[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Cross-posted on the Huffington Post. 

The Democratic race is too close to call. It is entirely possible that the losing candidate will be supported by 49% of the voters and the delegates. It is also possible that one candidate could win the popular vote but lose the delegate contest. Amidst all this uncertainty, one thing is clear: the candidate who wins will win by a nose.

Some believe that the fight between Clinton and Obama has hurt Democrats. They are dead wrong. This is the best thing to happen to the Democratic Party in a long time.

Voter turnout and engagement is up virtually everywhere. People who have never been politically involved before -- especially the many women and African Americans who feel a strong sense of connection to the candidates -- are excited.

It has been too many years since Democrats have been wildly passionate about whom they want to win the nomination. We have a good thing going, and we need to keep it going through November. We need to keep it going all the way to the White House.

There's more...

by DFA Staff [courtesy of Blog for America]

Lots going on out there:

Elesha Gayman:
Daily Kos diary

Ed Fallon:
Des Moines Register

MyDD diary

General:
Hernando Today

CondiMustGo:
Daily Kos diary

Michael Moore

Yahoo! News

Baltimore Sun

Chicago Tribune

Huffington Post

Salem-News

The Nation

read more »

by WhatAre Progressive Values [courtesy of Blog for America]

I just read this interesting article in the Huffington Post. It talks about Barack Obama and his ability to inspire.

Why Inspiration Will Make Obama the Strongest Candidate in November
- And a President that Can Lead a Progressive Realignment in America
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/why-inspiration-will-make_b_86844.html

Robert Creamer writes
"Inspiration comes from appeals to values, not ten point plans.

Obama's attraction to swing voters isn't that he promises to "compromise" with the right -- or adopt right wing values. It is that he inspires them with the traditional progressive values:

• That we're all in this together, not all in this alone;
• Unity not division;
• Hope not fear;
• That people are not commodities to be paid what the market will bear and discarded when they aren't needed, but human beings whose happiness and success are the purpose of the economy."

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

We have our fair share of labor skirmishes here, (I refer you to my WTF is up with SEIU posts) but Nevada has its share as well. In the presidential caucus battles, well skirmishes would be putting it nicely.  Marc Cooper describes it in different terms:

But this is no run-of-the-mill get-out-the-vote campaign of the sort frequently run by labor in election season. This isn't a ground game, to use the parlance. It's a veritable ground war. Campaign against campaign. Union against union. Unions against the Democratic Party. Even faction against faction inside some unions. (Marc Cooper 1/17/08)

The battle seems to really have been set up when the Culinary Workers, who represent many casino workers, endorsed Barack Obama. Just two days later, the Nevada State Education Association, who are generally considered unofficial Clinton supporters, sued to block caucus locations in casinos. Well, the Culinary workers aren't exactly digging that. And this election might be different than other Nevada elections, with powerful ramifications for the unions:

by Andrew Drabkin [courtesy of Party Line]