Go Go Uncommiteds

The first public poll I saw on the Michigan Democratic non-primary, where the whole field but Clinton and Kucinich pulled out because the new date violated DNC rules, had Clinton at 48% and "Uncommited" at 28%. I was worried that uncommited really meant undecided, but it's a legitimate strategy for grassroots Obama and Edwards supporters in the state.

Top Michigan Democrats made a plea "to coax supporters of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John Edwards to vote 'uncommitted' in Tuesday's Michigan primary, rather than staying home or crossing over to vote in the Republican contest," according to the Detroit News.

Obama and Edwards "yanked their names off the ballot here, leaving New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as the only leading contender for Democratic voters."

Obama and Edwards supporters "can still have an indirect say in the nominating process if they check the 'uncommitted' box on the ballot. State law prohibits write-ins for candidates who have not authorized write-in campaigns; Obama and Edwards have not. If 'uncommitted' draws at least 15 percent of the vote in a congressional district, delegates not bound to any candidate could be sent to the national convention, possibly enabling Obama and Edwards supporters to play a role in the nomination."

So uncommitted is almost certain to garner a lot of delegates (I think it'll reach 40%, how's that), meaning that Michigan won't be a clean sweep for Hillary. It would be a shame if the delegate fight turned over a technicality like one candidate defying DNC rules, but it's not going to happen. So it's on to Nevada for what amounts to a 10-day sprint. Despite this long pre-primary season, giving the candidates a week to camp out in Nevada is not conducive to an informed choice. Another problem with the compressed primary calendar.

UPDATE: I hope that the housing mess does become an issue, now that we're heading into some primary states where that is affecting the economy deeply. Sometimes regional issues and national issues are the same, and this is an example.