Politics Blog

The mainstream media is freaking out…while Rollcall says that Mel Martinez is likely to win, other left-wing Florida newspapers are going crazy in their new-found love for McCollum. Again, if you are a Floridian, go to the polls, take your friends, and vote for Martinez!

Strategic Vision has released four state polls - Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

In Georgia, as you might guess, the President leads 55%-36%. His approval rating is close to 60%. If the President can carry the entire South by this margin, then it’s nearly guaranteed that the Senate races will be a disaster for the Democrats.

In Wisconsin, President Bush leads 48%-46%. His approval rating has climbed to 49% and his disapproval fallen to 31%. His approval ratings on the war and the economy have also gone up since the last poll. Kerry’s image has taken a beating, and the Massachusetts liberal is about as popular as he is unpopular. Wisconsin voters believe the Swiftboat ads are credible by a ten-point margin.

In Ohio, President Bush has expanded his lead, now ahead by six points, 48%-42%. His approval rating is at 50%, and he has fairly good ratings on the economy and Iraq. Kerry’s image has taken a pounding in the Buckeye State.

In Florida, President Bush leads 48%-44%. His job approval rating has climbed to 52%. Florida voters are increasing optimistic about the future of the economy and Iraq. John Kery only has a 42% favorable rating, 40% unfavorable rating.

Of course we will hear the media say over and over again that President Bush is still tied with his challenger. However has any challenger in so pathetic a position gone on to win the fall? Voters seem to want to re-elect the President. They do not like his opponent but want to be convinced the President has a vision for a second term. This is why the speeches last night and those to come are so important. More on this later…

UPDATE: President Bush leads in Texas 57%-33%. This is extremely good news because of its potential for the popular vote totals.

Alert Reader Gary pointed out this telling passage from today’s must-read Note:

What Democrats really fear now: that they might only be able to win the White House when an anomaly occurs (Watergate or the once-in-a-lifetime political skills of Bill Clinton).

Andrew Sullivan is back from vacation and doing some great writing. I have been critical that he seems to have let gay marriage trump all other issues of late, but his reviews of the McCain and Guiliani speeches are definitely worth reading.

Giuliani was on fire. He spoke so easily, so amusingly, and so emotionally that for long passages, you forgot he was giving a speech and felt he was talking with you. His iconic status is oddly a problem for him, because it has tended to obscure his street-smart, clear-eyed chattiness - the kind of thing a New York mayor can use from time to time. But it was on display last night to great effect. Again, Giuliani spoke to Bush’s emotional intelligence after 9/11, his genuine attempt to do what he believed was best for the country at a time of terror, and to Bush’s personable nature. You just cannot imagine a story in which a huge, ham-handed construction worker would ever give John Kerry a big, warm bear-hug. Or that John Kerry would answer a long disquisition from a man in a hard-hat and feel satisfied to respond with two simple words: “I agree.” Again, Giuliani reminded us of why we tend to like George W. Bush. (Personally, I’d rather have pins stuck in my eyes than endure a conversation with John Kerry, but I’d love to hang with Bush.) All of this matters. A president in wartime needs to be able to connect with people. Bush can. Kerry can’t.

For those who missed the convention speeches, particularly those of Ron Silver, Rudy, and the three woman tribute to the heroes of 9/11, C-Span has the video available online here. Please watch them. C-Span is also currently posting on their homepage the link to yesterday’s Washington Journal episode with Hugh Hewitt. It is worth watching to hear him explain how the “New Media” is combating the misrepresentations and ommissions of the Old Media.

UPDATE: Jay Nordlinger really loved the Ron Silver speech as well. He also pointed out something that I didn’t – how articulate Silver was in the post-speech interviews he gave. He really is a thoughtful and intelligent guy.

“This has been just a brutal two weeks for him. He had people telling him the Swift Boat ads weren’t going to take because the media was going to ignore them.”

– a Kerry adviser, explaining Kerry’s missteps in August.

The Kerry people can’t be blamed for their assumption. The old media certainly did their very best to ignore the Swiftees.

Presidential second terms aren’t much fun:

Bill Clinton was impeached in his second term. Richard Nixon would have been if he hadn’t quit first. Ronald Reagan was wounded by the Iran-Contra scandal. Lyndon B. Johnson sank into the swamp of Vietnam.

Dwight D. Eisenhower had health problems and Sputnik. The high point of Harry Truman’s second term was the day he won it in a stunning upset. After that, it was war, scandal and legislative gridlock. Woodrow Wilson suffered through World War I, the rejection of the League of Nations and a stroke. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt reached his lowest point during his second term, when Congress blocked his plan to stack the Supreme Court.

Bob Novak looks at Kerry’s miserable August and the upbeat GOP.

Mickey Kaus makes a great point:

If President Bush were to tell the Swift Boat Veterans, “Those are great ads. Please run more of them,” he’d immediately be accused by the Kerry campaign (and maybe the Federal Elections Commission) of illegal “coordination” with an allegedly independent political group. … Now suppose Bush did what Kerry and David Broder want him to do and told the Swifties “Those are terrible ads. I call on you to stop running them.” Why isn’t that also illegal coordination? Coordination involves telling someone when to start and also when to stop, no?

Talk radio isn’t just big in the US. It’s big in free Iraq.

Swiftee ad #4 focuses on Kerry’s medal/ribbon-toss. The ad will air in Nashville when Kerry addresses the America legion on Wednesday.

UPDATE: Remember Slate’s hilarious PowerPoint take on Kerry’s medal-tossing? Click through the slide show.