Confectionary Sugar

A good analysis in the Telegraph of London on just how screwy it is to vote for Barack.

The choice faced by the electorate is clear. It can either vote for reality or for escapism: and John McCain has the greater appreciation of what reality might entail. I have been struck on several visits here this year just how much Americans, worn down by the failures and embarrassments of the Bush years, want something other than reality. That, though, is simply storing up troubles. The landscape of uncertainty requires someone tested in fire to lead people through it: not just for America's sake but for the sake of that portion of the world that looks to America for leadership.

Oh, how prepared we seem to be to do exactly the wrong thing!

Mr Obama is a confection; he is an image, a brand, a lifestyle. He has the talents of the thespian, less obviously those of the executive. He has been branded a socialist by Sarah Palin and, because it was Sarah Palin doing the branding, the term was ridiculed by media here who are almost clinically biased against the Republicans. However, when one examines Mr Obama's rhetoric about "spreading the wealth", and looks at spending promises made in the past 21 months, socialism is a fair term. He plans, or at least has promised, expensive projects - such as healthcare reforms. Inflicting tax rises on a country where people are losing their jobs, having their homes foreclosed upon and having their businesses driven into bankruptcy is something whose consequences Mr Obama has yet to outline.

Read the whole thing here - it's reaffirming.

Who Blew It?

A clever video, designed as an internet tool to get the vote out.

You can make your own, with whatever name you choose, here.

Surge, or Purge???

The surge worked for Iraq, but it's not working for McCain. His move up in the polls from last weekend petered out during the week, and weekend numbers, which generally favor the Democrats, are showing a stalled race. The Real Clear Politics tally shows an average lead of 6.7% for Barack, and today's Rasmussen report remains at 5%.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday once again shows Barack Obama with 51% of the vote while John McCain is five points back at 46%. This is the 38th straight day that Obama’s support has stayed between 50% and 52% (see trends).

For the past seven days, Obama has been ahead by three to five points. For the month before that, the Democratic nominee was up by four to eight points every day.

A McCain win rests in the hands of some unforeseen circumstance - large numbers of voters who've been claiming falsely that they're planning to vote for Barack, a failure of the youth vote to get out of bed on Tuesday, or perhaps an electorate that's so excited by the race that McCain voters, who would normally be sitting the race out, show up to cast a ballot.

Obama is now viewed favorably by 55% of voters nationwide, McCain by 53% (see trends). Obama gets positive reviews from 88% of Democrats and 56% of unaffiliated voters. Ninety percent (90%) of Republicans and 55% of unaffiliateds say the same about McCain. Obama leads by ten among women but trails by two among men.

While McCain could still win on Tuesday, the odds tilted severely against him when the economic meltdown occurred in September.

The economy remains the top issue of Election 2008 for 46% of voters. Just 20% see national security as the top priority. The importance of the economic issue is highlighted by the fact that McCain was leading by three points in mid-September just before Lehman Brothers collapsed and made public the depth of Wall Street’s problems. Shortly after that, Obama moved ahead and has enjoyed a stable lead that has lasted into the final weekend of Election 2008.

I'm still expecting the country to come to its senses on Tuesday - I have trouble imagining people being dumb enough to vote the Democrats into total control - so we'll just have to wait and see.

Nutty E's

As much as they respect brains and sophistication, liberals find theirs largely inoperative when it comes to Barack. Here's the latest bit of email I've received purporting to offer profound insights. (The email I received is in blue, my responses are in black):

A question of perspective :

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?..... think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

Considering he's black, and this would reinforce negative perceptions of being black, he would surely face a different standard. But you have to take the good with the bad - Barack wouldn't be the Democratic nominee if he wasn't black.

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

That would be a nice addition to his naval academy training.

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

One of the only justifications for his candidacy would be gone.

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

If it had occurred decades ago, no one would care, and Barack would defend himself from any mention of it by claiming that his failed marriage isn't what's going to bring the American people jobs and a prosperous economy. But, of course, the vast majority of voters would not be aware of the fact, because the pro-Obama media wouldn't write about it. (see next post down.)

What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe
disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?

See above.

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while
he was still married?

See above.

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

See above.

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

She wouldn't be hated by liberals who judge her harshly for being blond, rich and tacky. Those negative attributes would be viewed as insignificant compared to her being in possession of the liberal certificate of approval known as a Harvard diploma.

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption
in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings
and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

Obama has many worse things in his recent past and no one seems to care, so there's no reason to think a 20 year old scandal would matter. Hope and Change is all that matters.

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

No one would vote for Barack - he would have lost his ability to differentiate himself.

What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?

See above.

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included
discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

He'd be up by 30%, as he'd have some experience that people could respect.

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many
occasions, a serious anger management problem?

With his lack of any other achievement in his short career, this might loom large. If he had McCain's 50+ years of professional experience, no one would care, and again, the media wouldn't write about it.

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

They'd be rich.

What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

Folks would be confused, but impressed at yet another example of Barack's willingness to do anything to win.

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality,
do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes
positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in
another when there is a color difference.

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - gener al study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in
the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
Given that John McCain's education was completed around the time Barack was born, there are other things to judge him by, so education appropriately takes a back seat to experience. Since Barack lacks any qualifications for the presidency, his educational experience is vital.

Given that Joe Biden appears to suffer mental problems and has been on the wrong side of virtually every important vote during his lifelong senate career, Sarah looks awfully strong by comparison.

I've got a question for them:

• If John McCain had 8 years in the state senate as his single largest and longest career achievement, had little to show for his time there, and had built his career by cavorting with racists, black separatists, former terrorists and other scummy people, would he have been able to get this far?
• If Barack were not black, would he have been able to get the Democratic nomination?

Now there are some important questions for liberals to ponder. But they won't.
You make the call.

What if He Doesn't?

Barack was ordained by the media months ago. All this election stuff is just a formality.

Election Day is less than two weeks away, and Chicago could be home to the biggest political party in the country. Construction is underway for a massive stage in Grant Park where Barack Obama could declare victory on election night.

Americans have been convinced, as was the intention, that an Obama victory is unavoidable.

No one really knows how many people will come to the lakefront's Grant Park on Nov. 4. Weather will likely play a role. It was warm and sunny a few days ago in St. Louis when Barack Obama drew an estimated 100,000 to the banks of the Mississippi River.

While Americans are convinced of Barack's inevitability, the ruling class is not.

Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.

Civil unrest? They must mean if Barack loses.

Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation’s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence.

No one's going to be rioting over Sarah, are they?

The Oakland police last faced big riots in 2003 when the Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Officials are bracing themselves in case residents of Oakland take Obama’s loss badly.

The suggestion seems to be that voters will be irate, convinced that there's been a theft, if Obama doesn't ascend to the thrown as promised. Which, judging from the way the race is portrayed in the media, would be a reasonable response.

Barack the Listener

One of Barack's reputed attributes that makes the elites drool over him is his ability to listen.

It’s the ears. I mean, it’s not literally his ears. It’s the idea of his ears. Barack Obama has the capacity to listen. And America needs nothing more now than a president who knows how to listen.

Being a good listener is indicative of a thinker. Brains and compassion first, ego second. The antithesis of W.

Barack Obama is unique in a wide field of Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls in that he doesn’t just talk the talk. He has spent his entire career listening the listen, from his work as a community organizer to his current job as the junior Senator from Illinois.

So watch the listener in action - with none other than Joe the Plumber.

Knice Knife Twist

After Barack loses this election, and Democrats will be forced to look back on having two shoe-ins fail in the same year, the blame will be placed on judgment. What was wrong with Obama that he wasn't willing to take the sure fire path to victory by choosing Hillary? Then, after deciding against her, what made him think the rift in the party was so trivial that it could be left to fester?

Sarah Palin smartly twisted the knife in this wound with Charlie on last night's World News.

The One

The McCain Campaign has issued a new online ad mocking Barack, this time focusing on the perception that he's high on himself. Called "The One," it's not all that clever, but it does make a point that, over time, could come to haunt the Chosen One.

Listen in as Kevin Whalen (Pundit Review) and I recap Barack's amazing foreign policy week, and ask the question: Doesn't the phrase "Barack's amazing foreign policy week" mean this is a great period for the campaign of John McCain?