Reasons for Barack Obama to be cheerful

Super Tuesday was meant to be the decisive day in the Obama–Clinton contest. Instead it was an indecisive super-muddle. Both candidates did only what they needed to do and no more. After California was called for Clinton, Missouri ended up going for Obama — a turnaround which ensured that the evening ended in a score draw but with Obama leading on away goals.

It was meant to be the night that Hillary Clinton was anointed as the Democratic nominee presumptive. The Clintonite establishment — which played such a crucial role in setting up a schedule where more than 20 states voted on one day — did not believe that any challenger could survive what was effectively a national primary against a candidate with 100 per cent name-recognition.

Hillary had establishment support and access to a tried and tested money-raising machine. But Obama still lives. He won a majority of the states, 13 to her nine, and in the all-important delegate count Hillary is, at the time of writing, only leading thanks to the support of unelected super-delegates.