NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2008

Web War Waged For The White House

On The Internet, The Medium Is The Message - So How Do The Two Candidates Stack Up?

  • Play CBS Video Video Campaign '08 Web Sites

    Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama each have Web sites targeted to specific audiences. As Daniel Sieberg reports, one expert says Obama's is "clean," while McCain's is "cluttered."

  • Video Eye To Eye: Campaign Web Sites

    Science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg speaks with internet expert Doug Jaeger about the separate and distinct web sites of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

  • Which Web sites catches voter appeal? Photo

    Which Web sites catches voter appeal?  (CBS)

  • Interactive Campaign 2008

    Profiles of the candidates, polls, fund-raising, blogs, video and more.

  • Section Campaign Coverage

    News and video from the campaign trail.

(CBS)  There is a new front line in the presidential campaign battle this year: your computer screen. A recent survey shows almost half of us use the Internet, e-mail, and text messages to get political news. That means what the candidates say on their Web site - and how they say it - is crucial, CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports.



Sure, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama still make speeches, kiss babies, and do grip-and-grins - but much of the real campaign has gone online.

"It's about understanding how to use the Web to get your message out there and get your supporters to distribute it for you," said Andrew Rasiej, online entrepreneur and founder of the Personal Democracy Forum.

In this case, the medium really is the message. It's where more than positions differentiate the candidates - it's in how they're using their Web sites. CBS News went to Web design expert Doug Jaeger for his professional review, which started with a complaint.

"This is the home page, this is where we're greeting people," he said, showing McCain and Obama's Web sites. "Do you think these guys could make eye contact with us? No."

Jaeger describes Obama's site as "clean" and McCain's as "cluttered."

"He's using lots of different type faces at all different sizes, which gives you a feeling of chaos," he said.

Both Web sites target specific audiences. McCain goes after six, including veterans, lawyers and sportsmen. Obama has 18, ranging from Asian-Americans to women. Kids have their own special area, including a logo to color.

McCain offers a game called Pork Invaders on his Facebook page. Kill enough pigs, and you're rewarded ... with a statement about pork-barrel politics.

"Obama's then goes on to do what McCain's doesn't, which is to provide his supporters this whole infrastructure to organize themselves to do things that are going to help get Obama elected, and McCain's just doesn't do that," noted Politico's Ben Smith.

The Obama campaign may hope the Internet will do for Obama what television did for John F. Kennedy in 1960. Just compare the candidate's popularity on the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace. Obama has 1,281,471 Facebook "friends" and 443,004 on MySpace. McCain has 192,957 on Facebook and 62,203 on MySpace.

Enter a zip code on Obama's site and you can find, or put together, events, like one fundraising bake sale organized by Arlene Geiger.

"It allows everybody who wants to do something to put their thing out there and see if people get excited about it," Geiger said.

McCain has just recently added a similar feature. He's been using a different approach to get supporters to "spread the word." The campaign supplies the talking points - you post them on a blog and get reward points for doing so - redeemable for prizes like riding the Straight-Talk Express.

But McCain's Web site is still playing catch up to Obama's use of cyberspace, and there are fewer than 12 weeks until Election Day.

"Building communities online takes time and building strong robust Web sites also takes time. So it's kind of like getting a 747 to take off from a small regional airport. There ain't enough runway," Rasiej said.

And there's no guarantee that online enthusiasm will translate into votes for either candidate.

"I don't think you can get elected president of the United States without using the Internet, but you're certainly not going to get elected president of the United States with it alone," Rasiej said.

Making the Internet has triumphed as a new voice for the people - and maybe a transformative tool for the candidates.


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Add a Comment See all 80 Comments
by rosieod4prez August 14, 2008 9:07 PM PDT
"Jaeger describes Obama''s site as "clean" and McCain''s as "cluttered." - article


Clean because Obama has no content to his platform.






Dems woulda done better nominating Rosie O''Donell for President.
Reply to this comment
by sistatee-2009 August 14, 2008 9:18 PM PDT
Ain''t never been to a politician''s web site. Ain''t never goin''.
Reply to this comment
by randynason August 15, 2008 12:04 AM PDT
According to what I''ve heard on the subject, Exxon-John McSame is a cyber loser and has a really bad, confusing and el-lame-o web site. It kinda reflects him. The wrinkled, white-haired dude can get Cindy to shake all the hands he wants. In the end after Exxon-John loses, her arm will be in a sling and so will his arse... be in a sling. -Heh-
Reply to this comment
by timdgrim August 15, 2008 12:23 AM PDT
The wrinkled, white-haired dude can get Cindy to shake all the hands he wants. In the end after Exxon-John loses, her arm will be in a sling and so will his arse... be in a sling. -Heh-
Posted by RandyNason
************
Cindy "Pill Popper" McCain didn''t hurt her hand shaking hands...let''s just say she hurt it shaking the Republican Poll!



Reply to this comment
by leykis1oh1 August 15, 2008 12:36 AM PDT
mike071067
You are ignorant. More YouTube hits is not necessarily a good thing. People get tons a hits because they do stupid *** and people are like, "*** did that idiot do now?" And, a so-called left wing slanted article can''t match right wing T.V. You act as if more then 20 of you can operate a computer. You and your ilk are so stupid, you have the one candidate who could save America but you''re choosing the old crazy idiot. The one that your president talked ALL KINDS of *** about when they were running against each other...now McSame is his buddy. You and your ilk beat Kerry to death but I guess the shrub/********* is allowed to flip-flop. You have the memory of a goldfish. Get off your sister, mortgage the trailer and buy a friggin'' clue.
RosieOD4Prez
U R right. Americans are far too stupid and scared to even think of electing a "naygra". They''d rather have America driven into the ground by a bunch of old white guys who don''t give a *** about you...or me...or America. As Zappa said, "You ain''t even number 2!"..."ain''t it bleak when you got so much nothin''. So whadaya do..?"
Reply to this comment
by leykis1oh1 August 15, 2008 12:39 AM PDT
"more than 20 of..."
I figured you''d need the correction.
Reply to this comment
by emelder August 15, 2008 12:42 AM PDT
Masterlink said, "At every crossroads to the future, tradition has placed 10,000 men to guard the past." This is why creating positive change is so difficult ... fear, vested interests, established "leaders" ... so much is working against Obama ... but as his "blueprint for change" gets better understood, and as our need for serious leadership grows, he will emerge as the next President of our United States. Go Obama!
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 15, 2008 12:56 AM PDT
OBAMA RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS ...UHHHH DUHHHHH
Reply to this comment
by andor3 August 15, 2008 1:51 AM PDT
"...but as his "blueprint for change" gets better understood, and as our need for serious leadership grows, he will emerge as the next President of our United States. Go Obama! "

Yes! An important point is that Americans recognized our need and demanded change and sought a President who could lead again, and drafted Obama to run. Obama is not calling for change, he is answering the call.
Reply to this comment
by demwatcher August 15, 2008 2:04 AM PDT
I guess that''s good for the Liberals. They believe ANYTHING they read/see/hear on the Internet.

They''ve been trained very well by the Leftist leadership.

Good, obedient, blindly loyal lemmings.
Reply to this comment
by trrrorislamx August 15, 2008 2:37 AM PDT
FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM IS THE PROBLEM,,,

DEMONIC-RAT HUSSEIN IS NOT THE SOLUTION,,,

EXPOSE HUSSEIN
http://www.exposeobama.com/obamaislam.html

www.obamatruth.org

www.stop-obama.org

A Video Portrait Of Barack Hussein Obama
http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?RsrcID=2036

The Barack Obama Test
http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/02/the_barack_obama_test.html

Obama-Odinga-Rezko-Ayers-Auchi-Saddam Hussein
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIe4d9Nmg9k

Raila Odinga was also financially backed by Muammar al-Gaddafi. Raila Odinga is Obama''s cousin:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/717...

Why does Raila Odinga use Obama''s exact same campaign slogan: CHANGE....Vote for CHANGE: Look at his website:
http://www.raila07.com/


IMPEACH HUSSEIN NOW,,,

SIGN THE PETITION

Impeach, expel Barack Obama
http://obamaimpeachment.org

HUSSEIN IS NO COMMANDER IN CHIEF,,, lol

McCain Tops Obama in Commander-in-Chief Test; Stays Competitive on Iraq

Poll Finds 72 Percent of Americans Say McCain Would be Good Commander-in-Chief
http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/Story?id=5370538&page=1

Obama: Commander-in-(mis)chief?
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/imperium/2008/07/200872011345855233.html
Reply to this comment
by condumbism August 15, 2008 2:39 AM PDT
John McPOS will soon be overwhelmed with his pet Cindy Chihuahua about their adulterous affair in the 1970''s. Electing John McPOS to the White House is no different than giving the keys to the most belligerent Super Power on Earth to the AntiChrist to John and Cindy McCain (ADULTERERS!!!)
Reply to this comment
by condumbism August 15, 2008 2:43 AM PDT
Aduldterors John and Cindy Chihauhau McCain: "THE ANTICHRIST!"
Reply to this comment
by eddom949 August 15, 2008 5:29 AM PDT
I''ve seen Obama''s site and not much in the implementation of policy but mostly promises. I''m not even sure what school of thought he''s from, although I''m aware of the credit reform idea, but geez here we are in August and not much information there. Glad I cast my vote for John McCain.
Reply to this comment
by yeswecan09 August 15, 2008 6:43 AM PDT
***I''''ve seen Obama''''s site and not much in the implementation of policy but mostly promises. I''''m not even sure what school of thought he''''s from, although I''''m aware of the credit reform idea, but geez here we are in August and not much information there. Glad I cast my vote for John McCain.***

Gee you must need stronger glasses I can find a mountain of information in heartbeat. What is it you can''t find?

Here I will narrow down your choices -- across the top of Obama''s website there are menus, these menus will give you options once you roll your mouse across them. The second option from the left side of your screen is called "Issues".

I placed my mouse on the word Issues and the first 5 sections reading down are: Civil Rights, Defense, Disabilities, Economy, and Eduction. There are 26 other options to choose from -- which one did you want to talk about?

Put gas in your Swiftboat it tends to help
Reply to this comment
by ofbyfor1 August 15, 2008 6:54 AM PDT
McCain''''s YouTube hits far outnumber Obama''''s, however. That isn''''t mentioned here. Another left-wing slanted article. Then again, what should we expect?

Posted by mike071067 at 10:26 PM : Aug 14, 2008

You don''t bother to take into account whether they were hits of a positive or negative nature. Most of the youtube pieces I''ve seen on McCain are NOT all that positive. And they''re not slanted that way--it''s just McCain himself, making himself look bad
Reply to this comment
by stn_sage August 15, 2008 6:59 AM PDT
...Members of This SECT ( GOP ) should be Waterboarded in Public and Their assets seized to buy Health Insurance for the remaining Sane People...
Posted by laborsvoice at 02:52 AM : Aug 15, 2008
-----------------------
Evidently, CBS found my prior comments regarding your post UNFIT for posting and removed them!

Evidently, it''s OK in their view to say little and go along with wars that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and vast somes of money; but it was errant of me to suggest that your applied remedy of discipline
is too lax and that I''d increase it!

So, I have just restated it in a way that won''t hurt the feelings of all the warmongering murders throughout America! Heaven knows, we don''t want to hurt THEIR feelings! Do WE?!
Reply to this comment
by ofbyfor1 August 15, 2008 7:02 AM PDT
Good, obedient, blindly loyal lemmings.

Posted by DemWatcher at 02:04 AM : Aug 15, 2008

You are, of course, referring to the partisan neocons who voted Bush in twice and are now ready to repeat that mistake by voting for McSame?

Oh, that''s right, neocons never ADMIT they''ve made any mistakes--just like their fearless leader, Dubya!!!

ROTFLMMFAO!
Reply to this comment
by nextgenman August 15, 2008 7:09 AM PDT
Good, obedient, blindly loyal lemmings.

Posted by DemWatcher at 02:04 AM : Aug 15, 2008

You are, of course, referring to the partisan neocons who voted Bush in twice and are now ready to repeat that mistake by voting for McSame?

Oh, that''''s right, neocons never ADMIT they''''ve made any mistakes--just like their fearless leader, Dubya!!!

ROTFLMMFAO!

Posted by ofbyfor1 at 07:02 AM : Aug 15, 2008
---------------------

They may never admit it to us, but they''ve admitted it to themselves.
Reply to this comment
by nearl4511 August 15, 2008 7:16 AM PDT
In truth, I have not seen McCain''s site, but have been on Obama''s sinceearly in the primary campaign have been impressed by the organization.

I don''t know who exactly has thought out how the site appears and works, but it is well done from a practical standpoint to find the salient features ofthe candidates approach. It is a very neat presentation of ideas and ideals. KUDOs to whoever designed that site.

I will check out the McCain campaign site this weekend. Doubt I would vote for McCain because of his war mongering and other positions, but I would like toexamine the site to assess the functionality and appeal of it.
Reply to this comment
by mcvet-1 August 15, 2008 7:56 AM PDT
''''ve seen Obama''''s site and not much in the implementation of policy but mostly promises. I''''m not even sure what school of thought he''''s from, although I''''m aware of the credit reform idea, but geez here we are in August and not much information there. Glad I cast my vote for John McCain.

Posted by eddom949 at 05:29 AM : Aug 15, 2008

Let''s all repeat the LIE. We''ve all heard it SO MANY times, everyone knows it by heart!! "We will cut Taxes to the Rich who will then invest that money. It will create Jobs and the money will Trickle Down to you. We will pay for the loss by cutting spending and that will balance the budget!". We''ve heard this LIE now for 30 years and our standard of living has fallen to the BOTTOM of the G-7 Nation''s, Corporations have invested the Money alright, creating jobs.. IN OTHER COUNTRIES!! People who are stupid enough to continue to buy the SAME LIE for THIRTY YEARS, KNOWING it does NOT work, deserves the results!! SIEG HEIL McSLIME
Reply to this comment
by acarponzo August 15, 2008 7:59 AM PDT
The internet is here to stay and it grows more powerful every day. No medium has let people, everyday people, participate in such a broad way. Take for instance a new on-line poll that brings both humor and some serious questions about the popularity of the candidates. http://www.bop-o-rama.com

Reply to this comment
by ioweign August 15, 2008 10:13 AM PDT
I guess that''''s good for the Liberals. They believe ANYTHING they read/see/hear on the Internet.

They''''ve been trained very well by the Leftist leadership.

Good, obedient, blindly loyal lemmings.

Posted by DemWatcher at 02:04 AM : Aug 15, 2008

Right !

Find those WMDs yet...
Reply to this comment
by straitmedia August 15, 2008 12:07 PM PDT
-- "So nobody really thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face, so what they''''re going to try to do is make you scared of me," - "You know, he doesn''''t look like all those other Presidents on those dollar bills --



Obama''s liar, regular-politician staff will
now try to weasel out of this obvious charge
that McCain will cite Obama''s ethnicity as
a reason to vote McCain (which he never has),
by saying that he didn''''t directly say McCain
in the quote above. But he did.

Obama''s staff did exactly the same thing to
Hillary, when they twisted her LBJ comments
to claim they were racist, and to Bill regarding
his "fairy tale" remark - which was about
Obama''s claim of opposition to Iraq and
nothing more.

They are liar, regular politician and staff - who
will cut any corner to get elected.

Hillary finished this race with 21,000 more votes
than Obama - EXCLUDING Michigan. Toss it in,
it''''s a 349,000 lead. Neither won enough pledged
delegates to reach the required 2118 on their own.

And yet, Dean and the Dem brass installed Barack.
It''''s Florida 2000 all over again. And let''''s get real:
in this depression economy, would Hillary only be
leading McCain by 6 points as Obama is?

No. She''d be up 20.

Ladies (and gentlemen), if you are ready to demand
that Supers honor the majority will - or you will vote
McCain, Nader or Barr - read and sign the Nobama
Petition at;

http://tinylink.com/?I5wLAJxV5W




-
Reply to this comment
by redbds August 15, 2008 1:05 PM PDT
let''''''''s get real: in this depression economy,

Posted by straitmedia at 12:07 PM : Aug 15, 2008

That is another tactic that both Oblama and Quinton used. We are not in a depression. We are not even in a recession. The economy is down slightly. The liberal tactic of blowing everything out of proportion and making it sound worse than it really is, is starting to tire voters. Do liberals actually believe their own lies? Keep it up and McCain will laugh his way to the Oval Office.
Reply to this comment
by dopelgangera August 15, 2008 1:41 PM PDT
The kind of political messages that bother me most are those received via telephone (especially from political callers who arrange to call so that no identifying information appears on my Caller ID. Just WHY should I take seriously ANY message from a political candidate, from their campaign organization, or from any political party, if their make themselves ANONYMOUS on my Caller ID? That kind of secrecy will NOT endear me to whatever message you have waiting for me).
Reply to this comment
by obama8years August 15, 2008 1:47 PM PDT
Americans are starting to Wake up, latest Poll shows a tie. The Democrat Convention Should give Obama a Boost. But Obama has no Substance and the only thing we know about Obama is his 20 years of Rev Wright. Does not look so good for Obama. I am very glad I switch positions. Nobody that I know wants an Obama Nation.
Reply to this comment
by obama8years August 15, 2008 1:50 PM PDT
let''''''''''''''''s get real: in this depression economy,

Posted by straitmedia at 12:07 PM : Aug 15, 2008

That is another tactic that both Oblama and Quinton used. We are not in a depression. We are not even in a recession. The economy is down slightly. The liberal tactic of blowing everything out of proportion and making it sound worse than it really is, is starting to tire voters. Do liberals actually believe their own lies? Keep it up and McCain will laugh his way to the Oval Office.
-----------------------------------------
I quit my job last week, I worked for an Ecommerce Dept. They are having a hard time replacing people. And the Head Hunter I am working with told me that the IT field is Hot. Also my IT manager told me alot of outsourcing jobs are coming back. We were smart and did not take money out for our house and have been saving. Gas prices are coming down. Liberals wanted a Doom Gloom Situation so the goverment can tax everybody who works hard to give them there entitlements.
Reply to this comment
by August 15, 2008 1:52 PM PDT
You right-wingers say and do the exact same thing election after election. You''re the reason Bush is in office, the worst President in modern history - arguably the absolute worst. You should be questioning yourselves on why your judgement is so poor. In the meantime, the rest of us care about our country more than we care about being small-minded and petty. Your bullying tactics no longer work...not this time, not this year.

OBAMA ''08
Reply to this comment
by August 15, 2008 1:55 PM PDT
Straitmedia, get over it.
Reply to this comment
by wellhell3 August 15, 2008 2:15 PM PDT
"He''s using lots of different type faces at all different sizes, which gives you a feeling of chaos," he said.

SO A WEB SITE FONT IS GOING TO DETERMINE A DAMNED THING?
Reply to this comment
by rf35 August 15, 2008 5:58 PM PDT
D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.
Reply to this comment
by rf35 August 15, 2008 6:02 PM PDT
"It allows everybody who wants to do something to put their thing out there and see if people get excited about it," Geiger said.

That just sounds very, very wrong.
Reply to this comment
by liberty_1776 August 15, 2008 11:11 PM PDT
The flaw in the argument that Obama has more "supporters" is that most people who use Facebook and Myspace (mainly kids) DON''T VOTE, while the majority of people who vote DON''T use Facebook and Myspace. Think about it.
Reply to this comment
by jongood53 August 16, 2008 8:24 AM PDT
You right-wingers say and do the exact same thing election after election. You''''re the reason Bush is in office, the worst President in modern history - arguably the absolute worst. You should be questioning yourselves on why your judgement is so poor. In the meantime, the rest of us care about our country more than we care about being small-minded and petty. Your bullying tactics no longer work...not this time, not this year.

OBAMA ''''08
Posted by texaslib at 01:52 PM : Aug 15, 2008
=====================

Too bad history will not sustain your above drizzle TexasLibtard.

Given the price of fuel these days, and the DemoTards refusal to do anything to bring it down, I seriously doubt a majority of real Americans are going to be voting to give you hyphenated-Americans the increased access to the public nipple your boy Sen. NObama is offering to buy your vote.
Reply to this comment
by lordmi August 16, 2008 9:44 AM PDT
that Old Ruin just has Not enough Brains to do thing in Modern fasion.

That what we want???
Reply to this comment
by lordmi August 16, 2008 9:48 AM PDT
All his face are giving the Summary - McWar forever.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:44 AM PDT
In 2004, election integrity activists challenged the results of Ohio''s presidential election before the Ohio Supreme Court, and convinced Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to challenge the state''s Electoral College vote before a joint session of Congress. The reaction by Ohio''s then Republican-controlled Legislature was to enact a series of election reforms that punished likely Democratic voters. Some of the laws adopted were later thrown out in court, such as penalizing voter registration drives. But others, including a technical process to require certain voters to prove their registrations are valid on Election Day -- or lose their right to vote, remain in effect. Two of the nation''s top voting rights groups, Advancement Project and Project Vote, this week reported 600,000 Ohio voters could be effected. This article is a combination of the releases both groups issued this week. George W. Bush beat John Kerry by nearly 119,000 votes in Ohio in 2004. -- Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet Democracy and Elections editor.

Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:45 AM PDT
Columbus, Ohio August 13, 2008 -- Nearly 600,000 eligible Ohio voters may be dropped from the voter rolls if Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner doesn''t act to protect these voters, according to findings based on publicly available information discovered by Advancement Project and Project Vote.

These voters -- disproportionately voters of color and young voters -- are subject to being removed from Ohio''s voter registration rolls without notice or a hearing because of the state''s vague regulations on vote caging, a process that enables representatives of one political party to challenge the voter registration credentials of voters at polling places on Election Day.

The Ohio counties with largest numbers of returned notices prior to March 2008 Presidential Primary are Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas and Summit, where Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo are located.

The mechanism of caging or challenging voters dates back to legislation passed soon after the 2004 presidential election.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:46 AM PDT
In 2005, Ohio''s General Assembly introduced legislation, House Bill 3 (H.B.3) that overhauled Ohio''s election system. H.B. 3, in part, requires voter information mailings and amends Ohio''s challenge statute(s). In particular, it requires that 88 county boards of election mail all Ohio registered voters a non-forwardable notice 60 days before the election. Each board must compile into a list any notices that are returned as undeliverable. These lists, in turn, are available as public records to any individual or group seeking to use the list as a "caging list" to challenge voters.

The amended challenge law no longer requires the county boards to provide Ohio voters with notice that they are being removed from the voting rolls or a hearing for them to defend themselves of a challenge. Rather, the Ohio law permits the boards to review their own records and make a determination to the validity of the challenge.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:47 AM PDT
This law was effective beginning 2006 and covers all primary, general, and special elections from 2006 through the November 2008 General Election. Advancement Project finds it extremely interesting, that this law "sunsets" effective January 1, 2009.

"A single returned piece of mail is not a reliable basis for challenging the right to vote," said Donita Judge, Ohio staff attorney, Advancement Project. "Mail may be returned for many reasons, including errors in the database from which the mailing is derived, errors in the mailing labels, failure to include an apartment number or poor matching criteria."
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:48 AM PDT
Advancement Project and Project Vote would like to see the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, issue a directive prohibiting Ohio electors from challenging Ohio voters whose name appear on any returned mailings and/or any past, current or future caging list. This is the best remedy to ensure that all Ohio voters are treated in a uniform manner during the November 2008 election because it permits the county boards to send out information to Ohio voters and at the same time ensures that all voters are permitted to vote without the threat of being placed on a list that is subject to challenge for no other reason than a returned mailing.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:48 AM PDT
"Partisan, challengers who have obtained a list of returned letters shouldn''t be allowed to strip Ohio voters of their right to update their addresses" said Teresa James, attorney with Project Vote. The lack of notice to challenged voters under Ohio''s 2006 challenge law allows this interference to take place quietly and behind closed doors. This violates the principles our nation was founded on. It is imperative that Secretary Brunner establish guidelines so that partisan challengers will not be permitted to lodge unfounded challenges that clog the election process, burden poll workers and disenfranchise eligible voters."

Ohio''s current law is internally inconsistent. For instance, Ohio law permits voters who move from one precinct to another to change their address from 28-days prior to the election, up to and including Election Day. Yet, if a voter is challenged and removed from the rolls within 20 days of the Election and their registration is canceled, without notice, this cancels the effectiveness of a voter changing their address since there is no longer a registration on file. It also violates Ohio law and equal protection of the laws because this voter is not provided the same meaningful opportunity to update a valid registration up to and including Election Day as other Ohio voters.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 10:49 AM PDT
The new election law also unfairly impacts black and Latino Americans and other voters of color. Advancement Project anticipates that significant number of voters of color will be included on the county generated caging lists because census data indicates that they move more frequently than whites. Furthermore, in light of the fact that college students change residences frequently, it is anticipated that large numbers of young voters will be included on the lists as well.

"Voter suppression and intimidation is driven by a desire to maintain the status quo, concluded Judge." "These acts are carried out in an effort to deprive certain Americans, especially those most marginalized, of a voice in our democracy. Election Day is the great equalizer -- it is the one day where if all was right in our democracy, it would not matter if a person is rich, poor, black, white, educated or not, we all would have the same amount of power."
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 11:32 AM PDT
Summary: In its preface, Jerome Corsi compares his new book, The Obama Nation, to his 2004 book Unfit for Command. The comparison seems apt: Just as Unfit for Command contains false attacks on Sen. John Kerry''s military service, a Media Matters review finds that The Obama Nation similarly contains numerous falsehoods about Sen. Barack Obama.

In the preface of his recently released book, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, author Jerome Corsi writes: "My intent in writing this book, as was the case in coauthoring Unfit for Command, is to fully document all arguments and contentions I make, extensively footnoting all references, so readers can determine for themselves the truth and validity of the factual claims." Indeed, Corsi''s comparison of the two books seems quite apt: Just as Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry contains false and baseless attacks on Sen. John Kerry''s military service, a Media Matters for America review finds that Obama Nation similarly contains numerous falsehoods about Sen. Barack Obama.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 11:34 AM PDT
previously documented false and baseless charges Corsi made in Obama Nation about Obama''s positions on the Global Poverty Act of 2007 and nuclear weapons. Media Matters also pointed out false statements Corsi made while discussing the book with Fox News host Sean Hannity, concerning Obama''s position on abortion and Obama''s memoir Dreams From My Father (Crown, 1995).

Below are additional falsehoods from Obama Nation, listed in the order in which they appear in the book:

The divorce

Corsi baselessly suggests that Obama''s father, Barack Obama Sr., may have divorced his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, "following the prescripts of Islamic sharia law." Corsi''s sole source for this statement is a blogger who made the claim in a March 20 post, which featured the false headline, "BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA WAS MUSLIM FOR 31 YEARS" and misstated Obama''s mother''s name as "Shirley Ann." The blogger Corsi cited, "Majalah Bulanan Kumunitas Indonesia Di Edmonton," provided no substantiation for the claim that "the senior Obama divorced Dunham according to Sharia law."

Reply to this comment
by starleo146 August 16, 2008 11:35 AM PDT
On page 44, Corsi writes:

The circumstances of exactly how or why Stanley Ann ended her marriage with Obama''s father, like much else in the narrative, remain unclear. One version is that Stanley Ann divorced Obama Senior in 1964, when Obama Junior was three years old and Stanley Ann realized Obama Senior had returned to Africa to rejoin the previously undisclosed wife he had abandoned in Kenya. The other version is that Obama Senior, following the prescripts of Islamic sharia law, divorced Stanley Ann when he returned to Africa in 1963 to begin his work as a bureaucrat in the Kenyatta government.4

The endnote for Corsi''s claim reads as follows:

The first version, that Stanley Ann Dunham Obama divorced Obama Senior, is the version commonly found. The version that Obama Senior divorced Stanley Ann under sharia law is told in sources such as the following: Majalah Bulanan Kumunitas Indonesia Di Edmonton, "Barack Hussein Obama was Muslim for 31 Years," March 20, 2008, at
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by starleo146 August 16, 2008 11:36 AM PDT
n the blog post that Corsi cites, the author asserted:

The senior Obama married a fellow student, eighteen-year old Shirley Ann (Anna) Dunham of Witchita, Kansas. Dunham was an anthropology student. Obama Jr. was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu.

Two years later, the senior Obama divorced Dunham according to Sharia law and returned to Kenya the same year that Kenyatta took control as the first prime minister of a self-governing Kenya (June 1963).

In Dreams from My Father, Obama quotes his mother stating of Barack Obama Sr., "I divorced him":

The teapot whistled, and I stamped my envelope. Then, without any prompting, my mother began to retell an old story, in a distant voice, as if she were telling it to herself.
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by starleo146 August 16, 2008 11:37 AM PDT
"It wasn''t your father''s fault that he left, you know. I divorced him. When the two of us got married, your grandparents weren''t happy with the idea. But they said okay -- they probably couldn''t have stopped us anyway, and they eventually came around to the idea that it was the right thing to do. Then Barack''s father -- your grandfather Hussein wrote Gramps this long, nasty letter saying that he didn''t approve of the marriage. He didn''t want the Obama blood sullied by a white woman, he said. Well, you can imagine how Gramps reacted to that. And then there was a problem with your father''s first wife he had told me they were separated, but it was a village wedding, so there was no legal document that could show a divorce " [Pages 125-126]
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by starleo146 August 16, 2008 11:38 AM PDT
The dedication

On Pages 49-50, Corsi falsely claims that Obama did not dedicate Dreams from My Father to his mother or his grandparents. Corsi writes:

Interestingly, Obama did not dedicate Dreams from My Father to his mother, or to his father, Barack Senior, or to his Indonesian stepfather. Missing from the dedication are the grandparents who raised him in Hawaii, especially during the years his mother abandoned him to return to Indonesia to be with Lolo [Soetoro, Obama''s stepfather].

In fact, while the 2004 edition of Dreams -- the version Corsi cites in Obama Nation (Part One, endnote 2, Page 306) -- does not contain a separate dedication page, on Page xvii, the last page of the book''s introduction, Obama writes:
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