U.S. Presidential Elections 2008

[Guest American Woman]

The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report shows Barack Obama with a 52% to 41% lead over John McCain. link

[jdobbin]

Latest story from Associated Press:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...=uselection2008

Even two Republicans once on McCain's short list for vice-president sounded skeptical. In a fundraising email on behalf of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Mitt Romney referred to "the very real possibility of an Obama presidency." In the Midwest, Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave a dour assessment of McCain's chances in his state, saying Obama "has a pretty good advantage in Minnesota right now."

Nationally, a poll by the Pew Research Center found Obama with a 16-point lead among registered voters. The survey said Obama had 52 per cent and McCain 36 per cent, with independent voters supporting the Democrat by a 48-31 margin.

Add that to the list of Republicans who have bad things to say about the McCain campaign.

[jbg]

Latest story from Associated Press:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...=uselection2008

Add that to the list of Republicans who have bad things to say about the McCain campaign.

I still think he may win, but his campaign competes on a race for the bottom with Celine Stephane Dion.

[BC_chick]

I still think he may win, but his campaign competes on a race for the bottom with Celine Stephane Dion.

Let's hope Obama does better than Harper though...

(they won't admit it, but we know they didn't call an election for another minority government)

[jbg]

Let's hope Obama does better than Harper though...

(they won't admit it, but we know they didn't call an election for another minority government)

In hindsight, the game of threaten, abstain, threaten, walk out, anything to avoid pulling the plug was getting tiresome and it had to end.

[sharkman]

The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report shows Barack Obama with a 52% to 41% lead over John McCain. link

Here is the dirty little secret about polling organizations: the percentage of hang-ups, people who don't respond whatsoever. Some polls have as high as a 80% hang-up rate. How can you claim to be getting an accurate picture with that kind of data?

The only poll that matters is on election day, and even with a 9 point lead, Obama knows he has an uphill race. If he loses, the irresponsible MSM and pollsters will be partly to blame for the civil unrest occurring as hard lefties will blame 'the man' for stealing the election. They will never guess they were lied to by the MSM with inaccurate polling.

[Guest American Woman]

Here is the dirty little secret about polling organizations: the percentage of hang-ups, people who don't respond whatsoever. Some polls have as high as a 80% hang-up rate. How can you claim to be getting an accurate picture with that kind of data?

I don't claim anything. The Gallop Poll claims to be accurate within a certain percentage rate, and it generally is.

The only poll that matters is on election day, and even with a 9 point lead, Obama knows he has an uphill race. If he loses, the irresponsible MSM and pollsters will be partly to blame for the civil unrest occurring as hard lefties will blame 'the man' for stealing the election. They will never guess they were lied to by the MSM with inaccurate polling.

It's not the MSM doing the polling. It's the gallop poll. The MSM is just reporting the Gallop Poll.

But here's a little dose of reality-- with Obama having a nine point lead, it's McCain who "knows he has an uphill race."

[capricorn]

But here's a little dose of reality-- with Obama having a nine point lead, it's McCain who "knows he has an uphill race."

It seems the polls showed Obama and McCain much closer a few weeks ago. With all the hoopla surrounding Obama and the negative reaction to McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate, I felt Obama should have had a heftier lead in the polls. Even now, I find a nine point lead doesn't reflect what I perceive to be Obama's edge over McCain. No doubt Americans view the two top contenders in a whole different light than I do. This is as it should be given that I am a passive observer in this fascinating process.

I have a lot of confidence in the American electorate to make the right choice at this point in their history. Your political system has the necessary mechanisms in place to prevent chaos should things not unfold as they should. All this is very reassuring for this Canuck.

[Sir Bandelot]

Your political system has the necessary mechanisms in place to prevent chaos should things not unfold as they should. All this is very reassuring for this Canuck.

No one really knows what will happen until the day finally comes. With what is at stake for the empire I would not give fairness the benefit of the doubt.

[bush_cheney2004]

No one really knows what will happen until the day finally comes. With what is at stake for the empire I would not give fairness the benefit of the doubt.

Yes we do...another American will become president elect.....no big deal. Inauguration isn't until late January.

[Sir Bandelot]

Yes we do...another American will become president elect.....no big deal. Inauguration isn't until late January.

One of these two will become president, that is obvious. But whether people all get to vote, that is not known. Long lines and other problems are expected. To what extent this affects the voting is not known. The polls are so close, its not obvious who will win. So even if the electorate "make the right choice", whoever that might be, doesn't necessarily mean they will be the next president!

<Insert meaningless pro-US rhetoric here>

[jdobbin]

Even Republican Montanans are looking to support Obama.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/02/cnn....map/index.html

The move is partially based on the new CNN poll of polls in Montana, compiled Friday, which suggests that McCain has a 1-point lead over his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, 46 percent to 45 percent. Nine percent of voters are undecided.

"The fact that Montana is up for grabs has to be extremely unsettling for the McCain campaign," said CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib.

[jdobbin]

One of these two will become president, that is obvious.

It is obvious is no big deal for some Republicans to support Obama. Many are doing it in greater numbers every day.

[jbg]

It is obvious is no big deal for some Republicans to support Obama. Many are doing it in greater numbers every day.

People are saying that to sound cool, that's it.

[Mr.Canada]

People are saying that to sound cool, that's it.

Precisely jbg, precisely.

I'll tell the rest of you guys this much, Jews don't trust Obama to keep Israel safe. Jews hold a lot of sway, money and vote sway. Obama would do well to be mindful of that before he wants to invite terrorists to the Capitol and Camp David for conferences.

Edited November 3, 2008 by Mr.Canada

[bush_cheney2004]

... I'll tell the rest of you guys this much, Jews don't trust Obama to keep Israel safe. Jews hold a lot of sway, money and vote sway. Obama would do well to be mindful of that before he wants to invite terrorists to the Capitol and Camp David for conferences.

Nope....only one vote to a customer..."Jew" or otherwise. By comparison, US trial lawyers have more influence.

[August1991]

I have a lot of confidence in the American electorate to make the right choice at this point in their history. Your political system has the necessary mechanisms in place to prevent chaos should things not unfold as they should. All this is very reassuring for this Canuck.

Necessary mechanisms? Prevent chaos?

Obama will have to face the electorate agian in four years. In the White House, even if he chooses his own cabinet, he still faces a huge executive bureaucracy. Then, he will have to face a Congress and a Supreme Court. There are 50 state governments who may or may not agree with what he is doing. Finally, there are individual Americans who choose to do their own thing their own way.

The American system could probably withstand a lunatic in the White House and Obama may be left wing, but he's no lunatic.

[Kitchener]

People are saying that to sound cool, that's it.

Republicans are saying they support Obama in order to sound cool?

Wow. Even Republicans think it's cool to support Obama. That's awesome.

[jdobbin]

I'll tell the rest of you guys this much, Jews don't trust Obama would do well to be mindful of that before he wants to invite terrorists to the Capitol and Camp David for conferences.

Invites terrorists? He is a terrorist, isn't he?

[capricorn]

Necessary mechanisms? Prevent chaos?

Prevent may not be the right word. Avert would have better described my thought. My excuse is that my mother tongue is French et il m'arrive de ne pas trouver les termes précis.

Obama will have to face the electorate agian in four years. In the White House, even if he chooses his own cabinet, he still faces a huge executive bureaucracy. Then, he will have to face a Congress and a Supreme Court. There are 50 state governments who may or may not agree with what he is doing. Finally, there are individual Americans who choose to do their own thing their own way.

These are some elements that reassure me.

The American system could probably withstand a lunatic in the White House and Obama may be left wing, but he's no lunatic.

I never implied he is. But if he is elected POTUS, at some point he may deflate.

[Kitchener]

Here is the dirty little secret about polling organizations: the percentage of hang-ups, people who don't respond whatsoever. Some polls have as high as a 80% hang-up rate. How can you claim to be getting an accurate picture with that kind of data?

The only poll that matters is on election day, and even with a 9 point lead, Obama knows he has an uphill race. If he loses, the irresponsible MSM and pollsters will be partly to blame for the civil unrest occurring as hard lefties will blame 'the man' for stealing the election. They will never guess they were lied to by the MSM with inaccurate polling.

Yes, a nine-point lead is the kiss of death in a fairly-run election. Fraud would be the worst explanation of its evaporating, when Republican officials have been working to scrub poor and black voters from the rolls in multiple states.

Unless you have some positive reason to think that hang-up rates are higher for supporters of one candidate than another, then they are not an issue for representative results. Probably a larger issue is the prevalence of cellphones among the young, making them less likely to be sampled by at least some established polling methods. Since Obama seems to have polled higher among the young, when they are polled directly, the likeliest estimate is that polls have slightly underestimated support for Obama. How that will translate into actual votes, of course, is always an open question; but that has precisely zero to do with being "lied to" by that bogeyman "MSM".

[Sir Bandelot]

Polls can be very misleading and are used as a form of propaganda by both sides. Its possible that the race is close but it could also be that Obama has a much beigger lead than polls show. No one really knows if they indicate what the balance of votes will be. Some polls show a huge margin, others show it neck-and-neck with a significant number undecided.

Tomorrow its all over... many will be thankful the circus is ending. Polls are continuing to move towards Obama, he has the momentum which is bad news for John McCain.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/081103/usa/us_vote

JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Nov 3, 2008 (AFP)

"Barack Obama stood on the threshold of history Monday as polls gave the Democrat a solid lead over John McCain on the last day of campaigning for the most dramatic US presidential vote in a generation.

The 47-year-old Democrat stressed the historic nature of his quest to be America's first black president, striking an optimistic tone as fresh polls gave him a wide lead and heaped further pressure on McCain.

The final pre-election poll of Gallup-USA Today published Monday gave Obama a yawning lead of 11 points -- 55 percent to 44 for McCain."

Hmm, first black president it says, right there. Someone tell bush_cheney, because he's in denial over that fact. Maybe he should write to MSNBC and complain. After all if the truth hurts, just change the truth!

[capricorn]

Polls can be very misleading and are used as a form of propaganda by both sides. Its possible that the race is close but it could also be that Obama has a much beigger lead than polls show. No one really knows if they indicate what the balance of votes will be. Some polls show a huge margin, others show it neck-and-neck with a significant number undecided.

I agree that polls don't always tell the story and can be manipulated. Yet, election polls are generally accepted as a credible predictor of the outcome. On that premise, the perception is out there that Obama will win the presidency. What if there's an upset and McCain wins? That would enrage Democrats who would accuse the Republicans of stealing the election. The accusations of voter fraud would be very loud and persistent, just like when Bush won. Except that this time, it would be an African-American that fell victim to the dirty tricks of the Republicans. IMO this would have the potential of setting back race relations in the US.

If Obama is not elected, the colour of his skin will become very pertinent. The media and radical groups would feast on it.

[sharkman]

If Obama is not elected, there will be civil unrest. For this reason alone, I hope he wins, but you just can't trust the polls and Obama obviously doesn't either. He could well win, and as conflicted as I would be about it, giving the Dems a turn at the wheel would be good for the GOP in the long run as his radical changes would wreak havoc on the nation.

[kengs333]

After two years of insufferable campaigning the laughable "democratic" process of electing a new president has reached election day... So now it's just a matter of enduring two years of a new bungling administration before the election process gears up again and we have to go through this all over again...