Voters didn't flock to the polls in Mississippi today. The Mississippi Secretary of State's Office says turnout was "light to moderate."

Some facts about Mississippi voters and today's primary:

• Mississippi hasn't voted for a Democratic president in 32 years.
• Republicans and Independents can vote in the Democratic primary.
• Mississippi has the largest African-American population (36%) of any state. 70% of registered Democrats are African American.

  Those numbers appear to benefit Obama, who's overwhelmingly won the African-American vote so far this primary season.

• There are 40 delegates up for grabs, including 7 superdelegates.

CNN election results will be here.

By Big Tent Democrat

Two nights ago, Oculus highlighted this article to me in which some voters in Mississippi demonstrated they have more sense than most blog denizens. For example:

Catherine Cowans is a black supporter of Barack Obama who is disappointed by the Clinton campaign's recent attacks on her candidate. . . . But she doesn't think that the New York senator's jabs add up to an irredeemable sin. If Clinton becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, the 48-year-old hairdresser said, she will vote for her. "I'm not angry at her," Cowans said recently during a lull at her beauty salon in this sleepy Delta city. "I still like Hillary."

And the first exit poll data from Mississippi demonstrates similar feelings:

An exit poll finds Barack Obama voters are a bit more charitable toward Hillary Rodham Clinton than vice versa in Mississippi's Democratic primary. The survey Tuesday for The Associated Press and television networks found that six in 10 Obama voters said he should pick Clinton for vice president if he wins the nomination. Four in 10 Clinton voters said she should pick Obama as her running mate if she wins.

Finally, a little sense from Democrats. Take note Nancy Pelosi. More exit polling data here as it comes in. More . . .

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

I have to wonder what in blazes Speaker Pelosi was thinking when she says this:

Thinking a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket sounds too good to be true for Democrats? The Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California says you're right. "I think that ticket either way is impossible," Pelosi told NECN's Alison King shortly after an environmental event in Waltham, Massachusetts today.

But for hopes of a Clinton-Obama dream team, there's no subtlety. "I wanted to be sure I didn't leave any ambiguity," she said.

What an irresponsibly stupid thing to say. My gawd is she bad.

With most of the progressive blogosphere seemingly behind Barack Obama, Tom Watson lines up the list of those favoring Hillary.

To be a Clinton blogger in the progressive blogosphere is to be hated, shunned, passed without notice in the street. .... We're not welcome at all the best dKos parties - if we show up, we're cursed with the universal epithet of those who challenge the Obama hegemony: "troll," they call us. ... Oh, the pain. The pure pain.

Give the gift of traffic. Here's Tom's list of bloggers writing favorably about Hillary: [More...]

Nobody really knows what New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's timetable is. The New York Times says no resignation is likely today.

And Jacob Gershman in the New York Sun says Spitzer senior adviser Lloyd Constantine says Spitzer may not resign at all.

"He has not made up his mind," a senior adviser to Mr. Spitzer, Lloyd Constantine, said. "It is more correct to say that he is not resigning."

Another source close to the governor said Mr. Spitzer was refusing to resign until he clinches an agreement with federal authorities about charges that he could face. "I don't think anything happens for a couple of weeks," the source said.

Reportedly, things aren't going so well at the Spitzer residence: [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

Obama chief campaign strategist David Axelrod is making stuff up. Today he said:

[T]his has been a pattern that we've seen throughout the campaign, whether it was the Bill Shaheen incident, the Bob Johnson incident, Sen. Clinton's own inexplicable unwillingness to make a direct statement on '60 Minutes' about Sen. Obama's Christianity, even though they've shared prayer groups together in Congress. All of it is part of an insidious pattern that needs to be addressed.

(Emphasis supplied.) Politics is politics. And false outrage is false outrage. But Axelrod has dipped into flat out falsehood here. Forget that Bill Shaheen was fired. Forget that Bob Johnson was forced to apologize.

Axelrod is simply making a deliberate false statement when he accuses Hillary of being unwilling to to make a direct statement about Obama's Christianity on 60 Minutes. She did make such a statment. Eric Boehlert demonstrated that this was all trumped up nonsense.

Axelrod is making stuff up here.

NOTE - Comments closed. It is clear that these subjects are difficult to discuss. Tonight may be even more difficult regarding the Mississippi primary. Understand I will be ruthless in deleting inflammatory comments. Write with care please.

By Big Tent Democrat

Eric Boehlert writes about Tweety and Hillary's 60 Minute Moment:

Less than one second. That's how long it took Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to answer, "Of course not," to Steve Kroft's question on 60 Minutes about whether she thought Sen. Barack Obama was a Muslim. You can time it yourself by watching the clip at YouTube.

Still, that didn't stop MSNBC's Chris Matthews from complaining on-air last week that it took Clinton "the longest time" to answer Kroft's question.

More...

By Big Tent Democrat

Commenter Coral Gables points me to this very revealing story that demonstrates clearly that the Obama Camp is ratcheting up its campaign against revotes in Florida and Michigan:

"The Democratic Party is going to run a mail-in election and they're going to police it and they're going to - I mean, I think it's a nightmare," senior Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod said Monday on MSNBC. . . . [S]tate party staffers are pushing ahead with a $10-million plan that could be submitted to the Democratic National Committee as early as this week.

. . . Growing skepticism from the Obama campaign and from key supporters of the Illinois senator. . . . "Does anyone really believe we're going to get this right? And does anyone really want another screwed up election in Florida?," asked Tallahassee City Commissioner Allan Katz, a DNC member and top Obama supporter.

Who is afraid of the Big Bad Revote? Barack Obama is. And it can not be denied anymore.

NOTE - Comments closed.

By Big Tent Democrat

The new World's Greatest Pollster has its latest from PA:

In a Democratic Primary in Pennsylvania today, 03/11/08, six weeks to the vote, Hillary Clinton defeats Barack Obama 55% to 36% . . .

Obama can not afford to lose Pennsylvania by 19. The internals are interesting. Clinton wins whites (80% of the vote) 61-29, Obama wins A-As by 76-22 (15% of the vote), Clinton wins Latinos (3% of the vote) 56-39. Women go for Clinton by 62-32. Clinton also wins men by 47-42. Clinton wins every age group and every ideology by double digits.

By Big Tent Democrat

As we wait for Mississippi to vote, I find no news on MI/FL revotes, my new obsession. So in the meantime, Ezra points us to this interview with David Simon, the creator of an obsession of many bloggers, including me, The Wire.

Add your own obsessions in this Open Thread.

By Big Tent Democrat

If you are interested in the details of the attacks, go here. I am more interested to see if anyone is going to be shocked and appalled by Obama's attacks. I am not shocked. I am not appalled. This is a political campaign.

Do I wish he did not attack Clinton? Of course. I wish Clinton did not attack him. But all this shock and outrage going around about political attacks in a political campaign is a bit much.

Enough with the Political Sorrow and Pity.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

Over at Daily Kos, a front page post includes this:

[I]f Obama and Clinton split the remaining pledged delegates 50/50, Obama would need only 35% of the unpledged delegates (aka superdelegates) who haven't yet committed to a candidate, while Clinton would need 65% of them.

I am not sure on the math or the assumption that the remaining pledged delegates will be split 50/50, but I do appreciate the honest admission that it will be the Super Delegates who decide the nominee. The candidates understand this of course, and are spinning hard for reasons why the Super Delegates should support their respective candidacies. The rules are the rules and wooing the Super Delegates seems to be a part of them.

Let's hope people are not shocked by the fact that the candidates are trying to win the Super Delegates. This is an Open Thread.

NOTE- Comments are closed.