Bob Cesca - you are from my own 6th district in Berks. Amazing. Most really good and talented people leave Berks, but I'm happy that you have stayed. Your blogs are entertaining and insightful.
As an over-65 bitter female, married to a bitter former steelworker, I was not only eager to vote for Barack, but also volunteered to help the campaign. Many of my friends from the old Women's Lib days voted for Hillary in this election just to have one chance in their lifetime to seriously vote for a woman for president. That's all. They don't expect her to be nominated. They will vote for Obama in the fall. However, most of the Obama people I've met will not vote for Hillary, myself included, even to the (gasp) benefit of a John McCrazy presidency.
Pennsylvania Primary: Liveblogging the Results
7:37
I live in Pennsylvania and Senator Obama just called me and told me to drive to every house and call everyone I know to go vote right now. Okay, so it was a robocall. But it was cool anyway. Also, why is David Gregory shouting tonight?
7:39
While many sites on the tubes are running those Drudge exit poll numbers. Big shocker... FOX News Channel is showing the numbers in their lower-third graphic prior to the polls closing.
7:45
Oh, and by way of tradition... My prediction:
7:46
Canvassers on the ground are telling me that they're seeing a perfectly even 50/50 split in terms of support. Personally, I haven't received any mailers or door-hangers from the Clinton campaign even though I'm an elected member of the Democratic Committee here in Berks County (6th Congressional District) and our chairman, Tom Herman, is a Clinton delegate.
7:58
Would someone slip Russert a Dulcolax? He's totally aggro tonight. In fact, everyone on MSNBC -- except Rachel -- is totally full of piss and vinegar.
7:59
I was on the Mike O'Meara Show in Washington, DC this afternoon and predicted that Senator Clinton would stay in the race and run as a Liebercrat. Discuss.
8PM
MSNBC is saying it's too close to call. I don't know what that means. Matthews says "new voters are leaning toward Barack." At least he didn't say "Barama" like always.
8:07
Here in Berks, we vote using Shouptronic electronic voting machines. There have been some complaints about them in Philadelphia, but no massive irregularities here. Oh, and I wrote-in my own name in the uncontested race for the Democratic nomination for the 129th district state general assembly race. Wish me luck! The last time I did that on a whim, I actually won. Democracy is awesome.
8:23
On FOX News, an endless stream of words are magically floating into Brit Hume's head. However it's to no effect -- he's still insanely misinformed. Oh crap... Fortify the intertube firewalls -- Karl Rove just complained that "the Secretary of State's website just crashed."
8:32
Yeah, Karl Rove just said on FOX News that he has the PA Secretary of State's "phone number on his cell phone speed dial." That's never a good thing.
8:37
MSNBC reporting with 0% in:
Clinton 65
Obama 35
This margin will, of course, significantly narrow.
8:43
MSNBC just changed their language to "Too Early To Call: Clinton Has Taken Lead Over Obama."
8:49
MSNBC projects Clinton wins Pennsylvania.
8:51
Clinton 55 - 32,724
Obama 45 - 28, 301
3% reporting
CNN hasn't called a winner yet.
8:54
CNN is reporting:
Obama 52
Clinton 48
8:56
Now it's back to:
Clinton 53
Obama 47
Was MSNBC a little premature?
9:01
Correction -- the 8:54 number above showing Obama ahead was for Philadelphia alone. Sorry about that.
9:03
MSNBC is showing 52-48 now. And... okay... new numbers... 53-47 as I type this. Among Clinton supporters this margin might as well be 20 points. It's going to be defined as a huge victory. Oh, and back to 52-48.
9:13
Clinton 54 - 118,000
Obama 46 - 98,000
Joe Scarborough vs. Harold Ford on MSNBC. Basically, it's this:
JOE: Obama is a loser!
FORD: Yes, you're right.
9:19
Chuck Todd's Mathematical Beard says that based on tonight, Senator Clinton needs to win 80 percent of the rest of the pledged delegates, which is statistically impossible. Todd reports that Clinton might net 14 delegates tonight.
9:24
CNN's popular vote reporting
171,000
151,000
9:28
Canvassers here in Berks County are telling me that seniors were overwhelmingly voting for Senator Obama. Also, it's worth noting that Obama was behind by 16 points and a virtual unknown here. Senator Obama's money was well spent. Also, sources are telling me that my township -- Spring Township -- went for Obama in a big way. It's mostly white, middle class.
9:34
Oh, and how does Pat Buchanan, practically an admitted racist, get to talk about this campaign after he wrote that blacks should be grateful to white people like him -- you know, for the food stamps? Buchanan to Maddow just now: "Quit the Marxist dialect."
9:37
Matthews to Senator McCaskill: "Will what beat Alan Keyes beat John McCain?" Seriously. That's what Chris Matthews was thinking. Also, Senator Clinton is getting ready to make with the talking.
9:46
Markos is reporting the following delegate spread with 21 percent reporting;
Clinton 28
Obama 19
If the margin is a net 10 delegates (give or take) for Senator Clinton, any argument she makes to superdelegates will be muted at best.
9:52
Watching John King and his magic-marker fingers on CNN. It looks as if most of PA counties went for Senator Clinton. Too much light blue and not enough dark blue. I suppose a lot of Pennsylvania Democrats want a president who will obliterate Iran with nuclear weapons. I find that remarkable. Who would've thought Democrats would be in favor of a nuclear war in the Middle East.
10:03
Chuck Todd on MSNBC mentioning that many of the suburban Philadelphia counties haven't reported any returns. Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster Counties -- all zero percent reporting.
10:04
So if Senator Obama wins North Carolina by 10-15 points, will he negate Senator Clinton's PA delegate gain? My hunch is yes, most of it.
10:06
I was talking with an older voter today and she told me that while she was voting for Senator Obama, she was concerned that he's not "fast enough on his feet" and she's worried about his leadership skills. Of course my kneejerk reply was... look who's run the better campaign. Senator Obama has won more primary votes and raised more money (from mostly small donors) than any presidential candidate in American history. All of this against two of the most recognizable and popular Democrats in the world (the Clintons). Whether or not you're a supporter, that's significant and speaks to his leadership abilities.
10:16
Senator Clinton speaking now. Nothing yet about nuclear armageddon in the Middle East.
10:20
She's ripping Senator Obama for outspending her. I guess if Senator Obama was a legacy candidate whose spouse is a very popular ex-president, he wouldn't have to.
10:24
To her credit... Her supporters are really enthusiastic tonight.
10:30
And she's not going to quit any time soon. After all, if Senator McCain wins in November, 2012 is her's to lose. She's gone negative several times in her victory speech, so yeah. As I said on the Mike O'Meara Show today, she's in it to win it -- in 2012.
10:34
Olbermann mentioning how Senator Clinton injected some of her usual negative digs at Senator Obama in her speech.
10:35
The popular vote margin for Senator Clinton is around 60,000 votes.
10:39
The delegate spread with 71 percent reporting:
Clinton 37
Obama 31
Also, via Markos, the Clinton-endorsing New York Times editorial board:
Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race. It is true that Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering a good part of what was once a 20-point lead.
10:45
Senator Obama speaking now from Evansville, Indiana. Continuing his call for less bickering. It sounds like it's going to be a big speech.
10:59
Andrew Sullivan:
If Obama thinks he has a right to actually be nominated by the Clinton Democrats because he has won more votes, more states and more delegates, he is sadly mistaken. They will never let such a person win without a death struggle. And that is where the Democrats are now headed.
11:02
"We will change this country... we will change the world... this is our country... let's get to work." Another great Senator Obama address.
11:07
The official PA numbers:
CLINTON, HILLARY (DEM) 962,401 54.0%
OBAMA, BARACK (DEM) 820,382 46.0
11:30
That's all for me tonight. I don't mind so much that it was a disappointing night for Senator Obama in terms of the popular vote spread, but I'm not thrilled with the fact that every day this race continues means a better November for Senator McCain. The cold hard fact is that the delegate spread is only 3, according to Markos. Yet Senator Clinton will continue until at least June -- another two months with Senator Obama dividing his army, so to speak, between Clinton and McCain. And he'll still win Indiana and North Carolina. Here's the current delegate count:
Clinton 40
Obama 37
91 percent reporting
And the official PA popular vote as of 11:34PM EDT:
CLINTON, HILLARY (DEM) 1,019,967 54.4%
OBAMA, BARACK (DEM) 855,971 45.6%
Good night, everyone. At least two more months of Senator Clinton's attempted 2012 presidential campaign. Awesome.
Read more reactions from Huffington Post bloggers to the Pennsylvania Primary
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Can't we match the Clinton's burnt earth policy to discredit and hopefully destroy the Obama Campaign and the Democratic party with a pledge drive to lure a Democratic candidate into taking her Bill bought Senate seat from her? Ten or fifteen million might do the job.
Hardball, honey, isn't it fair for everyone!
Obama claims he has won then why does he keep on fighting if he does not have to?Why not just pull out and relax until the convention? Or pull out of the remaining primaries and go after McCain and not waste his money on Hillary?
When did Senator Obama claim he won? Citation please. I last heard him say she should stay in the race.
Another argument would be how she has made Mitt Romney look like a stellar Politician. By all accounts, he was going to fight to the finish. The next day he gave a concession speech. Could it have been because of the lack of funds he had to go to further campaigning? Or was it better for the party? Either way Hillary is looking like the draconian candidate. When I first heard of Hillary Clinton running for office, I thought to myself, " Yes we will finally have a woman President." My husband asked me one day", "Who are you voting for?" I'm voting for Hillary of course. Aren't you?" "No. I'm voting for Barack Obama." "Who?" "Barack Obama." "Oh." " I heard of him once. I think he was on Oprah. " Well, you should really look into his record." Later that night I got on Youtube, And knew that we may have finally hit the jackpot. You see, I saw the direction in which the economy was headed. The more I researched the candidates, the more I was convinced that Hillary would not be an asset to our economy. I also realized that she has no qualms about lying to her constituents. She has contracts that she has to honor before she will begin to tackle our economy. Who ever voted for her better take their asses to China, Indian, Columbia, Canada, Mexico and Brazil because they own us now.
Mensa huh? Me too.And here's what I see. The Republicans changed the rules in Florida & Michigan. This division was planned, just like both Bush terms, It's another way to make sure Dems are confused & divided. Dems votes won't even count this year, forget the hanging chads. But the Republican candidate votes count. And Bush sold us to those countries years ago.
"I also realized that she has no qualms about lying to her constituents."
Hell, neither does Obama.
Hillary Clinton"s campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination is, at this point, much like a plodding seemingly endless Theatre of the Absurd performance. She cannot garner a lead in popular votes or in pledged delegates. All that"s left for her is to attack Obama and hope to increase his negatives in polls to the extent that she then can make a case to super delegates that he is unelectable. But, as has been shown in recent polls, this ploy also increases her already high negatives.
Hillary"s claim that she has already weathered the storm of Republican attacks is ridiculous. If she were to be nominated, Republican surrogates would have a field day with the skeletons in her outsized closets. The Swift Boats would swamp her dingy before if left the dock. Combine attack ad barrages with the growing perception among the general electorate that she is significantly less trustworthy than her opponents (voters who describe HRC as "honest and trustworthy"-41% Vs Obama and McCain-61%--Newsweek poll, 04/18/08) and we have the recipe for another Clinton enabled Republican administration.
Bob, at least you had the guts to watch the coverage of the Pennsylvania primary. After black Tuesday here in Texas ( March 4th) I could not bare another Hillary moment. I am asking God this morning. " How hard do you want to make this for our man, Barack Obama? " A still whisper from somewhere out in the universe said. " Be still. Be patient. " I agree with Andrew Sullivan the Hillites want blood and will, like rabid pit bulls, tear him limb by limb. I have said this before. Hillary is like the character Reese Witherspoon played in the movie The Election with Matthew Broderick. She is that sad pitiful girl underneath her armor that will stop at nothing to get what she wants. A type A personality to the level of pychosis. But for now I am going to have to rely on that soft whisper I heard from the universe. Be patient. Good shall prevail over it's opposite. Or so I pray.
HuffPost's Pick
"I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar. The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the senate, it's the sand of the coliseum. He'll bring them death - and they will love him for it."
From the movie-Gladiator
This idea is as true in this society as it was in Rome 2000 years ago. The American mob loves the sands of the arena. That is how the Republicans have been able to take the food off our tables and have the American mob roar for Bush and Reagan . They were good in the arena. They knew how to use the trident and Thracian sword against reason and good governance. I kinow Obama wants to change the way politics are done in this country. So did Kerry and so did Gore. Where did it get them with the mob? Obama is fond of saying "not this time". Oh if only that "marble of the Senate" could be the beating heart of the American electorate> As Pennsylvania has shown, it is still the sand of the arena. So as much as I hate to say it, Obama has to suit up for a contest that will leave blood in the sands of the arena. The mob demands it.
the mob needs to evolve for the world to change
obama gives them that leadership to change, to be positive
he needs to beat down hillary with a shoe, but i don't think it has to be bloody this time. I'm counting on the evolving of the human race. otherwise, no leader is going to carry us out of what is coming ahead, with our falling dollar, our extreme weather, our food shortages.
All this talk about Pa voters being racist is ridiculous. Some of us actually live there, even in places like Central PA, so we should know. I don't think that Clinton won due to racism. I think that she won because there are a huge number of old-school democrats from unions and farmers. She did the best in areas of industry, in the northeast coal region, in the west in steel country, and in rural central. And let's not forget how working-class Philadelphia really is. Yeah, we have our yuppies, but we have a good number of old-school dems in South Philly and the Northeast. Did all the pundits forget who runs our town? The unions, idiots. Face it, Obama didn't grab the middle class in PA. Not because of race, but because these voters couldn't relate to him. Clinton made the case that she cares about them as individuals.
Obama needs to learn how to connect to the middle class because that is McCain's strongest constituency. MSNBC had a poll last night that showed that Clinton voters were going to McCain by 25 percent and only 50-something for Obama. However, Clinton would gain 60-something from Obama's loss, with far fewer going to McCain. I think that this is a significant poll because it shows that Obama is out of touch with the voters who like Clinton and McCain. He needs to grab those people. He NEEDS to if wants to beat McCain.
You mean the gross generalizations of PA voters aren't the truth? I'm speechless.
The best part of the election to me was watching David Gregory's show after-the-fact.
Pat Buchanan goes first, and gives a long "Hillary has stormed the beaches and whupped the enemy's arse" pontification...with nary a word from Gregory.
Rachel Maddow goes next, and gets out part of one sentence about how the election's margin of victory isn't that significant...and Gregory interrupts her to dispute that point and every point she might later attempt to make.
Ahhhh...the state of "journalism".
Hard to believe that any NBC journalist would help Clinton by dissing someone with a different hero. I just could not watch MSNBC last night. Keith, Tim, and Chris are all misogynists for sure.
And they all love the the messy egg on their faces. I can't say it isn't becoming of them.
The SUPERDELEGATES are jeopardizing the lives of 300 million Americans to appease the Clintons !!! Enough already. Obviously, Hillary WILL NOT win. Show some backbone.
This situation is a symptom of the serious failure of greedy and self-preservation driven, delusion of grandeur impaired DNC leadership faction that includes Dean, Kerry, Carter, Kennedy, Pelosi and Brazile.
The decision on the penalty (not the rules, ok?) resulted in disenfranchising two of the largest states in America while ignorantly overseeing a process that makes any close race a stalemate is the root cause of the mess. Neither Clinton nor Obama are at fault what so ever. They have every right to run a vigorous campaign as expected.
However under the guise of fairness the democratic primary is one of the most rigged and corrupt activities in national politics today. That a discussion for another day.
The discussion for today is that defending Obama, as the leader and presumptive candidate when under the general election rules Clinton would now be ahead by 250 delegates blatantly ignores the single fact that matters. Electability.
To rationalize that Obama had a delegate strategy is disingenuous since he has out spent Clinton 3:1 and up to 10:1 in certain precincts in those primary states he lost by 10 points.
How can the same people who were outraged that Bush stole the election from Gore use the opposite Bush logic on why Obama deserves the nomination, especially when Clinton is more electable in the general anyhow? Deplorable and preventable.
How the hell is she more electable? Do you really think that all the Americans that voted for Obama some for the first time ever are going to vote for HER? Do you think she can get any indepent and republican votes AT ALL?They despise her more than I do and I'm a democrat. She lost already, she can't win PLAYING BY THE RULES and none of those kids who are out there giving money and working the streets for Obama will EVER vote for her? Neither will the African Americans because every time she wins a vote by appealing to bigotry she loses more and more of them. And she insulted Democratic activists and small states and caucus states. She won by winning the BITTER bigot vote and the BITTER feminist vote. She will never win in November.
This is pure BS! To accuse HRC of being a bigot or appealing to bigotry is to ignore her entire history. This is SUCH a good example of the TRANCE which so many of the Obamabots are under. The rest of us are DEEPLY suspicious of the rants spewed by the Obamabots, ignoring reality as they do.
-MS
Bob - Thanks for continuing to report the official PA state numbers last night, instead of just the media spin which settled erroneously on 10% and now refuses to budge in defiance of reality.
In response to an earlier poster about a supposed low turnout in PA...
This couldn't be further from the truth. What happened is that well over half of all registered Democrats turned out. In my county of Chester, which Obama took 55/45, we had about a 2/3 turnout among Democrats.
If you know anything about voter registration rolls, you'd realize much of the remainder consists of voters who have moved or died but have not been reported. Of the real, live bodies, this was a big turnout for a primary.
You said: "Chuck Todd's Mathematical Beard says that based on tonight, Senator Clinton needs to win 80 percent of the rest of the pledged delegates, which is statistically impossible."
It's not at all impossible with the magic of vote fraud. Count on it.
To find an overview of the presence of vote fraud and its implications, including evidence that Pennsylvania has the most corrupt voting system in the nation, click here:
http://www.ot-mp.net/vote-fraud.html
"You"ve got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," Rendell told the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday"s paper.
This is the Governor of Pennsylvania last January. Who knows the state better than its governor. I have to laugh at all these a-hole political "expert" commentators like Scaborough, Barnicle, Matthews, et al who throw out all this homespun crap about why Barack "can't close the deal". Rendell had it exactly right. Racism is alive and well with the low brow salt of the earth Catholics in Pennsylvania. What the hell are the priests up there teaching their flock? My conclusion: Hillary won the Pennsylvania racist vote and is proud of it. "A win is a win" says the biggest political whore to ever come down the pike (Pennsylvania Turnpike that is".
Why is it racism? He lost because he didn't connect with the voters. It is a easy crutch to claim rascism because it is an unprovable hypothesis. Was it sexism in all the states Hillary lost? Why is the racism issue only valid against Barack when he is getting 90% + of the black vote? Are they racist?
Hey, don't take it from me. It was Governor Rendell who said that white Pennsylvanians aren't ready to vote for a black man. I think the governor knows his state better than you or me.
Really? I think you put a mouthful into Rendell.
I've been asking the question: Why can't Obama close the deal with so many different advantages? IMHO, he's simply NOT a good candidate. A good candidate would have been able to shut the door in the past, what, ten primaries. HE'S the one with too much baggage now. Too many questions about his character and his ability to manage his campaign. Yes, he's run a superior campaign up until WI. Since then it's been a systematic disintegration of his message and his ability to connect with voters. His speeches are becoming boring, tiresome and long winded and again, unable to connect with main street folks. Yes, he's able to connect to the liberal university campuses and AA voters. And yes, these voters have been able to keep him afloat via caucuses where they can crash the party and shout down, ridicule and marginalize HRC voters. However, what you've been witnessing since WI is the inevitable fall of Obama from cloud nine. Reality is afoot and HRC is taking full advantage while Obama fumbles his thoughts and struggles to, once again, find his stride. The problem is, IMHO Clinton, since WI, has built up a pretty sizable momentum advantage which will be hard to stifle in the final primaries.
And one more thing:
OK Starry-eyed Obamites, this is where the rubber meets the road. You want real change, you want a return to democracy and the Constitution, or do you just want to wish your emotional high tide had lasted a bit longer?
Now's the time to get behind your guy and fire him back up. He's tired, and it shows.
Give him new energy by supporting his eloquent, plain-talking way of cutting thru the crap and being brave enough to address elephants in the room. Give him new energy by writing letters to editors about MSM news bias and poor issues coverage. Give him new energy by getting out and supporting Democrats and Independents in key upcoming Congressional races so he (or Clinton) will have at least a few tools in the toolbox when they take office and they won't be another well-meaning, high-sounding but ineffectual Jimmy Carter.
I mean, think, if Bush/Cheney had come into office with a strong Democratic Congressional majority to afford a balance, effectively stoping them driving our country off into the ditch at every turn, how different it would be today. Give Obama the power to FIX what they broke.
You won't do it by sulking in the corner.
What happen in Pennsylvania?
Where are the 4 million+ register Pennsylvania voters?
Where is the tide of concerned voters?
One of the original Thirteen, Pennsylvania had a chance to let the country know where it stood, but it turns out that the Pennsylvania Democratic voters are just as spineless and short sighted as the rest of this country when it comes to change.
We can"t make a difference! Why waste my time! I"ll wait until November.
Were they paid to stay at home and not Vote?
Is the price of gas so high that they could not drive to the polling office?
Did 2 million voters get sick and with no insurance have to stay home?
Has the negativity polarized you so much that you just don"t give a crap at all?
Has the ballot box been tampered with?
If that is not the case then "Where" are the numbers that support the registered voters?
What happen in Pennsylvania?
I VOTED, Did You?
Pennsylvanians voted their conscience. They didn't go for slick, empty-suit divisiveness. They voted for Ms. Clinton - the only logical choice. Let's hope that the voters in the remaining nine contests see last night as a wake-up call.
And let's not forget FL and MI. Yes we can!
Hillary '08!!!
-MS
It's time that Barry DROP OUT NOW! His megalomaniacal need to destroy the Democratic party must end. He cannot win in November. This is completely obvious. Every day he stays in the race is another day for McCain. Get out now, Barry! Please. Your narcissism is destroying our chances in November.
I know.... it sounds disappointing...McSame beaming all over the place...
But look at little closer:
Bill Clinton whining that the Obama Campaign played the race card on him.......then lied that he didn't say it...
Just last week, he was at a microphone manufacturing out of whole cloth some late night once only slip of Hillary cause she was 60 and tired.... to explain her Bosnia lie..
............now pay attention here.... the scope of the lie the mendacity of all their lies... the needlessness of them...
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT IN A POTUS?
Add whatever became of Rush Limbaugh's chaos project..... watch that fake support waft away
just when Hillary and her backers start believing they're democrats....
Posted April 22, 2008 | 07:25 PM (EST)