Election Central Morning Roundup
Polls: Obama Ahead In Florida, Ohio And Pennsylvania
A new round of Quinnipiac polls gives Barack Obama the lead in the three largest swing states. Obama is ahead 49%-44% in Florida, 52%-38% in Ohio, and 53%-40% in Pennsylvania. The Ohio result seems like an outlier compared to other recent polls showing a tight race, but the others are not unreasonable.
Obama In Indiana, Then Off To Hawaii; Biden In North Carolina
Barack Obama is holding a rally at 11 a.m. ET this morning in Indianapolis, before leaving the campaign trail to visit his ailing grandmother in Hawaii. Joe Biden is campaigning in North Carolina, with a 10:30 a.m. ET rally in Charlotte, a 2:15 p.m. ET rally in Winston-Salem, and a 7 p.m. ET rally in Raleigh.
McCain In Florida; Palin In Ohio And Pennsylvania
John McCain is kicking off his officially-themed "Joe The Plumber" rallies, with a 9 a.m. ET rally in Osmond Beach, Florida, and a 6 p.m. ET rally in Sarasota, Florida. Sarah Palin is holding a 1 p.m. ET rally in Troy, Ohio, and a 7:15 p.m. ET rally in Beaver, Pennsylvania.
Mellencamp In New Radio Ad: Obama Is The One For Small-Town Voters
The Obama campaign has a radio ad in Indiana featuring the state's favorite son John Mellencamp, whose famous "I was born in a small town" lyrics puts him in a good position to subtly rebut any objections to Obama's own "small town" gaffe from April:
"But now I'm seeing small towns across America dying," Mellencamp says. "Folks losing their jobs and their homes. Eight years of George Bush have really hurt. And John McCain is just more of the same."
Another Poll Shows Narrow Obama Lead In North Carolina
A new poll from North Carolina-based Marshall Marketing gives Barack Obama a 48%-46% in this newly-minted swing state, within the ±4.5% margin of error. In their previous poll from two weeks ago, McCain had a 48%-46% edge.
Obama At Rally: "This Looks Like The Real Virginia To Me"
At a rally yesterday in Leesburg, Virginia, Barack Obama rebutted the "Real Virginia" comments of McCain surrogate Nancy Pfotenhauer. "I know some folks may not think so, but this looks like the real Virginia to me," Obama said. "This looks like authentic Virginia and y'all look like a bunch of Virginians."
Schwarzenegger: Palin Will Be Ready By Inauguration Day
In an interview aired yesterday evening on CNN, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did his best to defend Sarah Palin's qualifications. When asked whether Palin is ready and qualified, the Terminator answered: "By the time that she is sworn in I think she will be ready."
This is excellent news!
For MCCAIN!
~
October 23, 2008 9:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain Campaign Now Packaging 'Pete the Porn Star'
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=4252
October 23, 2008 9:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Need to put "in Florida" after 49%-44%, Eric.
October 23, 2008 9:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Grammar Nazi!
(snark)
October 23, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
"By the time she is sworn in, she will be ready." Yeah, in 2032.
October 23, 2008 9:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
I can assure you, by now and the day she's sworn in, we'll tell her what her job actually entails.
October 23, 2008 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
But have you seen the big arms on that guy? If he says so then it must be true . . .
October 23, 2008 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to some ferriner.
October 23, 2008 9:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hear he may be Obama's energy Czar after he finishes his term as governor. Obama has cited him and California plenty of times when he talks about his energy plans.
October 23, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wouldn't that be "Energy Kaiser"? Just sayin'...
October 23, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
LMAO, oh man that was good. Early nominee for post of the day.
October 23, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL. Energy Czar? Sounds a lot better than Drug Czar. We're going to need someone like him to 'strongarm' America into radically changing our energy system so why not?
(Been reading Friedman's new book on this, after you get through the first third--it's a damn good book)
October 23, 2008 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Crap. Memory from the top of the page to the comments is really bad. Kaiser's funny too.
October 23, 2008 10:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
If I continue my current reading policies I will be able to conquer Friedman's in about another six months.
October 23, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
It really does get better once you get through the beginning's doom and gloom. He probably should have just left it out. We all (ok, most of us) know there's a problem. You'd have to be hiding in a box not to know that. The solutions part is just great, though. I've learned a lot and been inspired to look up a lot.
October 23, 2008 11:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
By the time Palin is sworn in? You mean sworn in in a court of law to testify to charges that she abused power, obstructed justice, tampered with witnesses and defrauded the State of Alaska with her expense filings?
Or sworn in at hearings before the Alaska legislature? Or sworn in in court in Wasilla for using materials and labor from the sports arena to build Casa de Palin?
I doubt she's ready for all the swearin' in, also.
PEACE
October 23, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Zing! Nice.
October 23, 2008 10:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Also the Ohio result may seem like an outlier, but there are new Battleground Polls that one could argue backs up the Q-Pac polls:
Ohio (53-41)
October 23, 2008 9:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
I forgot the link:
http://www.bigtenpoll.org/
October 23, 2008 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
They also have Obama up 10 in Indiana.
I don't know if I believe that.
October 23, 2008 9:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Me either. But for trend purposes versus their previous poll, it's good news for Obama.
October 23, 2008 9:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, it's about a 10-point swing toward Obama across the board in those eight states from a month earlier.
October 23, 2008 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Since they are Big 10 polls, the overall quality is probably not so good. Let's see some SEC or Big 12 polls....
October 23, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lol.
October 23, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about Pac10?
October 23, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
How 'bout Mountain West. We did bust the BCS first, after all.
October 23, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
The frequent invocation of God by Heisman leading QB of number uno ranked UTejas indicates either God is smiling on the Big 12 due to the dominance of red states in the conference (Colorado and Iowa being both the outliers and basement) or the BIG FELLA is skipping politics and concentrating on college pigskin this cycle.
October 23, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
If Obama wins here in Indiana, it will have a lot to do with the area I live in, very close to Michigan, and also the area near Chicago.
The area I live in has an astronomical unemployment rate, the highest in Indiana, because the RV & trailer industry has been falling/fell on its face because of the economy.
Going over to the Gary/Portage/Hammond area of the state, in the northwest, right next to Chicago, it IS like Chicago. You want to talk about rural... leave the city I live in, you'll end up in the middle of no where and remain there for about an hour each direction except west.
Obama signs everywhere here. Leave town, out in the boonies, nothing but McCain signs.
October 23, 2008 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here in Michigan, I see more Obama signs than McCain, even in the rural areas.
However, I also saw the following sign (professionally made):
"Say no to Osama, Obama, and his baby mama."
Nice...
October 23, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Even in rural areas? That's pretty interesting.
Even where Obama has tons of support from people in this super red area (where 50% of the people remind you of Bill Frist and the other 50% remind you of some trailer park NRA members) rural is absolutely red when it comes to the signs. My friend's father won't even put an Obama sign up because he's afraid of the neighbors that live around him.
The city governments are overrun with Republicans too.
Suicide is the only option.
October 23, 2008 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
For the first time since the election started, we drove for an hour into the boonies of southwest Michigan. I was surprised that there were as many Obama signs as there were McCain signs. But the Obama signs increased when you got into the big cities like Decatur. (Those of you not familiar with the area, Decatur is a tiny little town. But they do have at least two stop lights.)
October 23, 2008 10:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
What's the deal with signs anyway? Do people change their minds because they see more signs for one candidate than the other? Might be a good way to alienate neighbors, otherwise I don't get it.
October 23, 2008 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
When you see a lot of signs for a candidate, the feeling is that there is a lot of support for that candidate. Yes, it can annoy you, especially if you don't support that candidate, but it reminds you, if you are away from the TV or radio, that there's a election going on. Does it sway you? Possibly. Do commercials and coupon fliers sway you into buying certain products at the market, even if subliminally?
October 23, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't annoy me; it baffles me. I do not think the signs influence me personally on a subliminal level.
In France they put up the political posters on walls and billboards during the night using wallpaper paste; then the opponent's supporters put their posters over them; etc. . .
October 23, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
To the inexperienced, the lawn signs can be very confusing. My daughter was very worried that so many signs for a Republican state senate candidate indicated that the Democratic candidate didn't stand a chance. I pointed out that Democats outnumber Republicans 5 to 1 in our county and that the number of Republican signs was an indication of the level of desperation that the local Repubs are feeling right about now. The Dems are well organized here and most people vote a straight ticket. The signs don't mean anything about the closeness (or lack of it) of the race.
October 23, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nate at fivethirtyeight.com has an interesting discussion of yard signs and the grumbling among Obama supporters that the campaign didn't have enough.
My sense is that in presidential elections their role is mainly to give supporters a sense of belonging, rather than to persuade -- though lots of Obama signs in red areas may help break the sense that "everyone" votes Republican.
However, in my area, in local races, yard signs are a way of getting a read on the candidates -- who's serious, who's not, who has which civic leaders behind them.
October 23, 2008 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I didn't think there was any possible way that more Obama signs could go up in the Taos Valley, but in the last two weeks about half again as many as were already up - which is plenty - have appeared.
I've seen a big proliferation of Obamanos signs and bumper stickers - I don't know if maybe the Espanola rally didn't have something to do with this -
Or people waited until now to slap a sticker on - I don't know. But there's a house off of Upper Ranchitos - once you get off Paseo del Pueblo a block, you're in the country/desert - that has - no lie - a real anti-aircraft gun in the front yard. I passed it day before yesterday and now there's an Obama sign on that fucking gun. I was floored - I figured they had to be McLame supporters. I was way wrong.
LOL
October 23, 2008 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
The only candidate with a "baby" mama would be Failin' Palin and her child mama-to-be.
October 23, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
If Obama wins here in Indiana, it will have a lot to do with the area I live in, very close to Michigan, and also the area near Chicago.
The area I live in has an astronomical unemployment rate, the highest in Indiana, because the RV & trailer industry has been falling/fell on its face because of the economy.
Going over to the Gary/Portage/Hammond area of the state, in the northwest, right next to Chicago, it IS like Chicago. You want to talk about rural... leave the city I live in, you'll end up in the middle of no where and remain there for about an hour each direction except west.
Obama signs everywhere here. Leave town, out in the boonies, nothing but McCain signs.
October 23, 2008 9:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
whoops. They must not be running Linux/Unix on their server. I didn't see it already posted. It just errored out on me.
October 23, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
When you get the error message, just go back to the previous screen and refresh. It's really there, has really posted, but hasn't refreshed itself. Just a tiny touch to make all of us work harder... just to be here!
October 23, 2008 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll do that. I learned my lesson. I don't wanna be double-posting n00b.
October 23, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
ready and qualified for what?
October 23, 2008 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
In other words, he implicitly admits he doesn't think she is qualified. Sounds to me like a typical "I feel boxed in" answer...
October 23, 2008 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Big 10 polls:
Illinois Obama 61% McCain 32%
Indiana Obama 51% McCain 41%
Iowa Obama 52% McCain 39%
Michigan Obama 58% McCain 36%
Minnesota Obama 57% McCain 38%
Ohio Obama 53% McCain 41%
Pennsylvania Obama 52% McCain 41%
Wisconsin Obama 53% McCain 40%
http://www.bigtenpoll.org/
October 23, 2008 9:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Does the name come from the fact that every poll they do shows Obama at least +10? I think that's one we can safely disregard as complete junk.
October 23, 2008 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
comes from the big ten conference
u penn
northwestern
u of ill
u of iowa
michigan
michigan state
purdue
IU
u of minn
ohio state
u of wisc
yes, there are 11 schools and its called the big ten...go Hoosiers!
October 23, 2008 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if they call it "big 10" then because for each of them, they have 10 big opponents.
October 23, 2008 9:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Used to be 10 schools. It isn't University of Pennsylvania, it's Penn State and they joined the conference a few years ago. Go Green, Go White! (MSU)
October 23, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Since they are Big 10 polls, the overall quality is probably not so good. Let's see some SEC or Big 12 polls....
October 23, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
When the old SWC merged with the Big 8 to make the Big 12, a wag noted the inclusion of Texas A&M, Oklahoma A&M, Kansas A&M, and Iowa A&M made it the Clodbuster Conference. One day we will pay our College President's half as much as the Offensive Line Coaches.
October 23, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Amen. IU.
October 23, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nate Silver is on it
So the best way to regard these numbers is in the same way that you might have regarded the Pew poll from earlier this week, which had Obama at a +14 nationally. If you regarded that number as an outlier -- and I wouldn't blame you one bit if you did -- you should probably regard these numbers as outliers too. If you regarded that number not so much as an outlier but as a best-case scenario -- and that's how I tend to regard it -- you should probably regard these numbers as a best-case scenario also.
October 23, 2008 9:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Except many other polls have showed Obama up double digits in all those states except for Indiana.
October 23, 2008 9:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
God I love the Big Ten ...
Question, tho: why can't Obama hit 50%? Why can't he close the deal?
October 23, 2008 9:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Damnit! Why can't it be Obama or Biden in Sarasota today?
It's gonna suck leaving work today. I have no doubt Fruitville road will be backed up east of the interstate.
October 23, 2008 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, aren't Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania supposed to be "battleground states"? With leads of five points, 14 points and seven points respectively, that's not much 'battling', is it?
http://thepajamapundit.com/
October 23, 2008 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have been an avid follower of the elections and going through TPMC as well as 538.
Both are good but HussainTenaX at TPMC tips the balance towards TPMC.
What are we all going to do after 4/11?
Tena, Do you have any suggestions?
October 23, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm going to stop obsessing about this stuff. Unclench the ball that's been in my gut since Nov. 2000.
October 23, 2008 10:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm going to party big time, then go cold turkey on the politics. It's going to be hard. I am obsessed!
October 23, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK, is the McCain campaign just playing games now? Like they know they're going to lose and so have decided to just have some fun? I refer here to sending Sarah Palin to Roswell, NM and Beaver, PA.
October 23, 2008 9:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well good morning to you - and thanks.
What I'm going to do after 4/11 is celebrate. A lot!
October 23, 2008 9:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wait, 4/11 is a week after the election. Does that mean Tena will be druuunk for a week? Because I sure as Hell am.
I got posted to a precinct just outside Fort Lee, Virginia as part of the Obama Campaign/DNC's Voter Protection Program. So I need to find a post election party locale as fast as humanly possible. Otherwise, I will be listening to C-Span radio, crying like a little girl, all along 95 on my way back to Virginia.
October 23, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
4/11 a week after the election? How do you figure?
October 23, 2008 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ugh, I am an idiot. I was reading that month/day, not day/month. Which still doesn't make sense, because then it would be April 11th.
Look, man, I'm done. Go on without me. Send help when you reach civilization.
October 23, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is an easier way out -- just claim to be Canadian or European (or from just about anywhere else in the world) where the proper format is day/month rather than month/day. That way you can be cosmopolitan instead of feeling like an idiot (of course that will probably make your "elitist" as well....)
October 23, 2008 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
I might get drunk if I still drank.
:)
I'm hoping the goddamn autumn drought has broken by then cause I'm getting down to the schwag - the stems, etc.
October 23, 2008 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Time to dust off the bong.
October 23, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have to confess, I am aroused by the Big Ten numbers. Rowr.
October 23, 2008 9:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
OK, is the McCain campaign just playing games now? Like they know they're going to lose and so have decided to just have some fun? I refer here to sending Sarah Palin to Roswell, NM and now Beaver, PA.
October 23, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Arnold's answer is funny if you look at it right.
Sure she'll be ready - when she is sworn in - which will be never.
October 23, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think she should demonstrate "readiness" as a Christian first. She's apparently well acquainted with churches, but there's little evidence to show for that in her words or behavior. So frankly, I'd start there: Show us your readiness as a Christian, Sarah!
October 23, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Call it remedial work!
October 23, 2008 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I keep running up into this wall - I want an End Timer to explain to me why they think that God thinks it is cute that they are actively trying to bring about what they think will be the end of the world.
In the first place, Jesus told his followers over and over to quit thinking about it - he'd come when HE is ready - not just cause they want him to.
They've been actively trying to manipulate things to bring the so-called Rapture (yeah the end of the world will be a big party, uh huh) for years. They're trying to breed the red calf, etc.
What makes them think God as they believe God to be would let them purposely cause something to happen that the Bible says is up to God? I do not get it. I don't.
October 23, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
you don't get it because you're not insane. be thankful.
October 23, 2008 10:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I guess that's the only fucking answer there is.
October 23, 2008 10:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, I flipped over to Fox News last night and they were going off about some new controversy involving Palin and CNN. Anyone know what they're whining about?
October 23, 2008 9:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't they treat an ignoramus with more respect?
October 23, 2008 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, yeah. haha
But I think it was something new and specific. I only caught the end of it.
October 23, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Something even more recent than Couturegate?
October 23, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
No I don't.
October 23, 2008 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
It was that CNN reporter quoting someone calling Palin stupid. They took the comments totally out of context.
October 23, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
It was that CNN reporter quoting someone calling Palin stupid. They took the comments totally out of context.
October 23, 2008 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know I'm biased, but it's hard for me to believe that most working class voters will see this for the transparent, phony gimmick it is, one that only reinforces how out of touch McShame, Failin and the GOP are with the daily lives of most Americans.
October 23, 2008 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry -- I meant hard for me to believe they WON'T see it for the gimmick it is. In other words, my point is their bullshit won't fly.
October 23, 2008 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
I saw my first "Joe the Plumber" TV ad last night. (Here in Colorado, btw, where McCain may be curtailing his campaigning but definitely is not 'pulling out').
The ad was really ridiculous, even by basic, objective campaign-ad standards. The actors/McCain supporters all said "*I'm* Joe the Plumber!" but in a noticeably insincere and spiritless way. Then the camera showed one woman bowing her head in a defeated manner, although it wasn't clear at all why she was doing so - in fact, it was obvious she was just following a stage direction instead of expressing any real emotion. Her relaxed facial muscles betrayed a true contentment despite the bowed head.
Seriously, who but the most fervent Palin supporters (I don't imagine there are any fervent McCain supporters other than his own lobbyists and maybe his family) would buy this crap? At least the smear ads had some energy behind them, but Joe the Plumber rings about as true as a three-dollar bill.
October 23, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or a $150,000 clothing spree.
October 23, 2008 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll tell y'all - my heart is soaring like a hawk - two of the biggest wackos in the Repug party have lost support from the RNC - Bachmann and o I love this - Marilyn Musgrave.
LMAO!
Today we do the Schadenfreude Ballet, peeps!
October 23, 2008 9:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm with you, but I'm trying to figure out how to dance derisively. Got any ideas?
October 23, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ok when I saw Q poll results I was a bit skeptical but happy nonetheless. Now the BG results? This is great stuff yeh yeh tey might be outliers but if you look back to Sept you can hardly accuse Big 10 of having a dem slant. The Ind results ahead by ten? No not likely bu by 5 or 6 yes I could see that especially when Ras confirms that. Ohio? Well Suffolk has O up by 9, Q up by 10 ad now BG up 13 all within 48 hours. Even if that lead is 5 or 6 in Ohio that means Mccain is in up to ears. He now faces a massive dilema do I push all in on PA and forget aout Ohio hoping it will go my way with no visits, little money and trends moving away from me? Ditto Indiana, ditto Missouri...the republican titanic has taken on too much water and is sinking faster than the Dow
October 23, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ben Smith nice article on robocalls actual "merits" in elections...
Lost a bit in the debate over John McCain's wave of robocalls is the debate in academic and political circles over whether they actually work, which the Toronto Star writes up:
"We, so far, found a perfect record of it never working," said Donald Green, director of Yale University's Institution for Social and Policy Studies, who studied the effect of robocalls in campaigns since 2000. "No one particularly welcomes these calls, even when they're from an organization to which one is generally sympathetic
October 23, 2008 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
If I knew I'd be losing the election in two weeks, I think I'd spend it on the Florida gulf coast as well. Maybe McCain will slip down to the Keys on the weekend?
October 23, 2008 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
You know, it's not a bad idea. Call it a "shake things up" campaign move and go stump for voters abroad. Say, in Barbados or Fiji.
$150k buys a lot of sunscreen.
October 23, 2008 10:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are Republicans as tired of hearing about Joe the plumber as I am? I feel like I am in grade school reading "Bob the Builder."
People may actually vote against McCain just so Joe the plumber will go away. He's just another obvious gimmick by a cynical campaign. Did the GOP buy Joe some new clothes too?
October 23, 2008 10:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hell, forget the clothes -- first they need to buy him a plumbing license.
October 23, 2008 10:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
and pay those taxes. . .
October 23, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently, someone has been doing some online fundraising to retire Joe's tax obligations. I'm too disinterested to look for the link again.
October 23, 2008 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's got a couple of tough emotional days ahead of him in light of his grandmother's failing health. There are reports that it's more than a broken hip:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27315329/
October 23, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Biden said in a rally that she is dying, and that this will likely be Obama's last time with her.
He's not bringing the girls because they just saw her in August, and he wants that to be their last memory of her.
October 23, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
From that MCNBC story:
From temp to bank V.P. to member of Congress. It's a beautiful thing.
October 23, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ok...
October 23, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
October 23, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
October 23, 2008 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
It was that CNN reporter quoting someone calling Palin stupid. They took the comments totally out of context.
October 23, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well big fucking deal.
LMAO! She is stupid.
October 23, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
HusseinTenaX is my favorite person on tpmelectioncentral, as well! I wish we lived near each other as we could raise a glass together in celebration on the evening of November 11th.
I thought for a moment about what I will do when Obama is elected as the next President of the United States. This is what I came up with...
Weep.
Weep that after eight years of having the Republicans use gay people as a wedge issue, that we will have a President who believes I deserve to be an American, and deserve to live my life any way I choose.
Weep that after eight years of "no child left behind", we will have a leader who understands the challenges of being a public school teacher and understands that failing good schools over ridiculous standards ruins education.
Weep that after eight years of a leader who was born rich and never had to put in a day of hard work in his life, we will have a President again who watched his mother struggle to pay bills and help him make his dreams come true.
Weep that after eight years of "Texan-Big Hat Shoot Em Up" diplomacy we will have a President who understands our place in the world order and will heal bad feelings and reinstate the USA as more than just a superpower, but as the central force in world-wide diplomacy.
Weep that we will be able to bring our soldiers home from Iraq and end an unjust war that was started with no truthful justification.
Weep that Martin Luther King's dream for our country will be finally realized. President Barack Obama means anything is possible.
Weep that we will once again be inspired by the potential of our nation and by what we CAN do...instead of focusing on what we have done in the past.
Weep that alternative fuel will become a priority in our nation... helping to heal our economy, helping to heal our environment, and helping to descrease our dependence on the Middle East.
Weep that, once and for all, divisive political action is proven to be a losing strategy and positive campaigns run by level headed candidates who focus on issues can prevail.
I will weep on the night of November 4th... and they'll be the best tears I have ever shed.
Obama/Biden '08/'12
October 23, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right on Dave.
Tears of relief and shouts of joy from this girl on Nov4th/5th.
October 23, 2008 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Word Dave.
I cried nonstop from Tuesday night until Friday afternoon in '04, after the election. One of the things that was killing me was your rights -
My nephew is possibly the finest man I have ever known, with exception of my husband. The thought that for 4 more years we were going to have to put up with these hateful fucking people reviling people like you and my nephew and his spouse and every other gay and lesbian person in the country was almost more than I could bear.
That and I was convinced they were going to send the feds for me cause I really had shot off my mouth a lot.
October 23, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dave,
I hope you weep on 4/11
October 23, 2008 11:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sarah the national joke is probably wishing she'd stayed in Alaska.
October 23, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just as many are celebrating way too early, and the gal in SF missed getting the cuffs on me, don't write my Sarah's obit yet. She will be bigger than Coulter on the RW speechifying circuit for four years and she won't even have to charge the state to bring along the kids.
October 23, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Interesting article at Salon.com.
The punditocracy's Seven Biggest Blunders of the 2008 election
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/23/campaign_myths/
October 23, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree also about HusseinTenaX. She's the Rachel Maddow of TPM.
DemDave1972, your comment made me tear up I also will be weeping on November 4 because I will have hope again of passing to my children (who are in college) a country that we can be proud of. I will be yelling, crying, dancing, and then I'm going to pop open an expensive bottle of champagne that I can't afford.
How did I pick up this avatar? Is that what it is called?
October 23, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Guys!
I do not know how I deserved these comments - honest to god I don't.
thank you!
but maybe we better start lowering expectations for me instead of inflating them - I don't want to wind up like Palin.
LOL!
October 23, 2008 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Never been a Big 10-11 fan, I'm an ACC and Big East alum, but I'm loving this poll.
The thing that I'll be most happy about on election night?--knowing that a real constitutional scholar will be appointing judges. God, I cannot tell you what a relief that will be. There is no doubt in my mind that if McCain were to appoint the next SCOTUS justices, the damage to this country would be truly irreversable.
October 23, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agree. That would be the final nail in our country's coffin. The judicial system coming under partisan control has been frightening to watch, and that's probably why Chris went off on Hardball when Palin said she was going to take control over the legislature. I went crazy when she said that too.
October 23, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
OH would be nice, but I want VA and FL to go blue.
October 23, 2008 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I actually rather have a much balanced SCOTUS than one full of dem leaning judges. We need balance.
October 23, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not going to be all dem-leaning justices, a President Obama will only prevent it from becoming all right-wing justices.
That was my fear, a Supreme Court full of Federalist Society drones.
October 23, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guys,
Has it occurred to you that the Great Author ( i.e. God) wanted a counterweight for Obama and hence he created SARAH PALIN?
She is everything that he is not and vice versa!
October 23, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
So i was poking around, looking for coverage and opinions regarding the election and stumbled on these two surveys. They focus on a couple of the biggest issues relating to college students (and others), the economic crisis and racial prejudice. I think that they're fairly thorough and touch on very important aspects that the candidates will need to deal with. If you get a minute, fill them out so we can finally be heard!!
http://www.campuscompare.com/survey/economic
http://www.campuscompare.com/survey/prejudice
October 23, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
My hope is Obama will walk into the White House after he is sworn in and his first order of business will be "Close down Gitmo!" That would be the place to start in turning this country back around.
Second, call Reid and have Lieberman removed from his chair responsibilities. Although we haven't been hearing much from Lieberman lately. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall...political career = over.
October 23, 2008 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Debra = no offense, but the Executive has no authority over the Legislative and where you get the idea that Obama is going to boss the Senate around I do not know.
Please read the Empowerment clauses of the Constitution.
October 23, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agree and I stand corrected.
October 23, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Glad you didn't take offense.
;)
October 23, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ahnold has always been a maverick.
http://www.entertonement.com/collections/5261/Schwarzenegger-Say-Palin-Isn%27t-Ready-Yet
October 23, 2008 7:28 PM | Reply | Permalink