Open thread: Armageddon; Update: Huckabee concedes; Update: McCain clinches; Update: Hillary wins Ohio; Update: Hillary wins Texas
posted at 5:54 pm on March 4, 2008 by Allahpundit
Exit polls are just starting to trickle in. Nothing yet by way of hard data but — surprise — voters in both Texas and Ohio find Obama to be more electable, per Fox News. We’ve had the first reports of dirty tricks too, courtesy of pro-Hillary TalkLeft. And Huck is complaining about the lack of energy on behalf of McCain among the GOP base, even as Maverick prepares to put him to sleep tonight and turn his attention fully to the, ahem, purple states.
Ed and I are going to try to co-liveblog it via the Cover It Live widget below. (Thanks to Patrick Ishmael for the tip.) It’s our first time using it so bear with us. Things should heat up starting at 7 p.m. ET. While you wait, enjoy the results of this poll suggesting whom voters really trust at 3 a.m. Exit quotation one: “I didn’t get my hands dirty making all those good things happen in the ’90s.” Exit quotation two: America is a country that’s “just downright mean.”
Blowback
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What is the significance of “open thread”?
LimeyGeek on March 4, 2008 at 5:56 PM
Not working :(
Theworldisnotenough on March 4, 2008 at 5:56 PM
Interesting bit from the Fox exit data:
amerpundit on March 4, 2008 at 5:58 PM
In terms of content for the RSS feed, google, etal, I’m not sure this cover-it feature is the way to go.
lorien1973 on March 4, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Jim’s report:
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjI0NjBmZTFkMzcyOGMxMjAxNjk4YWM5NWY2ZGU3NzU=
Aristotle on March 4, 2008 at 6:02 PM
No real guidelines on what to comment on in the comments. Basically anything election related.
malan89 on March 4, 2008 at 6:03 PM
And if Hillary manages to sneak away with the nomination, he just might compete in California.
malan89 on March 4, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Michelle Obama is becoming one of my favorite people.
a capella on March 4, 2008 at 6:06 PM
good vs evil? how do you tell which is which?
Brass Pair on March 4, 2008 at 6:06 PM
hehehehe to me it is a choice between chickenshit or bullshit – equal opportunity stinkiness. Which do YOU prefer??
jimbo2008 on March 4, 2008 at 6:06 PM
LOL. I listened to those exit polls before. They lie, I tell you, they lie! So…we can assume Hillary wins by at least two in Ohio.
malan89 on March 4, 2008 at 6:07 PM
will be watching this page all night :)
thanks ap and ed
trailortrash on March 4, 2008 at 6:07 PM
I thought the quote about this country being “just downright mean” sounded like Michelle Obama, but figured she wouldn’t be dumb enough to say something like that after the grief she got for the “I’m haven’t been proud of my country” remark. Seems I’ve been giving the woman too much credit.
I really hope we get to hear more from her in the coming months. She could be the Republicans’ only hope for victory.
AZCoyote on March 4, 2008 at 6:09 PM
I’m sick of exit polls.
Remember Romney +19 in Delaware? McCain barely winning AZ?
The_Freeze on March 4, 2008 at 6:09 PM
When do the polls end? 8 again?
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 6:09 PM
Hey, I like this… Now if we could just do something about having to refresh the comments…
Skywise on March 4, 2008 at 6:13 PM
there are lies. damned lies. and exit polls :P
lorien1973 on March 4, 2008 at 6:14 PM
I saw the title “Open thread: Armageddon” and thought we were going to talk about the last days spoken of in the Bible. A subject I am very familiar with. However, I see the names Hillary, McCain, and Obama, and see we’re here to discuss the last days of the conservative movement instead.
apacalyps on March 4, 2008 at 6:14 PM
Maybe we’ll see that marvelous Photoshop tonight. The one you guys have been holding back for Her Majesty’s shipwreck!
RushBaby on March 4, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Hey, the widget thing is cool! I’ll stay with it.
Bugler on March 4, 2008 at 6:17 PM
I like the “widget” too.
cozmo on March 4, 2008 at 6:18 PM
LOL
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 6:18 PM
ap wire has this out,, hmmm.. Few voting problems emerge, even in Ohio
normsrevenge on March 4, 2008 at 6:21 PM
I tried posting in the widget and it didn’t work. Are you accepting posts yet?
pullingmyhairout on March 4, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Had this thread going in the background while doing other work and couldn’t figure out what all the damned clicking was!
Wish the comments would refresh automatically too.
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 6:22 PM
I just voted in Texas. I pulled the trigger for McCain. I had my kids with me and I just couldn’t bring myself let them see me vote democrat. Sorry guys. One less vote for the Hildebeast.
pullingmyhairout on March 4, 2008 at 6:23 PM
Cheers :) Feel like a bit of a dummy – I’ve seen the term several times but never got around to asking what it meant!
LimeyGeek on March 4, 2008 at 6:23 PM
I voted in Ohio and have to admit in the 5 years been here is highest turnout. But this was also the latest in the day I ever voted. Does seem to be an obama current when I was there
BTW I was tempted to vote for hillary but seeing all those people saying “democrat” I went and voted republican
At least Fred got some support from me at last
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:23 PM
Me, too.
RushBaby on March 4, 2008 at 6:25 PM
Drudge says Obama won Vermont.
amerpundit on March 4, 2008 at 6:25 PM
I think it’s entirely up to AP & Ed which comments make it through, if any.
LimeyGeek on March 4, 2008 at 6:25 PM
Perfectly understandable.
Bugler on March 4, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Exit polls are far from perfect as we all know, but things look pretty good for Obama right now.
Typhonsentra on March 4, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Hillary just left a Dallas Mexican restaurant heading for Ohio:
” And she indicated she believed it will take at least several months to wrap up the Democratic nomination and determine who will face John McCain in November.”
Yeah buddy!
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 6:27 PM
Thompson? Or am not understanding you?
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 6:27 PM
Just voted in TX. Finally got to pull the trigger for Mitt. The line for the Dems went outside… only two Repubs.
Cold Steel on March 4, 2008 at 6:29 PM
Yes fred thompson. though was funny my polling place had sign up that said “Kucinich and Guiliani are no longer on the ballot so dont vote for them” sort of thing going on
Also odd it asked me if I wanted an alternative delegate selection (I guess if Fred didnt get enough votes to claim a delegate) So I picked McCain as the alternate.
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:30 PM
There were NO republican signs outside my precinct this afternoon. It was OBAMAMANIA! at its finest.
pullingmyhairout on March 4, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Gotcha.
You should have seen when we went through our super tuesday. Alaska dropped fred thompson all together. I was ticked! So I went with romney… ugh. I have only one other to choose from and you picked him.
Does the polling end at 8? Come on someone answer me please, it is only 230 here.
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 6:32 PM
They will be…just not yet!
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 6:33 PM
Only the democrat party could make the loser the winner and the winner the loser.
SouthernGent on March 4, 2008 at 6:33 PM
pullingmyhairout on March 4, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Obama owned the radiowaves in San Antonio. Also, his signage is starting to creep into the Ron Paul-osphere. Obama’s people are starting to go viral.
Cold Steel on March 4, 2008 at 6:34 PM
Quite frankly, HA is the best summary of election coverage I’ve seen :)
I’m going to watch “Darjeeling Limited” then “Jericho” – I’ll check back for all the news that matters later.
Keep up the good job Ap/Ed!
LimeyGeek on March 4, 2008 at 6:36 PM
If you feel like barfing today, check out my local newspaper’s political coverage. It’s just a little bit slanted to the left…
pullingmyhairout on March 4, 2008 at 6:36 PM
My prediction/positive thinking:
Hill! takes Ohio by 5, Texas by 2 and Rhode Island by 4. Al Burack takes Vermont by incredible margin.
Aristotle on March 4, 2008 at 6:37 PM
Just tested a comment in the widget, which I can see every other time I refresh the page, and of those, I can see the comment contribution area about 1 in 3 times. Occasionally I get a popup box that warns:
Error: the xajax Javascript file could not be included. Perhaps the URL is incorrect? URL: includes/xajax/xajax-js/xajax.js
RushBaby on March 4, 2008 at 6:37 PM
Nice addition above.
But I am roasted on this election already. We’re out of luck no matter who wins in November.
Zorro on March 4, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Zorro on March 4, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Going into hibernation… hopefully it’s only a four-year stint.
Cold Steel on March 4, 2008 at 6:39 PM
Good going Hillary. If Obama’s only defense is to whine about unfair attacks it makes him seem much weaker
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:39 PM
Unfortunately, that is totally unsurprising.
samuelrylander on March 4, 2008 at 6:39 PM
Will there be riots when Hillary wins? Those Obamalamamamma people are insane. Seriously insane.
SouthernGent on March 4, 2008 at 6:40 PM
Polls close at 7 in Texas
RushBaby on March 4, 2008 at 6:41 PM
Polls start closing at 7:30 ET in Ohio; 8 and 9 in Texas…
bnelson44 on March 4, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Polls close in Vermont in 15min
bnelson44 on March 4, 2008 at 6:43 PM
My prediction: PAIN
Though who suffers the worst is up for debate- Hillary for not winning it all? Obama for not wrapping it up? AP and ED for having to cover yet another primary election?
Hollowpoint on March 4, 2008 at 6:43 PM
Spoken with a true Texas drawl, as his hand rests knowingly on the handle of his six-shooter…
samuelrylander on March 4, 2008 at 6:44 PM
Some AP News highlights from exit polls
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:45 PM
How has Drudge already called Vermont for Obama?
amerpundit on March 4, 2008 at 6:45 PM
Me, too…as few weeks back.
ihasurnominashun on March 4, 2008 at 6:46 PM
All this jumping back and forth between the top and bottom of the page is disorienting. I keep hearing the sound of the live-blogging widget, so I jump upstairs, then want to see what everyone else has to say, so I’m hitting F5 on my way to the bottom…There has to be a better way.
samuelrylander on March 4, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Probably because Vermont is the state that wants to Arrest George Bush if he ever goes there ? Its a major anti war state
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:47 PM
You sure it’s a newspaper website? Looks like the Church of
ScienObamatology homepage. Only creepier.Aristotle on March 4, 2008 at 6:47 PM
You betcha!
By the way, we will be attending our Precinct Convention this evening after the polls close. Word is that the Ron Paul people are planning to flood them, then the county conventions in a couple of weeks, in order to affect the state’s Republican Platform.
RushBaby on March 4, 2008 at 6:49 PM
you got that right. The entire world will be ready for change by that time.
Zorro on March 4, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Notice how he keeps the “Developing…” on there. If he is wrong he will just remove it. Or link to the results if he is right.
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Ugh. I can’t use this widget thing. Every time I scroll down it pops me to the top right away.
Annoying.
Nessuno on March 4, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Thank you Rush and bnelson!
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 6:53 PM
BTW here is texas’s election returns page
http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/
Ohio’s is here
http://vote.sos.state.oh.us/pls/enr/f?p=152:1:0
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:53 PM
Exit polls are showing him ahead 2 to 1
bnelson44 on March 4, 2008 at 6:53 PM
Try some of the setting in the bottom right. Mine doesn’t shoot me back to the top.
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 6:54 PM
I don’t when the early voting gets factored in for Texas, but if things are close it might prove significant. I know the turnout here in Austin was huge. I went to a grocery store up north last week around mid-morning and wound up standing in line for 20 minutes to cast my Machiavellian Hillary ballot. The entire time I was there not a single person lined up to vote on the Republican side…
Blacklake on March 4, 2008 at 6:54 PM
KLBJ AM here in Austin is reporting that very conservative Williamson Country, just to the north of Austin handed out more Democratic ballots by noon today than they had anticipated for the entire day. Exit polling showed why: Williamson County Republicans are voting in huge numbers for Hillary Clinton. Callers to the radio show, one after another, admitted as much.
Interesting times, no??
kathy from austin on March 4, 2008 at 6:54 PM
BTW can catch the Ron Paul race here
http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/mar04_135_race4.htm
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:55 PM
So with the Republicans who decide to vote in the Democrat primary, voting for Clinton.. doesn’t that prove that Obama is not capable of “unity” and working with the “other side”?
VinceP1974 on March 4, 2008 at 6:56 PM
Kucinich race
Here
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 6:57 PM
I was listening to the radio on the way home in Cleveland and one of the local stations was interviewing people at the polls. Sounds like a good chunk of people going for Hillary, with a few places for Obama.
xwraith on March 4, 2008 at 6:57 PM
Took an elderly couple to the polls this afternoon (I voted early), Tarrant county (red), about 25-30 in line on the Dem side of the room, 3 on the Rep side. Yeah…big cross over in Texas.
Limerick on March 4, 2008 at 6:59 PM
CNN Calls vermont for Barak and McCain
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 7:01 PM
I love the widget.
I agree. They are all gun-grabbers to one extent or another.
trainer on March 4, 2008 at 7:02 PM
C’mon William, get CNN off your TV
malkinmania on March 4, 2008 at 7:02 PM
WFAA news DFW right now…story of Collin County (red)…
2 Dem machines, 4 Rep machines. People lined up around the building trying to use those 2 machines on the Dem side.
Let the hollering begin!
Limerick on March 4, 2008 at 7:03 PM
CNN’s exit poll has obama winning men, women, almost all age groups and races.
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 7:03 PM
LOL Im on their website I dont watch them. They are quick with returns
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 7:04 PM
I’d rather spend a week at an insurance convention than an hour with Michelle Obama.
Chuck Schick on March 4, 2008 at 7:04 PM
I want to see how this caucus thing is going to play out. It is one thing for a Rep to cast a vote for Hillary, it’s another to go back and sit around with a bunch of Dems in a school house for hours on end.
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 7:05 PM
Mark Halperin on Fox News’ Exit Poll:
amerpundit on March 4, 2008 at 7:05 PM
I feel dirty.
- The Cat
MirCat on March 4, 2008 at 7:06 PM
Let’s wait for the results–exit polls can have skewed samples. Remember Gore by 6 in FL in November 2000?
Steve Z on March 4, 2008 at 7:06 PM
I know what you mean…when I voted they put a big red ‘DEMOCRAT’ stamp on the voter registration card. Ewwwwwwwwwwww!
Limerick on March 4, 2008 at 7:07 PM
Why is it you feel dirty?
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 7:08 PM
Eww is right. Did you use purell afterwards?
upinak on March 4, 2008 at 7:08 PM
The radio host on KLBJ made a funny remark about the number of Democratic ballots in Williamson County. He said (with probably a lot of accuracy) that there are “usually how many there? Six?” Sounds about right to me.
kathy from austin on March 4, 2008 at 7:08 PM
“There has to be a better way (than switching from top to bottom again and again).”
Open a second window of the same page.
If you’re not sure how to do this, one way is to go to your desktop or start menu (wherever you usually click to launch your browser) and just click on the broswer icon (usually Internet Explorer or Firefox) and navigate to the same hot air page.
G. Charles on March 4, 2008 at 7:10 PM
Limerick: Me too! I hate that red “Democratic” stamp on my voter registration card now. It’s like a scarlet letter. Icky stuff.
kathy from austin on March 4, 2008 at 7:10 PM
I know. I quickly hid it in a drawer. Thinking about burning it ASAP. But, if it all plays out right it might be a nice memento.
Vigilante on March 4, 2008 at 7:10 PM
I commented, it didn’t go through. :(
WayWard Fundamentalist Christian on March 4, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Anyone want to bet that Wolf has news that Hillary carries Ohio ?
William Amos on March 4, 2008 at 7:11 PM
I can put it on the wall with my ‘Nixon Resigns’ Stars&Stripes newspaper :)
Limerick on March 4, 2008 at 7:12 PM
CNN reports high turnout despite ‘wintery mess’ in Ohio. Al Gore..care to comment?
malkinmania on March 4, 2008 at 7:13 PM
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