Wisconsin, Hawaii, Washington-it's your turn. OPEN THREAD DISCUSSION
by Erin Kotecki Vest

Today's magic number? 150.

150 delegates up for grabs in Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Washington as they vote in primaries and caucus. 94 Democratic delegates and 56 Republican delegates.

Bad weather is reported in Wisconsin with temperatures in the single digits and snow possible. BlogHer Contributing Editor Dana Tuszke made it to the polling place on her lunch hour.

Pam at Right Voices says simply of today's primaries, "Yawn!"

While Althouse is "Cold, but fired up."

In Hawaii, where the weather is much more agreeable, voters will caucus.

Senator Barack Obama's sister has been campaigning on his behalf. Maya Soetoro-Ng tells CNN, ""I'd like for people to understand he is without a doubt, precisely what he says he is -- he really has the power to do this." Meanwhile, Senator Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea has been traveling the islands for the past three days speaking to voters.

In Washington, the democratic caucus and primary results were determined on February 9th, but the Republican Party uses results from both the 9th and today to determine how delegates will be appointed. You can find a good explaination on the Washington State Primary/Caucus system at votesmart.org.

Will today be a turning point for either democratic campaigns? Will Mike Huckabee lose in Washington and call it quits over John McCain? This thread is your place to discuss, link, and watch with us as we see what Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Washington do in Election '08.

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest (view blog) on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 13:53

Comments

 

I blogged it. Just a rough

I blogged it. Just a rough explanation. I'm sure I'll delve into it further on Thursday.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 18:47
 

I commented on Dana's blog -

I commented on Dana's blog - this campaign has been quite a turning point for me - as a fellow Republican, who's gone over the fence, here in Jersey.

--------------------------------------------
This Full House
This Full House of Product Reviews
Imperfect Parent

Submitted by Liz Thompson on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 15:50
 

You and me, peas in a pod.

You and me, peas in a pod. I am so happy that we both made decisions that were best for us, and we didn't feel compelled to give in to the Republican party's choice of McCain.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 15:57
 

Washington has a caucus AND a Primary...

...so the polling places will probably be VERY empty today -- because we set huge record turn-outs for the caucus two Saturdays ago! That was an amazing experience, and probably the most I've ever felt involved with the democratic process, as "just" one citizen.

The coolest part was that my barely 18-year-old son was voted in as an Obama delegate, an event which I can already tell is life-altering for him. That story is here:
http://northwestladybug.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-son-obama-delegate.html

Carol

Submitted by Northwest Ladybug on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 17:35
 

I was facinated

...reading up on the caucus/primary set up. And totally confused.

I hope to see you both at the convention in August.

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 18:38
 

McCain wins Wisconsin

Projected by all news outlets as soon as polls closed.

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 20:02
 

Obama wins Wisconsin

According to projections from MSNBC

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 20:19
 

Can't Obama just wait five minutes???

I hate that Obama is disrespecting Hillary by starting his speech before she has had a chance to finish.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
CatherineBlogs, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 20:39
 

She didn't acknowlege Wisconsin

She also did not acknowledge or congratulate her opponent in the last...what..how many now?

I've found that disrespectful.

My guess though is there was some timing issue we're unaware of, because this is the first time it's happened.

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 20:42
 

I tried to get here hours

I tried to get here hours ago, but I've been on the phone forever --- defending my Obama vote to every relative that sent me that stupid e-mail. Seriously. Ugh.

But YAY! Barack wins in Wisconsin! I didn't have a doubt in my mind.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:01
 

I love what Obama is saying

I love what Obama is saying about investing in college students under the condition they they invest in America by doing community service. He's just right on the money. In so many ways.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:05
 

Not to break-up the Obama love-fest...

Not to break-up the Obama love-fest...But, I'm just not ready to give up on a possible Clinton/Obama ticket. I think we have a better chance of winning against McCain with Clinton/Obama...Did you hear McCain going on and on about Obama's lack of experience in his speech earlier tonight?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
CatherineBlogs, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:16
 

Which is exactly why I wish this were all
done sooner...

...rather than later. The longer this fight goes, I think the worse off that idea will become.

Also...from earlier

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0208/Not_waiting.html

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:27
 

She may have the experience,

She may have the experience, but she hasn't done anything to earn my respect. I don't trust her. And her true colors shine through each and every time she loses to Obama -- Reuben Navarrette, Jr. wrote a great piece about her "likability factor".

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/op-ed/navarrette/20080217-9999-lz1e17...

She didn't give two cents about me in Wisconsin. She put out negative campaign ads here, that really turned me off. It's like there are two faces of Hillary.

Not only that, I dislike her health care plan. And I dislike her arrogance, as though she thinks she "deserves" to win because she has more experience.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:28
 

Arrogance is necessary, I'd imagine.

Obama doesn't want for self-congratulation, and I'd be very suspect of anyone who claims they're going to change the WORLD who did.

This is a pretty big job interview. If you have experience, you say so. If you think you're going to change the world, you say so. You duke it out. They have both done this, in their own way. It really is all a game...just hopefully this time it'll end up with some policies and improved global relationships we can live with. That would make it all worth it for everyone.

Laurie
LaurieWrites

Submitted by lauriewrites on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:40
 

You're turning into a true-blue Democrat
Dana. :-)

I love how fired-up you are about Obama. I think it's great. And, I don't even disagree with you. But something about Obama is just getting under my skin...I actually think it's Michelle Obama that is giving me a bad taste in my mouth (some of the stuff she says and how she says it)...She seems like such a downer. I know that sounds terrible, but I can't help it.

And I really need to stick up for Hillary, because my mom says she will be heartbroken if she doesn't get a chance to vote for a woman in her lifetime. How can I argue with that?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
CatherineBlogs, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:42
 

You know what's really

You know what's really funny? My parents were Democrats until 1979. Then they became Republicans.

My father will cry if I end up changing from Republican to Democrat. Talk about irony.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:59
 

Take it slow.

That is quite an irony. Your parents should just be proud that they raised a daughter who can think for herself. ;-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
CatherineBlogs, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 22:14
 

I Want Another Candidate

I just wish I could feel that any of the candidates still in the race are genuine. I'm not liking Obama, but I'm not getting a good feeling for Hillary either. For me, no sense in talking about McCain.

Hillary's got the Bill baggage. I don't think Obama is genuine and I can't vote for a Republican.

I guess I have to find another country!

Submitted by PunditMom on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:11
 

I'm with you, PunditMom

Obama doesn't move me at all and I wanted to be moved, believe me. I've seen him in person, have read a ton, both pro and con, and I just don't have this overwhelming sense of wonder and excitement that he seems to incite in so many people. I hope I'm just missing something, and that if he wins it's a good thing.

It's really about the greater good, not any one person.

Laurie
LaurieWrites

Submitted by lauriewrites on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:33
 

Hillary doesn't appear

Hillary doesn't appear sincere. I'm listening to her speak and she sounds like she's just going through the motions. But she's tired, she's losing her voice and she's still carrying on. I give her credit for that.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 21:39
 

McCain wins Washington

49% with 53% reporting

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 23:43
 

voting polls

how can you actually win if only half are reporting? and i wonder how many new votes are swayed by the exit polls? oh, one more question, what useful things could campaign money really be spent on?

Submitted by grrenkarma on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 00:07
 

Returns and Polls

Thanks for joining us grrenkarma!

All winners are "projected" by various media outlets. It comes down to statistics and counties, etc. The exit polling that is reported can not contain any numbers-only stats like "we're seeing more white women vote obama in this county" so as not to sway voters who may hear it before entering their polling place.

So any numbers you hear after polls have closed are then projections, which media outlets have all revamped since the Gore/Bush Florida debacle.

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 01:35
 

Heavy Turn Out in Hawaii

The Democratic Party of Hawaii is reporting heavy turnout and allowed those in line at polling places to finish their caucus after polls had closed. You can monitor results at
http://www.hawaiidemocrats.org/

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 01:37
 

Obama Takes Hawaii

Preliminary partial results of the Hawai'i Presidential Preference Poll :

With less than 10% of precincts reporting, total ballots cast are reported as follows:

Barack Obama 2,258
Hillary Clinton 666

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Submitted by Erin Kotecki Vest on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 01:45