The Obama Nomination Countdown

Mac Daddy McCain rolling dice in Las Vegas

Who would have figured it...Mac Daddy McCain likes to throw the bones (from a May, 2005 profile of John McCain in The New Yorker by Connie Bruck): McCain is an avid gambler. Wes Gullett, a close friend who worked for...

McCain Can't Keep His Story Straight on Hamas (Redux)

McCain on Hamas (2006) and on smearing Obama (2008) My initial assessment of the McCain campaign's response to Jamie Rubin's op-ed was a bit too sympathetic. In my defense, it was a reflexive sympathy after seeing new video that added...

The unifier-in-chief

George Bush must really hate John McCain. How else can you explain his decision to insert himself so clumsily into the presidential campaign? At a time when John McCain needs a divorce from President Bush in the worst way possible,...

Barack Obama in Grand Rapids with John Edwards

This is as fired up as I've seen Barack in a long time (except for the weekend of Annie Oakley). It reminds me of his speech in Wisconsin after the Potomac primary. I've got a feeling we'll be seeing more...

Geek with spreadsheet debunks Buchanan's paranoid racial claims

During his paranoid racial meltdown yesterday, Pat Buchanan said that Barack Obama would never have won the Democratic nomination were it not for his race. Buchanan complained that Geraldine Ferraro had been criticized for making the same point, which he...

McCain "Forgets" About Reagan's Arms-for-Hostages Deal With Iran

Existenz makes an excellent catch: today, John McCain said Ronald Reagan refusal to negotiate with Iran for the release of American hostages exemplified his philosophy of "peace through strength." Um...what about Iran-Contra and the arms-for-hostages scandal? Here's video: For more...

John McCain's 2013 Gambit Raises A New Question

McCain celebrates his 69th birthday with Pres. Bush on Aug. 29, 2005 as Katrina flooded New Orleans John McCain's declaration that he hopes the U.S. will be mostly out of Iraq by 2013 is a clear attempt to begin fixing...

Chris Matthews Decimates Hapless Right-Wing Idiot

A classic moment in the history of schadenfreude (things really get going at about 4:10):

Edwards endorsement shatters Clinton's Michigan and Florida dreams

For several weeks now, Hillary Clinton's only conceivable path to the nomination involved securing a favorable deal for seating the Michigan and Florida delegations. Now that John Edwards has endorsed Barack Obama, however, even that path has disappeared. To understand...

Obama will secure pledged majority Tuesday, even with MI and FL

Chuck Todd and the MSNBC political team catch another important ramification of the Edwards endorsement: on Tuesday, when Barack passes 1,627 pledged delegates, securing a majority, he will also win enough delegates to secure a majority of even if Michigan...

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I'm 34, male, and live in Las Vegas. I'm a political junky, though I haven't worked in politics since 2004, when I was a senior staffer on the Hill. Now I write, blog, and post the occasional YouTube video. I'm also seeking representation for a recently completed political thriller set in Las Vegas and DC. You can reach me at JedReport at Gmail -- especially if you know any literary agents interested in a good read! -- Jed

Wed May 7, 6:39 AM

The Obama Nomination Countdown

These guys probably can't vote until 2020, but they're already working for change in Charlotte.

I've updated the sidebar, removing the magic number tracker and other items in favor of a new "Obama Nomination Countdown."

The key feature of the nomination countdown is a conservative projection of the remaining pledged delegates and add-on superdelegates. Once those are taken into account, it become apparent just how close Obama is the nomination.

To secure the nomination, Obama must win a mere 18% of the remaining delegates (which include undeclared superdelegates and the 19 Edwards delegates). It would take a staggering turn of events for him to fail to reach that threshold. In fact, it is almost certain that at least 18% already support him, but just haven't announced their support. (Hence the term undeclared.)

As Obama moves towards becoming the presumptive nominee, and as we begin to say goodbye to the primary campaign, things will calm down on the political front. Obama will spend time introducing himself to voters in key battleground states.

He'll probably clash with McCain will from time to time, but with any luck, things won't really heat up again until the convention in August and then for a 10 week general election campaign.

And then, in just over seven months -- President Barack Obama.

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