memeorandum: Obama Discovers His Inner Wonk (Jonathan Cohn/The New Republic)

3:45 AM ET, February 20, 2008

Top Items:

Wisconsin exits: Big night for Obama? — Mike Allen emails:

Discussion: The New Republic, TalkLeft, American Street, Dyre Portents, Taegan Goddard's …, Taylor Marsh, MyDD, Spin Cycle, The Strata-Sphere, Comments from Left Field, Associated Press, The American Mind, Newsweek Blogs, The Ruckus and The Impolitic

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Wisconsin Primary Live Blog — Will Hillary Clinton surprise everyone and win in Wisconsin? Can Barack Obama beat back Hillary's late challenge? Since my evening meeting got canceled, I'll be live blogging the Wisconsin poll results. Of course we're also looking at Washington and Hawaii …

Discussion: The Reaction, Donklephant, Comments from Left Field and Sister Toldjah

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

NO SILVER LINING FOR HILLARY — A couple of things jump out from tonight's Wisconsin results. — First, despite polls showing a relatively close race, Obama looks likely to have a final winning margin in the double digits. In other words, not close at all.

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Marc Ambinder:

Wisconsin Exit Polls: A Less Affluent, Less Well-Educated, Economically Sensitive Electorate — Info from our trusty pals at CBS News: this electorate is very white; only four in ten have a “college degree.” They're “less affluent” than Dems in other states.

Discussion: Associated Press and Taylor Marsh

The Campaign Spot:
First Word on Wisconsin Exits

Discussion: Open Left, CNN, Hot Air, TIME and Comments from Left Field

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:

What Now For Hillary? — The final number looks like a double digit win (the spread is currently 11 points and the current delegate split is 13-8, and likely to be around 42-32 at the end) win for Obama. That is bad for Clinton. But the bad news comes from two other results.

Discussion: AMERICAblog, The Ruckus and INSTAPUTZ

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008 — Based on polling conducted Feb. 16-18, 2008 — PRINCETON, NJ — Hillary Clinton has rebounded among Democrats in the Gallup Poll Daily tracking average for Feb. 16-18. She is now at 45% to Barack Obama's 46%. — Clinton was seven percentage points behind Obama in the Feb. 15-17 average.

Discussion: WHIO-TV, MyDD, TalkLeft, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Wonkette, Spin Cycle, American Street, The New Republic and The Strata-Sphere

CNN:

Exit polls: Obama holds onto his base, makes inroads in Clinton's — (CNN) — In campaign contests so far, Barack Obama has polled the best among black, more wealthy and educated voters and college students, while rival Hillary Clinton has been able to count on women, low-income voters and blue-collar workers.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, culturekitchen and Truthdig

Mark Daniels / The Moderate Voice: Whitman for Vice President?

Sam Hemingway / Burlington Free Press:
Clinton to step up campaign effort in Vermont

Discussion: The Trail, Los Angeles Times and Booman Tribune

Talal Al-Khatib / Political Radar:

McCain Rips ‘Eloquent But Empty’ Obama — ABC News' Ron Claiborne and Teddy Davis Report: Arizona Sen. John McCain unveiled a new line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., following his Tuesday win in Wisconsin's Republican primary. — “I will work hard to make sure Americans …

Discussion: Oliver Willis, Roger L. Simon and The Ruckus

Jennifer Parker / ABCNEWS:
Obama, McCain Win Wisconsin Primaries

Discussion: Associated Press, Pollster.com, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Captain's Quarters, CNN, Political Radar, The Democratic Daily, Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, skippy the bush kangaroo, Comments from Left Field and The Ruckus

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:
Exit Polls: Voters Seek ‘Change’ in Wisconsin

Discussion: The Page, Liberal Values, michellemalkin.com, Political Radar, Open Left and WisPolitics Election Blog

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Obama Projected Winner Of Wisconsin Primary With Big Margin

Discussion: You Decide 08! and Marc Ambinder

CNN:
Exit polls: Moderates give McCain a boost in Wisconsin

Discussion: Reason Magazine, Comments from Left Field and WisPolitics Election Blog

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Obama turns tables on Clinton — Under fire for uncredited echoes of another candidate's speeches, the Obama campaign sought Tuesday evening to turn the tables on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) by highlighting her clearly false claim that her campaign had not fueled the controversy.

Discussion: GOP.com, MSNBC, The Caucus, The Swamp, Big Head DC and Wonkette

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:

Clinton fingerprints on plagiarism flap — CLEVELAND - Hillary Rodham Clinton says reporters, not her campaign, uncovered evidence of Democratic rival Barack Obama sharing speech lines with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. — She made the claim Tuesday despite the fact her campaign posted video clips …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, The Swamp, The Huffington Post and Liberal Values

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Yet Another Obama - Deval Patrick Speech Line Swipe

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The Corner

Lisa Schiffren / The Corner:

Obama's Political Origins — Until I came across this article by Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media, which I regard as factual — with all that that implies — the questions about Obama's background that should have come naturally never quite rose to the surface of my mind. Barack Obama is the new man, of course.

Discussion: Wonkette, Transterrestrial Musings, Shakespeare's Sister, DownWithTyranny!, Roger Ailes, Brian Beutler and The World Wide Rant

Cliff Kincaid / Accuracy in Media:
Obama's Communist Mentor

Discussion: PrestoPundit, Silent Running, Middle Earth Journal, Hot Air and Roger Ailes

dnA / Too Sense: For Conservatives, “Race-Mixing” Still A Communist Plot

New York Times:

John McCain's Feb. 19 Speech — The following is the text as prepared for delivery of Senator John McCain's speech to supporters after the Feb. 19 Wisconsin primary, as provided his presidential campaign. — Thank you, my friends, for your support and dedication to our campaign.

Discussion: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, PrestoPundit and Connecting.the.Dots

New York Times: Hillary Clinton's Feb. 19 Speech

Babalu Blog:

CNN: Be kind to castro — Michael Graham, blogging at The Natural Truth, brings us this disgusting but not surprising story about how CNN coached its anchors to treat the subject of fidel castro in an early morning email today. — I can now confirm independently that not only did such an email go out, here it is in its entirety:

Discussion: Reason Magazine, NewsBusters.org, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Sundries Shack, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit and Sweetness & Light

Larry Kudlow / The Corner:

It Is Over — Please allow me a dose of hardened market realism concerning Obama's landslide victory in Wisconsin. The race is over. Hillary is finished. The Clinton Restoration is over. President Bill Clinton's political invincibility is over. Hillary's electability is over.

Angelica Martinez / San Diego Union-Tribune:

Wilkes sentenced to 12 years in prison — SAN DIEGO - Brent Wilkes, the Poway defense contractor who federal prosecutors contend was the mastermind behind the largest congressional bribery scheme in history, was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday. — With his daughter crying behind him …

Discussion: NPR Blogs and Roger Ailes

KNTV-TV:

VALLEJO, Calif. — The city of Vallejo is on the brink of becoming the first California city ever to declare bankruptcy, City Council members said Tuesday. — Vallejo may run out of cash as early as March, council member Stephanie Gomes said. — “Not only that, but now we have 20 police …

Discussion: The Agonist and Calculated Risk

Sonia / Burnt Orange Report:

Thousands of Prairie View Students March 7.3 Miles to Vote — (Crossposted on Daily Kos by dewberry ........ See aerial pictures here.) — Photo Courtesy Ken Basart — Early voting starts today in Texas. In Waller County, a primarily rural county about 60 miles outside Houston …

Discussion: Houston Chronicle, Crooks and Liars and Group News Blog