Absolutely the single best ad of the campaign. Ralph Stanley is utterly impeachable. I would've bet a thousand bucks he'd be voting McCain; the fact he cut an ad for Obama blows my mind. Dr. Stanley, as he calls himself, is a true American original and a musical giant, even if he's unknown to most folks. Fan-freakin-tastic!

Posted at October 2, 2008 1:13 PM in response to New Obama Ad In South Stars Bluegrass Legend Saying Obama Is "A Good Man"

You really need to watch it, then. Obama will never be the equal to Bill when it comes to feeling one's pain (or other things), but Obama's delivery is as close as he's gotten yet. By bringing it back to his own experience, he's able to really hit home. Seems to me like what America needs right now is a community organizer.

Posted at October 2, 2008 11:44 AM in response to Obama: The Economic Despair Many Are Suffering Is "Un-American"

Put your avatar in a different film, and he'd likely be telling McCain that Obama just drank his milkshake.

Posted at September 26, 2008 1:26 PM in response to Obama's Lead Nearly Doubles In Today's Tracking Polls

Holy crap. And K-Lo is the most Kool-Aid drinking of the bunch. All of this would be funny if it wasn't so sad for the country.

Posted at September 26, 2008 9:33 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

They've definitely opened the door for Keating 5. Not only that, it's germane to the financial crisis. Why is the Obama campaign not giving the American people all the info needed to make an informed decision? Also, hey media, get off your asses, too.

Posted at September 22, 2008 10:14 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

Great idea!

Posted at September 18, 2008 10:52 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

Research 2000 is widely respected. Look harder next time. And just because Kos sponsors is doesn't disqualify it, kind of like how you can't discount a poll just because it was paid for by Fox, either.

Posted at September 16, 2008 3:18 PM in response to Obama Regaining Ground In National Tracking Polls

Here's the thing about the Bradley effect. Nate at 538 suggested that the choice of Palin brought a lot of embarrassed Republicans out of the woodwork, folks who wouldn't otherwise tell pollsters who they were really voting for. My theory is these might be the same people who make up the Bradley effect and what we're seeing now is the race as it actually is, with the two candidates essentially tied.

Posted at September 16, 2008 2:57 PM in response to Obama Regaining Ground In National Tracking Polls

Chuck Todd said today that McCain could very well be at his high-water mark. If that's true, than this poll is great news, since even if it's a bit off, Obama could stand to gain even more ground in the state. At the least, it's one of many hints that the bounce has crested.

Posted at September 15, 2008 2:19 PM in response to Poll: Obama Takes Narrow Lead In Virginia

I think a big part of this is that the GOP is great at recognizing a narrative and pushing it relentlessly, while the Democrats wait for the media to do it for them. In both 2000 and 2004, the GOP made the media's job easy on this by sending out surrogates, creating ads and generally owning the message. If the Obama campaign wants the liar narrative to take hold, it needs to go all out on it. A couple press releases and a conference call doesn't cut it. If by the end of this campaign John McCain isn't considered the biggest liar in 100 years it'll be the fault of the Democrats, not the media.

Posted at September 13, 2008 6:49 PM in response to Explain to me please