memeorandum: 96 arrested in San Diego State drug bust (Tony Perry/Los Angeles Times)

6:35 PM ET, May 6, 2008

Top Items:

‘Hardcore’ Republicans voting Democrat — 10:51 AM — ‘Hardcore’ Republicans voting Democrat — The two precincts at Broad Ripple Family Center selected Republican Jon Elrod over Democrat Andre Carson in March's special election for U.S. Congress. But by 9 a.m., just 21 voters …

Discussion: On Deadline, Charlotte Observer, Spin Cycle, The Other McCain, The Page, TalkLeft, Hot Air, PSoTD and TPM Election Central

Drudge Report:

DANGER DAY: HILLARY FACES ‘15-POINT DEFEAT’ IN NC; SEES INDIANA WIN — Hillary Clinton's inner circle now fears a stinging defeat is likely in North Carolina. — “Look, we worked hard and gave it our best shot, but the demographics, well, they are what they are,” a top campaign source explained …

Foon Rhee / Boston Globe:

Limbaugh issues orders for Indiana — Today's Indiana Democratic primary is not only a big test for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. — It's also a test for talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, the self-proclaimed commander in chief of “Operation Chaos.” — Indiana's primary is open …

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, Reason Magazine, The Moderate Voice, Sadly, No!, Salon, Spin Cycle, AMERICAblog and The Page

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Limbaugh Democrats? — I've been pretty skeptical of the existence, in any meaningful numbers, of Republican voters with who pay enough attention, and have enough energy, to turn up to vote tactically for the candidate they see as weaker in the Democratic primary.

Discussion: Whiskey Fire

CBS News:

Clinton, Obama In Battle For Indiana, N.C. — Heavy Turnout In Crucial Primaries That Could Bring Clarity To Democratic Presidential Race — (CBS/AP) Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama battled in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries on Tuesday, the last big-delegate prizes left …

Discussion: TPM Election Central

Marc Ambinder:

First Glance At The Exits: Democratic Party Cracking Up? — Here's what jumps out at me from the first wave of exit polls that have been released to the Edison-Mitsofky consortium: — Forget the horse race numbers for a moment: if the surveys are accurate, the polarization within the Democratic Party has reached critical levels.

Discussion: Weekly Standard Blog

Zogby:

Zogby Poll: Obama Expands Lead in NC; Dems Still Biting Nails in Indiana! — Obama enjoys a strong final day of polling before the elections — UTICA, New York—On the strength of good polling numbers on the final day before the primary elections in Indiana and North Carolina …

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

FIRST THOUGHTS: BEGINNING OF THE END? — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** The beginning of the end? Is today the last day on the campaign trail? Sure, there are six more contests beyond these two in Indiana and North Carolina.

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Political Insider and The New Republic

Associated Press: Early IN, NC exit poll highlights

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:
EXIT POLL: Wright Controversy Casts Shadow on Ind., N.C. Races

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Strata-Sphere and The Page

Taegan Goddard / Political Insider:
Beware of the Exit Polls

Discussion: protein wisdom, Political Arithmetik, The Nation and Hot Air

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Most Democrats Not Eager for Either Candidate to Drop Out

Discussion: TalkLeft, Jules Crittenden, Hot Air, Wonkette and The Swamp

Brian Schaffner / CCPSBlog:
Final Pre-Election Analysis of North Carolina Early Voters

Discussion: newsobserver.com projects and Facing South

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
What to Watch For: Indiana, North Carolina Edition

Discussion: Washington Post, Pollster.com, The Carpetbagger Report and Wonkette

ABCNEWS:
Groundhog Day: 6 More Weeks for Dems

Discussion: On the Trail and TalkLeft

John R. Wilke / Wall Street Journal:

FBI Agents Raid Work, Home Of Special Counsel's Bloch — WASHINGTON — Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided the Office of Special Counsel here, seizing computers and documents belonging to the agency chief Scott Bloch and staff. — More than a dozen FBI agents served grand jury subpoenas shortly …

Discussion: TalkLeft, The BRAD BLOG, DownWithTyranny!, Law Blog, Prairie Weather, Majikthise, On Deadline and Shakesville

Ari Shapiro / NPR:

FBI Searches Office of Special Counsel Building — Listen: Ari Shapiro Discusses the Raid on ‘Day to Day’ — · FBI agents on Tuesday raided the offices of Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch, who oversees protection for federal whistleblowers. The agents seized computers and shut …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Mercury Rising and TPMMuckraker

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
FBI raids the Office of Special Counsel

Discussion: Think Progress

David Stout / New York Times:
F.B.I. Raids Office of Special Counsel

Discussion: Pam's House Blend

Human Events:

Two GOP Losses That Validate a National Pattern — These two special elections validate a national polling pattern that is bad news for Republicans. According to a New York Times/CBS Poll, Americans disapprove of the President's job performance by 63 to 28 (and he has been below 40% job …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Swamp, Washington Wire, Tales from the Trail, MoJoBlog, HorsesAss.Org, The Daily Dish, DCCC, The Washington Independent and The Moderate Voice

Jackie Kucinich / The Hill:

Gingrich warns GOP of ‘real disaster’ this fall — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is calling on Republicans to seek “real change to avoid a real disaster” in the wake of another Democratic victory in a special election on Saturday. — In a letter to House Republicans posted on www.newt.org …

Discussion: Pajamas Media and Preemptive Karma

Deborah Hastings / Associated Press:

Indiana nuns lacking ID denied at poll by fellow sister — About 12 Indiana nuns were turned away Tuesday from a polling place by a fellow bride of Christ because they didn't have state or federal identification bearing a photograph. — Sister Julie McGuire said she was forced to turn away …

Discussion: Salon

Michael Calderone / The Politico:

Matthews: MSNBC's support of Obama is ‘not official’ — Chris Matthews spoke last night at the Institute of Politics, and the Harvard Crimson (a Politico campus partner) was on hand. … And later.

Discussion: Commentary, The Jed Report and TPM Election Central

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Chris Matthews: Obamania ‘not official’

Discussion: NO QUARTER and Taylor Marsh

Confederate Yankee:

Calling It: Obama Wins N.C. — I just got off the phone with Mike Ash, Director of the Durham County Board of Elections in Durham, NC. He doesn't have any numbers as far as percentages of eligible voters making it to the polls at this point, but said several polling locations have already hit record numbers.

Christina Bellantoni / Washington Times:

Clinton campaign retools delegate math — DURHAM, N.C. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign yesterday tried to redefine the delegate math for securing the Democratic presidential nomination, signaling its willingness to wage a divisive battle with front-runner Sen. Barack Obama through the summer.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Salon and Donklephant

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Clinton's new math — Asked at the Indianapolis Speedway …

Discussion: AMERICAblog and MSNBC

Al Gore / NPR:

Excerpt: ‘The Assault on Reason’ — Television's quasi-hypnotic effect is one reason that the political economy supported by the television industry is as different from the vibrant politics of America's first century as those politics were different from the feudalism that thrived …

Discussion: Political Radar

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Gore Weighs In — Al Gore was interviewed on National Public Radio …

Discussion: TPM Election Central

Paul Krugman:

Gas tax hysterics — OK, this has gone overboard. — Hillary Clinton's proposed gas tax holiday is not, in my view, a good idea. But the furor over what is, when all is said and done, a small and temporary policy proposal is entirely disproportionate. What's going on?