"politik" via Data Vortex in Google Reader

BETTER ALL THE TIME: A roundup of good news you probably

2008-10-07T13:37:51Z

BETTER ALL THE TIME: A roundup of good news you probably missed, at The Speculist. Read it, because you probably can use some about now. And remember -- despite whatever happens in the financial markets, the long term trend for humanity is likely a positive one.

CNN ON OBAMA ON BILL AYERS: Anderson Cooper says Obama is

2008-10-07T13:36:10Z

CNN ON OBAMA ON BILL AYERS: Anderson Cooper says Obama is lying? Well, pretty much -- watch the video and see for yourself.

(Via John Stephenson, who writes: "Yes, it actually is CNN. Iâ€™m just as amazed as you are.") Plus, CNN's Drew Griffin: "I haven't been able to ask him directly" about his relationship with Ayers.

Some background here.

UPDATE: How to respond to bogus charges of racism, illustrated. I agree that she handled this well.

The Early Word: Getting Personal

2008-10-07T12:51:44Z

The campaigns traded barbs -- increasingly focused on character issues -- in advance of the second presidential debate Tuesday night.

What to Watch for During Round 2

2008-10-07T12:18:46Z

Senator John McCain meets Senator Barack Obama at Belmont University in Nashville in the second of three presidential debates. A primer for tonight's matchup.

MORE SHENANIGANS AT THE L.A. TIMES....

2008-10-07T13:15:05Z

MORE SHENANIGANS AT THE L.A. TIMES.

WILL WILKINSON takes the long-term view. Related thoughts here.

2008-10-07T12:49:54Z

WILL WILKINSON takes the long-term view. Related thoughts here. (Via Ross Douthat). Of course, some short terms can seem pretty long while you're living through them.

DAVE HARDY on Obama and the Second Amendment: "As a

2008-10-07T12:45:39Z

DAVE HARDY on Obama and the Second Amendment: "As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama must demonstrate executive experience, but he remains strangely silent about his eight years (1994-2002) as a director of the Joyce Foundation, a billion dollar tax-exempt organization. He has one obvious reason: during his time as director, Joyce Foundation spent millions creating and supporting anti-gun organizations." But there's more.

WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE ECONOMY, NEW-DEAL TALK IS PROBABLY A

2008-10-07T12:28:30Z

WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE ECONOMY, NEW-DEAL TALK IS PROBABLY A BAD IDEA: FDR's Policies Prolonged Depression by 7 Years, UCLA Economists Calculate.

Plus, this book should be required reading.

THEY TOLD ME THAT IF GEORGE W. BUSH WERE RE-ELECTED, skits from

2008-10-07T12:22:30Z

THEY TOLD ME THAT IF GEORGE W. BUSH WERE RE-ELECTED, skits from Saturday Night Live that offended the powers that be would be airbrushed out of existence. And they were right!

10/7 Daily Kos R2K Tracking Poll: Obama 52, McCain 41

2008-10-07T12:12:34Z

Today's Daily Kos Research 2000 tracking poll has Obama up over McCain 52-41. All trackers are data from three days prior to posting, with the R2K numbers from today (yesterday's numbers in parentheses) and the other trackers from yesterday (previous day's data). LV=likely voter, RV=registered voter.

Obama McCain MoE +/- RV/LV Today Research 2000: 52 (52) 41 (40) 3 LV Yesterday Rasmussen: 52 (51) 44 (44) 2 LV Battleground: 50 (49) 43 (46) 3.5 LV Diageo/Hotline: 47 (48) 41 (41) 3.2 LV Gallup: 50 (50) 42 (43) 2 RV

NBC/WSJ: 49 (48) 43 (46) 3.8 RV
CNN: 53 (51) 45 (47) 3.5 LV
D Corps (D): 48 (49) 45 (45) LV
CBS: 48 (50) 45 (41) 3 LV

On successive days in the R2K poll, Obama was up +13 Sat, +11 Sun and +9 Mon (MoE +/- 5.1 for individual days.)

Look at the range of Obama polls (47-53) and the McCain numbers (41-45) to get a feel for McCain hitting a ceiling. Gallup (referring to their own numbers):

Looked at broadly, Obama's percent of the vote has been within a very narrow range of 48% to 50% over the last ten days, and McCain's has been within an equally narrow range of 42% of 44% over the same time period. These results suggest that aside from normal sampling error, the underlying dynamics of the race have become quite stable, and underscore the degree to which there has been little meaningful change in the race in well over a week.

Both NBC/WSJ and CBS weighed in on the debates confirming, as we had pointed out, that Obama and Biden won. The polls also emphasize most people think Sarah Palin is not qualified to be President should something happen to McCain, the main role of the VP. That's important, because between that and her fav/unfav, Palin is a base favorite but not an effective attack dog for the rest of the population.

From CBS:

Palin's unfavorable rating of 32 percent is significantly higher, however, than Biden's 19 percent unfavorable rating. And on the key questions of whether each candidate is ready to be vice president, or, if necessary, president, majorities see only Biden as passing the test.

Seventy-five percent of registered voters say Biden is prepared to be vice president, and 65 percent say he could be an effective president; just 42 percent say Palin is prepared to be vice president and only 37 percent say she could be an effective president. Even Republicans are more likely than not to concede Biden could be an effective president.

As uncommitted voters did in a CBS News/Knowledge Networks poll conducted immediately after the debate, registered voters who watched the debate give the "win" to Biden, 50 percent to 31 percent.

From NBC/WSJ:

By a 21 point margin, 50%-29%, voters said the Democrats had the debate edge over rival Republican running mates John McCain and Sarah Palin, while 10% of respondents said the two tickets were equally as good and 4% said neither was good.

Do you feel that (READ ITEM) is qualified to be president if the need arises, or is (he/she) NOT qualified to
be president?

From Diageo/Hotline:

When asked who they thought won the debate, 47% of likely voters said they thought Joe Biden won, 28% said they thought Sarah Palin won, and 20% said the debate was, essentially, a tie.

As a result, among those voters who watched the debate, 40% say it made them more likely to vote for Obama-Biden, 39% said it made them more likely to vote for McCain-Palin, and 19% say they don't know.

The media overestimation of the dwindling GOP base is going to be one of the stories of this election. I know that spoils the media narrative, but the public has made up its mind about her. The size of the Republican base crowds she draws is irrelevant. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to say, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts."

From a new ABC/WaPo Ohio poll:

Nearly four in 10 moderates in the poll said they were less apt to vote for McCain because of the Palin pick, double the proportion drawn to him as a result. By contrast, Biden attracts three times as many moderates to Obama as he pushes away.

Sarah Palin remains an unserious choice who is not, according to the voters, qualified to be a heartbeat away from a 72 year old cranky old man with uncertain health issues. She is one of the reasons McCain is losing this race, along with cranky and erratic "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" candidate at the top of the ticket (the one who "pals around" with Phil Gramm.)

Let's see if the pundits do any better interpreting tonight's debate, including recognition of the standing of the people pushing the attack.

JENNIFER RUBIN: Since Palin was asked about creationism, Obama

2008-10-07T12:11:24Z

JENNIFER RUBIN: Since Palin was asked about creationism, Obama should be asked about Marxism.

SHOOTING DOWN MISSILES FROM AIRPLANES: "Ballistic missile

2008-10-07T12:08:27Z

SHOOTING DOWN MISSILES FROM AIRPLANES: "Ballistic missile defense via airplanes mounted with lasers may seem straight out of science fiction, but add a fleet of UAVs with mirrors to increase the laser's range, and military insiders say the system might just work."

LIKE A STOPPED CLOCK? A moment of honesty from Ted Stevens....

2008-10-07T12:00:47Z

LIKE A STOPPED CLOCK? A moment of honesty from Ted Stevens.

Gillotte: A candidate with Libertarian principles - Battle Creek Enquirer

2008-10-07T08:34:21Z

Gillotte: A candidate with Libertarian principles
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI - 2 hours ago
Joseph "Jay" Gillotte, the Libertarian candidate in state House District 87, said he's running to reduce government.
Third-party candidates vie for more than votes Livingston Daily
all 2 news articles

NJ Libertarian sues 17 Atlantic County towns over access to records - Press of Atlantic City

2008-10-07T10:53:10Z

NJ Libertarian sues 17 Atlantic County towns over access to records
Press of Atlantic City, NJ - 30 minutes ago
John Paff, of Somerset, chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project, filed his suit Friday, claiming 17 of the 23 ...

Abbreviated Pundit Round-Up

2008-10-07T11:56:08Z

Your one stop pundit shop.

Richard Cohen regains his journalistic mojo and kicks Sarah Palin and the traditional media's ass. And now, words I never thought I would type...Cohen's column is a must read.

Eugene Robinson asks the question that I'm afraid we already know the answer to:

But John McCain wants us to talk about Barack Obama's acquaintances. He and Sarah Palin are going to try their best to make us talk about anything but the big issues facing our country, because most Americans think Obama's solutions are better than McCain's.

Knowing that, are we in the media going to aid and abet the McCain campaign's obvious ploy?

Frank Gaffney reveals the real culprit behind the current, worldwide financial meltdown: a community organizer in Chicago that Barack Obama supported. And don't forget Obama's ties to domestic terrorists and radical Islam. In other words, Mr. Gaffney took the McCain campaign's latest talking points and ran...straight off the deep end.

Thomas Sowell explains how Democrats are to blame for the economic meltdown and how "the future of this country, as well as the fate of the Western world" is now in the hands of people being fooled into voting for Barack Obama because of smooth rhetoric and the liberal media.

Bruce Fein thinks that Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were both losers in their debate.

H.D.S. Greenway reminds us that George W. Bush is still the president. Bush probably wishes he hadn't:

The hubris and arrogance of Bush's first term still poisons the wells of good will this country once enjoyed. The undermining of the Constitution, the secret torture chambers have besmirched this administration more than any tawdry intern scandal ever could. Today we are bogged down in two wars and an unprecedented deficit, with a financial crisis of a magnitude not seen since the days of Herbert Hoover. The president has so little respect it's as if he has already left the stage.

Derrick Z. Jackson talks to some Bush voters. It's nice to see Americans waking up.

Erwin Chemerinsky wants Barack Obama and John McCain to talk about the Supreme Court:

Even with the economic crisis and the war in Iraq as dominant political issues, there is time to discuss the president's role in filling judicial vacancies. The stakes are no less than the content of constitutional rights for a generation to come.

Cheers and Jeers: Tuesday

2008-10-07T11:48:46Z

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

HELLO, FRIENDS!

Welcome to Amazing Discoveries, where we scour the country to find the best bargains for Republican automatons and their friends!

Let me ask you a question, Goopers: How many times have you said to yourself, "Gosh, I really want to drill here, drill now, and pay less...but it seems like such a headache!"

I know how ya feel! Between the endless paperwork of securing offshore leases, the expense of building your own platform, and the hassle of makin' sure your employees don’t walk off with stuff from your rig's office-supply closet, it's enough to make ya CRAAAAAZY!!!

Well, how would you like to get your hands on hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh, silky smooth crude RIGHT NOW for FREE...without all the muss, fuss and government red tape that drilling requires???

Now you can!

Just c'mon down to the Gulf of Mexico and start scoopin' up your share of over five hundred thousand gallons of oil just floatin' around waitin' to be claimed! That's right---over five hundred thousand gallons!!

I know what you're saying. "Hey, Bill, how can I trust you? Aren't you the guy who sold me the battery-powered abdominal exerciser that fried my pancreas? And the 'Set It And Go on Vacation' rotisserie that burned my house down?" Yes! And there's a perfectly logical explanation for those mishaps, but I'm afraid I can't comment during an ongoing investigation. But, trust me, friends!! This is an opportunity that's as good as black gold:

Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press. ... In the days before and after the deadly storm, companies and residents reported at least 448 releases of oil, gasoline and dozens of other substances into the air and water and onto the ground in Louisiana and Texas.

So if you're a Republican and it just dawned on ya that "Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay Less" really means "I Just Got Suckered Again By My Own Party Because We Won’t See A Drop Of That Oil For Eleven Years!", come on down to the Gulf Coast! Bring your buckets, your mops, your sponges, your rags, your Swiffers, your skimmers and lotsa barrels! Hell, bring the kids and make it family time! Before ya know it, you'll have your Hummer outta mothballs, filled to the brim with the precious juice, and---VROOM!---back on the road again!

Oh, and if you act now you'll get a special free gift: Rocket fuel---straight from your tap!

Join us for our next edition of Amazing Discoveries when you can buy a defeated maverick for the low, low price of only 19-95! (Eight houses, 13 cars, and beer heiress wife sold separately.)

Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

New at Reason: Greg Beato on Garden Gnome Politics

2008-10-07T11:00:00Z

From our November issue, Greg Beato looks at how zombie statues, lawn Buddhas, and lavish front yard Christmas displays have become part of the age-old battle over landscape expression.

Read all about it here.

AS PALIN BRINGS UP AYERS, OBAMA BRINGS UP KEATING. But McCain's

2008-10-07T11:53:06Z

AS PALIN BRINGS UP AYERS, OBAMA BRINGS UP KEATING. But McCain's role in the Keating Five affair is a bit overstated. Here's what we wrote about it in The Appearance of Impropriety, back in 1997 when thoughts of the current election were rather far away:

The televised "Keating Five" senate ethics hearings focused on the substantial contributions S&L high-roller Charles Keating had arranged for five senators' reelection campaigns, and the pressures the senators had exerted on federal regulators on behalf of Keating's Lincoln Savings & Loan. Special Counsel Robert S. Bennett argued in his opening statement that the committee should judge the senators' conduct under the "appearance standard."

Bennett was sensitive to the criticism that improper appearances are uniquely in the eye of the beholder. So hea rticulated the folowing "appearance" principle: "A senator should not engage in conduct that would appear to be improper to a resonable nonpartisan, fully informed person." This was an artful formulation. Yet, by design, the majority and minority members of the Senate Ethics Committee are partisans -- a truth they confirmed by including Senators John Glenn and John McCain in their public hearings despite Special Counsel Bennett's contrary recommendation. The two senators had played relatively minor roles in the Keating affair. Senator McCain was a Republican, however, and without him the televised hearing would have given the appearance that Democrats were responsible for the S&L crisis. Senator Glenn's presence, in turn, was necessary to provide the appearance of evenhandedness in reaching out for Senator McCain.

I eagerly await the hearings on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's influence on current members of Congress. . . .

STEVE STURM IS CONFIDENT that the economy will improve after

2008-10-07T09:32:04Z

STEVE STURM IS CONFIDENT that the economy will improve after the election. Well, that will be a relief to a lot of people.