'Super Tuesday': There's Got To Be a Morning After

By: Greg Mitchell At least one state, New Mexico, was still undecided on the Democratic side, but finally this morning the dust was starting to settle from Super Tuesday -- but sure to be kicked up within hours as the two races for the nominations continue in a rush.

Salon's Walter Shapiro might have put it best: "Never before in the long history of presidential politics have so many voters in so many states gone to the polls and their caucus sites on the same day -- and decided so little. Instead of wrapping things up, the delegate contests in 24 states gave certainty a bad rap."

A favorite post though comes from Andrew Malcolm at his Los Angeles Times "Top of the Ticket" blog: "Officials in Maryland and Virginia reported hundreds showing up ready to vote, although their primaries are a week away. Apparently the media coverage and citizen interest in the unfolding campaigns had created such interest the would-be voters forgot to check their local dates. Virginia and Maryland were not among the 24 states scheduled to vote on so-called Super Tuesday.

"Election officials in San Antonio reported more than 1,000 calls about today's Texas primary, which wasn't today but is set for March 4."

Here are how the two newspapers that have committed the most resources to campaign coverage, The New York Times and The Washington Post, are painting a picture on their Web sites.
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The New York Times has a very easy to use national map with full results, by county. But it also features at the top right of its home page the all-important "delegate count" from AP, which stands at Clinton 845 and Obama 765. John McCain is far ahead with 613 , Romney has 269 and Huckabee 190.

John Harwood offers a video analysis of the results, and Adam Nagourney writes: "The Republican and Democratic presidential contests began diverging Tuesday, leaving the Democrats facing a long and potentially divisive nomination battle and the Republicans closer to an opportunity to put aside deep internal divisions and rally around a nominee."

A Times editorial warns: "While it is still too soon to tell which candidates will gain either party?s nomination, the eventual winners will need to work hard to bridge the divisions that plague both sides."

Maureen Dowd in her column: "Tuesday?s voting showed only that the voters, like moviegoers, don?t want a pat ending. Even though Hillary reasserted her strength, corraling New York, California and Kennedy country Massachusetts, she and Obama will battle on in chiaroscuro. Her argument to the Democratic base has gone from a subtext of 'You owe me,' or more precisely, 'Bill owes me and you owe him,' to a subtext of 'Obambi will fold at the first punch from the right.'"
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Doing its own counting, The Washington Post pegged the delegate totals on Democratic side just for Super Tuesday at 582 for Clinton and 562 for Obama, while its overall count to date matched the AP number. (Ten minutes after writing the previous sentence, I went back to the site and the delegate count had shifted to 540 Clinton and 539 Obama -- and the overall count also moved in Obama's direction -- so expect changes all day.)

Jonathan Weisman writes of the Republicans that Huckabee's wins in the South "complicates the race all over again," although McCain has a huge delegate lead. Like the Times, the Post has ample map breakdowns and videos.

Dan Balz and Anne E. Kornblut look at the battle for the Dems: "The results ensured that the fierce contest for delegates will continue into critical primaries in Texas and Ohio on March 4, and possibly beyond, in what has become the party's most competitive race in at least a quarter of a century."

Howard Kurtz in his media review hits the TV networks for -- overall -- overplaying the early returns, rooting against Hillary, and/or putting too much focus on Huckabee. Dana Milbank focuses on Massachusetts.

The Post's editorial tweaks the "Limbaugh" factor: "Mr. McCain's emergence as the dominant candidate in the Republican field has generated an outcry from some of the party's conservative stalwarts; Rush Limbaugh says a McCain nomination would destroy the Republican Party. We think Mr. McCain, with his moderate views on immigration, his realism about global warming and his willingness to speak out on issues such as torture, would save the party from some of its worst and most self-destructive instincts. Still, Mr. Huckabee's unexpected string of victories underscored the degree to which self-described conservatives remain wary of the Arizona senator."
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