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February 20, 2008
Voting takes place in the primary in snow covered Wisconsin today, with the emphasis of Obama and Clinton on the issues that John Edwards had made his own: the effect of the economic downturn on middle-class families and the working poor.
Wisconsin Democratic primary voters are not big fans of globalization judging by the exit polls. A majority (7 in 10) hold that U.S. trade with other countries takes more jobs from Wisconsin whilst a minority (fewer than one in five) said it creates more jobs for the state.
Mike Thompson
Will Wisconsin make the difference on the road to the White House by confirming Obama's front runner status? Will Clinton manage to minimize the losses? Will Clinton hopes to regain momentum be realized? Or will the race still go down to the convention? What role will the super-delegates play?
Obama's presidential campaign is having a very good run lately; they've taken victories in the last eight Democratic contests, they're getting super-delegates to defect from Hillary Clinton, and they are getting endorsements from major labor unions. Wisconsin's open primary rules are expected to play in Obama's favor because he has been courting independents and even disaffected Republicans. The polls say Barack Obama is the likely winner, though they don't show him that far ahead.
Paul Krugman worries about the backlash against Obama. When will his bubble burst? McCain is already launching daily and fairly harsh attacks on Obama.
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Gary
the super-delegate transparency project link is good. You can click on the states and find out what is going on, eg., in Wisconsin.
It identifies all the superdelegates and their commitments, or lack thereof. It's the kind of democratic tool that today's political bosses are probably horrified to see as it makes the mechanics of the process open and transparent.
It shows that in states where Obama has won the majority of popular support, Clinton leads the endorsements from party elected superdelegates, 51 to 40, which is the primary source of Clinton's superdelegate advantage. It is a tool that helps to make the Democratic Party more accountable to the people instead of the political machine.