Opinion - RealClearPolitics.com

Forget the traditionally conservative dress of business Washington.

Now that polls indicate Senator Barack Obama is the favorite to win, some analysts predict a racially biased "Bradley Effect" could prevent Obama from winning a majority on November 4th. That is a pernicious canard and is unworthy of 21st century political narratives. I should know. I was there in 1982 at "ground zero" in California when I served George Deukmejian as his general election pollster and as a member of his strategy team when he defeated African-American Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Tom Bradley, not once but twice, in 1982 and again in 1986.

It is surprising that with all the financial pain felt by the U.S. population including the many individuals with 401K plans invested in the stock market, there have been no street protests demanding more immediate and effective action from our representatives in Congress and the White House.

The graphic to the right, from a column on the debt that is crushing the middle class in today's Detroit Free-Press, pretty much says it all.

Pennsylvania yesterday. Wisconsin today. Iowa tomorrow. What in the heck are Steve Schmidt & Co. doing? Do they know something the rest of us don't? Or are they simply flailing about, searching for a toe-hold in a Kerry state that they might be possibly be able to flip to offset losses and still make 270?

Over the last few days, the national tracking polls, for the first time in a month (or since the Lehman Brothers collapse triggered the current stage in the financial crisis), have shown a small movement away from Barack Obama and toward John McCain.

The recent economic crisis has become a political crisis for Republicans. New polls and the general landscape are making this election look remarkably similar to 2006, and Democratic spending has only broadened the playing field.

NASHVILLE - Call it a town hall about nothing. After two days of sharply negative campaigning, the buildup heading into tonight's debate was that we would see a lively and spirited exchange between the two men. The gloves were coming off, we were told.

Sarah Palin is a phenomenon. She is plucky and, in a winsome way, in your face. Referring to middle class America as Joe-Six-Pack and to herself as a hockey mom, she debated last week with veteran Senator Joe Biden, who has served in the Senate for 36 years and knows his way around Washington. I have never met Governor Palin. I have known Joe Biden for many years. I really like Joe and share his positions on most issues.

In late September 2006, Republicans knew they faced a difficult political landscape, though few anticipated the party would lose as many seats as they did. Then, on September 29, Florida Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned amid charges of inappropriate relations with young House pages, a moment many call a tipping point that cost the GOP majorities in both chambers.

After three trial voyages, the humanitarian missions of the US Navy's hospital ship Mercy and other vessels have become fixtures in America's security posture in Asia and the Pacific.

ST. LOUIS - Entering tonight's debate, the overriding question was whether Sarah Palin was up to the task or not. Would she acquit herself well - or at least well enough - to put to rest many of the doubts about her that have been percolating among the public? Or would she crash and burn, potentially sending the McCain camp down in flames with her?

As the votes came in Monday afternoon, perhaps no one on Capitol Hill had more on the line than House Republican Leader John Boehner and Whip Roy Blunt. In the end, just 65 of the 199 Republicans in the House voted for the bill, sealing its fate as it went down to defeat.

You may have seen a YouTube that's been zipping around the Internet over the past week featuring clips from a Congressional Hearing on Fannie Mae that took place in late September 2004 (as of this writing it has registered more than one million views). The eight minute and thirty-seven second video attacks Democrats for thwarting oversight of Fannie Mae and shows Republicans voicing support for increased regulation.

The House of Representatives deserves praise for taking swift action to avert a growing economic crisis--by not approving the trillion-dollar financial bailout plan.