The folks who troop to the polls to vote in Democratic primaries, like the folks who vote in Republican primaries, are not ticket-splitters. They’re not independents. They know where they stand and – barring some unnatural act – when they return to the polls in November they will vote (as they have done for as long as I can remember) the party lever.

Yesterday, Hillary roared through the West Virginia primary, thumping Obama 67% to 26%, then last night reared back and said, ‘Look at me. The White House is won in the swing states. And I am winning the swing states’ – but that’s pure political sophistry.

She won among people who voted for her husband and Al Gore and John Kerry; those people live in a swing state but are not even remotely swing voters.

When Hillary says, I won West Virginia now, so I can win it in the fall, it sounds like 1 + 1 = 2, but it’s fiction. But even if it’s fiction it’s a useful a PR tool. Just turn on Fox and MSNBC and watch. You won’t see pundits asking her, How is winning the support of people who’ll vote for Obama this fall – unless the sky falls – a sign you’ll win West Virginia and he won’t?

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