ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



First thoughts: Post-convention map

Posted: Monday, September 08, 2008 9:16 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** The post-convention map: After the conventions and the candidates’ VP picks, Obama still maintains a slight electoral lead, according to NBC’s map. Obama has 228 electoral votes to McCain’s 200, with 110 electoral votes in the toss-up column. The changes from last month, when Obama held a 217-189 advantage: Missouri moves from toss-up to Lean McCain, Pennsylvania moves from toss-up to Lean Obama, and Wisconsin moves from Lean Obama to toss-up. We came VERY close to moving North Carolina to toss-up, but until we see one decent poll showing Obama ahead, we're not there yet. Every North Carolina poll has had McCain ahead, though it is worth noting the RNC and the campaign are finally up in the Tar Heel state with paid media.

Likely Obama: CA, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, NJ, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA (190 electoral votes)
Lean Obama: IA, MN, PA (38 votes)
Toss-up: CO, FL, MI, NV, NM, NH, OH, VA, WI (110 votes)
Lean McCain: AK, GA, IN, MO, MT, NC, ND, SD (64 votes)
Likely McCain: AL, AZ, AR, ID, KS, KY, LA, MS, NE, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT, WV, WY (136 votes)

VIDEO:  NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses new poll results, which show McCain leading Obama.

*** Show Me the help: Indeed, there may not be a state where Palin helps more than a place like Missouri. Looking at 2006, one of the closest Senate races was in Missouri, where Claire McCaskill over-performed in some key non-urban counties, and it’s likely she succeeded with culturally conservative women who are also economic populists. These women have probably been sitting in undecided right now in a place like Missouri. And this where Palin comes in: She can keep these soft Republican women from crossing the aisle. It's no mistake why both McCain and Palin are in Missouri today. By the way, the place where the GOP ticket is campaigning today -- Lee’s Summit -- is a place that McCaskill carried in '06 and Bush carried in '04. The McCain folks would like to lock down the Show Me State in September. Trust us, if McCain is still campaigning in Missouri in October, things aren't looking good for the GOP.

VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell discusses how McCain's choice of Palin may have influenced the results of new polling.

*** Today’s cable catnip: While Obama leads in NBC’s electoral map, McCain has jumped ahead of the Illinois Democrat nationally, according to the post-convention USA Today/Gallup poll. In it, McCain leads Obama by four points among registered voters (50%-46%), after trailing Obama by seven after the Democratic convention (50%-43%) -- which is an 11-point swing. Among likely voters, moreover, the poll shows McCain leading by a whopping 10 points (54%-44%). McCain obviously seems to have gotten a bounce out of his convention. But is it really this big? And is it an ephemeral bounce? Or is it a political realignment after the conventions and the Palin pick? Or maybe is it just an outlier? The gold standard of national polling, the NBC/WSJ poll, comes out Wednesday. 

*** Basking in Palin’s celebrity: Just asking, but when was the last time a presidential nominee so openly relied on a running mate? Palin is being asked to stay with McCain longer than was planned (she was to be in Alaska this week getting ready to see her son off to Iraq). No doubt the crowds she has attracted are proving addicting to the campaign. And now the campaign is up with a new TV ad that has the two as Lone Ranger-Tonto characters. Palin is almost solely responsible for the closing of the enthusiasm gap. And the addition of her has the Obama campaign completely flat-footed. They have taken their eye off the McCain (Bush?) ball, and are trying to figure out how to respond to Palin. The Obama campaign, on some days, seems to be just making it up when it comes to dealing with Palin. The last week of the campaign has been all about Palin, and it appears the rest of this week will be all about her too (now that she'll sit down for her first national media interview post-VP nomination at the end of this week). But what happens when the campaign narrative shifts away from Palin? What happens when McCain's on his own again? Can McCain ride this Palin enthusiasm all the way 'til November?

VIDEO: Chuck Todd looks at the candidates' push to win battleground states and the McCain campaign's reasons for not yet allowing Palin to be interviewed.

*** Palin finally meets the press -- or at least one of them: As mentioned above, Palin will sit down with ABC later this week for her first big interview with the national media. Here are some questions she might expect: Without mentioning her supervision of the Alaskan National Guard (a task all governors have), her state’s proximity to Russia, and her son’s military service, what qualifies her to be commander-in-chief in such turbulent times? How does she reconcile being a “reform” candidate with being under ethical investigation in her home state? Why did she originally back the infamous Bridge to Nowhere? Does she support Alaska not receiving a single additional earmark under a McCain Administration? (And if so, what would that mean economically for her home state?) Does she now agree with McCain’s opposition to drilling in ANWR? Does she believe that the war in Iraq is “a task from God”? Does she support converting homosexuals into heterosexuals, as her church in Alaska promotes? And has her own personal family situation changed her views on family planning and sex education?

VIDEO: Biden discusses the Palin pick with NBC's Tom Brokaw on 'Meet the Press."
 
*** Where did you go, Joe? Lost in all the Palin celebrity is Joe Biden. Talk about a candidate who has lost his voice -- the guy who was hired primarily to be one of the McCain attack dogs seems to have been muted. Biden is trying to find his voice and because every question he gets is about Palin, he doesn't seem prepared to handle his McCain duties. Yesterday on Meet the Press, he had to spend way too much time talking about Palin, and that for now is time wasted for the Obama campaign.

*** On the trail: McCain and Palin hold a rally in Lee’s Summit, MO before heading to a fundraiser in Chicago. Obama is in Michigan, where he holds an economic discussion in Flint and then does a town hall in Farmington Hills. And Biden holds a town hall in Green Bay, WI and later a rally in Des Moines, IA.

*** Hillary watch: Hillary Clinton campaigns for Obama in Florida, holding an economic discussion in Kissimmee and then a rally in Tampa. And this stumping comes as we’ve received word that Bill Clinton will have lunch with Obama in New York on Thursday.
 
Countdown to the first presidential debate: 18 days
Countdown to the vice presidential debate: 24 days
Countdown to the second presidential debate 29 days
Countdown to the third presidential debate: 37 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 57 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 134 days
 
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Comments

John McCain sold his maverick status to the Republican Party establishment long ago in exchange for one last desperate grab at the brass ring.  A true maverick would have picked the person he really thought was the best VP choice for the nation, which was clearly Joe Lieberman.  Instead he let the Republican power brokers veto his best judgment, forcing him to go with someone who is clearly not in the same league but appeals to the die-hard Republican base.  You know, all those folks who still think Bush is doing a great job and that the Iraq War ever made one speck of sense.
 
Pretty pathetic to see John out there trying to pretend he’s the same guy that ran in 2000. Adding the Earmark Queen of Wasilla, Alaska to the ticket may excite a base that loves her positions on social issues, but her record doesn’t fit the facade they are trying to project to the American people.  On three separate occasions in recent years her efforts to steer federal tax dollars to local projects made John McCain’s “pork lists” of “objectionable” spending.  Earlier this year Sarah Palin wrote: “The federal budget, in its various manifestations, is incredibly important to us, and congressional earmarks are one aspect of this relationship…"  

If the 27 million in federal money she wangled for her community of 8,000 were spent for every 8,000 people in America it would cost the taxpayers more than a trillion dollars.  Clearly we can’t afford too many Sarah Palins.  Try to square that with all the “reformer” anti-earmark rhetoric they were slinging around at the convention.  You can’t.  

The Republican side of this campaign has degenerated into an empty exercise in image management, with the sole purpose of holding on to power.  As Barack said, it is time for them to own their failure.  The American voters gave Republicans complete control of all branches of government for an extended period, more than enough time to implement all their wonderful ideas.  We witnessed an expansion of government as spending ballooned along with the deficit, and we became embroiled in a disastrous and unnecessary war that has weakened us militarily and diminished our standing in the world.  The tax burden has shifted disproportionately to the middle class, and the government they are funding with their hard-earned dollars has never performed with such breathtaking incompetence.  Enough, indeed.
During a weekend when MSNBC decided to make changes, how in the h*** did they decide to keep Mika on GOP Joe?  She spent half the show this morning whining about an editorial whose writers were simply commenting on what they perceived in society today.  Newsflash to Mika:  they were NOT attacking you.  You're a superstar.   If MSNBC were as conscious about conservative bias as they apparantly are about Olberman, the hack GOP Joe would have been replaced long ago.  Or at least they would put somebody on with him who could stand up to his constant snide and biased remarks.  It's as if they're trying to be Fox and Friends II.
PANIC .... PANIC .... PANIC
Chuck Todd, it was embarrassing to see and hear you and your obama sympathizers on msnbc trying so DESPERATELY to dismiss the Gallup polls showing Mccain ahead of your candidate obama. ......... but then again you assured us all that you already have put obama on top of Mccain again by your coming " FIXED " nbc poll.



With all the media help and the Chuck Todd " fix " nbc poll, IT WILL NOT CHANCE THE FACT THAT PALIN WILL HELP MCCAIN TAKE THE WHITE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER. .......... So I predict " YOUR NBC POLL " which is due out on Wednesday will show obama up by 2% points ............ SURPRISE ...... SURPRISE ..



What you people fail to understand is that REAL Americans listen to and connects with REAL patriotic candidates like Palin and Mccain and REAL Americans see through the media bias and talking points you people PARROT everyday from the obama campaign. ........  So continue disparaging Palin and continue to hold up your obvious bias as honest impartial news, this will continue to drive up Sarah Palin favorables and most certainly put Mccain/ Palin in the White House.



YOU CAN SPIT SHINE A SHOES BUT SO MUCH ....... EVENTUALLY IT WILL GO FADE, BECAUSE SOONER OR LATER YOU HAVE TO PUT SOME REAL  POLISH ON THEM ..... So to all you obama media and pundits, keep spit shining obama and his fading candidacy.



So Chuck Todd, go back to your honest and unbias coverage of both campaign so we on the right can continue to praise and call you CHUCKY T.
Its about time the National Obama Channel got more american!

MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts From Anchor Seat
By BRIAN STELTER
MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election.

That experiment appears to be over.

After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.

“The most disappointing shift is to see the partisan attitude move from prime time into what’s supposed to be straight news programming,” said Davidson Goldin, formerly the editorial director of MSNBC and a co-founder of the reputation management firm DolceGoldin.

Executives at the channel’s parent company, NBC Universal, had high hopes for MSNBC’s coverage of the political conventions. Instead, the coverage frequently descended into on-air squabbles between the anchors, embarrassing some workers at NBC’s news division, and quite possibly alienating viewers. Although MSNBC nearly doubled its total audience compared with the 2004 conventions, its competitive position did not improve, as it remained in last place among the broadcast and cable news networks. In prime time, the channel averaged 2.2 million viewers during the Democratic convention and 1.7 million viewers during the Republican convention.

The success of the Fox News Channel in the past decade along with the growth of political blogs have convinced many media companies that provocative commentary attracts viewers and lures Web browsers more than straight news delivered dispassionately.

“In a rapidly changing media environment, this is the great philosophical debate,” Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, said in a telephone interview Saturday. Fighting the ratings game, he added, “the bottom line is that we’re experiencing incredible success.”

But as the past two weeks have shown, that success has a downside. When the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lamented media bias during her speech, attendees of the Republican convention loudly chanted “NBC.”

In interviews, 10 current and former staff members said that long-simmering tensions between MSNBC and NBC reached a boiling point during the conventions. “MSNBC is behaving like a heroin addict,” one senior staff member observed. “They’re living from fix to fix and swearing they’ll go into rehab the next week.”

The employee, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because the network does not permit it people to speak to the media without authorization. (The New York Times and NBC News have a content-sharing arrangement exclusively for political coverage.)

Mr. Olbermann, a 49-year-old former sportscaster, has become the face of the more aggressive MSNBC, and the lightning rod for much of the criticism. His program “Countdown,” now a liberal institution, was created by Mr. Olbermann in 2003 but it found its voice in his gnawing dissent regarding the Bush administration, often in the form of “special comment” segments.

As Mr. Olbermann raised his voice, his ratings rose as well, and he now reaches more than one million viewers a night, a higher television rating than any other show in the troubled 12-year history of the network. As a result, his identity largely defines MSNBC. “They have banked the entirety of the network on Keith Olbermann,” one employee said.

In January, Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews, the host of “Hardball,” began co-anchoring primary night coverage, drawing an audience that enjoyed the pair’s “SportsCenter”-style show. While some critics argued that the assignment was akin to having the Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly anchor on election night — something that has never happened — MSNBC insisted that Mr. Olbermann knew the difference between news and commentary.

But in the past two weeks, that line has been blurred. On the final night of the Republican convention, after MSNBC televised the party’s video “tribute to the victims of 9/11,” including graphic footage of the World Trade Center attacks, Mr. Olbermann abruptly took off his journalistic hat.

“I’m sorry, it’s necessary to say this,” he began. After saying that the video had exploited the memories of the dead, he directly apologized to viewers who were offended. Then, sounding like a network executive, he said it was “probably not appropriate to be shown.”

In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Olbermann said that moment — and the perception that he is “not utterly neutral” — restarted months-old conversations about his role on political nights.

“I found it ironic and instructive that I could have easily said exactly what I did say, exactly when I did say it, if I had been wearing a different hat, and nobody would have taken any issue,” he said.

“Countdown” will still be shown before the three fall debates and a second edition will be shown sometime afterwards, following the program anchored by Mr. Gregory.

The change casts new doubt on what some staff members believe is an effective programming strategy: prime-time talk of a liberal sort. A like-minded talk show will now follow “Countdown” at 9 p.m.: “The Rachel Maddow Show,” hosted by the liberal radio host, begins Monday.

Mr. Griffin, MSNBC’s president, denies that it has an ideology. “I think ideology means we think one way, and we don’t,” he said. Rather than label MSNBC’s prime time as left-leaning, he says it has passion and point of view.

But MSNBC is the cable arm of NBC News, the dispassionate news division of NBC Universal. MSNBC, “Today” and “NBC Nightly News” share some staff members, workspace and content. And some critics are claiming they also share a political affiliation.

The McCain campaign has filed letters of complaint to the news division about its coverage and openly tied MSNBC to it. Tension between the network and the campaign hit an apex the day Mr. McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. MSNBC had reported Friday morning that Ms. Palin’s plane was enroute to the announcement and she was likely the pick. But McCain campaign officials warned the network off, with one official going so far as to say that all of the candidates on the short list were on their way — which MSNBC then reported.

“The fact that it was reported in real time was very embarrassing,” said a senior MSNBC official. “We were told, ‘No, it’s not Sarah Palin and you don’t know who it is.’ ”

Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, the past and present anchors of “NBC Nightly News,” have told friends and colleagues that they are finding it tougher and tougher to defend the cable arm of the news division, even while they anchored daytime hours of convention coverage on MSNBC and contributed commentary each evening.

Mr. Williams did not respond to a request for comment and Mr. Brokaw declined to comment. At a panel discussion in Denver, Mr. Brokaw acknowledged that Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews had “gone too far” at times, but emphasized they were “not the only voices” on MSNBC, according to The Washington Post.

Al Hunt, the executive Washington bureau chief of Bloomberg News, said that the entire news division was being singled out by Republicans because of the work of partisans like Mr. Olbermann. “To go and tar the whole news network and Brokaw and Mitchell is grossly unfair,” he said, referring to the NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell.

Some tensions have spilled out on-screen. On the first night in Denver, as the fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough talked about the resurgence of the McCain campaign, Mr. Olbermann dismissed it by saying: “Jesus, Joe, why don’t you get a shovel?”

The following night, Mr. Olbermann and his co-anchor for convention coverage, Mr. Matthews, had their own squabble after Mr. Olbermann observed that Mr. Matthews had talked too long.

Some staff members said the tension led to the network’s decision to keep Mr. Olbermann in New York for the Republican convention, after he ran the desk in Denver during the Democratic convention. MSNBC said that he stayed in New York to anchor coverage of Hurricane Gustav. But some workers say there were other reasons — namely, that Mr. Olbermann was concerned about his safety in St. Paul, given the loud crowds at MSNBC’s set in Denver.

NBC Universal executives are also known to be concerned about the perception that MSNBC’s partisan tilt in prime time is bleeding into the rest of the programming day. On a recent Friday afternoon, a graphic labeled “Breaking News” asked: “How many houses does Palin add to the Republican ticket?” Mr. Griffin called the graphic “an embarrassment.”

According to three staff members, Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal, and Steve Capus, president of NBC News, considered flying to the Republican convention in Minnesota last week to address the lingering tensions.

Up to now, the company’s public support for MSNBC’s strategy has been enthusiastic. At an anniversary party for Mr. Olbermann in April, Mr. Zucker called “Countdown” “one of the signature brands of the entire company.”

Just last year, Mr. Olbermann signed a four-year, $4-million-a-year contract with MSNBC. NBC is close to supplementing that contract with Mr. Olbermann, extending his deal through 2013 — and ensuring that he will be on MSNBC through the next election.

Jim Rutenberg contributed reporting for this article.

I have to disagree with moving WI to the toss-up column.  538.com has Obama up by 8.9 on average in that state.

And I trust their numbers a lot more than any of the news outlets, based on accuracy alone.
The gold standard of national polling, the NBC/WSJ poll, comes out Wednesday.  
--------------------------------

I, for one, will wait for the gold standard. Also, the electoral map is what is most important.


Pat, Huntington, NY,

In anticipation of your railing against us who have helped Senator Obama win our party’s nomination, due to the polls showing McCain in the lead nationally, here are a few facts that elude you every time the numbers fluctuate.

Obama did not fight dirty in the primary, but still triumphed.

Even with Republicans voting for her, your support, and her kitchen sink strategy, Hillary lost.

What is the matter with you that you cannot take heart in the state electoral polls that have had Obama significantly, and consistently ahead?

The Obama supporters were sorely tested with the ‘Wright‘, and ‘bitter’ controversies. We did not turn on our candidate, nor one another. We fought through them. Obama fought through them.

Barack is our candidate. If you can’t give him a strong, consistent voice of support, please keep silent.  

Obama/Biden ‘08
...a little story of girl named Sarah...found a way
to secure the economics of Alaskans and how we all
paid for it...
Let's see here “I stood up to the big oil
companies”...Impress upon yourself the stupidity of
that statement and let's go to economics 101
class...
Sarah Palin got the oil companies to pay more money
to Alaskan citizens from their oil resource
profits...
Okay...that means that those “extra fees” will have
to be made up so the revenues of the oil companies
do not go down...this is the failings of Sarah.
Do we see what happened here..Sarah Palin made it
“legal” for the oil companies to raise the cost of
oil for every American. The cost for you and me in
the lower 48 States and Hawaii She got a boost to
the Citizens of Alaskans to get elected but those
cost were passed down to us....Are we feeling lied
to. Are we feeling screwed yet?
Increased fees charged by the State of Alaska to
the oil companies does not change the profit
margins of the oil companies...those cost get
passed along to the consumer...YOU and ME..
The Alaskans get $12,200 per citizen per year and
we get to pay that increase
SHE GOT ELECTED GOVERNOR ON EVERYONES HIGHER
GASOLINE PRICES!!!...
For months I've been trying to figure how the cost
of oil could go up and up this last year and a half...well who has been governor of Alaska for 18
months.
First we figured out that speculators on Wall
Street were part to blame but now it is appears
that because Alaskans are getting higher state
revenues for every barrel of oil pumped out of
Alaska because Sarah Palin stood up to the oil
companies...well ...that's right those increased
cost everyone has been paying for.
Don't let the lies and screwing continue...stand up
to fake and phony politicians like John McCain and
Sarah Palin...Let's put and end to the free loaders...they just cost everyone to much...
If it was fair we would all be Alaskans..but I
don't think that's going to happen...
Sarah Palin has a whole lot of explaining to do
before she will ever get my vote...
John McCain said he never was good at
economics..well here's that proof...
I hope ABC knows they can't ask tough question of Sarah Palin.  It's sexist to do so.


As for the polls, the USA Today/Gallup poll tweaked the likely voter model to be a "What If?" and it gave a simillar result.  Chuck Todd gave a wonderful explanation and thesis...the higher the voter turnout in November, the less reliable the likely voter model will have proven to be.

Remember, folks, neither campaign is looking at Gallup or Rasmussen or Zogby or NBC/WSJ or any of the other media polls.  They both have their own internal numbers.
McCain and Palin aren't much separately, which is why they've stuck together.  When they separate, and Palin is actually interviewed by somebody touch (if ever---Charlie Gibsonis practically Fox News, he won't ask the tough questions listed above) then we'll start to see the whole thing thing unravel.
I agree, Joe Biden needs to open up on Mccain more, start consistently switching the topics from The Barracuda to The Ancient of Days. Separately, McCain can't remember things, and Palin will start to spout the kids of crackpot stuff she believes---if asked by a skillful jounralist.
Good Lord, as soon as a poll comes out showing McCain in the lead, it's immediately thrown out...and OF COURSE the NBC poll is the Gold Standard of Polling...get over yourselves
Where is the story on the "Code Pink" Protester having MSNBC credentials at the GOP convention?????
Didn't think i would see that here.
By now its been reinforced that the Republican party and John McCain cannot be trusted, are liars and will do ANYTHING to get elected.

John McCain has taken the lowest of his own traits and attributed them to Barack Obama. He knows himself well and therefore can attribute these traits knowingly. He only cares about himself and his ambition. And choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate only shows how dishonest and cynical he is.

The fact that McCain has to go to these lengths only tells you how desparate he knows he is.

Barack Obama is the most intelligent and sincere politician that we have had on our landscape for years. He will make a difference. His displays a deep understanding and love for this country that is unparalleled.  

We cannot let the McCain campaign win this election. The Polls are close. The lies are vast. And many times folks do not do their research and find the truth. This year we must be vigilant and not let ourselves be corrupted by McCain, Palin and their viewpoints.

the sooner everyone stops treating Sarah Palin like a celebrity being interviewed for People magazine the better. we need to start focusing on the fact that she is running for VP with a man who is 72 years old, and not her qualifications as a mother.  to not evaluate her as a possible nominee for President would be a denial on the part of the American people of John McCain's age.  

She wants to teach creationism in schools along side evolution; she is currently under investigation for violation of her power-ethics issues.  These are the real issues!!!
McCain had to choose between the anti-change Republican base and mainstream America, which wants significant change from the Bush policies of the last eight years. Even while hiding Bush from the spotlight of the Republican Convention, McCain chose the anti-change Republican base. The effect on America of the Bush policies that McCain, the anti-change candidate,  has supported for eight years can not be hidden.
What is your definition of "toss up"? Because Obama is ahead in all of the states that you are calling "toss up" with the exception of FL. Again, another transparent attempt to create a dramatic horse race where there is none.
As a Canadian, sometimes I can't understand how easily distracted Americans get. Sarah Palin is a PRIME example! Why the world is everyone so taken with this woman? Do you really want her running you're country? In all likelihood, something significant could happen to McCain while in office. After 8 years of having a buffoon as a President, you'd think you guys would have learned your lesson and vote your interests this time. Like Bill Mahar said, you get exactly what you deserve when you vote in idiots.
Palin had to read the teleprompter for her speeches with McCain this weekend--will she ask for limits on the questions Charlie can ask? He'd better be as tough on her as he was with Obama at the debates earlier this year, or he will lose a lot of credibility. Why isn't anyone in the big league press reporting about how Palin cut funding for children, disabled, seniors and unwed mothers while flying her family on tax payer money? Sorry FR, you guys have to get on these stories. It's not fair that they can just waltz her around like she's a, well, celebrity! And the McCain camp said she can't go on talk shows this weekend because she had to be home with her son who is shipping off to Iraq. Uh, well I guess he's not that special to her anymore. That woman has the ego the size of Alaska! Remember John Salinger's words: "Facisim will come to America wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross."
IF YOU ARE A WOMEN AND BELIEVE SARA PALIN HAS YOUR BEST INTEREST IN MIND..THEN YOU ARE A "FOOL". THIS IS JUST ANOTHER REPUBLICAN PLOY. THEY WILL DO ANYTHING..SAY ANYTHING TO GET YOUR VOTE.
Well, looks like the idiot wing of the my Democratic party sold us another losing candidate.  When, or when will my party learn how to campaign to win, as opposed to campaigning to lose!  I am seriously thinking of leaving the losing party and going Independent.  And I've made my last campaign contribution ever last week to Obama - guess I can kiss those $25 goodbye!  Like burning money.
I would also disagree with NM as a toss-up.  538 has Obama up there by an average of seven points...
Why no mention of JOE BIDEN on MEET THE PRESS? Palin should be terrified of going up against him on foreign policy after his showing this Sunday. Biden is going to eat Palin alive, these debates should be fun!

And you guys really need to get rid of the USA Today/Gallup poll. Over the last several months, it has consistently been the outlier, even drastically disagreeing with the Gallup only poll.
Can someone tell Mika to "GET A GRIP"! Not everyone woman feels that woman should juggle 5 kids and trying to become the next vice president of the US! Her anger spews projection of her own insecurities, probably of her inability to do both effectively. She’s getting just as annoying as Joe, only Willie keeps me watching.
The truth is now coming out. Words mean things Obama. And your words only add up to more taxes, more hardship, and more work for the people that produce in this country to support the people that don't work.
Those are good questions for Palin...I'm not expecting a one of them to be asked though. This is where I really miss Tim Russert.

And maybe you guys should tell Brokaw, et al, to stop asking about Palin and talk about issues? Or did you buy into the GOP line about issues not mattering when you caved on pulling Matthews and Olbermann?
On Meet the Press Sunday, Joe Biden spoke about his stand on abortion.  He explained how his religion, which is Roman Catholic should not be forced on all other Americans who are not catholic, and are just as devoted to their religion as Joe Biden is to his.  He stated that the Democratic Party believes that Government and religion should not control a womans body and abortion should remain legal for cases when the woman's life is in danger, incest, and especially rape.  Republican nominee Sarah Palin stated she was glad her daughter made the decided to have her baby, even though the father of the baby clearly stated on video that he did not want children; in fact Mrs. Palin was plaining to have a shot gun wedding for her daughter and her boyfriend before news of Mccain picking her for VP broke.  The question is why did Palin say she was glad her daughter made the right  "decision" to have her baby?  "was she planning to Abort it??  It sounds that way, and if so Sarah Palin believes that abortion should be illegal for everone else;  But not foe her and her daughter.  Sarah Palin is a typical Republican -- she is a phoney and a Hypocrite and uses  religion and abortion as a wedge to win elections.  Then she turns the whole thing around and tries to make a hero out of herself by saying I'm just like you,  I have problems in my family too.  NO Mrs. Palin you are NOT LIKE ME -- because I am not a Hypocrite.

Bill Clinton, we need you more than ever.  We need a great politician like you to wake America up and show what a hypocrite McCain is.  Palin's history shows that she is the exact opposite of McCain.

Americans deserve to know the truth.  It's clear the media will not do their job and put Palin's earmark history on the front of the news.

Bill, you may be the only chance for millions of Americans.

Four years of McCain will guarantee four years of more war and thousands more American lives lost unnecessarily.
Nice to see the “Pipeline Princess’ out there again spewing her disdain for community organizers!! I am at a total loss for words for with what ease the Repulsive ones can look straight into the camera or for that fact your eyes and blatantly LIE!

Well this is one staunch Obama supporter who traveled to Milwaukee, WI again this weekend to campaign on behalf of our next POTUS! WE must fight every lie and smear they throw at us – not this year – not this time!!!

This was my third time in a month I have gone out there on a Sat. and talked to ‘real people’ about Barack – contrary to popular belief of what the so called journalists want us to believe – WI is VERY excited about voting for Obama.

I suggest everyone on this site sign up at mybarackobama.com and volunteer all the time you can – I plan on being out there every weekend between now and Nov.  This election is too important for us, our children and grandchildren.

Let me also just say that this is the first time in my life (46 yr old white professional woman) that I have ever donated either time or money to a campaign.  There is no experience needed –  the first time I went to Milwaukee they were a couple of days away from opening their HQ’s – about 50 people from the Chgo area drove there – young… old…black…white…independents…republicans…families with teenage kids still too young to vote...


You could not BELIEVE the amount of excitement & enthusiasm in that room – you could actually feel the energy in the air!

I have never felt anything like that before so it is with that I encourage everyone to put on some comfortable shoes and start knocking on some doors.

Obama/Biden – This is OUR Time!
I think the polls will soon be in Obama's favor once people start get to know who really Sarah Palin is.. She can never be a Hilary Clinton, and women should realize she doesnt favor their needs and rights.
MSNBC --- WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES!
.........................................

FROM DRUGE REPORT, SEPT. 8 AM

USATODAY POLL: MCCAIN TAKES 10-POINT LEAD OVER OBAMA IN LIKELY VOTERS...

ZOGBY: MCCAIN-PALIN UP 4%...

GALLUP: McCain Moves Ahead, 48% to 45%...

duh!
So, the RNC has finally allowed Pit Bull Palin to sit for an interview with ABC? I do hope that Charlie Gibson will redeem himself and ask true journalistic questions of this new "rock star" that we know absolutely nothing about. Otherwise ObamaNation will be in your face asking what happened. There are too many questions that need real answers and deep probing. Time's a-waisting or are the Repubs intentionally trying to run out the clock on Dick Cheney in lipstick and high heels?

BTW, if I were McCain, I would be realy upset that people are more interested in Gov. Palin than in him, who is supposed to be the top of the ticket. Talk about upside down politics.

OBAMA/BIDEN 08/12
Sarah Palin is in the news because THE MEDIA is dominating the news with her.  "Where did you go, Joe?" Please, Joe didn't go anywhere, the media has just chosen to cover Sarah Palin.  My only problem with that is that with such a critical election, we need balanced coverage and if you want to cover Palin, then why do I still not know where she stands on the issues. Ultimately, if John McCain needs an electritying pick to energize his candidacy one needs to ask, would voters be interested in McCain if Palin where not on the ticket?  It's a bit scary to me that we are spending so much time talking about someone who is on the bottom of the ticket.
I saw that Chuck Todd has a new toy for showing how the states break down on the electoral map.  Looks good and it was so nice to see Chucky T. instead of Moronic Joe at 6AM.  I hope the First Read crew got a good rest this weekend after two very busy weeks.

I got a real laugh out of how the media calls "Sinner" Sarah's Screech of the Banshee electrifying, so is electroshock therapy.  What clips I saw of her pathetic screech were downright laughable and only the totally braindead would have liked the Shrieking Violet.

Speaking of the Wicked Witch of Alaska did you know that she has kept the $233 million of taxpayer money intended for the Bridge to Nowhere that she was for before she was against?  So where's the money "Embezzler" Palin?  Why isn't the media making more of a fuss about this bit of theivery?

Go Obama/Biden 08/12!
When is Palin going to be "ready" to go out campaigning without McCain as her chaperone?  Biden doesn't need Obama holding his hand everywhere she goes.  Palin is just an empty pair of pumps.  No substance, no experience, no knowledge.  What was McCain thinking when he could have had Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Christina Todd Whitman, Susan Collins, or Olympia Snow?  All these women would have the brains, the knowledge and the experience to go out on their own from day one.  They wouldn't have needed Joe Lieberman to tutor them!
On the MTP Biden talked about Palin?   You guys are bunch of dumb asses.... He answers the questions that Brokaw asked him.  And when it wasn't about Palin he gave Brokaw a lesson on Iraq.  Why don't you guys smell what you are shoveling, idiots.
Have you seen this???

http://www.americablog.com/2008/09/how-americablog-reader-asked-john-and.html

MSNBC should be ASHAMED of themselves. Bucking to The GOP like a bunch os babies.

Matthews, Olberman and Maddow are the only ones who really report. The rest of you STINK.
Brokaw is an OLD hack as well. on MTP he spewed GOP talking points over and over.
What a joke
Obama has a plan and it will work out in November, no matter how much the MSM trys to help McSurge win
...UGH! ***rolling eyes***
Joe Biden, Obama, the media are being taught Palin taboo. Why is the lip-stick pit-bull, Sarah Palin so taboo? The media is accused of sexism and other bias; only because it’s vetting her. McCain didn’t.

"I think God's will has to be done, in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that." Palin said at the church she was baptized in. So does this mean if and when Palin becomes Prez she’ll tell an America filled from coast to coast of different religions that we must pray for what she wants?
Palin's clean image celebrity taken a big shoot, and is antithetical to her Puritanical Revolution. What a hypocrite and fraud. Peddling sex(lipstick, her being hot) is NOT being a social conservative!



Enough!
No how
No McCain/Palin
Nobody but Obama/Biden
palin and her side kick mccant got a bump in polls but as soon as she starts answereing questions that will evaporate.  Moderate Americans will see that palin is bush/cheney twin sister and palins meteroic rise will be followed by by her crash and burn.  Where is this pitbull with lipstick, so far she seems to be hiding under the stairs with her taill between her legs.
I can't wait to see Paling & Biden debating actual issues.  It will be interesting to see if she can actually think on her feet.

<a href="http://davedragon.rilysi.com">Dave</a>
Why is Palin getting such a free pass?  The media can't be too tough on her because she's a woman?! How insulting....I'm a working mom but I take no comfort in knowing that an old McCain could win the presidency with such an unqualified VP.  I don't want someone I can "relate to".  I want someone who's ready to be President.  If she can dish it out (and we've seen how good she is at that), then let her come out of hiding and take it.  She's running for VP, not PTA president!
Off topic...I am very upset about what MSNBC is doing to Keith and Chris for the election coverage.  Do they think that Fox News isn't biased towards the RNC?...they slap Obama and Biden every chance they get.  I had hoped that MSNBC was better than that.  Now they too slap Obama and Biden...when they took off Chris and Keith...give me a break! Is everyone in the McCain pocket??? I am beginning to believe that MSNBC wants to be like FIXNEWS - cheerleader for the RNC.  Wake up you guys...before it's too late and viewers will leave in droves...and you go off the air.

I hope McCain receives the media scrutiny Obama did when he was the "front-runner" - it seemed as though all the news shows were taking aim at Obama - so now with the supposed "front-runner" change - will Mccain receive now 70% negative reporting or not? And just imagine if Obama chose a running mate who did not meet with the press - what kind of stories would be running about that? As a voter, I am more interested in the candidates positions rather than their fashion sense -- the best voter is an informed voter -- so I for one would like to see the press do pieces on where these candidates stand on issues that are important to me. Now that the McCain-Palin ticket is the presumed front-runners can we see some serious pieces on them? Or do we have to continue to hear how she's polling with working moms? Come on...
I am voting Democrat. Obama sure did mess it up for himself. One of the major reasons he was so exciting during the primaries, is that he was running against Hillary. Aside from his acceptance speech at the convention, Hillary's speech is the one that got the most major draw. Biden is dull, and looks like old school politics. Obama should have chosen Hillary and we would be in a much better place right now. Instead, we have "blue collar" Biden, who has been in politics for 40 years. Laugh when hear him talk about being one of the "poorest" people in the senate. The only hope us democrats have is that perhaps the polls are not taking young cell-phone using voters into account. Nancy and Howard must be very proud. They got rid of the Clintons (for now) - but put us in jeopardy of losing another election.
It will be interesting to see Biden & Palin debate.
Can she think on her feet or just read a tele-prompter?

<a href="http://davedragon.rilysi.com">Dave</a>
I hope the Independents are watching and thinking.  Is it not funny that McPOW could not pick his own VP.  Is it also not funny that earlier in the campaign that it was noted that McPOW did not speak for the campaign.  McPOW is being used by the republican party as a frontman and the Executive Branch of the government will be ran from behind the scenes by the Neocons that have been running the Bush administration for the last 8 years.
Sarah Palin = Flash in the Pan. Do you think ANYBODY with her religious extremist views and questionable record but in a less attractive package would come close to "energizing" anybody but the GOP base?

When will people wake up and realize that this is not a beauty contest, a Most Popular Contest or a Student Council election?  Those are high school concepts.

It's a clear choice --want more of the same we've had for the last eight years?  Vote McCain.  Want things to get better?  Vote Obama.

As for USA/Gallup poll, it's always been an outlier among polls.  Nice try.

Respectfully,
A Proud Independent in Texas
(where the Republican debacle all began)
The swing to sanity has started. The election will go about 300 electoral votes for McCain-Palin and about 228 for those other guys.
I would like to see the issue of the Draft brought up. MCCain is 100% for it. How do the American people feel about this issue?
http://www.twocanpete.blogspot.com/
The poll data is skewed in favor of McCain because the pollsters have not caught up with the 21st century. Many of Obama's supporters only have cell phones therefore they aren't being polled! It will be a blow out this fall.
First Read...all this hype about Palin, well who is she, what does she stand for?  Seems to me she has radical views, but no one is talking about that.

The Dem's are more united and the base was energized knowing we are up against 4 more years of the Bush/ McCain camp.

He has had several themes throughout his campaign, I guess he found his voice and now he is the reformer. He began as a Bush supporter, but now he is a reformer?  He doesn't know who he is, so why should we?  He is no reformer, not voting over 90% with Bush.  He must think we are dead from the neck up; HOW APPALLING!    

The thing is to stop selling us Palin, knowing she is not at the top of the ticket and it is evident she will not be influential on policy.

Another thing in 4 days Kay Hutchinson went from...I don't know Palin to she does know Palin.  They are not convinced so why we should be?  

I think it is horrible to assume women are not smart enough to vote on the issues.      


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