Barack Obama's stirring victory in Iowa was also a good night for our democracy. The turnout broke records and young people – who were mobilized and organized – participated in unprecedented numbers. And now that Iowans have spoken – the first citizens in the nation to do so – here's the Democratic delegate count for the top three candidates (2,025 delegates are needed to secure the nomination):

Clinton – 169

Obama – 66

Edwards – 47

"Huh?" you say. "vanden Heuvel, you made a MAJOR typo."

In fact, those numbers are correct: the third-place finishing Sen. Hillary Clinton now has over twice as many delegates as Sen. Obama, and more than three times as many delegates as the second-place candidate, Sen. John Edwards. Why? Because the Democratic Party uses an antiquated and anti-democratic nominating system that includes 842 "super-delegates" – un-pledged party leaders not chosen by the voters, free to support the candidate of their choice, and who comprise more than forty percent of the delegates needed to win the nomination. Many have already announced the candidate they will support.

Labels: Hillary Clinton, Super-delegates

posted by Cracker Barrel Philosopher at 11:34 PM -

Hillary Clinton has trouble competing in states where she has to run against other Democrats, which is, of course, most of them. But what about a state where she and Dennis Kucinich are the only two on the ballot, where none of the other candidates have even set foot to campaign, and where the governor is a slightly more attractive, Canadian replica of Hillary herself, pantsuits and all?

Yeah, she's in danger of losing here, too.

Labels: Hillary Clinton

posted by Cracker Barrel Philosopher at 2:01 PM -

Via Lee M., who emails: “Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking all Californians who own cars with big-block power plants to fire them up and let them idle for the next 36 hours.”

Philosophy professor Martin Bunzl:

I spend most of my waking hours worrying about how to reduce my output of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

If that’s all you’re doing, problem solved.

Labels: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Global Warming

posted by Cracker Barrel Philosopher at 1:27 PM -

At her concession speech in Des Moines on Thursday night, Hillary Clinton was all gracious and determined and smiling. But hours later on that flight someone named Mark Penn, who happens to be her chief political strategist, ominously told a gaggle of reporters, including The Times' Peter Nicholas, that the campaign's focus needs to shift now onto, you might have guessed, someone named Barack Obama.
...
Things could get nasty with some pretty sharp media contrasts made in coming days, it would seem. "This has been very much a referendum on her,'' said Penn. "And people will take a harder look at the choice and the kind of president who will be needed in these times.''

Penn hinted that the Clinton campaign may be poised to mount a more aggressive campaign in New Hampshire than in Iowa.
...
He claimed that Obama's record is comparatively unexplored and he suggested the news media should ask itself about taking a closer look at Obama's history. "Does everyone know everything they need to know about Barack Obama?'' Penn asked. "That's a decision you're going to have to make. I think at this point his record is not very well-known.''
...
For weeks now Clinton aides have been threatening on and off the record to use some bad stuff against their chief opponent. First, two of them told conservative columnist Robert Novak that the Clintons had very damaging information on Obama, but they weren't going to use it. Then Billy Shaheen, her New Hampshire co-chair, said that though no Democrat would use Obama's admitted youthful drug use against him, boy, would the Republicans have a field day with that later this year.

Labels: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sid Blumenthal

posted by Cracker Barrel Philosopher at 1:14 PM -

Labels: Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton

posted by Cracker Barrel Philosopher at 11:04 PM -

It turns out that Clinton wasn't quite flying solo into harm's way that day.

She was, in fact, leading a goodwill entourage that included baggy-pants funnyman Sinbad, singer Sheryl Crow and Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, then 15, according to an account of the March 1995 trip in her autobiography "Living History."

Labels: Hillary Clinton

posted by Cracker Barrel Philosopher at 4:54 PM -