dammit all, Florida doesn't matter!

They're not even trying to be objective anymore. It's seriously a  "fuck the Clinton's" broadcast tonight

I get the feeling that with Clinton trying to push Florida into the narrative the media is going to give them the bird and say "the Clintons are trying to cheat again!"

Even the supposedly "substance based and objective" blogosphere has not held back their Clinton bashing about Florida, and everything else.

why advertize? She's going to win by large margins anyways.

yes, I think he has no good choice but to make the best of the "playing by the rules" narrative and move on.

MSNBC panels already ycuking it up (just short of high fiving the Obama win) and saing on air that Clinton has broke the pledge (how?  she of course hasn't).

Obam could break the pledge tomorrow (really he already has with his national ads airing in FL) and the media will twist it and blame Bill.

Florida will get a big chunk of coverage.  I think it'll be a pretty big blowout for Clinton, then we are heading into Feb. 5.   Only 10 more days of this, then things hopefully settle down a little (even if things are not 100% clear at that point yet.)  

She should land in Jacksonville and give a huge victory speech and thank Fl for their support.

Given the number of "uncommitted" votes in Michigan, I don't think Obama has to campaign there to get respectable results.  Let his Florida surrogates make the case and all he has to do is win some delegates to "beat expectations."

He should immediately head west and start wooing Hispanics, and maybe up to whereever Caroline Kennedy lives for a photo op.

She is not going to get those Michigan delagates seated until there is a clear nominee.  If they are seated now, the uncomitted share should be translated into delagates for Obama.  

Jerome...

NO ONE had a 25-30 point win in mind for Obama.

I thought folks that we're saying he needed to win by 20 points to "win" were being ridiculous... turns out he's probably going to beat even that spread.

You can spin this.  It was a substantial Obama win and a big HRC defeat.

Given that the next state pays zero attention to the previous state, I wouldn't say that Obama gets momentum. It seems NO ONE is getting momentum from this primary.

I don't see much changing for Feb 5th except maybe GA swinging into Obama's direction.

I'll be honest.. Obama should break the pledge and go balls in for Florida. I dont think Democratic voters in Florida or Michigan should be penalized. Their delegates should be seated. Obama should not sit idly by and say Florida shouldn't matter. Obama has to opportunity to ride a prospective wave, he should campaign in Florida. Not campaigning there to listen to a pledge is foolish in my opinion.

It's about winning. The Clintons will get dirty. Obama should too.

I have a question..

Will the regular voter be watching this Obama speech? Or will they have turned off the TV since it was a rout and Obama is speaking two hours after a projection has been made?

And I'll be fair, I don't honestly care about this Caroline Kennedy Schloessberg endorsement. Am I wrong in not caring about it?

Florida is the 'first big state'.

Given the prominence the media has awarded Florida, I can't foresee a Clinton victory being ignored.

The momentum will be behind Hillary

If (it ain't gonna happen but if...) HRC loses the delegate count by a few, after winning Michigan and Florida, will the DNC be under any added pressure to seat those delegates? I think this boycotting by the DNC is TERRIBLE for the party come November. I knew about Michigan but had no idea of the Florida boycott. This is a disaster for our party come November if Giuliani (ahhahahah!) or McCain are the nominees. We could lose Florida and even Michigan based on a few good commercials about the boycott..

Falco: Probably (even though it is saturday) and no.

I think the whole boycott is retarded and indeed terrible, so is this whole race issue.. But ya ND, you make a good point. The GOP could air ads saying how the Democrats didnt care for your vote in the primary season, why should you care for them now.

It's because Obama actually did worse tonight among white voters then in prior contests so although his showing bodes well for the souther states, it bodes poorly everywhere else.

Alright alright, you're a big fan of Michigan and Florida counting, we get it. No way Obama is going to bite though, that would be crazy. Clinton is going to win there and if Obama breaks the pledge then it matters way more that he loses. As it is, we're all going to be talking about the Republican primary there already, if the Dems stick to keeping out, then it will get way less play.

The media has been very consistent in talking about this as the last primary before Super Tuesday.

I think those Clinton fans who are counting on the media to do them a favor and treat Florida like a big deal may be in for a disappointment.

Mullibok, I guess I can understand that point. Obama is down big there, and if he campaigns there, it'll show he cares about Florida.

However, there will be spin in my opinion anyway and Florida will matter a lot more than South Carolina will in my humble opinion because it's the last primary before Super Tuesday.

Doesn't matter re:  Florida.  That's easy for Camp Obama to spin, as it doesn't count unless the credential committee or a floor vote of the non-FL, non-MI delegates decide to seat them.  Not to mention the "Calvinball" aspect of the Clinton strategy of changing the rules once it becomes amenable to them.

Not to mention that on the R side, FL decides everything and takes the oxygen out of the room.  The media spin on Wed. covers McCain/Romney results, Guiliani's spectacular collapse (and where he goes), etc., etc...

It just isn't a good idea for Clinton to chase pyrhhic non-delegate victories.  We seem to think that both campaigns' resources are unlimited -- they aren't if this thing goes to the convention.  

Everything on 2/5 is deciding spin (HRC is about state wins, Obama about purple/blue states and keeping the delegate count differential low).

It's Florida and the candidates name appear on the ballot. The Media didn't care about Michigan because Clinton v. Uncommitted isn't a story. Obama v. Clinton matters.

It would be helpful, Jerome, if you quoted the HRC press memo you refer to.

In it, her campaign accuses Obama of "ignoring" the voters of Florida! The key graph:

Despite efforts by the Obama campaign to ignore Floridians, their voices will be heard loud and clear across the country, as the last state to vote before Super Tuesday on February 5th.

I must say it's funny that all the networks covered Bill Clinton and now their all covering Hillary Clinton.

You wanted so bad for michigan to matter and -- wait -- nobody mentions it.  You've been wrong on this issue for so long, you just can't bear to talk about something else, can you?

Obama: it's too bad that we are not allowed to campaign in Florida, but we feel it's important to play by the rules.

The media: no delgates, no campaign: Hillary gets no victory speech, and minimal press because McCain or Romney will all the news.  If she campaigns there, she broke the rules and Obama is somewhere else campaigning in a state that matters.  Do you understand?  Yes, but emotion has frozen your mind.

When they are seated, they will seated according to the wishes of the actual pledged delegates in Denver.  They will.  Not. Matter.

Are there Georgia media markets that overlap with northern Florida? Anyone know?

Typical Armstrong. Obama wins big tonight and he wants to talk about Clinton and Florida. He and this website are a total joke.  Read Frank Rich in the Sunday NY Times to see what the Clintons are in for with the nomination. Obama is not done yet. OBAMA 08.

Wow, Jerome Armstrong, your inability to even partially disguise your naked Clinton partisanship when you try to "objectively" analyze the political situation is rendering you utterly absurd.  

If Hillary wanted to write an "analysis" we'd have what Jerome wrote.

hmmmm

Obama brilliantly distorted Hillary Clinton's MLK comment and used it to pursue a divisive strategy in South Carolina (with the eager help of the media).  He got the blowout he needed, but it's hard to see how he builds on it, notwithstanding Joe Scarborough's hyperventilating.