Super Tuesday: Afternoon Update
As political junkies know all too well, election days are some of the slowest of the entire year. (Election nights are an entirely different matter.)
In this long, dark tea time before exit polls are available and long before any real votes are cast, molehills become mountains and rumor becomes fact.
So, in an attempt to separate the truth from the rest as of 4 p.m., here's what we know:
* Former governor Mike Huckabee's (Ark.) win the West Virginia convention should be considered an upset. Former governor Mitt Romney (Mass.) was widely expected to win the state and even made a personal appearance at the convention this morning to drum up support.
In the aftermath of the vote, Romney campaign manager Beth Myers accused the McCain campaign of throwing its votes to Huckabee.
"Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain's inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney's campaign of conservative change," said Myers.
Regardless of the reason, Romney's West Virginia defeat gets his campaign off on the wrong foot on the most crucial election day in recent memory. Romney had hoped to use an early win -- the results from West Virginia were announced by 2 p.m. eastern time -- to build energy and enthusiasm for his candidacy across the country.
In the long run, West Virginia doesn't matter all that much. But, among political watchers desperate for news, it hurts Romney.
* The campaigns of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) spent the day furiously lowering expectations. Howard Wolfson, communications director for Clinton, said Super Tuesday would produce a "close and inconclusive" result. He added: "We are confident we are going to win a diverse mix of states today."
Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton accused Clinton of attempting to drive down expectations for today even while doing so himself. "We fully expect Senator Clinton to earn more delegates on February 5th and also to win more states," said Burton. "If we were to be within 100 delegates on that day and win a number of states, we will have met our threshold for success and will be best positioned to win the nomination in the coming months."
* Clinton's campaign announced this morning that it had agreed to three debates this month -- a Feb. 10 get-together on "This Week with George Stephanapoulos," an Ohio debate on Feb. 27, and one in Houston the following day.
Of the decision to sign on for three more debates before Super Tuesday had even concluded, Clinton pollster Mark Penn said: "The campaign believes it's critically important that we continue the debates between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton."
Pushing for more debates -- in traditional political terms -- is the strategy of the underdog. Clinton's campaign clearly believes their candidate can defeat Obama in these one-on-one affairs even though the first such event -- last week in California -- largely ended in a draw with both candidates content to make their points and avoid conflict.
By Chris Cillizza |
February 5, 2008; 4:58 PM ET
| Category:
Eye on 2008
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Posted by: rslip | February 8, 2008 7:50 AM
Republicans-once our candidate has been finalized, we must get behind them and support them financially. It is somewhat disgraceful to let the Democrats out fundraise us as they have. Take a look at how much money Hilary still has! She's rationing it so that she can buy her way into the White House after she gains the nomination. Seriously folks, what's the deal?
Posted by: amorr2 | February 5, 2008 10:01 PM
Exit polls on Drudge:
OBAMA LEADS: Alabama: Obama 60, Clinton 37... Arizona: Obama 51, Clinton 45... Connecticut: Obama 53, Clinton 45... Delaware: Obama 56, Clinton 42... Georgia: Obama 75, Clinton 26... Illinois: Obama 70, Clinton 30... Massachusetts: Obama 50, Clinton 48... Missouri: Obama 50, Clinton 46... New Jersey: Obama 53, Clinton 47...
CLINTON LEADS: Arkansas: Clinton 72, Obama 26... California: Clinton 50, Obama 47... New York: Clinton 56, Obama 43... Oklahoma: Clinton 61, Obama 31... Tennessee: Clinton 52, Obama 41...
Posted by: pspeaker | February 5, 2008 7:05 PM
OBAMA PROJECTED WINNER IN GEORGIA
Posted by: rfpiktor | February 5, 2008 7:04 PM
OBAMA PROJECTED WINNER IN GEORGIA
Posted by: rfpiktor | February 5, 2008 7:04 PM
The Romney campaign statement about the "tax-and-spend candidate" makes no sense since that candidate is Romney himself. As Massachusetts Governor, Romney had his third round of tax increases blocked by a Democratic legislature according to a recent Mass. newspaper article. According to the article Romney raised taxes by some $377 million per year. Mike Huckabee as Governor actually raised taxes less than Romney did, although Romney's focus was on raising business and corporate taxes.
Posted by: chrisbak52 | February 5, 2008 6:55 PM
zouk-now your just repeating yourself. ask yourself, who's the irrational one? cause every post its about clinton/carter. personally i think you finally ran out of material. seriously when have you ever been right about anything? well have fun howling at the moon. im going to the movies and checking on tonights returns later. have fun living in the past chuckles
Posted by: jaymills1124 | February 5, 2008 6:42 PM
Does anyone else sense from the commentators on Hardball that they know from the exit polls that Obama is having a huge night?
http://jtaplin.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/obama-blowout/
Posted by: Trumbull | February 5, 2008 6:40 PM
Hey peanut - inflation, prices and unemployement are through the roof. mortgage rates are above 20%. what should we do?
Maybe we can print up some more money???? Or maybe I can put on a sweater and give a speech about malaise.
Dems elected - history repeats it self. Vote Peanut II
Or you could vote clinton3 - more corruption, scandels, fecklessness, power mongering, interns, you know, the same as last time.
where did I put those darn FBI and IRS files on my enemies?
Bill how much are you getting for pardons this month?
bill, how much did the chinese donate to your foundation after my latest sotu speech?
bill, keep your "staff" down in your wing of the whitehouse and please have them wear clothes during the day. at least pants.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 6:29 PM
7 years of bin ladin and his associates not caputred or killed.
Well, most of them are actually dead but they don't report that over at Daily Kos.
(still bin ladin and his underlings are still loose so your willing to let that slide?)
the clinton justice department couldn't find the una bomber for the entire time(um he was caputured on april 3rd 1996), and this was in our country. she was busy blowing up our own citizens(defending david koresh,figures) and deporting little boys back to cuba(what you wanted to keep him? not touching that one with a 10 foot poll). then she decided to single handedly end the internet bubble by persecuting Microsoft.(do you have any proof of that? please point out links or go back to your xbox 360)
those were the days all right. I sure miss the 90s interim of non-seriousness.(yeah, great economy and relative peace) when you could just run away from a war gone bad.(how many of our troops died when we attacked serbia.......0)when you could simply deny that you were a serial power abuser and the willing press would go along.(dunno lets ask dubya)
Let's elect billary and get back to those days ASAP.(cue those were the days)
Posted by: jaymills1124 | February 5, 2008 6:27 PM
Hey peanut - do you want to invade Iran and rescue the hostages - maybe. can we send in 1/10 of the force we need in case they get upset?
hey peanut - The soviets just invaded Afganistan, what do you want to do about it. Well, maybe I should write them a strongly worded letter.
Hey peanut - gas lines are around the block, what should we do. Maybe we should fix the prices? the market is broken and I know better what people will pay.
Hey Obambi............. - you don't even need to ask - the answer is maybe, with hope of course.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 6:22 PM
How soon until McCain is declared the nominee?
Posted by: parkerfl | February 5, 2008 6:16 PM
voting 'maybe' over 100 times
As I said, the second coming of peanut. I need to go find my old button up cardigan for the coming energy crisis.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 6:16 PM
7 years of bin ladin and his associates not caputred or killed.
Well, most of them are actually dead but they don't report that over at Daily Kos.
the clinton justice department couldn't find the una bomber for the entire time, and this was in our country. she was busy blowing up our own citizens and deporting little boys back to cuba. then she decided to single handedly end the internet bubble by persecuting Microsoft.
those were the days all right. I sure miss the 90s interim of non-seriousness. when you could just run away from a war gone bad. when you could simply deny that you were a serial power abuser and the willing press would go along.
Let's elect billary and get back to those days ASAP.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 6:14 PM
ok im going to talk about something else here and we have proud to thank for it.
NOW Again Attacks Obama's Illinois Voting Record on Abortion Bills
A national women's rights group supporting Clinton distributed an e-mail yesterday accusing Sen. Obama of being soft on abortion rights.
-ok fair enough but what about his congressional record? do they talk about that too? just wondering about that. but seriously if hillary gets knocked out of the race, i wouldnt be suprised if NOW proclaims him a defender of women's rights.
Posted by: jaymills1124 | February 5, 2008 6:09 PM
Over the Bush term, T-Bills have outperformed equities.
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 05:56 PM
which also outperformed social security by about 3 times. this is the propgram the Dems use to spend young people's money while raking in old people's votes with false promises about being able to pay. you know, the same sort of false promises they use to get elected.
for example - we promise to eliminate earmarks - actual result - 5 times the earmarks
we promise to end the war - actual result - expansion of war and increased funding
but these are the same voters who believe anything the clintons say. for example - I was lucky with those cattle futures or I knew nothing about my brother selling pardons, or I did not have.. oh this is just too easy.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 6:07 PM
come on, come on, come on -- chris, we know you have exit poll data.
spill already! what is seen so far???
Posted by: boyohboy | February 5, 2008 6:04 PM
"that is how inept most Libs are at leadership."
So... 4 years of inept Lib leadership couldn't be repaired by 12 years of Con power? 8 of which were the administration of the only Repub president in the last 50 years that the Repubs can actually claim had successes? I don't know which stat is more pitiful; that carter botched things so badly in 4 years, or that Repubs couldn't fix it in three times the allotted time.
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 6:03 PM
From the WaPo:
NOW Again Attacks Obama's Illinois Voting Record on Abortion Bills
A national women's rights group supporting Clinton distributed an e-mail yesterday accusing Sen. Obama of being soft on abortion rights.
Sorry, Barry, but you really shot yourself in the foot on this one.
It seems that voting 'maybe' over 100 times doesn't sit well even with the rabid left.
Posted by: proudtobeGOP | February 5, 2008 6:03 PM
eight years of ignoring terror and courting arafat - result - 911
I tried but I failed - bill clinton
seven years after the clinton 911 attacks, no further homeland attacks - George bush - by Lib definition, apparently a huge failure. It seems they would have preferred some more attacks. Perhaps if Obambi is elected, you will get your wish.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 05:49 PM
oh there you go again. where to start. heres a snopes link to shut down the clinton not taking terror seriously
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/clinton.htm
also 7 years of not being attacked, ok thats fine but thats also of 7 years of bin ladin and his associates not caputred or killed. also its been 30 years of not being struck by lighting but when's that going to happen?
seriously give up. maybe you can start blaming the coming recession on obama or something
Posted by: jaymills1124 | February 5, 2008 6:03 PM
Go recheck your facts you moron.
Posted by: hayden1 | February 5, 2008 05:54 PM
I keep forgetting you Libs can control the weather and vanquish our enemies with soft talk.
you can also control the economy, wages, prices, morality (except bill and hill) and even stomp out racism (again except bill and hill).
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 6:02 PM
I stand corrected. Google has S&P 500 data back to March 9, 2001 - about 6 weeks after Bush's inauguration. The index has returned 8.3% since that time.
Yay Bush!
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 5:59 PM
It is offically a moonbat convention tonight. no brains required for entry.
"blaming Carter for the terrorism problems of today & he only served 4 years."
that is how inept most Libs are at leadership. It doesn't take long. message received. Obambi will be the second coming of peanut. in four short years the shambles will be in place with wreckage as far as the eye can see. - ruined economy, hollow military, damaged reputation and morale, wimpering leadership. Yup, just like last time.
Or we could follow the R route to victory, prosperity, freedom , honesty, liberty.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 5:59 PM
"record economic expansion - Bush"
Yes... Lock in those gains! The DOW is up just under 16% since inauguration day, 2001. Yay Bush!
On Google's site, the S&P 500 only goes back to 2003, from which we've experienced whopping gains of 8%.
Over the Bush term, T-Bills have outperformed equities.
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 5:56 PM
"..they accept failure in big doses,..."
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 05:18 PM
Let's see..failures failures....Hmmmm Iraq and hurricane Katrina. Yeah these aren't failures, these are just examples of Bush's stupidity.
Go recheck your facts you moron.
Posted by: hayden1 | February 5, 2008 5:54 PM
record economic expansion - Bush
record low unemployment - bush
record receipts into treasury - bush, the effect of lowering taxes
According to Libs, these are all failures. they prefer high unemployment, broken economies, lower IRs income, doubt me? examine their policies to get to this.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 5:51 PM
eight years of ignoring terror and courting arafat - result - 911
I tried but I failed - bill clinton
seven years after the clinton 911 attacks, no further homeland attacks - George bush - by Lib definition, apparently a huge failure. It seems they would have preferred some more attacks. Perhaps if Obambi is elected, you will get your wish.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 5:49 PM
jaymills, I know you are totally irrational but consider this: Who will you blame for big government failures after Bush is gone? you will have no choice but to place the blame on the huge bureacracy you Libs favor, where it belongs. It has nothing to do with parties or personalites any longer. It has acheived a life of its own.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 05:30 PM
thats funny considering your still blaming clinton to this day!
consider this for a moment, when you think of the phrase"the buck stops here" what do you think of?
A)we take full responsiblity for our actions and will do every thing to rectify it.
or
B)CLINTON/DEMS/LIBS DID IT!!!!
can you point to what column your in? ill give you a hint, its not column A! thats pretty much what the majority of the right has been talking about for years.really find new things to talk about! but speaking for the so-called "moonbat" community i will relish the fact that after 8 years we will stop talking about bush and actually go on with life.
but hey dont let me stop you with your inane rants. it gives the rest of us in the reality based community a window into the land of the right wing kook!
P.S. how did rudy do in florida last week? bawhahahahaha!
Posted by: jaymills1124 | February 5, 2008 5:48 PM
If we end up with debates every week, can they at least have a *topic* assigned to them? I've heard what HRC and Obama have on health care and Iraq, so could we talk about something else already?
Posted by: rpy1 | February 5, 2008 5:46 PM
"titans of achievement "
still have never passed a budget - and don't plan to. that's lib achievement for ya. enactaed one of ten campaign promises - real successs there.
Just what I was saying about slick willie and terror - I tried and I failed.
sort of like his eternal struggle with the truth - tried but failed.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 5:45 PM
A source for the Pawlenty comment:
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 5:45 PM
Hey zouk remember the Beirut bombing, six years into Reagan's "watch?" Did he accept the blame for poor strategic planning?
Nope, six years into his administration he tried to fix the blame on his predecessor.
Bush's failures will continue to affect America for a generation after he's gone; make no mistake, he WILL continue to be blamed for them. The spin machine has lost its wheels.
Posted by: chrisfox8 | February 5, 2008 5:44 PM
"Who will you blame for big government failures after Bush is gone?"
Yesterday you were blaming Carter for the terrorism problems of today & he only served 4 years. Given 8 years of Bush 43's failed policies, I'd say he'll be bearing the brunt of the blame game for years and years to come.
Amusing sidebar: Gov Pawlenty (potential McCain running mate), in pushing his new policy paper on addressing climate change (yes, a Repub gov published such a plan) said, "Many of these problems should have been addressed 30 years ago." In other words... back during the Carter administration, when the President was ridiculed for promoting conservation and alternative energy.
Ain't irony delicious?
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 5:41 PM
Seems to pacify the Libs. they accept failure in big doses, just look at the Reid/Pelosi congress.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 05:18 PM
==
Want to talk about embracing failure ... dude, you are a BUSH SUPPORTER. Reid and Pelosi are titans of achievement compared to Bush.
Posted by: chrisfox8 | February 5, 2008 5:41 PM
jaymills, I know you are totally irrational but consider this: Who will you blame for big government failures after Bush is gone? you will have no choice but to place the blame on the huge bureacracy you Libs favor, where it belongs. It has nothing to do with parties or personalites any longer. It has acheived a life of its own.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 5:30 PM
"Can anyone say McCain-Huckabee ticket in November?"
It wouldn't be a surprise. It would make me rethink voting for him.
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 5:29 PM
Can anyone say McCain-Huckabee ticket in November?
Posted by: amod.damle | February 5, 2008 5:24 PM
Seems to pacify the Libs. they accept failure in big doses, just look at the Reid/Pelosi congress.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 05:18 PM
of course totally ignoring the last 8 years of gw bush.
Posted by: jaymills1124 | February 5, 2008 5:20 PM
And on top of all this there is a Georgetown basketball game tonight, I don't know who to blame for this poor planning.
Posted by: mk368 | February 5, 2008 5:19 PM
Chris, which of these proposed Dem debates are on the list to which Obama committed early in the process when debates were being schelued seemingly on a daily basis?
Posted by: bsimon | February 5, 2008 5:18 PM
hillary - use bill's words about terrorism when you need to spin:
"I tried but failed"
Seems to pacify the Libs. they accept failure in big doses, just look at the Reid/Pelosi congress.
Posted by: kingofzouk | February 5, 2008 5:18 PM
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Women in Florida and Michigan UNITE. The DNC is trying to find a way to shaft you again. They want to RE-DO the elections in those states so that they can seat delegates. BUT,,,, and it is a BIG BUTT, Howard Dean wants a RE-DO election but as a caucus in both states, a type of election that has favored OBAMA. Dean is an Obama supporter. Why do they want to do it as a caucus...BECAUSE THEY CAN INTIMIDATE WOMEN VOTERS IN THIS FORMAT. They can't intimidate them when they are in the privacy of the polling booth. The pundits and the pollsters have not picked up on the disconnect between what women say in public and how they are actually voting in the privacy of the polling booth. IT IS SIMPLE IN THE PRIVACY OF THE POLLING BOOTH THEY ARE VOTING FOR HILLARY CLINTON and out in public saying another thing...to please husbands and friends. In the Caucus states they have been INTIMIDATED. This INTIMIDATION is worthy of elections in "third-World" countries. Speak out ladies don't let this happen.....Finally, Obama is a coward because he knows Hillary is much more in command of her facts, based on her experience, than he is and it shows who really is ready on DAY ONE to run the White House. Speak up N.O.W. ladies and stop the INTIMIDATION that is going on in the caucus states and don't allow the DNC to negate the election results in Michigan and Florida. Hillary won....Nuff said.