It's A New Day For The Democrats

CBSNews.com Reports: Forget Straightforward Elections - Candidates Must Cope With Complicated Delegate Selection System

(CBS)  This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.

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In the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, presidential politics was local: The candidates crisscrossed the state, shaking hands and campaigning in coffee shops, in hopes of winning voters over one-by-one.

But for the past week or so, with Super Tuesday’s de facto national primary on the horizon, candidates been engaged in a much broader, more complicated battle. Nowhere is that more apparent than in California, where there are more delegates up for grabs on Tuesday than anywhere else, and where the retail politics of the early contests simply won't cut it.

"As they say, a rally in California is two people watching a political commercial on TV," said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane.

In those early states, the campaigns were after wins: They could generate positive media attention and give voters the sense that a candidate is likely to win his party’s nomination.

Now, however, with candidates locked in two-way races, the campaigns have shifted their focus from building momentum to accumulating delegates. On the Democratic side, where there are no “winner take all” primaries, the candidates are looking to maximize their rewards in every state, including those where they do not expect to win the most votes.

In California, 241 of the states 441 delegates are allocated based on what happens in 53 congressional districts, each of which is allotted a certain number of delegates based on voter turnout in past years. As a result, the campaigns are involved in a complicated chess game to maximize delegates by focusing on specific regions of the state.

"We'd like to win California, that would obviously be our most desirable outcome," said Debbie Mesloh, Barack Obama's spokesperson in the state. "But that said it's not a winner take all state, and this is a race for delegates."

Further complicating the battle for California is the cost of campaigning in a large, diverse state where television ads and mailers don't come cheap.

"The expense factor is huge," said Berkeley Political Science Professor and UC Washington Center Director Bruce Cain. "There are multiple media markets and some of them are the most expensive media markets in the country. So you have to think very hard about how you use your resources."

Northern California, and specifically the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a "very strong" center of support for Obama, according to Mesloh. The region has significant populations of antiwar voters, white liberals, and African-Americans, and it is less expensive to run television ads there than in the Los Angeles area.

But there are perils for the Obama campaign in ignoring the rest of the state, in part because 129 delegates are allocated based on the statewide vote.

"Their resources have to be directed primarily in Northern California, but the numbers in Southern California are so huge," said California attorney and longtime Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. (There are more voters in Los Angeles County than in some states.) "If you ignore Los Angeles, it's going to have a pretty dramatic impact on a statewide basis."

The Hillary Clinton campaign's strength lies with female voters, who are expected to outnumber men by a wide margin, Latinos, who could make up a quarter of the Democratic vote and who both campaigns have been targeting with Spanish-language ads, and working class voters. Clinton also has a built-in advantage thanks to her husband's strong ties to the state.

“One enormous advantage that Hillary Clinton has - the people of California know the Clintons, they know firsthand changes made in this state during those 8 years,” said former California Governor Gray Davis, a Clinton supporter, who cites the couple’s work to get health insurance for children.

Davis added that it would be difficult for Obama to connect to California voters because he is a relative newcomer to the political scene.

“In a state this big it’s hard to make an impact real quick,” he said.

Until recently, polls showed Clinton with a double-digit lead in California. The latest surveys suggest the race has narrowed significantly, and the Illinois senator received the endorsement of the Los Angeles Times over the weekend.

That won’t make a difference to those voters who have already cast their ballots, however. California residents have been able to mail in their votes since right around the time of Clinton's surprise victory in New Hampshire, and up to 50 percent of the primary votes are expected to have been mailed in before Election Day, according to Mesloh.

"The gender gap, Latino gap, and participation level of young independents excited by Obama are what's going to make the difference," said Cain. "If Obama can narrow the margin among Latinos, get a huge split among blacks, and the electorate is more than 9 or 10 percent independents, it's going to get tight."

"If Obama were to win California, it would be a stunning upset," Sragow said. "If he were to get real close, that would signal that he remains fully competitive in this race. I think he's just got to come out of here, leaving aside the delegate count issue, looking as though this is still a very competitive two-way race. If he's within three, in the expectation game of politics, he's won."

And Clinton? "Her mission is to blow him out," he said.

Cain believes neither Democratic candidate is going to emerge from the California primary or Super Tuesday more generally with a significant delegate advantage.

"On the Republican side the rules are going to end the contest, even though it's quite possible that John McCain won't get a majority, because many states are winner take all," he said. "On the Democratic side, unless somebody not only gets a majority but a substantial majority, it's going to be very hard for someone to break out of the pack."

Lehane agrees, predicting that the campaigns will "emerge with a relatively even number of delegates on Tuesday." If that's the case, he said, the results in California will take on an added importance.

"Whoever wins California in terms of pure percentages is who is the winner of Super Tuesday, because California is the biggest and most important state out there, and a state that no one had a natural relationship with," Lehane said.

He argues further that a candidate that shows success in the state is signaling that he or she will do well in a general election.

"Iowa and New Hampshire reward skills that are not necessarily skills that it takes to be a good national candidate," said Lehane. "To do well in California it takes the skills that it takes to be a good national candidate. For our nominee to be successful in general, they're going to have to show real support from women, real support from Latinos...This is the state that comes closest to what a national election will look like."

[katg21]

WE ARE NOW LIVING IN AN SOCIALIST OPPRESSIVE NATION WHERE OURS RIGHTS ARE CLEARLY BEING VIOLATED.
Posted by bizzzz

If you would have said that thousands of Dems were not allowed to vote then it would have been plastered all over the news. I believe you are right, if a Dem becomes President then we are headed for a socialist country. Dems are completely anti-american and do nothing positive for this country.

[bizzzz-2009]

REPUBLICAN VOTERS WERE COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF DUE TO RAMPANT VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THOUSANDS OF REGISTERED REPUBLICANS WERE ILLEGALLY SWITCHED TO INDEPENDANTS, THEREFORE COULD NOT VOTE.
WE ARE NOW LIVING IN AN SOCIALIST OPPRESSIVE NATION WHERE OURS RIGHTS ARE CLEARLY BEING VIOLATED.

[nodemotwit]

The lib concept of political fairness is always amazing to behold. They''re like many bike riders you tend to encounter, ie: Those who encounter a stop sign-light & suddenly become a ''''pedestrian'''' & run it. But past the sign-light they suddenly revert back to ''''automobile''''.
In a similar fashion liberals, infuriated by Bush%u2019s ''04 win, pulled their hair in John Cleese-esk tantrums, screamed about INDIVIDUAL VOTES not being counted, then set about championing efforts in states which had minority but growing lib representation (eg: CO) to NOT award all electoral college votes the state%u2019s presidential winner. But then they got to CA, & creaky wheels began to turn, & they realized that CA could then potentially result in a non Dem president, due to CA''s significant but minority non-lib representation, so the CA effort was quickly squashed.

What liberals really want:
Each state''s electoral vote will be allocated, state-by-state, in a variable manner (in every prez election, A.R.) that is most helpful to a liberal winning the presidency, other wise the entire election is void.

Similarly, superdelagates are just a liberal tool to guarantee that liberal party elites can strongly influence, and virtually guarantee, that exactly the candidate they want wins the nomination, irrespective of the general party members INDIVIDUAL VOTES. Obviously liberal elites feel their general party members are incompetent, one of the traits of socialism exhibited thru history.

[giantrobot2]

Conservative leaders Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Tony Perkins of FRC are endorsing Mike Huckabee for President in the huge value voters guide that I received last night from them.

Huckabee scores 100% in the value voter guide they issued while Romney''s liberal views are still showing through on abortion, human cloning, watering down the Federal Marriage act of 1996 and giving the government authorization to take any American''s property if they choose so.

Dr. James Dobson and Tony Perkins and many other huge National Right to Life groups are supporting Mike Huckabee for President.

Don''t let the Republican party fall in the trap of liberals. The Republican platform can not be water down with Romney''s liberal agenda.

If Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Tony Perkins of FRC are endorsing Mike Huckabee, and with the million member supporters they have through the last 20 years, the conservatives are rallying around Huckabee for true conservative values.

[tibu987]

wyzguy11

Sorry, your vote for Edwards was the only one.

[katg21]

I find it interesting that the party that preaches "family values" doesn''''t seem to have any real family values at all.
Posted by vmcneal2

I can see how you''d come to that conclusion about the GOP, looking at the front runner McCain and previous candidates. I think that is why we conservatives have had such a difficult time finding a candidate to support. Believe me, we true conservatives maintain our family values.

[katg21]

Going to the state governors didn''''t work the last two times. What''''s stopping you from running yourselves?
Posted by jon2012

Oh they worked out fine, we''re all still alive. I believe that you''re right in thinking that there are those arrogant americans who feel they could do the job better though. Sounds like you''re not from this country? Well if so I can understand why you have the opinion of us that you do. Our media is always sure to report ONLY the negatives. How could you think our leaders are any good?

[vmcneal2]

I find it interesting that the party that preaches "family values" doesn''t seem to have any real family values at all.

[tibu987]

Vote against politics as usual.
Vote against members of Washingtons "good ole boys"
club.
Vote for change.
Vote for Obama.

[jon2012-2009]

When congress has the lowest approval rating in history, we go to the senate to get our candidates for president.Posted by gunownerdan
Great point.
Posted by katg21 at 02:03 PM : Feb 05, 2008

Going to the state governors didn''t work the last two times. What''s stopping you from running yourselves?

[infidel_us]

Yeah, it''s a ''new day'' for the democrats to espouse the same old sh*it. A ''new day'' for Hillary to shed some tears to gett he female vote, a ''new day'' for Ubama to shout CHANGE thru a bullhorn but never define WHAT change he''s talking about......

Sounds like Groundhog Day to me....same old sh*t over and over and over....

[katg21]

There is one hope, however. Obama! Republicans for Obama unite. It''''s the dawning of a new age.
Posted by hook1950

You''re joking, right?

[katg21]

When congress has the lowest approval rating in history, we go to the senate to get our candidates for president.Posted by gunownerdan

Great point.

[hook1950]

This truly is a new day for Demo crats. They''ve been exposed as white racists, Bill Clinton included. Can you imagine how the press would havve come down on a Republican who behaved the way he did?

There is one hope, however. Obama! Republicans for Obama unite. It''s the dawning of a new age.

[alanrobisch]

Exactly! Conservative is a FOUR LETTER WORD. We have problems to fix, not to conserve!!


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Posted by whatithink at 09:55 AM : Feb 05, 2008

As a liberal I suspect you are for conservation of the environment. I am for conservation of traditional values such as life time marriages, abortion as an illegal act and honesty.

[alanrobisch]

Didn''''t we have 8 years of the TruthWord08 and look where it go us? Have you gone and done research on Huckabillies record in Arkansas - it''''s frightening and there is no way in hillbilly heck would I vote for Reverend Huckabilly!


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Posted by simonsez40 at 09:24 AM : Feb 05, 2008

Many people such as myself who are conservative do not admire gwb. He spent more money than he brought in and did not attempt to shrink the govt. I voted for John Mccain because I respect him and because he has the best chance to beat Hillary if nominated.

[pacific_c]

Factcheck.org has new information.

AND

Dare to compare the current congress for voting records.

Senator Clinton has missed 105 votes (23.5%) during the current Congress.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001041/

Senator Obama has missed 168 votes (37.7%) during the current Congress.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/

Senator McCain has missed 251 votes (56.3%) during the current Congress.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/

[pacific_c]

Factcheck.org has new information

Dare to compare the CURRENT CONGRESS for voting records. .....

Senator Clinton has missed 105 votes (23.5%) during the current Congress. ....
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001041/ .....

Senator Obama has missed 168 votes (37.7%) during the current Congress. ....
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/ .....

Senator McCain has missed 251 votes (56.3%) during the current Congress. .....
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/ .....

[irishbitch12]

akona2 and terrorislam7
Barak Obama is not a muslim and never has been one. stop with your filthy lies and do some real research instead of the neocon propoganda you accept as gospel truth.

[dgwooster]

MCvet,
Thanks. Couldn''t have said it better. The NEOCONs will stop at nothing, not even the truth, to make this the kind of world THEY think it should be..