As for why Republican turnout is higher too, I think it's because those people see the same problems, but think the Democratic way of solving them is absolutely wrong.  And they're being driven to the polls because their sense that something is wrong tells them that the Democratic turnout is going to be huge, but they're a'scared that the Democratic nominee won't be able to protect them from scary brown people.

So basically, I think both sides see this as an epic electoral battle with the future of the country hanging in the balance.

And I can't really disagree...

I guess they might not want to iron anyone's shirts.

That's a really good line.

But on your key question about unprecedented turnout should be clear to everyone. We all (even Republicans) see this as an extremely important election year. Perhaps the most important of this generation. Things are REALLY fucked up and we all know that we need to participate and steer the country back into the right direction. We need to reclaim our ownership of the country. You know...

We are all so frickin tired of 7 years of hell.

I think the whole "Iron my shirt" episode was either 1) hatched by an incredibly inane bunch of women haters, 2) a stupid publicity stunt by really crass radio show hosts, or 3) all of the above.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

You've looked at this stuff. Are you satisfied that the exit polls reasonably match the election returns? No election rigging? That question really isn't settled for alot of people and I wonder if we need to be calling for hand recounts to validate the technology used.

Thoughts?

Terry McAuliffe, Hillaryland campaign co-chair in a BBC News WorldUpdate ( aired 5:00AM EST on NPR, JAn.09), he had this response to the question. What did it for her?

"I love BBC.  In Saturday's debate, people saw her experience and "there was the tearful moment"

I kid you not. can't make this up. I thought Terry was candid, got carried away by the upset of polls win, momentarily forgetting this program airs in the USA.

guess she'll tear all the way back to the White House, if that's what it will take. <snark>
I'm pissed that people would buy into "Tears and sympathy." But then Bush was re-elected.

Hillary, where is socks, the cat?

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

Nevertheless, I think the greatest factor is people on both sides see this as an important election.

The women going for Hillary and independents for Obama has implications for the general election. My read is if Hillary gets the nod the independents are more likely to go to McCain (assuming he's the nominee). If Obama gets the nod, the women are IMO more likely to go to Obama than McCain.

It may have been the perfect storm.

I'll never understand the mind that can hold opposites like that at the same time, but suspect the anomaly was very common yesterday. It suggests that people still aren't paying attention to real issues. Shallow sympathy  trumped any kind of rational or informed deciding.

I had been persuaded that Hillary had a heavy burden as a female candidate because she was (or thought she was) forced to out-tough the men (just as Obama had to not seem "too black"). But that same gender difference issue also has a positive side for Hillary. Playing the victim, being "rescued" by her angry hubby, having a teary episode, seem to have brought in the female vote.

No man could have gotten away with this stuff. Witness Edwards, who has been personally trashed and dismissed far more viciously than Hillary. The haircut and dress, the borderline masculinity, the "hypocrisy" of being rich and claiming to be for the poor (which hasn't been part of the narrative on the millionaire Clintons). If he'd done a tearful heart-to-heart about how hard it was to campaign, and had Elizabeth scream about how the mean media was not fair to poor Eddie, he'd have been finished without mercy. So the gender thing turns out to work both ways.

Bottom line: Obama had Oprah, Hillary had her Oprah moment. The Oprah Moment won.

FDR's response to progressive demands: "I agree. Now go out and make me do it."