Things I wish I had written

The Debate Link on a Rasmussen poll finding that 53% of Americans thought that Sen. Obama's "dollar bill" comment was "racist":

It is interesting to me that White voters considered Obama's words to be racist, given that they don't pass the general threshold of racism in American public discourse, which is that nothing can be racist unless it explicitly and overtly expresses malice and hatred towards a racial group. Obama's comments were way to subtle for that, but presumably were covered under the "Black speaker" exception where anything that a Black person says that ties to race or otherness automatically is presumed to be a playing of the race card. And that gets transformed into "racism" because there is nothing more racist than a Black person ever insinuating that there is anything racist in what White people do.

Word.

Gallup or why we need to shut up and stop looking at polls

So, while the "big news" is Rasmussen showing McCain up 47-46 (with leaners), Gallup daily shows Obama up 46-43. This is exactly why we can't cite polling data that is within the margin of error. It's not "proof" of anything aside from the race being close. Also, do not act like this is a national election, because it's not - it's 50 state-level elections. National popularity means nothing - just ask Al Gore. This is why the Fifty State Strategy is the only rational way to look at the election.