Delegates, SuperDelegates & Cartoon of the Day

Todays Political Cartoon is about the SuperDelegates of This years elections. How much of an impact will they play and how pissed could the public be? In a time where nominees are trying to get as much as possible could it come down to who has the SuperDelegate Swagger? What about the regular Delegate, are they just the tossed out packaging used to convince us that our vote does matter?

Obama had 1,303 before all of delegates from Wisconsin and Hawaii were factored in, according to The Associated Press, while Clinton had 1,233.

The figures included some superdelegates — politicians and party officials who aren’t awarded in the primaries and can vote any way they want at the convention.

Clinton’s fear, as the race goes on, is that a continuing surge for Obama will convince more and more superdelegates to move from her side of the fence, leaving her campaign in tatters.

Obama's latest victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii placed intense pressure on Clinton to triumph in Ohio and Texas early next month to salvage her campaign after a bitter, historic battle rolling heavily in Obama’s favour.

In capturing Hawaii, Obama, vying to become the first black U.S. president, captured 20 convention delegates needed to become the party nominee.

However, Wisconsin was the bigger prize, offering 74 delegates and — with its large number of blue collar voters — a preview of what could happen in industrialized states like Ohio on March 4.

Obama was attracting lower-income and unionized voters that usually side with Clinton, and splitting the support of white women who have flocked to her in the past.

Recent polls suggested Clinton was still leading Obama in Ohio but her long-held advantage in Texas had nearly vanished. Pennsylvania votes in April.

“Both Senator Obama and I would make history,” Clinton told a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, where she didn’t mention her loss in Wisconsin. “But only one of us is ready on Day 1 to be commander in chief, ready to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the Republicans. Only one of us has spent 35 years being a doer, a fighter and a champion for those who need a voice.”

For the Republicans, presumptive nominee John McCain added to his own delegate count while trying to shake remaining rival Mike Huckabee.

He won the Republican primaries in Wisconsin and Washington state. A

t a rally in Columbus, Ohio, he zeroed in on Obama as his likely opponent in November’s general election, criticizing his inexperience in foreign affairs and saying his soaring oratory lacks substance.

“I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change,” he said. “I will wage a campaign of determination, passion and the right ideas.”

Obama hit back in his own speech, saying McCain “represents the policy of yesterday and we want to be the party of tomorrow.”

Polls in advance of Wisconsin had suggested a closer Democratic race, and it should have been a competitive state for Clinton given that voters are mostly white, with lower incomes and don’t have college degrees.

Seven in 10 voters said U.S. trade with other countries costs jobs.

Clinton’s camp released a plan late Tuesday promising to “dramatically strengthen” the trade deal’s labour and environmental provisions, boost enforcement mechanisms and change rules allowing foreign companies to challenge American laws at tribunals outside the U.S. court system.

The Democratic race has become increasingly testy, with the Clinton camp accusing Obama on the weekend of plagarizing part of a speech from his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Patrick has dismissed the charges as bogus since he has helped the campaign with speechwriting. Obama noted that Clinton has borrowed some of his phrases in her public appearances.

Clinton argues that she’s the only one who can stand up to the Republican attack machine.

Both Obama and Clinton have been emphasizing plans to help struggling families. And they’ve been taking shots at the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

Obama has slammed the deal as one reason the country is facing economic turmoil and issued a rebuke to Clinton, whose husband pushed hard for the NAFTA over the objections of many Democrats.

His campaign has already distributed mass mailings critical of Clinton on the issue in Ohio.