Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Be a superdelegate sleuth
WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
MSNBC has released an interesting video of their superdelegate war room. You will especially notice their high-tech way of tracking superdelegate endorsements (which might explain things like this).
So we are asking the DCW community to take a look at the video. It gives intriguing brief glimpses of who MSNBC is counting. Pause it, zoom in on it, apply those video enhancement tools we see on all the TV shows, and let us know who MSNBC has on their list that we don’t!
Posted by Matt at 10:36 PM 
And if anybody wonders how we do it… we prefer a more earth-friendly approach. We don’t do paper.
We have spreadsheets that would blow your mind!
You would think they would give you guys some credit and then use your numbers. Or ask both sides what the count is for each delegate so they could see who is changing their support.
I wish the campaigns would do a similar video to see why their count does not match yours.
Keep up the good work.
After analyzing the boards in detail with my crazy video analyzing software, I noticed that Dick Cheney is supporting Clinton and Saddam Hussein endorsed Kucinich.
You’re welcome
My favorite part is the “MS” NBC guys use Google Alerts to get updates.
My favorite part : the said “google” guy (a Will Ferrell look alike with the IQ of a fencepost) showing their lousy board and comparing himself with the title character from “A beautiful mind”.
These anonymous NYC clerks pretend to be like the great nerds who started big things from their garage in California.
They won’t confess they’re just like me, part of the mass of followers who simply tune in every now and then to check the latest updates from the best source : DCW.
While I’m at it.
The thing is you kinda get addicted to your DCW fix.
You’ll have to find a new thing to cure our post-primaries trauma.
Besides, Oreo & co will need data to crunch.
How about counting McCain endorsements from Super Clintonites ?
Their initial problems started back in 2000 with Tim Russert and his white board.
MSNBC’s problems in ’08 started back with their number trackers on their website — they excluded certain numbers from the total count, even through they showed on the state by state tallies — I had sent Chuck Todd an email, which he ignored, but about a week later they fixed it.
AMAZING that no one there ever suggested starting with an actual LIST and then even if they used paper, they could have, say, put a bright blue star on the left of a name for Obama, and a little red devil sign on the right for Clinton. Then they could have counted using tick marks, fingers and toes.
As always — YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!
retards
Good gravy, what an unnecessary mess!
Never mind their smeared-up wall, I think I’ll rely on DCW instead…
Thank god for Google doc! lolll That how we keep track of the nownow race and it a major time saver.
The list at :54 is an Obama list. Only things interesting are that just before 4/18 they had Frank Montanaro (RI) as endorsing Obama. It says: “minus Frank Montanaro (RI) adjustment”. The list also says “4/21 minus repeated Denise Johnson TX”. Everything else in on the DCW list.
The list at 1:32 is an Obama list. Everyone is on the DCW list.
The list at 1:42 is an Obama list. The only thing noteworthy is that they took Al Wynn off on 4/1. Otherwise all the names are on your list.
The lists at 1:44, 1:54 and 1:56 are Obama lists. All the names are on the DCW list.
I can’t imagine doing the comparison I just did with paper lists. Searching a spreadsheet is MUCH faster.
Guys, this is NBC! They get paid for doing this job! Have you never thought that if they used modern technology it would be much simpler and they would need one man instead of two? Using mess helps them keep their job. DCW on the other hand is run by generally two guys in they free time. When you are not paid and you use your own time you do the best to avoid mistakes and to handle the data the best possible way!
Good point when you get paid by the hours and the boss really don’t give a frack how you do the job you tend to take the longest road possible.
That just human nature.
Incidentally, it’s probably time to adjust the definition of the Pelosi Club.
Pelosi has now confirmed that although she still agrees that she would endorse the pledged delegate leader, she will not in fact endorse until there is a nominee.
Perhaps it should be renamed the Spineless Club
The ultimate post-modernist mathematician, Unka Karl, has so exploded the traditional definition of what constitutes “math” that it is potentially possible to have multiple conflicting superdelegate counts all of which are right or, alternatively all of which (with the exception of DCW, of course) are wrong.
Truly a Kuhnian Revolution in the maths!
It’s the Dilbert method of counting.
More paper = More job security.
It’ll look good on their resumes after August…
I kinda liked this sentence:
“Ok, so we have all this white space, it was kind of depressing to have sit in this room with all this white space.”
Why did they have to sit in a depressing room with white space?
Also, (again) it is very funny that (MS)-NBC isn’t using Excel for this.
Their Obama total is the same as DCW’s (they have 304.5 just after Brennan), and their website lists 306.5 today. Their Clinton count today on their website is 282.5, but I wasn’t able to see any Clinton names in the video, so no idea who the extra 3 names are (or how many are duplicates, or errors, like the ones noted that were visible on the screen.) I bet even they don’t know how many duplicates or errors they have, and never will!
to p smith
the problem is that Pelosi is also a member of the Potential VP club.
and HRC makes sure this is not the best time to stab her in the back – that’s the reason why SDs won’t be flocking in before next week.
unless there’s a dramatic change.
I’m thinking that Speaker Pelosi might feel the need to maintain the appearance of neutrality in the event she is asked to chair a convention where two declared candidates remain actively contesting the nomination?