Lobbyist Vicki Iseman Sues NY Times Over McCain Story

“According to Iseman, 41, the Times story claimed that she engaged in ‘an improper romantic relationship with Senator McCain, a married man, from which she gained advantage for her professional clients.’ In fact, Iseman charges, her relationship with McCain was ‘entirely professional, ethical, and appropriate,’ and not romantic. The Times piece has been ‘powerfully damaging’ to her reputation and ‘destroyed the heart and soul of [her] professional identity and sense of personal self-worth.’” [Link]

McCain Ground Game Outgunned By Obama In Ohio

“On Friday night, only nine volunteers manned the 24 phones in the McCain campaign office. The phone bank began operating on a daily basis just two weeks ago. And since then, only five people have shown up on most weekdays to canvass local neighborhoods. Obama’s campaign, in contrast, has flooded this GOP bastion with volunteers. Some canvassers first hit the winding streets of nearby subdivisions in March during the Democratic primary, and they have worked almost nonstop since in search of supporters.” [Link]

[Picture via newzgirl]

McCain Spoofs Campaign In SNL Appearance

“McCain opened the show alongside actress and comedian Tina Fey as McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin. The pair began with a joke about competitor Barack Obama’s 30-minute informercial that aired last Wednesday, saying that all the GOP ticket could afford was a spot on a fake QVC show. Fey, who looks like Palin with her brown hair and spectacles, said, ‘These campaigns are expensive,’ as she subtly striked her clothes–a joke on the reported $150,000 wardrobe purchased for Palin. ” [Link]

4,000 Kids Bused In To Fill Empty McCain Event

“A local school district official confirmed after the event that of the 6,000 people estimated by the fire marshal to be in attendance this morning, more than 4,000 were bused in from schools in the area. The entire 2,500-student Defiance School District was in attendance, the official said, in addition to at least three other schools from neighboring districts, one of which sent 14 buses.” [Link]

Obama, McCain Virtually Tied In Arizona

“Republican John McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by two points (46 percent to 44 percent) in Arizona, a margin that makes the race too close to call, according to a new Cronkite/Eight Poll. The poll of 1,019 registered voters in Arizona was conducted Oct. 23-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.” [Link]

Lieberman: Palin Not Prepared To Lead On Day One

“U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman Friday continued to stand by Republican John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate. But when asked by The Advocate if Palin is ready to be president from day one, Lieberman said ‘thank God she’s not going to have to be president from day one. McCain’s going to be alive and well.’” [Link]

Chance Of McCain Win Drops To 3.7%

“There is now no perceptible rebound for John McCain; in fact, the race may still be trending toward Obama, although the safer assumption is that it’s flat. Meanwhile, Obama’s electoral position appears as strong as ever. John McCain’s chances of winning the election have dwindled to 3.7%, down from 6.5% yesterday.” [Link]

Polls Show Doom For McCain In Florida

Obama @ The Beach picture

“Independent Florida voters are on the verge of killing John McCain’s hopes for the presidency. A new St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll shows Barack Obama leading McCain 49 percent to 42 percent in this state McCain cannot afford to lose. The biggest factor? Less partisan independent voters moving to Obama by a margin of more than 2 to 1.” [Link]

Obama Leads McCain In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania

“Obama leads in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to new polls from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. The best news for him is certainly in Ohio—normally considered a must-win state for Republicans–where he widened his lead to 52% versus Sen. John McCain’s 38%. At the beginning of the month, Obama led by just eight percentage points in the state with 20 electoral college votes.” [Link]

McCain Losing Among Key Rural Voters

“‘That is really bad news for John McCain. If the rural vote is essentially split in these swing states, then John McCain is certain to lose,’ says Seth McKee, a political scientist at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. McKee specializes in rural voting patterns. ‘In 2004, George Bush won the rural parts of the battleground [states] by 15 points,’ notes Anna Greenberg, the Democratic pollster who conducted the bipartisan survey.” [Link]