That’ll do it for this specific blog - but I’m far from finished.

Check out my new blog, “the Public Interest,” which continues the conversation, but under a name that’s not anachronistic, here.

(& remember to update your bookmark!)

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

[above: my 1st birthday cake, November 17th, 1970]

I started this blog a year ago today.

That’s the good news.

The bad news (sort of) is this blog is about to die, & be reborn.

Thanks for being a part of this blog in the past year.

I certainly don’t intend to stop anytime soon.

I’m just going to be doing it at a new site, that will still cover politics, but will have a bigger umbrella of topics.

Stay tuned for details & info on changing your bookmark.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Just as it makes no sense to have cavemen & dinosaurs cavorting together, it also makes no sense to operate a blog with “Vote08″ as a title, as no one at the moment is “voting,” & it is no longer “08.”

So stand by for a link to my new blog, which (hopefully, pending approval) will be up & running in the next few days.

I do want to assure you that the content you’ve come to expect at this site will be virtually the same - a sprinkling of politics, plus whatever else catches my fancy. I do hope to expand the umbrella of what I write about, though.

Again, stay tuned.

UPDATE: Go here.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

This shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The American Dialect Society has chosen “bailout” for its 2008 Word of the Year (WotY):

“When you vote for bailout, I guess you’re really voting for ‘hope’ and ‘change,’ too,” [chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society and co-host of the nationwide public radio show A Way with Words & the man whom I credit with getting me involved in a career in journalism** Grant] Barrett said. “Though you’d think a room full of pointy-headed intellectuals could come up with something more exciting.”

Click here to read some of the words that didn’t make the cut.

The western Tennessee political blog Right at Home is despondent:

Click here to hear Grant Barrett on NPR’s Morning Edition about this story.

Grant & I met when we were freshmen in college at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Barely a week into my first semester, (actually it may be before classes even started) Grant suggested to me that we go check out the college radio station to see about becoming DJs. A blissful 5-year stint at KCOU 88FM followed, as did a career (for both of us) in broadcast journalism (though Grant has by far had the more successful career).

After the jump, I post a picture from our early days which is designed to do nothing but embarrass him.

That’s Grant, sleeping on the trunk hood of my car, somewhere in the bowels of south-central Missouri, in the summer of 1991.

Congrats, & my apologies, Grant!

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

“Wordle” is a website where you can enter a URL & the site produces a “cloud” of most commonly used words on a website.

Check out the Blog Formerly Known As Vote08’s current Wordle Cloud here.

Interesting omission (which used to be this blog’s biggest Wordle Cloud word back during election season): the word “Obama.”

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

[above: me reading with my stepson & stepdaughter, 2002]

I’ve made some changes & an addition to my blogroll that I hope to update on a regular basis. (Scroll down, right hand side of this page, after the (far too long) list of categories).

There are now separate blogroll categories.

Obama’s “Change.gov” gets its own category.

For now, all news & blogs (many of them locally-based) are in their own category.

& I’ve added a category called “What I’m (probably) Reading Now.” I often have a huge stack on my nightstand. I’m currently in the middle of each of what you see on the list, & hope to update it as I go. Feel free to comment or inquire further about anything you see on the list. (& suggestions are always welcome, though it may take me a while to get to it!)

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

[above: the Tooth of Time, Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico, August 4th, 2005, 9:55 a.m. Photo by Lee Solomon.]

“Smile, make a difference, & don’t sweat the small stuff.“

Who said it?

NewsChannel 9’s Mary Ellen Locher, whose body left us in June 2005, but whose spirit remains with us to this day.

Above: performing her duties as ‘Nuna’ (godmother) at the baptism of my two stepchildren, in 1993.

The quote above was cited by my colleague, fellow-Philmont-traveller (despite being decades apart), &, above all, friend, John Creel, who leaves our news operation today after 32 years, half of which I was privileged to be a part of. (I am unable to go into detail about why he’s leaving here on this website.)

We won’t truly realize John’s total contribution to the newsroom until after he’s gone. True, he tells us all he’s just a phone call away, but it’ll be nowhere near the same.

John, we all wish you the best & send our love & good wishes for a happy retirement.

Here are other quotes John cited in his goodbye e-mail to us, all of which are worthy of their own separate posts. John is a humble enough guy to never admit this, but he lived his life according to each & every one of these quotes below, & this positively affected every WTVC employee’s ability to do our jobs successfully. His is an example we all would do well to emulate:

Rules to Live by:

(Thank you Memorial Hospital calendars)

I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. -  Jewish Proverb

Take care of those who work fro you and you’ll float to greatness on their
achievements.  -  H.S.M. Burns

The attitude you embrace is more important than the circumstances you will
face -  Unknown

The power of a waterfall is nothing but a lot of drips working together. -
Unknown

Do what you can with what you have where you are. -  Theodore Roosevelt

When you can’t solve the problem, manage it. -  Robert H. Schuller

It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s
required. -  Sir Winston Churchill

Success isn’t determined by how many times you win, but by how you play the
week after you lost.  –  Pele

Act as if it were impossible to fail. -  Dorothea Brande

Stand for what is right, even if it means you stand alone. -  Unknown

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. -  Oscar Wilde

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its
shoes. -  Mark Twain

Everybody makes mistakes.  That’s why pencils have erasers! -  Unknown

Following the path of least resistance is what makes rivers and men
crooked. -  Unknown

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. -  Aesop

The question should never be who is right, but what is right. -  Unknown

A bend in the road is not the end of the road … unless you fail to make the
turn. -  Unknown

The true measure of a man is how he treats somesone who can do him
absolutely no good. -  Ann Landers

If the going is real easy beware, you may be headed down hill.  -  Unknown

The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter. -
Unknown

Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the
end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.
-  Mary Anne Radmacher

Never stop doing your best just because one person doesn’t give you credit.
-  Unknown

Every burden is a blessing. -  Robert H. Schuller

The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. -
Abe Lincoln

Don’t wait for a crisis to discover what is important in your life. -
Unknown

We don’t live in a world of reality, we live in a world of perceptions. -
Gerald J. Simmons

Happiness never takes its own pulse.  -  Unknown

Enjoy what’s in front of you. -  Unknown

If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the
water bill is higher.  -  Unknown

A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn’t like the tune. -  Unknown

If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the
way you think about it. -  Mary Engelbreit

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? -  Robert H.
Schuller

Stand firm on your convictions.  If you don’t stand for something, you’ll
fall for anything. -  Unknown

If you find a path without obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead to anywhere.
-  Unknown

Snap judgements have a way of becoming unfastened.  -  Unknown

Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but it won’t
get you anywhere. -  Unknown

Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.  -  Unknown

We don’t always win, but we don’t have to be conquered. -  William
Shakespeare

Communication:  Listening to what isn’t said is often more important than
hearing what is said. -  Unknown

It is rare thing for anyone to win an argument and the other person’s
respect at the same time. -  Unknown

Chase your passion, not your pension.  -  Edward James Olmos

Turn your wounds into wisdom.  –  Oprah Winfrey

Smile, Make a Difference, and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.  -  MaryEllen
Locher, my Hero

And why are you anxious about what to wear?  Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.  And yet I say
to you, that even Solomon in all his glory is not arrayed like one of these.
-  Jesus in Matthew 6:28-29

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

That’s me, in the fall of 1976. I re-print this photo to demonstrate that I am a Spiderman fan from way back.

So, apparently, is the president-elect.

But that, in my view, should be no excuse for this:

Um.. yeah, so that’s Obama on inauguration day in the newest Spidey ish. Apparently the folks at Marvel found out that he’s a fan & decided to give him a little shout-out.

But I have to ask: why in the world didn’t they draw Obama as he looks, rather than as you see above, which is “generic black guy in suit?”

& I don’t know who the artist is, but Spiderman is looking a lot more like this guy:

..the Red Skull, the Nazi nemesis of Captain America.

This is (by far) not the 1st time that a current president has been featured in a comic book:

Now that rendering looks like the president.

The kicker, though?

This issue was the one released in the 3rd week of November, 1963. (see more panels & read much more about it here.)

It was too late to recall it.

What do you think?

Am I overreacting about this Obama-Spidey team-up?

Let me know.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

1. Barack Obama’s campaign website.

2. FactCheck.org.

3. FiveThirtyEight.com (I’m keeping it bookmarked, as Nate’s still putting out some interesting stuff. This blog was one of the best of the past year, & I’m sure will be in the running for the best of the year 2012.)

4. MSNBC’s 1st Read. Not as essential that it be read, much less 1st, now that the election is over. I’m keeping it bookmarked in my browser, though, & will check periodically.

5. Politi-Fact. Again, worth checking again in 4 years.

6. RealClearPolitics. Another one for my personal bookmarks, but I’ve found this site, that seemed so essential in 2004, fell back in terms of its importance over the last year. Pollster.com left RCP’s polling pages in the dust.

7. Tennessee Ticket. Joe Lance, whom I first met covering this, stopped blogging when he announced he’s running for Chattanooga mayor. You can find his campaign website (which we’ll track with great interest) here.

8. Time’s ‘the Page.’ Mark Halperin was the source of much frustration for me over the past year. His was one of the most constantly updated sites re: election news, but his insider-ism & cheekiness (not to mention his penchant for trying to make the race a tight one when it clearly wasn’t) always disappointed. Bob Cesca elaborates:

“Ultimately, the problem with Mark Halperin is that he lacks his own unique insight and therefore simply repeats whatever ridiculousness crosses through his internets. And because he’s literally employed by a colossus of the establishment press, he can be far more destructive in his drone-like repetition of these items than outsiders like Ann Coulter or even Matt Drudge. He’s like a money launderer — cleansing the awfulness and making it palatable for the Sunday shows.”

That’s it for now.

I have many more blogroll additions coming.

Stay tuned.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

[Above: me at my Dad's ol' Apple 2E, 1987. No, I don't have an excuse for the outfit.]

2009 is here.

& even though this blog’s name (look at the address bar) is now obsolete, & thus for the time being will not be promoted on the air, it will continue on indefinitely - or, at least that is my hope.

I want to express to you what I intend for this blog as we move into a new year &, in many different ways, a new era.

& following Charles Foster Kane’s lead up there, yes, I will begin a lot of sentences with “I” (see below for a caveat, though).

I believe that blogging is a form of journalism that is both old & new, & consistent to the tradition of American journalism.

I believe that the importance of blogging to journalism & history is best expressed in this essay, “Why I Blog,” by Andrew Sullivan. It’s essential reading for anyone interested in the meaning of blogs in today’s world.

My beliefs on the ground rules for what makes good writing for a blog are best-spelled out here, in this column by Slate’s Farhad Manjoo, including this key point:

“Add something new. This might seem obvious, but new bloggers tend to forget it: Readers aren’t going to stick with you unless you give them something they can’t find elsewhere.”

I failed in this many times in the past year, in which some posts on this blog merely repeated an AP news story, rather than adding something unique to my experience on that story. I hope to change that in 2009.

I believe that the exchange of ideas, all ideas, is particularly what makes this country a strong one.

& while I have my own set of beliefs & principles, I acknowledge that that diversity of ideas is what can make this blog an interesting one, & thus will try to bring as many viewpoints as I can to this site.

To that end, I believe it’s important to note that I don’t have all the answers. & I believe that life is a continual search for knowledge & new viewpoints that can enlighten. I believe in avoiding the megalomania whose seeds are seen in that Citizen Kane clip above. I will attempt to keep humility by my side at all times.

I believe that this blog can do more than just cover politics, as has been its primary purpose for the past year. I plan to cover other topics that interest me that I hope will interest you.

I believe in brevity. Not just as a way to make a blog effective, but also out of necessity. As I’ve said before, my ‘day job’ is producing the 5pm (& often both the 5pm & 5:30pm) newscast (as is the case today). So let me apologize in advance for posts that aren’t as well thought-out or worded as best as they could be. I’ll try to keep them to-the-point as much as possible.

That’s all I can think of for now, & have to get back to work.

Let me know what you think.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Click here to view the embedded video.

Francis Bacon:

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, & some few to be chewed & digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts;; others to be read but not curiously; & some few to be read wholly, & with diligence & attention.”

&

“Read not to contradict & confute, nor to believe & take for granted, nor to find talk & discourse, but to weigh & consider.”

(both from “Of Studies,” 1625)

Karl Rove:

“It all started on New Year’s Eve in 2005. President Bush asked what my New Year’s resolutions were. I told him that as a regular reader who’d gotten out of the habit, my goal was to read a book a week in 2006. Three days later, we were in the Oval Office when he fixed me in his sights and said, “I’m on my second. Where are you?” Mr. Bush had turned my resolution into a contest.

By coincidence, we were both reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals.” The president jumped to a slim early lead and remained ahead until March, when I moved decisively in front. The competition soon spun out of control. We kept track not just of books read, but also the number of pages and later the combined size of each book’s pages — its “Total Lateral Area.”"

Seriously?? “Total Lateral Area???” Why not add up the ISBN numbers to see who has the highest, as well?

Now, I’ve never been a fan of this president, but I’ve always refuted one critique when in the presence of fellow detractors: that he is ’stupid.’

This president is not stupid. You can’t be ’stupid’ & be president. Now, he’s made plenty of decisions that ultimately be called ’stupid,’ but I think that can be attributed more to a deficient emotional intelligence rather than a literal one.

&, taking Rove’s statements at face value (guardedly, though, considering we are in the midst of ‘legacy-building’ season) the president is to be commended for his intellectual curiosity. I just wish he’d do it for the fun of it, rather than for “beating the pants off Karl.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates calls this ‘competition’ (appropriately) laughable:

“Anyone who actually reads books knows that reading the words off the page is half the job, at best. The hard part is digesting the book, getting to its essential themes and then weighing them against your own body of knowledge. Look I love books, was raised in the business of publishing books and printing books. But watching a pundit–or president–brag about reading a book a week, is like watching a freshly-minted 21-year old get smashed at a wine-tasting. Only a rookie would set that sort of goal–and then brag about it.”

Full disclosure: my hobby (9 years & counting) is reading the works of world literature in chronological order, based on the birthdate of the author.

I began with the Epic of Gilgamesh.

This is what I’m reading now.

But like all the others, I’m taking my own sweet time.

Read a book a week? Where’s the fun in that?

Yes, that’s geeky. I admit it. But I do it to enrich my own mind, not to brag about it to others.. which, I guess is sort of what I’m doing right now, isn’t it?

Touche’, George & Karl.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Above: Me, Christmas, 1976.

Above: My stepson, exactly 20 years later.

“Sorry” - I know this isn’t politically related. Thanks for indulging me.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

(above: The Thinker by Auguste Rodin - 1902)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please bear with me for a little transparent navel-gazing exercise (no, I don’t mean literally).

At the moment, Admiral James Stockdale up there is speaking for me.

I’m in a bit of an identity crisis these days. By “I,” I mean this blog, of course.

Take a look at this blog’s name. Now look at a calendar.

This blog’s name is less than 10 days from becoming an anachronism. (One could actually argue it’s been an anachronism since November 4th, or, possibly, December 2nd (the last day we saw any serious ‘voting’)).

I’d be lying to you if I said I’ve felt somewhat adrift - rudderless, even - in the past couple of weeks in terms of what to do with this blog.

I have discovered that I truly enjoy bringing it to you.

In fact, I dare say that I enjoy doing it a bit more than what one could call “my day job” - that is, producing the 5:30 newscast.

But I’m having a bit of trouble deciding what will become of this blog in the coming year. What to call it. What focus to take. How to keep it relevant. How to keep not just you interested, but me as well.

I love covering national politics & foreign policy.

I love discussions over the futures & strategies of both political parties.

I am intrigued & encouraged by the possibilities (both good & bad) a new administration brings to Washington.

But what does that mean for this blog? How can it be relevant to NewsChannel9.com viewers? Do you as a resident of the Tennessee Valley find this blog helpful in any way in understanding what’s going on in the world? What about those of you who don’t reside here? Does this blog add anything to your world view?

If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them, particularly if you’ve come to enjoy this blog over the past year. If there is anything you like or - particularly - you don’t like, I’d love to hear that, too.

If not, that’s okay too. I just wanted to get the word out about my current state of mind.

oh, & P.S.:

Any comment I get to this post that says “Your blog is wonderful! Don’t change a thing!” will immediately identify you as my mother, & any comment I get that says “More Sarah Palin coverage!” will immediately identify you as my father. Thank you both for being among my most loyal viewers/readers/commenters, but I’m looking for feedback from folks with whom I don’t share DNA (but always remember, I love you!).

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

..& thus I will be off until Sunday.

In the interim: enjoy President Richard Nixon tickle the ivories, in a composition he wrote. (the sound, inexplicably, cuts off halfway through, & for that I am sorry)

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Twas a busy year, & thus I kept from taking a lot of my allotted vacation time off until after the Presidential election was over. Now’s one of those times. I’ll return to posting full-time on Monday, but will keep abreast of what’s going on & may do a quick post here & there between now & then.

In case I haven’t said this often enough, I want to thank you for viewing this blog. It’s been a true labor of love all year long, & I hope you keep coming back.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

I’m off today, & will be working on Saturday.

I hope you check back then, & please don’t let my absence stop you from commenting on anything you read below.

UPDATE: Sara, the saxophone-playing walrus has offered to fill in for me today. Please: treat her no different than you would me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

#5.

#4.

#3.

#2.

#1.

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

(above - coincidentally for this blog, it’s the first issue of Mad magazine I ever read)

(here’s me, trying -very unsuccessfully- to emulate “the Fonz,” in a photo taken the same month I got that issue)

can never, ever spend as much time as we’d like on this blog - today, once again, we’re saddled with producing the 5 & 5:30 newscast, & as you know, the viewers come first. So today’s posts will likely be light (although depend on us to keep you informed if anything breaks - we usually post a big story within 10 minutes of it breaking, so it’s worth your while to check regularly).

Below the fold, some of the day’s top issues & video links in the presidential race to tide you over. Feel free to comment on any or all of these.

New Mexico Governor & former presidential candidate Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama.
Three government contractors with the State Department have been fired after it was revealed they accessed Obama’s passport records.
A senior adviser to John McCain says that the religious right represents a “serious problem” for the candidate.
Are there any refs who can step in to stop the Democratic candidate bloodletting? ABC News weighs in on what Carter, Pelosi, Dean or even Gore might do.
A Michigan do-over possibility has been declared dead.
John McCain is taking steps to start accepting public financing for his campaign. It will infuse some much-needed cash for the short term, but he may end up having issues with that over the long term.
McCain now leads both Clinton & Obama in national head-to-head polls.
How, if at all, can the McCain campaign attack Obama on the Jeremiah Wright issue? Will it help him or hurt him in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary? Are there any comparisons between the anti-American rhetoric of Wright & that of Martin Luther King ?
& the must-read post of for the true political geeks out there: Jay Cost of RealClearPolitics crunches some serious numbers on Pennsylvania voters.

TV TIME!

Click here to view the embedded video.
Yesterday in West Virginia, Barack Obama charged that the Iraq war is costing each American is $100 a month.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Clinton campaign has a new spot featuring admirals & generals who say she’s the right candidate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Huckabee may be out, but he’s not down. Here’s a video explaining 10 reasons why he should be John McCain’s vice president.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Huckabee also recently defended Barack Obama over the Reverend Wright controversy.

Time for you to weigh in on … well, anything!

wishes you a happy Good Friday & happy Easter!

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

has a bit more on its (non-internet) plate today — I need to produce the NewsChannel9 Midday newscast in addition to the NewsChannel9 at 5:30 newscast. So today’s posts may be short & sweet.

I thought I’d get you to participate by challenging you to an alliterative word game. “Alliterations aren’t always apt” is an example of an alliteration.

The challenge: come up with as long a sentence as you can featuring one of the names of one of the candidates.

Here are my examples:

“Clinton’s campaign can’t cut corners concerning cash contributions, Cathy.”

“Maybe McCain’s managing mid-March momentum masterfully, Mom.”

“Only Obama’s organization’s ostensibly out of Orwellian opulence or order, Orville.”

Now it’s your turn! (Note that you can sneak a proper name in there as a freebie.)

& the prize for coming up with the longest alliterative sentence? uh… (checking pockets for any spare change, finding none)….how about an offer of your very own Vote08 blog post outlining why your candidate would make the best president? (you don’t have to select from the current three). You’d be famous on the interwebs!

Put your thinking cap on! I look forward to hearing from you!

p.s. prior planning prevents poor performance!

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Who won last night? EVERYBODY DID!

Forgive Vote08 for lapsing into an old liberal stereotype, but after the jump, we’ll make our case & put the night’s biggest winners in order of magnitude.

Big Winner #1. Members of the GOP who will only vote for a Democrat when the devil starts sporting earmuffs & a parka. The folks over at RedState do some (expected) crowing at their newfound good fortune, in a post titled “Good Evening Democrats, Welcome to the Spring of Pain“:

“You’re going to hate the next few weeks, the campaign’s going to end up being the political equivalent of an abscessed tooth for you, the GOP is meanwhile going to take this gift from the gods to do some needed infrastructure work, and it’s all going to be essentially meaningless from your perspective anyway. And, oh, yes: you’ll be needing to send the Democratic Party more money.”

Big Winner #2: John McCain. For all of the hype & drama going on over at the Democratic side, John McCain’s comeback from the dead is equally if not more dramatic. Last summer his campaign was leaking advisers and cash; now that he’s secured the nomination officially (reaching the magic 1191 last night) more cash can now start flowing his way. More on his new advantages from Newsweek’s Michael Hirsh:

“The problem for Obama and Clinton: by ratcheting up their attacks on each other, they risk weakening the eventual nominee in the general election against McCain. They are certainly supplying the Republicans with a priceless amount of free advertising. Clinton’s “red phone” ads raising questions about Obama’s preparedness to be commander-in-chief, and Obama’s counterattack commercials challenging Clinton’s judgment, are likely to be re-aired by GOP politicos into the fall if she somehow manages to emerge as the nominee.”

One big problem McCain’s handlers need to work on ASAP is his oratory. Here’s the first part of his “accept the nomination” speech last night:

Click here to view the embedded video.

He a) needs better writers, b) needs those transparent “teleprompter” windows at his podium, & c) — most important coming from me who’s spent a few years in the TV biz — WORK ON HIS DELIVERY.

Still, McCain is a big winner right now. All he has to do is sit back & watch the carnage on the other side, as well as watch the money come in. Oh, & pick a vice-presidential nominee.

Big Winner #3: Hillary Clinton. She’s not going anywhere. Yesterday’s dominant wins in Rhode Island & Ohio, & what looks to be a close but comfortable win in Texas, gives her back momentum she’s not seen since she won in New Hampshire.

How’d she do it? Jay Cost at RealClearPolitics crunches the numbers:

On Ohio: “Clinton did well among late deciders. She won those who decided the day of the primary by 11 points, about what she won the entire vote by. She won those who decided three days before by 26 points. This is actually an improvement for Clinton. Normally, Obama performs better among voters who decide three days prior. Clinton also did better among voters who decided a week ago.”

On Texas: “Typical for a southern contest - Clinton won white men (here Obama did better among white men than he has in other southern contests) and white Protestants. She did enjoy notable improvement in her standing among wealthier voters and Independents - two groups that Obama typically wins in the North or the South.”

Let us also remind you of our post here dealing with the use of fear in the campaign.

The “3am Phone Call” ad tapped into the fears of the electorate that Obama isn’t experienced enough. As we have said, this approach time & time again has worked. This time around, voters who made up their minds in the last 3 days of the campaign - the 3 days when the ad aired - went heavily (61% in Texas) for Cilnton.

Here’s another way Vote08 can illustrate this phenomenon:

…Hillary fans - I’m sure you’ll likely be walking on air too much to be offended. Here, watch her acceptance speech again:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Moving on.

Big Winner #4: Barack Obama. All one needs to do is look at the delegate scoreboard. As of 10:30am Wednesday the delegate count hasn’t solidified, but here’s what it’s looking like:

Pledged Delegates: Obama 1340, Clinton 1206

Pledged Superdelegates: Obama 202, Clinton 241

Total Committed Delegates: Obama 1542, Clinton 1447

Obama still has a 95 point lead. The Texas caucuses are far from being counted - we may not know the final count until later this week. Nevertheless, Clinton still has a monumental hurdle to climb. (Vote08 promises to demonstrate that later this week). She faces the prospect of fighting for a do-over in Florida at least, & Michigan as well. The Democratic Party is going to have its patience tried, so Superdelegate watching now becomes the new spectator sport in this race. Right now, it’s down to momentum versus math.

Here is Obama’s concession (or Vermont victory) speech last night:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Big Winner #5: Mike Huckabee. Huckabee fans, you should not feel bad at all that your man dropped out last night. Mike Huckabee demonstrated that he’s a force to watch in the GOP for many years to come. Remember this: back around Thanksgiving, the majority of the country had never heard of him. Yet he, above all other GOP candidates, remained on the trail until McCain secured the nomination. Credit Huckabee with keeping a lot of GOP voters in the race who at times felt dispirited about their choices. &, he also has changed a lot of perceptions of what an “evangelical Republican” is. He is certainly no Falwell or Robertson Bible thumper, condemning non-believers to hell, which up to this point was a widely-perceived stereotype about the evangelical movement. & of course we’d be remiss not to mention Huckabee is without question the candidate who demonstrated the best sense of humor on the trail. You will see him be given a prominent prime time speaking role at the convention in Minneapolis later this year, & look for him to push for an influential role on the issues that matter most to him & his core supporters.

Here’s his concession speech last night:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Big Winner #6: the Vote08 blog! A drawn out primary struggle for the Democrats means gobs & gobs more material! Hey, did you hear the next primary - in Pennsylvania - is a full SEVEN WEEKS FROM NOW?! I sure did! The distance between yesterday’s primaries & Pennsylvania’s is the same distance in time between now & the New Hampshire primary (which seems eons ago)! Plenty of material — thanks, 2008 campaign! I knew you wouldn’t let me down!

NOW IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO WEIGH IN! WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN? IS IT MATH OR MOMENTUM THAT’S GONNA COUNT? WHAT WILL (OR SHOULD) McCAIN DO? TELL US IN A COMMENT!

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

In honor of the ‘Month of Love’ campaign on NewsChannel9.com, it’s time for Vote08 to fess up: We’re in love!

We’re in love with the 2008 Presidential campaign!

Our hearts are melting for the six weeks of excitement we’ve already seen since the year began.. and our hearts are a-flutter thinking about what may lie ahead!

After the jump, our special Valentines to all of the candidates!

Dear “Barry”

You have our hearts fired up & ready to go,

For leaving throngs of supporters with a post-rally glow

You were the first to seize the mantra of ‘change’

Here’s hoping the candidates debate you with vigorous exchange!

Love,

Dear John,

Vote08’s in love with your Straight Talk

Even though we know some conservatives may balk

Here’s hoping your campaign’s able to mend fences

& you keep your vitality as the general election commences!

Love,

Dear Hillary

You’ve had our hearts ever since Day One

Your glass-ceiling-break attempt is second to none

Don’t be discouraged from your opponents’ recent wins

& as you face mounting opposition, keep that thick skin!

Love,

Dear Mike,

Let us count the ways we love Mr. Huck

Your fondness for squirrel, your endorsement from Chuck

As your campaign continues to pray for a miracle

Vote08’s rooting for you, & we promise - that’s not satirical!

Love,

Dear Ron,

You may be low in the polls but you’re top-notch with us

For you we’d ride your blimp or catch your campaign bus

Though we know you’ve been subject to campaign persecution

Here’s hoping you’ll go all the way with your revolution!

Love,

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Post from: The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08