According to this Argus Leader poll.

In this case, I'll let the circumstances speak for themselves. 

While I was far from the first to make such a claim, I would like to point out that this blog pointed out the possibility of a 60 seat supermajority in the US Senate (and also correctly identified 2 of the 3 unlikely states of Republican weakness - Georgia and Texas), before most national media began trumpetting the possibility.

For those of you interested in following this development, I recommend Fivethirtyeight.com's excellent Senate projection site (while you're there, be sure to bask in the glory that is Barack Obama's 90%+ win percentage).

Currently, the electoral map has been trending evermore blue with the seats of both Republican incumbents Gordon Smith (Oregon) and Elizabeth Dole (North Carolina) sliding back from the toss-up to the "lean Dems" category. The only true toss-ups left are the seat of Ted Stevens of Alaska and Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Democrats are making considerable headway in Georgia (against Saxby Chambliss, king of the once-vulnerable Senator Tim Johnson has maintained his utterly commanding lead over Joel Dykstra, even chickenhawks) and Kentucky (against Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell). And on the home front, picking up predictable endorsements of organizations like the NRA (who still tries to maintain the charade of bipartisanship by endorsing Democratic candidates in landslide electrions).

And while it is FAR too early to plan so far ahead, this election could have potential ramifications on the Senate races in 2010 as that election cycle will feature another wave of weak Republican incumbents such as Jim Bunnings (Kentucky), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and other, older Republican incumbents (like Sam Brownback (Kansas) and possibly John McCain) retiring. A Republican loss by the likes of Stevens and McConnell would not bode well for the likes of Bunnings and Murkowski.

Also, speaking of Republican incumbents, three of them appear on Esquire's list of top 10 worst Senate Critters.  (They are Ted Stevens, Big BAD John Coryn*, and Saxby Chickenhawk)

*Seriously, click this link, if you haven't seen it, you'll love it forever.

In case anyone missed it, the New Yorker magazine this week featured a fascinating article detailing the inner-workings of the McCain campaign and how they came to the selection of Sarah Palin.

The thoroughness of the campaign’s vetting process, overseen by the Washington lawyer and former White House counsel Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., remains in dispute. The campaign insists that Palin’s record and personal history were carefully examined. (Culvahouse declined to comment for this story.) The Los Angeles Times, however, reported that the campaign never contacted several obvious sources of information on Palin, including Lyda Green—a Republican state senator in Alaska, and a former ally turned opponent. Also in dispute is whether Palin disclosed to the campaign, as she and officials have said, that her unwed teen-age daughter was pregnant. “I am a hundred per cent sure they didn’t know,” McCain’s longtime friend said. Another campaign source, however, insisted that McCain’s team knew about the pregnancy.

The selection of Palin thrilled the Republican base, and the pundits who met with her in Juneau have remained unflagging in their support. But a surprising number of conservative thinkers have declared her unfit for the Vice-Presidency. Peggy Noonan, the Wall Street Journal columnist, recently wrote, “The Palin candidacy is a symptom and expression of a new vulgarization in American politics. It’s no good, not for conservatism and not for the country. And yes, it is a mark against John McCain.” David Brooks, the Times columnist, has called Palin “a fatal cancer to the Republican Party.” Christopher Buckley, the son of National Review’s late founder, defected to the Obama camp two weeks ago, in part because of his dismay over Palin. Matthew Dowd, the former Bush campaign strategist turned critic of the President, said recently that McCain “knows in his gut” that Palin isn’t qualified for the job, “and when this race is over, that is something he will have to live with. . . . He put the country at risk.” (The New Yorker)

Also, in case anyone did not see it plastered all over every form of news media - Ben Bernake has backed plans for a secondary stimulus.

In other new, our erstwhile allies in Pakistan is now facing serious credit problems and might have to default on their gigantic foreign debt and Business Week has an excellent article about the brain drain current occurring in our investment sector.

Finally, on the local front, Iraqi Ambassador to the UN will speak at USD this Wednesday.

I'll have more thoughts up later this week.

Previously, we discussed why ACORN and their unfortunate hiring practices and equally as unfortunate coincidence of circumstances did not constitute election fraud.

This, ladies and gentlemen, does constitute as voter fraud.

The choice cut:

An agreement announced today by Obama for America, the Republican National Committee, the Democratic National Committee, the Michigan Republican Party, the Michigan Democratic Party, the Macomb County Republican Party, the Macomb County Democratic Party, and plaintiffs Duane Maletski, Sharon Lopez, and Frances M. Zick protects the voting rights of foreclosure victims. The settlement acknowledges the existence of an illegal scheme by the Republicans to use mortgage foreclosure lists to deny foreclosure victims their right to vote. This settlement has the force of law behind it and ensures that Republicans cannot disenfranchise families facing foreclosure. [emphasis added by source]

As I said previously, even if I register Mickey Mouse and Pacman Jones to vote, both must show up during November 4th in order for my deception to bear fruit. This conduct by the Michigan Republican Party requires no such organized effort. It is a systematic suppression of those who suffered the worst from our economic crisis. I am in no way saying that the McCain campaign or the conservative movement in general endorses such despicable acts; but, given the disportionate amount of play the ACORN "scandal" has recieved, I thought we should put some focus on real fraud.

"The right answer is what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a muslim in this country?"

Amen and god bless.

Hey... Everyone remember that tonight is the free concert in Sioux Falls at the KOC Hall (312 N. Summit)

We all have hooks for hands, Body Electric, Oxford Comma, and Boys of the Queen Bee Mill are playing... so come join us for a while or stay the whole night!

 P.S. The Republicans are putting it on with us so everyone is welcome...

 

If anyone still wants to push forward the "Minorities Loans is the cause of this crisis" crap, please direct all your email to Mr. Taibbi.

What do the tax plans of both candidates do?

From Gay cowboys, to yellow liquids, to puppy hating to a crippled Iraq vet. Yes, this election cycle has certainly been interesting and diverse.

A must read article for any fan of foreign policy.

"Don't Fall into the trap! Republican pundits are full of crap."

Read about Senator Obama's plan

Another 72.3 million just to keep what we have.

As written by Chris Buckley, son of Willaim Buckley - the founder of modern conservatism.

McCain rose to power on his personality and biography. He was authentic. He spoke truth to power. He told the media they were “jerks” (a sure sign of authenticity, to say nothing of good taste; we are jerks). He was real. He was unconventional. He embraced former anti-war leaders. He brought resolution to the awful missing-POW business. He brought about normalization with Vietnam—his former torturers! Yes, he erred in accepting plane rides and vacations from Charles Keating, but then, having been cleared on technicalities, groveled in apology before the nation. He told me across a lunch table, “The Keating business was much worse than my five and a half years in Hanoi, because I at least walked away from that with my honor.” Your heart went out to the guy. I thought at the time, God, this guy should be president someday.

A year ago, when everyone, including the man I’m about to endorse, was caterwauling to get out of Iraq on the next available flight, John McCain, practically alone, said no, no—bad move. Surge. It seemed a suicidal position to take, an act of political bravery of the kind you don’t see a whole lot of anymore.

But that was—sigh—then. John McCain has changed. He said, famously, apropos the Republican debacle post-1994, “We came to Washington to change it, and Washington changed us.” This campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic. A once-first class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence; he makes unrealistic promises, such as balancing the federal budget “by the end of my first term.” Who, really, believes that? Then there was the self-dramatizing and feckless suspension of his campaign over the financial crisis. His ninth-inning attack ads are mean-spirited and pointless. And finally, not to belabor it, there was the Palin nomination. What on earth can he have been thinking?

All this is genuinely saddening, and for the country is perhaps even tragic, for America ought, really, to be governed by men like John McCain—who have spent their entire lives in its service, even willing to give the last full measure of their devotion to it. If he goes out losing ugly, it will be beyond tragic, graffiti on a marble bust.

Increasingly, there seems to be more and more hostility from the intellectual conservatives against Sarah Palin. If McCain loses, could we see a split between the Evangelical and the Moderate wings of the Republican party?

The economy is frequently an issue of confidence. Knowing that, here is a recent Economist poll of Economists about the nature of the economic plans of both candidates

Here's a nice summary image.

For you, it's the feeling of accomplishment and the knowledge that you keep the world clean for your progeny.

For the city of Sioux Falls, who sells methane from landfills to energy companies, it's about $184,000.

Best of all is this selection:

Sioux Falls should get its carbon offset payment by December. There's no specific plan for the money, but Smith said he hopes it will be added to the public works budget for future sustainability projects.

"We're going to do the right thing with their money, and the citizens should expect that from government," he said. "People should feel comfortable about how these credits are generated, too."

Also, a quick update on the Economist's Global Electoral college. A week of negative ads have really paid dividents for John McCain as he has made up ground on Barack Obama. He currently trails Senator Obama 8,501 to 16.

How Fannie and Freddie exacerbated the problem that the deregulated markets caused

Why do we sweat the small stuff and take lies as truth?

How John McCain misrepresented the situation in Iran.

John McCain and his butchering of the Russia-Georgia War.