Tag Archive for 'November 4 2008'

Monday Night Football: ESPN Interviews Obama and McCain on Monday Night Football, Nov. 3

Published
by
JW
on Monday, November 3rd, 2008
in Campaign Schedules, McCain Campaign, News and Obama Campaign
. 0 Comments

On the eve of the presidential election, with “Monday Night Football” from Washington as the backdrop, candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are planning to participate in one-on-one interviews on ESPN via satellite. (Nov. 3, 2008)

ESPN’s Chris Berman will do the segments earlier Monday, pending last-minute schedule changes by the candidates, and they’ll air at halftime of the Redskins-Pittsburgh Steelers broadcast from D.C., the network announced. The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The interviews will give both Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, and McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona, a last major chance to appeal to Americans during a coveted spot on prime-time television. “Monday Night Football” has averaged 12.2 million viewers this season.

“We worked with our partners at the NFL to schedule a Monday Night Football game in Washington on this special night, and this presents a unique opportunity for John McCain and Barack Obama to reflect upon the last few months and address a large primetime audience on the final day of the campaigns,” Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production, said in a statement.

It will be the first NFL game played in the D.C. area on the Monday night before a presidential election in 24 years. The Redskins defeated the Atlanta Falcons 27-14 on Nov. 5, 1984; Ronald Reagan was re-elected the following day.

The Redskins, in fact, are an accurate barometer for presidential elections. According to Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau, who coined the term “Redskins Rule” in 2000, the following bromide has held true for the past 17 presidential elections: If the Redskins win their last home game prior to Election Day, the party that won the popular vote in the previous election wins the White House; if the Redskins lose, the party that lost the popular vote in the previous election wins.

In this Monday’s case, a Steelers win would forecast an Obama victory; a Redskins win would indicate a McCain win.

“Monday Night Football” is the most-watched series in cable television history. Now in its third season on ESPN, MNF has registered nine of the top 10 all-time biggest household audiences in cable history, led by this year’s Eagles-Cowboys telecast on Sept. 15, which attracted cable’s largest audience ever — 13.0 million homes and 18.6 million viewers.

Obama previously appeared on “Monday Night Football” on Dec. 11, 2006, when he opened the broadcast of a game involving his hometown Chicago Bears by parodying his own upcoming official announcement of his intention to run for the presidency.

“I am ready,” he said, before putting on a Bears baseball cap, “for the Bears to go all the way, baby!”

John McCain for President, Election Night Rally in the Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, AZ on Nov. 4

Published
by
JW
on Monday, November 3rd, 2008
in Campaign Schedules, McCain Campaign, November 4 2008 and Republican Party
. 0 Comments

Senator John McCain will hold his Election Night rally Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday, November 4.  The McCain campaign rally, billed as the “Victory Election Night 2008″, is set for the Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix.

Senator McCain, who is famously superstitious, has enjoyed good luck at the Biltmore Hotel. It’s where he married his wife, Cindy McCain, and where he effectively won the GOP nomination on Super Tuesday earlier this year.

However, the Associated Press is reporting that McCain is not going to make his election night remarks in the traditional style — at a podium standing in front of a sea of campaign workers jammed into a hotel ballroom — but instead plans to address another group of supporters and a small group of reporters on the hotel lawn. There has been no indication about whether Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, and the Palin family would be in attendance or speaking at the podium.

McCain’s remarks will be simultaneously piped electronically to the party inside and other reporters in a media filing center, aides said, because of space limitations. Only a small press “pool” — mostly those who have traveled regularly with the candidate on his campaign plane, plus a few local Arizona reporters and other guests — will be physically present when McCain speaks, the AP.

Continue reading ‘John McCain for President, Election Night Rally in the Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, AZ on Nov. 4′

Barack Obama for President, Election Night Rally in Grant Park, Chicago, IL on Nov. 4

Published
by
JW
on Monday, November 3rd, 2008
in Campaign Schedules, Democratic Party, November 4 2008 and Obama Campaign
. 0 Comments

Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign will hold what it hopes will be an Election Night celebration in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois on November 4 – 5, 2008.  The official Nov. 4 event, in south Grant Park’s Hutchison Field, will begin at 9 p.m. and end at 1 a.m. on Nov. 5, according to the Obama campaign.  Tickets for the Obama rally inside Hutchinson Field are gone, however, Mayor Richard Daley expects more than 1 million people to attend in the surrounding vicinity.

Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign says the election night celebration in Grant Park is for 65,000 spectators, plus 7,500 media members and campaign workers, according to the application filed with the Chicago Park District.

Grant Park is a large public space between the Loop and lakeshore in downtown Chicago, Illinois.  The Obama event is expected to take place on the south end of the park in an area known as Hutchison Field.

As for security measures, attendees should prepare to pass through metal detectors and have their possessions searched, just as at all Obama events. The process is similar to going through airport security and can create lines blocks long, as was the case at a recent Obama event under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis that attracted an estimated 100,000 people.

In the hours before and during the event, locals should not be surprised to see snipers and security agents with binoculars positioned on the roofs of buildings and other high structures. That often takes place when Obama holds outdoor events.

If people want to dance in joy, they may have to hum to themselves: The Obama Election Night rally application says there will be no live or amplified music — “spoken word only.’’

Hot dogs, pizza and hot chocolate will be sold; alcohol will not, according to the campaign.

Meanwhile, Mayor Daley said the Obama campaign’s decision to require tickets at the Grant Park rally — and to stop issuing tickets on Wednesday — would not alter the city’s meticulous preparation for a rally that could draw more than a million people. “There’s only one section that will have tickets,’’ he said.

For those not ticketed, Daley cited the area around Columbus and Balbo for “the general public.”

Daley said the event could include giant video screens for people without tickets to see Obama’s speech.  A stage was being built near Columbus and Roosevelt Drives and portable heaters were unloaded from trucks, according to reports.

Continue reading ‘Barack Obama for President, Election Night Rally in Grant Park, Chicago, IL on Nov. 4′

VOTING FAQ: You Have the Right To Vote Regardless of State or County Fines or Bills

Published
by
JW
on Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
in McCain Campaign, November 4 2008, Obama Campaign and Voting FAQ
. 0 Comments

You have the right to vote. Period.

If you have outstanding parking tickets or other traffic violations, outstanding utility bills, are behind on your mortgage, or other outstanding county fines, you still have the right to vote. You do not have to pay any of the above tickets, bills, or fines in order to vote.

Some voters have seen a misleading flyer that suggests voters with outstanding tickets or warrants will be arrested on the spot if they go to the polls. Again, these rumors are completely untrue. Law enforcement authorities will not be screening those who show up to exercise their right to vote.

As long as you are registered to vote and show up at the proper polling location for the address at which you are registered, and with the proper ID (where required), you can vote.

Continue reading ‘VOTING FAQ: You Have the Right To Vote Regardless of State or County Fines or Bills’

VOTING FAQ: Checking Your Voter Registration Before Going to the Polls

Published
by
JW
on Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
in McCain Campaign, November 4 2008, Obama Campaign and Voting FAQ
. 0 Comments

In an announcement from the campaign, the Obama team notes their they have worked with the Democratic Party to build the most comprehensive voter protection program ever put in place.  According to the Obama campaign, volunteers and campaign staffers across the country are working to protect your rights on Election Day. They are testing voting systems, examining ballot designs, pushing to reduce lines, and expanding opportunities for early and absentee voting.

They have also been carefully monitoring the voter rolls — they are watching to make sure new registrants get on the rolls, and stay there.

Remember, it’s always a good idea to check your voter registration. You can check your registration by calling the Secretary of State’s Office or local registrar in your home state. You can find some of this information at the National Association of Secretaries of State website: http://www.canivote.org/

If you do encounter a problem at your voting place and find that your name is not on the voter rolls, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.

It is true that election officials routinely conduct list maintenance — and when done properly, it helps keep the voting lists clean and up-to-date — this maintenance is sometimes referred to as a “purge.” Two recent studies have highlighted room for improvement in state laws governing this maintenance. Neither study found any current illegal purges.

It is also true that as part of routine maintenance, election officials will try to confirm certain registration information by trying to “match” it up with other records. One recent news article confused matching with purging–they are very different activities.

They’re tracking any attempts to game the voter rolls through purges or inappropriate matching very carefully, and responding appropriately on a continuous basis.

Continue reading ‘VOTING FAQ: Checking Your Voter Registration Before Going to the Polls’