Voting Fraud is a Major Concern for Election Day

New Polls Show Palin is Hurting Republican Ticket

An increasing amount of voters deemed Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin unfit to be Vice President. According to polls conducted by the New York Times, 59 percent of voters said Palin was not ready for the White House. This number increased 9 percentage points from just one month ago. However, three quarters of voters saw her opponent, Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Joe Biden, as qualified.

Voting-Rights Watchdogs Are Wary of Election Day

With record voter registration numbers, voting-rights groups said that this election could be much like the 2000 election. According to the Los Angeles Times, many states are seeing identity discrepancies in voter registration forms. In some states like Colorado, voters have been taken off of the state registry because their information did not match existing records. Rick Hasen, a professor of election law from Loyola Law School, said, “I think we are still going to see a lot of problems, in part because some voters aren’t going to find out until election day that they’ve been dropped from the rolls (Los Angeles Times).”

The Washington Post focused on the situation in the battleground state of Ohio, where elections have not run smoothly in the past. Republicans criticized Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for not fighting voting fraud. In fact, a case between Brunner and the Republican Party, over 200,000 mismatched registration forms, went to the U.S. Supreme Court recently. The court ruled against the Republicans. However, Brunner called for more voting machines to be distributed across Ohio as well as extra ballots, in hopes that all eligible voters will be able to vote on November 4th.

Photo Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

In the Final Stages...

Voters go to the Polls Early

The New York Times reported that record numbers of voters are turning out early to vote in the presidential election. A quarter of all registered voters cast their ballots before November 4th. In 2004, 22 percent of registered voters voted early, but this number is expected to climb to 30 to 35 percent in this election, according to the New York Times. This method also attracted more democrats that republicans.

Obama’s Airs 30-Minute Campaign Ad

Sen. Barack Obama aired a 30-minute campaign commercial on Wednesday according to the Los Angeles Times. The commercial aired on seven network and cable stations and cost the Obama campaign $3 million. Overall, Obama tried to remain very positive and did not mention his opponent, John McCain or his running mate, Sarah Palin. Obama has aired twice as many advertisements as McCain, mostly due to enormous amount of money Barack Obama managed to raise. The advertisement ended with a 2-minute clip of live footage of Obama with 20,000 supporters in South Florida.
In addition to the 30-miunte long campaign commercial, Obama ran an advertisement directly attacking Sarah Palin and her ability to lead the nation, according to the Washington Post. An Obama aide said that they want voters to ask “whether they’re comfortable with Sarah Palin in that role (Washington Post).”

Photo Credit: Obama Campaign/Associated Press

Candidates Can All Agree On One Thing...

Both Candidates Call for Stevens to Resign

Today the Los Angeles Times reported, Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain called for Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens to resign Tuesday, after Stevens was convicted Monday of concealing improper gifts. In the past, McCain and Stevens disagreed on issues like Stevens’ pork-barrel spending in Alaska and oil drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Fellow Alaskan Sarah Palin said that Stevens should do the “statesmanlike thing” and resign from his position in the Senate. Three other Republican senators in tight races across the country called for Stevens to step aside.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama not only called for Stevens to step down but also said the jury’s decision “wasn’t just a verdict on Sen. Stevens – but on the broken politics that has infected Washington for decades.”


Economy Takes Center Stage in Pennsylvania

Both campaigns were in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Sen. Barack Obama greeted supporters in Chester with the promise of a renewed focus on the middle class. In an article by the New York Times, he doubted Sen. John McCain’s economic credibility when he said, “John McCain has ridden shotgun as George Bush has driven our economy toward a cliff, and now he wants to take the wheel and step on the gas.”
Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin were together in Hershey, as McCain attacked Sen. Barack Obama’s tax plan to tax families who make over $250,000 annually. According to the Washington Post, McCain even called Obama the “Redistributionist in Chief” because of Obama’s comments to Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher that led Republicans to accuse Obama of being a socialist.
According to the Washington Post, McCain has had to shift his campaign from a focus on foreign policy to the economy as a result of the global economic meltdown. His original intention was to lead a campaign focused on national security. He told reporters for the Washington Post in January, “Even if the economy is the, quote, number one issue, the real issue will remain America’s security.” McCain’s campaign has shifted to talking about taxes in the closing days of the election, a strategy that even Obama strategists think may have an effect on undecided voters.

Photo credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times

And The Race Continues...

Keith Bedford / Bloomberg News

If He Wins, Can He Survive?

Investigators were able to stop a white supremacist group from an "improbable plan to assassinate Senator Barack Obama and kill 102 African Americans," an act fueled by the racist ideology (The Washington Post). The two men involved in the plot had met online upon similar interests, and began formulating their scheme. The scheme read as follows:

"Using a .308-caliber rifle and a high-powered weapon they planned to steal from a gun store, the men plotted to 'drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows,' the affidavit said. 'Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt (The Washington Post).'"

This halted assassination plan brings fear and unrest among voters who want a strong President- a public figure who can bring about change and hope. But the questions remains- is there hope for his own life?

Continuing with the campaign both presidential candidates, especially Barack Obama, have stated to move away from ideological norms of their past campaigning as the final week comes to a close, but continue to do so as Senator Barack Obama targets the McCain- Bush philosophy, and Senator John McCain charges on with Obama's "spread the wealth" talk (NY Times).

Also in the news, Obama and McCain have spent crucial time in the swing state of Ohio, pitching their last minute speeches in hopes of securing firm voters. Both rallies consisted of the usual attacks on the other, but much of the time was spent promising a better economy for the future (LA Times).

Fight

Fight

Fight!


As the election drives into its final week of campaining both presidential candidates, John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D) are heading to the crucial states that guaranteed George Bush's win eight years ago. Barack Obama and his team have planned a "summing up speech for his campaign (NY Times)" and a push to take advantage of early voting, all geared towards sealing the vote from his supporters.

"Mr. Obama's aides said, attacks on Mr. McCain will be joined by an emphasis on broader and less partisan themes, like the need to unify the country after a difficult election (NY Times)."

McCain on the other hand plans to stick with the messages he's used throughout his campaigning- "Mr. Obama is an advocate of big government and raising taxes (NY Times)."

Overall, Barack Obama feels pretty solid with his pending win on Nov. 4 by using the final days of campaigning as a tool to solidify his message for change, while McCain stays strong by defining his own personal message- "I fought for you most of my life where defeat meant more than returning to the Senate (LA Times)."

Opinion: I much preffered the NY Times article on this story because it was able to give both sides of the final campaigning plans. The LA Times mainly focused on McCain's definate loss, and his dire need to practically beg for support and votes. Can we say another cheer for the Obama Times?

And the economy goes to...... OBAMA!

The Washington Post reported today that Obama's increased support is due to the primal issue on every citizen's agenda today- the economy. The paper's news tracking poll stated that Obama had an 11 point lead over his competitor, but a slim one at that. With all the polls showing close margins, we better get our "O" faces ready for election day...

Top photo: Amy Sancetta/ Associated Press

McCain and Obama: The never ending campaign

Damon Winter/ NY Times: Senator Barack Obama campaigning in Reno on Saturday

Senator John McCain and his wife at a rally Saturday morning in Albuquergue

McCain and Obama Head West

With the campaign in its final ten days, the LA Times and New York Times reported that both warring candidates fled to the key western states of New Mexico and Nevada to garner the crucial support of the undecided voters. Of course, the LA Times, or should I say the "Obama Times," was quick to state that McCain had fewer than 1,000 voters at the State Fair Grounds in Albuquerque, while Obama spoke to more than 11, 000 supporters at the University of Nevada. The rallies consisted of Obama's usual comparison of McCain's apparent twin- President Bush and McCain's attempt to gain an emotional and neighboring connection with his supporters.

"John McCain is so opposed to George Bush's policies that he voted with him 90% of the time for the first eight years. That's right, he decided to really stick it to George Bush--- 10% of the time (LA Times)."

"'My friends, Sen. Obama has never been south of our border,' McCain said. 'he doesn't know these issues. I know them... I'm proud to be a senator from the West (LA Times).'"

Obama Gains Lead Over McCain

Both the LA Times and Washington Post reported Obama in the lead Saturday. "In the Washington Post- ABC News daily tracking poll on Saturday, Obama has an overall lead of 53 percent to 44 percent among likely voters." With absentee ballots piling in before Nov. 4, the LA Times reported that election officials were able to report a high proportion of Democrats and African Americans voting early, indicating Obama's possible lead in the key battle ground states (of which these votes have shown a high proportion for).

Economic Strife Drives Latino Vote

With the economy at a steady downfall, the LA Times have reported that many Latinos having been looking to Obama's plan for help. So many immigrants and their families are currently struggling to pay mortgage, are losing their homes, or finding themselves without work leaving them to fear McCain's Bush resembling plans.

"' I'm for Obama,' Gustavo Mora, 64, told a Republican campaign worker on his doorstep last week. 'I'm losing my house. That one next door is gone. Across the street, Chinese people bought that house... The economy is so bad, and I'm afraid [John] McCain has the same ideas as President Bush, since he's a Republican too.'"

Obama Steps Away From the Campaign Trail

With only days left, Obama is taking time off the campaign trail

With just over a week left before the elections, Sen. Obama should be blazing the campaign trail, but as hard as it may be to believe, some things are more important. The New York Times followed the democratic presidential nominee as he spent one of the last days leading up to the election in Honolulu, visiting his dying grandmother, Madelyn Dunham. Dunham, turning 86 this sunday, as has been spotlighted in the media more than once leading up to today, was and is, a major part of Obama's life. Raised by her as a child, the Senator has been keeping close tabs on her progress, checking up with doctors daily and doing his best to keep in touch. Released from the hospital last week after hip surgery, doctors expressed their medical opinion to Obama, letting him know that it may not be best to wait until after the elections to make what may be his last visit to Dunham. Whether or not it was the best idea at this point in the race for the whitehouse, Obama didn't care, the trip was nonnegotiable. “One of the things I wanted to make sure of is that I had a chance to sit down with her and talk to her,” Mr. Obama said Friday on the ABC News television program “Good Morning America.” Something, sadly, Obama did not have the chance to do before his mothers death in 1995 and did not want to make the same mistake again.

McCain Visits Colorado

Visiting Denver today, Sen. McCain did his best to woo voters in the battleground state that currently has his opponent Obama at the top of the polls. The Senator from Arizona made it a point to express that only a republican in the White House can serve as a check on Democrats in Congress. The LA Times quoted McCain as saying, "The answer to a slowing economy is not higher taxes, but that is exactly what is going to happen when the Democrats have total control of Washington."

Opinion

The news following the campaign trail seemed a bit thin today and other than Obama's visit to Hawaii, nothing made it across the spectrum of papers. I would think, so close to the election day, that the papers would be covering the campaigns more than ever. At the same time, it seems that, at this point in both campaigns, it is a bunch more of the same. The only thing that did standout, was Obama's break from campaigning. Otherwise, it was McCain still behind in the polls and struggling to get "back in it," and more talk about taxes. The papers worked with what they had and the coverage shows that. The Washington Post really didn't have much more to offer.

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