Hillary Clinton would be a great choice for Secretary of State

I hope the reports here, here, here, here, here and here are correct. Hillary Clinton would be an excellent choice given her experience and relationships she and Bill have with world leaders. I hope she is in fact the Secretary of State. A meeting between her and Lawrence Canon would be great to see. It was also great to see Obama have a face to face meeting with John McCain today. I am also excited about rumours that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may also get a position in cabinet.
-Darryl

Secretary of state job Clinton's, if she wants it, reports say

SIRI AGRELL

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

November 14, 2008 at 10:46 PM EST

Almost a year ago, Barack Obama was asked in a debate how he could rely on so many Bill Clinton-era advisers while still providing a break from the past, prompting his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to burst out laughing.

Turning to face her, Mr. Obama deadpanned: “I'm looking forward to you advising me too, Hillary.”

Now president-elect, Mr. Obama it seems was not joking.

The pair took a secret meeting in Chicago this week, and Washington is abuzz with rumours that the New York senator will be tapped as his secretary of state.

CNN quoted Democratic sources as saying Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton had a serious discussion about the secretary of state job and that she left the meeting with the impression that it was hers if she wanted it. The Huffington Post blog went further, saying Ms. Clinton was offered the job and requested time to consider it.

But Mr. Obama also interviewed New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for the position yesterday, media reports said.

Mr. Obama has also begun staffing his White House, transition team and economic panel with former Clinton administration insiders.

After a two-year battle in which each politician was accused of disrespecting the other, it appears that the Obama-Clinton rift is being repaired, one job opening at a time.

His transition chief, John Podesta, was Bill Clinton's chief of staff during the last two years of his administration. Mr. Obama's own newly hired White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was a senior Clinton adviser before winning a seat in the House of Representatives.

In fact, 31 of the 47 people named to Mr. Obama's transition team or staff have ties to the Clinton administration.

“He's definitely playing on good advice and past expertise and the most recent Democratic administration,” said Melissa Haussman, an associate professor of political science at Carleton University who worked on Ms. Clinton's presidential campaign. “The fact that Obama is inheriting problems that are the worst facing any president in the 20th century, he knows he's got to be prepared.”

Ironically, Dr. Haussman believes the new president learned that lesson from Mr. Clinton, whose own early White House staff was composed of some loyalists unprepared for the task at hand.

“They've got people with a whole lot of experience dealing with Congress, and that's something the Clinton White House was a little short on,” she said of the emerging Obama team.

While Mr. Obama's staff is drawing so heavily on administration insiders of the 1990s that Politico.com joked he is putting “the Clinton band back together,” the most symbolic gesture would be a high-profile position for Ms. Clinton.

Passed over for the vice-presidential slot, the primary runner-up campaigned for Mr. Obama during the general election and is regarded as a natural source of advice, expertise and political capital for Mr. Obama.

Already, she has been approached by Mr. Obama's wife, Michelle, for advice about raising kids in the White House. And now it seems Mr. Obama might be hoping she will help him contend with foreign policy as secretary of state.

But she is already being touted as a smart choice for the position, with an established international reputation that would help heal the country's damaged relationships abroad.

But what's in it for her?

Taking a position in cabinet means Ms. Clinton would lose her Senate seat and influence in domestic policy.

The past two secretaries of state, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, have been lightning rods for criticism, a situation Ms. Clinton may not be willing to endure again.

“Let's face it, as first lady and presidential candidate she was open to a lot of barbs and spears,” Dr. Haussman said. “It's a multiplicity of considerations, thinking about where her talents lie and how much does she want to put herself in a high-profile position again.”

Obama and McCain Speeches from Last Night

Barack Obama's historic victory speech. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America:




Classy John McCain concession speech:

10 Things that will impact the US Election Outcome

Frankly, I think that by 8:00pm E.S.T. tonight, Barack Obama will be declared the next president of the United States of America. This will be confirmed or denied based on several factors that will determine the outcome of tonight's historic election.

1, Turnout among young, African American, Hispanic and Native voters. Traditionally all these groups do not vote in high numbers. Many are predicting this will change based on the candidacy of Barack Obama. If any of these groups turn out in large numbers, expect some surprises in states that went red in 2004. An influx of young and African American voters could in itself be enough to win the election for Obama tonight.

2, State of Ohio. McCain must win here. If he doesn't, it is difficult to see how mathmatically he can win enough electoral college votes to reach 270. Polls in Ohio will close fairly early tonight.

3, State of Pennsylvania. This is the only blue state that McCain has any chance of flipping that Kerry won in 2004. If McCain expects to lose in any of the states Bush won in 2004, he will need Pennsylvania to make up the difference.

4, The Palin influence and Conservative turnout. Say what you want about Sarah Palin, she has energized and motivated the conservative base for McCain. This vote must turn out. If too many McCain supporters look at the polls over the past five weeks, listen to the pundits and media, and come to the conclusion that their vote will not matter; McCain is in serious trouble. Having been on losing campaigns before, I can tell you it is tough to motivate your volunteers and supporters when you are in a situation like McCain finds himself in. Many have argued that sometimes polls hurt democracy. We could see this happen tonight.

5, Independent voters. As a maverick, McCain was very appealing to independent voters and moderate Democrats. With Sarah Palin as his running mate and in order to win the Republican nomination; McCain has been criticized by some for going to far to the right and alienating his independent support. Exit polls will likely show how independent voters cast their ballots. If this number goes heavy for Obama; it will be a bad sign for Republicans and for Palin's future.

6, Florida. If it votes in favor of Barack Obama, John McCain will lose.

7. Republican states Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa, Arizona, Indiana, North Dakota, Montana, and Nevada. If Obama wins in any of these states; McCain must make up the difference somewhere. McCain is playing defence. He needs the same victory as Bush in 2004. There is not much margin for error on any of these states. Polls show Obama competitive if not leading in virtually all of these states.

8, Turnout and its impact on Senate, Congress and Governor races. Republican Alaska Senator Ted Stevens could be in trouble as a result of a recent conviction. Elizabeth Dole is in trouble in North Carolina. If we see a surge in turnout for Obama, will those votes translate to other Democrats as well. The Democratic Party is likely to control the White House, Congress and Senate. High turnout for Obama in a state like North Carolina could result in a loss for Dole. If this happens elsewhere where Republican senators are in trouble, the magic 60 number could become realistic. 60 Senators would give Democrats a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.

9, Potential Obama victory speech. Will he try and reduce expectations for his presidency should he get elected tonight? There is serious concerns that Obama supporters, Democrats and the international community have set expectations for an Obama presidency that is not realistic. History will likely be made tonight and there will be a lot of hype and excitement. Given the fiscal crisis however, too high expectations could hurt his chances to get re-elected in the long term.

10, Republican concession speeches. Will Palin run in 2012? Will Republicans look to regroup and rebuild? What might be in McCain's plans for the future? How will Republicans react to the results. If Obama loses will he try again in 2012. What will Hillary say? What will be the fallout of an Obama loss, especially if there is a perception of voting irregularities? Who will be on the next president's transition team. What will tonight's results mean for the current President George W. Bush. There has been two years of build up for this election night. There has been little talk about what the potential impact will be tomorrow. International newspapers will also be interesting as they react to the results.

Overall, I stick to my original prediction of 378-160 for Obama tonight. I also think Obama will achieve over 50% of the vote with an unusually high turnout.

Thanks for reading...

Darryl

Economist Magazine endorses Barack Obama

Economist was a strong endorsement for Obama. You can view a list of all Obama's endorsements by clicking here. Below is also a tally of all of the newspapers that have supported either Obama or McCain. Obama has a 273-142 lead in Newspaper endorsements. The Economist was impressive.
-Darryl

***

It's time

Oct 30th 2008
From The Economist print edition

America should take a chance and make Barack Obama the next leader of the free world

IT IS impossible to forecast how important any presidency will be. Back in 2000 America stood tall as the undisputed superpower, at peace with a generally admiring world. The main argument was over what to do with the federal government’s huge budget surplus. Nobody foresaw the seismic events of the next eight years. When Americans go to the polls next week the mood will be very different. The United States is unhappy, divided and foundering both at home and abroad. Its self-belief and values are under attack.

For all the shortcomings of the campaign, both John McCain and Barack Obama offer hope of national redemption. Now America has to choose between them. The Economist does not have a vote, but if it did, it would cast it for Mr Obama. We do so wholeheartedly: the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America’s self-confidence. But we acknowledge it is a gamble. Given Mr Obama’s inexperience, the lack of clarity about some of his beliefs and the prospect of a stridently Democratic Congress, voting for him is a risk. Yet it is one America should take, given the steep road ahead.

Thinking about 2009 and 2017

The immediate focus, which has dominated the campaign, looks daunting enough: repairing America’s economy and its international reputation. The financial crisis is far from finished. The United States is at the start of a painful recession. Some form of further fiscal stimulus is needed, though estimates of the budget deficit next year already spiral above $1 trillion. Some 50m Americans have negligible health-care cover. Abroad, even though troops are dying in two countries, the cack-handed way in which George Bush has prosecuted his war on terror has left America less feared by its enemies and less admired by its friends than it once was.

Yet there are also longer-term challenges, worth stressing if only because they have been so ignored on the campaign. Jump forward to 2017, when the next president will hope to relinquish office. A combination of demography and the rising costs of America’s huge entitlement programmes—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—will be starting to bankrupt the country. Abroad a greater task is already evident: welding the new emerging powers to the West. That is not just a matter of handling the rise of India and China, drawing them into global efforts, such as curbs on climate change; it means reselling economic and political freedom to a world that too quickly associates American capitalism with Lehman Brothers and American justice with Guantánamo Bay. This will take patience, fortitude, salesmanship and strategy.

At the beginning of this election year, there were strong arguments against putting another Republican in the White House. A spell in opposition seemed apt punishment for the incompetence, cronyism and extremism of the Bush presidency. Conservative America also needs to recover its vim. Somehow Ronald Reagan’s party of western individualism and limited government has ended up not just increasing the size of the state but turning it into a tool of southern-fried moralism.

The selection of Mr McCain as the Republicans’ candidate was a powerful reason to reconsider. Mr McCain has his faults: he is an instinctive politician, quick to judge and with a sharp temper. And his age has long been a concern (how many global companies in distress would bring in a new 72-year-old boss?). Yet he has bravely taken unpopular positions—for free trade, immigration reform, the surge in Iraq, tackling climate change and campaign-finance reform. A western Republican in the Reagan mould, he has a long record of working with both Democrats and America’s allies.

If only the real John McCain had been running

That, however, was Senator McCain; the Candidate McCain of the past six months has too often seemed the victim of political sorcery, his good features magically inverted, his bad ones exaggerated. The fiscal conservative who once tackled Mr Bush over his unaffordable tax cuts now proposes not just to keep the cuts, but to deepen them. The man who denounced the religious right as “agents of intolerance” now embraces theocratic culture warriors. The campaigner against ethanol subsidies (who had a better record on global warming than most Democrats) came out in favour of a petrol-tax holiday. It has not all disappeared: his support for free trade has never wavered. Yet rather than heading towards the centre after he won the nomination, Mr McCain moved to the right.

Meanwhile his temperament, always perhaps his weak spot, has been found wanting. Sometimes the seat-of-the-pants method still works: his gut reaction over Georgia—to warn Russia off immediately—was the right one. Yet on the great issue of the campaign, the financial crisis, he has seemed all at sea, emitting panic and indecision. Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers (Doug Holtz-Eakin being the impressive exception).

The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. It is not just that she is an unconvincing stand-in, nor even that she seems to have been chosen partly for her views on divisive social issues, notably abortion. Mr McCain made his most important appointment having met her just twice.

Ironically, given that he first won over so many independents by speaking his mind, the case for Mr McCain comes down to a piece of artifice: vote for him on the assumption that he does not believe a word of what he has been saying. Once he reaches the White House, runs this argument, he will put Mrs Palin back in her box, throw away his unrealistic tax plan and begin negotiations with the Democratic Congress. That is plausible; but it is a long way from the convincing case that Mr McCain could have made. Had he become president in 2000 instead of Mr Bush, the world might have had fewer problems. But this time it is beset by problems, and Mr McCain has not proved that he knows how to deal with them.

Is Mr Obama any better? Most of the hoopla about him has been about what he is, rather than what he would do. His identity is not as irrelevant as it sounds. Merely by becoming president, he would dispel many of the myths built up about America: it would be far harder for the spreaders of hate in the Islamic world to denounce the Great Satan if it were led by a black man whose middle name is Hussein; and far harder for autocrats around the world to claim that American democracy is a sham. America’s allies would rally to him: the global electoral college on our website shows a landslide in his favour. At home he would salve, if not close, the ugly racial wound left by America’s history and lessen the tendency of American blacks to blame all their problems on racism.

So Mr Obama’s star quality will be useful to him as president. But that alone is not enough to earn him the job. Charisma will not fix Medicare nor deal with Iran. Can he govern well? Two doubts present themselves: his lack of executive experience; and the suspicion that he is too far to the left.

There is no getting around the fact that Mr Obama’s résumé is thin for the world’s biggest job. But the exceptionally assured way in which he has run his campaign is a considerable comfort. It is not just that he has more than held his own against Mr McCain in the debates. A man who started with no money and few supporters has out-thought, out-organised and outfought the two mightiest machines in American politics—the Clintons and the conservative right.

Political fire, far from rattling Mr Obama, seems to bring out the best in him: the furore about his (admittedly ghastly) preacher prompted one of the most thoughtful speeches of the campaign. On the financial crisis his performance has been as assured as Mr McCain’s has been febrile. He seems a quick learner and has built up an impressive team of advisers, drawing in seasoned hands like Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin and Larry Summers. Of course, Mr Obama will make mistakes; but this is a man who listens, learns and manages well.

It is hard too nowadays to depict him as soft when it comes to dealing with America’s enemies. Part of Mr Obama’s original appeal to the Democratic left was his keenness to get American troops out of Iraq; but since the primaries he has moved to the centre, pragmatically saying the troops will leave only when the conditions are right. His determination to focus American power on Afghanistan, Pakistan and proliferation was prescient. He is keener to talk to Iran than Mr McCain is— but that makes sense, providing certain conditions are met.

Our main doubts about Mr Obama have to do with the damage a muddle-headed Democratic Congress might try to do to the economy. Despite the protectionist rhetoric that still sometimes seeps into his speeches, Mr Obama would not sponsor a China-bashing bill. But what happens if one appears out of Congress? Worryingly, he has a poor record of defying his party’s baronies, especially the unions. His advisers insist that Mr Obama is too clever to usher in a new age of over-regulation, that he will stop such nonsense getting out of Congress, that he is a political chameleon who would move to the centre in Washington. But the risk remains that on economic matters the centre that Mr Obama moves to would be that of his party, not that of the country as a whole.

He has earned it

So Mr Obama in that respect is a gamble. But the same goes for Mr McCain on at least as many counts, not least the possibility of President Palin. And this cannot be another election where the choice is based merely on fear. In terms of painting a brighter future for America and the world, Mr Obama has produced the more compelling and detailed portrait. He has campaigned with more style, intelligence and discipline than his opponent. Whether he can fulfil his immense potential remains to be seen. But Mr Obama deserves the presidency.

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12516666&source=features_box_main

***

MONDAY Tally Of Newspaper Endorsements -- Obama In Landslide, at 273-142

By Greg Mitchell and Dexter Hill Published: November 03, 2008 12:25 PM ET Monday NEW YORK (Updated Monday) We're into election eve! And the Obama-Biden ticket maintains its strong lead in the race for daily newspaper endorsements. The Democratic team now leads by 273 to 142, a nearly 2-1 margin and an even wider spread in the circulation of those papers -- see full tally below as of today. The circulation of the Obama-backing papers stands at over 21 million, compared with McCain's 7 million. McCain has slightly closed the gap with editorials from smaller papers arriving this past weekend. But he lost Newsday in New York and the Arizona Daily Star in his home state. Obama's lopsided margin, including most of the major papers that have decided so far, is in stark contrast to John Kerry barely edging George W. Bush in endorsements of dailies in 2004 by 213 to 205. We've greatly added below to the separate lopsided lists of weekly and college papers. They are not counted in the tally of dailies. Well over 50 papers have now switched to Obama from Bush in 2004, with less than half a dozen flipping to McCain. The latest: the daily in Dick Cheney's hometown of Casper, Wyoming and the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi. In addition, several top papers that went for Bush in 2004 have now chosen not to endorse this year, the latest being the Indianapolis Star in key swing state Indiana. The Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama--the first Democrat that it has backed in its long history. Three of the top five dailies in deep red state Texas switched from Bush to Obama this time. Please send any endorsements you see or make (that are not listed below) to: gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com. For more coverage on the media and the campaign, go to our new blog: The E&P Pub As always, we include in brackets below who the paper went with in 2004 with B=Bush and K=Kerry. The >>> signals the latest additions. (B) = Bush; (K) = Kerry; (N) = No Endorsement in 2004 BARACK OBAMA 273 newspapers total More than 22,000,000 circulation total ALABAMA (7) >>> The Anniston Star (K) >>> The Daily Home (Talladega) >>> The Decatur Daily Montgomery Advertiser (K): 45,060 >>> The Selma Times-Journal TimesDaily (Florence): 29,200 The Tuscaloosa News (K): 32,768 ALASKA (1) Anchorage Daily News (K): 62,893 ARIZONA (1) >>>Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (K) ARKANSAS (1) >>> Benton County Daily Record (Bentonville) CALIFORNIA (30) The Argus (Fremont) (K): 26,749 Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek) (K): 183,086 Daily Breeze (Torrance) (B): 66,599 The Daily Democrat (Woodland): 8,883 Daily News (Los Angeles) (K): 137,344 The Daily Review (Hayward) (K): 30,704 The Fresno Bee (K): 150,334 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario) (B): 53,903 La Opinion (Los Angeles) (K): 114,892 Los Angeles Times (N): 773,884 Marin Independent-Journal (K): 31,909 Merced Sun-Star (K): 15,015 The Modesto Bee (K): 78,001 The Monterey County Herald (K): 28,933 The Oakland Tribune (K): 96,535 Pasadena Star-News (B): 27,894 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa): 78,022 Press-Telegram (Long Beach) (B): 85,595 The Reporter (Vacaville) (B): 17,751 San Gabriel Valley Tribune (B): 40,051 San Mateo Daily Journal: 14,800 Tahoe Daily Tribune: 7,723 The Record (Stockton) (B): 57,486 The Sacramento Bee (K): 288,755 San Bernardino County Sun (B): 54,315 San Francisco Chronicle (K): 370,345 San Jose Mercury News (K): 234,772 San Mateo County Times (K): 25,982 Santa Cruz Sentinel (K): 23,290 Tri-Valley Herald (Pleasanton) (B): 29,759 COLORADO (9) Aspen Daily News (K): 12,500 >>> The Aspen Times Aurora Sentinel (K): 46,000 Cortez Journal (K): 6,700 Daily Camera (Boulder) (K): 28,994 The Denver Post (B): 225,193 Durango Herald (K): 8,870 Fort Collins Coloradoan (K): 26,312 Vail Daily: 10,525 CONNECTICUT (5) The Day (New London) (K): 34,730 The Hartford Courant (B): 168,158 New Haven Register (B): 72,613 >>> The News-Times (Danbury) Norwich Bulletin (K): 22,121 DELAWARE (1) The News Journal (Wilmington) (K): 110,171 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (1) The Washington Post (K): 673,180 FLORIDA (12) Daytona Beach News-Journal (K): 99,627 Florida Today (Melbourne) (K): 79,499 The Gainesville Sun (K): 44,658 The Ledger (Lakeland) (B): 65,948 The Miami Herald (K): 240,223 Naples Daily-News (B): 66,272 Orlando Sentinel (K): 227,593 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach) (K): 164,474 Pensacola News Journal: 57,069 St. Petersburg Times (K): 316,007 Sarasota Herald-Tribune (K): 114,904 South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale) (K): 218,286 GEORGIA (3) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (K): 326,907 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (B): 42,830 The Macon Telegraph (K): 56,510 HAWAII (1) Honolulu Star-Bulletin (K): 64,305 IDAHO (1) The Idaho Statesman (Boise) (K): 61,927 ILLINOIS (8) Chicago Tribune (B): 541,663 Chicago Sun-Times (K): 312,274 Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) (K): 143,152 Herald & Review (Decatur) (B): 34,480 Lake County News-Sun (Waukegan) (B): 16,899 The Pantagraph (Bloomington-Normal) (B): 47,764 The Register-Mail (Galesburg): 13,344 Rockford Register Star (K): 55,913 INDIANA (5) >>> The Herald Bulletin (Anderson) Journal and Courier (Lafayette-West Lafayette) (K): 34,545 The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) (K): 64,304 Palladium-Item (Richmond) (B): 15,453 The Star Press (Muncie): 31,512 IOWA (6) The Des Moines Register (K): 138,472 Globe-Gazette (Mason City)(B): 17,666 The Hawk Eye (Burlington) (K): 18,921 Iowa City Press-Citizen (K): 13,352 The Ottumwa Courier: 16,904 Quad-City Times (Davenport) (K): 51,890 KANSAS (2) The Hays Daily News: 12,414 The Hutchinson News (K): 31,019 KENTUCKY (3) The Ledger Independent (Maysville): 9,074 Lexington Herald-Leader (K):109,624 The Courier-Journal (Louisville) (K): 215,328 LOUISIANA (2) The Times (Shreveport): 52,267 The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (N): 179,834 MAINE (4) Bangor Daily News (K): 55,627 >>> Kennebec Journal (Augusta) (K) Portland Press Herald (K): 64,938 The Times-Record (Brunswick ) (K): 9,317 MARYLAND (3) >>> The Daily Times (Salisbury) >>> The Star-Democrat (Easton) (B) The Sun (Baltimore) (K): 232,360 MASSACHUSETTS (12) The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield) (K): 26,427 The Boston Globe (K): 350,605 Cape Cod Times (Hyannis) (B): 49,832 Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton): 18,001 >>> The Enterprise (Brockton) North Adams Transcript: 5,949 The Patriot Ledger The Recorder (Greenfield): 13,578 The Salem News: 29,125 >>> Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg) The Standard-Times (New Bedford) (K): 30,306 Telegram & Gazette (Worcester) (K): 81,437 MICHIGAN (11) The Bay City Times (K): 30,183 Battle Creek Enquirer (K): 20,854 The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak): 9,396 Detroit Free Press (K): 308,944 The Flint Journal (K): 76,288 The Lansing State Journal (K): 58,948 Livingston County Daily Press & Argus (Howell) (K): 13,131 The Muskegon Chronicle (K): 41,114 >>> Petoskey News-Review (K) The Saginaw News (K): 39,143 Traverse City Record-Eagle (K): 27,797 MINNESOTA (5) Albert Lea Tribune: 6,315 Post-Bulletin (Rochester): 44,631 St. Cloud Times (K): 25,868 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (K): 321,964 Winona Daily News MISSISSIPPI (2) >>> The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus) >>>Clarion-Ledger (Jackson) MISSOURI (5) Columbia Daily Tribune (K): 18,131 The Joplin Globe (B): 26,700 The Kansas City Star (K): 252,785 St. Louis Post-Dispatch (K): 255,057 >>> West Plains Daily Quill (K) MONTANA (3) Billings Gazette (K): 45,530 >>> Independent Record (Helena) >>> The Montana Standard (Butte) NEVADA (2) Las Vegas Sun (K): 174,341 Reno Gazette-Journal (K): 57,423 NEW HAMPSHIRE (5) Concord Monitor (K): 19,885 The Conway Daily Sun (Conway-North Conway)(N): 16,100 The Keene Sentinel (K): 12,119 Nashua Telegraph (K): 24,272 Portsmouth Herald (K): 11,658 NEW JERSEY (10) Asbury Park Press (Neptune-Asbury Park) (B): 140,882 >>> Courier News (Bridgewater) Courier-Post (Camden-Cherry Hill): 66,617 >>> Daily Record (Parsippany) The Gloucester County Times (Woodbury) (K): 23,189 Home News Tribune (East Brunswick): 49,076 The New Jersey Herald (Newton) (B): 14,660 The Record (Hackensack) (K): 163,329 The Star-Ledger (Newark) (K): 345,130 The Times (Trenton) (K): 54,745 NEW MEXICO (3) Las Cruces Sun-News (B): 21,341 The Daily Times (Farmington) (B): 17,485 The Santa Fe New Mexican (K): 25,249 NEW YORK (16) The Buffalo News (K): 178,365 Daily Freeman (Kingston) (N): 17,909 Daily News (New York City) (B): 703,137 The Daily Star (Oneonta) (K): 14,391 el Diario (K): 53,856 Hoy (New York City): 35,410 The Journal-News (White Plains) (K): 108,092 >>> Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls) >>> Union-Sun & Journal (Lockport) >>>Newsday (Melville) The New York Times (K): 1,077,256 The Post-Standard (Syracuse): 110,061 The Post-Star (Glens Falls) (K): 30,265 Poughkeepsie Journal (B): 37,265 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (K): 145,913 The Times Herald-Record (Middletown): 75,745 Times Union (Albany) (K): 89,256 NORTH CAROLINA (6) The Asheville Citizen-Times (K): 50,160 The Charlotte Observer (K): 210,616 The Daily Reflector (Greenville) (K): 21,703 The Herald-Sun (Durham) (N): 32,845 The News & Observer (Raleigh) (K): 176,083 Star-News (Wilmington) (K): 47,620 OHIO (13) Akron Beacon Journal (K): 119,929 The Blade (Toledo) (K): 119,901 Dayton Daily News (K): 116,690 >>> The Independent (Massillon) JournalNews (Hamilton) (B): 19,432 Middletown Journal: 17,285 News Journal (Mansfield) (B): 28,272 Telegraph-Forum (Bucyrus): 5,969 The Repository (Canton) (B): 65,789 The Times-Reporter (Dover-New Philadelphia) (B): 22,428 Springfield News-Sun (K): 24,684 The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (N): 330,280 Vindicator (Youngstown) (B): 56,412 OKLAHOMA (2) Muskogee Daily Phoenix & Times-Democrat (K): 14,816 The Norman Transcript: 12,921 OREGON (8) The Ashland Daily Tidings: 5,010 Corvallis Gazette-Times: 12,092 East Oregonian (Pendleton) (K): 9,071 The Daily Astorian (Astoria) (K): 8,263 Mail Tribune (Medford) (K): 30,349 The Oregonian (Portland) (K): 304,399 The Register-Guard (Eugene) (K): 67,400 Statesman Journal (Salem) (K): 47,152 PENNSYLVANIA (21) Beaver County Times (K): 38,654 >>> The Courier-Express (Du Bois) The Daily Item (Sunbury) (N): 24,879 The Daily Review (Towanda): 7,900 The Delaware County Daily Times (Primos-Upper Darby): 42,879 Erie Times-News (B): 55,397 The Express-Times (Easton) (B): 44,561 >>> The Herald (Sharon) Herald-Standard (Uniontown) (K): 24,341 Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster): 46,357 The Mercury (Pottstown): 21,186 >>> New Castle News Observer-Reporter (Washington) (K): 31,755 The Patriot-News (Harrisburg): 95,588 The Philadelphia Daily News: 107,269 The Philadelphia Inquirer (K): 334,150 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (K): 214,374 Pocono Record (Stroudsburg): 18,276 Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre) (K): 38,229 The Times-Tribune (Scranton): 52,711 York Daily Record (B): 47,969 RHODE ISLAND (1) The Providence Journal (B): 139,055 TENNESSEE (3) Chattanooga Times (K): 71,716 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) (K): 146,961 The Tennessean (Nashville) (K): 161,131 TEXAS (8) Austin American-Statesman (B): 170,309 The Eagle (Bryan-College Station): 21,654 Fort Worth Star-Telegram (B): 207,045 Houston Chronicle (B): 494,131 Longview News-Journal (K): 27,590 The Lufkin Daily News (K): 12,225 >>> Marshall News Messenger San Angelo Standard-Times: 24,919 UTAH (1) The Salt Lake Tribune (B): 121,699 VERMONT (4) Bennington Banner (K): 6,502 Brattleboro Reformer (K): 8,814 The Burlington Free Press (K): 41,901 Valley News (White River Junction) (K): 16,430 VIRGINIA (1) The News Leader (Staunton) (B): 17,238 WASHINGTON (11) The Columbian (Vancouver) (B): 44,623 >>> The Daily World (Aberdeen) The News Tribune (Tacoma) (K): 111,778 The Olympian (Olympia) (K): 30,755 Seattle Post-Intelligencer (K): 129,563 The Seattle Times (K): 220,883 The Sun (Bremerton): 28,792 Tri-City Herald (Pasco-Kennewick-Richland) (K): 40,830 Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (K): 13,624 The Wenatchee World: 22,579 Yakima Herald-Republic (B): 38,077 WEST VIRGINIA (3) Charleston Gazette (K): 48,061 The Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) (K): 27,463 Times West Virginian (Fairmont): 10,415 WISCONSIN (9) The Capital Times (Madison) (K): 16,335 The Chippewa Herald (Chippewa Falls) (B): 6,720 Kenosha News (K): 24,535 La Crosse Tribune (K): 31,759 >>> Marshfield News-Herald (11,332) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (K): 217,755 Stevens Point Journal: 11,234 The Wausau Daily Herald (K): 20,828 Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) (B): 87,930 JOHN McCAIN 142 newspapers total More than 7,543,919 circulation total ALABAMA (6) The Birmingham News (B): 140,438 >>> Clanton Advertiser >>> Demopolis Times >>> The Dothan Eagle >>> The Gadsden Times Press-Register (Mobile) (B): 99,433 ALASKA (1) >>> Juneau Empire ARIZONA (2) The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (B): 413,332 The Daily Courier (Prescott): 17,800 ARKANSAS (2) >>> Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) Southwest Times Record (Fort Smith) (B): 40,231 CALIFORNIA (11) The Bakersfield Californian (B) 59,433 >>> Chico Enterprise-Record >>> The Daily Independent (Ridgecrest) The Desert Sun (Palm Springs-Palm Desert) (B): 53,091 >>> The Eureka Reporter The Examiner (San Francisco) (B): 80,000 Napa Valley Register (B): 16,283 North County Times (Escondido-Oceanside): 88,786 The Press-Enterprise (Riverside) (B): 164,189 The San Diego Union-Tribune (B): 288,669 >>> Times-Herald (Vallejo) COLORADO (3) The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction) (B): 31,349 The Pueblo Chieftain (B): 49,169 Daily Times-Call (Longmont) (B): 21,127 CONNECTICUT (3) Connecticut Post (Bridgeport) (B): 76,014 The Register Citizen (Torrington) (B): 8,217 >>> Rebuplican-American (Waterbury) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (2) The Washington Examiner (N): 100,073 The Washinton Times (B): 93,763 FLORIDA (4) The Bradenton Herald (K): 48,618 Cape Coral Daily Breeze: 2,015 Palatka Daily News: 11,000 The Tampa Tribune: 220,522 GEORGIA (2) The Augusta Chronicle (B): 68,434 Savannah Morning News (B): 47,709 IDAHO (1) The Times-News (Twin Falls) (B): 20,325 ILLINOIS (4) Kane County Chronicle (St. Charles): 12,564 Morris Daily Herald (Morris): 7,258 The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana) (B): 42,302 Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake) (B): 36,594 INDIANA (1) >>> The Times (Munster) IOWA (4) >>> The Gazette (Cedar Rapids – Marion) The Messenger (Fort Dodge) (B): 16,355 Times-Republican (Marshalltown): 9,349 Sioux City Journal (B): 41,096 KANSAS (1) Lawrence Journal-World: 18,946 KENTUCKY (3) >>> The Advocate-Messenger (Danville) >>> The Daily Independent (Ashland) Daily News (Bowling Green) (B): 21,240 MAINE (1) Sun Journal (Lewiston): (B): 34,035 MARYLAND (1) The Baltimore Examiner (N): 50,000 MASSACHUSETTS (3) Boston Herald (B): 182,350 The Eagle-Tribune (Lawrence) (B): 46,281 The Sun (Lowell) (B): 44,439 MICHIGAN (4) The Detroit News: 188,171 The Grand Rapids Press (B): 128,930 Jackson Citizen Patriot (B): 30,825 >>> The Macomb Daily (Mount Clemens) The Oakland Press (Pontiac) (B): 66,422 MINNESOTA (6) The Journal (New Ulm) (B): 7,920 The Daily Globe (Worthington): 9,109 The Daily Journal (International Falls): 3,703 >>> Duluth News Tribune The Pioneer (Bemidji) (B): 9,018 Republican Eagle (Red Wing): 6,837 MISSOURI (1) The Sunday News Tribune (Jefferson City): 17,890 NEBRASKA (4) Lincoln Journal Star (B): 78,350 McCook Daily Gazette: 5,903 Norfolk Daily News: 16,492 Omaha World-Herald (B): 178,545 NEVADA (2) Elko Daily Free Press (B): 8,485 Las Vegas Review-Journal (B): 174,341 NEW HAMPSHIRE (3) Eagle Times (Claremont): 7,903 Foster’s Daily Democrat (Dover) (B): 22,547 New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester) (B): 51,782 NEW MEXICO (3) >>> Albuquerque Journal Roswell Daily Record: 11,700 >>> Silver City Daily Press & Independent NEW YORK (1) New York Post (B): 702,488 NORTH CAROLINA (2) >>> The Hickory Daily Record >>> Winston-Salem Journal NORTH DAKOTA (3) >>> The Bismarck Tribune The Forum (Fargo) (B): 48,303 >>> Minot Daily News OHIO (8) >>> The Advertiser-Tribune (Tiffin) The Cincinnati Enquirer (B): 212,369 The Columbus Dispatch (B): 199,524 The Courier (Findlay) (B): 22,319 The Marietta Times: 10,645 The Morning Journal (Lorain): 25,334 The News-Herald (Lake County-Willoughby) (B): 36,948 The Tribune Chronicle (Warren): 29,364 OKLAHOMA (4) Enid News & Eagle (B): 17,323 Examiner-Enterprise (Bartlesville): 18,400 The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) (B): 201,771 >>> Tulsa World OREGON (4) Albany Democrat-Herald: 16,891 Baker City Herald: 3,151 The Bulletin (Bend) (B): 32,455 Daily Courier (Grants Pass) (B): 16,178 PENNSYLVANIA (6) Lancaster New Era: 40,068 Public Opinion (Chambersburg) (N): 16,679 The Sentinel (Lewistown) (B): 11,863 Times-Observer (Warren): 10,313 The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown): 37,673 >>> Tribune-Review (Greensburg) SOUTH CAROLINA (4) The Greenville News (B): 81,010 Herald-Journal (Spartanburg) (B): 42,380 >>> The Post and Courier The State (Columbia) (B): 101,010 SOUTH DAKOTA (2) Argus Leader (Sioux Falls) (B): 48,960 The Daily Republic (Mitchell) (B): 12,742 TENNESSEE (4) Chattanooga Free Press (B): 71,716 The Jackson Sun (K): 32,121 Knoxville News Sentinel (B): 117,262 The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville) (B): 20,354 TEXAS (12) Amarillo Globe-News (B): 44,764 The Beaumont Enterprise (B): 45,684 Corpus Christi Caller-Times (K): 53,368 The Dallas Morning News (B): 368,313 The Galveston County Daily News: 26,933 Kerrville Daily Times: 8,971 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (B): 49,094 New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung: 8,599 >>> The Paris News San Antonio Express-News (B): 225,447 Tyler Morning Telegraph: 35,598 Wichita Falls Times Record News (N): 28,888 VIRGINIA (10) Bristol Herald-Courier (B): 38,068 >>> Culpeper Star-Exponent Danville Register & Bee (B): 19,830 Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg): 30,908 Daily Press (Newport News-Hampton) (K): 91,508 >>> The Daily Progress (Charlottesville) The News & Advance (Lynchburg) (B): 33,931 The News-Virginian (Waynesboro): 7,478 Richmond Times-Dispatch (B): 175,265 The Winchester Star (B): 20,218 WASHINGTON (2) The Chronicle (Centralia-Chehalis): 13,912 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane) (B): 89,779 WEST VIRGINIA (2) >>> The Intelligencer (Wheeling) Wheeling News-Register (B): 12,821 WISCONSIN (2) Beloit Daily News (B): 14,193 Green Bay Press-Gazette: 53,600 WEEKLIES & OTHER BARACK OBAMA (91) Alibi (Albuquerque) Arkansas Times (Little Rock) Athens News (Ohio) Austin Chronicle Baltimore City Paper Boston Phoenix Boulder Weekly C-Ville Weekly (Charlottesville, VA) Charleston City Paper Chico News & Review City Pulse (Lansing) The Colorado Daily Colorado Springs Independent Cincinnati CityBeat City Newspaper (Rochester, NY) The Columbia Independent (New York) Creative Loafing (Atlanta) Creative Loafing (Charlotte) Creative Loafing (Sarasota) Creative Loafing (Tampa) The Economist EPG News Eugene Weekly Falls Church News-Press (Virginia) Financial Times (daily) Gunnison Country Times (Colorado) Hunterdon Review (Clinton, NJ) Independent Weekly (North Carolina) Indian Country Today Jackson Free Press (Mississippi) Las Vegas CityLife Las Vegas Weekly Long Island Press Los Angeles CityBeat >>> Lynden Tribune (Washington) The Mac Weekly (Macalester College) Memphis Flyer Metro Pulse Metro Santa Cruz Metro Silicon Valley Metro Times (Detroit) Metroland (Albany) Michigan Chronicle (Detroit) Monterey County Weekly (Seaside, CA) Newcity (Chicago) News-Herald (Southgate, MI) >>> The Newtown Bee (Connecticut) New York Observer News-Register (McMinnville, OR) North Bay Bohemian Orlando Weekly Ouray County Plaindealer (Colorado) The Pacific Northwest Inlander (Spokane, WA) Palo Alto Weekly Pasadena Weekly The Portland Mercury The Portland Observer (Oregon) Portland Phoenix Providence Phoenix >>> Queens Tribune (New York) Random Lengths News Reno News & Review Roxbury Register (New Jersey) San Diego CityBeat San Francisco Bay Guardian Santa Barbara Independent (California) Santa Monica Mirror (California) Santa Fe Reporter >>> The Savannah Tribune (Georgia) Scene (Cleveland) Shepherd Express (Milwaukee) The Source Weekly (Bend, OR) >>> South Florida Times (Fort Lauderdale) Southtown Star (Chicago) Southwest News-Herald (Chicago) >>> The St. Louis American The Sylva Herald & Ruralite The Storm Lake Times (Iowa) The Stranger (Seattle) The Taos News (New Mexico) The Tennessee Tribune (Nashville) Tideland News (Swansboro, NC) Tuscon Weekly (Arizona) The Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg) Windsor Beacon (Colorado) Metro Santa Cruz (California) Ventura County Reporter >>> Weston Forum (Connecticut) >>> The Westside Gazette (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Willamette Week (Portland, OR) Worcester Magazine Yamhill Valley News-Register (McMinnville, OR) (B) JOHN McCAIN (21) Bureau County Republican (Illinois) Coweta American (Oklahoma) The Culpeper Times (Virginia) >>> Eufaula Tribune (Alabama) The Fauquier Times-Democrat (Virginia) The Frontiersman (Alaska) The Garden City News (New York) Hillsboro Argus (Oregon) The Hudson Star-Observer (Wisconsin) >>> The Jackson Herald Mountain Valley News (Colorado) Lampasas Dispatch Record (Texas) Paradise Post (California) Rappahannock News (Virginia) >>> The Redding Pilot (Connecticut) River Falls Journal (Wisconsin) >>> The Sand Mountain Reporter The Star (Wisconsin) >>> The Wetumpka Herald (Alabama) Wharton Journal-Spectator (Texas) Woodburn Independent (Oregon) COLLEGE NEWSPAPERS BARACK OBAMA (66) Advance-Titan (University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh) The Amherst Student (Amherst College) Arizona Daily Wildcat (University of Arizona) Badger Herald (University of Wisconsin – Madison) The Bates Student (Bates College) The Berkeley Beacon (Emerson College) Central Florida Future (University of Central Florida) Central Michigan Life (Central Michigan University) The Chronicle (Duke University) Columbia Daily Spectator (Columbia University) Cornell Daily Sun (Cornell University) The Crimson (Harvard University) The Daily Athenaeum (West Virginia University) Daily Bruin (UCLA) The Daily Californian (University of California, Berkeley) The Daily Campus (Southern Methodist University) The Daily Cardinal (University of Wisconsin – Madison) Daily Eastern News (Eastern Illinois University) Daily Evergreen (Washington State University) The Daily Gamecock (University of South Carolina) The Daily Illini (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) Daily Kent Stater (Kent State University) The Daily Nexus (UC – Santa Barbara) Daily Northwestern (Northwestern University) The Daily Pennsylvanian (University of Pennsylvania) Daily Texan (University of Texas – Austin) The Davidsonian (Davidson College) El Vaquero (Glendale Community College) The Et Cetera (Eastfield College) The Flat Hat (College of William & Mary) The Independent Collegian (University of Toledo) Indiana Daily Student (Indiana University) Iowa State Daily (Iowa State University) The Justice (Brandeis University) The Lamron (SUNY – Geneseo) The Louisville Cardinal (University of Louisville) Mace and Crown (Old Dominion University The Mac Weekly (Macalester College) The Maneater (University of Missouri) The Middlebury Campus (Middlebury College) The Miami Student (Miami University) The Michigan Daily (University of Michigan) The Michigan Journal (University of Michigan – Dearborn) Minnesota Daily (University of Minnesota) >>> The Mirror (Fairfield University) New University (UC – Irvine) Northern Star (Northern Illinois University) Oklahoma Daily (University of Oklahoma) The Optimist (Abeline Christian University) The Orient (Bowdoin College) The Orion (California State University – Chico) The Pacer (University of Tennessee – Martin) The Parthenon (Marshall University) The Phoenix (Swarthmore College) Pipe Dream (SUNY – Binghamton) The Pitt News (University of Pittsburgh) The Point News (St. Mary’s College) The Post (Ohio University) The Reporter (Stetson University) The Rocket (Slippery Rock University) The State News (Michigan State University) >>>The Tech (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Tufts Daily (Tufts University) The University Daily Kansan (University of Kansas) The University News (Saint Louis University) The Voice (Washtenaw Community College) JOHN McCAIN (2) The Criterion (Mesa State College) Daily Mississippian (University of Mississippi) CHOOSING TO MAKE NO ENDORSEMENT (22) Abilene Reporter-News Colorado Springs Gazette (N) The Fairfax County Times (Virginia) The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) Fort Meyers News-Press The Huntsville Times The Marietta Register (Ohio) The Morning Call (Allentown) Mountain Home News (Idaho) Loudoun Times Mirror (Virginia) The Roanoke Times (Virginia) Springfield News-Leader The Record Searchlight (California) >>> Rocky Mount Telegram (North Carolina) Rocky Mountain News (Colorado) St. Paul Pioneer Press The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) Waco Tribune Herald (Texas) Indianapolis Star (B) Ann Arbor News (B) Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star (B) Ventura County Star

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003875230

Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigns in Ohio for John McCain

This might be helpful to McCain. Schwarzenegger draws and than pumps up a large crowd for McCain in this crucial swing state of Ohio. I really like his joke about the Liberal giveaway on Halloween. Arnold should have been on the campaign trail from the beginning.
-Darryl

Final McCain and Obama Campaign Ads

Final push is on. New ads from both Obama and McCain just 3 days before the election. Obama uses Bush to attack McCain in his negative ad. He then promotes his Powell and Buffet endorsements in a positive one. McCain attacks Obama on wanting to sit down for talks with Iran. McCain than uses an ad with Obama praising Lieberman and McCain on global warming as a positive one. I would imagine ads from both campaigns will be all over the airwaves this weekend South of the border.
-Darryl


Obama Ads





McCain Ads

A little election humour....

Thanks to my friend Doug who sent this to me...
-Darryl

Hollywood encourages young people to vote

I think this will be the first election where we really see a large turnout among young people. It is time for a new generation to have their voices heard.
-Darryl



Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Snoop Dogg, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Justin Timberlake, along with Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, Zach Braff, Colin Farrell, Neil Patrick Harris, Scarlett Johansson, Shia LeBeouf, Tobey Maguire, Ryan Reynolds, and Jason Segal, are featured in a second of a series of public service announcements to encourage American youth to vote in partnership with Google, YouTube, Declare Yourself, and MySpace. The non-partisan PSAs, produced by DiCaprios Appian Way, were created to engage and inspire young people to vote and participate in the upcoming election.

McCain looses 'Joe the plumber'

This is not a big deal, but tells the story about how poorly the McCain campaign is being run. Constantly jumping from one message to another. Constantly in reaction mode and never proactive. Joe the Plumber is now the third person on the McCain ticket and his fame is being extended a few minutes. Yet for some reason, the people running the Republican campaign cannot even coordinate an appearance properly. Not a reason to vote for or against McCain, but you would think with five days to go that the campaign could at least get its act together. Palin and McCain aides fighting amongst themselves in the media. For a decade Hillary was one of the most disliked figures in Republican circles yet during the McCain campaign there were ads that promoted Hillary Clinton and attacked Obama for not selecting her as VP. It would be fair to say that the whole purpose of selecting Palin was to appeal to those upset Clinton supporters following the primaries. A few weeks later, it appears that economic credentials are not present on the Republican ticket at a time when the economy is the top issue. Political opportunism has backfired. All the Republican surrogates seem to have disappeared. Gaffes are taking place everywhere. Palin seemed to suggest that only states that vote Republican are pro-American. The whole campaign has been a complete gong show. In the final weeks where is Mitt Romney? Mike Huckabee? Fred Thompson? Rudy Giuliani? Where is George W. Bush? Donald Rumsfeld? Dick Cheney? Joe Lieberman? Obama is out there with Colin Powell, Warren Buffet, Al Gore and Bill Clinton. John McCain has "Joe the Plumber". Would you not rather have someone like Romney talking about the economic crisis? If you haven't demonstrated that you can put together a compotent campaign, why should anyone have confidence you can run the United States of America?

All the blue states have been given up on. McCain is now desparate to hold red states that in some cases haven't voted Democratic in decades. Even his home state of Arizona is becoming a battleground state because of a surge in Obama support among Hispanic voters. Ironic given how much of a price he paid for his amnesty bill. Obama supporters are enthusiastic, excited and are turning out new voters as we speak. McCain supporters are looking at the polls, see the writing on the wall and were never that enthusiastic or excited to begin with. Stopping the democrats from unchecked power is really the only remaining hope left. The electoral college map and state polls show that mathmatically it is almost impossible for McCain to win.

When you look at the George W. Bush fiscal record and the fact that McCain represents more of the same failed policies; one has to wonder if there is a Conservative option in this race. Under the Republicans spending is up to record levels, the national debt has doubled, unemployment has increased and John McCain opposes Barack Obama's middle class tax cut in favour of continuing the Bush tax cut that he once opposed. The economy has been mismanaged into a likely recession - if not worse. Banks are failing. Corporate welfare is soaring. Home values are collapsing. The volatile stock market is threatening retirement investments and savings. The middle class is far worse off today than 8 years ago. Incomes are falling or staying the same. A massive wealth transfer has taken place to oil producing nations, many of them enemies of the United States. Huge trade deficits are growing. China is loaning Americans money to fight a war in Iraq. George W. Bush has not once balanced the budget. America's standing in the world has drastically fallen. I am not at all sure how that is a conservative record. I see it as a disaster with change more than justified. McCain does not represent change.

The best thing that could happen to the Republican Party on Tuesday would be a complete blow out. They need to lose the White House, Senate and Congress. Once that occurs, Obama and the Democrats can deal with the financial crisis over the next four years. Republicans can use the time to rebuild the Reagan coalition and come back with a platform that appeals to all Conservatives, independents and moderate Democrats - not just their base. Republicans have to go back to their roots. Corruption needs to be cleaned out. Anyone associated with the Bush presidency needs to be fired and not allowed near Washington again. They have to find conservatism again. Maybe in four years this can happen and the Republican party will be credible again. In the short term, the state of the Republican Party in America is in no better shape than the Liberal party in Canada.

Reagan asked Americans if they were better off today than four years ago. The overwhelming majority of Americans can not say they are. When you screw up this badly, someone must be held accountable. Republicans do not deserve another term in power.

In terms of Canada, it will be nice to not be compared to Bush in future campaigns from Harper's perspective. Given our oil reserves, I would not be afraid to open up NAFTA but American should know that we will have some grievences to and not all of the renegotiation would be to their advantage. Free trade has been good for both sides and there is no chance the agreement will be torn up. Obama gave us a "heads up" on that issue during the primaries.

The focus of the remaining Republicans, most of whom call themselves independents should be rebuilding the Reagan coalition. Here is what can happen in America when the ideas of conservatism appeal to a broad base. Until that coalition is rebuilt, the Republican party will not have much influence in American politics going forward. Obama will pick up somewhere around 370 electoral college votes on Tuesday and the Republicans being tossed from power will be well deserved. When you tell people who disagree with you that they do not fit in as a conservative, you find yourselves getting your asses handed to you at election time when they vote for someone else or stay home. There is no doubt we are going to see that happen on Tuesday and the question is how will Republicans respond. Will they blame the media? Will they look in the mirror, realize they messed up America and take responsibility? Will they get the message their views are not mainstream and they need to broden the tent? If they do not return to the conservative roots in the next few years; get use to seeing President Obama for a long time.
-Darryl

Why is "Joe the Plumber" talking about foreign policy

What a joke the McCain campaign has become. Conditions are terrible for Republicans in this election cycle, but this is unreal. New desperate attacks each day. No consistent message. Palin and McCain aides fighting each other through the media. Now the campaign is overplaying its hand with "Joe the Plumber" having him stumping on the campaign trail and freelancing on foreign policy - an area where he has no defined credentials. The McCain campaign is going from poorly managed to outright bizarre. Who is the presidential candidate? Is it McCain, Palin or Joe the Plumber.
-Darryl

Obama and McCain final attack ads

With 5 days to go, here is some of the attack ads from both campaigns heading into voting day.
-Darryl

Barack Obama:







John McCain

What does John McCain have against Milwaukee?

I have family who live in Milwaukee and in the surrounding area of Wisconsin. This post is for them. You know how to vote this Tuesday! For the record, despite what John McCain says; I think Milwaukee is a beautiful place to live and visit.
-Darryl

My US Election Prediction: Obama wins 378 to 160

You can put together your own prediction by visiting this link.
-Darryl

Update: These numbers do not come out of thin air. Below is the breakdown.

Obama will win 378 electoral college votes by winning the following states:

Hawaii

California

New Mexico

Oregon

Washington

Nevada

Colorado

North Dakota

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Michigan

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Iowa

Illinois

Indiana

Virginia

North Carolina

New York

New Jersey

Vermont

New Hampshire

Maine

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Connecticut

Delaware

Maryland

DC

Missouri

Florida

John McCain will win 160 electoral college votes by winning the following states:

Arizona

Alaska

Georgia

Texas

Utah

Idaho

Montana

Wyoming

South Dakota

Nebraska

Kansas

Oklahoma

Arkansas

Louisiana

Mississippi

Alabama

Tennessee

South Carolina

West Virginia

Kentucky

2008 US Electoral College and State Polls Breakdown

CNN is the most Conservative calling 277 electoral college votes for Obama. Electoral-vote.com is the most confident predicting 375. Either way an Obama win is likely as 270 are required to win the White House. There will be a lot of focus on the national polls over the next week, but this formula is the only one that matters. The US election is decided by electoral college votes and not the overall popular vote. This is how Bush was able to win in 2000 despite having less total votes. Like in Canada, national polls do not matter unless you factor them into seat counts. The three sites below factor state polling into their projections.
-Darryl


http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/calculator/

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=5

Palin and McCain feuding

This is what happens on a losing campaign. John McCain is going down and will not be President. Sarah Palin is a rising star who will likely be the next nominee in 2012. Behind the scenes in the Republican campaign, finger pointing has begun and Palin and her people have ditched the talking points, advice and campaign message that they blame for her negative press and image. In the meantime, McCain has the task of convincing his supporters he can still win. If he fails to do that; turnout and get out the vote efforts will lead to an even more humilating loss to Obama. Sarah Palin has drawn huge crowds, brought energy to an otherwise lame campaign and is now a mainstream celebrity in the United States and around the world. I suspect this will encourage further infighting as Republicans cruise to a certain defeat. Palin is in a great position for 2012, but needs to be careful. The bigger the defeat this year, the more her wagon will be tied to this electoral disaster. I have learned from comments on this blog and elsewhere that Palin has quite the following. Unfortunately for the Republican Party this year, McCain does not. Should be interesting as we go into the final week of this US Presidential election campaign.
-Darryl

McCain hits a new low

John McCain is trailing badly in the polls and by all accounts is going to lose his bid for the White House on November 4. Now he is working on losing his legacy as a man of integrity and someone who promised to take the high road during this campaign. What happened to the straight talk express? As desperation sinks in, it is clear that McCain and Palin are attempting to throw as much mud as possible and simply hoping something sticks. Unfortunately for him, it doesn't change his lack of understanding on the economy, foreign affairs and the record of the Republican Party over the past 8 years. It doesn't change the fact he has turned off independents with his campaigning. It doesn't change the fact he is now on the defensive in states easily won by George W. Bush in 2004. It doesn't change the fact he has lost every debate. It doesn't change the fact he cannot raise anything close to Obama financially. It doesn't change the excitement and desire for change Barack Obama (with the help of George W. Bush) has inspired in America.

McCain is clearly out of ideas, out of touch and losing badly in this campaign. His VP choice is unqualified to be president. His party is not fully behind him. He wants to discuss anything but the economy - the top issue and priority of the day. Today McCain's campaign calls Obama a socialist and a terrorist. I guarantee you soon they will be calling him President of the United States.

It looks like the McCain camp is going to bring back Rev. Wright despite previously saying it was not relevant to the campaign. Just more flip flopping and confused messaging from the McCain camp. This is why people like Colin Powell have endorsed Obama and why I predict many Republicans will stay home on November 4.
-Darryl

Canada and the world want Obama

Canada just elected a Conservative government with 143 seats. What is interesting is that when surveyed on the US Race, 67% of Canadians prefer Barack Obama to John McCain who polled at 22%. In the rest of the world, on average non-Americans prefer Obama 4-1 over his Republican opponent. Based on these results, it is clear that the world overwhelming prefers Barack Obama to John McCain. I suspect the past 8 years of George Bush have a lot to do with these numbers. Given that Obama is most likely going to take the WhiteHouse in 13 days, I think these numbers are positive. Obama has the tools to restore America's image in the world. Given that economic, security, climate change and issues such as Iran are going to require international cooperation; I think these numbers demonstrate that Obama has the leadership qualities to get something productive done on all these fronts. I look forward to his first trip to Canada as President. I suspect he will be greeted with a much different reception than George W. Bush has been given here in the past.
-Darryl

U.S. Neighbors Prefer Obama to McCain by 3-to-1 Margin

Canadians more likely to see election’s outcome as relevant to them

by Steve Crabtree

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Canadians and Mexicans were asked in recent Gallup Polls whom they would personally rather see elected president of the United States this November, Democratic candidate Barack Obama received about three times as many nods among both populations as Republican contender John McCain.

Two in three Canadians (67%) prefer Obama, while 22% favor McCain. As in the United States, widespread disapproval of the Bush administration is almost certainly hurting McCain in Canada. Just 22% of Canadians say they approve of the current U.S. leadership, while 71% say they do not.

In Mexico, the ratio of supporters between the two candidates is similar at 3-to-1 in favor of Obama; unlike Canadians however, most Mexicans -- 63% -- do not venture an opinion at all. This is in part a function of Mexicans' lower average socioeconomic status and education level; for example, 76% of Mexicans with elementary education or less say they don't have an opinion about the U.S. election, versus just 35% of those with a four-year degree who say the same.

However, Mexicans' lack of responsiveness may also stem from the fact that only 34% feel the U.S. election outcome will make a difference to their country, while 37% say it will not. Among Canadians, three-fourths say U.S. residents' choice of president will make a difference to Canada, while just 22% disagree.

NAFTA

One substantive disagreement between McCain and Obama has come on the issue of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Obama wants to renegotiate the agreement to include enforceable labor and environmental standards -- a position that McCain has criticized as harmful to the economic growth brought about by free trade in the region.

A slim majority of Canadians agree with McCain that NAFTA has benefited their country economically; 51% say its effect has been mainly positive, while 39% say it has been mainly negative.

However, another finding suggests most Canadians are not powerfully attached to NAFTA: When asked what they think their government should do if the United States does decide to negotiate a new trade agreement, 45% say the Canadian government should agree to start negotiations, while 34% say the government should try to keep NAFTA intact, and 13% favor having no trade agreement at all. What's more, a September poll for the Council of Canadians found that 61% of Canadians agreed with Obama's intention to renegotiate NAFTA.

With regard to Mexican public opinion, NAFTA may be a wash politically -- 21% of Mexicans say the agreement has had a positive effect on their economy, while 24% say it has been negative. A majority of Mexicans either say the effect has been neither positive nor negative (19%) or that they don't know (36%).

Immigration

Mexicans' relative inattention to the U.S. election may partly reflect the relative lack of discussion by either candidate on one issue of particular concern to Mexicans: immigration policy. Currently, almost one in five Mexicans (18%) say they have family members who have moved abroad in the past five years, and 81% of those family members moved to the United States. Remittances are a significant source of income for many; 78% of Mexicans say those who go to live abroad are "a big help" for their families.

There is little substantive difference between Obama and McCain on immigration, which helps explain their lack of focus on the issue. Both candidates support a legalization process for illegal immigrants living in the United States that includes paying fines and learning English. Both also support guest worker programs, and both voted in 2006 for the construction of a fence along 700 miles of the United States/Mexico border.

Survey Methods

Results from Canada are based on telephone interviews with 1,005 adults, aged 15 and older, conducted Aug. 7-Sept. 7, 2008. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. Results from Mexico are based on face-to-face interviews with 873 adults, aged 15 and older, conducted July 25-30, 2008. For results based on this total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

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The world picks Obama for president - 4 to 1

Gallup poll of 70 countries finds widespread international support for Democratic candidate, including 67 per cent in Canada

SIRI AGRELL

October 22, 2008

Americans may still be undecided, but the rest of the world has made up its mind about who should be elected president of the United States.

A Gallup poll of 70 countries conducted from May through September has found widespread international support for Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

Around the world, respondents favoured Mr. Obama 4 to 1 over Republican John McCain.

In Canada, 67 per cent chose Mr. Obama and 22 per cent Mr. McCain. And 75 per cent of Canadian respondents said the presidential election would make a difference for their own country.

The Democratic nominee also enjoyed levels of support higher than 60 per cent in Australia, Germany, England and Japan, where the U.S. election was viewed as having a global impact.

Around the world, only Georgia, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines backed the Republican candidate.

Europeans were the most likely to state a preference in the election and to believe the winner would have an impact on their own countries.

Mr. Obama also received an overseas endorsement yesterday from the Conservative mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

"He visibly incarnates change and hope, at a time when America desperately needs both," Mr. Johnson wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

Within the United States, change seemed to be the theme of this week's polls.

A Pew Research Center poll released yesterday found that the Democrat is enjoying his widest margin yet over Mr. McCain among registered voters, at 52 per cent to 38 per cent.

The Rasmussen Report, however, released a daily tracking poll that had Mr. Obama ahead by just four points, leading Mr. McCain 50 per cent to 46 per cent, and Gallup had Mr. Obama ahead 52 per cent to 41 per cent.

But attention is increasingly settling on key battleground states, where the two candidates are competing for the electoral votes they need to win the White House on Nov. 4.

Polls yesterday showed the Democrats leading in all of the battleground states won by John Kerry in 2004 and several won by Republican President George W. Bush.

A CNN poll yesterday had Mr. Obama leading in Colorado by a margin of 51 to 47 per cent. In Florida, he was ahead 49 to 45, within the poll's margin of error. The same poll found Mr. McCain leading in Indiana 51 per cent to 46 per cent, and in Georgia 53 per cent to 45 per cent.

It was reported this week that the McCain campaign had effectively given up on Colorado, Iowa and New Mexico, states the party had once believed would lead them to victory.

But Jill Hazelbaker, Mr. McCain's national communications director, released a statement yesterday denying the report.

"We see the race tightening both internally and in public polling," she said. "We are within striking distance in the key battleground states we need to win."

Who would you personally rather see elected president of the United States?

	Obama	McCain
Britain	60%	15%
Canada	67%	27%
Chile	43%	9%
France	64%	4%
Georgia	15%	23%
Germany	62%	10%
Japan	66%	15%
Kenya	89%	3%
Laos	24%	25%
Mexico	27%	9%
Philippines	20%	28%
Rwanda	57%	12%

Note: Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TONIA COWAN/THE GLOBE AND MAIL // SOURCE: GALLUP