- Barack Obama won caucuses in Washington state, Maine, and Nebraska, and primaries in Louisiana and the Virgin Islands. His delegate takeaway from the weekend is at least 82, and Hillary Clinton's is at least 48.
- That brings the overall pledged delegate count to 968 Obama, 895 Clinton, according to 2008 Democratic Convention Watch. But if super-delegates are included in the count, Clinton is in the lead.
- What, you said? A Virgin Islands primary? The Islands have 3 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, all of which have gone to Obama. But no, the Islands and other U.S. territories, such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, do not have any votes in the Electoral College. The parties have independently decided to give them a say in the nominating process.
- Hillary Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle has stepped down -- or been fired. The timing was unexpected, although this has been brewing ever since Iowa. Solis Doyle's replacement is Maggie Williams, another Hillaryland and 2000 Senate race veteran.
- Caucuses suck: They're disorganized and favor more affluent, well-educated voters who have the time and inclination to spend hours publicly declaring their candidate choice. In Nebraska, the Omaha World-Herald reports, "The crowds -- often double or triple what organizers had expected -- led to delays, confusion and borderline chaos at many caucus sites. ... [In one precinct,] instead of a true caucus, the event turned into a simple vote, with people asked to drop a piece of blue paper indicating their presidential pick into a box."
--Dana Goldstein
