Worst. Primary. Ever.

The only thing more annoying than suggesting that Web tools are a panacea for democracy and the election process may be the smug claims that they have little to no effect.

Declan "Iconoclast" McCullagh wrote after Super Tuesday that:

It must have come as a surprise to the boisterous Barack Obama supporters who were flagging down commuters at light rail stations south of San Francisco after work on Tuesday, but Hillary Clinton won far more votes in Silicon Valley than did her rival from Illinois....

....So why did Obama--who's popular online and has been touted as a more tech-savvy candidate--lose the nation's high-tech heartland by an embarrassing 16-point margin?...

...clicks in online polls and credit card numbers typed into a Web form by political enthusiasts (do not) necessarily translate into votes.... Traditional politicking and on-the-ground organization still count for more, and that's one area where the Clinton machine excels.

As I wrote last month, it worked for the Clintons in New Hampshire, and it worked again even in Silicon Valley, one of the most tech-savvy places in the world. It shows once again that it's so much easier to click a mouse button (or type in a credit card number, or post to a discussion forum) than it is to register to vote and then actually do it.

Let's first take a magical trip to a fantasy land where everyone in Silicon Valley is tech savvy and works for an Internet company.

You with me?

"Credit card numbers typed into Web forms" doesn't, of course, guarantee you anything. But, ask any candidate whether they would rather have more money or less, and you get my point. I think it's been well documented that Obama has gained support as he has gained resources and vice versa. Not exactly a deep insight.

And, as the readily available data from this primary season demonstrates, this isn't a zero-sum game. On the Democratic side, especially, there has been a surge in turnout that been split by all candidates. It could be argued that the traditional base has been motivated by Hallmark TV informercials and the "Clinton Machine" to vote to Hillary and the Obama side has used new media to inspire record numbers of youth voters, well-educated affluents and independents to vote for him. After all, in a recent 463/Zogby/Cong. Internet Caucus survey of voters, we found that 48 percent of those polled cited the Internet as the primary source of their knowledge of the presidential candidates. Only 31 percent and 13 percent cited television and radio, respectively. as the primary source. Nearly 67 percent of 18-29 year-olds cited the Internet as their primary source.

But, I am not even going to make that argument. It's a fractured media world. People will get their insights on candidates from many different places. Old people. Young People. Hispanics. Eskimos. Even all those Internet employees who somehow are also moonlighting as school teachers, bus drivers and welders in Silicon Valley.

P.S. Now that they ride is over, feel free to peek at the census figures from Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.