What to look for tomorrow night

Reuters, of all publications, has a nice piece out today about what to look for tomorrow night between McCain and Obama.

"Some of the earliest returns in Tuesday's U.S. presidential election could provide big clues about the outcome. Trends in the race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain could become clear soon after the first polls begin to close at 6 p.m. EST in Indiana.

Obama and McCain are locked in a surprisingly tight duel in Indiana, a Midwestern state that has voted Republican in every White House race since 1964. A breakthrough win for Obama, or even a neck-and-neck struggle, would be an encouraging sign of broad strength for the senator from neighboring Illinois.

But if McCain appears to be cruising to a relatively easy win in Indiana it could signal trouble for Obama, who is challenging McCain in about a dozen states won in 2004 by Republican President George W. Bush. The first public sign of Democrat John Kerry's loss in 2004 came from a worse-than-expected 20-point blowout in Indiana.

"If Obama wins Indiana, the election is over," Democratic consultant Doug Schoen said. "Even if it's close, within 2 or 3 points, it probably suggests a big Obama win nationally. If it's more than 4 points for McCain, it's going to be wait and see for a while."

The next round of tests is at 7 p.m. EST when voting ends in Georgia, parts of Florida and the battleground state of Virginia -- another place where Democrats have not won a presidential vote since 1964 but have made gains in recent statewide races.

"If Obama wins Virginia by a decisive margin, it's a pretty strong suggestion he's going to win the election," Schoen said. "If McCain wins by more than a few points that could suggest movement toward him."

At 7:30 p.m. EST, polls close in the states of Ohio and North Carolina.

By 8 p.m. EST, all polls in Florida will be closed. Florida's 27 electoral votes and Ohio's 20 electoral votes are two of the biggest prizes still up for grabs on Tuesday.

The bottom line...MCCAIN MUST WIN THEM ALL."

There is only 1 day until the presidential election. There are 77 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 23 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Happy Halloween

Here's the latest from Dick Morris about shifting support among the youth and the elderly. Apparently, McCain is quickly closing the gap. But will he have enough time? Catch more of what Morris has to say at www.dickmorris.com.

"A massive shift in younger and older voters is roiling the presidential race according to new data from the Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll concluded October 28-29. Younger voters -- under 45 -- once Obama's base, now are evenly divided between the two candidates. But voters over 65 have shifted sharply to the Democrat in the past week.

Voters under 45 supported Obama by 52-38 in the Fox News poll of October 21-22. But this week's survey indicates that they now break evenly with 45% supporting Obama and 46% backing McCain. On the other hand, voters 65 and over, who had backed Obama by 46-42 last week have now shifted decisively in his favor and he now leads McCain among seniors by 54-39. Middle aged voters -- aged 45-64 -- are largely unchanged in their views. Last week they backed Obama by 48-40 and this week they still support him by 48-43.

Overall, the Fox News survey shows McCain narrowing Obama's lead from 49-40 (9 points) to 47-44 (3 points) over the past week.

The shift in the attitudes of young people may be directly related to the tax issue, brought home by a McCain advertisement featuring Joe the Plumber. Younger voters, trying to make their way in their careers, are more sensitive to changes in taxes than older people, many of whom has retired from the labor force. By attacking Obama for wanting to "spread the wealth around", the McCain camp seems to have struck a nerve among those who are entering the most productive years of their employment history.

On the other hand, seniors may be more comfortable with Obama than they have been previously and might be more accepting of his candidacy. Obama's attacks on McCain over Social Security, always a sensitive topic for the elderly may also be hitting home driving seniors into the Democratic column.

The Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey was conducted on October 28-29 and surveyed 924 likely voters nationwide. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points."

There are only 4 days until the presidential election. There are 80 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 20 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Wednesday's musing

The Dow was up yesterday almost 890 points or 10.9% of its value...The Federal Reserve is expected to cut a key interest rate by another 1/2 point today...President Bush yesterday "ordered" banks to free up some of the bailout money for lenders. There's a fear that banks that received a sizeable portion of money as part of the "rescue" earlier this month are not loaning it, but rather, sitting on it...The nine largest banks in the US have received $125 billion of bailout money. In other words, the US government now owns shares in the nine largest banks. They key question here is, "when will the government sell its shares and divest itself"?...Senator McCain, even though he voted for the bailout, is now railing against it. Unfortunately for McCain, he had his chance to take a stand against the bailout but decided to vote with Senator Obama...The "spread the wealth" comment Senator Obama made to "Joe the Plumber" in Ohio earlier this month appears to be resonating in key battleground states...Many of Obama's internal polls show the race much closer than some of the traditional polls that have Obama ahead anywhere from 4-10 points...IBD "Investors Business Daily" has the race tied...From Ben Smith at http://www.politico.com/ "John McCain's campaign is demanding that the Los Angeles Times release a video of a party for a prominent Palestinian activist that Barack Obama attended in 2003. The Times described the going-away party for former University of Chicago professor, and Obama friend, Rashid Khalidi, in a story in April. The story reported that Palestinians thought they might have a friend in Obama because of his friendships in that community, despite the fact that his positions have never been particularly pro-Palestinian"...Answer: $250K, $200K, or $150K? Question: "At what income level will Senator Barack Obama raise you taxes? Obama's plan calls for 95% of Amercians to receive a tax break. Moreover, if you make less than $250K, you won't see an increase in your taxes. Last week that number dropped to $200K. Now Joe Biden says that anyone making less than $150K won't get a tax increase. Senaotrs, which figure is correct?...President Sarkozy of France called Obama's and the Democrats' position on Iran as "immature"...According to a Roll Call poll, Democrat Congressman Jim Marshall leads his Republican challenger, Rick Goddard, 49%-45%. It's a close race and certainly within the margin of error. Marshall outpolls Goddard among African-Americans 9-1, but Goddard is ahead 2-1 among white voters. Of course, the election will turn on how heavy turnout is in Houston County. Read more about this story at http://www.macon.com/. If Obama wins the White House and allows the Bush tax cuts to expire, which they will in 2010, the average household will pay an additional $2500.00 in taxes to the federal government. This begs the question: Will the Obama "tax cuts" offset the tax increase?

There are only 6 days until the presidential election. There are 82 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 18 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Stevens convicted

Senator Ted Stevens (R, AK) was convicted of 7 counts of corruption. AP reports that "The 84-year old Stevens, who is in a race for re-election on November 4, was found guilty on Monday on all seven counts of lying on Senate disclosure forms to hide more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from an oil executive". McCain had called for Stevens immediate resignation. Governor Palin called it a "sad day" for Stevens. Senator Stevens, however, pledged to fight on and asked voters to stand with him. Stevens' name will remain on the ballot in Alaska. Stevens trouble could ultimately tip the balance of power in the Senate and give Democrats the 60 votes they need for a filibuster-proof majority...WFTV anchor Barbara West went after Senator Joe Biden yesterday in a TV interview asking Biden if Obama's economic policies were "Marxist". Biden, responding in typical fashion, asked West if she was "joking". Biden will no longer grant interviews to WFTV which is an ABC affiliate in Orlando, Florida...Senator Obama has raised over $640 million for his presidential bid. Senator McCain has raised more than $400 million...Polls show the presidential race getting tighter...Indiana's Secretary of State requested a criminal investigation into ACORN...Senator Obama goes on TV tomorrow for 30 minutes of uninterrupted air time.

There are only 7 days until the presidential election. There are 83 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 17 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain guarantees win!

John McCain yesterday guarenteed victory next Tuesday. Polls have gotten considerably tighter over the weekend. The reliable Zobgy Poll has Obama (49.9%-45.1%) with less than a 5 point lead as of today. Obama had over a 10 point lead just last Friday. Zogby says that "McCain is well within striking distance in each of the six states in which he trails. None of Obama's leads are outside the margin of error. However, unless McCain can take one of the big states won by John Kerry in 2004, such as Pennsylvania, he needs to win these six states. He might be able to survive the loss of Nevada, but probably not any of the others." However, Yahoo News had this to say, "remember: Day-to-day activity isn’t as important as what the polls do over time. Losing or gaining single points here and there can be a function of statistical “noise.” To really tell whether or not the state of the race is changing, we need to look at the trend. Right now, the aggregated movement still looks to be in Obama’s favor —– even with the Zogby poll included". Interesting?McCain and Palin are blitzing Pennsylvania and Virginia while Obama "closes" the deal in Ohio...Bob Barr (Libertarian) and Ralph Nader (Independent) are both polling about 1% nationally...The Macon Telegraph yesterday endorsed Senator Barack Obama...Simarly, AP is reporting that "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".

There are only 8 days until the presidential election. There are 84 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 16 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Recession?

Twenty seven states are now in a recession, two quarters of negative economic growth, with another five states teetering on the brink. Georgia is now among the 27in recession...Stocks opened down 5% on the fear that the recession is now going global. Stocks are now at their lowest point in five years...Georgians have lost $11 billion in retirement benefits as a result of the economic slow down. You can check out the story at www.macon.com. Rheem in Milledgeville and the Medical Center of Central Georgia have laid off 400 and 200 workers respectively in the last two days...Senator Obama is off the campaign trail over the next couple of days to be with his ailing grandmother in Hawaii...With Obama on the sideline, this may be McCain's best chance to pick up some support in key battleground states. Even though McCain and the RNC have an estimated $84 million on hand until the end of the campaign, Obama ads are appearing on average of 3300 times a day to McCain's 2300 appearances...A new poll has McCain tied with Obama in Pennsylvania...Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylavnia may have something to do with that poll since he first called his constituents "racists", then "rednecks", but he says that the situation has gotten better in the last couple of days...Murtha's opponent, Bill Russell, is in a virtual tie with the Congressman. You can check out Russell's website at www.russellbrigade.com...Senator Fred Thompson is shooting a commercial in support of Russell later today...President Jimmy Carter visited the mid-state yesterday, first at Byron Elementary and then Mercer University. At Mercer, as part of the President's Lecture Series which started last year, Carter called on the next presidential administration to emphasize human rights in order to elevate the US' position in the world. There were over 1,000 people in attendance.

There are only 11 days until the presidential election. There are 87 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 13 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Media bias?

Drew Griffin of CNN interviewed Governor Sarah Palin the other day. Yesterday on CNN, Griffin misrepresented a piece by Byron York, who writes for the National Review. Griffin told Palin that conservatives in NR were calling the Governor ignorant, stupid, etc. What York did say was that "if you watched or listened to the media, you were not sure if Palin was ignorant, stupid, etc." In other words, the media has come down hard on Palin. In fact, in a new Pew Study released yesterday, coverage of Palin during "the six week period breakdown showed 28% positive, 39% negative, and 33% neutral". CNN has yet to apologize to its viewers or the Governor for this unprofessional conduct...According to the same Pew Study, Senator McCain is receiving more media coverage than Senator Obama. The bad news is that coverage is overwhelmingly negative...Three thousand educators have signed a petition supporting Bill Ayers...Ayers was named Chicago's Citizen of the Year back in 1996...A new AP poll has Senator Obama leading Senator McCain by only one point, 44%-43%...Moreover, an internal Obama poll, that was inadvertently leaked yesterday, had the Illinois Senator ONLY leading Senator McCain by two points in Pennsylvania. This would explain why the McCain campaign is spending so much time in the Keystone state...In the Evans and Novack report, "Republicans can take some solace in the knowledge that polling is an art, and not a science. In producing their final numbers, pollsters make assumptions about turnout among certain demographics, including blacks and young voters. If, as happened in 2000 and 2004, youth turnout is much lower than the media expect, Obama's vote totals could be considerably lower than polls would suggest"...Today in Iraq, the province of Babil was turned over to Iraqi control.

There are only 12 days until the presidential election. There are 88 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 12 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Republican shoots self in foot

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on "Hardball" hosted by Chris Matthews last Friday and stated that Senator Barack Obama may hold "anti-American" views. Bachmann was roundly condemned in the media. Moreover, Bachmann's Democrat opponent has raised over $1 million since the "gaffe"...Georgia has lost the second most jobs in the US this year only behind Michigan...A new Pew poll has Obama leading McCain by 14 points. However, according to the same poll, there were still 23% undecided...Most of the new polling data coming out shows Obama pulling away from McCain as a result of the three presidential debates...While there's still 13 days until the election, experts are predicting a record percentage of voters...Newt Gingrich stumped for Rick Goddard today at the Woodruff House in Macon, GA. During the event Gingrich stated that "McCain is in a very deep hole (with respect to the election). The only way McCain can win the election, according to Gingrich, is to focus on Obama's "spread the wealth" line made famous as Obama was talking to "Joe the Plumber".

There are only 13 days until the presidential election. There are 89 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 11 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Two weeks and counting

Senator John McCain has roughly $47 million to spend in October...In an event in Florida yesterday, Senators Obama and Clinton drew over 50,000 to a campaign event...The latest Zogby tracking poll, www.zogby.com, has Obama up by 8 points...Here's a little history lesson. The Washington Post back on 17 October 2004 had Senator John Kerry leading President Bush in a number of key battleground states, including Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania, noting that the Massachusetts Senator was "primed" to win the White House from Bush. Gallup also had the Bush-Kerry race at 51%-42% for Kerry. Bush ended up winning 286-251 in the electoral college...Senator Joe Biden gaffed the other day in Seattle saying that if Obama is elected there will be a major foreign policy challenge within the first six months of an Obama presidency. Foreign leaders will want to test the new president much like they did back in the 1960s when Kennedy was elected. Isn't that the point, Senator Biden? That because Senator Obama lacks foreign and national security experience, he will be tested because the world perceives Obama as weak? As Jeff Scott notes on his webpage, http://www.jeffscottshow.com/, look for a return of the Fairness Doctrine should Obama win the White House and the Democrats increase their majorities in the Congress. You can hear Jeff weekdays from 12:30-3:00 p.m. on WNNG 1350 on your AM dial...Speaking of Congress, it is not far-fetched that the Democrats can pick up nine seats in the Senate giving them 60 in toto and another 20-30 seats in the House. The United States may be in the process of an electoral realignment much like it was in 1860, 1896, 1932, 1968, and 1994. For those of you still unsure of what kind of President Senator Obama will make take at Saul Alinsky's book, "Rules for Radicals". It will give you an idea of the kinds of programs Obama will institute with the support of a left-leaning Congress. You can link here for more info
http://www.semcosh.org/AlinskyTactics.htm

There are only 14 days until the presidential election. There are 90 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 10 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain closing in?

Zogby.com had the race between Obama and McCain under three points on Sunday in his daily tracking poll, but it had widened again to over five points by Monday...Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has endorsed Senator barack Obama...Senator Obama has raised over $140 million during the month of September and will purchase 30 minutes of air time on Wednesday, 29 October right before game six of the World Series should there be one...Sarah Palin appeared on SNL this past Saturday as Tina Fey...ACORN has registered some 85,000 new voters in Pennsylvania but close to 10,000 new registrations in the Philadelphia area are fraudulent...If McCain can win Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Missouri, he can win the White House...Over 65 million people watched the third and final presidential debate between Obama and McCain. Comparatively, 80 million watch the only denate between Carter and Reagan in 1980...Oliver Stone's "W" open this weekend. Surpringly, it is a sympathetic look at the 43rd POTUS.

There are 15 days until the presidential election. There are 91 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 9 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Casual Friday

According to Zogby.com, Virginia has moved from a toss-up state to Obama. This change now gives Obama, according to Zogby, 273 electoral votes, three more than is needed to win the presidency...If you have the Dish Network, check out channel 73. It's Obama's own personal channel. It started about two weeks ago. All Obama, all the time...Obama will spend over $110 million in October in key battleground states...Obama is also purchasing air time on NBC and CBS at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 29 October for 30 minutes. The networks have offered McCain the same deal though it is unlikely he can afford it...Joe Biden yesterday announced that he did not know many plummers who were hurting on $250K, an obvious reference to and crack at "Joe the Plummer" from Ohio...Last night, both John McCain and Barack Obama spoke at the annual Alfred E. Smith Charity dinner at the Astoria Hotel in New York for charity. It is 63 year tradition where presidential candidates come together to raise money for Catholic charities and poke fun at one another. McCain was absolutely hilarious and very complimentary of Obama. McCain even took a few shots at Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, and MSNBC. "McCain cracked", I hear Olbermann is getting his own "Mission Accomplished" banner (in support of Obama's campaign after 4 November). If he does not know what to to with it, I'd be happy to tell where he could put it". Hilarious! If McCain were only this loose and funny on the campaign trail. Smith, by the way, was a four term governor of New York, and the first Catholic to run for the presidency...When McCain looks back on this campaign should he lose, he can mark 15 September as the turning point. That's when he uttered the regretable phrase, "the fundamentals of the economy are strong"...AIG has taken $82.3 billion in emergency aid money...It asked for another $12 billion yesterday...Stocks were up 4.7% yesterday, which means there'll be down today about 5%. When will it end?...More and more states, including several key battleground states, are now looking very closely at their new voter registration logs as a result of rampant allegations of voter fraud as a result of ACORN's efforts to register new voters...Speaking of ACORN, they have received over $31 million from the federal government over the past few years.

There are 18 days until the presidential election. There are 94 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 6 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Rhetoric vs. Record

Senators McCain and Obama squared off for the final time last night at Hofstra University in Long Island. This was clearly McCain's best showing, yet it may not make a difference in the outcome on 4 November. McCain was clearly more feisty and on message during most of the debate. He fought back against Obama's charge that he, McCain, is not Goerge Bush: "If you wanted to run against President Bush, Senator Obama, you should have run against him four years ago". In addition, McCain tried to portray Obama as a tax and spend liberal wondering aloud "why would we raise anyone's taxes" in such poor economic conditions. McCain even went as far as bringing up the issue of William Ayers calling him a "washed up terrorist". McCain also scored fairly well with "Joe the Plummer" from Ohio who wants to buy the business he works for but may not because he will be taxed under the Obama plan for making more than $250K. McCain probably could have done a little more by pounding on the "spread it around" comment Obama made in Ohio, but that's been one of the problems for McCain all along: focus. The race turned on 15 September when McCain uttered the words, "the fundamentals of the economy are strong". The collapse on Wall Street and McCain's seemingly out of touch remarks may have cost him the election if he cannot change the conversation. He made a good attempt last night, but it may be a case of too little, too late.

McCain has a number of obstacles to overcome namely: 1. the economy is souring and he does not appear to have a message or plan to help it along, though he just came out with a six point plan earlier in the week; 2. he's trying to succeed a president who's disapproval ratings are near 75%. As long as Obama talks about Bush and the failed policies of the last 8 years, it will be difficult for McCain to break through; and 3. 90% of the country believes it's on the wrong track. This is significant because the voters are saying that we're willing to break completely away and go in a new direction even if it means electing a very liberal president and congress, with a filibuster-proof majority. If McCain were smart he'd start running ads like a fast motor car with three engines and no brakes pointed directly at a cliff to represent the kind of policies we'll get if we do not check the Democrats now. Does anyone realize that Congress has only a 9% approval rating?

What may save McCain in the end is something Fred Thompson said at the RNC in Minneapolis. "There are two things you never have to ask about John McCain: Who is this man? And, what does he stand for?" Even in these bleak times, Obama has not yet sealed the deal. Only time will tell if he can or if Americans come to their seneses.

There are 19 days until the presidential election. There are 95 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 5 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Final Debate

Senators Obama and McCain square in the third and final presidential debate at Hofstra University this evening. Many pundits are urging for McCain to be more asserive and knock Obama off of his "game"...Some polls are suggesting that Obama has 344 electoral votes. John Zogby still has the race very close, within 4 points, and a number of key states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, etc., too close to call. Zogby also has Obama at only 234 electoral votes...Jesse Jackson came out yesterday and stated that Israel would not be as high a priority under the Obama administration in order to reach out to the Arab world and "heal the wounds"...An Ohio plummer over the weekend, who is thinking about buying the plumming business he now works for, would make a little over $250,000.00 if he bought said business. Under the Obama plan, anyone making over $250K would have their taxes increased. The plummer asked Obama why he would be punished with more taxes. Obama replied that he was not punishing the plummer but trying to support the people behind the plummer's business by "spreading the wealth around". Where Obama and Biden might call this plan "fair" or "just", others call it redistribution of wealth. Why in the world would that plummer, under the Obama tax plan, ever want to buy the business?...A federal court in Ohio ordered the state to check the registration of newly registered voters amid allegations of voter fraud in the key battleground state...US troops in Iraq killed al Qaidea's number two leader in that country on Wednesday.

There are 20 days until the presidential election. There are 96 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 4 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain falling hopelessly behind

A new Wasington Post poll has Senator Barack Obama leading Senator John McCain by 10 points, 53%-43%. "With the final debate set for Wednesday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., McCain faces a narrowing window in which to reverse course. Among the reasons McCain's path to victory seems steeper is that the percentage of "movable" voters continues to shrink. Thirteen percent of all voters are now either undecided or may change their mind before Election Day, down somewhat from recent polls"...A new Yahoo poll shows Obama winning 333 electoral votes to McCain's 175. Clearly, the numbers rae going in the wrong direction for McCain...McCain, over the last three weeks, has been viewed as "too negative" and not addressing the issues. It has not helped that the Obama/Biden ticket has appeared twice as many times as the McCain/Palin ticket in key battleground states...AP is reporting that "three weeks before Election Day, John McCain on Monday is unveiling what his aides call a more forceful new stump speech in which he portrays himself as a scrappy fighter on the comeback trail against an opponent who’s already “measuring the drapes” in the Oval Office". McCain said that "there's 22 days to go and we're 6 points down". Any poll you read clearly shows that McCain is losing ground...Stocks were up today as much as 500 points as the government pledges more bank aid.

There are 22 days until the presidential election. There are 98 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 7 years, 1 month, and 2 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Musings

AIG threw itself a $440,000.00 party AFTER the government bailout was signed into law. Has anyone any decency or shame any more?...The Fed cut interest rates by .5% which was initially greeted with great enthusiasm on Wall Street. However, said enthusiasm quickly died off when the Dow Jones opened down another 100+ points...The Nikkei (Japan's stock market) lost 9% of its value today as well...Russia's stock market lost almost 20% of its value yesterday...The global economy is in a serious slow down being led by the US "recession", as the IMF is now calling it. It's no longer a "mental" thing as Phil Gramm called it a few months ago; people are hurting all over with no end in sight. Even Obama and McCain gave very nondescript answers last night during the debate about how severe this downturn is and long it will last. The one and only answer is that nobody really knows. The other thing we know is that raising taxes will only prolong the "downturn". Furthermore, while each candidate tried to tear down the other's policies, neither candidate could tell us how they plan to pay for their programs or reforms.

Two McCains

The John McCain of 2000 who ran as a "maverick" and a bit of an "outsider" against George W. Bush is gone. McCain, who was savaged by the Bush campaign after McCain's win in the 2000 New Hampshire primary and before the South Carolina primary, is trying to have it both ways and its costing him the election. On the one hand, he's trying to return to the likeable, media accessible, maverick type who defied his own party in 2000. On the other hand, he's also employing "Karl Rove-like" tactics by tearing down Obama and the Democrats as much as he can. McCain himself is doing the former, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, is doing the latter. Where has it gotten McCain? Nowehere. McCain is a different candidate than he was in 2000. The beating he took from Bush/Rove questioning McCain's patriotism, his values, his competence, etc. has left McCain a bitter man. Trying to recapture the "old John Mccain" with only 27 days left in the campaign is not working. If McCain wants to win, and he now has little margin to do so, he has to attack Obama as a tax and spend liberal, which he is. McCain has not helped himself by not laying out a conservative economic plan that many Americans who are angry with the bailout would agree with. McCain also needs to hammer home the fact that Obama is naive when it comes to foreign and national security policy. He did so do during the first debate, but left something to be desired last night. He really needed to hammer home the fact that the presidency it not a place for the on the job training in such a dangerous world. Lastly, McCain needs to hammer home Obama's associations with ACORN, Tony Rezko, William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, etc. Obama has gotten a pass from the drive by media on these associations. McCain and Palin need to expose such relationships for what they are: serious errors in judgment. Otherwise, come 20 Janaury, 2009 Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next POTUS.

And the winner of last night's debate is...

not sure. Senators Obama and McCain both had opportunities to score major points last night during their second presidential debate at Belmont University in Tennessee, but neither man struck a fatal blow. Obama had a real chance to "seal the deal" by once and for all linking McCain to the "failed Bush" policies of the last eight years. Instead, Obama was often frustrated by some of McCain's attacks and the format of the debate itself, the townhall meeting, where Tom Brokaw tried desperately to have each candidate answer the questions and stay within the time limits, often redirecting the candidates to stay on topic. Obama did scote heavily during the 30 minute deiscussion of foreign policy in response to being called "dangerous" and a "neophyte" by McCain saying "Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. If Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should." Obama continued: "Now, Sen. McCain suggests that somehow, you know, I'm green behind the ears and, you know, I'm just spouting off, and he's somber and responsible." McCain smiled and said, "Thank you very much." But the smile faded when Obama said: "This is the guy who sang, 'Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,' who called for the annihilation of North Korea. That, I don't think, is an example of speaking softly."

McCain on the other hand had some opportunities to paint Obama as a "tax and spend" liberal who wants almost $1 trillion of new spending, give 45% who do not pay taxes a check from the government, raise taxes on small businesses, and have the government run health care. McCain could have also delved into the problems of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in more detail and really stuck it to Obama and Democrats like Dodd and Frank who have touted that these institutions were financially sound, but McCain backed off only referring to them in passing. Unfortunately for McCain, he was not agressive enough in these areas and he did not pressure Obama as much as he could have on these and other issues. The one idea McCain did have that caught Obama off guard is having the Fed buy up bad mortgages and renegotiate new terms with the borrower. This idea, unfortunately, is another government solution to a major problem. McCain at times appeared grumpy and pessimistic and about as way away from Reagan's sunny disposition as you can get.

So who won? One could say that McCain won on points because he was more substantive than Obama but McCain did not score a knockout. So, since Obama is still the front runner, advantage Obama. Obama takes another day off the calendar and McCain now only has one debate to pressure Obama. If McCain wins the White House it will be in spite of the debates.

There are 27 days until the presidential election. There are 103 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,781 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Good news for McCain?

Time.com has an interesting piece today about Obama's lead and where he may be vulnerable 28 days out from the election. Obama holds a 5% lead on McCain, like he did back in June "But on specific issues, Obama is treading water or sinking a bit. On the number one issue of the campaign right now, the economy, Obama leads McCain 43%-39%, compared to 44%-37% reported by TIME's poll in June. Despite his highly touted tour of Europe, the Middle East and Afghanistan last month, Obama may be in something of a late summer slump. The poll shows that voters have increased their faith in McCain's ability to manage the Iraq war, favoring him over Obama by a margin of 51%-36%, a five point jump since June. And voters boosted their belief that McCain would do a better job in managing the war on terror than they did in June, favoring the Arizona Senator over his colleague from Illinois by a 56%-29% margin, up from 53%-33% in June." It will be interesting to see this evening, in the townhall format, if McCain can makeup more ground. Since last week's vice presidential debate, Zogby now has Obama's lead down to 3% points. McCain, and Palin for that matter, need to stay on the offensive if he wants to win. There's still time.

There are 28 days until the presidential election. There are 104 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,780 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Monday blues

The Dow fell below the 10,000 mark for the first time since October, 2004. There appears to be a "sky is falling" mentality on Wall Street despite the rescue passed and signed into law by the President last week...A new poll shows Obama ahead of McCain in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, two battleground states that John Kerry won in 2004. However, McCain now trails in Ohio. If McCain has any chance of winning the White House he must win Ohio...Obama is up at least five points or better in every state John Kerry won in 2004 and is competitive, tied, or leading McCain in 10 states that George W. Bush carried in 2004. Advantage Obama...The US Supreme Court begins a new term today. If Obama wins the White House, the impact on the highest court in the land will affect generations to come...New voter registration favors Barack Obama. New registrants, 4 million since last year are swelling in key states like Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, etc...New polls show Obama with 264 electoral votes, six less than the 270 he needs to capture the White House...While there's still time, McCain must make a move now or the campaign is over...Some where in the distance you can hear the "fat lady" warming up.

There are 29 days until the presidential election. There are 105 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,779 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

"Palincredible"

Sarah Palin more than held her own against Joe Biden last night in St. Louis as part of the only VP debate this election cycle. Palin was calm, in command, engagaing, likeable, and witty throughout the debate. Most importantly, she came off as credible. Now, many conservatives may feel that Palin did not go after Biden as much as she could have, but in retrospect, that may have been the strategy; to promote a "sunny optimism", much like Reagan did, that our best days are still ahead of us. It's risky, but it may just work because Palin is genuine. Her folksy disposition is what voters like, and she certainly acquitted herself quite well. Lines like, "Say it ain't so Joe, there you go again", or "I may not answer the question you (Gwen Ifill) want me too, but how about a little straight talk", were effective without being mean or condescending. Some nay-sayers may say that she did not look presidential enough, but many voters can relate to Palin's style. Perhaps now the McCain camp will unleash Palin's "sunny dispotion" and get this turned around while there's still time. It will be interesting to watch the polls to gauge if her performance will serve as a "game-changer". Conservatives, despite the bad news over the last few weeks about the bailout bill, McCain's rather mediocre performance last week, pulling out of Michigan, etc., may be excited about the election once again.

There are 32 days until the presidential election. There are 108 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,776 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Musings

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, a sure sign that the campaign is on the downward trend...Sarah Palin WILL go after Joe Biden tonight in order to shakeup the race and change the slumping dynamic that has been the last two weeks of the McCain campaign...Obama has new ads up in Georgia, a state that was solidly red just a few weeks ago, may now be a toss-up...Oil closed today at less than $95.00 a barrel.

Another message from the Libertarian Party of GA

This email was sent courtesy of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. Read on!

Dear friend of liberty,

Just in case we weren't sure before -- after last night's Senate approval of
the horrid "bailout" bill, we now know both our US Senators prefer security
to freedom. We know you lit up their phone lines like Christmas trees. We
know you clogged up their emailboxes and voicemail systems. We know you
told them "Vote NO on the bailout bill!" And we know they ignored you.
There is only one way to make them understand your disapproval. It is
imperative that you vote against Saxby Chambliss this November. Libertarian
candidate Allen Buckley would have voted "NO." The opportunity to take
Johnny Isakson to the woodshed will have to wait.

The bailout bill now goes back to the US House Of Representatives. Our
Congressmen now face the most momentous vote of their lives. We, their
constituents, must make them understand their political careers are hanging
on this issue. Please, please, please: call your Congressman and tell them
"I want you to vote NO on the bailout bill!"

The issue is freedom versus security. The freedom of financial markets.
The freedom of businesses to compete and maybe succeed, maybe fail. The
freedom of individuals to act with the knowledge that we actually have
control over our fates. The other choice is a false one, because "security"
here means becoming subjects instead of citizens. It means fewer options
for our financial decisions. It means more bureaucratic hoops to jump
through. It means the "security" of being wards of the state. When it
comes to nationalizing the financial sector of our economy, the only
acceptable vote is for freedom.

We know and heed Benjamin Franklin's advice: "They who would give up an
essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or
security."

We must get that message across to our Congressmen. And we must be prepared
to punish at the polls the ones who ignore us.

Here's what to do:
CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AGAIN!.
Here are their phone numbers again:
GA01 Representative Jack Kingston - (202) 225-5831
GA02 Representative Sanford Bishop - (202) 225-3631
GA03 Representative Lynn Westmoreland - (202) 225-5901
GA04 Representative Hank Johnson - (202) 225-1605
GA05 Representative John Lewis - (202) 225-3801
GA06 Representative Tom Price - (202) 225-4501
GA07 Representative John Linder - (202) 225-4272
GA08 Representative Jim Marshall - (202) 225-6531
GA09 Representative Nathan Deal - (202) 225-5211
GA10 Representative Paul Broun - (202) 225-4101
GA11 Representative Phil Gingrey - (202) 225-2931
GA12 Representative John Barrow - (202) 225-2823
GA13 Representative David Scott - (202) 225-2939

It is critical that people living in the 2nd and 8th district call soon and
often; Sanford Bishop and Jim Marshall voted FOR the bailout bill on Monday.
Libertarians revere the founding fathers for their wisdom and their courage.
Their love of freedom beats strong in our breasts. The betrayal of liberty
shown by our Senators, and the possibility of it with our Congressmen, makes
us think of the words of Samuel Adams. Not one month after he and the other
signers of The Declaration Of Independence pledged their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of liberty, Adams addressed
delegates and the public in Philadelphia. Think of our legislators as you
read his words; think of those who have voted to ignore our instructions and
opted for statism instead of individualism. Adams told the crowd "If ye
love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the
animating contest of freedom -- go from us in peace. We ask not your
counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your
chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our
countrymen!"

Those Congressmen who vote for "tranquility of servitude rather than the
animating contest of freedom" must be held accountable. Every single one of
them is up for reelection on November 4th. Note which ones (like Senator
Chambliss) vote for this socialist bailout bill, and cast your ballot
accordingly.

CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN NOW AND TELL HIM "I WANT YOU TO VOTE "NO" ON THE
BAILOUT BILL!"

The Libertarian Party of Georgia thanks you for acting on this alert. Our
economic freedom, our personal liberty, and our capitalist way of life are
at stake!

Obama building lead

Senator Barck Obama appears to be pulling away from Senator John McCain. Most polls have Obama ahead anywhere from 4-7 points. To make matters worse, Obama is tied or ahead in key states like Iowa, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. AP is reporting that key "Republicans, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering the campaign, point to several factors: Obama's gains nationally and in traditionally GOP states, no McCain boost from the first debate, McCain's struggles with economic issues as the financial crisis has unfolded and deepening public skepticism about his running mate, Sarah Palin". Sarah Palin will have an opportunity to dispel some of these concerns when she debates Senator Joe Biden this evening from St. Louis. Even conservative radio talk show hosts Sean Hannity, Dennis Miller, and Mark Levine are urging the McCain camp to get more aggressive on the campaign trail. Levine last night went so far as to give his audience a "Pep talk" with Patton-music playing in the background. These are becoming desperate times for Republicans especially in light on last night's Senate vote, 74-25, to pass its own version of the bailout. The House will take up the bill on Friday. It is expected to pass.

There are 33 days until the presidential election. There are 109 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,775 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Message from Libertarian Party of Georgia

"Here we go again! The US Senate will vote tonight on a slightly different version of the financial bailout bill that YOUR phone calls and emails torpedoed in the US House on Monday. It's time to give Senators Chambliss and Isakson the same treatment with the same message: "I want you to vote NO on the bailout bill!"

There are so many things wrong with the proposed legislation! The biggest problem for Libertarians is that the bill will nationalize the American financial system. It will put everything from day-to-day decisions to CEO salary under federal control. It will do it by purchasing large ownership shares in banks and funds with taxpayer money. This is called socialism, a failed, immoral philosophy that denies the importance of the individual. On this ground alone the bill should be voted down.

But wait, there's more! Because our leaders say this bailout must pass right now, the bill will also include a provision requiring health insurance companies to include coverage for mental health treatment. Say what? Libertarians oppose government interference in private transactions between consenting adults, so we are opposed to this tampering with insurance plans-- but even more, we believe any legislation larded with provisions like this is anything but crucial. At the same time, the Senate will entertain an amendment from Socialist Bernie Sanders of Vermont to fund the bill with a tax surcharge on millionaires.

And that's only what the bill's sponsors have conceded. The full bill language has not been made public yet! After 9/11, Americans understandably were frightened and angry. But our government manipulated that fear to scare Americans into surrendering more liberty with The Patriot Act. Our government is running the exact same scam
with this bailout bill. It wants to scare us into giving the government total control over our financial lives. We must be the monkeywrench in their plans!

Here's what to do: CALL OUR SENATORS! Saxby Chambliss is up for reelection and should be more sensitive to a flood of negative calls. Johnny Isakson's job is safe, so he may be less open to constitutent opinion -- but we still need to call".

Saxby Chambliss-(202)224-3521
Johnny Isakson-(202)224-3643

Ifill biased

PBS "Washington Week" anchor Gwen Ifill will be the moderator for tomorrow night's vice presidential debate. Ifill is coming out with a book, on Inaugaration Day, 20 January, 2009 entitled, "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama". The McCain camp, when they were negotiating the setup for the debates, did not realize that Ifill was coming out with a "pro-Obama" book. This begs two questions: 1. how "objective" will Ifill be at tmorrow night's debate?; and 2. why didn't the McCain campaign properoly vette Ifill?...New polls released today show that Senator Obama has broken the 50% mark in three key battleground states: Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania...Sarah Palin is in Sedona, AZ at "Debate School" getting ready for tomorrow evening's showdown with Senator Joe Biden. Many conservatives are nervous about how she'll perform...The Senate is getting ready to vote on its own version of the bailout that has some new goodies including raising the FDIC limit to $250,000.00and amending the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). It should also include the abolition of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Community Reform Act.

There are 34 days until the presidential election. There are 110 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,774 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain losing ground?

Dick Morris is reporting that "the polls now make it clear that McCain lost the first debate, and has lost ground during the entire gambit of suspending his campaign, going off the trail, going to Washington, and working on the bailout. He was tied, or 1 to 2 percent behind when he made the suspension announcement, and he is now 5 to 6 percent behind.

The fallout in the electoral map does not make for a pretty picture. Core Republican states like Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina are now really toss ups, and even states like South Carolina and Georgia are in play."

Libertarian point of view

If you're interested in the Libertarian point of view with respect to yesterday's failed vote on the bailout, here's an email that they are circulating via email. God bless the people!

"Dear friend of Liberty,

The US House Of Representatives has voted down the bailout bill. The vote was 205 for and 228 against.

141 Democrats voted for the bailout, while 94 voted against it. 67 Republicans voted for it, while 132 opposed it. The defeat was bipartisan.

Speaker of The House Nancy Peolsi (D-CA) took to the well to claim that the bill's defeat was the fault of the Republicans (even though 40% of her own party voted nay).

With all due respect, Madam Speaker is wrong. The reason the bill went down to defeat is that YOU responded to our email action alerts last week. YOU called your US Congressman to say you wanted them to vote NO. YOU called your US Senators, who are supposed to get their own whack at the bill later this week.

All lovers of freedom owe you a debt of gratitude. It was your phone calls and emails that turned the tide. You convinced your Representative that he might lose his job in November if he did not oppose the bill. You saved capitalism, the private ownership of our financial system, with your calls. You prevented the nationalization of our banking system, despite the naked desire of our elected officials to subvert our economic system to socialism. YOU have saved America.

The roll call has not been published yet, so I can't tell you if your Congressman obeyed your instructions or if they need to be taught a lesson on November 4th. Please make the effort to learn how your Representative voted. It might be nice to send a "thank you" card if he voted against the bailout.

We are not children; we all have learned that the enemies of individual freedom never sleep. The Libertarian Party of Georgia will alert you when the danger presents itself again -- as it most surely will. Many heroes of American liberty have expressed this thought, but we go with President Andrew Jackson in his farewell address in 1837: "...Eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty..."

Thank you for exercising that vigilance".

McCain dead?

Obviously Senator John McCain's efforts last week to suspend his campaign and work on the bailout failed. In addition, his failure to articulate what he stands for has also hurt him him in the polls. Yesterday, the House Republicans and 95 Democrats gave McCain an inroad to get his campaign back on track if he is willing to attack Obama. As Dick Morris suggests, "he (McCain) needs to say that our system is starving for capital. Raising capital gains taxes, much less doubling it as Obama proposed during the primaries (but now is trying to backtrack), is like taxing water in the desert. McCain has to talk about Obama's spending proposals and mock the idea that he can spend a trillion and still give "95% of Americans" a tax increase. McCain should take a page out of the playbook of the endgame of the Bush 1992 campaign. With Bill Clinton holding a solid lead, Bush was reluctant to attack him for his record of tax increases, especially given his violation of his 1988"read my lips" pledge not to raise taxes. So the campaign sent Vice President Dan Quayle out to attack Clinton, day after day, for raising taxes. And the results were clear in the polls. Bush gained each day and, four days before Election Day, Bush took a lead over Clinton in the tracking polls". Painting Obama as a big tax and spend liberal in these uncertain economic times may just get McCain back in the race, but he has to act quickly...Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday questioned House Republican's patriotism and trashed the economic policies of the Bush administration after the House voted down the bailout package. She then turned around and said Republicans and Democrats need to come together. Is it any wonder why nothing gets done in Washington?...House member Barney Frank continues to assail Republicans for voting against the bailout. What Representative Frank, Senators Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama fail to recall back in 2003-2005 is that they all advocated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were "fundamentally sound" institutions and blocked any legislation to tighten oversight of the failing GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises). Two questions: 1. do they all feel that way today; and 2. why isn't any one in the old media reporting this fact? By the way, Frank, Schumer, Obama, and Dodd all received huge amounts of money from Mae and Mac...If all of the current bank mergers go through, Citi, Bank of America, and Chase will hold $1 for every $3 deposited in this country. That's a rather scary thought and an enormous power grab.

There are 35 days until the presidential election. There are 111 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,773 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

House sends message, President weak

According to AP "The House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, ignoring urgent warnings from President Bush and congressional leaders of both parties that the economy could nosedive into recession without it. Stocks plummeted on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote to reject the bill was announced on the House floor. Bush and a host of leading congressional figures had implored the lawmakers to pass the legislation despite howls of protest from their constituents back home. Despite pressure from supporters, not enough members were willing to take the political risk just five weeks before an election.
Ample no votes came from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle. More than two-thirds of Republicans and 40 percent of Democrats opposed the bill." President Bush will meet with his economic team to determine what to do next. The biggest obstacle of the bailout is the enormous amount of taxpayer money that will be given to Wall Street, instead of loans that would be repayed over time. In addition, such a bailout gives the government extraordinary power, power it is likely never to give back.

There are 36 days until the presidential election. There are 112 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,772 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Spend, spend, spend

Congress reached a deal with the White House agreeing in principle to a $700 billion bailout of taxpayer money to buy bad assets. The House will vote on the measure early Monday. The AP reported that "A breakthrough came when Democrats agreed to incorporate a GOP demand — letting the government insure some bad home loans rather than buy them. That would limit the amount of federal money used in the rescue. Another important bargain, vital to attracting support from centrist Democrats, would require that the government, after five years, submit a plan to Congress on how to recoup any losses from the companies that got help". President Bush said it will be a tough vote, but it should pass. Both Senators Obama and McCain support the bailout. The Senate also passed, on Saturday, a $634 billion bill keeping the government afloat. As part of that $634 billion, $25 billion are subsidized loans for the auto industry. In toto, that's over $1.3 trillion in spending alone this weekend...On Friday, Obama and Mccain debated at Ole' Miss. In essence, there were two debates: the first debate on the economic woes of the country lasted roughly 40 minutes; the remainder of the debate focused on national security issues. McCain stumbled early on with respect to the economy, though he did hit a nerve with respect to spending (see above). Obama remained cool, spoke directly into the camera, and spoke eloquently about how this current crisis hurts the middle class and Main Street Americans. McCain could not seem to get untracked early. However, when the debate shifted to national security, McCain clearly hit his stride. He was a walking, talking encyclopedia of names, places, facts, etc. The more McCain spoke of his foreign policy experience, the more Obama agreed with McCain. Clearly, McCain outperformed Obama during the remainder of the debate. However, even though McCain won going away on foreign policy, Obama battled Mccain to a draw since the most important aspect of the night was the economy. Since McCain did not score a "knockout", in essence, Obama won. Why? As Dick Morris points out "We're left wondering why McCain acted as he did - and suspecting him of just being impulsive, desperate and quirky. So the taller, younger, better-looking, more articulate man won last night. Obama showed a level of concern for the average American that McCain - who undoubtedly feels that concern - failed to project...advantage Obama"...The new Zogby poll shows that "44% believed Obama won the debate, while 41% said McCain did. Another 16% said they watched the debate but were unsure who came out on top". According to "Politico" some important members of the GOP are quietly raising the question, "should VP hopeful Sarah Palin step aside"? While there's been an uptick in volunteers, and she draws huge crowds, she's made a number of gaffes and appears unknowledgeable and awkward on camera, almost naif like. McCain has thus far stood by her, but one has to wonder what kind of performance she will give next Thursday at the VP debate. Stay tuned.

There are 37 days until the presidential election. There are 113 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,771 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

"The Audacity of Dopes"

So read a sign a women was holding outside on Wall Street. AP is reporting that "just 30 percent say they support Bush's package, according to an Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released as White House and congressional leaders struggled to rescue the plan after House Republicans rebelled against it. Despite the president's pleas that the package is urgently needed to prevent an economic meltdown, 45 percent say they oppose Bush's proposal while 25 percent said they are undecided"...Though many Republicans are skeptical of McCain's move to suspend his campaign this week, Dick Morris called the move "brilliant". Here's why. "Knowing how unpopular the bailout is with the American people, the Democrats are not about to pass anything without broad Republican support even though their majorities permit them to act alone. Instead of signing on with the Democratic/Bush package, the House Republicans are insisting on replacing the purchase of corporate debt with loans to companies and insurance paid for by the companies, not by the taxpayers. That, of course, is a popular position. McCain would be comfortable to debate this issue division all day. And, if the Dems don’t cave into the Republican position, that’s probably exactly what he’ll do on Friday night’s scheduled debate in Mississippi... By Monday, at the latest, the Democrats have to cave in and pass the Republican version. They don’t dare pass their own without GOP support, so they will have to cave in to the Republican version. Then McCain comes out of the process as the hero who made it happen when the president couldn’t and Obama wouldn’t. He becomes the bailout expert". Go to www.dickmorris.com for more...Joe Biden met today with the President of Georgia behind closed doors. Perhaps they discussed no new "coal plants" in the embattled former Soviet republic...John McCain will be at tonight's debate. The first and most important rule in a debate is to "do no harm". We'll see who blinks first...An estimated 45 million Americans will watch tonight's debate...If you want to see what you will pay in taxes under an Obama or McCain administration, go to www.electiontaxes.com. You will be surprised by the results.

House Republicans revolt

Last night House Democrats had enough votes in the House to pass the bailout. However, before moving forward Speaker Pelosi wanted most of the House Republicans to sign on before voting. Now it seems she's changed her mind and is ready to hold a vote with or without House Republican support. There appears to be enough votes in the Senate though rumors are circulating that McCain may lead a filibuster to halt the bill before it goes to President Bush for his signature...Calls into Congress are 100 to 1 AGAINST passing the $700 billion bailout. The support of the people is what's driving House Republicans to hold out for a better, more thoughtful, less government laiden package...Speaking of government, if the bailout passes in its current form the Secretary of the Treasury becomes "Finance Czar" and is not held accountable by any one in the government. Furthermore, the decisions he makes would be "beyond" judicial review. Anti-federalists must be spinning in their graves! Tonight's debate is still "up in the air' but Ole' Miss officials are now saying that if McCain does not show up Barack Obama will hold a 90 minute town hall meeting in front of 40 million Americans.

There are 39 days until the presidential election. There are 115 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,769 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Doom and gloom?

After painting a "doom and gloom" scenario during his speech last night about the economy, it appeared that Democrats and Republicans reached a deal in principle on a bailout package. However, later in the day House Republicans failed to support the President's $700 billion bailout leaving the deal on hold. AP reports that "a Republican revolt stalled urgent efforts to lash together a national economic rescue plan Thursday, a chaotic turnaround on a day that had seemed headed for a success that President Bush, both political parties and their presidential candidates could celebrate at an extraordinary White House meeting. Weary congressional negotiators worked into the night, joined by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in an effort to revive or rework the $700 billion proposal that President Bush said must be quickly approved by Congress to stave off potentially "a long and deep recession."' In other words, House Republicans are opposed to social engineering on the economy. President Bush and lawmakers will meet again late Friday morning to try to work out their differences...Washington Mutual, the country's largest Savings and Loan was taken over by the FDIC and will have its assets sold to JP Morgan Chase. It's the largest bank failure in US history...Friday's first presidential debate at Ole' Miss is still up in the air though Nader, Barr, and McKinney agreed to step in for McCain...It's not clear how successful McCain's strategy has been to suspend his campaign to return to Washington to work on a solution. While Gallup's daily tracking poll has the race even at 46%, the circus atmosphere in Washington have Republicans calling McCain's actions a "political stunt"...House member Barney Frank (D, MA) said back in 2005 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were financially sound, solvent, and that the rules need not be re-written to stop giving loans to folks who could not afford them. Brilliant!

There are 40 days until the presidential election. There are 116 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,768 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain in trouble

Dick Morris is reporting on www.dickmorris.com that "The Sarah Palin effect has run its course and the election, driven by the economy and the recent financial crisis, has moved back to its pre-convention pattern with a slight Obama lead, averaging 2 points in the popular vote. Because small changes in the popular vote cause huge swings in the electoral vote, a number of key states have moved into Obama's column. Florida may now be said to be leaning for Obama while Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, and Nevada have become toss ups." This news makes this Thursday's meeting at the White House between the President, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, and congressional leaders, all the more important for the McCain campaign if he wants to win the White House.

Wow

While Connecticut Democrats will delay censuring Senator Joe Lieberman for speaking at the RNC in MN, today has been a whirlwind of events...Earlier today news broke that the government's bailout plan was in trouble on Capitol Hill. Senator Obama, seizing the moment, contacted the McCain camp concerning issuing a joint statement on principles they could agree on about the troubled economy. Not responding immediately or directly to the Obama camp, Senator McCain came out a little after 3:00 p.m. and declared that he is suspending his campaign and going back to Washington, DC to work on a solution to the current economic crisis. Of course McCain, putting "country first" above partisan politics, asked Obama to join him, thus in effect, postponing or even canceling Friday's first presidential debate at Ole' Miss. The Obama camp rejected the idea outright and made it clear that as president, McCain would need to multitask in effect saying, "we can work on the problem and still debate about the economy." Advantage: Obama. Several hours later President Bush announced the reason behind the economic fallout, what needed to be done, and how the government would do it. Bush also said that he invited BOTH McCain and Obama to the White House, along with leaders of Congress from both parties, to flesh out the details of the rescue. Obama accepted the President's invitation and will now head to Washington for this meeting. Advantage: McCain. Now, if the bill is worked out and passed, there's no reason for the candidates not to debate. However, McCain is "banking" on the fact that the bill won't be ready by Friday which everyone agrees is a must or the stock market will drop some more. Subsequently, McCain would stay behind in Washington to work on a solution while Obama heads to Oxford, MS for the debate. It's a risky strategy but one that could give McCain the edge over Obama on the economy and leadership...Having said all that, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich came out on Hannity and Colmes and said that the President's plan is unsound and needs to be rejected by the Congress. Gingrich acknowleges that something needs to be done, but allowing the government to buy back "bad paper" is a bad idea. The Bush administration hopes this "bad debt" will increase in value over time. What the President failed to explain is how the country will earn revenue or break even. Many people believe that they'll get a bill in the mail from the government outlining what they'll need to pay in taxes in order to cover the bailout. The $700 billion price tag is estimated to cost every American $3000.00.

More musings

President Bush will address this eveing about the government bailout program and why it is necessary...North Korea has ordered nuclear inspectors out of the country. The North Koreans are restarting their nuclear program. Speaking of North Korea, its leader, Kim Jung Il, is supposedly recovering from a mild stroke and that the finance minister is in charge...Russian warship "Peter the Great" is making its way to Venezuela for a joint military exercise...John McCain is meeting with Mitt Romney and other CEOs to discuss the state of the economy and the bailout...Congress will not renew the ban on offshore drilling...Laura Bush remarked to CNN that Sarah Palin lacks foreign policy experience but was quick to point out that Palin is a quick study...Senator Biden has commented that John McCain is "often wrong" on matters of national security.

Change subject of debate

Both Senators Obama and McCain should insist that Friday's first presidential debate from Mississippi focus on the current economic crisis and how they would each deal with it rather than on national security, which is the scheduled topic...Obama had much "smaller than anticipated" turnout at event in Green Bay, Wisconsin...Joe Biden continues to be Joe Biden, fueling more rabid speculation that his gaffes are intentional to get him dropped from the ticket in favor of Senator Clinton. Yesterday he said "no new coal plants" in the US. Before that he called the latest ad of John McCain and the Internet, "disgusitng"...Eighteen percent of registered voters are still "undecided" as the presidential campaigns enter the final six weeks...CNN anchor, Campbell Brown, continues to "assualt" Sarah Palin. Last night she decried the McCain camp to "free Sarah Palin" from the perceived media blackout. Perhaps Palin is being shielded from the like of Ms. Brown because of bias? A new Washington Post/ABC poll out today has Obama with a 52%-43% lead over McCain which is quite a turnaround from McCain's 49%-47% lead after the GOP convention. Again, it will come down to the states and who can win 270 electoral votes. However, getting over 50% of the vote bodes well for Obama.

There are 41 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,767 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama rising?

Quinnipiac University is reporting that Senator Barack Obama is ahead in four key battleground states. "With a lousy economy, an unpopular war and an even less popular Republican president, it's difficult to find voters who don't want change," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac's University's Polling Institute. In Colorado, Obama leads McCain by 49 to 45 percent. Last month, McCain was ahead one percentage point in Colorado, 47-46 percent. In Michigan, Obama leads McCain 48 to 44 percent, compared to 46-42 percent on July 24. In Minnesota, Obama is holding on to a two percentage point lead of 47 to 45 percent, compared to 46 to 44 percent in late July. In Wisconsin, Obama leads by 49 to 42 percent, although his advantage has narrowed from 50 to 39 percent in July." While it would be nice for McCain to pick off Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan, since they all voted for Kerry in 2004, the only concern here is Colorado, which Bush won in 2000 and 2004...Obama yesterday called himself a fiscal conservative...Should Obama be elected, most of his new spending programs will be on hold as a result of the $700 billion bailout proposed by the government...Speaking of the bailout, does any one wonder what happends next IF the bailout does not work? Committing 5% of the GDP to such a venture makes a lot of people nervous but there are no guarantees. Common Sense would like to know, "What's Plan B?"

There are 42 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,766 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Third parties

Third party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are on nearly all of the state ballots. Nader is on the ballot in 45 states plus DC, Barr in 44 states, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party is on 37 state ballots, and Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate, is on 32 states plus DC. Combined, they are polling about 3.3% nationally. Democrats to this day still blame Nader for costing Al Gore the White House back in 2000 when he polled 2.7% that year...In Israel, Tzipi Livni's narrow victory in a party primary Wednesday to replace corruption-tainted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as Kadima's chairman means she can become prime minister if she can put together a coalition government of her own. Livni, now the foreign minister, has said she would like to keep the current four-party coalition intact...John McCain raised $47.5 million in August and promptly spent nearly $41 million, his best showing to date. Barack Obama spent nearly $55 million in August and is not constrained by fundraising caps becuase he opted out of the federal mathcing funds. In fact, it's being reported that Obama has raised in excess of $66 million in August. According to AP, "overall, Obama has raised more than $440 million for his presidential campaign, an unprecedented amount. The campaign said it has more than 2.5 million donors. McCain has raised $210 million"...Dick Morris is reporting that the presidential (sic) "contest is transitioning from post-convention issues to a race dominated by the economy. The key to that for Barack Obama is to stress the liability of the incumbent party for the mess that we're in economically. For McCain, it will be stressing that Obama's tax proposals will make the situation worse. There has been a huge change among unmarried women, particularly, due in part to the hostile reaction of the Democrats to Palin. There are indications that the momentum of the race may be reversing itself again, however, as a result of the economy". Go to www.dickmorris.com for more election updates.

There are 43 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,765 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Crazy Talk?

Where's Mel Gibson when you need him! Conspiracy theorists will love this one. Apparently reports are circulating, namely Seah Hannity on his radio show on Friday, that Senator Joe Biden will bow out after the VP debate on Thursday, 2 October citing health concerns. Of course this means that Senator Obama will need a new running mate. Enter Hillary Clinton which will all but clinch the election for the Democrats. Biden was picked when rumors were circulated that McCain would choose a conventional pick like Romney or Huckabee or Pawlenty. Such a pick proved no threat Obama and it wouldn't force him to have to select, and subsequently live, with Hillary Clinton, should Obama win. But since McCain picked Palin the race has been a toss-up since the end of the RNC and there's a chance that McCain could win. Now, in order to hedge his bet, and win an election the Democrats should have won in walk, Obama may ask Biden to step aside because of health concerns, namely an aneurysm Biden suffered years ago in order for the Dems to win the White House. Crazy talk I know, but truth is stranger than fiction.

There are 44 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,764 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Is Buchanan correct? Ron Paul vindicated!

As stocks continue to gain on Friday as the result of the government's bailout of failed banks to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, former speechwriter and presidential candidate Pat Buchanan had this to say in "Human Events": "The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of one era and the onset of another. The new era will see a more sober and much diminished America. The "Omnipower" and "Indispensable Nation" we heard about in all the hubris and braggadocio following our Cold War victory is history." Ouch! It appears that Congreeman Ron Paul, who has been railing against our monetary system for years, is correct...Are there enough Americans to write-in Congressman Paul's name on the presidential ballot?...In a poll released today, more voters would prefer to have a beer and watch football with Obama than McCain. These are probably the same folks who also wanted to have a beer with President Bush. Perhaps we need to elect the other guy since the last 8years have not been so great.

There are 46 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,762 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

You won't understand

Yankee Stadium will close for the final time on Sunday, 21 September. For those of you not familiar with the "Stadium" let me share some history with you. Yankee Stadium housed the likes of Ruth, Mantle, Maris, and Dimaggio, it has hosted 37 World Series, the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants that catapulted the NFL into the national spotlight, 4 All Star games, three Popes who said mass to thousands of Catholics, and a memorial for 9/11. I grew up a Yankees fan. I saw first-hand Reggie Jackson's three homers in Game #6 of the 1977 World Series against the Dodgers and Dave Righetti's and Jim Abbott's no-hitters at Yankee Stadium. The "new" Yankee opens next year and the old one will be torn down. The new Yankee Stadium will be state-of-the-art and cost a billion dollars. The old stadium will soon be reduced to rubble. As I say good-bye to the old stadium I am reminded, yet again of how the place of my youth has changed irrevocably; first when the mighty towers came down on 9/11, then a couple of years later when the city demolished the apartment building where I grew up on the basement level, and now the closing of the place of some of my fondest childhood memories. Yankee Stadium will soon be a memory, but a memory I will always cherish. The world, for me, will be a little sadder on Sunday when Yankee Stadium goes silent for the last time.

Obama regains lead, country going to hell

As the economy continues to swoon the latest polls show Barack Obama again out in front of John McCain 47%-45% in CNN's "Poll of Polls". With the economy on a "bridge to nowhere" and Senator Joe Biden asking folks making $250K or more to pay more taxes as an act of "patriotism" so we can put more money in the pockets of the middle class, the Democrats have regained their footing and the post-convention bounce the McCain once enjoyed has leveled off. Interestingly however, pollster John Zogby has the electoral race tightening up with Obama leading McCain 234-226 with 78 electoral votes up for grabs. Zogby has "colored purple" New Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virgina, five states McCain can carry to win the presidency. However, when you say things like "I'd fire the SEC chairman" as how you'd handle the economic crisis or endorse a plan that has the federal government creating an "identity" to house all of the "bad" debt that's circulating in the economy, Common Sense is not sure if you should be in the White House...Stocks were up more than 400 points today as the federal goverment infused billions into the economy and announced its new "economic" plan late today...Our good friend Jeff Scott, host of the "Jeff Scott Show" from 12:30-3:00 p.m. on WNNG 1350 am gives us a great website from CNN to help us understand the high price of gasoline even though a barrel of oil reached a low of $92.00 today. Check out http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/27/explainer.pump.price/index.html...As violence escalates in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says "we need a new plan". Really? Is this the best we can do?

There are 47 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,761 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama's trap

Senator John McCain "blinked" yesterday by first stating that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. He then went back out on the stump after his statement to explain what he meant. He then concluded by stating that we needed to appoint a 9/11like commission to study the economic crisis. Of course, Senator Obama was quick to seize the moment by deriding McCain's commission idea as just another typical and tired Washington ploy. Obama asserted that what we need is "leadership", not commissions. Depending on how this plays out, this may be the issue that helps the Obama campaign regain traction after a brutal 8 weeks for the campaign starting with the Russian invasion of Georgia while Obama was on vacation in Hawaii, the announcement of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, Hurricane Gustav, and Palin's acceptance speech, which all limited Obama's bounce...Rasmussen and Zogby have some interesting poll results. Both show John McCain leading or tied in Pennsylvania. Rasmussen has McCain tied in Michigan as well. Both have McCain tied or leading Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Both agree that the series of upcoming debates will be crucial for both campaigns...The Fed has bailed out troubled AIG with $85 billion in taxpayer money...There was a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Yemen. It appears to have been the work of Al Qaeda. There were no American casualties.

There are 48 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,760 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Fingers crossed

More fallout from world markets today as the financial sector tries to come to grips with the turmoil facing Lehman Brothers, Merril Lynch,, and AIG. Some 26,000 employees are set to loose their jobs as a result of Lehman Brothers declaring bankruptcy. President Bush and Senator John McCain continue to insist that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other for the crisis...With oil refineries shut down in the Gulf, the average cost of regular gas is $4.16. The price of a barrel of oil opening today is $92.00...Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isaakson are "leading the charge" to promote limited offshore drilling...A new Rasmussen poll has John McCain only down 3% in New Jersey and 5% in New York. McCain has open up a sizeable lead in Florida and now leads in Ohio and Colorado. It is still too close to call in Virginia. It has become apparent that Governor Palin has had a tangible impact of the election. Democrats have yet to figure out how to respond but sources close to the Obama campaign are saying that Obama will try to focus on the issues and not the Governor saying it has become a "distration"...Only 44% surveyed believe Obama is ready to be President. Fifty percent beleive McCain is, and fifty percent believe Biden is ready...General Patraeus is set to leave Iraq after 20 months...Five former Secretaries of State including Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Madeline Albright, James Baker III, and Warren Christopher all agree that the US must open lines of communication and diplomacy in dealing with Iran...The Atlantic magazine published some "doctored" photographs of Senator McCain. The "rogue" photographer was admonished by the editor of the magazine for portraying McCain as a "war-monger"...The House of Representatives today is set to vote on a $50 billion stimulus package. President Bush insists that he will veto the bill if it comes to his desk...Lynne Cheney "We the People" and Meaghan McCain "My Dad, John McCain" have published children's books this week.

There are 49 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,759 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Electoral shakeup

Here's the latest from Chuck Todd and his colleagues at MSNBC.com with respect to the last 50 days before the election and the "new" electoral college map. Remember, McCain need only win the same 31 states President Bush did in 2004 save Iowa or Colorado or New Mexico or lose any combination of the two.

"From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** The map 50 days out: The Palin bounce has erased Obama's lead in the national polls, and it has now cut into his electoral-vote advantage, according to NBC’s latest map. Obama holds a 233-227 edge here, down from his 228-200 advantage from last week. The biggest changes: We moved Florida -- with its 27 electoral votes -- from Toss-up to Lean McCain, and New Mexico from Toss-up to Lean Obama. We also shifted Oregon and Washington from Likely Obama to Lean Obama, as well as Alaska, Georgia, North Dakota and South Dakota from Lean McCain to Likely McCain. The good news for McCain is that the map looks better for him than at any point so far in this race, and many of those red states that looked like opportunities for Obama (AK, GA, IN) look to be longer shots for him. The bad news for McCain is that given the wave his campaign has been riding from the Palin bounce, is this as good as it gets? If he isn’t leading in some states now, he might not ever lead in them. Bottom line: You'll know the map is starting to move in one direction or the other if either Pennsylvania or Florida moves back into Toss-up before Election Day."

Economic collapse?

AP is reporting today that "Stocks posted big losses in markets across much of the globe as investors absorbed bankruptcy plans at Lehman and Merrill Lynch's forced sale to Bank of America for $50 billion in stock. And perhaps most ominously, American International Group Inc. is asking the Federal Reserve for emergency funding. The world's largest insurance company plans to announce a major restructuring Monday". Perhaps the federal government will come to the aid of yet another failed institution. Apparently, we are still feeling the effects of the subprime crisis...Luke Russert, Tim's son, interviewed both Senators McCain and Obama. It appears the young BC grad is following in his Dad's footsteps...Tina Fey portrayed Governor Sarah Palin on the season opener SNL. The skit was hillarious...Senator John McCain went on The View last week and was torched...Sixty nine percent of Americans think that the media is biased and is trying to elect one candidate, Obama, over the other, McCain...Because of Hurrican Ike, refineries in the Guld shut down production. As a result, a gallon of regular gasoline spiked almost one dollar a barrel...Interestingly though, because of the volatile nature of the stock market today, oil is near $93 a barrel.

In an article by Mark Vanderhoek on Mercer University's homepage www.mercer.edu about evangelicals and their opinions about torture "...show that while evangelicals are more likely to hold a more extreme view than the general public, the results also show that when reminded of the teachings of Jesus, in particular the Golden Rule, their views can be changed. The new poll, released today at the National Summit on Torture at Mercer University’s Atlanta campus, was commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Mercer University and conducted by Public Religion Research base on polling from white evangelical Christians in the South."

"Among the findings of the poll: close to six-in-ten white evangelicals in the South say that torture can be often (20 percent) or sometimes (37 percent) justified in order to gain important information. This compares to roughly half (48 percent) of the general public who believe that torture can be justified, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll (February 2008)."

There are 50 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,758 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Presidential forum on service

Senators John McCain and Barack took a day off from the camapign trail yesterday to participate in the Presidnetial Forum on Service. Each candidate outlined their respective positions on volunteer service to the country. It became abundtantly clear early on that while both men support the idea of service Senator McCain would prefer a free-market approach of rewards and incentives, Obama favors governmental involvement to promote said service...Barack Obama proposes $1 billion in new spending if elected President though he cannot say how he would raise the money...Governor Sarah Palin was interviewed by ABC's Charles Gibson. Gibson has a mostly fair reputation among journalists in the old media but his questions were definitely designed to push the envelpe on Palin's position on religion, abortion, national security, economics, climate change, etc. Of course, the Democrat talking heads were quick to spin all of the Governor's answers on the various cable news programs in a way that was less than flattering...In a new USA/Gallup Poll, generic Republican congressional candidates, who once trailed their generic Democrat congressional opponents by double digits, now trail the Democrats by only 3%...Former Lt. Colonel Bob Russell is challenging Representative John Murtha is Pennsylvania. Russell's latest ad challenges Murtha's claims that US military personal slaughthered innocents and civilians in Iraq...The Obama campaign is still in free fall. Rather than challenging McCain on the issues, Obama is directly challenging Palin's exerience and fitness to be commander-in-chief. Traditionally, it is the VP candidate who works over the opposing VP nominee, not the Presidental nominee himself. Obsessing over Palin is not going to win Obama the election. If anything, Joe Biden should be attacking both McCain and Palin, not Obama...Crude remains steady at $102.00 a barrel, but no meaningful legislation is pending to open up the US to more drilling. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid continue to harp on the fact that we "Can't drill our way out of this problem". We get it. However, that's akin to saying "we can't plant seeds in order to battle our way out of a food shortage". It just doesn't make sense. Congress and the President have stood idly by as gas has jumped from $40 to $60 a barrel, and then again from $60 to $100 and higher. Why would either do anything if crude jumps to $200 a barrel?

There are 53 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,755 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Never forget

BREAKING NEWS: MSNBC.com is reporting that "Officials tell wire services of a 'serious incident' in tunnel between U.K. and France"...Today marks the seventh anniversary of the attacks of 9/11...Uber liberal Rachel Maddow now has a show on MSNBC right after Keith Olbermann's "Countdown". Now there are two hours of uninterrupted ultra-liberalism on MSNBC...Wall Street analysts are questioning if Lehman Brothers bank can survive despite a massive liquidation today of some of its assests. Shares dropped some 40%. Perhaps the federal governemnt will once again step in and bail out yet another institution. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have suspended campaign activities today to be in New York City for memorial services...Democrats have sent some 35-45 operatives and lawyers to Alaska to dig up dirt on Governor Sarah Palin...The Obama campaign has been on the defensive since Palin's announcement as McCain's running mate. Obama has been losing support across the board particularly among women. In addition, Palin's selection has helped McCain solidify North Dakota, Montana, Missouri, and perhaps even Virginia.

There are 54 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,755 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. RIP JPD Jr. It's been eight years and the void remains. Good day and God bless!

Pigs and lipstick

Despite Senator Obama's pledge not to attack, or come after Governor Sarah Palin, Obama remarked yesterday that a pig with lipstick is still a pig. So much for civility...Human Events reports today that "The announcement that the federal government is taking over the two largest mortgage companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, should alarm every American. If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are too big to fail they are too big to continue as they are. For years, conservative analyst Peter Wallison and others have been warning that these institutions were a threat because they were too big. It's now clear they were right. Congress should only accept Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's power grab as a temporary expedient leading to the breaking up of these giants into market-sized institutions that can survive or go bankrupt without threatening the economy at large"...Governor Palin's addition to the McCain ticket has apparently cut into Obama's fundraising as McCain continues to make gains in this area. It will be interesting to see the comparisons at the end of the month...Reports coming out of McCain/Palin campaign events are reporting recond crowds and a great deal of enthusiasm. These joint events have a "rock star" quality to them, similar to what Obama has enjoyed. However, Governor Palin returns home to Alaska this week. Will Senator McCain be able to sustain his post-convention bounce without Palin on the scene for a few days?

There are 55 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,754 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Why McCain is surging

According to Dick Morris, John McCain needs to focus on three issues to keep the Obama campaign on the defensive: taxes, terrorism, and energy. McCain has made huge inroads with likely voters on the issue of energy. Michael Steele's line at the RNC last week in St. Paul, "drill, baby drill" has become McCain's mantra...Why has John McCain surged in the polls? First off, his selection of Sarah Palin to be his VP running mate was a stroke of brilliance. Palin is new, she's fresh, and she excites the base. In fact, McCain has been able to raise quite a bit of money since the campaign announced Palin. Second, the McCain campaign has put the Obama campaign on the defensive. Former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown, summarized it best: "if you're playing defense, you're not playing offense". As long as the Obama campaign has to explain its positions, it will remain on the defensive. Finally, Obama himself over the last six weeks has been a problem. Granted, he gave a dynamic and uplifting acceptance sppech at the DNC in Denver, but he continues to flail on the stump, especially when he doesn't have a teleprompter in front of him...Oprah Winfrey has stated she will not have Sarah Palin on her show. Even though Winfrey publicly supports Obama, she said it would be inappropriate to have any politician on her show before the election. Winfrey's stance has obviously alienated some of her viewers, especially in Florida, who are already petitioning the show to have Palin on...A New York Times report back in the summer of 1984 hailed Walter Mondale's selection of three-term Congresswoman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate as a step in the right direction and a breath of fresh air. Fast forward twenty four years and the same New York Times criticized McCain's choice of Sarah Palin...The old media continues to criticize Sarah Palin. The latest digs are about Palin's church and her view of "God's plan". It is becoming quite obvious that neither the Obama campaign or the old media knows how to deal with the "Palin phenomenon".

There are 56 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,753 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Monday's musings

The federal government announced today it was taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While Wall Street responded favorably to this take over, such action is just one more instance of our government intruding into our lives and asking folks who are fiscally responsible to yet again, bail out a failed institution. When are we going to wake up?...Did anyone notice that the province of Anbar was turned over to the Iraqis last week? The Iraqi government,overall, has met 15 of 18 political benchmarks. Why isn't anyone in the mainstream meadia talking about this or any other success in Iraq as a result of the surge. McCain was correct about the surge and should be given full credit...McCain's ability to restore his image as a Maverick at last week's RNC could potentially hurt the Obama campaign which is trying to paint the McCain/Palin ticket as a third term for George W. Bush... USA Today/Gallup survey showed McCain ahead of Obama 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters, a turnaround from a previous poll taken by the newspaper just before last week's Republican National Convention... Reports from AP today state that "MSNBC is replacing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as co-anchors of political night coverage with David Gregory, and will use the two newsmen as commentators. The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions." It's about time!

There are 57 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,752 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

What does McCain do next?

Not that anyone from the McCain camp is asking Common Sense for advice, but here's what we think. First off, have McCain and Palin campaign separately. Even though McCain is a pretty good campaigner, there's the risk that Palin may overshadow him. Second, spend your money wisely. Obama is a fund-raising machine and can potentially spend McCain into oblivion. McCain can counter this disadvantage by spending funds wisely and only in battleground states like Ohio, Virginia, Colorado. Remember, McCain needs only to win the same 31 states that Bush did in 2004less Iowa, or Colorado, or New Mexixo, but not all three. If McCain spends money in any "solid" blue statwes, he'll lose. Third, have Palin be the attack dog similar to the role Bob Dole played back in 1976 for Gerald Ford. Ford came back from a 33 point deficit to almost beat Carter because Dole was the hatchet man. Palin can play the role of "pit bull", with a smile. McCain can stay above the fray and talk issues. Lastly, use President Bush behind the scenes to fund-raise. Bush has raised almost $1 billion since he took office in 2001. He's still popular with the base and can be an enormous asset.

There are 59 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,750 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!