All Posts Tagged With: "obama"
U. S. Drops Idea of Diplomatic Outpost in Iran in Face of Increased Belligerence
Israel has decided on a policy of strategic independence wherein it will rely only on itself.
Today it was announced that the Bush administration quietly but, indefinitely shelved its plans to set up a diplomatic outpost in Iran. Tehran appears to have taken advantage of America’s financial crisis and weak moment to ditch informal understandings, step up its nuclear arms program and go back to pumping Shiite combatants into Iraq. Iran is heartened by North Korea thumbing its nose at the international community that remains impotent. There is speculation Iran desires to increase American deaths in Iraq on the eve of the U. S. presidential election to help elect what it sees as a naïve, and weak Barack Obama (D) Illinois and further isolate Israel. Joe Biden (D) Delaware, Obama’s VP pick, told Israel to get used to a nuclear armed Iran.
Iranian Republican Guard and Hezbollah trainers are reported to be training hundreds of Shiite fighters who have recently been infiltrated into Baghdad precincts.
Israel news sources say it has lost out all the way around: First by heeding the Bush administration’s demands to refrain from military action against Iran and rely on international diplomacy and sanctions. Now that this option is bankrupt, Israel is left alone with the prospect of an unstoppable nuclear-armed Iran absent a reliable U. S. ally in the face of increasing Russia presence.
Israel has decided on a policy of strategic independence wherein it will rely on itself.
Russian live fire air military exercise underway near Alaska
Russian military actions are clearly the prelude for Moscow’s presentation of demands and get or take what it wants.
Sarcastically entitled ‘Exercise Stability 2008′ the live fire operations will take place Oct.-6-12 over sub-Arctic Russia uncomfortably close to Alaska. This is the first time in almost a quarter century Russia has ventured dozens of nuclear bombers for an exercise in which live cruise missiles will be fired.
Russian air force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik says Exercise Stability 2008 is “practicing the strategic deployment of the armed forces including the nuclear triad.” Triad refers to land, submarine and bomber launched nuclear weapons.
Last week on Oct. 1, Russian warships armed with nuclear missiles docked at Syrian ports and Oct. 8, on the eve of Yom Kippur, will continue into the Caribbean for joint maneuvers with Venezuela.
Col. Drik stressed that the Tu-95 and Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers will “carry their maximum combat payload and fire all the cruise missiles on board.” Also taking part in the air force exercise are Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers, air superiority fighters, interceptors and aerial tankers.
The locations of the war games were deliberately chosen to underline three messages to America on the eve of its Presidential election.
- Russia is willing to brandish its nuclear strength in America’s face - to the north (Arctic) and south (Caribbean) - to challenge America’s position as the world’s No. 1 superpower.
- Russia is powerful and rich enough to rise above the shockwaves rocking the world’s financial markets while carrying on developing its military muscle and expanding its spheres of influence.
- By docking at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Peter the Great nuclear missile cruiser is Moscow’s marker on the Mediterranean to betoken the end of US Sixth Fleet’s sway.
Yesterday, Oct. 3, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, announced that 20,000 kilometers of the Russian border passes through the Arctic. Moscow therefore claims 18 percent of its territory and is preparing a plan to implement this policy. That include taking out oil and natural gas that exist there in vast deposits.
On September 30th the Russian nuclear powered submarine Ryazan docked at the Kamchatka Peninsula opposite Northern Japan after completing a one-month voyage under the Arctic Ocean without surfacing. That Delta III class strategic nuclear submarine is armed with sixteen nuclear tipped ballistic missiles with a range of 8,000 km. Russian Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky welcoming the Ryazan’s arrival said: “The navy continues to play an important role in safeguarding Russia’s maritime economic and research activity throughout the world, including in the Arctic.”
Russia sees weakness in a self-absorbed America. It is encouraged by presidential candidate Obama’s promise to cut military budgets. When Clinton cut military budgets in the 1992-1999 Russia was emboldened to develop is oil and gas reserves and is now ready to exploit its oil and gas production and take what is wants.
Russia’s air and naval strength does not yet match America’s military might but it has more than doubled it military spending including: a 23% increase last year, more increases likely, and the possibility of American cut backs makes Putin feel the time has come to get what he wants - a new Russian empire. Although Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated emphatically last week that there is no cold war or any other war with America, Moscow’s actions tell a different story.
Pastors Stick Finger in IRS’ Eye
“The role of the religious leaders is to stand apart from government, to prophetically speak
truth to power.”
An evangelical Christian minister in Indiana told his congregation Sunday that voting for Sen. Barack Obama would be evidence of “severe moral schizophrenia.” The Democratic presidential nominee’s positions on abortion and gay partnerships exist “in direct opposition to God’s truth as He has revealed it in the Scriptures.” Johnson showed slides contrasting the candidates’ views but stopped short of endorsing Obama’s Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain.
Rev. Ron Johnson Jr. and 32 other pastors set out Sunday to break the rules, hoping to generate a legal battle that will prompt federal courts to throw out a 54-year-old ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship.
This is part of a national campaign, organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a socially conservative legal consortium based in Arizona, the Internal Revenue Service has pledged to “monitor the situation and take action as appropriate.”
In an open letter Saturday, a United Church of Christ minister, the Rev. Eric Williams said, “The role of the church — of congregation, synagogue, temple and mosque — and of its religious leaders is to stand apart from government, to prophetically speak truth to power,” Williams wrote, “and to encourage a national dialogue that transcends the divisiveness of electoral politics and preserves for every citizen our ‘first liberty.’ “
For Williams the dichotomy between the secular and the sacred a myth: “The issue is not ‘Are we legislating morality?’ This issue is ‘Whose morality are we legislating?’ “
Other clergy pledge to avoid endorsing political candidates. But, that blurs over issues like abortion and homosexual marriage.
Legal scholars generally agree this has little to do with the debate about separation of church and state versus separation from church and state although some less informed will contend it does connect. But, the issue is first the 1954 IRS code and to get the matter into court the IRS must act and “harm” a church or congregation. In that case there will be a legal scrap that could last for years.
Weekend Political Poll Roundup and A Snicker
Never let your dog watch your food; never let the Congress watch your money - Barry Goldwater, Jr.
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday-including the two days of post-debate polling-is unchanged. Barack Obama once again attracts 50% of the vote while John McCain earns 45%. This five-point advantage nearly matches Obama’s biggest lead yet and marks the first time he has held such a lead for three-days running. Rasmussen says Obama has 200 electoral votes and McCain 174. Colorado (9); New Mexico (5); New Hampshire (4); Nevada (5); Ohio (20) and Virginia (13) are now all in the toss-up column. Clearly those 56 votes are pivotal. 55 other electors lean toward Obama and 53 are leaning toward McCain.
Gallup did not publish findings on Sunday. Obama lead by 5% in its Saturday polling. According to ZOGBY Obama won Friday’s debate by the narrowest of margins 44% to 41% who say McCain won. Rasmussen found Obama won the debate by 36% to 34% and 31% were not sure. While 16% said it was a tie. Women felt Obama won and men felt McCain did. Before the debate people felt Obama would win by a 4 to 3 margin. Obama/Biden leads 47.1% to McCain/Palin 45.9% in the “who would you vote for?” question.
PBS television personality Jim Lehrer won the debate by unexpectedly being fair and balanced. 76% say Lehrer was neutral. Seven percent (7%) thought he tried to help Obama, 3% thought he tried to help McCain and 14% were not sure.
Today, Barack Obama told Joe Biden to be less like Sarah Palin: “Stop talking to the press!” - Leno
Thirty-three percent of Likely Voters now favor the Wall Street ”bail out” plan while 32% are opposed and 35% are not sure. Just 49% understand that the government anticipates recovering a significant portion of the $700 billion when the assets purchased are resold. Those who understand that taxpayers will eventually get much of the money back support the bailout by a 2-to-1 margin. Narrow pluralities of both Obama supporters and McCain supporters favor the legislation and the reaction from liberals and conservatives are similarly mixed. Thirty-six percent (36%) of Investors support the plan while 31% are opposed.
In one of the most tumultuous weekend in college sports history nine of colleges top 25 football lost last weekend starting with Number 1 USC on Thursday night. Eleven won and five had a bye week.
Obama Throws Conniption About NRA Ads.
Obama Lawyers say stations have duty ‘to protect the public from false, misleading or deceptive advertising.’”
Barack Obama is threatening radio and TV stations in Pennsylvania to stop running NRA ads blasting him and running mate Biden for longstanding anti-gun records. Obama is really angry about the NRA’s “Hunter” ad.
There are rumors of a so-called “secondary” boycott where Obama’s supporters are calling advertisers on stations running the ads and threatening not to use their services or products. Obama says his campaign has nothing to do with that.
Obama’s campaign general counsel Bob Bauer wrote stations seeking to censor the ads at stations in Pennsylvania saying, “Unlike federal candidates, independent political organizations do not have a ‘right to command the use of broadcast facilities,’” Bauer writes. “Moreover, you have a duty ‘to protect the public from false, misleading or deceptive advertising.’” NRA lawyers are countering the threats and looking into what some say could be an illegal secondary boycott. The NRA has set up a web site detailing its position on Obama at www.gunbanobama.com.
Obama leads McCain in Pennsylvania by 5% with its 21 electoral votes.
Finger Pointing Obama Loses First Debate Audience
Obama lost because he comes across as a smug, arrogant, self-important, smart ass. condescendingly pointing fingers, lecturing us.
John McCain “won” the audience in the first debate Friday night or rather Obama lost it. The common folk matter not debate scorers. I mostly agree with Chris Ruddy’s analysis but for different reasons.
Obama lost because he comes across as a smug, arrogant, self-important, smart ass. His style is condescending constantly pointing fingers, frequently raising his fingers to eye level, jabbing constantly, make’s one feel he’s lecturing us - because he thinks he is smarter than us all.
At 17-years old and barely out of boot camp I was told never to point a finger at another man lest he break if off and put it in my breast pocket. I’ve seen more than one swabby or Marine break a finger-pointers nose.
On the radio Obama sounded like a professor, anad we all know at least a few who could benefit from a good ass-kicking. Americans don’t elect professors president. A friend said he watched the TV debate on mute and McCain won. He put the age issue to rest - he was sharp
McCain muffed making bigger points on the economy. He should have said I’m immediately returning to Washington DC to be sure this bail out doesn’t wipe out America’s taxpayers.
Obama whined twice repeated the allegations of others, first saying he was “liberal” and later saying he was “naive.” Repeating labels is a no-no. It reminds people of things they may have forgotten.
McCain is authentic. Real. Obama isn’t. To paraphrase Cecil B. Demille “once you can fake sincerity you’ve got it made” Barack tried but fails.
McCain walks the walk - Obama talks the talk. Like the bumper sticker says: McCain-Hero; Obama-ZERO
McCain’s strength was foreign policy. It showed. Obama is “naïve.” Obama flim flam answers .
On Iran, McCain won because his comments grasped the gravity of the crisis. Obama rolled out his Rodney King-like policy.
McCain has been right on the surge and Obama has been wrong. But McCain came across as heavily invested in the idea of the war (creating a democracy.
In sum, McCain did more than hold his own. He is ready on day one to be Commander in Chief. He can be trusted. His word is good. He is one of us.
McCain Sitting In “Catbird” Seat
McCain can emerge “the reigning expert on bailouts, then can take the tax issue to Obama…”
Sixty-three percent of voters worry Congress was about to botch the rescue of the country’s troubled financial markets, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national poll. Dick Morris thinks that makes John McCain’s move brilliant and makes him the main man who will dictate the shape of the final package. The biggest reason, and what has Democrats do damned mad now is they know how unpopular the bailout is so they are not about to pass anything without broad Republican support, and Republicans will look to their standard bearer for his nod or it is a “no-go.”
Only 30% of U.S. voters think the federal government should step in to rescue the country’s troubled financial markets. Half (50%) say let the companies who got themselves into the mess go bankrupt.
The deal Democrats were about to OK and Bush says he’d support was a real stinker and voters sensed it. McCain now stands at the very center of an emerging compromise. By Monday, at the latest, the Democrats will cave in and pass the McCain-Republican version and McCain will emerge once more a national hero and flagellates Obama too.
Dick Morris says McCain emerges “the reigning expert on bailouts, then can take the tax issue to Obama, saying that a tax increase, such as the Democrat is pushing, would destroy the bailout, ruin the economy, and trigger a collapse.” McCain has an enormouse advantage that he should start to exploit at tonight’s debates saying — the deal was bad for America, and I knew it and went to Washington to do my job; stop it and built a beter mousetrap, and I’m flying back tonight to do that.
McCain Move Moves Polls In His Favor
McCain move viewed positively and poll trends moves toward him.
Zogby polling says Republican John McCain’s poll numbers improved as he suspended his campaign Wednesday to head back to Washington and that he now leads 46% to 44% for Obama.
Gallup’s overnight tracking poll shows Obama losing 2% and McCain gaining 1% to tie the presidential contest and now put it at 46% each. The polling was conducted over three nights including Wednesday night after McCain announced he was suspending his campaign.
Rasmussen’s 3-day rolling averages among likely voters puts the race at 49% for Obama and 46% for McCain.
A FOX NEWS poll finds miserable job approval ratings for the President at 26% with 66% disapproving. Congress’ job approval is an even worse at 17% approval and 73% disapproving.
Only the ABC/Washington Post poll taken earlier this week has had a very different result in the presidential race.
Presidential Debate Impact Debatable
Since World War II only 1960 and 2000 seems to have changed race
An analysis by the Gallup organization says the presidential debates have had little to no impact on voter preferences during the debate periods in 1984, 1988, and 1996.
The 1980 and 1992 debates may have influenced voter support for the third-party candidates running in those elections; however, they do not appear to have altered the structure of the races for the two major-party candidates.
- In 1980, third-party candidate John Anderson fell from 15% support prior to his only debate (which was with Ronald Reagan) in late September to only 8% support by mid-October. However, given the long span between polls during this period, and the downward trend in Anderson’s support prior to the debates, it is unclear whether his debate with Reagan was a factor.
- In 1992, Ross Perot’s generally well-reviewed debate performances (close to half of Americans thought he won the first debate, and the plurality thought he won the third debate) were no doubt part of the reason he catapulted from a 10% level of support prior to the first debate to 17% support after the last debate.
The 1976 and 2004 debates seem to have made the races more competitive, but they did not change the fundamentals of the races; the candidate leading before the debates eventually won the elections.
By contrast, the debates of 1960 and 2000 seem to have been associated with meaningful shifts in the horse races for those elections, whereby the ultimate winner moved from a deficit position to front-runner.
(In 1964, 1968, and 1972, incumbent president Lyndon Johnson and Republican nominee (and later President) Richard Nixon refused to debate their opponents, so no presidential debates were held in those years.)
World Awaiting U. S. Congress to Act on Financial Crisis
McCain, then Obama agree to set politics asside to work on crisis.
Israel news sources and others around the world are reporting that Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, agreed Wednesday night, Sept. 24, that the financial crisis was close enough to catastrophe to set partisan considerations aside and help President George W. Bush push his $700 billion bailout package through Congress before the markets open Monday. That Monday deadline appears to be a consensus date to avoid the chance of global devastation.
The president addressing the nation later warned: “Our entire economy is in danger. America could slip into widespread financial panic.”
The sources also say they expect al Qaeda to issue a statment about the U. S. financial crisis on Friday.
Wall Street Maelstrom Impacts Electorate
Three-quarters say Nation on wrong track
Wall Street’s maelstrom appears to have shifted the electorate toward Obama and away from Congressional Democrats according to a Rasmussen Poll released Saturday morning. Obama-Biden now leads McCain-Palin 48%-47% for first time since the GOP convention. Obama now leads in states with 193 Electoral College votes while McCain is ahead in states with 189 Electoral College votes. When “leaners” are included, it’s Obama 259, McCain 247. Four states continue to be toss-ups including: New Mexico (5); Colorado (9); Nevada (5) and Virginia (13) - all went Republican in 2004. 270 Electoral votes are needed to win the White House.
Confidence in Congress sags with 44% of voters choosing their district’s Democratic candidate, while 38% would choose the Republican candidate.
One month ago the Congressional margin was 47% to 34% in favor of the Democrat candidate. The once almost certain Democrat surge in both the Senate and House has been cut to the point where achieving a veto proof maJority is statistically erased.
The parties are neck-and-neck among unaffiliated voters, with the Democrats earning support from 33% and the GOP from 31%. Among men, the GOP has a 43% to 40% advantage. Among women, the Democrats lead 48% to 34%.
Democrats have a 63% to 19% lead among voters who characterize themselves as pro-choice on the issue of abortion, while Republicans lead 64% to 21% among voters who are pro-life.
The GOP leads 47% to 38% among voters who shop at Wal-Mart several times a month, while the Democrats lead 56% to 27% among those who rarely or never shop there. The parties are nearly tied among voters who occasionally shop at the super store. In part that’s because Wal-Mart stores tend to be located in more exurban areas where Republicans cluster.
Rasmussen Reports tracking data also shows just 23% of voters believe the nation is heading in the right direction, while 73% think the country has gotten off on the wrong track.
Russian Bear Waging New COLD WAR- like Threats
Putin in clearly banking on the election of an inexperienced U. S. President in Obama he sees as impotent and indecisive.
Russia keeps upping the ante in its retaliatory moves for the greatly expanded U.S. and NATO presence in the Baltic, Eastern Europe, .and Black Sea to support the former Soviet republic of Georgia. On Monday, the two Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack (White Swan) nuclear bombers it sent to Venezuela Sept. 10 carried out a six-hour patrol over the Caribbean Sea.
Putin in clearly banking on the election of an inexperienced U. S. President in Obama he sees as impotent and indecisive.
The fiercely anti-American communist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was so pleased to host the Tu-160s that he scheduled a personal audience with their crews Tuesday.
RIA Novosti also announced the two bombers would fly back to their home air base in southern Russia from Venezuela’s Libertador Air Base on Wednesday, three days later than their originally announced departure date.
The symbolism was obvious. The United States had infuriated the Russians by sending warships in support of Georgia to the Black Sea, which has been a virtual Russian lake for the past 250 years. So the Russians sent two of their most formidable nuclear bombers over the Caribbean Sea, which has been an American preserve for well over a century.
But the Tu-160 deployments and flights carry a far more ominous message to the U. S. A.: If Russia permanently deploys its Tu-160s in Venezuela, the United States could be at a greater risk than at any time since the darkest days of the Cold War.
The Blackjack is a Mach-2, 1,380 mph, super-long-range Tu-160s can carry stand-off X-555 cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 miles. That means that from a base in Venezuela, they could “loiter” over the Caribbean for 10 or more hours at a time with a capability of firing their Mach 2.8 cruise missiles that are capable of flying around 1,800 mph at sea level and hugging ground contours so their exact flight path could not be intercepted in advance with a range that could hit almost any target in the entire United States.
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has let virtually all its domestic defenses against manned bomber attacks vanish. The Blackjacks would fly well “under the umbrella” of even Patriot PAC-3 and U.S. Navy Standard Missile-3 anti-ballistic missiles, none of which are designed for manned aircraft interception. The cold fact is that the United States currently has no missile defense system capable of knocking down a Blackjack missile attack or of preventing a cruise missile launch unless combat fighter aircraft — which are only a few hundred miles per hour faster than the Mach-2 Blackjacks — can intercept them.
RIA Novosti described the Tu-160 Blackjack as “a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theaters of operation.”
The Russian news agency cited a Russian air force spokesman as saying the two Tu-160s were equipped only with dummy missiles without warheads.
But, of course, if Tu-160s were to be based permanently at Libertador Air Base, or elsewhere in Venezuela in the future, the missiles they carried might not always be dummy ones. Unspoken is that those airbases are vulnerable to nuclear and conventional weapons attacks by U. S. Airforce and naval aircraft that could render the threat moot.
Russia is playing for time. High oil prices has allowed it to bank a half trillion dollars but its tock market has collapsed losing 51% in value since May. If a flaccid U. S. president is not elected Putin has a whole new kettle of fish to contend with.
They still want the job?
If I haven’t made my sentiments clear before this, let me set the record straight.
My sentiments are with Barack Obama, I want him to be our next president.
Barack has my sentiments, but both candidates have my sympathies.
I’m sure it sounded like a nice gig, back in 2007, when this interminable campaign started. Just end the war, stop wasting our treasure on feuding Arabs, run the tired Bushites out of town, put in a decent health plan and a reasonable energy policy, and know that whatever you do, you’re gonna look golden. Mike Huckabee could have won this thing and come out looking like Abe Lincoln, just by contrast. This was an act you wanted to follow.
That was then, this is now.
Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t like to curse on a family site like hypocrisy, but I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t speak the truth in plain English. We are in the middle of a shit storm of biblical proportions.
Yes, my fellow Americans, the tide is high and rising. This week it drowned Wall Street. It’s not Wall Street anymore; it’s Wall Sewer. The storm surge swamped our financial markets, turning great corporations into dreck and dollars into dookie. Trillions of assets were wiped out in a moment, companies became worthless, commercial paper became toilet paper. The feces hit the fan and the government had to buy what spewed out.
That’s right, we now own that mess. You and I, the mortgage-ravaged, petroleum-beggared, stagflation-bankrupted American people are now the proud possessors of the landfill once known as “The Financial Markets.”
Yet the two guys who wanted to be CEO of this once-great nation still want the job. It boggles the mind and warms the heart.
Things are no better abroad. The war in Iraq winds down, slowly, ever so slowly, as the war in Afghanistan cranks up faster. They are bombing our embassies. North Korea is looking more wobbly than ever. The Russians are eating our lunch in Eurasia and making trouble in South America. New Cubas are popping up like mosquitoes after a hurricane.
And speaking of hurricanes, Ike. And the season isn’t over yet, anymore than the depression is over yet.
But John McCain and Barack Obama still want the job.
I love my country. I consider myself a patriot, I never forget that I won the genetic lottery when Grandpa Paul got on a boat and landed in Ellis Island. But if I was offered the job of president right now I believe I’d have to decline the honor. I don’t have the fortitude; I know we’re circling the bowl and the pipes are backing up. I’m just not plumber enough to handle it.
But Obama and McCain both want to dive in. Still. Capitalism has cancer, Washington is constipated, Main Street is nauseous, the World has the trots, the prognosis for the next four years dim to disgusting.
How fortunate, then, that we have men like John McCain and Barack Obama! Because despite it all, despite the thankless task of taking over from the now-proven most inept administration since Hoover’s, and in the very eye of the typhoon of crap now swirling above our heads, they both want to be our next president.
They still want the job. I hope.
EXCLUSIVE: Did Biden’s Son OK AMTRAK Subsidy for ABC-DISNEY?
Hunter Biden Vice-Chairman of AMTRAK in midst of AMTRAK multi-million subsisdy of ABC-DISNEY
Democrat VP candidate Senator Joe Biden’s son, R. Hunter Biden, is Vice-Chairman of AMTRAK’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Although AMTRAK nor ABC will answer the obvious question of who and why that Board has OK’d subsidizing ABC, owned by DISNEY with millions of taxpayer dollars and why ABC-DISNEY is not paying the full freight for its one week national WHISTLE STOP TOUR. While ABC-DISNEY-AMTRAK may never own up to its multi-million subsidy of them LOBBYIST HUNTER’s influence on AMTRAK’S BOARD may explain the political motivation for what feels more and more like a week’s campaign commercial for his Dad’s VP bid.
It certainly is another HYPOCRITICAL EXAMPLE of WASHINGTON INSIDERS shoveling millions of taxpayer dollars to pet projects, and there is a lot of explaining needed.
Electoral College Votes Still Close - Swing State “Swinging”
Debates Loom Ever Larger
A Rasmussen Report poll as of September 14 in five critical “swing” states show McCain ahead or the races tied. New state polling from Missouri has helped move that state from “Leans Republican” to “Likely Republican” in the Rasmussen Reports www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/election_20″ href=”http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/election_2008_electoral_college_update” target=”_self”>Balance of Power Calculator. With this change, McCain now leads in states with 200 Electoral College votes while Obama is ahead in states with 193 Electoral College votes. When “leaners” are included, it’s Obama 259, McCain 247. 270 Electoral votes are needed to become President.
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CO |
FL |
OH |
PA |
VA |
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McCain |
48% (46%) |
49% (48%) |
48% (51%) |
47% (45%) |
48% (49%) |
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Obama |
46% (49%) |
44% (48%) |
45% (44%) |
47% (47%) |
48% (47%) |
Internals show interesting facts worth watching.
- Roughly one-in-five voters say they could still change their mind before voting. This large number of potentially persuadable voters places enormous importance on the debates which begin a week from Friday.
- Ohio voters are less certain of their vote than those in other states. Thirty percent (30%) in the Buckeye State say they could change their mind.
- McCain continues to be viewed more favorably-and trusted more– than Obama.
- The number who would not be comfortable with Obama as President is at 40% or 41%
- The number not comfortable with a President McCain ranges from 33% to 36%. This is consistent with national polling data released today showing that more voters believe McCain is prepared to be President.
- Voters are generally more comfortable with the idea of a President Biden than a President Obama. The number uncomfortable with the idea of Biden in the Oval Office ranges from 26% to 33%.
- Voters are less comfortable with idea of a President Palin than a President Biden.
- In fact, Palin’s numbers are closer to Obama’s than Biden’s. The number uncomfortable with a President Palin ranges from 38% to 45% in the five states polled this week.
- The Republican support for McCain is quite stable. The modest changes from week-to-week can generally be found in changes among Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
- Obama has the edge among unaffiliated voters in two states, McCain in two, and they are even in one. Nationally, McCain has a slight advantage among unaffiliated voters.
- In Pennsylvania, there was a three point decline in the number of undecideds along with a two point increase in support for McCain.
- In Ohio, there was a three point increase in the number of undecideds along with a three point decline in support for McCain.
- In Colorado, Nader’s support when up three percentage points while Obama’s went down three.
- Economic issues are the top issue in all five states with national security matters a distant second.
McCain-Palin Continue To Surge
(W)hom they’d consult for advice if they faced the “toughest decision of your life,” voters chose McCain over Obama by 50-34
Dick Morris’ analysis is recent developments in the Presidential contest goes like this. Fox News had Obama ahead by 42-39 in its August 19-20 survey, its poll for September 8-9 shows McCain ahead by 45-42. Obama hasn’t changed, but McCain has moved up six points. There has been a basic trend away from the Democratic Party in recent months. In an April 28-29 sample, 44 percent of voters said they were Democrats while only 30 percent said they were Republicans.
That 14-point gap in favor of the Democrats closed to a 9-point gap at the end of July and collapsed to only 7 points by September 8-9. Now, 41 percent say they’re Democrats while 34 percent identify themselves as Republicans. At the end of July, voters trusted the Democrats better to handle the economy by 11 points - 47-36. Now, the Democratic lead on the economy has dwindled to only four points - 46-42.
On Obama’s signature issue, the Iraq war, voters trusted the Republicans to handle it better by 52-39 in early September, compared with only a 46-40 advantage in mid-June.
Republicans have gained on the energy issue too. Asked which party they trusted more to achieve energy independence, the voters gave the Democrats an eight-point lead before the conventions and an only two-point lead now.
The Queen has become Sarah Palin. On the question of which of the four candidates for president and vice president best “understands the problems of day to day life in America,” Palin finished first with 33 percent, Obama second with 32 percent, McCain third with 17 percent and Biden last with 10 percent - a combined 50-42 margin for the Republican candidates.
Asked if Palin had been the object of sexist attacks in the media, 45 percent said yes, compared to only 33 percent who felt that Obama had been victimized by racist attacks. The more the Democrats and the media pour incoming fire on Palin, the more they polarize themselves as sexist and elitist, two things you don’t want to be in today’s America.
But, in perhaps the worst news in this survey for Obama, when asked whom they’d consult for advice if they faced the “toughest decision of your life,” voters chose McCain over him by 50-34. If the toughest decision is who to vote for president, McCain can take comfort in this finding.
Obama’s FEET OF CLAY
The phrase “Feet of Clay” comes from the Old Testament (Dan.2:31-32).
Don’t look now but Barack Obama’s FEET OF CLAY are showing. After month’s of fawning by most media and chanting if irrelevant German and Denver crowd rank and file voters are taking a careful look at the onetime Messiah designate candidate and seeing feet of clay.
I am struck how appropriate ‘feet of clay’ describes the fatal flaw or vulnerable point in the character of Barack Obama, and I can certainly not be confused with any Bible scholar.
What I do see is what other regular Americans see an Obama without his teleprompter and absurd Ionic columns made of flimsy Styrofoam less substantial than worthless, even dangerous noisy rhetoric from campaign fiction writers.
Americans are looking past an absurdly misplaced sense of political correctness and “white guilt” to find a leader who has walked-the-walk and not just talked-the-talk. There are storm clouds on every horizon as America sits in the eye of a global storm threatening not just it but civilization itself.
The phrase “Feet of Clay” comes from the Old Testament (Dan.2:31-32). The Hebrew captain Daniel interprets a dream for Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (c 630-562 BC). The King had dreamed of a giant idol with golden head, silver arms and chest, brass thighs and body, and iron legs. Only the feet of this image, compounded of iron and potter’s clay, weren’t made wholly of metal.
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the clay feet of the figure made it vulnerable, that it prophesized the breaking apart of his empire.
With appropriate apologies to my Rev. Uncle John and Robert Hendrickson, and his Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins.
McCain Reaches 50% In Polls Now Given 53-46% Chance Of Winning
McCain with wide leads in terms of experience, leadership and in the ability to protect the country from terrorist.
Sunday’s Rasmussen poll has John McCain reaching the 50% level of support for the first time. McCain retains a three-point advantage for the third straight day, 50% to 47%
Rasmussen Markets data gives McCain a 52.7 % chance of victory while expectations for Obama are at 46 %. The biggest shift in perceptions since the index has been coined. McCain is viewed favorably by 57% of the nation’s voters while Obama earns positive reviews from 53%.
Only one national poll - the NBC/WSJ poll – has Obama ahead of McCain and then by 1%. Rasmussen, Gallup, Fox, AP, ABC, CBS, USA/Today all see the opposite by an average of 2.3%. CNN and Newsweek say the race is tied while USA/Today has McCain-Palin leading by 10%.
The “internals” show McCain with wide leads in terms of experience, leadership and in the ability to protect the country from terrorist.
The hitherto hushed discussion of the so-called “bubba vote” those who would never vote for a black for President and blacks who will only vote for another black is surging into everyday conversation.
PDS (Palin Derangement Syndrome) Epidemic
Venom Against Sarah Palin Inexplicable
Something called Palin Petition is gathering signature on-line to deliver at least 100,000 tsignatures to Oprah Winfrey asking her to set her partisan bias aside and have Sarah Palin on her show. Over 41,000 people have already signed the on-line petition at www.PalinPetition.com.
Oprah has said she will not invite Palin on her talk show before the election but may invite her after the election is over. Oprah is an Obama supporter. This is the first time Oprah has publicly endorsed a political candidate.
Friday ABC’s The View hosted Senator and Mrs. McCain for a marginally civil segment punctuated by Barbara Walters appearing to have smelled something foul, and Whoopi Goldberg bizarrely concluding McCain appointing Constitutionalist judges might return her to slavery. Neither woman is known for their scholarship but Goldberg’s assertion should insult 6th graders nationwide.
In what could be one of the most strident anti-Obama screeds yet - a man, who appears to be a black minister has landed on Palin critics with both feet and blast Obama’s mother for an absence of morality, and raising other questions.
You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/v/U4-TZspqlOs&hl=en&fs=1.
Like I said it is nasty,