My boyfriend took a job with the Obama campaign in Merrillville, Indiana and I joined him there to help out and document our experiences.  On election day, Lizardbox from Daily Kos called the office supervisor to ask if we needed food and then ordered pizza for the flood of volunteers that we received that day.  I just wanted to post some pictures and stories as a "thank you" to Lizardbox and everyone else here who helped out on what was the campaign's biggest day since the Iowa caucuses.

This photo was taken about one hour before Tim Russert called the nomination race for Obama, and you can see the mounting excitement in our faces:

Clinton Superdelegate Brad Ellsworth reveals he actually voted for Barack Obama in the Indiana Democratic primary.

Up until last night, I figured Hillary Clinton had at least a shot at winning enough delegates and popular votes, and convincing enough super delegates of a more than reasonable argument that Florida and Michigan should be counted into the mix.  She needed to win handily in Indiana and keep it very close in North Carolina.  Neither happened.

Up until last night, I was prepared to write Hillary (another) $25 check to help with her momentum.  I don’t have enough disposable income to keep that up any longer.

Up until last night, I figured that most every Hillary supporter would, when the chips are down, support Barack Obama.  A look at a CNN graphic showed that most would, but about a third wouldn’t (20% of Obama supporters wouldn’t support Clinton).  But it’s early in the game as far as that goes, so I’m sure there will be changes as people realize what a McCain presidency would look like – a mirror image of George Bush.

And finally, up until last night, I figured that if it comes down to Obama-McCain, Obama might very well have an uphill battle convincing enough democrats and independents to vote for him.

Last night's CNN late-night coverage of the Indiana primary was more than bad; it was the lamest, most assinine, petulant, and stupid cable news coverage in a primary season filled with lame and stupid coverage.  

The biggest surprise of last night was not Obama's (real) double-digit win in NC, not the record turnouts, not even the nail-biter in Indiana. No, the biggest surprise was the bizarre narrative concocted by the MSNBC pundit team - a fantasy tale so intoxicating, so enticing to a punchy, tired newsroom that it even caught up Keith Olbermann. But not Maddow...

I still can't believe it--so I'll say it again:  Chris Matthews quoted Markos as a Pundit, even if he only acknowledged Markos by calling him "The Daily Kos!"

This diary is a rant with no links and no science.  Deal with it.

According to a CNN analyst, it looks like Hillary owes about 10% of her votes in Indiana to Rush Limbaugh's Operation Asshole, or asshole operation (or whatever it's called).  Makes me mad as hell.

The only good news about this is that it may finally wake up the superdelegates to the fact that it's all over but the shouting and it's time to get down to the business of defining McCain instead of letting his BBQ buddies in the press fawn all over him for another month.  

I just have one question for Republicans:  Do you really think that in 2012, when President Obama is running for his second term, that a few million Democrats won't cross over and play havoc with your nominating process?  Do you really think that what goes around won't come the hell back around?

I know it's early in the evening, but I know my dKos crowd, y'all are glued to the Indiana primaries, chewing nervously on your fingernails as this harrowing race moves forward. And tonight, you're asking the same question I am.

What if- just what if John McCain doesn't win Indiana tonight?

I'm an Indiana resident. Perry 05 to be exact. Voted today. So did my wife. Every friend I still talk too voted today. Heh. Tons of co-workers voted. I may have not been able to donate as much as I would have liked. Or put in as much time as I would have liked. But I swear, some of the people I had to speak with at length to seal the deal has to count for something. I honestly feel like I did everything I was able to. A little hope in a hopeless world.

I'll ramble some more on the fold!

It's primary day in Indiana, and there is almost a carnival atmosphere in the air.

I'm 5th generation Hoosier and a Hoosier blogger, so I deeply love the state. But, I'm under no illusions about our political significance. Normally we are a political backwater - generally being declared Republican within 60 seconds of the polls closing in any Presidential race. 1964 was the last time the state went to the Democratic presidential candidate. 1968 was the last election anyone campaigned for the Presidency in Indiana. So, I'm going to take a moment to bask in the momentary spotlight.

Below the fold, I'll try to provide a round up of the word from the Hoosier blogosphere.

A Katrina-level hurricane may ravage Indiana today; we have to be ready to report on its path of destruction through the state.  We have to make the real imaginable to those who are not there, just as we did in 2005.  This hurricane will pound at the pillars of democracy, blowing countless voters out of their polling places -- because they do not have the proper state-sanctioned photo identification.

Low-income voters, the elderly, and young students would be affected the most.  They are the ones who may not have needed to get proper identification in the past, or who may not have maintained it as current into the present.  The first two groups are those least able to take time away to work their way through the bureaucratic requirements needed for them to be able to exercise their most basic democratic right: an equal opportunity to vote on who will lead their nation.

A terrible lesson in voter suppression may be taught today.  We need to collect individual stories and make sure that people see it for what it is: the political equivalent of Katrina, in which the legitimate demand of the less privileged for protection is intentionally ignored, to widespread shock and outrage.

Obama is on the move in North Carolina and holding steady in Indiana!

Obama 5 points ahead 50-45% in the final SUSA tracking poll.

Clinton clinging to a lead in the Indiana just released Insider Advantage poll 48-44.

PPP has Indiana 51-46, which is a slight tightening.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...

So I just wanted to put a diary/thread about reports from Indiana.  Two things I wanted to fill everyone in on:

*** Robocalls last night went out linking Senator Obama to partial-birth abortion.  The Robocall did not state the source of the call, in violation of Indiana state law.

*** A well-known figure in the community went to vote and was told she didn't look like her picture I.D.  The pollworker (white) refused to allow the voter (black) to vote until the voter asked to speak to the pollworker's boss.  The supervisor came over and, recognizing the voter, asked her what the problem was.  The voter relied on the supervisor's personal knowledge of her identity in order to get her ballot.  There are various reports that others have been denied for this same reason from this particular pollworker.

More news and photos below:

Conspiracy theory?  What conspiracy theory?  Its just a straight out fact!

The Supreme Court ruling LAST Monday, 1 short week before the pivotal primary, has to rewrite the script for voter outreach for TODAY, or else many staunch supporters won't be able to have a vote counted on Tuesday.

Your GOTV phone calls, or door-to-door canvass, will bear fruit only if you check and ask, "Do you have a state-institution ID, one that shows an expiration date?" If they don't, the Obama field offices need to be prepared to help the voter either (1) get the documents on Monday (transportation) or (2) - per the SoS site for Indiana - help the person the day before Election Day - to "vote absentee-in-person at the county election office before Election Day, and while there, affirm that an exemption (for indigence/poverty) applies to you."

If the voter does not have the resources to acquire the documents to bring to BMV, they can affirm on Monday at the county Election office they're entitled to the exemption. For a vote to count by Election Day, this is the only option there's time for if a person can't get the set of documents.

Voters should be asked to double-check their registration status today too

This message is for Obama phone bankers and field planners.

The Supreme Court ruling LAST Monday, 1 short week before the pivotal primary, has to rewrite the script for voter outreach for Monday, or else many staunch supporters won't be able to have a vote counted on Tuesday.

Your phone calls, or door-to-door canvass, will bear fruit only if you check and ask, "Do you have a state-institution ID, one that shows an expiration date?" If they don't, the Obama field offices need to be prepared to help the voter either (1) get the documents on Monday (transportation) or (2) - per the SoS site for Indiana - help the person the day before Election Day - to "vote absentee-in-person at the county election office before Election Day, and while there, affirm that an exemption (for indigence/poverty) applies to you."

If the voter does not have the resources to acquire the documents to bring to BMV, they can affirm on Monday at the county Election office they're entitled to the exemption. For a vote to count by Election Day, this is the only option there's time for if a person can't get the set of documents.

Several of us from Chicago and Evanston made the trek across the border to northwest Indiana.  I was part of a small group from our Northside DFA group and we met up at the Democratic Party of Evanston to jointly car pool down to Schererville.  I was one of the first to arrive in Evanston, as I biked there from neighboring Skokie.  I wasn't expecting anything special, just twenty or thirty volunteers.  Boy, was I wrong!

Let me just say that the Democratic Party of Evanston office is just a little storefront off the beaten path.  It could probably comfortably hold 30-40 people.  Well, let's just say that shortly after arrived more and more people came in.  There were people of all ages, colors and by the end, the little storefront held about 75 or more people in there.  This included about a dozen Northwestern University students, a mother who said she had never volunteered for a presidential candidate until now, an older husband and wife who felt they needed to get involved now.  It was truly inspirational seeing all these committed people and this is coming from someone who has volunteered and canvassed on many campaigns previously.