I just don't get it. This race is about delegates, not states... so why is Clinton "putting it all" on March 4th?
Democrats allocate delefates proportionally. It's not 'winner take all'... so why the focus on winning the 'big' states?
Perhaps is an indication of their values.
In order to win the democratic nomination. A candidate must amass 2025 delegates. Yet, the focus of Clintons campaign seems to be about 'winning the big states', namely Texas and Ohio.
But the number of states a candidate wins doesn't mean anything. It's the delegates that ultimately matter, right? Sure, winning lots of states helps build a perception and build momentum. But what's the bottom line? Delegates.
So why isn't Clinton more focused on winning delegates. Why isn't she fighting hard for delegates in every last state, even states that she'd bound to lose overall. Is she just playing the you only need 50% + 1 strategy? If you can put a few resources into a state, make a few visits, and come away with a few more delegates, isn't that an equal payoff in putting all your resources into one big state, only to come away with a few more delegates than you would have gotten anyway?
Perhaps it's because Team Clinton consists of the same consultants who have been losing elections for democrats for decades, but it just seems like they've completely taken their eye off the ball.
Two more delegates in Virginia, even though she lost in a landslide, mean just as much as two more delegates in California.
I'm sure somebody on the campaign has come up with a formula to figure out the cost/benefit analysis for each state, but perhaps the formula doesn't consider the right values to begin with.
Delegates are all that matter in the end.
Not media perception. Not momentum. Not image. Sure those things influence how many delegates you can win. But the bottom line is delgates and only delegates.
I see the Obama campaign differently. They are agressively targeting every single state, every last delegate, and every last voter. Resources are spent wisely. Obama is not campaigning to voters only in Iowa, New Hampshire, California, or Texas... He is campaigning to voters everywhere. He is campaigning to all voters, conservative and liberal, christian and athiest, rich and poor, NASCAR fans and PGA fans... not poll tested demographics because every person matters, and every person should have a say in how our country works.
Living in Washington state, I noticed a stark difference in how the campaigns treated me. The night before the caucus, I got three robo-calls supporting Hillary. However, The morning of the caucus, I got a very nice phone call from a real person, reminding me to caucus. Team Hillary called me more, and had recorded endorsements from area politicians... but the Obama Campaign made me feel like I really mattered.
Perhaps the way these two candidates campaign, is an indication of how the two candidates would treat our country, if they became President.