By now you probably know that Hillary won Kentucky 
in another blowout. The final tally (from various news sources:
CLINTON - 65%
Obama - 30%
And John Edwards' Endorsement Meant Bupkis
At least in Kentucky, John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama seems to have changed few minds.
According to the exit poll, only 18 percent of voters called the endorsement, announced last Wednesday, "very important" -- half of them chose Obama. But the vast majority said Edwards' support was either only somewhat or not important, and these voters broke for Hillary Clinton.
Oregon & Kentucky: Opposite Sides of the Map
The real news from Tuesday, though, is the "two" worlds of Oregon and Kentucky. Even though Obama's campaign touted his win among the working class (variously referred to as "white" working class, "lunch bucket voters, "Jane & Joe sixpack", and other far more crude descriptions) in Oregon, the tale is in the exit polls, according to the ABC News analysis:
[snip]
Working-class whites ... accounted for two-thirds of white voters in Kentucky, and backed Clinton by 4-1.
[snip]
Compared with Kentucky, working-class whites accounted for many fewer voters in Oregon, just over half of whites there...
Unlike the working class voters in Oregon, voters here have been hit particularly hard with job losses (outsourcing, plant shutdowns) for years - as far back as Ronald Reagan's presidency; in addition, they face generational economic problems that go far beyond job loss. And a majority of these voters are concentrated in the Industrial Northeast and Midwest (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana) and in a great swath of the area along the borders of these states (known as Appalachia). These are the voters who have consistently supported Hillary Clinton, almost from the beginning of her campaign. And, as the ABC analysis notes, like her previous wins among this group, the reason is economic:
Following the education gaps, economic concerns were far higher in Kentucky (where two-thirds called the economy the top issue in their vote) than in Oregon (45 percent).
There is another great analysis of the economic dynamic - that frequently seems to end up in a new media black hole these day - at Salon.com.
Clinton headed to Florida yesterday, gearing up for a DNC Rules Committee meeting set or May 31 in D.C. to determine the fate of two critical swing states in the November general election campaign. And she is willing to take her fight all the way to the convention in Denver, if need be, to seat the delegations and count the votes from both states. From ABC's Jake Tapper:
In Boca Raton, Florida, today, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, told the AP that she's willing to take her fight to seat Florida's and Michigan's delegates ... to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo., this August if Democratic leaders in the two states want her to.
"Yes I will," she told the AP. "I will, because I feel very strongly about this."
RELATED: The DNC Rules Committee will meet Saturday, May 31 in Washington, D.C., to hear appeals from both states regarding their delegates and counting the popular vote. Committee members will hear oral arguments in the morning, break for lunch, and return to make a determination. Sign the petition to Howard Dean and the DNC. I include a list of Rules Committee members, by which candidate they have endorsed, or whether they are currently "uncommitted". Thanks to Jeralyn at TalkLeft for the info:
The tally: Hillary has 13 supporters, Obama 8 and 7, in addition to the 2 co-chairs have not yet endorsed. The member from Florida is an Obama supporter. One of the co-chairs, Alexis Herman, was one of Bill Clinton's cabinet members.
Co-Chairs - no endorsement
Alexis Herman (co-chair, Washington , D.C. )
James Roosevelt, Jr. (co-chair, Massachusetts )Members - Clinton supporters (13)
Hartina Flournay (DC)
Donald Fowler (SC)
Harold Ickes, Jr. (DC)
Alice Huffman (CA)
Ben Johnson (DC)
Elaine Kamarck (MA)
Eric Kleinfeld (DC)
Mona Pasquil (CA)
Mame Reiley (VA)
Garry Shay (CA)
Elizabeth Smith (DC)
Michael Steed (MD)
Jaime Gonzalez, Jr. (TX)Members - Obama supporters (8) [More...]
Martha Fuller Clark (NH)
Carol Khare Fowler (SC)
Janice Griffin (MD)
Thomas Hynes (IL)
Allan Katz (FL)
Sharon Stroschein (SD)
Sarah Swisher (IA)
Everett Ward (NC)Members - no known endorsement (7)
Donna Brazille (DC) *
Mark Brewer (MI)
Ralph Dawson (NY) *
Yvonne Gates ( NV)
Alice Germond (DC) - DNC Secretary
David McDonald (WA) *
Jerome Wiley Segovia (VA)One to keep your eye on: New York lawyer Ralph Dawson. It was his idea to strip the states of their delegates. He contributed $1,000 to Obama. He says he's also given to Hillary. Can he really be uncommitted at this juncture? Maybe... he says his primary goal is nominating the one that is more electable in November, rather than his personal preference.
Another "uncommitted" , David T. McDonald of Washington has already nixed Hillary's idea publicly:
McDonald said he wouldn't respond well if Clinton wanted to seat delegates based on the contests that already took place in the two states.
"If she makes the motion to allocate 'beauty contest' delegates, she will not get support from me," he said. "If she gives [the states] a chance to comply with rules, I will consider it, but they were given 30 days to comply already."
Here's an oddity: Jerome Wiley-Segovia. Although from Virginia, he was appointed by Dean to represent the Latino vote. He thinks Obama has a better chance of winning but praises Hillary's campaign for its "competency."
MORE LATER: On Mortgage/Housing legislation, Farm Bill, EPA shenanigans, Ted Kennedy's diagnosis and condition.
ALSO: I'm working on caucus state turnout/results versus primary turnout/results and hope to have the research and calculations completed later today. The reason? The lack of scrutiny to this - in a critical and historic presidential election - is stunning and yet another example of how journalists are not doing their jobs. Caucus turnouts are far, far lower than are primaries. What I've found may actually shock and/or surprise you about just how unrepresentative they are.
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