Smug bitch

Hillary, as was expected, won the West Virginia primary yesterday. The margin was pretty big, however: 67%. With even the Los Angeles Times noting that the state provided "a large turnout of white, rural, and working-class voters" (read: ignorant white trash), the victory is probably a hollow one, as it's not expected to stop Obama's nomination. "West Virginia's demographics closely matched Clinton's political base. Interviews with voters leaving polling places showed an electorate that was 95% white, less educated and poorer than in most other states. Four in 10 were over age 60, and a little more than half came from rural areas. Racial attitudes also boosted her performance. About 1 in 5 voters said race influenced their decision, and about 8 in 10 of them backed Clinton." Clinton noted that no Democrat has won the White House in nearly 100 years without carrying West Virginia in November and likened herself to John F. Kennedy, who laid to rest doubts about his candidacy by winning here in 1960. (Kennedy needed a victory to avoid placing the nomination in the hands of party elders; Clinton is attempting the opposite, hoping to extend the race so party elders can make the final decision.)
Dorsey Claypool, 62, who drives a garbage truck, intended to vote for Clinton as soon as he finished work. "They always helped me every time I needed something," Claypool said of Bill and Hillary Clinton. "They are good people." Asked about Obama, Claypool hesitated, then said he would not vote for him because he was black.
Obama continued to gain superdelegate support, adding four, including Roy Romer, a former Democratic Party chairman and ex-superintendent of Los Angeles public schools. "This race, I believe, is over," Romer told reporters in a conference call. "It is time for the party to unify... and move on to the general election." The balloting resumes Tuesday, with Clinton favored in Kentucky and Obama expected to win Oregon. The results could give Obama a majority of all pledged delegates -- those awarded through primaries and caucuses -- at which point he may declare victory. Obama now has 1,883.5 delegates to 1,717 for Clinton, according to the Associated Press. It will take 2,026 delegates to clinch the nomination.

Rico says he'll be happy when this is over, and we can get back to traditional Democrat-versus-Republican namecalling.