I read this a couple of days ago, and forgot to post it. via.

What happens if Obama wins VA or FL? McCain has no path to the White House that doesn’t run through BOTH of those states. How does the MSM keep people watching returns, when its over as soon as its started? Or for that matter, why would people vote on the West Coast if they hear Obama’s won before they might have even voted? Obama has no path to the White House that dosen’t run through the nations biggest electoral prize, California (55 EV). (Or OR or WA for that matter. [18 EV]) Do these people still show up to the polls? I’m being a bit of a doomsayer here, but it’s something to keep in mind.

The quandary is highlighted by Virginia, a state that has not voted Democratic for president since 1964 but where Obama is now leading in polls. There is no realistic McCain electoral college strategy that does not depend on winning the Old Dominion.

If it is clear on Nov. 4 that Obama has won in Virginia by the time polls there close at 7 p.m. — it will still be daylight west of the Mississippi (4PM PST) — the obvious conclusion will be that Obama is headed to the White House.

Entire Article: Read more »

Here are the latest electoral projections from independent, small media electoral forecasting websites:

Election Projection: Obama 364-174
Electoral-Vote.com: Obama 349, McCain 174, 15 tied
Fivethirtyeight: Obama 347.6-190.4 McCain
Pollster.com: Obama 320, McCain 158, Toss-up 60
Real Clear Politics: Obama 277, McCain 158, Toss-up 103

There are many more, but I’ll stop there. The key point is that all small media election projection websites, including the Republican Election Projection and Real Clear Politics, have Obama over 270 electoral votes. This is because polls now objectively show that Obama is well over 270 electoral votes. However, none of the big, and so-called liberal, media websites show Obama over 270 right now. Every single one is even more favorable to McCain than Real Clear Politics:

MSNBC: Obama 264-174 McCain
CNN: Obama 264-174 McCain
New York Times: Obama 260–200 McCain

None of these websites can admit what is patently obvious to even Republican poll watchers right now: Obama is over 270 outside the margin of error. The inability of these big media sites to simply admit reality–reality that is evident in their own reporting about McCain playing from well behind right now–is pathetic.

Maybe they are afraid of being accused of pro-Obama bias (probably). Maybe they are just biased toward McCain (possibly). Maybe they just suck at electoral forecasting (definitely). Maybe they are invested in a close campaign (absolutely). Whatever it is, you would be well served to never, ever listen to big media for election forecasts and horserace information. They just don’t have it. The inability of these big media sites to simply admit reality–reality that is evident in their own reporting about McCain playing from well behind right now–is pathetic.

This has always peeved me. All big networks and newspapers spin the race to close, when Obama is really blowing Mac out the water. They are simply invested in a close campaign. They’re protecting their ratings for their results programming on Nov. 4. There’s money in covering a close race. A one sided affair means less money. People won’t watch if they think the race is a foregone conclusion.

copypasta via OpenLeft

from Media Matters:

During a segment in which Fox & Friends co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade labeled New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Reddicliffe “attack dogs,” Fox News featured photos of Steinberg and Reddicliffe that appeared to have been digitally altered — the journalists’ teeth had been yellowed, their facial features exaggerated, and portions of Reddicliffe’s hair moved further back on his head.

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