Both candidates were campaigning in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Even though there was heavy rain and wind, Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of about 9,000 at Widener University in Chester, just outside Philadelphia (nytimes.com). The heavy rain forces McCain to cancel his outdoor rally in Quakertown. In Hershey Pa McCain criticized Obama for his half an hour television ad airing tonight before the World Series (Politico.com). The polls show Senator Obama with a double digit lead of John McCain (Politico.com). McCain is hoping to win over working class voters and Senior citizens. He is competing for the same people who supported Hillary Clinton (Politico.com). McCain and Sarah Palin are expected to return to Pennsylvania several times in the next week and according to aides Obama may not return again (Politico.com).
John McCain has a big challenge in Pennsylvania which has not voted Republican in a presidential election since 1988 (nytimes.com). Obama continued to discuss tax breaks for the middle class and McCain continued to criticize Obama's tax policies (nytimes.com).
The Electoral College makes some states like Pennsylvania incredibly important to victory. Pennsylvania has 21 electoral votes that can make a big difference in the Electoral College. In the coming week, the election will focused on key battleground states. While Obama is ahead of McCain in both Pennsylvania (9 points) and Colorado (8 points), the race can always change. Some people have speculated race to be an issue in western Pennsylvania promoting people to vote McCain but that has yet to be proven and Obama supporters remain enthusiastic. It is up to Senator Obama to keep his lead in the key battleground states as Election Day approaches.
According to Jonathan Martin at Politico, two days after the election top conservatives will gather to discuss their role in the GOP. This planned meeting indicates that the GOP is heading toward major losses next week. "There's a sense that the Republican Party is broken, but the conservative movement is not," said Politico's source. The source also point outs that the meeting will be held regardless of the outcome of the election and Sarah Palin will be a central part of the discussion. Many Republicans have been unhappy with politicians in their party because they are not conservative enough. Sarah Palin will be near or on the top of the list of people to groom for the future.
Palin chats it up at an Alaska grocery store in June.
At the RNC wearing the shantung silk Valentino jacket in question.
Politico reported Tuesday that the Republican National Committee has popped for more than $150,000 worth of clothes and accessories for Palin and her family since John McCain tapped her as his VP pick in late August. The number is more than Palin's annual salary as Alaska governor. According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74. The records also show another $75,062.63 spree September. $4,716.49 was spent on hair and makeup in September.
The campaign issued a statement after legal issues were raised "With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," said spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."
The Jacket she wore on the night of her acceptance speech was a Valentino jacket costing a report $2500. People have been surprised about how a self proclaimed Hockey mom could look so polished, and the answer is with a lot of money of course.
A review of Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee turned up no similar spending
The list of Republicans coming out for Obama is growing. Colin Powell, Ken Adelman, Arne Carlson, William Weld and now distinguished conservative intellectual Charles Fried. Charles Fried served as solicitor general during Reagan's second term and is currently a law professor at Harvard and until just recently was a member of the McCain campaign. Unlike the Colin Powell endorsement, Fried's endorsement is unlikely to change voter's minds but it is a signal of Obama's appeal and a Republican party in distress.
The Weld endorsement is also making news as an important endorsement for Obama.
A girl in pigtails bounds into the kitchen after school and asks her mother to guess what she learned that day. "I learned how a prince married a prince, and I can marry a princess," she exclaims to her mortified mom. (Lisa Leff) There is television advertising for Proposition 8 that encourages parents to "protect" their children from the teaching of gay marriage.
The reality is that Proposition 8 makes no change to education policy. There is no mention of education in Proposition 8 and the proposition makes no requirements for schools to teach about same sex marriage. Schools currently teach tolerance of gay and lesbian students and have anti discriminatory rules in place. However, even though these rules exist they don’t always protect students. While Proposition 8 does not directly affect education, it can make a major change in the experience of gay, lesbian, and transgender youth in schools. Proposition 8 is trying to take away equality and perpetuate discrimination. The ad above simply is trying to argue it is wrong to teach children tolerance. It is sad that people still believe it is better to not educate out youth and it is sad that proponents of Proposition 8 are using education in their favor.
"I've seen the spots on the TV, and (legalized gay marriage) just isn't going to require any kind of teaching of personal relationships or lifestyle," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, who has joined the state's largest teacher's union in opposing the measure. "That's just not an accurate statement or portrayal." "The education code already has a high expectation that school districts are going to create an environment where respect for human dignity and acceptance of differences, including sexual orientation, are promoted," said Laura Schulkind, a San Francisco lawyer who represents school districts across California. "I don't see how the legalization of gay marriage or the passage of Prop. 8 changes that obligation."
This campaign for Proposition 8 explains why there is still such a high rate of discrimination and violence of gay, lesbian, and transgender students. If parents are so concerned with their children even learning about same sex marriage no wonder students aren't be educated at home to tolerate other people's choice and respect them.
Colin Powell's surprising endorsement of Obama crosses party lines and sends a strong signal to independents and moderate democrats (poltico.com). Obama has talked about having Powell as one of his advisors in a more formal way. Reader response to the Powell endorsement has been apparent in "The Arena" where reader response has been almost as high as initial questions on Sarah Palin and even higher than after debate nights. Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama is very harmful to McCain (the CW). It is not damaging only because Powell is endorsing Obama but because of the very negative comment Powell Made about Obama. This is what Colin Powell said. 'I watched Mr. Obama ... during this seven-week period. And he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this and picking a vice president that, I think, is ready to be president on day one. And also, in not just jumping in and changing every day, but showing intellectual vigor. ... I also believe that on the Republican side over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower. ... I've also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain has taken recently, or his campaign ads, on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers situation that's been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign. But Mr. McCain says that he's a washed-out terrorist. Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? ...What the! y're trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that's inappropriate. 'Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another, and that's good. But I think this goes too far. And I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for. And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me. And the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration. I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, 'Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America.'WashTimes banner, Jon Ward's 'BIG GOVERNMENT' series -- second of three parts -- 'Pentagon spending growth outpaces auditors -- Report: Lack of oversight opens door to fraud, abuse': 'Government reports are not known for plain language, much less candor. But in a report issued in March, Pentagon Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter summed up what had been growing increasingly evident for years: Defense spending has been growing so rapidly that auditors can no longer keep track. 'We currently are not able to provide sufficient audit coverage of [Department of Defense] acquisition programs given the dollars expended by the department,' Mr. Kicklighter wrote. 'The rapid growth of the DOD budget since FY 2000 leaves the Department increasingly more vulnerable to the fraud, waste and abuse that undermines the department's mission.''
As we can see, Colin Powell had some very poor things to say about Senator McCain. Powell was very articulate in why he was supporting Obama and what was wrong in the McCain camp. Powell concisely said all at once what people have been talking about. He was not afraid to clearly point to what was flawed in the McCain campaign and call McCain out for bad choices. I can see this endorsement hurting McCain's standing with undecided voters and assuring other voters of their choice.
Some have argues that Colin Powell only supported Barack Obama based on race. However, I do not agree with those statements because of Powell's ability to focus in on such specific reasoning for his endorsement of Obama. I believe many people are only pointing that way because they have no defense against what Powell is saying. Since people aren’t able to argue with Powell's comments they attack him for endorsing based on race. Powell crossed party lines to make this endorsement and I am sure it is devastating for some in the Republican Party.
Powell's endorsement has been expected for months and it would have made an impression regardless of timing. However, Powell was strategic in waiting so long to make his endorsement. Both candidates have chosen running mates, Powell was once even rumored to be McCain's running mate and the public is more interested in the campaigns as the election draws closer. Colin Powell's timing might even amplify its effect on the McCain campaign.
SNL had its best overnight ratings since 1994 last night for the face-off between Sarah Palin and Tina Fey. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations by "remaining upright and not drooling" (Canada.com). After a month of SNL and Tina Fey ripping into Sarah Palin for her perceived lack of experience we have seen it take a toll on the campaign and her popularity. While Sarah Palin did exceed expectations on the show I do not think it has the ability to counter the bad press for the past month. The full version of the show isn’t available on you tube yet. I can only find the fox news clip which leaves out a lot of the show and there isn’t much commentary about people's opinions of the show. This may mean that the appearance was highly anticipated but didn’t lead to discussion and controversy. Controversy is what makes stories stick in the news cycle and the other sketches have been much more talked about and analyzed making them stay in the news for longer. This was a good opportunity for Sarah Palin to undo some of the bad press she has been getting because of SNL but she failed to really make a major mark.
One of the best moments of the show was Sarah Palin dancing on camera to the rap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ya39slPgs
While I was impressed with Sarah Palin for going on the show and holding her own I am surprised by the lack of response. The appearance is already disappearing from major newspapers home pages and being replaced with stories such as the Powell endorsement of Obama, and soldier's adopted dog leaving Iraq. Even Tina Fey's appearance on Lettermen talking about the sketches is getting adequate press the day after Palin appeared on SNL.
It is incredible that we are finally reaching a point where a woman was a viable candidate for a presidential nomination and that we have a woman on the ticket for the vice presidential seat. However, having a woman who is unsupportive of women's rights and with little experience is a step in the wrong direction for ALL women. If the McCain campaign was hoping to win over Hillary supporters with a woman vice presidential nominee, they were not on the right track. Palin has called herself as "pro-life as any candidate can be." If a woman no longer has control over their own bodies how can they effectively move forward? She even opposes abortion for rape and incest victims, supporting it only in cases where the mother's life is in danger. It is appalling that in this day an age there is still so much argument over women's ability to control their own destiny, especially in the case of rape and incest victims. This inconsistent message coming from women discredits the ability to move forward. Abortion is an individual decision and should not be regulated by the government. Palin also opposes same-sex marriage and supported a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples. Palin has stated that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. In general Palin is not a good representation of women in politics. Her lack of experience and anti-feminist agenda has an effect on all women and the perception of their inability to work successfully in high political offices. Hilary Clinton was a completely different kind of candidate than Sarah Palin. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said women tend to vote Democratic and to base their decision on shared issues rather than shared experiences. "Gender may have gotten their attention, but it's agenda that gets their vote," Ms. Lake said, adding that there are major policy differences between Sen. Clinton and Gov. Palin. The National Organization for women endorses Obama/ Biden and has a posted article about Gov. Palin entitled "Not Every Women Supports Women's Rights". The article discusses that even though it would seem that Palin's experiences would appeal to women, however, it has become clear and Gov. Palin will not speak for women. "What McCain does not understand is that women supported Hillary Clinton not just because she was a woman, but because she was a champion on their issues. They will surely not find Sarah Palin to be an advocate for women." The video below shows the endorsement of woman's groups for Obama and Biden
Even, women in her home state of Alaska and sharing Palin's religious views do not support her views.
Gov. Palin is not a positive advancement for women and does not represent Women's Rights.
Communications Workers of America www.cwavotes.org
John McCain does not support veterans in the way he appears to. He is constantly discussing his past experience as a POW and saying that veterans know he is there for them, however, his voting record shows a different loyalty. His support for veterans seems to be a false presumption most people make because of his military experience. In actuality he has voted against most recent legislation supporting veterans and Barack Obama seems to support veterans in a much more real way than John McCain. The chart above shows a side by side comparison between Barack Obama and John McCain in regards to veterans benefits and we can see that Barack Obama supports veterans by supporting or co sponsoring bills that increase educational opportunities, increase funding for health care, improving facilities, and improving mental health services.
On John McCain's website he has a page entitled "Commitment to America's Service Members: Past and Present". http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/9cb5d2aa-f237-464e-9cdf-a5ad32771b9f.htm On this page he discusses his commitment to veterans and veteran's families. There are gross discrepancies between what he discusses on his web page and what we can see from his voting record (above). According to the web page "John McCain believes that meeting the needs of our service members who defend us is our obligation and is essential to our national security". However, he opposed legislation to provide education opportunities, increase funding for health care, increase mental health services, and improve facilities.
Health care is an especially interesting example to look at. According to johnmccain.org "he (John McCain) is committed to ensuring that veterans' health care programs receive the funding necessary to provide the quality health care our veterans need and deserve". However, we can see from the chart above that he has voted to cut funding at least 29 times since 1990. It can be seen from this example and other that while John McCain has done a good job of appealing to veterans and military personal and families he does not actually look out for their needs through legislation.
This information has not been at the forefront of the campaign and it would be in Senator Obama's interest to publicize these facts. I was incredibly surprised when looking over Senator McCain's voting record. I had been under the impression that veterans issues were a major priority to Senator McCain but I can now see that I was simply being misled.
Below is a link to a You Tube video where Senator Obama discusses the GI bill on the Senate floor.
