Did Stevie Wonder feel like a freshman at the senior prom? (AP photo)

Barack Obama is now turning Wednesdays into his own upscale version of Chamber of Commerce/Rotary Club mixers, serving up cocktails, Maryland crab, Wagyu beef, Nantucket scallops and citrus salad — according to a recent Associated Press review of 2009 White House parties.

I confess to not knowing what Wagyu beef is, but I do know the Cardinal Law of Networking: Never act too excited or overeager, regardless of how powerful your potential contact is.

The last thing you want is to be perceived as a fan instead of a potential business partner.

Apparently, several congressmen who have been invited to nibble on Maryland crab this year have been too starstruck to care.

Check out what U.S. Rep Mike Honda (D-Calif.) told the AP about his experience being in the same room as Barack Obama:

“People like me felt comfortable in his presence,” said Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., a self-described “poor country boy” who said he felt like a “freshman going to the senior prom” when he attended a White House reception for leaders of the congressional caucuses.

“Sometimes when you’re in the presence of the most powerful person in the world, in the most powerful democracy in the world … I was in awe that I was comfortable,” said Honda, chairman of the Asian Pacific American Caucus. “I think that’s his style and how he grew up, who he is.”

OMG, Mike, please text me and let me know what you’re gonna wear the next time you meet the president!

U.S. Rep Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) is blown away that Obama watched a football game with him.

Smitten even more is U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a guest at the same Super Bowl party.

“My favorite part was when he personally served us cookies — oatmeal raisin — when we were watching the game,” she said.

It is true that relationships and status can dramatically change when your colleague gets a big promotion. But Klobuchar served for two years in the Senate with Obama, likely rubbing elbows with him before at left-wing ice cream socials.

Now, she’s openly gushing about him serving her cookies.
**
Darren Garnick is a Boston-area freelance writer and documentary filmmaker. For more political schlock, visit www.cultureschlock.com

This is Danielle Ivory from the American News Project.

As another $350 billion goes out the door, ANP looks at one small bailed-out bank. Eagle Bank is having trouble making loans. Its CEO, Ron Paul, says that the government has not taken fleeing depositors into account and, as a result, small banks and their surrounding communities will suffer.

Follow Danielle’s reporting on twitter.

http://americannewsproject.com/node/190

WATCH:

New Hampshire was expected, but still a swing state in the grand scheme of things.

The others were not surprises in the least.

A total of 56 electoral votes.

From Wash Post:

Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson, a Democratic convention delegate pledged to support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, said yesterday that he thinks Sen. Barack Obama has “in a real sense” won the Democratic nomination and that he now plans to support Obama at the August convention.

Johnson, who endorsed Clinton nine days before Maryland’s February primary, said he will urge Gov. Martin O’Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who co-chair Clinton’s Maryland campaign, to bring all of her delegates to Obama’s camp for the sake of party unity.

“I cannot in good conscience go to the convention and not support Barack,” Johnson said in an interview. “She ran a great campaign, but she fell short of the line.”

Personally, I’m not in favor of this, but there’s really not much point to it at this stage of the game anyway. Whether pledged delegates start switching or not, Obama’s the nominee.

And there could be more today too…

The chairman and vice-chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party are throwing their support behind Sen. Barack Obama on the eve of Tuesday’s primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, giving the Illinois senator at least two additional superdelegates.

Maryland Democratic officials said this morning that a few more of the state’s uncommitted superdelegates — including state Del. Heather R. Mizeur of Montgomery County — could also announce their decisions today.

Remember, Obama won Maryland by a landslide margin 61 to 36, so having the supers fall in line with the overwhelming will of the voters isn’t surprising, even though they can vote however they want.

So, post-Pennsylvania, Obama now has a more than 2 to 1 superdelegate pickup margin at 23 to 11.

The total pickups are after the jump…

Obama superdelegate pickups:
Lauren Dugas Glover (MD), DNC Vice Chairman – May 5, 2008
Michael Cryor (MD), DNC Chairman – May 5, 2008
Kalyn Free (OK), DNC – May 5, 2008
Jaime Paulino (Guam), DNC & Territory Vice Chair – May 4, 2008
Parris Glendening (MD), Governor – May 3, 2008
Inez Tenenbaum (SC), DNC – May 3, 2008
Brian Colón (TX), DNC – May 3, 2008
Paul G. Kirk, Jr. (MA), DNC – May 2, 2008
John Patrick (TX), DNC – May 1, 2008
Barbara Flynn Currie (IL), DNC – May 1, 2008
Todd Stroger (IL), DNC – May 1, 2008
Richard M. Daley (IL), DNC – May 1, 2008
Joe Andrew (IN), DNC – May 1, 2008
Bruce Braley (IA), Representative – Apr 30, 2008
Lois Capps (CA), Representative – Apr 30, 2008
Baron Hill (IN), Representative – Apr 30, 2008
Ben Chandler (KY), Representative – Apr 29, 2008
Richard Machacek (IA), DNC – Apr 29, 2008
Jeff Bingaman (NM), Senator – Apr 28, 2008
Charlene Fernandez (AZ), DNC & State Vice Chair – Apr 26, 2008
David Wu (OR), Representative – Apr 24, 2008
Audra Ostergard (NE), DNC & State Vice Chair – Apr 23, 2008
Brad Henry (OK), Governor – Apr 23, 2008

Clinton superdelegate pickups:
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (MD), Lt. Governor – May 3, 2008
Jaime A. Gonzalez Jr. (TX), DNC – May 2, 2008
Andrew Cuomo (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
Thomas DiNapoli (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
C. Virginia Field (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
Carmen Arroyo (NY), DNC – May 1, 2008
John Olsen (CT), DNC – May 1, 2008
Luisette Cabanas (PR), DNC & Territory Vice Chair – Apr 30, 2008
William George (PA), DNC – Apr 30, 2008
Ike Skelton (MO), Representative, Apr 29, 2008
Mike Easley (NC), Governor – Apr 28, 2008
Kathy Sullivan (NH), Add-On – Apr 26, 2008
John Tanner (TN), Representative – Apr 23, 2008

Clinton superdelegate losses:
Arlene P. Bordallo (Guam), DNC & Former Territory Vice Chair- May 4, 2008
Joe Andrew (IN), DNC – May 1, 2008

Now to return Huck’s call about that VP position…

The nets called it right as the vote closed, but the numbers are coming in and it looks to be another big win tonight. He may finish in or above the mid 60s in all 3 contest tonight. Quite a feat…

What I want to know is who in the Hillary camp came up with this “Let him win 8 in a row” strategy because it is brilliant. Now she has to count on wins in Ohio and Texas by big, big margins. Meanwhile, Obama can keep racking up wins in primaries leading up to those big contests and make the case as a national candidate.

Also, Hillary has been complaining about Obama winning caucuses, but no caucuses tonight, just popular votes. That meme is now officially dead, not that it was gaining much traction in the first place…

UPDATE:
Exit polls show Obama won almost every demographic, except for old white folks and white women.

Today (02/12/08), Barack Obama is having a rally in Madison, Wisconsin. Doors opened at 6:15 CST and Obama is scheduled to speak at 8:15 CST (just in time to opine on the results of the primaries in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.).

5:55: Walking up to the Kohl center, where the event will take place.

6:15: All settled in. Unlike other events that I’ve been to, getting through security here was relatively painless (outside of the surly doorman). About 1/6 of the venue is filled, but judging from the long line outside, I don’t think they’ll have much trouble filling this place up.

6:17: The crowd cheers after they see the CNN projection that Obama will win Virginia. I cheer because their cheers temporarily drown out the ska band that’s playing.

6:28: The band is now singing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.” Somewhere, Stevie Wonder weeps.

6:40: This place really filled up fast. It’s more than halfway filled already. What are these people going to do for an hour?

6:59: The good news: the band has stopped playing. The bad news: Wolf Blitzer on a jumbotron. The crowd cheers every time someone mentions Obama’s name (it doesn’t matter what the context is).

7:24: The venue’s now full. They’ve been playing some ‘get to know Barack’ videos for the past 15 minutes – one biographical, one about his judgment on the Iraq war and one featuring Michelle Obama talking about Barack’s “good old Midwestern values” and herself.

7:31: The crowd does the wave for a few minutes.

7:35: A new video. This one starts with a brief discussion of the civil rights movement and the role that young people played in bring about change in that arena. Then, turns to Obama’s call for youth to get involved in this campaign and a “behind the scenes” look at some of his young volunteers. Now, the video turns to the Iraq war. The message: it’s cool to volunteer for Obama, so go do it.

7:47: CNN just flashed the latest delegate tally (Obama: 1170, Clinton 1168) and the crowd goes wild.

7:48: I overhear some jackass in the press corps says to a friend of his, “Hillary must be saying to herself, ‘I stayed with him all those years for this’”

7:49: The program starts. A student from Wisconsin talks about why Obama connects to youth. He also tells the crowd not to believe “the rumors” and that students (including out of state students) can register to vote the day of the primary and he encouraged all of them to do so. He neglects of course to remind people that if they’ve already voted in their home state, they aren’t allowed to vote in Wisconsin too.

8:12: “Aint no stopping us now” is blaring on the speakers. And based upon Obama’s massive margin of victory in Virgina displayed on the screen, the crowd probably believes this.

8:19: David Axelrod, right here, right next to me…

8:20: Video montage on jumbotron of some famous singers and actors doing their rendition of Obama’s “yes we can” speech.

[Continued At 2008Central.net]

From Drudge…

EXIT POLLS SHOW 2:1 OBAMA LEAD OVER HILLARY IN VA AND MD, 3:1 IN DC… DEVELOPING…

Also turnout is high, despite bad weather…

In Maryland, turnout was anticipated to be about 40 percent, which is above normal according to Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator for the state’s Board of Elections. [...]

Virginia election officials also predicted a higher than normal turnout of 30 to 40 percent for the state’s primaries.

High turnout was reported in the northern part of the state and in Richmond and Charlottesville, according to Virginia Board of Elections spokeswoman Susan Pollard.

There were reports of 45-minute lines in counties around Richmond, she said.

More as it develops…

Maryland:
ARG: Obama 55%, Clinton 37% (Today)

Mason-Dixon: Obama 53%, Clinton 35% (Feb. 10)

Rasmussen: Obama 57%, Clinton 31% (Feb. 9)

SurveyUSA: Obama 52%, Clinton 33% (Feb. 8)

Virginia:

SurveyUSA: Obama 60%, Clinton 38% (Today)

ARG: Obama 56%, Clinton 38% (Today)

Mason-Dixon: Obama 53%, Clinton 37% (Feb. 10)

Rasmussen: Obama 55%, Clinton 37%

TPM has more.