Itching to Vote

Lee, here...

Folks everywhere are still mulling over Super Tuesday results and looking ahead to what's next in the increasingly nail-biting race for the White House. Two political experts came on to help us sort through Tuesday's results. Stephanie Cutter directed communication efforts for Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and Sarah Taylor was a White House political director under President George W. Bush.

Arizona Sen. John McCain seems to have reinforced his standing as GOP frontrunner, but not with as much comfort as he might have expected. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee proved to the naysayers (especially Huckabee, whom many pundits all but discounted completely) that they are still to be taken seriously about their presidential pursuits, although both trail McCain by about 400 delegates.

I heard Huckabee compare his ambitions to the those of the New York Giants going into Super Bowl XLII to face the undefeated (until they lost, of course) New England Patriots.

There's nothing wrong with hope, right?

Things aren't as clear for the Democrats. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama both had significant victories -- and losses -- on Tuesday. Clinton's wins in California, New York and Massachusetts (despite the Kennedy and Kerry endorsements of Obama) were helped with her favoring among women and Latino voters. Obama's win in 13 states, compared to Clinton's win in eight, flexed his pull among both voters under 40 and black voters.

From where we stand, Clinton and Obama are working hard to make certain that any advances between the two of them are razor-thin (the contest in New Mexico remains too close to call), likening the Democratic race to an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller ... Who will "survive" to represent the party in November?

Grab the popcorn. Looks like it's going to be a long one.

Have you already participated in the presidential primaries? If not, aren't you just itching to vote? I am. And, it looks like for the first time in a while, our region ... the Potomac region (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia) might actually have a significant say in who becomes the next president.

We're usually up after Super Tuesday, so we vote willingly, but knowing that the picture is sometimes pretty much painted by the time we pull out our brushes. Not so, this time. Neither the GOP race, nor the Democratic race (especially) is a done deal ... candidates are counting delegates like beans.

And, aside from the political fare, we also thought it would good to bring you stories in commemoration of Black History Month. Harvard professor and renowned author Henry Louis is at the center of a film airing tonight on PBS, African-American Lives 2. Gates journeys with an impressive list of celebrities -- Tina Turner, Tom Joyner, Chris Rock and Don Cheadle, to name a few -- as they uncover mysteries of their African lineage. Gates tells us Chris Rock's discovery even takes an emotional turn...

Chris Rock? Emotional? No...

We'll check in with you again later. Until then, drop us a line and tell us your thoughts on thee '08 elections, and how you're commemorating Black History Month.

Lee Hill

Tags: Black History | Clinton | Huckabee | McCain | Obama | Potomac Primary | Romney | Super Tuesday

3:32 PM ET | 02- 6-2008 | permalink

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3:32 PM ET | 02- 6-2008 | permalink