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Obama May Be Favored Against McCain, but It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
Tweet Share on Facebook October 9, 2008 Comment (26)Robert, my colleague here at Thomas Jefferson Street, wrote today that Barack Obama has the race sewn up. In my heart of hearts, boss, I've been saying essentially the same thing for a week now. Personally, I agree it sure looks like it's over.
But professionally, I am duty-bound to add there are several game-changer scenarios that still might occur to create a McCain win—none of them good but all of them possible.
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Palin Did in Fact Draw White Women to the McCain Ticket—Temporarily
Tweet Share on Facebook October 8, 2008 Comment (16)I'd like to respectfully respond to my colleague Morgan, who wrote last week, "The buzz is that John McCain had captured the support of white women because of Sarah Palin. But here's the rub: White women haven't behaved any differently from the general population. They haven't been swinging as wildly as my colleague Bonnie and many others have suggested."
Sorry, "sistah," but the facts as relayed by Politico.com are in stark contrast to the claim that white women were never wooed to the McCain ticket by Sarah Palin's presence.They were indeed:
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John McCain Doesn’t Get a Game-Changer Against Barack Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook October 8, 2008 Comment (10)Last night's debate was hardly the game-changer that John McCain so desperately needs and that I discussed in this space earlier. His performance improved over the first debate but not enough to woo the considerable number of supporters from Barack Obama's camp that he would need to turn around his meltdown in the polls.
From where I sit, there are only two possible game-changing scenarios that could help McCain retake the support he needs to win the election less than four weeks from now. One would be the failure of young voters to turn out, coupled with white voters lying to pollsters (telling them they will vote for Obama but, when they get into the polling booth, voting for McCain). The other would be a huge international terrorist event or near event to divert attention from America's economic woes. But as each day passes and investors get increasingly spooked, the less likely it becomes that Americans will be diverted from the economy, stupid (to quote the famous Clinton campaign saying).
Of course, it's not over until it is over. And game-changers do happen at the last minute. But this ping-pong match of a presidential race seems every day to be morphing more and more into a fait accompli.
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McCain and Palin Need a Game-Changer Before It's Too Late
Tweet Share on Facebook October 7, 2008 Comment (21)I've been doing 180s this whole election season, bouncing from poll to contradictory poll and changing my assessment of which candidate was going to win the White House. I've been wrong every time so far. Still, I would like to point out that my blog entry of last week was way ahead of the media crowd about McCain's current meltdown.
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Endangered Mammals May Decline by a Quarter
Tweet Share on Facebook October 7, 2008 Comment (6)When I see headlines such as these, I do not know whether to laugh, cry, scream, or fire off a letter to the editor. (Whoops—writing daily letters to my editor, Robert Schlesinger, is my job. Oh well. Back to my main point.) It's so typical of mainstream media to report the news but leave in the shadows the reasons behind headlines in deference to our old friend, political correctness.
Today's example: "A quarter of world's mammals face extinction, survey finds."
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Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain Will Deal With the Immigration Problem
Tweet Share on Facebook October 6, 2008 Comment (11)Who is right on immigration?
Americans who want illegal immigrants returned to their homelands find a hero in neither presidential candidate. We who want illegal entrants to get in line like their legal cousins and wait for U.S. visas, or who want the United States to deport those who arrived here legally with visas and overstayed those visas (about half the population of illegal immigrants) have no dog in this presidential fight and no candidate to support because that candidate does not exist.
Those of us who believe illegal immigration is decreasing the quality of life in America will find no solace no matter who is elected. Those of us who shudder at overdevelopment, destruction of open space, the loss of natural habitat, the nonstop increase of sprawl, traffic jams, and greater air and water pollution will not see this issue resolved by Barack Obama or John McCain. Those of us who do not want more and more of our tax dollars going to subsidize education and healthcare for illegal immigrants will find no friend in the White House. It is the most important issue facing America and the one no candidate wants to touch.
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Barack Obama and John McCain on Immigration, the Issue Neither Wants to Discuss
Tweet Share on Facebook October 6, 2008 Comment (43)Immigration is the issue neither candidate will address.
If you go to Sen. Barack Obama's campaign website, it says the following:
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Economy Is in Bad Shape, But Have We Hit Bottom Yet?
Tweet Share on Facebook October 3, 2008 Comment (5)Have we hit bottom yet?
Yes, unemployment is rising and, yes, we have tough times ahead. But if you're like me, you keep asking yourself, "Have we hit bottom yet?" I was hoping we had before the recent series of fire-sale buyouts and failures of major banks, brokerage houses, and insurance companies. Clearly I was being too Pollyanna-ish.
At this point with job losses spiking, we know the worst for the economy is yet to come. Ours is a consumer-based economy, and obviously Americans won't be consuming at record levels anytime soon.
But how long will it last and how hard will we be hit?
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The Debate and Polls Show Sarah Pain is the Anti-Hillary
Tweet Share on Facebook October 3, 2008 Comment (17)"Cheney in a skirt" is how one friend described Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's performance in Thursday's vice presidential debate. Actually, that would be giving Governor Palin credit for a mite more intellectual firepower than she actually possesses.
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Is John McCain Doomed to Lose to Barack Obama?
Tweet Share on Facebook October 2, 2008 Comment (19)Of course, it's not over 'til it's over, but is this a sign it might be nearly over? Check this Associated Press filing from today:
Bonnie Erbe
Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.
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