Did you know? They’re tied but only Obama Delegates count

Since the start of the primary season, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Delegate Counters at MyDD (I’ve tried embedding them in this post but, I can’t get it to work).  They’ve got two posted in their sidebar.  The first one counts by Obama Rules & he’s ahead in the delegates there.  But, the second one includes Florida & Michigan — and according to that counter, Hillary and Obama are neck and neck; virtually tied.

I’m sick of hearing Obama supporters (and secret Obama supporters) claim that he’s ahead by every measure.  It’s wrong.  By the measure that counts every vote, they are tied.

And this brings me to my question:

If we all agree that sooner or later the Florida and Michigan delegations will be seated, why can’t we count them now?  I don’t get the part where they’ll only be counted after they don’t matter.

My friends, Clinton and Obama are tied and it’s our job to say that with almost every breath.  Repeat after me, they’re tied. Repetition makes facts true.

Short Takes for 2008-03-31 [UPDATE]

A few things you might know, or might not.

• Unsavory reading for Alice Walker fans. Her open letter to “sisters who are brave” dumps on Hillary with a truckload of conceits, deceits, and resentments against white women; declares Obama good enough if we can’t have Rep. Barbara Lee for President; bemoans the fact “that many of my feminist white women friends cannot see him. … That they can believe that millions of Americans … choose Obama over Clinton only because he is a man, and black”. Must read to believe.

• Convention history. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. endorsed the credentials “compromise” that seated Mississippi’s regular whites-only delegation to the 1964 Democratic National Convention by adding two token delegates from the rival integrated Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Reasons? LBJ was an essential ally, the Democratic Party was the major vehicle for change, and it needed to keep the southern states in play. [You’d think this would give a moment’s pause to folks who claim MLK didn’t need LBJ … folks who think Change materializes in quantum leaps after big beautiful speeches … folks who think the nomination is all about the RULZ … and folks who realize their candidate might have a fight on his/her hands come November.]

• What goes around, goes around again. Donna Brazile managed Al Gore’s campaign that cleared the field in the 2000 nominating contest by painting life-long civil rights activist Bill Bradley as inimical to African American interests, and thereby destroying his prospects in key southern primaries. [You’d think this would give a moment’s pause to folks who bought into this year’s race-baiting accusations against the Clintons.]

• Family Feud! Bob Casey Sr. tried to mobilize a Dump Clinton movement going into the 1992 Democratic National Convention, to save the Party from the “unelectable” presumptive nominee. Failing that, he felt he deserved program time for a passionate prime-time pro-life appeal (refused because he wouldn’t endorse the nominee). Failing that, he propagated the longstanding myth that Clinton would not allow pro-life Democrats to speak … damaging the party down-ballot throughout the 90’s. And after that, he prepared to challenge the incumbent Clinton for the nomination in 1996 (which bid was derailed by ill health). [You’d think that … oh, never mind.]

• Obama outspends Clinton 3-to-1 on contributions to superdelegates. See the whole list.

Reminder: Monday is the end of the quarter — be good to your dedicated public servants.

UPDATE: Adding a link to Brown economist Glenn Loury’s “Losing the Narrative”, a perplexed and perplexing foray into the wilds of Obama’s Big Speech and what the Obama phenomenon implies for the larger narrative of black folk in America.