Gravitas

This onestarted my morning: McCain suggesting that Paris Hilton was deeper on the subject of Energy than is Barack Obama. Know what? He’s right.  One might even say that Barack Obama totally lacks Gravitas.

Now, THERE’S a word I’ve not heard this entire campaign: Gravitas. At least, very seldom. We did see some… notably the Obama cheer leading section at the Huff and Puff,  and others, (Like for example the Washington Post, who simly echoed the HuffPo article)… try to attach the word to Obama… but it didn’t find traction… mostly because, by my read, too many people were hospitalized with fits of uncontrollable laughter.

It seems to me this entire campaign is wrapped around the question of Obama’s  being ready to serve in the office he seeks.  Apparently, even Obama recognizes this, which seem to me to best explain the stillborn attempt at his own presidential-like seal a few weeks back. That even at this late juncture, the question of his fitness for office hasn’t been answered would seem to be an indication that the answer will never come out a ‘yes’.

Meanwhile, McCain’s gravitas hasn’t been questioned at all,  by anyone but the most ardent of Democrats, whose apparent interest is not in the individual candidate, but their stated party affiliation. Those questions usually manifest themselves in jokes about age that, were Harry Reid running for President, would be considered well out of the bounds of ‘good taste’ and ‘fairness’.   That, too, seems to me telling.  No serious com mentor on the issue is now willing to question McCain’s gravitas, while the big controversy is Obama’s… or rather his lack of it.

It’s a warning sign, that Obama’s ability to lead is still an open question..

B.J’s fall from gtace, Los Angelos Times:

‘I am not a racist,’ ex-President Bill Clinton asserts
Former presidents get a whole lot of leeway in what they say in public. But former President Bill Clinton just violated one of the prime rules of political communications: Never say what you are not.

Then this the same LSM which proclained B.J. as the “First Black President.”  Looks like the mediatards want to perform a retroactive abdication as the honor can shine on BO.  Good luck.

Morgan Freeman ‘Doing Well’ After Surgery, People:

Morgan Freeman is on the mend after a Sunday night car crash that resulted in his being airlifted to a hospital in Memphis.

“Morgan is doing well after his surgery last night to reconnect nerves and repair damage in his left arm and hand,” his spokesperson, Donna Lee, said in a statement Tuesday

 Di Fi uses her head, by Anna Austin, EthanolL

U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Judd Gregg, R-N.H., introduced a tariff reduction measure to legislation one month before UNICA’s campaign launch. “This bill would essentially level the playing field and ensure that U.S. refiners are able to purchase cheaper and climate-friendly ethanol, no matter where it comes from,” Feinstein said. Gregg made similar suggestions. “This legislation introduced today on a bipartisan basis offers a reasonable solution that lowers the tariff on ethanol, keeping prices more competitive for American consumers and steering us in the direction of more affordable energy alternatives,” he said.

And who says we never compliiment Diane Fienstien?

Eric Cantor tells BO to lead:

ABC News‘ Teddy Davis and John Santucci Report: A Virginia congressman who is reported to be under consideration to be Sen. John McCain’s, R-Ariz., running mate urged Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Monday to pressure the Democratic leadership of Congress to take action on off-shore drilling.

“If Barack Obama is serious about trying to fix this problem,” said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., “the first thing he should do is pick up the phone and call Speaker Pelosi and tell her to bring Congress back so that we can begin a process of getting an off-shore drilling bill across the floor of the House.”

Of course BO will issue no such call.   Even BO is smart enough to know that Mrs. Pelosi would not heed such a request, and BO doesn’t want to look even weaker than he already does.  Remember BO declared a economic emergency over high cost of gasoline and in response, Mrs. Pelosi went on vacation.

As the Bit Rambled:

It looks like there may be an issue with the new BitsBlog layout and IE6. Now, IE7 and Foxpro both work OK with it, though.  It’s a spacing issue that pops up on the main page at about 6 or 8 posts down. My best advice: Upgrade IE to 7, or better yet, upgrade to Foxpro

Microsoft, upgrade, sorry this does not compute.    Bill Gates land is a land without an up.

Yo Bob, this us what a phallus symbols looks like.  Hat tip:  New York Times.

I think every single candidate for president, Republican and Democratic have lives, personal lives, that indicate something about what kind of human being they are

Slate.

Paris Hilton has responded to John McCain’s campaign video by issuing her own campaign video and announcing her own energy plan.   Ben Smith, Politcio, has the both the story and video.

Short McCain campaign reponse:

[D]rilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan

Then the only two people with worse energy plans than BO are Dirty Harry Reid and Mrs. Pelosi.

Got the BitsBlog pages listing correctly. It’s a little trick I forgot to import from the other layout. Got some of the Blogburst  and RSS pipes fixed, too.

* What do you think the biggest mistake most men make with women is?

* In your opinion, can you woo any woman if you work on them long enough or is there a point where you might as well say forget it, this isn’t going to work?

* Let’s say you get into the friend zone with a woman, is it possible to get out of that?

* “Why do nice guys finish last in dating?”

* What misconceptions do most men have about women?

* The universal advice women usually give to guys about dating is just “be yourself.” Is that good advice, bad advice — what do you think?

And one question I’ll add: What qualifies one as a professional dating instructor?

I dunno about the last one, but John Hawkins has an interview up that would seem to address the ones above it.

These Nightly Rambles are all things I’ve found during the day. I input them all day long and auto-post whatever I’ve collected at around 4 to 430 eastern. I put things in here that catch my eye but that perhaps do not rate a full post on their own.

• Edouard is visiting Texas. About what we’ll end up with is a lot of rain. We’ve had 65mph winds and better… supposedly, it was a borderline hurricane. Petered out pretty quick once it came on shore though. But you know… and nobody’s mentioned this… the area has about a 7 inch rain shortage for the year so far. It not all that unusual for nature to balance the books this way. If you’re getting the impression I’m not overly worried, you’re correct.
• Did you know that it was about 30 years ago that Jimmah Carter invented the Department of Energy? You may notice that their success rate hasn’t been the best. Here yet again, as I pointed out the other day, government is the problem, and not the solution. And Cater, in grand Democrat tradition, instead of arranging for more energy to be produced, starts a government agency, which produces not thing one except more regulation, more taxes and more problems. But, no more oil. Indeed, someone tell me what the DOE has actrually accomplished to get us more of it.  Nothing.
• Nice to see signs of life at Improved Clinch.
• McQ looks at Nancy’s Sunday talkshow fiasco.As I told him?? 

  She’s got better access to the numbers than any of us, and she knows full well the numbers are against her in the congress… Else she’d not be playing this stonewall act the way she is… and in the general public, as well. She knows that she’ll lose if this gets to a vote.

  Hell, half her own party wants to bypass the environuts and drill… saving a massive change of position, this has got to hurt the Democrats chances like none other, particularly in the swing states…. Indeed, I can see the Republicans looking at this as a Godsent issue for them.

  Why would she risk such? Only thing I can think of is we’re being set up for something, but what?

• I’m reminded once again that the congressional side of the ban on drilling for oil is gone as of the end of next month, assuming that Congress takes no action, which seems an open question.  Of itself this would seem to raise further questions about what the Democrats are up to, here. Ceratinly they’re trying to keep things from spinning out of control… and frankly I think they’ve lost that battle.  As SShiell, a commentor over there points out,
  

  Before this issue came forward, the Dems were in play to add 30+ seats in the house and could very well take a 60+ majority in the Senate, giving an Obama Presidency at least a two year free pass on any and all progressive legislative ventures they may want to put on the table, including filling any Supreme Court seat with virtually anyone, hard core left wing or not. Even if there was a national reaction to a liberal administration crica 1994 they would have stolen at least the court for their agenda for a generation. She needs to stall for time and hope some other issue, like an October surprise, comes forward to take this isssue and the heat off the Dems.

  Well, I guess that’s constant with them banning drilling hoping for a miracle gift from some other country, to solve all these problems on energy. Idiots.

• It looks like there may be an issue with the new BitsBlog layout and IE6. Now, IE7 and Foxpro both work OK with it, though.  It’s a spacing issue that pops up on the main page at about 6 or 8 posts down. My best advice: Upgrade IE to 7, or better yet, upgrade to Foxpro.
• Hey, Bob Herbert: How is it you can recognize a phallic symbol but you can’t tell the difference between  the Victory tower Obama have his Berlin speech in front of, and the leaning tower of Pisa?  You know, maybe the reason nobody else is seeing phallic symbols where you are is… welllllll,  let’s put it this way: Tell us, Bob; do you like movies about gladiators? I mean, comon, Bob…. Explain to us how we’re supposed to take you seriously, huh?
• All the folks who took offense at McCain the other day about his ad comparing Paris Hilton to Obama… apparently didn’t know Obama himself drew the same comparison… as DavidL pointed out last night. What I found most amusing was her mother’s screaming about it. Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t understand that parenting skills, or the lack of them, the rolling imorality joke that is Paris Hilton?
• I mentioned last night that McCain, according to Rasmussen, is showing a slight lead if within the margin of error. Now, Zogby comes up with the same results.  Yesterday I’d have said this was insignificant. Today, not so much.  The reason for the shift, says Zogby, is that Obama is losing support among his base. Quite a shift in one month, too, says Zogby:
  

  • McCain gained 20% and Obama lost 16% among voters ages 18-29. Obama still leads that group, 49%-38%.
  • Among women, McCain closed 10 points on Obama, who still leads by a 43%-38% margin.
  • Obama has lost what was an 11% lead among Independents. He and McCain are now tied.
  • Obama had some slippage among Democrats, dropping from 83% to 74%.
  • Obama’s support among single voters dropped by 19%, and he now leads McCain, 51%-37%.
  • Even with African-Americans and Hispanics, Obama shows smaller margins.

  That’s pretty much what the numbers inside the Rasmussen polling data were showing. Offhand, I’d say we’re looking at a trend, particularly given Zogby’s leftward tilt the last few cycles. AJ Starta points up:

  This is mostly due to Obama’s disastrous world tour, but it is also because of the intransigence of the Liberal Democrat leaders to not do anything serious about gas prices. When Pelosi ran home for a 5 week vacation (which includes the Democrat Convention) she left Obama out there as the lightening rod for the public to lash out at. Thanks to Obama’s gaffes and Pelosi’s obstinate position on energy they may have just elected John McCain the next President of The United States.

  All true, but when filtered through the Politico article I linked this monring, it takes on a quality of an unresolved question, the answer of which will not turn the way of the Democrats.
  Powerline sums those questions well:

  The question, obviously, is whether that erosion will continue as voters continue to learn more about Obama, and see him less as a media phenomenon, and more as a conventional, but very liberal, Democrat with little practical experience.

  At the moment, I’m leaning toward the latter. Granted that the ‘truei beleivers’ will always be out there… but what this will come down to, I think, is the independants, who have until recenly been holding as ‘undecided’. That’s changing, as is Obama’s base.

• Oil went down below $120/bbl yesterday.  Down to $118 as of when this is written.
• Sorry to see Morgan Freeman’s troubles.
• There’s but one proper response to these Animal Rights morons. Remove them from the planet, physically, and by force. They’re already off-planet mentally, anyway. Just complete the process and be done with it.
• Parting shot: The way… the ONLY way… to bring oil pries down is to inject more long term supply into the marketplace. That means drilling. That does NOT mean a quick fix from the reserve. That does not mean inflating your tires. It does not mean increasing CAFE standards. It means drilling. That IS the ‘comprehensive plan’. The reason the Democrats aren’t facing up to that reality we’ve gone over already, today. You’re being played for suckers by the Demorats, America…

Last night here and the night before over at Q&O, I wondered if Nancy Pelosi wasn’t setting us up for some reason. At Q&O I said:

She’s got better access to the numbers than any of us, and she knows full well the numbers are against her in the congress… Else she’d not be playing this stonewall act the way she is… and in the general public, as well. She knows that she’ll lose if this gets to a vote.

Hell, half her own party wants to bypass the environuts and drill… saving a massive change of position, this has got to hurt the Democrats chances like none other, particularly in the swing states…. Indeed, I can see the Republicans looking at this as a Godsent issue for them.

Why would she risk such? Only thing I can think of is we’re being set up for something, but what?

I see Obama’s supposedly bringing out his ‘energy plan’ next week. Is there a link there?

So, imagine the look on my face this morning when in my morning rounds I stumble over this article in The Politico:

California Democrat Nancy Pelosi may be trying to save the planet — but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle.

But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind the scenes she’s encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides on and off Capitol Hill.

Pelosi’s gambit rests on one big assumption: that Democrats will own Washington after the election and will be able to craft a sweeping energy policy that is heavy on conservation and fuel alternatives while allowing for some new oil drilling. Democrats see no need to make major concessions on energy policy with a party poised to lose seats in both chambers in just three months — even if recess-averse Republicans continue to pound away on the issue.

Politico suggests Senate Democrats are playing the same game as Pelosi:

Reid, like Pelosi, is expecting to have a much stronger governing majority in the Senate next year, so he has little incentive to give in to Republicans on energy policy as long as he thinks it won’t hurt Democrats.

So, what’s happening here… the reason we’re paying over $4/gal for gasoline is so that the Democrats will have another political card to play come November.  That’s all this has ever come down to. The Demorcats are playing the American people for saps.

I’m getting a little tired of that, aren’t you?

I note this morning an article in the American Thinker by Thomas Lifson, that points to a subject I’ve been thinking about rather a lot of late… All around Slimeball John Murtha:

Rep. John Murtha’s disgrace in denouncing the Marines of the Haditha incident is not going to fade away gently into the night. William Russell, has returned from a tour of duty in the military and is running against him. His campaign has produced this video featuring Darryl Sharratt, the father of one of the Marines accused by Murtha of being a “cold-blooded killer.” His son Justin Sharratt has subsequently been fully vindicated, and all charges dropped.

Tom has a vid in the article you want to go see.

I wonder, though, if this is going to be enough to remove him from his office. After looking at the voting records of those in Murtha’s district… and looking at the amount of pork he’s been pouring into his district, one begins to think that Murtha would have to be photographed slicing up puppies and Kittens to make even the slightest change in his grip on power in that area.

(Aside; the phenom doesn’t seem limited to Murtha, given the exploits of “Cold Cash” Jefferson” and his subsequent re-election.)

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.  I wish William Russell well, but this strikes me even with the misdeeds of Murtha, as an uphill battle.

“I’m so over exposed, I make Paris Hilton look like a recuse.”

Time, magazine.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

Robert Novak has announced his immediate retirement following the diagnosis of a brain tumor, a prognosis the Sun-Times’ political columnist describes as “dire.”

“The details are being worked out with the doctors this week, but the tentative plan is for radiation and chemotherapy,” Novak said.

Not exactly the way I’d want to retire. Again, I say, Godspeed, Bob.

Link via Joyner at OTB, who says:

Roland Evans, whose name still graced the column until the end, died more than seven years ago.  This day was inevitable, I suppose, given the human condition.  Still, it’s the end of an era

That it is.  I must say from a purely selfish perspective, I find it annoying, the timing of this thing, in that his insights would have been useful in this election season.

These Nightly Rambles are all things I’ve found during the day. I input them all day long and auto-post whatever I’ve collected at around 4 to 430 eastern. I put things in here that catch my eye but that perhaps do not rate a full post on their own.

• Interesting…. and forgive me for a little pat on my own back, but apparently, I’ve not lost my touch. When I got forced into putting up a new style here at the Blog because of that Sitemeter nonsense over the weekend, I was rather in a hurry with the CSS. I’ve still not got the colors exactly the way they ought to be by my eye. But if you look down the far right column, next to the SiteMeter icon, you’ll notice a yellow W3C icon. That only happens… you can only get that… when your CSS is rated “error free”.  Not so bad for a rush job, huh?
• Have you noticed that the ones claiming the McCain ‘Celebrity” push is a waste of time and money, are invariably Obama supporters?
• Yeah, I had an idea when Chrysler dragged out the SUV version of the Aspen, that a Hybrid would eventually follow. Interesting thing; The SUV is the perfect body style for the Hybrid given the size of the thing… as Ford and GM both found out. I’ll tell you this; The Yukon is my next ride… and very possibly the Hybrid version of that.
• I see Nancy Pelosi continues to roadblock the path to our oil. No shock, for that. There are people trying to get around that though. Perhaps Pelosi needs replacement?  It’s interesting; Pelosi has always been so worried about what the rest of the world thinks of us. Perhaps a listen to Robert Bryce will be intructive, there.
  

  If you think that the issue of offshore drilling is only a matter of interest to American environmental groups and the U.S. Congress, think again. At last month’s World Petroleum Congress in Madrid, the blatant hypocrisy of U.S. energy policy—demanding that OPEC members expand their oil drilling efforts while restricting offshore drilling here at home—was a prominent topic of discussion. Indeed, the U.S. ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf was mentioned by three of the most powerful people in the global energy business: the head of OPEC; the chief executive of Brazil’s national oil company, Petrobras; and the Saudi oil minister. All of them said the United States should start drilling in its offshore areas.United States could do to lower oil prices. He mentioned three things: stabilize the value of the dollar, increase energy efficiency, and “open up your exploration. In Algeria, we have a bidding round going on. We are open. The U.S. also needs to open…offshore Florida, offshore Alaska, need to be opened to exploration.”

  From everyone’s angle… including that of the parts of the world whose opinions they so highly value… the Democrats are wrong on energy. The best thing you can do for the country, Democrats… is get the hell out of the way.  They won’t, of course… and the result is that the Iraqi governent is by far more effective than our own Congress. Interesing, given that Nancy’s been busy complaining about how disfunctional the Iraqis have been. What I find fascinating about all of this, is what the consequences of this roadblocking of the Democrats will be… vs what they think it will be.  can the Democrats possibly be so blind to what this is costing them in terms of support? Look, She knows that if drilling comes to a vote she’ll lose, which is why she’s playing this stonewalling the thing the way she is. She knows her current position is about as popular as the latest 8-track player. So, she’s got to know that when the voters et the chance, she and the rest of the Democrats in swing states are history.  If she’s got a pulse, she’s got to know this. So why isn’t she changing direction? Maybe it’s like the deer in the headlights; They’re uncertain how to react to this new reality. Or maybe they’re running a play here. I see Obama’s suppsoedly set to release his ‘energy plan’ shortly. Oughta be good for a laugh.

• Oh, by the way… as I watch this busienss with Obama and Tire pressure unfolding… Isn’t it odd that the Democrats didn’t start in with Tire pressure when lack of it was what was causing those SUV tire failures and roll-overs? I guess it was easier, back then to blame the SUV design itself., at the time. Now that’s no longer an advantage, we’re suddenly to take tire pressure seriously.
• Seems Al Qaeda finally announced the death of Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar at the hands of the US. Why are we not cheering this useless slug’s death?
• Political progress in Iraq. Do you being to understand how out of touch the Democrats are on Iraq?  says Tigerhawk, yesterday:
  

  …it seems to me that Obama’s official pronouncements on Iraq reflect a denial about the very much changed situation there that would provoke contemptuous jeers (or at least tough questions) from the press if it were the McCain campaign that was so out of touch.

  Agreed. And just as certainly, Obama himself would be all over it, too. As with our energy situations, the differences between the Democrat party’s position and the reality of the situation is so wild a variation that few could miss it. Might this be why Obama finds his lead disappearing?

• I mean, look; Not that it means a lot just yet, but I see Rasmussen has McCain leading.  Perhaps that would explain Obama trying to get all blue-collar-populist on us. He doesn’t do it very well.  And anway, the left, as I pointed out yesterday, is now less than happy he’s even considering drilling for oil. Amazing. But think about this; The last polling I saw was that around 75% of Americans think it’s past time to start drilling. Given the 50./50 nature of our current political races that means that around half the Dmeocrats think their party is in the wrong on the subject.  Remarkable.
• Don Surber notes that today is the eighth anniversary of Bush’s acceptance speech. Says Don:
  

  My criticisms of Bush 43 are many. He should never have signed the anti-First Amendment bill — McCain-Feingold — into law. His refusal to crack down on earmarks cost Republicans big time. And he took his eye off the Iraq War in 2005.But he stood strong and he restored honor and dignity in the White House. He has endured some of the worst abuse from the Left and its enablers — Al Gore’s loony attempt to litigate the election was rewarded with a Nobel Prize. Bush has repaid his critics with kindness instead of finger wagging. His wife has not made paranoiac claims of conspiracy.

  Indeed. To my mind it says quite a bit about the man that he has been able, all this time to remain gracious in the face of the loony bin he’s been subjected to on his left. Given what he’s managed to get done despite the level of opposition he had, I suggest he’s been among the most effective presidents we’ve ever had. Not that I agree with all the things he’s accomplished, mind, but there it is.
  The one thing a Bush presdiency couldn’t overcome, alas, was a Democrat Congress. The last two years ahve seen the effects of that Congress, with economic issues, and fuel shortages… all of which started at the 2006 midterm elections.

• Yeah, I know; I’ve been promising Matt’s vids of the Thunderbirds. We got him a new computer, and he’s till figuring it out. We’ll get there.
• Is Edouard going to turn into a hurricane? If it does where does it go? Houston seems a likely target.  Hot down there today. I see Dallas is showing in the 110 degree range. That streches all the way up to the PK panhandle. Of course the whole thing will get blamed on Global Warming… I’m just waiting for Obama to say it the first time, hoping he will. I’ll tell you the biggest concern there, though is the oil platforms in the gulf, and the refining capacity in the area. Anotehr argument for building refining capacity eslewhere. And that means reducing the roadblocks.
• I see Peru is having some problems with it’s livestock. Apparently Global warming again. Yep, that’s right, it’s too bloody COLD. Another indication of the accuracy of the purvaors of the “global wamring” crisis.
• Meanwhile to the yawns of nearly everyone Gloria Stienem has come out for Obama.  Why is this news?
• The Wall Street Jouranl has dared to ask a question nobody else is asking? What are these ‘windfall profits’ we’re hearing Obama wants to tax?
• I’m planning on being on the shores of the St. Lawrence River the evening of the 15th, and for the weekend. Maybe the sun will be out long enough to get a few snapshots off.  Ah, something to look forward to; a weekend of woodsmoke, and watching the boats glide by. It’s the longest trip we’ve made with the trailer so far.  It’s suppsoed to rain around here, Tuesday through next Sunday. I don’t care, so long as it gets it out of it’s system by the 15th.

James Rainey, Los Angles Times, thinks that the new media has been wrong to tag BO has an elite snob:

We have reporters, columnists and TV talking heads to thank for exposing these outrageous displays. So apparently the verdict is in: Sen. Barack Obama, too confident to govern.It all would be quite funny if many people didn’t seem to be inhaling this multimedia stink bomb as if it were fragrant truth.

I’ve spent a few days on the campaign trail with Obama and know people who’ve traveled with him for months. I wouldn’t argue that portrayals of the candidate as occasionally aloof, or a little professorial, are imagined.

But it’s a long ways from, in the words of Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank, acting like “the presumptuous nominee” whose “biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris

Hat tip:  See-Dubya, Michelle Malkin.

Meanwhile back in the real world, Allison O’Keefe, CBS News, describes BO campaign plane:

Barack Obama’s new campaign plane is nothing short of grand. Well, for the candidate that is. […]

His chair has his name and campaign logo embroidered on the back top — “Obama ’08” on one line and “President” underneath. To one side is a small table stacked with newspapers ready for the candidate’s arrival. The table of the booth is always covered in snacks and cheese and is where Obama spends most of his time during flights meeting with staff and sitting for the occasional interview.

BO has taken a page out of Mrs. Clinton’s play book.  Mrs. Clinton strategy to win the democrat nominatin was to act if she already were the nominee.   Now BO is running for President by acting as if he already were president.   Is sure worked well for Mrs. Clinton.

As those who can remember back to the 2006 elections realize, the political winds have been favoring the democrats of late. If you take all the ‘generic congressional polls‘ from April of 2005 through today, you get the democrats at 48.9% and the republicans at 37.9%. If you just take the last two weeks, you see that the political winds are statistically unchanged at 48.7% for the democrats and 37.3% for the republicans.

But what is interesting is to compare those political winds with the McCain vs Obama match up. There we see that Obama has a +2.5% margin. Why is Obama’s numbers so far behind the generic political wind? Obviously some of that is the abstract vs the real. Republicans tend to do batter with actual names on the polls than just the generic question. But it also has to do with the reality of who Obama is that is slowly dawning on America.

Rasmussen has McCain holding a statistically insignificant 1% lead on their daily tracking poll, 47% to 46% with leaners. But look at the undercard questions.

Favorability

McCain is currently viewed favorably by 55% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 51%. That is the lowest rating for Obama since he wrapped up the nomination. Obama is viewed favorably by 83% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans, and 47% of unaffiliated voters. For McCain, the numbers are 87% favorable among Republicans, 26% among Democrats, and 61% among unaffiliated voters.

This puts McCain ahead in all categories. Obama is coming down to earth on the likability quotient. And he is doing that against McCain who isn’t the poster child for affability. What is most important is the fight in the venter where McCain leads Obama by a statistically significant margin of 61% to 47% among unaffiliated voters.

Liberal vs Conservative

Sixty percent (60%) of voters now see Obama as politically liberal while 65% see McCain as politically conservative. Among liberals, 71% see Obama as one of them, but just 18% of liberals see Obama as Very Liberal. Among conservatives, 71% say McCain is also a conservative, including 38% who say he is Very Conservative. Thirty-five percent (35%) of politically moderate voters say that McCain is politically moderate and 33% say the same of Obama. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Democrats see McCain as conservative while 69% of Republicans see Obama as liberal.

They are tied on their base seeing them as ‘one of them’. I ponder whether the difference in the ‘very’ designation reflects more the far left tilt of those who consider themselves as liberal or if Obama’s recent flip-flops are disquieting the troops? Those in the middle see both the same way on the political divide.

Fair vs unfair

Obama’s attempts to play the race card aren’t working in the general election.

Forty-six percent (46%) of voters nationwide now say that Obama views U.S. society as unfair and discriminatory. That’s up from 43% in July and 39% in June. By a three-to-one margin, American voters hold the opposite view and believe that our society is generally fair and decent.

Now make no mistake, the political winds still favor Obama. The electoral college would have Obama in the White House if the election were held today. But the election isn’t being held today. And the cracks in the Obama facade are starting to widen.

Word from the Winston-Salem Journal, this morning, that Announcer Skip Caray has died.

Caray, who would have celebrated his 69th birthday on Aug. 12, went to take a nap yesterday afternoon and didn’t wake up. He is survived by his wife, Paula, two sons, Chip and Josh, two daughters, Shayelyn and Cindy, and seven grandchildren.

“Our baseball community has lost a legend today,” said Braves president John Schuerholz. “The Braves family and Braves fans everywhere will sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with his wife, Paula, and his children.”

Skip Caray’s two sons have carried on the family’s broadcasting tradition, which began with Skip’s father, Harry Caray, a Hall of Fame announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. Josh Caray calls games for the Braves’ Class A affiliate in Rome, Ga., and Chip Caray serves as both a Braves announcer and the play-by-play announcer for TBS’ Major-League Baseball coverage. Chip Caray was broadcasting yesterday’s game between the Angels and Yankees at Yankee Stadium when he heard the news about his father.

“I’m just in shock,” Chip Carey said. “I know he wasn’t feeling good, but this was unexpected. He hung the moon for me. I got to talk to him (on Saturday), and the last thing I got to say to him was, ‘I love you.'”

I’ve spent a few years behind the mike myself, but I have to tell you that play-by-play people get a special place in my book… particularly faster playing sports, such as Basketball, which Skip did for a while, early on.  I never quite got the knack for play-by-play; it’s a special talent. To my ear, Skip Caray did it well.

By the way, with the death of Solzhenitsyn being reported last night, that’s two. These things always come in threes.