McCain's Gambit
McCain's southwest Ohio campaign chair steps up voter suppression efforts.
Late Update: The same guy, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, is also friends with the publisher of a local racist website.
--Josh Marshall
McCain: Black, Black, Black!
McCain's latest: claiming that Obama will turn the IRS "into a giant welfare agency." And this even though McCain's rationale for this claim is Obama's support for a refundable tax credit, something McCain himself supports as a centerpiece of his health care plan. Par for the course, really: if you figure in the robocalls and recent ads, McCain's entire campaign is now comprised of innuendo and lies meant to tie Obama to various stereotypes of African-Americans and of course Arab terrorism. His purported foreign policy experience hasn't been part of the campaign's message in weeks. Just black, black, black, terrorist, terrorist, terrorist.
--Josh Marshall
Chronicling The Slime
Big news orgs start getting serious about tracking the magnitude of McCain's robo-slime campaign.
--Greg Sargent
Election Central Saturday Roundup
The Obama campaign outspending McCain on TV by four to one, and are expected to announce a recording-setting $100,000,000+ in September fundraising. That and other political news in today's Election Central Saturday Roundup.
--Eric Kleefeld
McCain's Legions
If you thought those McCain-Palin crowds were feral inside the auditoriums, they've even more rancid waiting in line to get in ...
--Josh Marshall
Midnight In the Big Sleazy
McCain's robocalls too sleazy for Sen. Collins (R) of Maine.
--Josh Marshall
Going Down Dirty
We're going to see an avalanche of this stuff over the next two weeks. But it looks like Wisconsin Republicans are going to be going all out in their voter suppression efforts. The Wisconsin GOP is currently recruiting "Milwaukee area veterans, policeman, security personnel and firefighters to work as poll watchers on election day at inner city polling places."
--Josh Marshall
A Doozy
Apparently Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) went on a rabid fear-mongering anti-Obama tear tonight on Hardball. Video excerpts soon ...
Late Update: In all her right-wing madhattery, we present Michele Bachmann:
--David Kurtz
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Hire 'Em
The company John McCain has hired to make all these sleazy robocalls appears to be the same company that made what McCain called "hate calls" against him in 2000.
--David Kurtz
Old Habits Die Hard
A former top voting rights official in the Justice Department tells TPMmuckraker that the current FBI investigation of ACORN is "a continuation of injecting DOJ into what has clearly become a political issue" and violates department policies.
--David Kurtz
Obama Camp: No Counting Chickens Yet
Election Central reports:
In two private conference calls this week with leading fundraisers, surrogates, and prominent supporters, senior Obama advisers expressed genuine worry that his lead in the polls is creating a complacency among supporters that the advisers are afraid will create a serious drag on fundraising and turnout, a person who was on both calls says.
--David Kurtz
Bigs Catching On
It looks like the big media outlets are starting to catch on to what we've been reporting all week at TPM Election Central -- that the real campaign McCain is running on the ground with mailers and robocalls is even nastier than the stuff McCain is saying publicly and struggling mightily to defend.
--David Kurtz
Geez, Do I Have to Add 'Em All Up?
Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL), responding to the question of how many affairs he's had: "You're asking me over a lifetime? I'm just saying I've been unfaithful and I'm sorry for that."
--David Kurtz
McCain's Harvest
Vandalized ACORN offices in Boston and Seattle and threats of death or violence in Providence and Cleveland follow in the wake of McCain's bogus "vote fraud" scam.
--Josh Marshall
The Secrets of Tire Swinging
We've got a new page just posted that is all about tire swinging. The term itself is explained, with a replay of the original, literal tire swinging moment. Then we categorize some of the best known tire swingers as either chronic repeat offenders, struggling to rehab but still tire swinging, or completely broken the tire swinging habit. Take a look.
--David Kurtz
Volley
The General Counsel of the Obama campaign is currently holding a media conference call to "Announce Major Action Taken Today To Address Illegal Conduct and Improprieties in the Sham "Anti-Fraud" Campaign Orchestrated By McCain-Palin and the RNC."
--Josh Marshall
Carpe Annum
DCCC unfurls a $15 million spinnaker (loan) to try to take full advantage of the wind at Dems' back this cycle.
--David Kurtz
"It's Not a Talent Contest!"
Did you think you'd ever heard a major party senate candidate caught begging, just before the start of a debate, that it wasn't fair that he wouldn't be allowed to bring in notes? Even though both campaigns had agreed already that that wouldn't be allowed.
It's Colorado senate candidate Bob Schaffer (R-CO), sweatshop supporter and Abramoff water-carrier, leaving all his self-respect on the field ...
--Josh Marshall
Good for a Chuckle
A few highlights from last night's annual Al Smith dinner in NYC:
--David Kurtz
A Few Good Apples?
Even some folks at the Bush DOJ uncomfortable about the DOJ/FBI jumping on the GOP's vote fraud scam bandwagon?
--Josh Marshall
Mark to Mac
I've always wondered if someone might try this. From CQ Politics ...
An internal investigation by the popular online market Intrade has revealed that an investor has been attempting to artificially boost the prediction that Sen. John McCain will become president.Over the past several weeks, the investor has pushed hundreds of thousands of dollars into one of Intrade's predictive markets for the presidential election, the company said, resulting in great financial losses through a strategy that belies any financial motive.
--Josh Marshall
Supreme Court Hands GOP Loss in Ohio Voting Rights Case
The Supreme Court a short time ago vacated a temporary restraining order issued by a federal district judge in that big Ohio voting rights case. The TRO had required the Ohio Secretary of State to identify mismatches between information on new voter registration forms and state DMV records and provide those mismatches to county election officials.
As we've been reporting this week, the GOP brought the lawsuit as part of its strategic effort to disqualify voters in swing states. Once the mismatches are identified, the process of trying to disqualifyvoters can begin. By one estimate, one-third of the voters who registered this year in Ohio might have such mismatches, some 200,000 voters. Mismatches include things like ... typos.
The district court initially sided with the GOP, a three-judge appeals panel overturned the district court, then the entire 6th Circuit Court of Appeals took up the case and upheld the district court.
On one level it's surprising anytime the Supreme Court takes up any one case simply because they don't step in very often, especially in election cases (with notorious exceptions), especially on an issue that has not been previously heavily litigated. But it's less surprising how the court came down here.
It didn't address the merits of the case per se (although in some ways the court's ruling goes straight to the merits). Rather, it found that the GOP was unlikely to prevail on the issue of whether the Help America Vote Act (the law at issue here) allows private citizens or groups to sue to enforce the law. If the law doesn't create a so-called private right of action, the GOP has no standing to sue in the first place. Likelihood of prevailing on the merits is a key criteria for taking the extraordinary step of granting a TRO. Since the justices thought the GOP would ultimately lose on that argument, they vacated the TRO.
Now, I'll be curious to see where the GOP goes from here. There's not enough time to pursue this case on the merits before the election. So as a practical matter it may kill the case in Ohio entirely. But perhaps more importantly, it puts a stop to the GOP or any other private party gumming up the works over the next 18 days by filing similar cases in courts across the country.
Late Update: As I intimated above, the court's decision on private right of action was not surprising. TPM Reader GS explains why:
Thanks for the quick update on the Supreme Court decision.It's always surprising when the Supreme Court takes what seems to be a position favorable to Democrats on voting issues. But it's worth keeping in mind that while the immediate consequences of the decision are good for Ohio Democrats, the long-term consequences may be different. Any time the Supreme Court curtails standing or limits private rights of action, they are limiting the ability of private people, such as civil rights litigants, to enforce legislation. There may be some value to limiting these rights in election cases, given that these issues in particular could be particularly vulnerable to political (i.e. Dem v. Repub.) lawsuits. But as a general matter, the 25-year erosion of standing and private right of action has had pretty negative results for civil rights litigants.
For example, in 2001, the Court, in a 5-4 decision written by Scalia, decided that there is no private right of action in Title VI disparate impact cases. The case, Alexander v. Sandoval, involved the right to drivers' license examinations in one's native language; plaintiffs argued that the failure to accommodate non-English speakers resulted in disparate-impact discrimination based on national origin. The Alabama district court and the 11th Circuit, no paragons of progressive thought, ruled for the plaintiffs; the Supreme Court reversed, saying that the relevant section of the Civil Rights Act did not provide for a private right of action. This means that the only way to enforce this type of civil rights violation is through action by the Department of Justice. Maybe this is somewhat tolerable when there is a Democratic administration interested in enforcing civil rights. But it's useless in a Republican admininstration devoted to setting those rights back.
So: no matter how glad we may be about Brunner case, we might want to stay worried about the principle of the case overall.
--David Kurtz
Feed Your Polling Hunger!
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--Josh Marshall
Sunshine
SurveyUSA, Florida: McCain: 49%, Obama 47%.
Still basically tied, and possibly an outlier. But the first Florida poll this month with McCain even nominally ahead in the state.
--Josh Marshall
Ratcheting up the Bamboozlement
Palin speaking now on CNN is calling for the Obama campaign to release all of its "communications" with ACORN. This is the same Sarah Palin who tried to scuttle the Alaska legislature's investigation into her abuse of power as governor. Transparency is as transparency does, I guess.
Since they're claiming questionable associations, can we get all of the McCain campaign's communications with, say, Pastor Hagee? Pastor Parsley? Heck, at this point, the McCain campaign won't even divulge its financial arrangement with campaign manager Rick Davis' lobbying firm.
I think we could come up with quite a list of "communications" the McCain camp has had that the public deserves to see.
The Obama campaign should embrace the McCain campaign's newfound transparency and run hard with it.
--David Kurtz
Redistribution of Mortgages
TPM Reader AM's lament ...
Am I the only one that sees the McCain hypocrisy in criticizing Obama's tax plan for "redistributing wealth" while at the same time proposing a mortgage relief plan that would take my tax dollars to pay down my neighbor's mortgage who got in over his head?
--Josh Marshall
Hate Politics Palin
I guess Palin's John Birch Society background shouldn't surprise us.
From the Post ...
Palin also made a point of mentioning that she loved to visit the "pro-America" areas of the country, of which North Carolina is one. No word on which states she views as unpatriotic.
Also, wasn't her husband a member of a political party that calls for the dissolution of the United States government until Sarah entered statewide politics in 2002.
--Josh Marshall
Man of the Moment
McCain circa 2000 deplored the same sort of robocalls he's blanketing swing states with now.
--David Kurtz
Election Central Morning Roundup
New Rasmussen polls have Obama up 6 points in Missouri and tied in Ohio. That and the day's other political news in the TPM Election Central Morning Roundup.
--David Kurtz
Simply a Disgrace
"I'm astounded that this issue is being trotted out again. Based on what I saw in 2004 and 2006, it's a scare tactic."
Who's that speaking? And 
what's he talking about?
That's fired US Attorney David Iglesias talking about the news leaked today that the DOJ and FBI are opening a nationwide investigation into allegations that the community organization ACORN is somehow working to undermine the November election through fraud. For more from Iglesias and his fellow fired US Attorney Bud Cummins, don't miss TPMMuckraker's Zack Roth's interview post from earlier this evening.
Iglesias got fired not long after the 2006 midterm election because he wouldn't get off the dime and bring bogus vote fraud indictments against Democrats or time other indictments of Democrats to sway the 2006 election. In other words, he got canned for not doing what a number of his former colleagues at the DOJ are happily doing this very day.
Nor was Iglesias simpy a respected attorney with solid enough connections to swing a US Attorney appointment. He was a rising star in the New Mexico Republican party. Iglesias was the Republican nominee for Attorney General in 1998. (Not that it's immediately relevant to this question, but Iglesias was the Navy JAG lawyer on whom Tom Cruise's character in A Few Good Men was based.) This was that reassuring case where a political person's partisan attachments butted up against his integrity and the latter won the day hands down. This is someone who knows this scam from the inside and whose testimony -- literal and figurative -- comes not in line with partisan attachments but in spite of them. Everyone should listen.
--Josh Marshall
That's All
I don't have anything to say beside printing the title to this blog post I just happened across: "McCain Loses Hastily Convened Fourth Presidential Debate With Lifesize Cardboard Obama."
--Josh Marshall
Try Again
Seems like the explanation for John and Cindy McCain's made-to-order cell phone tower ain't quite holding up.
--Josh Marshall
Pulling Out All the Stops
The GOP robocall campaign is in full swing now. The latest call we have identified, with the help of readers, is going out to North Carolina voters and repeats the charge that Obama denied babies medical care.
--David Kurtz
Oldie But Goodie (And Still Going On?)
Some readers requested that we re-post this withering line of questioning last year from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) of former U.S. Attorney and DOJ voting rights bamboozler Bradley Schlozman about his prosecution of ACORN workers in the Kansas City area right before the 2006 elections:
Schlozman later had to "clarify" his testimony that he had brought the case at the "direction" of the director of the Election Crimes Branch in the Public Integrity Section.
--David Kurtz
America's Internship! (Like Rudy)
It's that time of year.
TPM brings on a new class of interns each season. And we're now taking applications for our Winter 2008/2009 cycle. TPM interns are probably as intimately and rapidly involved in the preparation and production of news coverage as interns at any other news organization. And that ranges from work on the news section of the front page to research for our news blogs to video editing to bylined articles. Winter cycle interns will work closely on stories relating to the presidential transition and the start of the new Congress. The application deadline is November 7th. To find out details for how to apply, click here.
--Josh Marshall
Short Memories
Most reporters were slow to catch on to the significance of the US Attorney Firings story. And though it eventually became a big scandal, it seems most of the reporters have now more or less forgotten the whole thing since we're now seeing a replay of the offenses no more than two years later. And rather than calling the bad actors out, most of them are whooping and hollering and going along for the ride.
We've already discussed the fact that most of the US Attorney firings stemmed from particular US Attorney's refusal to use the power of their office as an adjunct of the Republican party by mounting trumped up vote fraud investigations. In recent election cycles, Republicans have used the last several weeks before federal elections to whip up a storm of interest in phony charges of 'vote fraud' by groups like ACORN and others. And what one of the players in the scandal, Bradley Schlozman, got in trouble for was using his powers as a US Attorney to pull together a made to order investigation and subsequent indictments to add more credibility to Republican charges. That violates DOJ guidelines which are in place to prevent the party in power from using the DOJ to manipulate elections. And now we appear to be witnessing a replay of Schlozman's scam, though perhaps on a much larger scale.
Keep your eyes out. The Bush crew at the DOJ may not want to leave without a fight.
--Josh Marshall
Returning to the Scene of the Crime
So now we hear leaked word that the FBI is beginning an investigation into whether ACORN "helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election" and where there is "any evidence of a coordinated national scam."
Let's note a few points. DC Republicans have been aggressively lobbying the DOJ to open an investigation into ACORN in advance of the election. And leaking word of such an investigation (possibly starting the investigation at all) most likely violates DOJ guidelines about DOJ/FBI actions which can end up interfering with or manipulating an election.
But, remember, this is right out of the book of the Bush Justice Department's efforts to assist in GOP voter suppression efforts in the 2004 and 2006 elections (part and parcel of the US Attorney firing story). This is the same scam US Attorney firing player Bradley Schlozman got in trouble for pulling with ACORN just before the 2006 election. And before he got canned, Gonzales helped revise and soften the departmental prohibition on DOJ announcements, thus making it easier to play these kinds of games.
This is a big deal. It may be their last gasp to use the DOJ to help mitigate the scale of Republican defeat on November 4th.
--Josh Marshall
Under the Radar
Here's the latest GOP robocall that I mentioned below. Readers have been flooding us with emails about it this morning. It seems to be going out to all parts of the country and explicitly raises Bill Ayers: "You need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers ..."
--David Kurtz
Tracking the Robocall Blitz
We've confirmed another GOP robocall, this one going out in Virginia and telling recipients that Obama and Dems "aren't who you think they are."
The Obama camp condemns this call and the one we first reported on yesterday as "dishonorable and dishonest."
Several readers have reported yet a third GOP robocall. We hope to have more on that for you shortly.
--David Kurtz
Tire Swinging This Hard Leaves Rope Burns
David Brooks was a clinical study in tire swing recidivism last night on Charlie Rose:
--David Kurtz
Joe The Privatizer
It turns out Joe the "Plumber" is like the perfect McCain supporter. He says Social Security is a joke and he "hates" it.
--Josh Marshall
TPMtv: Let It Seethe
Could it be? The final debate? Is it over? Is it really all over? John McCain's performance in the third presidential debate brought 2008, the year in debates, to a fittingly bitter end ...
Full-size video at TPMtv.com.
--Ben Craw
Evil
The last page of a new mailer from the Virginia GOP appears to show a close-up of Barack Obama overlaid with the text:
AMERICA MUST LOOK EVIL IN THE EYE AND NEVER FLINCH
Late Update: With a reader's help, we think we may have found the picture the state party started with, and it's not an Obama photo but an Osama bin Laden photo. We'll have both pics here side by side in a moment so you can compare.
Later Update: The two images:
We used photoshop to align the eyes here. The pupils match up almost exactly:
Just a few points to make here. I grapple with whether it's paranoia at this stage to think that the GOP is conflating Obama and Osama visually -- as they have so often conflated them textually and rhetorically. But look at the pic closely. You've got the turban and beard photoshopped out or otherwise obscured. The flared bulb of the nose is gone, leaving only the narrower bridge. And the photo appears darkened to match Obama's complexion.
You be the judge. But in politics, as in advertising, images are rarely accidental.
--David Kurtz
Election Central Morning Roundup
New Obama TV ad: McCain may not be Bush, but he sure votes with him a lot. That and the day's other political news in the TPM Election Central Morning Roundup.
Late Update: New McCain TV ad: I know Bush is bad, but I'm better.
--David Kurtz
Probably Not Good
Amy Sullivan in Time ...
In politics it is generally not considered a good sign when voters are laughing at you, not with you. And by the end of the third and last presidential debate, the undecided voters who had gathered in Denver for Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg's focus group were "audibly snickering" at John McCain's grimaces, eye-bulging, and repeated references to "Joe the Plumber."
--Josh Marshall
McCain's Bad Debate Prep Moment
I think the Brits refer to this as gobsmacked ...
--Josh Marshall
Maybe Not A Perfect Spokesman
Joe the Plumber compares Barack Obama to Sammy Davis, Jr.
--Josh Marshall
Deep Thought
How low does a presidential candidate have to go on Intrade before they get de-listed?
--Josh Marshall
Initial Reaction
The consensus from initial reactions is that this was McCain's best of the three debates. And I'm not sure I disagree with that. One of the best sum-ups I saw was actually from Republican Mike Murphy, which we'll show you shortly. I think that in formal debating terms McCain definitely did better than in the two previous debates. Often, in formal terms, he had Obama on the defensive. But McCain was just surly and contemptuous through the whole 90 minutes. He looked angry. I mean, let's not kid ourselves: he was angry. That was obvious all the way through. I think that voters will not like that. And just as important it tends to confirm the current narrative of the campaign, which is that McCain is negative and angry.
Obama wasn't perfect. Maybe a bit off his game. But I don't think John McCain helped himself. His gambit in this debate was to say to voters that his anger and passion was theirs. But I don't think he sold that argument. John McCain is just angry. Mainly angry that it's his moment and this upstart named Barack Obama is taking it from him. That's about him, not anyone else.
Late Update: Here's the Murphy reaction I mentioned above ...
--Josh Marshall
The Look
I think we may make a video putting together all the segments. But there were just repeated split screen moments in which Obama's talking about this or that and McCain is there just looking like he's seething -- stiff, like he can barely contain himself. Just tight and angry. As David Gergen just said on CNN watching McCain on the split screens was "almost like [seeing] an exercise in anger management."
McCain's just angry and contemptuous of Obama. And you can see that the whole campaign has just gotten under his skin. Like I said at the beginning, when McCain said "hurting and angry", I think a lot of people will think he was talking about himself.
--Josh Marshall
Last Chance Debate Blogging #4
10:26 PM ... McCain interrupts a lot.
10:27 PM ... Also laughs at his own sarcastic comments a lot.
10:28 PM ... I've been thinking about this and we're pulling the video. But the part of the debate where Sen. McCain seemed to mock the issue of a woman's health was weird and ... well, kind of disgusting. It's hard for me to see how's he seriously pushing for the women's vote. Here's what TPM Reader PT had to say: "I haven't seen this on the TPM front-page liveblog, but it deserves attention. McCain's mocking of a mother's health during the abortion exchange was easily his low point tonight, even if the moment was too fleeting to have a substantial impact. He called the idea of a mother's health exemption extreme. But that's not all. If you were watching closely, you would've heard John McCain saying "health" in a mocking tone, and suggesting that Obama's support for a mother's health was nothing more than, to put it bluntly, smooth-talking bullshit. Stunning and appalling."
(Late Update -- 11:57 PM: TPM Reader TC also didn't think much of McCain's attitude toward a health of the mother exception: "Regarding John McCain's 'health of the Mother' comment... "In 2001, I was five months pregnant and was admitted to a small Catholic hospital with a uterine infection. My condition quickly deteriorated to a condition known as Sepsis. Ultrasound determined "fetal demise" thus uterine "evacuation" was necessary. While being prepped for the O.R., my heart stopped, I developed pulmonary effusion and flat-lined. I awoke one week later on life support. I'm only sharing this with you because had the infection not affected my pregnancy, McCain suggests the protocol for care may have been quite different. There are times when the health of the Mother must be considered. If McCain thinks it foolish, ask my husband and two sons what they think. We will never scoff at anyone in a similar situation.")
10:31 PM ... That part at the end there may have been an instance of McCain's Spastic Good-Jobism, which many clinicians have speculated he suffers from.
--Josh Marshall
Last Chance Debate Blogging #3
9:53 PM ... I need to see a slo-mo of McCain's weird eyebrow response to Obama's line about the assassination of labor leaders in Colombia.
9:55 PM ... I'm just not thinking Colombian trade agreements are a driving issue this year. Call me crazy.
10:01 PM ... Is that McCain's look when he gets totally blown out of the water?
10:04 PM ... John McCain: Hurting and Angry.
10:11 PM ... Wow, McCain tries to play the infanticide card. Right off the fringe websites. Utter-bottom feeding.
10:17 PM ... If John McCain hyperventilates, does he lose points?
10:18 PM ... A lot of the time, when Obama's talking and they have the split screen, McCain looks like he's about to explode. Not always, and I'm not trying to be hyperbolic. But he frequently looks like he's about to snap. Not going nuts, but like he's seething and just holding it in. Are other people seeing the same thing?
--Josh Marshall
Last Chance Debate Blogging #2
9:28 PM ... Highest spending since Watergate? How can that possibly be true? Wasn't that just an excuse to say "Watergate"? The highest spending since Watergate? Can someone pull the numbers for that?
9:33 PM ... What on earth is McCain talking about? Obama's attacking vets wearing vet caps?
9:34 PM ... Truth Hurts, John. The article everyone's been talking about. 100% of McCain's ads negative; 50% of Obama's ads negative.
9:36 PM ... The volcano bursts. Ayers, ACORN ...
9:38 PM ... Probably wise for Obama just to lay out McCain's bamboozlement point by point. "Says more about your campaign than it does me."
9:40 PM ... Ayers, and economy and brighter future.
9:42 PM ... I will say this: So far I think Bob Schieffer's doing a pretty good job, simply because he's actually gotten these two guys debating. That's great. Put them together and let them argue.
9:42 PM ... It seems like we've now seen McCain's Ayers/ACORN primal scream. I'm not sure Obama knocked anything out of the park. But at the end of it, I don't think McCain landed any solid punches either. And McCain was often incoherent and a bit kitchen-sinkish. Basically a draw, though if recent polls are any indication, the draw in debate terms may hurt McCain since people do not like McCain's attacks.
(Late Update -- 9:57 PM ... TPM Reader PG disagrees: "Schieffer made these legit subjects for a central part of the debate -- and on that McCain won, he was given the opportunity to keep fragging the guy and creating distraction and confusion without
seeming like that's going negative. For the next three weeks McCain/ Palin can keep sniping at this as if it was an honest fair question -- not that that will play with you or me, but if I'm persuadable and uneasy about Obama -- this was not a win for him."
9:46 PM ... Climate control? The AC isn't working?
9:47 PM ... Hmmm ... "Senator Obama will tell you, as the extreme environmentalists do, [nuclear energy] has to be safe."
--Josh Marshall
Last Chance Debate Blogging #1
9:04 PM ... "Hurting and Angry"... Isn't that McCain?
9:11 PM ... Forget Bill Ayers; he's playing the Joe the Plumber card.
9:12 PM ... When they invented the term "shit eating grin" were they thinking about John McCain?
9:17 PM ... John McCain keeps talking about not spreading around the wealth. But what's having the government buy everybody's mortgage at over-market prices to keep their net worth up?
9:18 PM ... Lotta ethanol.
9:19 PM ... Courtesy of TPM Reader JW, the average salary of an American plumber.
9:21 PM ... So that's McCain sting line -- I'm not Bush, if you wanted to vote against President Bush you should have run four years ago. Ehhh. Curious to see how Obama responds.
9:25 PM ... McCain: Angry and Hurting.
9:25 PM ... Schieffer wins Nobel for moral equivalence award!
9:26 PM ... McCain: I went sleazy because Obama wouldn't do a hundred townhalls with me.
--Josh Marshall