Instability STUPID, plus Palin trepidations, Electoral Map's moving and the local scene

GOOD MORNING....COLORADO!
We are now not a toss up state, gosh I was feeling like a salad for a long time living in virtual political Gettysburg or is it Stalingrad---as in 199 days. The bottom line for this state is that it is now a Obama leaning state even though it currently has more Republican registered voters than Democratic---that said it also has more Independents and they are falling for Obama.

INSTABILITY STUPID?
Today as the analysts begin to make hay or use gray matter over the last 14 days from, now infamous quote of "THE ECONOMY IS SOLID" to today's $700B of the rich and hidden the consensus is that the UNDECIDED's among the electorate are falling towards Obama because of instability as in how unstable the Republican ticket is emotionally and intellectually. I love metaphors or analogies so a good one is how opponents reacted when they were on the verge of being routed by a Bob Knight Indiana University Basketball Team. Bob's teams would expose an opponent's weakness in this case McCain's campaign is all story and no substance. Story meaning that all they have are personal (and mostly fictional) storylines of their candidates, personalities like those publicist stories of former movie stars. When confronted with reality the glare of reality exposes their shallow and even incompetent view of actual governing.

Here is Josh Marshall's take:

I've seen several articles over the weekend arguing that Barack Obama's recent move up in the polls is due to the renewed attention on the economy, particularly the financial crisis which has taken on a renewed urgency over the last ten days. I don't doubt this is true to a substantial degree. But looking at the arc of the tracking polls, particularly the second half of last week, I'm wondering if a big part of the gap isn't due to McCain's increasingly erratic and craven behavior -- the now almost legendary campaign 'suspension' non-suspension being the best example.

--Josh Marshall

PALIN TREPIDATIONS

THIS JUST BREAKING

Buried near the end of today's column from Howard Kurtz, where he is discussing Sarah Palin's horrendous interview with Katie Couric, was this interesting tidbit:

And the worst may be yet to come for Palin; sources say CBS has two more responses on tape that will likely prove embarrassing.

Given the outrageously uneducated and uninformed sophomoric answers she gave on her state's proximity to Russia, given her foreign policy experience, or what she said about the soon to be $700B bailout on Wall Street, could there really be something else? How much worse? And then the other natural question this leads to is: WTF is CBS waiting for? Why haven't they aired the entire tape? Regardless they will have to now!

This campaign's narrative came through this morning where on Joe Scarborough they commented on George Stephanopoulos's questioning of McCain on Sunday's THIS WEEK; when they talked about how McCain failed to look Obama in the eye at all during the debate. They said it is more than odd and David Gregory stated that it was possibly the McCain camp attempting tap down McCain's problem with temper. McCain said he was looking at the moderator and writing and wouldn't acknowledge an obvious body language faux pas. This one has legs.

The Palin situation continues to brew like a low boil soup pot on the back burner. She is absolutely not qualified for a national politician, but that is who they chose so they are doing everything possible to block and tackle for her. Today on FOX with Friends McCain talking head Nancy Pfotenhauer, (a former Koch Industries Right Wing spokesperson---a true National Socialist family in America), warned Gwen Iffill:

The McCain camp is saying that veep debate moderator Gwen Ifill "will have to answer for herself if she asks too many foreign policy questions Thursday night".

ANSWER TO WHOM?

The most ironic moment of the weekend was McCain having to explain that Palin was incorrect in agreeing with Obama over Pakistan and Al Qaeda policy. McCain was then mad that reporters were recording comments she was making to people on the street about policy matters. Come on John----what are you really mad at---another ding to your lies or that Palin is so guarded she is like the Romanoff Family?

Of course Palin is so juicy that Saturday Night Live just can't contain itself as they opened with another skit of Palin. Can you guess what they will do after what is being anticipated as a SNL skit for real this coming Thursday Night? Ironically CNN's Reliable Sources couldn't resist either yesterday morning when they discussed how SNL's portrayals were fair and becoming embedded into the cultural veins.

The thing is now she is being hunkered down in McCain's Arizona ranch and it is being characterized as Debate Camp. Is it kind of like how parents sent their kids to summer camp to get rid of them for part of the summer or are they sequesting her like a Romanoff?

(CNN)– Gov. Sarah Palin will now spend two and a half days near Sedona, Arizona, to prepare for Thursday's debate, instead of prepping in St Louis, as originally planned.

Sarah Palin will be at John McCain's rustic creek side home outside Sedona for what a top aide calls "debate camp."

The aide, who's part of the team prepping Palin, tells CNN they decided to take her to debate camp there because it is an "invigorating and enjoyable place to prepare for Thursday."

"SP [Sarah Palin] loves it and has her kids and Todd coming," wrote the aide in an email.

The aide said "John McCain himself came up with the idea after thinking it would be great before his next debate.

Pailin has already been hunkered down for four days in a Philadelphia hotel for debate prep with advisers.

She will take a short break Monday to attend a rally with McCain in Ohio, before heading to Arizona.

MOVING ELECTORAL MAPS
The results are that the Electoral Maps are moving in Obama's way not unlike how he grinded out a victory in the nominating process. Volunteering with the campaign my colleague and I have commented that going back to last year the campaign has always done things correctly. The biggest thing was staying focused on what actually wins nominations and elections----delegates. Currently the maps are moving in directions as the we get withing 5 weeks of the final voting day. This is what the state polls add up as the math (or map) picture emerges:

Chuck Todd and MSNBC's political team crunched the polls illustrating how the electoral map is now in favor of Obama, with a couple of real surprises:

Four new states have been added to our Toss-up category, 3 (2004) Red states & 1 Blue state. This gives Obama a 212-174 edge, after his more narrow 233-227 lead last week.

• Florida
• Indiana
  
• North Carolina
• Virginia
  
• Nevada
• Colorado
  
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin

What is interesting is that New Hampshire is now becoming a strong Obama lean along with Michigan and Minnesota joining New Mexico and Iowa. McCain cannot win without Michigan, North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia even with Florida and Ohio. The grind is on and as Joe Scarborough the former Republican Congressman from Florida said today, this appears to be looking like a defeat.

Real Clear Politics has it where Colorado is now a definite leaner for Obama along with Washington State, Michigan, New Mexico and New Jersey. That said here are the combination polls from the toss up states:

Virginia (Obama 1.8, most recent Obama +5)

Pennsylvania (Obama 4.4, most recent Obama +4, this one is close to moving to leaning)

New Hampshire (Obama 1.3, spread most recent Obama +4, see above leaning)

Michigan (Obama +3.8, spread most recent Obama +6)

North Carolina (Obama +0.3, most recent Obama +2)

Colorado (Obama +5.4, most recent Obama +4)

States where McCain is losing ground but still lead:

• Indiana (McCain +2.3, most recent McCain +2)
• Florida (McCain +1.6, most recent McCain +1)
• Ohio (McCain +1.2, most recent McCain +1)
• Nevada (McCain 1.7, most recent McCain +1)
• Missouri (McCain 3.2, most recent McCain +1)
  

LOCALLY SPEAKING....don't vote in El Paso Electronic Machines!

Locally the issue is voter fraud. A stunning article in this week's Independent should send shivers down the spine of any citizen.

Like the electronic voting machines he programs for El Paso County, John Gardner gives the impression of dependability. Clean-cut with a receding hairline, he sounds confident and authoritative answering questions through most of a 40-minute interview with the Independent.

"Whatever's in my personnel file," he says.

The portion of Gardner's personnel file released to the Independent does not give that information. What it does show, however, is that when Gardner applied for the job of information systems manager in June, he wrote on his application that he had studied architecture for four years at Montana State University without getting a degree.

That differs from what he wrote on his application in 2001, when he was hired for his first stint as information systems manager for the clerk and recorder's office. On that application, he claimed a bachelor's degree in architecture from Montana State after six years of study, though he didn't give a graduation date.

It also differs from application materials he submitted to the Colorado secretary of state's office in 2005, when he applied for the voting-machine testing job that ended up taking him away from the county. In those, his résumé said he graduated in 1992, and his official state application — which carries a warning that giving false information is a criminal offense — gave the date as 1993.

At the secretary of state's office, Gardner quickly became head of the program for testing voting machines. His performance drew heavy criticism from voting activists, and he wound up playing a central role in a 2006 lawsuit about flaws with the testing system.

At that point, Gardner said in sworn testimony that he graduated in 1994.

Gardner didn't budge this week from claiming he has a degree, insisting he made a mistake on his 2008 application. But he can't explain how that could have happened.

"That could be just an error," he says.

A conversation with Bonnie Ashley, associate registrar at Montana State University, suggests otherwise. She confirms Gardner was a student there in the early 1990s, but after searching multiple databases, says, "I did not find a record of any degree awarded to Mr. Gardner."...

...

But credibility certainly is required. In the second-most populous county in a swing state, in a presidential election year, Gardner is the lead tech guy responsible for making sure voting machines work correctly.

After learning of the discrepancies Wednesday morning, Dennis Hisey, chair of the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, says he wants to learn more.

"If in fact he does not have a degree," Hisey says, "that's a problem."

Gardner hesitates only briefly when told about the registrar's comment.

"Uh, I don't know without talking to them," he says.

Bob Balink, El Paso County clerk and recorder, insisted that Terry Sholdt, the chief deputy clerk, attend Gardner's Independent interview Monday afternoon. Sholdt says little during most of the interview, but does note that she's unaware of discrepancies between Gardner's two county applications.

When questions related to Gardner's inconsistencies on official documents — and what seems at least a possible case of perjury — come up, Sholdt refers questions to Balink.

...

Around 5:30 Monday night, Balink's office sends out a press release related to election fraud. Within the next couple hours, he responds to Independent inquiries only via quick notes from his Blackberry.

"I haven't had a chance to meet with Terry or discuss the mtg you had with them as that isn't a priority," he writes just before 7, adding, "we're gearing up for an election — we're still working tonight — this election is our focus right now."

By Tuesday morning, Balink is featured in a KKTV News Channel 11 report as blaming "radical liberal groups" for submitting fraudulent registrations during the voter registration drives they hold every presidential election year.

While giving interviews Tuesday to other media outlets, and responding to at least one citizen frustrated by his KKTV interview (Balink replies by saying his "liberal" comment was quoting from a book), Balink delays an interview with the Independent about possible fraud in application materials submitted by his information systems manager.

He responds late Tuesday night to e-mailed questions from the Independent, answering a list of concerns about Gardner's degree status with a simple comment: "WE DO NOT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF ANY FACTS OF A VILATION [sic] OF LAW OR POLICY, EITHER COUNTY OR STATE THAT WOULD REQUIRE SEPARATIN [sic] OF EMPLOYMENT FROM EL PASO COUNTY."

Gardner and Balink started working together in early 2003, after Balink was elected clerk and recorder the previous November. The diehard Republican has been vocal on election issues, for instance urging lawmakers to pass a law requiring would-be voters to show photo identification before registering.

Gardner had been in his information systems manager position since August 2001. Previously, he had done IT work for an architecture firm and had become a "Microsoft certified professional" after taking a four- or five-month training course. Though he had no experience with elections, motor vehicle certification or other functions of the clerk and recorder's office, he saw the county job as a good opportunity.

"Just like any job, you kind of learn the various aspects of the industry as you go," he says. "It wasn't, 'Gosh, I really have an interest in elections,' it was, 'I really have an interest in information systems, [and] I'd like to work for the government ... because I think this is a good place to serve the community and just the type of job that I'm interested in.'"

Performance reviews filled out by Sholdt show Gardner quickly got the hang of things after a shaky start.

...

Gardner's deposition leading up to the September 2006 trial took three days. Paul Hultin, lead attorney in the lawsuit, questioned Gardner about his experience, education and preparation.

After swearing to tell the truth, Gardner said he finished high school in New York in 1987 (which would probably put him around 40 years old today). He asserted repeatedly under oath that he graduated from Montana State in 1994.

...

"Do you have any technical training in computer security?" Hultin asked.

"Not to my knowledge, no," Gardner replied.

"Do you have any technical training in the evaluation of computer systems?"

"I don't believe so."

The full transcript from the deposition runs about 700 pages. Hultin questioned Gardner about cases in which he used his "judgment" to pass voting systems. Hultin showed that the testing process, which followed rules largely written by Gardner, did not have minimum standards for the machines to pass.

Denver District Judge Lawrence Manzanares ruled Sept. 22, 2006, that the tests were inadequate...
...

Reached at his Denver office this week, Hultin says it would represent an "outrageous fabrication" if Gardner did not in fact graduate from Montana State University.

"I think this further undermines any shred of credibility about the certification work Gardner did on electronic voting systems in 2006, 2007 and 2008," he says.

Our Team had a Good Night!----Joe Biden

Last we gathered at a volunteer friends home with about 50 others and around Colorado and around the nation many other Obama volunteers collected to watch The Ole Miss Debate, (except for my former Republican Reptile who says he doesn't watch them---curious), and it is apparent that our "Team had a Good Night", said a smiling Joe Biden to Keith Obermann after the event. Interestingly so did P.J. O'Rourke the author of the book, "Republican Party Reptile" on this morning's talk shows. As did Pat Buchanan last night who said that McCain's performance was that of an "Angry White Man"

These reactions were confirmed by the reaction polls last night:

• UPDATED WITH FINAL NUMBERS CBS News and Knowledge Networks conducted a nationally representative poll of approximately 500 uncommitted voters reacting to the debate in the minutes after it happened. 39% of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Barack Obama was the winner. 24%r percent thought John McCain won. 37% percent saw it as a draw. 46% of uncommitted voters said their opinion of Obama got better tonight. 32% percent said their opinion of McCain got better.
• Insider Advantage reports those polled Obama won 42% to McCain's 41% with Undecided 17%
• CNN reports voter opinions that Obama "did better" 51%, McCain "did better" 38%
• The CNN poll showed men were evenly split, but women gave Obama higher marks 59% to 41% for McCain.
• The MSNBC on-line poll showed Obama winning the debate 52% to 33%.

I have to go out and lead a volunteer effort today but what I found ironic to the whole bit was the idea that McCain had spent money on developing a Web ad that he had won with pre-loaded quotes from his campaign manager Rick Davis how good he did. WTF?
Kind of reminds me of the infamous headline in my old favoirte morning paper; The Chicago Tribune; Dewey Beats Truman!

BREAKING Calls for Palin to resign quit from GOP beginning

Breaking News from Big Eddie:

Capitol Hill sources are telling me that senior McCain people are more than concerned about Palin. The campaign has held a mock debate and a mock press conference; both are being described as "disastrous." One senior McCain aide was quoted as saying, "What are we going to do?" The McCain people want to move this first debate to some later, undetermined date, possibly never. People on the inside are saying the Alaska Governor is "clueless."

MORE BREAKING NEWS
Politico.com

A growing number of Republicans are expressing concern about Sarah Palin's uneven -- and sometimes downright awkward -- performances in her limited media appearances.

Conservative columnists Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, says the vice presidential nominee should step aside. Kathryn Jean Lopez, writing on the conservative National Review, says "that's not a crazy suggestion" and that "something's gotta change."

Tony Fabrizio, a GOP strategist, says Palin's recent CBS appearance isn't disqualifying but is certainly alarming. "You can't continue to have interviews like that and not take on water."

“I have not been blown away by the interviews from her, but at the same time I haven’t come away from them thinking she doesn’t know s—t,” said Chris Lacivita, a GOP strategist. “But she ain’t Dick Cheney, nor Joe Biden and definitely not Hillary Clinton.”

But there is also no doubt many Republican insiders are worried she could blow next week’s debate, based on her unexpectedly weak and unsteady media appearances, and hurt the Republican ticket if she does.

Speaking this week with CBS’s Katie Couric, Palin seemed caught off-guard by a very predictable question about the status of McCain adviser Rick Davis’s relationship with mortgage lender Freddie Mac. Davis was accused by several news outlets of retaining ties — and profiting off — the companies despite his denials.

Where a more experienced politician might have been able to brush off Couric’s follow-up question, Palin seemed genuinely stumped, repeating the same answer twice and resorting to boilerplate language about the “undue influence of lobbyists.”

The Titanic is taking in water. McCain gambled big and now is leaving Washington without leading a deal and having to go to the debate. And now the whispers are beginning to be calls from the conservatives that Palin is a disaster and needs to resign to save the Party and the nation, this in the conservative National Review.

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted.

Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”

When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?”

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true.

What to do?

McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country.

— Kathleen Parker is a national columnist Conservative Republican Political Columns, Kathleen Parker is a syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group where she has contributed to more than a dozen newspapers and magazines during her 20 years as a journalist. In addition to her syndicated column, Parker is director of the School of Written Expression at the Buckley School of Public Speaking and Persuasion in Camden, South Carolina.

And finally this strange thing today released as a Web Advertisement inadvertently in the FIX

Although the fate of tonight's presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it -- if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

"McCain Wins Debate!" declares the ad which features a headshot of a smiling McCain with an American flag background. Another ad spotted by our eagle-eyed observer featured a quote from McCain campaign manager Rick Davis declaring: "McCain won the debate-- hands down."

The Debate Decision, Deal, Disruption, Palin, Polls & Field Office Reports

Okay this morning everything was about how McCain disrupted yesterday's deal, where today basically many of his fellow legislators said---get out of town John and go to the Debate. He is. The thing is every political observer stated that McCain took a BIG RISK in this political tactic which was probably the worst time to do it and it showed. Ed Rollins inquired rhetorically on CNN last night: "Who is advising him?" He then went onto reveal that the Republican Congress doesn't care about McCain and why. Whatever at the time of this posting he is on his way to Ole' Miss to debate tonight. So he got on the jet plane and made his way to Mississippi.

I think this in this article in the Huffington Post summed it up best in, "McCain's Economic Plan: Blurt Out Random Crap".

There are several reasons why Senator Obama is enjoying a double-digit lead in the "honest and trustworthy" category (47 percent to 36 percent according the new ABC News/Washington Post poll). First, Senator Obama doesn't, you know, lie to the American people every damn day. Second, Senator Obama didn't vote with the dishonest, corrupt Bush administration 90 percent of the time.

But one of the main reasons why the nation appears to be lining up against Senator McCain's insanely obvious lack of integrity could be because his very serious and mavericky campaign strategy can be described in four simple words:

Blurt Out Random Crap.

"Crap," in this context, is defined as everything from lies to weasel-words to inexplicably weird nonsense. And it seems like Senator McCain does this a lot. So much so that we can only conclude that it's intentional.

The goal: Get McCain on record saying something no matter how ridiculous. This way, he can hit the stump later and boast that he said something with regards to scary stuff in the news. I said something [that didn't make any sense and was probably a lie] and Senator Obama didn't say anything [also a lie]! My friends! And whenever he's accused of routinely blurting out random crap, Senator McCain trucks out the old punishment theorem: If Senator Obama had only agreed to the town halls, I wouldn't be selling-out the last shreds of my honor or integrity just to get elected. Can't you see? Senator Obama turned me into a hack, dammit!

Palin's Interview that even the press is comparing to the famed So Carolina Teen Beauty Contestent Performance.

To my Republican and Independent friends and acquaintances who read this, too bad this appears to be the weight of the truth. Ironically is is backed up the performance of McCain's big decision---Sarah Palin on CBS's interview with Katie Couric---which is weird or worse simply she is a dumb ass and who the hell thought they could sell her? This You Tube creation has it best but the transcript says it all. Talk about Random Crap (Segment One Video) get a load (Segment Two) of this CBS interview: Interview One transcript and Interview Two transcipt

Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you've said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?

Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.



Couric: I'm just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

Palin: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.

So she takes a strong position stating a record that she cannot state one thing...sounds like a sell job.....or a beauty queen contestent.

Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our state.

I don't know but I am still trying to figure out what involvement she has or whether she actually thinks Putin (who has an ugly head---and further should we be calling childish names of leaders of nations is that diplomacy?) and flies in our airspace? Is she saying the Governor of Alaska actually has anything to do with our national strategic defense? GET REAL....

Couric: You met yesterday with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who is for direct diplomacy with both Iran and Syria. Do you believe the U.S. should negotiate with leaders like President Assad and Ahmadinejad?

Palin: I think, with Ahmadinejad, personally, he is not one to negotiate with. You can't just sit down with him with no preconditions being met. Barack Obama is so off-base in his proclamation that he would meet with some of these leaders around our world who would seek to destroy America and that, and without preconditions being met. That's beyond naïve. And it's beyond bad judgment.

Couric: Are you saying Henry Kissinger …

Palin: It's dangerous.

Couric: … is naïve for supporting that?

Palin: I've never heard Henry Kissinger say, "Yeah, I'll meet with these leaders without preconditions being met." Diplomacy is about doing a lot of background work first and shoring up allies and positions and figuring out what sanctions perhaps could be implemented if things weren't gonna go right. That's part of diplomacy.

Was she listening to the question or simply and blindly regurgitating the campaign's talking points?

Couric: You recently said three times that you would never, quote, "second guess" Israel if that country decided to attack Iran. Why not?

Palin: We shouldn't second guess Israel's security efforts because we cannot ever afford to send a message that we would allow a second Holocaust, for one. Israel has got to have the opportunity and the ability to protect itself. They are our closest ally in the Mideast. We need them. They need us. And we shouldn't second guess their efforts.

Couric: You don't think the United States is within its rights to express its position to Israel? And if that means second-guessing or discussing an option?

Palin: No, abso … we need to express our rights and our concerns and …

Couric: But you said never second guess them.

Palin: We don't have to second-guess what their efforts would be if they believe … that it is in their country and their allies, including us, all of our best interests to fight against a regime, especially Iran, who would seek to wipe them off the face of the earth. It is obvious to me who the good guys are in this one and who the bad guys are. The bad guys are the ones who say Israel is a stinking corpse and should be wiped off the face of the earth. That's not a good guy who is saying that. Now, one who would seek to protect the good guys in this, the leaders of Israel and her friends, her allies, including the United States, in my world, those are the good guys.

NEVER SAY NEVER, especially if you are a national leader.....dumb ass
Now if you wonder why would McCain do some of these lame-brain things it is well-known from Washington that he is prone to rash even impulsive decisions. One can state that it is the natural out growth of a fighter jet pilot. But it appears that McCain felt that he was in a dogfight and Obama was on his tail and then decided to take a radical evasion manuever, like taking his jet on a steep climb wondering who might stall first---it appears that he did and now he is in the death sights. Here are the national tracking polls after this week since John McCain's pseudo-suspension -- it appears certain now that Barack Obama is extending the lead:

• Gallup: Obama 48%, McCain 45%, with a ±2% margin of error---yesterday, the candidates were tied 46%-46%.
  
• Rasmussen: Obama 50%, McCain 45%, with a ±2% margin of error---Obama lead yesterday of 49%-46%.
• Hotline/Diageo: Obama 49%, McCain 42%, with a ±3.2% margin of error---yesterday Obama had a 47%-43% lead.
• Research 2000: Obama 48%, McCain 43%, with a ±3% margin of error---yesterday, Obama was up 49%-43%.

In the polls Obama gained and McCain lost a measurable point or two hmmmm...net loss.

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT.COM Field Reports in Colorado---Denver

This political geek's political website has a great report of visiting campaign field offices in Colorado:

During the primaries, Kathy Archuleta supported Hillary Clinton. The former Chief of Staff to Transportation Secretary Federico Peña, Archuleta is now a Latina Advisory team member for Barack Obama. Along with three other women, she has organized an impressive women-to-women outreach program aimed at adding 10,000 undecided and/or least-likely women voters to vote for Obama.

In just two and a half weeks, Archuleta’s effort has coordinated a 1,000-strong-and-growing group. The goal for each member is to get at least eight women to vote for Obama who probably would not have voted otherwise. Among the group’s ranks, Archuleta counted 100 women in Colorado Springs, 100 in Vail, 100 in Evergreen, 50 in Pueblo, and 250-400 in the Denver area who would be counted on for this targeted outreach....

We stopped in the nearby McCain office in Thornton, and an organizer and several volunteers made dials. While they were diligently going about the tasks of voter contact, the scale is dramatically different. Moments after we saw three dialers in the McCain office, we counted 40 volunteers in the Obama office down the street.

BIG PARTY TONIGHT! DEBATE WATCHING AND VOLUNTEER PARTY

Norm Thom, precinct chair in 42 is hosting a debate watching party at 1218 High Point Ln. located off of Mesa Rd up Terrace Rd and to your left. Bring a dish and bring a friend.

Late Night Post---Letterman's Smell Test and GOP's Congressional Harry Carey

I missed this last night and the chatter on the list serve's this morning but I think David Letterman put the stake into John McCain's campaign last night to middle America and now the GOP Congress has nailed the coffin shut.

LETTERMAN---"the road to the White House goes through my show"

In case you have missed it last night John McCain canceled his appearance on Late Night with David Letterman at 3:00 PM Eastern time, about an hour before the show was scheduled to begin taping. At the start of the show Letterman was his ascorbic cynical self, unhappy in being stood up. But then when he found out that instead of appearing on his show he was being interviewed on Katie Couric's Evening News after he had said he was leaving immediately to Washington on a plane. He had in fact lied. Well Letterman went ballistic with his biting tongue with Obermann as his fill in guest and just lambasted McCain---saying it smells. Watch it here

Tonight the Conservative Republican base appears to have revolted against its sitting President and its Presidential nominee. Bail out Deal Stalls

A Republican revolt stalled urgent efforts to lash together a national economic rescue plan Thursday, a chaotic turnaround on a day that had seemed headed for a success that President Bush, both political parties and their presidential candidates could celebrate at an extraordinary White House meeting.

Weary congressional negotiators worked into the night, joined by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in an effort to revive or rework the $700 billion proposal that President Bush said must be quickly approved by Congress to stave off potentially "a long and deep recession."

They gave up after 10 p.m. EDT, more than an hour after the lone House Republican involved, Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, left the room. Democrats blamed the House Republicans for the apparent stalemate. Those conservatives have complained that the plan would be too costly for taxpayers and would be an unacceptable federal intrusion into private business.

Talks were to resume Friday morning on the effort to bail out failing financial institutions and restart the flow of credit that has begun to starve the national economy. The plan's centerpiece still is for the government to buy the toxic, mortgage-based assets of shaky financial institutions in a bid to keep them from going under and setting off a cascade of ruinous events, including wiped-out retirement savings, rising home foreclosures, closed businesses, and lost jobs.

The New York Times had began to make sense of this Mississippi Flood of man made financial disasters, as McCain leaps into the thicket:

Senator McCain had intended to ride back into Washington on Thursday as a leader who had put aside presidential politics to help broker a solution to the financial crisis. Instead he found himself in the midst of a remarkable partisan showdown, lacking a clear public message for how to bring it to an end.

At the bipartisan White House meeting that Mr. McCain had called for a day earlier, he sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.

In subsequent television interviews, Mr. McCain suggested that he saw the bipartisan plan that came apart at the White House meeting as the proper basis for an eventual agreement, but he did not tip his hand as to whether he would give any support to the alternative put on the table by angry House Republicans, with whom he had met before going to the White House.

If this is not Harry Carey by "ideologically-speaking" I don't know what is. These Republicans as Ed Rollins the old Reagan campaign aide and political advisor has said that those Republican Congressman and Senators are hunkering down and thinking about personal survivial and the remnants of their party and ideology instead of the nation. Yes they are being partisan and willing to tank the market and all that goes with it---[That is for you Tom, your authoritarians without conscience as John Dean coined.] They are willing to thumb their noses at Bush & McCain and go home to try to survive in safe districts.

Now the Scary Freak Show on CBS News tonight---Sarah Palin---OMG!

For one she cannot explain how her proximity to Russia and Canada translates into foreign relations experience.----She reminded me of a sales person who just wanted to make the sale and didn't know anything about the product of your needs, but she is ready!

Two, she says we should never second guess Israel unconditionally because it will lead to another holocost....almost middle school logic but more like a high school social studies intellectual understanding-----dangerous and confused.

The Fifth Element, more on Rick Davis...(oh boy) and of course a deal is at hand

Latest Breaking NEWS: THREE-FOURTH of the Nation wants the DEBATE to continue.

Survey USA, which did some snap polling yesterday finding big majorities think the debate and campaign should proceed, had another crack at it today, after news of McCain's campaign "suspension" had really sunken in.

Their finding? Huge majorities still want the debate and campaign to proceed:

* 3 of 4 Americans say the Friday debate should be held on Friday.

* 23% today Thursday say the debate should be postponed, up from 10% yesterday.

* 3 of 4 Americans say presidential campaigning should continue. (Of the three-fourths who say the campaign should continue, many say it should refocus, which doesn't really change the significance of the finding much.)

WASHINGTON POST: MCCAIN gets to DC after Deal outline set.

McCain's "Straight Talk Air" landed at National Airport just after noon, and McCain's motorcade sped toward the Senate. But by then, senior Democrats and Republicans were already announcing that a deal in principle had been reached.

That news appeared to be somewhat premature as House Republican leader John Boehner told his members that "no deal" had yet been reached. McCain arrived at 3:40 p.m. at the White House, where he and his rival, Sen. Barack Obama, were scheduled to meet with President Bush and congressional leaders at 4 p.m.

PALIN DOES CBS INTERVIEW WITH COURIC...more strangeness see the video ...
Basically it is indescribable-incoherent. That's not meant as snarkto be partisan snarky, just an attempt to describe the part where she explains why her experience as Alaska governor gives her foreign policy and national security credit---weird.

COURIC: Well, explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials?

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our next door neighbors are foreign countries. they're in the state that i am the executive of. And there in Russia --

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We do -- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia -- as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go?

It's Alaska, It's right over the border. It is from Alaska, that we send those out to make sure an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our state.

Earlier BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Shelby(R)-AL, and Cong. Mike Pence(R)-IN, says now there is no deal.

Hmmm....Looks like a GOP revolt (maverick or real) Republican Congress (minority or majority) are opposing Republican Paulsen, President Bush and Wall Street on a deal. McCain doesn't want to debate even though the country says they want him to.


Previous BREAKING NEWS: Reuters saying the deal is done

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee said House of Representatives and Senate negotiators have reached "fundamental agreement" on a set of principles guiding a Wall Street bailout bill.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, emerged from a morning-long meeting on Thursday with top House and Senate lawmakers to tell reporters that he thought Congress could act within the "next few days" to pass a bill.

Dodd did not provide details on the major areas of contention that have been under negotiation.

Let us start on this day where less than an hour after Senator McCain gave a speech personally in New York City at Bill Clinton's Global Initiative Conference, Nancy Pelosi has broke in the news that great progress has been made. Guess it was a threat of McCain and Obama coming to town that got it done behind the scenes. More to come as things forward today. This from the AP titled: Compromise Close on $700B Deal

Senior lawmakers and Bush administration officials have cleared away key obstacles to a deal on the unprecedented rescue, agreeing to include widely supported limits on pay packages for executives whose companies benefit.

They're still wrangling over major elements, including how to phase in the eye-popping cost — a measure demanded by Democrats and some Republicans who want stronger congressional control over the bailout — without spooking markets.

Barack Obama, speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative, offered a read on the politics of the bailout that was strikingly at odds with McCain read earlier this morning. From Obama's prepared remarks:

Congressional leaders have made progress in their negotiations, and appear close to a deal that would include these principles. President Bush addressed some of these issues last night, and I'm pleased that Senator McCain has decided to embrace them too. Now is a time to come together -- Democrats and Republicans -- in a spirit of cooperation on behalf of the American people. Later today, I'll be traveling to Washington to offer my help in getting this deal done. Then, I'll travel to Oxford on Friday for the first of our presidential debates.

All this of course reminds me of the movie "Fifth Element" a farce of a tale that my son watched at least a hundred times. In the film a meteor was headed to Earth (sometime in the future) and the World had a African American President. Naturally there was a supernatural being who was planted on the planet where she had to find secret ancient religious figures and get to some ancient ruins to activate the four natural elements and her power to destroy this disaster moments before impact----totally cheesy---kind of like McCain's daily campaign stunts. Well isn't this what McCain is attempting to do, come into Washington and save the Republic OR actually the "way of life" and economy?

Or is something else, like the old excuse that you had to go to some funeral or were in the hospital and couldn't take that college final or the dog ate your homework or as Belushi once told Carrie Fischer the Mystery Fiance that had a flat tire? Whatever it is, it appears that a deal will be done and the debates will go on but will McCain be there? Maybe we should Dan Ackroyd?

Serious stuff: The press is all over Rick Davis, McCain's Campaign CEO and as public records come forward it appears he flat out lied and tried to pull the rug over everyone's eyes about his relationship with Freddie Mac. Corporate filing papers looked into by NEWSWEEK clearly showed he was the Treasurer and Director, (there were only two Directors and only a CEO/President) list on the Davis Manafort Consulting Company registered in Virginia. He was the friggin Treasurer so, I am certain he can tell America what the arrangement was for the monthly $15,000 retainer Freddie Mac paid to his firm until August, 32 months or $465,000. This one has legs, in fact, four legs and will run around dogging the campaign.

Let us talk Palin and witchcraft. Can you believe it they got pictures, no a grainy video of her being exponged of any witches spell by a visiting African visitor in 2005 when she was running for Governor. What a weirdo to say the least. Then there is this: She is willing to cooperate with the investigation called TrooperGate but only with those who are her own employees and not the legislature that she said earlier she would. Oh here is why----Cheney's lawyers are there advising her. Either way this is really weird.

Then there is the nefarous efforts to suppress the votes in Colorado Springs and Colorado. It seems our esteemed and unqualified County Clerk sent a letter to Colorado College students that it would be unlawful for them to register to vote in Colorado:

The Clerk and Recorder's Office, which runs local elections, told the college that students whose parents claim them as dependents for tax purposes in another state were not eligible to vote in Colorado. Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink late Tuesday acknowledged his office had incorrectly interpreted state law and said his office works to ensure everyone who's eligible will have a chance to vote.

But now this on the same day. He has hired three temps to go over 21,000 recent voter applications to look for fraud while there is a backlog of voter registrations and says that it is the problem of liberal radical groups. Right Balink----that is why your waste of money last year looking for fraud came up zilch.....Well now this from the Secretary of State, from now on they are going to strictly review every application and if there is a slight mistake like putting down both your drivers license and social security number the application is void. Not that is fraud or nefarous information but not the strict instructions. Can you guess lawsuits---oh yes---Colorado is not on the margins this year and the Obama and Democrats are poised to bring in the calvary....watch for this. This on the heels that mail in ballot advantage by the Republicans has evaperorated in the state.

Colorado Republicans have nearly a 30,000-voter edge in requests for mail-in ballots, but strategists on both sides of the aisle say that may not be enough to overcome the Democrats' historically strong get-out-the-vote efforts on Election Day. The GOP, whose overall voter-registration advantage over Democrats has plummeted 60 percent since the last presidential election, usually excels at racking up early votes. That effort counterbalances the Democrats' Election Day mobilization and the unpredictability of those registered as unaffiliated — a third of the electorate. But Republican strategist Sean Tonner said he was "disconcerted" by the latest ballot request tally because the GOP usually has a bigger edge going into Election Day. Additionally, he said he was concerned that the Republicans in El Paso County trail Democrats in Denver County by 7,500 ballot requests since the two counties tend to cancel each other out.

Okay I am going to sum this all up. McCain and all his men and all his horses, and basically most of the political operatives of the Republican Party, you are left with game tactics and not substance. I used to recall how they bragged they were a "Party of Ideas" and now they are nothing but tactics---political empty game-show antics. Trick plays and no offensive or defensive lines like in football. McCain's latest stunt is evaporating in front of his own eyes because it possesses no substance for McCain is not part of any economic deal making or didn't even read the proposals until Tuesday. The same for trying to call out the NY Times as they were zeroing in on Rick Davis, or the Palin pick, or statement that their tenor or lying would not have taken place if Obama had received McCain's invitation. Tactics, nothing else but empty Russian Dolls. Just remember a stunt he pulled a month ago, suspending the RNC Convention for day, so that GW Bush couldn't make it and then not mention him for the rest of the convention. Furthermore McCain had thoughts of being in Houston during the hurricane and do what----sit with security in the dark----stunts---like pilot acrobatic stunts----stories. That's it---the GOP is about selling stories like the Iraq threat, WMD's in the hands of Saddam giving them to terrorists or forged papers of uranium purchases or Bin Ladin the impossible to find. Yeah stories and no substance.

BREAKING NEWS MORE

MORE BREAKING!

Obama says the debate to go on, he doesn't see the need to go back to Washington and bring presidential politics into the negotiations. Obama stated he started the thoughts privately looking for a non partisan statement on principles that are agreed upon where McCain goes out and says he says he suspends his campaign.

"I believe that we should continue to have the debate," Obama said at a Florida press conference after McCain announced he was unilaterally suspending his campaign in response to the financial crisis."

Representative Barney Frank:

"The Hail Mary Pass of Hail Mary Passes....and also the Mary"

BREAKING NEWS ALERT!
New York Times

McCain Seeks to Delay Presidential Debate

Senator John McCain said he would temporarily suspend his presidential campaign on Thursday to return to Washington to deal with the financial crisis and the bailout package pendin before Congress. Mr. McCain is asking Senator Barack Obama's campaign and the Commission on the Presidential Debates to postpone the debate scheduled for Friday night.

My thoughts: A TIME OUT!
During a campaign everything is about the campaign---or political. The reason; everyone views it that way for a candidate is being judged by every action they take. McCain called a time out. He is losing, he and all of the nation knows it. If he were winning he would not have called a time out. He can now hide from the press and change his entire campaign, try to stop the eroding polls, delay all the voter's decisions going against him in the UNDECIDED's, for at least the time being. He also can dodge the questions and inquiries about his campaign manager, now found to be taking money and lying about it from Freddie Mac. Now let us see how Obama reacts and I am confident he will trump McCain with this stunt like he trumped Clinton and the race and Rev. Wright issue.

Now think about this for a minute, if McCain really wanted to make a bi-partisan agreement do you think he could do it with him in it and he leading it? No McCain is killing any chance for a bi-partisan agreement---why---the campaign.

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo, echos my thoughts on the McCain ploy in BE HONEST

Let's state outright a few obvious points. Bringing the presidential candidates and their press entourages back to Capitol Hill won't speed or improve the process of coming up with a good bailout deal. It will politicize it. That's so transparently obvious that it barely requires stating. And of course that is the point.

By going public with his 'suspension' announcement as a breaking news statement McCain intended to make any agreement between the candidate impossible. Contrast that with Obama's campaign, which apparently tried to get both campaigns to agree on a common set of principles privately before going public. There's no logical reason there can't be a presidential debate while a bailout plan is being negotiated.

Finally, does anyone think that McCain would have come up with this gambit if his polls were where they were two weeks ago instead of where they are today? Of course, not. This isn't a reaction to the national financial crisis but to the McCain polling crisis.

The McCain supporters who are cheering this aren't doing so because they think it's the right thing to do but because they hope it's ingenious politics.

If anyone can think of any reason why these points are not incontestably accurate, I would be obliged if you could let me know.

He's desperate and reckless. This is what it appears to be: political stunt dressed up as vainglorious self-sacrifice. In other words, typical John McCain.

Let us start with a basic point of credibility where the McCain campaign is now teetering on where the weight of lying advertisements, Palin maintenance, and McCain's flip-flopping double-talk comes to the head with this new revelation: NEWSWEEK and NY TIMES breaking news late yesterday evening Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, had a secret monthly retainer paid by defunct and bailed out Freddie Mac until last month! Freddie Mac continued to send checks to McCain campaign chief's firm after he supposedly stopped working with one of their front organizations and WHILE DOING NOTHING for over TWO YEARS!. Now, Rick Davis, who is part owner of [Rick] Davis Manafort, the firm that is in question, insists that he hasn't drawn any compensation from the firm since 2006 [---is that word smything or was it a lay-away plan?]

Hmmm...let us use the smell test: Rick Davis, the campaign manger who has been caught in so many other different lies, a person without any credibility now is trying make a claim based just on "his word" and absent of actual and irrefutable evidence that he is not connected to lobbying---even though a Freddie Mac Exec has said publicly the only thing Davis had to offer was access to McCain who was known to be running for President.

What else he is saying, [and this doesn't make any sense in the real world], that he hadn't had any contact with the mortgage giants since the "front group" he ran for Freddie Mac, which was shut down in 2005, and a group that's purpose was to lobby for minority home ownership, is now being revealed that in the following year (2006) he asked Freddie Mac to keep sending more checks---apparently in return for no services rendered -- a point, any of you should note. The McCain Campaign appears UNABLE TO DENY. SMELLS like the rotting garbage in my trash can and there still is a day before the truck comes!.

Maybe it is just me but I have done professional services for major corporations and never have I heard of a company paying for services that nothing is being done for the money! In fact, had to have to signed off on those invoices---every month---and accounting would demanded some form approval so there has to be some expectations of a return on investment. So let us see----a retainer for no services at $180,000 annually, (looks like a ghost payroll executive level pay check to me), done in secret, but not drawn upon by the owner of the services firm who has his name on the door---looks like a lay-away plan to me? What is amazing is it is to the tune of half a million dollar$ (plus or minus a few $15,000 installments), where the partner in the company simply defers his compensation for later dividends when they want to close the books. Could it had been a buyout fund in secret?

David Donnelly of the independent Public Action Campaign Fund has a statement on this:

"John McCain's campaign manager and Freddie Mac essentially had what amounts to a secret half a million dollar lay-a-way plan. For almost three years and as late as last month, Freddie Mac made secret, monthly payments of $15,000 to Rick Davis's firm, apparently in exchange for providing special access to a future McCain White House. If McCain knew about this, his presidential campaign should be in serious trouble. If he didn't know about it, he ought to fire Rick Davis immediately," said David Donnelly, Director of Campaign Money Watch.

BREAKING NEWS: NOON----Rick Davis running away! Lynn Sweet, SunTimes:

WASHINGTON--John McCain campaign manager Rick Davis--under the spotlight because of his work for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--is skipping a Wednesday lunch with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

On Tuesday, word came that McCain political director Mike DuHaime will substitute for Davis because he is "heading out on the trail" today.

Davis is the subject of stories in the New York Times and Newsweek about his work for the failed mortgage market makers. At issue right now: did Davis contradict McCain's statement that he has not been involved with Fannie and Freddie for some time.

Well yesterday the Financial Markets Bail Out hearings and discussion drowned out almost anything else. Except for a few items like the McCain Campaign's daily FUBAR (#ucked up Beyond All Recognition) by trying to break with the press's long standing practice of pool editorial writers accompanying pool camera crews when Palin went and met Karzai of Afghanistan at the UN. This the day after Rick Davis and the Campaign's COO, Steve Schmidt, openly chastised the NY Times and the New York Times:

"It is a pro-Obama organization that every day attacks Senator McCain, attacks Governor Palin, and excuses Senator Obama."

The NY Times response Bill Keller the Times executive editor:

The New York Times is committed to covering the candidates fully, fairly and aggressively. It’s our job to ask hard questions, fact-check their statements and their advertising, examine their programs, positions, biographies and advisers. Candidates and their campaign operatives are not always comfortable with that level of scrutiny, but it’s what our readers expect and deserve.

The press response by Joe Klein takes the press's reaction Not Buying:

Ben Smith fact-checks the McCain campaign's ridiculous conference call assault on the press. But it should be remembered that Steve Schmidt is doing this for two (nefarious) reasons:

1. he's hoping to work the refs: if he complains enough about press bias, we mainstream sorts will cower, cringe and try to seek false equivalences between the two campaigns.

2. the more time we spend covering this nonsense, the less we'll spend on the real issues in this campaign.

Sorry, Steve. Not buying.

I wonder what will be today's McCain FUBAR. I have not seen a Presidential Campaign run and operated so badly in my lifetime---it is a combination of Nixon, Dukakis, Dole and GW Bush---all their bad stuff in one bag. Back to the Bail Out; No matter what comes out this, a new economy will emerge once the old one is dismantled and restructured which will be the most prevailing political event since 9/11 and ultimately define the next Administration and Government for the next decade or two. I am not surprised either. Just how hard will the restructuring be?

No wonder the polls are breaking fast for Obama where now the ABC-Washington Post, considered by the industry to be one of the gold standards of national and state polls gives Obama a NINE Point lead! No wonder the state polls in almost every battleground states have Obama in the lead and there are now emerging battleground states in previously safe Republican states like North Carolina, Nevada and Virginia.

• ABC/WaPo/Wall Street: Obama 52% to McCain 42%
• Rasmussen: Obama 49% to McCain 47%
• Hotline: Obama 48% to McCain 42%
• Gallup Daily Tracking: Obama 47% to McCain 44%
  

Quinnipac State Polls

• COLORADO Obama 47% to McCain 41%
• Michigan Obama 5o% to McCain 38%
• Wisconsin Obama 47% to McCain 40%
• Minnesota Obama 47% to McCain 45%
  

Other State Polls in Battleground States

• In/Adv Ohio: TIE Obama 46% to McCain 46%\
• NBC/Mason Dixon Virginia: McCain 48% to Obama 46%
• FOX News Pennsylvania: Obama 48% to McCain 45%
• NBC/Mason Dixon Florida: Obama 47% to McCain 45%
• PPP New Mexico: Obama 53% to McCain 42%
• Civitas/Tel Opinion: TIE Obama 45% to McCain 45%
• Suffolk U Nevada: McCain 46% to Obama 45%
  

Finally locally we are commencing with a direct effort to increase our Mail In ballot voting to 50 new early votes per precinct. The issue is plain and simple. The elections department now estimates that a voter could take up to thrity to forty-five minutes to vote on the Colorado ballot with all its initiatives if they have not reviewed the questions beforehand. With an expected record turnout, record registrations exceeding 375,000 voters, 380 precincts lines will exceed three to four hours. We now believe our Obama victory will be made or lost by how many Mail In or Early voters we have encouraged to change their manner of voting this year.

HI TOM! You don't like my politics but they are politics of truth....not fantasies.