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The Note: Palin Seeks to Rock Stable Race
October 01, 2008 8:40 AM
ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Wednesday's Note: As three of the four folks on the tickets return to their day jobs Wednesday, pay attention to the fact that the fourth candidate has cracked open “Joe Six-Pack” in time for her cramming sessions.
Don’t look now -- but has the race’s outline been written? Blame it on the big things that are larger than the candidates -- the economic crisis, President Bush’s historically awful approval ratings, the inability of any senator to soar in a period of national angst -- but where we stand today is essentially where we stood six weeks ago..
Which is one reason why that fourth candidate matters now more than ever. Gov. Sarah Palin puts herself on the line in Thursday’s debate -- and will there be another single moment that’s as big for the tenor of this race? Will there be another chance to shoot holes through the old outline and field dress a new one?
(How much of her performance will depend on who gets to set expectations -- “Saturday Night Live” or the mainstream media -- raising Palin’s bar before our eyes?)
If this qualifies as daylight in the race, maybe we should get ready for a long night. The new ABC News/Washington Post poll speaks to an odd sort of stability that’s set in despite shifts among independent voters -- resulting in a narrow but consistent lead for Sen. Barack Obama.
Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.
Obama saw his White Sox beat the Twins 1-0 to squeak into the playoffs Tuesday. But even very late leads can change.
“Barack Obama maintains an advantage on the economy, especially economic empathy, and he's cracked majority acceptance on his key challenge, experience. But the political center remains unrooted, keeping John McCain in the race, albeit against headwinds,” ABC polling director Gary Langer writes.
“Movement continues among independents, quintessential swing voters and a highly changeable group this year,” Langer writes. “They favored McCain by 10 points immediately after the Republican convention, swung to Obama last week and stand now at a close division between the two -- 48 percent for McCain, 45 percent for Obama in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.”
It’s Obama 50, McCain 46 among likely voters -- looking closer than the nine points the poll pegged the race at a week ago, despite a debate where more respondents said Obama won.
And how do you play this? “Voters are deeply divided over the terms of the government's $700 billion economic rescue package but overwhelmingly fear that the House's rejection of the measure on Monday could deepen the country's financial woes,” Dan Balz and Jon Cohen write in The Washington Post.
Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.
ABC News' Hope Ditto contributed to this report.
October 1, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Clinton, Bill, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Paul, Ron, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington | Permalink | User Comments (119)
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There is nothing FIX News can say that will tarnish the reputation or integrity of Ms. Ifils. And trying only makes them look stupid!
Posted by: hang | Oct 1, 2008 9:57:02 AM
reddog...I didn't see "stopping-my-campaign McCain accompishing very much this week except to make himself look like a fool....
Posted by: formerhillary | Oct 1, 2008 9:59:46 AM
Missouri..you'd better pray McCain stays healthy,or we will have" I'll get back to ya" Palin as pres.
Posted by: formerhillary | Oct 1, 2008 10:01:51 AM
I cannot imagine 4-8 more years of the Bush politics!!! MG are you people crazy??? We need to bring this kids home and fight to get Bid Laden, where we should have been in the first place.
Posted by: militarymom | Oct 1, 2008 10:04:19 AM
The problem with the media is they are so use to the polished Politicans with their grands speaches, and empty talk! When we get a person such as Mrs. Palin the media sticks their nose up in the air and says she is not our cup of tea! Well ABC/CBS/MSNBC she may not be your cup of tea but watch election night, the American people will show you she is our cup of tea! As for the polls, I can tell you that people are not telling the truth to the pollsters, because I have had several freinds who have been called, and they have also lied saying they would vote for Obama when in fact they are voting for McCain! I think there is going to be some very upset people in the media come election night wondering how McCain won when all the polls showed Obama ahead! I guess you can say it will be called the Bradly effect because deep down people see Obama as nothing but empty speaches and way to far to the left!
Posted by: chuck | Oct 1, 2008 10:05:46 AM
The co-founder of the Arab group in question, Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, also has held a fundraiser for Obama. Khalidi is a harsh critic of Israel, has made statements supportive of Palestinian terror and reportedly has worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was involved in anti-Western terrorism and was labeled by the State Department as a terror group.
In 2001, the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based nonprofit that describes itself as a group helping the disadvantaged, provided a $40,000 grant to the Arab American Action Network, or AAAN, for which Khalidi's wife, Mona, serves as president. The Fund provided a second grant to the AAAN for $35,000 in 2002.
Obama was a director of the Woods Fund board from 1999 to Dec. 11, 2002, according to the Fund's website. According to tax filings, Obama received compensation of $6,000 per year for his service in 1999 and 2000.
Obama served on the Wood's Fund board alongside William C. Ayers, a member of the Weathermen terrorist group which sought to overthrow of the U.S. government and took responsibility for bombing the U.S. Capitol in 1971.
Ayers, who still serves on the Woods Fund board, contributed $200 to Obama's senatorial campaign fund and has served on panels with Obama at numerous public speaking engagements. Ayers admitted to involvement in the bombings of U.S. governmental buildings in the 1970s. He is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The $40,000 grant from Obama's Woods Fund to the AAAN constituted about a fifth of the Arab group's reported grants for 2001, according to tax filings obtained by WND. The $35,000 Woods Fund grant in 2002 also constituted about one-fifth of AAAN's reported grants for that year.
Posted by: GoUSA247 | Oct 1, 2008 10:06:34 AM
formerhillary:
We shall see once the deal is done what who did.It seems to me that Obama could not even rally his own party to pass the bill that shows me such leadership.It shows me how concerned he is with main st.It seems to me McCain rallied his troops to get stuff in the bill for the american people but hey what do I know.
Posted by: reddog0216 | Oct 1, 2008 10:08:38 AM
Watch the video of Palin's past debates and you'll realize that Palin will mop the stage with Biden.
She won't answer the question, but instead talk about something else. This will throw Biden off.
America will be calling Palin the greatest debater in history. Funny thing is, if they look at the facts of her answers, it will be complete gibberish. This is just like Bush has done his entire career. Americans love a candidate who doesn't talk about issues. That's why Palin will win the whitehouse for McCain.
Posted by: Dan | Oct 1, 2008 10:12:38 AM
Hey Carrie,
is it tough to breathe under that sheet?
Posted by: Terry | Oct 1, 2008 10:25:50 AM
The wild swings in the ABC/WashPost poll over the weeks raises flags about the metodology. I'm not sure either poll from 10 days ago showing Obama way up, or this one showing very small Obama lead are reliable. Either way, I'd rather be us than them!
Posted by: dem in chicago | Oct 1, 2008 10:27:17 AM
what's truly amazing is that Palin's stupidity has made us all forget that she is a criminal as well...
Posted by: raknyc | Oct 1, 2008 10:36:08 AM
chuck: "As for the polls, I can tell you that people are not telling the truth to the pollsters, because I have had several freinds who have been called, and they have also lied saying they would vote for Obama when in fact they are voting for McCain!"
This is a well known fact, and has recieved a great deal of discussion. Concern about the Bradley (or Wilder) effect lost Obama a number of votes during the primaries when he was showing the better polling matchup against McCain.
Posted by: jhw539 | Oct 1, 2008 10:36:56 AM
Carrie,
1st of all neither you nor your family and friends are Democrats. You're a Republican trawling the comments trying to throw a curve ball.
It does not make sense that a real Democrat would vote Republican because even if you thought JM was more to the center before this election, he has shown his true colors in the weeks and months since and shows he is true to his Republican party and roots. Which is fine, mind you. What we have now are a true Dem and a true Rep representing their party. Neither are partisan. MC and SP don't represent what we as Dems view as good for our country and vice versa. So if you're voting for MC, you're not a Dem and never was. You're a Rep. Which is fine. But why the stupid 6th grade Jedi mind trick post? Grow up. Reminds me of the Repubs after the vote failed...."Nancy was mean to me so I don't wanna play no more"
Posted by: NoOneCaresAboutTheTruth | Oct 1, 2008 10:39:14 AM
reddog0216:"It seems to me that Obama could not even rally his own party to pass the bill that shows me such leadership."
Then you are a deliusional Republican zealot. The facts are over 60% of Democrats supported the Republican administration's bill, which had the full backing of the House and Senate REPUBLICAN leadership. Only 40% of Republicans in the house supported the bill despite John McCain's all-out effort.
Reality shows that Obama's "phoning it in" was vastly more successful than John McCain's drop everything, this is my #1 priority, effort to get a Republican supported and initiated bill through. If you look at Obama's IL senate record this is not surprising - he is a very effective legislator (better than "maverick," ie unable to get anyone to support his legislation, McCain).
Posted by: jhw539 | Oct 1, 2008 10:40:50 AM
After reading ABC Dowd Matthew's propaganda promoting Obama presidency, It is interesting that the moderator for the Veep debate on Thursday is a black woman who is pro-Obama. It is obviously a SEEK and DESTROY game with the vicious cycle of the racism not sexism as the libs intended for the world not to see through.
Posted by: mtr2311 | Oct 1, 2008 10:43:15 AM
With the news that Gwen Ifill, VP Debate moderator, has a pro-Obama book coming out, and is clearly "in the tank" for him, McCain-Palin should refuse to debate on any network other than Fox and with Brit Hume as moderator. The corruption of the leftist media is without bounds.
Posted by: Ron | Oct 1, 2008 10:43:19 AM
"People are starting to see OBAMA for his talk BIG do little ways.Obama at his best."
Not even the least bit comparable to the "Maverick" with BIG HAT, NO HORSE!
Posted by: Yankee | Oct 1, 2008 10:44:22 AM
Some of you "I'm a Dem who won't admit I'm not voting for BO to pollsters" posters need to stop. Everyone knows you guys are Republicans. Why do you guys keep posting childish stuff like this? I hope you guys are not indicitive of the intelligence of everyday Republicans. I mean, jeez, it's really juvenile.
I canvass neighborhoods and man phones for the BO campaign. When people say they're voting McCain we thank them for participating in the process and move on. To be honest, in the months I have been doing this for his campaign, I call it about 50/50. So intelligent JM supports are not afraid to speak up from what I have seen.
Posted by: NoOneCaresAboutTheTruth | Oct 1, 2008 10:45:14 AM
John McCain made a mockery of the last 50 years of the women's movement by choosing Gov. Palin as his running mate. Women struggled to ensure they were equal in the workplace and achieved positons of power not by being cutesy and evading the tough questions but rather because they have the knoweldge and intellect to do so. Women of power gained that power by being smart not being cute and evasive. As a woman I very much resent her using these old antiquated stereotypical female traits to get ahead..it belittles us all!! If you cant compete on the same level with equal intellegence & knowledge of the issues please leave it to the many many many women who can!!
Posted by: Dee | Oct 1, 2008 10:45:36 AM
First off, who are these people that have time to talk to pollsters, second off, they are just realizing the impact the polls don't have when they neglect only cell phone users(i.e. no landline.)
Posted by: make it known | Oct 1, 2008 10:47:18 AM
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