The latest on the Election
Barack Obama is going to air a long-form 30 minute(!) ad on Fox on Oct. 29, and MLB has agreed to shift the start of Game 6, if it's needed, by 15 minutes from 8:20pm to 8:35pm EST to accommodate it. The ad will also air on NBC and CBS. Lest anyone think it was all altruism...
The blessing from MLB clears the way for Fox to air the promo and collect upward of $1 million in ad revenue for the half hour, more than what either CBS or NBC was charging.
Lest any Republicans out there think this is favoritism, note that the NFL moved this season's opening game so it wouldn't interfere with McCain's acceptance of the Republican nomination at the RNC.
I can't recall ever seeing a 30 minute political ad. Very curious. What will the format be? One long speech? A mix of edited footage and talking heads?
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Sarah Palin is appearing on SNL this weekend. Yep. You betcha.
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I don't recall watching the Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner before, but it surprised me to see McCain and Obama making jokes about issues that seemed to have them exasperated with each other just a day earlier at the final debate.
Both candidates are quite funny, more so than the Thursday SNL in which, on one day turnaround, the SNL crew seem content to re-enact the debate and read most of the same lines that were actually spoken in the debate.
Check it out.
It's all in good fun, but there is some political scoring going on. When Obama jokes around about things like his middle name, or where he was born, or who he pals around with, and when McCain laughs at said jokes, those lines of attack lose a bit of heat.
McCain can be charming when he's willing to use a bit of humor which is why it's been so surprising that he's been so churlish in the debates.
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McCain finally kept his appointment with David Letterman.
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Joe the Plumber's story doesn't really check out. He's not a licensed plumber, he's not earning $250K+ (he'd actually save more money under Obama's tax plan under his current income), and he has no specific plans to buy that business he spoke of. He was vetted about as well as Palin.
Not that it's a big deal. Whether Joe the Plumber's story was true or not, he was entitled to ask the question, and Obama answered it. If he was making the $280K he claimed, he would be paying higher taxes on the marginal $30K under Obama's tax plan. I don't think it's a great loss for Obama as most middle class voters aren't worrying about their surplus income above $250K.