Tales from the BlancaSpere
Barack Obama has won Maine, by 18 points over his rival, Senator Hillary Clinton. This makes this weekend a clean sweep for Obama.
We go into Tuesday's Beltway Bowl with O-mentum.
Hillary Clinton has fired her campaign manager and may do other shake ups. Look for more firings, and possible hissy fits after Tuesday, when she is expected to lose all three contests.
According to MSNBC, Barack Obama currently has 943 pledged delegates. Hillary Clinton has 895. John Edwards has 26. To win the nomination, 2,025 delegates are needed. Of these 842 are super delegates, which are not chosen, and are not pledged to any candidate. They are made up of party officials, governors, senators, representatives, former Presidents, and they can change they vote at any time.
Most Democrats are worried that neither candidate will go into the convention with enough delegates to capture the nomination, making the super delegates necessary for this first time ever.
Super delegates were created after the disaster of the McGovern nomination. Super delegates were meant as a safety mechanism to prevent the unelectable from being nominated. Strangely, they were never used for Mondale, Dukakis, or Kerry.
Democrats are afraid that Obama could capture the popular vote and carry more delegates than Clinton, but that the super delegates could throw the nomination to her. Since super delegates are party insiders, and the Clintons have more pull than the Obamas, this is a very real danger.
But there is a magic number. If Obama goes into the convention with 1184 delegates, even if every single super delegate votes for Clinton, she will not have enough for the nomination. So as of this moment, if Obama can rustle another 241 delegates, he will have the nomination by default.
And then there are the 26 delegates of Edwards. John will endorse tomorrow. It is expected that he will endorse Obama, who is seen more progressive and more pro-labor than Clinton. Since under Democrat rules those delegates are Edwards' to do with as he pleases, he could give those delegates to Obama, enriching his delegate count, and inching him closer to the nomination.
Who thought that the road to the White House would be most exciting via the Denver, Colorado. The Republican race has been so horrible, I am blocking the whole thing from my memory. However with Clinton and Obama, this thing is better than a soap opera or a Broadway musical with full frontal nudity.
by Blanca DeBree
image: blancaspere
Source: Obama wins Maine
Want more Tales of the BlancaSpere? Try these Blanca DeBree posts: * Huckabee Wins Kansas, Louisiana; Jesus Holding out in Washington, Because He is a Drama Queen * Pick up your Pens |
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