http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/10/10/mccains-last-chance/#more-1036

” Above all, two main issues will determine whether or not the November election will be a realigning one. Republican Party failures in managing the economy, in involving the country in catastrophic wars of choice, and in ignoring such paramount issues as global warming all dictate a Democratic victory. Militating against that outcome is racist hostility, conscious or otherwise, toward the Democratic Party’s candidate as well as deep-seated regional loyalties. While the crisis caused by the performance failures of the incumbent party seems to guarantee a realigning election favoring the Democrats, it is simply impossible to determine the degree to which race and regionalism may sway voters. The fate of the nation hangs in the balance.”

earlier in the article titled: Will Economic Meltdown, Race, or Regional Loyalty Be the Trump Card in Election 2008?, Johnson writes about this election as possibly a “realigning one” noting that:

“there have been only two during the past century – the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and of Richard Nixon in 1968. Until 1932, the Republicans had controlled the presidency for 56 of the previous 72 years, beginning with Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860. After 1932, the Democrats occupied the White House for 28 of the next 36 years.”

…”Before 1968, the Democrats had also been the majority party nationally, winning seven of the previous nine presidential elections. The Republicans won seven of the next ten between 1968 and 2004.”

” The question is: Can the electorate be mobilized, as in 1932, and will this indeed lead to a realigning election? The answer to neither question is an unambiguous yes.”

my top (most well-known) republican senator susan collins has been running ads on tv. she is doing the same thing as mmcain. she isn’t a republican in her ad, so much as she represents an independent voice for Maine. she is a maverick that is a bipartisan leader and promotes energy independence with windmills in the background. yes, she is a solid red.

this is not new. but its not a subliminal message anymore. it is the campaign they are running this time around.

this could be the problem….did somebody say jinx?

of course mccain is a disaster..but listening to obama during this debate (so far, 9:22pm) it is still clear that there are a few bumper stickers that quite accurately describe a Barack Admin,

“you’re going to be very disappointed”
“barack 08 Save the Empire!”

barack can’t save the economy…esp when he keeps blaming the Bush Admin for our problems….what a waste of time.