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The confusion around the appointments of new senators from both Illinois and New York is causing many to call for an end to a governor's ability to appoint a Senate replacement. What's the best solution? CNN's Bill Schneider takes a look. (Getty Images)

How much patience will the American people have as Barack Obama tries to bring the economy back to life?

WASHINGTON (CNN) - How long will the voters give President Barack Obama to turn the economy around? The president-elect is already laying down markers:

- Last month, Obama pledged, "We are going to create 2.5 million jobs."

– This month, he laid down another marker: "That is how we will achieve the Number One goal of my plan, which is to create 3 million new jobs."

– And then another: "The report confirms that our plan will likely save or create 3 to 4 million jobs. Ninety percent of these jobs will be created in the private sector."

Obama is urging patience. "It's going to take some time," he told ABC News. "It's not going to happen overnight."

So, just how long will the voters give him? Let's look at the experience of other new presidents elected in bad times.

When Ronald Reagan took over, the unemployment rate was just over 7 percent. When Bill Clinton took over, the unemployment rate was just over 7 percent. What's the unemployment rate now, when Barack Obama's about to take over? Just over 7 percent.

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Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer made Bill Schneider's annual list of political turkeys for 2008.

(CNN) - November 27 may be Turkey Day in America, but in the world of politics, every day is turkey day.

Watch: The top 5 political turkeys of '08

Turkeys are foolish creatures - overstuffed, noisy and self-important. A lot like the politicians on our list of Turkeys of the Year.

Turkey No. 10: Rudy Giuliani puts all his eggs in one basket - Florida.

"We are going to win in Florida, and then we will be talking about exactly who made the right decisions," Giuliani says on CNN's "The Situation Room" a week before the primary.

Giuliani ends up third in Florida, with 15 percent of the vote.

The former New York City mayor was relying on the many former New Yorkers who have moved or retired to Florida. There's just one problem: most of them are Democrats, and Democrats can't vote in Florida's Republican primaries.

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Schneider: McCain's tribute to Bush was risky.

Bill Schneider has covered political conventions for more than 30 years and has covered them for CNN since the 1992 election.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) - It's odd to present yourself as a maverick to the most partisan audience imaginable, as John McCain did Thursday night.

But the real audience wasn't sitting in the Xcel Center this evening to watch the Arizona senator accept the Republican Party's presidential nomination; it was the independents at home looking for a reason to vote for him.

It wasn't that long ago that McCain was the Republican most admired among Democrats. He retains some residual popularity with Democrats and particularly independents.

But some of that glow has faded.

He's certainly doing his best to regain some of that luster. He didn't talk much at all about divisive social issues: a brief reference to his support for life, no talk of gay issues, a brief reference to judges that don't legislate from the bench but no extended focus on social issues. That's not the core of his agenda.

But in a moment sure to be featured in campaign ads from now to November, he paid tribute to the sitting Republican president, George W. Bush. A risky move.

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DENVER (CNN) - One of the interesting things that happens at national conventions is that a lot of state and local politicians are slated to address the convention outside of prime-time hours, at hours when the audience is usually small and inattentive. Those are filmed and preserved, and used in political campaigns to show a politician addressing the convention, to try to raise his political stature.

I was at the 1984 convention when an obscure Southern politician gave a speech at an afternoon session in San Francisco that was a tribute to Harry Truman. It was an unusually interesting and articulate speech that talked about a Democratic party that Harry Truman would not recognize — it was surprisingly critical of what had become of the Democratic Party.

I wrote the speaker a note telling him what an interesting speech he had given. He replied thanking me, telling me that was the only note he got in response to his speech.

That politician was Bill Clinton. Unfortunately, I didn’t save the note.

(CNN) - After the long, bruising primary battle with Hillary Clinton, a lot of Democrats were concerned Barack Obama would have a problem getting support from women, but the big surprise is that it could be men who become the deciding factor this election cycle.

According to the latest CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll Obama is running nearly even with John McCain among men. McCain has a slight edge with 49 percent to Obama’s 47 percent. Meanwhile, Obama leads McCain by 9 points among women 52 percent to 43 percent.

WATCH Why men could be the deciding factor

The support from men has become crucial for Republicans in past elections.

According to exit polls from the 2000 election, 53 percent of men helped George W. Bush get elected in 2000, with only 42 percent of men supporting Al Gore. In 2004 George Bush was re-elected with 55 percent support from men to John Kerry’s 44 percent. Most women voted for Gore and Kerry.

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(CNN) - Hillary Clinton has made her vast experience a central theme of her campaign – and among those voters who said that was the top quality they were looking for in a presidential candidate, she was the undisputed choice in tonight’s exit polls: they chose her over Barack Obama by 93 to 7 percent in South Dakota, and 94 to 4 percent in Montana.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, has built his run around the need for change – and won large majorities of voters who said that was the most important quality in a potential commander-in-chief, beating Clinton by 67 to 33 percent among those voters in South Dakota, and 79 to 17 percent in Montana.

But even though they split tonight’s contests, it’s clear the advantage in this area was Obama’s: one in five voters in both states said experience was of paramount importance, but half of South Dakota’s voters, and 55 percent of Montana’s, said the ability to bring about change was essential in a candidate.

In Montana, voters who said having a president who cares about people was their priority split their votes almost evenly between the two candidates: Clinton had a 47 to 43 percent edge. But in South Dakota, which Clinton won, a significant majority of those voters – 60 percent – gave her the edge.

Former President Bill Clinton spent a lot of time in the state in the days leading up to Tuesday’s vote telling voters that his wife “cares about people like you.” It looks like that message sunk in.

Watch Bill Schneider takes a look at the divisions within the Democratic Party.

(CNN) - Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider reports on the divisions within the Democratic Party that have surfaced in the long, hard-fought race for the party's presidential nomination.

(CNN) – CNN has projected that Hillary Clinton will win big in Puerto Rico. Why did she do so well there?

Two of the key reasons are her strong performance among those voters who favor statehood for Puerto Rico and her husband's popularity on the island.

According to CNN's exit polls, 60 percent of Puerto Ricans who participated in the primary favor statehood, and Clinton won 82 percent of those voters. Neither Clinton or Barack Obama have directly said they favor statehood for the island, but Clinton said earlier this week she thinks Puerto Ricans should be able to vote in the general election.

Bill Clinton's overwhelming popularity in Puerto Rico also gave the New York senator a boost. Just over 80 percent said they had a favorable view of the former president, and those voters went for Clinton by a 56 point margin, 78 percent to 22 percent. (Among the 15 percent who hold an unfavorable opinion of Bill Clinton, 76 percent voted for Obama.)

Watch Bill Schneider on Tuesday night's exit polling data.

(CNN) - Watch CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider break down exit polling data about whether supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton would support Sen. Barack Obama if he wins the Democratic nomination and vice versa.

(CNN)— CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider was busy reporting exit polls for Tuesday night’s broadcast, and providing analysis for the Political Ticker – and he also took the time to respond to some of your comments here.

(CNN) - John McCain clinched the Republican nomination tonight with big wins in Texas and Ohio.

But looking at the exit polls out of Texas - a state McCain must carry in the general election to win the presidency - trouble remains for the Arizona senator.

Despite the fact McCain is certain to carry his party's banner in the general election, he only narrowly carried Texas conservatives over Huckabee (48-40 percent). They made up more than two-thirds of all Texas Republican voters, and it is imperative they show up to vote for McCain in November. Also, McCain only managed to tie Huckabee among late deciders, another indication many Republicans aren't ready to rally behind McCain.

Another troubling statistic: More Texas Republican voters said they were looking for a candidate that shares their values over any other quality - and those voters picked Huckabee by 25 points over McCain (57-32 percent).

Translation: McCain captured his party's nomination tonight, but he still has a lot of work ahead of him to convince the base he's their guy.

Related: Watch McCain speak to supporters about being the Republican nominee

–CNN's Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

(CNN) – Mike Huckabee has clearly done well tonight, largely thanks to Southern conservatives. But a closer look into the exit polls show the former Arkansas governor's conservative support largely evaporates beyond the South.

According to our exit polls, Huckabee beat Romney among all Southern conservatives, 41 percent to 28 percent. McCain came in third among Southern conservatives, with 25 percent.

But beyond the Southern states, Huckabee falls into a distant third for conservative support. Among non-Southern conservatives, Romney beats McCain, 44 percent to 33 percent. Huckabee is all the way back at 16 percent.

Translation: Huckabee is a regional candidate.

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

Former President Clinton campaigned for his wife in New Jersey recently. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Hollywood loves the core of Obama’s answer on the sex and violence in media issue: don’t blame producers, blame the parents. He doesn’t let them off the hook, but he does argue their case somewhat.

Meanwhile, Clinton’s having trouble with a tougher question – and a unique problem for her. Obama doesn’t have to deal with the specter of a former president in the White House alongside the new commander-in-chief. There’s a lot of evasiveness in her response.

Related: Hillary Clinton says she's running for president–not Bill

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

Which strategy do you think will be more successful? (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) – Here’s some quick post-debate thoughts:

John Edwards got himself back in it - he showcased his style and his key issues, and is clearly back in the game. He showed he continues to deserve to share a debate stage with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and voters here will likely give him another look after tonight.

The debate showcased the remarkably different primary strategies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. She's going for the partisans that have historically constituted the overwhelming majority of primary voters. This is clear over and over again in her language, every time she talks about "fighting Republicans."

Obama, on the other hand, talks a very different game - he repeatedly said tonight he can forge consensus, and will work with Republicans.

Clinton's strategy of going for the partisans in the primaries has shown itself to be a winning one time and again. But this election season has been anything but normal - and it's possible that after eight years with one of the most partisan presidents in history, even partisan Democrats want a consensus builder.

Clinton is running as the anti-Bush, while Obama is running as the un-Bush. Which will primary voters prefer?

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) - I enjoyed the second half of this debate considerably more than the first. The different format - they were all seated in chairs - facilitated more of a conversation on the issues. It lacked the fireworks of the first half, but it touched on issues Americans actually care about.

Related: Watch Clinton and Edwards discuss their 'fundamental differences'

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

What do you think of the first half of the debate? (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) - The first half of the debate is over - here's a few observations:

Obama was largely on the defensive for the debate's entirety. It's a role he's unaccustomed to, and at times he looked shaky and off his game - especially on the health care debate when both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards hammered him on not mandating coverage for everybody.

But he ended on a high note on one of his key issues: Iraq. He brought home the costs in a much more effective way than the other two candidates.

Clinton looked strong on health care - she made clear she's been through the fight before, and spoke authoritatively on how to healthcare passed. But her early squabbles with Obama may have turned viewers off immediately. It's unclear if she was able to win them back.

Edwards was strong throughout, though he's still struggling to be heard over Clinton and Obama. He appeared to take the high road when both of them got bogged down in petty back and forth, and seemed to successfully sharpen his differences with Obama. Viewers will likely give him a second look.

Related: Watch the candidates debate health care

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

(CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton continues to be a wildly popular figure among New Hampshire Democratic primary voters, according to CNN exit polls. Eighty-three percent said they had a favorable rating of the former president while 73 percent said the same about his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Clinton has a storied history with the Granite State. It was New Hampshire voters in 1992 who handed Clinton a second-place victory when his campaign seemed all-but-doomed, leading the then-Arkansas governor to declare himself the "comeback kid."

But New Hampshire voters like Barack Obama just as much as they like the former president - they gave him an 84 percent favorability rating, a statistical tie with Bill Clinton.

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

(CNN) - Just as in the 2000 New Hampshire primary, independent voters in the Republican primary overwhelmingly voted for Arizona Sen. John McCain. McCain attracted 38 percent of the independent vote, compared to 16 percent of independents who went to Romney.

And while the Romney campaign was banking on beating McCain among registered Republicans, CNN exit polling shows the two men roughly split the vote: 34 percent went for McCain and 33 percent went for Romney.

– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider