Poll Watching

Should McCain supporters have hope or continue stocking up on canned goods? Should Obama supporters start fearing an electoral collapse or should they loosen up and enjoy an impending landslide? If you are trying to figure out what is what in these waning days of the seemingly never-ending presidential campaign, well, good luck.

Here's what CNN tells us today:

With five days until Election Day, there are signs the presidential race may be tightening, according to a new CNN poll of polls.

According to an average of several recent surveys, Barack Obama's lead over John McCain is down to 5 points nationwide, 49-44 percent — a gap that is 3 points less than it was earlier this week, and nearly half what the margin was one week ago.

But here's what CBS tells us today:

With less than one week until Election Day, Barack Obama maintains a clear lead over John McCain in the presidential race, a new CBS News/New York Times poll suggests. The Democratic nominee now leads his Republican rival by 11 percentage points, 52 percent to 41 percent, among likely voters nationwide.

A small percentage of these voters could still switch sides: The figures include both firm supporters of each candidate and those who lean towards one or the other but have not fully committed. These so-called leaners, however, make up less than 10 percent of each candidate's support, a sign that significant movement in the campaign's final days is not likely. Just five percent of the likely voters surveyed remain completely undecided.

But, wha -- huh? How can two leading media polls be so far off, both in results and in interpretation?

Argh.

Feinstein Takes a Stand on Gay Marriage Ban

California's U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has made a very good (if belated) ad urging good Californians to oppose the anti-gay marriage referendum, Proposition 8. Good for her. It's about time.

Now where's Gov. Schwarzenegger's ad? Hmmm?

Christopher Buckley to Push the Obama Lever

Christopher Buckley, the libertarian conservative satirist and author of such gems as The White House Mess and Thank You for Smoking, has announced that he's going to vote for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president. So what, you say? After all, so is everyone else.

But the reason this is significant is not what Buckley himself declares in his blog posting to be the reason, namely that he is the son of William F. Buckley Jr., the man who resurrected conservatism in the United States. Actually, I think it's all the reasons Buckley includes in his posting (plus a few from fellow conservative David Brooks, who in the New York Times lambasts Sara Palin and the modern GOP as anti-intellectual populists who have sunk the party to its depths). Buckley explains his disenchantment with the new John McCain, who sold his soul and his authenticity so that he could sit atop a party now known mostly for its meanness and dimness.

Read Buckley's article. in today's Daily Beast.(Photo by Amanda Leung; from Buckley's Sept. 18, 2008, speech to The Commonwealth Club.)

Sarah Palin: The Gift that Keeps on Giving (to Obama)

This blog is supposed to have a focus on the magazine and publishing industry, but it's sometimes hard to focus on that when we're in the midst of one of the most interesting and exciting political campaigns of my life. Luckily, there is some overlap, such as this excerpt from yet another jaw-dropping interview of Sarah Palin by Katie Couric.

Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

Couric: What, specifically?

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

Couric: Can you name a few?

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America.

First of all, hats off to Katie Couric, who through all of her interviews with Palin has been respectful but persistent, asking solid questions -- no gimmicks or gotcha questions -- and she follows up, which most political journalists seem to have forgotten about.

Second, er, um, seriously, Ms. Palin? You couldn't think of a single newsy magazine or newspaper to mention? Time? Newsweek? National Review? The Economist? U.S. News? The Atlantic? The Week? Is there not a single newspaper in Alaska you can name?

Here's my advice. When you're asked a softball question, HIT IT.

Wow. Just wow.

Wall Street Drops

Good cartoon, this.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Wall Street Bailout

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking to The Commonwealth Club, responds to a question from Greg Dalton (Club VP) about the proper government response to the credit and investment crisis.
(Apologies for the grainy video.)

Alec Baldwin Discusses LA Family Court

Actor Alec Baldwin, just 24 hours after winning his first Emmy Award (for his starring role in "30 Rock"), spoke to The Commonwealth Club of California on Monday, September 22, 2008, about his experiences in family court following the breakup of his marriage to actress Kim Basinger.

Baldwin did not come to The Commonwealth Club to speak about his Emmy or his storied acting career. He instead spoke only about what he learned as a result of his family court experience. He was a funny and gracious guest speaker at The Club, but his purpose was, of course, very serious.

(Apologies for the graininess of the video; I was at the back of the room, and my batteries were dying.)

Alec Baldwin's Emmy

Actor Alec Baldwin won his first Emmy Award last night, recognizing his work on "30 Rock." It's surely a bit of welcome news for the actor, who's been nominated for Academy and Tony awards (and has won a Golden Globe). He's in the middle of a book tour for A Promise to Ourselves, and he's been talking about his highly publicized bitter divorce with ex-wife Kim Basinger.
Tonight (September 22), he's speaking at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, and you can't get better timing than that. Should be very interesting.

29

Okay, I'll depart from my new-found devotion to writing about magazines to note that the Chicago White Sox's magic number (the combination of wins by the Sox and losses by its main opponent) is 29.

Even better, if you were looking for a reason to vote for Barack Obama, then here's this: According to the Chicago Sun-Times (and other outlets), in an ESPN interview to air later this week, Obama was asked about Chicago's baseball teams.

ESPN: "If the Cubs and the White Sox both make it to the World Series?"

Obama: "I would be going."

ESPN: "Who would you root for?"

Obama: "Oh, that's easy. White Sox. I'm not one of these fair-weather fans. You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox – that's baseball. Southside."

That's great. He's a real Sox fan -- you can tell, because he not only praised the Sox but he slammed Cub fans (and accurately, too). Now THAT's the kind of insight we need in the White House!

Magazine News: Christie Hefner Blogs

This blog of mine is clearly coming to focus pretty heavily on the periodicals industry, so I'm not going to fight it. Magazines are, after all, where I practice my profession and have been my interest for decades.

So, I'll take this post as an opportunity to point you to another blog. Christie Hefner, chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, is writing a regular blog for the Portfolio business magazine web site. She writes about newspapers, magazine competition, and some non-publishing matters, such as Barack Obama. It's a blog worth keeping an eye on; she's a smart publishing exec.