Though it was no surprise to see Obama with an enormous lead in blue states and a substantial lead in battleground states, I didn't expect to see him coming so close on average nationally in what have been traditionally red states.
Obama McCainAnd this only includes data from the week ending October 12 -- the week before had a spread of eight points in the red states!
If such polling results accurately mirror general voter sentiment in these states, I think we're not only going to be witnessing a big victory for Obama in two weeks, but a seminal shift in the political atmosphere of the nation as a whole.
The full results of this breakdown going back to June are here:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/108061/Candidate-Support-Red-Purple-Blue-States.aspx
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Late-night update:
Gallup just published new figures for the week ending October 19, and they have the red-state spread widening slightly again to six points while the purple-state spread takes a fairly large dive to eight points. Obama's advantage in blue states, however, has increased further. It will be interesting to see if the current week's totals will reflect the greater expansion of Obama's lead that we've witnessed over the past couple of days. Here are the latest numbers:
Obama McCain
Red states 44% 50%
Purple states 51% 43%
Blue states 59% 33%
A video has been circulating the internet showing a man, Larry Sinclair, speaking to camera making slanderous claims about Senator Barack Obama. These claims are demonstrably false, and don't bear repeating here, or in any venue. Which is why it is shocking that the National Press Club is offering a him a spot on the national stage on June 18.
Please take a moment to ask the National Press Club to check the facts before giving Larry Sinclair a bully pulpit. Also, if you have a moment please consider calling the National Press Club at 202-662-7500, and politely but firmly petition them verbally.
There's a petition on the site: http://action.firedoglake.com/page/petition/stoppingsinclair
Digging around the NPC site, I also came up with an email address: info@press.org
I urge everyone to let the NPC know what they think about this!
If elected president, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said one of the first things he wants to do is ensure the constitutionality of all the laws and executive orders passed while Republican President George W. Bush has been in office.
Those that don’t pass muster will be overturned, he said.
During a fund-raiser in Denver, Obama — a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School — was asked what he hoped to accomplish during his first 100 days in office.
“I would call my attorney general in and review every single
executive order issued by George Bush and overturn those laws or
executive decisions that I feel violate the constitution,” said Obama.
Other goals for his first 100 days: work out a plan to withdraw
troops from Iraq; make progress on alternative energy plans and launch
legislation to reform the health care system. source
I think that human beings were given great gifts and had great potential and they squandered it all on goods, possession, power, territory and on a superstitious God that watches everything and controls. These things, I think, crippled the human animal to the extend that we never lived up to their potential. The same thing happened in this country. We were given great potential. We were given this great system of self-government, the best one that had been devised so far. And we've given it all up for gizmos, and goods, and toys and possessions, and - in this country - God, overlooking everything and spoiling everything.He proceeds with his take on the rise of Obama:
So... there have been moments in this country when people have, leaders have emerged who were inspirational, and who could carry the people with them because — in order to effect change in their lives and experience as a group, they need to be led, and they need to believe in something and they need to believe in themselves, and they need to believe that they can change things. And they way that happens is through an inspirational leader. FDR was that, Franklin Roosevelt - he gave people something to believe in, and mainly it was themselves, that they could weather the storm, and he got them through the Depression and a fuckin' World War. So, these things happen and they're interesting to notice - I don't know how much overall meaning it has, I do respect what's going on as a true American phenomenon, this rising up of someone who - maybe, I don't know - has the quality to inspire people.And amidst his razor-sharp yet compassionate critique of our wacky species, he namedrops TPM as one of his regular blog reads!