Happy Wednesday. I'm back.

Jim Pethokoukis has a short piece on FEMA overuse that could use some passing around.

There are some new polls out today that show the race tightening in the swing states--actually they show Romney losing in swing states--but it looks like more of the same D+8 misdirection that we've seen before and I'll leave it to CAC and Ace to look through it. If Romney pulls this off on Tuesday, political scientists will be studying two issues for years and years. The first, as I've written before, is the unexpected failure of Obama's negative campaigning. The second, though, will be just how hard it has become to do accurate polling.

Gene Hackman slapped a homeless man in New Mexico. In self defense, the police say.

Paul Ryan is campaigning in his home state of Wisconsin today (and he was there yesterday with Ann Romney). I would keep my eyes peeled for some, uh, election activity in Wisconsin. Soon.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:49 AM | Comments (344)
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Busy all day so you get the 1/8-assed lame ONT.

Accept no ONT substitutes!

How Bout A Lil Battle Hymn

And Johnny C. was no slouch either. more...

Posted by: Maetenloch at 06:42 PM | Comments (413)
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I guess Maetenloch is in a blackout area. Here's a bare bones ONT.

Posted by: rdbrewer at 06:34 PM | Comments (113)
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She needs a hug.

Perhaps we should delay the election, on account of the hurricane and all.

If Obama is ahead right now, why wouldn't they want to close the deal a week from today? In a week, you can set up provisional balloting from the equipment in the back of the warehouse (paper, meet pencil), get generators in place, do all the necessary stuff to make sure voting can happen in a timely and on a constitutionally mandated date. Generators. Magical, earth-hating machines that are making electricity all over the northeast tonight.

It is completely possible to hold this election in seven days.

Hey MSNBCry, your guy is ahead? Why lose the advantage?

Unless, and I'm just spitballin here, your guy isn't ahead. And you're hoping/wishcasting/pleading that circumstances change, and somehow Obama can actually swing the momentum back to him. Three words:

He can't.

Let's ask America a more fun question. Would you like to see Obama campaign for another month?

This is desperation (and by desperation, I mean despair)

I like it.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 04:00 PM | Comments (547)
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In play.

This is an ad purchase aimed at securing Michigan; it is not aimed at crossing into Ohio or any other state. DetroitÂ’s radio market runs into Monroe County which borders the Buckeye State, but it does not cross over, as some metropolitan media markets do.

And Geraghty adds that it's an expensive ad market. You don't play there for fun.

Posted by: Ace at 03:20 PM | Comments (265)
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This is why I haven't been around much. Well, besides "reacting" to the Pennsylvania and Minnesota and Michigan and Oregon developments.

Anyway, back to making the sausage...

Posted by: CAC at 02:00 PM | Comments (341)
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The deal has a $4 BILLION price tag and ensures that, God help us, there will be Star Wars Episode VII in 2015.

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”

What more is there to say other than, "Han shot first!"?

Posted by: DrewM at 12:17 PM | Comments (478)
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The White Whale....she lives!

The Republican presidential candidate is making a final-week bid to defeat President Barack Obama in territory long considered safe for Democrats. No Republican presidential candidate has carried the state in nearly a quarter century. Recent polls suggest the race there is close.

Republican officials with knowledge of the plan report that Romney's campaign will begin running ads statewide as soon as Wednesday. The buy includes the expensive Philadelphia broadcast market, where Romney's campaign was reluctant to invest earlier in the month. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss campaign strategy.

Team Obama reacted to the move with mature insight. Nah just kidding, they lied and made fools of themselves.

"They understand that they're not going to win in Ohio so now they're getting desperate," Messina said. "They are not close in Pennsylvania. We are going to win Pennsylvania."

David Axelrod, Obama's senior campaign adviser, said the Democratic ads are a "precaution."

"We're not going to surrender any state to them in terms of airways," Axelrod said. "Make no mistake about it. This isn't a sign of strength on their part. It's a sign of weakness. They're looking for a way out."

Sure guys, sure. Romney expanding the map is weakness but Obama sending Bill Clinton to Minnesota is a sign of....wait THAT'S a sign of weakness. Oh and VP Choo-Choo train was supposed to go campaign in Scranton but the trip was cancelled because of Sandy.

Here's the Romney ad aimed at the fickle teases we call Pennsylvania voters.

more...

Posted by: DrewM at 11:27 AM | Comments (365)
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Bret Baier updated his Benghazi investigation. It's in three parts on Youtube. (Below the fold.) more...

Posted by: rdbrewer at 10:04 AM | Comments (359)
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Just got word from the Power That Be, that in honor of the federal government giving "non-essential" personnel the day off, Ace decided that applied to him here at the blog. Or there's storm related problems with his internet connection. One or the other, I forget.

So while he watches an endless loop of Sandy Duncan shows in honor of Superstorm Sandy, it's an open blog!

If you have something, please put your post in draft and one of the co-bloggers will post it. This way we won't have posts piling up on each other.

Until then....Open Thread!

Posted by: DrewM at 09:24 AM | Comments (270)
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