Just as McCain and Palin double down on the Ayers robocalls, new polling out this morning shows that their attempts to make it an issue are not working.
Also, Palin continues to drag down the Republican ticket and we have reaction to the Powell endorsement and the $150 million dollar haul.
And, McCain sees more empty rallies without Palin by his side.
Some tidbits from the new ABC News/Washington Post poll:
Fallout continues from McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for vice president, with 52 percent saying it weakens their confidence in his judgment.
and:
Skepticism about the Ayers issue was one of the factors cited by Colin Powell in his endorsement of Obama yesterday, and in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, likely voters broadly agree: 60 percent say Obama's relationship with Ayers is not a legitimate issue in the presidential campaign; 37 percent say it is.
Looks like maybe you should dial back the Ayers robocalls, John, because they are just pissing people off. I think these numbers are a teaser for a full poll number release, so I'll try to update if the numbers come out this morning. This is an interesting representation of the Palin numbers in graphic form:
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More from an ABC News blog on the Powell endorsement:
In a Fox News poll in August, registered voters by nearly 2-1 said a Powell endorsement would make them more likely rather than less likely to vote for Obama – 35 percent more likely, 19 percent less so. ("No difference" was not offered as a choice; 43 percent volunteered it anyway.)
Same poll, 76 percent reported an overall favorable opinion of Powell, 13 percent unfavorable.
So what are your predictions - will we see a noticeable bump from this?
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Larry Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics (and I had him as a professor in undergrad!) gave his analysis of the Powell endorsement:
"This was a stunning blow to John McCain," explained Dr. Sabato. "He had hoped that Powell would simply stay silent. There really wasn't much of a chance Powell would endorse McCain."
and:
Experts say the endorsement could sway independents and centrists.
"If you look at the people they admire, Colin Powell is near or at the top of the list," said Dr. Sabato. "They will actually listen to him. This is precisely when those independents are making up their mind about who to vote for president."
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Thomas DeFrank of the NY Daily News:
"It was one of those 'Voice of God' moments," a Republican political operative said, speculating that Powell might embolden other GOP moderates to come forward and back Obama.
His endorsement is devastating not just because he validated Obama with independent and undecided voters. He also made clear his belief - despite McCain's "I'm not President Bush" disclaimer at last week's debate - that a McCain presidency would be an unwelcome policy rerun of the discredited Bush-Cheney years.
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Google CEO Eric Schmidt will begin campaigning for Barack Obama this week. He and other technology executives will announce their endorsements of Obama this week. That sounds nice and all, but does anyone even know who Eric Schmidt is?
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And the impact of the $150-million dollar month? Bloomberg News reports that Obama's $150 million haul may overwhelm McCain, Republicans:
Obama's "financial advantage and, equally important, his strategic control of all of his general election funds allow him to expand the number of battleground states and make it impossible for McCain to map a comeback,'' said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution, a Washington- based research group.
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Early voting starts today in Florida. I'm curious how the optical-scan system will work out for the general election:
In the days of touch-screen voting, the touch-screen computer had all of the different ballot types saved, and when prompted, would quickly pull up the right one.
Under the new optical-scan system, voters give their information, and then the ballot for their neighborhood is printed out on the spot.
Printing a one-page ballot can take 20 to 30 seconds, compared to two or three seconds to program an access card for touch-screen voting, the report said. The data was based on early voting observed in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties for August's primary.
The more early votes the better!
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The Los Angeles Times reports on John McCain's solo rallies yesterday, which I guess were pretty sad:
The Republican candidate held two rallies in Ohio, rushing through his standard speech so quickly that he left both ahead of schedule. At the convention center in Toledo, which was half-full, the crowd barely responded at times to his applause lines.
Even Joe the Plumber wouldn't show up with him!
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I missed this yesterday, but the Louisville Courier-Journal (Kentucky's largest newspaper) endorsed Bruce Lunsford over Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. Lunsford is one I really, really want to win so I hope it makes a difference.
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If you are down in the polls and electoral college with two weeks to go, is this the headline you want to see? McCain says he'll be OK if he loses election, via Reuters. Doh!
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So anyways, lots of big news yesterday. What's on your mind today? What do you think about the ABC News numbers - will McCain finally stop the robocalls and move on to something else?