Morning Buzz: March 4, 2008

Called semi-Super Tuesday and Super Tuesday No. 2 by some, today voters in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, and Vermont head to the polls and could finally decide the fate of the tight race for the Democratic nomination. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton remained positive last night; however, both teams acknowledged that close votes and split decisions could lead to another month, at least, of drawing out this battle. The next big primary comes April 22, when Pennsylvanians make their choice.

It's not over yet, warned Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as he spoke today to a banking group in Florida. Bernanke said the mortgage crisis would continue "for a while longer," and he called for additional action to prevent more distressed homeowners from falling into foreclosure. The government and industry have already provided homeowners with some relief.

Well, here's one way to handle the healthcare crisis. Oregon has decided to make health insurance the prize in its lottery. More than 80,000 Oregonians have signed up to win a chance to enroll in a healthcare program designed for people not poor enough to be on Medicaid but poor enough that they can't afford to buy their own health insurance. Only a few thousand will be chosen for the program and winners will be picked through a series of drawing over several months.