New Hampshire Primary Open Thread

With the first votes having been cast and counted in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, the first primary of the 2008 presidential campaign is under way. The latest poll closes at 8:00pm.

Polls show Obama leading Clinton with some giving the Illinois Senator a commanding lead. Some polls are also showing John Edwards surging at the end.

The Independent Weekly has been covering both Iowa and New Hampshire happenings. You can find links to their coverage in the top green box found on the front page and the tracker page of this site.

BlueNC's own Drama Queen has been posting about her experiences in New Hampshire. You will find her pieces fun and informative with wonderful pictures. You will find her diaries at this link. Don't miss them.

Happy New Hampshire Primary Day!

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High Turnout

From the Political Radar:

New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan told ABC News that turnout among primary voters today is "absolutely huge" -- and there are concerns about running out of ballots in towns like Portsmouth, Keene, Hudson and Pelham.

"Turnout is absolutely huge and towns are starting to get concerned that they may not have enough ballots," Scanlan said. "We are working on those issues. Everything else seems to be going smoothly."

That's good news.

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There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracts. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of the comfortable past which, in fact, never existed. - Robert F. Kennedy

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There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of the comfortable past which, in fact, never existed. - Robert F. Kennedy

Excellent news

I love it when voters turn out to ....... vote! Maybe officials in South Carolina should start rethinking what they will need to accommodate record turnout.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

turnout in SC

Since the primary here is on a Saturday I'm expecting turn-out will be very high here.

Left on 49

yes

It's exactly one week later than the Repubs Primary.

Left on 49

Wow!

That bodes well for the country, I think. Huge voter turnout is an awesome thing. :)

Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

85% Turnout in Manchester

That is an approximation.

We all know someone working in Manchester. I'm sure he and his team are responsible for this turnout. :) Just positive of it.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

No Doubt!

Wow! What a day this must be for our Blue South!

Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

Initial snapshot from CNN

Early exit polls

Issues - Economy 36%
Iraq - 32%
Health care - 27%

Repubs also said Economy and Iraq numbers one and two

Dems said voted for candidates for their issues while Republicans voted for candidates for leadership and personal qualities.

Also, many saying they made their minds up today - so pre-election polls might not be accurate. Hmmmmm (I think they just want us to keep watching instead of assuming Obama has run away with this thing.)

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Rum and coke

I'm ready.

The last two days have been hellish. Of course, if they'd been unbearable I'd be snuggling up with some Jose Cuervo....not dark rum. :)

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Yes...well...then...

I have a brand new fifth and I should be able to get through at least the next hour or so. :)

juuuuuust kidding. It will last at least a little longer than that.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

the best rum is...

Cuban rum. Of course you won't be able to get that here...

Left on 49

Arrived at Obama HQ in Rock Hill, SC

So far there's 15 people here and we're enjoying pizza, wings, etc...
We're all expecting to be able to celebrate later, but I haven't seen any alcohol yet.. LOL
We're also running out of phones to make calls with, a lot of people will be hearing from us tonight!

Left on 49

Just have to say

I do not enjoy watching Donna Brazile. Not at all. Of course, I don't usually enjoy watching any of the CNN talking heads.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

What Obama could expect in the general

This is horrifying, sad, scary and just plain flat wrong, but this quote from CNN comments should give you an idea of just what Obama would have to combat in the general election. I read somewhere that Hillary was having to put up with chants of "Iron my shirt" in New Hampshire. This, however, is a bit worse.

connie s, ferrell January 8, 2008 6:57 pm ET
cnn blogs. doesn`t one who has converted change ones` name? obama still holds islamic name, according to scriptures name change is signifying heart change! consider acts in bible or will you wait till kills your babies……saul changed to paul, example abram to abraham. i think he said he will line every islams pocket as well…

You will find the comment section here.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

6% in

36% Clinton
36% Obama
17% Edwards

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Surprising Early Numbers?

I am a bit surprised a these early numbers, but only 8% of the vote is in. The question is where these votes are from? Are they from University towns or are they from more rural areas? It will be interesting to see the full exit polls when they become available in about 15 minutes.

I am hoping that Romney carries the day in the Republican primary. I want McCain to be put away tonight. I don't think it is going to happen. I think we will probably will be facing McCain in the fall, but it would be nice to see him fade away because I think he is the strongest Republican candidate.

8% reporting in

38% Clinton
35% Obama
17% Edwards

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

MSNBC's numbers are different from those

being reported by the Concord Monitor. Hmmmmm

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Now they match up



Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

What happens if...........

So far all reports I heard/read were that Obama was running away with New Hampshire. Obviously that could still happen. My question is...what if it doesn't? Does this hurt him more than it would have since so many reports had him leading by double digits?



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Tweety (Chris Matthews) must read BlueNC

I think he just answered my question. Bill Clinton lost NH by 8 points after leading coming out of Iowa. He went on to win the presidency.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

The media circus

is all about expectations . . . and about tearing people down. As soon as someone gains momentum, the force of the corporate media focuses on knocking them back.

High drama. Good for ratings.

Oh...I fully expect the media to make something of it

If it happens. Hell, if Edwards were to win tonight the media would ignore that and spend the next few days discussing the margin between Obama and Clinton.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

nerves

This stuff is not good for my nervous system.

Left on 49

It gets rough, doesn't it?

Too close to call...looks like it's going to be a long night....or at least a little longer.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

From the Primary Monitor Blog

Here are some numbers:
Some town-by-town numbers (refresh for updates):

Clinton 2,681, Obama 1,732 in 4 of 12 Manchester wards

Obama 2,807, Clinton 1,933 -- Portsmouth total

Clinton 335, Obama 327 in Chester

Clinton 2,901, Obama 2,772 -- Dover total

Obama 2,048, Clinton 1,479 in 4 of 5 Keene wards

Clinton 2,146, Obama 1,697 in 5 of 6 Rochester wards

Clinton 980, Obama 637 in 4 of 5 Somersworth wards

Clinton 578, Obama 374 in Epping



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Clinton Lead opening up?

Wow....she's carrying Manchester it appears....

13% reporting and it's

40% Clinton
35% Obama
17% Edwards

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

The only good news I can take from this....

is that I might have someone other than Obama to root for.

One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me

Well . . . since I'm still kinda new

I would really appreciate knowing what kinder dawgs they are ~

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke

Big furry black mutt

Lizzy is a mix between a German Short Haired Pointer, a Black Lab (we think) and /or a Rottweiler (the vet thinks). We most recently adopted a Jack Russell Terrier. Trigger is a mess. Just a mess. He is always up to no good, but so cute you can't get mad at him. I'm down two pairs of shoes and one was my favorite shoes of all time. sigh

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Tom Delay on Chris Matthews

Why was Tom Delay on TV while I was making french toast this evening? Is the statute of limitations on villainy so brief these days?

Yeah, WTF?

I like that Olbermann called him on it. Matthews loves him some Tom Delay.

One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me

Tweety

His nick is Tweety.....that says it all. I pretty much loathe Matthews.

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

I almost think it was the very independent NH voters sayin'

to the media and pollsters...."don't tell me which candidate to vote for." CNN is reporting that 15% of Dem voters didn't decide until today how they would cast their vote.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Exit Polls

Looking at the exit polls and breaking them down, this is going to be extremely close. Although they don't release total exit polls (final numbers) they are easy to project. If the polls are right, it going to be about a 1% race. Of course those polls are always a little bit off. We will see how it goes as the night develops.

19% reporting and it's still.....

Clinton 40%
Obama 36%
Edwards 17%

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

24% reporting and Clinton Lead widens

40% Clinton
34% Obama
17% Edwards

Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.

Shocking!

I am really shocked that Clinton is hold a six point lead at this point. I know it is still early and most of the counties have not reported any votes, but I expected Obama to be posting a 6-10 point victory. All of a sudden, it looks like he made be hard pressed to pull out the victory.

For what's it worth

folks here at Obama HQ are saying that the strongest Obama areas in NH haven't reported yet, but it's definitely closer than I had hoped for.

Left on 49

It doesn't make me any less

It doesn't make me any less nervous, but:

Clinton: Leading Where Expected

We're going to have to wait for some more returns before passing judgment about the solidity of Hillary Clinton's early lead in the vote count (40 percent to 35 percent with 40 of 301 precincts reporting at 8:30 p.m., according to AP returns posted on the Concord Monitor Web site).

From CQ Politics' Greg Giroux: The precincts that have reported so far are largely in middle-class and working-class areas that were expected to vote for Clinton. But Obama is expected to win in upper-income and better-educated areas, a presumption based in large part on the Iowa caucus results and polling.

Take, for instance, the cities of Rochester and Somersworth, middle-class constituencies on the Maine border. Clinton is 10 points ahead of Obama in Rochester and 16 points ahead in Somersworth. Both cities voted for Bill Clinton in the 1992 primary, which he lost to Paul Tsongas but performed well enough to give his campaign a major boost that made him the self-proclaimed "Comeback Kid." If Hillary Clinton is to become the second Comeback Kid, she'll have to continue racking up big margins in locales such as Manchester that offset expected Obama victories in locales such as Concord, the state capital, the university towns of Hanover and Durham, and some upscale communities at or near the Massachusetts border.

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There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracts. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of the comfortable past which, in fact, never existed. - Robert F. Kennedy

----
There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of the comfortable past which, in fact, never existed. - Robert F. Kennedy

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