Obama's final campaign stop

Manassas, Virgina.

The choice is interesting on several levels: The once sleepy little town in Northern VA is now one of the fastest-growing places in the nation. There is also an exploding Latino presence.

History buffs know that the area is home to the Bull Run battlefield: Site of the first major battle of the Civil War in July, 1861. A second large battle was fought there in August, 1862: Both were Confederate victories.

(h/t Daily Kos)

Prediction

A bit rash to make a prediction before the weekend news cycle, but I think the trends are solid. Barring some sort of last-minute revelation, here is my forecast of Tuesday's result:


I basically just extrapolated the current numbers through Tuesday: I do not think Obama will flip GA or MO, but he will pick up IA, MT, ND, FL, OH, VA, NV, and NC. The national vote totals should run Obama 51 McCain 46. I don't see Barr, Nader, and the rest picking up more than 3 percent.

Obama is making a strong push in ND, GA, and AZ. ND will pay off (McCain's numbers have plummeted there), GA--prolly not. The Arizona thing strikes me as an "in-your-face" tactic (although several polls have shown McCain's lead there shrinking).

I think predictions of 400+ EV and 60 Senate seats a bit optimistic.

The DKos map is pretty cool: try it.

Pre-election pressure

Too much for me:

NEGROS!!

The chair of the Hillsboro County (FL) Republican party sounds the alarm:"I see BLACK PEOPLE!"

An excerpt:

THE THREAT:
HERE IN TEMPLE TERRACE, FL OUR REPUBLICAN HQ IS ONE BLOCK AWAY FROM OUR LIBRARY, WHICH IS AN EARLY VOTING SITE.
I SEE CARLOADS OF BLACK OBAMA SUPPORTERS COMING FROM THE INNER CITY TO CAST THEIR VOTES FOR OBAMA. THIS IS THEIR CHANCE TO GET A BLACK PRESIDENT AND THEY SEEM TO CARE LITTLE THAT HE IS AT MINIMUM, SOCIALIST, AND PROBABLY MARXIST IN HIS CORE BELIEFS. AFTER ALL, HE IS BLACK--NO EXPERIENCE OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS--BUT HE IS BLACK.
I ALSO SEE YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THEIR PROFESSORS FROM USF PARKING THEIR CARS WITH THE PROMINENT 'OBAMA' BUMPER STICKERS. THE STUDENTS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC TO BE VOTING IN A HISTORIC ELECTION WHERE THERE MAY BE THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT

.

Thou shalt not...

...make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

--Exodus 20:4

Didn't I already surrender to Conservatives on behalf of satire? Just when you thought the fundies have reached a new level of moronitude, they dig down DEEP into their bag of buffoonery and Bring The Stupid.

I take you to Wall Street, USA, where a group of "Christians"---I am not making this up---is worshiping a golden calf as they pray for materiel wealth.

The Money Quote from dhonig at Daily Kos: "How do you satirize that?"

(h/t Wonkette via DKos)

Wow

The Patron Saint of Conservatives sums it up nicely:

Seig Meow!

First is was Yellow Mustangs.com---ok, I'll buy that.

Then...men who look like Kenny Rogers.com...well, ok.

But....cats that look loke Hitler?

Interlude: Dutch Treat

...I know there are those who prefer the orignal version as performed by Scotland's Average White Band, but I'll take the Candy Dulfer version:

Enabling terrorists

Here's the deal: In 2003, Obama attends a dinner for a Palestinian scholar named Rashid Khalidi. It appears the Obama had some nice things to say about Mr. Khalidi--while he is no terrorist, he is unabashedly pro-Palestinian--and perhaps not a staunch defender of Isreal.

The LA Times broke the story--8 months ago. Didn't seem to have much traction then because, after all, Khalidi is NOT a terrorist.

But wait,there's more: It seems there was video of the dinner, which the LAT is sitting on. The McCain campaign, via Drudge and Fox, demand I repeat demand the videotape be released.

But wait, there's more: Turns out that the International Republican Institute, under McCain's leadership, gave Khalid's Center for Palestinian Research a grant worth $448,000 in the early 90s.

Wups.

Lemme see-Obama goes to a banquet and says nice things about him "Terrorist!"

McCain gives him almost half a million bucks: Diplomacy.

OK ,then.

UPDATED: Drudge has scrubbed the website of any reference to Khalid.

Obama and Marx?

That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.

Interlude: Reel around the sun

You'll appreciate this more with the audio output turned up a bit:

Shorter Sarah Palin:

If Obama is elected our national security will be placed in Jeopardy!



Bullshit for $200 please, Alex.

The McCain campaign in a nutshell

...from Sadly, No:

Hammer, meet nail. The ‘race is still close’ and ‘a great many people’ want to vote for John McCain very much, aside from that tiny, nagging detail that he regularly and very publicly makes terrible decisions, says retarded shit all the fucking time and couldn’t boil a pot of water without ’suspending’ all water-boiling activities a couple times before knocking the pot over in a spasmodic rage, leaving everybody in the kitchen with second-degree burns.

BREAKING

Satire surrenders unconditionally to reality:



(h/t Daily Kos)

10 days to go

No more daily poll updates: The numbers seem to be pretty steady.

Most people have made up their minds.

Barack Obama and his team have positioned themselves to win: If they execute their plan they will win. McCain can no longer do anything to affect the outcome.

GYWO

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Interlude: Morris Day

Financial Meltdown

Matt Taibbi does double-duty: Smacking down the absurd notion that the current economic crises can be laid at the feet of poor black folks who couldn't pay back their home loans---and eviscerating Byron York of National Review. The highlights:

B.Y.: Did I suggest that headwinds are unfair? But on the financial meltdown in particular, if you're suggesting that that is a Republican creation, or even more specifically a McCain creation, I think you're on pretty shaky ground.

M.T.: You don't think the unregulated CDS market was a major factor in the current crisis? Were you watching when AIG almost went under? Were you watching the Lehman collapse?

B.Y.: I think that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were also major factors. And I believe that many of the problems in the mortgage area can be attributed to the confluence of Democratic and Republican priorities: the Democrats' desire to give mortgages to people, particularly minorities, who could not afford them, and the Republicans' desire to achieve an "ownership society," in part by giving mortgages to people who could not afford them. Again, I believe that if you are suggesting that the financial crisis is a Republican creation, or even more specifically a McCain creation, I think you're on pretty shaky ground.

M.T.: Oh, come on. Tell me you're not ashamed to put this gigantic international financial Krakatoa at the feet of a bunch of poor black people who missed their mortgage payments. The CDS market, this market for credit default swaps that was created in 2000 by Phil Gramm's Commodities Future Modernization Act, this is now a $62 trillion market, up from $900 billion in 2000. That's like five times the size of the holdings in the NYSE. And it's all speculation by Wall Street traders. It's a classic bubble/Ponzi scheme. The effort of people like you to pin this whole thing on minorities, when in fact this whole thing has been caused by greedy traders dealing in unregulated markets, is despicable.

B.Y.: I was struck by the recent Senate testimony of James Lockhart, who is head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, about the sheer recklessness of Fannie in recent years. Despite "repeated warnings about credit risk," Lockhart testified, Fannie became more reckless in 2006 and 2007 than they had been in the scandal-ridden tenure of Franklin Raines (who departed in 2004). In 2005, Lockhart said, 14 percent of Fannie's new business was in risky loans. In the first half of 2007, it was 33 percent. So something terribly wrong was going on there, and it became a significant part of the present problem.

M.T.: What a surprise that you mention Franklin Raines. Do you even know how a CDS works? Can you explain your conception of how these derivatives work? Because I get the feeling you don't understand. Or do you actually think that it was a few tiny homeowner defaults that sank gigantic companies like AIG and Lehman and Bear Stearns? Explain to me how these default swaps work, I'm interested to hear.

Because what we're talking about here is the difference between one homeowner defaulting and forty, four hundred, four thousand traders betting back and forth on the viability of his loan. Which do you think has a bigger effect on the economy?

B.Y.: Are you suggesting that critics of Fannie and Freddie are talking about the default of a single homeowner?

M.T.: No. That is what you call a figure of speech. I'm saying that you're talking about individual homeowners defaulting. But these massive companies aren't going under because of individual homeowner defaults. They're going under because of the myriad derivatives trades that go on in connection with each piece of debt, whether it be a homeowner loan or a corporate bond. I'm still waiting to hear what your idea is of how these trades work. I'm guessing you've never even heard of them.

I mean really. You honestly think a company like AIG tanks because a bunch of minorities couldn't pay off their mortgages?

B.Y.: When you refer to "Phil Gramm's Commodities Future Modernization Act," are you referring to S.3283, co-sponsored by Gramm, along with Senators Tom Harkin and Tim Johnson?

M.T.: In point of fact I'm talking about the 262-page amendment Gramm tacked on to that bill that deregulated the trade of credit default swaps.

Tick tick tick. Hilarious sitting here while you frantically search the Internet to learn about the cause of the financial crisis -- in the middle of a live chat interview.

B.Y.: Look, you can keep trying to make this a specifically partisan and specifically Gramm-McCain thing, but it simply isn't. We've gone on for fifteen minutes longer than scheduled, and that's enough. Thanks.

M.T.: Thanks. Note, folks, that the esteemed representative of the New Republic has no idea what the hell a credit default swap is. But he sure knows what a minority homeowner looks like.

B.Y.: It's National Review.

UPDATED: Megan disagrees. The comment "people with little or no understanding of markets" would be me.

I hasten to add that some really smart people wth advanced degress in economics and business got us into this mess.

Jane Galt endorses Obama

Megan McArdle has joined the steady stream of not-Democrats to endorse Barack Obama. To be sure, her endorsement is lukewarm, but you can add The Atlantic columnist to chorus of voices who are either for Obama or against McCain, or some combination of the two.

So I guess that locks up the tall girl libertarian econoblogger vote.

Patriots

Some of this is recycled from his 2004 DNC speech.

Some of it is a tribute to his grandmother.

All of it is powerful. Set aside 5 minutes.

Proper

Daily poll summary Wednesday, October 22

Pollster:Obama 286 McCain 157 toss-up 95

538:Obama 344 McCain 193

Real Clear Politics:Obama 286 McCain 160 toss-up 92

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 51 41
Rassmussen: 51 45
Gallup: 51 42
Reuters/Zogby: 52 42
Battleground: 49 47
Pollster: 49 43
RCP: 49 43

Sunday night, February 9th 1964

More rabid hatred at a Palin rally

Words fail me:

Pre Lives

Steve Prefontaine

Daily Poll Summary Tuesday, October 21

Pollster:Obama 286 McCain 157 toss-up 95

538:Obama 344 McCain 194

Real Clear Politics:Obama 286 McCain 155 toss-up 97

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 50 42
Rassmussen: 50 46
Gallup: 52 41
Reuters/Zogby: 50 42
Battleground: 48 47
Pollster: 49 43
RCP: 49 43

Daily poll summary Monday, October 20

Pollster:Obama 313 McCain 157 toss-up 68

538:Obama 343 McCain 194

Real Clear Politics:Obama 286 McCain 155 toss-up 97

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 50 42
Rassmussen: 50 46
Gallup: 52 43
Reuters/Zogby: 50 44
Battleground: 48 45
Pollster: 49 43
RCP: 49 43

Interlude: David Gray

Trib endorses Obama

The Chicago Tribune endorses Obama for President.

Yeah, it is his hometown paper.

However...

The Trib has never endorsed a Democrat for President...this is a first in the paper's 161-year history.

Why we fight

...from Tom Udall's Senate campaign:

Daily Poll Summary Thursday, October 16

Pollster: Obama 333 McCain 155 toss-up 50 (Obama+13)

538:Obama 353 McCain 184 (McCain+8)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 286 McCain 158 toss-up 94 (no change)

Interlude: What I like about you

After that last bit, something a bit more positive.

Uhhh, this would make a dandy song for spin class.

Just sayin'.

Racism

I will not commit the sin of syllogistic slander: I realize that just because nearly all racists are Republicans that it does not follow that all Republicans are racists.

However.

Watch this: yes, I know about the source but it seems damned unlikely they would have staged these performances.

This is hatred, ignorance,and bigotry direct from the heart of Ohio.

Interlude: Snap into position

Daily poll summary Wednesday, October 15

Pollster:Obama 320 McCain 155 toss-up 63 (no change)

UPDATED: Obama 333 McCain 155 toss-up 50 (Obama+13)

538:Obama 361 McCain 176 (no change)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 286 McCain 158 toss-up 94 (Obama-27)

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174 (no change)

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 52 41 (no change)
Rassmussen: 50 45(no change)
Gallup: 50 43(McCain+3)
Reuters/Zogby: 48 44(McCain+2)
Battleground: 51 43 (McCain+4)
Pollster: 50 42 (no change)
RCP: 49 42 (no change)

Daily poll summary Tuesday, October 14

Pollster:Obama 320 McCain 155 toss-up 63 (McCain-3)

538:Obama 361 McCain 176 (Obama +10)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 313 McCain 158 toss-up 67 (Obama+36)

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174 (no change)

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 52 41 (McCain+1)
Rassmussen: 50 45(no change)
Gallup: 53 43(no change)
Reuters/Zogby: 49 43(Obama+2)
Battleground: 53 40 (Obama+5)
Pollster: 50 42 (no change)
RCP: 49 42 (no change)

...the HUGE shift in the RCP electoral count and the 5 point Battleground bump are probably just statistical noise-nonetheless: Ominous tidings for McCain.

Carolina Blue

The Coach endores Obama.

Daily Poll Summary Monday, October 13

Pollster:Obama 320 McCain 158 toss-up 60 (no change)

538:Obama 351 McCain 187 (Obama +2)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 277 McCain 158 toss-up 103 (no change)

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174 (no change)

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 52 40 (Obama+1)
Rassmussen: 50 45(no change)
Gallup: 51 41(no change)
Reuters/Zogby: 48 44(no change)
Battleground: 48 45
Pollster: 50 42 (no change)
RCP: 49 42 (no change)

RCP Battleground states:

Battleground States Obama McCain change
Colorado 49.3 45.3 (no change)
Ohio 48.9 45.4 (no change)
Florida 48.7 44.9 (Obama +1.7)
Nevada 49.6 46.6 (no change)
Missouri 49 46 (Obama+2)
Virginia 50.0 44.9 (no change)

Three into two

Make up yer own joke-I got nothin'.

General Motors and Chrysler to merge?

Troopergate

Final report.

Summary: "Abuse of Power" by Gov. Palin? Yes.

Crime? Not so much.

(Overall relevence given the fact it looks as if the McCain-Palin ticket is in for a brutal stomping anyway? None.)

UPDATE: the money quote from Time magazine (h/t Daily Kos):

But the Branchflower report still makes for good reading, if only because it convincingly answers a question nobody had even thought to ask: Is the Palin administration shockingly amateurish? Yes, it is. Disturbingly so.

[...]

A harsh verdict? Consider the report's findings. Not only did people at almost every level of the Palin administration engage in repeated inappropriate contact with Walt Monegan and other high-ranking officials at the Department of Public Safety, but Monegan and his peers constantly warned these Palin disciples that the contact was inappropriate and probably unlawful. Still, the emails and calls continued — in at least one instance on recorded state trooper phone lines.

[...]

Monegan consistently emerges as the adult in these conversations, while the Palin camp displays a childish impetuousness and sense of entitlement.

Pollwatch hiatus

Let's give it a rest 'till Monday: The trends seem pretty fixed for now.

Obama on his game

While the McCain-Palin campaign stutters and stammers and works up crowds in to a hate-filled frenzy, Obama quietly sums up his candidacy. From an appearence in Phlly:

"I was in a small town in Ohio the other day... this was two days ago, I was doing a bus tour about jobs, in southern Ohio, and I went to a town called Georgetown, in Ohio... probably has a few thousand people. We stopped by a diner -- I was with the governor there -- because I wanted a piece of pie."

He continued:

You got some pie? What kind of pie? You baked some pie? What'd you make? Sweet potato pie?...

Well, they didn't have sweet potato pie in Georgetown... so, we ended up, I had some coconut cream pie, the governor had some lemon meringue pie... and, the waiters there, they wanted to take a picture with me, because they said that the owner was a die-hard Republican... they said 'we're going to take this picture so we can give him a hard time.'

But right as we're taking the picture, the owner walks out.

He's got our pie.

And he says, he says 'Here you go Senator, here's your pie.'

I said, 'I hear you're a die-hard Republican.'

He says 'That's right.'

I said, 'How's business?'"

Here endeth the lesson.

Daily Poll Summary Friday, October 10

Pollster:Obama 320 McCain 158 toss-up 60 (McCain-5)

538:Obama 348 McCain 189 (Obama +2)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 277 McCain 158 toss-up 103 (Obama+8)

Intrade:Obama 364 McCain 174 (Obama +11)

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 52 40 (Obama+1)
Rassmussen (10/8): 50 45(Obama-2)
Gallup (10/10): 51 41(McCain+1)
Reuters/Zogby: 47 43
Battleground: 48 45
Pollster: 49 41 (McCain-2)
RCP: 49 42 (Obama-2 McCain -3)

RCP Battleground states:

Battleground States Obama McCain Spread
Colorado 49.3 45.3 Obama +4.0
Ohio 48.9 45.4 Obama +3.5
Florida 48.5 45.4 Obama +3.1
Nevada 49.6 46.6 Obama +3.0
Missouri 47.4 47.8 McCain +0.4
Virginia 50.0 44.9 Obama +5.1

....the Virginia numbers are particularly Ominous for McCain: He has no path to the White House which does not include The Old Dominion.

Obama throws down the gauntlet

McCain: "Ayers! Terrorist! Ayers! Terrorist! Ayers!"

Obama: "Say it to my face."

Wow.

McCain: More lies about pork

...ok, not a lie per se, but when McCain accused Obama of earmarking $3 million for an overhead projector in Chicago, he left out something: The money was for a new Zeiss projector in the renowned Adler Planetarium.

McCain: Erratic

Team Obama continues to hit all their marks:

Get Your War On

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Daily poll summary Thursday, October 9

Pollster:Obama 320 McCain 163 toss-up 55 (unchanged)

538:Obama 346 McCain 191 (Obama +1)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 264 McCain 163 toss-up 111 (unchanged)

Intrade:Obama 353 McCain 185 (Obama +15)

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 51 41 (no change)
Rassmussen (10/8): 52 45
Gallup (10/7): 51 42
Reuters/Zogby: 48 44
Battleground: 48 45
Pollster: 49 43 (unchanged)
RCP: 51 46 (Obama+2 McCain +2)

McCain voters in a nutshell

Lemme get this straight:

Senator McCain plans to buy up $300 billion in mortgages...

....but also freeze federal spending...

...and make the Bush tax cuts permanent...

...but he says we can work on saving Social Security...

...and a national healthcare plan...

...and national energy policy..."Do all three at once", he says. "We're Americans", he says.

Oh, he'll do all these things without cutting defense spending, continuing our war in Iraq, deploying a "surge" to Afghanistan, and absorbing the $700 billion bailout expenditure.

Can he also turn water into wine?

The Stupid Vote

...analysis from The Daily Show:

California Prop 8

A ballot initiative in California would ban same-sex marriages. This commercial against Prop 8 may be a bit reductio ad abursdum, but....they make a pretty compelling point. (h/t Daily Kos)

Daily poll summary Wednesday, October 8

Pollster:Obama 320 McCain 163 toss-up 55 (unchanged)

538:Obama 345 McCain 192 (Obama +2)

Real Clear Politics:Obama 264 McCain 163 toss-up 111 (unchanged)

Intrade:Obama 338 McCain 200 (McCain +15)

Nationwide: Obama-McCain
Daily Kos/R2K: 51 41 (Obama -1)
Rassmussen: 52 45 (McCain+4)
Gallup (10/7): 51 42 (Obama+1)
Pollster: 49 43 (unchanged)
RCP: 49 44 (unchanged)

Debate summary

...no smackdowns in the first 25 minutes: McCain in Deep Trouble at that point. Viewership and expectations are front-loaded, and this was the Night for mcCain to draw blood (or so they said).

Didn't happen early.

My fearless prediction: McCain supporters will be exultant, or at least call it a win: they heard what they wanted.

Obama supporteres: Same.

Snap polls: Will run solidly for Obama.

Net impact on the electorate: Little to none. If any, a slight bump for Obama.

UPDATE: The morning after...

CBS: Not even close, an easy Obama win.

CNN: See above.

...the assembled punditry on TV called it for Obama. Even Bill Bennett.

Day-after snap polls can be misleading, and the internals of the CNN poll seem to indicate they oversampled Democrats. However, the consensus was McCain needed to land a big blow to turn the momentum of the campaign around. He needed a clear, if not decisive, win.

He was beaten.

Daily Poll summary Tuesday, October 7

• Pollster:
  
  Obama 320
  McCain 163
  toss-up 55
  
  538:
  
  Obama 342
  McCain 194
  
  Real Clear Politics:
  
  Obama 264
  McCain 163
  toss-up 111
  
  Intrade:
  
  Obama 353
  McCain 185
  
  Nationwide:
  
  Obama McCain
  Daily Kos/R2K: 52 41
  Rassmussen: 52 41
  Gallup (10/6): 50 42
  Pollster: 49 43
  RCP: 49 44

What's left?

The only demographics where McCain still holds a lead are men overall (46-45); the South (52-41); and over 60 (45-43).

In other words--his base is old white Southern men.

I wonder how much of that support he'll lose when they learn he'll finance his tax cuts with reductions in Medicare and Medicaid.

Daily Poll summary: Monday October 6

Pollster:

Obama 260
Mccain 163
Toss-Up 115

538:

Obama 339
McCain 198

Real Clear Politics:

Obama 264
McCain 163
Toss-up 111

Keating 5

....looks like I'm on a roll: Obama surrogates to use the K5 scandal against McCain.

The effectiveness of the choice to me is far less relevant than what it says about the Obama campaign vis-a-vis previous Democratic efforts: These people play hard ball when necessary. A far cry from the lame responses you'd have gotten out of the Kerry or Gore camps.

If the guilt-by-association thing continues look for mention of McCain's association with Pastor Hagee, Richard Quinn (a Columbia, SC white supremacist), and of course convicted felon and McCain donor G. Gordon Liddy...

Are these associations of McCain's equivalent to l'affaires Ayers, Rezko, Wright, and others? I dunno, but if if McCain goes there, he'll get it right back twice as hard, and in the same news cycle.

That said, look for all of this to be handled by surrogates. (Biden is off the circuit for a coupla days)--permits Obama to stay above it all.

McCain deconstructed

From Rolling Stone.

Yeah, I know---consider the source.

On the other hand....read the whole thing. Wow.

The Times bashes Sarah

...conservatives will dismiss it out of hand, but the NYT ran 2 entire opinion pages on Sarah Palin. The criticism is quite harsh.

Bob Herbert was the best.

Covering all the angles

I can't imagine why, but the McCain campaign seems to have bought the rights to the URL voteforthemilf.com

Really. (h/t Daily Kos)

Update: Uh-huh. Looking like a prank. Didn't pass the smell test.

OK, I'm not watching the VP debate

If Sarah Palin crashes and burns I'll feel some empathy for her (remember Admiral Stockdale?)...and if she does well I'll be angry.

A lose-lose for me.

UPDATE: OK, I lied. She started quite well indeed--the folksy stuff is just bs, but it plays well.

Later...she is falling apart. Sad to watch, really.

Redeployment

McCain out of Michigan.

Obama had earlier pulled out of ND, AL, & GA, but there was some thought that McCain had a shot in MI.

Not anymore. McCain playing defense now...exceptions-NH, which is still a toss-up, and PA/WI--I guess McCain thinks they can pull off an upset there. Not bloody likely.

Ohio (echoing 2004), Florida (echoing 2000), and surprise!: Virginia and North Carolina will be the battleground states. Obama seems to have already flipped Iowa and New Mexico...has a good shot in CO, and an outside chance in NV.

Remote-control Palin

...debunked on Daily Kos.

Hold off on the end-zone dance...

...an Obama Labor organizer sounds a note of caution: While the news of late has been all good for the Democrats, the electorate is still volatile, there's plenty of time between now and the election, and many voters harbor some doubts.

Dick Morris' election math

...is full of feces. Resplendent avec merde.

His latest analysis is so over-the-top biased towards Obama that even Kos calls BS on it.

The opening says it all: "Is NewsMax really paying Dick Morris for this crap?"

Lookit, I'd love it if Morris' Epic landslide scenario comes true, but it just ain't gonna happen.