Election 2008

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On Film, a Black President Is Nothing New

From 24 to The Fifth Element

(Newser) - America may be on the verge of electing its first black president, but pop culture is way ahead of reality. James Earl Jones portrayed the first in The Man (1972), and several have followed. As an entertainment-obsessed nation, asks Slate, might these fictional forebears affect our perception of the real...

ATF Foils Skinhead Plot to Kill Obama

Tenn. neo-Nazis would have shot, decapitated 102 blacks before going after candidate

(Newser) - Federal agents have broken up a plot by two neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 88 black people, the AP reports. ATF agents said the pair planned to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school in a murder spree that was to...

Financial Times Finds Obama 'Less Alarming'

(Newser) - Despite holes in Barack Obama’s qualifications, the Democrat is the obvious choice for president, the Financial Times writes. His “policies are a blend of good, not so good, and downright bad,” but the alternative is an increasingly disturbing brand of maverick, the British daily opines. “Rashness...

GOP Plays What-If Game With Lieberman, Romney, Ridge

Picking Palin locked in base, but others might've drawn voters McCain really needs

(Newser) - Given the damage Sarah Palin has done to John McCain’s chances, Steve Kornacki, in the New York Observer, joins Republicans in wondering about the also-rans. Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman, and Mitt Romney were unpalatable, either personally to the candidate or politically to the party. The first two would have...

Buckley: Hands Off Dad's Torch, Rush

Son of great conservative thinks Limbaugh's a bit de trop

(Newser) - Christopher Buckley, having been savaged by Rush Limbaugh for endorsing Barack Obama, fires back at the talk-show host for daring to think he can assume the conservative mantle of his father, the late William F. Buckley Jr. Writing in the Daily Beast, Buckley brandishes French, that tool of the “...

Obama Pushes Don't-Let-Up 'Closing Argument'

'We are one week away from changing America,' Dem says in Ohio

(Newser) - Barack Obama warned voters today against acting as if he’s already won the election, urging them not to “let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week,” CNN reports. Speaking in Canton, Ohio, Obama charged that 4 more years of “Bush-McCain”...

Dancing With the Pols Has Web Shimmying

Clips real and fake show Obama, McCain gettin' down

(Newser) - Here’s an issue that’s gone largely unaddressed on the campaign trail: Which candidate can bust a move for America? A number of videos floating around the Internet attest to Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s ability to groove, the Chicago Tribune reports. Ellen DeGeneres held a Barack-Michelle...

Candidates Bombard Swing States With Radio Ads

Campaigns like low cost, lower accountability

(Newser) - Although conventional radio may seem obsolete, it is an important tool of the presidential campaigns this year, USA Today reports. Political advertising is flooding the airwaves in battleground states as the campaigns take advantage of the cost: $500 to $600 per airing for a 30-second spot in Northern Virginia, compared...

Role in White House for Obama Strategist?

Strategist Axelrod seen as key policy cog, but he could be a target in Washington

(Newser) - With Barack Obama holding a lead in the polls, Democrats have begun discussing what, if any, role his top campaign strategist might have in an Obama White House, Politico reports. David Axelrod, say those who know him, is seriously weighing an administration position; where he ends up could be key...

Mac Should Muzzle Staffers, Drop Robocalls, Talk Security

Remind voters why they admired him: Kristol

(Newser) - William Kristol has some advice for John McCain: “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.” In a recent poll, 64% of respondents said they believe McCain spends more time attacking Barack Obama than making his own case. The senator ought to pull his negative ads, robocalls, and...

Robin Hood, Beware: The Rich Get Poorer
Robin Hood, Beware: The Rich Get Poorer
Analysis
Oct 27, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Robin Hood, Beware: The Rich Get Poorer

Financial crisis hits US wealthiest hard, reduces inequalities

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain have sparred over the country’s income gap, but that gap is shrinking rapidly, Robert Frank writes in the Wall Street Journal. Financial crises always knock the rich down a peg, and this one is no different. One economist predicts the top 1%’s share...

'Perfect Storm' of Problems Forecast for Missouri Polls

Close races plus potential voting chaos could make for a challenge

(Newser) - Missouri is one of several states anticipated to have voting problems next week, but nobody is sure just how big they might be, the Boston Globe reports. The potential is huge, though, in a sharply divided state where John McCain and Barack Obama are polling dead even and a legion...

Voting by Mail Is 2008's Big Winner

Voters like to go at own pace, but some worry about fraud, lost ballots

(Newser) - Nearly half of California's ballots this year will be cast by mail, marking an upward trend that isn't restricted to the Golden State, the Los Angeles Times reports. Washington and Oregon are almost completely mail-in only, and voter-rights organizations across the country hail the convenience of sending in votes. But...

Anti-Washington Tide Threatens GOP Stalwart

Dems aim to oust Kentucky's McConnell, claim 60 Senate seats

(Newser) - The rising Democratic tide is threatening to wash over a Republican pillar: Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, is fighting for his political life in the deep-red state, reports the Washington Post. McConnell barely leads, and national Democrats are working hard to tip the race. A McConnell defeat...

'Redneck' Constituents Cool on Murtha

Longtime congressman has to fight for his seat after repeatedly insulting his district

(Newser) - Democratic stalwart John Murtha just can’t give himself a break. The 17-term congressman first insulted his constituents by saying, “There’s no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area,” in a newspaper interview, Politico recalls. Then, as his opponent gained traction in polls, Murtha apologized, but added,...

No. 44 Must Get to Work Nov. 5
 No. 44 
 Must Get to 
 Work Nov. 5 
Analysis
Oct 27, 2008 9:40 AM CDT

No. 44 Must Get to Work Nov. 5

Not since FDR has a transition been this urgent

(Newser) - America hasn’t been this eager for the new president to take over since FDR ousted Herbert Hoover, write John Brinsley and Edwin Chen for Bloomberg. Then, as now, an economic crisis heightened the urgency for a fast, smooth transition. And while Roosevelt rejected Hoover’s offers to work together...

As Mac Defends Turf, Obama Preps Closing Argument
As Mac Defends Turf, Obama Preps Closing Argument
ANALYSIS
Oct 27, 2008 9:08 AM CDT

As Mac Defends Turf, Obama Preps Closing Argument

Dem will hit post-election themes in speech today; McCain focused on Bush territory

(Newser) - Barack Obama is closing out the campaign fighting for Republican ground, the New York Times reports, with the Democrat aiming to seal the deal by giving still-unsold voters a final chance to size him up. His final message will hit broader, less partisan themes, and his strategy is forcing John...

Guess What's Still Selling Strong?

Obama's anti-gun stance and fears of economic chaos fuel record gun sales

(Newser) - Fears of an anti-gun presidency and the threat of civil unrest in a worsening economic climate are fueling record sales of firearms and ammunition, the Washington Post reports. Sales have been climbing since 2006 and this year have shot past the average annual 5% increase to reach 10%, as gun...

Obama Speech Draws 100,000 in Denver

Red states flicker as McCain struggles to fill stadiums in Iowa, Ohio

(Newser) - John McCain insists his campaign is “doing fine” even as his rallies in key states pull a fraction of the crowds turning out for Barack Obama, the Chicago Tribune reports. The Republican drew about 2,000 supporters at each of his recent events in Iowa and Ohio. Obama, meanwhile,...

Raise Your Hand If You're Sick of the Election

Voters suffering from 'electoral exhaustion,' especially in swing states

(Newser) - News flash: Voters are getting sick of hearing about the election. With just eight days to go the battleground states are weary with campaign fatigue, particularly in places like Iowa, where the candidates have made a total of 263 stops. "People are fed up with it, and maybe they...

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