The Note: Either Side Can Win
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2004 — -- NOTED NOW
TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET)
9 days until Election Day
NEWS SUMMARY
LINK
The Time poll has President Bush leading among registered voters 50 percent to 43 percent, and among likely voters 51 percent to 46 percent. LINK
A new poll by Ohio University's Scripps Survey Research Center shows Kerry leading Bush in the Buckeye State, 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters — inside the survey's 5.3 percent margin of error. So before anyone gets too excited, it's still an open race in Ohio, and the key issues are the economy and Iraq. LINK
A St. Petersburg Times/ Miami Herald poll shows a 46 percent to 46 percent tie among likely voters in Florida. LINK
Bush's job approval rating in the poll is 50 percent — 12 points lower than his brother's.
The Miami Herald 's write-up of the poll Notes that Bush is getting about 19 percent of the black vote in Florida. LINK
The Washington Post 's Rich Morin explains how definitions of likely voters can make or break — or confuse — polls. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Bush vs. Kerry: endorsements: There's a long-running argument over the efficacy of newspaper endorsements when it comes to presidential campaigns, and whether or not voters pay attention to what their hometown broadsheet has to say. But as we all know, the Chattering Class keeps score. Particularly when they switch their allegiance from one side to the other. The Orlando Sentinel has not endorsed a Democrat for President in 40 years. Until now. LINK We bet that one makes it into Kerry-Edwards paid media. The Denver Post, which endorsed Gore in 2000, endorses Bush this year. The Denver Post writes that although it does not believe Coloradoans are better off today than they were 4 years ago, the newspaper believes Bush is a more "decisive" leader than Kerry would be. LINK The Seattle Times came out for Kerry today, after supporting Bush in 2000: LINK The Tampa Tribune, which has endorsed a Republican for President in every election since 1952 with the exception of 1964 when it endorsed no one, went the non-endorsement route again last Sunday, its ed board writing that it could not repeat 2000 by endorse Bush this year, but neither could it endorse Senator Kerry. LINK On Sunday, Oct. 10, the Portland Oregonian switched from its 2000 position and endorsed Kerry: LINK We normally only Note man-bites-dog endorsements, but since John Kerry made an all out effort for this one, we thought we'd tell you the Columbus Dispatch did not break its 88 year running tradition of endorsing Republicans for president. LINK The Des Moines Register 's write up for Kerry (they endorsed Gore in 2000). LINK The Washington Post endorses Senator Kerry for President, but they're not excited about it. "We do not view a vote for Mr. Kerry as a vote without risks. But the risks on the other side are well known, and the strengths Mr. Kerry brings are considerable. He pledges both to fight in Iraq and to reach out to allies; to hunt down terrorists, and to engage without arrogance the Islamic world. These are the right goals, and we think Mr. Kerry is the better bet to achieve them." LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Bush vs. Kerry: Iraq and national security: The New York Times ' Adam Nagourney Notes when it comes to national security, "a Kerry loss would crystallize an excruciating question for the Democratic Party: Can it ever compete with the Republican Party on a threshold issue that seems likely to be central to American presidential elections for a long time to come?" LINK There's some '08 stuff in there too. Jim Hoagland Notes "the Bush and Kerry campaigns enter the final full week of this dizzying, deadlocked race without having put on the table credible blueprints of what an electoral victory for either will mean for Iraq." LINK In the Washington Post Outlook section, Bob Woodward offers up the list of questions he would have asked John Kerry on how Kerry would've handled the war in Iraq differently — if Kerry had followed through on the interview. LINK Good tick tock, Bob. ABC News Vote 2004: Bush vs. Kerry: domestic policy: The New York Times ' on the domestic policy distinctions a la Toner and Rosenbaum. LINK The Washington Post 's Justin Blum compares Bush and Kerry's energy plans, both with a "focus on an elusive goal: reducing dependence on foreign oil." And as with most of the differences between the two men, the devil is in the details of the how. LINK Some specifics: LINK ABC News Vote 2004: GOTV: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at the mobilization of groups centered around a certain demographic that are working hard to get out the vote for their side in this election. "Orthodox Christians for Bush. Grandkids for Kerry. First Responders for Bush. The Steel City Stonewall Democrats for Kerry," to name a few. LINK Newsweek's Arian Campo-Flores and Daren Briscoe write about efforts to turnout black voters and party posturing over fears of voter suppression. Newsweek Newsweek's Rebecca Sinderbrand writes, "In Missouri, where more than a third of the residents described themselves as "born-again" Christians in one recent survey — and in swing states around the country — evangelicals are now some of the GOP's most devoted foot soldiers." Newsweek The Washington Post 's Dale Russakoff looks at the grassroots political activists — the regular folks, particularly in safe Red or Blue states, who are leaving their homes and heading to the battlegrounds to push for their candidates. LINK Two very telling passages: "While pro-Kerry volunteers were eager to talk about their travels and efforts, Republican volunteers even in small towns referred a reporter to the Republican National Committee, saying they have been instructed not to talk about their activities." "The pro-Kerry organization appears somewhat more haphazard." Yvonne Abraham of the Boston Globe explains the importance of undecideds in the battlegrounds. LINK "As they enter their final week of campaigning, both candidates are planning a series of rallies to energize their bases," write Glen Johnson and Rick Klein of the Boston Globe . Check out the story to find out how. LINK Peter Canellos of the Boston Globe takes an interesting look at the "Boston-Austin" axis. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect: The Los Angeles Times' Maura Reynolds and James Gerstenzang wrap President Bush's campaign events in Florida Saturday, during which he used "peppery rhetoric and the stagecraft of the presidency to awe and energize his supporters in a homestretch effort to get out the vote." LINK The Washington Times reports Bush rallies have risen to the level of stadium-venue status. LINK Because it's all about baseball these days. Rick Klein Notes that President Bush made a grand entrance at a rally yesterday at City of Palms Park, the field that is the Red Sox spring training home. LINK BC04's Scott Stanzel couldn't resist: "'Unlike John Kerry, the Red Sox have a record they can be proud of,' Stanzel said." The Boston Herald's Noelle Straub writes that the president "awed 11,000 supporters with a movie-quality Marine One landing yesterday on the outfield of City of Palms Park, spring home of the Boston Red Sox." LINK "This election is about Rovism — the insinuation of Rove's electoral tactics into the conduct of the presidency and the fabric of the government," writes Neal Gabler on the op-ed page of the Los Angeles Times. LINK Vice President Cheney asked supporters in Farmington, NM to consider what the world would be like if John Kerry had been President instead of Senator and making the "crucial decisions" over the last two decades, reports ABC News' Karen Travers. Cheney said that if Kerry had been in charge: — "We would have ceded our right to defend ourselves to the UN" Cheney came to these conclusions by pointing out Kerry's platform in his first congressional run, his votes against weapons systems in the 1980s, his vote against the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and his comments at the debate in Miami last month. The Washington Post 's Michael Laris was there too. LINK The Los Angeles Times' Gerstenzang explores Lynne Cheney's role on the campaign trail. LINK "In their campaign appearances, the vice president plays the central role, to be sure. But when his wife speaks up, more often than not her commentary — offered as he finishes his response to a question — sharpens his answer." ABC News Vote 2004: Kerry-Edwards '04: The Washington Post 's Laura Blumenfeld offers up a profile of the restless, ambitious, and in-a-hurry John Kerry, Noting that "as Election Day approaches in this close contest, Kerry's reputation as a good closer will be put to the ultimate test." LINK Kerry was making a play for Hispanic voters on a swing through three western states, reports the Washington Times . LINK "Leaders of Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry's national campaign have decided to spend an additional $50,000 in Virginia, signaling that they have not given up all hope of winning the state," reports the Washington Post 's Michael Shear. LINK Shear looks at the get-out-the-vote efforts in Virginia. LINK The Boston Herald's Ann Dolan calls President Clinton the "ultimate Democratic big gun." LINK In Bob Novak's Sunday potpourri, he writes, "Senator Hillary Clinton's public criticism of Senator John Kerry's part in the Mary Cheney affair provoked speculation inside Democratic ranks about closing the books on 2004 and getting ready for Mrs. Clinton's presidential run in 2008." LINK The Washington Times takes a look at John Kerry's Senate record and concludes, "He's more an investigator than a legislator." Jerry Seper reports Kerry's "defining moments" have "thrust him into the national spotlight." LINK The Raleigh News & Observer 's Rob Christensen follows Edwards around the Rust Belt. LINK Poor John Kerry won't get to see his beloved Red Sox play in the World Series. LINK Michael Kinsley Notes that Teresa Heinz Kerry paid more "than the average tax burden on the top 1 percent of taxpayers and double the burden on all taxpayers, according to a chart that ran with the first Journal editorial. So whatever point Teresa Kerry's critics were making is wrong as well as utterly obscure." LINK ABC News Vote 2004: ballotwatch: The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals last night rejected a federal judge's decision to allow provisional ballots cast in Ohio on Election Day to be counted if the voter shows up at the wrong precinct in the right county. At the same time, it rejected Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's directive that voters have to PROVE beforehand that they lived in the precinct before they could get a provisional ballot. This is a partial victory for both sides — the court recognized the right of voters to get a provisional ballot with no questions asked. But it accepted Blackwell's contention that he was given the authority to set the conditions by which those ballots are accepted. Prof. Rick Hasen on the significance of the decision: LINK The Columbus Dispatch also looks at the decision, which both sides are calling a victory. LINK The Charlotte Observer's Dodd and Mellnik report, "As many as 60,000 voters may be registered to cast ballots in both Carolinas — and officials aren't checking." LINK The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette warns readers of the scads of lawyers and consultants and others who will be watching them vote on Nov. 2. LINK The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that some local elections leaders are predicting it could take a month to count all the provisional ballots. LINK Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Dick Polman looks at how this election could bring on another cold, hard look at the American voting system, or maybe not. LINK George Will previews John Fund's new book, which deals with voter fraud and election anxiety. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: ballotwatch: watchdog: Send those comments and questions to politicalunit@abcnews.com ABC News Vote 2004: Florida: Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times reports the New Democrat Network's latest ad targeting Cuban voters in South Florida. LINK The Orlando Sentinel says that 60,000 people have voted early in the Orlando media market. LINK The Miami Herald on the ballot measures that could raise turnout. LINK Keep in mind: tomorrow, federal judge says he'll rule whether to allow 14,000 voters who didn't turn in complete registration forms to get another shot at the process. ABC News Vote 2004: Ohio: Newsweek's Howard Fineman writes, "In Ohio, and across the country, the election has the feel of a slow-motion Civil War for the soul of America: urgent, thrilling, ominous, evenly and therefore bitterly divided." Newsweek The New York Post 's Angela Montefinise reports that "neighbors are tearing out each other's rival party signs, and previously happy romances are falling apart" in Franklin County. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's James O'Toole examines the latest Pennsylvania Poll and how not much is has a-changed in the Keystone State. Latest PA horserace: 46-44 Kerry, MoE 3.5 percent. LINK Note: Ralph Nader will not appear on the ballot here. Note Note: Philadelphia native and musical legend Patti LaBelle will be singing the tune of Democratic brotherly love when she performs at the Love Field love-in with former President Bill Clinton. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Moore and Parmley tell readers that, despite that it would look to most on the surface to be an impossibility, the presidential candidates will be stepping it up more in these last nine days — and both candidates will be talking to their base. LINK Besides the president's 42 visits and Kerry's 20, "The campaigns, to date, have spent in excess of $40 million on TV ads in Pennsylvania, and have deputized more than 200,000 volunteers to ring bells, make phone calls, and pack rallies from Erie to Philadelphia." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sits down with 5 undecided voters who, after months of serious deliberation, have decided to vote for Senator Kerry by a 3-2 margin. LINK Philadelphia Inquirer Tom Ferrick cleverly looks at religion in politics this second to last Sunday before the election. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Colorado: "The estimated 16,000 Coloradans training as election judges are learning to run polling places in ways that vary dramatically between counties," reports the Denver Post. LINK Some Colorado counties are already tallying the results of early voting. LINK Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator candidate Pete Coors campaigned together in Grand Junction Saturday. LINK Kerry and Salazar teamed up in Pueblo, an area of the state that is friendly to Democrats. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Wisconsin: The Chicago Tribune's Jeff Zeleny leads a look at door-to-door battles in the Milwaukee area. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: New Hampshire: Thomas Oliphant describes the ethics issue in the New Hampshire governor's race. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Nevada: He may have recently gone hunting in Ohio, but perhaps the picture can help Senator Kerry in Nevada as well. The Los Angeles Times looks at how Democrats deal with gun issues in Nevada. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: Minnesota: The Star Tribune hangs in a deli in a Twin Cities' suburb in Anoka County. "To listen to Anoka in the fall shadows of the presidential campaign is to hear an electorate that is at once anxious and resolute, with doubts about both candidates but unusual determination to cast a ballot. The election is dividing families and friends, co-workers and classmates. And a walk down the town's Main Street shows how the sound and fury over the race has reached a fever pitch." LINK Coincidence? Jim Ragsdale of the Pioneer Press also reports back from a coffee house visit. "The battle between Republican President George Bush and Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry might be a clear-cut, up-or-down decision to political insiders. But people who will cast the ballots — like those sipping coffee at a busy Apple Valley meeting place one morning last week — see the election within the context of personal experience." LINK To settle any argument Minnesota voters may be having on the street, the Pioneer Press straightens things out: Minnesota voters CAN register on Election Day. LINK Local activists for Kerry. LINK African minister for Bush. LINK And an undecided National Guardsman back from Iraq. LINK ABC News Vote 2004: the Senate: The Boston Globe 's Sarah Milligan takes a look at some key Senate races. LINK The New York Times on Daschle v. Thune. LINK Who else but Thomas DeFrank could get the New York Daily News ABC News Vote 2004: the Governors: The Washington Post 's Peter Slevin looks at how Democrat Claire McCaskill is emphasizing her experience — by emphasizing the 17-year age difference between her and her Republican opponent for governor, Matt Blunt. LINK The politics of national security: "Senators working on the bill to restructure U.S. intelligence-gathering will not accept House-proposed language delivered late Friday on the powers for a national intelligence director and other elements, according to congressional staff members involved in the conference committee negotiations," reports the Washington Post 's Walter Pincus. LINK Nader-Camejo: The U.S. Supreme Court denied Ralph Nader's petition for stay of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision to keep him off the Nov. 2 ballot. A similar appeal is pending with the court, to decide his fate in Ohio. LINK Tom Raum of AP Notes Nader has begun to say this year's election presents voters with the unpleasant choice between "heart disease and cancer." LINK Pollsters/Reporters have begun to quantify Nader's support down to the decimal point. Zogby gives him 1.1 percent in Maine. LINK Media: The Los Angeles Times takes an excellent look at the history of Sinclair Broadcasting. LINK Richard Viguerie and David Franke Note "Whatever the outcome on Nov. 2, this election will be remembered as the year when these alternative media all came together to change how politics in America is practiced." LINK Jodi Wilgoren, blushing bride to be, has 42 days until her big day. LINK TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET): —10:00 am: Ralph Nader holds a press conference at the Radisson Hotel, Corning, NY
— "Maybe the Soviet Union would still be in business"
—"Saddam might well control the Persian Gulf today"
— Saddam "might well have nuclear weapons"
—"America would have to meet some sort of global test before military action"
—11:00: ABC's Charlie Gibson interviews President Bush at the Bush ranch, Crawford, TX
—11:00 am: Sen. John Kerry attends church services at Mount Herman AME Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL
—11:00 am: Sen. John Edwards speaks at Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, Cincinnati, OH
—11:30 am: Elizabeth Edwards attends church services at Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, PA
—12:15 pm: Red Sox Chairman and television executive Tom Werner speaks to Kerry-Edwards supporters in front of Holman Stadium, Nashua, NH
—1:00 pm: Ralph Nader holds a press conference and rally at Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY
—2:00 pm: Former Vice President Al Gore attends an early vote rally on the Leon County Courthouse Lawn, Tallahassee, FL
—2:15 pm: Sen. Kerry delivers a speech on values and beliefs at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
—2:20 pm: Sen. Edwards holds a "Fresh Start for America" rally at Dunbar High School, Dayton, OH
—3:30 pm: Elizabeth Edwards hosts a town hall discussion at Downey Middle School, Harrisburg, PA
—5:00 pm: Ralph Nader holds a press conference and rally at the Dnipro, Ukranian Home/Cultural Center, Buffalo, NY
—5:15 pm: Sen. Kerry attends a "Fresh Start for America" rally at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
—5:45 pm: Sen. Edwards holds a "Fresh Start for America" rally on North Main Street, Lima, OH
—5:50 pm: President Bush holds a rally at Alamogordo High School, Alamogordo, NM
Related Stories
ABC News Live