Bruce Sprinsgsteen reprises his between-song patter for Barack Obama at a gig in Ohio.
Have you ever wondered where New Jersey-native Bruce Springsteen acquired that odd accent? If you walk the streets of Freehold or stroll the boardwalks of the Jersey shore, you’ll hear plenty of people who talk like Tony Soprano and Steven Van Zandt but you won’t find anyone who sounds like The Boss.
Some years back, Michael Jordan was asked why he didn’t speak out publicly in support of Democratic candidates. Mr. Jordan replied (words to this effect): “Republicans buy Air Jordans too.” King James — arguably the heir to his Airness — doesn’t seem to care if Republicans buy his Nikes. Hip Hop pioneer Russell Simmons also urges Ohioans to get on board.
The Obama campaign continues its relentless effort to boost turnout, particularly among young voters. Wisconsin has something called “in-person absentee voting.” Apparently citizens can go to the local city clerk’s office, request an absentee ballot and fill it out on the spot.
Can a financial scandal that occurred nearly 20 years ago affect this year’s campaign? The Obama campaign certainly hopes so and they’re promoting a video called “Keating Economics: The story of John McCain and the making of a financial crisis.” It’s available here later today.
John McCain is “erratic in crisis” and “out of touch” says this new 30-second spot from Barack Obama. (Oh yeah, McCain=Bush.)
Sound Bite: “No wonder his campaign wants to change the subject, turn the page on the financial crisis by launching dishonest, dishonorable assaults against Barack Obama.
Working-class hero Bruce Springsteen tooled down to Philadelphia from his mansion in New Jersey yesterday to perform at a Get Out the Vote Rally for Obama. No doubt The Boss is sincere and his message here is well-stated and heartfelt, but there’s always something off-putting about hearing political lectures from rich artists.
As the campaign enters its final 30 days, the McCain campaign has unleashed the pit bull with lipstick. Forget the isssues. The final month will be all about convincing voters that Barack Obama is a dangerous choice for the top spot.
At a speech in California, Sarah (By golly! You betcha!) Palin says Barack Obama “pals around” with a “domestic terrorist” (William Ayers). Look for her to drag out Reverend Wright next week and, if that doesn’t work, she’ll be calling him a Muslim by late October.
Sound Bite: “Now, this is not a man who sees America as you and I see America. We see America as a force for good in the world.”
And since more and more populous states have adopted early (i.e. extended) voting, it’s likely that organization and logistics will be critical in this year’s election. (Guess which campaign has recognized and embraced the importance of early voting?)
In this clip funny dude Kal Penn makes a pitch to North Carolina voters to take advantage of “one-stop early voting” — residents can register and vote on the same day between October 16 and November 1. (Vote for Barack Obama, of course.)
The battle over who will raise taxes continues. In this latest ad volley, Obama says McCain will impose a “new tax on health benefits . . . the largest middle-class tax increase in history.” (And in case you’ve forgotten: McCain=Bush)
Sound Bite: “You won’t find one word about it on his Web site but the McCain tax could cost your family thousands. Can you afford it?”
In a speech at the University of Central Florida, Bill Clinton stumps for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, uh, Barack what’s his name. He tells the screaming students what a good president he was. He tells the students how Bush messed things up. He tells the students how he would fix things. He tells the students to vote for Barack what’s his name.
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe tells Ohioans to take advantage of early voting right away “so you’ll be freed up to help us win the election in those remaining weeks.” Ohio has also instituted “one-stop early voting” where you can register (up until October 6th) and vote at the same location. With more states instituting early voting this year, look for a lot of post-election analysis on how this new trend affects turnout, especially among target Democratic demographic groups.
