Exit Polls May Prompt Clinton-Obama Ticket in the Fall
But exit polls taken after voters cast their ballots revealed stunning strengths -- and weaknesses -- for both candidates, which could increase pressure on Clinton and Obama to settle their differences and join forces as the Democratic Party ticket in the fall campaign.
Obama greatly expanded his appeal with white voters — particularly white men — even as he scored an overwhelming majority of blacks, while Clinton solidified her support among Latinos -- with the notable exception of young Latinos under 30, who broke for Obama.
Clinton also won solid support among women, who made up 57 percent of Democratic Super Tuesday voters, while Obama scored high among men. Obama drew the lion's share of younger voters under 30, while Clinton swept older voters over 55.
While voters weren't specifically asked if they wanted to see Clinton and Obama become running mates, the exit polls did show that Democratic voters would be happy with either candidate as the party's nominee. But with voter sentiment nearly evenly divided between the two, a Clinton-Obama combo would appear to be much more formidable against the Republicans in the fall than either candidate separately.
And consider this: So far in this primary season, Democrats are drawing record-breaking turnouts across the country, almost twice as many voters as Republicans: 14 million to 8 million, according to CNN. And independents -- who make up a third of the general electorate and without whom neither party can win in November -- are leaning 2-1 in favor of the Democrats.
McCain Appeals For GOP Unity -- But Right-Wingers Are Unlikely to be Moved
With his lead over his rivals widening, McCain expressed hope that criticism from within his own party would ease. "I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on," he said Wednesday, the eve of a scheduled appearance before conservative activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference in Washington.
But these hard-line, so-called "conservatives" -- who, to this blogger, are really right-wing ideologues only slightly to the left of Benito Mussolini -- are in no mood to hear any of it.
Why? Because McCain, in these neo-fascists' estimation, committed two unpardonable sins:
1) He teamed up with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin to move through a law that severely restricted campaign fundraising in federal elections. This infuriated the far right because the McCain-Feingold law robbed the GOP of its decades-long fundraising advantage over the Democrats. Now, it's the Democrats who are flush with money and the Republicans who are strapped for cash.
2) McCain co-sponsored a compromise bill that would curtail the nation's unsecured borders, while figuring out a way to deal with the 12 million illegal immigrants already here. That bill, unfortunately, was killed off by the rabid blatherings of the right-wing talk-radio hosts and their equally rabid listeners, who'll accept nothing less than the government building "Berlin Walls" on our northern and southern borders and throwing the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living here out of the country.
A third of those illegals have native-born, U.S.-citizen children who cannot be deported. In a country that prides itself on supporting the family, are we really willing to deport the parents of of three million American children? This blogger don't think so.
Prediction For November Matchup: Clinton-Obama vs. McCain-Huckabee
One thing that has been widely noticed in this campaign is the refusal of either McCain or Huckabee to fling mud at each other. On the contrary, they've directed their fire at Romney -- and only in response to Romney's attack ads against them in Iowa and New Hampshire and his biting remarks against McCain on the stump.
And McCain's effusive praise for Huckabee's southern success in his victory speech Tuesday night -- compared to his grudging praise for Romney -- is leading to speculation that the Arizona senator and the former Arkansas governor my become running mates in the fall campaign.
But exit polls taken after voters cast their ballots revealed stunning strengths -- and weaknesses -- for both candidates, which could increase pressure on Clinton and Obama to settle their differences and join forces as the Democratic Party ticket in the fall campaign.
Obama greatly expanded his appeal with white voters — particularly white men — even as he scored an overwhelming majority of blacks, while Clinton solidified her support among Latinos -- with the notable exception of young Latinos under 30, who broke for Obama.
Clinton also won solid support among women, who made up 57 percent of Democratic Super Tuesday voters, while Obama scored high among men. Obama drew the lion's share of younger voters under 30, while Clinton swept older voters over 55.
And consider this: So far in this primary season, Democrats are drawing record-breaking turnouts across the country, almost twice as many voters as Republicans: 14 million to 8 million, according to CNN. And independents -- who make up a third of the general electorate and without whom neither party can win in November -- are leaning 2-1 in favor of the Democrats.
McCain Appeals For GOP Unity -- But Right-Wingers Are Unlikely to be Moved
With his lead over his rivals widening, McCain expressed hope that criticism from within his own party would ease. "I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there's areas we can agree on," he said Wednesday, the eve of a scheduled appearance before conservative activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference in Washington.
But these hard-line, so-called "conservatives" -- who, to this blogger, are really right-wing ideologues only slightly to the left of Benito Mussolini -- are in no mood to hear any of it.
Why? Because McCain, in these neo-fascists' estimation, committed two unpardonable sins:
1) He teamed up with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin to move through a law that severely restricted campaign fundraising in federal elections. This infuriated the far right because the McCain-Feingold law robbed the GOP of its decades-long fundraising advantage over the Democrats. Now, it's the Democrats who are flush with money and the Republicans who are strapped for cash.
2) McCain co-sponsored a compromise bill that would curtail the nation's unsecured borders, while figuring out a way to deal with the 12 million illegal immigrants already here. That bill, unfortunately, was killed off by the rabid blatherings of the right-wing talk-radio hosts and their equally rabid listeners, who'll accept nothing less than the government building "Berlin Walls" on our northern and southern borders and throwing the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living here out of the country.
A third of those illegals have native-born, U.S.-citizen children who cannot be deported. In a country that prides itself on supporting the family, are we really willing to deport the parents of of three million American children? This blogger don't think so.
Prediction For November Matchup: Clinton-Obama vs. McCain-Huckabee
One thing that has been widely noticed in this campaign is the refusal of either McCain or Huckabee to fling mud at each other. On the contrary, they've directed their fire at Romney -- and only in response to Romney's attack ads against them in Iowa and New Hampshire and his biting remarks against McCain on the stump.
And McCain's effusive praise for Huckabee's southern success in his victory speech Tuesday night -- compared to his grudging praise for Romney -- is leading to speculation that the Arizona senator and the former Arkansas governor my become running mates in the fall campaign.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
