Majority of Voters: Palin not qualified -- heading into tonight's crucial veep debate

A new poll released yesterday shows that Obama holds a 9-pt lead. (Today's Associated Press poll gives Obama a 7-pt lead.) This is according to CBS News and the New York Times. It also shows that a majority of American voters, 51% do not feel that Sarah Palin, McCain's Veep choice, is qualified. This is echoed by the groundswell of prominent conservatives like David Frum and George Will who have chimed in lately on the Palin readiness issue. In fact conservative columnist and ABC's This Week contributor, George Will, was recently quoted in the Los Angeles Times, saying that Palin was "behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high". Wow! Moreover, conservative columnist and contributor to PBS' News Hour, David Brooks, stated that Palin "seems to compensate for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness". These are obviously not glowing endorsements by stalwarts of the conservative movement or the Republican party.

Having said that, I expect that tonight's Veep debate, which will be carried on the networks at 9pm EST, will be one more opportunity for Palin to demonstrate to all of America, and the world for that matter, more of what she does not know. I expect her to try too hard and talk too loud...I expect Biden to be uncharacteristically measured in tone and response.

Tonight's debate will be good for Obama and the Democratic party...

Salon:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/02/vp_debate/

Voters: Obama Wins -- Big!

After the semi contentious first debate of the season, registered voters have decided by a whopping 46% to 34% that Obama is the champion. Debate watchers also found him to be much more likeable. This is according to a USA Today/Gallup poll. The all important independent voters tossed Obama the win by a large 10-pt margin. Moreover, post debate polling shows Obama leading McCain, overall, 50% to 42%! Lastly, voters feel that Obama has done a much better job dealing with America's economic downturn.

Momma said there'd be days like this...

Gallup:http://www.gallup.com/Home.aspx

Breaking News: Obama Opens Up 9-pt Lead Over McCain!

I've been saying for some time that I do not feel that the election will be as close as some are claiming it will be. Today's latest poll numbers further support my position...drum roll....Obama has opened up an overwhelming 9 POINT LEAD OVER MCCAIN 52 to 43 per the Washington Post and ABC News!!! Moreover, voters view Obama as a better problem solver, manager and more in touch with the average American, according to the latest Zogby numbers. The Post-ABC poll also states that voters feel that Obama is better prepared to deal with America's recent economic downturn. On all the issues that matter, Obama is out polling McCain by signficant numbers.

Just a bit of presidential polling history: Neither Gore or Kerry were able to hit 50 or above, in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Obama is the first Democratic presidential candidate in recent history to crack 52 leading up to the election.

Si se puede, baby, si se puede!!!!

Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/23/AR2008092303667.html?nav=hcmodule

Zogby

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1557

McCain's Untruthiness...

Now, here we go again. Apparently, the uber-virile septuagenarian has not been forthcoming about his campaign manager's ties to disgraced mortgage giant, Freddie Mac. In fact, Sen. John McCain was quite emphatic when he stated that Rick Davis had not been involved with Freddie for years. Well, it appears that either McCain lied, Rick Davis lied, or McCain had a senior (senator) moment. We all understand that very busy and important persons are prone to forgetting from time to time. However, with the McCain camp making accusations that Obama was being supported, financially and politically, by both Fannie and Freddie, such an oversight seems more than strange and untimely. How is it that the person responsible for managing McCain's campaign forgets to mention that he had in fact worked for Freddie? How is that McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, would allow his candidate to makes such an unequivocal (but untrue) statement, during this highly contentious election period? Did he not think that it would get out? Or, has McCain and his sycophants become resigned to the fact that Obama will take this thing? To add insult to political injury, Rick Davis was pulling in a cool $15,000 per month, from Freddie, from 2005 until last month!

Oh, this is too juicy. All the more reason for folks to tune in to the first presidential debate, this Friday at 9pm (on any television station that matters)!

New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/us/politics/w24davis.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

The White Hood in the Room

As many of us have come to suspect, race may be a determining factor in this year's presidential race. We have new data to further sustain this point, unfortunately. According to an Associated Press/Yahoo and Stanford University poll, 40% of white Americans don't really like blacks all that much, at a minimum. Some outright feel that blacks are lazy and violent. This includes Democrats, Republicans and independents. The poll determined that nearly one-third of white respondents applied at least one pejorative term to blacks, and this group was less likely to vote for Obama. This is more than troubling, but there's more.

What served as a great wake up call for me is the notion that many of the respondents are Democrats! Ruh roh! The polls goes on to further claim that issues of competency may taint a significant number of non-Hispanic white voters' view of Obama -- sans race. However, I don't think you have to be a psychometrician to assume that a significant number of non-Hispanic whites who claim that race is not the reason they are leery about Obama, but competency is may be, well, LYING! Anyone ever hear of the 'good subject effect'?

Well, I'm feeling violent and lazy, so I'm going to punch a Nun and take a 15-hour nap...


MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26803840/

Obama Bounces Back; McCain Sulks!

Gallup reports that Obama has found his mojo. He is now in the lead. After a small bump in the polls, which lasted roughly a week, McCain finds himself trailing Obama, again. This clearly indicates that America is sold on Obama. McCain is working hard to sell a pseudo-populist message, however, his record in the US Senate defies such a lame attempt. Moreover, in just 24 hours, McCain both opposed and supported the government bailout of AIG. This will definitely come back to haunt him in a soon-to-be-released Obama ad (I hope). It's kind of like Kerry's political death knell in 2004 --"I voted for it before I voted against it".

From choosing Palin to switching his position on the AIG bailout, McCain is frantically scrambling to find his electoral footing. Unfortunately, with less than two months to go, he doesn't have enough time to shape a message or a theme which will resonate with the American people. In fact, his frenetic messaging is causing many observes to become concerned about his candidacy. He's the only presidential candidate, in recent memory, who has yet to create a campaign message and/or theme. I mean, think about it, what is McCain's campaign theme or message? Can't think of it, right? Cuz' he has none! Pathetically, he recently attempted to adopt the "change" banner, but polls demonstrated that it did not work...not even with Republicans.

I think it's time for David to read McCain the writing on the wall...

Gallup:
http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx

Palin Plummets in Polls!

Given that McCain and Obama are now in a statistical dead heat, the McCain camp cannot be too comforted by the recent poll numbers which show that the proverbial bloom is off the rose for Palin. According to Andy Romano, a political writer for Newsweek, Palin is now the least favorable of the four candidates seeking the White House this November 4th. In fact, Palin experienced a net 1o-point change in her poll numbers within just three days! She went from being the "It- girl" to "Girl, please!" As I stated on the Grimaldi vs Williams Show, if McCain's post-RNC bounce cannot ride him through at least two weeks of this rough and tumble political bloodsport, buoyed by the recent historical pick of a female to run as his Veep candidate, he would be in trouble. McCain is in trouble. When you survey the landscape and you see that multi-national financial concerns, mortgage houses and insurance companies are now tumbling, you get a sense that things are not that great for America, at this point in our history. This is compounded by high energy, gas and food prices, as well as a war in Iraq which is reportedly costing us a surplus-shattering $12 billion dollars per month. Yeah! You should've gasped on that one.

More to the point, given that things are not going so well, in America, McCain's well-worn and seasoned leadership acumen should be just what the doctor ordered. Yet, he's not leading in the polls. If ever there was a need to rely on so-called experience, now would be the time. However, it appears that the American voters are thinking otherwise. Apparently, experience is not what the doctor ordered. They are looking for something else. They are looking for an intangible, something that will bring inspiration and a sense of pride. Americans are looking for someone who will propel them forward to a time and place which is different and qualitatively much better than this moment in our history. We want to feel good about ourselves again. We want to feel comfortable shopping for gas, food and affordable college tuition. We want to look into the faces of our 14-year old sons and know that four years from now they will be sitting across from us at the dinner table discussing, somewhat naively and optimistically their life plans, instead of having to explain to them the concept of a military draft. We want to be able to hope again.

I think Ameirca wants Barak Obama...

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/16/palin-s-favorability-ratings-begin-to-falter.aspx