the economy, silly season, fading Palin, as the worm turns, little treats, and more

Hi everyone,
It's been a few days, and there's a lot to catch up on.

But before we go on: I've included a bunch of new email addresses in this mailing--if you don't want to receive semi-regular updates on the campaign and general politics, please let me know and I'll remove your name right away. If you want to take a look at my previous email blasts, you can see them on my blog (which is missing the last week or two of posts, will be updated soon).

First, briefly, the economy:

• McCain thinks the "fundamentals are strong."
• Obama criticizes McCain's call for a commission to look into the bank collapse as "the oldest Washington stunt in the book...You pass the buck to a commission to study [it] . . . We know how we got into this mess. What we need now is leadership that get us out. I'll provide it. John McCain won't."

It's well into the "silly season"

• McCain advisor tries to give McCain credit for the Blackberry
• The talking point that went awry: Carly Fiorina, McCain's economic advisor, asserts that neither Palin nor McCain could run a company...
• More false balance: CNN's Candy Crowley says it's not her job to "tell you whether [the lying from both campaigns] is equal or not"--well, who's job is it, if not journalists'?
  

Is the Palin shock and awe starting to fade?

• Saturday Night Live gets into the act: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
• Palin's popularity starts to decline as people get to know her.
• Good coverage of the largest political protest in Alaska--women against Palin
• Obama regains ground in national tracking polls
• And McCain seems to be getting a little upset that things aren't going so well...

Mainstream and conservative journalists are starting to sour on McCain

• David Ignatius (Washington Post), Richard Cohen (WashPo), David Brooks--
• Fox News's Megyn Kelly is challening McCain's flunkies, and the traveling press corps actually held a miniprotest today on the campaign plane.
• The Wall St. Journal has taken, as well, to correcting McCain's lies--regularly! Here they are correcting his lie from his appearance on The View (watch here!) that Palin's never pursued earmarks.

One of the scariest things I've read: Palin is a neo-con project.

"Golden Week" in Ohio!!!
One of the best opportunities we've got: "golden week" in Ohio--one week during which we can register new voters and they can vote early! It's like "banking votes" for the election. Help out with this effort by going to Ohio or contributing directly to vans and other costs to make this a big push.

Palin's Lying Problem?
I'm starting to think that Palin's lying is just compulsive, rather than tactical: She continues to lie about the teleprompter failing during her RNC speech. She cut funding for the Special Olympics, but promised she would be an advocate for special needs children. Andrew Sullivan has been tracking "the Odd Lies of Sarah Palin," and is up to ten as of this writing (teleprompter, the percent of energy from Alaska, habeas corpus, and it goes on and on...

Palin's Troopergate Problem
Palin is now fighting the Troopergate investigation, which she embraced just a few months ago, and it now seems like she can't get her stories straight. The state official who was allegedly pressured to fire Palin's ex-brother in law has now come out and baldly stated that Palin lied to ABC news.

Little Treats:

• Great line from Obama: John McCain's trying to say he's all about change. "If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Alaska to sell you!"
• Amazing pictures: near-empty McCain rally (and palin fans leave during mccain's speech in florida today), awesome turnout in Colorado for Obama
• Biden kicks some ass!
  
• Rundown of recent, hard-hitting ads against McCain
  
• Even John McCain's cousin is calling him out.

And as always, here are a few actions you can take right now!

1. Donate (through my fundraising page, or elsewhere!)
2. Make sure you're registered and/or request an absentee ballot
3. Volunteer

Every day in New York:

Obama for America New York HQ urgently needs phone bankers!
Every night this week from 5-9 PM; Shifts are 5-9pm, 5-7pm and 7-9pm. Please arrive 10 minutes early for a brief training. @ Teamsters Union -- 216 W. 14th St., 6th Floor MUST RSVP! Please RSVP to nyobamavolunteers@gmail.com

This weekend in PA (get there by bus and cars--click links for more info):

9/20, this Sat

• Northeast Philly
• Scranton
• Women's rally in Scranton
• Wilkes-Barre
• Latino voter reg event in Allentown

9/21, this Sunday

• Voter Reg in NW Philly
• trip from Forest Hill, Queens, to Scranton