Election '08: Primaries

[Justadude]

The intra-party bashing among the Reps is a delicious thing to see.

[Charlotte_native]

In the meantime, I'd expect conservative third parties to start popping up as alternatives to the GOP, much like the Green and Reform parties in the past decade.

[monsoon]

^Unfortunately that can't happen in the USA because remember the president is elected by the electoral college not the popular vote, and all but 2 states (I believe) assign these electors in a winner takes all fashion. So it is almost impossible for a 3rd party to come in and make any headway as they could if electors where proportionally assigned, or we went to the popular vote. The reason that you see multiple parties in other industrial countries is that for the most part, the votes are proportional assigned, and many times a coalition has to be formed in order to get a 50% majority.

The only notable exception to this would be the UK which basically is also a two party system for control of their lower house and Prime Minister position. (there is no constitution in the UK and the upper house still has inherited positions)

[cityboi]

Hillary started crying again...everytime she gets behind in the polls she uses the crying tactic. She cried on the eve of the New Hampshire Primary. The media covered that and she won New Hampshire. Now its the eve of super Tuesday and shes cryin again. I didnt see her cry for all those soldiers that were killed in Iraq. This is getting really sickning.

[JerseyBoy]

Hillary started crying again...everytime she gets behind in the polls she uses the crying tactic. She cried on the eve of the New Hampshire Primary. The media covered that and she won New Hampshire. Now its the eve of super Tuesday and shes cryin again. I didnt see her cry for all those soldiers that were killed in Iraq. This is getting really sickning.

[monsoon]

May I ask, what issue do you have with Hillary? It seems every other post from you on this thread is an attack on her. .....

[JerseyBoy]

This is of course a topic of opinion. These kind of questions and accusations really are not helpful.

[Charlotte_native]

You are right, but I see people constantly pointing fingers (specifically toward her), yet they never provide any basis of why they are. Usually somebody has a reason why they strongly dislike someone...

[runawayjim]

You are right, but I see people constantly pointing fingers (specifically toward her), yet they never provide any basis of why they are. Usually somebody has a reason why they strongly dislike someone...

[Charlotteman]

For 40 years I haven't seen a candidate create such dazzling excitement as Barack Obama. In my opinion, Bobby Kennedy was the last one to engender such enthusiasm, when he ran for president in 1968.

My gut feeling about this has now been somewhat confirmed---Ethel Kennedy, wife of assassinated Bobby, has endorsed Barack Obama. She is seeing clear similarities between Barack and her late husband.

Caroline and Teddy Kennedy have come out for the Illinois Senator. And Maria Shriver, the neice of JFK, RFK and Teddy Kennedy has also endorsed Obama.

[vdogg]

This moment where she 'cried' was at a campaign event at the Yale Child Study Center where she first pursued her interest in child advocacy. A friend of her's, Penn Rhodeen, supported her by saying," It was so 1972. Here is the abiding truth we know -- you have always been a champion for children. Welcome home, dear friend. We are so proud of you." I can see how it is easy to get emotional over that, especially for a woman.

I don't agree with everything she has done or supported, but I believe she could take this country out of the crap hole it's been in under the current administration.

[kayman]

You are right, but I see people constantly pointing fingers (specifically toward her), yet they never provide any basis of why they are. Usually somebody has a reason why they strongly dislike someone...

[Gusterfell]

^ I agree with all that, and the Clinton campaign did take the race issue to far, but it was the Obama campaign that brought up the issue to begin with, by calling Hillary's comments about Martin Luther King derogatory to blacks. Hillary was speaking about the power of the presidency, and her point had nothing to do with race.

Runawayjim, Obama also claims to be against the war, but he has voted to fund it several times. I don't find it unreasonable that Hillary considers her 2002 vote justified, given the fact that the Congress was provided faulty intelligence on Iraq by the White House. Her mistake was in trusting Bush to be honest.

I'm with JerseyBoy on this one. Hillary certainly has her problems as a candidate, but I don't see much justification for the hatred she receives from many people. Most of the criticisms she has received in this thread and elsewhere could as easily be said about any of the candidates, all of whom have done their fair share of political pandering. I'm an Obama supporter, but if Clinton receives the nomination I would have no problem with supporting her.

[Charlotte_native]

For 40 years I haven't seen a candidate create such dazzling excitement as Barack Obama. In my opinion, Bobby Kennedy was the last one to engender such enthusiasm, when he ran for president in 1968.

[JDC]

This is another reason for how I feel and I've written it in this thread from the beginning. In Obama I see a leader, in that people want to follow. I don't think we've had that in a long time (though I think Bill C was close but just for one party). When Barak speaks it often reminds me of the great leaders in the past who'se speeches are still listened to today.

I have nothing against Hillary, but I don't see this in her or anyone else running for that matter. I'm ready for a true charismatic leader and someone that has a chance of reaching over to the other side and fixing our problems, not widening the rift.

[Raintree21]

Mike Huckabee just won West Virginia's 18 delegates for the GOP.

[runawayjim]

Mike Huckabee just won West Virginia's 18 delegates for the GOP.

[Justadude]

My negative perception of Hillary stems from her time as First Lady. I've always been suspicious of people who ride another person's coattails into political power, and nobody in recent history has done it as effectively as Hillary. I was uncomfortable from the beginning with her appointment to lead national healthcare reform, and her role in Whitewater and Travelgate didn't make it any easier to like her. And of course the Lewinsky scandal put everyone involved in a bad light. But it wasn't until she ran for Senate, and especially the fact that she made a predatory move to be elected in a state where she'd never even lived, that it became completely clear to me how expansive her political ambitions really are.

And if there's one thing I learned from all the Shakespeare I read in college, it's not to trust someone whose political ambition is their primary character trait. I don't trust Hillary the same way I don't trust Cheney.

[Rural King]

Mike Huckabee just won West Virginia's 18 delegates for the GOP.

[Raintree21]

A little side note, today marks the first time that U.S. citizens who are abroad can vote in the Super Tuesday primaries via the internet. I'm not sure how they are regulating it though.

[monsoon]

This is the first time that I ever remember Super Tuesday not deciding the nominees.

[cityboi]

Obama has surprised alot of people. He may not have won the biggest prize states, California and New York but he actually won more states than Hillary Clinton (Obama won 13 states to Hillary's 8 states) and the media is down playing that focusing more on the delagate count. People thought Hillary was going to sweep almost all those states and wrap up the nomination. I think those key endorsements did help Obama's standing nationally but it began when Obama kicked hillary's butt in South Carolina and he carried alot of momentum from that. There is even more good news for Obama because the next round of states favors him based on polling. I was encouraged that he actually won more "red state" primaries than Hillary. I was surprised at some of the states he won....Obama won Alabama of all places which was considered the most segragated state in the south at one time. Folks, some big history has definately been made here. More republicans and independents have voted for Obama more so than Hillary and I think people really need to pay close attention to that. I think winning the red states are important because its a reflection of how he will do in the general election in November. Naturally democrats will do well in Californina and New York which is why Hillary's primary wins in those states werent that signifigant to me. If Obama gets the nomination he would still win California and New York in the general election but he could also do something Hillary Clinton might not be able to do and thats to win a red state. That clearly says to me who is the more electable candidate. But looking at both candidates, I actually thought I would be an old man before the country seriously considered a woman or an African-American president. This country is defiantely on a fast track in regards to gender and race. But Obama is a breath of fresh air from typical Washington politics and I truely believe that if he is president we will truely see positive change not since the likes of John F Kennedy. He literally is uniting everyone and its not just a campaign slogan. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, whites, and blacks alike are behind him. GO OBAMA!!!!!!

[JDC]

I love how so many states' votes will actually matter in the Democratic race (not that I approve of so many candidates dropping out after only a tiny percentage of the electorate has voted).

Now we've got Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, Wisconsin, Maine...

I hope North Carolina is the deciding factor in May.

[cityboi]

I love how so many states' votes will actually matter in the Democratic race (not that I approve of so many candidates dropping out after only a tiny percentage of the electorate has voted).

Now we've got Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, Wisconsin, Maine...

I hope North Carolina is the deciding factor in May.

[cityboi]

Here is the break down of the states Obama and Hillary won (one thing to note, Obama won all the caucus states and he got more votes in his state of Illinois than Hillary got in her state of New York. Obama also won more pledged delegates on Super Tuesday)

ALABAMA

Obama - 300,099

Hillary - 222,910

ALASKA

Obama - (del-1003)

Hillary - (del-302)

ARIZONA

Obama - 157,483

Hillary - 191,067

ARKANSAS

Obama - 75,928

Hillary - 195,978

CALIFORNIA

Obama - 1,690.307

Hillary - 2,068,837

COLORADO

Obama - 79,344

Hillary - 38,587

CONNECTICUT

Obama - 179,349

Hillary - 164,831

DELAWARE

Obama - 51,124

Hillary - 40,751

GEORGIA

Obama - 696,827

Hillary - 326,474

IDAHO

Obama - 16,880

Hillary - 3,655

ILLINOIS

Obama - 1,256,543

Hillary - 643,352

KANSAS

Obama - 27,172

Hillary - 9,462

MASSACHUSETTS

Obama - 511,887

Hillary - 704,591

MINNESOTA

Obama - 132,195

Hillary - 65,701

MISSOURI

Obama - 405,284

Hillary - 395,287

New Jersey

Obama - 490,185

Hillary - 599,620

NEW MEXICO - too close to call currently with 98% reporting

Obama - 65,036

Hillary - 64,965

NEW YORK

Obama - 697,557

Hillary - 1,003,138

NORTH DAKOTA

Obama - 11,625

Hillary - 6,948

OKLAHOMA

Obama - 130,087

Hillary - 228,425

TENNESSEE

Obama - 251,204

Hillary - 334,270

UTAH

Obama - 70,373

Hillary - 48,719

Obviously this outcome didnt turn out they way Hillary expected it.