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!