OBAMA. why does he win caucuses in all white states?

[dempartisan23]

here is why. obama's voters are much more motivated. they are young and new voters. this is why obama must be our nominee. if clinton is, people wont care since she and mccain are almost identical.. GOBAMA!!

[seabeyond]

1. not all whites are bigots even republicans? n/t

[dempartisan23]

4. the answer is

obama's voters are the motivated voters. they wont be motivated by having to choose between mccain and hillary.

[goldcanyonaz]

7. Neither will the many Clinton supporters. I know I won't be..

[hueyshort]

68. Republicans LOVE Obama

They voted for him, and and eagerly wait for the Rezko Trials.
In case you wondered why republican voting was down in
their caucuses, while the democratic caucuses were over-run.

[goldcanyonaz]

69. This is why I love my states closed primary.

You can't just become a Dem for the day. You have to be either a registered Dem or Rep, no independents allowed either.

[maddiejoan]

2. rumour has it

they are also intimidating.

[Windy]

19. hahahahaha. Hillary wins primaries by name recognition. You are permitted to advocate in a caucus

People that haven't been paying attention are swayed by what they hear in a caucus. That is why Hillary doesn't like caucauses.

the old addage, "knowledge can set you free" applies!

[maddiejoan]

23. The question is HOW are they swayed.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/9/191920/7521

<snip>
Is there anything more undemocratic than a caucus?

In my Seattle caucus today, overwhelmingly for Obama, us Hillary supporters were older, and less aggressive than the Obama supporters. We didn't have a chance against the Obama caucus machine. First, the put 90 Obama supporters right in the middle between Hillary supporters and the undecideds. While they had been asked to move to the side first, they en-mass said "No, put Clinton over there." I tried to talk about fairness, and democracy but wasn't heard over the Obama cheers and Clinton character assassination.

Frankly, if our next presidential nominee is going to be selected by a small subset of the population I don't want it to be made by many of the Obama supporters I met today. (And yes, caucusing means that a selection is being made by a much smaller sample of the state than if you hold a primary. People work, have childcare obligations, are sick and infirm and have a whole host of reasons why they can't make it to a caucus.) Don't get me wrong, some were nice...but, some were awful. They can't say the same about the Clinton supporters because we were a much quieter and less aggressive group. My partner just wanted to help people.

Intimidation is a factor in caucuses. It's something the democratic party has to deal with which is why I want the democratic party to do away with them completely. The last thing democrats need when trying to build party unity is one half winning votes by scaring the other half.

People were lined up to change their votes and the captain just stood up and said "No more changes." She was going to change her vote from Obama to Hillary.

Not only does there have to be a better way, there is...and I urge all democrats to pressure their states to switch to primaries so that we can finally find out what the voters want.

[woolldog]

24. yeah the Obama supporters

just love to trample old ladies and shout at them and shake our fist in intimidation, so they change their votes. Then we go back to our caves after the caucus and feast on dog brains.

[maddiejoan]

25. dismissing my point

with needless exaggeration doesn't really prove your point, darlin'

[TheDonkey]

46. I've heard Obama thugs have have pulled knives on Hillary supporters trying to caucus

oh dear, oh my. Very intimidating these naughty caucuses are.

[Mooney]

41. Caucuses are more violent than prison riots. n/t

[Igel]

26. Doesn't handle the data.

Nice theory, otherwise.

In Texas, you don't vote at the end of the caucus for your candidate: You sign in, vote, and *then* caucus. Advocate all you want at that point, it doesn't matter if you change minds--the initial vote isn't subject to revocation, unless people screwed up ... and then you're just disqualified.

But zeal does account for Texas. BO supporters are, on average, more zealous. Look around DU for additional evidence.

So we need to posit zeal as a sufficient factor in any case to account for the data. I'm looking for a reason to add advocacy to the analysis unless the win is sufficiently large.

This has the advantage of praising the BO supporters without dissing the "monsters'" supporters as somehow stupid, uninformed, or needing enlightenment, and therefore making for a less interesting and acceptable debating point. Being merely less zealous isn't something that's a notable sin.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

38. Same in Minnesota (which actually is not an "all white" state).

First you vote for your presidential preference by secret written ballot. Then you caucus. So we really didn't have the opportunity to intimidate little old white ladies with our demented zeal. And since I'm a little old white lady myself, it would have just been weird anyhow.

[DemBones DemBones]

53. BO supporters are definitely zealous. Zealots are dangerous and so are

those who lead zealots.

[Auntie Bush]

50. Since they haven't been paying attention...they are subject to propaganda.

[Radical Activist]

58. Yes, ugly rumors.

I'm sure a few people have felt intimidated whether it was being done intentionally by Obama supporters or not.

But if there was massive intimidation going on at a scale required to change the outcome of an election then there would be photographs, complaints by election officials, police records, reporters who have witnessed it and so on. It would come form more than a few precincts. There would be more than just ugly rumors spread by sore losers.

[KamaAina]

3. I was not aware there were any "all white states"

thus making Sen. Obama's accomplishments to date that much more remarkable.

GOBAMA!!!!

[KittyWampus]

6. oh man, and it took several posts for anyone to make that observation. OY!

[DemBones DemBones]

52. Funny that the BO supporting OP didn't KNOW that.

But a lot of young BO supporters don't know Jack, and don't want to learn, either.

Talk to any college professor who has taught for twenty or thirty years or more. This generation doesn't want to answer questions in class, ask questions in class, or have their work criticized at all -- they will say, in all seriousness, "My mother really liked it." They complain about assignments and tests; you have to wonder what they thought college was going to be like; did they think they were signing up for day camp?

There are, of course, some exceptions who work hard and are nice kids. But the overall quality of work and attitude of students has declined steadily in recent years. It's worrisome. What will happen to our society if this trend continues? We already know our students can't compete with those from many other countries. This tends to be blamed on public school teachers but teachers can't force students to learn and they face the same problem of kids lacking background knowledge.

"Parents, teach your children well."

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

9. I just pledged another gift to him today. He IS the best choice.

[dempartisan23]

11. far and away the best choice.

[dempartisan23]

10. yep

i may be wrong but i think wyoming is 1% black and 5% hispanic. hillary should have won big there but her voters just arent motivated to take the extra time to caucus.

[jody]

5. College age students are idealistic and follow a charismatic person just like children & Pied Piper.

All one has to do is create a snazzy chant like "hope, change, . . ., hope, change".

[Diane R]

8. Oh please. Give them some credit; that generation is going to be fabulous.

[jody]

13. I agree, they will be fabulous just as college students from the 1960s became fabulous -- once they

grew up.

[girl gone mad]

48. Actually, when they grew up they became yuppies.

Not so fabulous. I wish they had stuck to their hippie ideals instead. World peace, free love, environmentalism, feeding the poor, organic home gardens, getting off the grid, power to the people and all that would have been a whole lot better than greed, consumerism, SUVs, pointless wars, 2 terms of Bush, draconian laws, outsourcing labor, cheap Chinese junk piling up in lanfills, junk food diets, etc.

Lets hope this generation doesn't "grow up" quite so fast.

[jody]

49. Now all yuppies aren't bad. Some of them are stalwart DUers. n/t

[DemBones DemBones]

56. Come on, my generation, boomers, are not responsible for

all those problems, if any. Blame the real culprits, most of whom are at least 10-20 years older than the oldest boomers, and who are a minority of their generation(s), as well. "Free love," BTW, led to AIDS and to many being infected with HIV, HPV, and all the old STDs. Not the best idea of my generation, and it's cost taxpayers a lot of money, too.

Many boomers care about the same things now that we did then. I must point out that "getting off the grid" is expensive to do, organic gardening is also expensive, (organic fertilizers are rarely cheap, and it's labor-intensive, hard to do when you're older unless you did well in the genetic lottery and have no health problems), and it costs money to feed the poor and work for world peace and the environment so becoming Young Urban Professionals probably helped people contribute to good causes.

Sad truth, though, conservatives give far more to charity than liberals do. That's something for all liberals to be ashamed of and to change.

[girl gone mad]

60. One thing many yuppie boomers are great at..

is rationalizing all of their failures.

[sandnsea]

I agree

I've always thought there was a different spark in that particular group of kids.

[KittyWampus]

12. your grapix mesmerized me....

[jody]

14. That's an animation of the Blue Wizard. n/t

[annie1]

17. ....

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

18. Yeah caring and idealistic to, next thing you know they will want

PEACE. Peace be with you all.

[jody]

22. Agree re peace but older adults who were once idealistic college students view the world differently

than when they were younger.

Just talk to a few members of the Woodstock Generation and see how some of them have changed.

[MercutioATC]

20. God forbid we empower the future of the country...

I disagree with your assessment, but even if it was accurate, what better group to hand the baton to than the next generation?

[jody]

21. My point is college age voters change their priorities as they age. n/t

[MercutioATC]

27. So what? That doesn't make them wrong.

Maybe that makes the rest of us wrong.


To be honest, we "responsible, mature, stable" folks have fucked things up pretty well...

[jody]

29. I didn't judge right or wrong, I gave my opinion re BO's strength. n/t

[MercutioATC]

32. We agree...one of Obama's strengths is the future generation's support.

[Mooney]

42. Good point.

Besides, it's legal for these young kids to vote. There's not really much anyone can do about it anyway.

[Generic Brad]

51. I call bullshit

Sorry to be so blunt. But I was an idealistic Democrat when I came of voting age nearly 30 years ago and I remain the same. Your generalization does not apply to everyone.

[jody]

65. I did not say they did. Have a good day. n/t

[TexasLady]

59. I remember Rush saying that once

[jody]

66. What's your point? Have a good day. n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

30. OMG!

The Messiah!

[jody]

31. And the Rapture is near, Hallelujah, Praise The Lord!

[DemBones DemBones]

54. You got it. Or a chant like

"Yes We Can," which no BO supporters seem to realize was stolen from LaRaza.

My idealism was always restrained by my bullshit detector telling me that no politician is all that great.

Even when I was in college, I knew that. I never believed I would meet the Beatles and marry one, either, as many of my high school classmates dreamed of doing.


Great graphic!

[cbayer]

15. She and McCain are in no way almost identical. nt.

[dempartisan23]

28. true

not the same sex. i meant politically

[rpannier]

16. The all-white states would be???

I am unaware that there are any ALL white states.

Please...feel free to enlighten us

[jody]

35. Perhaps the poster meant states with a small Black population as shown below.

[rpannier]

45. I understand that

It was an OP that everyone understood, or should have understood.

It was early here when I read it (Korea) and I was feeling sarcastic so I posted it.

It was the 'all-white' that got me.

Some of the 'all-white' states have fairly significant Hispanic minority populations

[jody]

47. The Hispanic population is classified as white by the U.S. census. n/t

[DemBones DemBones]

33. Because Repubicans crossover to vote for Obama, knowing McCain can beat him.

Why do you think the media have fawned over Obama for months? He's the guy the GOP want to run against.

Before that, the meme was "Clinton can't win because she has too many negatives."

The media never gave much air time to Edwards, fearing he could beat McCain. They had to pay attention to Clinton because she's always polled high but they talk her down and talk Obama up. You do know who pays their salaries and who those people support, don't you? (It's not BO.)

Keep on dreaming, young dreamers, but have the lifeboats and Kleenex ready for the night they take Obama down.

Republicans always vote in the general election and they will vote for McCain. A lot of Democrats will join them or vote third party, my entire family included.

NObama NO empty suits NO bald-faced liars NObama

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

39. Errr... Wasn't Rush Limpballs urging Repubs to vote for Hillary?

[lastknowngood]

34. Because the only Democrats are the .5% non white so we won't

win those states.

[Mooney]

36. There are "all-white" states?

I swear to god I can't believe the shit I read here sometimes.

[joshcryer]

37. Maybe because those white states are in fact red sexist states.

[KoKo]

40. Ranchers like his support for Gun Rights?

[jody]

44. BO was a board member of the Joyce Foundation that funds Violence Policy Center whose major goal is

to ban all handguns. BO also considered becoming president of Joyce.

Would a ban-abortion group accept a pro-abortion person for their president? No!

Would a ban-handgun group accept a pro-handgun person for their president? No!

BO also wants to ban all semiautomatic firearms.

Arch gun-grabber Kennedy has endorsed BO.

It will be interesting to see BO change like a political chameleon and become a supporter of the Democratic Platform that promises, "We will protect Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms".

[Horse with no Name]

43. because he buses in his supporters from out of state to run the caucuses like he did here in Texas?

?

[DemBones DemBones]

55. Is that legal? nt

[Horse with no Name]

57. that is the problem with caucuses

there is no body overseeing the process--just citizens (some of them fanatics and radicals who are threatening other voters)

[cooolandrew]

61. That is what politcs needs the exitement of youth.

[smalll]

62. Motivated = cultist zealots.

The average person in Wyoming isn't a Democrat. The only people, I should guess, who can get away with being Dems in a place like Wyoming are college professors and transplants from the coasts who are paid handsomely to live and work in American Siberia. Imported IT guys and such.

Can you say "Latte Liberal?" I know you could!

[CatnHat]

63. Wrong again

Obama wins in republican states? You figure it out. Republicans are voting for this guy, in order to cause chaos in our party. Republican's love Obama. That's the reason. Obama = McCain. Obama should be VP to McCain, that would be more like it.

[annie1]

64. i dunno, but when they start chanting "usa" i get a little scared.

[RoadRage]

67. The same reason he wins all of the black states...

People like him, and they like to vote for him!

Gobama