memeorandum: McCain robo-text: ‘You will lose your freedoms...’ (Ben Smith/Ben Smith's Blogs)

5:50 PM ET, October 22, 2008

Top Items:

Dr. Dobson Talks with Gov. Sarah Palin — The Republican vice presidential candidate talks about her family, the sanctity of human life and the pressures of the election season. Dr. Dobson encourages listeners to pray for our country as the election draws near. — Listen to the broadcast:

Discussion: beliefnet, Right Wing Watch, Washington Monthly, Feministe, FOX Embeds, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, TIME.com, pandagon.net and Boston Globe

Marc Ambinder:

Palin: McCain Supports GOP Abortion, Stem Cell Platform Planks — Dr. James Dobson today asked Gov. Sarah Palin about her private conversations with Sen. McCain about the Republican platform's planks on life and marriage. — “In your private conversations with Senator McCain is it your impression …

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly, GOP.com and The Washington Independent

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Palin: God will do the right thing on election day — FINDLAY, Ohio (CNN) — In an interview posted online Wednesday, Sarah Palin told Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” that she is confident God will do “the right thing for America” on Nov. 4. — Dobson asked the vice presidential hopeful …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Heretik and TIME.com

Andy Barr / The Politico:

McCain ‘amazed’ by Palin treatment — John McCain called out fellow Republicans who have questioned running mate Sarah Palin's credentials Tuesday. — “What's their problem?” McCain asked during an interview with radio host Don Imus. — “She is a governor, the most popular governor in America,” McCain said.

Discussion: Democratic Strategist

James Kirchick / NY Daily News:
Who are left-wing haters to point fingers at John McCain?

Discussion: Commentary and Media Blog

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Feminists and Sarah Palin

Discussion: Feministing, pandagon.net, Washington Monthly, The Caucus and The Impolitic

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
Rudy takes to phones to hit Obama on crime

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Wonk Room and TIME.com

Washington Post:

On Al-Qaeda Web Sites, Joy Over U.S. Crisis, Support for McCain — Al-Qaeda is watching the U.S. stock market's downward slide with something akin to jubilation, with its leaders hailing the financial crisis as a vindication of its strategy of crippling America's economy through endless, costly foreign wars against Islamist insurgents.

Pamela Hess / Associated Press:

Al-Qaida-linked Web site backs McCain as president — Featured Topics: - John McCain - Barack Obama — WASHINGTON - Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, ATTACKERMAN, Michael Bérubé, Political Machine, Minnesota Independent, THE TOOT, The Gun Toting Liberal and TPMCafe

Spencer Ackerman / The Washington Independent:

McCain Advisers Freaked Out by Al Qaeda Preference for McCain — I just got off a conference call held by the McCain campaign to deny that Al Qaeda, contrary to reports in the AP and the Washington Post, is rooting for their man. To describe the call as panicked would be an understatement.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, TPM Election Central, Telegraph, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Obsidian Wings, Democrats.com, The RBC, MyDD and democracyarsenal.org

Joshua Green / The Atlantic Online:

Sarah Palin's Personal Shopper — M — ove over Carson Kressley. A new celebrity shopper has emerged! — The attention from Jeanne Cummings's much-talked-about Politico story has naturally focused on the $150,000 in luxury clothing purchased for Sarah Palin at Neiman Marcus, Sak's Fifth Avenue, and Barney's.

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, TIME.com, Washington Monthly, City Pages, The Democratic Daily, unbossed.com, Political Machine, FiveThirtyEight.com and Daily Kos

Marc Ambinder:

Republicans Disgusted By RNC Spending On Palin … There is already an attempt to blame the media — as in, the liberal media would have looked askance at Palin if she wasn't clad in Neiman Marcus, but this won't wash. Republicans, RNC donors and at least one RNC staff member have e-mailed …

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
How Much Is Hillary Clinton's Wardrobe Worth?

Discussion: Washington Post, www.redstate.com and Don Surber

The Huffington Post:

GOP Pulling Its Ads From Bachmann's Race, Media Buyers Say — Five days after Rep. Michele Bachmann went on a McCarthy-esque rant suggesting Barack Obama was unpatriotic and urging the major newspapers of the country to investigate anti-American sentiment in Congress, the national Republican political parties are running for cover.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, City Pages, Dump Michele Bachmann, TPM Election Central, Wonkette and Minnesota Independent

Matt / Think Progress: Bachmann Doubles Down: 'Barack Obama's Views Are Against America'

Faiz / Think Progress:
Bachmann: It's All Chris Matthews' Fault! ‘He Laid A Trap, And I Walked Into It’

Discussion: MoJoBlog, Hullabaloo and Jon Swift

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:

In New McCain Robocall, Rudy Giuliani Suggests Obama Opposes Jailing Murderers And Rapists — It was perhaps predictable that the task of recording the worst of McCain's robo-slime — the worst so far, at least — would fall to Rudy Giuliani. — Giuliani has recorded a new McCain robocall …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, The Washington Independent, Spin Cycle and MSNBC

Paul J. Nyden / Charleston Gazette:
Woman quits job at call center over anti-Obama script

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Taylor Marsh and Washington Monthly

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
McCain robo-text: ‘You will lose your freedoms...’

Discussion: TPM Election Central and The Caucus

Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:

AP presidential poll: All even in the homestretch … WASHINGTON (AP) - The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Yahoo! News, Hot Air, PoliGazette, Gateway Pundit, Wake up America and JammieWearingFool

Robert Draper / New York Times:

The Making (and Remaking) of McCain — On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 24, John McCain convened a meeting in his suite at the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Among the handful of campaign officials in attendance were McCain's chief campaign strategist, Steve Schmidt …

Discussion: The Nation, Connecting.the.Dots, Emptywheel and Booman Tribune

Mike Murphy / Swampland:

Zing the Bling... I saw the RNC statement on Gov. Palin's $150,000 clothing bender on the RNC's tab. This caper is gonna make for a long day at the office for the good folks at the RNC/McCain press operation. Thought I'd offer a little help in a humorous vein; some other possible spin lines for the RNC.

Jay Newton-Small / Time:

Poll: Obama Holds Leads in Key States; McCain Attacks Not Swaying Voters — With less than two weeks to go 'til Election Day, Barack Obama has held or increased his leads in four key states won by President George W. Bush in 2004 — Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia …

Discussion: TalkLeft and Pajamas Media

Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:

A Day At The Congressional Races — Here's today's run-down of the Congressional races: — National House Committees Shell Out Big Money, NRCC Finally In The Game — Both parties' national House committees shelled out big bucks in the newest federal filings.

Anchorage Press:
BEGICH-STEVENS CLOSE, BERKOWITZ STILL OUT FRONT

Discussion: Swing State Project and DownWithTyranny!

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

FOX News Poll: Obama Grabs Nine Point Lead Over McCain — Less than two weeks before Election Day, Barack Obama leads John McCain 49 percent to 40 percent among likely voters, according to a FOX News poll released Wednesday. — Obama's advantage comes mainly from independents …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Stop The ACLU

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:

FIRST THOUGHTS: OBAMA WIDENS LEAD — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann — *** Obama widens his lead: With 13 days to go, Obama has opened up his biggest lead over McCain in the NBC/WSJ poll, 52%-42%, which is up four points from his lead two weeks ago.

Discussion: Eunomia, The Huffington Post, Comments from Left Field and The Moderate Voice

Walter Alarkon / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:

Report: Obama Internal Poll Shows Two-Point Race in Pennsylvania — An internal Barack Obama campaign poll has the Democrat ahead of John McCain by just two percentage points. — WILK radio host Steve Corbett said Tuesday he obtained an Obama campaign e-mail about the internal poll showing a tight race.

Discussion: The Corner and Townhall.com

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama's Likely Voter Lead is 5 to 8 Points — Candidate preferences have been fairly stable — PRINCETON, NJ — Regardless of the predictors used to identify likely voters, the conclusion is the same — Barack Obama maintains a significant lead over John …

Discussion: Donklephant

Marc Ambinder:

McCain Campaign Buys Air Time In Indiana — 13 days before the election, the McCain campaign has decided to spend several hundred thousands dollars on a last-minute television buy in the state of Indiana. — This is the first time in a month that the campaign has spent its own money on television in the Hoosier state.