Remember Super Tuesday?

[SheilaT]

Remember how the biggest part of the story was the incredible turnout on the Democratic side? Thousands upon thousands of voters, many of them completely new to the process. But the story of the huge turnout got pretty well lost in the duel between Hillary and Obama, which is unfortunate. People who take the time to show up for a primary/caucus will almost always vote in the general election.

Kansas, for instance, had literally ten times as many voters in its caucuses as in 2004 (130,000 to 1300). And a significant percentage of them were under age 25. And the weather was very bad that night, with voters waiting for up to three hours in sleet, snow, and freezing rain to get inside the caucus locations. Several days later, on a mild and pleasant Saturday, only 20,000 Republicans could be bothered to turn out for their caucus. In Kansas.

I think there's a possibility of a huge landslide for Obama. Not that we can ease up on working to get him elected.

[grantcart]

1. feels like it was 3 years ago --- this thing is way too long

[LWolf]

2. Yes. I remember my furious despair.

Despair that, after 2 primaries, 2 caucuses, and the Michigan and Florida messes, when the rest of the nation got a turn, there was no one left on the ballot I wanted to be president. That I, and my vote, were left behind months before my May 20th primary.

Why would you remind me of that at this late date?

I'm supposed to be focused on wanting Obama to win, not on the corrupt mechanism that left us with a months-long race and gender war that is still playing out with the selection of Palin.

[SheilaT]

3. My point was the enormous turnout.

I am sincerely and truly sorry that by the time you could vote there wasn't anyone you wanted to vote for. I do believe that a truly national primary is the way to go.

I am focused on wanting Obama to win. And I think the vast numbers of voters, especially new voters and more especially young voters was and still is a large story that's being overlooked.

Please don't take lemonade and make lemons.

[LWolf]

6. It's the other way around.

I was supposed to take lemons: Obama and Clinton, and somehow make lemonade.

I can do that by focusing on the difference between fresh lemons and rotten, maggot-ridden fruit on the other side of the ticket.

It takes a hell of a lot of artificial sweetener, though, to make the lemonade. I can't find any authentic sugar. It's not encouraging to me to think that the majority of voting Americans are either deaf, dumb, and blind enough to vote for McCain/Palin, or so limited in vision as to be overwhelmed with enthusiasm for lemons, which are definitely placed on the acidic side of the spectrum.

A big turnout is great, if the turnout is for something authentically great. If not, it's another sign of decay. In my opinion, of course.

I was hoping for a big turnout for, not ambiguous "hope and change" with a centrist-right, republican flavor, but for authentic leftward, power and corruption-toppling change.

That's not what that big turnout represents, so I'm not as hopeful as you are.

I'm frantically trying to find something to sweeten my lemonade with.

[rainbow4321]

4. TX stats

Primaries 2004: Dem turnout: 839,231
Repub turnout: 687,615

Primaries 2008: D: 2,874,986
R: 1,362,322


Historic Dem stats for a primary...given all the Dem voter registration drives/blockwalks between the primary and Oct 6th, the TX repubs may be gettng a little nervous about what lies ahead. Dems in my county alone have registered over 20,000 voters since the primaries.

[SheilaT]

5. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

I think just about every state had similar huge increases from '04 to '08, but I think Kansas's tenfold increase is a record.