Emmitt Smith, Political Wordsmith

If you didn't know, the Texas primary is coming up, and the rules for the Democratic primary are complicated. Very, very complicated. Basically, it's a two-part process that involves a primary vote (with delegates awarded based on a complex formula based on voter turn out in each State Senate district in the 2004 and 2006 general elections) and caucuses immediately after the primary voting closes.

Driving voters to the polls or a caucus is tough enough; imagine getting them to both on the same night. Especially when both candidates are targeting new voters who might not fully grasp the process. But you don't even have to be a voting neophyte in order to be confused by this process. Even Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk admitted at a Barack Obama rally today that he "didn't fully understand" the state's primary process before introducing someone who to explain it to the crowd in a clear, easy-to-understand manner.

This guy:


























Yes, Emmitt Smith. The same guy who has become a running joke on The Jimmy Kimmel Show for his mangling of the English language as an ESPN analyst. I'm guessing that if explaining the complexities of football is too taxing on someone's speaking skills, you might not want him to be person responsible for getting potential voters to understand the nuances of a complicated voting process:



KXAS in Dallas has footage from the rally on their Web site. I didn't actually hear him explain the voting procedures, but still, it's fascinating. Let's make this a game - see how many grammatical errors you can catch! My favorite is Smith saying that "this man is straightforward, he's serious about his business, and he know what he has to do." The point where he thanked "Mr. Barack..." is a close second.

With the support of someone "as sharp as a whistle" as Smith, maybe Obama can "blowed out" Clinton and put a stranglehold on this campaign.