The End of 2008: Air Raids in Gaza & More

Reuters: Israel Monday expanded its fiercest air offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in decades and prepared for a possible ground assault, after a three-day bombardment which has killed more than 300 Palestinians.  More...

AP: Investors are preparing to close out the last three trading days of 2008 with Wall Street's worst performance since Herbert Hoover was president.  More...

Politico: Stepping into deeper waters to help the auto industry, Treasury Monday night added $6 billion to the $17.4 billion bailout announced Dec. 19, chiefly to help the financial arm of General Motors Corp.  More...

WSJ: Top Republican lawmakers are positioning themselves for battle over President-elect Barack Obama's economic recovery plan, signaling Monday that they will cast themselves as guardians against excessive spending rather than outright opponents of the Democrats' stimulus package.  More...

Politico: The campaigns of Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Democrat Al Franken are far apart in resolving the thorny issue over counting absentee ballots in the disputed Minnesota Senate race.  More...

WSJ: Sen. Reid Hits the Ground Running in Uphill Re-Election Bid.  More...

WSJ: As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.  More...

AP: Mrs. Bush and Rice say Bush presidency not a failure.  More...

AP: Rice says Obama election encourages people worldwide.  More...

Politico: Top 10 Political Upsets of 2008.  More...

Telegraph: 2008 was the year man-made global warming was disproved.  More...

Chinese Paper: Marked changes in world's political, economic landscape.  More...

Flying Shoes & No Bailout

Reuters: President George W. Bush made an unannounced farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday, just weeks before he leaves office and bequeaths the unpopular Iraq war to President-elect Barack Obama.  More...

Politico: Welcome to Baghdad. An Iraqi reporter set off pandemonium Sunday by hurling two shoes at President Bush during a news conference that was the centerpiece of his secret good-bye visit.  More...

AP: With Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich defying calls for his resignation, state officials pondered reducing his power or forcing him from office amid an intensifying criminal investigation… a day after he was arrested on charges that he put President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat up for sale.  More...

WSJ: Throwing a lifeline to Detroit's ailing automakers, the White House reversed course Friday and said it would consider using the $700 billion financial-rescue plan to avert a bankruptcy of the Big Three that could deepen the U.S. recession.  The announcement came hours after negotiations collapsed in Congress over a compromise bailout plan fiercely opposed by Senate Republicans.  More...

Politico: President-elect Barack Obama added sweep and meat to his economic agenda… tying his key initiatives – education, energy, health care –back to jobs in a package that has the makings of a smaller and modern version of FDR's New Deal.  More...

Baltimore Sun: On Jan. 20, an unobtrusive military officer carrying a small leather-bound metal briefcase will follow President George W. Bush up to Capitol Hill. After the inauguration ceremony, he will accompany President Barack Obama back to the White House.  Inside the attaché, known as "the football," are the codes to identify and authenticate a presidential order that could launch nuclear weapons and ignite a global holocaust.  More...

OPINION:

WSJ: Mitch McConnell's Finest Hour: The same can't be said for President Bush on the auto bailout.  More...

Friedman: Obama's Iraq Inheritance.  More...

Noonan: The Children Are Watching: America makes history, but the mandate is for moderation.  More...

Rove: Thanksgiving Cheer from Obama: He's assembled a first-rate economic team.  More...

Noonan: Turbulence Ahead: Some things to be thankful for in depressing times.  More...

Barone: The Limits of Success--and Failure.  More...

Rove: How the GOP Should Prepare for a Comeback: Organization and ideas are what matters.  More...

And finally, the quick ducking reflexes of W... watch the clip below.

Terrorists Strike & Warning in NYC

NYT: Coordinated terrorist attacks struck the heart of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, on Wednesday night, killing dozens in machine-gun and grenade assaults on at least two five-star hotels, the city’s largest train station, a movie theater and a hospital.  More...

WSJ: Federal authorities are warning law enforcement personnel of a possible terror plot against the New York City subway and train systems during the holiday season, and police are beefing up security in preparation.  More...

AP: President-elect Barack Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates in that job for at least a year, according to an official familiar the two men's discussions.  Obama is expected to announce the selection of Gates and other members of a national security brain trust next week. Gates has served as President George W. Bush's defense chief for two years.  More...

AP: Russian warships sailed into port in Venezuela on Tuesday in a show of strength as Moscow seeks to counter U.S. influence in Latin America.  More...

AFP: Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili said Wednesday that Russian forces were erecting a "Berlin Wall" as part of a campaign to cut off rebel regions from the rest of the country.  More...

Fox: Despite bells and whistles, 'Office of President-Elect' holds no authority.  The props that decorate the stage for the Office of the President-elect serve as just that, since Barack Obama will hold no actual authority in the Executive Branch until Jan. 20.  More...

Transition from W to O

NYT: The thaw in the resentful relationship between the most powerful woman in the Democratic Party and her younger male rival began at the party's convention this summer.  By this past Thursday, when Obama reassured Clinton that she would have direct access to him and could select her own staff as secretary of state, the wooing was complete.  More... 

NYT: With the financial crisis looming as a priority of his term, President-elect Barack Obama sought to put his imprint on efforts to stem the turmoil as he introduced his economic team on Monday.  More...

Politico: President-elect Barack Obama has yet to attend church services since winning the White House earlier this month, a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.  More...

Fix: The great thing about elections is that as soon as the last one ends, the next one begins.  We are going to start ranking the 10 Republicans to keep an eye on over the coming months and years.  More...

WSJ: With sports fans still getting used to their high-definition television sets, the National Football League is already thinking ahead to the next potential upgrade: 3-D.  More...

OPINION

Romney: If General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.  More...

Friedman: This is the real “Code Red.” As one banker remarked to me: “We finally found the W.M.D.” They were buried in our own backyard — subprime mortgages and all the derivatives attached to them.  More...

Rove: A Way Out of the Wilderness- We've been walloped in consecutive elections, but we can't just dwell on the past. The future is already here.  More...

Rove: History Favors Republicans in 2010- The 2008 election numbers are not as stark as the results.  More...

The Sit Down & More

Reuters: U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and vanquished rival John McCain met for the first time since the November 4 election on Monday, pledging to work together to face the financial crisis and other national challenges.  More...

Friedman: And so it came to pass that on Nov. 4, 2008, shortly after 11 p.m. Eastern time, the American Civil War ended, as a black man — Barack Hussein Obama — won enough electoral votes to become president of the United States.  More...

Times: Barack Obama is warned to beware of a ‘huge threat’ from al-Qaeda.  He is being given ominous advice from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to brace himself for an early assault from terrorists.  More...

WP: District and federal officials are preparing for as many as 4 million people for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, a crowd that would be three or four times larger than previous big events on the Mall.  Only a fraction of those people will be close enough to get a good look at the action. But officials are planning extra JumboTrons at the Mall and along the inaugural parade route so that spectators can feel a part of the historic day.  More...

Politico: Hillary Rodham Clinton isn’t certain she would accept the Secretary of State post even if Barack Obama offers it to her, several people close to the former first lady say.  Press reports that portray Clinton as willing to accept the job – once the Obama transition team vets Bill Clinton’s philanthropic and business ventures – are inaccurate, one Clinton insider told Politico.  More... 

AP: Iraq's Cabinet overwhelmingly approved a security pact with the United States on Sunday, ending prolonged negotiations to allow American forces to remain for three more years in the country they first occupied in 2003.  More...

Cook: What did we learn from this election? The results certainly confirmed that Republicans are demoralized. We also learned that there are two Souths. There is a "New South," which includes Virginia, North Carolina, and, to a lesser extent, Georgia. In this South, which has lots of suburbs, transplants, and younger college graduates, Obama and other Democrats won or ran well above the norm for their party.  More...

Friedman: Barack Obama surely has one of the toughest leadership challenges any incoming president has ever faced.  Now is when we need a president who has the skill, the vision and the courage to cut through this cacophony, pull us together as one nation and inspire and enable us to do the one thing we can and must do right now: Go shopping.  More...

WSJ: The chief executives of Detroit's Big Three auto makers appealed in dire language for U.S. taxpayers to help their industry, but couldn't dispel doubts in Congress that have clouded prospects for a government-led rescue.  More...

Roll Call: After much speculation that his failed presidential bid would be his last campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has decided to run for re-election to his Senate seat in 2010.  More...

N&O: A U.S. Senate seat representing North Carolina is looking like an increasingly rickety political perch these days.  Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole's loss to Democratic challenger Kay Hagan is only the most recent failure of an incumbent to win a second term.  More...

**Note: I've added many more news widgets to pearcegodwin.com.  Check out the left side of the page, a one-stop-shop for the latest news from the world's best sources.

BREAKING: Hillary Will Be Secretary of State

Guardian: Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama's advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton's foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country's dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.  More...

Clinton Possible Secretary of State & More

NYT: The end of the presidential campaign seemed to signal the completion of the Obama-Clinton drama. But now it turns out there could be a surprise ending.  Advisers to the onetime rivals for the Democratic nomination confirmed Friday that President-elect Barack Obama had met with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday afternoon at Mr. Obama’s transition office in Chicago and discussed the secretary of state job.  The prospect of Mrs. Clinton as secretary of state, perhaps the most prestigious cabinet position in any administration, sent people buzzing.  More...

WP: 5 Myths About an Election of Mythical Proportions... The 2008 presidential election ended less than two weeks ago, but the mythmaking machine has already begun to churn. President-elect Barack Obama transformed the face of the electorate! The Republican Party will be a miserable minority in Congress for the next century! Cats and dogs are now living together! We explode the five biggest myths that have already sprung up around the election that was.  More...

NYT: Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry.  Those are seven words President-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in 65 days.  More...

WSJ: Global leaders showed a united front against the financial crisis at an emergency summit here Saturday, but offered mostly promises of future cooperation to nudge the world out of its economic funk.  More...

AP: Senate will debate $25 billion bailout of the auto industry Monday.  More...

WP: The day after the 2008 election ended, the 2010 cycle began for political junkies.  A quick glance at the playing field, however, suggests that Republicans could -- yet again -- be in for a difficult time in 2010.  More...

Dome: Is U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler gearing up for 2010?  The Waynesville Democrat told the Hendersonville Times-News that he hasn't ruled out running against Sen. Richard Burr in two years.  More...

A Meeting in the Oval & More

NYT: Emotional President George W Bush thought Obama's election triumph was 'pretty cool.'  The outgoing President sees the election of America's first black commander in chief as a "pretty cool" tribute to the strength of American democracy, and believes the image of his successor in charge will help spread freedom around the globe.  More...

The Hill: President Bush on Saturday used his first post-election radio address to praise Democratic President-elect Barack Obama, saying that he “represents a triumph of the American story.”  Bush added that the Illinois senator’s victory is a “testament to hard work, optimism, and faith in the enduring promise of our nation.”  More...

The Hill: White House press secretary Dana Perino said the president described his meeting with Obama as “good, constructive, relaxed and friendly,” adding that the two men discussed both domestic and international issues.  More...

WSJ: President-elect Barack Obama met at the White House Monday with the man he will succeed in January, and pressed President George W. Bush to take immediate action to help stave off the collapse of the U.S. auto industry and to aid the economy more broadly.  More...

Pearce: GM CEO and Duke Dad Rick Wagoner says GM is in dire need of federal aid.  More...

The Hill: “If you look at the roiling global financial situation, if you look at the fact that much of this country distrusts its government, if you look at the fact that we’re still fighting in two wars, I think that the Republicans in Congress will stand ready to work with this new president,” Cantor said on “Fox News Sunday.”  More...

CNN: Palin on running for president in 2012... "If there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."  More...

WSJ: What would Reagan do... "Our principles can flourish only if our policies resonate with average Americans who deal with concrete problems and who are resistant to radical change. One thing is certain: A conservatism that abandons freedom is not American; and a conservatism that ignores reality will not win."  More...

Duke Chronicle Column: We lost an election, but there's another in two years, and you'll probably live to see it. Most of all, keep in mind the one advantage we have that neither speeches nor platitudes nor rabid fans will ever be able to take away: At the end of the day, we're the ones in the right.  More...

Dome: The aftermath of last week's historic presidential election has led many national commentators to speculate that North Carolina and Virginia are no longer part of "the South."  More...

Obama Makes History; Dems Gain Seats in Congress

Pearce: Election 2008 did not turn out as I hoped; however, there is something special about witnessing history as Barack Obama becomes the first black president of the United States of America.  

North Carolina has lost a great Senator in Elizabeth Dole, and we should all be thankful for her service to our state and nation over her historic career... she is far from finished.

AP: His name etched in history as America's first black president-elect, Barack Obama turned Wednesday from victory's jubilation to the sobering challenge of leading a nation in crisis. The 44th president-in-waiting kept a low profile while Americans and the world took in the enormity of the election.  More...

Carville: A new generation transforms American politics...  The historical significance of electing our first African-American president cannot be lost on me, as I remember what it was like growing up in the segregated South. To say that I never thought I would see an African-American president in my lifetime is to understate what Mr Obama's achievement says about America.  More...

Politico: The 2008 campaign was the costliest in history, with a record-shattering $5.3 billion in spending by candidates, political parties and interest groups on the congressional and presidential races.  More...

AP: Obama wins North Carolina by 13,000 votes.  More...

AP: Democrats fattened their majority control of the Senate on Tuesday, ousting Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and capturing seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado.  More...

Salisbury Post: Salisbury's own Elizabeth Dole, a history maker six years ago when she became North Carolina's first woman U.S. senator, lost her seat Tuesday to Democrat Kay Hagan in one of the state's all-time political upsets.  More...

See Senator Dole's concession speech below.

AP: Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole's 40-year tenure in the nation's capital took her from the inner circles of presidents to leading the American Red Cross. Now ousted from Congress, she's been left to plot the next chapter in one of Washington's most storied careers.  More...

Dome: GOP Sen. Richard Burr ought to get crackin’ now for his own re-election bid in 2010, saying this week that Democrats will be infused with new energy with the wins of both Barack Obama and Kay Hagan, who defeated incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole on Tuesday.  More...

WSJ: The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.  More...

Election 2008: The Eve of Election Day

Pearce: This is it... the eve of Election 2008.  This has been the longest campaign season in history and is sure to prove historic tomorrow night.  Everybody pop a sit in front of your TVs and watch it unfold... we've never seen anything like it.  This will be the last posting before the results are in.  I'll be spending election night in Salisbury, North Carolina celebrating the re-election of NC Senator Elizabeth Dole!!

Washington Post: Barack Obama and the Democrats hold a commanding position two days before Tuesday's election, with the senator from Illinois leading in states whose electoral votes total nearly 300 and with his party counting on significantly expanded majorities in the House and Senate.  More...

AP: Barack Obama and John McCain uncorked massive get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen battleground states Sunday, millions of telephone calls, mailings and door-knockings in a frenzied, fitting climax to a record-shattering $1 billion campaign. Together, they'll spend about $8 per presidential vote.  More...

Chuck Todd: Is there a more relevant battleground state than the Tarheel state? Not only is the presidential close, but the senate and governor's races are also nailbiters.  More...

Dome: Early voting has closed in North Carolina, and preliminary numbers show that more than 40 percent of the state's registered voters have already cast ballots, more than 2.5 million people, more than 70 percent of all the votes cast in 2004.  More...

Dome: The case for McCain to win North Carolina

Dome: Analysts rank the presidential race in North Carolina.

The Fix: Dole's "Godless" ad, Hagan's response and Dole's response to Hagan's response.  More...

Dome: Dole ad took YouTube by storm.  More... 

Dome: Analysts rank the North Carolina senate race.

Dome: Analysts rank the North Carolina governor's race.

Washington Post: Pundit predictions for Election 2008.

RCP: The latest electoral map.  Virginia and Ohio move from "lean Obama" to "toss up."

NYPost: How to watch the election.

Pearce:  This video is one of the coolest things I've seen this campaign season.  It's the perfect thing to take us into Election 2008.  Please, vote however you like.

Dole Releases Follow-up Ad

Pearce: Senator Elizabeth Dole has released a new ad responding to Hagan's outrage at her recent ad targeting Hagan for attending a fundraiser at the home of, and taking money from, Godless Americans PAC founder, Woody Kaplan.

 

Election 2008: 5 Days to the Finish Line

Pearce: The Dole Force has landed in North Carolina.  I'll be on the campaign trail in Raleigh from now until the big day.  It's so great to be back in the Tarheel State!  Now let's re-elect Senator Elizabeth Dole!!

Presidential Race:

Time: Why hasn’t Obama run away with this?  Because the country remains culturally divided. Because the more it looks like Democrats will score huge gains in Congress, the more worried “soft Republican” voters get.  More...

CNN: Focusing on three states will provide a window through the November 4 election chaos.  No other state provides as much excitement up and down the ballot as North Carolina.  More...

The Fix: On our latest Fix electoral map, we have Obama at 349 electoral votes -- his highest total since we began picking the playing field earlier this fall -- while McCain stands at 189 electoral votes... North Carolina, which we are giving to McCain, could go for Obama.  More...

Dome: The 2008 election in North Carolina can be summed up as an analogy with 1932, 1976 and 1992.  More...

NYT: North Carolina's straight ticket flawed.  More...

WP: Obama accepting untraceable donations.  More...

RCP: No toss-up map has Obama with 375 electoral votes to McCain's 163.

NC Senate Race:

Duke Chronicle: When Sen. Elizabeth Dole was named Duke's "Leader of the Year" by The Chronicle in 1958, the honor left little doubt in many students' minds that the Woman's College Student Body President would go far after graduation.  More...

FOXNews: North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign is refusing to take down an ad that accuses her Democratic rival, Kay Hagan, of accepting money from "godless Americans," after Hagan demanded that the Republican incumbent "cease and desist." The two campaigns are in a nasty dispute over the commercial, which began running statewide in North Carolina Tuesday.  More...

Pearce: Senator Dole's new ad targeting Hagan for her involvement with the Godless Americans PAC has gained a great deal of national attention today.  CNN, The Hill and Dome have interesting articles about the ad controversy.

Note: Both of Dole's new ads are posted below.  The embedded videos do not appear in emails, so click "Pearce Godwin" to see them on the site.

Dole Releases Two New, Hardhitting Ads

 

 

Election 2008: Only 8 Days Away

Presidential Race:

AP: Republican John McCain declared "I'm going to win it," dismissing polls showing him behind with little more than a week to go in the presidential race. A confident Democrat Barack Obama drew a jaw-dropping 100,000 people to a Denver rally and rolled out a new TV ad asserting his rival is "running out of time."  More...

WSJ: John McCain proclaimed Sunday that his presidential campaign remained viable, while Barack Obama warned his supporters against overconfidence in the home stretch of the general election.  More...

Cook: Since early September this race has shifted rather dramatically in Obama's favor. As long as the focus is almost exclusively on the economy, this race is almost unwinnable for McCain... At this stage, the most relevant question would seem to be: "How big will the train wreck be for the Republican Party up and down the ballot in November."  More...

Rothenberg: While major media outlets are hesitant to pronounce the presidential race over for fear of being harassed by Republicans and conservatives, there isn’t much doubt at this late date that it is over. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) will be elected president in less than two weeks.  More...

Sabado: The fundamentals of this election year could not be more Democratic.  You've got a terrible economy, a deeply unpopular president and an unpopular war. You put those elements together and it's going to produce a Democratic victory. ... The only question is, what size?  More...

Washington Post: There are no "Obama 2008" buttons, banners or T-shirts visible here at U.N. headquarters, but it might be difficult to find a sliver of territory in the United States more enthusiastic over the prospect of the Illinois senator winning the White House.  More...

Pearce: Joe Biden was angered by hard hitting questions during an interview with a local Florida station on Saturday.  The Obama Camp is now punishing the station.

CNN: Sarah Palin warned that putting Obama in the White House along with Democrats running both chambers of Congress will turn the country into a nanny state.  More...

Dome: Some talking points about North Carolina for political talking heads.

Dome: The case for Obama winning in North Carolina.

Dome: Local political experts disagree as to which presidential candidate will take North Carolina.  See the opinions and analysis of Wrenn, Davis, Pearce & Kromm.

RCP: Obama already has 306 electoral votes to McCain's 157.  75 remain toss-ups.

Senate Race:

Washington Times: Sen. Elizabeth Dole is currently in the fight of her career to keep her U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina. A number of factors have made the seat, formerly held by Sen. Jesse Helms, harder to hold onto during this election cycle.  More...

The Fix: Boy is this race between Sen. Elizabeth Dole and state Sen. Kay Hagan (D) tough to call! This could well be the closest contest (in terms of raw vote) on the Senate docket this cycle.  More...

WRAL: Dole remains passionate about public service.  More...

Canadian Star: They're just a couple of old codgers sitting on their rocking chairs in front of a North Carolina country store, but they could be on the vanguard of a radical change in the way American politics is conducted over the next two years.  More...

CNN: Sens. Mitch McConnell and Elizabeth Dole are two top Republicans lawmakers who find themselves fighting to hold on to their Senate seats.  They're also two reasons why Democrats are talking 60 -- the number of seats needed to secure filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  More...

CNN: GOP argument is don't give President Obama a blank check... Dole has become perhaps the most vulnerable of the red state Senate Republicans in what might be the clearest sign of the GOP's woes this election season.  More...  

San Fran Chronicle: The shock in Senate races isn't that Democrats are winning the Republican West, but that they're on the verge of taking seats in the South, the GOP's stronghold since the Reagan presidency.  More...

Winston-Salem Journal: Dole said in an interview that she hopes some Obama voters will split their tickets and vote for her -- as clear an indication as any that times have changed since the Helms era. If Obama wins North Carolina or comes close, Dole will be counting on ticket-splitters.  More...

Other:

RCP: Latest polls show Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory pulling ahead in NC Governor's race.

**Note**

I've added several live feeds from major news outlets to my blog.  Look along the left side of the page for the latest headlines from Drudge, Fox, CNN, Politico, Under the Dome, Roll Call, The Hill, Washington Post and more.  Don't have time to check all these sites?  Get the quick rundown at www.pearcegodwin.com.  

Also, vote in my election polls.  McCain is currently leading Obama 16-15, and Dole is leading Hagan 20-8.

A Special Report from NC & Dole's New Ad

Pearce: In a special report for PG, Brittany Matheson, a Duke student from North Carolina, gives her first-hand perspective of the Senate race.  Here's what she has to say from the middle of the campaign battlefield...

"A few months ago, only a small number of people were even aware that a Senate race was taking place in North Carolina. Now it is a topic of great debate and discussion. From personal appearances in local parades and her son’s talks on Duke’s campus to the countless bumper stickers and t-shirts that seem to be sprouting up everywhere, Kay Hagan has made her name and face known to the voters of North Carolina. Around the early voting locations, I see an average of two Hagan signs for every one of Dole’s. On campus, I have yet to see an Elizabeth Dole shirt, but Kay Hagan shirts, bumper stickers, and buttons are sported by campaigners and students.

With the current economic situation, the general mindset seems to be centered on the need for change. People outside of polling places are urging voters to cast an entirely Democratic ballot, preying off the general discontent. The “fix-all solution” that many are advocating, they believe, starts with a change in our nation’s leadership.

Another issue in this election is the fact out-of-state students at Duke have switched their voter registration to North Carolina due to its surprising potential to be a swing state in the Presidential Election. With a limited knowledge of NC politics, or what Senator Dole has accomplished in office, these voters may tend towards the Democratic challenger simply for the sake of change. Senator Dole has also been hurt by a huge number of negative television ads focusing on her supposed ineffectiveness in the Senate. Finally, from my perspective, Kay Hagan has been more visible and willing to interact with the people, while Senator Dole has spent more of her campaign time in invitation only, fundraising events.

With time before Election Day running short, Senator Dole needs to change the tone of the race. With any luck, she can foster momentum that was not originally thought necessary but which is now crucial for her to win reelection." 

Pearce:  Senator Elizabeth Dole released another new ad today in which she speaks directly to her constituents about what she believes in.  This is another positive ad meant to remind North Carolina voters who Elizabeth Dole really is, the "favorite daughter" they anxiously sent to the U.S. Senate in 2002.  View the ad below.

 

Virginia Foxx (NC-5) fights for reelection

Pearce: Congresswoman Virginia Foxx from North Carolina's 5th district is facing a tough fight for reelection, due more to the R beside her name than the strength of her opponent.  Dr. Foxx is facing Roy Carter, an unknown highschool football coach with no experience in elected office.  However, in an election cycle in which "change" has become the golden rule, the Congresswoman is being tested.  Virginia Foxx should be able to withstand the anti-Republican sentiment by reminding voters of her Appalachian conservative values and record of using her feisty personality and impressive work ethic to make things happen for them in the U.S. Congress.  Voters should also know that she has recently received the "Tax Fighter Award" from the National Tax Limitation Committee which said “Congresswoman Foxx’s votes on tax and spending issues earned her an ‘A’ grade and the Tax Fighter Award."  "Congresswoman Foxx has been a major asset to taxpayers across America.  She has the courage to challenge the orthodoxy of Washington spending and earmarks.”  This is certainly the kind of voice most citizens of the 5th distict want in Congress.  I therefore expect that, after taking a good look at Dr. Foxx's four year record in the House, voters will send her back for a third term.

Presidential Race:

Pearce:  Bucking the trend of most other national polls, the new AP poll shows a White House race that is dead even.

FT: Mr. Obama has the strongest sustained lead any candidate has enjoyed for 12 years and is also bolstered by leads in many of the individual battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, that outperform his position in the national surveys.  More...

Election 2008: 13 Days Away

Presidential Race:

Cook: Maybe some cataclysmic event occurs in the next two weeks that changes the trajectory of this election, but to override these factors, it would have to be very, very big.  More analysis...

Rove: In the campaign's final two weeks, voters will take a last serious look at both presidential candidates. The outcome of the race isn't cast in stone yet.  If Mr. McCain succeeds, he will have engineered the most impressive and improbable political comeback since Harry Truman in 1948. But having to reach back more than a half-century for inspiration is not the place campaign managers want to be now.  More...

Buchanan: This center-right country is about to vastly strengthen a liberal Congress whose approval rating is 10 percent and implant in Washington a regime further to the left than any in U.S. history.  Headed for the White House is the most left-wing member of the Senate, according to the National Journal. To the vice president's mansion is headed Joe Biden, third-most liberal as ranked by the National Journal, ahead of No. 4, Vermont Socialist Bernie Sanders.  More...

New York Post: Joe Biden warned that America's enemies would test Barack Obama with an international crisis within six months if he's elected president - a shocking comment John McCain eagerly pounced on yesterday to claim Obama isn't ready to be commander-in-chief.  More...

Senate Race:

WSJ: Though we doubt most Americans realize it, this would be one of the most profound political and ideological shifts in U.S. history. Liberals would dominate the entire government in a way they haven't since 1965, or 1933. If the U.S. really is entering a period of unchecked left-wing ascendancy, Americans at least ought to understand what they will be getting.  Americans voting for "change" should know they may get far more than they ever imagined.  More...

RCP: As is the case in House races across the country, Republicans are watching their hopes of preventing a cascade of Senate seats tumbling toward Democrats collapse.  Top 10 Races...

AP: Dole still a celebrity outside of Congress

Pearce: The following are excerpts from a personal appeal going out to all of my facebook friends in the Tarheel state...

"I have had the distinct honor of working in her Senate office on Capitol Hill since July. I have seen first-hand her tireless work and great heart for North Carolina… Senator Dole has the passion and principles that North Carolina needs and deserves… For decades, Senator Dole has given her all for causes bigger than herself… She is the right person to represent North Carolina and lead our country out of this current economic crisis and onto our greatest days… I believe in Elizabeth Dole and hope the voters of North Carolina allow me the opportunity to serve with her for years to come."  See my entire message...

Dole releases new ads targeting Hagan

Pearce:  Elizabeth Dole's campaign has released two new ads targeting her oponent Kay Hagan for refusing to take a position and dodging questions about the most important issues of our time.  See the new ads below.  Also, check out the video bar on the left side of the page for all the latest ads from Dole.

 

 

The Latest on Election 2008 & Pearce's Predictions

NYT: Before this campaign season, Senator Elizabeth Dole was not considered a particularly vulnerable incumbent. As Washington royalty with a gold-plated résumé, she won the seat once held by Senator Jesse Helms by a nine-point margin in 2002.  But on Tuesday, when Mrs. Dole appeared at a rally for Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the Republican candidate for vice president, she was appealing for her political life.  More...

N&O: In an e-mail sent to Kay Hagan supporters this week from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the former advisor to President Clinton undermined the DSCC's ad campaign, which has tarred U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole as ineffective.  "But making history means taking down powerful red-state incumbents like Mitch McConnell, Elizabeth Dole, and Roger Wicker," he writes.  More...

Pearce: Pat McCrory picks up big endorsements from North Carolina's major newspapers: Charlotte, Asheville, Greensboro & Winston-Salem.  He has also taken the lead from Beverly Perdue in the race for the North Carolina Governor's mansion.

Pearce: The final presidential debate is over, and, while much more entertaining than the previous two, it did not feature the kind of "game-changer" that McCain seems to be in desperate need of.  The candidates are now hitting the trail hard in an attempt to drive home their messages and sway still-undecided voters in the closing days of this marathon campaign.

PREDICTIONS:

Pearce: With 18 days left before the November 4th election, I'm making my predictions on the three races that matter most to North Carolina.  I believe Barack Obama will be our 44th President.  Although national polls are tightening this week, enough states are solidly, likely or leaning Obama to give him the victory with 305 electoral votes (270 are needed to win).  Only four states remain toss-ups at this point, one being North Carolina, and Obama leads in each of them.  My prediction is that Barack will win three of these four states and the presidency with 349 electoral votes to McCain's 189.  John McCain, Elizabeth Dole and Pat McCrory will win in North Carolina.  The tide could certainly change dramatically in the next 18 days, but for McCain, it would require a very significant event... October surprise anyone?

Note: Feel free to comment on my posts by clicking "Post a Comment" below.  Let's hear your predictions...

Latest on NC Senate Race

ABC: Whether Democrats can reach the 60-vote threshold depends on the outcome of races like the one in North Carolina, where Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole is seeking a second term in a race that was never supposed to be close.  More...

CNN: Voters seem more interested in voting for change than for the more conservative candidate in the presidential and Senate races, and that has made Elizabeth Dole a seriously endangered incumbent.  More...

RCP: Latest NC Senate polls

As for the presidential race...

AP: Barack Obama and John McCain will both pursue the image of a strong leader in troublesome economic times as they meet Wednesday night for their third and final presidential debate.  More...

Poll: Dole cuts Hagan's lead from 9 to 2

Dome: The Senate race has tightened.  According to a recent survey by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan had 46 percent, Republican Elizabeth Dole had 44 percent and Libertarian Christopher Cole had five percent.  Five percent were undecided.

"The movement here is similar to that seen in the Presidential race. Hagan is holding steady with an 11 point lead among independents, but Dole has made some in roads with Democrats, who now report supporting Hagan by a 75-16 margin, down from 79-12 last week," pollster Tom Jensen writes.  More... 

Campaign 2008 Update

Cook: McCain needs something big to change the dynamics -- something bigger than a kick-ass ad, a strong debate performance, or a misstep by Obama. If voters stay focused on the economy, this contest could soon be out of McCain's reach. If their attention returns to national security in the next week or so, he could still come back.  More...

Rothenberg: Barack Obama is heading to victory in the 2008 presidential election, and John McCain must do something to change that trajectory to avoid a loss.  And McCain’s chances of doing that are growing dimmer and dimmer.  More...  Also, Rothenberg's Battleground State Ratings

Politico: John McCain’s chief strategist Steve Schmidt said Monday that the campaign is “well within striking distance” of Barack Obama.  More...

Washington Post: A detailed look inside the poll shows just how toxic the national political environment has become for Republicans.  Just eight percent of the national sample believe the country is headed in the right direction while a stunning 90 percent believe it is off in the wrong direction.  More...

Politico: The Republican National Committee, growing nervous over the prospect of Democrats’ winning a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, is considering tapping into a $5 million line of credit this week to aid an increasing number of vulnerable incumbents, top Republicans say.  More...

NYT: The anxiety is more acute this year, because Senator Obama is the first African-American major-party presidential nominee. And even pollsters say they can’t be sure how accurately polls capture people’s feelings about race, or how forthcoming Americans are in talking about a black candidate.  More...

Wall Street soars as government pledges bank aid

AP: Wall Street stormed back from last week's devastating losses Monday, sending the Dow Jones industrials soaring a nearly inconceivable 936 points after major governments' plans to support the global banking system reassured distraught investors. All the major indexes rose more than 11 percent.

The market was likely to rebound after eight days of precipitous losses that took the Dow down nearly 2,400 points, but no one expected this kind of advance, which saw the Dow by far outstrip its previous record for a one-day point gain, 499.19, set during the waning days of the dot-com boom.

More... http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081013/wall_street.html

Dole dips into personal funds for campaign

AP: Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole says she is spending some of her own money on her first reelection bid, trying to offset millions of dollars in negative spending Democrats have used to make the race one of the closest in the country.

"You get such a lot coming at you and spending a great deal of time raising money -- there just comes a point when you feel like you need to put some skin in the game," Dole said.

More... http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1253148.html

McCain: I will whip his you-know-what

Pearce: McCain visited his Arlington, VA campaign headquarters Sunday and vowed to whip Obama's "you-know-what" in Wednesday night's final debate.  After a steady slide in the polls following his large convention bounce in early September, all three major tracking polls will show McCain chipping away at Obama's lead when they are released on Monday.  This is still Obama's race to lose, in large part due to the current economic environment, but McCain is not going down without a fight.  In an election year that has been historic and unprecedented in many ways, no one should write McCain off yet.  A shift in voters' focus or an "October surprise" could change everything.  We may still be in for a very late night on November 4th.  

The Latest on Campaign 2008

Politico: Dem strategists see landslide

Three weeks of historic economic upheaval have done more than just tilt a handful of once reliably Republican states in Barack Obama’s direction. Democratic strategists are now optimistic that the ongoing crisis could lead to a landslide Obama victory.

Politico: Dems could hit 60 Senate seats

The possibility that Democrats will build a muscular, 60-seat Senate majority is looking increasing plausible, with new polls showing a powerful surge for the party’s candidates in Minnesota, Kentucky and other states.

Human Events: McCain and Dole sign letter in 2006 demanding action on Fanny & Freddie

Sen. John McCain's 2006 demand for regulatory action on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could have prevented current financial crisis.

Pearce: Senator Dole goes on the offensive with two new television ads

Dole Camp: Senator Elizabeth Dole’s campaign began airing two new television advertisements this morning across the state.  The 30 and 60 second ads continue to set the record straight after Kay Hagan and her liberal friends ran almost seven million dollars worth of negative ads distorting the facts and falsely attacking Dole’s record.

See the ads below.

 

 

Weekly Extras

AP: For Bush, last 100 days to feature 'no letting up'

President Bush is down to his final 100 days in office as of Sunday. Don't expect a quiet fade into the Texas night.

AP: Paulson: Protectionism Won't Solve Credit Crisis

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told international leaders on Sunday that isolationism and protectionism could worsen the spreading financial crisis.

Reuters: U.S. gasoline price marks biggest drop ever

The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States recorded its largest drop ever as consumer demand continued to wane and oil prices slid, a prominent industry analyst said on Sunday.

McCain in Trouble

Cook: Since early September this race has shifted rather dramatically in Obama's favor. As long as the focus is almost exclusively on the economy, this race is almost unwinnable for McCain. It would take a major external event, the proverbial October Surprise, to shift the spotlight to national security or some other subject that would allow McCain to highlight his strengths. At this stage, the most relevant question would seem to be: "How big will the train wreck be for the Republican Party up and down the ballot in November." Obama currently has a 260 to 163 Electoral vote edge, with 115 Electoral votes in the Toss Up column. 270 are needed to win.

More... http://www.cookpolitical.com/node/3228

Also, Electoral College tie goes to the House

One Month Till the Final Bell!

Politico: With 30 days until Nov. 4, Karl Rove projects that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would get at least 273 electoral votes – three more than are needed to win – if the presidential election were held today.

But Rove warns that this race is “susceptible to rapid changes,” so no definite prediction is possible.

The remarkable forecast from the architect of the last two nationwide political victories underscores the straits that have rapidly enveloped Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as the banking and credit crisis spread.

More... http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14294.html

Weekly Extras

Election 2008:

RCP: Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory now leading in the race for North Carolina Governor

RCP: Electoral map favoring Obama

Cook: GOP's Senate Stock Falls

Reuters: McCain-Obama tie possible in Presidential race

AP: Racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House

Pearce: Elizabeth Dole recently released a new ad going after Kay Hagan's record in the North Carolina legislature.  See the ad below.

 

After a week of drama, Congress passes bailout package

Reuters: The U.S. government enacted a landmark $700 billion bank bailout on Friday, but investors questioned whether it could contain a panic that began on Wall Street and spread to become a global financial crisis.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the rescue plan by a vote of 263-171 on Friday. That sent the measure to President George W. Bush, who quickly signed it into law, concluding two weeks of high-stakes haggling over the plan that had roiled and captivated global markets.

More... http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE49267J20081003?sp=true

Roller Coaster Week on Wall Street

AP: Wall Street extended a huge rally Friday as investors stormed back into the market, relieved that the government plans to restore calm to the financial system by rescuing banks from billions of dollars in bad debt. The Dow Jones industrials rose about 370 points, giving them a massive gain of about 780 over two days, and Treasurys fell as money flowed into equities.

The government's proposal, while still a work in progress, has placated investors who worried that a continuum of bad bets on mortgages would hobble more financial companies and cause further damage to the strained banking system and the overall economy.

More... http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93A23FO1&show_article=1

Pearce: Global Markets also "roar" on the news of a rescue package.  White House and Congressional officials are working through the weekend to finalize the rescue package legislation.  The proposed action will have an enormous pricetag, around $700B, but is based on the believe that doing nothing would be much worse for Americans in the longrun.

Weekly Extras

Election 2008:

RCP:  New polls good news for Dole

RCP: McCain looking good in battleground states

Cook: Charlie Cook Reassesses the Presidential race

FT: Democrats on Capitol Hill fear Obama fallout

Other News:

Reuters: Hurricane Ike could be "catastrophe" for Texas

Dole: NC Senator joins bipartisan "gang of 20" to deliver comprehensive energy strategy 

Report: Lance Armstong to return for the Tour

AP: Clarence Thomas says Constitution forbids racial preference

Battle for Congress Suddenly Looks Competitive

Gallup: A potential shift in fortunes for the Republicans in Congress is seen in the latest USA Today/Gallup survey, with the Democrats now leading the Republicans by just 3 percentage points, 48% to 45%, in voters' "generic ballot" preferences for Congress. This is down from consistent double-digit Democratic leads seen on this measure over the past year.

Republicans, who are now much more enthused about the 2008 election than they were prior to the convention, show heightened interest in voting, and thus outscore Democrats in apparent likelihood to vote in November. As a result, Republican candidates now lead Democratic candidates among likely voters by 5 percentage points, 50% to 45%.

The new USA Today/Gallup measurement of generic ballot preferences for Congress casts some doubt on the previously assumed inevitability of the Democrats' maintaining control of Congress.

If these numbers are sustained through Election Day -- a big if -- Republicans could be expected to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The key question is how much of this is temporary because of the tremendous bounce in support for the Republicans on many dimensions coming right off of their convention. The degree to which the Republican bounce is sustained, rather than dissipates, in the weeks ahead will determine whether the 2008 race for Congress could in fact be highly competitive, rather than a Democratic sweep.

More... http://www.gallup.com/poll/110263/Battle-Congress-Suddenly-Looks-Competitive.aspx