TBV is now open for a live Super Tuesday chat. Check the end of this post to join. Everyone is welcome. NOTE: The chat is now closed and deleted. Mari, Neil, Bruce and the numerous guests who dropped in, it's been fun!
I'm also liveblogging the primary results here, so check often for the latest.
4:34 AM EST I'm ending my liveblog here.
Thoughts: John McCain is looking inevitable as the Republican nominee. Whether the Republican base will rally around him is the question, given their deep dislike of him (even McCain's own mother acknowledges this). Now that he's the clear frontrunner, it'll be interesting to see how McCain will duck the public campaign financing he opted to receive when his candidacy was given up for dead a few months ago, given public financing's many restrictions. Via Atrios, Mark Schmitt has an interesting take on this: LINK.
Also, given their poor showings, I wonder who between Romney and Huckabee will drop out first? The remaining states and dates in the Repubican primary calendar are here: LINK.
There is still no clear cut Democratic nominee. It's stunning that we still don't know who it is at this late stage, but it's good for the states who used to be ignored and now will be more crucial than they've even been before. Obama has the momentum, but Hillary's political clout can't be counted out. Many predict that they will virtually split the delegates so far. With more primaries coming, it's going to be a longgg three months. The remaining states and dates in the Democratic primary calendar are here: LINK.
Google's live election results and Twitter Google Map can be found here: LINK.
03:49 AM EST Delegate count and state trends so far. States with check marks mean 100% precincts have reported:
Hillary: 718 AZ, AR, CA, MA, NJ, NY, √OK, √TN Obama: 620 AL, AK, CO, CT, √DE, GA, ID, IL, √KS, MN, MO, NM, √ND, UT
McCain: 514 AZ, CA, CT, √DE, IL, MO, NJ, NY, √OK Romney: 177 AK, CO, MA, MN, √MT, √ND, UT Huckabee: 122 AL, AR, GA, √TN, √WV
Note: Republicans have mostly winner take all primaries, so McCain is clearly the leader. The Democrats divide their delegates proportionally according to districts, so results are still too close to call. A few hours ago, MSNBC is projecting that Obama will take 841 delegates and Hillary will take 837, which makes it a much tighter race than it seems at first glance.
2:46 AM EST Clinton and Obama running neck and neck in New Mexico.
12:56 AM EST CNN projects Hillary takes California.
12:47 AM EST CNN projects Obama will take Alaska. Carl Bernstein just made an interesting observation. None of the presumed party leaders took the nomination tonight. Who woulda thunk this thing would go beyond Super Tuesday?
12:13 AM EST I wasn't liveblogging when Hillary spoke earlier, but she said something quite moving, too. She wasn't channeling the inspirational messiah that Obama was, but when she talked about her mother who was born during a time when women weren't allowed to vote and is now looking at her running for POTUS, that was moving. No matter what, the Democratic Party and the nation has reason to be proud that in this election we are making history with a woman and an African-American as potential nominees.
Then she said this to conclude: "It's the ideal inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty in this great city... 'give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free'... A constant reminder that here in America, we face our challenges and we embrace all of our people. So today 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. Give us this nation to heal, this world to lead, this moment to seize. I know we're ready."
Btw CNN, what are Paul Begala and Ari Fleischer doing on my teevee?
12:06 AM EST Listening to Obama, it's undeniable he's a gifted politician that comes once in a lifetime. As much of a political cynic as I am, it's hard not to be impressed. He's the kind of leader that builds movements and do what is seemingly impossible. This video is just a portion of the whole speech, but it gives you a flavor of what makes this man such a phenomenon. D. and I like to call it the Cesar Millan effect: he has a mesmerizing yet effortless hold on people which is just exciting to see.
Meanwhile, CNN projects the Huckster winning Tennessee.
11:48 PM EST Obama speaking in Chicago right now. CNN projects he wins Colorado, Idaho, Utah.
11:29 PM EST CNN: Projects Huckabee will carry Georgia. The Huckster's making a killing in the Southern States. In Missouri, Hillary is winning the state but Obama is closing the gap because he's winning big in the cities.
11:22 PM EST Google News has a cool election coverage page, with live updtaes of results, latest news and Google Map with live Twitter updates on the primaries from all over the country. LINK.
11:18 PM EST The scorecard so far, per Google News. LINK.
