The Washington Times reports that this summer during his European tour Senator Obama paid $700,000 for staging and lighting to a company in Berlin for his much hyped but largely disfavored in America speech that took place in Germany.
As this news hits Obama today pushed back against calls by John McCain & Sarah Palin that his tax policy was tantamount to socialism by saying:
John McCain and Sarah Palin they call this socialistic,” Obama continued. “You know I don’t know when, when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness.”
Word from Politico is that McCain will appear tomorrow night on Saturday Night Live. Host is Dem actor Ben Affleck who is supposedly skewering MSNBC host Keith Olbermann in a skit.
In the last week Obama has gone from promising to lower taxes and defining middle class as those making less than $250,000 then, $200,000 then Joe Biden saying $150,000 now Bill Richardson says $120,000.
This video is making the rounds and becoming quite popular. I was a massive critic of that Obama special and I have to say this video did politically in a minute for the opposition what Obama spent a half hour trying to do. It powerfully made an assertion, created an argument, demonized the opposing position and then inspired a sense of urgency toward action. It then ended with a POSITIVE message “I am proud to be an American” something the McCain camp hasn’t quite understood is necessary to move voters.
The Associated Press is reporting that the Obama campaign has already approached Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as the Senators Chief of Staff. The latest in a long string of signs that the Obama team is confident they already won this election.
Nielsen just released last night’s ratings of Barak Obama’s national campaign spot for the 56 local markets where we have meters.
Overall, for the six networks that aired the program simultaneously, the spot had a household rating of 21.7% (meaning that 21.7 percent of all households watching television were tuned to the spot.)
In comparison, the final debate between the two presidential candidates received a 38.3 household rating in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates’ first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets; their second debate, on October 7, received a 42.0 household rating in those markets.
The last presidential candidate to air a paid simulcast was Ross Perot in 1996, which received a national household rating of 16.8.
Last night, the Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 31.3, while the Portland market had the lowest household rating: 14.2.
There, I said it. Sorry, but it did. Anyone who thought that godawful half an hour was worth the millions of dollars it took to put it on the air, wow you need to get your pulse checked.
For those wanting to see for themselves, here you go
Says: “He’s planned his first address to the nation — an infomercial. By the way, I will never delay the start of the World Series for an infomercial.”
Three groups that were expected to turn out in heavy numbers this election are said to be lagging by the Las Vegas Review Journal. According to the report while 25% of the state has turned out for early voting only 20% of Hispanics, 14% of young voters (those under 30) and 15% of new voters have showed up to cast ballots.
The data provide a glimpse into the composition of the more than 300,000 Nevadans who had taken advantage of early voting over the first nine days of the 14-day period. The information comes from proprietary databases that political action groups purchase from commercial vendors, cross-referenced with the public data the state releases showing who has voted.
Joe Biden gave fresh ammunition to Republicans yesterday by condradicting the campaign’s position that they would define wealthy as those making above $250,000 and not place taxes on those making less. Biden instead said:
“What we’re saying is, that $87 billion tax break doesn’t need to go to people making an average of $1.4 million… It should go to middle-class people, people who make $150,000 a year.” blockquote>
The McCain campaign jumped on the remark saying:
“It’s interesting how their definition of ‘rich’ has a way of creeping down,” McCain said.
“Senator Obama has made a lot of promises. First, he said people making less than $250,000 would benefit from his plan.
“Then, this weekend, he announced in an ad that if you’re a family making less than $200,000 you’ll benefit – but yesterday right here in Pennsylvania, Senator Biden said tax relief should only go to ‘middle-class people’ – people making under $150,000 a year.
“At this rate, it won’t be long before Senator Obama is right back to his vote that Americans making just $42,000 a year should get a tax increase.
The Obama campaign responded by calling McCain’s attack desperate:
“No family making less than $250,000 will see their tax increases one cent, and if your family makes less than $200,000 – as 95 percent of workers and their families do – you’ll get a tax cut.”
