Today’s opining on the public discourse.
Barack Obama’s ailing grandmother, who he left the campaign trail recently to visit, passed away today. Obama’s half-sister issued a statement to the media:
“It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.“Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It
brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.”
Dunham, who helped raise the Illinois senator, was 86 years old.
I wish she’d lived to see tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll be voting her a legacy.
Things certainly look to be headed that way:
Here’s our final daily composite of the six major national tracking polls. Many national polls have coalesced around a projected 52% popular-vote share for Barack Obama, and it shows in our composite:
• Gallup: Obama 53%, McCain 42%, with a ±2% margin of error, compared to a 52%-43% lead from yesterday.
• Rasmussen: Obama 52%, McCain 46%, with a ±2% margin of error, compared to a 51%-46% Obama lead from yesterday.
• ABC/Washington Post: Obama 53%, McCain 44%, with a ±2% margin of error, compared to a 54%-43% Obama lead yesterday
• Hotline/Diageo: Obama 50%, McCain 45%, with a ±3.3% margin of error, unchanged from yesterday.
• Research 2000: Obama 51%, McCain 45%, with a ±3% margin of
error, compared to a 51%-44% Obama lead from yesterday.• Zogby: Obama 51%, McCain 44%, with a ±2.9% margin of error, compared to a 50%-44% Obama lead from yesterday.
Adding these polls together and weighting them by the square roots of their sample sizes, Obama is ahead 51.9%-44.3%, a lead of 7.6 points, compared to the 51.5%-44.2% Obama lead from yesterday.
There’s long lines at the polls. It’s going to be tough to vote in some places. But those of you who haven’t voted yet: there’s nothing more important that you can do right now. Get out there and get this man elected.
Otherwise, we could still end up with this:
Sarah Palin has been an embarrassment to herself and her party since joining the Republican ticket in late August, so it stands to reason that she’d want to end the campaign season with her most disgraceful rhetoric to date.
After blasting the notion that some Democrats want to cut the defense budget, Palin told a Missouri audience this morning:
“What do they think? Do they think that the terrorists have all of a sudden become the good guys, and changed their minds?
No! The terrorists still seek to destroy America and her allies and all that it is that is that we stand for: Freedom, tolerance, equality.”
[snip]
Greg Sargent concluded, “Palin’s final appeal on the eve of almost certain defeat puts it right out in the open: It’s war hero versus ally of terrorists who want to destroy America and kill your children.”The entire Republican campaign is built entirely on hate, fear, and ignorance. If there’s ever been a more offensive campaign for national office, it doesn’t come to mind.
The entire bloody right wing is losing its mind:
Yesterday, a YouTube user named NakedEmperorNews uploaded an audio clip of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) telling the San Francisco Chronicle’s editorial board in January 2008 that under his cap and trade plan,
Rachel Maddow and Steve Benen have a good point – hours-long lines at the polls are a form of poll tax. Those people even went to the polls early to help make the situation better, or at least to avoid the crush.I’ll guarantee that none of the polls in Beverly Hills or Grosse Point are that backed up.That these conditions exist in a country this wealthy is a disgrace.