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Scott Romney, the older brother of John McCain’s former GOP rival Mitt Romney, will become a co-chairman of the McCain campaign in Michigan, CBSNews.com confirms.

Barack Obama has more than doubled his lead over John McCain to eight percentage points in the economic battleground state of Michigan, with much of his new support coming from voters who have moved away from the Republican hopeful. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds 47% of Michigan voters favoring Obama while 39% back McCain.

Michigan should be a layup for Barack Obama. The state's economy is in the doldrums, blue-collar auto workers are losing jobs and the state hasn't voted for a Republican in a presidential election since 1988. But recent polls show the race is closer than many expected... Among the factors that could help Sen. McCain are Sen. Obama's decision not to contest Michigan's mid-January primary...and critical comments he made last year about Detroit's auto makers. But perhaps the biggest boon to his efforts: the unpopularity of the state's Democratic governor, Jennifer Granholm. Gov. Granholm has an approval rating of 30%... Voters...

Obama's Liberal Shock Troops By JOHN FUND July 12, 2008 While he is a skilled candidate, Barack Obama's ability to surprise, stun and sweep over the vaunted Clinton Machine to capture the Democratic nomination was rooted in his background as a community organizer. He's now turning those skills to the general election. But liberals aren't just on the march on the presidential level. This year, liberal activists are spending parts of the fortunes of their wealthy donors to transform politics at the state and local level. In 2005, billionaire investor George Soros convened a group of 70 super-rich liberal donors...

Drawing the sharpest distinctions yet between himself and the man he hopes to replace, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday his presidency would focus on climate change issues, reducing federal spending, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center and eliminating torture by the U.S. government. In a meeting with the Tribune-Review's editorial board, McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said "spending got out of control" under the Bush administration. He blamed Congress for pushing spending and the administration for failing to halt it.

Sen. Barack Obama did patriotism yesterday, today it is faith and by the end of the day both speeches will have been done in back-to-back states that swing: Missouri and Ohio. The Obama campaign said the Illinois senator plans to go to Zanesville, located in eastern Ohio, to visit a church program that provides food and clothing assistance to those in need.

By all accounts, Barack Obama should win this election. He and his brand control the image, the message and, to a large extent, the media of this election cycle. Yes, the media. He has enough money to buy ads every day from now to election day, glossy magazines cannot wait to put his image on their covers, Hollywood types are so smitten that they wear his image on their clothing and YouTube is bursting at the seams with homages to him. It is definitely his to win -- or to lose. It all hinges on two things: likability and character.

Bad news for McCain all over the map. http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x4141.xml?ReleaseID=1188 Four surveys conducted by Quinnipiac University for the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, fielded June 17-24 Colorado: Obama 49 - McCain 44, n=1,351 likely voters, margin of sampling error of +/- 2.7 percent Michigan: Obama 48 - McCain 42, n=1,411 likely voters, margin of sampling error of +/- 2.6 percent Minnesota: Obama 54 - McCain 37, n=1,572 likely voters, margin of sampling error of +/- 2.5 percent Wisconsin: Obama 52 - McCain 39, n=1,537 likely voters, margin of sampling error of +/- 2.5 percent It is time, McCain!

Last Friday, Newsweek released a poll that had Sen. Barack Obama up 15 points over Sen. John McCain. Today, the LA Times along with Bloomberg released their poll showing Obama up, you guessed it, 15 points over the presumptive Republican nominee. The LA Times/Bloomberg polling data shows in a four-way race that Obama is over McCain 48 percent to 33 percent with independent candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nader holding a combination of 7 percentage points and the rest are undecided. In a two-way race, Obama's lead narrows only slightly to 12 percentage points. University of Virginia political science professor...

An apology issued by Barack Obama to two Muslim women booted from the front lines of a public appearance by the Democratic presidential candidate last week was orchestrated by Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress. Multiple congressional sources confirm that it was Ellison, D-Minn., who confronted Obama over the issue during a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus. Obama called the women to apologize after two volunteers with the campaign removed the women from the stage area behind the location where Obama would be speaking. The volunteers allegedly told the women it was because they were...

As Senator Barack Obama courted voters in Iowa last December, Representative Keith Ellison, the country’s first Muslim congressman, stepped forward eagerly to help. Mr. Ellison ...volunteered to speak on Mr. Obama’s behalf at a mosque in Cedar Rapids, one of the nation’s oldest Muslim enclaves. But before the rally could take place, aides to Mr. Obama asked Mr. Ellison to cancel the trip because it might stir controversy. Another aide appeared at Mr. Ellison’s Washington office to explain. “I will never forget the quote,” Mr. Ellison said, leaning forward in his chair as he recalled the aide’s words. “He said,...

Move-On.org is taking a firm stand on a campaign promise that Barack Obama made that said he would filibuster any wiretapping bill that had retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that let the feds listen in on. MoveOn says in the letter “We need him to honor that promise.” The posting urges supporters to tell Obama how they feel by calling his presidential campaign to let him know that “you’re counting on him to keep his word.” Last Friday Obama announced his support for the intelligence surveillance law that is highly unpopular with most left activists; the money, momentum and votes...

Barack Obama succumbed to Muslim demands. It started at a campaign event that Obama held last Monday, at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. There have been very few news reports about this matter, but they all seem to point to a consistent turn of events. Before the event kicked-off, a campaign staffer (who apparently was female and black, should anybody care) approached two young men in the crowd and asked if they’d like to sit up on the platform, and appear behind Obama while he was speaking from the podium. As the two guys accepted the invitation, one of them asked...

Shades of Dukakis, Obama up 15 THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW BY: Salena Zito In May of 1988 after all of the Democratic primaries ended presumptive nominee Michael Dukakis enjoyed a 54 to 38 percent lead over then Ronald Reagan wing man George H.W. Bush. H.W. went on to win in that November handily This evening a new Newsweek poll shows Obama having a giant lead, from 51 percent to 36 percent, over McCain among registered voters across the country. Obama got his bounce, Dukakis style.

It's a no-expenses paid trip to what looks to be one of the most hotly debated political events in the country. At least seven local people have won a coveted spot in Michigan's 2008 delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, earning them a first-hand view of a historic presidential nomination. For at least two of the area delegates, this is the first time they will travel to the August convention, where their only duties are to hob nob with party leaders, cheer wildly -- and cast their vote for a presidential nominee."I'm really excited to be a part...

Hey, swing state Florida, I will not offshore drill The Sen. Barack Obama press machine issued this statement that Obama will deliver at his media avail this afternoon, in which he pledges (where have we heard that word before?) to keep the federal moratorium against offshore drilling in place: "When I am president, I will keep the moratorium in place and prevent oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts," the statement reads. "That's how we can protect our coasts and still make the investments that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and bring down gas prices for good."

Friday, June 20, 2008 http://boortz.com/nuze/200806/06202008.html - truth THE TRUTH ABOUT THE OBAMA RALLY MUSLIMS We've come to learn a little more information about these poor, victimized Muslim girls that were not allowed to sit behind Barack Obama at a rally because his staff didn't want him to be pictured with Muslims. Oh and by the way, this was all the Republicans fault. Debbie Schlussel has done some great research to reveal who these two girls are ... Once the CAIR crowd got involved the Obama campaign started to quake. Now these girls have been invited invited to a future Obama...

Obama apologizes to Muslim women; apology accepted Sen. Barack Obama today called the two Muslim women who were barred from sitting behind him at his Detroit rally to apologize, one of the women and two other sources said. "Sen. Obama called himself and he apologized to each of us," one of the women, lawyer Hebba Aref, told me just now. Aref, who had suggested that an appropriate fix might be seating her behind Obama at some future event, said she'd also discussed that possibility with his staff. Aref and Shimaa Abdelfadeel had been barred from sitting behind Obama on Monday...

Austin Hill, host of 630 WMAL's "The Evening Show" in Washington, DC will discuss this issue -- completely ignored by the MSM -- tonight during the show, which runs from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET http://www.630wmal.com/article.asp?id=632848 Listen Live! Don't Miss It! Call Austin during the show at 888 630 9625

Bill and Jill Bill Burton, communications director extraordinaire for the Obama campaign reached out and touched someone today on the McCain campaign: his counterpart, Jill Hazelbaker. Here is the content of the email he sent out to reporters before the McCain conference call: “Jill – hope you’re well. We’d like to add our campaign counsel, Bob Bauer to your conference call with Trevor Potter so that we can arbitrate some of the disagreements that the two of them have over the meeting they recently had. If you can please shoot me the dial-in, Bob is available to join for the...

Barack Obama's campaign has been forced to apologise to two Muslim women barred from sitting behind him at a public event. The two women in headscarves were asked not to sit in view of cameras at a rally in Detroit on Monday, where Al Gore endorsed Mr Obama. Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer, told Politico magazine: "I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against. "The message that I thought was delivered to us was that they do not want him associated with Muslims or Muslim supporters."

Congressman Altmire hearts McCain PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Salena Zito Rep. Jason Altmire, whose congressional district went overwhelmingly for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the six-week primary that was Pennsylvania, kind of likes Republican presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain’s proposal to invest in nuclear energy and clean coal. Here is the statement that he released today on McCain’s proposal to construct 45 nuclear reactors by 2030 and spend $2 billion a year in federal funding on clean coal. “I have always been a strong supporter of nuclear energy and clean coal technology, and I welcome Senator McCain’s announcement today that he is...

The Obama campaign is apologizing to the Muslim community. That's after campaign volunteers moved two women wearing traditional head scarves out of a rally camera shot. Candy Crowley has the details. When two young muslim women wearing headscarves, were told recently they could not sit behind Barack Obama at this rally......it raised questions in their community. "It speaks towards a bigger issue as far as the pervasive Islam phobia that is in our society that two Muslim females would be turned away

At a rally for Senator Barack Obama in Detroit on Monday, two Muslim women said they were prohibited from sitting behind the candidate because they were wearing head scarves and campaign volunteers did not want them to appear with him in news photographs or live television coverage. The Obama campaign said it quickly called the women to apologize after learning of the incident. "It doesn't reflect the orientation of the campaign," said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to Obama. "I do not believe that mistake will be made again." But the incident, first reported Wednesday by Politico.com, pointed to pitfalls...

At a rally for Senator Barack Obama in Detroit on Monday, two Muslim women said they were prohibited from sitting behind the candidate because they were wearing head scarves and campaign volunteers did not want them to appear with him in news photographs or live television coverage. The Obama campaign said it quickly called the women to apologize after learning of the incident. “It doesn’t reflect the orientation of the campaign,” said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to Mr.Obama.“I do not believe that mistake will be made again.”But the incident,first reported Wednesday byPolitico.com, pointed to pitfalls the campaign faces as...

Muslim Barack Obama fans told to hide from television cameras By Tim Shipman in Washington Last Updated: 12:23AM BST 19/06/2008 Barack Obama's campaign has been forced to apologise to two Muslim women barred from sitting behind him at a public event. About one in eight Americans falsely believes Mr Obama is Muslim The two women in headscarves were asked not to sit in view of cameras at a rally in Detroit on Monday, where Al Gore endorsed Mr Obama. Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer, told Politico magazine: "I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated...

Female Muslim supporters were told, "because of the political climate in the world, it's not good to be seen on TV or associated with Obama."

But Publicly Excludes Muslims @ Rally -- While the Obama campaign is allegedly publicly staying away from Muslims and reportedly barring them from pics at an Obama event (though Detroit Newsistan and Reuters photos show otherwise), privately he's hanging with them. Yesterday, Barack Hussein Obama wrapped up his trip to Michigan by meeting with a group of "community leaders." But one of those so-called leaders has been identified as an agent of Hezbollah--Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News. Siblani,, an open supporter of the terrorist group, was handpicked for the invite by the Obama campaign and spoke one-to-one...

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama's rally in Detroit Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women's headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate. The campaign has apologized to the women, all Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally. "This is of course not the policy of the campaign. It is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton, who added that the volunteers were acting...

Obama gets his bounce Posted June 18, 2008 8 :57 AM The Quinnipiac University poll released this morning shows Sen. Barack Obama ahead of Sen. John McCain in three critical battleground states: Pennsylvania -- Obama 52 percent, McCain 40 percent Ohio -- Obama 48 percent, McCain 42 percent Florida -- Obama 47 percent, McCain 43 percent These numbers finally give Obama the bounce that he and his team were looking for since Sen. Hillary Clinton left the race. Historically, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania have been "must win" states for the competing candidates in the general election -- the poll today...

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and former Vice President Al Gore wave to the audience during a campaign stop at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan June 16, 2008. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm holds up her shoe while introducing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Vice President Al Gore at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Monday, June 16, 2008. Gore announced his endorsement of Obama. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, seen here on June 16, 2008, accused White House rival John McCain of "posturing" as the Republican, tapping voters' anxiety about sky-high fuel prices, called for offshore...

"Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm holds up her shoe while introducing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Vice President Al Gore at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit."

Al Gore is endorsing Obama this evening. Does this mean he's taking a break from his never-ending Global Warming Tour to stump for Obama? If so, what will this mean for our planet? Al, the earth needs you!

Karl Rove on Hannity and Colmes just asked Why is Al Gore endorsing Obama in Michigan? He's obviously still tone deaf, said Rove. LOL! Gore always bashes the auto industry. He won't get a good reception there.

FLINT, Michigan (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama Monday proposed spending billions to revitalize the nation's economy, a plan the campaign of his likely Republican opponent said would slow economic growth with higher taxes. During an economic speech in Flint, Michigan, Obama promised to spend billions to improve America's education, infrastructure, energy and health care systems. To improve America's competitiveness, the senator from Illinois said he wants to spend $10 billion on childhood education, $150 billion over 10 years on developing alternative energy and $60 billion over 10 years to build "21st century infrastructure." Obama said he would pay for these...

Al Gore announced his endorsement of Barack Obama Monday and promised to help the Democrat achieve what eluded him _ the presidency. In a letter to be e-mailed to Obama supporters, the former vice president and Nobel Prize winner wrote, "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States." In 2000, Gore won the popular vote but lost the disputed 2000 election to George W. Bush, who captured Florida and its electoral votes after a divided Supreme Court ended the recount. Since then, Gore has made...

Big Al does Motown with Obama PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Salena Zito Oscar-winning, Nobel Prize sharing documentarian and one time Vice President Al Gore will do Motown with Sen. Barack Obama at the "Joe" (Detroit's Joe Louis Arena) tonight. Subject? Change that works for you. Gore finally endorsed the Illinois Senator today via an e-mail to supporters: "Over the next four years, we are going to face many difficult challenges -- including bringing our troops home from Iraq, fixing our economy, and solving the climate crisis. Barack Obama is clearly the candidate best able to solve these problems and bring change...

DETROIT (AP/WXYZ) - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will be conspicuously absent when Barack Obama makes his first campaign stop in the city since effectively wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination. The embattled mayor, facing criminal charges and public scrutiny in an embarrassing text-messaging sex scandal, has decided not to attend Monday night's rally at Joe Louis Arena.

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll in Michigan shows Barack Obama attracting 45% of the vote while John McCain earns 42%. This is the fourth poll in Michigan since McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination and all four have found the candidates within three points of each other. In both May and late-March McCain held a statistically insignificant one-point lead.

· Replace Michigan’s current complex and unfair tax system with a simple retail sales tax. · Eliminate current sales tax, personal income tax, Michigan Business Tax, Personal Property Tax, 6 mill State Education Tax on business and sales tax on all business purchases and replace them all with a simple retail sales tax. · Save MI taxpayers billions of dollars now being wasted in complying with the current tax code. · Significantly lower the cost of goods & services produced in Michigan by removing the cost of business taxes and tax compliance costs that are hidden in today’s prices. ·...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm isn't switching her support quite yet to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Granholm and Lieutenant Governor John Cherry both endorsed New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last October. They're among seven Michigan Democratic superdelegates who backed Clinton. Fifteen support Obama, with one more expected to endorse Friday. Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Thursday that, while the governor has made it clear she'll support the Democratic nominee, she won't make a formal statement supporting Obama until after Clinton announces a decision on her campaign. Clinton plans to hold an event in Washington...

Saturday, May 31, 2008, is a day that will live in infamy in American history. It is the day the Democratic National Committee (DNC) declared Floridians and Michiganders to be half human. This was the day they declared that the votes of delegates from those states would count as only half of a vote. Two people from Michigan and Florida will only have one vote for the purposes of the Democrats' presidential nominating convention. The rest is at this link: http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=19744953&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=580169&rfi=6

This past Saturday, the Democratic National Committee Rules Committee voted, as many anticipated, on seating the Florida and Michigan Democratic delegates with only half of vote. Moreover, 59 Michigan delegates were awarded to Barak Obama, notwithstanding he was not on the January 15 Michigan primary ballot. As Clinton adviser and Rules committee member Harold Ickes asserted, the outcome for Michigan was a hijacking of voters’ intent because it assigned delegates to Mr. Obama even though he did not win them. As we reported last week, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the former chairman and now ranking minority member on the Senate...

One of the things that has startled me throughout the Democrat nominating process is that it’s a good glimpse of what a future dominated by the Democrat party would look like. In their quest to legislate fairness into their nominating system the Democrats have found themselves with a byzantine rules structure that, in the words of George Will, is utterly rococo-esque in it’s complexity and ornamentation while creating a result that is anything but fair. This is the party that complained bitterly about the importance of the popular vote after the 2000 election, downplayed it in 2004 while pointing to...

Read the full list of talking points below. THE RULES AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE DECISION * Yesterday’s results are a victory for the people of Florida who will have a voice in selecting our Party’s nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party’s convention. The decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee honors the votes that were cast by the people of Florida and allocates the delegates accordingly. * We strongly object to the Committee’s decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan’s delegates-the decision does not reflect the votes of the people of Michigan. * The Committee...

Representing Michigan, state Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer suggested that Obama get nearly half of the state's delegates -- even though his name wasn't on the ballot. This started the bickering all over again. "This committee cannot use the results of such a flawed primary to assign delegates," said Obama representative David Bonior to a blend of cheers, boos and hisses. "Throwing the insult, if you will, at the Michigan primary that it was flawed," committee member Donald Fowler said, "is not appropriate." Only Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan had an irrefutable point. "We've got a totally irrational system of nominating...

End of days Pittsburgh Tribune-Review By Salena Zito As Hillary Clinton sprints to the end of the primary finish line and Obama crawls in the dust behind her -- it will be her rival, Barack Obama, that will declare himself the winner by the end of the week. And there does not appear to be a superdelegate within sight that is willing to consider anything other than getting in line with all of the other cool kids.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign was out in full force on the Sunday shows, insisting that Mrs. Clinton will be leading in the popular vote at the end of the primary process this week and will be making a final appeal to the party’s uncommitted superdelegates on that basis. The Clinton forces also left the door open that they could press forward with a fight to the credentials committee, as it threatened to do yesterday. Mrs. Clinton could challenge the Democratic Party’s rules committee on Saturday allocated the delegates from Michigan. We’ll have more on that argument in a later...

LANSING, Mich. - After his preacher problems, Barack Obama doesn't need another association with a charismatic, radioactive public figure. Still, Kwame Kilpatrick, the tarnished mayor of Detroit, is a hard man to avoid completely. That places the Democratic presidential candidate in a bit of a dilemma when he campaigns in Michigan this week and later in the race. Obama meets voters Monday in Troy, a Detroit suburb, just when his party needs to ease wounds from its internal fight over the renegade Michigan primary. The party's rules committee decided Saturday to seat the state's delegates at the convention but hold...

UNITED STATES -- Hillary Clinton's supporters stormed out of a raucous meeting of the Democratic National Committee's Rules Committee. The candidate herself is just as outraged over the decision on how to seat Michigan's delegates. Clinton says she's may appeal the ruling, which means the fight for the nomination wouldn't be decided until the party's august convention in Denver. These Clinton supporters are all for that. “She's a fighter. That's why she's still here. That's why she's reforming. It's a farce. This is not the people's party,” one supporter said. “We are going to defect. We are not going to...