THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR MCCAIN!!!

I didn't believe the LA Times when he was ahead by 12 and I don't believe them now.

I think the Q-poll from this morning is more in line.

Also, they conducted this poll entirely over the weekend? WTF?

The poll of 1,375 adults, including 1,248 registered voters, was conducted by telephone from Friday through Monday.

Hmmmmm....So in the aftermath of a week with no Obama, and all John ("we are all Georgians") McCain, Obama takes a hit in the polls. Who could have guessed?

The obvious lesson we're once again learning is that Republicans don't give a crap about appearances or rules or docrum. And that works. For the last forty years, liberals have been wringing their hands and crying to the refs over the WWE-style tactics used by Republicans to fantastic effect during presidential campaigns. But here's the thing: Winning is the point, everything else be damned. And this election is playing out no different. Obama is rebutting McCain's challenges by taking swipes at his policies. McCain is shrugging that off and telling anyone who will listen that Obama is a bitch who doesn't love his country as much as he does half-priced arugala. It's time to get dirty and fight against a character attack in kind.

http://pufferfish.typepad.com/

Rope-a-dope.

With McCain now ahead in FL, OH, VA, CO, NV. and MO and MN, IA and WI back in play, it is clear that the ObamaNation book and McCain's attack ads are taking a toll on Barack. Barack being caught in a lie on Saturday about his abortion voting record in IL isn't helping either.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of bounce Barack gets from his convention.

Greg Sargent wrote the headline 'DEAD HEAT.'

Obama's terrible performance at Saddleback on Saturday didn't help either.

I'm a bit weary of the Bloomberg/ LA TImes poll. But i will say this, voters deserve more wars, lower wages, higher gas prices, more foreclosures if they accept the kind of bullshit John McLiar is pedaling. You think voters would of learned from the mistakes of 2000 and 2004, but i guess i've given the voters more credit than they deserve.

This may very well be good news for Obama. McCain desperately needs to come up with new material with which to hit Obama. If not, I just don't see the American public putting up with this crap for long. They'll simply be bored to tears.

After Labor Day, McCain needs to start running on the issues. If not, he will suffer the same fate as the last candidate who believed they could take down Obama with personal attacks: Hillary Rodham Clinton.

This kind of attack works unfortunately, because Americans are dumbshits who spend the least amount of time and energy possible thinking about politics. They don't want to think about it, because it's like boring and stuff. And like, they're like all the same and stuff, you know? Like, that's what they say, you know?

Maybe Obama will lose because the average voter is just that, average. They don't care about details and substance. Instead their ADD brains only can process 30 seconds worth of a TV commercial, and then their minds are made up.

Americans usually respond to do what the TV tells them without thinking too much about it. For 50 fucking years the TV tells our citizens how to behave, what to eat, how to dress, etc, and we just do it.

I guess Democrats must enjoy losing all the time, because they sit and whine at the side of the road that the other team isn't playing fair, while the other side is beating the shit out of them.

Fuck it, maybe America doesn't deserve Obama. We deserve McCain instead.

Memo to Obama: Attack!

I wouldn't leap to panic over the "right experience" numbers. That half of people think Obama doesn't have the right experience reflects that the Republican message has been "Obama is inexperienced" and thus partisans are rallying around it. Few Democratic partisans, least of all Obama, have argued that McCain is inexperienced. The partisan lines of attack are much more about his policies, judgment, and his vicious campaign rather than his resume. As a a result not many Obama supporters are going to rally around the idea that McCain lacks the right experience. I'm an Obama supporter but I sure wouldn't say McCain lacks the necessary experience for the job, for example, just that his long history of service doesn't cover up his incredibly glaring flaws nor does it negate Obama's appeal.

Not a surprise. 1+1 still=2

Not to get hysterical about a single poll (at this point, they're pretty meaningless) but I do hope this is a wake up call for the Obama camp.

We need more hustle, sharper attacks, stronger defenses, and more surrogates.

McSwine said that he was amazed that the race was so close because Obama was running such a great campaign.

He forgot to mention that he doesn't have any real issues to run on either.

So what does he have?

- Experience. Yes, but look where it's gotten us.
- Evangelicals - Yes, but who really cares? Obama has made more inroads than any other candidate thus far.
- Energy plan - only according to Bill Clinton
- The Iraq War - only if you think we should be there for the next 100 years.

And these are the good points.

Am I missing something? Who isn't amazed that it is so close?

McBorg is making a case where none exists. And its resiliency is due to the fact that it is a fabrication that cannot be un-proven -

How do you prove that you are not unpatriotic?
How do you prove that you are not a Muslim?
How do you prove that you are not motivated by ambition?

By the time you have unleashed your "rapid responded team" he's already moved on to the next salvo of decoys, dummy bombs and irresistible distractions.

But it's just nerves right? I mean, just because Bush won twice against what we thought were pretty damn good odds in our favor, doesn't mean that Obama will suffer the same fate, right?

The high road is the right road because WE AMERICANS, all of us, are better than THEY give us credit for.

Aren't we?

I don't know about you, but i suddenly feel like getting very very drunk.

Obama STILL has HIGHER favorable ratings than McCain.

Would everyone please chill. It's only August and most Americans aren't paying attention yet. Yes, there's lots of work to be done and, yes, Obama must call out McCain for what's he saying and what he represents. Whoever gets the VP slot will become the primary attack dog for the Democrats.

Let's wait until after the VPs are selected and the conventions are behind us. Then, the polls will become somewhat meaningful. I predict that the American people will break for Obama once he shows in the debates that he knows his stuff and he can be trusted. Remember he's the new kid on the block. McCain is like the next door neighbor that you thought you knew but you really didn't.

You people make me puke. "Let us not get hysterical, no reason to panic." "His attacks are only fluff and easily refuted"

You people are spineless, pansies and girlie men. The Democrats do not deserve to win. You think I want to entrust my country to little fools like you. Are you such idiots as to sit back while for the third time in a row, the Democratic candidate started out with a double digit lead only to fall to near parity in the polls? Do you little wussies understand the strategy and tactics of the Republican party that seem to work every time?

I am sorry, but should we lose this time, I will do every thing in my power to destroy the Democratic party. The party is just proving itself unfit for a role in our public life.

Go ahead now, lets hear you losers say how we will start pulling it out. You cannot even convince a majority of our own party that Obama has the experience necessary,

VOMIT, VOMIT, VOMIT

Obama has Iowa in his pocket...latest poll: Obama 44% - Mcbushsame 38%

Nothing to worry, Obama knows what he is doing!!!

Like the ex-mayor Brown of San Francisco has been on top of his game. Yes he needs to be a bit crisper, sharper...And he will...He is just back from his vacation.

McBushSame will be on vacation next week...

If Obama loses, Hillary Clinton, and all her supporters, are going to get a good sized portion of blame.

What a LOON! We've been telling you for over a year now that Obama is the weaker candidate by far. And now that we've been proven correct, it's our fault because you never listened to us? It's just that kind of bullheaded insanity that keeps Democrats losing elections.

I admit I'm perplexed.

What can be the reason for the evidently huge investment people like Greg have in pretending that the Presidency is decided by a nationwide popular vote?

It can't be sheer ignorance, since to pass a summary civics course or become a naturalized citizen, people have to have mastered at least the basics of the Electoral College process.

Such pretending -- or at least inattention -- led, among other things, to people thinking that the election between Bush and Kerry was close. It seems to have led the people in control of Hillary Clinton's campaign to ignore how the nomination is decided (notably in Texas, where she admitted, just before the vote, that her people were "at this minute" trying to figure out how the process worked, when the Obamans had not only studied it but been exploiting for a year).

And so now we're trying to do it again, and at the expense of Obama's superior campaign? To pretend that we know why he is doing what he is now doing, or what he is going to do next, is sheer nonsense, and to insist on the negative tidings like those above is ... well, something. I told you I was perplexed.

I don't know that Republicans stand for anything either. They stand for America uber alles. I know that. They stand for God, but only when it gets them votes. They stand for guns (see: uber alles).
They stand for big money (see: uber alles.)

So - money, god and guns.

The Dems? How about Democracy. Opportunity for all. Justice. Respect.

The democrats are about people, the individual.

The republicans are about power, the state.

That's where we need to frame the debate.

What is your agenda, to bitch and moan about every poll or aid an Obama victory? It's hard to tell. Why don't you all take a break from your collective chicken little chorus and visit some conservative sites. Unlike here and other Liberal blogs, they don't piss on their candidate even when it appeared there was no hope for victory. By stark contrast, they focus on defeating Senator Obama.

It would be hard for any Obama supporter or Democrat to remain enthusiastic or optimistic after reading this blog and user comments.

He doesn't need this shit! He needs his base to remain enthusiastic or at least have the decency to feign it!

Sorry, drank the "Don't pay any attention to the polls showing a tightening of the race. This swiftboat stuff will blow over, and there's NO WAY America will elect Dubya for a second term" Kool Aid in August of 2004. I'm in no hurry to get a second helping.

I've given Obama my money, my time, my energy and my vote in the primary. I expected more out of him than what I've gotten the last month.

And the republicans would play the Bill Clinton card, and the woman in power card to the social conservatives, the McCain-RNC-wackos would be outspending Hillary, she knew about the caucus states as well, and I could go on.

I shouldn't be rehashing what has been rehashed a zillion times times infinity, but it is that whole you're a loon, by far Obama was the weaker candidate, because the evidence just doesn't support it.

Regarding Josh's interpretation of defining Obama, or not rather, there was a comment/blog by JT. This is EXACTLY right. Obama has not boxed in McCain, the flip-flop, gas guzzling, wife-cheating, 100 million dollar man. Every time Obama opens his mouth McCain shouts "POW, age discrimination!! And there is silence. Again, McCain is OLD. That is the first thing everyone says when asked about him. Define him, OLD, no new ideas, hit him hard on his gaffes, there are SO many. Obama is playing softball and McCain is playing offensive football. The man is out of it, show people the MAN, he has more flaws than I have room to write. Obama needs to not be so nice. Sad reality, but people hear and remember 20 seconds maybe. So get it done, OLD, pathetic man. I wrote this once before and a fellow blogger said not to pick on McCain because he is old. Yet I did a test on a 72 y.o. today, same age as McCain (soon) and afterward I asked her if she could run the country, she said "No way!"

The fact is that if Obama cared about winning more than he cares about his own ego, he would pick Hillary as VP. But since he doesn't, since he is a prima donna with a chip on his shoulder, he will probably do the same thing Bush did and pick someone who he knows could never outshine him. All of the most mentioned candidates seem to fit that bill to a T.

Wonderful news. Absolutely fucking wonderful news.

And now for a DNC featuring two days of slideshows about Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea, followed by a speech from Obama about why he really, really, really, really, really respects John McCain.

I can't take it anymore.

I swear, if the Dems blow it this time, if they pull another Kerry/Edwards, that's it... I'm joining the goddamned GOP.

BTW, where the hell was/is Obama when McCain said life begins at conception?! Even if you are pro-life, that comment is beyond stupid. Hell, he is implying that most forms of birth control kill life. Obama should pound this point home to women.

Our country is very sick. Some pundit just says that it's a "bonus" that Biden's son is being deployed to Iraq. Some bonus!

And one of the reasons why it's working, that nobody seems to have caught, is that in comparing Obama to Paris and Britney, the Repubs have branded Obama as a FEMALE celeb.

Not George Clooney. Not Brad Pitt.

FEMALE.

The problem here is no one is reading anymore. It is all television. If you are getting your news from TV, you are screwed (up). Hence papers are dying and unless you are younger and on the net, forget it, you are just not informed, We're a stupid nation basically.

Now this is more like it.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, on a conference call with reporters, leveled some of the hardest energy policy attacks to have emanated from the Obama team this campaign.

"[McCain] continues to reject bipartisan compromise because it would roll back massive tax breaks for the oil companies," he said. "That is not putting the country first, it is putting the interest of oil companies first."

The Obama campaign has been disappointing since his return from Europe.

There has been ZERO effort to define McCain.

During Olympics coverage, I've seen at least 5 McCain ads for every Obama ad. McCain's message is clear. Obama's is watered down. Is this Kerry in 2004? I'm getting flashbacks.

How could they not recognize that McCain's "celeb" ad was effective? They should have launched have countered this immediately. He certainly has the money.

And then there is the safe, boring VP shortlist...

Pardon the long post but...

Folks, calm down. And I say that as a guy who, until very recently, lost his mind over every close poll result.

Our nominee was a nobody to almost all voters before Summer 2004 and was still a nobody to most voters before Fall/Winter of 2007. He's black. He's a first term senator. His name is Barack Hussein Obama. He has Muslim roots. 12% still think he's a Muslim. A third - per this poll - question his patriotism. His black, professional, wife actually holds opinions and is strong-willed, not a trophy wife/beer distributor heiress who stands by her husband's side and keeps her mouth shut (ie - a typical man's wet dream). He had a wacky preacher. He beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries, smashing the hopes and dreams of many a middle-aged white, Democratic, female voter. He was on vacation all of last week. He refuses to play the old game.

His opponent is a war hero, a man widely - and incorrectly - seen as a maverick and moderate. He's been on the national scene since 2000. He's a regular on every Sunday and late night show. The media loves him. He's white, he's a man, he's been in Congress for years. He's been running nasty attack ads for weeks. A foreign policy crisis with echoes of the Cold War - his only area of expertise (ie, the past) - occured while our guy was on vacation. Obama has held back on really attacking the guy, at least until now.

Yet despite all of this, our guy still leads in just about every national poll and continues to put several Bush 2000/2004 in serious play. Meanwhile, McCain can't seem to break the 45% mark in any of the national or most of the battleground state polls. And he really doesn't put any Kerry '04 states in play.

We didn't nominate the safe guy this year. (A strategy the proved ineffective in 2004 - another year where we thought, "we can't lose!"). We nominated the candidate we believed in most, the one who best captured our hopes and dreams. He was a definite risk, even in this Dem friendly year. That he continues to lead in just about every poll that matters should not be a reason for us to lose our collective mind. Have y'all seen any sign that the Obama camp is worried? I have not. And that's why I pretty much stopped worrying myself.

He will win. If we don't get lazy, if we don't get complacent, if we don't get too down on ourselves or our candidate, he will win. Count on it.