Barack Obama Elected President!

[Wales2004]

This is just another instance of the poor management job McCain's campaign is doing. All they needed to do was ask for another moderator.....situation handled.

Now it doesn't matter whether the intent was to have a built in excuse, if things gp wrong or not. By making an assumption about the tone of a book, which for obvious reasons he nor anyone else working with him has read, McCain's potentially opened up another can of worms. This is who the nation's supposed to look to as a problem solver.

Let's just hava a non-stop discussion about Obama. He's in front, what is he going to do to keep from getting behind? He's behind, what's he going to do to get in front? He turned sideways, how's he going to turn back? He climbed the stairs, is he going to walk back down? He's wearing sunglasses, how is the average person going to relate to him?

You know I have to hand it to Barack Obama because while he's being persecuted for being Barack Obama, his campaign found the time to run a positive ad about health care.

[George008]

Who is having a non-stop discussion about Obama? Are you refering to the media? I dont see that because "the bailout" is all they can talk about...They are somewhat setting up tonight's debate..

Are you referring to the discussion in this thread? If so, I don't see that either..we've discussed all aspects of this election, all candidates, and pretty much every conceivable issue..

[George008]

All I can say to this article is.... HUH? Sarah Palin offensive to black women because she is a working mom, and claims to be the "average mom". How is this offensive? I just dont get it...

Guess who made these comments....Gwen Ifill's "brilliant" cousin..

'Brilliant' Ifill Cousin Scours Palin As 'Offensive to Black Women'

[George008]

Hilarious

[Wales2004]

You know Oprah's mother is having some credit problems with a store. Maybe we should be concerned that Oprah will soon stop paying her own bills since the two are related and it's obvious that when people share the same gene pool, everything about them is identical.

My General Election Voter Information Guide just came in the mail so it won't be long before I get my ballot.....I am excited about reading through all the initiatives.

[George008]

Has Oprah been quoted as calling her mother "brilliant"?

[bandbfan]

I don't understand this Ted Stevens thing at all. He could be found guilty and still potentially win?

[Jess]

I think the Bradley Effect could make a big difference in this campaign. Of course, I hope not, but there is no denying that it's possible. I still wonder if that was not in play when Hillary won NH in the primary after Obama was shown with a big lead.

Now totally unrelated to the attached post, Gwen Ifill has a reputation for fairness and integrity. The criticism of her really is not fair.

[bandbfan]

I don't really understand why you'd lie in a poll.

[Wales2004]

I have no idea what Oprah's mother has said or has not said about her. It's besides the point. No one should be held responsible for what their relatives say or may say.

It's offensive to me that you want to hold Gwen Ifill responsible for a relative when you ought to hold your candidate responsible for not asking for a new moderator. Instead of smearing the woman (by questioning whether or not she has the ability to be professional), request a new moderator....chapter closed.

It's offensive to me that you posted about Gwen Ifill when the solution is for McCain to ask for a new moderator.

The reason whoever dug up information on Gwen Ifill's cousin did so is because Gwen Ifill had the "audacity" to wonder whether the reason people assume that she is "in the tank" for Obama and the reason that people assume her book favors Obama is becasue she's black. Instead of addressing that possibility the "big brains" said let's dig and now we have proof that her cousin said something then we can just go after her some more. It would be far too logical to have spent that energy asking McCain's campaign to ask for a new moderator.....not when you can travel the sort of route that makes certain Republicans look as if they prefer divisiveness.

I have no idea what Gwen Ifill's cousin said nor do I care what she said since Gwen Ifill's cousin is not running for office and because it's totally irrelevant to the fact that McCain should ask for a new moderator.

McCain is supposed to be a problem solver. If he feels that he has a biased moderator on his hands then the logical, sensible thing to do is ask for a new moderator.

[Wales2004]

I don't know the specifics abut as long as his name is on the ballot, people will still be able to vote for him regardless of the outcome of his trial. If he does win and does not resign then the Senate could decide to vote to expel him but they need two-thirds to go along.

It depends on the polling method. If it's a phone poll then a person might be uncomfortable saying that he/she won't vote for someone on the basis of race but it's still silly because if a person feels that way, then why be ashamed? It's like admitting that your principles are wrong.

[Jess]

Why should Gwen Ifill's cousin, who is in the private sector, not be allowed to say whatever she wants? Are people who related to journalists now not allowed to speak or have opinions because it makes John McCain mad?

Should Andrew Coumo not talk since his family is in politics? Should Maria Shriver be banned from journalism because she is a Kennedy? David Gergen has served in many White House administrations, Tim Russert, who was one of the best journalists ever and most respected, started his career working for Sen. Moniyhan. Tim Russert also moderated debates. David Broder has written many books on presidential campaigns, should he be disqualified? Sam Donaldson wrote a book about Ronald Reagan, is he disqualified? Lou Canon wrote on Reagan, is he disqualified?

Gwen Ifill's book is about blacks emerging as political leaders. If JOhn McCain is uncomfortable with that, McCain can be a big boy and ask that she be replaced as moderator if he is worried. Of course, that requires being a big boy. Crying unfair, but not seeking a change reflects excuses and a lack of leadership. Hell, if he can't ask for a new moderator, how can he make decisions when he is president? Is he just going to whine?

Personally, I think since any number of white guys (George S., Tim Russert, Joe Klein, David Broder for example) have written books about presidents, candidates and campaigns or actually worked for presidents or political leaders without these type questions that it is fair to ask whether her being an African-American is part of the problem with folks. She is very well-respected and has had a distinguished career. Also, since McCain/Palin have whined about every single interview about them, I don't believe much they say.

[Wales2004]

I'm pretty sure that Obama's people have already taken polling errors into consideration and are executing their plan accordingly.

If pollsters are truly interested in more accurate poll results then it seems to me that they would abandon the question of race in pills where people of different races are running for the same office, and just ask for whom the participants intend to vote. That would take the pressure off any racists to pretend that they are not.....now if I were one I would be proud of the fact instead of hiding like a coward. Now I know that there are people who don't consider themselves to be racists but when the question arises as to whether one would vote for someone of another race and the answer is "no" then that ought to be a big clue.

[Jess]

From what I understand, it's not an issue of lying. It seems a lot of white voters are refusing to be surveyed -- a higher number than usual. If these people who are refusing to be surveyed somehow are "different" than those who are being surveyed than it can skew a poll. For instance, if these were democrats, who were not voting for Obama and were embarrassed to say so because it might look like they didn't like blacks, then it would leave only those voters who are democrats voting for Obama in the survey pool and agreeing to the survey. My understanding is it is called "social acceptability" and some pollsters have said that it could influence the final vote outcome by as much as 3 percentage point. I don't think it's double digit, but in a close race it could make a difference.

I agree with Wales that Obama knows about it and is adjusting his strategy accordingly. Another factor that benefits Obama is that they usually draw samples according to predicted turnout. The African-American vote traditionally is about 12 percent of total turnout and most surveys reflect that expectation. I think African-American turnout will be huge this election and it could very well offset the Bradley Effect. Also, I think young voters will be out in larger numbers. I think polling this election is very tough because you don't know who will vote.

[Wales2004]

As far as I can tell, this whole issue originiated with a couple of people at Fox News. Given the fact that Fox News employs some individuals who have shown racial insensitivity, the question is indeed fair. Had they raised the issue of any other debate moderator then it wouldn't seem suspect and they also ignored the obvious solution of getting a new moderator.