Friday, October 31, 2008

Studs Terkel, 1912 - 2008


What a life!

Author-radio host-actor-activist and Chicago symbol Louis "Studs" Terkel died today at his Chicago home at age 96.


At his bedside was a copy of his latest book, "P.S. Further Thoughts From a Lifetime of Listening," scheduled for a November release.


Beset in recent years by a variety of ailments and the woes of age, which included being virtually deaf, Terkel's health took a turn for the worse when he suffered a fall in his home two weeks ago.


It is hard to imagine a fuller life.


A television institution for years, a radio staple for decades, a literary lion since 1967, when he wrote his first best-selling book at the age of 55, Louis Terkel was born in New York City on May 16, 1912.


"I came up the year the Titanic went down," he would often say.He moved with his family when they purchased the Wells-Grand Hotel, a rooming house catering to a wide and colorful variety of people. He supplemented the life experiences there by visits to Bughouse Square, the park across the street from the Newberry Library that was at the time home to all manner of soap box orators.


"I doubt whether I learned very much [at the park]," Terkel wrote. "One thing I know: I delighted in it. Perhaps none of it made any sense, save one kind: sense of life."


He attended the University of Chicago, where he obtained a law degree and borrowed his nickname from the character in the " Studs Lonigan" trilogy by Chicago writer James T. Farrell. He never practiced law. Instead, he took a job in a federally sponsored statistical project with the Federal Emergency Rehabilitation Administration, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal'' agencies. Then he found a spot in a writers project with the Works Progress Administration, writing plays and developing his acting skills.


Terkel worked on radio soap operas, in stage plays, as a sportscaster and a disk jockey. His first radio program was called "The Wax Museum," an eclectic gather of whatever sort of music struck his fancy, including the first recordings of Mahalia Jackson, who would become a friend.


When television became a force in the American home in the early 1950s, Terkel created and hosted "Studs' Place," one of the major jewels in the legendary "Chicago school" of television that also spawned Dave Garroway and Kukla, Fran and Ollie.


It was on "Studs' Place," which was set in a tavern, that large numbers of people discovered what Terkel did best--talk and listen. Terkel, arms waving, words exploding in bursts, leaning close to his talking companions, didn't merely conduct interviews. He engaged in conversations. He was interested in what he was talking about and who he was talking to.


But his TV career did not last. Terkel later complained that the commercialization of television forced his show, and the others in the "Chicago school," from the air. Also, at that time, McCarthyism was a potent force and Terkel was outspoken politically, with a highly liberal tone. "I was blacklisted because I took certain positions on things and never retracted," Terkel once said in an interview about those times. "I signed many petitions that were for unfashionable causes and never retracted."

Worryingly Overconfident

Comic creator Garry Trudeau delivered a series of strips for next week's papers showing his characters reacting to an Obama victory. But he offered no such option in the event of a comeback by John McCain, who's trailing Obama in the polls.

Trudeau's syndicator is offering papers a series of rerun strips from August. But the Obama story line is forcing some editors to question whether "Doonesbury" could put them in a spot -- albeit in the funny pages -- similar to 1948, when the Chicago Daily Tribune infamously declared in huge, front-page type that Republican Thomas Dewey had beaten Democrat Harry Truman for the presidency.

The strip shows three soldiers watching TV and reacting to this announcement: "

And it's official -- Barack Obama has won ... Making him the first
African-American president in history!"

"Hoo-Ah!" one of the soldiers says.

"Son of a gun! What a great, great day! We did it!" another soldier says.

"He's half-white, you know," says a white soldier.

"You must be so proud," responds a soldier, who isn't white.

Reagan's Chief of Staff Endorses Obama

"You know what most Americans I think realized is that you don’t offer a job, let alone the vice presidency, to a person after one job interview. Even at McDonald’s, you’re interviewed three times before you get a job."

Some Thoughts From A GT12 Icon

"I said to my wife, after watching Palin’s debate with Senator Biden, that I could only think of one question that woman might not duck—one she actually might answer, even with enthusiasm. Here’s the question. I have never field-dressed a moose, but—in my deer-hunting days—I have field-dressed deer, and I would have liked to ask the perky Alaskan if the process is more or less the same. (Only a lot bigger!) I could easily imagine Gov. Palin’s eyes brightening; an onslaught of pre-orgasmic winking might have ensued. “Ya know,” she might have begun, “ya just gotta make a big slit from the critter’s brisket to its crotch, and ya gotta reach way the heck up and grab hold of the rectum. Ya can’t let the feces fall out and get all over the meat, ya know. But there’s really nothin’ to it. It’s just a moose—it’s not a Russian, or somethin’!” I think that pretty much covers what the governor might say in answer to that question, except that she probably wouldn’t use the feces word—if ya know what I mean," - novelist John Irving.

The Thomas Hardy For Our Times.

Happy Halloween From Barry O

Psych or Psychedelic?

Or just incompetence?

MCCAIN CAMP: 'DEAD EVEN' IN IOWA

"He has similar polling," Campaign Manager Rick Davis said of Obama during a conference call with reporters. "He's headed back there."


Obama held an event today in Des Moines and will take his daughters trick-or-treating in the Hawkeye State tonight. Iowa borders Obama's home state of Illinois, and Obama skipped an event in the state when he left the trail to visit his ailing grandmother in Hawaii.


A Mason-Dixon poll, conducted Oct. 22-23, showed Obama up 51%-40% in Iowa. A Marist College poll, conducted in the same period, showed Obama up 52%-42%. Research 2000, conducted Oct. 19-22, showed Obama up 54%-39%. There have been no reliable polls in the past week.



You Decide

Gramp's Song?

I've been educating a co-worker about the Genius that was Rod Stewart and came across this clip.

It's Great For A Friday and I think Great For John McCain (even if there is a drum solo)

Where We Could Be

The next group: The candidates vying for the role of cherry on our Chocolate Sundae.

We don't 'need' any of these ...























Where We're At

The Keys To GT12's 286. These are (were?) the most 'in doubt' / 'iffy' states in our prediction.



Please Assess, then relax.























Before There Was Joe The Plumber

Ohio's long history of dumbasses

Where We're At


Some expected tightening maybe, but nothing that puts BHO below 50%.


TPM:

TPM Track Composite: Obama's Lead Edges Up

Here's our daily composite of the six major national tracking polls. The recent tightening in the race appears to have stopped for today, with Obama's lead expanding slightly:


Gallup: Obama 51%, McCain 44%, with a ±2% margin of error, unchanged from yesterday.


Rasmussen: Obama 51%, McCain 46%, with a ±2% margin of error, compared to a 50%-47% Obama lead from yesterday.


ABC/Washington Post: Obama 52%, McCain 44%, with a ±2.5% margin of error, unchanged from yesterday.


Hotline/Diageo: Obama 48%, McCain 42%, with a ±3.3% margin of error, compared to a 49%-42% Obama lead from yesterday.


Research 2000: Obama 50%, McCain 45%, with a ±3% margin of error, compared to a 50%-44% Obama lead yesterday.


Zogby: Obama 50%, McCain 43%, with a ±2.9% margin of error, compared to a 49%-44% Obama lead from yesterday.


Adding these polls together and weighting them by the square roots of their sample sizes, Obama is ahead 50.5%-44.2%, a lead of 6.3 points, compared to the 50.2%-44.4% Obama lead from yesterday.

Good looks help women candidates, men not so much

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Women running for top offices need to appear competent and attractive, according to a new study. For male candidates, seeming competent may be enough.

It's a finding that could help justify heavy spending on makeup and wardrobe for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, while at the same time raising questions about the need for a man like John Edwards to invest in a costly haircut.

"What we found was quite startling," said Joan Y. Chiao of Northwestern University's psychology department.

For male candidates, the only thing that mattered to male voters was competence, while female voters preferred men who seemed both competent and approachable.

But for "female candidates for a hypothetical election for the United States presidency, both male and female voters were more likely to vote for candidates that were both competent and attractive," Chiao said in a telephone interview.

"Neither trait (alone) was sufficient to predict whether a person was going to vote for that candidate," she added. Chiao's findings are being published online by the journal PLoS ONE.

"For female candidates, it really matters if they're perceived as competent and perceived as attractive. Those two qualities are sort of twin predictors of whether or not someone is going to be more or less likely to vote for them," Chiao stressed.

Why?

"There are a lot of potential theories," she said. Most likely may be the way people choose friends and mates.

"There's a lot of talk about voters thinking, in their mind, 'Who would I like to go out for a beer with' when they're evaluating potential candidates. We think that that taps really well into the gut instincts that voters use when they're thinking about who they're going to vote for."

"These gut instincts that we use in mate selection are operating unconsciously in leader selection," she explained. "This is all operating unconsciously, people don't even realize how they're making these decisions," she said.

Past studies have also looked at the effect of attractiveness in politics.

A 2005 study, for example, found that candidates who appeared more mature did better than ones with a baby face. Researchers at that time said maturity helped voters infer competence in the candidate.

So, how did Chiao and her colleagues reach their conclusion?

They collected photos of congressional candidates from 2006 and asked a panel of 73 college students to rate the candidates for competence, dominance, attractiveness and approachability.

None of the students recognized any of the candidates and most had never voted in a real election.

Overall, men tended to be rated more competent than women. Female students rated male candidates as appearing more dominant, while male students saw no difference in dominance.

All the students rated female candidates more attractive than men, and female candidates were rated as more approachable.

Once they had the sets of ratings for the candidates, the researchers divided them into pairs and asked the students to select which one they would be more likely to choose as president.

Their conclusions about the qualities needed to win votes were based on the winners of those hypothetical contests.

So, would these results be the same for adults?

"It's possible older adults, past the stage of romantic partnerships, may show less of a gender bias," Chiao said.

And she said familiarity seems to breed comfort. As more and more women win office, voters tend to become more comfortable choosing them.

---

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID AP Science Writer

Bruce Springsteen posts Halloween song on Web site

Sent from Express News
RUMSON, N.J. - Bruce Springsteen has a Halloween treat for his fans.

The rocker has posted a free download of a new song, "A Night With the Jersey Devil," on his Web site. The song has a blues beat, and Springsteen sings about "16 witches casting 16 spells."

The Associated Press

Joe the Plumber hires Nashville publicity team

Sent from Express News
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Like all good celebrities, Joe the Plumber has hired a publicity team.

The Press Office in Nashville, where clients include rockers Grand Funk Railroad and Eddie Money, will help him handle the flood of interview and appearance requests that have poured in since he was mentioned during a presidential debate and quickly became a household name.

By JOHN GEROME AP Entertainment Writer

Bravo finds more to fashion than `Project Runway'

Sent from Express News
LOS ANGELES - Bravo isn't letting a court battle over "Project Runway" diminish its fashion sense.

The cable channel said Thursday it has ordered a design-competition series called "The Fashion Show," in which viewers pick the winner and the prize includes a retail deal.

The Associated Press

Palin looks past Tuesday to her political future

Sent from Express News
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. - With days still to go in the White House race, backers of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin are talking her up as a possible contender in 2012, speculation that irritates other Republicans who contend she's a drag on the ticket and that her lightweight image - unfair or not - will be hard to shed.

The Alaska governor has done little to quiet the talk. In fact, she fueled the discussion this week when she signaled that she will remain on the national political scene no matter what happens Tuesday. "I'm not doing this for naught," she said in an interview with ABC News.

By BETH FOUHY Associated Press Writer

Agreement in Colo. lawsuit helps purged voters

Sent from Express News
DENVER - Thousands of Colorado residents who had been scratched from voter registration rolls will be allowed to cast ballots on Election Day and their votes will be given special protection to ensure they are counted, following the resolution of a federal lawsuit filed against the state.

Colorado Common Cause and other groups alleged in a lawsuit filed last week that the state illegally removed an estimated 27,000 people from the voter list during the 90 days leading up to the August primary.

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press Writer

Thursday, October 30, 2008

AC/DC's Johnson 'overwhelmed' by CD's success

Sent from Express News
NEW YORK - AC/DC made their new album, "Black Ice," available only at Wal-Mart and through their Web site, but that hasn't limited its success: The CD not only has topped the charts in more than two dozen countries, it debuts atop the latest U.S. album chart with sales of more than 780,000 copies.

"It's overwhelming, and quite hard to take in," the legendary group's lead singer, Brian Johnson, said Wednesday after learning his group had 2008's second-biggest album debut.

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY AP Music Writer

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

What's That Spell

A McCain campaign official is calling Caribou Barbie a 'whack job'.

Is that a mispelling?

If she were a 'wacko', then she'd be a 'wack job'.

If she were the murderer of a campaign then I could see her called a 'whack job'.

I don't think it's a mispelling.

!!! Sent by My Miraculous Wireless Handheld Invented by John McCain !!!

Election sure to change face of Senate

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - One certainty of next Tuesday's ballot will be the elevation of the first sitting senator to the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1961. It also ensures that the Senate is going to see another new face next year in addition to those who win election next week.

Make that two if Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., are the victors.
By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer

Democrat could win House seat once Cheney's

Sent from Express News
CODY, Wyo. - In a conservative town in one of the country's most conservative states, the Democrat running for Vice President Dick Cheney's old House seat isn't having a hard time finding supporters.

"Oh, you have to win, you just have to," says an elderly woman who answers the door as Gary Trauner canvasses a tree-lined block in Cody. "Somebody's got to do something for this country."
By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press Writer

AP EXCLUSIVE: Obama ahead or tied in 8 key states

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama now leads in four states won by President Bush in 2004 and is essentially tied with John McCain in two other Republican red states, according to new AP-GfK battleground polling.

The results help explain why the Democrat is pressing his money and manpower advantages in a slew of traditionally GOP states, hoping not just for a win but a transcendent victory that remakes the nation's political map. McCain is scrambling to defend states where he wouldn't even be campaigning if the race were closer.
BY RON FOURNIER and TREVOR TOMPSON Associated Press Writers

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

McCain struggles for Pa. upset; GOP doubts grow

Sent from Express News
HERSHEY, Pa. - Doubts about John McCain's chances for the presidency grew louder among fellow Republicans on Tuesday as a White House race largely focused on Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania entered its final week.

Even two Republicans once on McCain's short list for vice president sounded skeptical. In a fundraising e-mail on behalf of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Mitt Romney referred to "the very real possibility of an Obama presidency." In the Midwest, Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave a dour assessment of McCain's chances in his state, saying Barack Obama "has a pretty good advantage in Minnesota right now."
By MIKE GLOVER and NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press Writers

Obama jumps on McCain adviser's health remarks

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's presidential campaign claimed Tuesday that comments by a top adviser to John McCain reinforced Obama's contention that millions would be worse off if they lose employer-sponsored health coverage and end up buying it themselves.

McCain wants to change the current income tax treatment of health insurance, treating payments toward health insurance as taxable wages. In exchange, individuals would get a $2,500 tax credit and families would get a $5,000 credit when buying health coverage.
By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press Writer

White-wash

Say what you will about the Catholics (and I do), they take the concept of 'A Culture of Life' seriously. The moral struggle to honor the sanctity of all life is a real one for them. Increasingly Catholics are coming to see that Abortion Rights issue is not the only 'Life' issue. More and more are wieghing the 'murder' of pre-humans with the deaths of post-birth-humans from war, disease, poverty etc. There is no one candidate guaranteeing anywhere near a full effort to achieve the Church's ideal.

In the south, though, Jesus is still just a symbol for Authoritarianism and cultural self-justification.


Obama is outperforming any Democrat back to Jimmy Carter among white voters, getting 45 percent to McCain's 52 percent. But in the South, it is a very different story. Obama fares worse among Southern whites than any Democrat since George McGovern in 1972.

Whites in the East and West tilt narrowly toward Obama (he's up 8 and 7 points, respectively), and the two run about evenly among those in the Midwest. By contrast, Southern whites break more than 2 to 1 for McCain, 65 percent to 32 percent.



Southern Christianism: Still the Choice of 1800's values

Don't Read This

TPM offers easy answer to my question of the day...

We've drawn up a chart comparing the Real Clear Politics averages right now in 13 core battleground states with the RCP averages in the same states from right before the 2004 election.
The results are startling. Obama is currently leading in eight swing states that Bush led in just before Election Day 2004, in several cases by big margins, and he's leading in all of the selected battleground states except for West Virginia. (Take a look Here)

Obama is winning by sizable margins in Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin, all states Bush led in four years ago. He's winning by slimmer margins in

Florida, Missouri, and Nevada, also states where Bush led.
Also noteworthy: In every state but one -- Wisconsin -- the RCP average just before the election was predictive of the final outcome.

And get this: Obama is also competitive, or even winning, in an additional half-dozen states that RCP didn't even bother calculating the average of four years ago. Obama is winning in Virginia and holds a slight edge in North Carolina; he's roughly tied with McCain in Indiana; and he's even within striking distance in Montana and North Dakota.

Rush Makes Sense

Really. But when it comes to making observations about the tone-deaf, history-denying, America-misreading McCain Campaign, almost anyone can come-up with an accurrate observation....

Said Rush Limbaugh on his radio program today:

"I am wondering how many people under 50 actually know what socialism is, and if they do, do they know its bad? It may be taught as something fair and great and something that we should aspire to. I learned its dangers from my parents, my dad started telling me about this when I was nine, I'm trying to remember if I actually learned this in school though. This is not to put down the public school system when I was there, but I don't recall socialism being brought up; communism yes, not socialism."

Less Rahm?

GT12 expressed it's support for Rahm Emanuel as #1 super-cool choice to be appointed Senator if Illinois needs a new one after November 4. And we asked 'If not Rahm, who?

Ambinder, among others, sees Rahm as a strong possibility for Chief Of Staff in an Obama admin (with a lot of 'ifs' attached to things like his willingness to be CoS)....
And, we are told that Jesse Jackson Jr really wants to replace Barry if the Big O moves further down Pennsylvania Ave.


And then There's Jan Schakowsky, from the neighbouring district and a bit of a rising star.








We still like Rahm but concede that the Senate may be a bit too genteel a position for him.

Jan's Fine.

Jesse? A good guy, but is it a shark jump to replace the First Black President with Jesse Jackson's son? Would it look like a particularly Illini way of Cronyism? If he gets the nod does that make BHO's slot appear to become permanently the Senate's 'Black Slot' (Carol Mosley Braun held the seat before losing to Peter Fitzgerald in '98).

Of course, the guy who will make this call, Dem Governor Rod Blagoevich may be in jail anyday now and who knows who he's listening to (though, it should be noted that Rahm is in Rod's old congressional seat...).

Who's Tested?


Rain Defeats Gramps While Barry Adjusts

As McCain Cancels, Obama Rallies
CHESTER, PA - Dressed in blue jeans and a black jacket, Barack Obama braved the cold rain falling in Pennsylvania, and held his scheduled rally - outdoors. “A little bit of rain never hurt anybody,” he quipped to the 9,000 who showed up in ponchos and futilely holding umbrellas.


Just an hour away in Quakertown, the rival ticket cancelled their own outdoor rally due to the same poor weather conditions that the Democrat embraced.
“I just want all of you to know if we see this kind of dedication on election day – there is no way that we’re not going to bring change to America,” he said as the soggy crowd cheered.

Obama delivered his “closing argument” speech in full - even though his teleprompter seemed to give out midway due to the rain.

Enough!

Choosing Hope Over Fear

More from TPM

Poll: Obama Now Leading McCain In Red Swing States

Here's a stunning finding buried in the new Pew poll: Barack Obama is now narrowly leading John McCain among voters in the 10 battleground states that voted for George W. Bush in 2004.

The poll finds that among those voters, Obama is now up 47%-43%, which is within the margin of error, but still noteworthy. In the past few weeks Obama has steadily gained, and now passed, McCain among these voters.

A week ago, according to the poll's internals, McCain led among these red battleground state voters by seven points, 49%-42%. Two weeks ago McCain led among them by 10 points, 51%-41%.

Separately, the poll also finds that Obama is leading McCain by 16 points (52%-36%) among registered voters overall, and by 19 points (53%-34%) among the 15% of respondents who say they've already voted.

Obama Campaign Will Not Accept Fox News Bullshit

My guess is the same will be true of an Obama Administration

What We're Looking For

Because we're Dems and we know that we could blow this at any time ....

Nate Silver helps identify how we can know for sure that we might be screwing the pooch once again:

In order to conclude the Electoral College has tightened to the point where the outcome on November 4 is at least moderately uncertain, I would want to see the following between now and the election. Call it the 2/2/2 condition:

John McCain polling within 2 points in 2 or more non-partisan polls (sorry, Strategic Vision) in at least 2 out of the 3 following states: Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania.



None of which has happened YET.

Palin '12 Watch

Look over to the right to see how early GT12 started viewing Gramp's campaign as really just the first part of the Palin '12 Primary campaign....

Now evvvverybody says it....

Just saying.

They're Busy In Ohio (I Guess)

Too busy to stop by and hear from Gramps anyway

This is from McCain's Rally in Kettering Ohio yesterday (near Dayton, Near where McC introduced his running mate to the world)

Be Scared

John Oliver has difficulty maintaining even the Daily Show's level of objectivity in the face of America's easiest targets

Bad Signs

Republican National Committee now running ads in Montana, where Bush by 20 points in 04

And in Gramps' home state ....

Rasmussen: Arizona: McCain 51%, Obama 46%.

At the end of September it was McCain 59%, Obama 38%.

We Love Joe

Don't Ever Say Anything Bad About Biden


--- BTW --- This 'Newscaster', who's usual 'beat' is health issues, is the spouse of a Republican consultant

They've Had Enough - In Indiana

TPM

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.


Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

"They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day."

The Closing Argument

Only the deaf, blind or foolish are immune ...

With visits and money, Obama narrows race in Mont.

Sent from Express News
HELENA, Mont. - Republican John McCain has history on his side in Montana; Democrat Barack Obama has 19 campaign offices.

Montana is typically safe territory for Republican presidential candidates - President Bush won the state by about 20 points in both 2000 and 2004, and only two Democratic presidential candidates have carried the state since 1948.
By MATT GOURAS Associated Press Writer

Monday, October 27, 2008

FACT CHECK: McCain persists in exaggerations

Sent from Express News
NEW YORK - A week from the presidential election, Republican John McCain is persisting in exaggerating and misrepresenting rival Barack Obama's tax and health-care plans.

In his latest campaign stump speech, McCain portrays himself as a time-tested warrior who will fight passionately for the middle class as president. "These are hard times," he proclaims, promising to enact policies that will create new jobs, help people stay in their homes, and protect their retirement accounts.
By BETH FOUHY Associated Press Writer

Sen. Stevens guilty on all counts, career in peril

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted of seven corruption charges Monday in a trial that threatened to end the 40-year career of Alaska's political patriarch in disgrace. The verdict, coming barely a week before Election Day, increased Stevens' difficulty in winning what already was a difficult race against Democratic challenger Mark Begich. Democrats hope to seize the once reliably Republican seat as part of their bid for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Stevens, 84, was convicted of all the felony charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating last week.
By MATT APUZZO and JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press Writers

Assassination plot targeting Obama disrupted

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Law enforcement agents have broken up a plot by two neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 88 black people, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives said Monday.

In court records unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn., federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school in a murder spree that was to begin in Tennessee. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.
By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer

Chuck Who?

MSNBC puts BHO at 286...GT12's months-old prediction

!!! Sent by My Miraculous Wireless Handheld Invented by John McCain !!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Fla. woman grows dreads to nearly 9 feet

Someone needs to see Stacey and Clinton.

Sent from Express News
MIAMI - Asha Mandela has hair that could rival Rapunzel's. The South Florida woman who started growing her hair 20 years ago now has locks longer than she is tall.

Mandela has submitted her hair, which measure 8 feet 9 inches long, to the Guinness Book of World Records for the Longest Dreadlocks, the first entry in a new category.
The Associated Press

Obama stirs up supporters in Colorado

People wanna see the next president...

Sent from Express News
DENVER - Roaring toward the finish, Barack Obama presided Sunday over two Colorado rallies that together drew about 150,000 people, a startling turnout in a key swing state.

In Denver, the city where he claimed his historic presidential nomination, Obama stepped on stage and seemed surprised at his own following. He saw an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 people - the largest U.S. rally to date in an Obama campaign full of them.
By BEN FELLER Associated Press Writer

Alaska's largest newspaper endorses Obama

They know Sarah.

Sent from Express News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Sunday after declaring Gov. Sarah Palin "too risky" to be one step away from the Oval Office.

"Like picking (Republican presidential candidate John) McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time," The Daily News said.
The Associated Press

Calif. woman allegedly abducts dog over barking

A warning for Lily....

Sent from Express News
HEMET, Calif. - An officer at a San Diego County correctional facility who had complained about the barking of her neighbor's dog was arrested after being accused of stealing the animal and abandoning it some 15 miles away.

Diane M. Brown, 42, was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property, Hemet police Sgt. Kevin Caskey said. She was booked Thursday and released on $5,000 bond.
The Associated Press

Colo. couple get marijuana with order of tacos

Sent from Express News
LAKEWOOD, Colo. - A Colorado couple found an unusual topping on their order of tacos: a small bag of marijuana.

They discovered the drugs with their order from a Del Taco restaurant and called police, said Lakewood police spokesman Steve Davis.
The Associated Press

Former Grateful Dead keyboardist Saunders dies

Sent from Express News
SAN FRANCISCO - Merl Saunders, a jazz and rock keyboardist who collaborated with iconic acts including Miles Davis and the Grateful Dead, has died. He was 74.

Saunders died Friday at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco of complications due to a stroke, said his son, Merl Saunders Jr.
The Associated Press

Report: Iranian president has fallen ill

Sent from Express News
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fallen ill due to exhaustion brought on by his heavy workload, the state-run news agency reported quoting a close associate.

The announcement comes as doubts have surfaced over whether Ahmadinejad, who faces strong criticism from opponents, will seek re-election next year.
By NASSER KARIMI Associated Press Writer

Pennsylvania GOP disavows inflammatory e-mail

Sent from Express News
PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania Republicans are disavowing an e-mail sent to Jewish voters that likens a vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to events that led up to the Holocaust.

"Jewish Americans cannot afford to make the wrong decision on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008," the e-mail reads. "Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in the 1930s and 1940s and made a tragic mistake. Let's not make a similar one this year!"
By RON TODT Associated Press Writer

More questions about voting roil Indiana county

Sent from Express News
CROWN POINT, Ind. - An Indiana county still recovering from a primary night black eye is embroiled in a new election-year drama that could determine whether Democrats win Indiana's presidential contest for the first time in more than four decades.

Weeks after questions arose over suspect voter registrations, a Republican lawsuit seeks to close early voting sites in three heavily Democratic Lake County cities: Gary, East Chicago and Hammond. Democrats say the GOP is trying to suppress minority voting. Four judges have already weighed in on the case, which is headed to the state's Court of Appeals.
By TOM COYNE Associated Press Writer

Young voters could rock the polls this year

Sent from Express News
CHICAGO - There's always talk about the impact young voters could have in choosing the next president. But this truly could be a breakout year for them.

Among the factors: nearly 2-to-1 support for Barack Obama among 18- to 29-year-olds and a seasoned get-out-the-vote effort that has seen young voter participation steadily rising since 2000.

By MARTHA IRVINE AP National Writer

Saturday, October 25, 2008

WHY?!?!?!?!!??????

We're watching Coldplay on SNL... Just plain stupid.

!!! Sent by My Miraculous Wireless Handheld Invented by John McCain !!!

Obama to campaign for first time with Bill Clinton

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will campaign for the first time alongside former President Bill Clinton at a rally next week in Orlando, Fla.

The two will appear together Wednesday in the perennial battleground state, Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
The Associated Press

Biden a reliable running mate amid the stumbles

I have yet to see one real 'stumble'... This week's 'gaffe' was simply a statement of fact ... Every new president gets tested. Bush in fact was dealing with airplanes flting into Chinese airspace just weeks after taking office.

What the pundits have not been able to grasp, I think, is that BHO has made the sale that he's the guy people want in that situation, not the erratic 'old hand' McCain. I think Joe knows this though.

But of course, I love Joe...

Sent from Express News
WASHINGTON - Joe Biden's performance as Barack Obama's running mate has been pretty predictable - even when unpredictable.

The biggest knock against Biden during discussions on whether he would make a good vice presidential nominee was that his mouth tends to get him in trouble. And it has, with Biden recently raising the expectation that Obama would be tested by an international crisis soon after taking office - a comment that Obama said showed Biden's penchant for "rhetorical flourish."

By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press Writer

AP INVESTIGATION: Palin pipeline terms curbed bids

Sent from Express News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin's signature accomplishment - a contract to build a 1,715-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from Alaska to the Lower 48 - emerged from a flawed bidding process that narrowed the field to a company with ties to her administration, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Beginning at the Republican National Convention in August, the McCain-Palin ticket has touted the pipeline as an example of how it would help America achieve energy independence.

"We're building a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which is North America's largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever, to flow those sources of energy into hungry markets," Palin said during the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate.

Despite Palin's boast of a smart and fair bidding process, the AP found that her team crafted terms that favored only a few independent pipeline companies and ultimately benefited the winner, TransCanada Corp.

And contrary to the ballyhoo, there's no guarantee the pipeline will ever be built; at a minimum, any project is years away, as TransCanada must first overcome major financial and regulatory hurdles.

In interviews and a review of records, the AP found:

-Instead of creating a process that would attract many potential builders, Palin slanted the terms away from an important group - the global energy giants that own the rights to the gas.

-Despite promises and legal guidance not to talk directly with potential bidders, Palin had meetings or phone calls with nearly every major candidate, including TransCanada.

-The leader of Palin's pipeline team had been a partner at a lobbying firm where she worked on behalf of a TransCanada subsidiary. Also, that woman's former business partner at the lobbying firm was TransCanada's lead private lobbyist on the pipeline deal, interacting with legislators in the weeks before the vote to grant TransCanada the contract. Plus, a former TransCanada executive served as an outside consultant to Palin's pipeline team.

-Under a different set of rules four years earlier, TransCanada had offered to build the pipeline without a state subsidy; under Palin, the company could receive a maximum $500 million.

"Governor Palin held firmly to her fundamental belief that Alaska could best serve Alaskans and the nation's interests by pursuing a competitive approach to building a natural gas pipeline," said McCain-Palin spokesman Taylor Griffin. "There was an open and transparent process that subjected the decision to extensive public scrutiny and due diligence."

---

ONLY ONE VIABLE BIDDER

There were never more than a few players that could execute such a complex undertaking - at least a million tons of steel stretching across some of Earth's most hostile and remote terrain.

TransCanada estimates it will cost $26 billion; Palin's consultants estimate nearly $40 billion.

The pipeline would run from Alaska's North Slope to Alberta in Canada; secondary supply lines would take the gas to various points in the United States and Canada. The pipeline would carry 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, about 8 percent of the present U.S. market.

Building such a pipeline had been a dream for decades. The rising cost and demand for energy injected new urgency into the proposal.

So too did the depletion of Alaska's long-reliable reserves of oil, which are trapped in the same Arctic Circle reservoirs as clean-burning natural gas. Not only does that oil provide jobs, it pays for an annual dividend check to nearly every Alaska resident. This year's payment was $2,069, 25 percent higher than 2007 - plus a $1,200 bonus rebate to help offset higher energy costs.

Palin was elected as governor two years ago in part because of her populist appeal. Promising "New Energy for Alaska," she vowed to take on Exxon Mobil Corp., ConocoPhillips and BP, the multinational energy companies that long dominated the state's biggest industry.

Oil interests were particularly unpopular at that moment: Federal agents had recently raided the offices of six lawmakers in a Justice Department investigation into whether an Alaska oil services company paid bribes in exchange for promoting a new taxing formula that would ultimately further the multinationals' pipeline plans.

Palin ousted fellow Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, who pushed a pipeline deal he negotiated in secret with the "Big Three" energy companies. That deal went nowhere.

With Alaskans eager for progress and sour on Big Oil, Palin tackled the pipeline issue with gusto, meeting with representatives from all sides and assembling her own team of experts to draw up terms.

Palin invited bidders to submit applications and offered the multimillion-dollar subsidy. Members of Palin's team say that without the incentive, it might not have received any bids for the risky undertaking.

---

TIES THAT BIND

Palin's team was led by Marty Rutherford, a widely respected energy specialist who entered the upper levels of state government nearly 20 years ago. Rutherford solidified her status when, in 2005, she joined an exodus of Department of Natural Resources staff who felt Murkowski was selling out to the oil giants.

What the Palin administration didn't tell legislators - and neglected to mention in its announcement of Rutherford's appointment - was that in 2003, Rutherford left public service and worked for 10 months at the Anchorage-based Jade North lobbying firm. There she did $40,200 worth of work for Foothills Pipe Lines Alaska, Inc., a subsidiary of TransCanada.

Foothills Pipe Lines Alaska Inc. paid Rutherford for expertise on topics including state legislation and funding related to gas commercialization, according to her 2003 lobbyist registration statement.

Palin has said she wasn't bothered by that past work because it had occurred several years before. But Rutherford wouldn't have passed her new boss' own standards: Under ethics reforms the governor pushed through, Rutherford would have had to wait a year to jump from government service to a lobbying firm.

Rutherford also has downplayed her work for Foothills.

"I did a couple of projects for them, small projects," she told a state Senate committee examining the TransCanada bid earlier this year. While a partner, Rutherford said, she "realized that my heart was not in the private sector, it was in the public sector, and I sold out for the same amount of money I bought in for."

At one point, Palin's pipeline team debated Rutherford's role, but concluded there was no problem.

"We were looking at it in terms of is this an actual conflict or is there the appearance of impropriety of Marty's participation," said Pat Galvin, the commissioner of the Revenue Department and another top team member. "It was determined that there was none, and so we moved forward."

Patricia Bielawski, Rutherford's former partner at Jade North, spent last summer in Juneau, the state capital, serving as TransCanada's lead private lobbyist on the pipeline deal. While the Legislature debated - and ultimately approved - the TransCanada deal, Bielawski met with lawmakers and sat in on the public proceedings, several legislators said.

Bielawski told AP earlier this month that Rutherford's employment at her firm was irrelevant. She said Rutherford never directly lobbied the Legislature for Foothills, and that Rutherford broke no rules based on 2003 state ethics guidelines.

"There's no statutory or regulatory prohibition that extends to things that many years ago," Bielawski said. "So there's no issue."

But others say it's a legitimate question.

"I'm not saying someone's getting paid off for a sweetheart contract, but it's very hard to ignore that this is your former partner and your former client standing there before you," said Republican Sen. Lyda Green, a Palin critic who in August was among the handful of lawmakers who voted against awarding TransCanada the license. "Every time it was mentioned to the governor or to the commission, it was like, 'How could you question such a wonderful person?'"

Tony Palmer, the TransCanada vice president who leads the company's Alaska gas pipeline effort, rejects the suggestion that his company benefited.

"We have gained clearly no advantage from anything that Ms. Rutherford did for Foothills some five years ago on a very much unrelated topic," he said.

Rutherford did not respond to interview requests made directly to her and through the governor's office. But Griffin, the spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said Rutherford "had no decision-making role or authority," and contended that such matters were handled by others on the Palin pipeline team.

TransCanada also had a connection to the team hired by the Palin administration to analyze the bid. Patrick Anderson, a former TransCanada executive, served as an outside consultant and ultimately helped the state conclude that TransCanada's technical solution for shipping gas through freezing temperatures would work.

---

NARROW SET OF RULES

In January 2007, Palin spoke the first of at least two times to Vice President Dick Cheney, the Bush administration's point person on energy issues, according to calendars obtained by the AP through a public records request. Cheney's staff pressed the Palin administration to draw in the energy companies, said current and former state officials involved in those discussions.

As the governor's approach unfolded in the spring of 2007, there were signs it was skewed in a different direction.

Palin said she saw problems if the firms that own the gas also owned the pipeline. They could manipulate the market or charge prohibitive fees to smaller exploration firms, discouraging competition.

Several important requirements in the legislation were unpalatable to the big oil companies. In the talks under Murkowski, the firms asked that the rates for the gas production tax and royalties be fixed for 45 years; Palin refused to consider setting rates for that long.

Under the Palin process, the pipeline firms had an advantage because they simply pass along taxes paid by oil and gas producers.

Oil company officials warned lawmakers they wouldn't participate under those terms. Still, in a near unanimous vote, the Legislature passed the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act in May 2007, generally as written by Palin's pipeline team.

Once the state issued its request for proposals on July 2, 2007, the level of communication between the government and potential bidders was supposed to decrease drastically, so that no one would be accused of gaining unfair advantage. State lawyers advised public officials to keep their distance, and bidders were told to submit questions on a Web site where answers could be seen by all.

Several of the state's gas line team members interviewed by AP said they had no contact with possible bidders. But Palin had conversations with executives at most of the major potential bidders during that period, according to her calendars.

While the calendars don't detail what was discussed, the documents indicate that the pipeline was the subject of the discussions, or that the conversations occurred immediately after a briefing with Palin's pipeline team.

When she was in Michigan for a National Governors Association summit in late July 2007, Palin and her team met executives from Williams Co., a pipeline builder that ended up not bidding.

"The purpose of the meeting was to more fully understand the details of the project, which we were still evaluating at the time," company spokeswoman Julie Gentz said in a statement.

TransCanada's Palmer described communication with state officials as nonexistent.

According to the governor's official schedule, however, Palin called TransCanada President and CEO Hal Kvisle on Aug. 8, 2007. Asked about that call, Palmer said it was to clarify the bidding process.

Griffin said that in keeping with legal guidance, Palin never spoke in any of the meetings about the competitive bidding process.

By the Nov. 30 submission deadline, there were five applications. But the state disqualified four for failing to satisfy the bill's requirements.

That left TransCanada.

The Canadian giant had been pursuing an Alaska pipeline since at least 2004, when the company negotiated a deal with Rutherford that the state ended up shelving. While the details remain confidential, six people familiar with the terms told the AP that TransCanada was willing to do the work then without the large state subsidy.

In testimony this July before the state Senate, Rutherford herself confirmed such a willingness, but described the 2004 deal as presenting a different set of trade-offs. A state lawyer warned her not to say more, lest she violate a confidentiality agreement.

Others who reviewed the deal think much of the $500 million will be wasted money.

"Most definitely TransCanada got a sweetheart deal this time," said Republican Sen. Bert Stedman, who voted against the TransCanada license. "Where else could you get a $500 million reimbursement when you don't even have the financing to build the pipeline?"

---

Associated Press writer Brett J. Blackledge contributed to this report.

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD and GARANCE BURKE Associated Press Writers

Friday, October 24, 2008


Hat Tip To Tom Of Austin:

Who's Most Popular?

Editor & Publisher:

FRIDAY: Updated Endorsement Tally--Obama Leads 134-52, Picks up 'NYT' and 'Philly Daily News'

NEW YORK (Updated Friday) The Obama-Biden ticket maintains its strong lead in the race for daily newspaper endorsements, by 134 to 52, an almost 3-1 margin and an even wider spread in the circulation of those papers (see full tally below). ...

At least 28 papers have now switched to Obama from Bush in 2004, with just four flipping to McCain

The Arizona Republic in McCain's home state, a GOP-leaning paper, has not yet endorsed, which might be interesting.

Tracking Into The Weekend

All above 50%

via TPM:

Gallup: Obama 51%, McCain 44%, with a ±2% margin of error, compared to a 51%-45% Obama lead yesterday.

Rasmussen: Obama 52%, McCain 45%, with a ±2% margin of error, unchanged from yesterday.

ABC/Washington Post: Obama 53%, McCain 44%, with a ±3% margin of error, compared to a 54%-43% Obama lead from yesterday.

Hotline/Diageo: Obama 50%, McCain 43%, with a ±3.4% margin of error, compared to a 48%-43% Obama lead from yesterday.

Research 2000: Obama 52%, McCain 40%, with a ±3% margin of error, compared to a 51%-41% Obama lead from yesterday.

Zogby: Obama 51%, McCain 41%, with a ±2.9% margin of error, compared to a 52%-40% Obama lead yesterday.

Adding these polls together and weighting them by the square roots of their sample sizes, Obama is ahead 51.6%-43.1%, a lead of 8.5 points, compared to the 51.5%-43.1% Obama lead from yesterday (8.4%).

If Sarah Ruled The World


A Super-Fun Interactive Site for y'all. you betcha bless yer hearts!

Bail Outtahere!

McCain's own Team members now endorsing Obama:

Ouch ... That Stings

Conservative legal scholar and Reagan Solicitor General Charles Fried, who just endorsed Obama, isn't just a Republican. He's actually one of McCain's campaign advisors.

Before they cycle down the memory hole, here's Fried on McCain's Honest and Open Election Committee and Justice Advisory Committee.
Key to his decision was McCain's "choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis."

Karl Rove: Obama Supporter

News Hounds

“James Carville once famously referred to Pennsylvania as Pittsburgh on the west, Philadelphia on the east and Alabama in between. I think that was his way of sort of mimicking what John Murtha said. But it's a conservative part of the state. And then if you take the far southwestern corner, over there near Pittsburgh and the suburbs, that's coal country and that's the kind of people who really do cling to their guns and their faith.”

- Karl Rove, on last night's Hannity & Colmes.

So Who Is Michele Bachmann?

Consorting With Dictators Who Torture Without Preconditions


McCain Met With Pinochet

Huffington Post: "John McCain, who has harshly criticized the idea of sitting down with dictators without pre-conditions, appears to have done just that. In 1985, McCain traveled to Chile for a friendly meeting with Chile's military ruler, General Augusto Pinochet, one of the world's most notorious violators of human rights credited with killing more than 3,000 civilians and jailing tens of thousands of others. The private meeting between McCain and Pinochet has gone previously un-reported anywhere by the U.S. media."

Christianists Having A Bad Season

Not A Year for Fools

Poll: Bachmann now trails Democratic challenger
Michelle Bachmann has had better weeks.
It was just last Friday that Bachmann, a Republican Congresswoman from Minnesota, went on MSNBC's "Hardball" and made some inflammatory comments that brought her to national attention, ...

Since then, Bachmann's Democratic challenger, Elwyn Tinklenberg, has raised at least $1 million, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee kicked in another $1 million worth of advertising. Meanwhile, the DCCC's Republican counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, abandoned Bachmann, scrapping plans for an advertising buy in her district.

Now, a new poll just out from SurveyUSA seems to indicate that all this has badly hurt Bachmann's chances for re-election. Though George W. Bush captured 57 percent of the vote in her district in 2004, and though she was originally elected with 50 percent and should be expected to expand on that now that she's an incumbent, SurveyUSA says she's actually trailing Tinklenberg right now. Forty-seven percent of respondents said they'd vote for the Democrat if the election were held today...


Also jettisoned: Awful Colorado Homophobe Jesus Jumper Marilyn Musgrave

RNC Abandons Three House Districts
The NRCC has abandoned .... Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04, PVI R+9),

Under the motto: "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't" The NRCC has a problem on its hands. The social conservatives have lashed out at the NRCC for dropping Musgrave and Bachmann ... The NRCC sees this as a triage operation: abandon hopeless causes irrespective of ideology to try to save more moderate Republicans who have a chance. nnnn

Clearly, It's A Family Trait

Gramp's brother doesn't understand reason for 911 service, and gets quite upset when they can't help him .....

Librul Eleets Find What They're Looking For

Political Wire:

NPR Poll: Obama Crushing McCain in Battleground

The latest NPR Poll shows Sen. Barack Obama holds an 11-point lead across 15 battleground states, 52% to 41%. This represents a 15-point swing since 2004 when President Bush carried this states by 4 points.

Key finding: Obama now holds a 12-point lead among independent voters in these swing states.

The battleground states included in this sample are Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Obama says grandmother may not see Election Day

Sent from Express News
HONOLULU - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he's not sure his gravely ill grandmother will live to see Election Day.

Obama flew to Hawaii to visit Madelyn Dunham, 85, who helped raise Obama. The Illinois senator said he left the campaign trail with less than two weeks remaining before the election because his grandmother is ill but alert. Her brother has said she recently fell and broke a hip.

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS Associated Press Writer

+ $23,500

The difference between the cost of Sarah's wardrobe and Joe The Plumber's House

$11,400

The Amount of money paid to stylists for Sarah Palin during the first two weeks of October.

This makes her stylist the highest paid member of the McCain Campaign

As Mavericky As Any Chicago Pol

Sarah Sarah Sarah .....

The LA Times' Charles Piller took a closer look at Palin's approach to government, though, and found the kind of cronyism that would even make Bush blush.

* More than 100 appointments to state posts -- nearly 1 in 4 -- went to campaign contributors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.... Palin filled 16 state offices with appointees from families that donated $2,000 to $5,600 and were among her top political patrons.

* Several of Palin's leading campaign donors received state-subsidized industrial development loans of up to $3.6 million for business ventures of questionable public value.

* Palin picked a donor to replace the public safety commissioner she fired. But the new top cop had to resign days later under an ethics cloud. And Palin drew a formal ethics complaint still pending against her and several aides for allegedly helping another donor and fundraiser land a state job.

Most new governors install friends and supporters in state jobs. But Alaska historians say some of Palin's appointees were less qualified than those of her Republican and Democratic predecessors.

Terrence Cole, an Alaska political historian, said Palin showed "a disrespect for experience," picking donors and friends for key government positions they had no business filling.

My personal favorite: "Franci Havemeister, one of several of Palin's childhood friends tapped for leadership jobs, heads the state agriculture division. A former real estate agent, she was ridiculed in Alaska after it was reported that she had cited among her qualifications for the job a childhood love of cows."

All War, All The Time

"Let me assure you of this," [Republican William Grayson, hedge fund President, former general counsel for the San Francisco Republican Central Committee and McCain representative said after the student presentation on foreign policy.

"The next president, whether it is Senator Obama or John McCain, will go to war, and he will go to war with Iran.

The Wassila Project

Some guys are looking into Sarah's Homespun roots and finding rot

Sarah as fiscal teenager



Sarah as the First Christian Mayor

John McCain Is Running Against A Democrat and A Black One To Boot

This is what I tell myself everytime I think that the election is in the bag.

Opie, Fonzi and Sheriff Andy Want To Talk To You

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

SarahTina ... For The Last Time?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

McCain has terse response on Palin shopping spree

Sent from Express News
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Presidential candidate John McCain isn't happy about having to explain why the Republican Party has had to buy running mate Sarah Palin $150,000 in clothes, hair styling and accessories.

McCain was asked several questions on Thursday about the shopping spree - and he answered each one more or less the same way: Palin needed clothes and they'll be donated to charity.

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press Writer

McCain will depart from election-night tradition

A winner does not skip his own victory party. Gramps so unstable that he's already conceding and not at all honorably.

QED

Sent from Express News
NEW YORK - Republican John McCain is not going to make his election night remarks in the traditional style - at a podium standing in front of a sea of campaign workers jammed into a hotel ballroom.

Oh, the throng of supporters will hold the usual election night party at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix on the evening of Nov. 4.
By BETH FOUHY Associated Press Writer

Guns N' Roses to finally release `Democracy' album

One can just imagine how fresh an album 17 years in the making will sound.....

Sent from Express News
NEW YORK - After years of delay, Guns N' Roses is finally releasing "Chinese Democracy."

Geffen Records has announced that the band's eagerly awaited album will be released Nov. 23 at Best Buy stores and the retail chain's Web site.
The Associated Press

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Shatner upset Takei didn't invite him to wedding

Sent from Express News
LOS ANGELES - William Shatner is setting his phaser to stun against his old "Star Trek" co-star George Takei. In a video posted on Shatner's Web site Wednesday, he lashed out at Takei for not inviting him to his wedding last month.

The 77-year-old Kirk said Takei, who played Enterprise helmsman Sulu, apparently harbors a grudge against him that kept him from being invited to Takei's nuptials.
The Associated Press

Must Have Been Thinking About Cindy ...

Gramps sez the 'C' word

Forgotten

What Am I Missing?



Why Is John McCain Spending Time in PA?

Why is Ed Rendell still asking for more help from the BHO Campaign?

Poll Stuff

Huge Gains in NBC/WSJ Poll

Obama has opened up his biggest lead over McCain in the NBC/WSJ poll, 52%-42%, which is up four points from his lead two weeks ago. ... 56% say they are either “optimistic or confident” or “satisfied and hopeful” that Obama would do a good job as president; only 44% say that of McCain. And now 55% believe that Obama shares their background and values, which isn’t far off from the 57% who believe the same about McCain. Obama never had to best McCain in these categories; he just had to meet a certain threshold with voters, which he has seemed to accomplish in our poll.

[McCain] trails Obama [among independent voters] by 12 points, 49%-37%. What's striking (and ironic) is that McCain's political brand has been forged by his stature with independents -- and it's what always made him the strongest Republican to run in this cycle. ... As NBC/WSJ co-pollster Peter Hart (D) puts it, “If you don’t win the middle in America, you don’t win the election.” If there is an upside to McCain's focus on the base, it's that it may prevent any electoral landslide.

[Palin's] numbers have plummeted in our poll. For the first time, she has a net-negative fav/unfav rating (38%-47%), the only principal to carry that distinction. What's more, 55% think she's unqualified to serve as president if the need arises, which is a troublesome number given McCain's age. (Have worries about McCain's age risen because of Palin? Seems to be the case). In fact, her qualifications to be president rank as voters’ top concern about a McCain presidency -- ahead of continuing Bush’s policies. (Who would have ever thought that Palin would be a bigger problem for McCain than Bush would?) And while inexperience turns out to be voters’ top concern about an Obama presidency, it’s probably not helpful to the McCain camp that inexperience is now a liability for its ticket, too. If these poll numbers weren’t bad enough for Palin, now comes a Politico report noting that the RNC spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize her at high-end stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue -- a story that could further add to the perception that Palin isn’t a serious candidate


McClatchy show BHO winning on taxes and Family Values

On taxes, for example, likely voters now prefer Obama over McCain by a margin of 8 percentage points. This is despite a concerted effort by McCain and running mate Sarah Palin to cast Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal who'd raise taxes on ordinary folks such as Joe the Plumber, an Ohio man whom McCain cited repeatedly in the last debate and since then in ads and on the campaign trail.

On family values, a subject Republicans have used to court Christian conservatives and suburban moderates since the 1980s, likely voters now prefer Obama over McCain by 8 points. That's up from 3 points in mid-September...

Likely voters still prefer McCain over Obama on the issues of national security and foreign policy. However, McCain's advantage on national security, 12 percentage points, had narrowed sharply from the 23- to 28-point edge he'd had in weekly Ipsos/McClatchy polls since Labor Day.


Yesterday there was some talk of the polls tightening. 538 notes:
What we may have witnessed is some sort of dead cat bounce for John McCain. One possibility is that, as more voters are taking advantage of early voting windows across the country, the pollsters are finding that some voters whom they considered "unlikely" voters have in fact turned out to vote. Zogby gives Obama a 21-point lead nationwide among people who have already voted, and SurveyUSA and Civitas peg his advantage among early voters in North Carolina at around 20 and 30 points, respectively.

Miller-Russertization

TPM prefers the term 'Tire Swing", (I can't explain what it means) when talking about the press's failure to actually report on who John McCain is.

I give it a name to honor of the two biggest frauds of the MSM: Tim Russert and Judy Miller.

A Sullivan reader sums it up nicely, whatever you want to call it:


Everything we believe about McCain--at least those of us who live too far from the Beltway to have any first-hand knowledge of its fabulous inhabitants--came to us through the glowing words of infatuated reporters.

The maverick, the last decent Republican, the reformer's reformer, the war hero--all reflect a truth that is less than complete, a construct largely created by journalists and based on little more than camaraderie (certainly not on much actual research). They were on the whole flattered into it over drinks by McCain and his surrogates.

As it turns out, even those flashes of biographical fact included in most of this reportage do not in themselves tell a true story, or at least not the whole story; the John McCain we have seen in this campaign is, alas, probably the man he has always been.

In any case, his scribes cannot expose the myth of McCain without exposing their own vanity and gullibility, their pride in having been intimates of a Very Important Man. The best of McCain, however fictional, is the best of themselves as well.