Democrats aim for powerful majority in Senate: "Of the 35 Senate seats on the line this year, 23 are held by Republicans. Five Republican senators are retiring . . . North Carolina, where Republican incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole is in danger of losing her seat to Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan. Dole, a first-term incumbent, had been considered a safe seat for Republicans early in the election cycle, but she was targeted heavily by national Democratic Party ads and a CNN/Time poll last week showed Hagan leading by 9 percentage points."

More things to watch as the election results come in: "The media will, of course, get a sneak preview of the results and demographic voting patterns at 5 p.m., when a consortium of TV networks distributes several waves of nationwide exit polling. The first wave of that data is supposed to be kept secret from the general public because it is too unreliable and misleading."

The Huffington Post has a one-stop shop for all your election needs. Tons of maps and stats and info.

CBS News has 10 Questions (and Answers) for Election Day. Including:
1. What Should You Watch For Today?
2. Can Obama Win A Mandate?
3. Can McCain Pull Off A Shocker?
4. What Does Massive Turnout Mean?
5. Can New Hampshire Happen Again?

Believe it or not, this guy over at The Washington Times still likes Bush:"President Bush is far smarter, more articulate and less ideological than his plentiful detractors scream, and, ultimately, he will be judged by history - not by vengeful Democrats, hate-filled Hollywood, corrupt foreign governments, an imploding mainstream media or fleeting approval ratings."

And below, Patti LaBelle sings "He Will Rock You (Obama)"

Via The Huffington Post:

The ATF says it has broken up a plot to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 102 black people in a Tennessee murder spree.

In court records unsealed Monday, agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target an unnamed but predominantly African-American high school by two neo-Nazi skinheads.

Updates forthcoming.

Possible roles for David Axelrod in an Obama administration

A letter to the President-elect: "This is a sobering moment in American history. You begin with a good deal of popular support, but mandates must be replenished. I suggest you think of the Oval Office as a classroom, and explain to the American people what we need to accomplish and what it will require."

McCain out of ideas

McCain aides take a swipe at Palin: "She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," this McCain adviser said. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

Obama responds to McCain's Meet The Press interview

Via The Huffington Post, In next month's issue of The Advocate, Denis Leary defends the use of the word "fag:"

"What gives you the right to use the 'F-word?' " demands interviewer Brandon Voss. "I also have a chapter called, 'We'd Hate You Even If You Weren't Black,' " Leary shoots back. "I don't believe in the power of words. My parents came from Ireland, where the [C-word] is literally a word your mother and father would use to describe the weather or the car: 'That [C-word]ing car won't start!' And I come from a Catholic background where the nuns were always telling you, 'Don't do this, don't say this,' so any time anyone tells me I shouldn't say something, my reaction is, 'Why not?' "

The Advocate also takes Leary to task over a 2006 Elle interview where he was asked to name a man he'd sleep with if his life depended on it. "I'd shoot myself in the head," Leary answered. He tells Voss, "I'd have to have my wife dress up as a man. I never met him, but I always really loved Paul Newman - not only as an actor, but also the way he carried himself . . . So I guess I'd have to dress my wife up as Paul Newman."

Steve Kelley, copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate

McCain is funny: “I’m the underdog, but there are signs of hope. I can’t shake the feeling that some people here are pulling for me. I am delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary.”

National Review Writer: Obama Likely Would Have Been Aborted, Had It Been Legal

The Temperament Factor: Who's Best Suited to the Job? Time's lengthy article navigates the places where personality meets challenge.

Interview with Treasury Secretary Paulson: "The steps we’ve taken are absolutely the right steps. They are bold steps. They are strong steps to stabilize the financial markets and inject confidence into the banking system along with capital."

Economists prescribe deeper deficit: Balanced government budget no recession cure. "The financial crisis has rocked the economy's foundations, but it also has opened a window of opportunity for the next president."


Great interview with Madeleine Albright on the candidates' foreign policy views, the mishandling of the Iraq war, and her time as Secretary of State. She says Obama reminds her of Bill Clinton.

John Deering, copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate

Hilary Rosen calls it for Obama: "There simply are not enough undecided voters in the key battleground states."

Candidates' Neckties: What Their Knots Mean

Cesar Chavez's granddaughter opposes Prop 8:"Rights of women, rights of gays and lesbians and the rights of immigrants are all linked," Chavez said.

YouTube for President?

"From Bill Clinton to John McCain," Senator Barack Obama has proved adept at driving very smart politicians out of their comfort zone, leading them to make comments or embrace tactics that end up backfiring."


Was There Too Much Sex And Profanity In The HBO Presidential Debate?
(Language NSFW)

Via The Huffingtonpost:

John McCain predicted Sunday he would beat Barack Obama at the final presidential debate this week.

"After I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," the Republican nominee told volunteers at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, sparking laughter and applause from the group. McCain immediately added: "I want to emphasize again, I respect Senator Obama. We will conduct a respectful race, and we will make sure that everybody else does, too."

We, the viewers, really need to start worrying about our own asses. This is the final presidential debate, and almost everyone I know is exhausted by the prospect of sitting, on our asses, through another ninety minutes of listening to them go at it. McCain is not going to whip Obama's ass. And Obama is not going to whip McCain's, unless, of course, McCain decides to overplay the Ayers card right into Obama's hand: [T]he Obama campaign has seemingly been engineering this scenario for the past week. Indeed, if John McCain brings up Ayers in tonight it may be because he was goaded into doing so."

Well, there's always Rev. Wright?

Over at The Huffington Post, Dave Hill talks about his seriously gay socks. My friend Harold told me that life in Chelsea must be a total mind-fuck for this guy. I think it sounds kind of hot. "Mr. Straight Man? You can touch me 'down there' if you want. Plus, I'm into feet and socks. Really. Seriously, it's not gay."

That reminds me -- I need to update The Backroom link in The Media Bar.