And, obviously, there is no strategic voting against Obama for the obvious reason that he polls better against McCain in almost every state in almost every poll so far conducted.

The problem with the TalkLeft raiding thesis is that crossover potential for Obama is clearly indicated in opinion polls, where there is no strategic advantage. Independents have also shown a strong preference for Obama, and they lack the adversarial motives present in inter-party raiding. Any possible raiding effect has been swamped by earnest crossover voters, so it's hard to see this strategy as having played much of a role in the outcome.

One other factor revealed in anecdotal accounts is the amount of anti-Hillary sentiment driving crossover voting. This would not constitute true raiding, which is when voters cast a vote for the weaker candidate in the opposing party, but a few Republicans are apparently willing forgo strategy in order to hurt Clinton.

Of course, the raiding thesis is strongly dependent on Clinton being the frontrunner -- which is contrary to fact. I realize there may still have been some voters who regarded Clinton as a threat until recently and voted strategically, but the perception of Clinton as a frontrunner hasn't been widespread. This perception seems to be mostly present within the Clinton campaign itself and amongst its supporters. However, the TalkLeft thesis also ignores all the evidence that strongly suggests that -- besides the strong performance by the Obama campaign -- the reason for the Clinton campaign's lack of success relates to the poor job they've done.

As I've pointed out recently, this appears to be a classic case of denial. Curiously, the Obama-mania theme, which is highly overblown and part of the media's narrative, attempts to explain Obama support through psychological dynamics, even though the only unusual psychological dynamics I've observed are in the Clinton camp. This continuing stream of rationalizations are what solidified my support for Obama and repulsed me from the Clinton candidacy.

"..the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. .. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked.." - Goering