Ron Paul said the other day, "There are sometimes surprises." I think we should expect some surprises at the Republican National Convention. There are some really important points to ponder with regard to the remaining candidates. Beginning with who they are:

Ron Paul born 8/20/35-healthy. John McCain born 8/29/36-cancer survivor (so far), battered and debilitated. John McCain's longevity is questionable at best. Ron Paul is likely to outlive ME!

We all know that John McCain is the man the media wants for the GOP nominee because media people are mostly Democrats and they all know John McCain can't beat either Obama or Hillary. We know he can't win the general election. How do we know? Let's see how the two candidates stack up.

John McCain has only the permanently blindfolded party loyalists and party leaders voting for him who would vote a straight party ticket if Osama Bin Laden was running as a Republican. Huckabee has the voters who actually want to pick a winner, and who don't want to see their party lose, and they don't want McCain either. Huckabee also has the religious vote and that means Texas.

On March 4th, in Texas, a whole bunch of delegates are up for grabs. Texas is a Southern Baptist stronghold (stranglehold is more like it) and one might think Huckabee has a lock on it, but Ron Paul is from Texas and Texans like to put other Texans in the White House.
Ron Paul has a huge movement. He has Republicans who have never bothered to vote before. He has democrats who don't like Hillary or Obama, or the socialist movement within that party. Ron Paul has independents, Constitutionalists, many Liberitarians, and every Republican who knows what the REAL Republican platform has always been.

If the GOP nominates John McCain, they know, they get only the Neo-Con vote. If the Democrats nominate Hillary, they get only the Neo-Com vote. But, if the GOP selects Ron Paul or Huckabee and puts them on the same ticket, here is what they get. They get all the blindfolded party loyalists who would vote for Osama Bin Laden if he were running as a Republican. They get the Republicans who want to pick a winner, and don't want to see their party lose, and who don't want McCain. They get the religious vote. They also get Ron Paul's loyal supporters, the independents, the Democrats who don't like Hillary or Obama, the Constitutionalists, the Liberitarians, Republicans who have never voted before, and every Republican who knows what the REAL Republican platform has always been. Add to that about 2/3 of the undecided voters and you have a President and Vice President EVERYONE can support. Ron Paul and Huckabee would mop the floor with Obama or Hillary. So, what do you really think the GOP will do at the Convention?

This is not the general election. These are the primaries. We'll see McCain's people at the RNC. Most people know that the primaries are only a popularity contest. We will pick the GOP nominee at the RNC and I really can't imagine that the Republican Party leadership is so stupid they would give away the White House without a fight.

Never forget, most people in the mainstream media are Democrats. That's why they want Ron Paul to drop out and they want to try to convince his supporters he can't win so it's not worth voting for him. If they succeed, the GOP will be stuck with McCain. If John McCain is the GOP candidate, everyone knows, the Republicans will never see the inside of the White House again. VOTE RON PAUL!

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5700252&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Check out this Fox News Video of Obama's Houston campaign office. Note the flag on the wall. It is the Cuban Flag with a picture of Castro's partner in terror, Che Guevara on it. Ron Paul's supporters are fighting the Neo-Cons for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. When will the Democrats begin to fight the Neo-Coms for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party.

Republicans-
McCain 52
Huckabee 42
Storyline- McCain continues on path to nomination,Anthonyjbrady says something creative and wins Fix t-shirt,which boosts his self-esteem and his IQ.

Democrats-
Obama 54
Clinton 45
Storyline- Obama wins,but only by single-digits,keeping Clinton viable.

VA.

Obama 61
Clinton 39

Blowout wins spell trouble for Clinton. Edwards endorses Obama. Bill can't contain himself. Is Clinton campaign dead?

McCain 58
Huckabee 42

Huckabee drops out.

faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush-faux-news-right-wing-attack-machine-CO2-conspiracy-oil-blood-blame-bush

VA Dems

Obama 59
Clinton 40

VA GOP

McCain 48
Huckabee 44

Storyline: Clinton turns to Texas and Ohio as last stands

Storyline:

VA DEM

B. Obama-48
H.R. Clinton-46

VA GOP

M. Huckabee-50
J. McCain-42
R. Paul-4

MD DEM

B. Obama-56
H.R. Clinton-40

MD GOP-

J.McCain- 58
M. Huckabee- 39

DC DEM-

B. Obama- 65
H.R. Clinton- 33

DC GOP-

J. McCain- 62
M. Huckabee-35

Headine: "Virginia keeps Huckabee and Clinton's Hopes Alives."

Bonus Headline: "Strong Democratic Turnout Results in Ouster of Rep. Al Wynn"

VA DEM

B. Obama-48
H.R. Clinton-46

VA GOP

M. Huckabee-50
J. McCain-42
R. Paul-4

MD DEM

B. Obama-56
H.R. Clinton-40

MD GOP-

J.McCain- 58
M. Huckabee- 39

DC DEM-

B. Obama- 65
H.R. Clinton- 33

DC GOP-

J. McCain- 62
M. Huckabee-35

Headine: "Virginia keeps Huckabee and Clinton's Hopes Alives."

Bonus Headline: "Strong Democratic Turnout Results in Ouster of Rep. Al Wynn"

OK - idiocracy: a form of government and system of beliefs comprised of a movement afoot lead by spectator and drindl to advance moronic ideas and launch them into mainstream thought. they are typically built on a foundation that beleives that surrender leads to victory, taxes lead to productivity, regulations lead to freedom, junk science leads to truth, etc.

the latest polls show that fewer than 15% of the population is suscepible to this form of ignorance. you can ascertain the members by asking if they still approve of the Reid/Pelosi congress even after winning the war and the onset of the Pelosi recession.

carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-carbon-taxes-global-warming-al-gore-job-loss-recession-taxes-blame-bush-

Sorry, I thought I was drindl for a second.

Posted by: USMC_Mike | February 12, 2008 05:55 PM

Only a second?? - it takes drindl all day to come up with that stuff. and she gets lots of help from Kos.

"Perhaps you can tell us what "the idioocracy" is, oh illiterate one?

I think you have a much better inside view of that."

No dummy, it's not a real word, other than in your head, so I'll defer to you.

Perhaps you can tell us what "the idioocracy" is, oh illiterate one?

Posted by: Spectator2 | February 12, 2008 05:53 PM

I think you have a much better inside view of that.

impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy-impeach-bush-cheney-lied-911-inside-job-oil-blood-war-is-lost-conspiracy

Sorry, I thought I was drindl for a second.

for the non-moonbats with soe intelligence: (this excludes drindl, spectator, rufas and chrisfox, of course)

We can clearly see the evidence of clintons malfeasance in the scandels, the pardons sold, the fundraising, etc. this is all designed to line their pockets or gain them power.

contrast this with Bush who has not done anything to line his pockets. he has instead bucked popularity and done what he thought was right for the good of the entire country.

what a difference.

and I don't think that Obama suffers from this trait, only the clintons seem to operate like this.

Obama - 50
Clinton - 46

Huckabee - 45
McCain - 44

Obama beats Clinton buy significantly smaller margins than expected; Clinton aided by women, weather, and voter fatigue

Huckabee squeaks past McCain, but presumptive nominee has no reason to fear

"another moonbat checks in with a witty one line retort.

I see the idioocracy is vying for domination still."

Another great conservative mind at work. Perhaps you can tell us what "the idioocracy" is, oh illiterate one?

another moonbat checks in with a witty one line retort.

I see the idioocracy is vying for domination still.

"Bush operates for the benefit of all of us."

Yet 70 percent of us think he's doing a crappy job.

here comes dingbat drindl crowing about US defeat again. I seem to remember a time not too long ago when Iraq was hopelessly lost and she/it railed all day about that with constant, nonstop idiotic posts about how that sky was falling.

clearly she supports Obambi's approach which is to invade our allies and appease our enemeies with talk, money and praise. Let me guess that she/it was a Jimmy Carter activist and nver learned a thing from that.

Repubs:
McCain 52
Huck 39
Paul 8

Dems:
Obama 57
Hil 39

Story Lines: "Huckabee finally bows out, pledges to support McCain."
"Obama's momemtum grows; delegates, cash continue to roll in. Clinton to focus on TX and OH firewall"

'or the republican method - go over there and kill them where they live. Latest reports show Al queda to be demorlaized and in tatters in Iraq'

LOL. That's why they've got training camps all over Pakistan and are just about to take over the country and seize the nukes, which they will use on us. They will find that possibly ironic, considerig we paid for them.

More directly, the point is the response to the attacks - do nothing as the clintons did (I tried but I failed) as a weak recreation of history.

or the republican method - go over there and kill them where they live. Latest reports show Al queda to be demorlaized and in tatters in Iraq. We now have the world's only Army with a counter - insurgent strength. compare that to the weak capablities of NATO in Afghanistan.

"Most of the conventional pessimism about Iraq is being proven wrong. For example, the recently translated captured diary of the dead al-Qaeda terrorist -- Abu Maysara, a senior adviser to Abu Ayyoub al-Masri -- reveals a sort of hopelessness. The dead Maysara laments that al-Qaeda has lost the hearts and minds of the people to the U.S. and its Iraqi allies, while suffering terrible battlefield losses. Abu Maysara did not write as some civilian defeatist, the equivalent of our own Moveon.org antiwar protesters. He was instead a frontline fighter, once confident of victory in the field, but realistically broken by defeat -- before he was killed.'

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OThkYTMwN2UwNDlmNjdlZjRkNjcwZDRhNDBmY2QxZmU=

Dems:

Virginia: Obama 55 Clinton 44

Obama streak unbroken and sorry, Chris but he wins the news cycle by breaking 80 in DC.

GOP:

Virginia: Huckabee 42 McCain 40

Complacent McCain supporters stay home, "fuel" Huck Miracle.

Proud...

The GOP has blown the Latino vote for a generation. [Except for Cuban, a bit of anti-Fidel pandering goes a long ways in Florida.] Head on up to the Desde Washington blog sometime. Once one gets past the "I'm only against ILLEGAL immigration" disclaimer, one reads a lot of vitriol directed at all immigrants, especially from south of the border. A strong anti-immigrant wind is blowing through the GOP. Tancredo doesn't merely target illegals, he goes after all immigrants. What the Southern strategy did for the black vote, the good fences make good neighbors strategy will do for the Latino vote.

BB

Virginia Primary

Obama 67%
Clinton 30%

Huckabee 42
McCain 50
Paul 7

Obama destroys Hillary in MD/DC/VA. Republicans cross party lines in large numbers to vote for Obama in the open Virginia Democratic Primary!

Mike - I cheer for the other team, but hope to see you out at the polls in November. Perhaps there's even an outside chance Huckabee will be the VP nominee.

Even when one cannot abide the major party candidate, third parties offer a viable option to make a statement. Especially if a state appears to be sewn up one way or the other. I actually voted for Perot in '92. Iowa seemed to be in the bag for Clinton and I'm a very strong fiscal conservative. Like many others, I wanted to make a point. To me, a dollar of deficit spending means $2 of taxes to pay for it. Bush is probably my antithesis (social conservative, profligate deficit spender).

B

the point is that the clintons will sell you out for thier own aggrandizement. Bush operates for the benefit of all of us. there is no comparison.

Zouk - does that mean we can blame the Moroccan, Madrid, London, and Bali bombings on Bush? Incidents of terrorism went up after 9/11 compared to before 9/11.

BB

the king writes "Bill and Hillary Clinton were willing to pander to the demands of local Hispanic politicians and leftist human-rights activists defending bomb-makers convicted of seditious conspiracy"...

which is why she's been able to win in the states with large Latino populations. Her strength among Latinos is, no doubt, due to Bill's record on NAFTA, the Mexican Tequila Crisis bailout, and the FALN pardons.

Obama might be able to pander, I mean make inroads, by running ads touting his support for drivers licenses for illegals (which Hillary, at latest count, opposes).

VA Democrats:

Obama 61%
Clinton 37%

Story: Obama sweeps the Potomac Primary and gains more delegates than expected, which gives him a clear cut delegate lead over Clinton. All eyes go to Texas and Ohio on March 4.

VA Republicans:

McCain 48%
Huckabee 44%
Paul 5%

Story: McCain pulls out a close victory due to VA's large military population. This completes a sweep in the Potomac Primary resulting in a cementing of his frontrunner status and increasing/intensifying the calls for Huckabee to drop out of the race.

ericr1970 - how can the Obama campaign possibly control what the governor of Wisconsin has to say, even if he happens to back Obama?

Obama 52 %
Clinton 44 %

Huckabee 45 %
McCain 43 %
Paul 8 %

VA
Obama - 49%
Clinton - 46%

McCain - 50%
Huckabee - 45%

Storline - "Clinton political machine spins close VA loss into a victory. McCain wins but Huckabee keeps it close."

proud writes, of women's suffrage,
" Not that long ago, really. "

True enough. Your point is valid. But your phrasing opened a door I could not resist walking through.

Virgina
D
Obama 54
Clinton 45
GOP
McCain 45
Huckster 44
RonPaul 8

We know what we'll get - indeed we do:

the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Tokyo subway Sarin attack, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 1995 "Bojinka" conspiracy to hijack airplanes and crash them into buildings, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing, the 1996 Summer Olympics bombing, Osama bin Laden's 1996 and 1998 "Declarations of War" on America, the 1998 East African embassy bombings, the 2000 USS Sullivans bombing attempt, the 2000 USS Cole bombing, and the 2000 Millennium bombing plot.

It would be a mistake to dismiss as "old news" the story of how and why these terrorists were released in light of the fact that it took place during the precise period when Bill Clinton now claims he was avidly engaged, even "obsessed," with efforts to protect the public from clandestine terrorist attacks. If Bill and Hillary Clinton were willing to pander to the demands of local Hispanic politicians and leftist human-rights activists defending bomb-makers convicted of seditious conspiracy, how might they stand up to pressure from other interest groups working in less obvious ways against U.S. interests in a post-9/11 world?

Obama 81%
Clinton 19%
Gravel 1%

I know that doesn't add up to 100%, but Gravel sneaks an extra point in there late in the day.

McCain 45%*
Huckabee 45%
Paul 10%

*Supreme Court gives it to McCain

Media storyline: Anything to keep people watching. Perhaps rumors that McCain might take "Dog the Bounty Hunter" as his running mate?

"it is possible for Obama to win the "popular" vote, win more states, and still see the nod go to Hillary."

Indeed. you can blame this mess on howierd Dean, the chairman of the party. what i find most perplexing is that the states that a Dem will carry in Nov (CA, NY) went for hillary and thr states that don;t have a prayer for going D went for Obama. how does this figure into the calculus? did the frustrated mid-westerners lash out at the party establishment in their only vote that counts?

Dems:

Obama - 59%
Clinton - 39%

Repubs:

McCain - 52%
Huckabee - 38%
Paul - 6%

Storyline:
"Desperate No. 2 Campaigns Continue to Hang On: Huckabee believes in miracles even as McCain racks up more wins; Clinton refuses to concede after 8 straight Obama victories"

Osama win 90% the Black, sorry the African Amrecian votes. Because they are more educated and higher income people

Proud -- I agree with you. There's NO WAY I will vote for Hill-or-Bama.

We not only fight for our right to vote, we care so much about that right, that we fight for *other people's* right to vote.

I'm just mad that I have to vote for this guy.

Headline: Obama No "Fairy Tale" (Clinton overheard humming the theme from "Jaws")

Can someone explain what a super-delegate is to me?

bsimon, mike, Well let's just say it was during my grandmother's lifetime that the 19th Amendment was passed. Not that long ago, really.

At least we know what we'll get - shame, defeat, corruption, pardons for cash and a fawning Lib establishment willing to forgive it all.

"Mr. Clinton justified the clemencies by asserting that the sentences were disproportionate to the crimes. None of the petitioners, he stated, had been directly involved in crimes that caused bodily harm to anyone. "For me," the president concluded, "the question, therefore, was whether their continuing incarceration served any meaningful purpose."

His comments, including the astonishing claim that the FALN prisoners were being unfairly punished because of "guilt by association," were widely condemned as a concession to terrorists. Further, they were seen as an outrageous slap in the face of the victims and a bitter betrayal of the cops and federal law enforcement officers who had put their lives on the line to protect the public and who had invested years of their careers to put these people behind bars. The U.S. Sentencing Commission affirmed a pre-existing Justice Department assessment that the sentences, ranging from 30 to 90 years, were "in line with sentences imposed in other cases for similar terrorist activity."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120277819085260827.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

with all this talk of the super delegate, it has crossed my mind that it is possible for Obama to win the "popular" vote, win more states, and still see the nod go to Hillary.

This would be very bad for the Democratic Party...

Ok, so now we have a troll from th HRC shadow 'but they're just black voters' or from whatever group is running the 'Barack Obama is a radical muslim plant' urban myth email campaign. I really don't believe many people are that bad of typers that that typo was an accident.

Black people will Riot, if Osama lose.

"C'mon. You can't be THAT old."

Well Played.

Osama gets all the black vote

GOP
McCain 63
Huckabee 33

Dems
Obama 59
Clinton 41

Huckabee drops out. "McCain Unites Conservatives."

"Is Clinton Finished?" No conclusion will be reached until Ohio/Texas, but cable news discusses it endlessly.

Virginia
Obama 57
Clinton 38

Maryland
Obama 62
Clinton 35

DC
Obama 76
Clinton 20

Headlines: Obama easily sweeps again, can Hillary's Giuliani strategy save her?

proudtobeGOP writes
"As a woman, I can attest to the fact that the right to vote is something not to be taken lightly or disregarded as if it meant nothing. If you didn't have it, you'd value it far more."

C'mon. You can't be THAT old.

USMC_Mike,

it is certainly your prerogative to sit this on out.

In fact, on principle, ALL true Conservatives should not vote for McCain.

Obama/Biden '08

And, when SHE ruins the country, liberals will be blamed (as they should be).

you mean like the last time the clintons were in office? I thought it was the VRWC that did it all and all those lying bimbos and that evil Newt gingrich.

Relying on the MSM to tell the truth is not a good strategy for success. Just look at how they hide Obambi's innocence. repeat of carter.

VA Results:

Obama 53
Clinton 45

McCain 55
Huckabee 40
Paul 5

Leads: Obama Sweeps, Clinton Weeps
Story Line: SuperD's ask for Early Get Out of Jail Free Cards

proud -- you said I was selfish and unpatriotic for not supporting McCain.

In the end, I'll vote for him. But then I'll take a hot shower.

But the dark side of me would prefer Hillary to win - at least we would know what we were getting. And, when SHE ruins the country, liberals will be blamed (as they should be).

We're both R's - I'm just not enthusiastic about the straight talk express. Maybe I'll stop badmouthing him (when Huckster finally bows out).

VA:

Obama 57 %
Hillary 41 %

McCain 48 %
Huckabee 44%
Paul 5 %

Storylines:

Despite losing by 17 points, Hillary declares it was a good day after a strong showing in the western part of the state.

Huckabee vows to fight on.

Obama rides Potomac wave to victory while again the deck chairs are rearranged on the Clinton Titanic

judge - I saw that post the other day. It's pretty funny, and (I bet) true.

Perhaps for 3 years, Obama has done more than your average freshman senator.

I should note, in my questioning his experience, I am in *NO WAY* implying that Hillary has any to speak of.

But you're right, the "experience" vs. "change" paradigm is nothing more than effective marketing.

USMC, You've got it all wrong. Your misrepresentation of my post is forgivable however, since you seem on the defensive lately. I would be wholeheartedly supporting any R candidate, no matter who it is because I believe in the conservative principles of the R party as a whole, and not just a few select issues.

I am going to have to disagree with you about your choice to refrain from voting. many rights have been provided for us in this great country, thanks to the blood and sacrifice of many before us. a choice to do something that flies in the face of that sacrifice is just that, a choice.

As a woman, I can attest to the fact that the right to vote is something not to be taken lightly or disregarded as if it meant nothing. If you didn't have it, you'd value it far more.

USMC Mike: lyleGENIOUSpink. was given to me earlier, now you with-- lyleINSANEpink--, Hey!! Hey!! I am Flattered.

VA
Obama 56
Clinton 44

Edwards endorses Obama. Is the Clinton campaign dead?

McCain 48
Huckabee 49

McCain asks Colbert to be VP in bid to stop Huckabee!

"I responded, that it was actually MORE patriotic to question his positions and demand someone I can vote for."

But Mike, didn't you hear? Questioning Authority is now considered treasonous behavior.

From MSNBC.com:
"Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, an Obama endorser, said in a conference call today that Obama's ability to campaign in every state in the country was a main reason for his support.

Doyle said Clinton would not be competing in Wisconsin, and criticizing her campaign for it, adding that voters there wanted to make an informed choice about the candidates, and Clinton being a no-show for the first part of this coming week deprived voters of that opportunity."

Of course this is not true as Hillary is running ads in the state and has called for a debate in the state which Obama has turned down. Will the media call Camp Obama out on this misstatement?

Obama sweeps alll hearts; Hillary "All I need is a Miracle"

Look out for the weather. We are getting reports of sleet and icing on the roads at work in eastern loudon with some road closings (work in east loudon, live west ffx). If it messes traffic it might keep those who were planning on voting in their short window between commuting and polls closing (7pm). 5:30 pm to 7:00pm is one of the typical voting rushes.

Mike: below is something I cribbed from another poster. I would LOVE to see an HRC supporter come along and try to blow holes in it.

"The irony of claims that Clinton is substantive is that those claims aren't actually backed by substance.
So, for you substance hounds out there, here's a look at Obama and Clinton's records in the Senate.
OBAMA
What has Obama done in the 3 years he's been in the Senate?
Bills authored or co-sponsored by Obama include the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law), the Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act (became law), the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (passed the Senate), the 2007 Government Ethics Bill (became law), the Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill (in committee), and many more.
In all since he entered the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.

CLINTON
Senator Clinton, who has served seven years, has managed to author and pass into law exactly twenty pieces of legislation. These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress (www.thomas.loc.gov), but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you:
1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site. 2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month. 3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. 4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall. 5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson. 6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea. 7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day. 8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day. 9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death. 10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. 11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship. 12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program. 13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda. 14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death. 15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.
Only five of Clinton's bills are more substantive.
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11. 17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 18. Assist landmine victims in other countries. 19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care. 20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.
(Thanks to poster p3ng for looking all this up on the Library of Congress site.)
I recognize it's an asymmetric representation of their records, but the point is that Obama has written and passed major legislation, while Clinton has mostly just taken care of her constituents without demonstrating real vision.
So who's the candidate of substance?

(By the way, for an amusing example of Clinton trying to be the "doer", watch her try to make a big deal out of a diplomatic trip to Bosnia taken with -- drum roll, please -- ... Sinbad!
Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgom0QWvLs)
Posted by: davestickler | February 8, 2008 12:07 PM"

Obama: 61
Clinton: 38

McCain: 51
Huckabee: 38
Paul: 7

Cillizza chooses Potomac Primary Winners and losers:

Democrats-

Losers: Martin O'Malley, cold-weather voters
Winners: Tim Kaine, superdelegates (the pressure's on you), Gezi (will wear his beautiful new Fix t-shirt, even if it's snowing)

Republicans:
Losers: Anti-McCain conservatives, cold-weather voters
Winners: The RNC (clearer frontrunner = clearer fundraising opportunities), GOP establishment (lining up behind McCain), Gezi (do you think the Fix t-shirt will go well with a bowler hat?)

Obama sweeps alll hearts; Hillary "All I need is a Miracle"

A couple hours ago at a Vienna, VA polling station, Democrats out voted Republicans 4 to one D=416 R=108. The poll workers estimated a high turnout (30%)

Democratic:
Obama: 65%
Clinton: 34%

Republican:
McCain: 57%
"Hucklebee" (As they say in Virginia): 37%

"Obama sweeps the Potomac Primary with a strong finish in Virginia. Huckabee should have chosen a different major. He stays in the race, anyway."

Chris,

Why do you insist on leaving Ron Paul out?

You said "Virginia looks to be the lone point of contention between the two Republican candidates."

You know Ron Paul is still in it and you know his support is not trivial?

So why do you denegrate yourself by censoring him?

Obama: 59
Clinton: 41

McCain: 48
Huckabee: 45
Paul: 7

The Obama machine marches on; Huckabee can't quite close the deal as McCain wins much more narrowly than expected.

Obama 57
Clinton 40
Scattering 3
Storyline: The storylines will be more depressingly cynical than ever, with "Did you know that Virginia is 20% black?" battling "Clinton to drop out tomorrow for some reason"

McCain 48
Huckabee 37
Paul 10
Scattering 5
Storyline: "Is McCain too 'inside-the-beltway' to win the general election?"

proud -- on yesterday's thread you called me "selfish" and "unpatriotic" for not supporting McCain.

I responded, that it was actually MORE patriotic to question his positions and demand someone I can vote for.

I'll vote in the congressional, but I believe it is my American right to NOT vote - tell me if I'm wrong about that.

I'm sure you wouldn't be so zealously for this guy if he wasn't your man already. Or, if you believed in conservative principles, not just winning.

VA
Obama 52
Clinton 45

Storyline- "Obama enjoys another sweep; claims delegate lead. Clinton vows to win Texas and Ohio"

McCain 55
Huckster 40
Paul 4

Storyline- "Huckebee still strong with conservatives but Nrothern Virginia goes to McCain"

Obama 57
Clinton 4
Scattering 3
Storyline: The storylines will be more depressingly cynical than ever, with "Did you know that Virginia is 20% black?" battling "Clinton to drop out tomorrow for some reason"

McCain 48
Huckabee 37
Paul 10
Scattering 5
Storyline: "Is McCain too 'inside-the-beltway' to win the general election?"

PLEASE SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME:

Why are you fired up?

Is it just the words? Personal inexperience? Or is it wishfull thinking for the time after Bush jr.

PLEASE SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME:

Why are you fired up?

Is it just the words? Personal inexperience? Or is it wishfull thinking for the time after Bush jr.

VA-D:
Obama 63%
Clinton 35%

VA-R:
McCain 55%
Huck 24%
Paul 19%

Storyline: Hillary keeps expectations as low as possible until TX, OH. Edwards endorses Obama after another primary sweep.

Beltway conservatives understand the importance of backing the front-runner and preparing for November. They tilt the attack machine toward Obama.

PLEASE ONE EXPLANATION FROM ANYONE HERE IN THIS BLOG:
Why do you all are fired up? Is it just the words? The personal inexperience? Is it wishfull thinking? Where are any ... hard facts.

Okay, Give me Obama 88, Clinton 10 in DC; Obama 70, Clinton 28 in Maryland and Obama 65, Clinton 33 in Virginia.

Storyline: "Oh no! and 8"

Responding to:
@ mcgrupp10799 | February 12, 2008 03:01 PM :

"Obama Crosses The Potomac

Alea Iacta Est

Not Since Julius Caesar Crossed the Rubicon Has There Been So Decisive A Political Victory."

Don´t prejump... or is wanting .... getting?????
The dice are still in the game

Obama 58%

Clinton 41%

Headline: "Clinton's New Strategy: Win the Battle of the Alamo"

re: "maybe I'll sit out"

It is our civic American duty to excercise our right to vote. I only mention this as a reminder and an admonition to those who have foolishly threatened to 'stay home' on election day. THAT is un-American and, frankly, it sounds like nothing more than prattle from spoiled children.

I'm not saying one has to be 100% happy with the choices, but the alternatives are 100% unacceptable and not doing our duty as Americans is equally unacceptable.

USMC, Here's a great article that I highly recommend since you seem to like to draw comparisons between candidates of the past and the present.

Lose Now and Win Later?
Don't bet on it.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/727utoky.asp?pg=2

VA Dem: Obama 61 Clinton 39
VA Rep: McCain 47 Huckabee 47 Paul 6
MD Dem: Obama 64 Clinton 36
MD Rep: McCain 59 Huckabee 41
DC Dem: Obama 79 Clinton 21
DC Rep: McCain 66 Huckabee 34

Storyline for Republicans: Tie in VA! Huckabee gets his miracle! Can he really win?

Storyline for Democrats: Democrats in VA outvote Republicans 2 to 1! Obama takes Beltway voters. Super delegates expected to follow.

Virginia D:
Obama 53%
Clinton 45%

Headline: Obama wins as expected, tough weeks ahead for Clinton.

Virginia R:
McCain 46%
Huckabee 47%

Headline: Virginia conservatives reject McCain.

Virginia result:
Obama - 57 percent
Clinton - 43 percent
Storyline: Obama sweeps Potomac primary. Troubles continue for Clinton as she looks ahead to a March 4 firewall in Ohio and Texas.

McCain - 56 percent
Huckabee - 39 percent
Storyline: McCain sweeps but still struggles to win over conservative voters. Huckabee soldiers on.

Hillaria iacta est!

Ds:
VA - Obama 60 Clinton 40
MD - Obama 61 Clinton 39
DC - Obama 70 Clinton 30

Obama breaks tie with decisive sweep of Potomac Primary.

Rs:
VA - McCain 53 Huckabee 37 Paul 10
MD - McCain 60 Huckabee 30 Paul 10

McCain cements lead.

Clinton is cowardly absent from FISA vote.

Storyline:

"The Comeback Kid: Part 2" More like "The Goodbye Girl"

It seems, if you want to keep the liberal beast at bay, it is asking too much this time around.

VA-D
Obama 56%
Clinton 42%

VA-R
McCain 48%
Huckabee 44%
Paul 6%

Storyline: Long lines at Northern Virginia polling stations discourage many voters, possibly partially accounting for Huck's strong showing.

Virginia:
Obama 57
Clinton 41

McCain 55
Huckabee 40
(McCain will also take DC and MD)

Maryland:
Obama 62
Clinton 36

DC (which may meet or beat Idaho as the biggest O margin thus far):
Obama 82
Clinton 16

Storyline: The electability argument is settled on the Dem side as Obama racks up close to 600 percent in cumulative victory margins since the primaries began. Fundamentalists and nativists still dislike McCain, but even a miracle probably won't save Huck now.

Is wanting a Republican nominee who doesn't disdain conservatives asking too much?

Obama Crosses The Potomac

"Alea Iacta Est"

Not Since Julius Caesar Crossed the Rubicon Has There Been So Decisive A Political Victory.

VA

Obama 59
Clinton 40

McCain 54
Huckabee 46

MD
Obama 61
Clinton 36

McCain 65
Huckabee 32

DC
Obama 76
Clinton 23

Storyline: Obama Sweeps Potomic Primary; Now Considered Frontrunner. Clinton Says She is Underdog.
McCain wins; RNC Chair asks Huckabee to quit race for the sake of the party.

Democrats:

64% Obama
35% Clinton
1% Other

Republicans:

50% McCain
44% Huckabee
6% Paul

Storyline:

"McCain and Obama roll on while questions arise about Clinton's viability in the face of weaker than expected losses. Can both parties stay united with tasteless whispers coming from Clinton supporters and the radio talk shows?"

Second storyline:

Clinton camp again (after SC and especially LA) "credit's" African American's for Obama's victory in D.C. and MD and argues that those results don't matter.

I agree: McCain is no idea-man.

Well he does have one very important idea that distinguishes him:

win the war!

As opposed to surrender and retreat.

He has other ideas too:

Lower taxes
reduce spending

Beats a Liberal Dem any day.

Dems in VA:
Obama: 62%
Clinton: 38%

GOP in VA:
McCain: 54
Huckabee: 37
Paul: 9

Storyline: Obama's Mo Keeps on Rolling; Huck's Luck in the South Derailed

I missed 1/2 of my important point. first was the bully pulpit. 2nd is that when the President wins with wide margins, even the opposition party has to work with them, or risk alienating voters.

Obama 60
Clinton 36

McCain 54
Huckabee 45

Storyline: McCain finally shakes Huckabee. Obama's big margins signify big problems for Clinton campaign.

Obama 57%
Clinton 37%

Obama crosses Potomac with ease. Clinton retreats to build firewall at the Alamo.

Mac 44
Huck 42
Paul 7

FairlingtonBlade writes
"Ronald Reagan's ability to connect with the voters directly played a critical role in his ability to get tough legislation passed through Congress."

That is an important point. Another reason Reagan accomplished so much of his agenda was his election margins. He faced an opposition Congress, but they had to work with him because he was able to effectively use the bully pulpit.

Maryland--
Obama: 62
Clinton: 37

VA--
Obama: 54
Clinton: 45

DC--
Obama: 66
Clinton: 33

BB -- well written. I agree: McCain is no idea-man.

I don't have anyone in this race except Huckabee, and he's gettin' thrown under the bus once McCain gets the nomination.

Maybe I'll sit out.

Obama 57%
Clinton 37%

Obama crosses Potomac with ease. Clinton retreats to build firewall at the Alamo.

Mac 44
Huck 42
Paul 7

lyle -- you're insane man.

No one is allowed to not like Hillary without being labeled as a hater, a jealous man, or fearful.

Ideas don't matter.

"And what do we hear about him? [Obama]
He's a good speaker.
He speaks so well.
He's so well-spoken.
That's not a compliment.
That's something you say about someone who is retarded, but can talk."

That's a bit overboard, Mike. Obama is a great orator, hands down the best in the race and probably the best since Reagan. It is an important aspect of being a political leader. Especially since the American President is President, Prime Minister, and King (or Queen) all rolled up into one. Ronald Reagan's ability to connect with the voters directly played a critical role in his ability to get tough legislation passed through Congress. If Obama weren't a gifted politician, there is no way that he would have gotten as far as he did. You may dislike the ideas, but denying their existence is denying reality. Click on C-SPAN some time and listen to a speech and the following Q&A period.

"Give me a break. I'm not electing an orator, I'm voting for a leader, a visionary, a man of ideas."

If you're voting Republican in the fall election, you won't be. McCain has many qualities, but a visionary he is not.

BB

rfptiktor: When you say Hillary "Smells" like toast, I now KNOW what you need--A Nose Job.--

Fix Prediction -Virginia primary

Democrats
Obama - 55%
Rodham Clinton - 37%

Republicans
McCain - 56%
Huckabee - 27%
Paul - 4%

Storyline: Is Wisconsin Hillary's last stand before she does a Romney? Obama shows strengths which make him formidable rival to McCain. Is it possible to win Two Fix T shirts?

VA-Demos:
Obama 50
Clinton 43

Considered tacticle victory by Clinton, since kept loss in single digits; looks to RI as a Obama Speed Bump, and Texas/Ohio as the bigger blows.

VA-Rebublicans:

Mc Cain 41%
Huckabee 39%

Close but no cigar.

I slightly misreported at 2:31, though the jist is accurate. Here's the article from which my information came:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/11/clinton_fundraiser_knows_whats.html#more

"As The Post reported in October, Clinton has secured $8 million in earmarks for General Motors"

"One of GM's main lobbyists on the issue is Steve Ricchetti, a deputy chief of staff in the Clinton White House and one of Hillary Clinton's "Hillraisers," individuals committed to raising at least $100,000 for her presidential campaign."

Virginia

Obama 58%
Clinton 40%

DC

Obama 68%
Clinton 30%

Maryland

Obama 54%
Clinton 44%

Storyline: Clinton camp says MD/VA/DC don't matter, all the black people voted for Obama, it's the big states that count, super delegates blushing at their early 'safe' endorsements. Edwards and Obama have rescheduled meeting.

cmsore writes
"while the 8yr senator seems to have done more post office naming than any other legislative accomplishment."

Thats not exactly true. I understand she has inserted some significant earmarks into legislation as well. For instance, she appeared yesterday at a GM factory that was the beneficiary of several million dollars worth of Clinton earmarks. Coincidentally, she had collected significant campaign contributions from senior management there.

DEM:
VA Obama 55% Clinton 45%
DC Obama 70% Clinton 30%
MD Obama 60% Clinton 40%

Storyline: Texas showdown looms. Obligatory "Blazing Saddles" references to Sheriff Obama v. Hedlary Clinton.

REP:
VA McCain 40% Huckabee 50% Paul 10%
DC McCain 65% Huckabee 30% Paul 5%
MD McCain 45% Huckabee 45% Paul 10%

Storyline: Huckabee still alive--do you believe in miracles?

VA:
Obama 63%
Clinton 36%

Huckabee 51%
McCain 44%

Storylines:

Obama is the front runner, now leads in delegates. Hillary is in serious trouble, must win Ohio and Texas

What's up with Huck? Huckabee takes another state from McCain, is he hurting the republicans?

The spacing on my last post got completely fouled up so here is an easier one to read:

Democrats

Virginia

Obama 57
Clinton 38
Others 5

Maryland

Obama 59
Clinton 37
Others 4

DC

Obama 72
Clinton 24
Others 4

Republicans

Virginia

McCain 44
Huckabee 38
Others 10
Paul 8

Maryland

McCain 54
Huckabee 34
Paul 8
Others 4

DC

McCain 58
Huckabee 34
Paul 6
Others 2

Same story line.

Obama sweeps again. Clinton camp furiously spins results as insignificant. Super-delegates start lining up behind Obama to avoid nasty, drawn out intra-party battle.

Straight talk express rolling towards nomination. Huckabee continues to deny running for VP but in reality looks more and more like he is.

USCMBC- As long as you don't fall into the fallacy that years in the senate equals experience. That seems to be Clinton's experience argument. When you compare the legislative record of the 4year Sen from Ill with the 8yr Sen from NY you discover that the 4yr senator has proposed more legislation and passed at least two substantive policy bills (on gov't transparency & nuclear proliferation) while the 8yr senator seems to have done more post office naming than any other legislative accomplishment. Then she tries to use her experience as 1st lady to try to bolster her arguement but what did she really accomplish? Poisoning healthcare reform & a fiasco of a nomination process over the AG?

I don't hold at least some of the 'present' votes against him because what I understand of the Ill statehouse 'present' is a strategic equivalent of a no vote and it indicates that he does approach things strategically rather than symbolically at times. Others can see it differently. His time as a state legislator doesn't seem like he was an ineffective backbencher either.

I know McCain has an edge in experience, but I don't believe Hillary does. And I know I'm going to vote Dem in the general as of today, so my vote this morning for Obama in my mind actually *was* for the more experienced dem candidate. The fact that his speeches play well doesn't mean he is all speeches.

And encyclopedic and detailed plans for fixing problems? Correct me if I'm wrong but Hillary care was encyclopedic and detailed. It was killed by rigidity. None of these traits seem to be tempered by time.

And there is now a line, some sort of guaranteed succession based entirely on dues? Tell that to the R establishment who believed that decided a figurehead Texas Gov with family connections was their King over more experienced R's in 2000.

die-hard Republicans in VA will have more of a say in who the Democratic nominee will be than die-hard Dems in FL or MI.

Posted by: dave | February 12, 2008 02:20 PM

And that could have been the Presidency of Howierd Dean. the muslims would have told us how to fight the war. come to think of it, it is the presidency of Barack Obominable.

why should hilary be the only Dem to flip=flop on the war. he wants to be for it after he was agin it.

Maybe he can decide between the Muslim world conference and invading Pakistan.

Wife voted in NoVa - no sign of reported huge turnout (3 people during lunchtime). Talked to several VA R's who are voting for a Democrat - not because they will support them in the Gen Election but because it's what they consider the strategically best thing to do...

NoVaMatt, I don't know that Tim Kaine's website is an accurate barometer of what is going on - there is too much of an agenda there to be considered accurate. Heavy turnout for Dems means little in VA, most R's I know or have heard from are voting D (today). But I do have to say that I find it fascinating that at the end of today, die-hard Republicans in VA will have more of a say in who the Democratic nominee will be than die-hard Dems in FL or MI.

@ kingofzouk - posted at 12.47 pm
Does one have to know the polemic writer you recite?
All it is, is side tracking and being doublestand. Economy was a lot better then and that is a fact. A president is no holy man, therefore will have shortcomings like everyone else. However, do you know Barak Obama beyond his well worded election campaigns?

bsimon -- just because Clinton Camp says these things as well, does that make them less true?

Wait, don't answer that...

the audacity of Maybe!

On 60 minutes he is now retrenching on his call to remove the military. Maybe he will, maybe he won't?

Storyline:
Obama Sweeps the Potomac Primaries - Clinton Superdelegates Scrambling for Cover

VA

Obama - 53
Clinton - 35
Others - 2

DC

Obama - 65
Clinton - 35

MD

Obama - 60
Clinton - 40

Storyline
Obama huge sweep continues and he is now the Democratic Party front runner. Can Hillary Clinton stop this huge MO in WI, OH, and TX?

USMC_Mike- I'm surprised to see you fall for the Clinton spin about Obama.

VA:
Obama 57%
Clinton 38%
Other 5%

Storyline: So-Mo Clinton Train Wreck Fascinates Observers

Subtext: "New" Clinton campaign strategy is Democrat's version of Demolition Derby as HRC continues her downhill slide from "inevitable" to "tough" to "experienced" to "electable" to tears (yet again).

McCain 46%,
Huckabee 40%
Paul 10%
Republican VA storyline:
McCain wins narrowly on the strength of moderates and independents but evangelicals and conservatives keep Huckabee in the race.

Obama 54%
Clinton 42%
Democratic VA storyline:
Obama continues to roll, overtakes Clinton in delegate count.

"McCain chuckles and accidentally drops the F-bomb in an interview."

+1 to kevineras--best post today.

Virginia

Obama 57 McCain 44
Clinton 38 Huckabee 38
Others 5 Others 10
Paul 8

Maryland

Obama 59 McCain 54
Clinton 37 Huckabee 40
Others 4 Others 6

DC

Obama 72 McCain 58
Clinton 24 Huckabee 34
Others 4 Paul 6
Others 2

Obama sweeps again. Clinton camp furiously spins results as insignificant. Super-delegates start lining up behind Obama to avoid nasty, drawn out intra-party battle.

Straight talk express rolling towards nomination. Huckabee continues to deny running for VP but in reality looks more and more like he is.

Headlines Wed 2/13
The Crying Game
Obama sweeps the Potomac Primaries - Hillary in tears... again

VA Dems

Obama 57%
Clinton 38%

VA Reps

Huckabee 44%
McCain 41%

Dems Storyline: Obama pulls into lead, Clinton adds primaries to the list of election processes she finds unacceptable because "People who don't support me are allowed to vote."

Reps Storyline: Fred Thompson announces he is considering reentering the race; hype abounds.

Virginia:

Obama 58
Clinton 41

McCain 47%
Huckabee 41%
Paul 10%
Other2%

Storylines:

Obama's Big MO - Texas, Ohio must win for Clinton.

McCain Nomination inevitable.

kevineras: "McCain chuckles and accidentally drops the F-bomb in an interview."

Ha!

Obama 60%
Clinton 39%

Huckabee 48%
McCain 46%
Paul 6%

The Big O Has the Big Mo, Superdelegates falling his way!
Huck puts the Straight Talk Express up on Blocks

Although many Obama supporters may object, I can't for the life of me understand why Obama is now the "front-runner".

I mean really - what landmark legislation has he authored? How many votes has he missed, or just been "present" for? What has he done?

The Audacity of Hope?

How about the Audacity of a 1-term Senator with NO experience except the hubris to run for President?

And what do we hear about him?
He's a good speaker.
He speaks so well.
He's so well-spoken.

That's not a compliment.

That's something you say about someone who is retarded, but can talk.

Give me a break. I'm not electing an orator, I'm voting for a leader, a visionary, a man of ideas.

State legislator's who don't even have the balls to make the tough votes don't get to be President.

Virginia D:

Obama 56
Clinton 42

Virginia R:

McCain 53
Huckabee 37
other 10

Headlines: McCain and Obama Streamroll Opposition; Huckabee and Clinton Prepare For Last Stand In Texas

VA (D)
Obama 48.8%
Clinton 48.1%

storyline: "Clinton nearly pulls off upset in VA" ...spun like crazy by the Clinton camp to try to cull momentum for Wisconsin. Obama camp reminds everyone that they're "the real underdogs."

VA (R)
McCain 48%
Huckabee 44%
Paul 4%

storyline: "McCain wins 3 states but Huckabee remains strong; GOP ideological split widens"

Democrats in Virginia
Obama - 65%
Clinton - 34%

Republicans in Virginia
Huckabee - 54%
McCain - 44%

Storyline: Obama continues to roll, scorching Hillary in MD and D.C. by 70+%, and beating her handily in Virginia. Huckabee pulls off another "miracle," beating McCain by a sizable margin.

The Clinton campaign spins these wins as "expected" and "irrelevant," yet there are some serious worries in the Clinton Camp. Hillary goes on the attack, accusing Obama of being too "weak" to debate her more frequently. Obama smiles and laughs, saying that he thinks the American people have had enough with talk and know where the two candidates stand.

Huckabee is fired up. He says that there's "no way" he is dropping out. McCain chuckles and accidentally drops the F-bomb in an interview.

D.C. Obama 81%
Clinton 18%

Maryland Obama 61%
Clinton 38%

Virginia Obama 57%
Clinton 42%

Virginia:
McCain 48%
Huckabee 31%
Paul 7%

Obama 53%
Clinton 39%

Storylines:
No story lines really, more of the same... McCain closing the door ever quickly, Obama nudges ahead, more talk about Hillary winning the Superdelegates.

bsimon | February 12, 2008 12:46 PM

She smells like toast to me.

In Vrginia

Obama 53%
HillBilly 45%

"Troubled Clinton Campaingn Will Have To Embarks On An All Out Final Assualt in Texas and Ohio, If They Are To Stay Afloat"

McCain 44%
Huckabee 38%

"Huckabee Refusing To Throw In The Towel; Republicans Fear Deep Division Will Linger In The Party Through The General Election."

Virginia Predictions

Obama 60%
Clinton 39%
Other 1%

McCain 51%
Huckabee 39%
Paul 7%
Romney 3%

Headlines: Obama and McCain sweep the Potomac Primaries (Obama now the frontrunner and McCain puts down the Huckabee Insurgency)

---DC---
Obama 66
Clinton 32
---
McCain 56
Huckabee 40

---VA---
Obama 58
Clinton 41
---
McCain 58
Huckabee 41

---MD---
Obama 60
Clinton 36
---
McCain 60
Huckabe 38

bsimon | February 12, 2008 01:16 PM

The Billary's anger and fear-mongering ain't working.

Hill has completely lost the handle in this race.

VA (D) Obama 56 Clinton 43
(R) McCain 52 Huckabee 42

Eight Straight For Obama; Clinton Looks to Ohio and Texas

McCain Moves Closer To Certainty; Huckabee To Consider His Options

Virginia (D)
Obama 55%
Clinton 42%
Storyline: Clinton shrugs-off another Obama sweep

Virginia (R)
McCain 49%
Huckabee 36%
Ron Paul 9%
Storyline: Huckabee finds no miracle in Virginia

Eidolon writes
"Teddy Roosevelt, you hit on two of the big question marks hovering over Hillary's campaign: Where did all the money go, and Why can't she win caucuses? ... And to have the supposed "top" field of convention Democratic Party campaign talent, and not be able to organize successfully in caucus states, suggests that the "braintrust" is phoning it in on their way to the bank."

Interesting post, that raises some other questions. The Clinton campaign didn't consider Iowa to be that important, so didn't put much of an organization together there until late in the game. Her big wins came in NH, NY, AR & CA (though that last margin wasn't so big), which makes me wonder; has Senator Clinton really built much of an organization? It seems that she's relying on the organization that Bill built. That's certainly the case in NH, and they have long ties to CA as well. Is that why she's struggling everywhere else?

Spectator2 - "I was scanning the dial for music when I heard the dulcet tones of Bubba and of course I was powerless to change the station."

I understand and feel your pain...

novamatt | February 12, 2008 01:26 PM

Obama makes politics fun again!

Virginia
Dems:
Obama - 63%
Clinton - 35%

Reps:
McCain - 53%
Huckabee - 44%

Storyline: "No one can stop Obama now. Clinton fuct up."

Republican

McCain 46%
Huckabee 41%
Ron Paul 11%

Democrats

Clinton 52%
Obama 47%

Storyline: Huckabee nearing mathematical elimination, but stays in the race as a thorn in McCain's side, and in response a very bitter McCain enters into a Cornyn-esque rage swearing at Huckabee on national television; meanwhile a smug Clinton survives, and waits for Obama to meet up with her blood thirsty hordes of drone-like minions in Texas and Ohio who are eagerly salivating over the upcoming election and hope they can bury "Mr. Change" once and for all.

dave | February 12, 2008 01:19 PM

The assiduous clients of Chris Cillizza are a wee bit biased towards Sen. Obama, and we like it like that.

MD -

Obama 59%
Clinton 40%

VA -

Obama 52%
Clinton 48%

DC -

Obama 65%
Clinton 35%

Obama maintains sweep, Clinton backers say campaign is now running vs. slipping away.

Dem
VA - Obama 54 clinton 43
MD - Obama 65 clinton 32
DC - Obama 75 Clinton 24
storyline: Clinton has no way to spin the slide. Negative attacks come back.

Rep
VA - Huckabee 54 McCain 33 Paul 10
MD - McCain 48 Huckabee 46 Paul 5
DC - McCain 60 Huckabee 33 Paul 5
storyline: huckabee cries foul in MD, too.

The early news on turnout is encouraging, especially in traditional R strongholds where D voters are outnumbering R voters. Bodes well for Obama, both today and in November.

Lots of on-site reportage: http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=12844

Obama 56
Clinton 41

McCain 51
Huck 40
Ron Paul 8

VIRGINIA:
Huckabee 46
McCain 45
Paul 9

Clinton: 48
Obama: 47

StoryLine: Polls & Pundits Wrong Again

CC:
Why is there just a picture of Obama on this page? It seems to me that since this topic is centered on predictions on all races/candidates and not a topic that is focused on one particular candidate, the pic here is inappropriate at best and creates a suggestion of or confirms bias at worst.

For the person who asked "What did Hillary do wrong?"
The inevitability thing was a huge mistake. The fact that it worked eight years ago for W makes it a minus, not a plus. And even W (who had been governor of a large state) didn't run on the basis of his experience or wisdom. Voters want to feel they have a choice.
HRC is doing more one-on-one interviews now and that is a good choice. She's likeable that way. Why they ever limited her access for reporters puzzles me even more than the Iraq vote, which was pure political calculation -- like Barack's present votes in Illinois.
The Potomac Primary? I haven't a clue. Then again I live in New Mexico, where the Super Tuesday totals are still being tallied.

Interesting. From dcrtv.com:

Hillary On 7: Fox Fairer Than MSNBC - 2/12 - From News Blues: Interviewed on Channel 7/WJLA yesterday (right), Hillary Clinton claimed she had "some independent study" ... "which seemed to suggest that" ... "in terms of the fairness of the coverage" of allegedly right-leaning Fox News Channel has treated her campaign more fairly than allegedly left-leaning MSNBC. Last week, MSNBC suspended David Shuster for making that "pimping" comment about Chelsea Clinton's efforts to campaign for her mother. Politico has the JLA transcript.....

Teddy Roosevelt, you hit on two of the big question marks hovering over Hillary's campaign: Where did all the money go, and Why can't she win caucuses? People will remember she spent a huge sum of money on her re-election campaign in New York, suggesting she does not know how to manage her campaign's spending or recognize the very high costs she's paying for consultants, direct mail and other items. And to have the supposed "top" field of convention Democratic Party campaign talent, and not be able to organize successfully in caucus states, suggests that the "braintrust" is phoning it in on their way to the bank.

tmservice asks
"Why does everyone think Obama could be a better president than Hillary Clinton? "

Its a good question. For me, its about how the candidates approach a problem. Sen Obama takes the approach that it is possible to work together to achieve common goals. Sen Clinton takes the approach that confrontation is unavoidable, and seems to relish it. She talks about beating the Republicans more than about solving problems. I find that to be a very unpresidential approach, as is well demonstrated by our current president.

Obama: 56
Clinton: 35
Other: 9

McCain: 53
Huckabee: 35
Paul: 5
Other: rest

Storyline by the NYTimes:
African-American voters send Obama to victory in Virginia! (just above the fold will be a story about riots in Africa with a picture of some gun-toting furious black soldier)

VA (Dems):
Obama 99%
Clinton 0.1%
Gravel 0.9%

Headline: Gravel turns tables on Clinton and gives Obama nasty shock!

VA (Reps):

Um, who cares?: 0%

Obama - 51
Clinton - 47

McCain - 48
Huckabee - 46
Ron Paul - 6
Ru Paul - .001

"Smooth Sailing for Obama on Potomac"

Virginia
Hillary 49
Obama 46
McCain 48
huckabee 46

Clinton Pulls off Shocker . Mccain in a Squeaker

oops

'Posted: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:55 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008, Huckabee
From NBC's John Boxley
Not a great way to start Election Day... The Huckabee press van taking us to airport and then to Little Rock, AR has run out of gas. We are stuck on side road.

Anybody have a AAA card?

*** UPDATE *** From NBC's Ron Allen
You won't believe this, but the press van ran out of gas a second time!! Seems they only put a gallon or so in the empty tank, and that's right, fumes again! The van only had a couple of Huckabee staffers aboard, and some of the press luggage!!

While waiting for a second refill, the van, of course, had no heat. It's in the 20's. Fortunately I wasn't aboard. Through it all the governor and his wife were safely transported to the airport in a car with enough fuel. I would doubt the car service (don't know its name yet) used by the campaign will ever be hired again.

We're about to fly to Little Rock. We've been assured the plane's tanks are full The campaign continues...'

D

Obama - 60
Clinton - 38

R

McCain - 47
Hucakbee - 43
Paul - 6

More changes in store as Clinton camp goes negative.

"McCain and Huckabee forge One Ring to rule them as a P/VP ticket, and in the darkness, bind them."

I tole you, it's Bush and Cheney Redux. Here's the campaign:

Be very afraid. Terrorterrorterror. Don't think about the future, about health care, about education or change. Think about the past, about 9/11. Don't think about solving any of our problems, dwell on your fear and anger instead:

'McCain turns the negativity way up against Romney in a new 30-second terror-image laden Web video. The 30-second video begins with images of terrorism from around the world -- car bombings, sirens, a body being dragged through the streets, masked men with guns pointed skyward. All over ominous piano music as it then dissolves into an image of Romney speaking.

"Mitt Romney says the next president doesn't need foreign policy experience," an announcer says, before an audible yet distance boom. "John McCain for president," the announcer continues, before McCain gives his approval over his photo on screen.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/01/542383.aspx

I agree with the storyline by smoore:

"Hillary wins! Media blows it again!"

VA
Clinton 50
Obama 48

Why does everyone think Obama could be a better president than Hillary Clinton? Who really knows what is behind his great rhetorics. Forget Bill, Hillary is her own. She knows what she wants and will tackle global warming, economics, health care, immigration more humane than any man could. Women tend to go less for prestigious solutions, rather for practical results.

However, I find that Obama´s campaign head Samantha Power does a better job than her opposite number in Hillary Clinton´s Camp

Ah, Zouk, here with a refreshing off-topic post. My page-down key was getting lonely.

I know, I know, don't feed the...

BB

Virginia: Clinton 50, Obama 49

Maryland: Obama 62, Clinton - 37

DC: Obama - 72, Clinton - 27

Clinton pulled a second New Hampshire like victory in Virginia and stopped the momentum of Obama.

The race is hinged on OH, TX and PA. Advantage - Hillary

USMC_Mike | February 12, 2008 12:54 PM

It's the brittany spears car wreck phenomenon.

VA Republicans:

McCain 48 percent
Huckabee 45 percent
Paul 6 percent

VA Democrats:

Obama 53 percent
Clinton 44 percent