10/17 Roundup: Poll Crazy, Sam the Not-Plumber, Obama Makes it Funny

Leader: Poll Crazy

- The Wall Street Journal runs the headline "Surveys Split on Who Has Lead in Presidential Race," which is odd, because, as the article mentions in paragraph four, "Sen. Obama leads in every national poll."  Their point, basically, is that nobody knows how much to trust the polls.

-  The polls are governing the strategies of both campaigns. "West Virginia is real," says Obama campaign chairman David Plouffe, but stepped back slightly to say that Virginia and Colorado were the once-red states that Obama had the best chance of winning.

- Simon wrote this morning that we should expect McCain to gain some ground in the polls over the next few weeks.  Things may be tightening up already.

Economy

- OPEC has called an emergency meeting as oil prices slipped below $70/barrel. Prices have dropped thanks to the global economic slowdown, which has led to a reduction in demand. If prices stabilize around $70 or $80/barrel, as seems likely, economists suggest the effect would be like a big economic stimulus all by itself. Still, such a stimulus would not likely jump-start the economy, as people would be more likely to shore up savings accounts than to spend it all.

- Paul Krugman advises the federal government not to worry about the deficit right now. Maggie made a similar case here for deficit spending last week. Likewise, Chair of NDN's Globalization Initiative Rob Shapiro is quoted on the front page of today's Washington Times, talking about the necessity of deficit spending.

Election '08

- I wanted to devote this entire post to Joe the Plumber. But I refrained. Still, some important developments in the saga: He is neither a plumber, nor is his name Joe.  He does not make more than $250,000/year, and it is not likely he will any time soon. He's been delinquent in paying the taxes he does owe. And did I mention that he "hates" social security?

- Writing for the Washington Post, Dan Balz wonders what more McCain can do. NDN President Simon Rosenberg is quoted talking about what the American people see in the candidates: "In Senator Obama, they've decided they see a future president. In Senator McCain, they see an admirable but aging politician who seems a little out of step with the moment."

- Joe Klein of Time agrees with Simon, writing that McCain's campaign sounds anachronistic.

- In Newsweek, Howard Fineman wonders whether the Bradley effect or the Facebook effect will be more powerful.

International

- The suddenly-popular Gordon Brown has an op-ed in today's Washington Post, arguing in favor of new rules for the global economy. Nicolas Sarkozy will be in Washington today, to discuss the topic with President Bush.

- Pakistan is facing a financial crisis of its own, and it has turned to China for help. True, the two states have a long history of cooperation, but Kevin Drum notes that this could be seen as a small canary in the coal mine-- a harbinger of China's future power in the international economic system.

- Writing in the New York Review of Books, Bill McKibben calls Tom Friedman's new book, Hot Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution-- and How It Can Renew America, his best yet. It's a good "snapshot of current dilemmas," if not the "oracle" it aspires to be.

One More Thing

- It's true! Sarah Palin will be on SNL.

- McCain confessed and apologized to David Letterman.

- Last, Obama makes it funny at the Al Smith dinner: