Why GOP Name-Calling Is Backfiring This Time

The pitbull with lipstick might've been a game-changer, but enough already

(NEWSER) - It's an inevitability of any election season: Some phrases will get bandied around so much that the hapless American, simply trying to do his civic duty by paying attention, will be crushed under the sheer weight of political verbiage. The Red Eye lists the worst offenders:

• Change: As in, change the channel now.
• Hockey mom: We're not in Alaska any more.
• Joe the Plumber: He's not a licensed plumber, not named Joe.

McCain was a great senator but a poor candidate

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama and John McCain are both great contenders, the Economist writes, but “the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America’s self-confidence.” Given Obama’s inexperience and decidedly left-wing outlook, “voting for him is a risk. Yet it is one America should take, given the steep road ahead.” More»

Media have played softball with Democratic nominee

(NEWSER) - The mainstream media is quick to pounce on Sarah Palin for being short on specifics, but it's happy to give Barack Obama a free ride for the same shortcoming, writes Carrie Lukas in the National Review. Obama’s stands on issues such as trade (what exactly will he do with NAFTA?), Social Security, and abortion are unclear, but reporters are too ga-ga to go for the throat. More»

Obama's influence may last a lifetime

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama faces an easy victory—at least among voters under 30. That's the finding of a poll of young voters, who overwhelmingly prefer Obama to John McCain, 61% to 32%, reports USA Today. It's the most dramatic margin within an age group in any presidential election in modern times. The Illinois senator is also the one young voters say they would rather have a beer with or seek out for advice. More»

GOP candidate once sat on board of far-right group linked to "anti-Semites"

(NEWSER) - With the election campaign in its last month, the Sunday talk shows turned to John McCain’s substantial slide in the polls, Politico reports. The highlights:

• Vice-presidential debate moderator and soon-to-be author Gwen Ifill suggested on Meet the Press that hype over her alleged pro-Obama bias came from a twitchy Sarah Palin camp: “It was also interesting to realize that if changing the subject from the stakes of the vice-presidential debate, then talking about the moderator, instead of talking about the candidate, they would do that.”
• Sarah Palin’s attempt to tie Barack Obama to a radical leftist is a “strategic mistake,” ex-Clintonite Paul Begala told Meet the Press, arguing that McCain himself once sat on the board of a far-right group Begala termed “a point of contact for extremists, racists, and anti-Semites.”