“New Yorker” magazine backs Obama :

New Yorker magazine backs Obama

Article from: Agence France-Presse
From correspondents in New York
October 03, 2008 09:38am

US magazine The New Yorker has come out in favour of Democrat presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama in its edition this week.

In a lengthy article signed “The Editors”, the news magazine gave its reasons for supporting Senator Obama and showered criticism on President George W. Bush and Republican candidate Senator John McCain.

“At a moment of economic calamity, international perplexity, political failure, and battered morale, America needs both uplift and realism, both change and steadiness,” the article said.

“It needs a leader temperamentally, intellectually, and emotionally attuned to the complexities of our troubled globe. That leader’s name is Barack Obama.”

In 2004, the magazine endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in its 80-year history, urging readers to vote for Democrat John Kerry in his doomed run for the White House.

story link

“New Yorker”

Kevin, bit of a case of “dog bites man” I think there.

Next you’ll be telling us that “Focus on the Family” has endorsed McCain.

The Rasmussen Report for Sunday 5 October:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows Barack Obama attracting 51% of the vote while John McCain earns 44%. For each of the past ten days, Obama has been at 50% or 51% and McCain has been at 44% or 45%. (see trends).
...

Forty-five percent (45%) of voters say they are certain they will vote for Obama and will not change their mind. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say the same about McCain. Thirteen percent (13%) currently have a preference for one of the candidates but might change their mind. Four percent (4%) are either undecided or plan to vote for a third-party candidate.

One way of understanding the difficult challenge now facing McCain is to consider the relatively small group of persuadable voters who could still change their mind. The Republican hopeful would have to win nearly 80% of those votes to pull ahead in the race. That’s especially challenging because most of those voters are currently leaning towards Obama. In other words, while the race is not over, McCain needs a significant - game-changing event to win the White House. Simply doing what he’s been doing a little better will not be enough.

Barry’s numbers are looking better and better every day.

The Obama ‘ground game’ vs the McCain operation apparently doesn’t bear comparison.

Still, it was only a couple of weeks ago that the Dems were in hysterics with their panties well and truly in a knot.

A terrorist attack (heaven forbid) notwithstanding, it’s hard to see what could turn it around for McCain from here though.

I’d have to agree, Luke,

Centrebet are paying $1.22 for an Obama win (a nice investment return for someone, in these difficult times perhaps) but $4 for a McCain win.

Unless the opinion polls are mis-representing likely turnout (always possible in the US), Obama seems highly favoured.  Neither candidate has anything meaningful to say about the economic situation - but obviously the carnage on Wall Street favours the perceived challenger, rather than the perceived Incumbent.

Alan Dungey - 07 October 2008 04:57 PM

I
Centrebet are paying $1.22 for an Obama win (a nice investment return for someone, in these difficult times perhaps) but $4 for a McCain win.

How about we also look at some chicken entrails - just to be sure ;)

However, didn’t Centrebet have Melbourne Storm as hot favourites for the NRL Grand Final most of the year ? And then they lost 40-0 on the day ! Go figure.

There are indeed statistics - and then there are indeed just ‘guesses’ ( informed or otherwise ).  However, is it just a coincidence that the US election and the Melbourne Cup are both held on the first Tuesday in November ?

[deleted]

Angus, be careful - you are labelling the millions of Americans who will no doubt vote against Senator Obama as bigots.  Do you really think they are?  Do you not think it possible that a great many people may have valid, reasonable, grounds on which to oppose him, and support his opponent?

There have been plenty of lies and hateful remarks directed to the opposing ticket as well, particularly Governor Palin.

Alan Dungey - 07 October 2008 10:26 PM

Angus, be careful - you are labelling the millions of Americans who will no doubt vote against Senator Obama as bigots.  Do you really think they are?  Do you not think it possible that a great many people may have valid, reasonable, grounds on which to oppose him, and support his opponent?

Hi Alan. Yes, my post was particularly partisan and probably unhelpful. However, I wasn’t labelling anyone a bigot. I was suggesting that Americans are (as we all are) vulnerable to being influenced by conscious and unconscious biases, being deceived, and being motivated by outright self-interest.

Angus Johnson - 07 October 2008 10:15 PM

Kevin Goddard - 07 October 2008 09:17 PM

There are indeed statistics - and then there are indeed just ‘guesses’

If Obama loses in November it’ll be a perfect storm :) of xenophobia, lies, innuendo, and greed.

It would not be possible that the voters simply decided that someone else was better for the job?

Craig Schwarze - 08 October 2008 12:15 AM

It would not be possible that the voters simply decided that someone else was better for the job?

Hi Craig. I entirely agree that voters simply decide who’s best for the job. My point was to question/challenge what leads voters to arrive at that decision. Of course voters may have good reasons to vote for McCain. I’m not so partisan that I can’t see him having any good qualities (or good policies) but don’t ask me to try and name any :).

Angus Johnson - 08 October 2008 12:39 AM

Craig Schwarze - 08 October 2008 12:15 AM

It would not be possible that the voters simply decided that someone else was better for the job?

Hi Craig. I entirely agree that voters simply decide who’s best for the job. My point was to question/challenge what leads voters to arrive at that decision.

The implication of your point, though, was that if someone *didn’t* vote for Obama (the guy you like) they were being racist, xenophobic, whatever.

I really find that sort of attitude objectionable.

Some US citizens have ALREADY voten :

HOMELESS ‘DRIVEN’ TO VOTE OBAMA

By JEANE MacINTOSH October 7, 2008

CLEVELAND - Volunteers supporting Barack Obama picked up hundreds of people at homeless shelters, soup kitchens and drug-rehab centers and drove them to a polling place yesterday on the last day that Ohioans could register and vote on the same day, almost no questions asked.

The huge effort by a pro-Obama group, Vote Today Ohio, takes advantage of a quirk in the state’s elections laws that allows people to register and cast ballots at the same time without having to prove residency.

Republicans have argued that the window could lead to widespread voter fraud because officials wouldn’t have an opportunity to verify registration information before ballots were cast.

Among the volunteers were Yori Stadlin and Vivian Lehrer of the Upper West Side, who got married last week and decided to spend their honeymoon shepherding voters to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Early today, Stadlin’s van picked up William Woods, 59, at the soup kitchen of the Bishop Cosgrove Center.

“I never voted before,” Woods said, because of a felony conviction that previously barred him from the polls. “Without this service, I would have had no way to get here.”

Wow, “without having to prove residency”. Now there’s a wide-open barn door of opportunity for ‘tricky’ minded political supporters. Certainly could add substance to the saying ‘vote early - vote often’.

link

Craig Schwarze - 08 October 2008 09:49 AM

The implication of your point, though, was that if someone *didn’t* vote for Obama (the guy you like) they were being racist, xenophobic, whatever.
I really find that sort of attitude objectionable.

OK, I’m sorry it offends you. It wasn’t my intention to offend anyone. I will remove that post.

It’s looking ominous for the republicans. Obama ( and his speech writers ) are delivering some inspiring and noteworthy quotes that seem to be hitting the right pitch :

Barack Obama opens up 11-point lead over John McCain
Article from: Herald-Sun
Stefanie Balogh October 10, 2008

BARACK Obama has opened up an 11-point lead over John McCain in the latest Gallup Poll - his biggest margin of the campaign.

Senator Obama, whose support has shot up in several national polls since the economic meltdown started dominating the news, now tops Senator McCain 52 to 41 per cent.

The poll was taken before Wednesday’s tense debate, which most observers said Senator Obama won.

Observers are now beginning to wonder aloud whether the Republican, who once dubbed himself the comeback kid, can win.

Senator McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, yesterday continued to ratchet up the negativity of their campaign.

At a rowdy rally in the industrial city of Bethlehem, in the battleground of Pennsylvania, their supporters yelled out “terrorist”, “socialist”, and “liar” when Senator Obama’s name was mentioned.

Ms Palin told the crowd Senator Obama was “a guy who’s just tried to talk his way into the White House”.

“He’s not willing to drill for energy, but he’s sure willing to drill for votes,” she said.

“John McCain didn’t just come out of nowhere. The American people know John McCain,” she added.

For the second time in three days, Ms Palin was introduced by a speaker who mentioned Senator Obama’s middle name, Hussein, in a bid to fuel doubts about his background and religious beliefs.

A spokesman for Senator McCain’s campaign said afterwards he did not “condone this inappropriate rhetoric”.

With 26 days until Americans vote, the Republicans are racing against the clock to turn the White House race around.

Senator Obama, who travelled to the battleground state of Indiana, said: “I can take four more weeks of John McCain’s attacks but the American people can’t take four more years of John McCain’s Bush policies.”

He also promised Americans that despite the economic gloom there were “better days ahead”.

“You know back in 1980 Ronald Reagan asked the electorate whether you were better off than you were four years ago; at the pace things are going right now, you’re going to have to ask whether you’re better off than you were four weeks ago,” Senator Obama said.

“I know these times are tough, and I know that many of you are anxious about the future, but this isn’t a time for fear or for panic,” he said.

“I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. Because that’s who we are,” Senator Obama said.

link

The linked article has a remarkable photo of a woman holding up two posters stating “Unborn Babies for McCain” and “Discerning Democrats vote McCain/Palin”. Only 26 days to go.