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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.
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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 …


Obama Solidly Routs Clinton in N.C. — Democratic Senators Battle for Potentially Decisive Victory in Indiana — As expected, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has solidly won the North Carolina primary, ABC News projects, while he and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, remain locked in a tight race in Indiana.
Discussion:
Political Radar, The Moderate Voice, The Swamp, Taegan Goddard's …, The Field, JammieWearingFool, Washington Times and AMERICAblog

News Analysis: Options Dwindling for Clinton — In this case, a split was not a draw. — In what early returns suggested would be a win for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Indiana but a loss for her in North Carolina, Tuesday's results did not fundamentally improve her chances of securing the Democratic presidential nomination.

‘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:
Reason Magazine, Comments from Left Field, The Caucus, The Reaction, The Other McCain, On Deadline, Spin Cycle, The Primary Source and The Page

Exit Polls: Limbaugh Effect Seems To Rear Its Head — Did Rush Limbaugh actually impact the Democratic primary? — The loud-mouthed radio talk show host has been encouraging Republicans to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton to continue the “chaos” in the Democratic race.
Discussion:
Political Punch, SFGate, The Radio Equalizer, Lynn Sweet, The Raw Story, The Trail and Political Machine

Another Clinton loan? — I asked Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe just now whether Clinton had given or loaned her campaign more money in the run-up to North Carolina and Indiana. — “Might be. Might not be,” McAuliffe said, adding that the campaign would release more fundraising details tomorrow.


EXIT POLL: Wright Controversy Casts Shadow on Ind., N.C. Races
Discussion:
Fox News, The Page, MSNBC, TalkLeft, Political Radar, Pollster.com, michellemalkin.com, CNN, Gateway Pundit, TownHall Blog, The Daily Dish and Pajamas Media

Exit polls: Half of Clinton's supporters won't back Obama
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, Firedoglake, Democrats.com, TPM Election Central and Talking Points Memo

The Limbaugh-Clinton Axis — Is it a factor in Indiana? A reader writes:
Discussion:
The Huffington Post

WORRIED ABOUT THE ECONOMY — The economy was on voters' minds …
Discussion:
The American Conservative, Eunomia, Pollster.com, Wonkette, Open Left and FiveThirtyEight.com

Gary Mayor Predicts Possible Indiana Shocker — As the fate of a nailbiter Indiana primary — and possibly the course of the Democratic race — hung on his city, Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said just now that it might take a while yet to finish counting the vote in Lake County, which includes Gary …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Moderate Voice, The Page, Ben Smith's Blogs, The Corner, Corrente, The Primary Source, AMERICAblog, CCPSBlog, Commentary, Daily Kos and Spin Cycle
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Team Hillary warns of Obama “October surprise” — The early results are suggesting a healthy win for Barack Obama in North Carolina and a much narrower win, maybe 52-48 or so, for Hillary Clinton in Indiana. That won't end her campaign — nuclear obliteration wouldn't do that at this point but it makes Clinton's mission even harder.
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Hillary, muted — I've been out on the road with Clinton for the past few days, during which she was perhaps the sharpest she's been in her political career. Forceful, clear, connecting intensely with her crowds, utterly at ease with her message. — Tonight, that energy has really, strikingly vanished.
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Does Hillary Know It's Over? — Hillary began her (somewhat premature) Indiana “victory” speech on an up note, throwing an old Obama quote about how Indiana would be a PA/NC/IN tiebreaker back in his face. But since then she's sounded a little dispirited to me.


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 …
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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:
The Carpetbagger Report, Law Blog, At-Largely, DownWithTyranny!, Majikthise, The BRAD BLOG, Prairie Weather and Think Progress
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FBI Searches Office of Special Counsel Building
Discussion:
Washington Blade, Firedoglake, Mercury Rising, The Moderate Voice, TPMMuckraker and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Obama's Remarks in Raleigh, North Carolina — Barack Obama delivered the following remarks (as prepared) in Raleigh, North Carolina, tonight... You know, some were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election. But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game …
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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 …

FOX NEWS FOLLIES — Watch as the Fox News political team dissects class in America during tonight's election coverage: — I watch Fox so you don't have to — but I lose a little piece of my soul every time. — Late Update: They just can't let it go! The Fox News crew refines its class stereotypes:


The Obama Rally, from Two Angles — Reynolds Coliseum on N.C. State's campus seats 12,400 people. It did not seat that many tonight. Behold, the power of political staging: — The Obama rally, as seen on TV: — The Obama rally as seen from the other end of Reynolds: