Statistics about Barack Obama's Victory in Iowa

From Barack Obama.com

Last night, Barack Obama made history in Iowa with a dramatic and decisive victory. He won by bringing an unprecedented number of voters into the process, including thousands of Republicans and Independents who registered as Democrats in order to support Obama.

The entrance polls show just how dominating Obama’s win was and dispel some myths about his candidacy:

Obama beat Clinton among women 35% to 30%

Obama beat Edwards among voters in union households 30%-24%

Obama beat Clinton and Edwards among voters of almost every income level (Obama and Clinton tied among voters who make $15-30,000)

As many voters age 17-29 as voters 65 and older participated last night -- in previous years senior participation has been 5-times greater than younger voters.

Obama beat Edwards and Clinton among voters who want change (51%-20%-19%)

Despite countless attacks and hundreds of thousands of dollars in negative mail, TV, and radio, Obama beat Clinton and Edwards (34%-30%-27%) among voters who say health care is the most important issue

Obama won among those who said the economy was the most important issue (36%-26%-26%)

Obama won over Clinton and Edwards (35%-26%-17%) among those who said Iraq was the most important issue

Won across the ideological spectrum – winning among liberals, moderates and conservatives

Won among high income and lower income voters among voters with household income below $50,000 (34%-32%-19%) and among those over $50,000 (41%-19%-28%)

Also won among the 82% of voters who said Pakistan was “very or somewhat important”

The voters looked at Barack Obama and found he was someone that they could support. Thank you, Iowa.

BARACK OBAMA THE WINNER OF THE IOWA CAUCUS

94% Precincts reporting:

Barack Obama - 38%

A record 234,000 people participated in the Democratic Party Iowa Caucus.

I'm speechless at that number, and I thank everyone who came to be counted.

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Obama's Victory Speech:

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.

But on this January night – at this defining moment in history – you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do; what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days; what America can do in this New Year. In schools and churches; small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that’s consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that’s been all about division and make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that’s how we’ll win in November, and that’s how we’ll finally meet the challenges we face.

The time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don’t own this government, we do; and we’re here to take it back.

The time has come for a President who’ll be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who’ll listen to you even when we disagree; who won’t just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that President for America."

The speech, as prepared for deliver, appears in full after the jump.

They said this day would never come.

They said our sights were set too high.

They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.

But on this January night – at this defining moment in history – you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do; what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days; what America can do in this New Year. In schools and churches; small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that’s consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that’s been all about division and make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that’s how we’ll win in November, and that’s how we’ll finally meet the challenges we face.

The time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don’t own this government, we do; and we’re here to take it back.

The time has come for a President who’ll be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who’ll listen to you even when we disagree; who won’t just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that President for America.

I’ll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois – by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done

I’ll be a President who ends the tax breaks for corporations who ship our jobs overseas and puts a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it.

I’ll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all.

And I’ll be a President who brings our troops home from Iraq; restores our moral standing; and understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century: terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.

Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And I’d like to take a minute to thank the organizers and precinct captains; the volunteers and staff who made this all possible.

I know you didn’t do this just for me. You did this because you believed deeply in the most American of ideas – that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.

I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, I’ll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa – organizing, and working, and fighting to make people’s lives just a little bit better.

I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this – a night that, years from now, when we’ve made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children inherit a planet that’s a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; you’ll be able look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began.

This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable.

This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for far too long – when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who’d never participated in politics a reason to stand up and do so.

This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up.

Years from now, you’ll look back and say that this was the moment – this was the place – where America remembered what it means to hope.

For many months, we’ve been teased and even derided for talking about hope.

But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It’s not sitting on the sidelines or shrinking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and work for it, and fight for it.

Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can’t afford health care for a sister who’s ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.

Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn’t been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for a safe return.

Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an Empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young men and women to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom’s cause.

Hope is what led me here today – with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. It is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.

That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand – that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in tthis election, we are ready to believe again.

Blacks Appear Poised to Influence Iowa Caucuses

By Dana Boone

Many African-Americans across Iowa said determination and excitement is driving them to participate in tonight's Iowa Caucuses for the first time.

"Black people -- this is our opportunity to step up to the plate," said Melvin Hawkins, a 45-year-old DJ from Davenport and a first time caucus-goer.

Blacks in Des Moines, Waterloo and Davenport said they felt compelled to learn about a political process that is still somewhat mysterious to them -- and participate tonight -- because they feel strongly about presidential candidate Barack Obama.

"Everybody is pretty much pumped on the idea that we could possibly get a president like Obama," said Kenneth Foster, 35, a student mentor at Creative Visions in Des Moines and first-time caucus-goer.

Many black Iowans said the nation is in trouble with its lackluster economy, the war in Iraq, a bleak employment outlook and racial disparities in schools and prisons. It's more important than ever, they said, for blacks to help decide who will become president. And, the nation is watching.

"Things are bad right now, and I know if someone doesn't come in a make a difference right away, we're going to be in another sort of depression (era)," Foster said.

Many blacks said they have noticed an unusual increase this year in discussions among their friends and families about the problems affecting the country, the presidential candidates and how to caucus.

Hawkins, who expressed dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq and the way the country is being managed, said Obama has the "wow" factor.

"It seems like you've got more of a voice because he's on the same page as you, in the same age range as you," Hawkins said. "He's a person who will give the us a fresh start."

READ the entire story at Iowa Independent.

Why Blacks Must Caucus on Jan. 3 in Iowa

From: Dana Boone

I’ve heard people say that they will begin pay more attention to the presidential candidates after the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 3. But, the time to pay attention is now. The time to make a choice is now. Don’t leave such an important decision in the hands of others. Don’t wait to see what the crowd is doing. Set the trend. Research the candidates now and pick one. Then participate in the Iowa Caucuses on Jan 3 and make sure your vote counts.

I attended Barack Obama’s rally with Oprah Winfrey nearly two weeks ago. Prior to the event, I researched where Obama and the other candidates stood on the issues that are important to me as an African-American woman -- issues like health care, education, employment and justice. I went to the event with an open mind and I left convinced that Obama is the only smart choice.

I’ve heard some people doubt whether this country is ready for a black president. The fact is we need a leader who understands black America and has the desire and will to make things better not just for us, but especially for us.

I’ve heard people talk about the other candidates and I remember something that Claud Anderson, president of PowerNomics Corporation of America, said during the Ongoing Covenant with Black Iowa Summit in Waterloo last month.

Anderson said blacks must learn to elect officials "who speak for you first and foremost." He warned the audience against voting for candidates who can’t deliver something specific to them.

"Quid pro quo is politics," he said. "I vote you into office; you owe me."

Serious issues affect blacks all over the country and it is irresponsible of us to lend our support to any candidate whose campaign messages, speeches and ads don’t include something specific to improve our plight as blacks.

So I can’t wait to caucus on Jan. 3 for Obama because his proposals include specifics that will improve black neighborhoods and schools, among other things. Learn about it for yourself.

On Jan. 4, I don’t want to hear people say, “Oh, I should have.” Get the information you need now to make a decision and make your voice heard on Jan. 3.