Super Tuesday results: What do they mean?

There are several conclusions we can make about the results of Super Tuesday. First, the dream is alive and well. Sen. Barack Obama, with a lead in the delegate count before the election, had a very good Super Tuesday. While Hillary Clinton won more delegates on Super Tuesday, Barack's momentum continues. It was a disappointing result for me here in California where Barack did not beat Hillary. There is a reasonable explanation for this, as many of us voted at least one or two weeks ago with absentee ballots. If you were for Hillary then or unsure, you would not have gotten the surge of popularity in Barack's message and would have voted before the last debate. I am waiting for the media to see this obvious influence in the outcome. Barack still may have enough momentum to capture more delegates and pull ahead of Hillary in a more substantive way over the next 30 days. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas are among the States yet to have their primaries.

Another conclusion is that the media has been quite rightfully talking about the excitement of the elections. That is true, but it is true mostly because of Barack Obama. He has given hope to a country needing hope so desperately in the wake of 7 plus terrible years of the Bush Administration's arrogance, incompetence and malfeasance. America is so ready for change.

On the Republican side, one conclusion that may not be so clear is that Republicans do not have a candidate they can truly rally behind. McCain did win many States but most were in the Northeast and the West, including his home State of Arizona and California. It is a battle within the Republican Party for the very soul of the Party. It is a battle between the Christian Religious Right versus Social Conservatives who want to break from Bush and the neocons. McCain is a Social Conservative and Huckabee is from the Christian Religious Right being a Baptist Minister but Huckabee also is using his preacher status to be a 'Compassionate Conservative, which President Bush had claimed he was but never showed that side of himself in office as President. Romney is a Social Conservative but is playing to his religious core in an appeal to the "Christian" Religious Right. They don’t see Mormons as true Christians. Does this sound confusing? That's why the Republicans are so split in this election cycle.