President-Elect Barack Obama

Pride. Hope. Progress. Change.
Thank you, America.

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The Greatest Sight I've Ever Seen

My wife and I arrived at our polling location at the opening time of 6:00am, and quite frankly we were stunned by what we witnessed.

The voting line was spilling out of the school doors into the parking lot, a parking lot so overflowing with cars that we were forced to park on the main street. Hundreds and hundreds of voters filled the polling location, lines going every which way for each of the different districts. It took us 45 minutes to vote (again, at the 6:00am hour!), which was an admittedly efficient pace given the volume of voters present.

Wake up America, and get to the polls. This day is going to be huge.

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My Predictions For The 2008 Presidential Election

On this election eve, I present the above map of my state-by-state electoral predictions for the 2008 presidential election.

I have Barack Obama winning with 364 electoral votes to John McCain's 174 electoral votes, which would be one of the most decisive presidential electoral victories in quite some time. Some notable state predictions: for Obama, a win in Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Ohio; for McCain, a win in Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Georgia.

Regarding the popular vote outcome, I predict the following breakdown:

* Barack Obama - 54%
* John McCain - 45%
* Other - 1%

A more detailed popular vote prediction would include the following limits: a 50% chance of Obama winning the popular vote by 6-10%; a 30% chance of Obama winning by a margin less than 6%; a 15% chance of Obama winning by a margin greater than 10%; a 5% chance of McCain winning by any margin.

There you have it. And now, we wait.
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The Sadness Before The Joy

'Barack Obama's Grandmother Madelyn Dunham Passes Away'

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One More Day...

Can You Hear Obama Now?

From FiveThirtyEight.com, a graph showing Obama's national lead in various polls, with the yellow polls involving both landline and cell phone polling while the gray polls only involving landline polling.

Notice a pattern?

I've been saying this since the primary election ended back in June: polling conducted without the inclusion of cell phone lines is no longer an acceptable standard. Not only has cell phone use largely eclipsed landline phone use for people that still own both, but many of the younger generations have stopped subscribing to landline phone service completely (including myself).

Wake up polling industry, before you end up giving another "win" to Dewey.
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Happy Halloween!

And now, I present to you...my Barack O' Lantern!

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Defining Race In The (Potential) Era Of Obama

Just yesterday during my 'Race, Ethnicity, Class, & Gender in American Cities' graduate course, I brought up the exact discussion that New York Times columnist Nick Kristof wrote about on his blog today, regarding the issue of referring to Barack Obama as 'black' or 'biracial'.

Assuming Obama wins the presidential election, I think the public dialogue surrounding this particular topic will grow over the next several months, as the intersection of race and national political representation will have advanced to a new level (not to mention global political representation, as Obama would represent the first ever non-white leader of a western democracy).

My individual perspective is that the issue of racial identification is far from black and white (pun heavily intended), with personal, biological, historical, and societal components all shaping the way individuals and collective groups racially identify themselves. Barack Obama may personally identify most strongly as black, white, or biracial (based on his life experiences), while biologically he is biracial, historically he would likely be considered black, and our present society (in terms of the descriptive narrative of his public life and professional career) has largely characterized him as black. Again, a very complex, multifaceted discussion that I think we'll be talking about a lot more over the coming months and possibly even years.
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BREAKING: Joe The Plumber Is...Missing!?

Sorry Senator McCain, but he's busy recording his country music album right now. In a related story, exactly how many morons does it take
to run the McCain campaign (into the ground, that is)?

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I Approve This Message

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Keep Cool With Obama

America, we are on the verge of electing the coolest president ever.
Suck on that, Calvin Coolidge.

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What Immigration Issue?

Remember how issues surrounding immigration, whether about driver's licenses or state border fences or xenophobic mass deportation plans, were all the rage during the primary election season? And, remember how political pundits fell over themselves to declare the immigration issue the probable hot topic for the general election season?

Yeeeahhh, not quite.

The immigration issue didn't come up once in any of the general election debates, the candidates haven't raised the issue in any remotely significant way over the past five months, and the media hasn't reported on any major aspect of the issue just the same. Not only has the immigration issue not been a major issue of this general election season, it quite possibly has been the least mentioned issue of any of the tradition election issue topics.

Why, you ask? Here's a few contributing reasons, by my estimation: first, particularly over the past two months, the economy has trumped everything; second, there haven't been any major immigration-related issues recently (there just haven't been any "dangerous" Mexican immigrant-related incidences for Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly to foam at the mouth over); third, the entire stock of "divisive cultural issues" has plummeted this campaign season, with all the hope and positive messages coming from the Obama campaign, forcing other campaigns (read: Hillary, McCain) to take heat for going overtly negative.

To a lesser degree, most of this can also be said about the Iraq War issue, however I think much of the silence pertaining to the war issue has a great deal to do with a country that has largely decided where they stand on that issue: they want out ASAP.
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Ready For Obama

This single Obama campaign ad currently running involves more substance than the entirety of the McCain campaign over the past two months. Just one of the many demonstrable reasons why Obama is currently winning.

Only a few more days until we find out what exactly Obama will be discussing with his 30-minute advertisement blocks on major TV networks. My guess: one part biography (think Democratic Convention-style), one part substance (like the above ad), and two parts campaign retrospective (to get his supporters fired up for the final stretch).

Stay tuned.
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8 Years Later

Ok, this is THE funniest election related video I have seen thus far (not to mention the perfect message at the end). By half way through, I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard. Yes, the reference is dated, but that is exactly why it works. Brilliant!

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'Lost' Season 5 Trailer......Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

LOST Season Five Official Trailer #1 - video powered by Metacafe

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The Vet Who Did Not Vet

Creative, smart, funny...perfect.

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I Survived Midterms

To celebrate, I've made a Wordle of my nine page midterm exam from my 'Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in American Cities' course.

A sad waste of time, really (the Wordle, not the exam...just in case my grad school professor somehow made it to this blog...welcome Professor!), but a mentally cleansing welcome into my post-midterm state of euphoria.

Terrific.

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Some Of The Worst This Country Has To Offer

'Ashley Todd Fake Mutilation Exposed'

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Barack Rolls Up His Sleeves

One of my favorite videos of the campaign thus far.

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Our Thoughts With Mrs. Madelyn Payne Dunham

The next few days are likely to be personally tough for the family of Barack Obama. The thoughts of myself and my wife are with the family and friends of Mrs. Payne Dunham, and our hope is for the swift return of her health so that she may continue to share in what must be a uniquely overwhelming sense of pride for the historic endeavors of her grandson.

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A Good Weekend

Colin Powell didn't just endorse Barack Obama on Sunday, he extensively criticized the questionable operating procedures of the McCain campaign. From the VP choice of Palin to baseless Ayers accusations to a flailing economic response, Powell spoke more than pointedly about the observable fall of his longtime friend John McCain. A very powerful political moment this was.

Oh, and by the way...the Obama campaign received over $150 million in donations from more than 600,000 new donors in the month of September. Wow, just wow.

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Fired Up In Missouri

It's just like a McCain-Palin rally......except with about ten times more people and a whole lot less hateful, bigoted rhetoric.

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Wahhhh!

Hey Walhberg, the sketch was hilarious, so quit being a big baby
about it......and say hi to your mother for me.

[UPDATE (10/19, 12:01am) : Nice job with the SNL sketch Walhberg, that's more like it. Nice to see your publicist has a brain and decided to turn your lemons into lemonade.]
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Powerful

Gotcha Media

"Even I can't stomach all the bullshit I just said!"

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Three For Three

According to a growing range of post-debate public opinion polling conducted tonight, Barack Obama has been confirmed as the overwhelming winner of all three presidential debates (in addition to the confirmed win of Joe Biden in the vice presidential debate).

I can't say I'm all that surprised at such an outcome, as I've been on the record as early as June, when the nominees of each party were solidified, that Obama's campaigning and debating prowess would easily overwhelm the comparatively feeble campaigning and debating abilities of McCain during the heat of the intense general election season.

Regardless, this is truly an amazing electoral reality that is unfolding before our eyes this year, and not one that will easily be forgotten in the tome of American politics.
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Final Presidential Debate Reaction

Some reaction points regarding tonight's final presidential debate:

-->Regarding overall debate performance, Obama earned a B and McCain earned a B-. Considering McCain needed to earn an A+ for himself and for Obama to earn an F for himself, this was an exceedingly unsuccessful night for McCain.

-->Obama started the debate a bit sluggishly, particularly with the set of initial economic attacks levied by McCain (even though much of what McCain was throwing out were distorted and/or false statements). However, as the debate progressed Obama gained a more efficient energy in responding to the debate topics. It's clear that the Obama debate strategy was not one of hitting home runs, but rather one of making sure he steadily maintains his lead in the ball game.

-->Compared to the past two debates, McCain did better on discussing his own policy points (in a favorable light for his conservative base, of course, which is the group of voters McCain least needs to persuade at this point), however his tone throughout the debate was easily the worst of the three presidential debates. McCain came off as increasingly angry, petty, and disrespectful regarding not only his debate opponent but regarding some of the debate topics that were discussed (mocking a woman's "health" pertaining to the issue of abortion is never a wise choice...ever); I expect that the post debate polls will once again reflect a strong reaction to McCain's overtly negative tone throughout tonight's debate. Moreover, how did McCain expect to win the argument over which campaign has been more negative by giving a debate performance involving such profuse negativity?

-->The much anticipated character attack issue came and went, and when all was said and done, McCain came out looking very, very small. Obama was able to, once again, effectively explain away any and all of the character attacks levied against him, while McCain could only sit and mumble confusingly about topics that the majority of the American people couldn't care less about.

-"Joe the Plumber", meet Saturday Night Live.

-Bob Schieffer did a fairly good job in stimulating debate between the two candidates, probably a better job compared to the previous debate moderators. However, the mainstream media's obsession with moral equivalency was despicably given center stage, once again, by Schieffer attempting to equate the Obama campaign describing the McCain campaign as "erratic" to the McCain campaign accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists." This kind of intellectual dishonesty by the mainstream media is simply unacceptable.
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Yes We Carve!

Best. idea. ever.

When my wife and I carve our Barack O' Lantern next week, I promise to post it up here, regardless of how good or (more likely) bad it turns out.

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McCain Bin Lyin'

Earth to McCain: lying is clearly not the answer to
your campaign's incitement of hateful rhetoric.

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Barack Obama At West Philadelphia Rally Today!

As you can see in this video from my digital camera, my wife and I schlepped down to West Philadelphia to see Barack Obama at his final stop on a Saturday campaign tour of the greater Philadelphia area.

It. Was. Amazing.

[Click here for another short video of Obama talking about change, and here for a video of him telling a humorous campaign anecdote about pie.]

*** photos to follow shortly ***

Connecticut Officially Forgiven For Lieberman

'Gay Marriage Is Ruled Legal In Connecticut'

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Breaking: Dow Drops Under 8600 Level

And McCain-Palin spend the day continuing to push their hateful, fearful, despicable smear campaign.

Is there really any wonder why they are so glaringly losing this election?
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Town Hall Presidential Debate Reaction

Some reaction points regarding tonight's town hall presidential debate:

-->Regarding overall debate performance, Obama earned an A and McCain earned a C. Obama was the distinct winner of this presidential debate, which comes as an interesting occurrence considering McCain has been the one begging Obama to engage in town hall events throughout this general election season.

--> This was Obama's best debate performance yet. The eloquence and pitch perfect construction of his answers, involving just the right degree of past, present, and future reflection of the topic at hand, allowed Obama to distinguish himself throughout the course of the debate.

-->McCain's answers seemed a bit muddled at times, and his debate poise was absolutely dreadful. McCain appeared to be somewhat limping around the stage, leaning over and holding onto the back of his chair and the audience railing quite often, breathing heavily into the microphone, etc. McCain's most perplexing behavior was clearly the constant wandering about the stage during the answer periods of Obama, which will likely register with viewers as quite rude and bizarre.

-->When Obama would be critical of McCain's record and policies, it would come off as a clear and measure retort of his opponent. Conversely, when McCain would be critical of Obama's record and policies, it was often obvious that he was engaging in distortion (considering only moments prior, Obama had stated the precise opposite sentiments of what McCain was claiming), and such efforts by McCain came across as snide and tone deaf in a town hall debate setting.

-->Regarding Tom Brokaw as the moderator, it did seem pretty clear that Brokaw generally treated Obama a bit more coldly than McCain. More importantly, however, is that if time is so precious in these debates, then why exactly does Brokaw waste this precious time by asking a question like "Is Russia an evil empire?", and further demanding that the answer be "yes or no"? Clearly, there must have been many, many questions left on the cutting room floor that were far more integral and substantive.
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What Kind Of Politician Would Promote A Campaign Environment Of Such Dangerous Hostility?

John McCain and Sarah Palin have gone from being disgraceful to dangerous. They are stoking the flames of hatred, bigotry, and violence among their supporters, all in an attempt to win an election by destroying everything within their paths (Barack Obama, a free press, rationality).

This damned campaign has forcefully devolved into 'McCain-Palin: Country Last', and they will surely reap the benefits of such rhetoric come November 4th.
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Once Again, Obama Masterfully Demonstrate He's No Gore Or Kerry

As expected, the McCain-Palin campaign have established they plan on throwing out severely distorted character attacks against Barack Obama every day of the remaining 30 days until November 4th. What was not expected, however, was that Obama-Biden would strike back by highlighting the powerfully accurate (and incredibly pertinent) political involvement of John McCain in the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980's and the infamous Keating Five.

No amount of winking is going to get you out of this one, my friends.
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The Universe Self-Corrects

'OJ Simpson Guilty Of Armed Robbery, Kidnapping'

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BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Obama and McCain Spotted Canoodling After Presidential Debate

Shocking, no!?

I expect this will hit the mainstream media very soon.

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Post-Vice Presidential Debate Reaction

Some brief reaction points regarding tonight's vice presidential debate:

-->Regarding overall debate performance, Palin earned a C+ and Biden earned an A-.

-->Palin did not have a nuclear meltdown of a performance (although she mispronounced the word 'nuclear' about a dozen times), and Biden didn't make any verbal gaffes.

-->Biden struck an effective tone, showing a calm command of the issues and constantly refocusing the discussion to the deficiencies of the McCain platform, past and present.

-->It was abundantly clear that Palin's debate tactic was to provide answers to questions that were not asked (and, much like McCain in last week's debate, to make assertions that were grounded in exceptionally little fact); this is something viewers have particularly disliked in past debates, so I won't be surprised to see the post-debate survey questions regarding "Did the candidate answer the questions sufficiently?" come up very negatively for Palin.

-->Biden provided some powerful moments during the debate, including the reference to the rhetorical 'Bride to Nowhere' and his emotional discussion of being a single parent and a family man.

-->Palin made quite a few head scratching statements that will be dissected over the next few days, including misstating the name of the commanding general in Afghanistan and advocating an EXPANSION of the powers of the vice presidential office in a post-Cheney era of executive government.

-->Biden started off with little energy, but increased his passion as the debate progressed. Palin was noticeable nervous during many of her answers and used A LOT of folksy language, something I think plays well with some and not so well with others.

-->Gwen Ifill did an average job as the debate moderator, but her attempts to always draw corresponding dichotomies between Biden and Palin within the question prompts was a bit much (for ex., Palin's statement that "I just wish someone could tell me what exactly the Vice President even does!" is in no way, shape, or form comparable to Biden commenting he was not interested in being the Vice President; one comment is about being humble regarding the seeking of the VP slot on a ticket, while the other comment is about a lack of understanding of the duties of the vice presidency).

-->Best pre-debate sign from the crowd outside the debate auditorium: "My Beard Itches!"
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Tonight's VP Debate: The Final Nail In The Coffin That Is The McCain-Palin Presidential Campaign

Fasten your seat belts, ladies and gents.
It's likely to be an enjoyably bumpy ride.
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BREAKING: Sarah Palin Says Being Gay Is A Choice

This person is such a profound bigot that she doesn't even realize what she's saying is disgusting and offensive. The remainder of tonight's interview with CBS has Palin mocking Senator Biden for his age, fumbling over her positions on abortion rights, contraception, global warming, etc., and unable to state the name of even a single newspaper or magazine she's read to stay informed of world events.

Sarah Palin, you are a disgrace to our politics and to our country.

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How Much More Pathetic Can This Ticket Get?

[UPDATE: Apparently A LOT more pathetic. Sarah Palin is officially the most unintelligent, most unskilled, all around most insane person to ever run for executive office in the course of American history...see the new video below for confirmation.]

Paul Krugman Hits The Nail On The Head

"...The real revelation of the last few weeks, however, has been just how erratic Mr. McCain’s views on economics are. At any given moment, he seems to have very strong opinions — but a few days later, he goes off in a completely different direction.

Thus on Sept. 15 he declared — for at least the 18th time this year — that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.” This was the day after Lehman failed and Merrill Lynch was taken over, and the financial crisis entered a new, even more dangerous stage.

But three days later he declared that America’s financial markets have become a “casino,” and said that he’d fire the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission — which, by the way, isn’t in the president’s power.

And then he found a new set of villains — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored lenders. (Despite some real scandals at Fannie and Freddie, they played little role in causing the crisis: most of the really bad lending came from private loan originators.) And he moralistically accused other politicians, including Mr. Obama, of being under Fannie’s and Freddie’s financial influence; it turns out that a firm owned by his own campaign manager was being paid by Freddie until just last month.

Then Mr. Paulson released his plan, and Mr. McCain weighed vehemently into the debate. But he admitted, several days after the Paulson plan was released, that he hadn’t actually read the plan, which was only three pages long.

O.K., I think you get the picture.

The modern economy, it turns out, is a dangerous place — and it’s not the kind of danger you can deal with by talking tough and denouncing evildoers. Does Mr. McCain have the judgment and temperament to deal with that part of the job he seeks?"

[link to full editorial]

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Note To McCain Campaign: Your Wolves' Sheep Costumes Are See-Through

Over the span of the past two and a half weeks, Obama has gotten substantially more popular while McCain has gotten less popular, Biden has maintained his favorability level, and Palin has utterly tanked in the favorable ratings department.

Pundits like to characterize the Palin pick as both "a gamble" and "a Hail Mary pass" for the McCain campaign but, given the more than logically obvious likelihood that picking such a clueless running mate would result in the current state of embarrassment for their campaign, isn't it more accurate to describe this choice as "a gamble...like hitting on a 20 in blackjack" and "a Hail Mary pass...into the stands"?
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Rutgers Beats Morgan State, Fans Cautiously Returning From Collective Window Ledge

Ok, fine, I'll watch next Saturday's game against West Virginia...but I'm still going to continue to assume a Rutgers loss by at least 28 points, that way I'll be pleasantly surprised by anything better.

Post-Presidential Debate Reaction

A couple of quick reaction points for tonight's presidential debate:

--> Regarding overall debate performance, McCain earned a B- and Obama earned an A- (I bumped up Obama's grade from a B+ to an A- after a repeat viewing of the debate emphasized just how solid and controlled Obama was throughout the night compared to a shaky, scattered McCain).

--> Obama clearly demonstrated his (heretofore underestimated, in my opinion) strength on foreign policy issues, which was basically his primary goal for this debate.

--> It's distinctly apparent that the McCain campaign has calculated they can only win by heavily dealing in misinformation and distortion regarding Obama's current plans and past statements.

--> Obama could have been tougher on McCain (I kept hoping we'd hear my favorite "...and if John McCain really believes XYZ, well, then I've got a 'Bridge to Nowhere' to sell you!", but I can settle for a 'Bomb, Bomb Iran' reference), but that was never really his debate style to begin with.

--> As the debate wore on, McCain came off as more and more aggravated and condescending, even a bit disrespectful so to Obama, which is likely to turn off many independent voters.

--> Jim Lehrer is MUCH less sharp than I remember him being in past election debates. The excessive overlap of many questions, the strange "talk to each other" comments, the poor time management...not very good at all.

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*UPDATE* (12:41am): The results of this CNN poll conducted among tonight's debate watchers are staggering:

Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate -- Barack Obama or John McCain?
Obama 51%
McCain 38%

Did _______ do a better or worse job than you expected?
Obama: Better 57%, Worse 20%, Same 23%
McCain: Better 60%, Worse 20%, Same 18%

Next, regardless of which presidential candidate you support, please tell me if you think Barack Obama or John McCain would better handle each of the following issues:

• The war in Iraq: Obama 52%, McCain 47%

• Terrorism: McCain 49%, Obama 45%

• The economy: Obama 58%, McCain 37%

• The current financial crisis: Obama 54%, McCain 36%

Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one better described Barack Obama or John McCain during tonight's debate:

• Was more intelligent: Obama 55%, McCain 30%

• Expressed his views more clearly: Obama 53%, McCain 36%

• Spent more time attacking his opponent: McCain 60%, Obama 23%

• Was more sincere and authentic: Obama 46%, McCain 38%

• Seemed to be the stronger leader: Obama 49%, McCain 43%

• Was more likeable: Obama 61%, McCain 26%

• Was more in touch with the needs and problems of people like you: Obama 62%, McCain 32%

Based on what _______ said and did in tonight's debate, do you think he would be able to handle the job of president if he is elected?
Obama 69%-29%
McCain 68%-30%.

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Obama Set To Debate McSchizo

Once again, as can be said at so many junctures of this presidential campaign season, if it were Senator Obama that spent the past two weeks flailing about, unable to come up with any coherent, consistent message regarding the economic crisis...if it were Senator Obama that had a chief campaign adviser whose lobbying firm was receiving regular payments from one of these crumbling economic institutions as recent as last month...if it were Senator Obama whose vice presidential candidate refused to give any tough press interviews, and in the soft interviews that were given he/she failed miserably to even coherently string together sentences...if it were Senator Obama that three days before the first presidential debate stated he was suspending his campaign and he would not be participating in the debate, and then spent the next day bringing chaos to the negotiating process in Washington D.C., and finally on the day of the first presidential debate reversed his statement and chose to participate in the presidential debate......if all of this political campaign INSANITY were instead at the behest of Senator Obama and his campaign, something tells me that mainstream media reporters wouldn't be asking about "McCain winning the week" or "McCain's gamble paying off", but rather they'd be asking if Senator Obama was planning on dropping out of the presidential race this week or next.

Oh, the detriment brought upon our political process by this blatant double standard in media reporting, this foolish mainstream media charade pretending no matter what a candidate says or does there are always two sides to be argued, there is always a devil's advocate role to be played, no action or statement can be universally declared wrong.

Well, then I guess I'll take this opportunity to state what the mainstream media is incapable of stating: the actions of Senator McCain and his campaign over the past two weeks have done nothing but raise serious doubts over his capacity to serve as president of this country, period.
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BREAKING: House Republicans Walk Out On Night Emergency Negotiation For Bailout Bill

It cannot be made any clearer now: the Republican Party, led by John "suspend my campaign to go save Washington" McCain, are playing Russian roulette-style politics with the economic security of the American people.

THIS. IS. DISGRACEFUL.

Republican congressional politicians that are blocking this critical negotiation process deserve to lose their seats in the coming November election. And, yes, a potential explanation for such an unbelievable action as these House Republicans are taking is that they are working in concert with the McCain campaign to give him cover if and when he decides to fulfill his inexplicable promise to not attend the first presidential debate tomorrow night. I cannot believe the level of political discourse we are seeing from an American presidential candidate and his party.

Is this really happening in our country right now?
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John McCain For U.S. Dictator

Let's see here: actively shutting down the access of a free press...check...overtly disseminating lies and propaganda about political opponents...check...demanding the suspending of national electoral proceedings...check...welcome to Supreme Leader McCain's America, everyone!

I exagerate, but even the fact that these charges can be semi-legitimately levied against the McCain-Palin campaign shows just how frightening this ticket has become over the past several months. Republicans need to take a hard, long look at themseves and contemplate if these are truly the best candidates they had to offer for arguably the most important elected office of the world, and if so, then the rest of America should feel pity for the current state of the Republican Party.

Quite frankly, the McCain-Palin campaign needs to be put out of its misery. I'm looking forward to the Obama-Biden campaign doing just that in 40 days.

They Didn't See This Coming?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

'Fringe' Actor John Noble Spotted In NYC

By me!

How Obama Got His Groove Back

Act Now!

In Fairness, They Were Probably Counting One Campaign Supporter For Each Of Palin's Faces

UPDATE: Look how that nose keeps growing! Not only is Palin back to her favorite "thanks, but no thanks" and "I put it on eBay" lies regarding the bridge and jet issues, but yet another new lie about crowd size emerges...

"Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said on stage that 10,000 people were in the crowd [of an event Saturday], but parks officials said the pavilion held only 3,500 people."

It's time to start referring to the entire Republican Party election effort as a dangerous, dishonest propaganda campaign that is nothing short of antithetical to our American democracy.

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'McCain-Palin Size Crowd-Size Estimates Not Backed By Officials'

"Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Senator John McCain has drawn some of the biggest crowds of his presidential campaign since adding Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to his ticket on Aug. 29. Now officials say they can't substantiate the figures McCain's aides are claiming.

McCain aide Kimmie Lipscomb told reporters on Sept. 10 that an outdoor rally in Fairfax City, Virginia, drew 23,000 people, attributing the crowd estimate to a fire marshal.

Fairfax City Fire Marshal Andrew Wilson said his office did not supply that number to the campaign and could not confirm it. Wilson, in an interview, said the fire department does not monitor attendance at outdoor events.

In recent days, journalists attending the rallies have been raising questions about the crowd estimates with the campaign. In a story on Sept. 11 about Palin's attraction for some Virginia women voters, Washington Post reporter Marc Fisher estimated the crowd to be 8,000, not the 23,000 cited by the campaign."

Springfield Vote To Determine Election

This is actually quite insulting to Grampa Simpson and Maude Flanders.

Your New Clothes, Empress Palin

It appears that in our American democracy a vice presidential nominee must face the press and the public in answering substantive questions regarding the policies they represent and the issues we face in our country and around the world...ohhh boy, that's not good for a certain someone.

Hey 'pitbull', or 'barracuda', or 'mighty moose', or whatever the hell you call yourself today...I think your lipstick just got smeared. And now, the real Sarah Palin everyone!

I'd actually feel pity for Palin, considering the unthinkable position she's been put in by a hyper-politically-calculating John McCain, if she wasn't so overtly dangerous to our country in her own right. No, instead I feel just a bit of pity for a public that doesn't immediately laugh off the stage the nonsensical creation that is the current Republican Party platform.

It is blatantly obvious to all those that have been following his career and his campaigns that John McCain powered the 'Straight Talk Express directly into a ditch at the start of this election season. The day McCain announced Palin as his running mate, I claimed that the proverbial bus just burst into flames, and I stand by that claim. With each passing day between now and November 4th, I expect it will become more and more apparent that this election boils down to a simple, yet vital, choice between a genuine, galvanizing opportunity for American progress on the one hand, and a smoldering political wreckage on the other.
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Exploring The Internets

Have some free time to check out useless websites, you say? Well then, take a look at this bunch of internet gems...

--> Yearbook Yourself.....think Elf Yourself but with yearbook photo templates from the past fifty years of fashion styles. Very groovy, baby.

--> Cake Wrecks.....pretty self explanatory. It's a blog of cakes, very horribly crafted cakes. And it's hilarious.

--> The Answer.....amazingly so, this website provides an existential answer for all mankind. Just give it a roll, and you'll see what I mean.

'The Rachel Maddow Show'

For months now, my wife and I have been talking about how Rachel Maddow should clearly have one of the weeknight television slots on MSNBC...ask, and ye shall receive! With The Rachel Maddow Show at 9pm and Countdown with Keith Olbermann at 8pm, now every weeknight will provide a 2-hour safe zone for liberals and their hairbrain schemes for progress in American society.

And, by the way, I recognize just how weird it is to be using the phrase "my wife and I". Next thing you know my wife and I (there it is again!) will be worrying about utility bills and spending our Saturday nights at Home Depot...oh my god, we've done both of these things!

Fired Up, Ready To Go

Sixty more days of local events like these, with speeches like these delivered in towns all across America, delivered not just by Barack Obama, but by Joe Biden (as seen above), by Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, by Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson, by Ed Rendell and Bob Casey, by Claire McCaskill and Kathleen Sebelius, by Jim Webb and Patrick Murphy, by Tim Kaine and Evan Bayh, by Caroline Kennedy and Susan Eisenhower, by Ted Kennedy and Al Gore...that is a winning campaign on November 4th.

Partisan-Charged Republican Party, Meet Obama-Biden Grassroots Fundraising

Let it be known that when John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the Republican Party throw hyper-partisan rhetoric at the Obama-Biden ticket, they do so at their own peril. Since Sarah Palin's degrading debut last night at the Republican convention, the Obama-Biden campaign has raised more than $10 million in donations from more than 130,000 donors, a single-day record for the campaign. Meanwhile, the McCain campaign has managed to raise about $1 million over the same period of time. Newsflash McCain campaign: if the throwing of red meat to your conservative base is going to bring you a 10:1 fundraising disadvantage and continue to turn off Independent voters, you may want to reconsider such a strategy.

An Unprecedented New Low For American Politics

Last Thursday, the country and the world heard what was universally heralded as one of the greatest political speeches of our generation's time, as delivered by Barack Obama accepting the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

Tonight, the country and world witnessed Sarah Palin deliver one of the most disgusting, disrespectful, dishonest, divisive political performances of any generation's time.

Sarah Palin, John McCain, and the Republican Party should be ashamed, and the American people outraged.

[UPDATE: The American people respond strongly, at least in a focus group panel of Independent Michigan voters...

The Detroit Free Press invited a panel of Michigan voters to weigh in on Gov. Sarah Palin's speech last night. Their reactions run the gamut, but the independents didn't seem to care for her very much.

Ilene Beninson, 52, Berkley independent: "Her speech contained few statements about policy or the party platform. … I am not convinced that Palin's experience as a mayor or governor in Alaska meet the qualifications to be vice president much less one stroke or heart attack away from being commander in chief.”

Mike Kosh, 38, West Bloomfield independent: “The way it looks to me, she's the Republican vice presidential nominee for one reason: Because Hillary wasn't selected.”

George Lentz, 66, Southfield independent: “I was completely underwhelmed. She was a Republican novelty act with a sophomoric script. It was not even a speech I would expect for someone running for the local PTA, much less for vice president.”

Diane Murphy, 42, Sterling Heights independent: “It appears that once she makes up her mind, that is the end of it. We live in a gray world, not every answer is black and white.”

Jan Wheelock, 58, Royal Oak independent: “Nothing worked for me. I found her barrage of snide remarks and distortions to be a major turnoff. She is not a class act. The most important point she made is that she will be an effective attack dog.”]

'Palin Daughter Pregnancy Is Private Matter, Media Should Respect That Privacy' Says McCain Campaign

So, then, one might ask why exactly if this is supposed to remain a private matter is Levi Johnston, the boyfriend of Governor Palin's daughter and alleged father of the pregnancy, currently en route from Alaska to St. Paul to be present at the Republican Convention? This must be one of those "special" private matters (kind of like John McCain being a POW...say, you haven't heard about that yet?) that when discussed in a negative light pertaining to the larger political issues of a campaign they become "off limits", but can be unquestionably exploited by the campaign itself in whatever perverse manner they desire. In this particular case, it appears they believe having little Levi around the convention will make all those "family values" Republicans proud, continuing to miscalculate, in my judgment, precisely how damaging the ever-expanding media coverage of the dozens of news stories one could collectively refer to as 'Palin-gate' will be to their campaign in the longer-term of the general election.

Next Topic For Cindy McCain: '...And The Iraq, Everywhere Like, Such As...'

Nice to see that even Cindy McCain got the memo that Fox News and the McCain campaign are to share the same set of talking points, as good practice for the standard operating procedure of a McCain presidency. Take a look.

Palin Pick A Potentially Serious Political Problem, From Reporters Across The Ideological Spectrum

"Think about what the Palin pick really says about how McCain views this campaign and how he views his potential responsibilities in national security. Think about what it says about the sincerity of McCain's own central criticism of Obama these past two months in foreign affairs. Think about how he picked a woman to be a heartbeat away from a war presidency who hadn't even thought much, by her own admission, about the Iraq war as late as 2007. Think about how he made this decision barely knowing the woman...Think about how the key factor in this decision was not who could defend this country were something dreadful happen to McCain in office but how to tread as much on Obama's convention bounce and use women's equality as a wedge issue among Democrats because it might secure a few points here or there. Oh, and everyone would be surprised...This is his sense of honor and judgment. This is his sense of responsibility and service. Here's the real slogan the McCain campaign should now adopt: Putting. Country. Last."

---Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic

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"...Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I'd be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it's John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance. Here's I fear the worst harm that may be done by this selection. The McCain campaign's slogan is "country first." It's a good slogan, and it aptly describes John McCain, one of the most self-sacrificing, gallant, and honorable men ever to seek the presidency. But question: If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat away from the presidency?"

---David Frum, National Review

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"...Palin's odds of emerging unscathed this fall are slim. In fact, she's been all but set up for failure. 'What is it exactly that the vice president does all day?' Palin offhandedly asked CNBC anchor Larry Kudlow in July. Kudlow explained that the job has become more important in recent years. Palin knows the energy crisis well, even if her claim on 'Charlie Rose' that Alaska's untapped resources can significantly ease it is unsupported by the facts. But what does she know about Iranian nukes, health care or the future of entitlement programs? And that's just a few of the 20 or so national issues on which she will be expected to show basic competence. The McCain camp will have to either let her wing it based on a few briefing memos (highly risky) or prevent her from taking questions from reporters (a confession that she's unprepared). Either way, she's going to belly-flop at a time when McCain can least afford it.

---Jonathan Alter, Newsweek

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[See also Rameseh Pannuru's of National Review; Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic reporting about Republican strategists' reactions.]

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[DNC 08] Day 4: The Main Event

Most Looking Forward To: Gee, I wonder...maybe Barack Obama speaking to a crowd of over 80,000 people in Denver and tens of millions of American viewers at home and around the globe !?!?!? Plus, it's always exciting to listen to Al Gore give an intellectually rousing speech, so that should serve as a nice layer of icing on the massive, glorious, historic cake that is Obama's speech tonight.

Least Looking Forward To: The embarrassment that will be the Republican Party convention in St. Paul next week.

*** Watch online HERE! **

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[UPDATE (Friday, 11:30AM): Wow, I'm speechless right now. I cannot believe McCain is going to pick Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his VP. I've always said that if McCain picks a woman or minority candidate for VP that offers little experience, and little else aside from their gender or race, that this would backfire in the long run as a shallow ploy. Not to mention that there have to be about a half a dozen other republican politicians that feel disgusted that they were past over for what many would characterize as a glorified PTA mom. The fact that Palin is under state investigation only makes it that much more amaazing that she would be chosen.]

P.S. My prediction for McCain's VP announcement tomorrow? I'll go with Missouri Governor Tim Pawlenty, easily one of the most politically safe, media-boring choices for McCain (considering his other top contenders are a Republican primary nemesis that's a Mormon and a pro choice, former Democratic vice presidential candidate). It's quite a dilemma for McCain: he can't risk picking someone quite as "exotic" as Mitt Romney or Joe Liebermann, for fear of retribution from the conservative base, and therefore he must choose someone like Pawlenty who will, however, provide very little excitement and attention for the campaign.

Thus, it appears that boring and safe will trump unique and risky for the McCain campaign, but we shall see for sure at McCain's announcement tomorrow where, by the way, he will be celebrating his birthday. Recognizing that age, whether fairly or unfairly, is a potential liability for the McCain campaign, I'm not sure how wise it is to reveal your VP selection on the same day that your candidate is celebrating his 72nd birthday. I guess the McCain campaign, and the Republican Party as a whole, have greater issues to attend to at the moment...like hurricanes.