by Ronald Cloud [courtesy of Blog for America]

In the primary states - where voters go to the polls and choose just like they will in November - the popular vote totals are astonishingly close. A microscopic % 0.33 (That's ZERO . POINT three three percent) separates Obama's 83584 vote advantage from Clinton's total.

However, the road to the White House runs through the Electoral College.
Clinton's primary performance in the rich electoral states and in those states whose electoral votes went to Gore and Kerry is DECISIVE ! Obama's electoral deficit against Clinton is a whopping 31percent, 34 percent inside the blue states.

Okay Democrats, do you want to win a nomination OR do you want to win the White House?

The responsibilty of party officials known as Superdelegates is to put a Democrat in the White House. In that contest, the Electoral College rules. (Hope format of table holds on post, Vote Totals shown in Extended Entry/Read more)

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Joseph A. Palermo

Wealthy right-wingers from out of state are flooding California with cash to try to change the way the state's electoral votes are allocated. In time for the 2008 election (and thereafter) the Republicans want to snatch up at least 20 of California's 55 electoral votes in a new system that would replace the traditional winner-take-all method. As with past Republican shenanigans they intend to accomplish this feat by tricking the voters with a well financed, deceptively-worded ballot initiative.

"Take Initiative America -- California" is a corporation set up in Missouri that is charged with funneling hefty amounts of cash into the coffers of a group calling itself "Californians for Equal Representation." We'll be hearing a lot from "Californians for Equal Representation" on our radios and TVs as the group uses the latest techniques in post-Swift Boat propaganda to convince enough Californians that they should vote in favor of diminishing their state's relevance in national elections.

If successful, the Republican initiative will have the effect of diluting the impact of the state of California on the Electoral College.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

It’s urban legend. The father of Chicago’s current Mayor allegedly added more Cook County votes to Illinois totals than Republicans could make up down state, delivering his state’s electoral votes and the Presidency to Jack Kennedy.

Forget the fact that there is no, I repeat, NO historical evidence to back that assertion. It must be true, because it was Dick Nixon’s justification for Watergate and all the other dirty tricks pulled off by the GOP that year (including Nixon’s use of surrogates to preclude the opening of Vietnam Peace talks).

Spies used to talk about meeting being held under “Moscow Rules” – which meant without trust. Or, to misquote Butch Cassidy, “there can’t be rules in a knife fight”! That’s how Republicans view campaigns and elections.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

From the AP:

An influential California Republican said Thursday he is attempting to raise millions of dollars to change the way the state awards its electoral votes — a bid to revive a campaign that stalled just days ago.

"I am making phone calls because I think this is a critically important issue in the presidential sweepstakes," said Lew Uhler, president of the Sacramento-based National Tax Limitation Committee. (AP 10/4/07)

No rest for the weary I suppose.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Dan Walters wrote in yesterday's Bee that any “dirty trick” the Republicans attempt to impose on voters is OK as long as Democrats continue to control the redistricting process.

The US Constitution has awarded the Presidency to the man selected by the electoral votes of states since the founding. 47 states award all of the state’s electoral votes to the party garnering a majority of the popular vote in the State.

The Republicans, as is typical, seek to change this allocation because they can’t win a majority in California. Rather than play the game better – as Governor Schwarzenegger pleaded with them to do – they choose to try and change the rules so they won’t need a majority to win. The effort will fail. Voters shown the title and summary of this measure reject it 25-48.

But why would Walters call this movement away from majority rule “fairer than the present winner take all system”? Doesn’t it simply reflect what Governor Schwarzenegger railed against at the latest GOP conclave? That Republicans have failed to earn votes by fielding candidates worthy of them?

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

On Thursday, California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres announced the launch of an exciting program called Fraud Busters to combat misinformation being spread by proponents of a misleading initiative effort ("The Presidential Election Reform Act") which would make California the only large state in the union to award its electoral votes by Congressional District, instead of by statewide popular vote. 
 
"We want activists around the state to help us stop the Republicans from stealing the White House and stealing California's electoral votes," said Torres. "We are asking our activists to be the California Democratic Party's frontline team and help us stop the Republicans from spreading their lies around the state."
 
In order to ensure that Republicans hold the White House next year, well-connected GOP operatives are attempting to put an initiative on California's June 2008 ballot that, if passed, would all but guarantee the Republican nominee could steal 22 electoral votes from California in the November 2008 presidential election.
 
The California Democratic Party has set up a website, www.cadem.org/fraudbusters with tools for Democratic activists across California to get the word out and gather signatures from others who will pledge to help us stop the Republicans' scam.