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Exit Polls Part One
It's coast-to-coast coverage as the votes start rolling in on Tsunami Tuesday. From Illinois: Lynn Sweet, the Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Sun Times. From New York: WNYC reporter Arun Venugopal. From New Jersey: Mike Kelly, a columnist at The Record of New Jersey, and Congressman Scott Garrett. Plus, we take your calls in our informal, unofficial, thoroughly unscientific Brian Lehrer show exit poll.
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Comments
When I voted this morning at six A.M., the first person to go in the booth knocked out the machine. The election worker said she pressed the "yellow button" (how did she even find it?!) and shut down the machine. We all had to wait while the officials were called and the machine was rebooted. All was well in about 10 minutes.
I voted for my two daughters, for my five sisters, for my mother --
Hillary!
I voted for the future -- Hillary.
Experience matters, and a more nuanced and considered decision - from healthcare to immigration -- she knows all the details and makes decisions based on facts and research! She has plans and can get it done.
Well, we *tried* to vote this morning, having registered as Democrats just before the deadline (in order to VOTE OBAMA). But of course the lists at the polling place were not updated, meaning we cast our votes into those special provisional envelopes. Meaning that the only way our voices were heard in this primary was on Sunday, shouting out the windows to cheer on the Latinos for Obama motorcade....
I'm leaving to vote right now- for Obama. I just missed the Kennedy election and have not been as excited by any race since. I thing it's a win-win situation whoever takes the Democratic nomination.
Barbara
I continue to be baffled by the support for Obama. He is a great orator, but I have yet to really here anything of substance from him. Feeling good becomes meaningless without real results. Sen. Clinton has produced results. Her tireless efforts on behalf of 9-11 victims, her real efforts for universal healthcare, and her articulated understanding of foreign policy are just three reasons why my wife and I took our 5-month old daughter with us to the polls this morning at 6 and pulled the lever for Clinton.
oops! make that "hear" in my comment above
I popped in to vote this morning at 7 am. No lines! Count me in for Obama. I was torn between Obama and Hillary until last night when dinner and conversation with friends gave me the little nudge I needed. Just want to make a clean break from dynastic presidencies (although it wouldn't hurt me by any means if Hillary was president!).
I voted this morning via paper ballot at Election District 1 in Brooklyn at 7:20 am. I was told that if you wanted to vote for Barak Obama the machines would not turn. Interesting. A lot of people were very annoyed.
Brian,
The volunteers that check you in at our polling location were too busy socializing to give out the correct precint information.
Many people from my building including myself were told the incorrect precinct number and 5 of them were turned away.
Fortunatly, myself and another voter from my building were able to identify the problem.
Too little too late for the others that gave up and left..
Please make your listeners aware.
Thanks,
Michelle--> Brooklyn
The booth was completely confusing. I was not aware that I had to vote for delegates in addition to the candidate. What happens if I did not vote for delegates? Does my candidate get the delegates?
Stephen
A lot more are still on the ballot in the states than those that you named, Brian. I'm in Tennessee, and I voted for Biden. I don't care if he dropped out; he best represents my political views in this election. Not that it really matters who is on the ballot besides the front-runners...
Also, it might be interesting to know if someone has done any research on the effect of polls on undecided voters. Does hearing a poll change someone's opinion of a candidate? I think so, but I haven't heard any research to support my opinion.
I'll be voting for Obama today, but have my fingers crossed that Bloomberg will jump into the race before it's too late. You want to see party-wide change? Get an independent into the White House, maybe give him a democrat VP and republican secretary of state.
I am supporting Hillary because I feel like she is the most qualified candidate. Obama is charismatic, but it is so typically American to be swayed by charm and good looks over real experience. We've already suffered through 8 years of inexperience and arrogance. Go Hillary!!
I have to say I went into the polls today I was largely undecided. Seeing Hillary's name on the list for president was so moving, however, that I couldn't vote for Obama. What a day! Her experience and her commitment really won out. Obama has spent as much time campaigning as he has serving our country!
I still cannot decide who to vote for. I will wager however that Hillary will lose the state.
I've been angry with Hillary since her vote to allow Bush to go to war, which I repeatedly begged her not to do through phone calls, written letters and e-mail.
However, she is truly committed to national health and her plan seems the stronger of the two. I think she will be able to break through the inevitable impasses that will arise in Congress and the Senate better than Obama.
I don't think I'll know who I will vote for until I pull the lever tonight after work.
Obama
I recognize the longing for change and can see how Obama characterizes that. However, experience counts. I didn't realize how I felt until talking with a friend, who is working in the Obama campaign ... in terms of historical disenfranchisement, changing rules / mores for "women" has done more for equal / civil rights, than arguing for race or nationality. Women hold up half the sky. It's time. I think there is a small part of many men that, however well meaning they may be, is fearful of this change. Again, it's time. I think a Clinton - Obama ticket would be amazing!
Poll in Harlem where I live was fine, records fine, no lines. Lots of Obama signs in store windows!
Brian,
Mike Gravel is not on the ballot in New York!
http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/documents/boe/2008PresidentialPrimary/CandidacyList.pdf
I voted for Obama after fretting for the last three days. I am a woman and wished I could vote for Hillary, but I went with my gut.
I am a registered Democrat and was heavily leaning toward Obama. After Gloria Steinem's piece in the NYTimes, I started rethinking my views. I became increasingly aware of the blatant, blatant sexism at play. Even in today's paper, the NYTimes David Brooks mentions Hillary's crazy eyes (in a quotation). I just feel that men never get this type of illogical scrutiny. Her ankles are thick? Give me a break! People "arent ready" to watch a woman age on television? Insanity! I have wrestled back and forth with who I would vote for. I have decided to vote for Obama in the primary because I disagree with Clinton's votes concerning Iraq. BUT I have to tell you that I would LOVE if she wins and I will actively canvass for her in the general if she is the winner.
Inspiration is great.. but short lived
I don't want a canditate that can inspire me this week but 2 years from now drop the ball in a crisis, or be ineffectual in passing legislation once the 'honeymoon' is over
Go Hillary!
My feelings are well expressed by this cartoon http://frankandernest.com/images/archive/92/921104.gif
i voted this morning before work... after supporting edwards for the past seven years it was not easy to decide. i think that clinton is the safe choice... her ideas are great. but i voted for obama because this country is in trouble and i cant pray for change without voting for someone that just might help.
An edwards supporter who still can't decide. i have a few hours.
I vote NO for 'Are you the one?' I agree with Harriet Hill in Brooklyn.
Obama possibly, Hillary Maybe...
The Billary idea is a factor against.
I don't feel Obama can win the national election.
I am not sure Hillary can either.
I'm in the same boat!!! I can't decide! I'm 44 years old, I would have voted for EDWARDS and now I don't know where to turn.
anyone still voting for edwards?
Brian how could you laugh at the "teary eyed breakfast" comment. I expected you to rise above the sexism......
I am so tired of this "stuff" already and the election won't be held for 7 months.
the endless hand wringing and OVER analysis, it's all very wearying.
OBAMA 08
Feels so good to follow through on a promise I made to myself so many years ago:
"Whichever Congressperson absolves their powers and gives Bush the blank check to invade Iraq is banned from my list."
It also feels good to take a chance on someone rather than vote out of fear.
Obama.
I was helped in making up my mind by sitting down to dinner with my friend April. She's African American, and I'm Jewish and white, and we had a lot of the same thoughts and concerns. I voted for Hillary Clinton, but I won't be upset if Barack Obama is the candidate.
I voted on the side of preparation: I know Hillary's been preparing herself for this moment since high school. I'm not so concerned about "charisma," but I will be really eager to vote for Obama in 2016!!
Obama! No more Clintons or Bushes. End the partisan war. And don't get hung up on the healthcare plans. Whatever plan eventually gets through will look nothing like what the candidates are proposing now.
I voted for Obama, but I would have voted for Edwards.
Bad news #32 - the election will not be held for 9 months.
Obama is not just about inspiration. I also prefer his policies. I also think he would bring better people into office. He is the meat and potatoes along with the gravy.
Since when does HRC make good decisions. How quickly we forget about that vote in 2003.
Obama Supporters:
Please turn ON your B.S. detectors
Barak Obama is just as partisan as every other candidate, he's just espousing bull stuff when he says he is post partisan
I decided today to vote for Obama because I think he has a better chance of winning.
I think that Hillary might make a better president, but it's close--I am happy with Obama and pleased to have 2 great candidates from which to choose. And I think McCain will not be as strong a candidate as he might look now--he is very old, and the war issue is a huge negative. The Democratic candidate will have lots of time to point out the war and McCain's willingness to spend decades in Iraq.
But I think we have to keep our eye on the prize and make sure a Democrat wins.
Actions speak louder than words. Clinton.
i just wanted to point out that we are in the process of nominating a candidate for president not for chief of staff.
42:
this is an election for who YOU want to be president.. you're not placing a bet on a horse
Choosing the person you think will win is called gambling
Choosing who you think will be the best president is called Democracy
Gawd, these people are frightening.
Anyone deciding at the last minute, or like the first caller 'who closed his eyes and voted,' really should NOT be voting. People like this are the reason why democracies bounce across history like a drunk driver racing to get home to watch her favorite television show. It's amazing we haven't done more damage to the world...aye-yi-yi.
Anyway, I voted for Obama because Hillary has crazy eyes.
Hey Brian. When did you start calling the Democratic Party, the "Democrat Party". Cut it out, okay? That's not its name.
I voted for Hillary once in 2000 and feel totally let down by her vote for the war. That was a horrible choice, and obviously so at the time. September 11 was exploited by Bush and his enablers (in this case Clinton) to start a war against a nation that posed no threat, had no links to alQaeda and had nothing to do with September 11. We became just like those terrorists when we attacked Iraq.
My daughter went with me to the polls before school. She wanted to make sure that I voted for Hillary.
I have a lot of admiration for Barack Obama.It took me a long time to make up my mind. I think Hillary is the most qualified and we need a woman in the White House.
Iron my vote!
No one has mentioned how much CLASS Obama has! He is bright, charismatic and he oozes class! It's high time America had a statesman/stateswoman at its helm. I could live with a Hillary nomination, but it is Obama who makes my heart (and my head!) sing!
#47 - It seems gramatically correct to call them the Democrat party, no? I know they don't like the terminology, it sounds bad. But if Sue is a Republican and Jim is a Democrat, then Sue is a member of the Republican party and is not Jim a member of the Democrat Party?
Voting for a woman because you're a woman is rather absurd. I'm a black man and was looking forward to voting for Edwards because he had the most well thought out platform.
Imagine running a candidate who provokes such a visceral negative response from so many people left and right against a centrist leaning republican like McCain. That's just not a chance we can take. Hillary isn't just running in NYC. She's running in NASCAR country. She's running in Jena. She's running in suburbs where women vote the way their husbands tell them. And if she's elected against the odds, "I blocked Hillary's agenda" will be what republican congresspeople run on for the next four years.
Look at the Supreme Court. Look at the state of the military. Look at our sinking position in the world morally and economically. We can't afford to elect symbols(or do you not make the connection between Nadar and the 2000 election). We need to elect the democrat with the best chance to win, and the best chance to get his progressive agenda through congress. We MUST vote for Obama.
I'm an independent so unfortunately I can't vote. But I would vote for Obama. I'm not sure why everyone says he has no substance. He has a healthcare plan that will be the most affordable saving americans $2,500 a year on average. (Clinton hasn't announced an estimated savings). He has the largest tuition tax credit of $4,000 to Hillary's $3,500. He's the only candidate in the race that has a plan for saving social security of taxing wages up to $200k. Clinton promises to build a commission to discuss it (which does nothing). He promises to elect a Cheif Technology Officer to handle updating our government's tech programs to run better and smoothly. Anyone who see's how well his website works can see the beauty in that. There is substance.
joshua, 45
amen!!
The Brian Lehrer show responds: Please try and keep the discussion within the confines of the WNYC posting guidelines.
Clinton looks to the future with progressive and realistic policies - how to end the war, bring universal healthcare, etc.
Obama keeps living in the past talking about how he opposed the war years ago.. when he wasn't even a sentator
Hillary!
6th person to vote! Only one Republican had showed up at my poll when i went. Democrats are out in force. booya!
it takes Obama 10 minutes to tell you the time
Ron Paul btw
I OFFER A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. I JUST MOVED BACK HOME AFTER HAVING LIVED IN EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST. THE GENERAL SENTIMENT ABROAD IS FOR OBAMA. MOST PEOPLE FEEL THAT HILLARY IS NO "MAGARET THATCHER" OR FOR THAT MATTER "ANGELA MERKLE." IN A WORLD WHERE IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN ARE UNSTABLE, I HAVE A HARD TIME SEEING MRS CLINTON STAND UP TO HUGO CHAVEZ. ALSO, EUROPE WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO BACK OBAMA OR FOR THAT MATTER, MCAIN THAN THEY WOULD CLINTON. I BELIEVE MRS CLINTON WILL MAKE A FINE PRESIDENT, BUT THIS IS JUST NOT THE TIME. I ALWAYS WONDER HOW BILL CLINTON WOULD HAVE ACTED IF HE WERE PRESIDENT AFTER 9 11. TIMES ARE CHANGING AND SO MUST WE. I AM A WOMAN EXPECTING TWINS AND I FEEL THAT IT IS MY MORAL OBLIHATION TO VOTE FOR OBAMA.HILLARY'S HEALTHCARE PLAN SEEMS ALMOST GREAT, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. THE PEOPLE WHO GO INTO THE WHITE HOUSE COME OUT AS VERY DIFFERENT PEOPLE... I TRUST OBAMA
I decided late last night to vote for Obama...
just came back from the polls.
I re watched some speeches/appearances by both Clinton and Obama and I based my decision on these re-viewings.
They are both brilliant,caring,knowledgable hard working.But I feel that Obama will be a better listener than Clinton.
I will definitely vote for Clinton if she gets the Democratic nomination though,without reservation.
Obama 08
I had also supported Edwards before, proud to vote for Obama today.
48 years ago, in first and second grade I was in an elementary school that was segregated-- it was "white". An hour ago I voted for an inspiring, brilliant Black man, not as a "statement" but because he is the most qualified candidate. And he will be the next president of the United States. We are starting to overcome.
Stop using HRC and progressive in the same breath for that matter don't use it with Obama either. Making everyone pay for insurance and then allowing the insurance companies to deny people life saving treatment( why doesn't anyone talk about this)IS NOT PROGRESSIVE.
did I tune in to the senile voting bloc call in?
Joe Corrao. I'm curious, who will you vote for if Ron Paul drops out of the race before November?
joe Corrao,
know your history and u will know your future!
Proudly voted for Obama because Hillary is too far to the right and her explanation for her vote for the war is ridiculous, stubborn and shows a lack of judgement. Her inability to apologize and take responsibility for her actions is extremely disturbing to me. We already had several years of a president who is stubborn, shows a lack of judgement and has an inability to apologize and say he was wrong...do we really need another?
I will vote for Hillary enthusiastically against any Republican but I am worried that she is too divisive (yes the ability to inspire people DOES matter-a LOT in fact) and that she sacrifices her principles for political expediency way too easily. In the end, in my decision between her and Obama, the war vote and her continued lame explanation for it illustrates what concerns me about her (also that i think that vote was immoral and idiotic). If she had taken responsibility for it,like Edwards and said "I made a mistake" I would have had a harder decision but that put me in the Obama camp.
I voted this morning, why isn't Mike Gravel on the ballot? I had to vote for Obama.
I was planning to vote for John Edwards, and was still tempted today when I voted. However, when Edwards suspended his campaign, I felt it made most to choose one of the two viable candidates.
Clinton and Obama have similar platforms and want to do the same things for international relations and healthcare, although the devil's in the details. They have similar voting records. Neither has a perfect progressive voting record but both have done much more good than harm in office and I try to take their records as a whole.
Ultimately, it came down to pragmatism (Clinton) or Idealism (Obama). I think Obama's message is the right one going forward for our country and our party, but right now we need someone who will focus on the problems we're facing immediately. I wanted to vote for the one who I feel is best focused on what needs fixing.
That's why I voted for Hillary Clinton.
That being said, if Barack Obama wins the nomination, I'll be happy to support him. Honestly, we're very lucky to have such good candidates this year.
Yes, I also hate "Are you the one?" I couldn't bear to listen to that until November.
As a registered independent (a "NON" on the voter rolls), I would have had to register as either a Democrat or a Republican AFTER THE LAST GENERAL ELECTION in order to be able to vote today in New York.
My eldest son, who lives in Georgia, can go to the polls and declare as a Democrat or a Republican on election day!
Give me the freedom of Georgia (or New Hampshire) any day of the week!
New York is a state heading down the tubes, and its treatment by the official Democratic and Republican parties of independents is not just a national disgrace, but indicative of a power-grabbing duoply that is detroying the state - its economy, and its spirit.
Gravel? LOL!
He wasn't running a serious campaign, was he?
geneal salutations from the real world,
You all know it but too PC to say it:
anybody who thinks a black candidate can win a general election does not understand the country we live in.
then its simple if YOu vote for Obama, you're really voting for ARepablican.
Yes what i am saying is rasist, reactionary and absolutly true.
brooklyn
Oh and yes i don't like that Bill would be back in the white house. Don't get me wrong, I think he was the best President in my lifetime (I'm a Gen X'er though so that isn't really saying much!) However I don't like the idea of the dynasty factor either...it seems very undemocratic to me and we are not a monarchy so in principle, the idea that Bill would be back in the White House, probably running a lot of things behind the scenes..is also a very disturbing precedent to me.
RP will be around till November...I will support him to the end...BTW i do know my history...I am from Boston and know all about the Kennedy's(I have shaken as many Kennedy hands as possible I love them)...but what does JFK have to do with the state of the world right now...if they are talking about Obama having the same supeficial charm granted...we need more than charm...
Nice a RP caller!...i support RP cause I believe in liberty or more correctly we NEED to have liberty!
"He wasn't running a serious campaign, was he?"
It doesn't matter if it was serious or not. You can't vote for him.
Brian of course never mentions it.
oligarchy much?
BL Show -- these message boards are getting a bit juvenile and mean -- ie waste of time
(I get it, most listeners think America is dumb except for them and old people are ignorant.)
aphgan irakson - even though your post was racist, I will respond.
A vote for Hillary is a vote for republicans. She is neck to neck with McCain. Obama would blow him out of the water. The thing you don't understand is that there are far more democrats in this country than Republicans. They will get off their asses and vote for him.
I voted for John Edwards even though he suspended his campaign. I think Edwards shaped the tone of the democrats campaign and he should continue exercise influence albeit indirectly.
its leaning towards McCain is cause MSM points the way the want people to go...Brian you have given RP .05% of the time you should...he is and has always been a viable candidate for President.
"It doesn't matter if he was serious or not."
Actually it DOES matter that he wasn't running a serious campaign! Nothing matters more!
PS a good message board enables folks to build on ideas presented by others.
It's worth listening to BL but reading a little gaggle of BL knockoffs is just excruciating.
hey dick,
tell me why someone who is not a member of the democratic party should be aloud to choose the democratic party's nominee.
this November pick a party, then in 4 years you can help shape the process. there's only 2 parties in the country. pick one that you feel closest to . if you don't feel close to either then you have no reason to vote in a primary..
Hillary's supports point to her experience and her healthcare plan as two reasons for voting for her.
Experience without judgment is dangerous. Hillary Clinton's "experience" did not stop her from voting for the Iraq War. Dick Cheney and Rumsfeld are experienced and look where they got us.
On the issue of her healthcare plan, please read David Brooks article in today's New York Times.
aphgan 77
right on!
I voted for Obama, my third choice.
Seven years of G. W. Bush has created an atmosphere where most all political discussion is acerbic at best and people are so divided that they seem to vote more on the impulse to counter the opposition that voting in either their best interest or (forbid) for the Greater Good. My original choice was someone I thought would be best for the nation and bringing the country together, the fmr. governor of Virginia, Mark Warner. He did not run. My second choice was senator Biden. Though I wanted to vote for Biden today (and wish I would have--Biden for the nominee with Obama's delegates), in the end, I voted for Obama. I love Senator Clinton as our senator; however our country cannot survive another 4 to 8 years of rancor.
Dick Hubert: Can you vote "Independent" or must there be an "Independent" on the ballot? I'm wondering if it's possible to write in Barack Obama if you vote as an Independent.
OBAMA! I am a college student voting in Maine, though I live in Manhattan and attend NYU... I'm excited about the prospect of a new politics with well-formed ideas and unifying impuslses. I'm done with all empires -- American, political, familial.
Theodora #88
Totally! These dismissive comments regarding experience seem to be convenient excuses. Like you said, Cheney and Rumsfeld had more experience than Hillary and Obama combined.....obviously "experience" has nothing to do with judgement!
77 was not rasist. it is true that there is no proof that americans would vote for a half white - half Kenyan man, who's spent a few years in the senate.
I could find no mention of "crazy eyes" in Brooks' NY Times editorial, only a discussion of her "dark side' which seems to be a Clinton trait along with controversy. Outsiders become insiders by necessity. Obama is organized and an organizer. His health care plan has a better chance of approval. A mandate is doomed - something that can be tweaked and improved over time has a much better chance for implementation.
Obama for me.
Would've considered Edwards had he stayed in the race. Poverty and joblessness are a tremendous problem in this so-called "richest most powerful nation."
Don't trust Clinton because I can't help but think that for all her "experience"--that there's only so much "heart" in what she's purported to have done. It smacks of naked ambition to me. She'll probably keep the troops in Iraq for at least another 20 years. Our part of the NATO presence in Kosovo wasn't supposed to be as long as it has been.
HJS: I can't believe I'm even dignifying this with a response. How can you say there is no proof when people actually voted for him? Have you been under a rock? We've had 4 primaries already.
Re: Caller from Staten Island. Let's hear it for the SI racists. No one does nativism like the Island.
I don't think 77 is necessarily racist either (perhaps overly cynical though). Though you can say exactly the same thing about whether or not Americans will vote for a woman in a national election...or a Mormon or an Evangelist. So it is certainly interesting that the commentor focused on that one trait when there are a few candidates who you can say similar things about.
But I wondered the same thing until he took Iowa..if he can win a state that is that overwhelmingly white..then I think anything is possible.
Mark #96
yeah,whoohoo! Reminds me of why I despise the SI!
Darrell #95
Right on!
Going to the following website was something of an epiphany. It polls you strictly on the issues (doesn't initially link the candidate's name with their stand) until the second 'results page') which then ranks the candidates views according to yours. It actually caused me to change my candidate. Here's the link:
http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460
To answer the posts:
1) If I wanted to vote for McCain or Obama in the primaries, to pick two, when they announced for the Presidency, New York State voter registration rules would not have allowed me to do so...the deadline for registration for me as either a Republican pr Democrat for this election would have already passed. I can't imagine why either party would want to keep the door closed to new members...unless they fear independent minded new members. And clearly those fears aren't shared by the Democratic and Republican parties in the states I mentioned - Georgia and New Hampshire, for starters. As I say, politically, New York is a neanderthal state.
2) To answer another post, if I show up at the polls today, even if I am a registered voter (which I am), as an Independent I will not be allowed to vote in New York State.
i did like brooks but for him to bring 1992 the day of the primary seems like he is puting a hex on my senator. what's that all about does he have reason to fear her winning big today??
Hillary!
I love all the folks who slag Obama for not saying anything "concrete." Same folks who found Gore's policy speeches BORING. Go to the man's website, you'll get your policy...
This thread is closed.
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