by Phil Specht [courtesy of Blog for America]

Why is the press too lazy to correctly report that all state contests are being held within the Delegate Selection Rules? Each state has "unpledged" delegates as part of that plan. (the so called Super Delegates) awarded across the nation by the same rules; and as well each state is conducting contests in all kinds of different but fair ways of allocating "pledged" delegates so that they reflect proportional support of those citizens who align themselves with the Democratic Party for the various candidates for President on the Democratic Party ticket. These slots are pro-rated by National Rules to represent the Democratic voters of past elections. After (rarely before) the allocation process, there is a separate election of the actual individuals who will attend the National (nominating) Convention in Denver in late summer. Bottom line, the candidate that picks up the most pledged delegates from a state won that state. Total popular vote numbers are meaningless since each state varies in how it does the allocation, by caucus or primary, or in the case of Texas both. In all cases they are proportional and fair.

by Charles Chamberlain, DFA Field Director [courtesy of Blog for America]

Kucinich drops out of U.S. presidential race

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Dennis Kucinich told a newspaper on Thursday he would end his race for the U.S. presidency after registering little voter support in the early state contests.

Kucinich, 61, a liberal member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Cleveland, Ohio, told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer he would make his withdrawal announcement in that city on Friday.

"I want to continue to serve in Congress," he said.

His campaign issued a statement saying he would announce plans on Friday for "transitioning out of the Democratic presidential primary race."

Kucinich is an outspoken Iraq war critic who has consistently voted against funding the war and led anti-war efforts in Congress.

He said he would not endorse another candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination to contest November's presidential election.

Kucinich attracted ardent supporters and stayed in the race even after it became clear that his campaign was going nowhere. His 30-year-old wife, Elizabeth, who stands a head taller than her husband, was generally at his side on the campaign trail.

Kucinich was ridiculed for saying at a Democratic debate that he had seen a UFO, a fact that was revealed in a book by actress Shirley MacLaine.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The race for the Democratic nomination has boiled down to two candidates: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. While making any predictions in this year’s volatile and late decided elections has proved many a pundit and pollster wrong, one thing is for certain: California and the rest of the states that vote on February 5 are going to matter a great deal in deciding who gets the nomination.

Looking strictly at the numbers and putting all the spin aside, with the first three state contests concluded, one of the leading Democratic candidates for President has received about 7,400 votes more than the other, hardly a significant difference. That candidate has won two more delegates than the other through the electoral process, hardly a predictor at all.

Let’s look at the raw vote total so far: In Iowa, an analysis shows that Obama received about 21,510 more votes than Clinton. It takes an analysis because the Iowa Democratic Party does not release actual vote totals, but Obama, in winning that race by a margin of 38% to 29% over Clinton, received about 90,820 votes to her 69,310 based on a turnout of 239,000 Democrats. http://www.iowafirstcaucus.org/press_releases.php?id=972

Clinton won the New Hampshire primary over Obama by a 39% to 37% margin—or 7000 votes.