Obama sweeps Saterday Primaries(LA, NE,WA)

[Mr Bean]

Yes he did

Barack Obama more than doubled Hillary Rodham Clinton's output in Democratic presidential caucuses in Nebraska and Washington state, and defeated Clinton in Louisiana, giving the Illinois senator three victories Saturday night.

CNN called the states for Obama, with the Illinois senator carrying 69 percent support to Clinton's 31 percent in Nebraska and 67 percent to 32 percent lead in Washington.

Polls closed in Louisiana's primary at 9 p.m. Eastern time, and CNN projected Obama the winner just more than an hour later.

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee won an overwhelming victory in the Kansas GOP presidential caucuses Saturday, but he still remains well behind frontrunner John McCain.

With 60 percent support, Huckabee trounced the Arizona senator, who received 24 percent. Huckabee won all 36 of the state's delegates to the Republican National Convention.

The former Arkansas governor's victory comes as he continued to vow to remain in the GOP race for the White House despite McCain's the large delegate lead. Huckabee touted the victory as a triumph for what he described as his conservative principles.

"We were overwhelmed with the result," he said at a press conference Saturday night. "People across America are gravitating toward our campaign and realizing that there is still a choice."

The U.S. Virgin Islands will also hold Democratic caucuses and Guam will pick its GOP favorite.

Clinton gave her campaign stump speech at a Democratic party fundraising dinner in Richmond, Va., where voters will go to the polls Tuesday. Clinton did not make a reference to her Saturday night defeats.

In an attempt to head off criticism from the Obama campaign, Clinton said she will draw sharp distinctions between herself and McCain.

"I don't think there's anyone here who thinks they can't tell the difference between me and Senator McCain," she said. "Voters wont have any problem seeing the differences."

Democrats are choosing between Obama, the Illinois senator, and Clinton, the New York senator, while Republicans choose between Huckabee and McCain. Other candidates that have dropped out of the race remain on the ballot.

Preliminary results of a survey of voters leaving their polling places in Louisiana showed that nearly half of those casting ballots were black. As a group, African-Americans have overwhelmingly favored Obama in earlier primaries, helping him to wins in South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia.

Clinton began the day with a slender delegate lead, according to The Associated Press count. She had 1,055 delegates to 998 for Obama. A total of 2,025 is required to win the nomination at the party convention in Denver. A total of 158 Democratic delegates are at stake Saturday.

McCain began the day with 719 delegates. Huckabee, with 198, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, with 14, were his only remaining rivals following Mitt Romney's withdrawal from the race.

Maine, where Obama and Clinton both campaigned Saturday, will award 24 delegates during its Democratic caucuses Sunday. Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia and voting by Americans overseas are next, on Tuesday, with 175 combined.

Kansas Republicans could still vote for candidates who have dropped out of the race. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney placed fourth with 3 percent and perennial GOP candidate Alan Keyes was fifth with 1 percent.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani both received fewer votes than did Uncommitted.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Two to one margins in all states for Obama, 60% win for Huckabee. Obama widens his lead in elected delegates and is supposdly 30 votes behind Clinton in Super-delegates. 28 to be exact since she cheats and counts herself and Bill in their number.

[Fire Fly]

The most unusual thing about tonight: Huckabee will probably win all of the Republican primaries. I didn't expect that at all and so far, he's pulled some impressive victories given his meager finances.

On the Democratic side, I didn't expect Washington and Nebraska would be huge victories for Obama and I thought Louisiana would have had a higher margin for Obama.

As an aside, Obama also picked up the 3 delegates from the Virgin Islands.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I've heard folks say that the democratic primary season might last all the way to Puerto rico.

How hilarious will it be to see them speaking broken spanish to throngs of angry puerto-ricans.

[Metatwaddle]

The most unusual thing about tonight: Huckabee will probably win all of the Republican primaries. I didn't expect that at all and so far, he's pulled some impressive victories given his meager finances.

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

[Losonti Tokash]

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

While the west coast is typically portrayed as a monolithic block of liberals, having lived there I can tell you that the rural areas of those states are very conservative. They're just massively outnumbered.

[Civil War Man]

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

My mother grew up in a town in the desert areas of eastern Washington. She didn't realize it when she was young, but the Klan used to have a sizeable presence there.

[Metatwaddle]

Huh. Well, you learn something new every day.

Different question: why are they taking so damn long to get the votes counted? Didn't the caucuses close quite a while ago? 87% of precincts are reporting, with McCain up 26%-24% over Huckabee. Where are those last 13%?

I'm actually rooting for Huckabee at this point, just to make the GOP squabble amongst themselves for a little longer, because I think that'll be better for the Democrats in the end. I can't believe I'm rooting for a guy who believes the earth is 6,000 years old, but...

[ray245]

Huh. Well, you learn something new every day.

Different question: why are they taking so damn long to get the votes counted? Didn't the caucuses close quite a while ago? 87% of precincts are reporting, with McCain up 26%-24% over Huckabee. Where are those last 13%?

I'm actually rooting for Huckabee at this point, just to make the GOP squabble amongst themselves for a little longer, because I think that'll be better for the Democrats in the end. I can't believe I'm rooting for a guy who believes the earth is 6,000 years old, but...

So Huckabee is a young earth creationist? OK...if Huckabee became the president, I wonder what will the response from other countries be...their education minsters to be exact.

[Gullible Jones]

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

He's popular because liberals/moderates think he's not electable, and would ensure a Democratic win if he won the primaries. They also like his populist economics, and the fact that he is supposedly "a nice guy at heart" (unlike Bush).

This strikes me as pretty stupid, since Bush proved that anyone is electable as long as they parrot the right buzzwords and have enough fraudsters rigging things in their favor. But yeah, that seems to be the current pattern of thought.

[Uraniun235]

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

My mother grew up in a town in the desert areas of eastern Washington. She didn't realize it when she was young, but the Klan used to have a sizeable presence there.

Yes, back in the 20s, and so too with Oregon. But then, that's the incarnation of the Klan that had a couple million members at its peak.

Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

Look up a map of the Pacific Northwest, and locate on it the Cascades. Everything to the east of the Cascades is very sparsely populated; there are several counties with population densities less than 10 people per square mile, a few with five or less, and even one with less than one person per square mile.

Everything to the east of the Cascades is deep, deep red.

Also, to be fair, there's a lot of area on the west side of the Cascades that's sparsely populated and pretty conservative.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The most unusual thing about tonight: Huckabee will probably win all of the Republican primaries. I didn't expect that at all and so far, he's pulled some impressive victories given his meager finances.

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

Eastern Washington is filled with fuckheads, and then I live in Bremerton, which has a huge navy presence, which means = transplanted Georgia boys. Same with Everett and Oak Harbour, navy bases, and then there's the USAF at McChord in the western part of the state--Fairchild in the eastern part, etc. Washington State has one of the highest per capita military populations in the country.

Western Washington is, military excluded, pretty good. But the state's terrain is crazy; you go from densely packed coastal regions to mountains the space of thirty miles, tops, and then higher mountains. Those areas are extremely rural, and tend to be filled with rightwing extremists of the Ron Paul type--I suspect that Ron Paul may well have placed second in Washington State, hmm, yep, he may actually beat Huckabee.

The only religious fanatics in the western part of the state are really just the Dutch Calvinist colony of Lynden right on the Canadian border, and some random homeschooler doom-apocalypse types dotted through the western fringe of the Cascades. The suburbanites here are quite liberal, the cities, intensely so; Seattle is the only city in the USA where a General Strike ever took place, and it has a long history of extensive labour movements and cooperatives (the later where the food is quite bloody delicious, and local, so it will still be there when everything goes to hell).

The rest of the fundies? Eastern Washington; and fuck them, too, it's just a big flat empty desert attached to the rear-end of the state.

Washington State has the smallest church-going population of any US State, period, for the record.

[Flagg]

The most unusual thing about tonight: Huckabee will probably win all of the Republican primaries. I didn't expect that at all and so far, he's pulled some impressive victories given his meager finances.

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

Everything east of the cascades in the great wasteland that is eastern Washington.

[Gil Hamilton]

Well, Washington, as least, was no surprise since the trend is for wealthy liberal business types tend to like Obama, and Washington is the High Holy Land of Wealthy Liberal Business Types. Mt. Rainier could erupt and the smoke and debris could form "VOTE CLINTON 2008" and that wouldn't change.

It's a good sign for the others, since I was under the impression that Clinton was leading in states like Nebraska, so I consider it a positive trend that Obama won that one. It makes it more likely that he's going to be the nominee, since he's clearly picking up some momentum and I don't see much momentum from the Clinton campaign.

And they released a statement basically saying "Oh, Obama was expected to win those." *cough* Uh, so? He still won them.

[CmdrWilkens]

Well, Washington, as least, was no surprise since the trend is for wealthy liberal business types tend to like Obama, and Washington is the High Holy Land of Wealthy Liberal Business Types. Mt. Rainier could erupt and the smoke and debris could form "VOTE CLINTON 2008" and that wouldn't change.

It's a good sign for the others, since I was under the impression that Clinton was leading in states like Nebraska, so I consider it a positive trend that Obama won that one. It makes it more likely that he's going to be the nominee, since he's clearly picking up some momentum and I don't see much momentum from the Clinton campaign.

And they released a statement basically saying "Oh, Obama was expected to win those." *cough* Uh, so? He still won them.

It was hilarious watching some of the TV analysis because the commentators were saying much the same thing. They also pointed out that if Obama wins everywhere he is "suppossed to" then Clinton will go literally 3 weeks without a single victory. With 3 weeks of victoriesand almost total control of the news cycles because of that Obama could easily roll into Texas and Ohio with a lot of strength. At that point the demogrpahics in Ohio favor him and the weird hybrid system in Texas could produce really interesting results.

[Civil War Man]

Yes, back in the 20s, and so too with Oregon. But then, that's the incarnation of the Klan that had a couple million members at its peak.

I wasn't talking about the 20s. My mother grew up in the 50s and 60s, and even then it was still pretty strong there.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Yes, back in the 20s, and so too with Oregon. But then, that's the incarnation of the Klan that had a couple million members at its peak.

I wasn't talking about the 20s. My mother grew up in the 50s and 60s, and even then it was still pretty strong there.

Well, it is eastern Washington. Hanford is the best thing that ever happened to it.

[Battlehymn Republic]

The most unusual thing about tonight: Huckabee will probably win all of the Republican primaries. I didn't expect that at all and so far, he's pulled some impressive victories given his meager finances.

Actually, McCain is leading in Washington with 78% reporting. I'm surprised he didn't win by more; as far as I know, Washington is as blue as blue gets, maybe a little green, but certainly not purple. Why is Huckabee so popular? Are there regions of the state where the people are ultraconservative hicks?

Because he's not a caricature of Pat Robertson that people tend to think he is. Is he even a YEC?

[FSTargetDrone]

From an 2007 profile in Rolling Stone:

...Mike Huckabee represents something that is either tremendously encouraging or deeply disturbing, depending on your point of view: a marriage of Christian fundamentalism with economic populism. Rather than employing the ­patented Bush-Rove tactic of using abortion and gay rights to hoodwink low-­income Christians into supporting patrician, pro-corporate policies, Huckabee is a bigger-government Republican who emphasizes prison reform and poverty relief. In the world of GOP politics, he represents something entirely new — a cross between John Edwards and Jerry Falwell, an ordained Southern Baptist preacher who actually seems to give a shit about the working poor.

But Huckabee is also something else: full-blown nuts, a Christian goofball of the highest order. He believes the Earth may be only 6,000 years old, angrily rejects the evidence that human beings evolved from "primates" and thinks America wouldn't need so much Mexican labor if we allowed every aborted ­fetus to grow up and enter the workforce. To top it off, Huckabee also left behind a record of ethical missteps in the swamp of ­Arkansas politics that make White­water seem like a jaywalking ticket.

...

George Bush and John Ashcroft were religious in a scary way, but the rational among us could always take heart that, deep down, the Bush administration was more cynical than messianic. But it doesn't take much exposure to Huckabee to see that this former understudy of a Texas televangelist is deadly serious about the God thing. On the trail, Huckabee is most animated when he's talking about religious issues. In the first Republican debate in New Hampshire, Huckabee, apparently unaware that human beings are primates, responded to a question about evolution by saying, "If anybody wants to believe that they are the descendants of a primate, they are certainly welcome to do it."

[Soontir C'boath]

The title should be, "Obama sweeps the whole weekend"

Obama wins in Maine
With 70 percent counted, he had 57 percent to Clinton's 42 percent
The Associated Press
updated 7:25 p.m. ET, Sun., Feb. 10, 2008

AUGUSTA, Maine - Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic Party's Maine caucuses on Sunday, grabbing a majority of delegates as the state's Democrats overlooked the snowy weather and turned out in heavy numbers for municipal gatherings.

With 70 percent of the participating precincts reporting, Obama had 57 percent of the vote, while Clinton had 42 percent.

Democrats in 420 Maine towns and cities decided how the state’s 24 delegates would be allotted at the party’s national presidential convention in August. Despite the weather, turnout was “incredible,” party executive director Arden Manning said.

The voting came a day after Obama and Clinton made personal appeals here, and after Obama picked up wins in Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington.

Organizers had expected heavy participation at the caucuses, but up to 8 inches of snow and Arctic cold were expected when many of the gatherings were scheduled. Even so, Democrats started Sunday with more than 4,000 absentee ballots in hand.

Manning said the weather wouldn’t hurt turnout. In Bangor, the caucus started late because so many people showed up that they were lined up outside the door, he said.

Lines three blocks long
In Portland, waterlogged Democrats carrying “Obama” and “Hillary” signs waited to get into the citywide caucus at Portland High School in separate lines that snaked nearly three city blocks in opposite directions.

Colin Johnson, an Obama supporter, said the Illinois senator is not a typical politician. “I’m convinced he’s a once-in-a-generation leader,” he said.

“He’s young and energetic and Washington and the White House could benefit from some fresh air,” said Joe Lewis, another Obama supporter.

But Tony Donovan said Obama can use some more seasoning. Donavan was supporting Clinton because she, like him, was a baby boomer who shared similar values and because she has the experience and the team to lead in Washington.

“Obama’s a great guy. He’ll be great in eight years,” Donovan said. “He doesn’t have the experience in the Senate. He doesn’t have the experience in Washington. He’s not ready.”

Both candidates were here Saturday
Though Maine’s delegate count is small, Clinton and Obama, along with surrogates, came to the state Saturday as their campaigns drew tighter after Super Tuesday.

Thousands of people packed the Bangor Auditorium to hear Obama on Saturday and hundreds more who weren’t allowed inside greeted him as he arrived. People also were stopped at the door as Clinton held a town hall-style gathering nearby at the University of Maine at Orono. She later stopped in Lewiston.

Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, and husband, Bill, also visited, while Obama supporter Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts campaigned in two cities in the days before the vote.

Both campaigns hit Maine heavily with radio and TV advertising, and voters’ homes were being called with pre-taped messages in support of both candidates. On Sunday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, were scheduled to visit Maine caucuses on Obama’s behalf.

On Clinton’s side, Maine Gov. John Baldacci, Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern and New York Rep. Gregory Meeks were to campaign.

The high level of excitement across the state contrasted with earlier expectations that the post-Super Tuesday timing of the caucuses would dampen voter interest.

A competitive GOP race a week earlier also helped to enliven interest in the Maine Republicans nonbinding caucuses, which were won by Mitt Romney. He dropped out of the race last week, making it likely that Arizona Sen. John McCain would become the GOP nominee.

Clinton may be waiting for March for the big states but these losses right after Super Tuesday just can't be good.

[CmdrWilkens]

Add in that she just fired her campaign manager plus is looking to lose the next three primaries (VA/DC/MD) on Tuesday. She is already trying to parlay that into being the "underdog" with her campaign spokesman sayng that the endorsements for Obama make him an "establishment candidate." Honestly I really wonder if there is some real fire under all this smoke her campaign is putting out right now. Rudy already proved that waiting for the primaries to come to you is a losing proposition so what does it say that every state Hillary even tried to contest she lost big and Virginia, which is the one state she is contesting on Tuesday, is looking an awful lot like an Obama win.

[Master of Ossus]

Add in that she just fired her campaign manager plus is looking to lose the next three primaries (VA/DC/MD) on Tuesday. She is already trying to parlay that into being the "underdog" with her campaign spokesman sayng that the endorsements for Obama make him an "establishment candidate." Honestly I really wonder if there is some real fire under all this smoke her campaign is putting out right now. Rudy already proved that waiting for the primaries to come to you is a losing proposition so what does it say that every state Hillary even tried to contest she lost big and Virginia, which is the one state she is contesting on Tuesday, is looking an awful lot like an Obama win.

Is she seriously claiming that she's an underdog? Wasn't she the one nursuing 20-point leads in the polls as late as January?

[[R_H]]

Rather than creating a new topic, I'll just post this here

Obama set for clear Maine victory

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is projected to win the Democratic caucus in Maine, defeating Hillary Clinton.

The Maine contest tops a weekend of gains by Mr Obama in the battle for the party's presidential nomination.

On Saturday, Mr Obama won in polls Louisiana, Nebraska and Washington state and the US Virgin Islands.

The clean sweep of all five weekend contests puts him almost neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton in their deadlocked nomination battle.

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton has appointed a new campaign manager after this weekend's setbacks.

Maggie Williams, who was the New York senator's chief of staff when her husband was serving as US president, will take over from Patty Doyle, who has decided to step down.

Campaign aides said Ms Doyle's decision was not urged upon her by Mrs Clinton or any senior members of her team, the Associated Press reports.

Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton now head into a series of contests on Tuesday: Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

There seems to be a sheer determination to "not look like an underdog" at the moment.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

EDIT: I mean, to "look like an underdog".

[Soontir C'boath]

[R_H], look three posts above you.

Is she seriously claiming that she's an underdog? Wasn't she the one nursuing 20-point leads in the polls as late as January?

Her claim is that she is the financial underdog which really comes to be her own fault. Obama focused on small donations coming through his website from everyday people who can continue to give while Hillary went for dinner parties to receive the $2300 max out of each person.

Not to mention that people perceived her as having the money needed for the campaign and probably thought they didn't need to donate. The recent gain of 7+ million dollars in donations since Super Tuesday shows she's catching up in the internet department though.

I'll bet in a week or two she'll claim she was never the underdog and go right on plastering ads all over.