Recent for 10/28/08
- McCain Gains 1% In Nationwide Polls · John McCain tightened the race by 1% in nationwide polls, but Barack Obama is still ahead with support of 50% or above in six top tracking polls. (TPM)
- London Times: Republican Party Fractured [ANALYSIS] · The Republican Party is at war with itself, with the ideological cement that once bound it together eroded by President Bush's legacy of "unfinished wars, a tainted reputation for competence, record high spending, a global economic crisis and the effective nationalisation of the financial system," catalyzed by Sen. John McCain's "dysfunctional campaign," writes the London Times.
- Alaska Law Unclear On Succession If Stevens Resigns · If convicted felon Sen. Ted Stevens resigned from his seat (or was expelled), Alaskan law is ambiguous on how his replacement would be chosen. (Anchorage Daily News)
- Questions Raised On McCain-Supported Land-Swap In 1990s · Sen. John McCain's behind-the-scenes maneuvering on a land deal in the 1990s contrasts with his image as a congressional ethics champion and his post-Keating scandal pledge never to intervene with regulators again, according to an in-depth article from McClatchy's Washington Bureau.
- Congress Asks Banks To Justify $108B In Pay, Bonuses · The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a letter Tuesday to nine top Wall Street banks demanding justification for the estimated $108 billion in employee compensation and bonuses they have doled out since the start of 2008. (Bloomberg)
- Palin's Common Language Uncommonly Reprehensible · Sarah Palin incites violent reactions against Barack Obama by using coded language her audience understands but the media doesn't, delivering a message that would be condemned if it were said overtly. (Anil Dash)
- DNC Borrows $10M For More House, Senate Races · The Democratic National Committee is taking out a new $10 million line of credit to split among House and Senate campaign committees, as more races come into play. (Politico)
- Pew, Politico Analyze 'Anti-McCain Media Bias' [ANALYSIS] · Politico evaluates a Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism report, and accusations of "liberal media bias" in the current presidential election. It concludes: "As it happens, McCain’s campaign is going quite poorly and Obama’s is going well. Imposing artificial balance on this reality would be a bias of its own." (Politico)
- Treasury Official Says America "Open" To Gulf Investors · Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt told business leaders at the Dubai International Financial Center on Tuesday that the U.S. economy remains "open to investment" by Middle East sovereign wealth funds and other wealthy investors. (AP)
- McCain Campaign Targets Socialism · Desperately scraping the bottom of the barrel, writes the New Yorker, the McCain campaign has turned the 2008 presidential election into a referendum on socialism. (New Yorker)
- Haaretz: Rumors Say Sarkozy Critical Of Obama On Iran · The Israeli newspaper Haaretz says "reports have reached Israel's government" that "only in closed forums in France" is President Nicolas Sarkozy critical of Sen. Barack Obama's positions on Iran. (Haaretz)
- Obama Campaign Lambastes 'Fox News, Drudge Report, McCain Alliance' · The Obama campaign blamed the "all too common alliance of Fox News, the Drudge Report and John McCain," in repudiating charges that Obama is a socialist. (NewsBusters) Fox News' Megyn Kelly fought back angrily while interviewing Obama spokesman, Bill Burton.
- McCain Calls For Bailout Of U.S. Homeowners · Republican running mates John McCain and Sarah Palin said Tuesday in their first live interview that the U.S. government's top priority in the financial crisis should be to buy bad mortgages from troubled homeowners as it did via the 1930's Home Owners' Loan Corporation. (CNBC Video)
- Washington Times Endorses McCain · The Washington Times has endorsed Sen. John McCain for President, citing his leadership and experience,and his positions on taxes, gun-control, abortion, government spending, Supreme Court appointments, a hawkish foreign policy, Israel, and union elections.
- GOP Losing Even In N.H. · Freshman Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH) has narrowed a 20-point gap but is still down 7% in polls against Democratic challenger, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, in traditionally-Republican New Hampshire. (Washington Post) Barack Obama is ahead here 51-43, according to Pollster.com.
- Government IT Spending Slashed For 2009 · Most local and state CIOs will slash IT spending next year, with equipment upgrades, consulting and new deployments taking the brunt of the cuts. Public safety interoperability and automation projects that can immediately reduce costs will be spared. (Computerworld)
- Race Focuses On Nine Battleground States · Data on nine swing states is updated daily in a Washington Post 'cheat-sheet,' that summarizes current polling, personal visits, latest visit, campaign contributions, and ad dollars spent, for: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Virginia. (Washington Post)
- GOP Senator Ties Himself To Obama in Oregon · Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) has embraced Barack Obama in his bid for re-election, reflecting President Bush and John McCain's low popularity in this state. (Washington Post)
- $133M Spent On Senate TV Ads In Four States · In four states -- North Carolina, Oregon, Minnesota and Colorado, $133 million has already been spent on TV ads for Senate races, most of it from outsider and party committees, with more to come in the final week of the campaign. (Washington Post)