GO AHEAD BARACK!!!

Right now Clinton and Edwards are battling for second place.

On the Republican side, Huckabee (not even on the radar a month ago) takes Iowa from Romney who spent so much time and money in Iowa.

Obama and Huckabee...two polar opposites.

The next part will be my favorite: the spin!!! How will Clinton spin this Iowa loss, particularly if she ends up in third. Where does Edwards go from here? All the pundits said Iowa was a must win for him to have a future in the campaign. Its great to see that Obama is bringing new people into the process, particularly young people for whom he did very well. Definitely need some new blood involved in the political process. The number of Independents and 17-21 year olds signing up for the Obama campaign is wonderful.

I gotta say...I didn't trust the polls AT ALL!! I thought it would be one of those "oh sure I'll say I'll vote for the black guy but I really won't" I really think an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket could be unstoppable!!! In national polls, Obama beats the GOP frontrunners more than Hillary does. In national polls, Hillary still has a double digit lead in terms of the nomination. So I mean I think that Hillary and Obama need to have a little talk and start thinking about the future and teaming up for the Democratic ticket. I love things about both of them and would LOVE to see them on the same ticket. My concern about that though is still the electoral college and getting enough southern states to buy into it.

Interesting too about this second choice voting thing. According to MSNBC, Clinton, Obama and Edwards had all urged voters to consider them if their own candidate fell short. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio publicly urged his backers to line up with Obama on a second round, and two Democrats said aides to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson did likewise as the caucuses unfolded. Those two spoke on condition of anonymity, citing private discussions.

I have to say, this is the first year that I really understood the whole caucus thing. At first I was like huh...so people gather in a room and stand by a wall by who they support?

You gotta give him major props for this victory. In Iowa of all places...

It's scary though that crazy Huckabee won as well.

Back from the caucuses and the turnout was AMAZING! In our particular caucus there were over 600 attendees just from our neighborhood in Ames. Obama took 8 delegates and Edwards and Clinton took 6 each. None of the other candidates were "viable". Edwards and Obama picked up the majority of people who supported non-viable candidates.



The polls can be unreliable due to the fact that it's up to who shows up at the caucuses and the fact that we can change our preference to another candidate. I started off supporting Richardson, but when he was determined to be non-viable, I switched to Hillary. New Hampshire is gonna be huge for Clinton. Edwards has a bump, but it may be only temporary. He finished second here in 04 and still has a positive image from the last caucus.



This really helped Edwards out tonight. I would guess that Obama and Edwards split the second-choice voting.



That's the great thing about the caucuses - it's a neighborhood meeting and you publicly show who you are supporting. I know that there is quite a bit of grumbling about how Iowa has too much power, but we do take the job of being "First in the Nation" very seriously. It's grassroots politics at it's best. And we do get to be the political center of the universe for a couple of days. :-)

Huckabee might be nuts but he is a likeable nut.

Huckabee is too conservative for me...sorry. His ideologies do not make him likeable in any way, shape, or fashion.

And here's the first one to drop: Chris Dodd becomes the first Democratic Presidential contender to drop out of the race.

And now the second: Joe Biden becomes the second Democratic Presidential contender to drop out of the race.

It's bogus. How many people can't participate because of the way it's set up, because of having to show up in person at a certain time and hang around for an hour or two?

And it's doubly bogus that so much emphasis is placed on Iowa, a smaller state with such a limited way to "vote" that causes people not to be able to participate, and New Hampshire, a very tiny state. The races are always decided by the time they get to Pennsylvania, and unlike other larger states the inbred morons who run the state legislature here refuse to move our primary up from April.

The entire primary system is broken.

I guess because Iowa is first its a big deal but in the grand scheme of things...how big is Iowa really? Again, Clinton still has a double digit lead in the national polls.

i'm split between obama and hillary, but good for barack!

And now Mike Gravel drops out of the race as well. 3 down so far. Now the debates will get more interesting as we trickle down to the main contenders. At this point I think its between Obama and Hillary right now. Edwards needed to win Iowa to have a realistic chance, and if he doesn't do well in New Hampshire I'm pretty much counting him out.

Richardson and Kucinich should drop out in the near future. I'm personally very disappointed that Clinton didn't do better. I didn't expect her to win, as Obama had surged ahead pretty well in the last week. But I thought she'd beat Edwards by a couple of points. Like Alstott said, most of the second choice votes were split between Obama and Edwards.

It was a fun night, but went on a little too long. I think our precinct was overwhelmed with the huge number of people who turned out. It seemed very unorganized, or at least it didn't move along smoothly at the start. They said on the news tonight that record turn-outs were the norm all over the state, with much higher than predicted attendance. As a native Iowan, that makes me very happy that this election means this much to so many people and that (at least on the left side of things) we're pretty happy with the choices that were available.

I have been listening to people at different media outlets from across the country complain about the amount of power Iowa has to choose the presidential nominees and how can such a little homogenous (read: mostly white) state wield so much influence? To them I'd say Iowa only picks its own choices for the presidential race, the rest of the country still gets to decide on its own - there is a lot of time for the front runners to change. Iowa has not picked the eventual nominees correctly several times over the years. It is however, a chance for candidates to make names for themselves and establish a public face to the rest of the nation. I would also say that Iowa has a hair under 3 million people. That's not a lot compared to many states, but it's a greater number than more than a third of all states. Our demographics are changing and (slowly) becoming more diverse. It won't happen overnight, but it is happening.

When it's all said and done (as it is now) - I'm glad they're all leaving my state. The non-stop phone calls will end and the junk mail clogging my mailbox will subside. My 'mute' button on the remote got a real workout over the last few weeks with all the Romney, Huckabee, Thompson, and even the Edwards ads repeating endlessly on the local networks. Mitt Romney, I think I'll miss you least of all...

Good luck to those of you in New Hampshire and the states after that. See you (in the political spotlight) in four years!

Obama gave a great victory speech, if that is what you would call it. I am very impressed with his public speaking, and I totally agree that a change is needed. I just wish he could expound upon how he is going to go about that change. He's got the sizzle, now we need the steak.

Good point Miller. Obama definitely needs to start clarifying and putting forth how he is going to go about running the country if he is to win the nomination and the presidency. Experience is going to be his achilles heel and when it gets down to it, his opponents are going to hammer the point that he has such little of it. But, the polls are showing that people want a change. I think people are tussling more with the idea of if they want to bring a Clinton back into the White House, thus extending the Bush/Clinton dynasty that has dominated this country for the past 20 years.

Obama's speech gave me goosebumps. I taped it and its one of those historical moments I'm glad I was able to witness.

His speech gave me goosebumps too. I think he changed some minds tonight. I sure hope he holds onto the bounce.

i've made up my mind. f**k hillary. obama is brilliant.

unbelievable speech. wow.

Obama's speech was electrifying, though it was also pretty vague, but he seems to excite people across partisan lines with this kind of airy but passionate rhetoric, so I guess he's onto something. I want specifics and even wrote a letter to the campaign on this theme, but I gather that most people want personality, good looks, passion, authenticity, and some sense that the candidate will "lead." How he's going to sit across the aisle from Republicans and the insurance and health care behemoths and get them to agree to what the majority of Americans not only want but are demanding is beyond me, but hey, he's exciting and handsome and is causing some Republicans to crush hard, so maybe he can get it done.

The most recent Des Moines Register poll had put him ahead by about 7 points, so I guess they were really onto something. All in all, an amazing victory, and I also wonder how this affects Edwards, who did not congratulate or even mention Obama, though he did use his "change" theme, and Clinton, who did congratulate Obama and cast the trio's tallies as a victory for Democrats, which it was.

I saw that about 220,000 people participated in the Democratic caucuses (20% were independents, as in 2004), vs. 125,000 or so in 2004, a great turn of events, while 115,000 or so participated in the Republican caucuses. It was cool to see so many young people coming out to caucus, and also to see women support Obama in the numbers they did. Very exciting stuff. I wish some of our former right-wing friends were still on here to let us know how they felt about Huckabee and the Republicans.

Huckabee's win is a big deal. He is an authentic working-class Baptist preacher from the South, with some extremely wacky beliefs, a mixed record as governor, astounding ignorance (compared to any of the Democrats running, certainly) about foreign policy, and genuine Christian social concerns regarding the poor. And, interestingly enough, he's from the same town as Bill Clinton. I gather the GOP leadership really detests him and badly wanted Romney, one of the strangest, phoniest people I've ever seen run for any office, to win, while the media want McCain, but Romney spent millions and finished 8 points behind, and McCain finished behind FRED THOMPSON, who basically said he wasn't into campaigning and seems totally out of it. So the Republicans may be stuck with Rev. Huckster, especially after South Carolina and Nevada.

I'm sorry that Chris Dodd dropped out. He had some great ideas and his hold and filibuster plan to block telecom immunity showed tremendous courage. Joe Biden should have dropped out a long time ago. Mike Gravel was a hoot, but too radical for this electorate.

The TV pundits seemed a bit flustered by the outcome. They really love McCain and Ghouliani, and are always trying to spin on their behalf. I kept wondering why MSNBC had Ghouls on even though he was finishing lower than Ron Paul! I mean, come on. Thankfully people in Iowa didn't buy either McCain's or Ghouls's expired bill of goods. I still don't get Thompson finishing third, though. On the Democratic side, I think the pundits didn't really know what to say about Obama, and Chris Matthews started spewing really bizarre, almost-racist stuff, but he and everyone else seemed very happy that Hillary finished third. They also don't seem to like Edwards either. Matthews even riffed on Obama being "third world" and so on. I think they're going to really act out if he keeps winning, which I hope happens, all the way to the White House in November 2008!

I agree that having Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina going first isn't a great plan, and I think there's a better way that would involve all the states having their chance, but I think the party's interests are entrenched at this point and nothing's going to change, so Iowa's caucuses it is.

Anyways, congratulations Senator Barack Obama!!!

Like most of you already know, I have been for Obama since the beginning. The reason why is because so much in America is broken, and we need CHANGE and we need it now. It seems thats the message Iowans took to their caucauses yesterday..Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman were brilliant as well last night on their coverage. I could tell Matthews was just stunned, but I get the feeling he was caught up in Obamas win. He kept saying referring to Barack, " this is going to be headlines all around the world tomorrow, about this son of a man from kenya and an American mother." Further he said, " America is stuck in a rut right now. Sure maybe the surge is working in Iraq, but thats not ending the war. Nothing else is getting done in America. No energy policy, nothing being done about S.S. and Medicare. Will Americans elect one party to begin to change this or will they pull back and elect another Republican for President, and then we have gridlock." Well said Mr. Matthews!!!

I haven't watched Obama's speech yet, but read parts of it at Salon.com, and all I can say is that from what I read, it gave me goosebumps as well.

From my limited understanding of American politics, Barack Obama is totally different than anybody else in a generation, maybe 2.

Also, being an old fart, I can remember the speeches that Robert Kennedy gave, and the speeches that MLK Jr gave in 68. I can also remember the reaction. Both were speeches of hope, and the belief that change was needed to make America great again. I can also remember the reactions when Kennedy and MLK died. I remember how both the US and Canada came to a halt for the 24 hours it took for Robert Kennedy to die. I was in grade 7,and all we did was listen to the radio. It was all anyone talked about. When he died, only 2 months after Martin Luther King, it seemed to take the wind out of the sails of America for many many years. To this day, his California speech, and MLK's Lincoln Memorial speech (done in 1963), reduce me to tears, no matter how many times I watch them.

Barack Obama has that kind of an effect on me, and I am a total cynic when it comes to politics. I grew up in a political household, and was soured on politics by the time I reached puberty.

Anyway, enough waxing poetic. In closing, Barack Obama, to me, is someone who can unite America more than any other candidate. He doesn't use political double cross speak, or be a chameleon like most other candidates. He is an energizing, hopeful man, who can excite anyone.

God how I wish we had someone like him up here in Canada.

Oh, and maybe it's just me, but his colour doesn't mean anything. It's the message he brings that makes the difference.

Perhaps I've become too jaded over the years. Don't get me wrong I like Obama & have nothing against him. But he is like any other Demo politician who makes all of the typical promises while campaigning. W/ that said, I'm voting for Obama cuz as of now, he's the only candidate that has a VERY good chance of beating any Repub. A recent LA Times poll showed that if it is Obama vs. any Repub he wins easily & handedly. W/ Clinton on the txt, a Repub candidate wins. Indepen seem to really like Obama & many moderate Repub are open to him. In short, I'm gonna support the most viable Demo candidate.

LK: now you KNOW why I have been so excited by him since the beginning. He offers the country, what I feel we really need about now: HOPE!!!!

I am thrilled at the outcome of last night's caucuses, even though I am not supporting any of the Democratic candidates specifically. I will support the party and the nominee in the general election, but have not been on anyone's bandwagon.

The reason I am so thrilled is two-fold - the HUGE turnout for the Democrats (on Americablog.com, they note that Clinton actually got more total Dem votes than Huckabee got GOP votes) and the clear vote for change. I am hopeful about the possibility of not only electing a Dem for President, but finally clearing the worst of the rotten corps of corrupt GOP officials and legislators as well. It is entirely possible we could have competent, pragmatic and Constitutional government for the first time in far too long.

I was also impressed by Obama's speech, even with its generalities. He sounded Presidential to me, like a voice of possibility. I am still totally pissed at him for embracing Donnie McLurkin and anti-gay hate, but as an American have to look beyond my own narrow self interest for the country. Any of the Dems are going to be about the same on GLBT social policy, and that will not include amendments to make us second-class citizens, so any of them will be an improvement. The most important thing, IMHO, is to end the GOP control of our government and return to true American values and morality - less concerned about oral sex in the White House and more concerned about making the country function for all of us.

Unlike a lot of you, I don't expect the candidates to have specific plans for everything, although I do want Obama to get more specific. I think it is a huge mistake to think the President has to walk into office knowing exactly how he/she will handle any policy or strategic decision. I would rather have someone who can lead people by example and know how to supplement their own ignorance or lack of expertise by hiring the right people in the cabinet and as advisors (e.g., NOT putting a horse breeder in charge of FEMA).

As for Huckabee, I can't be happier. The GOP is apoplectic, they really don't have a decent candidate, and decades of pandering to the religious right has left them with a totally "Christian" candidate, one certain to turn off a huge portion of the population. I think that bodes very well for McCain, as the Dole-like fall back choice no on can really object to, but can't support either.

I'm still not thrilled with Obama since he chose that anti-gay homophobe singer to take on the road alongside him but I will vote for him in the general election no matter who he's running against. I'm still planning on voting for Hillary in the California primary Feb. 5 (assuming she makes it that far, which I think she will).

I do like hearing Barack's speeches though, so I was sorry to have missed the one last night. And all I can say is that Oprah had better be there for him if he's the eventual nominee... and she'd better be going to rallies across the country and filming a commercial or three in support. She truly can change minds. I'm serious. Oprah speaks and people listen.

With that said, all of this was tempered by the fact I read that an Iowa caucus winner has not gone on to win the White House since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Not good odds there.

So this morning I IM'd my sister in Des Moines. I asked how her caucus experience was last night. I thought I'd share her IM reply:

"The caucus experience was interesting to say the least. We didn’t get home until almost 9:00 and we got there about 6:15 so it took a lot longer than I expected. Plus it was in the cafeteria of an elementary school. The max capacity was 247 people. There were 250 registered voters there plus kids and non registered voters. It was hotter than hell in there. Plus we had to recount several times. Some people got tired of waiting and left. However the guy that was running our precinct said that he has been doing caucus stuff since 1980 and this was the biggest crowd he had ever seen. I was disappointed that Hillary didn’t do better but I like Edwards also. Josh sat in for Obama. Our precinct actually had a 3 way tie between Edwards, Clinton, and Obama."

*Josh is my 18 year old nephew . He just turned 18 and this was his first voting experience.

Chris Matthews is a mouth-breathing gasbag.

Obama gives nice speeches, but he wants to RAISE the defense budget and votes for way too many pro-corporate bills for my taste. As of this moment, my Feb. 5 vote is going to Edwards.

It was great to see the Royal Clintons with egg on their faces, though.

A co-worker of mine said it best this morning. She said "isn't Bill Clintons 15 minutes up already".

Don't get me wrong, he is an amazing speaker, and while President, his genuine reactions of grief with the families of service members impressed the hell out of me, but why in God's name should ANYONE elect someone president because of who she's married to.

I remember my father commenting on Reagan compared to Clinton. My father, ever the pragmatic Scot, said "Clinton is a smart man, surrounded by idiots. Reagan was an idiot, surrounded by smart men. I'll take multiples of intelligence any day".

I was appalled at his fawning over Guiliani when MSNBC had him on. Matthews went on about how the NY Times was "wrong" about its story on his mistress and the security costs Guiliani hid. According to Matthews, the Times should not have written that Rudy hid the expenses to cover up his extramarital affair as long as the police eventually reimbursed the agencies in whose budgets the costs were hid. Matthews kept asking Rudy on how he could make up the ground the evil media cost him (never mind the story was 100% true) and it was clear that Matthews has a HUGE man-crush on Rudy.

Not necessarily. I don't think he has a huge crush on anybody that I am aware of...I watch him regulalry to get his spin on things, and he has been saying quite a bit lately about Rudys' nervous laughs which he does all the time...he mentiones he doesn't know what to make of it/them..about the only thing about Matthews that has really surprised me is he admitted to supporting Shrub. Keep in mind he used to work in the Carter Whitehouse, but he has mentioned that he considers himself more of a libertarian.....his borhter is a GOPer As far as a gasbag, I would call anything that broadcasts on Fox Noise, to be a gasbag.....just my opinion though.

Thats a very good point. Iowa was a great win but the campaign is FAR from over. Clinton still has a sizeable lead in New Hampshire and it will be interesting to see post Iowa polls to see if she maintains that lead. The Clinton machine is far from dead, but I'm excited that Obama seems to have sparked something amongst youth. They said last night that in 2004 neither of the Democrat frontrunners got above 30% of the under 30 vote in Iowa. Obama got 57% of the vote. They also talked about the youth that is behind him on stage and how Hillary's stage looked like a bunch of old fuddy duddies about to tour an assisted living facility. Ouch!! There's been a lot of hub bub about the win and how it could be the passing of the torch and the Clinton era possibly coming to an end. I say hold on. This was the first caucus and Hillary still has a lot of support and money. Now that Obama is really on the national stage, his lack of experience is now really going to be a target. With the other Democratic candidates dropping off, he's going to have to start really talking about his methodology for implementing his plans and what he will do. Hope is great but I agree that I need to hear more substance from him. People are saying they favor change over experience but now he's really going to have to talk about how he is going to be a different kind of President and how his policies are going to make him an effective leader and Commander in Chief. The ramblings of the end of the Clintons I feel is grossly premature. This is just heating up.

Aww...cute kid.

At the gym during lunch, I was able to see a replay of most of Obama's speech last night. Wow. I have to say he is about as inspiring as politicians come. I was very impressed.

I missed his speech last night, but if it was anything remotely like the one he gave in Iowa a couple of weeks back that was electrifying, I can see where alot of you are coming from...he just keeps getting better and better with his speeches....I too, do not underestimate Hillary, or even don't underestimate what Edwards has done. By far, change is what the people want, and Hillary is going to have to come up with something new to survive. In what I heard today it sounds like the Obama camp is expecting her to go negative in her ads against him, but does so at her own peril, and if she does, he needs to be careful in his counter ads...because he has been largely positive, by far positive, and how refreshing is that?! But,we have a long ways to go, what an exciting start we have here! In the end if the Dem. candidate nominated ends up being someone other than Barack, I will support him or her......

Obama and Huckabee both have the silver-tongued delivery of someone born to the pulpit. The preachiness can be played too strongly, though both seem to deliberately use a modified more secular sounding speaking style.

At least with a background of teaching constitutional law (something he would need dealing with a hostile Supreme Court dominated by conservative pseudo-strict constructionists) Obama should be able to distinguish between manmade laws and supposedly divine ones.

I doubt Huckabee, as an ordained minister, ever could just as a matter of principle. And his lack of informed advice on, or apparent interest in, a lot of important issues, both foreign and domestic, is a disturbing reminder of the current occupant of the White House.

Also saw Michelle Obama speaking at an Iowa nursing home shortly before the caucus, on C-SPAN. Very impressive and polished delivery. And she worked the crowd well. With her commanding height (slightly taller than Obama I think) she could make a fair politician herself.

Another Hillary anyone?

I don't think so. More like a cross between Barbara Jordan and Janet Reno but with two cute little daughters.

Well, Michelle Obama is also a lawyer and can hold her own, so I think she'll be able to do quite well on the stump, just like Elizabeth Edwards and the ex-Prez.

Matthews is a misogynistic sexist, and some of his comments about Hillary Clinton have crossed the line into sheer offensiveness. Plus he's often totally WRONG in terms of facts. It's disgusting. The man should have been committed a long time ago. I was glad that Rachel Maddow--fierce out liberal lesbian!--challenged his nuttiness about how entrenched interests, like corporations, control what happens in Congress. He seemed not to grasp this at all. Or rather he did, but he didn't want to make his corporated masters look bad. Because he and the rest of the press rarely if ever own up to how they not only shape the campaigns because of their personal psychological issues, but also along the lines of scripts their corporate masters draw up to damage certain candidates (like Gore, Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Edwards, and now Huckabee).

Matthews also made strange comments about Obama's background. Stating his whole name to emphasize the "Hussein" middle name (does Matthews mention ANY of the other candidates' middle names? John Reid Edwards, for example? What the hell is Romney's FIRST name? I know, it's Willard, etc.) or mentioning him as representative of the "third world" was just totally out there. Say what? Thankfully most of the other commentators, even if they were thinking such things, had enough self-control that they didn't just blurt them out. For now.

Finally, why are the media folks so enamored of John McCain? He finished FOURTH, behind the Fredster, who Matthews was slobbering over just a few months ago (along with Romney, whose shoulders and "smell" seemed to stir Matthews's hormones--it was really bizarre), yet many of the media people were claiming him as a winner. I know they desperately want to control things, so I hope the American voters just keep throwing them for a loss.

I know what you mean. I think back when Jesse Jackson has ran as a candidate. I like the man & have nothing against him, but I was often turned off by his style of speaking. I always felt like I was gonna be hit by a bible at any moment during his speeches.

I'll stick with Hillary.I don't think the gay community would benefit at all from Obama being in the white house.
I sure don't want that holy roller Huckabee anywhere near the presidency.

A not-too-bright (putting it mildly) uber-Christian with a bit of charm (relative to the other Republi-bots anyway) gets out first in the Republican race. Sound familiar? Be afraid, America. Be very afraid.

I think Hillary would make the better President, but I think Obama is more electable. So I guess I am rooting for Obama. But I'd vote for a Chia pet over any Republican right now.

The winner of the Democratic nomination will likely be determined when whoever finishes third (probably Edwards IMO) endorses one of the two frontrunners. Let's say Edwards realizes at some point that he is not going to win and drops out of the race. If he throws his support to Clinton, she'll most likely be the nominee. A good majority of Edwards' supporters will probably listen to him, especially if Obama or Clinton offer him the VP slot.

I saw this cartoon by Joel Pett in the LA Times today. Just wanted to share it...

I also like this one.

Obama is getting young people to get involve in the political process that is a great thing for democracy.

I am hoping Huckabee wins a few more times which could help fracture the GOP between the moderates and the Holy Rollers. Clearly the Republican establishment fears him gaining strength.

On the Democratic side, I am am somewhat ambivilent among the three leading candidates as to who I want. They each have their pluses and minuses, but I kind of like Edwards to win even though the likelyhood is not good. Clinton strikes me as too overbearing while Obama is too much of a maverick. In the end though, I will support whomever wins the Dem. nomination.

Phillyrunner, thats exactly what some pundits think is going to happen within the GOP because of Huck-a-boob, that is splitting the party up or fracturing it big time.....I was watching Keith Olberman last night, as usual, and one of his astute guests said/predicted as much....

And this one is a hoot.

The Republicans are paying the price for using the religious right- the evangelicals want Huckabee and that's who is getting the vote.

It's like I read somewhere, but can't remember

"One man's faith should never run a country"

Its HUCK-A-BOOB!!!!!!

Edwards could not possibly take a Clinton VP spot after pointing out so insistently what a spineless status-quo robot she is.

He's still got my vote for the NY primary. I really don't like Obama's odds against McCain in November.

Seems that things aren't looking up for Hillary tomorrow. Could this be the beginning of the end for her campaign?!

I agree 100%. Obama is attracting a lot of newcomers and younger people to the process which is wonderful and fine and good. The potential problem is that they also have to turn out in numbers again in November to elect him. It remains to be seen if that will happen. It may and it may not.

On the other hand, the older people, who are among McCains strongest supporters and who, by tradition, turn out in larger numbers for the general election.

Also, God knows what may or may not happen in world affairs between now and the general election. If something happens somehwere in the world it might be that people would vote experience and age in such a scenario and elect McCain. I may be wrong but that seems to me how it could play out.

So Hillary got emotional on the campaign trail today huh? Real or calculated? Many people seem to agree that it was a very real moment, and for the first time she showed true emotion. One woman commented that it was a beautiful moment and she entered the discussion undecided but left decided. What I don't think it will do is help her with male voters. I think that is not what men who may have considered voting for her but still had comfortability issues with a female Commander in Chief wanted to see. I think its clear that the stress of all of this is getting to her. It has to be incredibly difficult. These people are going nonstop on the campaign trail and I think Obama's surge and panic in her campaign is taking a toll at the moment. Perhaps she should forget about South Carolina all together and wait until Super Tuesday where she can make up ground (assuming Obama wins NH and South Carolina). I don't know...I like Hillary but I also think she can be very much a manipulator so I don't know what to make of the moment. I don't see it as a "beautiful moment" the way others seem to be. I don't really know what to think of it, but I can't help but think back to A League of Their Own. THERE'S NO CRYING...THERE'S NO CRYING IN POLITICS!!! Here's the link:

Hillary Clinton gets choked up on the campaign trail

Hillary's and Obama's positions on gay marriage and a host of gay-centric issues are about the same. I think while it's important for gay voters to look directly at candidates' positions on gay issues, but when 2 candidates are almost identical, you have to look at other things.

In the case of Hillary, I think she is so divisive that the whole culture war (in which gay people are a primary casualty) will continue to rage under her if she wins. At least Obama offers the hope that there will be some bipartisanship and maybe a dialing-down of the heated rhetoric that has colored everything for the past fifteen years.

An Obama victory would also be symbolic in that he would be the first post-boomer president signaling a new era. Younger people are much more gay-neutral than their parents' generation and I don't want to see gay issues held hostage for four more years to the ongoing battle between 60's era Young Republicans vs. Vietnam protesters. Sorry, I want to move on.



If she sees America's opportunities slipping away, what the heck has she been doing in the Senate? Certainly not opposing war funding, warrantless wiretapping, or stopping disastrous GOP hacks as nominees.

There is absolutely nothing uncalculated and unscripted about the Clintons. I am not at all sorry for being skeptical, but these are crocodile tears.

Today's Globe and Mail reports that Canadians would massively vote for ANY of the Democrat candidates over a Republican. This trend is true even among Conservative party supporters. However, Hillary Clinton is favoured over Barack Obama. Personally I prefer Obama, even if he does think that Canada has a President, rather than a Prime Minister (as reported several months ago). I hope Obama is starting to learn a little more about his neighbours!

Republicans should be happy Canadians can't vote

The ultimate hurdle: The Likeability Factor, may be the most difficult one for Obama.

It is woefully unpredictable and at the core of so much about the national psyche.

Very interesting story Marc. I am guessing that you Canadians favor Hillary so much is because if memory serves, Bill Clinton was hugely popular up there when he was President, so maybe its the familiarity factor. Just a hunch. Fortunately your countrys' opinion about the Dems and their chances seems to be pretty much in line with the majority of polls I have seen... down here. Hillary isn't out yet, but CLEARLY she needs to tweak her message or something......that is disappointing about his knowledge that Canada has a Prime Minister, not a President, but I should imagine as things move along and IF he becomes the Democratic nominee that will change. I heard the first New Hampshire results from Dixville Notch, and Obama got the majority of votes. I don't think Hillary got one..vote.yet.