Early Evening Round of News: October 31st
October 31, 2008 at 7:28 pm (Morning News) (Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Ohio)
- Rumors are flying fast and furious that Senator Obama is already starting to whittle down his cabinet list. Politico takes a look at the rumors and what insiders of the Democratic party have to say: “The list is heavy on campaign heavyweights and Washington insiders, many of them from the administration of President Bill Clinton. So while surprises can be expected to crop up — especially on any Republican members of the Cabinet — many of the selections would likely be proven hands who would provoke little controversy. Obama has not communicated his final choice on any of these posts but plans to move very quickly if he is elected, according to the sources. They point to the political price that Clinton paid for dilly-dallying on his appointments and nomination.”
- CNN wonders if an October Surprise is still possible: “It’s Halloween on Friday, but campaign aides to Barack Obama and John McCain may be spooked for another reason: Events that dominated the news right before the previous two presidential elections may have been game-changers.”
- In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Senator Obama talks about his 2009 Priorities if he’s Elected: “In an interview with Wolf Blitzer in Des Moines, Iowa, Obama was asked to name his top priority from a list of issues, including taxes, health care, education, energy policy and immigration. “[The] top priority may not be any of those five. It may be continuing to stabilize the financial system. We don’t know yet what’s gonna happen in January,” he said. “None of this can be accomplished if we continue to see a potential meltdown in the banking system and financial system. So that’s priority number one — making sure the plumbing works.”
- Senator McCain is Launching an Ohio Bus Tour: “Five days before the election, Sen. John McCain turned his attention back to Ohio, launching a two-day bus trip on Thursday that he hopes will shift the momentum in a state President Bush won in 2004 — but one in which Democrat Sen. Barack Obama holds a slight lead. Not to be outdone, Obama is expected to hold rallies in several Ohio cities Sunday. Separate visits in the closing days by Bill and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats, as well as both candidates’ running mates — Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden — make clear that Ohio is a final battleground.”
- Joe Biden Rallies at Alma Mater: “The University of Delaware didn’t just shape me in this historic presidential campaign, Ladies and gentlemen. This may be the first time in president campaign history that our campaign manager, a Delawarean named David Plouffe, who was in the political science department, a proud Blue Hen, is managing one campaign, and my friend John McCain’s campaign, his chief strategist is a guy named Steve Schmidt who also attended the University of Delaware,” Biden said.”
Looking at the Blogs and Editorials: October 31st
October 31, 2008 at 3:49 pm (Blogs) (Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin)
- Chuck Raasch of USA Today Talks about the Leap of Faith Coming Tuesday: “After nearly two years of nonstop campaigning, after more ups, downs and surprises than anyone could have expected in a lifetime of campaigns, the historical election of 2008 arrives with a gravity of uncertainty rarely seen at this point in a presidential election. The final days are cloaked in more mystery about the two candidates than a campaign this long should have produced.”
- Rosa Brooks of the LA Times Looks at the Booby Traps President Bush Has Left for Senator Obama: “Ever since Joe Biden suggested that the world would “test” Barack Obama if he becomes president, the McCain campaign has been hoping to make political hay out of the remark. “We don’t want a president who invites testing from the world,” John McCain warned voters. But every new president is “tested” by national security crises, some predictable, some not. And I’m a lot less worried about the tests “the world” may offer Obama than about the national security booby traps the Bush administration is leaving behind for him.”
- Stuart Taylor of the National Journal Wonders Which Obama America Will Get: “The first Obama has sometimes seemed eager to engineer what he called “redistribution of wealth” in a 2001 radio interview, along with the more conventional protectionism, job preferences, and other liberal Democratic dogmas featured in his campaign. I worry that he might go beyond judiciously regulating our free enterprise system’s all-too-apparent excesses and stifle it under the dead hand of government bureaucracy and lawsuits.”
- The Economist Thinks America Should Take a Chance on Senator Obama: “For all the shortcomings of the campaign, both John McCain and Barack Obama offer hope of national redemption. Now America has to choose between them. The Economist does not have a vote, but if it did, it would cast it for Mr Obama. We do so wholeheartedly: the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America’s self-confidence. But we acknowledge it is a gamble. Given Mr Obama’s inexperience, the lack of clarity about some of his beliefs and the prospect of a stridently Democratic Congress, voting for him is a risk. Yet it is one America should take, given the steep road ahead.”
- James Joyner of Outside The Beltway Asks if Governor Palin is Dragging Down Senator McCain: “The conventional wisdom has long been that people don’t vote based on the VP pick; it would be odd, indeed, if the trend were broken in the wrong direction. Then again, given the economic meltdown, Bush’s popularity, and Obama’s money, it may well have been that McCain could have chosen a candidate who combined all the virtues of Ronald Reagan, Abe Lincoln, and George Washington and not pulled it off.”
- Kevin Drum of Mother Jones Asks who’s the Real Barack Obama: “So here’s the game: what else has the McCain campaign and its surrogates called Obama? The only rule is that the name caller has to be someone with credentials: a campaign aide, a national politician, a major league pundit, etc. No obscure bloggers or commenters from Free Republic. What have you got for me?”
- CNN has posted a new feature, Battleground 2008: “In a CNN.com special report, Battleground Voters, we talked to voters in five battleground states — Colorado, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio — to find out how the economy would influence their choice for president.”
- Simon Rosenberg of the Huffington Post Looks at why Senator Obama is leading and Senator McCain is Stumbling: “These days, with Barack Obama’s poll numbers above 50 and more than 33 million viewers watching his primetime 30-minute presentation, it’s hard to remember that John McCain came out of his convention ahead and with momentum and a fresh life. It really looked liked it would be a close general election, or that McCain might have a shot to pull this off. So what happened?”
- Jack Cafferty of CNN Asks What’s Next for Palin if McCain Loses: “But the fact is that if some people in the Republican Party get their way, she could be tested one day. Should John McCain lose the race for the White House, you can bet your last dollar this moose huntin’, gun totin’, pro-life hockey mom will not fade from the political spotlight. She’s a huge hit with a group of social conservatives who embrace her values and see her as a fresh face for a divided party… to them, a 2012 Palin run for President may be on the horizon.”
An Afternoon Cup of News: October 31st
October 31, 2008 at 3:26 pm (Morning News) (Al Gore, Barack Obama, Chicago, Cook County, Florida, GOP, Joe the Plumber, John McCain, Orange County, Orlando, SNL)
- After some strenous weeks for ACORN, they’ve answered back on the voter-fraud allegations: “Community organization ACORN is fighting back after allegations that it is trying to register voters fraudulently and to swing the presidential election for Democrat Barack Obama. The group this week released a 30-second TV ad calling on Republican candidate John McCain to stop “attempts at voter suppression across the country.”
- The McCain Campaign Asserts It’s Not Over Yet: “Senator John McCain’s campaign advisers pressed their argument on Friday morning that no one should write off their candidate and said yet again that their own polls showed a tightening race. “We’re pretty jazzed up about what we’re seeing as movement in this election,” Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, told reporters in a lengthy morning conference call. He added that “we are witnessing, I believe, probably one of the greatest comebacks that you’ve seen since John McCain won the primary.”
- Washington Times, New York Post, and Dallas Morning Star have been kicked off Senator Obama’s plane: “The Washington Times, N.Y. Post and Dallas Morning News — three newspapers that recently endorsed John McCain — have been kicked off Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s plane in the final days of his campaign. The Obama campaign informed The Washington Times Thursday evening of its decision, which came two days after The Times editorial page endorsed Senator John McCain over Mr. Obama. The Times editorial page runs completely independently of the news department.”
- Senator McCain to Appear on SNL: “John McCain is scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live this weekend, the second time he has hit the late night comedy show this year. He last appeared on SNL on May 17 when he participated in two skits–one a faux address to the nation where he touted his being “really, really old” as an important reason to elect him and another on the Weekend Update segment where he called on Democrats to keep the primary race going as long as possible.”
- The Justice Department will deploy over 800 Federal Election Observers and Monitors: “While many of the problems that may occur in what is expected to be a record turnout next Tuesday will come under the purview of state and local officials since they have the primary responsibility for running elections, the federal government is responsible for making sure federal laws are not violated. The primary law in question is the Voting Rights Act, which bans intimidation based on race, color, or religion. The department will also investigate and prosecute cases of voter fraud.”
- Early Voting in Orange County Shut Down Briefly: “Poll workers started noticing that the Internet connection to the downtown elections headquarters began slowing so they could not check voters’ registration, said Linda Tanko, senior deputy for the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office. She said the snafu had nothing to do with the optical scanners or tabulators and did not in any way affect the vote – it just delayed voting.”
- Al Gore Returns to Florida to Campaign for Senator Obama: “Gore is expected to urge supporters at rallies in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to vote early, said Obama’s Florida campaign director, Steve Schale. “Nobody knows better that every single vote counts — especially in Florida — than Vice President Al Gore,” he said. Gore lost his race for the White House when the Supreme Court stopped a 36-day vote recount in Florida with George W. Bush ahead by 537 votes.”
- Half a million people have voted in Chicago and Cook County: “Some voters waited in line for seven hours Thursday on the last day of early voting, Chicago election authorities said. More than 260,000 ballots were cast in Chicago and more than 226,000 ballots were cast in the rest of Cook County during the first early voting for a presidential election in Illinois, authorities said.”
- Senator Obama continues to target the GOP territory: “Much has been made about the inroads Barack Obama has made in traditionally Republican states. But the really interesting story behind that success is Obama’s push to close the margins with John McCain in regions that have long given Republicans oodles of votes.”
- Joe the Plumber Doesn’t Show to McCain Rally: “Joe Wurzelbacher is a staple of the Republican ticket’s attempt to label Democrat Barack Obama as something close to a socialist. Obama had told the Ohio man that with America struggling economically, it would be good to “spread the wealth.” But when John McCain called out to Joe at a rally yesterday morning in Ohio, he was nowhere to be found, producing a rather awkward moment.”
Poll of the Day – October 31st
October 31, 2008 at 2:52 pm (Voting Polls) (Barack Obama, Election, John McCain, Presidential, Race)
Discuss: The Negativity of the 2008 Presidential Election Cycle
October 31, 2008 at 2:38 pm (Discussion) (Barack Obama, John McCain, Negative Campaign)
As of late, attacks have come fast and furious from both sides of the fence, Republicans accusing Senator Obama of “palling” around with terrorists William Ayers and Rashid Khalidi, and that if Senator Obama is elected into office then there’s almost a certainty that this country will be attacked. The Democrats haven’t been as bold in their assertions of Senator McCain, but they’ve also done their fair share of negative campaigning as of late. Polls show that people don’t like the negative campaignin and that Senator McCain has done more attacking then Senator Obama. How has the negative campaigning affected you? Are you a fan of it or against it? Who do you feel has been more negative throughout this election cycle, Senator Obama or Senator McCain? Have you changed your vote because of the negative campaigning?
Feel free to discuss. You don’t need to be registered to leave a comment, just your name and email address.
Previous Discussion Posts
Discuss: Was the Ashley Todd Story Racially Driven?
Discuss: How is the Economy Affecting You?
Blog Update: Posting Resumes Today
October 31, 2008 at 2:13 pm (General)
Due to circumstances outside of my control, I was unable to update this blog over this past week. Much has happened and I do apologize. Part of it was school, part of it was life, and part of it was to ensure that all efforts could be put forth over the next couple of days as we get ready for Election Day.
Look for updates to continue shortly, and continuous updates throughout this weekend. Apologies for the lack of posting.
Thanks.
The Sunday Talk Shows – October 25th
October 25, 2008 at 9:23 pm (General) (Face the Nation, John McCain, Meet the Press, This Week, Tom Ridge)
With the days becoming shorter and shorter, and the news cycles becoming longer and longer as we head into November 4th, this Sunday will be one of the most important days as candidates continue to try to rally voters to their side and get their message out to as many people as possible. Senator John McCain will be appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, appearing live from Iowa.
Tom Brokaw, the host of Meet the Press, will also be hosting a roundtable discussion with Charlie Cook, Chuck Todd, and Kelly O’Donnell. Over on Face the Nation, Robert Rubin will be appearing. Rubin is a former Clinton Treasury Secretary and is currently backing Senator Obama. ABC News will feature Representative Rahm Emanuel, the Democrat from Illinois, and Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina on “This Week”.
On the cable news stations, CNN will have people from the McCain and Obama campaign’s on Late Edition as they try to push their candidate’s message. Fox News Sunday will have Democratic Governor of Virginia Tim Kaine on there as well as former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge.
Evening News Round-Up: October 25th
October 25, 2008 at 8:52 pm (Morning News) (Barack Obama, John McCain, Republicans, Sarah Palin)
- The big news story that’s begun to circulate rather heavily is that Sarah Palin is going rogue, according to a few McCain aides: “Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin “going rogue” recently, while a Palin associate says she is simply trying to “bust free” of what she believes was a mishandled roll-out that damaged her.” We’ll be looking into this issue pretty soon.
- Bill Clinton and Barack Obama seem to have put their differences aside and have agreed to campaign together on Wednesday in Orlando: “The event is expected to give Obama a boost in media attention during the last days of the campaign and offer another symbolic sign of the Democratic torch being passed to the next generation.” There’s a good chance that I might be able to report live from the venue, and I’ll leave more details if so as we get closer to Wednesday.
- Senator Obama feels like McCain’s recent criticism of President Bush is too little, too late: “”Senator McCain has been throwing everything he’s got at us, hoping something will stick,” Mr. Obama said, adding that Mr. McCain in an interview with The Washington Times went so far to distance himself with Mr. Bush that he complained the administration let the economy “get completely out of hand.”"
- Economic issues are starting to push Latinos towards Senator Obama: “In the last days of the campaign, Republicans and Democrats are walking the precincts here with lists of registered Latino voters who may be the key to victory in the Western battleground states, and this is what they are finding: padlocks on front doors, “bank owned” placards in the yards and, among those still in their homes, growing support for Barack Obama’s promise of change.”
- McCain and Obama focus on the west as the days till November 4th begin to grow thin: “Republican John McCain Saturday said, “that’s not America” to describe Democrat Barack Obama’s tax proposals, and Obama said that McCain was calling him “a socialist for suggesting that we focus on tax cuts for the middle class instead of for the wealthy, for corporations.”"
- The GOP’s Challenge of new voters is set back by the courts: “A Republican legal campaign questioning the legitimacy of many newly registered voters hit a wall this week when courts rejected several cases filed by GOP state parties and officials. As Democrats registered record numbers of new voters over the recent months, Republicans asked courts to enforce a law intended to prevent fraud, but that voting rights advocates feared could erroneously purge thousands of legitimate voters from the rolls.”
