A few of my clients are active in the current political campaigns. The mad scramble of the past week turned into a mad scramble for my time.

For clients on retainer, I offer expedited service - the ability to demand my time on rush, critical, last minute projects. For this service, I charge an expedited (read: high) hourly rate. I was expedited to the point of little sleep during this past week. Wow!

I completed five large writing projects, and several smaller ones for three separate campaigns. Total word count - 20,000. For perspective, I typically average 500 words per hour of tight prose. That effort interrupted my Almost Famous essay and virtually everything else.

With so much passion, wishful thinking, and sleep deprivation affecting my clients, I need an objective marker of the campaigns and the state of politics. For that, the political futures market at the University of Iowa are immensely useful.

According to last night’s prices:

Obama - 54% chance of the democratic nomination.
Clinton - 44% chance of the democratic nomination.

Democrat elected president - 59%.