Two weeks till President Barack Obama polls tighten an update..

[General Duke]

 

With two weeks to go Barack Obama is still ahead in the popular vote and the key battleground states..

 

Election 2008 Obama McCain RCP Average

National 49.3 44.0 Obama +5.3

 

 

Battlegrounds Obama McCain RCP Average

Florida 49.2 46.0 Obama +3.2

Ohio 48.8 45.5 Obama +3.3

North Carolina 47.3 46.0 Obama +1.3

Virginia 53.3 44.7 Obama +8.6

Colorado 50.6 44.6 Obama +6.0

 

Battleground States | Latest Polls | RCP Electoral Map

RealClearPolitics produces a comprehensive average of recent presidential election polls.

[General Duke]

Obama's perfect weekend: Ahead in polls, record fundraising - and Colin Powell tooDan Glaister The Guardian, Monday October 20 2008 Article history

 

Powell on Obama: 'He is a transformational figure' Link to this video Colin Powell, George Bush's former secretary of state, yesterday dealt his own party a major blow when he threw his weight behind Barack Obama's bid to become the next president of the United States.

 

The retired four-star general spurned his good friend, the Republican John McCain, to heap praise on the "transformational figure" of Obama, the Democratic party candidate, saying America needed a "generational change".

 

In a swipe at both Bush and McCain, he added: "I firmly believe that at this point in America's history, we need a president who will not just continue, even with a new face and with the changes and with some maverick aspects, who will not just continue basically the policies that we have been following in recent years."

 

 

Dan Glaister on Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama: 'This will sting McCain'

Link to this audio Coming 15 days before the US presidential election, Powell's endorsement was the second important boost to Obama yesterday. The other was the news that his campaign had raised a record $150m (£86m) in September, dwarfing his previous monthly high of $65m in August, and bringing the total raised to $605m.

 

At the weekend, Obama also attracted his biggest US audience of the campaign, when 100,000 people attended a rally in St Louis, Missouri. On Saturday evening, 75,000 people attended an Obama rally in Kansas City. The huge turnouts came as the latest national polls showed the presidential race essentially static, with Obama maintaining a lead of 4%-7%.

 

Speaking on the TV programme Meet the Press, Powell, 71, offered an impassioned endorsement of Obama, and a harsh repudiation of the McCain campaign.

 

"It was not easy for me to disappoint Senator McCain in the way that I have done this morning," Powell said. "We need a transformational figure, a president who is a generational change, That is why I'm supporting Barack Obama.

 

"Because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities - and you have to take that into account - he has both style and substance, he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president."

 

He said race was not a factor in his decision, but added: "It will be an historic event for an African-American to become president, and, if that happens, all Americans should be proud."

 

Powell, who said he had made up his mind over the last two months, was damning about McCain's response to the economic crisis, about what he described as the Republican party's drift further to the right during the campaign, and the attack politics of recent weeks.

 

He also had harsh words for McCain's selection of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as running mate. "He [McCain] was a little unsure about how to deal with the economic problems," Powell said. "That concerned me. I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin ... I don't believe she's ready to be vice-president of the United States. That raises some questions ... about the judgment Senator McCain made."

 

He also criticised the McCain campaign for focusing on Obama's alleged ties to the 1960s radical William Ayers. "Why do we keep talking about him and why do we have these robocalls going on?" he asked. "This goes too far ... it's not what the American people are looking for. The party has moved even further to the right ... The approach of the Republican party and Mr McCain has become narrower and narrower. Obama has been more inclusive," Powell said.

 

Obama said he was "beyond honoured and deeply humbled" by Powell's support. At a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he said: "[Powell] knows, as we do, that this is a moment where we need to come together as one nation - young and old, rich and poor, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Republican and Democrat." Addressing a crowd of 10,000, Obama added: "He reminded us that at this defining moment we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games, the same political tactics that have been used in so many elections to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another."

 

McCain said he was not surprised by the endorsement. He was pleased he had the backing of four other former secretaries of state and many military leaders. Speaking on Fox television, he said: "We're very happy with the way the campaign is going. I've been on enough campaigns, my friend, to sense enthusiasm and momentum, and we've got it."

 

Despite Obama's lead in both poll ratings and fundraising, McCain said he could sense "things are heading our way."

 

"I love being the underdog. You know every time that I've gotten ahead, somehow I've messed it up," McCain said.

 

Powell's endorsement should aid Obama in foreign policy and national security, areas in which he is thought to be weaker. Powell served as national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan, was appointed chairman of the joint chiefs of staff by the first President George Bush, and was secretary of state during the current president's first term.

 

While his endorsement carries great weight with Republicans, his standing among liberals was knocked following his speech to the UN before the invasion of Iraq. His enthusiastic support for Obama's "steadiness" and "intellectual vigour", however, will reassure many Democrats.

 

The money raised in September enables Obama to push his campaign into Republican areas, forcing the McCain campaign to spend money to shore up support in what should be safe states. The Obama campaign said the average donation was less than $100. September brought 632,000 new donors, bringing the total number during the campaign to 3.1 million.

 

The Democratic national committee also raised $49.9m in September.

 

McCain chose to accept public funding of his campaign, which limits the amount he can spend in September and October to $84m. The Republican National Committee raised $66m in September.

 

Much of Obama's financial advantage can be seen on the country's TV screens, where Democrat campaign commercials outplay McCain by three or four to one. The Obama campaign has even purchased a half

[General Duke]

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann

*** Two weeks out: There are no significant changes to this week’s NBC electoral map. Obama continues to hold a

264-163 lead over McCain, which is unchanged from last week. The slight changes: We moved Georgia, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District from Likely McCain to Lean McCain.

Also, we almost moved McCain’s home state of Arizona to the Lean column; the state would have been a battleground had McCain not been on the ticket. And keep an eye on South Carolina -- yes, South Carolina. The historic African-American turnout appears to be happening and could make it a single-digit race there. In sum, the political winds are still at Obama’s back. As for the Toss-up states and any that are teetering toward Obama: Colorado, Florida, and Virginia all seem to tilting the Democrat's way, but we haven't moved them yet because all three states have histories of Republican candidates over-performing polls. Unlike other maps, ours is not poll-driven. Polls are only a part of how we make our decisions on our map.

 

[General Duke]

Lifelong conservative Republican Ken Adelman to vote for Obama, blasts McCain and Palin

John Aravosis (DC) · 10/20/2008 04:30:00 PM ET ·

This one hurts.

 

Why so, since my views align a lot more with McCain’s than with Obama’s? And since I truly dread the notion of a Democratic president, Democratic House, and hugely Democratic Senate?

 

Primarily for two reasons, those of temperament and of judgment.

 

When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.

 

Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.

 

That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.

[General Duke]

New York Times endorses Obama

 

Barack Obama for President

 

The United States is battered and drifting after eight years of President Bush’s failed leadership. He is saddling his successor with two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens — whether they are fleeing a hurricane’s floodwaters, searching for affordable health care or struggling to hold on to their homes, jobs, savings and pensions in the midst of a financial crisis that was foretold and preventable.

 

As tough as the times are, the selection of a new president is easy. After nearly two years of a grueling and ugly campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has proved that he is the right choice to be the 44th president of the United States.

 

•

 

Mr. Obama has met challenge after challenge, growing as a leader and putting real flesh on his early promises of hope and change. He has shown a cool head and sound judgment. We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation’s problems.

 

In the same time, Senator John McCain of Arizona has retreated farther and farther to the fringe of American politics, running a campaign on partisan division, class warfare and even hints of racism. His policies and worldview are mired in the past. His choice of a running mate so evidently unfit for the office was a final act of opportunism and bad judgment that eclipsed the accomplishments of 26 years in Congress.

 

Given the particularly ugly nature of Mr. McCain’s campaign, the urge to choose on the basis of raw emotion is strong. But there is a greater value in looking closely at the facts of life in America today and at the prescriptions the candidates offer. The differences are profound.

 

Mr. McCain offers more of the Republican every-man-for-himself ideology, now lying in shards on Wall Street and in Americans’ bank accounts. Mr. Obama has another vision of government’s role and responsibilities.

 

In his convention speech in Denver, Mr. Obama said, “Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.”

 

Since the financial crisis, he has correctly identified the abject failure of government regulation that has brought the markets to the brink of collapse.

 

NYTIMES source

[General Duke]

McClellan Endorses Obama

 

NEW YORK — Scott McClellan, President Bush's former press secretary, says he is backing Barack Obama for president.

 

McClellan made the endorsement during a taping of Comedian D.L. Hughley's new show that is premiering on CNN this weekend. The former Bush administration official said he wanted to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done.

 

He's the second former Bush administration figure this week to publicly back Obama, following former Secretary of State Colin Powell. McClellan caused bitterness among his former co-workers with a tell-all book that criticized

[General Duke]

Election 2008 Obama McCain RCP Average

National 50.1 42.6 Obama +7.5