By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Noam Scheiber's much cited piece contains a discussion of how Obama can finish Hillary off:

To make it happen, Obama would have to overtake Hillary among superdelegates--a key psychological barrier. He'd have to limit his margin of defeat in Pennsylvania to ten points, then hold serve two weeks later in North Carolina and Indiana, a pair of states he's slightly favored to win. At that point, Hillary would face nearly impossible odds of overtaking him in the delegate race. . . . MORE

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Writing approvingly of a TPM post I lambaste here, Markos writes:

The Clinton campaign has realized that the rules don't work in their favor, that if we follow the rules as agreed upon before the first caucus vote was cast in Iowa, that they have no chance of winning. . . . Again, as I noted before, the only way Clinton can win this race is with a coup by superdelegate . . .

Kos uses the pejorative term "coup" to describe the Super Delegates not voting for the pledged delegate leader. Let's leave aside the issue of whether the word "coup" makes sense here - and let's focus on whether the rules allow this. The answer is obviously yes, they do. It seems to me that it is Obama supporters like Markos who are complaining that the rules MAY NOT favor Obama. It is they who are whining that the rules permit Super Delegates to pick a nominee who is not the pledged delegate leader. I do not like the rules either. But for a different reason. They allow Super Delegates to pick a nominee who might not be the popular vote leader.

More . . .

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Via John Cole, Steve Benen makes a sound point but then avoids an obvious one. First the sound point:

[F]or the Clinton campaign to argue that Obama wants to “disenfranchise voters” in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, and Indiana is pretty ridiculous. Obama wants the nomination fight to end, Clinton doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean he wants to “disenfranchise” voters in the remaining states. That’s just how things go for states at the end of the nominating calendar. Indeed, the states know that, and have a choice about moving their contests up.

(Emphasis supplied.) Steve's last line is extremely ironic since it was Florida and Michigan's initial attempt to "move their contests up" which has led to their being disenfranchised - first by the DNC's unequal and improper application of its rules and later because Obama deliberately stymied revotes in Florida and Michigan.

Thus, when Steve writes:

Is anyone online today? If so, and you've got something you want to talk about, here's the place. Some things in the news that caught my eye:

Hillary and Obama are resting up for the long haul. The Chicago Tribune says in the latest Rasmussen poll, there's something for everyone.

The Rezko trial is in recess until March 31, but Rezko is facing a new lawsuit over a house.

Former business partner and son of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad is accusing Rezko of taking ownership of Muhammad's house without his consent.

The lawsuit by Jabir Muhammad accuses Rezko of persuading Muhammad and his wife to put their home into trust with Rezko. The suit goes on to say that Rezko then took legal control of the home, which is in the Kenwood neighborhood.

I also found interesting this Boston Globe profile (pdf)of Barack Obama from January, 1990 when he was made Editor of the Harvard Law Review. A reader mentioned it in comments yesterday.

Rep. Barney Frank says we should decriminalize marijuana. As Instapundit says, don't count on support any time soon from Obama, Hillary or McCain. As I wrote last week, Obama is a serious flip-flopper on the issue.

Catherine Crier, writing on Huffpo, lambasts the media coverage of the election. Whichever candidate you support, she's right. The pundits are little more than shills for their candidate and the anchors display excessive bias.

I think viewers should revolt as well as journalists. But, what to watch? Despite the end of the writers' strike, my favorite shows have not had new episodes in weeks. There's really nothing on.

A good friend (and ardent Obama supporter)waxed eloquently yesterday about HBO's In Treatment. I'd never even heard of it. Gabriel Byrne is the "star" and it's on for a half hour Monday through Friday nights. With On Demand to replay the episodes to date, it may be a way to avoid the cable news until Pennsylvania.

Any other ideas out there?

I'm back from court and an exhausting four hour hearing. Now I'm off to the grocery store.

You've filled up three open threads today, what's one more till I get back? Big Tent says he's out for the day as well.

When I return I'll probably be more interested in Kathleen Soliah's release from prison (I agree with her lawyer that "For someone who was not a danger or a threat to society, it was six years too long") and the release of Willie Green after serving 25 years for a murder he didn't commit than in politics, but don't let that stop the rest of you.

As well as the BOP's denial of a furlough so a meth inmate with a year left on his sentence can see his 10 year old before she dies of cancer.

Got more to say? All topics open here.

By Big Tent Democrat

More thread.

(Comments now closed.)

By Big Tent Democrat

Your turn.

Note, comments closed.

I hear some people have the day off today. Not me, I'm headed to court. Here's an open thread for you. What's on your minds?

I'll be at work the rest of the afternoon. Here's an open thread where you can pick the topics and discuss.

Please be civil.

BTD - Comments closed.

By Big Tent Democrat

Franklin and Marshall's latest PA poll shows Hillary Clinton doubling her lead in the Keystone State:

Hillary Rodham Clinton has doubled her lead in Pennsylvania and now has a majority of Democrats’ support, according to a new poll out today. Clinton now leads Barack Obama 51 percent to 35 percent among likely Democratic primary voters, according to the Franklin and Marshall College Poll. In February, the same poll found that Clinton was ahead by half that margin, 44 percent to 37 percent.

More . . .

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

On Hardball, Tweety Matthews came up with this novel solution for Michigan and Florida:

Both candidates agree to full revotes in Michigan and Florida and both candidates agree that the winner of the national popular vote will be the nominee of the Democratic Party.

I second that motion Chris. Tweety thinks Hillary would turn that down. He is so wrong. She would take it in a heartbeat. OBAMA will say no no no to that one Tweety.