The New Terrorist Organization: America

Many people believe in the war against terror. McCain and Obama both spoke about it during their campaigns. In my opinion we, the Americans, are terrorists. President Bush sent troops into Iraq and Afganistan to fight terror, but many innocent lives have been lost - this is what terrorism is.

"American should take its army out of the country," Khan said. "They are considered terrorists," said Muslim Khan, a grizzled Taliban spokesman who is one of the most wanted men in Pakistan, in a rare interview with CNN.

Then today I read something that summed up exactly how I have been feeling: Terrorist - what the big army calls the small army.

This may be anit-America, whatever that is, but it is a sad reality that we need to accept - we are not saviors, we are terrorists.

Obama Introduces New Technology to the White House

Barack Obama has already introduced a new White House position, chief technology officer, and is planning on introducing even more technology to the White House. It is already being seen on his transition web site - for the first time ever, a YouTube version of President-elect Obama's weekly radio address will be posted online. This is the first visible step in Obama's attempt to speak more directly to the electorate, and it will likely work - Obama drew in more than 110 million viewers for his 1,800 campaign-related videos.

Obama's media team wants to make it easier for the public to speak to him as well. A prototype of how this will work was released at www.Obamacto.org. This setup allows people to post questions online and vote for the questions they like. The questions with the most votes are likely to be addressed by Obama. So far, the leader late Friday, with more than 10,000 votes, was "ensure the Internet is widely accessible & network neutral," which Obama backs. Not so the second-ranked priority, repealing the USA PATRIOT Act.

"If 10,000 people say they want Obama to answer a question, he's probably going to respond," said Andrew Rasiej, the founder of the Personal Democracy Forum.

Hopefully this will allow Obama to get his message out to the public, without the mainstream media butchering what he says in order to fit their beliefs and agendas. I think it will also allow grassroots organizations to get their concerns heard, not only by the general population, but also by Obama himself.

Barack Obama has promised a more transparent government, and I think he is well on his way to keeping that promise.

Dispute over missile revives the Cold War

For decades, Soviets and Americans are faced in a complex board which threatened to trigger an unprecedented conflict. During the Cold War, capitalism and communism duels engaged in the ideological and armed field. With the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the'80s, the Cold War left the scene. But the tension between Washington and Moscow never disappeared entirely.

Years later, the Cold War has changed its style and began to display a new facet in this globalized world. The world is not so polarized and technology adds a dose of drama. One scenario is the most alive Eastern Europe, where U.S. and Russia are facing in harsh dispute over missile. This undoubtedly will be one of the major challenges of the White House led by Barack Obama.

Fake Newspaper - New York Times Spoof

The liberal group the Yes Men handed out 1.2 million copies of a fake New York Times. The fake paper was dated 4 July 2009 and had the slogan, "all the news we hope to print." It included headlines such as: Universities to be free! Bike paths to be expanded! Thomas Friedman to resign, praise the Unitarian Jesus!

Although it is not funny like "The Onion" it did make people think, and more importantly, it made people hope for a better America and a better world.

The group also set up a web site mimicking the NY Times website. Take a look here.

Teenage Girl, Hannah Jones, Wins Right to Die

A terminally ill, 13 year old girl, has won the right to die after a hospital ended its bid to force her to have a heart operation.

The girl, Hannah Jones, has a hole in her heart due to medications she has been taking since the age of five when she had leukemia. "Hannah had been through enough already and to have the added stress of a possible court hearing or being forcibly taken into hospital is disgraceful," said her father Andrew.

Herefordshire Primary Care Trust dropped a High Court case after a child protection officer said Hannah was adamant she did not want the transplant surgery because the surgery itself has the potential to kill her. If the surgery did work, it would then be followed by constant medication.

The BBC's Jane Deith, who has followed Hannah's legal battle, said: "Hannah managed to convince this officer that this was a decision she had made on her own and she had thought about it over a long period of time, and eventually the court proceeding was dropped."

"She didn't take the decision lightly, and she had chosen that she wanted to live and die in dignity at home with her parents."

Secrets Surround Team Obama and Cabinet Selection

The whole nation is eagerly waiting for President-elect Barack Obama to drop some hints about who he will include in his Cabinet. At this point we know more about what factors will dictate the all-important decision of first puppy.

As Valerie Jarrett, co-chair of Obama's transition team, put it on "Meet the Press" Sunday: "I think one of the real strengths of Sen. Obama's campaign and now President-elect Obama's transition is that he really does like to think this through thoroughly and not telecast what he's going to do until he's ready to make a decision."

We may not know much about the reasoning behind his choice of future Secretary of Treasury, or any other Cabinet position for that matter, but at least we know one thing - Barack Obama and his closest advisers know how to keep a secret.

Americans are Ready for Obama's Inexperience

When Barack Obama moves into the White House on January 20th, the highest qualification that he will bring with him is having been the U.S. Senator representing Illinois, since 2005.

Despite his good oratory and ability to lead, many Americans - including his own followers - believe that Obama is still a "bet".

For many analysts, Obama's lack of experience (a subject that was widely exploited by his rival, John McCain, during the campaign) raises questions about its future ability to govern the country.

One of the biggest criticisms that Obama has, including from his partner and rival of the Democrat party, Hillary Clinton, was that he always voted "present" (ie refrain) - instead of "yes" or "no" - more than a hundred times.

In his defense, Obama and his campaign team argued that their abstentions were not indecision but vow of protest or political strategy - used to negotiate changes in projects where he was not totally against the proposals.

What we can learn from Obama is that even if your resume is short, you can still get an interview and convince employers that you are the ideal candidate for the post.

This is what happened for Obama, when millions of Americans voted for him - and we are already feeling a change in the tides.

Brits Not ready for a Black Prime Minister

Head of equality watchdog, Trevor Philips, say the United Kingdom is not ready for its own Barack Obama.

"If Barack Obama had lived here I would be very surprised if even somebody as brilliant as him would have been able to break through the institutional stranglehold that there is on power within the Labour party," Philips tole the Times. And although 13 of the 15 ethnic minority MPs (Members of Parliament) are Labour, with the other two representing the Tories, Philips said that, "the political system is to some extent closed to outsiders."

A poll of Guardian readers shows that 43% of Brits agree with Philips while 56% disagree. But taking into account the average 9% "Bradley Effect" it puts the two sides about equal, and may even be the reverse of what the poll suggests. It is very easy to say and even believe that you would vote for a black President (or in the UK's case, a black Prime Minister), but it is a much different thing to actually vote that person into office.

Prop. 8 - Gay Marriage Ban Hurts Economy

Same-sex weddings have been pulling many businesses out of the economic slump. A week before Election Day, Christopher Burnett’s floral shop filled with orders from many of the same-sex weddings. But now, since Proposition 8 passed on Tuesday, his sales have had a drastic drop off. “I have done a gay wedding every week,” he said. “And so it’s very disheartening, because other business is very slow.”

“We were afraid that they would pass Proposition 8,” Mr. Bobos said, “and that’s exactly what happened.”

Another area that is likely to take a hit - tourism. The New york Times writes that David Paisley, a San Francisco-based marketing executive with a specialty in gay tourism, said that California had four of the nation’s top 10 destinations for gay travelers: San Francisco, Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Diego.

“California has always been perceived on the vanguard of gay-friendly destinations,” he said. “Well, when a ballot measure passes says it’s not, it’s terrible publicity for gay and lesbian tourism.”

Mr. Paisley said that it was too early to speculate on the exact economic impact of Proposition 8, but that some public relations damage might have already been done.

If you still this that this is just an overreaction, think again. In June, the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, which studies sexual orientation and the law, estimated that legalizing same-sex ceremonies in the state would result in about $63.8 million in government tax and fee revenue over three years.

That money could definitely help the $11.2 billion deficit California faces this year.

New Times for America - The Dream is Now Reality

I received this email from Michael Moore. In tears, and joy, i share with all of you. He has certainly made a big difference in fighting for a better America. Thank you too Mr. Moore.



Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.

We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com

Obama WINS Presidential Election 2008

It is now mathematically impossible for John McCain to win. Our prayers have been answered!

Now we just have to wait and see how much he wins by. A landslide victory will make quite a statement.

As you can see in the above CNN Prediction map, Obama is in the lead and there is no possible way he will loose California (55), Oregon (7), and Washington (11) - do the math 207 + 55 + 7 +11 = 280

And believe me these three states are a guarantee for Obama.

By the way the Democrats are also now enjoying a pretty large majority lead in the Senate. The House is still up in the air but the Democrats are leading.

This is going to be big!!!

Predictor Swing States for the Presidential Election 2008

Here are the predictor states to watch tonight (in order of poll station closing time):

-Virginia, Indiana and Georgia close. If Barack Obama takes two of these, it could be all over.

-Ohio; this swing state has voted with the winner in every presidential election since 1948 except for 1960, and polls indicate the state is on a knife edge. North Carolina, normally a Red state has been targeted by the Obama campaign, also closes.

-Pennsylvania and New Hampshire are key swing states to watch next, as is Missouri, which has voted with the winner of each presidential election since 1904, with the exception of 1956, and Mississippi (if Obama wins here, it's likely to be a massacre). Florida also closes – if McCain loses these key 27 electoral college votes, it could be an almost total loss for the Republican candidate.

-Colorado and New Mexico are key Red states that Obama has been targeting. If the race is close up to this point, Obama needs these states. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, traditional Blue states, also close now. McCain must win these if he has failed to secure Pennsylvania.

Watch these states and you will have a very good idea of who will win the race... and folks, lets hope for a landslide!

Disabled Voting Still a Challenge

I work with adults with developmental disabilities. Today is an exciting day for them. This is when they feel like they really are part of the system. Most days they get stared at when they walk down the street and they have a hard time getting jobs. But today is the day when they are just like everyone else - hoping to change the world!

Here is the problem I encountered yesterday. My client, we will call her Sue, wants to vote. She lives in a group home and gets Social Security Income money for the state, which doesn't allow her many creature comforts. She wants Obama to win.

Her parents are wealthy - they are voting for McCain. Here is the catch. Her parents said they would not take her to vote because she is voting for Barack Obama.

Unfair? Yes.

Unheard of? No.

Many of my clients are not being taken out to vote. It so disappointing that on the one day they get to feel involved they get ignored.

So today, my coworkers and I will be shuttling clients from polling place to polling place.

Today if you see a disabled person walking down the street or bagging your groceries, ask them if they voted. Help them to feel necessary. Let them feel involved.

Get out and VOTE!

VOTE and Starbucks Will Give You A Free Coffee

Free Starbucks coffee - just one more reason to get ride of George W. on Nov. 4th

McCain Campaign May be Investigated for Breaking Federal Law

The story concerning Barack Obama's aunt and her illegal status was broken with perfect timing. With just days before the election many believe it may be a disgusting ploy by the McCain campaign.

The Associated Press cited two unnamed sources - one a federal agent - when they broke the story of an Obama aunt living illegally in the US, after being denied asylum from her native Kenya. Now, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they are investigating whether its privacy policy was violated.

Federal privacy law restricts U.S. immigration agencies from disclosing information about citizens and permanent residents. The Department of Homeland Security also has some privacy restrictions concerning the status of legal and illegal immigrants, although asylum-seekers are granted greater protection, due to the sensitive nature of their claims and the risks of retaliation.

"They are looking into whether there was a violation of policy in publicly disclosing individual case information," said Kelly Nantel, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "We can't comment on individual cases."

Florida Voting Results Will be Key in the Presidential Election 2008

To avoid Florida being the focus of attention of the presidential election - just as in 2000 - a week ago, thousands of voters facing the sun and heat waited in long lines in order to ensure that their vote is counted.

Eight years ago, the state was the scene of a controversial recount of votes, which ended up giving the victory to George W. Bush, in a process that involved accusations of intimidation against voters, buying votes, and the disappearance of ballots.
Florida has the greatest number of votes in the electoral college, among swing states, and has the potential to decide the American presidency.

California, Texas and New York is sending a greater number of representatives to the electoral college, but the results in these states can already be clear - Barack Obama should win in California and New York, John McCain in Texas.

McCain and Obama want to secure the 27 votes of Florida and therefore both have had a huge presence in the state in the final stretch of the election season.

Republican advantage

The Republicans have a clear historic advantage, since they won eight of the last elections in Florida, but the fact that McCain is being forced to continue the battle in the state up to the last week before the election indicates that the Democrats have a real chance of reducing the disadvantage.

Many were quick to point out defects in the Democratic challenger. "Obama is very young, he does not have any experience," said Cuban Maggi Muñoz to Newsnight. "And we need a person with great international experience."

New voters

Democrats and Republicans registered thousands of new voters for this election and several non-governmental organizations also worked hard to recruit specific groups, such as the Center for Guidance of Immigrants in Miami, chaired by Honduran Carlos Pereira.

"We managed to convince more than 12 thousand Latin Americans to take the U.S. citizenship test and register to vote this year," said Pereira.

About 20% of Florida's population is Hispanic, mostly Cuban, who tend to be loyal to the Republican Party.

But this year, Pereira noted, many Cubans have changed their side.

"The younger Cuban generations are tilting to the Democratic Party and the older generations remain loyal to McCain and the Republican Party.

Florida is one of the states most affected by the economic crisis and many residents have expressed disappointment with the government's current president, George W. Bush.

But a Democratic victory is not yet certain and it appears that once again the spotlight on 4th will be on Florida.

Racism can be an obstacle for Obama?

Two decades ago, Douglas Wilder saw his 9% advantage in the polls for government elections in the State of Virginia drop to only 0.1% when the votes were counted.

Still, he won the elections, becoming the first black man to be elected governor of a U.S. state. But the tight victory meant that analysts had speculate that he had been a victim of the hesitation of whites vote for a black candidate - also known as the Bradley Effect.

According to theory, some white voters say in opinion polls that will vote for a black candidate, but in the privacy of the ballot box on election day, they choose the name of a white candidate.

Tom Bradley was the African-American governor of Los Angeles where, competing in the elections for the governor of California in 1982, he saw his advantage in the polls evaporate just before the vote, giving the victory to his rival, the white Republican George Deukmejian.

In 1989, the same year that Wilder became the governor of Virginia, David Dinkins was elected the first black mayor of New York, but also saw an advantage of 18 points in the polls to become only 2% on election day.

Could this happen with Obama?

Charles Henry, a teacher from California who is among the first to examine the "Bradley Effect", says that Obama would need an advantage of two digits in the polls to feel confident about his victory.

Other scholars suggest that an advantage between six and nine points may be enough. According to most polls, this is the advantage that Obama has today.

Bradley reverse

Douglas Wilder, now mayor of the city of Richmond, Virginia, and supporter of Obama, thinks that racism should not have as great an impact this time.

"Will it have some effect? Yes. Are there still people that do not give their vote to an african-american? Yes. "

But he says: "America has grown, people have grown."

A survey of psychologist Anthony Greenwald and political scientist Bethany Albertson at the University of Washington, suggests that Obama had benefited from a "reverse Bradley Effect" in 12 states during the primary of the Democratic Party, while the "Bradley Effect" itself was only noted in three.

A study by researchers from Harvard, who analyzed 133 elections for government positions from 1989 to 2006, also showed no presence of a large "Bradley Effect."

A search of the Gallup institute suggests that 9% of Americans are more likely to vote for Obama because of his race, while only 6% say they are less inclined to vote him for the same reason.

Different Strategies for the Last Weekend

On the last weekend of campaigning before the US elections this Tuesday, the strategy of the two Presidential candidates are quite different. The Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, continues investing in states that traditionally vote Republican, while his opponent, John McCain, fights to ensure victory in states that George W. Bush won in 2004.

The two have commitments in South Carolina on Sunday, but Obama is also going to Missouri and Nevada, states that normally vote Republican. This Saturday McCain visited Virginia, a state that has been carried by the Republicans since 1964.

Obama predicted that McCain would play dirty in the end. This seems to be coming true with the picture perfect timing of the release of information regarding the illegal status of an Obama aunt.

Although Obama currently leads in the polls, McCain's campaign insists that the gap is closing fast. Political director, Mike DuHaime, said that according to the "Washington Post" the number of phone calls from Republican supporters is already 150% higher than the same period recorded in the 2004 elections.

This just goes to show that we cannot rely on the polls, which have been wrong before. We can't just say we are going to vote for Barack Obama but we actually need to go out and do it!

How the 2008 Presidential Elections Works and What is At Stake

Americans are already going to the polls to choose whether it will be the Democrat, Barack Obama, or Republican, John McCain, as the new president of the United States, replacing George W. Bush - who leaves office on January 20, 2009.

The process of choosing candidates formally began on January 3, with the completion of the Iowa Caucus.

Since then, Americans witnessed one of the most intense presidential campaigns in its history by pre-candidates and candidates for the White House.

The BBC produced a series of questions to help you better understand how the elections work and the importance of them.

When is the election and how it is done?

The 44th U.S. President will be elected on Nov. 4. At the same time, there will be elections to renew the full House of Representatives and one third of the Senate.

However, in several states, voters have the opportunity to vote early. By the end of October, about 15 million of the approximately 213 million voters registered in the United States had already voted.

As regard to how to vote, the U.S. adopted a very decentralized system.

In the United States, each county can decide how voting is done. There are those who choose to use paper ballots while others do electronic voting. Some allow early voting, others do not allow early voting. According to analysts, the variety makes the American system more vulnerable to problems like those recorded in the elections of 2000 in Florida.

Who competes?

The Illinois state senator, Democrat Barack Obama may be the first black American to assume the presidency. He has an unusual family history: Obama was born in Hawaii, his mother was from the state of Kansas and his father from Kenya. He also spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.

Obama won a tough battle with Senator Hillary Clinton by an indication of the party, and only managed to secure the nomination in June (usually, the candidate of a party is set months before). During the campaign, he faced accusations of links with controversial people and was criticized as being too inexperienced to assume the presidency, especially in the area of foreign policy. Perhaps to balance this, he invited veteran senator Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations, to be his running mate.

The Republican, John McCain, is an Arizona state senator. He is praised for its military past. As a pilot in the Vietnam War, his plane was shot down in 1967 and he was taken captive. McCain refused to be released before other prisoners of war and remained imprisoned for five years - two of them in solitary confinement.

In the campaign, McCain hastried distancing himself from unpopular George W. Bush. If elected, he will be the oldest person to assume the presidency, at 72 on Jan. 20. He chose Alaska Governor, Sarah palin, as his vice president. She was not well known by the rest of the country before accepting the invitation tby McCain. Palin, like Obama, is criticized for her lack of experience.

In addition to Obama and McCain, several other minor candidates are competing for the White House with no real chance of victory. Many of them only managed to register in some states.

The best known of them is Ralph Nader, a champion of consumer rights whom many Democrats credit the defeat of Al Gore to Republican George W. Bush in the controversial election of 2000. At the time, Ralph was accused of having "stolen" voters that, without him in the match, could have voted for Gore and have guaranteed him the victory.

What party has a greater chance of victory?

The latest polls indicate that Obama is ahead, although some of them put the Democrat ahead by a margin too small, so that he and McCain are technically tied.

According to an average of several national surveys of likely voters published by the Web site RealClearPolitics.com, covering the period between 23 and 29 October, Obama was ahead with 50% of electorate, compared with 43.7% for McCain.

However, analysts warn that there can be surprises, since many voters may be hiding their real voting intentions.

What were the main themes of the presidential campaign?

Earlier this year, the focus of the campaign seemed to be still in Iraq, reflecting the concerns of the American electorate with the deaths of soldiers in the long standing war. However, the strategy adopted by the United States in 2007 to expand the number of troops in the country, "the troop surge," has taken away some of the focus, the economic crisis has taken central stage.

In the three debates between Obama and McCain, in September and October, the main issue discussed was the economy.

Does the candidate who obtains highest number of votes get the presidency?

Not necessarily. The voters, technically, are not part of a direct election for the president. They choose "electors" that make up the Electoral College, who then promise to support a particular candidate based upon who wins the popular vote in that state. Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress There are 538 electors, and the more populous state, the more "voters" they have.

In almost all states, the winner of the popular vote takes all the electoral college votes of that state, even if the victory is by a very small margin. In other words: the distribution of delegates is not proportionate to the vote the candidate.

A candidate only needs 270 electoral college votes, and therefore, a candidate can win the presidency without having the popular vote.

What are the key states?

In recent years the trend has been that the majority of states on the east and west coasts vote Democrat, while the rest of the states vote Republican. But there are several states that could tilt to one side or another. Among them are Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (each with 20 or more votes in the Electoral College) and also Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia.

Obama and McCain have focused their efforts in these states in recent days of the campaign.

Democratic voters outweigh the Republicans in early voting

This year the early voting is changing the campaign strategies behavior of the electorate more than any other time in U.S. history, according to analysts cited by the CNN network. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are investing these last days of campaigning in states that are still a toss-up.

So far early voting trends show the Democrats in the lead, 58% to 42%.

Paul Gronke, of the Information Center for Early Voting, said that Republicans may be holding their votes until election day.

Many Republican voters have polling places that do not generally have long snaking lines and have large amounts of voting machines. Whereas many Obama supporters, especially black and Hispanic supporters, live in poor neighborhoods where lines are usually hours long. This motivates them to vote early.

But David Plouffe, a leading name in the Democratic campaign, told CNN that they are confident many voters still have to vote.