HILLARY SINGIN' "VIVA LAS VEGAS" TONIGHT-- ALTHOUGH OBAMA WON IN RENO AND AT LEAST AS MANY DELEGATES AS SHE DID

It doesn't much matter that Willard turned out the Mormon machine in Nevada and won the Republican caucuses there. Willard will be a footnote to the history of the 2008 election, something like a less accomplished version of Bob Dole. This will be a HUGE Democratic year-- a response to the 8 previous almost universally reviled years of the Bush Regime. So Democratic primaries and caucuses are important. Edwards didn't win. CBS is calling Nevada a Clinton victory 51% to Obama's 45%. Obama got the young voters; Clinton got the old folks. More old folks vote. The NY Times gives the credit for his victory to women voters. African-Americans turned out big for Obama (83%). Latinos went 64-26% for Clinton.

In contrast to the lack of interest today in South Carolina's pygmy primary-- where turn out was minuscule, CNN is reporting that Democratic turnout in Nevada was record-breaking. 40,000 were expected and 107,000 114,000 showed up (in contrast to 41,000 Repugs in this 50/50 state), following the same patterns that were set in Iowa and New Hampshire: Democrats coming to the polls in droves; Republicans, hating their miserable choices, staying away. This is expected to get much, much worse for Republicans by next November. The only Republicans motivated to vote-- at least early on-- were the evangelicals, good news for the Huckster. "Preliminary exit poll results indicate that nearly seven in 10 Republican voters in the state are identifying themselves as conservatives, which is more than in the 2000 primary there, as well as more than in either Michigan or New Hampshire this year. And nearly six in 10 in South Carolina are evangelical Christians." Independents aren't showing up at the polls, bad news for grumpy old McCain.

If you want the demographic breakdown of the Democratic caucus voters, CNN has a good one. Obama won among men by a little. Hillary won among women by a landslide. Those who said the most important issue was either the economy or health care went for Hillary. Iraq voters favored Obama (slightly), buying into his preposterous tale that he would have voted against the war if he had been in the Senate. Independent voters went for Obama 47% to 33% (with Edwards at 11%) but Democrats gave Hillary 51%, Obama 39% and Edwards 8%. Hillary won across the ideological spectrum and the more liberal the voter, the more likely they were to vote for her instead of Obama. Union households went for Clinton, although it was fairly even between them. And in terms of delegates... it appears to be either even or Obama ahead!