner take all. If they are re-done with the same proportional allocation it will be very close.</p>
<p>lorelei has the perfect analogy.</p>
<p>Ok, so which campaign has a campaign manager (handler) with the credentials and winning record similar to Coach K ?</p>
<p>P.S. North Carolina will be interesting. John Edwards could still have a significant influence on voters there. So he could still be a big factor in swaying the outcome of this primary. NC was not even thought to be an issue a few months ago.</p>
<p>My guess is that he will be cheering for UNC on Saturday! :o
The funny thing about the Duke / UNC comparison this year is that it may be very appropriate as an analogy to this primary season. These teams have already played once this season, and Duke won. If UNC wins on Saturday, who is the overall victor?</p>
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<p>Well now-- ain’t that always the way? We definitely want ourselves a real horse race here in May, so I’m thrilled they’re both still in it and will hopefully still be going strong come May.</p>
<p>I’m guessing Edwards will be cheering for UNC on Saturday, too. ;)</p>
<p>But sokkermom, the better question to ask is who has the winning manager most like Roy??</p>
<p>Oh, and the answer to your last question must be UNC. :)</p>
<p>zoosermom: Interesting that Hillary was talking about that-- seriously? I really do think that would be the best outcome-- both on the same ticket (Clinton and Obama-- not Coaches K and Roy).</p>
<p>Her team is her constituents and supporters, not just the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>Same arguement could be made for Obama. Yes he has the delegate lead, but does not the ability to win large states with diverse population.</p>
<p>janie,</p>
<p>This is the last year I have to pretend to care about which color blue to cheer for… S graduates in May. ;)</p>
<p>If the primaries were winner take all, Hillary would have 1,430 delegate vs Obama’s 1,202.</p>