nomination from Clinton , the candidate favored by the Democratic establishment . This is a nice story , but it is not completely true . For one thing , Clinton actually defeated Obama in the popular vote . Still , one has to be careful not to read too much into this , since Clinton 's very narrow lead depends on counting votes from Michigan . Because Michigan refused to abide by Democratic Party rules when scheduling its primary , Obama had pulled his name off that state 's ballot . It does not really matter who won the popular vote , however , because the Democratic Party does not select its nominee only through a direct election . To become the party 's standard-bearer , a candidate must capture the votes of a majority of the more than 4,000 delegates who are selected to attend the party 's national convention . Although delegates are awarded in part based on the votes that they receive , neither Clinton nor Obama captured enough delegates through their primary and caucus showings to secure the nomination . Indeed , in 2008 , Democratic Party rules made such a feat almost impossible . Unlike
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Are Democrats beginning to reconsider their vote in the 2008 Democratic primary ? With the nation 's economy -- and arguably its politics -- in shambles , it is not very surprising to find in a recent Bloomberg poll that 34 % of respondents think it would have been better for the country if Hillary Clinton had n't lost the battle for the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama . A CNN poll released last week put Clinton 's favorability rating at a tremendous 69 % . Perhaps no one is questioning the 2008 results more than Democratic politicians who must face the voters next year . Right now , it looks like President Obama , rather than offering coattails to those below him on the ticket , may instead be serving up an anchor . This is ironic , when you look back at what actually happened during the Democrats ' 2008 primary , and at who made Obama the party 's nominee . It is often assumed that Barack Obama used his gifts as an orator and his aspirational rhetoric to energize young and minority voters in a way that allowed him to wrest the