Obama Campaign Cuts Off TV Station's Access After Reporter Quotes Marx During Biden Interview

Officials for Sen. Barack Obama's operation in Florida have told WFTV, Channel 9 in Orlando, that contact with the campaign in the future is unlikely because of questions its reporter asked Sen. Joe Biden during a remote interview.

Reporter Barbara West quoted Karl Marx during an interview with Biden and asked how Obama isn't being a Marxist with the "spreading the wealth" comment.

"You may recognize this famous quote, 'From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.' That’s from Karl Marx," West asked. "How is Sen. Obama not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around?"

"Are you joking? Is this a joke?," Biden asked. "No," West answered. "Or is that a real question?" "That's a real question," she said.

West later asked Biden about his comments that Obama could be tested early in his tenure as president, asking if the Delaware senator was saying America's days as the world's leading power were over.

"I don't know who's writing your questions," Biden shot back.

Later, the Obama campaign canceled a WFTV interview with Biden's wife Jill.

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign. In a statement to the Orlando Sentinel on Friday, Adrianne Marsh, Florida spokeswoman for Obama's campaign, said the station, in talking with Sen. Biden, was both combative and woefully uninformed about simple facts. "In a line of questioning that would make Rush Limbaugh proud, West even went as far as to quote Karl Marx, a Communist icon, in a disturbing attempt to associate Barack Obama with socialism."

McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was "a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West."

West defended her questions in an interview with Hal Boedeker of the the Orlando Sentinel: “I have a great deal of respect for him. I have a great deal of respect for Sen. Obama. We are given four minutes of a satellite window for these interviews. Four precious minutes. I got right down to it and, yes, I think I asked him some pointed questions. These are questions that are rolling about right now and questions that need to be asked. I don't think I was rude or inconsiderate to him. I think I was probing and maybe tough. I can't believe that in all of his years in politics, and all of his campaigning and such, that he hasn't run into some tough questions before. He's certainly up to it in giving good answers."

Others in the media have hammered West for her line of questioning.

Mike Thomas of the Orlando Sentinel wrote:

This is the most embarrassing interview I've ever seen on local television. This has nothing to do with whether you are for Obama or McCain. It's about being professional. Quoting Karl Marx?

Even Sean Hannity wouldn't be so ham-handed. Making matters worse, it looks like Barbara is just dumbly reading questions someone just handed her, then staring blankly at the screen. Biden made her look like a complete dimwit. Not that this was hard.

Ben Smith of Politico called it a highly entertaining hostile interview.

But really, why can't she ask Joe Biden or any one else a question that is on the minds of many conservatives and independents? There are many voters who are wondering why Obama's "spreading the wealth" remark shouldn't be compared to socialism. Obama made the comment, and then he later said he stands by it. He and his campaign should a.) expect questions about it and b.) should be ready to defend it, and c.) not cut off access to news organizations that dares ask about it.

It's not the job of journalists to ask politicians questions that only fit nicely into their talking points.

Progressive bloggers are going nuts over the interview, that's to be expected. But a troubling aspect about this incident is the response from the established media. Why should journalists defend the politicians and not their colleague? Why is Thomas calling her dumb? Aren't journalists paid to ask tough questions? Making a politician squirm a bit isn't always a bad thing, especially when you ask about their proposed tax policy. And in this case, many other taxpayers are comparing the "spreading the wealth" plan to Marxism and socialism. It's a ligitmate question.

Is it going to be standard operating procedure in the Obama White House and the left to ridicule someone who doesn't follow the company line? Joe the Plumber and Gov. Sarah Palin certainly know what it's like to take the heat because they disagree with Obama. This is starting to become an ugly pattern for people who are not true believers of Obama's change.

Oliver Stone's 'W' Runs Out of Steam at Box Office

Nikke Finke, writing for Deadline Hollywood, says Oliver Stone's "W" is in freefall at the box office after only one week of release:

There's been tremdous interest by the public in the box office fate of Oliver Stone's W. its second weekend in release. Well, it ran out of steam. QED International/Lionsgate's Bush biopic sank 58% to No. 8 with $1.5 million Friday from 2,050 dates. The $30M negative cost film should end up with $23M domestic box office gross by the end of its run. That means, with a $25M P&A investment and Lionsgate's distribution fees, the film won't recoup its marketing costs.

Report: Government Computers Might Have Been Used to Investigate Joe the Plumber

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reports that state and local officials are investigating if state and law-enforcement computer systems were illegally accessed when they were tapped for personal information about "Joe the Plumber."

Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on [Joe] Wurzelbacher's driver's license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly after the debate.

Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed by accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.

It has not been determined who checked on Wurzelbacher, or why. Direct access to driver's license and vehicle registration information from BMV computers is restricted to legitimate law enforcement and government business.

Sen. John McCain referred to this on the campaign trail this morning in New Mexico.

Paul Lindsay, Ohio spokesman for the McCain campaign, said that: "It's outrageous to see how quickly Barack Obama's allies would abuse government power in an attempt to smear a private citizen who dared to ask a legitimate question."

Isaac Baker, Obama's Ohio spokesman, denounced Lindsay's statement. "Invasions of privacy should not be tolerated. If these records were accessed inappropriately, it had nothing to do with our campaign and should be investigated fully."

Democrats Consider Eliminating 401 (k) Tax Breaks

Want a glimpse into what an Obama administration and Democratic-controlled Congress will look at in the area of tax policy? House Democrats are already considering an overhaul of the nation's $3 trillion 401(k) system, including the elimination of most of the $80 billion in annual tax breaks that 401(k) investors receive.

Republicans are throwing around the "socialist" tag all over the campaign trail when referring to Sen. Barack Obama. But if the Democrats are even considering such a radical plan as to seize private pension accounts, it's hard not to look at Democrats in any other way.

James Pethokoukis of U.S. News & World Report wrote on a congressional hearing in the 401(k) matter:

House Democrats recently invited Teresa Ghilarducci, a professor at the New School of Social Research, to testify before a subcommittee on her idea to eliminate the preferential tax treatment of the popular retirement plans. In place of 401(k) plans, she would have workers transfer their dough into government-created "guaranteed retirement accounts" for every worker. The government would deposit $600 (inflation indexed) every year into the GRAs. Each worker would also have to save 5 percent of pay into the accounts, to which the government would pay a measly 3 percent return. Rep. Jim McDermott, a Democrat from Washington and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, said that since "the savings rate isn't going up for the investment of $80 billion [in 401(k) tax breaks], we have to start to think about whether or not we want to continue to invest that $80 billion for a policy that's not generating what we now say it should."

The director of the Congressional Budget Office, Peter Orszag, also testified at the hearing and said that about $2 trillion in retirement savings has been lost over the past 15 months.

Workforce.com explains the rational in the move:

“I want to stop the federal subsidy of 401(k)s,” Ghilarducci said in an interview. “401(k)s can continue to exist, but they won’t have the benefit of the subsidy of the tax break.”

Under the current 401(k) system, investors are charged relatively high retail fees, Ghilarducci said.

“I want to spend our nation’s dollar for retirement security better. Everybody would now be covered” if the plan were adopted, Ghilarducci said.

She has been in contact with Miller and McDermott about her plan, and they are interested in pursuing it, she said.

“This [plan] certainly is intriguing,” said Mike DeCesare, press secretary for McDermott.

Blogger Ed Morrissey of Hot Air notes "that means your employer can no longer write off their contributions to your 401(k), and your capital gains would be taxable year to year. In other words, it becomes just another investment or savings account, with no tax benefit at all, and no employer contribution. Instead, Uncle Sam would give you your “matching” funds — up to a whopping $600 per year! Whoopee!"

This huge disruption of Americans' retirement plans may be only one element of an Obama Administration's tax hike on workers. The Wall Street Journal notes that "the prospect of these tax increases is now hanging over the economy like a pall, as investors and businesses wonder where and how heavily an Obama Administration and Congress would strike."

Here's what the Journal reported Rep. Barney Frank as commenting recently on tax increases:

"I think at this point there needs to be a focus on an immediate increase in spending and I think this is a time when deficit fear has to take a second seat. ... I believe later on there should be tax increases. Speaking personally, I think there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax at a point down the road and recover some of the money."

The Journal then concludes:

Federal budget deficits are not something we obsess about, but eventually this new spending has to be paid for, and Barney Frank's comments only underscore that big tax increases are coming. The prospect of these tax increases is now hanging over the economy like a pall, as investors and businesses wonder where and how heavily an Obama Administration and Congress would strike. The pall is likely to continue well into 2009, as millions of Americans delay their investment decisions until they know how much their after-tax returns are likely to fall.

College Journalists Uncover Voter Fraud in Ohio

Palestra.net's Tiffany Wilson and Shelby Holliday have been working a story that the professional national media has yet to pick up except for FOX News. Eighteen Obama supporters from out of state have cast votes in Ohio's early balloting.

The ballots are going to be withdrawn and no charges are going to be levied against the voters. An apology has been offered by a member of the group that brought the workers into the state.

Olbermann Watch - MSNBC\'s Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Countdown: Friday Recappers Thread

Olbermann Watch - MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Countdown: Friday Recappers Thread

Posted using ShareThis

Star-Ledger in New Jersey to Trim News Staff by 40 Percent

It's always a sad day when a newspaper tosses away its talent. But this one is huge. The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, one of the top 20 newspapers in size in the nation, is trimming its news staff by 40 percent. I know how each and every journalist there feels, as I have been through two rounds of buyouts with two different news organizations. I also know journalists at the paper, and I wish them and their colleagues well.

Shira Ovide of The Wall Street Journal writes tonight:

The Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey said about 40% of its newsroom staff will depart in a buyout wave, among the steepest cuts in the continued downsizing of the newspaper industry.

The Star-Ledger earlier this month said it had secured enough buyout offers and labor concessions to ward off a threatened sale or closure of the paper, the country's 15th-largest by weekday circulation. Executives signaled they wanted about 200 people to depart, but the number of buyout requests was reported to exceed that number.

Jim Willse, editor of the Star-Ledger, told staff Friday that 151 buyout offers were accepted in a newsroom of about 330 people. The paper turned down 17 people who had requested buyouts. Departures will be staggered between now and the end of the year, Mr. Willse said in an interview.

Buyout levels for other departments are slated to be announced in the coming week. The paper's total staff has been about 1,400.

The newspaper industry has slashed thousands of jobs this year as advertising sales dwindle. Gannett Co., which publishes USA Today, said Friday it is looking at its second round of job cuts this year. Tribune Co., McClatchy Co., and New York Times Co. also have significantly cut back news staffs in the last year. On a percentage basis, the Star-Ledger's cuts are among the stiffest at major newspapers.

At the Star-Ledger, morale has ebbed as staffers grappled with decisions whether to leave. The task now, Mr. Willse said, is to "figure out a way to make a good newspaper with a 40% smaller staff."

Is the Fat Lady Singing Yet for McCain? Can McCain Win?

With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, the Conventional Wisdom in the media, and therefore the country, is that Sen. Barack Obama will not only win the presidency in November, but it will be an electoral map that fundamentally change politics in Washington for years to come.

Almost every pollster is reporting an advantage for the Democrat by about 10 points on average, and it is a lead that is growing every day. Not only is Obama poised to crush Sen. John McCain, but Democrats are predicting a 60-member caucus in the upcoming U.S. Senate. That would give them the majority they need to have a free hand in enacting any law, any policy, and spend any amount of money they wish without being concerned with a pesky Republican filibuster. Over in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is anticipating 250 Democrats, which would be 57 percent of that body.

For Republicans, it would be two years of legislative hell.

But there are some in the media who question whether the Fat Lady is already singing.

For instance, Adam Nagourney of The New York Times (which, by the way, has officially endorsed Obama) wrote yesterday that McCain's supporters, and even some Democrats, see a possible path for a GOP victory:

“The McCain campaign is roughly in the position where Vice President Gore was running against President Bush one week before the election of 2000,” said Steve Schmidt, Mr. McCain’s chief strategist. “We have ground to make up, but we believe we can make it up.”

... Mr. McCain’s advisers said the key to victory was reeling back those Republican states where Mr. Obama has them on the run: Florida, where Mr. McCain spent Thursday; Indiana; Missouri; North Carolina; Ohio; and Virginia. If he can hang on to all those states as well as others that are reliably red, he would put into his column 260 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to win. Mr. McCain’s advisers said they would look for the additional electoral votes they need either by taking Pennsylvania from the Democrats, or putting together some combination of Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire and New Mexico.

Mr. McCain’s advisers are most concerned about Virginia, and understandably so. On the other side of the coin, Mr. McCain’s advisers believe that if he wins or comes close in Pennsylvania, he will probably win in Ohio and Florida. Aides to Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama agree that Mr. McCain remains very much in the game in Ohio and Florida. Not easy, but not impossible either.

He goes on to write that GOP insiders are jumping on two recent remarks by the Obama campaign that they see have touched a nerve and can turn the tide. One is Obama's comment about "spreading the wealth" during his impromptu meeting with the famous "Joe the Plumber." The second is Sen. Joe Biden's comment that Obama will be intentionally tested in the first six months in office. Both comments, the GOP insiders say, can spur the base to come out and vote.

Some people in the media look for outside forces to hurt Obama's chances rather than helping McCain's. Peggy Noonan, writing in the Wall Street Journal, had this to offer this week:

And yet: It's not over. For one thing, Mr. McCain has got to be reading Steven Stark's piece in the Boston Phoenix, which imagines the forces that could produce a McCain upset. What if Mr. Obama underperforms on Election Day, just as he did in the final primaries with Hillary Clinton? What if senior citizens turn out in record numbers and vote for the older guy, and the financial crisis seems to fade, and Mr. McCain finds new grounding on the issue of taxes, and the Obama campaign undermines itself with premature triumphalism . . .

Mr. McCain has endless faith in his ability to come back. He's been doing it for 40 years, from Vietnam, where, with the injuries he'd sustained and the torture he experienced, he might have died, was likely to die, and yet survived, to exactly a year ago, when he was out of money and out of luck. And then he won New Hampshire. When he says, "We got 'em where we want 'em" he must mean: They think they are looking at a corpse. No one in politics has so repeatedly relished coming back from the dead."

OK, that might fall under the GOP Wishful Thinking Department. But stranger things have happened in the world of politics.

There is one more thing to consider, and that's about the polling. Obama is absolutely crushing McCain every which way in the polls. I can't imagine what it is like to be McCain's chief pollster as he/she walks into that morning briefing with the boss to deliver more bad news. But polls have been known to be wrong, and they do not count one iota in making the final decision.

Sen. John Kerry was told on Election Day in 2004 that the exit polls gave him a comfortable lead in Ohio, and throughout the afternoon he had thought he had crossed the finish line first. But there was a fatal flaw in the methodology. The pollsters canvassed mostly urban areas, giving Kerry an edge in their calculations.

This year, pollsters' interviewing samples are predominately Democrats, justifying it as "the makeup of the country." For instance, this clip from CNN is from its debate roundup in which the sample had 38 percent Democrats and 31 percent Republicans, which is roughly a one-fourth difference.



Surprisingly, Obama came out ahead in that poll. While it gave the country the image that Obama had scored better, the only thing one can really pull from the result is that Obama will win a poll that has more Democrats than Republicans.

The other problem with that is, of course, are whether those people are actually going to vote. Will every Democrat come through on Election night? Traditionally, they don't. Republicans have been the ones who come out to vote in greater numbers, even though there are more Democrats registered in the country. Kerry was counting on a large youth turnout. It didn't happen, because young people do not traditionally vote in large numbers. This year, Obama is counting on a large turnout from newly registered people, including youth, and that's why he is urging them to actually vote and not become complacent with all the news that he has already won.

Once again, it's up to you, the voter, to decide. The media, the pollsters, and the pundits all individually have the same influence on the election as you do, and that's one vote. If McCain pulls this out, it's probably not because of a Bradley Effect, it would be because of apathy on the Democratic side.

She Made It Up! McCain Worker Faked Stabbing Incident

Police sources told KDKA in Pittsburgh this afternoon that a McCain campaign worker from Texas has confessed to making up an accusation that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter "B" in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker on her car.

Ashley Todd, 20, of Texas, initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect became enraged and started beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car.

Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.

Authorities, however, declined to release the results of that test.

Investigators did say that they received photos from the ATM machine and "the photographs were verified as not being the victim making the transaction."

This afternoon, a Pittsburgh police commander told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that Todd confessed to making up the story.

The commander added that Todd will face charges; but police have not commented on what those charges will be.

According to police, investigators working on the interview process detected several inconsistencies in Todd's story that differed from statements made in the original police report.

Pittsburgh Police Public Information Officer Diane Richard released a statement earlier today, saying: "Because of the inconsistencies in her statements, Ms. Todd was asked to submit to a polygraph examination which she agreed to do."

No photos of Todd are being released by Pittsburgh Police at this time.

The investigation is continuing as officials determine what charges will be filed.

S&P, Dow Futures Drop 550 Points, the Most Allowed

U.S. stock futures pointed to another large fall this monring after Asian and European markets fell on profit warnings. December futures in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 both fell by the maximum amount allowed, a further sign of extreme market stress. Less than two hours before the start of trading, S&P futures remained locked at 855.2, a fall of 60 points. DJIA futures fell to 8,224.

Obama's Lead Grows Among Many Polls

FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver report on today's polling numbers suggest it's time for Sen. John McCain to throw in the towel.

We already discussed the Big Ten and Quinnipiac polls, which are exceptionally strong for Obama across the board. But those aren't the only places where he's putting up some intimidating numbers. National Journal and SurveyUSA join Big Ten and Quinnipiac in giving Obama a double-digit lead in Pennsylvania, as does the Morning Call tracker. The Schroth Eldon & Associates poll for the Miami Herald and St. Pete Times in Florida, which has a fairly good reputation, puts him ahead by 7 in the Sunshine State. SurveyUSA now gives him a lead in Indiana, joining PPP and Big Ten; Indiana has turned blue on our map.

Obama even leads in Montana, a state which his campaign has never disengaged from, according to an MSU-Billings poll. Importantly, the MSU poll mentioned Ron Paul by name, who is on the ballot in Montana. He drew 4 percent of the vote, the precise difference between Obama and McCain. Furthermore, Obama's strong results in deep red states like Montana and Indiana lead our model to conclude that North Dakota may in fact be in play, as well as two of Nebraska's three congressional districts. If the election were held today, the Obama campaign might very well sweep every state on their target list.

... There is now no perceptible rebound for John McCain; in fact, the race may still be trending toward Obama, although the safer assumption is that it's flat. Meanwhile, Obama's electoral position appears as strong as ever. John McCain's chances of winning the election have dwindled to 3.7%, down from 6.5% yesterday.

FiveThirtyEight predicts 375 electoral votes for Obama.

Rasmussen Reports said today that Obama has increased his national polling numbers to about 52 percent. Rasmussen Markets data shows Obama with an 86.7% chance of winning in November.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows Barack Obama attracting 52% of the vote while John McCain earns 45%. That seven-point lead is Obama’s largest in nearly two weeks. This is also the first time since October 11 that the Democratic candidate has reached the 52% level of support, his highest total of the year.

... As a result, Electoral College projections now show Obama leading 260-163. When “leaners” are included, Obama leads 286-174. A total of 270 Electoral Votes are needed to win the White House.

Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows Obama running ahead of McCain among likely voters --50 percent to 46 percent using the "traditional" model Gallup has employed in past elections, and 51 percent to 45 percent using an "expanded" model that takes into account possibly greater turnout by new or infrequent voters.

Zogby International's electoral map is a sea of blue, giving Obama 273 electoral votes.

Democrat Barack Obama has slowly built a 12-point lead over Republican John McCain, consolidating support among young voters, Hispanics, and independent voters while McCain's support, even among his Republican base, is fading heading down the stretch, the latest Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby daily tracking poll shows.

John Zogby said on his web site: "Obama now has a huge lead among young voters, independents, and Hispanic voters. It's obviously not over. Frankly, this could tighten up and then loosen up again before Election Day. We saw movement on Election Day in New Hampshire, but at least for now, Obama has a very big lead. In the absence of news, McCain is not connecting. He seemed to be connecting during and immediately after the last debate, but got lost in issues that are not on people's minds. At some point, there are some issues that just overwhelm, and McCain has been particularly weak on the economy. He misstated the problem, confused his position, acted in a frantic way, and then looked like he wanted to run away from it. Meanwhile, Obama has been cool and confident, which worked for FDR in 1932 and worked for Ronald Reagan in 1980."

"I am very comfortable with our sample, especially given our track record in the last three presidential elections. Look at other polls and ask - Do they have enough college educated respondents? Enough Hispanics? Enough young voters? We do. And we have more Republicans in our sample than anyone else."

Media Coverage of McCain More Negative Than Coverage of Obama, Study Says

Media coverage of Sen. John McCain has been heavily unfavorable since the political conventions, a study reports, more than three times as negative as the coverage of Sen. Barack Obama, Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post writes.

Fifty-seven percent of the print and broadcast stories about the Republican nominee were decidedly negative, the Project for Excellence in Journalism says in a report out today, while 14 percent were positive. The McCain campaign has repeatedly complained that the mainstream media are biased toward the senator from Illinois.

Obama's coverage was more balanced during the six-week period from Sept. 8 through last Thursday, with 36 percent of the stories clearly positive, 35 percent neutral or mixed and 29 percent negative.

McCain has struggled during this period and slipped in the polls, which is one of the reasons for the more negative assessments by the 48 news outlets studied by the Washington-based group. But the imbalance is striking nonetheless.

Sarah Palin's coverage ricocheted from quite positive to very negative to more mixed, the study says. Overall, 39 percent of the Palin stories were negative, 28 percent were positive and 33 percent neutral. Only 5 percent of the coverage was about her personal life. But McCain's running mate remains a media magnet, drawing three times as much coverage as the Democrats' VP nominee, Joe Biden. He was "nearly the invisible man," the group says, and his coverage was far more negative than Palin's. That may be because Biden tends to make news primarily when he commits gaffes.

The project says McCain's coverage started out positive after the GOP convention but nosedived with his frequently changing reaction to the financial crisis. McCain's character attacks against Obama hurt the Democrat but yielded even more negative coverage for the senator from Arizona.

Obama's coverage since the conventions represents a fall to earth from the early primaries of 2008, when the project found that, horse-race stories aside, positive narratives about Obama were twice as frequent as negative ones, 69 percent to 31 percent.

Seven Top Blunders by Pundits in 2008

Mike Madden and Walter Shapiro, writing for Salon.com, warn readers that pundits who have already declared Sen. Barack Obama the next president of the United States could have it wrong once again:

During the primaries, the political prediction business -- all those glib quasi-certainties spouted by TV talking heads and embedded in the opening paragraphs of newspaper and magazine articles -- gave us such fantasies as Rudy Giuliani masquerading as a serious presidential candidate and mistakenly consigned John McCain to the GOP dust heap. Remember when Hillary Clinton was prematurely anointed as the nominee or the dire warnings that a protracted Clinton-Obama primary fight would, in a typical burst of Democratic self-destructiveness, cost the party the White House?

Of course, that was all long ago and everyone involved in these bum calls has been sent to their rooms without supper. But what about the errors of the last two months -- the equally fallacious theories about the fall campaign that have been the stuff of Sunday morning round tables and newspaper Op-Ed pages? Granted, we at Salon have sometimes stumbled on the road to omniscience. But that shared sense of humility does not dampen our glee in pointing out the punditocracy's Seven Biggest Blunders, homestretch edition.

Their story then details seven times the pundits dropped the ball. They are:

1) The Cult of Sarah Palin
2) Steve Schmidt Is a Genius
3) The Price at the Pump Will Fuel the Mood of the Voters\
4) Obama Should Have Taken the Money ... and Run
5) Obama Was Guilty of Hubris in Trying to Expand the Map
6) Down-ballot Democrats Will Flee From Obama
7) The Hillary Holdouts Will Never Come Back

The Conventional Wisdom is that Madden and Shapiro got it right.

How Would the Media Treat Palin if She Was a Democrat?

Here's an interesting thought on media behavior from John Carlson, writing for Crosscut Seattle: Imagine for a moment that Gov. Sarah Palin was a liberal, pro-choice Democrat but that everything else about her life and career was the same. If she was Sen. Barack Obama's nominee for vice president, what would her media coverage be like?

Here's sn example from Carlson:

Fresh from her jaunty, popular appearance on Saturday Night Live, the mom from the American Outback, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, continues to inject new life into the country's mainstream as Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential running mate.

"When I said I wanted a reformer, I meant it," said Obama, who threw caution to the wind with his selection of Palin. The Obama campaign was impressed with the former PTA mom who took on Big Oil and dethroned the old boys' club that ran Alaska politics for more than a generation. "As The New York Times and Washington Post have frequently pointed out, Gov. Palin is the only candidate on either ticket with executive experience," Obama said. "And more importantly, she has experience fighting the powerful on behalf of the people — and winning."

... From there, Palin took aim at Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, who had made what critics called a sweetheart deal with the oil companies for a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48. Palin ran against Murkowski, made the pipeline deal the major issue in the race and defeated him by 30 points, becoming one of eight women governors in the country. Upon taking office, she tore up Murkowski's pipeline deal and negotiated a new one that included competitive bidding.

More recently, Palin raised taxes on oil companies earning record profits and used the money to send rebate checks to Alaskans. Her Republican critics complain that she requested $197 million in earmarks, but many media outlets quickly pointed out that her Republican predecessor requested $350 million in earmarked projects. "Sarah Palin is ending Alaska's earmark addiction," said Missouri's Democratic senator, Claire McCaskill. "And during this economic downturn, while most Governors are struggling with rising deficits, Alaska is running a surplus."

That kind of political courage has reassured foreign-policy heavyweights who were intially concerned about Palin's lack of expertise about all things overseas.

It's an unique twist on the political spin we've been seeing this political campaign.

McCain Supporter Assaulted, Stabbed in Pittsburgh

UPDATE, 3 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 24: Police say the woman admitted that her story of being stabbed is a hoax.

A 20-year-old woman who was robbed at an ATM in the Pittsburgh area last night was also maimed by her attacker when the assailant noticed a McCain bumper sticker on her car, police said.

Police told local media that the robber took $60 from the woman, then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim's car. The attacker then punched and kicked the victim, before using the knife to scratch the letter "B" into her face, Richard said.

The woman refused medical treatment after the assault, which happened outside the view of the bank's surveillance cameras, police said.

Here is a video report from CBS' KDKA, Channel 2 in Pittsburgh.

In Central Florida, The home of a Republican headquarters manager was shot up and damaged over his support of Sen. John McCain, the man told police. Media reports said. Rog Coverely said several pellets pierced his Longwood home. Coverely showed several spiderwebbed-holes in the front windows of his home.

The Republican manager said he is convinced he was targeted because of new McCain signs he added around his home. "It says this campaign is getting vicious," he said.

Just Another Meltdown on 'The View' Between O'Reilly, Hasselbeck and Behar

Bill O'Reilly spent time on the sofa at "The View" today, providing some much needed entertainment.

Highlights of their verbal sparring include:

* O'Reilly called Sen. Barack Obama a "communist," but later amend his comment to describing him as a "socialist."
* O'Reilly told Joy Behar, "Your name is Joy, you should be joyful."
* Behar told O'Reilly that "I don't hate you. I dislike you."
* O'Reilly said that Keith Olbermann and other critics are "jealous."
* Behar told O'Reilly, "I don't believe anything you say."
* O'Reilly called Behar a "Kool Aid drinker," and Behar responded, "You drank the Kool Aid on George Bush for eight years, Bill."
* Behar, referring to a picture of O'Reilly as a kid, "That's what the devil will look like when he comes."

I would not expect that Behar is getting an invitation to O'Reilly's show anytime soon.

Here's the first segment:



In another sparring match today, Behar called Elisabeth Hasselbeck delusional and Rush Limbaugh a terrorist.



About four minutes into the discussion Haseelbeck repeats the charge that Sen. Joe Biden once said that Obama was not ready for the presidency. Babara Walters, defending Obama, tells her that Obama never said that, and when she finds the exact quote to let her know. Here is Biden (in a McCain commercial) during a primary debate saying he stands by his comment:



Here is part of the transcript of today's quarrel on "The View."

BARBARA WALTERS: Elisabeth, Elisabeth. Do you ever, ever doubt anything about the Republicans? Do you ever doubt, well, you’re saying-

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Sure, I’ve sat here and I talked about Rush Limbaugh.

JOY BEHAR: He’s not a Republican.

HASSELBECK: I actually, when Barack Obama gave his speech and I said this, when I have said I-

BEHAR: He’s a terrorist. Rush Limbaugh is a terrorist. You heard it here ladies and gentlemen.

[applause]

HASSELBECK: Make your news headline. The-

WALTERS: I mean people running, people. Can I get into-

HASSELBECK: When I came here, Barack Obama actually could have potentially had my vote after his speech at the R- DNC.

BEHAR: Oh, come on!

HASSELBECK: You don’t believe me?

BEHAR: No, I don’t.

HASSELBECK: Call me a liar then Joy.

BEHAR: No, not that you’re lying, you’re being delusional.

HASSELBECK: I believe I was the first person to say- no I’m not being delusional.

[laughter]

BEHAR: I just don’t believe that. That is like me saying-

HASSELBECK: Do you want some more Barack Obama Kool-Aid or what would you like?

BEHAR: That is like saying I would have voted for George Bush. That was low, but we’re okay.

Bill O'Reilly Reups With FOX for Four Years

Can't get enough of Bill O'Reilly? Well, the lightning rod of hate from the left has signed a new contract with FOX News for four more years at a reported sum of $10 million a year.

Paul J. Gough of The Hollywood Reporter writes today:

"Bill O'Reilly is the most prominent and influential name in all of cable news, and his contribution to the network's success cannot be overstated," FNC chairman and CEO Roger Ailes said. "After 12 years, 'The O'Reilly Factor' maintains remarkable and consistent viewership growth, and his firmly established itself as the top destination for newsmakers to reach a wide, diverse audience."

O'Reilly said he will continue because of Ailes and because Fox is a great place to work. He also took a shot at those in the mainstream media who don't like him much by saying: "And, if I retired, I know my friends in the elite media would miss me greatly."

The former ABC correspondent has found unprecedented success at Fox, where he joined in 1996. It has been the top-rated cable news program for 94 months, with an average viewership of 4 million a night.

Meanwhile, Fox News Channel has been locking up many of its key stars including O'Reilly, Sean Hannity (who re-signed recently) and anchor Shepard Smith, plus luring CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck to anchor a 5 p.m. program.

Zogby: Obama Winning in Blowout

Pollster John Zogby has this to say today about his projection that Sen. Barack Obama will win in a landslide.

“Three big days for Obama. Anything can happen, but time is running short for McCain. These numbers, if they hold, are blowout numbers. They fit the 1980 model with Reagan's victory over Carter -- but they are happening 12 days before Reagan blasted ahead. If Obama wins like this we can be talking not only victory but realignment: he leads by 27 points among Independents, 27 points among those who have already voted, 16 among newly registered voters, 31 among Hispanics, 93%-2% among African Americans, 16 among women, 27 among those 18-29, 5 among 30-49 year olds, 8 among 50-64s, 4 among those over 65, 25 among Moderates, and 12 among Catholics (which is better than Bill Clinton's 10-point victory among Catholics in 1996). He leads with men by 2 points, and is down among whites by only 6 points, down 2 in armed forces households, 3 among investors, and is tied among NASCAR fans.”

Here is his survey methodology.

The Associated Press released its own poll today that showed a tighter race.

The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running even among likely voters in the election homestretch.

The poll, which found Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 43 percent, supports what some Republicans and Democrats privately have said in recent days: that the race narrowed after the third debate as GOP-leaning voters drifted home to their party and McCain's "Joe the plumber" analogy struck a chord.

Three weeks ago, an AP-GfK survey found that Obama had surged to a seven-point lead over McCain, lifted by voters who thought the Democrat was better suited to lead the nation through its sudden economic crisis.

The contest is still volatile, and the split among voters is apparent less than two weeks before Election Day.

"I trust McCain more, and I do feel that he has more experience in government than Obama. I don't think Obama has been around long enough," said Angela Decker, 44, of La Porte, Ind.

But Karen Judd, 58, of Middleton, Wis., said, "Obama certainly has sufficient qualifications." She said any positive feelings about McCain evaporated with "the outright lying" in TV ads and his choice of running mate Sarah Palin, who "doesn't have the correct skills."

Other polls among likely voters have Obama up anywhere from nine to 14 percentage points.

Barney Frank Suggests Tax Increases to Pay for Bailout

Rep. Barney Frank yesterday susggested that the federal government should look at tax increases to help pay for the bailouts.

Video Palin Makes Appearance on "SNL"

Here's the video of Gov. Sarah Palin's long-awaited appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

The Associated Press' Glen Johnson reported it this way:

After watching "Saturday Night Live" make fun of her from afar, Sarah Palin witnessed it first hand this week as Tina Fey engaged in fiction by depicting her at the news conference the Republican vice presidential nominee has yet to hold.

Later, Palin came on stage during the Weekend Update mock news segment and bobbed to the beat as cast member Amy Poehler performed a rap song the Alaska governor decided was too hardcore for her to perform personally.

"I'm Jeremiah Wright 'cuz I'm the preacher; I got a bookish look and you're all hot for teacher," Poehler rapped as actors dressed as Eskimos, Palin's husband, Todd, and a moose pranced across the stage.

... In the show's opening, Fey's impersonation of Palin told a group of reporters, "First off, I just want to say how excited I am to be in front of both the liberal elite media as well as the liberal regular media. I am looking forward to a portion of your questions."

Moments later, the camera cut away to the real Palin watching a television monitor alongside the show's executive producer, Lorne Michaels

"You know, Lorne, I just don't think it's a realistic depiction of the way my press conferences would have gone," Palin said. She said she wished he would have let her do a sketch about "30 Rock," the NBC program in which Fey now stars. That prompted Michaels to deadpan: "Honestly not enough people know that show."

Palin then stood mute as Fey's "30 Rock" co-star, Alec Baldwin came onto the stage, mistook Palin for Fey and pleaded with Michaels not to let the actor go onstage with the governor.

"This is the most important election in our nation's history and you want her, our Tina, to go out there and stand with that horrible woman?" Baldwin said.

When Michaels broke down and introduced him to Palin, Baldwin feigned embarrassment and replied, "I see. Forgive me. I feel I must say this: You are way hotter in person."

Palin got even by saying, "Thank you, and I must say, your brother Stephen is my favorite Baldwin brother."