Democratic Voters Energized Yet Divided

The Nation: Voters Mobilized By Intense Contest Between Two Compelling, Celebrity Candidates

(The Nation)  This column was written by Ari Melber.

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The Democrats' Super Tuesday battle offers a revealing yet indeterminate snapshot of a Democratic Party that is unusually energized and firmly divided. Barack Obama won the most states, including pivotal red territory like Missouri, Georgia and Kansas, while Hillary Clinton ran up large margins in the blue strongholds of California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Final estimates for delegates, which ultimately choose the nominee, were close and still being tabulated overnight.

Across the country, over three million more voters turned out in Democratic primaries than in Republican contests - a trend that persisted even in traditionally conservative states. Turnout in Missouri's Democratic primary was a whopping 70% higher than the G.O.P. contest, for example, where Obama won by a point. The last time the state held two contested primaries, in 2000, Republicans beat Democratic turnout by 56%.

Those numbers suggests that in both Red and Blue states, Democrats are bolstering their ranks with an intense contest between two compelling, celebrity candidates. If Super Tuesday settled anything, it flatly debunked the baseless (and supposedly altruistic) insider concern that a long race is automatically "bad" for the Democratic Party. In reality, a primary's impact depends on the contest, the candidates and the national mood. This one is working wonders for Democratic mobilization.

While Obama strategist David Axelrod reiterated that his candidate is "always the underdog" on Tuesday night, the campaign also seized on the results as evidence that Obama has more national appeal than Clinton. While Clinton scored a few victories in key coastal states like California, she only broke 60 percent in one state, Arkansas. Obama not only won more states, but racked up victories over 60 percent in seven states, buoyed in part by organizing prowess in caucus contests. More consequentially, he won independents by large margins in most regions, including states in Clinton's column, such as Arizona and New Jersey, where one out of five primary voters were independents. He won them by 15 points in Clinton's home state of New York, and by 30 points in California. In the swing state of Missouri, independents flocked to Obama by a decisive 37 points, securing his narrow victory there.

For months, skeptics said Obama might have niche appeal among independents in small states that reward retail politicking, but he could not scale those advantages in a national race. In a single day, Obama proved his independent appeal in about half the country.

In his Super Tuesday night speech, Obama took the skeptics head on. "I want to speak directly to all those Americans who have yet to join this movement, but still hunger for change. We need you," he said. Calling on citizens who have been "taught to be cynical" to answer the feeling "in their gut," Obama pleaded for support to unite the nation, change American foreign policy and destroy Washington corruption. "We are the ones we've been waiting for!" Obama thundered, adding another memorable, movement-oriented line to his stump speech. (The idea, which has been credited to Arizona's Hopi Tribe and an old civil rights song, recently surfaced in Maria Shriver's endorsement of Obama on Monday.) Obama also said he would draw the best policy contrasts in the general election, as a nominee who flatly opposed the Iraq war, rejecting the Bush-Cheney policy in Iran, and never "wavered" on "fundamental" values like human rights and opposing torture.

While Clinton's speech was less pointed, she also aimed for an inspirational, unifying vision. "Here in America, we face our challenges and we embrace all of our people," she said. "We say with one voice - give us the child who wants to learn, give us the people in need of work, give us the veterans who need our care. We say give us this economy to rebuild and this war to end!" The closing called on voters to not only back her campaign, but a cause: "Give us this nation to heal, this world to lead, this moment to seize."

[tibu987]

Vote against politics as usual, i.e. the Clintons, McCain.
Vote against the status quo, the Clintons, McCain.
Vote against divisive partisan politics.
Vote against arrogance, corruption, and incompetence in Washington, the Clintons, McCain.
Vote against members of Washington''s "good ole boys/girls" club, i.e, the Clinton''s, McCain.

Vote for change.
Vote for Obama.

72 year old white veteran.

[tibu987]

If ever there was a need for change in this Country, it is now.

Vote against politics as usual.
Vote against the status quo.
Vote against divisive partisan politics.
Vote against arrogance and corruption in Washington.
Vote against members of Washington''s "good ole boys"
club.

Vote for change.
Vote for Obama.

I am a 72 year old white veteran.

[tucano2]

No way I''m voting for any Senator of either party. The Executive deserves someone with either a CEO or Governor, or both, experience.

[grumpas]

Maybe I am missing something here? But, I don''t see why voters are divided? I am not one of them who is divided. I will vote for the Democrat who is running regardless of whether it is Hillary or Obama. Because the Republican''s aren''t an option anymore. A vote Republican is to vote for more of the same nightmare of 7 years. ''Hundred years of war'' McCain is to old for the job and just another Reagan/Bush clone. Reagan was another walking zombie with Alzheimer. He should have never been elected the either. So I don''t see where the choice on who to vote for is!

[skyk-2009]

The Democrat Party is doing what it has always done. We have a party butting heads to determine who will forge the future. Who will break down a wall. Franklin Roosevelt was a cripple, he broke down a wall. JFK did the same with Religion and the ABSOLUTE of Seperation of Church and State. Anyone who isn''t excited with what is going on in the Party today isn''t American at all. A whole new Generation is coming on line. They have their OWN ideas and their own dreams of what will or will not change the world. It''s not the first time it''s happened but then we have the Boomer Generation with their OWN views and Idea''s. Exciting? Anyone who believes in the dream of the father of the party HAS to find this exciting.

[taddles-2009]

"The FF hold the trump cards.

Posted by tucanofulano at 12:45 PM : Feb 06, 2008"

Never trust an FF or a JJ for that matter (Jovial Jacksonian)

[taddles-2009]

BEFORE YOU FOLKS JUMP ON THE OBAMA MOVEMENT BANDWAGON, YOU SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE TIME AND LOOK AT HIS VOTING ( OR LACK OF VOTING) RECORD.

Posted by crater7 at 04:17 PM : Feb 06, 2008

Perhaps you should too, here are some websites that you might peruse after your done with your "*** and jane" book.

http://obama.senate.gov/votes/
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/key-votes/
http://votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490
http://www.barackobama.com/
http://obama.senate.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp
http://www.myspace.com/barackobama

Knock yourself out, I know it''s a lot to read but you can ask here for some help with the big words if you get stuck

[crater7]

BEFORE YOU FOLKS JUMP ON THE OBAMA MOVEMENT BANDWAGON, YOU SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE TIME AND LOOK AT HIS VOTING ( OR LACK OF VOTING) RECORD.

[jvig1]

To say that Democratic turnout was bolstered by the intense competition between the 2 misses the point. For many of us in delegate-rich states, this was the first time our votes mattered. What this race and turnout really argue for is a national primary, not to mention laws to limit the length of the race to, say, 90 days MAX.

[andor3]

razzl said: "the Republicans are basically fighting for who gets to say the last rites over the Reagan Revolution."

Yes exactly--this is going to be an election about closure and who can provide it. The moderates who are sick of the Reagan/Bush debacle are not likely to see McCain in that role, and the more he panders to them, the more he will lose his rightwing support and look like a wishy-washy wannabe who will say whatever he is told to say.

McCain''s past, his alignment with Bush, and his misalignment with conservatives leaves him no path to victory.

[destardi]

re: notopenshut.
Presumptous to think that Hillary would be elected if she is the nominee. She would be trounced by McCain even as republicans who said they would not support him, would definitely gather around and support him against Hillary. For them, there is no better cause for than Hillary, their lightning rod, even as Limbaugh, Coulter and others have to choke while swallowing their words. It''''s not just the economy- it''''s the electability!


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Posted by karutam at 01:38 PM : Feb 06, 2008
+ report abuse



Are you not paying attention to the Dems'' turnout just for primaries? The only ones being trounced are Republicans in voting numbers.

Any republican who backs Clinton is doing so to strengthen the race baiter Obama.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200801130004


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/12/obama-camps-memo-on-clin_n_81205.html

[destardi]

GO HILLARY!!

[karutam]

re: notopenshut.
Presumptous to think that Hillary would be elected if she is the nominee. She would be trounced by McCain even as republicans who said they would not support him, would definitely gather around and support him against Hillary. For them, there is no better cause for than Hillary, their lightning rod, even as Limbaugh, Coulter and others have to choke while swallowing their words. It''s not just the economy- it''s the electability!

[notopennshut]

Even as HRC received slightly more delegates after last evening, we must look at the overall picture as a whole. Who is more acceptable nation-wide? HRC won in those traditionally "blue" states, which will still go for a democrat regardless of who the nominee will be. However, look at the "purple" states, and you can see the distinct difference. If we want a president who will be acceptable to the majority of this country, who can move forward regardless of party affliation, it is Obama. Last evening''s result is evidence of this. If HRC is the nominee, expect more gridlock and nothing to be done for another four years.

[Razzl]

I find it difficult to imagine the larger public gravitating toward any of the Republican candidates after the primaries are over--the Republicans are basically fighting for who gets to say the last rites over the Reagan Revolution. Not even Karl Rove or Tom Delay could inject enough division or bigotry into this race to deflect the public from its hunger for an end to the Bush era...

[tucano2]

It appears the 5-way race consists of 1 Radical, 2 Liberals, 1 Republican, and 1 FF (Fundamentalist Federalist). The FF hold the trump cards.