Yesterday, Barack Obama campaigned with Sen. Hillary Clinton in Florida. ABC World News reported in its lead story that Clinton was "very aggressively making the case for her one-time rival." Clinton said, "If you talk to your friends and your neighbors, do it again for Barack. We cannot risk four more years of the same failed Republican policies." USA Today reports Clinton, "who asked during the primary why Obama couldn't close the deal with voters, transformed the line to work in his favor: 'Now is the time to close the deal for Barack Obama.'" The New York Times reports Clinton "walked arm in arm with" Obama "on Monday to the front lines of his campaign for president and asked her supporters to bend their backs to the cause of his victory" Clinton said, "Many of you supported me in the primary, and I am very grateful and very appreciative. Now I am asking you to work as hard for Barack as you worked for me, to walk as far for Barack as you walked for me." The Orlando Sentinel reports that at the Orlando rally, Clinton "launched into a 15-minute stump speech more typical of a vice-presidential candidate than a surrogate."
The Wall Street Journal reports Obama "swept into Florida on Monday as the state began early voting, in a bid to lock in his polling advantage in a key swing state before Election Day." NBC Nightly News reported Obama "is spending two days urging Floridians to vote early." Obama was shown saying, "You don't know what might happen on November 4th. Your car might break down. You might have an emergency."
The AP reports Florida "kicked off early voting on Monday, with record crowds heading to the polls and voters waiting hours to cast their ballots. Elections officials said the few reported problems were minor." The final "statewide numbers for ballots cast Monday won't be available until Tuesday, but counties large and small, traditionally Democrat and traditionally Republican, were reporting record turnout. The early voting sites will remain open two weeks until the weekend before Election Day."
McCain Slated To Stump In Sarasota, Florida, On Thursday The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that Sen. John McCain is slated to campaign in Sarasota, Florida, "on Thursday, an appearance this late in the campaign that reflects the challenge he faces even in traditional Republican strongholds."
Sen. John McCain visited the St. Louis suburbs and other areas of bellwether Missouri yesterday, drawing, at one rally, a crowd estimated at between 2,000 and 2,500. The Los Angeles Times reports "two days after" Obama "drew 100,000 supporters to a rally in St. Louis," McCain "attracted about 2,500 people to a field in this nearby suburb Monday, a visible symbol of the challenge the Republican nominee faces in this crucial state." ABC World News reported McCain "seems to have settled on an aggressive attack strategy for the remainder of this campaign, to try to portray Barack Obama's economic plan as a form of socialism." McCain was shown saying, "We finally learned what Senator Obama's economic goal is - as he told you all, he wants to spread the wealth around. He believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy." Claiborne: "In his latest campaign mantra, McCain once again invoked Joe the Plumber as someone he says would have his taxes raised by Obama." The Kansas City Star says that yesterday was "pound-Barack-Obama-on-taxes day, and McCain wielded a sledgehammer," saying Obama's "tax policies would doom the nation." The CBS Evening News, however, says as "much as he repeats it, as he did outside St. Louis, he hasn't yet convinced voters that Obama is the tax raiser in this campaign. The new CBS News poll says 51 percent think Obama would raise their taxes, 53 percent think McCain would."
McCain Steps Up Criticism Of Bush Policies The Washington Post reports in a front page story that McCain is "again criticizing Bush and his financial policies, as he renews his efforts to demonstrate that he would represent a departure from the current administration." At "virtually every campaign stop, McCain is reprising a line he used last Wednesday in his final debate with Sen. Barack Obama: 'I am not George Bush.' And in a television ad introduced last week, McCain looks into the camera and says, 'The last eight years haven't worked very well, have they?'" According to the Washington Times, "Even McCain's top aides are lamenting the political headwinds they are fighting because of the Republican Party's excessive spending during the Bush presidency. 'It's left a terrible legacy for the party,' said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the Arizona senator's senior economic adviser, in an interview."
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The AP reports John McCain "spent $37 million in September, leaving him $47 million for October. His monthly financial report filed with the Federal Election Commission shows he spent nearly two-thirds of his money, $22.5 million, on advertising as he tried to keep up with Obama's ad blitz in battleground states." McCain is "seeking to narrow that gap. He spent about $9.4 million on ads in key battlegrounds last week, according to the political ad monitoring firm TNS/CMAG, and is expected to spend more this week." The Republican National Committee plans to spend "$1 million a day over the next two week on ads helping McCain."
USA Today reports McCain's campaign "insists he will have enough to overtake Democrat Barack Obama and his deeper pockets." McCain campaign manager Rick Davis "vowed that the GOP presidential nominee has the resources -- combined with aid from the Republican National Committee (RNC) -- to wage an effective ad campaign and get-out-the-vote effort in the states won by President Bush in 2004 and 2000. McCain also plans to compete in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, both won in 2004 by Democrat John Kerry." The national party "raised a record $66 million in September and is on pace for another record-breaking month, said RNC spokesman Alex Conant."
The AP reports Sen. Barack Obama is "canceling nearly all his campaign events Thursday and Friday to visit his suddenly gravely ill 85-year-old grandmother in Hawaii, a spokesman said." Robert Gibbs "told reporters aboard Obama's plane that Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped raise Obama, was released from the hospital late last week. But he said her health had deteriorated 'to the point where her situation is very serious.'" The Wall Street Journal adds, "Planned events in Des Moines, Iowa, and Madison, Wis., Thursday were cancelled. Instead," Obama "will appear that morning in Indianapolis before flying to Hawaii." The Chicago Tribune reports that Obama's "wife, Michelle, was not planning to travel to Hawaii with him. Instead, she will appear in his place at events in Ohio on Friday. When Obama returns to the campaign trail Saturday morning, he is expected to visit Western states."
The George Washington University Battleground poll of 1,000 likely voters taken October 13-16 and October 19 shows Obama leading McCain 49%-45%.
The Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll for October 20 shows Obama leading McCain 50%-46%.
The Gallup daily presidential tracking poll of 2,774 registered voters taken October 17-19 has two likely voter models one (based on past voting behavior and current intention to vote) shows Obama leading McCain 50%-45%, while the second (based on current intention to vote) shows Obama up 52%-43%.
The Hotline /Diageo tracking poll of 789 likely voters taken October 17-19 shows Obama up 47%-42%.
A CNN /Opinion Research poll of 1058 likely voters taken October 17-19 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-46%.
The IBD /TIPP daily presidential tracking poll of 1,086 likely voters taken October 15-19 shows Obama leading McCain 47%-41%.
The C-Span/Zogby daily presidential tracking poll of 1,214 likely voters taken October 18-20 shows Obama leading McCain 50%-42%.
The ABC News /Washington Post daily presidential tracking poll of 1,336 likely voters taken October 16-19 shows Obama leading McCain 53%-44%.
On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said "Barack Obama has a ten-point advantage right now over John McCain over how to handle taxes. He's been telling the country that 95% of Americans will get a tax cut under his plan. So far, that seems to be selling." In addition, Stephanopoulos said "the most significant number right now for both Obama and McCain" is when the poll asked, Who can best handle a crisis? "Forty-nine percent now say...Obama to 45% for...McCain." The Washington Post reports, however, that "there were indications that McCain has improved his position on some issues and some attributes important to voters' decision-making. Since the Post-ABC poll taken before the final debate, McCain has narrowed the gap with Obama on understanding the economic problems people in the country are facing, on bringing needed change to Washington and on the question of which candidate is the 'stronger leader.'"
McCain Up 1 In Florida A Rasmussen Reports /Fox News automated poll of 1,000 likely Florida voters taken October 19 shows McCain leading Obama 49%-48%.
McCain Up 2 In Ohio A Rasmussen Reports /Fox News automated poll of 1,000 likely Ohio voters taken October 19 shows McCain leading Obama 49%-47%.
Obama Up 8 In Pennsylvania A Susquehanna poll of 700 likely Pennsylvania voters taken October 16-19 shows Obama leading McCain 48%-40%.
Obama Up In 2 North Carolina Polls A Rasmussen Reports /Fox News automated poll of 1,000 likely North Carolina voters taken October 19 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-48%. A Public Policy Polling (D) survey of 1,200 likely North Carolina voters taken October 18-19 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-44%.
Obama Up In Pair Of Virginia Polls A SurveyUSA automated poll of 652 likely Virginia voters taken October 18-19 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-45%. A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 700 likely Virginia voters taken October 16 shows Obama leading McCain 54%-44%.
Obama Up 5 In Colorado A Rasmussen Reports /Fox News automated poll of 1,000 likely Colorado voters taken October 19 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-46%.
Obama Up 5 In Missouri A Rasmussen Reports /Fox News automated poll of 1,000 likely Missouri voters taken October 19 shows Obama leading McCain 49%-44%.
Obama Up 8 In Wisconsin A SurveyUSA automated poll of 641 likely Wisconsin voters taken October 18-19 shows Obama leading McCain 51%-43%.
McCain Up 24 In Oklahoma A SurveyUSA automated poll of 561 likely voters taken October 18-19 shows McCain leading Obama 59%-35%.
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In testimony before the House Budget Committee, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testified that another congressional stimulus package may be "appropriate," although he declined to endorse a specific figure. Bernanke's testimony was seen as advancing Democratic plans for a renewed effort to revive the faltering economy. As NBC Nightly News reported, "Congressional Democrats have been talking about a stimulus plan for weeks," and the Washington Post says Bernanke's remarks "dramatically increase the pressure on President Bush to drop his resistance to a second stimulus package." The CBS Evening News also reported Bernanke "told Congress today he favors giving the economy a booster shot, perhaps another round of rebate checks."
A number of media accounts portray Bernanke's comments a strong endorsement of congressional Democrats' various stimulus proposals, with headlines such as "Fed Chairman Endorses New Round of Stimulus" (New York Times ) and "Fed Chief Backs New Stimulus Package" (Wall Street Journal ). On its front page, the Los Angeles Times says "the last major obstacles to another government stimulus package began crumbling Monday, shifting the debate from whether the fading economy needs a jolt to the best way of providing it." Meanwhile, this morning's Wall Street Journal editorial page, a key conservative opinion maker, takes Bernanke to task for his testimony, suggesting that it was intended to curry favor with Sen. Barack Obama, saying Bernanke "apparently wants four more years as Federal Reserve Chairman."
Responding to Bernanke's comments, White House press secretary Dana Perino reiterated that President Bush is "open" to such a proposal. Some media reports are portraying Perino's statement as a shift in the Administration's stance. The AP titles a short article focusing on Perino's comments "White House Says Bush Open To Second Stimulus," though another AP dispatch says the President's "position on the possibility of a second stimulus remained unchanged." The Hill, meanwhile, notes the White House "has been reluctant to embrace the Democrats' call for a second package." The Wall Street Journal notes that later yesterday Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, said, "Bottom line is that what Democrats are proposing is nothing that would stimulate the economy any time soon. They don't have a stimulus plan; they have a campaign talking point." Only the Wall Street Journal and McClatchy reported Fratto's comments.
According to the New York Times, "to draw in the White House as well as Republican lawmakers, Democrats are casting around for measures that Mr. Bush has wanted. One possible inducement could be passing a long-stalled free-trade agreement with Colombia. Republicans are also pushing for additional tax cuts, and there might be ground for agreement on that front."
Democrats Declare Victory The Wall Street Journal reports Democrats, "who are considering steps worth $150 billion, seized on Mr. Bernanke's testimony and pushed Congress to act." The Hill, in an article titled, "Dems Thrilled By Bernanke Comments," reports that Congressional Democrats "declared victory" after Bernanke "offered measured support for a second economic stimulus measure." The Financial Times titles its report "Bernanke Backs New Stimulus Before Year's End" and says Bernanke's comments "appeared to embolden the Democratic leadership."
With little media fanfare, the stock market shot up yesterday amid some optimism about a possible end to the financial crisis. ABC World News reported, "Investors expressed optimism, reacting to signs the credit freeze is beginning to thaw." The AP also attributes the stock rally to "signs of a reviving credit market and support from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for further steps to aid the economy. All the major indexes finished with gains of 3 percent or more." The Dow "rose 413.21, or 4.67 percent, to 9,265.43."
The Wall Street Journal reports, "Although big moves in stock indexes lately have dominated the headlines, the focus of many professional traders has been trained on a few key measures of interest rates. Those indicators eased on Monday, suggesting that the flow of borrowed cash that is the lifeblood of the financial industry is improving." USA Today reports, "After weeks of a virtual credit lockdown, it was exactly what Wall Street needed to see."
The New York Times says "the frozen flow of credit began to thaw on Monday," raising "hopes that the immediate financial pressures on banks, businesses and municipalities could ease somewhat, cushioning the blow of a likely recession." The Los Angeles Times also remarks on "further signs of thawing in global credit markets," and the Financial Times refers to "an easing of the strain in money markets coupled with the prospect of a fresh economic stimulus package." The Washington Post reports "the gains in US markets followed a rebound overseas where government efforts to stabilize the banking sector continue."
Leading Indicators Rose In September The New York Times reports, "The economy's health improved for the first time in five months in September as supplier deliveries and new orders strengthened, a private research group said Monday." The Conference Board "said its monthly forecast of future economic activity rose 0.3 percent, a better reading than the 0.2 percent drop expected by Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR." The Wall Street Journal reports, "In September, six out of the ten indicators rose."
The New York Times reports that "despite his stated desire to close the American prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, President Bush has decided not to do so, and never considered proposals drafted in the State Department and the Pentagon that outlined options for transferring the detainees elsewhere, according to senior administration officials." Bush "adopted the view of his most hawkish advisers that closing Guantánamo would involve too many legal and political risks to be acceptable, now or any time soon, the officials said."
The Times report comes as a Federal appeals court temporarily blocked the release of 17 Chinese Muslim detainees from the prison. The Washington Post reports a "three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit "stayed a federal judge's order releasing the men" and "ordered oral arguments in the government's appeal, to be heard Nov. 24." The AP reports lawyers for the detainees, meanwhile, "declined immediate comment late Monday as they weighed their next move," which could include an "appeal to Supreme Court."
The Financial Times reports the "murder of a British aid worker in Kabul has again highlighted the threat the Taliban pose to people working in Afghanistan for charities and non-governmental organisations." Gayle Williams, "34, from London, was shot dead early on Monday by two armed men on a motorcycle as she walked to work in the west of the Afghan capital."
The Christian Science Monitor reports the murder sent "a warning against proselytizing in this Muslim country." The Monitor adds "the murdered woman, a British national originally from South Africa, was an employee of Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises (SERVE), a British-based Christian charity that has been working in the region since 1980."
Pakistani Ambivalence To Militants Noted The New York Times reports that "an unusual parliamentary debate" in Pakistan "organized to forge a national policy on how to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda has exposed deep ambivalence about the militants, even as their reach extends to suicide attacks in the capital." Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari "called the session in an effort to mobilize Pakistan's political parties and its public to support the fight against the militants," but "instead, the nearly two weeks of closed sessions have been dominated by calls for dialogue with the Taliban and peppered with opposition to what lawmakers condemned as a war foisted on Pakistan by the United States, according to participants."
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Craig Ferguson: "Colin Powell is in the news...because he endorsed Barack Obama. ... I wonder how John McCain feels about Colin Powell endorsing Obama. He's probably all right with it. Men his age are used to having colon problems."
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