While Barack Obama currently leads in the "popular vote" it is a MEANINGLESS METRIC, that will ultimately turn into a club wielded by HRC.
Throughout the last few months I have heard the phrase "popular vote" being used more and more by the MSM and Hillary Clinton's campaign. Bye and bye it seems that Obama supporters seem to be buying into this and adopting the "popular vote" as a meaningful metric (after all Obama is ahead is he not).
I would suggest that every effort be made right now to disabuse everyone, including the MSM, of the myth that the "popular vote" in the context of the Democratic Primary contest is a valid metric.
As I am sure all Kos readers must know, it is only the DELEGATE COUNT that matters -- it takes 2025 to win. With 12 states using the caucus method for selecting delegates (excluding Texas), by talking about the "popular vote" the following states are removed from the equation:
ALASKA
COLORADO
IDAHO
KANSAS
MINNESOTA
NORTH DAKOTA
IOWA
NEVADA
NEBRASKA
MAINE
WASHINGTON
WYOMING
At this time Senator Obama leads Senator Clinton in the "popular vote" by roughly 500,000 votes or 1.7%. This, of course, excludes Florida and Michigan, where the Democratic Party is refusing to seat delegates.
Even so, in her nonstop effort to wrest the nomination from Senator Obama, HRC continues to press for the inclusion of these two states. Even though the delegates cannot be seated, as the convention grows nearer, expect her to harp on the "popular vote" including Florida and Michigan as a metric by which to judge her "electabilty".
I truly do not believe that it is too far fetched for the MSM to pick up on this angle in it's attempt to hype this primary contest. The talking heads have already begun to preview the "What if she were ahead in the popular vote" spin.
Take a look at RealClearPolitics to see the impact of this. The areas shaded in blue are my concern.
In conclusion, we should avoid falling into this trap that is being laid. Even though there have been a number of attempts to extrapolate the caucuses into votes, the average voter looks at quick graphics, and does not venture into nuance. For this reason please remember: IT'S THE DELEGATES DUMMY!