The LuLac Edition #481, May 20th, 2008

PHOTO INDEX: INTERNET TROUBLE LOGO.

OUR APOLOGIES

We've been having some internet issues the last few days. Although we can publish, it seems our internet is not accessible to us and some posters. What is happening is that the access is being denied and delayed. The crack LuLac I.T. team is working to resolve these problems soon. Sorry for the inconvenience. Now for some politics.

HOW IT HAPPENED

As we wind down in this Democratic Presidential race, we still see both Senators Clinton and Obama neck and neck. This thing has been noting but a blur of Hillary being up one week, Obama being down the next, and then just the opposite happening. It is instructive to see how this delegate seesaw battle started. Quite simply, Obama has led in pledged delegates since he won the first caucuses in Iowa on Jan. 3. The two candidates stayed close through Super Tuesday, when Democrats voted in 22 states and American Samoa. Obama won 13 more delegates than Clinton that day — out of nearly 1,700 at stake.
Obama built an imposing lead the following two weeks, winning 11 straight contests in states such as Louisiana, Maryland, Washington and Virginia. He led by 161 pledged delegates on Feb. 19, after victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii. The lead has been relatively unchanged ever since as the candidates spent the past three months trading victories.
Obama goes into Tuesday's contests with 1,610 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses. He needs 17 more to reach a majority of the 3,253 pledged delegates available. Clinton has 1,443 pledged delegates, according to the latest tally by The Associated Press.

NBC News reports that their national delegate count currently stands at 1444 for Clinton and 1602 for Obama. NBC’s estimated superdelegate count stands at 280 for Clinton and 299 for Obama. Right now, more people are jumping on the Obama bandwagon, the endorsement of Robert Byrd of West Virginia was huge in my eyes. You will now start to see a winding down of the Clinton campaign, despite Steve Corbett's innovative "Operation Turndown" and perhaps a shadow campaign to get Senator Clinton on the ticket as Vice President. Tonight, the Kentucky and Oregon primaries take center stage.