New Hampshire results

Markos put it nicely:

So there’s a huge gender gap. Massive. Apparently, women didn’t take kindly to people beating up on Hillary for — gasp! — tearing up. Can you believe it? In a way, this is a nice middle finger to that bullshit double standard.

The whole “tearing up” thing made Hillary seem more human.  I can’t imagine what kind of people would hold that against her.

Another interesting thing – Obama got about the same percentage of the vote as he did in Iowa.  Clinton, on the other hand, picked up 10 points.

Hillary’s victory speech in New Hampshire

Hillary Clinton hits the important issues, she sounds like a good liberal…but she doesn’t move me.  She hits on all the same issues as Obama did – but it doesn’t move me.  She isn’t all that exciting a speaker – but neither is Obama.  Edwards is a rousing speaker, and he touches on the populist rhetoric that moves me.  Obama is just so amazing with the way he speaks about change.  Clinton just doesn’t move me.  Is it just me?

Unlike Obama, Clinton’s nationalism is exclusionary.  When she speaks about “this great country”, you know that it doesn’t include you.  That’s fine – there’s nothing wrong with speaking as a nationalist.  But what amazes me about Obama is that he can say this without being exclusionary – Obama can praise his country in a way that doesn’t put down anyone else.

Obama’s concession speech in New Hampshire

Once again, win or lose, I like to hear Obama speak. I love what he has to say, I like the way he says it. His agenda, as he describes it, is unabashedly liberal, but he speaks in a way that acknowledges and includes Republicans. The Republicans built a majority in the South by finding issues that not only appealed to the poor, they actually convinced them that tax cuts for the wealthy are in their interest. It feels like Obama is speaking to people – not on the issues of the culture wars, but on the unabashedly liberal ideas that most people can get behind. “And will never use 9-11 to scare up votes”. Bravo! Climate change, poverty, getting out of Iraq. Core issues, but ones that the “mainstream” seems afraid to talk about.

Obama really represents the sort of post-ethnic internationalism that has always appealed to me. His speech is intensely nationalistic – “we are one people”…and yet, he says it in a way that does not make those of us who are not Americans feel excluded. And that’s something that sets Obama apart from every other American politician I have ever heard (except maybe Al Gore).

New Hampshire

It looks like Hillary will win New Hampshire, Obama a close second, Edwards a distance third. Sure, I’m disappointed that it wasn’t Obama, but in a sense, it’s nice to know that the decision hasn’t been made by two small, atypical states. On the other hand, I feel badly for Edwards. I like him. I love the populist rhetoric of his speeches. I really hope that he will be able to keep going, at least until the super-primary on February 5^th.

Regardless of whether Obama wins or loses, it’s a huge change from the polls which put Obama 7 or more points ahead. So it’s a huge swing towards Clinton.

Update: And just as I hit save, NBC called the primary for Hillary.