When a Win Isn't Yet a Win

Barack Obama may have received the most "votes" in the Iowa Caucus, of course, nothing is official yet. Delegates still have to work their way through the county (this Saturday), district and state conventions. Obama's media staff is still churning out info in the hopes to make sure delegates go Obama's way this weekend (let's remember, the Associated Press estimates John Edwards earned about 14 delegates on caucus night. Those people have to go somewhere. Well, actually, I guess they don't. But some of them will. Probably).

I just got this release:

As Iowans head to the county conventions this weekend, it’s instructive for caucus goers to remember what Senator Clinton has said about the Iowa caucuses since her disappointing finish this past January.

Asked A Few Days Before The Iowa Caucuses Whether They Were Unfair And Ought To Be Eliminated, Bill Clinton Said “No.” After The Vote, Hillary Clinton Said “Iowa Does Not Have The Best Track Record In Determining Who The Parties Nominate” And Added That Iowa “Disenfranchised” Voters Who Work At Night Or Were Out Of State. Still, the Clintons seemed to leave Iowa with a taste of bitterness. Asked a few days before the Iowa vote whether he agreed that the state's caucuses were unfair and ought to be eliminated, Bill Clinton said no. "Obviously, we don't feel that way about it," he said. But it looked a little different after the vote. "Iowa does not have the best track record in determining who the parties nominate," Hillary Clinton told reporters the day after the caucuses. She added that Iowa "disenfranchised" voters who work at night or were out of state because it does not allow absentee ballots in its caucuses. [Washington Post, 1/10/08]

Clinton-Backers Gephardt And Albright Questioned The Rules Of The Caucuses And Added “I Think There Are Issues About Iowa And The Caucus System.” Both Dick Gephardt and Madeline Albright questioned the rules of the caucuses, where victory is decided by the number of delegates the candidates win, rather than the number of votes they receive. Gephardt said: "It's still not clear how far apart they were. They were pretty tightly bunched. It wasn't a blowout victory for Obama. Obviously, you would rather win than lose, but I don't see it as a real loss." Albright questioned the Iowa result, saying: "I think there are issues about Iowa and the caucus system. We all want change but it's necessary to have the experience to make it happen." [Telegraph, 1/7/08]

Clinton Claimed That, In a Caucus, It’s Socially More Difficult For Women Voters And Said “They Would Rather Just Keep Their Vote To Themselves.” During an interview shown this morning on the Today Show, Hillary Clinton made an interesting claim about the peculiarities of the caucus system -- that it's socially more difficult for women voters. “They would rather just keep their vote to themselves,” Hillary said. NBC then followed this with Meredith Vieira's narration that Hillary's campaign had previously carried an air of inevitability -- perhaps a subtle commentary that Hillary is trying to massage expectations against a possible caucus loss. [Huffington Post, 1/2/08]

From TV to the Gov to the Senate? An interesting little political story has been developing the last few weeks. Iowa Governor Chet Culver's Press Secretary Courtney Greene has been said to be entertaining the thought of running for office herself. In full disclosure, Courtney worked here at WHO-TV 13 on several different occasions over the years.

But Courtney said she won't be putting in her paperwork with the Sec of State to file as a Democrat to run against Republican Pat Ward in West Des Moines' Senate District 30. She would have had to ditch the gig in the Gov's office to do it. Although I wouldn't count the run out just yet. If the Dems don't get anyone else, they could always nominate her in the state convention this summer. Stay tuned...