Blog Around

Here is a quick summary of some of the latest and most interesting (in my opinion) blog posts on various election topics.

From the New York Times Political Blog “The Caucus”
Palin: “Obama is playing around with terrorists” by Katie Phillips

In the Colorado Airport Hangar Saturday, Palin addressed an article she read in the New York Times about Barack Obama’s relationship with a former member of the radical Weatherman. The man in question-although Palin did not mention his name-is Chicago professor, William C. Ayers. Palin said, “Turns out one of Barack’s earliest supporters is a man who, according to the New York Times, and they are hardly ever wrong, was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that quote launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and US Capitol. Wow. These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes.”

Palin is alluding to the New York Times article by Scott Shane who delved into the relationship between Obama and Ayers only to conclude that the two men served on education boards in Chicago years ago, but do not appear to have been close.

According to Phillips, Republican attacks on Obama’s old ties with Ayers is nothing new. The McCain campaign ran a television ad highlighting their relationship and the Republican National Committee released a listing of articles about Ayers.

In his defense, Obama says he never sympathized with Ayer’s radical views and actions. He calls Ayers, “somebody that engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was eight.” A spokesman from the Obama campaign called Palin’s comments offensive but not surprising considering the McCain campaign’s decision to launch attacks in hopes of deterring attention from the economy.

From the Washington Post Politics Blog “The Fix”
“Congressional Republicans Fret over Potential Losses” By: Chris Cillizza

Republican strategists are worried the party may loose significant numbers in the upcoming elections for the Senate and the House due to the economic crisis.

“’The crisis has affected the entire ticket,’ said Jan van Lohuizen, a Republican consultant who handled the polling for President Bush’s reelection campaign. ‘The worse the state’s economy, the greater the impact.’”

Cillizza says that with the bailout bill now through Congress, Republicans must hope that the focus moves off the economy.

From Rock the Vote Blog
Carney at Toledo by Nick Brown

The voter registration deadlines are looming and the Rock the Vote tour is trying to get their hands on as many young voters as possible this election. On October 3rd, Rock the Vote registered its 2 millionth voter. In the 2004 election, Rock the Vote reports that the total electorate consisted of 122 million voters. That means Rock the Vote has registered 1.6 percent of voters in the 2004 election. This many seem like a small amount in retrospect, but it can make a huge difference when looking at the bigger picture.

So what does 2 million voters count for? This number of voters could “have flipped every swing state for one candidate or the other in 2004. 2 million voters is more than three congressional districts; there are fifteen states whose total population is less than 2 million; and-if they voted as a block- 2 million voters could easily be the difference in this election.”

Sounds like the Youth Vote could really be the deciding factor in this upcoming election. Great job Rock the Vote!