A Regional Party No More: Republicans on the Run

Upon seeing this chart on the New York Times website this morning, I am curious to see Obama feels about it. The truth is that one of the major parties is essentially reduced to regional-party status, and it is the Republican Party. One of the easiest ways to gauge Obama's performance this year is in individual states this year - and get a sense of trends evolving in that state - thus compare his improvement over Kerry since the last election cycle in 2004. For example, Obama outperformed Kerry in both South Carolina and Montana among other states.

It seems the West loves Obama, especially in the most populous areas. Obama won Colorado by 8 points, Nevada by 12 points, and New Mexico by 12 points. Obviously, those are dramatically better numbers than Gore or Kerry put up in their races in 2000 and 2004 respectfully, and Bill Clinton had only one performance in these states that more or less matched these, an 8-point 1992 victory in a three-person race in New Mexico. He won nailbiters in Nevada both elections, and lost Colorado in 1996. Obama did slightly worse than Clinton in much of the rural West, oddly enough but again, far better than either Gore or Kerry. The improvement in the West is amazing and if it keeps up, experts believe that Arizona, Montana and maybe the Dakotas will be swing states in 2012, while Nevada and New Mexico will be blue states well past the next cycle.

What about moderately blue states? They liked the ticket and Obama won all of them by double digit margins. For those who forget what these states are, they are the following: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin. Unfortunately Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York showed the least improvement but that is perhaps of their high margins when Kerry ran in 2004.

However Obama did lose ground from what I can determine from the chart in every single Southern state except for Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. You know what these states have in common? They all have fairly large black populations (and in Texas' case, a large Hispanic population), and they also have experienced great population growth in the last decade, and have a generally better educated, more affluent, more urban and suburban white population than seen in other Southern states. Arkansas is the state where Obama performed the worst this entire year losing it by 20 points. Even Kerry did better, but still lost it by 9 points.

Apparently, the areas which showed the least improvement for Obama - or showed improvement for Republicans - are in Western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, West Virginia, rural Missouri and Kansas, much of the rural South, and McCain and Palin's home states. Without speculating on why those areas are the most resistant to Obama's candidacy relative to those of less successful Democrats, it seems that those are the areas Democrats have to focus on going forward, and experts and myself would concur with that point. It's clear, though, that whatever the reason, the white rural South - and demographically and culturally similar areas in the lower Midwest and Appalachia - are regions where we should be focusing on building the party. The Republicans are now reduced to being essentially a regional party; the South is the only region where McCain won by less than 10 points. It's now our job to find a way to sell a Democratic message in their Southern stronghold.

I would recommend anyone who is interested in this subject to read Zell Miller's book, 'A National Party No More.'

Liberman's Dilemma

Senator Joe Liberman continues to dig himself into a great hole: he is only one of two independents and after campaigning with fellow Republican Senator John McCain, he is only becoming more and more isolated. Harry Reid, the majority leader has had serious thoughts of removing Liberman from his chairmanship and they have both had several private meetings to discuss this but neither have come to any compromise. Joe had threatened that if he had lost his chairmanship, he would remove himself from the Democratic cacusus and begin caucusing with the Republicans.

If anything Liberman cannot afford to remove himself from the Democratic side of the Senate. He agrees with everything they believe in except for the Iraq War which puts him between a rock and a hard place. In Conneticut, his home state, citizens were polled on the following questions:

• Do you approve or disapprove of the job Joe Lieberman is doing as U.S. senator?

Approve 36 (45)
Disapprove 61 (43)

• If the 2012 election for U.S. Senate were held today would you to reelect Joe Lieberman would you consider voting for another candidate or would you vote to replace Lieberman?

Reelect 35
Consider Someone Else 18
Replace 48

• If Joe Lieberman loses his committee chairmanship at Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and switches his allegiance to the Republican Party would you that make you more likely reelect Lieberman more likely to consider voting for another candidate or more likely to vote to replace Lieberman?

Reelect 31
Consider Someone Else 15
Replace 52

• If you could vote again for U.S. Senate would you vote for Ned Lamont theDemocrat Alan Schlesinger the Republican or Joe Lieberman an Independent?

Lieberman (I) 34 (36)
Lamont (D) 59 (51)
Schlesinger (R) 3 (7)

It seems that the people of Connecticut don't like the Republican version of Lieberman, the one that trashed Democrats on the campaign trail with John McCain, the one that spoke at the RNC convention, the one that failed to hold the Bush Administration accountable in Congress, and the one that pretended Katrina never happened. I can predict with certainty that Liberman will most likely not be re-elected when his term ends. But also don't forget: it's either they keep Liberman on to get the magical 60-seat Filibuster proof position (which they can obtain I believe even without him if the three disputed races are resolved soon) or Joe Liberman consorting with the Republicans; trying to get reelected in New England, which as we all know is perhaps the one of the most Democratic areas in the United States. Below is a video clip I found on 'Daily Kos' but broadcasted by MSNBC, watch it:

Lipstick Confessions

Now that its been two days after the election, there is already discussion of McCain staffers getting ready to throw Sarah Palin under the Straight Talk Express. It was obvious that Palin was unqualified to lead the country in the event that McCain died or became seriously incapacitated during his term. But it is only now known (perhaps not so hidden now) that even the McCain staffers and many hosts at FOX News knew she was unqualified. I quote Daily Kos by saying: "...but they all sucked it up to put their party first. It must have been a bitter pill for many because now that the election is over, they've started releasing their own versions of "Lipstick Confessions." Below is a video clip released by Daily Kos but broadcasted by FOX:



Some of the highlights of the confessions:

• Palin did not know which countries were part of NAFTA.
• It had to be explained to her that Africa was a continent, not a country
• She was angry at staffers over the Gibson and Couric interviews, yet she previously refused staff requests to prepare for the interviews.
• Palin went "rogue" by attacking Obama for his loose "association" with Ayers, before the McCain camp had a plan of attack
• McCain advisors showed up at Palin's hotel room to meet with her and Todd during the RNC and she entered the room in nothing but two towels (one wrapped around her wet hair).

We can only imagine that more confessions will be released in the near future...

The Final Map

This result is if North Carolina is declared for Obama and Missouri is declared with McCain (as if that even changes the map...)

Virginia, Virginia, Virginia!

Virginia, the Mother of Presidents, also known as the Old Dominion; has for the first time since 1964 (when Lydon B. Johnson ran for President) gone from the Republican column to the Democrats. It was perhaps the final blow to McCain -- after all, he had lost Pennsylvania, his only 'true' state he was on the offensive in and then followed by the fall of Ohio. As Republicans known, its impossible to win the White House without winning Ohio and its 20 electoral votes. It was at this point with two of his three big targets had fallen to Obama-- everyone was watching for Virginia. And it happened.

At 11pm last night, the results for California, Oregon and Washington State came in and right after that: Virginia. Over the last few years the state has been turning bluer with the rise of younger voters and more affluent citizen moving into the northern counties of Loudon, Fairfax County (the most populous county in Virginia) and Prince William; which are perhaps the most liberal sections of Virginia since they border the District of Columbia and Maryland. Most political analysts agree that like most states, the Economy was the biggest priority voters made their vote based upon as they went to the polls and by reading the exit polls, they believed Obama's plan was better for the nation as it moves forward into the twenty-first century.

As of this morning, the popular vote is almost complete with 99% of the precincts reporting and it is the following:

• Obama: 1,791,154
• McCain: 1,635,292

Click this link to see the larger county result map of Virginia, courtsey of CNN.

Notice how close the result is: a difference of 155,862 votes -- this was so close, it was even closer than Florida in 2000 when it was decided by 500,000 votes. Virginia this year is the new Florida and with the party change in this critical state, this election is truly a realigning one, it will take a good thirty to forty years before we see another truly as symbolic and important this one.

Prediction for Tomorrow

We are now within 24 hours of hearing the very first results of this truly extraordinary election cycle between Democratic candidate, Barack Obama; and Republican candidate John McCain. I've spent the last 72 hours vigorously reading over every single possible polling website including: 270towin.com, pollster.com, realclearpolitics.com and many others and all of them show Barack Obama as our next President. Now it's still anyone's game but I thought I would add my final prediction for tomorrow's election.

As of now, Obama has a solid lock on all the Kerry States (those won in 2004) including: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, California, Oregon, Washington State, Maryland and Pennsylvania. With all these states, Obama is very close to obtaining the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the Presidency but he has a significantly higher chance of getting to the magic number than McCain does.

Looking at the swing states over the last week, McCain has no chance of winning Nevada, Colorado or New Mexico; and certainly not Iowa (remember, he didn't even bother with their caucuses back in January). With that in mind, he has a very narrow path to victory -- namely -- every single Republican state and every single swing state. Per my observations, Obama has advantages in each of these swing states like Florida and Ohio where people are unhappy with the economical situtation of the country not even Virginia looks good for McCain; especially Fairfax County which is closest to Washington D.C.; As I see it: everything rests on Virginia with its 13 electoral votes.

As many political anaylists have stated, if Obama wins Virginia, there is no way McCain can win. McCain might be able to win the popular vote (which I don't expect him to but anything can happen). Other states to watch out for: North Carolina (currently declared a tie by RCP) which was considered a leaning Republican state is now a hard battleground; and then there is the battleground in Montana. While the state has few electoral votes (3), its Republican Party has been very unorganized and might concede to a Democratic win, after all, they have a popular Democrat as Governor.

Perhaps two other swing states to look out for are Missouri and Nebraska. While it has been showing Republican tendencies, Obama has a fighting chance. And what about Nebraska? It is one of two states that split their electoral votes: Obama will be able to obtain the Democratic 2nd District where Omaha is; thus reducing McCain's overall win. This is a big deal, also remember Maine: they do the same thing but I don't see any spliting of the vote there.

Below is an image of my final prediction for the night (this is only a prediction and not the final outcome):

McCain Town Hall Format Disappears

The first incident that led to this was the angry man who told John McCain to hit Barack Obama “where it hurts." Then came the woman who called the Democratic nominee “an Arab.” And don’t forget the man who stood up before a packed crowd and said he was “scared” of an Obama presidency — nevermind the racially tinged cat calls and rounds of boos from McCain’s other gymnasium crowds.

Town Hall formats was supposed be the Republican nominee’s, John McCain's, favorite campaign forum, highlighting his shoot-from-the-hip style, his broad knowledge on a slew of issues and his irreverent wit. He loved it so much that he challenged Obama to a string of town hall debates. Of course now -- it has become a liability. He has not taken any questions from any of the audiences he has spoken in front of since October 10th, when he faced a belligerent crowd in Lakeville, Minnesota, that at times turned against him. The disappearance of the town hall format from McCain’s campaign is striking, political observers say, offering a vivid example of how a signature strength became a potential liability and was abandoned.

It is startling. Without using his signature strengths, McCain continues to slip slowly downward in the national polls (which at the time of posting is 50% Obama, 44.2% McCain; as reported on pollster.com). Even as he continues to campaign in these last few critical days, I believe this is just another piece of evidence to show that whoever is the next 'symbol' of the Republican Party, they will either scrap the Town Hall Meeting style all together or perhaps reorganize it.

“We want to fight, and I will fight,” McCain told supporters earlier this month in Minnesota. “But I will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments. I don’t mean to reduce your ferocity. ... I just mean to say, you have to be respectful.” The crowds ignored his plea.

Palin 2012?

I have been watching the news the last few days and I cannot help but to think of what can possibly happen to the Republican Party if they fail at obtaining the White House in less than four days from now. This has been a very interesting election cycle: with many twists and turns from the Wright Controversy to Palin's nomination as the GOP Vice Presidential candidate. But even as McCain still remains optimistic (perhaps not realizing that there is a great amount of stress on him to even hold onto the safe Republican strongholds of the South and West) about his chances to win on Tuesday; can it really happen?

As I explained in the last post I put on here, the only way he can possibly pull off a victory is to win every single state that are both safe for Republicans and all the remaining swing states. He has already abandoned Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico to Obama and with each passing day, Obama continues to hold advantages in many important swing states like Florida and Ohio. Each passing day, the path to 270 seems all but impossible. While I did state that I am not ready to declare this election cycle for the Democrats, thus for Obama, we need to think about the implications of a Republican loss.

At this current moment if McCain lost, the Republican Party would most likely tear itself apart in an effort to reorganize itself. This is McCain's last chance or hurrah rather to obtain the Presidency and if he does loose on Tuesday, he will not be running again in 2012 -- he will just return to his position as a Senator from Arizona. With the person who had brought the Republicans so close yet not close enough, there will need to be a new generation of GOP leaders to emerge from the wake of the impending implosion (this is perhaps over dramatic but anything is possible with a McCain loss).

Governor Palin, who was an Washington and National political outsider until two months ago seems to be one of the many new GOP leaders who will continue the supposedly endless fight against the Democrats beyond 2008. Many of the old Republican guard believe that when McCain looses on Tuesday (again, if he does, which as I've read by numerous polling organizations seems to be quite certain of happening), they will blame Palin for dragging down the ticket. On ABC News, Palin stated she signaled she would remain on the national political scene no matter what happens Tuesday. "I'm not doing this for naught," she told ABC News.

Palin has split conservatives - some energized by her strong stand on social issues and others embarrassed by her halting interview performances - regardless of their personal feelings towards her, they all concur that her rallies have attracted numbers that a Republican party searching for female star power can't ignore. The Associated Press stated: "Palin's future will be a top item on the agenda at a meeting of national conservatives scheduled for next Thursday. Participants say Palin's role in the conservative movement, and as a 2012 contender if the GOP ticket loses, will be discussed." This will be interesting to see what comes out of this very important meeting -- as to whether Palin's role in the future of the GOP will be extensive or not.

Can McCain Still Win the Election?

I wrote the following for the upcoming Wire issue and felt it deserved to be published here as well:

With only less than two weeks to go in the General Election campaign, the intensity has grown to a new level. Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate; is still ahead of the polls across the board in many key states: Ohio, Missouri, Nevada, Colorado, Florida; but McCain’s campaign staff is still not giving up. It is well known that Senator McCain has pulled out of many states, surrendering them to Obama: both Nevada and Colorado. He has given up on 14 electoral votes.

The position Obama is in gives him considerably more winning combinations to reach the magical number of 270 electoral votes, the amount needed to secure the Presidency. As of today (10/23) according to CNN, Obama has 192 safe electoral votes coming from the states Kerry won in 2004 while McCain has slightly less ‘safe’ votes totaling 122. Obama continues to outspend McCain by a 4:1 margin in all of the Kerry states and in many Bush states; turning once safe Republican strongholds into political battlegrounds.

Many political science experts believe that through the number of winning combinations Obama has, it is almost an impossible chance that he could loose the Electoral College (he has 8 possible combinations, McCain only has 1); there is still some doubt, even with the campaign season coming to a close.

The only combination that McCain has to win every single remaining state including: Florida, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada and West Virginia; however if Virginia goes to Obama (which at the time of publication is leaning 52% Obama, 45% McCain), the election is automatically Obama’s because McCain will be unable to obtain 270 electoral votes with Virginia’s 13 votes. Obama on the other hand has 8 winning combinations, which involve many states that were once safe, Republican havens and if they switch from Red to blue this election cycle, they will remain that way for many cycles to come.

McCain, although down in the polls and has lost considerable ground to the Democratic campaign, he still has some aces he could play in the last week or two; namely, instigate the poor White residents of Appalachia; whom Governor Sarah Palin has described “the Real America.” She has also thrown out many negative attacks on Senator Obama including: ‘terrorist’, ‘socialist’, and ‘Anti-American.’ The people who live in this part of the country have generally voted Democratic, especially the State of West Virginia but anything can happen. McCain had once stated that this type of politics, Dog Whistling, is a shameful way to win an election but as statistical information shows that unless he continues this method of campaigning there is no way to win the election. Right now if the current campaign style is still used, the undecided independent voters will continue to gravitate closer to the Democrats. McCain needs the independents and he needs to seriously consider revising his strategy in the last two weeks.

In my opinion however, I am not completely ready to say Obama is the winner just because of what the media is saying. Obama is in the position Kerry was in the last election cycle but if McCain is able to instigate these poor, mostly rural white folks; then McCain might be able to show some force against Obama’s many advantages in Electoral-rich states. There is one conflict that should be noted: Will Reverend Wright be unleashed against Obama? The answer is no. The reason is that those unfortunate people who live in Appalachia are not completely blind and they will eventually realize there is a limit and once its reached, it will turn them off. Not to mention the independent voters will rush to Obama's side if he even attempted to do so -- McCain needs every vote he can get and distancing himself from the center is the worst that can happen to him -- and will ultimately cost him the election as well.

In summation: in regards to both sides of the political spectrum and the amount of discussion given by independent pundits and surrogate speakers, there is almost no way McCain can win but we need to watch closely over the last few days. Anything can happen.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

This morning on NBC's Meet the Press, Retired General and Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell formally endorsed Barack Obama after many months of observation through the conventions and the recent Presidential Debates. Powell's decision was based upon the financial crisis plaguing the nation and the attack ads McCain has been airing over the last two weeks. Powell said when he mentioned McCain's running mate, Governor Palin:

“She’s a very distinguished woman, and she’s to be admired, but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don’t believe she’s ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president."

Following that, he explained why Obama was a better choice:

And I come to the conclusion that 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 we have to take that into account – as well as his substance. He has both style and substance. He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming in to the world, on to the world stage, on to the American stage. And for that reason, I’ll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.

With appoximately 2 weeks until Election Day, Powell's endorsement is the highest Republican endorsement since the beginning of the General Election campaigning season for Obama. McCain later on this afternoon dismissed the endorsement: "Well, I’ve always admired and respected General Powell,” he said. “We’re longtime friends. This doesn’t come as a surprise. But I’m also very pleased to have the endorsement of four former secretaries of state” - Henry A. Kissenger, James A. Baker III, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander M. Haig — “and I’m proud to have the endorsement of well over 200 retired army generals and admirals. I respect and continue to respect and admire Secretary Powell.”

As many would think, this is just another nail in McCain's campaign and just further's the Democrats chances of winning the election. Obama called Powell ten minutes after his interview on Meet the Press and thanked him for his endorsement. He confirmed that he would not be campaigning with Mr. Obama in the last weeks of the campaign but he did not rule out the possibility of a cabinet appointment.

Below is the video footage of his interview on Meet the Press:

Comedy is Paying Off Big Time

With only less than a month to go until Election Day, the media is going to be picking up the pace on its coverage of the election while this is true for the numerous television and radio stations - this is even more prevalent on network late-night shows like Saturday Night Live, the Colbert Report and the Daily Show. This article in the New York Times states that it is allowing these programs to gain a jolt to their ratings.

Ever since SNL's Tina Fey took on the portrayal of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, the audience levels have just exploded. Lorne Michaels, the executive producer for SNL said:

“I think the gods smiled on us with the Palin thing . . . Like if he’d chosen Romney, I think it would be completely different . . . As exciting as a Romney-Biden debate would have been, it just would have been politics as usual . . . There’s never been an election where we’ve been at the center of so much, except possibly Bush-Gore in 2000,” Mr. Michaels said. “It’s great for comedy, and it’s also great for broadcast television because it’s what we do at our best.”

From what I can say, the 2008 Election Cycle is producing an unprecedented amount of attention and because many younger viewers watch these type of shows are perhaps more likely to get politically involved in the election in the form of not only activity for campaigns but actually to leave their homes on Election Day and vote. This might given the new generation of voters like myself, to actually do our civic duty and realize it is our obligation to be a part of this process.

The article states: "Producers at all the shows have noticed that booking the candidates has paid off all year. Even when Senator McCain did not show up for Mr. Letterman’s show two weeks ago, the absence kicked up Mr. Letterman’s rating — and he extended it into a comedy bit, lambasting Mr. McCain almost every night for “pulling a bailout” on him. As we all know, failing to attend bookings on late-night shows with the ability to influence major sections of the population are devastating and will just give the networks more ideas for its shows; in respect kick about the candidates and blast them.

However the question is: do these comedic skits impact the election? I say they are a factor but they are not the primary fact that has jolted this election from its previous level to this new one.

Bailout Law Seen as Politically Risky Measure

Regretfully, even as the Bailout plan is slowly being carried out, the voters are more than ready to punish their elected officials at the polls. Yesterday saw many representatives make the risky vote of their entire political careers. In a meeting between officials, Treasury Secretary Paulson and President Bush; they all knew one thing: the plan had to pass – there was and is no Plan B. Even as President Bush was signing the plan into law last night, there was big news: the sale of Wachovia Bank to Wells Fargo.

"There is no joy," said Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), a rock-ribbed conservative who switched her "no" vote to a "yes" yesterday, even though a Democratic surge in North Carolina is making her once-easy district look increasingly dicey. "I don't like the bill. I'm not going to defend the bill . . . I had to do the right thing, even though, politically, it might kill me." ~From an Interview by the Washington Post (10/4/08)

Even faced with resistance by voters, it brought out political selflessness and courage, bipartisan cooperation and ultimately a triumph of sorts. Representative Myrick wasn’t the only one who changed their votes, below is a few others from that same Washington Post article:

• But in the end, none of these people proved decisive. Instead, for Myrick, it was the Charlotte banker who told her the night before the vote about how the credit market in North Carolina was heading toward rigor mortis.
• It was the woman in Cleveland, Tenn., infant son in arms, who looked into Tennessee Republican Rep. Zach Wamp's eyes and said, "I appreciate you voting no, but please don't come home and leave things the way they are."
• And it was Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Steel Wire Products in Maryland, who walked into Rep. Elijah E. Cummings's office Thursday to tell the Maryland Democrat's staff that his company had just landed a major contract for wire baskets, but when he went to the bank to get cash to meet the demands, he learned his credit line had been frozen. "I decided late last night," Cummings said yesterday, just after he switched his vote. "I prayed on it, because this is a difficult situation. I needed to allow this moment in history to sink in."

Now all we can do is wait and see if the bailout will make any difference or if the economy will continue to spiral further and further into a possible depression.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100303849.html?hpid=topnews&sub=new&sid=ST2008100303976&s_pos=

Obama Gaining Ground

Over the last three weeks Senator Obama has been gaining considerable ground in many swing states including: Florida, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, New Mexico and Colorado. The state that has gained the most attention is that of the Sunshine State, Florida. Ever since the economic crisis began, the state has been experiencing a significant swing, between three and six points in favor of Obama because people there believe he has a better ability of rebuilding the economy and has a better understanding of the world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04florida.html?hp explains that even in this critical state, people are aware of the choice they need to make a month from today. As of August, the Democrats have gained significant voter registration with an increase of 498,000 more voters than 2004; which had 373,000. Obviously this is an advantage Obama will not ignore and he will do whatever it takes to get them to the polls.

Meanwhile McCain has given up on campaigning in Michigan by pulling all his ads, closing his offices and relocating his staff - effectively surrendering the state to Obama. This is a dramatic turn of events which is slowly allowing Obama have many more ways of obtaining the number of electoral votes needed to win while McCain's ways to victory are getting narrower and narrower. With only a month to go - the time for both campaigns to roll out negative ads has arrived and below are two examples:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHvJPGnkQxE

Biden's Record on Race

I was skimming through numerous articles in the New York Times and I read through an article concerning Biden's record on race. Even in this progressive era, we are still being held back on the issue of race. He has faced three separate events during his tenure in the Senate but he hopes that being the Vice President to the first African-American President will redeem him. That is yet to be seen.

In his 2007 autobiography, ‘Promises to Keep,’ he writes: “A few of my colleagues pulled me aside to ask how and when the racists had gotten to me.” Overall he hasn’t been completely anti-African American but in the 1970’s involving bussing, that was the first time he got into conflict with the local NAACP group. When interviewed by the New York Times he said:

Mr. Biden also angered white parents by saying that he would support using federal helicopters if the city’s schools could not be integrated any other way. “I couldn’t live that comment down for years,” he said in the interview.

I found his comment from the interview to be quite racist personally only because he rushed right for the most radically possible way instead of taking the time to think through all his possible options. However, the worst possible situation was concerning the nomination of Justice Thomas, the second African-American on the Supreme Court which he considered an 'incendiary bomb' ready to go off. But there was the question of how fair the testimony was during the hearing because Biden is blamed for limiting questions on Thomas's private life.

“I don’t go as far as Clarence,” Mr. Danforth said. “I don’t think he was the leader of the lynch mob. I think what he was the park superintendent at the site at which the lynching took place.”

Mr. Biden said only, “That was a very controversial nomination.”

What I am left with his wondering if Senator Biden, who will become the official Vice President if Obama gets elected in November will continue to have these small issues with members of minorities or will he be forgiven for his past record.

September 11 for the Candidates and Its Significance

Despite the last two weeks where the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, and the Republicans' candidate, John McCain have been sparring against each other on the issues facing citizens in the upcoming election had a one assumed cease-fire today as both men visited the remains of the World Trade Center; giving their respects to those who died in the attacks. After both men walked up to a reflection pool at the top of a long ramp, they each picked up one flower: Obama a pink one and McCain a yellow one; stood on the side of the pool and placed both flowers in. They then took a few seconds in silent remembrance.

Barack and John then spoke to members of the fire and police departments and then after a small discussion with others at the site, they left. A person close by is quoted to have heard Barack say to John, “All right sir, see you soon.” Even as both men are in a close race for the Presidency, it shows that they still have civility to each other; something most Op-Ed writers say has vanished once Obama received the nomination. While this is good, it also brings up the issue of terrorism that seems have to have gone into the back of voter's minds as of late, September 11th will always be remember in the hearts and souls of Americans.