Michael Wolraich's picture

    Why McCain is Losing

    The economy and Bush's unpopularity would have made it tough for McCain to win the election no matter what, but as I predicted last February in one of my first political blogposts, Overestimating McCain, John McCain has played a weak hand poorly. I base my argument on the radical assumption that content matters. Whether delivered in rousing speeches, angry debates, or snide ads, if a candidate's message fails to resonate with voters, he or she is unlikely to prevail.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    North Korea to Make Important Announcement Monday. Endorsement?

    North Korea is set to make an "important announcement" on Monday amid speculation over the health of its leader Kim Jong-Il, a Japanese newspaper has reported. The Sankei newspaper said there was speculation within Japan that the announcement could be about Kim's death or a change in government brought about by a coup. The 66-year-old Kim disappeared from public view in mid-August and failed appear on two important national holidays, leading to speculation that he was seriously ill.
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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Exclusive Interview: Joe the Plumber

    G: Hello readers. I have a very special guest today: Joe the Plumber, who has exploded from obscurity to celebrity faster than a photogenic moose-hunting governor. Joe, thanks for coming to my blog post.

    J: My pleasure, Genghis. I've always dreamed of being interviewed by a blog with a readership of 10 or 11 people.

    G: Think big, Joe. We're going for 17 today. I'm honored that you accepted the invitation. I'm sure that you're in high demand since you became the cause célèbre of the presidential debate.

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Try googling "McCain Advisers"

    At the top of the results, you'll see a paid ad for Obama:

    Who Advises John McCain?
    Over 177 Lobbyists Run His Campaign Watch Obama TV Ads and Donate Today
    BarackObama.com

    Those guys are smart.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Breaking: McCain Brainstorming Notes Leaked

    John McCain's campaign may be facing an uphill battle, but he and his staff still have plenty of ideas according to notes from a campaign brainstorming session. The notes were leaked to major media outlets from a source close to John McCain who asked not to be identified for unidentified reasons:

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    RealClearPolitics.com - Obama over the threshold

    When I'm bored or anxious, I like to play with the interactive electoral college map over at RealClearPolitics.com. They set it up for you based on the latest aggregate polling data, but you can change the configuration at will. Obama has been ahead all along, but you had to turn several gray "toss-up" states to light blue "leaning Obama" in order to give him the win.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    We Are the Ones Project

    In these dark days of negative politics and collapsing markets, I just want to call out a feel-good art project to warm our chilly hearts. A few of us associated with DagBlog organized a nationwide Obama fundraiser over the summer with fundraising parties in multiple cities across the country and around the world. I worked on the NYC event which took place at a loft in Brooklyn.

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    McCain Accuses Economy of Bias

    The Republican presidential hopeful John McCain let his frustration with the US economy boil over today. When asked in an interview about the challenges his campaign faces, McCain responded, "Look, it's no secret that the economy favors my opponent." Asked to elaborate, he replied, "This country is in crisis. Now is not the time to point fingers. But everybody knows that the economy caused this crisis, and I think everybody knows why it's doing it."

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    People who channel 16-year-olds think Palin won

    I spent the debate blogging as a 16-year-old, and I have to disagree with the assessment of a Biden win. The experience was, to be honest, very weird. Writing as SarahPalinGrrrrl in previous posts did not require me to get into her head. She and I maintained a respectful distance from one another. But during the live blogging, there was no time for that. I had to be SarahPalinGrrrrl. OMG. As a result, I listened to the debate the way a 16-year-old might have, or at least how I imagine that a 16-year-old might have.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    BREAKING: McCain pulls out of Michigan

    Politico: John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

     

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    RSS Feed Back Online

    We just launched, and we're still working out kinks in the blog. The RSS feed on the main page was down, but it's back, baby. So get your DagBlog posts hot off the blog at http://dagblog.com/rss.

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    John McCain - Steady at the Helm in Turbulent Seas

    John McCain on the state of the economy

    1/10 McCain: I don't believe we're headed into a recession. I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong, and I believe they will remain strong.

    Huzzah, the fundamentals are strong!

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    It's the Economy Stupids

    This post is not about the horse race or who "won" the debate. This post is about the greatest problem facing America today, a greater problem than we have faced in many years. This post is about the economy. I'm sorry to say that neither of the candidates took the opportunity to address it in a serious manner.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Lead!

    We are facing the worst economic crisis since the 1980's. WaMu just set a record as the "Largest U.S. Bank Failure Ever." (Mazel-tov, WaMu.) Investment titans are on the knees, the ones that haven't gone under or been torn apart. Debt is at a historic high. Credit is tight. People are losing their houses and their jobs. Everyone is angry. Everyone is afraid.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Men of Honor

    America is fortunate to have a choice between two men of honor this election year. In another election, the candidates might have tried to exploit the financial crisis for petty political gain. But not this year. John McCain has gone so far as to propose delaying the first debate with Barack Obama so that they can solve our crisis:

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    BREAKING: McCain denies deal with the Devil

    The blogosphere is abuzz with rumors about a secret deal between John McCain and Satan. A contributor to popular political blog, TPM Cafe, first broke the story last week in a post entitled, Lady MacDeath - A Faustian Bargain of Sinister Deception. According to blogger TheraP, who does not quote any sources, Satan promised John McCain the Presidency in 2008 in return for sacrificing his soul and selecting Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    I Say, Let 'Em Crash

    Oh things are going well my friends. This stock market crash could not have come at a better time. Just look at John McCain squirm. All we need are a few more major bankruptcies, and we'll have the election locked up. As a special bonus, the greedy bankers are getting screwed too.

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Rope-a-McDope

    Back in the doom-and-gloom days of...um...last week, there were a number of stalwart cheerleaders at TPM Cafe who airily assured us that Obama had everything under control. While I wasn't particularly concerned about the polls--I've seen enough elections not to get my knickers in a twist over weekly fluctuations--I had the sense that at least some of those cheerleaders would insist that all was well up to the moment of crushing defeat. The knowing assurances that Obama's hesitance to attack was part of his rope-a-dope strategy seemed the most suspect.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    (What a) Wonderful Veep...

    with apologies to Sam Cooke

    She don't know much about history
    She don't believe in biology
    She wants to change the science books
    She wants to fire the White House cooks
    But she does know how to speak on cue
    And she knows if she makes fools of you
    What a wonderful veep she would be

    She don't know much about geography
    She don't know much foreign policy
    Don't know much about George Bush's war
    Don't know what a VP is for
    But she knows that one and one is two
    And if McCain just tells her what to do

    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton (or Dumb and Dumber)

    Those who know my writing here are aware that I have little love for Hillary Clinton. Had she won the nomination, I would have voted for her but not happily. But whatever her flaws, Clinton is extremely intelligent. She has a better command of public and foreign policy than any other candidate who participated in the primaries. Barack Obama, of course, is brilliant in his own right, as is Joe Biden.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    About Face!

    Sometimes I feel as if we're all participating in some kind of psychology experiment and that any minute now, an old guy in a white coat will peer down from the heavens and tell us that we can remove our armbands and go home. Recent political events seem designed to expose our rational failings and prove that in the end, we're all just rats in a maze.

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    Michael Wolraich's picture

    Obama the Celeb?

    From Greg Sargent at Election Central:

    The McCain campaign triples-down on its "celeb" sneer, releasing a
    third ad on the topic that hits the theme even harder than the last
    two...Clearly, the McCain camp thinks this is working, and they're going to keep hammering away at it for weeks, if not months.
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