This gem from Talk Left is a perfect example of the kind of crazy that seems to be whipped up by the Clinton campaign. Apparently, Jeralynn has run the numbers, and if you include Florida and Michigan’s numbers into the popular vote tally (and remember, Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan), throw out the states in which there were caucuses, and do a couple of other things that Jeralynn does that she has detailed in her “methodology,” then you can state, with a perfectly straight face, that Clinton and Obama are tied in the popular vote.
In other news, if we had found WMD in Iraq, the whole thing might have been worth it! If we had only gone into Iraq with more troops and a coherent strategy and a plan to rebuild, things might be a success today! If the last eight years had not been a total disaster, Bush would have been the best President ever! If only I had tried harder as a kid, I might have made it into the NFL!
Also, if my Aunt had balls, she would be my uncle.
I can’t be the only person to recognize this odd and troubling detachment from reality that seems to be gripping both the Clinton campaign and her supporters, and it is truly bizarre. Meanwhile, the rascals at Rasmussen seem to want to play along:
If the Democrats were to allot their current state delegate totals in a winner-take-all format, Clinton would actually have a significant delegate advantage. Despite having won only 14 recognized contests to Obama’s 30, Clinton would currently have a 120 (1738 to 1618) total delegate lead and a remarkable 167 (1427 to 1260) pledged delegate lead. These numbers give Texas’ “prima-caucus” delegates to Clinton and do not include Florida, Michigan or the 693 total delegates and 566 pledged delegates still to be won in the next few months.
This, of course, assumes two things. First, that the system is completely overhauled and turned into the winner-take all system. Second, it assumes that with a different system, the Obama campaign would have done nothing differently. Since neither is the case, this is a great talking point for the Clinton camp to use on the addle-minded, but it won’t persuade anyone who can tie their shoes. The rules were clear when the campaign began, and you don’t choose your nominee by asking “What if” at the end of the race.