liaku

A top Hillary Clinton adviser on Saturday boldly predicted his candidate would lock down the nomination before the August convention by definitively winning over party insiders and officials known as superdelegates, claiming the number of state elections won by rival Barack Obama would be “irrelevant” to their decision.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is ready to fight for the Democratic nomination all the way to the Democratic National Convention in August if that’s what it takes

They see a tied ballgame.

After the last Democratic primary contest in Puerto Rico in June, Ickes said Clinton and Obama will be "neck and neck."

"Shortly after that she will wrap it up," he predicted.

That presumes that Clinton will be able to convince Democratic superdelegates -- party leaders and elected officials -- to support Clinton even if the people they represent have voted for Obama.

Ickes said those superdelegates, which the Clinton campaign prefers to call "automatic delegates," will be key.

I cannot begin to describe how much this pisses me off.

The candidate with the most pledged delegates from winning the primaries/caucuses should be the party's candidate.  If Hillary can gather enough delegates legitimately, through winning the states, then I applaud her, and I'd be happy to vote for her in November.  If all she can do is get all the party bigwigs to throw in their support, then that's defying everything the country stands for.  She'd be effectively removing the power of the vote from the people.  That's just not right.

How on earth did Clinton win the gays?

ETA: Looks like they're predicting Obama's going to win the delegate count.  I'm thinking this Saturday's primaries are going to swing in Obama's favor.  Louisiana's African-American population and Washington's yuppie-ness looks bad for Billary anyway.  Nebraska's a caucus state and those favor Obama.  On Sunday, Maine's probably Clinton's since she owns the Northeast.  DC and MD are so Obama it hurts (African-American population in both, not to mention that MD's the richest, most educated state in the union, both are Obama's demographics).  Then the next Tuesday is Hawaii, and looking at how Kansas turned out, I think Obama's got that in the bag too, but Wisconsin might be Hillary's.  ...And that's where my predictions stop.  I have no clue how March 4th's going to turn out.  RI and Vermont are Northeast, so Hillary's most likely.  Looks like Texas and Ohio are going to matter.

ETA2: The Hillary campaign is trying to say that Obama is the establishment candidate.  Bizarre.

OH COME ON OBAMA STOP STUTTERING.

*bangs head*

Yeah, I knew he'd do that.  Hillary's doing great, as usual.  Debate's her forte, after all.   I admit that what she says tends to go in one ear and out the other, but she sounds like she knows what she's doing.  Also rehearsed.  Obama sounds authentic, but lacks that authoritative (matriarchal, even) presence.  Too young.  Needs to stop stuttering.  Hope he stops doing that soon.

Gah.  Just gah.

ETA: Our country's democracy is so messed up that Obama gets more delegates from Nevada despite losing the popular vote.  Something to do with the weighting they do for urban and rural areas.  While that's great news for me, wtf, Nevada, wtf?

Kucinich's paying for a NH vote recount.  Not sure what's up with the comments that think Kucinich's recounting for himself, because he's very clearly asking for a recount to see if Clinton screwed with anything.  That's the way it looks to me anyhow.

In other news, the Reed application has been sent.  Rhodes essay is being written.  Macalester... may get a big FU because while I understand its location is perfectly urban enough for me, there is something wrong about having to say that I'll be living in Minnesota for most of the year.  Minnesota.  Gah.  Ideally, I can finish up the essay by the 15th though.

Richardson is going to drop out.  Truly sad, because he's got everything Hilary boasts (minus being female and white), except he's actually got it.

Dude.  Hilary sucked.  Like, wow.  I started watching late, so I apparently missed the part when Edwards called her an "agent of the status quo" and she flipped out, but I did catch her answer about her likeability and such.  She was just... whoa.  That was almost a temper tantrum there.  She took a lot of jabs at Obama as well, a bit too many for anyone's liking--came off as extremely defensive rather than offensive.

I think she just bombed that debate.  Maybe even her chances at winning New Hampshire altogether.  That was a shitacular showing on her part.  Seriously, shut up about all the stuff Bill Clinton did.  Those weren't your accomplishments.  I'm not about to vote someone because they're married to a previous president.  That's like going to the doctor's wife just because she's married to a doctor.

ETA: Saw it on youtube.  Her answer to the likeability question was worse imo, but she did sort of... that wasn't presidential.  That was "I did this, I did that, vote me because I'm entitled to being president".  Basically claimed Bill Clinton's changes as her own, rambled about how supposedly awesome she was.  Bad showing.  Real bad showing.  Edwards looked like he was about to burst out laughing through the entire thing.  The only way this can spin good for her is if people consider it showing her "true" self.  Of course, in that case, her "true" self is a whining prat.

Obama... is good if he has a clue what he wants to talk about.  He either dives into an inspiring and awesome little tangent on change (I liked the "Words do inspire" chain) and stuff like that with no substance at all OR he talks substance and it's boring as hell, though other people do care.  He's really a bad debater though.

Edwards was solid.  I WISH I SAW THE STATUS QUO BIT.  I think he needs to shut up about the middle class and healthcare, but he's an excellent debater.  You'd think he was trying for a Obama/Edwards ticket, but honestly?  Were I him, I'd just be pushing Hilary's buttons for fun.  He knows he's out of the running, so why not, right?

Richardson... I'd vote for him, you know, if Obama weren't around and I thought he stood a chance.  I think he came out on top in this debate.  Very rational, very reasonable, experienced yet not Hilary Clinton, very much attuned to the idea of change, and presidential, you know?  I favor Obama/Richardson.  If people say a Black/Hispanic ticket won't work... well, won't know until you try, right?