Interesting perspective today in the Toronto Star on the Obama wave:

It's the rumble of a political movement, a Barack Obama wave, building in the distance, about to break in a tsunami of inspiration, a torrent representing a clean break from old ways and a new chapter in American history. It is a national chant of "Yes We Can" swamping Hillary Clinton.

But the Obama wave breaks just short of the shore every time it appears ready to wash away everything in its wake.

For all the fervour of the arena rallies, the rapt thousands who hang on the senator's every word and call back to him with religious zeal, the wave has not crashed with all the ferocity bottled up in those venues.

What may be preventing the wave from cresting: the working class, women and 11th hour voters: [More...]

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will compete in three states today and one tomorrow. Today's states are:

• Louisiana (primary -- Obama heavily favored to win due to the large, 32% African-American vote)

• Washington State (caucus, but weird rules, as they have a primary next week. Only the caucus votes count.) The New York Times says this is the race to watch today. Hillary has the support of the both the states' Senators, while Obama has the support of the Governor. All three are female.

• Nebraska (caucus, Obama favored to win.)

On Sunday, Maine holds caucuses. Hillary is expected to do well there, even though caucuses usually favor Obama.

The total at stake: 161 delegates in Washington, Louisiana, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands and 24 delegates in Maine.

An Obama sweep today does not mean Hillary is out of the race -- her campaign is expecting a big Obama win and concentrating instead on the big states of Ohio and Texas which vote in early March. [More]

By Big Tent Democrat

Let's start with the anti-democratic nature of caucuses themselves. Unlike in a primary, where voters have all day to vote at their convenience, or previously vote absentee, to vote in a caucus a voter must go to the caucus site at the appointed hour. Once there they have to vote PUBLICALLY by standing in a corner of a room AND if their choice does not have 15% (not an issue here I think) their choice does not count. Understand this important fact, the biggest amount of voter disinfranchisement that occurs in the nomination campaigns is when a state or party chooses caucuses over primaries.

But Washington state decided that choosing a caucus was not enough voter disenfranchisement. Jerome Armstrong explains:

The Nebraska Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the use of the electric chair to execute inmates constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

The evidence shows that electrocution inflicts "intense pain and agonizing suffering," the court said. "Condemned prisoners must not be tortured to death, regardless of their crimes," Judge William Connolly wrote in the 6-1 opinion.

"Contrary to the State's argument, there is abundant evidence that prisoners sometimes will retain enough brain functioning to consciously suffer the torture high voltage electric current inflicts on a human body," Connolly wrote.

Nebraska is the only state in the country still using the barbaric method of execution. The legislature must now authorize another means before the state can put anyone to death.

Any chance there are any legislators in Nebraska who will say, "Choose Life, End the Death Penalty?"

Keith Olbermann apologizes for the David Shuster/Chelsea Clinton pimping comment that's been the talk of the blogs today.

It sure has ignited a lot of tensions...Earlier, Big Tent Democrat put himself in Time Out for the rest of the day for insulting a reader. He says the rules have to apply to him as well.

The AP has released a new delegate count. Obama has 796 and Hillary has 794.

With nearly 1,600 delegates from Tuesday contests awarded, Sen. Barack Obama led by two delegates Friday night, with 91 delegates still to be awarded. Obama won 796 delegates in Tuesday's contests, to 794 for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to an analysis of voting results by The Associated Press.

As for totals to date, the AP includes Superdelegates:

In the overall race for the nomination, Clinton has 1,055 delegates, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Obama has 998.

And, finally, an explanation of why it's so hard to count delegates in plain English: [More...]

Via Media Matters, here is the apology David Shuster gave on MSNBC's Tucker Carlson show:

Last night during the show, I spoke about Chelsea Clinton and noted the affection that so many of us have for her. I also spoke about phone calls she has made to super delegates to convince them to support her mom. In describing this effort, I used a phrase that was inappropriate, and I apologize to the Clinton family, the Clinton campaign, and all of you who were justifiably offended. As I said this morning on MSNBC, all Americans should be proud of Chelsea Clinton, and I am particularly sorry that my language diminished the regard and respect she has earned from all of us and the respect her parents have earned in how they raised her.

Note to readers: Keep your comments civil. All points of view are welcome here provided they are expressed without name-calling, personal attacks or insults or profanity.

Update: Shuster transcript from last night's Tucker Carlson show below:

By Big Tent Democrat

Josh Marshall posits that Tweety led to Shuster's fall:

[M]any have rightly criticized Chris Matthews for his repeatedly degrading, often sexist and consistently clownish comments about Hillary Clinton. The most logical way for me to understand this development is that MSNBC is under a lot of fire for Matthews -- but Matthews is untouchable -- and Shuster's easier to can or suspend.

Josh is right as far as he goes but he overlooks some important particulars. First and foremost, imo, is that MSNBC is rightly feeling heat for its anti-Hillary/pro-Obama bias as TPM's own Greg Sargent has pointed out. This clearly contributed to the harsh punishment meted out to Shuster.

Via a reader in the comments who just received this e-mail:

NBC NEWS STATEMENT REGARDING CHELSEA CLINTON COMMENT:

On Thursday's "Tucker" on MSNBC, David Shuster, who was serving as guest-host of the program, made a comment about Chelsea Clinton and the Clinton campaign that was irresponsible and inappropriate. Shuster, who apologized this morning on MSNBC and will again this evening, has been suspended from appearing on all NBC News broadcasts, other than to make his apology. He has also extended an apology to the Clinton family. NBC News takes these matters seriously, and offers our sincere regrets to the Clintons for the remarks.

Steve Capus
NBC News President

Update: Comments now closed here, new thread on topic is here.

By Big Tent Democrat

And they are right to. Via TPM:

This is really something. The Hillary campaign has just gone to war with MSNBC, dispatching a top Hillary adviser to launch a lacerating attack on the network on a conference call with reporters moments ago.

On the call, top Hillary adviser Howard Wolfson suggested that there's a "pattern" of reprehensible comments by MSNBC personalities, and said outright that the Hillary campaign could no longer "envision a scenario where we would debate on that network given the comments that were made and have been made."

I think any honest observer of NBC's coverage has to admit that NBC has been incredibly anti-Hillary. Greg Sargent previously wrote:

By Big Tent Democrat

This is a new position for me. Before I believed Clinton would definitely choose Obama as her running mate because he can help her keep the excitement he has engendered, provide some of the Media Darling status he holds, emphasize the historic nature of the Democratic ticket and energize the Obama parts of the Democratic coalition. But I did not believe Obama need choose Clinton. I now believe that Obama will need Clinton as well. Most, including me, have completely misunderstood how Hillary Clinton has energized her part of the Democratic coalition, especially women.

Today we are hearing about a new Time poll that has Obama running stronger than Hillary against McCain. Generally speaking, looking at GE matchups this far out is an absurd exercise. So much will still happen before we get anywhere close to the election that trying to decipher who will run best in the GER is a futile exercise. That said, I DO believe Obama has the POTENTIAL to run better against McCain than Hillary, for the reasons I have previously expressed. But there are major pitfalls for Obama and some of them have been highlighted on Super Tuesday and the days following.

By Big Tent Democrat

In my view, the most underreported story of this campaign has been the blithe acceptance of misogyny and sexism. It is the hate that does dare speak its name. We all know about and condemned the many outrageous remarks made by some Clinton supporters and surrogates - Bill Shaheen, Bob Johnson, Andrew Cuomo and yes, Bill Clinton (his Jesse Jackson remark) made contemptible remarks in this campaign.

But the sexism and misogyny from the Media and yes, the Obama campaign, has gone largely unremarked. Here is one that has flown under the radar from Barack Obama himself:

Obama saved most of his criticisms for Bush, but he seemed to have Clinton in his sights when he said, "You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out."

(Emphasis supplied.) The report does not even note the sexism inherent in that statement. Nor did online communities. Jane Hamsher wondered about that and asked FDL readers what they thought. The results were similarly depressing.

NOTE - Comments are now closed.