Watching tv with the sound off and clicking over to CNN website. I refuse to watch the mainly white catholic male over 45 dominated MSGOP network so I'm watchiing Blitzer and King with the sound off for now. Thought I saw somewhere that in OH Hillary won the white vote (both men and women) this time in Ohio. Wow..that's a bit of change from other most recent primaries. Talk Left mentioned something about Senator Obama allegedly filing some sort of lawsuit in OH alrady about insufficient ballots at some locations and some other stuff. Apparently that's why some of the polls are open later in the Cleveland area....Rhode Island should be coming up soon.

And Nero will be endorsing his soulmate John McBush tomorrow (who has officially won tonite)...oh please oh please lets hope he goes out on the campaign trail with him. Let's hang Mr 19% around McBush's neck.

That's so funny, I flicked from MSNBC to CNN and finally settled on FOX.

I can't believe that in some twisted way FOX are more balanced with their democratic coverage, they criticize equally, as opposed to the other two faux news shows who cannot hide their sycophant lovefest for barry.

Its got to be so embarrassing if you take their dialogue seriously.

...more material for SNL ;-)

I still find it very very encouraging the huge turnout of voters on the Democratic side. I mean the vote totals for the top Democratic candidate typically surpasses the entire totals on the republican side...and often even the second place Democratic vote getter is also getting just about the number of votes equal to the total of the republicans combined. That's huge! And this is just for primaries and has been fairly consistent since the beginning of the process. That's is very very very encouraging.

Ok and Cnn calls Rhode Island for Senator Clinton. (Rhode is similar to MA in demographics in many ways so it's not surprising and I think was expected )

Turkana, one thing really bothers me about Left Coaster more than usual. You and your cohorts either don't understand anything about the delegate count -- which I don't buy -- or, more likely, you all are being willfully obtuse about delegate counts.

Here, do the math yourselves. Close elections from here on out means Obama wins. Period.

The only way it doesn't mean Obama wins is if Clinton convinces super-delegates to ignore the popular will of Democratic voters, and primary and caucus results. If that happens, it will destroy the Democratic party as it stands today. Hillary need double-digit leads in all the elections -- not just Ohio and Texas -- to take the nomination. She didn't. She's still losing. She can't win. How long will the party allow the Clintons to piss all over the inevitable candidate, Obama, at this point?

It is over at this point. It was over after Super Tuesday, really. Obama is the winner.

Hey what's Vicki Iseman doing up on the stage with McBush...oops never mind apparently it's Mrs. McCain (or what does she call herself????) Anyway she's wearing a yellow/goldish outfit and has her hair back and looks remarkably just like that picture of Ms. Iseman I've seen on the web...except maybe 10 years older.

brian,

and you are ignorant of the fact that the super delegates are going to determine the outcome. obama cannot win enough delegates to put him over the top. should clinton go on a winning streak, should she end up having won all the large contested states (illinois and new york weren't), all the momentum and publicity will be on her side. and the super delegates will have some serious decisions to make. sorry to break it to you, but if she pulls this out, tonight, this race is, as richardson himself put it, wide open.

Where'd that whining noise come from too...oops never mind...I see now...my bad.

Hey read that Obama filed a lawsuit in Ohio to keep polling places open longer because they didn't have enough ballots in some places...yet what's that all about...doing everything at all cost to win maybe...oh can't be I've been told time after time that it's Senator Clinton who only does that.

But even if these exit polls pan out, and Clinton does win both big states, and the media frames it as a Clinton defeat, they will have only proved, once again, their widespread bias. Wins are wins. Period.

Wow! Obama closed 20 point deficits in a couple of weeks. Making them competitive races, impressive.

And if Obama does win Texas that would kind of smash the theory of Hillary winning all the "big" states.

Interesting thing on the GOP side is that so many people came out to vote against McCain in contests that were basically meaningless.

7o6,

of course. i wrote on monday that she needed to win texas, and i stand by it. but there has been a shift, the past couple days, and if she does win texas, this race is back on.

Interesting thing on the GOP side is that so many people came out to vote against McCain in contests that were basically meaningless.

C'mon, you gotta admit, Huckabee's farewell speech was interesting...

I kind of wish this would end tonite because I'm sick of it all. The other issue I want to mention about was didn't they revamp the whole Democratic Primary system (dates etc) in order for this thing to play out for a long time so all voters across the country could actually be a part of it. I thought that was part of the philosophy behind it when they fooled around with the dates and stuff last time...no? Plus I've heard Senator Clinton say that her husband didn't win the his primary until June...does anyone know how that all played out?

of course. i wrote on monday that she needed to win texas, and i stand by it.

Of course you did... of course you do.

but there has been a shift...

Right!... "the kitchen sink"... someone on the boob tube said, "more like the whole house."

I guess we have to be prepared for what is to follow when Hillary decides to stay in.
I heard the Obama camp hasn't begun to go negative yet.
It's regrettable that it's going get so ugly.

I don't think the Democratic party wants or needs it. We're going to need a Doctor... Dr. Dean!

C'mon, you gotta admit, Huckabee's farewell speech was interesting...

I thought his wife was jabbing him in the ass... as if to tell him to hurry up.

Plus I've heard Senator Clinton say that her husband didn't win the his primary until June...does anyone know how that all played out?

emal, He went on to be President. ;)

7of6...ok I concede...touche.

Why is it that Ohio hasn't been called for Clinton?

snark,

cleveland is always slow reporting, and some precincts were held open because of flooding in the south, and because of obama legal threats, elsewhere. the numbers should tighten quite a bit.

CNN Clinton to win Ohio...think the spread is 57to 41 with 54 percent reporting. Wondering how much it's will tightent up because that's a pretty signficant lead...even if he halves it it's way more than I imagined...hmmmm I sense a shift in momentum.

While watching McCain's speech heard someone mention that Obama had called McCain to congratulate him and to say that he (Obama) looked forward to running against McCain in November.

Don't mind the congratulatory call, but if Obama really did say that he looked forward to running against him in November, that seems a bit, er, anticipatory, shall we say.

Is Obama alrady bubbled in? Enough to believe that he cannot possible lose this race? Or just arrogant and tone-deaf? Neither one is what we need.

i don't know how the today/tonight will turn out for clinton,

but

americans love a fighter.

if she can survive today/tonight,

she has a very good chance of changing the whole obamamania media dynamic.

we'll see what happens.

the wapoop says "lady of steel".

personally, i hope this is the dawn headline that, implicitly if not explicitly, resonates thru the nation.

emal,

look what i posted about voters who decided in the last 3 days. shift in momentum, for certain. and the national polls back it up. this race is back on, in a big way!

clio,

inevitability revisited...

The numbers should tighten alot when seeing what the baseball watchers are saying and the numbers being posted. OH has been called for Clinton . . as of right now, Clinton could chest-thumpingly claim a landslide in OH with most of the metro areas reporting as large wins for her - the outlying counties must be much closer. TX looks as though it could be a toss up with a narrow win by either, although I think Clinton has the advantage as the white and rural counties are what remain.

I too wish it was over, only because I'm absolutely sick of the online bickering.

Looking at the bright side - as someone noticed upthread, 35% of the voters showing up in the GOP contest voted against John McCain by voting for a guy who obviously has no chance in hell of winning the nomination. In the ultimate irony - the Republican wingbat whom should occupy the "snowball in hell" position has been upstaged by an evangelical fundamentalist as the official party protest candidate . . :)

And then look at the turnouts - in both large states, Democratic turnout was 2x what the GOP turnout was. In Texas, if the primary was general, McCain would be in 3rd place behind both Democrats. Democrats, despite the sniping, are showing much stronger prospects for the general election.

As rotten and awful as the Democrats are being, the GOP is in much more serious trouble right now.

Speaking about Texas only...Obama's early vote total got him out to a 100,000 vote margin. When today's vote began to show, that went away fast, his lead vanished. Going forward, she looks to be surging ahead with each update. Look towards Houston or Travis County for any surge for Obama. His vote may come out of there, with a little south Dallas thrown in. Austin is anybodies guess. Seems the 3AM phone call and that Naftaquiddick issue sealed the deal.

I see that now turkana, I guess I didn't realize there were that many undecideds out there left to be wooed. That's what I get for living in the blogosphere bubble where opinions are so firmly entrenched and have been for a long time (firmly against Senator Clinton for the most part too) at this point I just assumed it was everywhere....note to self again, never ass -ume things.

And if Senator Obama did that in his congratulatory call to McCain well there's nothing I dislike more than showboating arrogance even before all the votes have been casted and counted....bad move...and remarkably similar to some of his supporters attitudes on the blogs.

Texas is still too close...gotta go check the map at cnn to see where the votes still need to come from.

Idio, don't confuse primary votes with GE votes. These people were excited today. They've been excited through the 11 strait wins for Obama. Excitement doesn't last...November is a long way away. As for crossover voting...I've seen as much as 15% crossover in Dallas County voting just for president.

Hillary's speech....everyone whose been counted out,andt worked hard never give up, As Ohio goes so goes the nation.

Ooooh boy this election is going to continue....this is going to be interesting. I don't know if I can take it anymore though. Onward!

You know...to look at it, the maps, Clinton is winning in what we used to call flyover country. The cities seem to be going for Obama, except San Antonio, and the countryside for Clinton. She's winning George Bush style.

My opinion is that the best outcome is that the Dem. race be unresolved up to the convention. The reason is that it freezes the Republican noise machine. Any attempt to attack one of the candidates strengthens the other for the general election, and attacking both would be ineffective, and probably strengthen both within the Dem. base.

peter is it true if you vote Democratic, you have to register as a Democrat and stay that way for up to one year from today?

...there's nothing I dislike more than showboating arrogance even before all the votes have been casted and counted....bad move...

emal, That's exactly how I felt about Hillary when she had already crowned herself the winner last fall in the early debates. She's scrambling back.

It does look like a knockout in Ohio for Hillary. Congrats to Hillary.
I was concerned the weather factor might be in play.

emal, I liked Hillary's speech, too. Good for her!

No, not true, with each vote can change registration.

On an unrelated note;

Those who like to watch their odometer role over milestone numbers should keep an eye on the Iraq War costs widget to the right. Gonna roll over $500,000,000,000 within the next 24 hours.

Hillary Clinton behind the podium with Chelsea nearby...Bill is in Austin!

Turkana, if the superdelegates pick Hillary, and they don't follow the results from the state primaries and caucuses, it will destroy the Democratic Party. Hillary won't win the presidency that way, although she will destroy the party. So, if that's what you're advocating, so be it.

Brian, you ignorant prick.

Oooh, Brian nows how to bold a name...make it thru the night before you worry about the future.

It takes two people to destroy a party.

brian,

did you celebrate obama possibly getting more delegates in nevada, even though he lost the popular vote? be honest.

Clinton is having a very good night - congratulations are in order. It's good enough for her campaign to continue, but the problem is she'll have an even harder time getting the nomination. The anecdotal reports of the Texas caucuses seem to indicate they are going much stronger for Obama than the primaries. Although it looks like Clinton will win the primary, Obama is likely to get more delegates out of Texas.

Clinton may gain 10 delegates or so on the night, but with her down over 150 before the night she now needs to get 62% of the remainder to catch Obama. Wyoming and Mississippi will probably more than make up for Clinton's gains tonight.

Brian, Please inform Senators Kerry, Kennedy, Governor Deval Patrick, and now Patrick Kennedy of RI of that rule you've come up with about them voting for their states' winner. I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige.

It takes two people to destroy a party.

Bush/Cheney come to mind.

Obama wants to take both Clinton and McCain on at the same time.

(smile)

Prelim on the caucus from Texas shows a 55 to 45 split.

For fans of Obama, his daily tracking numbers hit the wall on Friday and Clinton's began to rise. Seems Naftaquiddick and the 3AM phone message turned the tide. Maybe that court case that Fitz is holding didn't help...I don't know how many regular voters are paying that close attention to that. 70,000 vote margin for Clinton...Clinton wins Texas primary!!!

CNN

goodnight y'all peace

Turkana, I'm all for giving Hillary a proportionate win in Nevada. However, the situation there isn't quite analogous to the situation with the super-delegates. In Nevada, there was a party caucus that all candidates involved agreed to participate in, the rules known and agreed to well in advance, rules which allowed for all to engage in a fair contest for votes, even if it wasn't quite one man, one vote. In the situation with the super-delegates, there's no rules for allocating the super-delegate vote. It could be backroom politics at its ugliest.

Emal, I do think the super-delegates ought to vote how their state went, or barring that, they ought to make sure their vote doesn't do the equivalent of throwing their state to the other candidate. More specifically, the Kennedys should not be in the business of invalidating their constituents' votes for Clinton or Obama. If they can arrange a vote "trade" with other super-delegates so their vote for Obama doesn't do the equivalent of overthrowing the will of the people of MA and RI, then I'm okay with that. I don't care how it's done, I just know super-delegate votes ought not overrule the will of the people.

Snark, don't be silly. My earlier comment/quote was meant to be a slightly impolite jab at Coyote and it was almost a direct quote of a very old SNL line that I thought Coyote would get, as she's always going on about how old she is, which she apparently really isn't. Of course, that's not really here nor there. You just felt like insulting me because you have no idea what I was actually saying to Coyote, because you're the "ignorant slut," as Dan Aykroyd used to say to Jane Curtin.

The Democratic party, in it's infinite wisdom, decided on proportional delegate sharing. The result? Tonight was a TIE. Meanwhile, Obama enjoys a healthy lead in both delegates and popular votes. Goodnight Hillary fans. See you on the scrap heap.

bad news, nerdof...

her margin in ohio is going to get her a big net gain in delegates. with pennsylvania still to come, plus possible revotes in florida and michigan, she may yet win the majority of pledged delegates...

Sorry Turkana. That revote you speak of? Obama will get his fair share of those delegates too. Sorry folks. It's over.

Nerdoff -

Your guy will need all of Hillary's supporters in November if he wins the nomination. He can't afford to toss them on "the scrap heap".

Factor in Obama wins in those silly insignificant "small" states you're all overlooking, and he wins going away. As the obscure philosopher Tucker Carlson said three days ago, "Obama is making a mathematical argument, Hillary is making a metaphysical argument."

no, nerdoff

she'll win michigan, and she'll win big in demographically favorable florida. add that to pennsylvania, and you have problems. this race is going to get tighter and tighter. it's a whole new ballgame. deal with it.

You do realize Obama won more delegates in Texas tonight, don't you?

You do realize Obama has ONE MILLIon more popular votes, don't you?

Not yet...story isn't printed.

If this goes all the way, Obama will come out with more delegates, the popular vote, and the most states (by a large margin), how could the Democratic Party deny him the nomination?

Oh they can, you bet they can.

go to hell, NealB, you asshole.

Let's see...all those flyover states that Democrats lose.

Nope, the Democrats get six more weeks of primary winter.

Clinton may fly into Wyoming for an appearance, avoid Miss. and park in Pennsylvania. Boy do I pity those poor citizens in Pa. Governor Rendell will help her out, who knows at this stage.

There's a very good reason why the superdelegates will never overturn the will of the voters (all the voters, not just Hillary voters). It would gurantee John McCain wins in Novemeber.

No more commercials for Pennsylvanians, sales will be down from TV/radio ads. And the phone will be a ringing.

Congratulations to the progressive intelligent Senator Clinton. Her speech in Ohio was beautiful. She speaks for millions and millions of Americans who know change takes time but it happens if you don't give up. Congratulations as well to the handsome, wealthy, ivy-league educated, well dressed orator of significant skill, Barack Obama, for his efforts to describe change through uplifting speeches and lucrative advertising deals and access to his vicinity by formerly estimated progressive and left wing bloggers.

NealB, I'm an Obama supporter, that was uncalled for.

Obama will be eating a lot of Philly Cheesteaks!

A tool for the mathematically impaired:

http://www.slate.com/features/delegatecounter/

nerdoff,

i realize you're factually impaired, but the superdelegates are going to decide this. obama needs to regain the momentum if he's going to win them over.

I thought most of Houston's votes weren't counted yet.

nerdoff,

you're clueless- the current delegate count has hillary up in the delegate count, in texas. and obama's million vote lead got cut by a quarter, in one night. deal with it.

and nealb- i deleted your comment.

I could do without any more "will of the people" nonsense.

This nominating process has been a clusterfuck from the get go. It is a royal embarassment and about as fair as a game of three-card monte. Trying to extract the "will of the people" from the election results is laughably impossible.

In a perfect world, all states would have the same voting standards, procedures, and delegate allocation schemes. And all states would exclude independents and Republicans from selecting the Democratic candidate. But this isn't a perfect world.

7o6,

73% of harris county is in. obama led by 50,000 at 50%, and he hasn't expanded that. she's up nearly 100,000, in the state, overall, with more of her areas still to report. the rest of harris county won't turn it around.

Houston's come in pretty well.

Nice job Turkana, still having fun? Enjoy the night, Got to get up in 5 hours for work. Seeya Wednesday sometime.

Ouch:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/4/162042/3056/80/468751

oh no! a daily kos diary for obama! shocking! gasp!

Thanks Turkana.

Looks like a fight to the convention. The vitriol is just starting!! What joy!

Of course, that's not really here nor there. You just felt like insulting me because you have no idea what I was actually saying to Coyote, because you're the "ignorant slut," as Dan Aykroyd used to say to Jane Curtin.

Noooo...I really think your comments expose you as an ignorant prick.

You go on and on about the "will of the people" in a process that is so convoluted and perverse that the "will of the people" is practically impossible to determine. You are extreemly selective, to use a kind term, about how you determine the "will of the people" and you ignore a whole host of things that expose your rank partisanship for what it is. For example, you like to whine about the "will of the people" and the super delegates not representing the "will of the people" in a primary set-up where proportional distribution of delegates is rampant. If the superdelegates must be compelled to vote in accordance with the "will of the people" then why oh why is not every state primary a winner take all affair? I could go on but I'd rather just go back to ignoring your bullshit.

This was Clinton's night. Hats off to her. She's a fighter and that bodes well for the general election. It seems like we cont. the contest.
Here is hoping they both fight as friends and we don't do any damage that could hurt us in November.

Still strongly feel Obama has the best chance to win big in November but will cont. to watch and hope.

Eric in Austin