Edwards Endorses . . .

I just came across ABC's Jack Tapper's blog and he had the following to say about Edwards:

"Something to keep in mind about John Edwards and endorsing…

He has never come out and said he would endorse Barack Obama, but he has always made it clear that he preferred Obama's politics to Clinton's.

Before the Iowa caucus, he explained it this way to me: "One of them believes change is necessary and the system doesn't work, and the other defends the system."

. . . Hmmm

Tuesday Doubles

Worked a double today . . . sigh . . . next week will be my last week of doubles as I'm dropping the axe on my night job for good.

McCain won the Florida Republican vote by 5 percentage points. Romney came in 2nd. What do people see in Romney? Seriously, what does Mitt bring to the table?

Hillary won the Florida Democratic vote by 17% even though the Democrats weren't allowed to campaign in Florida.

Another snow storm is moving into Crested Butte . . . and we just got 26" in the last 48 hours! This Winter continues to drop epic snow.

Obama's Movement vs. Hillary's Campaign

Some have said that the 2008 Democratic battle is Obama's Movement vs. Hillary's Campaign. I'm beginning to think that there's a lot to that statement. How can you not be inspired by Obama's South Carolina Victory speech??

Obama Wins South Carolina - Democrats the Real Victor

Obama won South Carolina today with 55% of the vote beating Hillary Clinton by 28 percentage points which is interesting once again as the pollsters got it all wrong . . . polls as recent as yesterday had Obama only winning South Carolina by 11% or less. The media has really pushed hard to make the story coming out of the South Carolina Primary one about race and gender.

The more important story is the huge voter turnout . . . the record turnout in the Democratic Primary and the lackluster turnout in the Republican Primary that happened in South Carolina this year.

1st off Obama got over 295,000 votes today in South Carolina. That's more than all the Democrats combined in the 2004 South Carolina Primary (291,000). That's amazing!

Today 532,000 people voted in the South Carolina Democratic Primary. That's 241,000 more people that came out and voted today than voted 4 years ago in the SC Democratic Primary! And that's 89,000 more people that came out and voted in the SC Democratic Primary than voted in last week's SC Republican Primary. Let me say that again . . . more South Carolinians voted in the Democratic Primary this year than in the Republican Primary. This is staggering and this is the real story! South Carolina has been a Republican voting state for a long long time now. I think that today's Democratic Primary shows that the Democrats stand to win some southern states in November's election for the 1st time in a long time.

And this isn't just happening in South Carolina . . . this year's Nevada Democratic Caucus had 114,000 people vote compared to just 9,000 democratic voters in 2004. This year's Iowa Democratic Caucus had 227,000 people vote compared to just 124,ooo democratic voters in 2004. And the flip side of this is that the Republicans had record low primary turnouts in both Michigan and Nevada and almost half the turnout in Iowa (120,000) as compared to the Iowa Democratic turnout this year.

Another thing to think about is this . . . Obama and Clinton traded a lot of verbal blows this past week in South Carolina, but ultimately the Democratic Party won today . . . because both Obama and Hillary inspired 241,000 more people to enter into the voting process today than in 2004 and those folks will be back out in November to vote for whomever the Democratic candidate is . . . and who knows . . . perhaps more Democrats than Republicans will get out the vote in November and South Carolina might just end up as one of the southern states that goes Democratic this year?

For a long time I have felt uneasy about both Obama and Hillary's "electability" in the November General election. I have no doubt about either one of them anymore. Either one of them will beat any of the Republicans that they end up running against in November. The Democratic Party is energized and is turning out in record numbers to vote during this Primary season. The Republicans are adrift, deeply divided and uninspired.

935 False Statements

The Center for Public Integrity is reporting that President George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Read the full report here.

Squatching

My friend and fellow documentarian Scott "Squatch" Herriott was featured on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 last night. Scott's made 3 documentaries on the Pacific Crest Trail, the first of which inspired me to make a documentary on the Continental Divide Trail. Anderson Cooper was talking about the Sasquatch Phenomenon with CNN news anchor Erika Hill who brought in Scott as the token Sasquatch expert . . . mainly due in part to Scott's documentaries on the big hairy beast: Squatching & the Journey Towards Squatchdom now available on one DVD here.

Squatch also put out a hilarious documentary on oddball roadside attractions in the homeland entitled "This Exit Only." If you watch This Exit Only and are as taken with Jim Bishop and his castle as I was, I'd highly recommend a visit . . . I've been there once and seeing is believing.

The Crumber

So I work at a high falutent restaurant 3 nights a week. It is the restaurant that the step dad of that girl on The Hills owns. We have wine reps come in once a week and sometimes the wine reps bear gifts other than wine . . . like the Crumber. The crumber is a ridiculous piece of plastic that is for the sole purpose of scraping someones crumbs off their table. I've carried the crumber in my pocket for the past month now but have never felt the urge or need to crumb someone's table with it. Last night one of my coworkers was having dinner and he knows that I pack the crumber like a technine and he asked me if I was embarrassed when I used it on people's tables. I replied that I had never used it but that I thought it would be more embarrassing for a patron to have their table crumbed since in my mind it implies that they are messy. I guess that there are a lot more important things to talk about here in 2008 than a crumber, but sometimes the ridiculous deserves a mention.

Airwave Auction Begins Thursday

Some of you have probably heard that in March of 2009 all TV sets sold will be on a digital signal and no longer on an analog signal. That basically means that if you own an analog signal TV set, which a lot of people currently do including myself . . . and you don't have a converter box or something of the like, it will be good for nothing except watching DVD's after April 7, 2009. More info on all that here.

The good news is that the analog TV signals used by TV broadcasters are going to be returned to the government and auctioned off in 5 blocks. These analog signals are quite valuable because they penetrate thick walls and travel long distances.

A Reuters piece reports that "Major carriers could use the analog spectrum to offer consumers more advanced services such as broadband access via mobile phones and wireless broadband to laptop computers."

So here's a possible and plausible scenario that could go down . . . Google Inc. might by a block of this Analog spectrum and basically operate a nation-wide WiFi-like network that would allow users to access the internet and make phone calls via a free VOIP service like Skype or the VOIP you have probably already heard of . . . Vonage. This would revolutionize the mobile phone industry and kill cellular phone networks as we know them today, which would be a good thing in my opinion (can you say bye bye to cell phone contracts?).

If this sounds like a bunch of gibberish then bear with me . . . the take away point is . . . if Google wins even part of the auction of the analog spectrum, and you buy a share of google stock today . . . or 1,000 shares . . . you might be laughing all the way to the bank in a few years.

Google Inc. is currently trading at $585 a share.

Martin Luther King

Today is MLK Day. This past Saturday John Edwards met with Martin Luther King III, Dr. King's oldest living son. His son wrote a letter to John after their meeting urging him to stay in the race. The letter reads as follows:


January 20, 2008

The Honorable John R. Edwards
410 Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,
Martin L. King, III

Long Distance Driving

Some vlogs from today:

GOP Adrift, Deeply Divided & Uninspired

I just came across the headline above from a NY Times article on the state of the GOP.

Under the Weather

It's Wednesday here in Big Sky, Montana and I've been feeling a bit under the weather this week. It was brutally cold and windy on the mountain yesterday with windchills well below zero. Today has been a bluebird kind of a day. The runs at Big Sky are different than what I'm used to . . . super long, lots of powder and lots of options. I think tomorrow will be good if I can get back on my feet. The plan is to hit Moonlight tomorrow and Big Sky again on Friday. Then back to Ft. Collins on Saturday.

The other observation that I'd like to mention is that being in southern Montana is similar to being in northern Georgia in many ways. Northern Georgia if very rural, somewhat impoverished in places and the kind of place that if you are a local and don't have a gun in the back window of your pick-up then there must be something not quite right with you. The ski resort here even has that same feel . . . which is surprising considering that Big Sky/Moonlight has the largest vertical drop in the lower 48, some 5,500 acres on inbounds terrain and boasts an average of 400 inches of snow per year. This is a 5-Star ski resort as far as terrain and snow are concerned. And that's about as far as the 5-stars go. It's somewhat bizarre.

Big Sky

You're looking at Lone Mountain . . . elevation 11,161' . . . and home to Big Sky / Moonlight Basin ski resort. That's where I'll be for the next week. I'm heading out there on the annual Wes Lloyd ski trip. I originally booked the trip back in October for 2 reasons: A) I was expecting a lackluster snowfall amount here in Crested Butte and B) Big Sky boasts an average of 400 inches of snowfall a year and they have 5,500 acres of terrain along with a 4,400 ft vertical drop from top to bottom.

Well, Crested Butte has had quite the opposite of a lackluster snowfall total thus far . . . . we've gotten around 200 inches to date! It will be nice though to venture out of the Gunnison Valley and check out new terrain with some old friends. Big Sky has been on my list for a few years now and I can't wait to get myself there . . . that is of course after about 16 hours of driving.

I'll try and post some updates from Big Sky while I'm there.

New Hampshire Recount ???

Just got this post from the Kucinich campaign that a recount of the New Hampshire Primary will begin next Wednesday. In addition to Kucinich's request, Republican candidate Albert Howard put in a formal request for a recount also. Ya know . . . something absolutely has to be done about electronic voting . . . . like scrapping it all together . . . it's simply not trustworthy . . . here in Colorado, the Secretary of State Mike Coffin just decertified electronic voting machines used in Denver, Arapahoe, Pueblo, Mesa and Elbert counties because of problems with accuracy and security.

Here's the post from the Kucinich campaign:

Friends,

Once again, America is faced with questions about the integrity of machine-counted ballots and about the rights of Americans to decide for themselves who they should be allowed to vote for in this crucial Presidential election.

In New Hampshire, it's a question of whether votes were counted or manipulated. In Nevada, it's a question of whether the GE-owned NBC television network should have the power to decide who your choices should be for President.

The vote counts in New Hampshire are suspicious. And, today's decision by NBC to exclude Dennis from next week's Presidential debate - even though he met the criteria - is outrageous. And, we need your help to deal with both of these matters.

Because of the unexplained disparities between hand-counted and machine-counted ballots in New Hampshire, Dennis has asked for a recount. "I am not making this request in the expectation that a recount will significantly affect the number of votes that were cast on my behalf," Dennis said in his letter to the Secretary of State of New Hampshire. But, he cited “serious and credible reports, allegations and rumors" that question the integrity of the machine-controlled process.

If New Hampshire agrees to a recount, this campaign will have to pay for it. And we can't investigate what happened in New Hampshire - or protect every other state in the Union - without your help.

Likewise, NBC and MSNBC have made a corporate decision to exclude the one and only voice who represents you and those things that the Democratic Party should stand for. If you are as outraged as we are, feel free to call:

• NBC/MSNBC at 212 664-4444 and ask for the Comment Line or
• email NBC/MSNBC at letters@msnbc.com

PLEASE share this message with everyone you know so that the voice of the people will be heard and their votes WILL be counted.

Strength through Peace,
The Kucinich Campaign

---

Kerry Endorses Obama

So I know that I haven't mentioned anything about Hillary winning New Hampshire. All I'll say is that I was REALLY surprised especially considering that close to 45% of registered New Hampshire voters are Independents.

Anyway, John Kerry endorsed Barack Obama today. I'm also a bit surprised by this especially considering that John Edwards is running. Perhaps there is some bad blood there? Anyway, I worked on the Kerry / Edwards campaign briefly in the run-up to the 2004 election and am still on Kerry's mailing list. Here's the e-mail he sent out today on his endorsement:

Hi Lawton,

Martin Luther King said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” So I'm choosing this time to share an important decision I've made, one I believe is right for this country.

The JohnKerry.com community has been very important to me and very important to the Democratic resurgence over the last couple of years, so I wanted to let all of you know my decision before I confirm it with anyone else. I want to share with you my conviction that in a field of fine Democratic candidates, the next President of the United States can be, should be, and will be Barack Obama. Each of our candidates would make a fine President, and we are blessed with a strong field. But for this moment, at this time in our nation's history, Barack Obama is the right choice.

Please join me in supporting Barack Obama’s candidacy.

I’m proud to have helped introduce Barack to our nation when I asked him to speak to our national convention, and there Barack's words and vision burst out. On that day he reminded Americans that our “true genius is faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles.” And with his leadership we can build simple dreams, and we can turn millions of small miracles into real change for our country.

At this particular moment, with our country faced with great challenges in our economy, in our environment, and in our foreign policy, and with our politics torn by division, Barack Obama can bring transformation to our country. With Barack, we can build a new majority of Americans from all regions who can turn the page on the politics of Karl Rove and begin a new politics, one worthy of our nation's history and promise. We can bring millions of disaffected people – young and old – to the great task of governing and making a difference, child to child, community to community.

Please click here to give what you can to Barack Obama’s campaign for President and help build this future for our country.

The moment is now, and the candidate for this moment is Barack Obama. Like him, I also lived abroad as a young man, and I share with him a healthy respect for the advantage of knowing other cultures and countries, not from a book or a briefing, but by personal experience, by gut, by instinct. He knows the issues from the deep study of a legislator, and he knows them from a life lived outside of Washington. His is the wisdom of real-world experience combined with the intellect of a man who has thought deeply about the challenges we face.

History has given us this moment. But we need to decide what to do with it. I believe, with this moment, we should make Barack Obama President of the United States.

Please join me in supporting his campaign.

Thank you,
John Kerry

151,000

US Civilian Death Toll at World Trade Center (9-11-2001):

2,973 people

Iraqi Civilian Death Toll in Iraq (Mar 2003-June 2006):

151,000 people


The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting that 151,000 Iraqi Civilians have been killed in the 3 years following the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. Read the full story here.

Gimpy's Squirrel

I was browsing thru my iPhoto library tonight and came across this video Dave T shot of Gimpy trying to get Gimpy to give up one of his favorite squeaker toys . . . . the squirrel. Gimpy will fetch but not really retrieve. He's a good kid though.

I Didn't Want To Read This

As a supporter of John Edwards and a believer in Dennis Kucinich, I did not want to read the following e-mail from the Kucinich campaign as to why Dennis would not support John as his second choice in Iowa in the situation where Dennis' caucus goers did not comprise 15% in a given caucus location (under the Iowa Democratic caucus rules, if a candidates supporters in a given location don't comprise at least 15% or more, they have to vote for a different candidate that does). He actually told his supporters to vote for Obama.

1st off let me say that I'm under no delusion that I think Dennis will get the Democratic nomination even though I intend to vote for him in the Colorado primary which is on Super Tuesday. However, I do believe that his ideas and policy positions are exactly where we need to be (he voted against the war, against funding the war 100% of the time, against the Patriot Act, and he is the only candidate that stands for a universal single-payer not-for-profit healthcare system). Dennis has no strings attached and is not in the pocket of anyone. That's what I like most about him. No strings attached. Having said that, I have felt that Edwards is the closest "viable" candidate to Kucinich. I've heard grumblings about John's dealings with hedge funds and the like, but didn't really know much about it and didn't really want to know much about it until I got the following e-mail from the Kucinich campaign yesterday:

Dear Supporter,

For the record:

1. New Hampshire is the first state where we are aggressively campaigning. Due to the Party lockout in Iowa, we chose to focus on New Hampshire.
2. I am the only person running for President who voted against the war, against funding the war 100% of the time, against the Patriot Act, and who stands for a universal single-payer not-for-profit healthcare system. Nevertheless I was excluded from Saturday night's ABC Presidential debate, or four tone monologue as it was.
3. In answer to your questions about why I didn't support former Senator John Edwards on the second ballot in Iowa: I have serious concerns about his connections to a Wall Street hedge fund, Fortress Investment Group. While attacking others for accepting campaign money from Washington lobbyists, he is up to his ears in money from Wall Street special interests.

He made half a million dollars in a single year for attending a few meetings for Fortress and has invested a substantial part of his own personal wealth in the hedge fund whose portfolios are responsible for sub-prime predatory lending practices, Medicare privatization, and an entire range of corporate sharp dealings that are driving the middle class into poverty.

While I indicated Senator Obama as a preferred second choice in Iowa, Progressives have fundamental disagreements with him and all of the other Presidential candidates on most of their major positions on the issues.

We must have the courage of our convictions to fully support and vote for what it is we really want. For once, we must realize our power, stop playing tactical games, and vote as a bloc - which, as you know, is what the religious right does and why they often win.

We Progressives are in the majority in this election. We will win only when we refuse to compromise and vote with integrity.

Dennis Kucinich


So I'm back to square one with the Democratic Primary. I'll be voting for Kucinich. And if you think Obama is the way to go, watch this video. I'd mention Hillary but I'd fall asleep typing.

Why didn't Al run ???

Déjà vu in Crested Butte

23" in 24 hours! Once again we've been hit by another epic storm . . . and it's still going! More later.

This American Life

This American Life with Ira Glass is amazing. I can't say enough good things about this radio show. On air since 1995, This American Life is truly captivating in a way that no other radio program that I've come across to date is.

Their website states:

"We're not a news show or a talk show or a call-in show. We're not really formatted like other radio shows at all. Instead, we do these stories that are like movies for radio. There are people in dramatic situations. Things happen to them. There are funny moments and emotional moments and—hopefully—moments where the people in the story say interesting, surprising things about it all. It has to be surprising. It has to be fun."

The show is played weekly on many NPR stations but unfortunately not mine. The good thing is that all of their episodes are available for free here by clicking on the year of choice, and then the "full episode orange icon." They are also available on iTunes.

If you've never listened to This American Life, check out their staff picked best episodes here.

The episode that got me hooked was one that I listened to some 8 years ago entitled "Telephone." It's the Jan 1, 1999 Episode 9o. Act 1 in particular.

The Results Are In

Here are the results from the Iowa Caucus:

Democrats-
Barack Obama (38%)
John Edwards (30%)
Hillary Clinton (29%)
Bill Richardson (2%)
Joe Biden (1%)
Chris Dodd 0%
Mike Gravel 0%
Dennis Kucinich 0%

Republicans-
Mike Huckabee (34%)
Mitt Romney (25%)
Fred Thompson (13%)
John McCain (13%)
Ron Paul (10%)
Rudy Giuliani (4%)
Duncan Hunter (1%)

1st off let me say that my predictions were close but not quite there.

2nd, I'm shocked that Obama did as well as he did. Iowa is 95% white, somewhat conservative and has an aging population. If that type of demographic could go for a young black man in the way that they just did for Obama, I think he could do really well nation-wide. Obama's candidacy is for real!

3rd, I'm not surprised at Hillary's 3rd place finish. Hillary's last name is what has kept her in the spotlight thus far. It's what has driven the media to report on her as much as they have. But I think that her 3rd place finish in the Caucus reflects a lack of enthusiasm that actual democratic voters have about her. I personally think she has the least amount of charisma of all the Democratic candidates. As a matter of fact, I'm falling asleep just writing about her. Read what Dick Morris had to say about her 3rd place finish.

4th, I think that Edwards has to come in at least 2nd place in New Hampshire to remain viable. I'm a bit dissapointed that his message and campaign have not picked up steam.

5th, I'm surprised that Dennis Kucinich told his supporters to throw their votes in for Obama in the event that they had to pick another candidate to vote for during the Caucus. If the last statement seems a bit odd, see my last post about the 15% rule and the bizarre way the Democratic Caucus is conducted.

6th, I'm glad that Huckabee is surging . . . as he would be easier for a Democrat to defeat than Guiliani or McCain.

7th, McCain's 4th place finish behind Fred Thompson is not good. And to think that a year ago McCain was the Republican to beat!

8th, Romney is done.

9th, Thompson is done.

And finally, as wacky as the Iowa Caucus is, it does actually matter . . . as Obama has just surged to a 10 point lead above Hillary in the latest Rasmussen Poll for New Hampshire's primary which will be held on Tuesday. The other thing I'll say is that New Hampshire voters seem to be very indecisive in general. I'm really surprised that they let the Iowa results effect them as much as they do. If you remember in 2004, Howard Dean was leading New Hampshire until his 3rd place finish (and scream) in Iowa and then New Hampshire folks jumped on the Kerry bandwagon immediately. It's de ja vu all over again. Hillary's 3rd place finish had taken her from 1st place in New Hampshire to 2nd or worse depending upon which polls you look at.

Iowa Caucus Predictions

Tomorrow the Iowa Caucus is held and here´s my predictions on the outcome:

Democrats:
1) John Edwards
2) Barack Obama
3) Hillary Clinton

Republicans
1) Mike Huckabee
2) Mitt Romney
3) John McCain

A few words about how the Caucus works . . . because it´s fairly bizarre and not very representative of Iowa voters or US voters. Only 1 out of 29 eligible Iowa Caucus voters will actually vote. 1 out of 29 is roughly 3.4 %. That´s a joke in itself. Especially considering how much emphasis the media will place on the outcome of this Caucus. When you put that 3.4% of Iowa Voters onto a national scale you get an idea of how really insane it is. A former speechwriter for Dick Gephardt, whose presidential ambitions once turned to dust in these early contests, wrote of the aftermath, "One-half of one per cent of the nation's Democrats will have decisively shaped the race."

William Saletan and Matt Schiller wrote an article on slate.com back in 2004 about how the process works for Democrats. I´ve posted it below but subbed in names for this year´s candidates:

"If you like the Electoral College, you'll love the Iowa Democratic caucuses. Here's how they work. You meet in a room with all the other registered Democrats in your precinct who decide to show up. It can take hours. First you have to choose local party officers and sit through a lot of talk about party activities. Then the caucus chair asks everybody to express their preferences among the presidential candidates. She tells the John Edwards people to stand in this corner, the Obama people in that corner, the Hillary Clinton people in the other corner, etc. There's also a corner for "uncommitted." You go to your corner. The chair counts how many people are in each group. That's the raw vote.

If you're in the Obama corner, you can probably stay there. But if you're in the Dennis Kucinich corner, look out. The party has a "viability" rule: If your group doesn't add up to a sufficient percentage of the total vote in the room—at least 15 percent, but it can go higher, depending on various factors—the chair will declare your group nonviable. Now you have to choose which of the viable candidates you prefer as a second choice. You go stand in that corner. Other Kucinich supporters (and Joe Biden supporters, and supporters of any other nonviable candidate) go to other corners, depending on whom they prefer. The chair counts again. That's the realigned vote.

Next the chair translates this vote count into a delegate count. Every viable group gets at least one delegate. The bigger your group, the more delegates you can earn. But there are two catches. First, the number of delegates to be distributed in the room depends on how many Democrats voted in your precinct in the most recent gubernatorial and presidential elections. If you're new in town, and the turnout in your precinct was lousy four years ago, your vote effectively counts less than it would have if you'd moved to a high-turnout precinct. Second, if your group is bigger than another group in the room, that doesn't guarantee you'll get more delegates. Let's say the chair has six delegates to distribute, and there are four viable groups. That leaves two extra delegates, which will probably go to the two biggest groups. If you're in the third-biggest group, and you've got more people than the fourth group does, tough luck. You each get a delegate, and that's that.

The precinct chair phones the county Democratic Party and reports how many county delegates have been awarded to each candidate or to "uncommitted" in your precinct. The chair also calculates how many state delegates (the über-delegates who will be chosen by the county delegates) each candidate would probably get based on his number of county delegates. That's the delegate count.

On caucus night, the Iowa Democratic Party will release the delegate count. Here's when the party will release the raw vote count and the realigned vote count: Never. The party won't compile or even record them, except as a temporary step in most precincts so that the caucus chair can determine how many delegates each candidate gets. The party doesn't want raw votes compiled and released, because it wants the caucuses to be a collaborative activity, not a tally of individual preferences. That's all well and good, if you like the party's communitarian version of democracy. But if you want to know how many voters stood up for John Edwards, you're out of luck."

Clear as mud right ???

Happy New Year !!!