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The Race for the White House 2008

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15:58 / 09.10.08

Hope for the best, expect the worst.

Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law, according to a review of state records and Social Security data by The New York Times.

...apparently the result of mistakes in the handling of the registrations and voter files as the states tried to comply with a 2002 federal law, intended to overhaul the way elections are run.

...because Democrats have been more aggressive at registering new voters this year, according to state election officials, any heightened screening of new applications may affect their party’s supporters disproportionately. The screening or trimming of voter registration lists in the six states — Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina — could also result in problems at the polls on Election Day: people who have been removed from the rolls are likely to show up only to be challenged by political party officials or election workers, resulting in confusion, long lines and heated tempers.

...

“I simply don’t have the staff to keep up,” said Ann McFall, the supervisor of elections in Volusia County, Fla.

It takes 10 minutes to process a normal registration and up to a week to deal with a flagged one, said Ms. McFall, a Republican, adding that she was receiving 100 or so flagged registrations a week.

17:18 / 09.10.08

There's now a sort of How to, in comic form of all things, detailing how you can Steal Back Your Vote

19:19 / 09.10.08

Obama's campaign had better get on countering this notion that McCain is still spreading about the 'fine' for O's health insurance plan. Saw McCain going on about on a live rally on CNN at lunchtime today. Seems like this attack could do some damage. Also, someone in the audience (at the McCain rally) asked if the abortion question would come up in the 3rd & final debate, and McCain hinted that it would. Obama's team had also better be prepared for that one.

Also re: the third debate, maybe Barack can retort or bring up/work in (on the topic of opening talks with Iran's leader) that even McCain's (and most Republicans') beloved 'hero' Ronald Reagan almost always kept up talks at various levels with the Soviet Union during his Presidency? That would have been a knockout blow, and the point has been mentioned in several articles I've read in the past few months.

Obama's citing of 'bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran' and the lead-up to it, was brilliant. I suppose when McCain said it was just a harmless joke to a 'veteran friend,' he forgot that it was an event where he was on a stage - not two guys joking in a back room somewhere.

Obama's campaign should point out more examples of McCain's legendary temper and old angry guy behavior (which McCain is on record as admitting many times), if they want to further respond to the vicious attacks on Obama (which will no doubt increase in the coming weeks).

23:29 / 09.10.08

So, that zinger McCain fired about the $3 million earmark for an "overhead projector"? It has scientists pissed.

And some them, I'm sure, have lasers.

15:14 / 10.10.08

That's a great link grant- I want a 'Mad Scientists for Obama' sticker.

Poke it with a stick

16:24 / 10.10.08

Nice article in Rolling Stone refuting McCain's constant assertions that he's a "maverick".

16:50 / 10.10.08

Well, there's no "Mad" on this button, but....

Now that I think of it, it wouldn't be that hard to knock up a "Mad Scientists for Obama" logo and go nuts on Cafe Press.

23:54 / 10.10.08

Or on Facebook, as the case may be. With a little help from another Lither or two....

06:19 / 11.10.08

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is guilty of abuse of power, according to a probe by the state legislature.

That damn liberal gotcha media. Thank God, Sarah published her own report on thursday, which said she is indeed innocent.

Let´s hope, she can do as good a job as Richard Cheney.

15:09 / 14.10.08

Mad Scientists for Obama! are on Cafe Press. Two logos by two Lithers.

Any advice welcome. And spare DNA. FOR OUR CLONE ARMY!

15:10 / 14.10.08

Also, Sarah Palin maybe got a free house from her political connections.

Could be the next scandal.

19:58 / 14.10.08

those t-shirts are shiny! Pew Pew!

11:20 / 15.10.08

Hoping it's not a trend: In Canada, Steven Harper and the Conservative party (Our most right-leaning) just got in with their second minority term. At least it's still a minority, but the current economic crisis has scared people to leaning right, it seems. Granted the opposition Liberals have a weak leader and the New Democratic Party are written off for the most part as being too far left, but still: People don't seem to connect the dots between right wing conservatives, a free market agenda and doom.

11:24 / 15.10.08

Do you have any reason to think that it was the economic crisis that won them the election? It's pretty limited evidence, but since the crisis became big news, the less-right-wing in the US and UK - Obama and Brown - have seen improvement in their poll ratings, and the consensus seems to be that it has almost certainly improved their standing.

14:55 / 15.10.08

Oh, dear. The New York Times is interviewing people in Mobile, Alabama.

Who are saying that race-mixing is against the Bible.

15:32 / 15.10.08

Since it is written nowhere in the bible "thou shalt vote", these people might refrain from it and stay home on november 4th?

15:48 / 15.10.08

Do you have any reason to think that it was the economic crisis that won them the election?

I think that it was a factor if not the decider. A large part of Harper's platform was based on maintaining the status quo. He had a huge ad campaign proclaiming "In these economically uncertain times, now is not the time for risky or untested new plans." Of course, the definition of conservative is shying away from new ideas...

The two largest strikes against his main opponent, Stephane Dion, is that Dion appears weak and he championed a highly misunderstood carbon tax which would be levied against the largest polluters. Harper used the fear of rising gas prices coupled with the economic crisis to convince people that the conservatives are the only ones who can see us through these trying times. Dion, unfortunately, has had problems addressing crowds due to his deafness, his lack of English language skills, and wishy-washy demeanor.

19:20 / 15.10.08

Don’t create other breeds.
Christ, that's so horrible and there are so many people around here who feel the same way (though I don't think it's a majority). I maintain that ignorance is ubiquitous, but some kinds of ignorance are so painful.

About the race, the last debate is tonight, possibly McCain's last stand, barring some typical human behavior turning things to shit, which of course couldn't happen, right?

Anna de Logardiere

20:23 / 15.10.08

Think the worst to avoid depression.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

00:38 / 16.10.08

About the race, the last debate is tonight, possibly McCain's last stand, barring some typical human behavior turning things to shit, which of course couldn't happen, right?

Bradley effect, anyone?

09:05 / 16.10.08

I don't believe the Bradley effect is really going to have all that large an effect. New voter registration and young voter turnout is *huge* this election, or at least it has been; and if there is anything resembling a significant Bradley effect, I believe that those two things would be more than sufficient to counter it.

Not to mention that, if you take the Real Clear Politics average of all the polls, all of the states with the exception of four that Obama is currently expected to win (according to NPR, anyway), he is ahead by more than 10 percent. And in those four, he's maintaining at least a 5% lead. He has also, at the least, turned a couple of normally reliably Republican states into tossups and forced McCain to spend time and money where I'm sure he wishes he wasn't. His leads in Virginia and Florida continue to grow.

Unless those nutcase PUMA's and 'Bradley' people can swing more than 5-7 percent in any one state that Obama is currently carrying, I don't think it will be an issue.

09:06 / 16.10.08

Also; tonight's debate was easily the best of the four, not that it had much in the way of competition. Bob Sheifer don't take no shit.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

15:18 / 16.10.08

Unless those nutcase PUMA's and 'Bradley' people can swing more than 5-7 percent in any one state that Obama is currently carrying, I don't think it will be an issue.

I could have sworn that the numbers related to the Bradley effect were between 10 and 15 percent...could be wrong, though. Taking my own state (Michigan) as an example, I could easily see the frankly enormous amount of closet racists turning the tide, especially in places like Oakland County.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

15:19 / 16.10.08

Also, how do you know how big the young voter turnout is? And why do you refer to it in the past tense? Jesus god, did I already miss the election? GODDAM SLEEPING PILLS

17:38 / 16.10.08

Don't read this until you're ready.

Republican group circulates "Obama Bucks" - for fried chicken, ribs & watermelon.

17:54 / 16.10.08

I see your disgusting display of racist republican shenanigans, and up the ante with a report by an al Jazeera Reporter with balls of steel, in my opinion. Not for those of a sensitive constitution.

It's 2008? Really?

More disturbing footage of Palin Supporters

Both clips represent the worst of the worst, but their mere existance makes me dread and want to move even further north...

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

19:35 / 16.10.08

god, those are sickening. Somehow, hearing trash like that everyday doesn't affect me as much as seeing pleasant looking people saying it on video. I wonder why that is.

22:35 / 16.10.08

On a recent debate related note:

Is Joe the Plumber a fake?

story still developing...

04:42 / 17.10.08

Also, how do you know how big the young voter turnout is? And why do you refer to it in the past tense? Jesus god, did I already miss the election? GODDAM SLEEPING PILLS

As to the young voter turnout, I was going off what seems to be the accepted wisdom; that is, a lot of younger people turned out for the Dem primaries. That's also why I was referring to it in the past tense.

I could have sworn that the numbers related to the Bradley effect were between 10 and 15 percent...could be wrong, though. Taking my own state (Michigan) as an example, I could easily see the frankly enormous amount of closet racists turning the tide, especially in places like Oakland County.

Ah, another poor, unfortunate Michigan resident. How goes it?

Anyway, I can't honestly see the closet racist numbers being as high as 10, 15 percent. According to our .gov site, we've got over 7 million registered voters. So if they all were to turn out, that would be at least 700,000 people who would say they'd vote for Obama and would actually end up doing otherwise. Racism is prevalent here, certainly, but I don't think there's going to be that many.

I don't believe that Obama will carry these states by as large a margin as what it looks like right now, no, but I really can't see why he wouldn't still carry them.

I feel I should also mention that he's up by 8 points in VIRGINIA. Democrats don't take Virginia. The closest any of them came in recent memory was Bill Clinton in '96, and he lost it to Dole by 2 points.

(side-note: Looking over old electoral maps... George HW Bush took California? Jesus. No wonder no one has heard from Micheal Dukakis since, he must still be in hiding... Kind of interesting to see that Texas went blue back in '76.)

07:06 / 19.10.08

Jackson County touch-screens switched votes, 3 residents say

"Virginia Matheney and Calvin Thomas said touch-screen machines in the county clerk's office in Ripley kept switching their votes from Democratic to Republican candidates.

"When I touched the screen for Barack Obama, the check mark moved from his box to the box indicating a vote for John McCain," said Matheney, who lives in Kenna.

When she reported the problem, she said, the poll worker in charge "responded that everything was all right. It was just that the screen was sensitive and I was touching the screen too hard. She instructed me to use only my fingernail.""

""When I pushed Obama, it jumped to McCain. When I went down to governor's office and punched [Gov. Joe] Manchin, it went to the other dude. When I went to Karen Facemyer [the incumbent Republican state senator], I pushed the Democrat, but it jumped again.

"The rest of them were OK, but the machine sent my votes for those top three offices from the Democrat to the Republican," Thomas said."

""After I finished, my daughter voted. When she pushed Obama, it went to McCain. It happened to her the same way it happened to me. If the poll worker knew that, why didn't she tell me before I even pushed the button?""

"Waybright blamed the problem on voters.

"People make mistakes more than the machines," he said, "but I went in yesterday and recalibrated the machines. We are doing everything we can not to disenfranchise anybody.""

"It´s happening again... It´s happening... again."

12:28 / 19.10.08

ARGH.

It's so overwhelmingly shitty it burns it burns

12:30 / 19.10.08

As had been rumored for a few days now, Colin Powell is now on "Meet the Press" endorsing Barack Obama. While endorsements are not usually a big deal in the grand scheme, this one is pretty important— especially in this stage of the game. He is pretty universally respected, and he will do that much more to assuage those who doubt Obama's readiness.

12:37 / 19.10.08

Also, Obama shattered fundraising records in September, raising 150 million in a month.

Anna de Logardiere

08:52 / 20.10.08

I'm beginning to think there might be a chance Obama will win provided that people can actually vote for him, that their vote doesn't jump and that their ballot actually exists.

13:23 / 20.10.08

Anna, I'm at the point where I will be delighted if Obama wins for 30 seconds before some 'glitch' gives it to McCain.

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