How Obama Won: 50 State Strategy

How Obama Won: 50 State Strategy

Hillary Clinton to Katie Couric: It will be over February 5th.

When you heard Hillary Clinton become the champion of ' counting all the votes'; ' don't let them push me out until all the voters have been heard from', remember what she said to Katie Couric.

It will be over February 5th.

This is what happened February 5th. It was NOT over.

Hillary Clinton thought this was a 400 meter race.

Barack Obama knew it was a 4x400 relay and prepared for battle.

People used to argue that there wasn't much difference between Obama and Clinton. One of my retorts was always that there was a huge difference between them:
One lived by and believed in 50%+1
The other one lived by and believed in The 50 State Strategy

When I say 50%+1, it means that the Democrats would be going back to the same old tired electoral map that they've been using for years. That certain states count, and other states don't, and you shouldn't even bother in those states, even if they have Democrats in them, because we won't win. The 50%+1 is the basis of thought for such books as Whistling Past Dixie:How Democrats Can Win Without the South...which argues that the Democratic Party should just write off the Southern portion of the United States. Well, who makes up the largest share of the Democratic Party in the South? Black voters. A majority of the African-American population in America lives South of the Mason-Dixon. And, you have folks arguing to basically discard their votes. No thank you.

The 50 State Strategy is just that. You fight for the Democratic Party in ALL 50 States. It doesn't matter if it's a Red State; while Democrats might not be able to win it in a Presidential Election, or even a State Election - TODAY -- you drop the seeds by growing the party, so that we can win one small election this time, and next time try for a higher office and so on. That the Democratic Party would fight for Democrats all across America.

If depended upon how you saw politics and what you wanted for the Democratic Party as to which vision was for you.

For me, it was no contest - The 50 State Strategy.

There is a reason why Howard Dean was retained at the DNC by Barack Obama. It's because Obama is a fan of and put to use beyond Dean's wildest dreams, Dean's own 50 State Strategy.

The following posts reference this topic:

Obama Launches Vote For Change, A Massive 50-State Registration Drive

The Attacks on Howard Dean

Hillary "Tonya Harding" Clinton Big Dollar Donors Threaten Pelosi & DCCC


Hillary Clinton and her campaign ignored the caucuses. Since Bill Clinton didn't do well in the Iowa Caucus when he ran, they wrote them all off around the country. Caucuses take time; they take building organization and relationships. They are money intensive, and people intensive for the amount of votes you get from them. They were written off by Camp Clinton; after all, no Democrat actually ' wins' most of these states in the General Election, so why waste your time on a Democratic Party caucus in these states. Once again the 50%+1 Mentality shows its ugly head.

Jack Turner, at JJP, wrote a piece on the contempt Hillary Clinton's Campaign showed for voters in states who went against her: Hillary: Votes Only Count If They Are For Me

There were caucuses in the following places:
Iowa
Nevada
Alaska
American Samoa
Colorado
Idaho
Kansas
Minnesota
North Dakota
Nebraska
Washington
Maine
Hawaii
Texas
Wyoming
Guam

Out of this list, Barack Obama LOST the DELEGATE COUNT in ONE Caucus - American Samoa.

Even though he 'lost' the Nevada Caucus, he received MORE DELEGATES than Hillary Clinton because of his success in RURAL Nevada.

He only tied her in one place, delegate wise - in Guam, which he won by 7 votes.

Everywhere else, he BEAT HER in the caucus states.

His final Pledged Delegate Tally from the Caucuses: 326
Hillary Clintons? : 176

Those little throwaway states, didn't matter to 50%+1 Hillary Clinton. They DID to 50 State Strategy Barack Obama.

Since this was a race for PLEDGED DELEGATES, the Obama 50 State Strategy paid off once again.