Think about this

Think about this:

Rosa sat so Martin could walk

Martin walked so Obama could run

Obama is running so our children can fly

-- From an anonymous texter quoted on NPR's All Things Considered

 

Web page with all polls

Here's a very interesting web page that let's you pick your national poll and it will show you the trends over time, including the latest data: http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/polling/index.html#US_2.  Nearly all of them show a big lead for Obama.

A very powerful story on voting, from James Forman

A very powerful story from James Forman:

I went to vote today, in person absentee because I'll be knocking on doors in VA on election day.  Washington DC, with our 3 electoral votes, is hardly in doubt, but still I couldn't miss it. 

After about 15 minutes of waiting in line I got up to the desk and gave my form.  "James Forman," said the clerk reading my paper.  Any relation to "Dr. James Forman?"  Um . . . "do you mean a medical doctor," I asked, not wanting to be presumptuous.  "No, the civil rights leader," he responded.  After I told him that was my dad he broke into a big smile and told me that they had worked together for DC statehood.  Then he went back to his computer and plugged my name in.  "Do you live on Harvard Street," he asked.  I paused.  That was where my dad had lived, and it never occured to me that he might still be in their database.  My heart held for a second as I heard my dad's old address, the apt I had been to so many times.  I finally responded, "no, that's where my dad lived."  He hesistated when I said "lived," and I realized that he must not have known that my dad died a few years ago.  When I told him, he shook his head and said he was sorry.  I started to choke up, and trying to hold it together, I told him "I'm sorry too, he would have given anything to be standing next to me right now getting ready to vote in this election."  He looked me in the eye and said, "but you are voting for him."

Then I got home and saw this video sent by my friend Yodit, and it made me think of my dad, and others like him around the country:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW-6DpC-mj8 (3 mins.)

So many stories like this.  Share yours.  Love, James

Today's polls

Below is the latest from 538.com on today's polls (the site now has Obama 96.3% likely to win), which rebuts the much-hyped Fox poll that shows a 3-point race nationally:

Today's Polls, 10/30

Man, I thought I trained you guys better than this.

There is a lot of consternation in my inbox about two polls. One, from Mason-Dixon, shows John McCain just 4 points down in Pennsylvania. The other, from FOX News, shows McCain down just 3 points nationwide.

Let's start with the Pennsylvania result. Mason-Dixon is a pretty strong pollster. So, however, are many others from among the literally dozen or so agencies that have conducted polling within Pennsylvania over the past 72 hours. And none of those other pollsters shows the race that tight.

Mason-Dixon has also had a Republican "lean" this cycle of perhaps 2-3 points. They are quite frequently the most favorable number for John McCain in any given state. That doesn't mean that they are "biased", and it doesn't mean that they are wrong – there are many different (and legitimate!) ways to think about this election. But it does mean that their polls need to be interpreted in that context. Let's say the average poll in Pennsylvania has Obama ahead by 9.5 points. Mason-Dixon will probably start out seeing a 9.5-point state at a 7-point state. If they then end up toward the McCain side of their margin of error -- and they don't use huge sample sizes – that’s how you get to Obama +4.

Now, look. I don't think we need to be in the habit of ripping a poll apart every time that we don't like the result. There is nothing inherently "wrong" with this poll. It's simply that we need to look at in concert with the rest of the evidence. In this case, we have an abundance of evidence, and it suggests on balance that Pennsylvania is neither particularly close, nor is it particularly "tightening" (Mason-Dixon's prior poll of the state, in Mid-September, had Obama up by 2).

It might also help to come at this from the other direction. Here is one poll out of many, out of one "must-win" state out of many, that shows that John McCain is sorta kinda close? This is the best news he can muster? On Monday, I laid out specific criteria for what I'd want to see in order to conclude that the race has tightened materially:

John McCain polling within 2 points in 2 or more non-partisan polls ... in at least 2 out of the 3 following states: Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania.

We have yet to see any such results in any of these three states.

*-*

As for the FOX poll, I'm a little bit taken aback at the number of people who assume that, just because the poll is from FOX, it must somehow have been cooked. Sixteen times out of 20, an aberrant result (and I'm not sure you can really call this "aberrant", since a couple of other pollsters show the race at about 3 points right now) is the result of statistical noise. Perhaps 3 times out of 20, it might be the result of a poor sampling procedure. And then there might be that one case in 20 where the pollster feels compelled to put his finger on the scale in some way -- but these cases are extremely rare. And there's no particular reason to accuse FOX News of this behavior. Their polls haven't had much of a partisan lean this cycle, and for that matter, they were among the only pollsters to have John Kerry winning the popular vote in 2004. If there's a problem with FOX News polls, it's not that they're biased, but that they're simply not all that good.

It's true that FOX's sample included a materially higher percentage of Republicans this time around. FOX, however, does not choose its sample; its sample chooses itself. In this case, when they drew their ping-pong balls out of the jar, they came up with a slightly higher percentage of red ones. This kind of thing will happen all the time unless a pollster weights by party ID, which FOX News and many other pollsters do not. The Pew poll that came out the other day, for instance, had a big increase in the number of Democrats in its sample.

Nevertheless, the change in the partisan ID of their sample does cut against the notion that the race is tightening. What we are ultimately interested in is whether the same voters are starting to look at the race in a different way -- making up their minds, or changing their minds. In this case, however, it appears mostly that FOX was talking to different voters -- a more Republican-leaning set of voters -- rather than reaching the same sorts of voters and finding that they were thinking about the race differently. John McCain did pick up a few points among independents, but the numbers among Republicans and Democrats were essentially unchanged.

Gotta love this!

A growing number of voters have concluded that Senator John McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, is not qualified to be vice president, weighing down the Republican ticket in the last days of the campaign, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

All told, 59 percent of voters surveyed said Ms. Palin was not prepared for the job, up nine percentage points since the beginning of the month. Nearly a third of voters polled said the vice-presidential selection would be a major factor influencing their vote for president, and those voters broadly favor Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee...

¶Mr. Obama is maintaining his lead, with 51 percent of likely voters supporting him and 40 percent supporting Mr. McCain in a head-to-head matchup.

¶Some perceptions of race are changing, with a marked increase in the number of people who say they believe that white and black people have an equal chance of getting ahead in America today.

¶Mr. McCain's focus on taxes, including his talk about Joe the Plumber, seems to be having some effect, as a growing number of voters now say Mr. McCain would not raise their taxes.

¶Eighty-nine percent of people view the economy negatively, and 85 percent think the country is on the wrong track.

¶Mr. Obama continues to have a significant advantage on key issues like the economy, health care and the war in Iraq.

The survey found that opinions of Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain had hardened considerably, as 9 out of 10 voters who said they had settled on a candidate said their minds were made up, and a growing number of them called it "extremely important" that their candidate win the election. Roughly half of each candidate's supporters said they were "scared" of what the other candidate would do if elected. Just 4 percent of voters were undecided, and when they were pressed to say whom they leaned toward, the shape of the race remained essentially the same.

-------------------

Growing Doubts on Palin Take a Toll, Poll Finds

By MICHAEL COOPER and DALIA SUSSMAN

Published: October 30, 2008

www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/us/politics/31poll.html

A growing number of voters have concluded that Senator John McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, is not qualified to be vice president, weighing down the Republican ticket in the last days of the campaign, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Senate Projections

Unfortunately, 538.com shows the Dems chances of winning 60 Senate seats has faded a bit, down to about 28% (from 32%) -- see analysis below:

We are beginning to get a much clearer idea of where the action is going to be on Election Day. Although the Democrats are on the verge of wrapping up several pickups, their chances of earning a 60th seat have somewhat declined.

-------------------

Senate Projections, 10/31

We are beginning to get a much clearer idea of where the action is going to be on Election Day. Although the Democrats are on the verge of wrapping up several pickups, their chances of earning a 60th seat have somewhat declined.

Democrats were always going to pick up seats in Virginia and New Mexico, and remain in position to do so. You can add Colorado to that list. Mark Udall now has double-digit leads in essentially all polling, and perhaps as much as two-thirds of the state has already voted; he will become the next senator from the Rocky Mountain State.

Our model also classifies New Hampshire as "safe", meaning that it attributes Jeanne Shaheen with at least a 95 percent chance of picking up John Sununu's seat. But I wouldn't completely turn out the lights on this race. While Shaheen remains comfortably ahead in most polling, there has emerged a pretty significant gap between her support and Barack Obama's, meaning that there are fair numbers of Obama-Sununu voters. That isn't so out of character for New Hampshire, which contains as many independent voters as anywhere in the country, but if for some reason the polls are overestimating Obama's performance, perhaps Sununu could make a race of it. Still, Sununu has been behind all year, he remains that way, and his time has basically run out.

Oregon is breaking Jeff Merkley's way, as a hot-off-the-presses poll from PPP gives him an 8 point lead, his largest on the year to date. This follows polling earlier in the week by SurveyUSA and the Portland Tribune which had shown him ahead by 7 and 5 points, respectively. Gordon Smith has been left to fend for himself in Oregon, where John McCain never developed any momentum, and there is evidence that turnout is down in areas where his base might be located. With many of Oregon's ballots already having been turned in, Smith's chances of pulling this race out may be less than the 16 percent that the model assigns to him.

In Alaska, we have a post-conviction poll from Rasmussen, and have wiped out all pre-conviction data. That poll shows Mark Begich ahead by 8 points. The regression model is still a bit confused by this race and thinks it could be closer than expected, but I'm not really buying that. If the Research 2000 poll comes back this weekend with strong numbers for Begich, it will move toward the Safe Democratic category.

You can draw a line right about here ... those are the six Democratic pickups that I'd describe as relatively safe (partly in the belief that the model is conservative on both Merkley and Begich for the reasons articulated above). We then get into what will be the three most closely-watched races on Election Night:

The first of these is in North Carolina, which continues to lean toward Demcoratic challenger Kay Hagan, but where we are waiting to gauge the reaction to Elizabeth Dole's controversial new ad which implies that Hagan, an elder at the First Presbyterian Church, is an athiest. The ad has drawn a harsh reaction from the local media and a Rasmussen poll conducted on Wednesday night, just as the controversy was starting to brew, had Hagan moving into a 6-point lead. But, the Carolinas have a long tradition of last-minute attack advertising, and the only reason it has that tradition is because sometimes such things work. Dole's ad is callous enough that it seems likely to be one of the exceptions, but this remains a race to watch.

In Minnesota, polling from PPP and the Humphrey Institute is showing movement toward Al Franken, but polling from Rasmussen and Mason-Dixon showing just the opposite and breaking in Norm Coleman's direction. Such highly volatile polling is sometimes characteristic of races involving third party candidates, and Dean Barkley continues to hold onto about 15 percent of the vote in this race. As I suggested on Tuesday, it is likely that some of that Barkley vote will collapse, and there are some hints that is more likely to break toward Franken, but characterizing this race as anything other than a toss-up would be generous.

The other contest that will be watched very closely is in Georgia, where Jim Martin remains stuck about 2-3 points behind Saxby Chambliss in most polling, but where both early voting patterns and the nature of the undecided vote suggest that the race may in fact be closer to a toss-up. My guess is that there's at least a 40-50 percent chance that the race is headed for a runoff, which is what would happen should neither candidate receive an outright majority of the vote.

The last group of races to watch are two contests breaking away somewhat from the Democrats, constraining their opportunity to pick up a 60th seat. The first of these races is in Kentucky, where Bruce Lunsford has stalled out at about 44 percent of the vote; he will need the undecideds to break to him in a big way if he's going to win. The other is in Mississippi, where Rasmussen has become the second consecutive poll to give Roger Wicker a double-digit advantage. Our regression model seems to think that Obama may have more coattails in Mississippi than the polls are letting on. But Ronnie Musgrove has gotten somewhat boxed in, being portrayed as a liberal in attack ads by Wicker, but seen as too conservative by many progressive Democrats to warrant their money and attention, which has instead gone to candidates like Lunsford and Martin. The DSCC may need to look at its internal polling and figure out whether it wants to try and preserve an opportunity for Musgrove, or perhaps go all-in instead on a race like Kentucky.

There is no longer really any sort of fourth tier of races, though Nebraska hasn't been polled in a long time. The two Democratic-held seats that the Republicans had hoped to put into play, in Louisiana and New Jersey, continue to look completely safe for the incumbents.

Great news from Colorado:

Call it the Rocky Mountain road to the White House.

A new state poll suggests that Sen. Barack Obama has doubled his lead over John McCain in Colorado.

In a CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday, 53 percent of likely voters questioned say Obama is their choice for president, with 45 percent backing Sen. John McCain. That 8-point lead for Obama is double the 4-point advantage he held in a similar poll two weeks ago.

-------------------

Poll: Obama doubles lead in Colorado, gains in electoral map

• Story Highlights
• CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. poll released on Wednesday
  
• More battleground states are going Obama's way, poll shows
  
• CNN: Colorado now leans Obama, Indiana a toss-up state
  
• Obama now has 286 electoral votes, McCain with 163, CNN map shows
  

From Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/29/poll.wednesday/?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Call it the Rocky Mountain road to the White House.

A new state poll suggests that Sen. Barack Obama has doubled his lead over John McCain in Colorado.

Obama Holds Leads in Key Swing States as Election Nears

More great news from another new poll:

With less than a week of campaigning left, Democrat Barack Obama is holding stable or growing leads over Republican John McCain in Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio, according to a new set of TIME/CNN battleground-state polls conducted by Opinion Research Corp.

Obama leads McCain among likely voters by 51% to 47% in Ohio, a 4-point margin that has not budged since last week's TIME's survey. But he now leads McCain by 52% to 45% in Nevada and by 52% to 46% in North Carolina, margins which are both slightly larger than those reported by TIME in its surveys a week earlier.

The new statewide surveys also show Obama leading McCain in Pennsylvania, the key blue state in which McCain is making a last-ditch, major push to score an upset, by a comfortable 12-point margin of 55% to 43%. But Obama still trails his Republican rival in McCain's home state of Arizona by a 7-point margin of 46% to 53%.

-------------------

Obama Holds Leads in Key Swing States as Election Nears

By Michael Duffy / Washington Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1854898,00.html

How to help in Virginia

From my friend Dianne Piche about how to help in Virginia:

Friends,

 

    I could forward you about a dozen emails I have received today alone pleading for volunteers in VA, along w/ dozens of polls and newspaper articles.  But trust me:  Obama needs YOUR help in Virginia between now and Election Day.  No campaign experience is needed, just a willingness to travel to Winchester, or another hot spot and help make phone calls, knock on doors, and drive folks to the polls.  Winchester is only about 90 minutes from DC, a lovely historic town in the heart of Shenandoah Valley's apple and wine country.  The weather this weekend is looking to be perfect, and the campaign office is in the heart of the lovely historically-preserved downtown. We promise a rewarding experience, AND we will put you up in our nearby vacation house in WVa and treat you to good food, wine and hospitality! 

 

    Please RSVP by emailing or calling us ASAP or contacting the Winchester office directly:  JBerry@vaobamaforchange.com

 

   Winchester (& Frederick county) is in a Republican-held congressional district (Frank Wolf), but many more voters turned out for the Democratic over the Republican primary in February.  This part of VA could swing either way this year.  Word is that Winchester itself switched sides between north and south over a dozen times in one day during the Civil War!!

    

    Here's the quick and dirty on why you are needed at this time:

 

    *  The polls are split.  Some show Obama with a comfortable lead, but others show a very close race.

 

    *  Whether Obama can pull it off will depend on turning out every single voter possible on election day including:

        - first-time voters, including many students and young people

        - Black voters, who will vote overwhelmingly Democratic this year

        - Latino voters who will also vote Democratic

        - elderly and disabled voters, who will need help getting to/from the polls

        - undecided and Independent voters who are leaning toward Obama-Biden

 

    * Our opposition has begun their desperate, ugly last-ditch campaign to suppress the student and minority vote, to spread false rumors, and to stir up people's fears and prejudices.  As individuals, we can help counter this by talking to and meeting voters, offering positive witness to Obama's goodness, and helping people exercise their right to vote on election day.

 

    *  Big disparities in voting "resources" (e.g., numbers of working machines, capacity to deal w/ overflow crowds, highly-trained poll workers, etc.) between poor/minority and well-off/white precincts persist across the country.  This week, my colleague Chris Edley, Dean of UC Berkeley Law School and an Obama advisor, warned about a potential "voting rights disaster.":  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102702405_pf.html

 

    * The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in Virginia, but there is no guarantee it will be resolved favorably before Election Day.  As reported in today's WaPost,

    "The lawsuit... claims that the state is violating the U.S. and Virginia constitutions by not allocating enough voting machines, poll workers and polling places, particularly in precincts with high minority populations, and therefore is increasing the chances of long lines and lost votes.  The Advancement Project and the NAACP are asking the state to move voting machines to precincts most likely to have long waiting lines, keep polls open for an extra two hours and use paper ballots in some cases. "

   

 

    Can you join us?  Can you take off Monday and Tuesday?  The campaign has work for you to do whenever you can show up -- whether it's for all or part of the weekend and/or through Election Day, depending on how much time you can give.   Rick and I are leaving Silver Spring Saturday morning (taking separate cars).  We will work for the campaign Saturday afternoon until closing, then again on Sunday beginning around noon until closing.  I will be there on Monday, too.  Rick will head back home to take care of Chris Sunday afternoon/evening but return again Monday evening.  We are both getting up before dawn on Tuesday  to be at our assigned precincts to do "Voter Protection" (the legal effort) from 5 am through closing of polls at 7 pm (or later) on Tuesday evening.   

 

    We have exactly 5 days to turn our country around.  As my new friend, Dan Tomkins (who is working WVa for Barack) noted, "you can sleep when you are dead." 

 

    Thanks for all you can do!

 

Your friends,

 

Dianne & Rick

Dianne Piche and Rick Roe

301-802-0861- DP-cell

301-802-0518-RR cell

 

Rifle maker bounces boss who supports Obama

What a total disgrace!

Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama.

Cooper, founder and part owner of Cooper Firearms, told USA TODAY in a story published Tuesday that he has voted for Republicans for most of his life, but he is backing Obama "probably because of the war. And also because the Republican Party has moved so far right in recent years." Cooper said he was attracted to the Democrat's message about "the retooling of America, which involves the building of middle-class jobs and helping American small business be competitive with those overseas."

Cooper contributed $3,300 to Obama's presidential campaign, according to election records complied by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine.

The USA TODAY article sparked outrage from some gun owners and bloggers, including an open letter on a blog called Firearms and Freedom, urging people to boycott the company's products. Many gun enthusiasts believe Obama will try to restrict their right to bear arms, although he has said he respects the Second Amendment. 

In a portion of the interview that was not included in Tuesday's story, Cooper said, "I don't believe that what's being said about Obama and his policies about guns are accurate. I have had a conversation with the senator … he is a stanch supporter of the right to hunt and the right to bear arms."

Here's what's posted on the company's web site at: http://www.cooperfirearms.com/

In response to the recent article highlighting Dan Cooper’s personal political donations, the board of directors, shareholders and employees of Cooper Firearms of Montana, Inc would like to issue the following statement.

The employees, shareholders and board of directors of Cooper Firearms of Montana do not share the personal political views of Dan Cooper.
Although we all believe everyone has a right to vote and donate as they see fit, it has become apparent that the fallout may affect more than just Mr. Cooper. It may also affect the employees and the shareholders of Cooper Firearms.

The board of directors has asked Mr. Cooper to resign as President of Cooper Firearms of Montana, Inc.
Daily operations will continue with the competent staff currently in place in Stevensville, MT producing the finest, most accurate rifles money can buy.

Dan Cooper has spent all of his working life producing the highest quality rifles built here in the USA. He started with nothing but the American Dream and built that into firearms company anyone would be proud of. We firmly believe Dan stands by the 2nd amendment.
We wish him all of the best in his future pursuits.

-------------------

Rifle maker bounces boss who supports Obama http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-30-gun-ceo-ousted_N.htm

 

By Ken Dilanian, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama.

Moving to Canada if McPain wins

A funny video on the attractiveness of moving to Canada if McPain wins: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid271557392?bctid=1842856410 (2 min)

A friend emailed me earlier today with the argument that tonight's 30-minute Obama ad buy on all of the major networks might work against him -- it might be perceived as self-centered, piling on, presumptous, etc. -- so it was with a bit of trepidation that I watched it.  I shouldn't have worried.  It was brilliant.  Not one word about McCain, Palin or Bush or any negative attacks; instead, Obama took the high road and addressed two critically important questions: 1) Who is Barack Obama?; and 2) What will he do as President?  To the extent that there are any undecided voters left in America, I think any of them who watched this would be very favorably impressed.  A quick WSJ online poll (you can vote at: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/29/how-would-you-grade-obamas-infomercial/) showed the most viewers agreed: 63% of respondents gave it an "A" grade.

 

Below is a very insightful article about why it worked:

Let's be honest: the Obama infomercial was about comforting white Americans - especially middle and working class white Americans. That said, it was arguably necessary and - for what it was - very effective.

Although only time will tell, it appears that the Obama infomercial accomplished exactly what it needed to do: soothing skittish white undecided voters without alienating current supporters.

----------------------

Five Reasons Why the Obama Infomercial was Worth the Cost

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leah-mcelrath-renna/five-reasons-why-the-obam_b_139102.html

Instructions on who to contact to get involved in a number of key swing states

An email below from James Forman with precise instructions on who to contact to get involved in a number of key swing states:

 

Hey everybody.  I'm forwarding this because so many of my "what you can do" emails are focused on the DC area.  This one from huge Obama supporter and fundraiser Spencer Overton has a bunch of suggestions for wherever you are in the country.  Spencer is a good friend and rock solid reliable so any of the contacts he vouches for below are responsible folks who will get back with you fast.

Here's Spencer's bottom line, which I endorse:  Take off Monday and Tuesday, and devote four days to go a battleground state and work on Get-Out-The-Vote efforts (Saturday through Tuesday).   (Spencer also outlines how you can make calls if you cannot travel). 

If you do, you will forever remember where you where and what you did and how much fun you had making history. 

One thing I want to point out is that in most places you can vote in person absentee tomorrow, Friday, and in some states over the weekend and on Monday.  Many of these places (like DC and VA and NY) are "excuse required," which means simply that when you show up you have to tell them that you will be out of town on election day.  You don't need a note form a doctor or your boss, you just tell them you will be out of town, they hand you a ballot and you vote.  For those of you who will be canvassing out of state, you qualify.  Ify and I are doing this tomorrow in DC.  I've been told by folks who have done it in DC and elsewhere that it brings the extra advantage of shorter lines.  So go vote tomorrow so you can work for Obama on election day.

I've been saying for months that this election will be very close.  I still believe that.  So let's do this.

Here's Spencer's email . . .

Six days to go!   THANKS for all of the work many of you have done over the past two years.  I've got one final request. 

 

Take off Monday and Tuesday, and devote four days to go a battleground state and work on Get-Out-The-Vote efforts (Saturday through Tuesday).    

 

Studies show that personal contact of volunteers with undecided voters is the most effective form of campaigning, and our ground game (turnout) is going to be key to victory.  

 

 

HOW TO GO TO A BATTLEGROUND STATE

 

Email the following people with your name, phone, email, dates you will work (they want at least Sat.-Tuesday (Nov. 1-4) final trainings may be Saturday morn), whether you are a lawyer who could also do voter protection on Election Day (they provide training), whether you will have a car, whether you need housing (the campaign asks volunteers to cover their travel, and will try to connect you with local supporters for housing), whether you also signed up on one of the links below (if included for that state, and tell them that I referred you.

 

With the exception of FL, I know everyone on the list below, and they should get right back to you.

 

Virginia (Prince William/Loudoun County—you can commute from DC):  Kyle Watkins and Joanna Martin, kwatkins@barackobama.com, jmartin@barackobama.com

 

Philadelphia:  Shomik Dutta,  sdutta@barackobama.com

 

Ohio:  Send an email to: David Burd dburd@barackobama.com, and sign up on this link

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ohvolunteerlaw  (voter protection)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ohcometoohio  (GOTV)

 

New Mexico:  Dan Suvor, dsuvor@nmforchange.com

 

Florida: Sign up at this link http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/CometoFL or contact Grace Northern gnorthern@barackobama.com

 

Nevada:  Sign up here:  http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/nvdfc

 

 

ABSENTEE VOTING, PHONE CALLS, AND MORE

 

If you'll be away in a battleground state, you may want to go to a government office today or tomorrow and cast and absentee ballot.  Get more info on your state's rules here (scroll down below the chart): http://earlyvoting.net/states/abslaws.php

 

If you can't travel, please make phone calls here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/makecalls

 

If you are absolutely tied up and can't travel to a battleground state or call, please contribute here:

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/OVFMidAtlantic?custom1=*Spencer+Overton

 

 

I hope to see you all out in the field.  If you need more inspiration, take a look at this video of Barack's closing argument here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/barackobamadotcom?ob=4

 

While I think I added value to the campaign and persuaded my share of caucusgoers by canvassing in Iowa, I got so much more out of the experience than the campaign did--I'm so glad I was a small part of Iowa, and I had the experience of a lifetime in Iowa.  Please come and be a part of ushering in change on Nov. 4 by volunteering in a battleground state—you will have an experience of a lifetime. 

Spencer

A beautiful voting story

Here's James with a beautiful voting story:

Hello All:

I just wanted to share an experience I had casting my absentee ballot in this year's election.  The entire process was almost three hours long and the most striking thing about the experience was how patient and how determined the elderly, the infirm and the disabled were to wait.  It was cold and it started raining.  I admit that I wasn't prepared for the elements but I too was determined not to wait and to cast my ballot.

After I had voted I noticed a woman being assisted by two people as she struggled to get her footing to walk over to the place designated for her to vote.  I was moved to tears as I realize how profound this experience is for many.  My grandmother, we called her "momo," lived in rural south Louisiana along the river road outside of New Orleans.  She used to tell us stories about how she could not vote.  Every election she would walk miles to the polling place just to be turned back with the same old prohibitions used against African Americans of her generation.  Once she was able to vote, my grandmother never missed the opportunity.  I thought about her as I watched those in their 80's and older "wait."

On November 4, 2008 please WAIT.  WAIT patiently.  Wait with pride.  Wait in spite of those who have attitudes about the weather, the line, the process.  Wait in spite of those who will try to turn you around for some reason they didn't use the last time you voted.  Wait no matter the challenge.

Bring your comfort food.  Bring your warm clothes (layers of them).  Bring your ipods, laptops, files, Bibles, books, radios and headphones.  Bring whatever will make your wait better.  But most importantly, bring your determination to not be turned back.  Bring your determination that "not this time."  Bring your most pleasant smile, and your most determined spirit to "wait" and to VOTE.

Please tell everyone you can.  The lines will be long and not everyone has your sense or sensibilities.  Be a light at your polling place, and be determined not to turn around.  VOTE.

Blessings all

P.S. -- If you can, take the day off.  It will be worth it.

An awesome rant on how important it is that McCain and Palin be defeated IN A LANDSLIDE:

The one thing that's working nicely for Sarah Palin and John McCain right now is the really evil and divisive stuff.

And we simply can't allow Sarah Palin's fear-mongering -- her Neo-McCarthyism and her Neo-Southern Strategy -- to ultimately be the one successful thing about this otherwise laughable McCain campaign. We can't let this be the one thing that might win the election for the Republican ticket.

It's not so much that I'm looking forward to the end of Palin shrieking about Democrats who "pal around with terrorists," or her ham-fisted declarations about which parts of America are more patriotic. It's not so much that I'm looking forward to the end of the red scare hysteria she's whipping up when she tells her Audience the Stupid that somehow a vote for the Democratic ticket is a vote for communism. More than Palin herself, I'm looking forward to the end of an era in which the aforementioned gomers -- these relatively small pockets of bigots and witch hunters -- have enjoyed undeserved and disproportionate sway over American politics and policy.

The truth is that politicians like Sarah Palin are only manipulating, exploiting and inciting these people. In other words, it's the ignorance, stupid. And next Tuesday, we have a chance to seriously marginalize this darker, uglier side of America.

I'd be lying, though, if I suggested that Tuesday will be the end. To be sure, if Senator Obama wins, we'll be hearing from these knee-jerk wackaloons quite a bit. Hell, Sarah Palin might try to run for president in four years. Nevertheless, we have a chance to tell the Sarah Palin's of the world that there's no room in American politics for fire-eaters who stoke archaic prejudices and fears rather than ameliorating them. We have a chance to tell them that not only it doesn't it work anymore, but that it actually exacerbates electoral failure.

So irrespective of what the polls look like, we have no choice but to show up en masse and unequivocally reject Republicans like Sarah Palin -- hurling them onto the slagheap of history next to Orange Alerts, HUAC and the Willie Horton ad. Imagine what an undisputed electoral victory would say to Republican strategists like Bill Kristol who suggested to John McCain that the easiest path to victory was the politics of fear. Imagine the eardrum-bursting shockwaves a massive Obama victory would send through the heads of the McCain operatives who fed the "domestic terrorist" attacks into Sarah Palin's empty dome.

----------------------

The Mandatory Rejection of Sarah Palin

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/the-mandatory-rejection-o_b_139062.html

One week from today, we'll have a newly minted president-elect and, as I wrote in the preface of my new book, the last days of this dark ride will, at long last, be at hand.

It goes without saying that this historic threshold will be especially awesome if we happen to be celebrating a President-elect Obama. Of course I hasten to add the "Remember New Hampshire" caveat here. Knowing what we know about the Rove/Schmidt/Drudge/FOX News Republicans, the odds of a President-elect McCain remain too strong for comfort. They're definitely up to something with their hyping of a tight-race narrative. I just haven't figured it out yet. Whenever I read a Drudge headline, I give the headline one of those incredulous Larry David looks -- studying it carefully for an underlying scam.

Nevertheless, after eight dark years, next week officially commences the Final Days of Bush.

But what's almost as thrilling is the prospect of Sarah Palin finally going away. Next Wednesday at this time, it's entirely possible that we'll see the last of Sarah Palin on the national stage. At least for now.

Sure, she's been awesome in terms of providng a bottomless cup of blogging material and, more importantly, she's a huge drag on the McCain campaign. And this week, with all of the McCain campaign insiders dishing out leak after hilarious leak about Palin, the slow-motion McTrain-wreck has been especially entertaining. But ultimately, the schadenfreude and the hilariously inexplicable interviews are merely distractions from the truly awful things that Sarah Palin represents.

More amazing polling data -- look at the charts from four years ago today vs. right now:

If you detect a certain giddiness here at Electoral Math Central, it is due to the fact that the election is actually drawing nigh, after a seemingly eternal campaign season. It's been a long, long road to where we find ourselves, and we're all feeling the strain. But fear not! Election Day is just around the corner, and just about everything seems to be breaking Obama's way.

"What's that?" you say, "the national polls are close -- I know this because the media told me so!" Well, all I can say is that's what you get for hanging around such disreputable characters in the first place.

(Ahem.)

Seriously, though, I remind everyone once again that we don't elect our president that way. If we did, we'd be at the end of Al Gore's second term right now.

Need further reassurance? Take a look at where Kerry was on this day in 2004. Go ahead, take a look. Then take a deep breath, and take a look at where we are today. Feel better now?

---------------------------------------------

Electoral Math -- Obama Has Closed The Deal

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/electoral-math----obama-h_b_139061.html

McCain Miami Rally, Getting Ugly Down Here

To get a sense of the kind of ugliness McCain and Palin (my friend has taken to calling them McPain -- LOL!) are fomenting, check out this story:

John McCain just concluded his "Joe the Plumber" rally at Everglades Lumber.

After the rally, we witnessed a near-street riot involving the exiting McCain crowd and two Cuban-American Obama supporters. Tony Garcia, 63, and Raul Sorando, 31, were suddenly surrounded by an angry mob. There is a moment in a crowd when something goes from mere yelling to a feeling of danger, and that's what we witnessed. As photographers and police raced to the scene, the crowd elevated from stable to fast-moving scrum, and the two men were surrounded on all sides as we raced to the circle.

The event maybe lasted a minute, two at the most, before police competently managed to hustle the two away from the scene and out of the danger zone. Only FiveThirtyEight tracked the two men down for comment, a quarter mile down the street.

"People were screaming 'Terrorist!' 'Communist!' 'Socialist!'" Sorando said when we caught up with him. "I had a guy tell me he was gonna kill me."

Asked what had precipitated the event, "We were just chanting 'Obama!' and holding our signs. That was it. And the crowd suddenly got crazy."

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McCain Miami Rally, Getting Ugly Down Here

Look in later today for our On the Road piece from Wilmington, North Carolina. We're a bit ahead of our coverage, which occasionally happens out here with the long distances, input, output and timing demands. Tonight we'll be at the Obama-Clinton rally in Kissimmee, Florida, and we're breaking in from Miami, where John McCain just concluded his "Joe the Plumber" rally at Everglades Lumber.

Obama Ad Questions Palin as McCain Running Mate

Another great Obama ad: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/10/29/obama-ad-questions-palin-as-mccain-running-mate

Obama Ad Questions Palin as McCain Running Mate

Barack Obama’s latest campaign ad questions the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate.

The ad, “His Choice,” features soft music playing with an image of McCain on the screen that highlights past comments McCain has made about his own understanding of the U.S. economy.

“The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” reads one quote, cited from a Dec. 2007 Boston Globe story. The ad then notes McCain’s comment from a Republican primary debate last November that he “might have to rely on a vice president I select” as a backstop on economic policy.

The screen then flashes to the words “His Choice?” and then cuts to a slow motion image of Palin giving her signature wink to the camera during the vice presidential debate earlier this month.

The 30-second ad will air in battleground states. It is the first time Obama’s campaign has called into question McCain’s judgment selecting Palin as his vice president in a television ad.

As The Wall Street Journal reports today, Palin will be campaigning in Toledo, Ohio, to give a speech on energy policy.

The McCain-Palin campaign has been dogged in recent days by multiple reports of a growing rift between the staff and the running mates over the campaign’s direction, as well as pointing fingers over who is to blame for recent gaffes including Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe expenses. Unnamed McCain advisers have referred to Palin as a “diva” to CNN and a “whack job” to Politico.

 

Obama's closing argument

Obama's closing argument (speech in Canton, OH): www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom (32 minutes).  Here's a transcript of the speech, with links to CNN's fact checking of it: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/27/fact-check-obamas-closing-argument/.  Here's the brilliant conclusion:

In this election, we cannot afford the same political games and tactics that are being used to pit us against one another and make us afraid of one another. The stakes are too high to divide us by class and region and background; by who we are or what we believe.

Because despite what our opponents may claim, there are no real or fake parts of this country. There is no city or town that is more pro-America than anywhere else – we are one nation, all of us proud, all of us patriots. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.

It won’t be easy, Ohio. It won’t be quick. But you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country. Some of you may be cynical and fed up with politics. A lot of you may be disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history.

I ask you to believe – not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.

I know this change is possible. Because I have seen it over the last twenty-one months. Because in this campaign, I have had the privilege to witness what is best in America.

I’ve seen it in lines of voters that stretched around schools and churches; in the young people who cast their ballot for the first time, and those not so young folks who got involved again after a very long time. I’ve seen it in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see their friends lose their jobs; in the neighbors who take a stranger in when the floodwaters rise; in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb. I’ve seen it in the faces of the men and women I’ve met at countless rallies and town halls across the country, men and women who speak of their struggles but also of their hopes and dreams.

I still remember the email that a woman named Robyn sent me after I met her in Ft. Lauderdale. Sometime after our event, her son nearly went into cardiac arrest, and was diagnosed with a heart condition that could only be treated with a procedure that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Her insurance company refused to pay, and their family just didn’t have that kind of money.

In her email, Robyn wrote, “I ask only this of you – on the days where you feel so tired you can’t think of uttering another word to the people, think of us. When those who oppose you have you down, reach deep and fight back harder.”

Ohio, that’s what hope is – that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting around the bend; that insists there are better days ahead. If we’re willing to work for it. If we’re willing to shed our fears and our doubts. If we’re willing to reach deep down inside ourselves when we’re tired and come back fighting harder.

Hope! That’s what kept some of our parents and grandparents going when times were tough. What led them to say, “Maybe I can’t go to college, but if I save a little bit each week my child can; maybe I can’t have my own business but if I work really hard my child can open one of her own.” It’s what led immigrants from distant lands to come to these shores against great odds and carve a new life for their families in America; what led those who couldn’t vote to march and organize and stand for freedom; that led them to cry out, “It may look dark tonight, but if I hold on to hope, tomorrow will be brighter.”

That’s what this election is about. That is the choice we face right now.

Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does.

In one week, we can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom-up.

In one week, we can choose to invest in health care for our families, and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future.

In one week, we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.

In one week, we can come together as one nation, and one people, and once more choose our better history.

That’s what’s at stake. That’s what we’re fighting for. And if in this last week, you will knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and talk to your neighbors, and convince your friends; if you will stand with me, and fight with me, and give me your vote, then I promise you this – we will not just win Ohio, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.

10 best pro-Obama videos

A collection of the 10 best pro-Obama videos, where you can vote for your favorite: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/taking-back-t-8.html.  Some AWESOME ones I missed!  My favorite of the ones I missed appeals to those who are most worried about threats from Al Qaeda, Iran, North Korea, etc.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaI8n5_nthM

 

Yes We Can (will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, with 10.8 million views on YouTube since it was posted in February) is in the lead, followed closely by Wassup 2008.

Polls show McCain not making up ground in Ohio

The latest polls continue to show that Americans in increasing numbers are emphatically rejecting the McCain/Palin/Republican tired old playbook of attack and divide and foment fear and hatred.  It's beautiful to watch:

Polls show McCain not making up ground in Ohio

Posted: 09:00 PM ET

(CNN) — John McCain does not appear to be making up ground in Ohio, the key battleground state that is crucial to keeping his White House hopes alive.

According to CNN's latest poll of polls of the state, the Arizona senator now trails Obama by 6 points there, 50 percent to 44 percent. That gap is two points wider than it was Monday and double what it was one week ago.

Election Center: Check out recent Ohio polls

No Republican has won the presidency without carrying Ohio, and barring a major upset in another big state, the state's 20 electoral votes are a must win for McCain. The Republican presidential candidate is expected to spend two full days there later this week.

The latest Ohio poll of polls consists of recent surveys from LA Times/Bloomberg (October 25-27), Reuters/Zogby (October 23-26), and CNN/Time/ORC (October 19-21). CNN Poll of Polls do not have a margin of error.

Meanwhile, a new poll of polls in Florida shows a similar story. The Arizona senator trails McCain by 4 points there, 49 percent to 45 percent. That gap is 3 points higher than it was earlier today and is largely due to a newly released survey from LA Times/Bloomberg showing McCain down 7 points in the state. The Florida poll of polls also includes surveys from Suffolk University and Reuters/Zogby.

 

Bob Herbert highlights how McCain, rather than seeing a new type of politics Americans were yearning for, instead:

handed the reins of his campaign to Rove’s worshipful acolytes. With the nation in a high state of anxiety over the conflagration in the credit and financial markets, Senator McCain traveled the country ranting Rovelike about Bill Ayers, trying to instill a bogus belief that the onetime ’60s radical and Senator Obama were good buddies and perhaps involved in some nefarious doings together. Senator Obama was about 8 years old when Mr. Ayers was engaged in his nefarious doings.

It was the classic fear card that the Republicans have played to such brilliant effect for years. But times have changed. (Lately Senator McCain has been obsessively invoking the name of “Joe the Plumber” at his campaign appearances, as if that might be the phrase that finally sways the electorate in a way that the Bill Ayers mantra did not.)...

John McCain could have traveled a higher road. He chose not to. He bet instead on one last gasping triumph of the politics of the past.

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October 28, 2008

Op-Ed Columnist

A Choice and an Echo

By BOB HERBERT

www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/opinion/28herbert.html

It seems to have taken forever (the seasons have changed, and changed and changed again), but this long presidential campaign is finally coming to an end. In January, with snow blanketing the trail in Iowa and New Hampshire, I wrote of the Barack Obama phenomenon: “Shake hands with tomorrow. It’s here.”

I didn’t mean that Senator Obama would win the election. He still seemed like a long shot to me. But it was clear that the message, style and strategy of his campaign pointed to a new direction for American politics, and that a new generation of voters — younger, smarter, more diverse, more open-minded — was anxious to follow his lead.deserve to.

Campaign on Empty

Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post with similar observations:

Probably, John McCain and Sarah Palin will lose this election. Certainly, they deserve to.

With a campaign designed more to play on insecurities than to promote ideas, McCain and Palin have practically framed Barack Obama's "closing argument" for him. "The question in this election is not 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' " Obama told an audience yesterday in Canton, Ohio. "We know the answer to that. The real question is, 'Will this country be better off four years from now?' " The Republicans don't even try to formulate an answer, and with Obama's lead growing by the day, it's hard to imagine what might turn things around.

An "October surprise" international incident might end up working against McCain rather than for him, given his all-over-the-map reaction to the financial crisis. The vaunted Republican get-out-the-vote machine looks almost puny beside Obama's next-generation juggernaut.

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Campaign on Empty

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, October 28, 2008; A17

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102702408_pf.html

Probably, John McCain and Sarah Palin will lose this election. Certainly, they deserve to.

If McCain and Palin win, Women Lose

A video from Feminists for Obama: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFrEzQAOvM (42 seconds)

John McCain voted against funding to fight and prevent domestic violence.

John McCain opposed funding for Breast Cancer research.

McCain and Palin are running on a platform that seeks outlaw abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

The evidence is clear, a McCain and Palin win hurts women.
http://www.FeministsForObama.org 

Below are some additional points and links to videos:

Eleanor Smeal, President of Feminist Majority, says, “Obama/Biden are running on the strongest platform for women’s rights of any major party in U.S. history”. 

That’s why Feminist Majority launched www.FeministsForObama.org, a side-by-side comparison of the Democratic and Republican nominees on four major women’s issues: Violence Against Women, Abortion and Contraception, Women and Work, and Breast Cancer and Health Care. 

To reach as many people as possible, Feminist Majority created three striking PSAs that illuminate some of the grave truths about the McCain/Palin record on women’s issues. 

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FEMINISTS FOR OBAMA
Feminist Majority Launches Online PSAs Targeting McCain


If McCain and Palin win, Women Lose. 

Eleanor Smeal, President of Feminist Majority, says, “Obama/Biden are running on the strongest platform for women’s rights of any major party in U.S. history”. 

That’s why Feminist Majority launched www.FeministsForObama.org, a side-by-side comparison of the Democratic and Republican nominees on four major women’s issues: Violence Against Women, Abortion and Contraception, Women and Work, and Breast Cancer and Health Care. 

To reach as many people as possible, Feminist Majority created three striking PSAs that illuminate some of the grave truths about the McCain/Palin record on women’s issues. 

One in Six
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fChyeoMJc3U
“John McCain voted against funding to fight violence against women.”

Unholy Trinity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFrEzQAOvM
“McCain voted against a program funding breast cancer research.”

Violation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w7ZZ5huKMk
“John McCain and Sarah Palin are running on a platform that seeks to outlaw a woman's right to an abortion even in cases of rape and incest.”


McCain on Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  You deserve to know where the candidates stand: http://www.feministsforobama.org/Issues_breastcancer.htm

McCain voted against funding breast cancer research if it meant taking away from military funds.  Breast cancer affects all women, even the 370,000 women currently serving in the US Armed Forces.  Since breast cancer attacks 1 in 8 women, that means 46,250 members of the US military will deal with breast cancer.  And John McCain voted NO.  It is not a niche issue, it’s America’s issue. 

He voted against a bill that changed the course of breast cancer research. 

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFrEzQAOvM


McCain on Violence Against Women

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  You deserve to know where the candidates stand: http://www.feministsforobama.org/Issues_domesticviolence.htm

Senators Obama and Biden have sponsored and supported legislation, including funding, to reduce violence against women and to assist women survivors of domestic abuse.  Biden authored the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Obama cosponsored the reauthorization of VAWA and authored legislation on violence against women as an Illinois State Senator.

Not only did McCain vote NO on VAWA, but he also failed to co-sponsor VAWA reauthorization although many Republican and Conservative Senators did.

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFrEzQAOvM


Quick Facts

Did you know Senator McCain voted against establishing the Army's Breast Cancer Research Program? This program, which started modestly, appropriated hundreds of millions to Breast Cancer research.

Did you know Senator McCain opposes the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?  The Act failed to pass in 2008 because of a Republican filibuster and would have restored a woman’s right to fight pay discrimination in federal court. 

Did you know Senator McCain has ducked questions on contraceptive insurance discrimination as recently as July 2008?

Visit www.FeministsForObama.org to read more.

Every day that passes, Palin become a bigger and bigger joke.  McCain's only hope of winning is to throw her off the ticket -- but fortunately he won't do so...

Palin: Stevens Should Quit... After the Election

posted by John Nichols on 10/28/2008 @ 5:52pm

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/377455/palin_stevens_should_quit_after_the_election

After struggling for the better part of 24 hours with the question of how to respond to the conviction of her long-time political ally on corruption charges, supposed reformer Sarah Palin finally concluded that she should put a little bit of distance between herself from Ted Stevens.

But she still refuses to suggest to the voters of Alaska that the state's senior senator ought not be reelected next Tuesday.

The governor of Alaska, who has pitched herself as a battler against governmental wrongdoing since accepting a place with John McCain on the national Republican ticket, initially adopted a wait-and-see approach when a federal jury found Stevens guilty on seven counts of concealing his receipt of illegal gifts.

The notion that Alaska's senior senator had accepted what looked a lot like bribes did not trouble Palin enough to call for the resignation of the man who cut campaign commercials for her 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Nor did she suggest he was unworthy of reelection.

Only after McCain and other top Republicans declared that Stevens should resign did Alaska's governor finally get in touch -- sort of -- with her inner reformer.

"After being found guilty on seven felony counts, I had hoped Senator Stevens would take the opportunity to do the statesman-like thing and erase the cloud that is covering his Senate seat. He has not done so," Palin grudgingly announced a day after the longest-serving Republican senator was found guilty on all the counts brought against him. "Alaskans are grateful for his decades of public service but the time has come for him to step aside. Even if elected on Tuesday, Senator Stevens should step aside to allow a special election to give Alaskans a real choice of who will serve them in Congress."

What Palin did not say is that Alaska can spare itself the expense of a special election by electing Stevens' Democratic challenger, Anchorage Mayor Nick Begich, next Tuesday. Such a declaration would have required some stateswomanship on the governor's part. And that's not a commodity the rabid Republican partisan seems to possess at this point in the election year.