Will.i.am's new video: A New Day

Great new Will.i.am video:


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Ohio Goes TO OBAMA

Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States!!!

Dixville Notch, N.H. nation's first Election goes to Obama

Barack Obama was the big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch, N.H., where the nation's first Election Day votes were cast and counted early Tuesday.

Barack Obama defeated John McCain 15-6. Following tradition established in 1948 the first voter was picked ahead of the midnight voting and the rest of the town's 19 registered voters followed suit in Tuesday's first minutes. Town Clerk Rick Erwin says the northern New Hampshire town is proud of its tradition, but says the most important thing is that the turnout represents 100 percent vote.

President Bush won the vote in Dixville Notch in 2004 on the way to his re-election.

"We Have A Lot Of Work To Do"

This Get Out The Vote video from the Obama campaign sums things up:

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Sad News Today: Obama's grandmother passed away

Sad news for the Obama family. His grandmother died today. I could not help but think it is too bad she was not able to live a few more days, so she could have seen her grandson become the President elect. Senator Obama and his family have my deep sympathy.

Barack Obama and his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng have released this statement:

It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.

Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.

This is what Obama said about his grandmother during his convention speech:

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work.

She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

John and Cindy McCain showing real class released this statement:

We offer our deepest condolences to Barack Obama and his family as they grieve the loss of their beloved grandmother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them as they remember and celebrate the life of someone who had such a profound impact in their lives.

The same cannot be said about the classless jerks in the California Republican Party. The California Republican Party filed an FEC complaint against Barack Obama today for visiting his dying grandmother a little over a week ago. BarbinMD at DailyKos has the details in a post aptly titled, "This Is What Desperation Smells Like." The Republicans are somehow alleging Obama that a presidential candidate using the campaign plane to fly to one of the 50 states is a violation of the law. They're sick. Really, they're sick.

Comparing the Ground Games

The most unreported story of this campaign has been the ground games of the Barack Obama and John McCain. I think that if Barack Obama is fortunate to win, there will be a lot of stories about the incredible operation that Barack Obama has put together.

If you are a political junkie, you are probably already aware of a little site that has posted and analyzed much of the competing polling data that has abounded this campaign season - - FiveThirtyEight.com.

While FiveThirtyEight.com has been busy crunching all the numbers from multiple polls, they have also had a reporting team of reporter Sean Quinn and photographer Brett Marty travelling the country to look at the ground games of the two campaigns. In their pursuit of the ground game story, they've been dropping by field offices for both candidates to take pictures and chronicle the activity. And if there's one thing that's been revealed, nearly consistently, in comparing the two operations, is that there seems to be no comparison. Here is some of what Sean and Brett have reported in a blog post called "The Big Empty":

The busiest McCain office we saw was in Arlington, at the national HQ, but tight security prevented us from getting any pictures. Ironically, that was our first full office, in our 11th battleground state.

Offices in Troy, Ohio were closed on Saturday October 11. With perfect coincidental timing, two elderly women dropped by to volunteer but found the office shut. At Republican state headquarters in Columbus later the same day, one lonely dialer sat in a sea of unoccupied chairs. In Des Moines on September 25, another empty office. In Santa Fe on September 17, one dialer made calls while six chatted amongst themselves about how they didn't like Obama. In Raleigh this past Saturday, ten days before the election with early voting already open, two women dialed and a male staffer watched the Georgia-LSU game. In Durango, Colorado on September 20, the
Republican office was locked and closed. Indiana didn't have McCain Victory offices when we were there in early October.

When the offices are open, they have reduced hours. We can confidently plan to get evening good-light photographs of a town after we visit the local McCain office, because we know it will be closing by 5 pm, as the office in Wilmington, North Carolina was this past Sunday. The plan is, get to inevitably closed/closing McCain office, get an hour of photos near sunset, then visit the bustling local Obama office.

In Cortez, CO, we had Republican volunteers pose for action-shot photos. The same in Española, New Mexico. Posed. For some time at the outset, we were willing to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt. They convinced us they were really working, and that we had just had unfortunate timing. It wasn't until the pattern of "just missed it" started to sound like a drumbeat in our ears that we began to grow skeptical. We never "just missed" any of the Obama volunteer work, because it goes on nonstop, every day, in every office, in every corner of America.

We found scattered nuggets of activity. Colorado Springs, Colorado held eight dialers and two front office volunteers. Albemarle County, Virginia had a busy office of 15 volunteers, and we reported that. Last night in Tampa, nine phonebankers were busy dialing at the Republican Party of Florida Hillsborough County HQ when we arrived at 8:00 pm. Seven dialers sat in McCain's Hickory, North Carolina office this past Saturday afternoon.

Those offices seemed busy to us, naturally, because they were explosively full relative to other offices we've stopped in on. But even the Colorado Springs office was dwarfed by the Obama Colorado Springs operation.

These ground campaigns do not bear any relationship to one another. One side has something in the neighborhood of five million volunteers all assigned to very clear and specific pieces of the operation, and the other seems to have something like a thousand volunteers scattered throughout the country. Jon Tester's 2006 Senate race in Montana had more volunteers -- by a mile -- than John McCain's 2006 presidential campaign.

This post, "The Big Empty," is accompanyed by a photo essay which has the sorts of pictures that haunt the McCain campaign in a few days. See some of the photos below.

Of course, even with all this specific reporting, attesting to the fact that the balance of response, activity and enthusiasm appears to be on the Democratic side, the big unknown is whether it will all end up being remembered as a spirited, failed attempt or the ingredients of bona fide electoral success. Still, I'm terribly impressed by the way FiveThirtyEight.com is working this balance between raw data and anecdotal reportage, doing each as fully and as fairly as possible, and putting themselves out there by making predictions with conviction. Silver's taken the site to acclaim behind the strength of his statistical analysis, but the site deserves kudoes to their commitment to following the election on the road. Both on the balance sheet and on the trail, FiveThirtyEight.com has done a superlative job at making sense of this election, in ways that have far surpassed the traditional media.

"Yes We Can" video

Another really good video created by an independent group of people in support of Barack Obama, and the song is great. Stacy Beyer, the singer/songwriter has a beautiful voice, and the message is a great one.

Watch it here:

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The Final Stretch

Today Barack Obama and John McCain unleashed massive get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen battleground states. They are making millions of telephone calls, sending out last minute mailings and have thousands of volunteers out in the neighborhoods going door-to-door, in a frenzied, fitting climax to a record-shattering $1 billion campaign.

Together, both campaigns will spend about $8 per presidential vote.

With just two days to go, most national polls show Barack Obama out ahead of John McCain. Individual state surveys suggest that the Democrat's path to the requisite 270 electoral votes — and perhaps far beyond — is much easier to navigate than McCain's. The polls show that the six closest states are Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada and Ohio. All of these states were won by George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, and have been considered red states. They have been made competitive by Barack Obama and his campaign's impressive organization. Senator Obama has also been helped by a record-shattering fundraising.

The Obama campaign is also running very aggressive ground games elsewhere, including Iowa, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Colorado and Virginia.

Will it be enough? That is the question.

In resonse the RNC is rolling out battleground robo-calls that include Hillary Clinton's criticism of Obama from the primary. Clinton is heard saying: "In the White House, there is no time for speeches and on-the-job training. Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign, and Senator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002."

The McCain campaign and the Republican Party have now launched their much vaunted "72-hour program", a strategy that many political observers credit for giving Bush victories in 2000 and 2004.

The question is will it be enough? I have to say, I am worried. The Obama campaign has been disciplined and well run, but there is a lot of history they are trying to overcome. With this background the McCain campaign and the RNC have dramatically increased their spending in the campaign's final days and now are matching the Obama campaign ad for ad, in key battleground markets in states such as Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The thing about the American election is you don't have to win everywhere, you just have to win in key places.

The Obama campaign has been preparing for this ever since they won the nomination, and have built an impressive ground game. I just hope it's enough.

Barack Obama TV Ad: Cheney's Endorsement of McCain

You have to give the Obama Campaign credit for the speed with which they turn things around. The Obama campaign is already out with a new ad touting Dick Cheney's endorsement of John McCain. Cheney said he was "delighted" to endorse John McCain and Sarah Palin. And, the Obama campaign is delighted to spread the word about Cheney's endorsement, yesterday in Obama's speech, today in an ad.

Watch it here:

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Dick Cheney's Endorsement cheers some

Today the McCain Campaign got some much needed help, in the form of an endorsement from Vice President Dick Cheney. Oh wait...

Seriously, what do you think the reaction of the McCain staff was when they saw Cheney's endorsement come across the wire? Do you think they swore, or swooned? Do you think a few got physically ill?

Of course this endorsement did bring cheer to some, trouble was, they were all working for Barack Obama.

Check out Obama congratulating John McCain on the Cheney endorsement. As Obama makes clear John McCain earned it.


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Here is the prepared text of the speech Obama delivered in Colorado today:

"I'd like to congratulate Senator McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it. That endorsement didn't come easy. Senator McCain had to vote 90 percent of the time with George Bush and Dick Cheney to get it. He served as Washington's biggest cheerleader for going to war in Iraq, and supports economic policies that are no different from the last eight years. So Senator McCain worked hard to get Dick Cheney's support.

"But here's my question for you, Colorado: do you think Dick Cheney is delighted to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain's going to bring change? Do you think John McCain and Dick Cheney have been talking about how to shake things up, and get rid of the lobbyists and the old boys club in Washington?

"Colorado, we know better. After all, it was just a few days ago that Senator McCain said that he and President Bush share a 'common philosophy.' And we know that when it comes to foreign policy, John McCain and Dick Cheney share a common philosophy that thinks that empty bluster from Washington will fix all of our problems, and a war without end in Iraq is the way to defeat Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who are in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"So George Bush may be in an undisclosed location, but Dick Cheney's out there on the campaign trail because he'd be delighted to pass the baton to John McCain. He knows that with John McCain you get a twofer: George Bush's economic policy and Dick Cheney's foreign policy -- but that's a risk we cannot afford to take."

Reagan's Chief of Staff will vote for Obama

One of today's big headlines was that another prominent Republican has turned on John McCain:

Former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein told CNN's Fareed Zakaria this week he intends to vote for Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday.

Duberstein said he was influenced by another prominent Reagan official - Colin Powell - in his decision.

"Well let's put it this way - I think Colin Powell's decision is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama."

And, Duberstein was just brutally honest about John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin on MSNBC. For example, a job at McDonald's requires more interviews than Palin had:

Obama campaign going on the air in Georgia, North Dakota -- and Arizona

This morning, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe announced that the campaign is going to
air television commercials in three additional states:

Georgia,
North Dakota and
Arizona

One of the more interesting things about the Obama campaign that has not received the coverage I would have given it, is the sheer organization capability of Barack Obama. The Obama campaign built a strong ground game across the country, and had their organization on the ground in all three of those states, so that now that the polls are showing a window of opportunity, the campaign is able to place ads that support work already being done.

If the campaign was just putting commericals over the airwaves, I would not give it much chance of making a difference in any of these states, but that it is coming on top of a strong grass-roots movement, there is a chance that it tips the balance.

In Georgia and North Dakota, the campaign will be running the "Rear view" ad. In Arizona, it's the positive closer.

The Daily Show: Rallies of Fear

The Daily Show is the best mirror for America to look at itself. In this clip the Daily Show's John Oliver went to a Barack Obama and a Sarah Palin rally and found that Americans are more unified than we're led to believe: We're all scared sh%#less.
People should look at the participants of McCain/Palin rallies, and ask, "is this really what we want for America?"

Barack Obamas 30 minute add

Last night Barack Obama aired his 30 minute add. It was different than what I expected, but it was really well done. It was not over the top, but it gracefully countered every attack that has been thrown at Senator Obama.


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Barack Obama TV Ad: Defining Moment

Barack Obama has put together another 2 minute add, and again I think it hits the right note. In this ad Barack Obama asks if our country will be better off four years from now.

Watch it here:

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Barack Obama: "We All Love This Country"

With 13 days left until the general election, Barack Obama addressed a crowd of over 12,000 in Richmond, VA, and he took head on the hate and bigotry that Republicans have been dishing out. He went after the Michelle Bachmann's, the Robin Hayes, the Robocalls, and all the crap being spewed at Sarah Palin speeches. Yet he does not attack, he speaks of hope, and gives a direct counter point without turning nasty. This speech is so similar to his message in 2004 that I am amazed. Barack Obama's message: "We All Love This Country"

It's a good rebuttal, watch it here:

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Obama Speech in Indiana

Barack Obama spoke in Indiana today before leaving for Hawaii to be with his ailing Grandmother. It is amazing that Indiana is still in play. Here's a video of Barack Obama talking about the economy at the rally today:


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Barack Obama's Speech from St. Louis

This speech was notable for the sheer size of the crowd, over 100,000 people, and that it took place in front of the Old Court House where the infamous Dred Scott case was held, one of the worst decisions ever made by the Supreme Court.



Watch a portion of the speech here:


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Biden Goes After RoboCalls

In Colorado yesterday, Joe Biden went on a tear blasting John McCain on his disgusting, sleazy, untrue robo-calls.

"If he's really serious when he said this morning on one of the shows, that this election is all about the economy, then I say, 'John, stop your ads. Bring down those robocalls.'"

"If it's about the economy, argue the economy.... John, stop these calls!"

Biden built his speech so that it climaxed with a chant of: "John, stop these calls!"

This is a really smart strategy for battling McCain's robo-slime. It reinforces the Obama campaign's chosen frame for the final month of the race: Anytime John McCain and his campaign surrogates steers the discussion away from real issues and towards Obama's bio or character, it's only because he's afraid to debate real issues like the economy, foriegn policy, health care, or energy. It's a great frame for the Obama Campaign and Obama, Biden, and their surrogates show no signs of losing this refrain.

In Pew Poll, Obama's Lead Widens: 52%-38%.

Today's news is that Barack Obama enjoys his widest margin yet in the Pew Poll over John McCain among registered voters, at 52% to 38%.

When the sample of voters is narrowed to those most likely to vote, Obama leads by 53% to 39%.

Barack Obama’s strong showing in the current poll reflects greater confidence in the Democratic candidate personally. More voters see him as “well-qualified” and “down-to-earth” than did so a month ago. Barack Obama also is inspiring more confidence on several key issues, including Iraq and terrorism, than he did before the debates. Most important, Obama now leads McCain as the candidate best able to improve economic conditions by a wider margin (53% to 32%).

Barack Obama’s lead over John McCain has steadily increased since mid-September, when the race was essentially even. Shortly after the first presidential debate in September, Obama moved to a 49% to 42% lead; that margin inched up to 50% to 40% in a poll taken just after the second debate.

Widespread loss of confidence in John McCain also appears to be a significant factor in the race at this point. Many more voters express doubts about John McCain’s judgment than about Barack Obama’s. A steadily growing number of voters say that John McCain has been too personally critical of Barack Obama, and a lot fewer voters view John McCain as inspiring than did at the beginning of this campaign. John McCain's smear tactics seem to have tarnished his image more than anything else. By contrast, 71% of voters continue to think of Obama as inspiring.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Oct. 16-19 among 2,599 registered voters interviewed on landline phones and cell phones, finds that McCain’s age also has become more of an issue for voters. Roughly a third says that John McCain is too old to be president. The numbers are slightly more than those who saw candidate Bob Dole as too old to be president in 1996.

Sarah Palin continues to to be a drag on the John McCain with 49% of voters express an unfavorable opinion of Palin. In mid-September, Sarah Palin's favorable opinions outnumbered negative ones by 54% to 32%. Women, especially women under age 50, have become increasingly critical of Sarah Palin, with 60% now expressing an unfavorable view of Sarah Palin, up from 36% in mid-September.