Michael Barone has two interesting points this week on the election

Michael Barone discusses many reasons why this election is different from past ones:

Another way this election has been different from any other since 1960 is that neither money nor the thing it mostly buys -- television advertising -- has made much difference. Obama has been a prodigious fundraiser, raising unheard of sums over the Internet. But his money advantage didn't enable him to close the deal and beat Hillary Clinton in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania or Indiana. . . .

and

But about 80 percent of this lead -- between 130 and 140 delegates -- came in caucuses, where the enthusiasm of his followers and the inexplicable failure of the Clinton campaign to mobilize hers gave him big victories.

If Clinton had contested these caucuses in small states or if the Democrats had winner take all rules, Clinton would likely be the Democrat nominee right now.