Tuesday, February 05, 2008
There Will Be Democratic Blood.
The Democratic results on Super Tuesday appear to have given neither candidate a clear lead. The delegate totals at this time (1045 PM Western on Super Tuesday) are Clinton 631 to Obama 525. (CNN website here.) The results aren't final but by the time all the Super Tuesday votes are counted the two top candidates will remain close to each other.
But because of anti-democratic rules adopted by the Democratic Party, these delegate totals do not count the votes of the people of Florida or Michigan. The Democratic Party stripped Michigan of all 156 of its delegates and Florida of all 210 of its delegates to punish the two states for holding their primaries too early. Clinton got 55 percent of the vote in Michigan and 50 percent of the vote in Florida.
The total delegate counts also include so-called "super delegates." These super delegates were not chosen by the voters in the primaries or caucuses. They are politicians, who are not pledged to any candidate. They can vote for whichever candidate they choose.
If the election results continue through the upcoming primaries as they have to date, the Democrats will convene their convention without a clear winner. We are going to see a big and potentially rancorous fight. HillBilly is not going to go down without fighting for the delegates Clinton should have won in Florida and Michigan. We can look forward to protestors chanting "count every vote," Clinton lawsuits, and the spectacle of the two leading candidates lobbying the super delegates, no doubt appealing only to their better natures. Surely, there will be no back room deals at a Democratic Convention.
This is the best political year in my voting lifetime.
-tdr
But because of anti-democratic rules adopted by the Democratic Party, these delegate totals do not count the votes of the people of Florida or Michigan. The Democratic Party stripped Michigan of all 156 of its delegates and Florida of all 210 of its delegates to punish the two states for holding their primaries too early. Clinton got 55 percent of the vote in Michigan and 50 percent of the vote in Florida.
The total delegate counts also include so-called "super delegates." These super delegates were not chosen by the voters in the primaries or caucuses. They are politicians, who are not pledged to any candidate. They can vote for whichever candidate they choose.
If the election results continue through the upcoming primaries as they have to date, the Democrats will convene their convention without a clear winner. We are going to see a big and potentially rancorous fight. HillBilly is not going to go down without fighting for the delegates Clinton should have won in Florida and Michigan. We can look forward to protestors chanting "count every vote," Clinton lawsuits, and the spectacle of the two leading candidates lobbying the super delegates, no doubt appealing only to their better natures. Surely, there will be no back room deals at a Democratic Convention.
This is the best political year in my voting lifetime.
-tdr
Labels: America, Elections, Politics
