Obama Pastor Cancels Speeches

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»

Callers link candidate to Hamas, imply he is a Muslim in calls

(NEWSER) - The ugly tactic of “push polling” has resurfaced in key swing states, as fake pollsters seek to influence voters with scam questions that present an unfavorable view of Barack Obama, the Guardian reports. On one call, a Jewish voter in Pennsylvania says, she was asked if she would vote for Obama if she knew he was supported by the militant organization Hamas. "It is scare tactics," she said. "It is terribly underhand." More»

Constituency needs soothing, but he's got time, and they're reliably Democrat

(NEWSER) - Much has been made of Barack Obama’s “Jewish problem,” but while it’s hurt him in the primaries—he’s done 10 points worse among Jewish voters—it will have little or no meaning in November, SV Date writes in the New Republic. The demographic is most politically meaningful in Florida, and 80% of Jews there dependably vote Democratic. More»

Plan to hit him where McCain pulled back

(NEWSER) - Top Republican strategists have devised a plan to "do exactly what John McCain would not let us do" and bombard the public with incendiary Jeremiah Wright soundbites just in time for the Democratic National Convention in September. The plan was commissioned by Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts, who would pump $10 million into it. The New York Times obtained a copy of the report, dubbed "The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama" from a source who was "alarmed by its tone." More»

Decision could cause problems during election in key states

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s official embrace of gay marriage will certainly energize some of his supporters, but it’s also sure to give him grief in these seven states, as rounded up by Politico :

• North Carolina: As evidenced by the recently-passed constitutional amendment banning it, gay marriage is not very popular with voters here. And North Carolina is not only a swing state—it will also host this year’s Democratic National Convention.
• Florida: To put it bluntly, senior citizens don’t tend to like gay marriage. Plus, a high percentage of them vote, and a large number of them live in Florida. An anti-gay marriage amendment passed by a landslide in 2008.