Election 2008 – News Stories About Election 2008 - Page 38

Mac's 'Aimless' Debating Skills Need Boost: Coaches

Oct 12, 2008 9:00 PM CDT

Mac's 'Aimless' Debating Skills Need Boost: Coaches

Senator struggled to prove his point in last match-up

(Newser) - John McCain needs to sharpen his rhetorical skills before the final presidential face-off on Wednesday, debating coaches tell Politico. Whatever advice renowned trainer Brett O’Donnell is giving McCain, they say, has not helped him avoid pitfalls like looking "aimless" and saying "my friends." Voters polled...

Swing Voters Not
Worth the Effort

OPINION

Oct 12, 2008 5:56 PM CDT

Swing Voters Not Worth the Effort

Swing voters don't matter, but campaigns still chase them

(Newser) - Swinging both ways may be a thrill, but presidential candidates should still ignore it, Ezra Klein writes in the Los Angeles Times. Not only are swing voters "contemptible" for their prolonged ambivalence, they cost candidates millions of dollars in the election's waning weeks. And these typically rural and...

Letterman Fits
McCain Into
His Schedule

Oct 12, 2008 2:59 PM CDT

Letterman Fits McCain Into His Schedule

(Newser) - Three weeks after turning himself into a punch line by blowing off David Letterman, only to surface within hours elsewhere on CBS, John McCain has scheduled a return engagement with the late-night icon. After lengthy negotiations—during which Letterman continued his on-air taunting by saying McCain was being "squirrely"...

'Osama' Ballots Spark Probe by NY County

Oct 12, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

'Osama' Ballots Spark Probe by NY County

Absentee voters picked up on typo multiple proofreaders missed

(Newser) - "Barack Osama" appears on 300 Rensselaer County absentee ballots, and the upstate New York county’s government wants to know why. Legislators from both parties have ordered an investigation into the board of elections, which prints its own ballots rather than contracting out the work. The board says...

Talking Heads Talk Economy

TALK SHOW ROUNDUP

Oct 12, 2008 2:07 PM CDT

Talking Heads Talk Economy

Pocketbook issues seem likely to trump racism for voters

(Newser) - With little time remaining until Election Day, the Sunday talk shows focused on the ongoing economic turmoil and the racial issues roiling the presidential campaigns. Politico spins the dial:

On This Week, surrogates from both parties endorsed the Treasury’s capital-injection plan for banks. But guests split over an economic

...

Smears Could
Cost McCain Fla.

OPINION

Oct 12, 2008 1:04 PM CDT

Smears Could Cost McCain Fla.

Risky strategy imperils prez bid

(Newser) - The Sunshine State is looking cloudy for John McCain, whose risky moves could cost him Florida, just as Rudy Giuliani's posturing sank him in the primary, novelist Carl Hiaasen writes for the Miami Herald. Polls show McCain forfeiting his lead, and his running mate isn't helping. Sarah Palin, Hiaasen snipes,...

Both Campaigns Walk the Plank

Oct 12, 2008 12:42 PM CDT

Both Campaigns Walk the Plank

McCain, Obama agree on one thing: favorite childhood Halloween costume

(Newser) - Beware, trick or treaters: John McCain and Barack Obama may be hiding behind that bandanna and eyepatch. Asked about their favorite childhood Halloween costumes in separate interviews for Nickelodeon, both candidates answered "pirate," the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Obama called his getup "the best costume of all time....

Obama Grabs
6-Point Lead in Poll

Oct 12, 2008 11:45 AM CDT

Obama Grabs 6-Point Lead in Poll

With economy dominant, Democrat takes 49% among likely voters

(Newser) - Barack Obama has widened his lead to 6 points in a four-day Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby tracking poll, taking 49% to John McCain’s 43% among likely voters, Reuters reports. As economic woes weigh on voters’ minds, Obama is leading by 21 points among independent voters, the poll found. The Illinois senator also...

Mac's Messy Message Worries GOP

Oct 12, 2008 11:27 AM CDT

Mac's Messy Message Worries GOP

Party leaders worry about inconsistent messages on Obama, economy

(Newser) - Republican leaders are beginning to worry that John McCain will lose the election unless he can be more consistent about both the financial crisis and Barack Obama, reports the New York Times. Strategists are also voicing renewed concerns about Sarah Palin, after the Alaska Legislature released a report last week...

Forget Sticks, Stones; Her Words Are Bullets

OPINION

Oct 12, 2008 9:12 AM CDT

Forget Sticks, Stones; Her Words Are Bullets

Palin's Obama rhetoric fans racist flames

(Newser) - The McCain campaign has crossed the line from negative campaigning to “inciting vigilantism” with racist tactics that should raise alarms about Barack Obama’s safety, writes Frank Rich in the New York Times. Particularly troubling is Sarah Palin’s repeated linking of Obama to “terrorists” and her refusal...

Jolie: 'Obama Would Be
Great for My Family'

Oct 12, 2008 7:41 AM CDT

Jolie: 'Obama Would Be Great for My Family'

But it's his positions on issues that 'could move' her to vote for him

(Newser) - Angelina Jolie hasn't officially endorsed a candidate, but Barack Obama's positions "could move" her to vote for him, she tells the German edition of Vanity Fair. His determination to "intervene militarily in genocides abroad and close down Guantanamo Bay" are near and dear to her heart—as is...

Philly Hockey Fans
Jeer Palin

Oct 12, 2008 7:03 AM CDT

Philly Hockey Fans Jeer Palin

Candidate and daughters smile and wave to angry crowd

(Newser) - The world's most famous hockey mom was roundly booed during an appearance at a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game, reports the New York Daily News. Sarah Palin and daughters Bristol and Piper continued to smile and wave to the booing crowd as they walked onto the ice where the vice presidential...

Ethics Report Zeroes in on Todd Palin

Oct 12, 2008 5:45 AM CDT

Ethics Report Zeroes in on Todd Palin

First Dude had 'significant influence' over state politics

(Newser) - Sarah Palin is back in the headlines with official findings that she abused her power as governor of Alaska—but her husband is the main character in the 300-page tome issued by the state legislature last week, reports AP. Alaska's “First Dude” spent half his time in Palin’s...

Mac Slams Obama on Ties to ACORN

Oct 11, 2008 7:33 PM CDT

Mac Slams Obama on Ties to ACORN

GOP says senator represented group as a lawyer in 1990s

(Newser) - The GOP launched a new attack on Barack Obama yesterday, linking him to a community-based group accused this week of voter fraud. A new video from John McCain's camp claims that Obama went to bat for ACORN as a lawyer in the 1990s and once worked there as a community...

Obama Thanks McCain for Calming Crowd

Oct 11, 2008 1:07 PM CDT

Obama Thanks McCain for Calming Crowd

But criticizes him for unwillingness to take on the economy

(Newser) - Barack Obama took a moment this morning to thank John McCain for attempting to rein in his angry crowd yesterday. “Senator McCain tried to tone down the rhetoric,” Obama told a rally in Philadelphia today. “I appreciate his reminder that we can disagree while being respectful of...

Confident Palin:
'You Got to Read the Report'

Oct 11, 2008 12:16 PM CDT

Confident Palin: 'You Got to Read the Report'

She says she didn't abuse her power as Alaska governor

(Newser) - Sarah Palin says she did not abuse her power as governor, despite the findings of an ethics investigation, CNN reports. “If you read the report, you will see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member,” she said. The report, however, did not fault...

McCain Booed for Defending Obama

Oct 11, 2008 7:51 AM CDT

McCain Booed for Defending Obama

Candidate praises, then slams rival at ugly GOP rally

(Newser) - A raucous Republican rally didn't take kindly to John McCain's defense of Barack Obama yesterday, the New York Times reports. The crowd jeered when McCain said his rival was not someone "to be scared of as president" in response to concerns expressed by a member of his audience. But...

Pentecostal Questions
Haunt Palin

Oct 11, 2008 6:48 AM CDT

Pentecostal Questions Haunt Palin

McCain may be avoiding pastor attacks to avoid focus on Palin's beliefs

(Newser) - John McCain has so far avoided attacking Barack Obama's controversial pastor in what may be a strategy to keep Sarah Palin's preachers out of the spotlight, Time reports. Palin officially left her Pentecostal church before campaigning for lieutenant governor but has made many return visits—including one in 2005 when...

Blue-Collar White Women Shift to Obama

Oct 11, 2008 4:51 AM CDT

Blue-Collar White Women Shift to Obama

Economic worries overcome key group's reservations about Obama

(Newser) - America's "Jane Sixpacks" are leaning toward the Democratic ticket in growing numbers, the Wall Street Journal reports. White, working-class women voters make up nearly a quarter of the electorate, and polls are finding that the economic crisis is convincing more voters in this vital group to back Barack Obama,...

Palin Abused
Power in Trying
to Can Trooper,
Panel Says

Oct 10, 2008 7:57 PM CDT

Palin Abused Power in Trying to Can Trooper, Panel Says

But firing of comish is called 'proper'

(Newser) - Sarah Palin violated an Alaska ethics law as governor by trying to fire a state trooper divorced from her sister, state lawmakers ruled today. Palin also fired a state commissioner partly because he refused to can the trooper, but the legislative panel called that firing "a proper and lawful...