How did HRC expect it to be 'over' by Feb 5 when she didn't even contest the caucuses on 2/5/08?

[Dems to Win]

HRC could be close to tied in pledged delegates today if she'd had a ground operation that got a total of 200,000 more people to the caucuses and polls in 7 states (the first 5 took place on Super Tuesday):

Kansas
Idaho
Minnesota
Colorado
Nebraska
Maine
Washington

Surely, with the money and prominent supporters she had, HRC could have increased her turnout in Kansas from 10,000 to 28,000. Eighteen thousand people in a state where Bill had gotten over 300,000 votes. Similar numbers apply in the other states listed.

In these 7 states and 13 others, Obama won by over 20 points. If Hillary had kept the margin to 55-45 loss -- in places like Kansas! -- she would be tied. She failed miserably at 'losing small'.

There is no one to blame for HRC's loss other than Hillary and her campaign management.

Why did Hillary lose?

She and her campaign failed to do the math. They didn't understand proportional allcation of delegates.

Not until Geoff Garin came on board did they understand the contest they had entered! He finally stated the obvious and only strategy in a proportionally-allocated delegate race:

"Win big, Lose small." Everywhere.

Obama understood this reality from day one.

Hillary ran as if this were a state by state winner-take-all contest, as it will be in the fall. She failed to try to increase her vote in states where she knew she was going to lose, instead just writing them off. The proportional apportionment of delegates made that a very foolish move. Obama has won huge blowouts, and even when he's lost, he's worked to keep the margin to a minimum.

Obama's ground organization was instrumental in all of the wins, both primaries and caucuses. Hillary didn't even try to contest the caucuses in many states; she did not build a knock-on-doors ground organization.

For want of a spreadsheet, HRC lost the nomination.

[Diane R]

1. Amazing that the 'let everyone vote!' gal really only planned to count the votes up to Feb. 5th.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Apparently Mark Penn didn't understand the Democratic rules and schedule.

He thought it was winner-take-all like the GOP.

Interesting that Hillary paid that horse's ass millions of dollars for crap advice. That kind of incompetent leadership rivals GWB.

[LiberalAndProud]

3. Did Bill run with a different set of rules?

[AtomicKitten]

4. nope, but that was her excuse for her kamikaze campaign

she blamed it on Penn

[CreekDog]

5. she surrounds herself with people that will not give her bad news

on the off chance someone does break through with bad news, she will not listen.

this is the pattern with her, surrounded by useless sycophants.

[PoliticalAmazon]

6. Her box-of-ferrets campaign organizers didn't PLAN for the caucuses..

because they were sure she wouldn't need to go past February.

That's a real big mistake there, and Hillary bears the responsibility for putting the campaign together and managing it along the way. Someone clearly was asleep at the wheel, and not doing due diligence to protect the campaign's interests from unforeseen events.