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Are You on the Edge of Your Seat?
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Also in Election 2008
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As the big day approaches, there's a glut of information out there on the election. What follows is a round up of some of the most important and fascinating news from the 2008 race:
Latest polling shows Obama upswing
Gallup/USA Today Poll released on Nov. 2: Obama: 53% McCain: 42%
And CBS released another poll showing similar numbers: 54 percent to 41 percent.
Hope Reborn from DailyKos writes of the Gallup/USA Today results:
"When Gallup allocates undecided voters … Obama's share climbs to 55%, giving him an 11-point spread over McCain's 44%. These are blowout numbers. By comparison, in 1988 (the last time one of the two major parties posted a decisive win, without a significant third-party candidate in the race) George Bush Sr. won 53.4% to Michael Dukakis's 45.7%.
"In other words, if Gallup's final poll is roughly right, John McCain may very well end upunderperforming Mike Dukakis. And how effective have McCain's slimeball attacks on Obama been? One more historic tidbit from the survey: Obama's favorable rating is 62% -- the highest that any presidential candidate has registered in Gallup's final pre-election polls going back to 1992."
Sarah Palin Is Still at It
Palin suggests the U.S. is at war with Iran: Speaking to Fox News' Greta van Susteren this weekend, Palin said, "We realize that more and more Americans are starting to see the light there and understand the contrast. And we talk a lot about, OK, we're confident that we're going to win on Tuesday, so from there, the first 100 days, how are we going to kick in the plan that will get this economy back on the right track and really shore up the strategies that we need over in Iraq and Iran to win these wars?"
Sarah Palin thinks her 1st amendment rights are being attacked if the press calls her comments 'negative': ABC News' Steven Portnoy reports, "In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by 'attacks' from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama."
Thinking about the possibility of a stolen election
Things might go smoothly in the election, but many doubt that it will. There have already been tens of thousands voter complaints from all over the country.
If voter suppression spreads, machines break down, lines last for many hours, and aggressive legal tactics are employed and together they appear to put the election in jeopardy, it will be vital that tens of thousands of people are mobilized as quickly as possible.
AlterNet will supply readers with instant, accurate information if the vote has to be protected.
But to be serious about fighting back against an election at risk requires an election challenge process in concert with the campaign. It can not function as a PR exercise. Candidates shouldn't concede prematurely.
Citizen assemblies would have to be generated immediately so people can testify as to where the system broke down on election day. And people who report problems actually need to leave very detailed contact information, so they too can be contacted by attorneys. In Ohio in 04, Kerry asked the OH Dem Party if they could pull together evidence in 24 hours to show how the vote was stolen and they replied no. He then conceded.
As AlterNet's Steve Rosenfeld writes, "1-866-OUR-VOTE (administered by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (administered by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund). These hotlines have legal staff that will answer questions in real time and give advice, regardless of political affiliation. They have 10,000 volunteer lawyers who will answer questions, log problems and take legal action if necessary."
Polls and analysis point to Obama victory -- but election system is far from perfect
While hundreds of polls point to a strong Obama victory, and while even top GOP analysts concede they can't see a path for McCain to win, there are still many unresolved issues relating to the election process itself: it is hard to assess what the enormous turnout and huge numbers of mail-in ballots are going to do to the voting and counting process. Recent elections show that there are never enough voting machines in lower income neighborhoods, no matter what the circumstances. Read about the Advancement Project's report identifying the cities and precincts in swing states that may face long lines, poll worker shortages and voting delays in 2008.
See more stories tagged with: barack obama, john mccain, election 2008
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