In contrast with Solana Larsen's post of yesterday, today's daily faves focuses on those choosing Obama as their favorite. On the eve of the elections, most folks are decided - and for those abroad, it seems perhaps even more so. Here are reactions from three bloggers hoping for an Obama win.

1) England for Obama, whose blogger could be called the eternal pessimist, still feels certain of an Obama win, explaining:

In preparation for this, I view tomorrow night not with dread but with total resignation. I won’t be surprised or upset if it all goes wrong because I have already lived every horrendous scenario. Like some uber-negative war-gaming computer, I’ve played out every nightmare scenario through a CNN interactive electoral map. If there is carnage among Obama supporters I will be standing calm, quietly muttering “Knew it” to myself as a tear of lost childhood innocence slides down my cheek.

Luckily, Barack Obama is going to win tomorrow. The rational part of my brain knows this to be true. The polling is far too consistent, the early turnout far too high and the electoral college far too favourable for any other outcome. It may be a little closer than it looks right now - but Obama will be President Elect.

Given the near certainty – please baby Jesus – of the outcome, I want to use this last column to do something that doesn’t seem to be happening very much, and that’s look at what an Obama presidency will be like.

The blogger goes on to explain a number of reasons that Obama will be more moderate than we - and especially Brits - expect.

2) Also from the UK, Norfolk Blogger is hopeful for an Obama presidency. In a post entitled “Why every decent person has to hope the polls in America are right,” the blogger says:

All the latest polls show Obama with an average lead of around 6%. Taking in to account the margin of error, this means that Obama should be elected. That in itself is staggering, given his ethnicity and the negative, sometimes racist overtones of the efforts to stop him. But it tells us much about how America has changed.

An America which a few decades ago set dogs on black voters at the polls, a United States that just 8 years ago blocked roads in black areas of Florida in order to make voting harder for them to vote, should elect a black president. What an historic moment that would be. It would underline that the USA has changed, not its politics, but its demographics.

3) Our third and final post comes from not necessarily an Obama supporter, but…I'll let her words speak for themselves. Egyptian Chronicles reminds us to vote, and vote Democrat:

My dear American readers who will vote tomorrow whether an Arab or non Arab , that is your country and you know it better than all of us , choose who will really serve for your country in its best interest , my dear American Voter I do not have anything to you expect DON'T VOTE REPUBLICAN

Nervous about the election yet? Here's a triple dose of McCain favoritism brought to you from bloggers around the world.

1) Mexican actor, singer, and devoted Catholic, Eduardo Verástegui has been campaigning against Obama and for McCain on the basis of his anti-abortion and “traditional family value” beliefs. Numerous videos explaining his views are in circulation on the internet, including the one below. While Christian media rejoice, New York Latin culture blog, El Daily Remix, wish he would just stick to acting and stop interfering with women's rights.

Obama has rejected accusations made against him on “partial birth abortion” on the website, Fight the Smears.

2) German blogger “Hans Fritz” (aka Jan Becker) was an exchange student at a high school in Texas many years ago. He makes a film of his “homecoming” and talks to students of Tom Bean High School about who they think people in their community will vote for. Guess who.

Don't miss Hans Fritz' humorous take on the last presidential debate (where candidates “decided not to bomb Germany”).

Untitled from Jan Becker on Vimeo.

3) On Global Voices Online, Onnik Krikorian links to two separate blogs that each examine the general preference for McCain over Obama among citizens and politicians in Georgia (the country) and the Caucasus region.

From Social Science in the Caucasus:

McCain, of course, is popular in Georgia for having said “Today we all are Georgians” during the recent conflict. He has also previously visited the country, and apparently a missile was fired at his helicopter as he was flying over South Ossetia. His willingness to stand up to Russia, directly, makes him understandably popular in Georgia.

Ibrahim Hussein is a Jordanian with Palestinian roots who lives in Dubai in United Arab Emirates.

In his Bottom Line on the U.S. election, he questions its fairness:

We in the Middle East can’t vote, and the majority do not believe that the election is clean, seriously we all are set in thinking the US Elections is rigged, just like 2000. We do not believe that it is fair, especially that there is no equal coverage to other parties other than Democratic party and the Republican part. Most of us do not give a crap and most of us think it is just BS. But I am sure that most of people in the middle east, Arabs, Asians, Europeans, South American, Muslim and Christians will watch.

After struggling with cynicism, he finally looks for hope and change without supporting either candidate:

Some have watched the American elections since last year as if they are watching a reality TV show, a bit longer than American Idol I guess, and some watched it seriously following each and every article written about it. Some believe that it effects all of the world and some believe it will only affect Americans. I believe the whole world have hated the past 8 years, they hated Bush’s foreign policy and domestic policy, in the end all will watch and will wait to know who is the next president for USA hoping change come to Washington and we start seeing some difference in the way things work. Some might laugh and call it naivete, and some will call it hope.   Ibrahamo’s Weblog

Closer to home, William Bowe is one of Australia’s leading psephologists. With five days to go he’s called it:

I expect Obama to win the previously red states of Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, Nevada and Florida, leaving him well clear of the “magic 270″ with 338 electoral votes. He is also in contention in Missouri, Indiana and North Carolina, although most pundits rate McCain the favourite here.I'm going out on a limb to predict (without confidence) that the well-oiled Democratic mobilisation campaign will bring these states home as well, pushing Obama up to 375 against 163 for McCain.  Pollbludger predicts: Obama 375, McCain 163

Big call for a West Australian but I’ll back his judgement. This quote is from Crikey’s online website. William also blogs for them as Poll Bludger.  His live blogging will be very popular here next week. Let’s hope we get  a faster result than 2000.

My third favourite is not really a blog, though the video link can be found at mine, Labor View from Bayside. The BBC’s Dan Collyns reports from Peru that Barack Obama has the support of most of the local shamen:

As the US presidential election nears, the shamans of Peru have been displaying their own methods for ensuring the success of their chosen candidate. Peru's shamen send US election vibes

If you want to know the latest political advice from Palestinian group blog KABOBfest on whether to vote for Democratic candidate Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, the answer is clear: Don't vote.

Suggesting Arab Americans not vote on November 4, QuiQui writes:

How about we hear not one. single. word. of complaint for the next four years from those who are about to vote the trash in next Tuesday to replace the garbage they voted in eight years ago?

Arab Americans were asked vote for George W. Bush in 2000 in swing states like Florida by the same people now asking that Arab Americans living in swing states vote for Obama.

How about the Arab American leadership like those from the Arab American Institute stop trying to lead.

How about Arab Americans sit this one out. How about Arab Americans not vote. That way, this time, you can have every right to complain when Obama or McCain screw everything up.

How about, instead of the call to play ping-pong between Republicans and Democrats every four years, we hear calls to spend our energies on imagining and living under genuine democracy. Ways that do not rely on “leaders” to partake in the impossibility of “representation.” Ways that encourage us to do politics every day — not once every two or four years.

Electoral politics is not politics, yet we allow it to the be beginning and the end of our democracy oligarchy. Asking that everyone participate in this system is not going to change it any. On the contrary, it only legitimizes it and renders it our only thinkable solution.

Canadian blogger Darryl Wolk disagrees, though questions whether people are tired of Obamamania.

Darryl is glad the U.S. election nears to a close:

In 5 days, I will no longer be writing about the US election after blogging about it since 2006. It has been a historic primary. An African-American candidate for President. Two prominent women Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton taking center stage and breaking down barriers for women. A slate of political all stars running in both primaries that included Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Joe Biden. We have seen endorsements, debates, speeches, a revolutionary internet campaign and a presidential election that really started following the last mid-term race in 2006. Millions have been raised and spent. The campaigning is basically over. The focus now for both sides must be getting out the vote on the ground, particularily in the swing states. This campaign has been exciting and turnout is going to be extremely high.

How do Wolk and Canadians feel about McCain and Obama?

Read on:

John McCain says he is running on change and that he is different from Bush. His policies are the same and his campaign has been nothing but mudslinging and negative attacks. Obama wants to build America up while McCain is focused on tearing Obama down. His low road attacks are not based in truth and his polling numbers show that Americans have rejected the recycled “liberal”, “tax and spend”, “socialist” and “weak on national security” labels that have been used in past campaigns. I have not seen one person comment about how George W. Bush has done a good job or has been a great president. People on the right and left are united in calling Bush one of the worst presidents in United States history. Unfortunately, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. It is time for real change.

Barack Obama has been tested during these past two years. He has made an immediate impact in the senate dealing with arms control and ethics. He has experience in the state legislature. His campaign has been about unity and moving America forward. He offers the change that Americans and the world are demanding. His platform (or the video last night) shows that many of his policies are no different than what Conservatives are offering in Canada. Unlike McCain, we know exactly where we stands. He is running on the economy, an area McCain admits he is not up to speed on.

As for the future, will Sarah Palin run for the presidency in 2012? Thomas Ash of British-American project openUSA ponders that intellectual question over several paragraphs, with the following conclusion and an assumption about next week's victory:

Assuming McCain loses, she is bound to attract some of the blame. Her popularity in Alaska shows signs of decreasing from its (very high) initial base, and events there may yet damage her. She will face formidable opponents, possibly including a better-funded Mike Huckabee and a re-energised Mitt Romney (whose former staffers have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, according to the American Spectator). And, awkward though it is to say so, her looks - which constitute a significant part of her appeal for some people - will begin to fade as she goes from 44 to 48.

Should Arab Americans stay away from the polls?

Will Obama occupy the White House?

And will maverick and hot mama Palin lose her looks by 2012?

Thoughts?

1. Republicans didn’t want the crown

Cuban blogger Tomás Estrada-Palma writes in his self-titled blog that the Republican Party is throwing the towel and has been.

“I know many Cuban exiles are displeased with me for not supporting McCain. But they should be more angry with the Republican Party hacks for throwing Mac under the election bus. I was suspicious when the Republican Party leadership promoted McCain's candidacy after they use to hate him. Then they got him Sarah Palin as a running mate and I became more curious. Does the Republican Party leadership want McCain to lose? It sure seemed odd.”

He further states that the Republican Party doesn’t want the leadership position because of the current state of the nation and further compares the U.S. to Cuba.

“No, the Republican Party elite does not want the presidency next go around. They know how bad the economy really is and how bad things are going to be next year and beyond. They feel it is better for the long term to have Obama in the hot seat, especially since he is not an American citizen and has committed a felony by misrepresenting his place of birth to hide the fact that he is unqualified constitutionally to hold the office of the presidency. I know this to be a fact because rather than just producing a birth certificate to settle the court challenge Obama and the Democrat party have quashed the suit on technicalities. But the case will go forward next year causing a Constitutional crisis along side the economic one we face.

So plan on chaos for next year and beyond with a weak, illegal president. The Republican party leadership thinks they have laid the foundation for the future of the GOP. But the real bosses, the international bankers, know they are right on schedule to divide and finally break up America into smaller, more manageable pieces. Cuban exiles should have been able to recognize these things but evidently they have learned nothing from the Castro experience.”

2. American conservative race V. Canadian conservative race

In another comparison, canworldjon, compares the tactics used in Canada’s Conservative Party presidential campaign versus that of America’s Republican Party.

“The Canadian election is now done, but for many observers, the political strategies of the different parties remain raw in our minds. The Conservative tact of defining Liberal leader Stephane Dion as too “weak” to be a leader, and their attack on his proposed Green Shift plan as a “tax grab” was by all measures successful. So much so, that Dion cited the Conservative misinformation campaign as a key reason for his decision to resign as Liberal leader.

I want to focus, in particular, on Conservative Leader Stephen Harper’s attacks on Dion’s Green Shift proposal– a policy, put in (overly) simple terms, to shift tax burdens onto polluting behavior. Harper, however, redefined the Green Shift policy via “scare tactics” focusing on Dion’s supposed latent socialism. The Green Shift was not an environmental policy, declared Harper, but a “hidden agenda” to tax everything in the country. In fact, Harper consistently stumped that the Green Shift was a secret socialist-style redistribution program.”

He then throws in the U.S. comparisons:

“Interestingly, here in the United States, the McCain-Palin campaign for the 2008 presidency have recently settled on a line of attack ominously similar to Harper’s. After toying with several different “scare” attacks over the last few weeks — including VP candidate Sarah Palin’s base assertion that Senator Obama has a history of “palling around with terrorists” — McCain and Palin have likewise focused on Obama’s supposed hidden socialism. Seizing on remarks Obama made to a voter now known as “Joe the Plumber”, that Obama, with is tax plan, wished to “spread the wealth around”, the GOP have declared Obama a closet socialist wanting to impose wealth “redistribution” on America.”

Canworldjon then writes that the same tactics are having different outcomes because of the American perception on the idealogy of socialism.

“Commonsense tells us that in Canada, a country with a greater affinity for socialized programs like universal healthcare, such scare tactics alluding to secretive socialist agendas would be less effective; conversely, such attacks should more effective in the United States, with its staunchly anti-socialist historical tendency. Ironically, however, the Republican attacks (unlike Harper’s election win) have been largely ineffective: the Obama-Biden campaign is widening its lead over the Republican ticket.

Is this one of those great inexplicable electoral ironies? Or perhaps evidence that certain communications strategies are ineffectual, given broader social, political or economic currents (such has concern among Americans that the Republican party has mismanaged the country’s finances)?”

3. According to the pundits…

The third fave is by Malaysian blogger Khoo Kay Peng, who writes about the American political pundits and their analysis of the election.

“Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. who is the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association and co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, predicts Obama's overwhelming victory. Yes, this is the commission which organises the presidential and vice-presidential debates. He has conducted 22 of them ever since. Another prominent personality, Governor James Blanchard (pic) who is a former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and a decorated diplomat predicted a big win for Obama too.

According to Governor Blanchard, economy is the biggest single issue in this election. Not national security. Not Iraq. National security is a key strength of McCain. Average Americans are worried about jobs, lay-offs and keeping their homes. Hence, most of them are looking for who can best manage their economy.

Clearly, the financial meltdown in Wall Street is not favouring McCain. Naturally, most Americans are blaming Bush for lack of urgency to arrest the problem when Lehman Brothers went under.”

However, Peng adds that “Obamania” can still end.

“Obamania is really sweeping US like a wild fire. Can he be stopped? According to the speakers, yes. If there is an incident which threatens national security it may force American voters to rethink their choice. Apparently, the terrorists would prefer a hawkish president such as Bush to help keep them in business.

Can Obama make it? Or will McCain pip him from behind? Stay tuned!”

What are your thoughts on these three faves? Did the Republican Party give up before the race began? Is socialism really bad? And, does McCain still have a chance?

The pickings were slim on Thursday but that didn't prevent me from finding analysis and commentary from some of the world's best.

I begin with the Puerto Rican group blog, VivirLatino, and a posting titled, I Couldn't Agree With Them More!!!!

Responding to an earlier comment by U.S. Representative John Murtha (D-PA) who called Pennsylvania voters racists, this blog references a Fox-TV video snippet where John McCain effectively stumbles over his words and agrees with Murtha.

It doesn't get any better than this, readers.

John McCain is chocked full of total Jackass moments these days…Throwing all his truth out there like that…I feel like sending a couple tios out on the dance floor to reel drunk John off the floor and bring him home.

My second contribution comes from American neighbor Canada, where Ontario blogger Darryl Wolk summarizes a Globe and Mail newspaper story about a Gallup poll on Canadian and Mexican viewpoints on the presidential candidates. The poll indicated 67% of Canadians and a similar ratio of Mexicans favor Barack Obama (despite 63% of Mexicans who have no opinion).

In Canada and the world want Obama, Wolk writes:

…I think these numbers are positive. Obama has the tools to restore America's image in the world. Given that economic, security, climate change and issues such as Iran are going to require international cooperation; I think these numbers demonstrate that Obama has the leadership qualities to get something productive done on all these fronts. I look forward to his first trip to Canada as President. I suspect he will be greeted with a much different reception than George W. Bush has been given here in the past.

Finally, I fly to Trinidad and Tobago (via Global Voices Online), where Trinidadian blogger and military veteran Taran Rampersad highlights a John Cleese interview who describes Sarah Palin as “a nice looking parrot” and provides amazing commentary on why Obama must win:

…while everyone outside the U.S. likes the idea of living in the U.S. based on media advertising that says the United States is the land of milk and honey - people have come to terms with the fact that the milk may be sour and the honey is guarded by African killer bees.

While the United States presents a large export market for the world, the purchasing power of the United States has decreased significantly during George W. Bush's reign - the last financial disaster added more injury than the financial hemorrhage of the war and subsequent occupation of Iraq (whether you agree with it or not). It's well and good to support the troops - I do - but supporting the troops requires more than making good decisions on the ground. Supporting the troops means assuring that the troops have (1) valid reasons for being there, and (2) not throwing away the lives and quality of life of the troops for reasons that seem to simplify to oil.

The world sees all of this. Maybe it doesn't speak openly of it, and it's quite possible that it doesn't speak openly enough. But there is a change in the tone when one talks about the United States, one that doesn't necessarily even make it onto the Internet because of digital divide issues, but it's there. Linger with an American accent in some places and you'll get an earful. The wars, the ticking time bombs of mortgages, foreign policy that dictates rather than discusses… no smart person bites the hand that feeds it, but if the hand that feeds is running out of food, there is a change in that status quo. A foreign policy of preventive war (would George Washington have approved?) doesn't make friends. It makes a nervous planet.

Skipping ahead in the superb analysis is the following:

And the world, as a whole, seems more likely to support Obama. Why? He's been labeled a Muslim, when Islam is the world's fastest growing religion. He's been labeled a terrorist, in a world where an Axis of Evil is said to exist. And while he is neither, by being accused of these things he stands with the innocents who have been accused of the same things. Frankly, McCain/Palin have seemed to make Obama's international weight greater, which means he'll have greater weight in foreign policy - something Bill Clinton is/was good at but his wife may not have been very good at.

Me? I'm a veteran. I'll always support the troops because that's what veterans do - but supporting the troops doesn't mean flinging them into danger whenever rich people feel the need to become richer or the powerful seek more power. It's time that the world saw a United States that it would like to have trade and political relations with - the United States of lore.

McCain can't do that. Obama can. This election can affect the global status quo - how it is affected, because of the media and the citizen journalists, is fickle. But at the end of the day, what one has to ponder is this:

Would the world prefer to deal with McCain or Obama? The world, if you listen, is saying Obama. These are the nations and peoples that the United States trades with, makes policy with, and otherwise negotiates with. McCain has shown his politics in his campaign, smearing his opponents whenever he sees fit. Is that the person who should be handling foreign policy and reporting to the American people? I think not.

Obama has to win. Poor guy. He's working so hard for a crappy job.

In today’s favorite round up, a German blogger writes about the irrelevance of Palin’s wardrobe, meanwhile an American in Palestine talks about her recent Obama-filled trip and an Obama supporter has sad news for Jews wanting to purchase an accessory.

1. Sarah Palin’s $150k wardrobe

While citizen media throughout the blogosphere are commenting on the importance of Palin’s pricey wardrobe, German blogger lists two points on why it’s an irrelevant piece of information. Claire writes about her “ ‘Come, on!’ moment”:

“Turns out that the RNC has paid a lot of money for Ms. Palin's clothes.

Let me tell you why this doesn't matter:

1. It's the RNC's money, not hers. If they want to make sure that their candidate looks good that is their prerogative. They have got plenty of money. Personally, I think it is money well spent as I have envied many of her coats.

2. No one talks about the costs of Obama's suits or McCain shirts. If you are going to talk about one you should talk about them all.”

Claire also adds a note for the Republican nominee:

“Oh, and one more thing, Sarah. Don't claim to be “just like me.” I don't tote around Louis-Vitton. Although I wish I did.”

2. Obama-mania trip home

American blogger living in Palestine, Marcy Newman writes about her recent trip home and her experience with “Obama-mania” at the American Studies Association conference.

“I’m still reeling from the experience of not only coming back to the U.S. in the midst of a racist, offensive presidential campaign, but also the ways in which this affected the American Studies Association (ASA) conference. Normally this is a conference I look forward to. Some of the smartest people–and some of the most politically radical people–are usually in attendance. This is a conference where Angela Davis and Ruth Gilmore–two of the most important voices on the prison abolition movement regularly discuss this subject, for instance. But this year even those voices that one might normally expect critical analysis from seem to be swept up in Obama-mania. Starbucks sipping, Obama button wearing colleagues abounded. Yes, it took some walking and seeking to find non-Starbucks coffee, but of course the local variety was far superior.”

Newman then speaks about her support for third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney and how progressives paved the way for people like Obama.

“It’s not so much that I expected everyone to embrace progressive or radical candidates like Cynthia McKinney or Ralph Nader. But at ASA I did expect to hear critical analysis and discussion that brought them into the fold. By excluding other candidates these scholars participate in the same sort of exclusionary practices that the duopoly American government upholds by keeping third party candidates out of debates or off ballots. But it just seemed that everyone was so fixated on Obama and had such rose-colored glasses or people were just so mesmerized by this phenomenon that even McKinney’s name never came up. Even in a Stuart Hall panel where Hall’s important legacy in cultural studies came up the discussion related to the election centered on discussing whether or not “we should take credit for the emergence of Obama.” Mind you, they made it clear that taking credit is not the same as celebrating or endorsing, and certainly the work of radicals and progressives paved the way for a candidate like Obama. But this is precisely the point: all sorts of radical political movements made his candidacy possible but his candidacy speaks to none of the issues of any of those movements from anti-racism to labor.”

3. Obama yarmulkes out of stock

Newman can rest assure knowing that a little less “Obama-mania” will be found in some areas, as Jewish blogger Matt Walters reports that Obama yarmulkes are sold-out.

“We regret to inform you that we are now sold out of Obama-kah yarmulkes and due to the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, our manufacturer cannot provide a new shipment in time for us to re-distribute the yarmulkes to you before the election on Nov. 4.”

1) McCain, the warrior?

Fearless blogger Jotman (Thailand) wrote today about Americans' tendency to believe that John McCain possesses superior military leadership qualities than Barack Obama. Citing a recent CBS poll in which 48 percent of respondents say McCain is ‘very likely' to be effective and 27 percent say the same of Obama, the blogger says:

Fundamentally, I think Americans are dead wrong if they think McCain would make a superior military leader to Obama. We all know that McCain is a warrior, but what evidence do we have that he is an especially gifted commander? Very little.

On the other hand, the tactical skills Obama has demonstrated during the campaign against the Clintons, and his campaign to date against McCain, plus Obama's prescient decision not to support the invasion of Iraq, are positive indications that Obama a strategic thinker — the kind that makes for an effective military leader.

2) Fareed Zakaria for Obama

The news that popular pundit Fareed Zakaria expressed his support for Obama was nearly overshadowed by Colin Powell's endorsement, but Arab-American blog KABOBFest didn't miss the scoop. Author Will quoted Zakaria, who stated in his Newsweek column:

I admit to a personal interest. I have a 9-year-old son named Omar. I firmly believe that he will be able to do absolutely anything he wants in this country when he grows up. But I admit that I will feel more confident about his future if a man named Barack Obama became president of the United States

Will then went on to say:

I personally have always had mixed feelings about Zakaria. He's always been too big on liberalism, without address the many victims of the purveyors of that ideology. It's like rampant socialists who ignore crimes in socialism's name. However, he does expose many Americans to international views. For instance, without his show on CNN, Americans may never get to see eloquent and educated third world pundits speak (even if most of his guests are also pro-West liberals). But what difference does it make if Obama's cast of supporting characters are the same old, same old, and all the change we were promised ends up as much less than what we were sold?

Then, we can revel in the joy that we'd be getting screwed by a leader of color. It would make us feel more like back home.

So when President Omar Zakaria is kissing Israel's ass during the 2048 centennial celebrations of Israel's birth, I can look back at how far American racial politics has come; American Muslims will have finally arrived to the promised land.

3) Bear Murdered, Covered in Obama posters

My third “fave” of the day is not so much a favorite post as one which deserves attention. VivirLatino shares a story of a bear shot in the head in North Carolina, then draped in Barack Obama banners and dragged to the front of Western Carolina University's administration building. The Obama banners were stapled together and placed over the bear's head.

The blogger reacted to the incident:

Signs and whispers are one thing. Murdering a bear with a gunshot to the head and putting pictures of a human being on it is something else all together.

Where is this blessed “America” that the far right is so eager to rub our faces in? Where is the rule of law? Where does the idea come from that if you don't like a person's politics, the next best thing is to kill him (or otherwise imply murder through the murder of other beings?).

I hope the FBI/Secret Service has made its way out to North Carolina.

1) Havana-based blogger Circles Robinson Online says Cubans in Cuba are watching the elections intently, and seem to be favoring Obama because they think he is most likely to loosen the U.S. travel restrictions on Cuban relatives who want to visit the island.

“I’m living in Cuba, not the United States, but even so I’m tired of the US presidential campaign. It’s been going longer than the last three TV soap operas combined!

There has been extensive coverage here, with entire round table programs dedicated to the subject and almost daily reports and opinion pieces in the newspapers.

Most Cubans made up their minds on who they favor shortly after the Democratic Party primary ended. Not that people are enamored with either of the two major parties, but they at least see a ray of hope for improved relations under Obama. This means a lot for many families divided by the Florida Straits and politics.”

2) On the British-South Asian group blog Pickled Politics, Shariq, muses on the origins of conspiracy theories, like the one that Bill Ayers wrote Obama's biography, and says he thinks conspiracy theories happen when people feel distrust conventional media, and come up with alternative formulations.”

He draws parallels to conspiracy theories in the Muslim world:

“Just like the [U.S] right wing machine has taken legitimate grievances and turned them into wild speculation, the same thing has happened in the Muslim world. This really hit home to me after the bombings in Pakistan. Rather than finally realising that the Pakistani Taliban/Al-Qaeda do not discriminate on nationality or religion and are willing to butcher innocent civilians, talk has turned to yet more conspiracy theories. I’m not sure what the solution is but I think its important to realise that this is a problem and is standing in the way of making progress.”

3) Finally, 24-year old Zeinoba blogging at Egyptian Chronicles is displeased with the sexism on display in the attacks on Sarah Palin. Her post is in response to a rumor that someone is producing a new porn film with a Sarah Palin look-alike.

“Maybe Hilary Clinton would have suffered in the same way if she had won the ticket of the democrats. Some people still can’t remove the fact that she is woman in the first place before being a politician, and for them being a woman is a weakness point they can mock as they want !!’”

* Photo of flag display at Havana Airport taken by jorge6880

Madagascan Lova Rakotomalala, one of the VwV authors, has a  brilliant post today on  malagasy dwarf hippo: about that “if the world could vote” and minority head of state. He turns the tables on the rest of the world:

As most surveys have shown so far, if the world could vote, Obama would win over McCain in landslide. As a consequence, my friends and relatives overseas often say that they cannot understand why the US voters have not clearly made their choice yet when the rest of the world is in agreement on which candidate is the better choice.

Well, here is my advice to my friends, relatives and myself wondering about the judgment of the American voters:

let's all get off our collective high horses and ask ourselves whether it would really be a slam dunk if the same situation were to present itself back home. In other words, would a relatively young candidate from a minority group with a new approach fare that well against an experienced politician labeled as a war hero in your own country?

His answer to this challenge:

Now, in the history of presidential elections worldwide, how many times did a younger, ethnic minority candidate win in a landslide ?

I do not have the exact answer but as far as I know, only two countries have had an elected ethnic minority national leader at some point in history: Peru (Fujimori) and Fiji (Chaudhry). India (Singh) and Bolivia (Morales) could be considered but I am not sure if either count as a true elected ethnic minority leader, Singh was not elected and is more part of a religious minority. Morales is part of the indigenous population but technically, indigenous groups are the majority even though they are very rarely in power.

Closer to home, a TV blog in Australia, TVtonight, is bemused by John McCain's decision to snub David Letterman's talk show. Nothing worse than a media star scorned:

It was on David Letterman’s own talk show that John McCain announced to America that he was running as a candidate for the presidency, an unusual platform to declare himself.

But last month the unique bond went a little awry when McCain snubbed Dave for an interview with Katie Couric. Bad idea. Dave’s been milking it for gags ever since.

“Do you suspend your campaign? No, because that makes me think, well, you know, maybe there will be other things down the road - if he’s in the White House, he might just suspend being president. I mean, we’ve got a guy like that now!” he said.

Tonight you can see the “kiss and make up” appearance of the man running for president as he makes his apologetic appearance on The Late Show.

Guy Rundle is on the road in the U.S. covering the campaign for Australian online media service Crikey  where his posts usually read like Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail. His sober assessment on the last debate:

The score - McCain was punchier but more scattered, and he commanded the rhetorical field with his Joe the plumber stuff, before Obama started to get it back onto more general. Obama passed up every opportunity to punch hard which yes in this context seemed wise.

Once again Obama won by not losing. McCain lost by getting a draw even a slight win. And I reckon the ‘life of the mother’ air quotes are good for another tranche of female voters moving to Obama, and that thing about teachers not needing training. He’s hitting wrong notes, I suspect, the old navy flyer fighting the last war/campaign but two or three.

Last presidential debate at Hofstra

I recommend Guy's full posts which are steeped in 1970's journalistic tradition. A true disciple of Hunter S. Thompson.

What do a 29-year-old “strong conservative” Canadian, a 22-year-old “Sudanese thinker,” and an Irish-American poet from New Jersey have in common?

In the wake of the third and final U.S. presidential debate, the triumvirate form an unlikely bond and agree that Republican candidate John McCain has a lot going for him and that the election will ultimately come down to ideology.

Let's start in Ontario, Canada with the opening sentence from The Strong Conservative indicating Barack Obama is a socialist and ought to be compared to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German revolutionary Karl Marx.

Obama's health care plan was as complicated as nuclear fusion, I have no idea who gets what or how much, except the government basically runs it. That's all I need to know.

Most important, Obama can now be known as America's Robin Hood. Taxpayers can sleep peacefully knowing that Obamessiah will happily redistribute wealth in America in an unbiased and benevolent fashion. First on the list: Acorn, followed by the now unemployed former works from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Jaime Gorelick and Frank Raines.

Skipping ahead, we read:

The more I see Obama however, the more nervous he makes me. This guy has no clue about the economy, no clue about foreign policy, and a history that no one really knows about. His entire life is veiled in secrecy and misdirection and he can't point to one single accomplishment in his life. It is frightening to think that Obama is so close to the Presidency, a man who wants to gut the military, retreat in the face of terrorists, and impose a socialistic ideology on America.

Powerful stuff from America's northern neighbor. If you're reading along, what do you think so far? This commentary goes contrary to the heart of most of Voices without Votes‘ bloggers, right? Post a comment below.

But first, we fly across the pond to sub-Saharan Africa and catch up with Drima, an Afro-Arab Sudanese Muslim and millennial blogger who states up front in The Sudanese Thinker that until recently, he never heard of Obama who he called “a no name.”

Drima backed McCain from day one and elaborates about Obama at the debate:

I liked how he sailed through McCain’s attack and question about Ayers calmly and rather eloquently like it was no big deal. On the other hand, I loved how McCain looked into the camera and started talking directly to “Joe.”

It was kinda funny, but I liked his emphasis on the importance of smaller government. His performance in this debate was better than the previous one which is ironic, since the format of the previous debate is supposed to be McCain’s favorite - town halls. During the first debate, he was the winner though.

Hmm. Drima admits a love for McCain but thinks Obama had a better start. Keep reading:

…after watching the two candidates hit each other back and forth, I’m coming out in favor of Obama but with my nose squeezed tightly.

Thing is, when the race began, I was backing McCain. I wanted to see him win. Moreover, I wanted to see Hillary [Clinton] and Rudy [Giuliani] lose, lose, lose.

Like the Canadian blogger above, you won't find many non-Americans in the blogosphere indicating a favoritism toward the Republican candidate. But here's where Drima, if presented the opportunity, wouldn't vote for McCain:

I like McCain, and I don’t have the kind of hatred many on the left have towards him, but ultimately, I believe his choice for VP was terrible. It served him well but only in the short-term. Moreover, I’m tired of seeing the lack of pressure being exerted by Elephants on Sudan to implement the CPA and settle the Darfur conflict.

If you click the above link for “The Sudanese Thinker,” you can read more of Drima's thoughts about Obama and Darfur and how McCain lacks the ideological perspective.

Which brings us back to the United States and to Michael Lally, an Irish-American blogger who agrees Obama won the debate but my focus in this summary is on the third thought of a political diatribe where Lally portrays the different sides of the U.S. political scene.

He begins:

Liberals, by definition, are humanists. They believe in equal rights, solving problems with reason and compromise, intellectual curiosity and openness, etc.

Moderates, by definition, believe in a balance, a middle way, a repudiation of ideology in favor of practicality and, obviously, moderation.

Independents can have varied beliefs, but again, they do not succumb to the ideology of either major party, though they may adhere to another ideology (libertarianism e.g.), and have never had the power of controlling any branch of our government so have no history of schemes and tactics to maintain power.

True conservatives, of which there are few these days, believe in fiscal responsibility, smaller government, personal responsibility, and generally in ideals that have been better represented by Democrats in the past several decades than Republicans (e.g. the most fiscally responsible administration in most of our lifetimes was Clinton’s, the least fiscally responsible were Reagan’s and the present one).

Rightwing Republicans, so-called neo-conservatives, the ones who have been dominant in the Republican Party since Reagan, and on the rise since Nixon, and entrenched in the past eight years in all branches of government (it continues to be one of their big lies that the Congress is controlled by Democrats for the past two years, when they know that because of the almost even split in the Senate, the Democrats cannot override Republicans in Congress to get bills passed the Bush administration objects to, etc.) have demonstrated clearly they are only interested in power.

Lally continues on a rant about Roe v. Wade, former Presidents Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy, and brings the conversation back to Obama:

While the most thoughtful Republicans lately have been saying they intend to vote for Obama, or at least accept that an Obama victory might be for the best and they’ll regroup and come back in four years or in the mid term Congressional elections, the more strident rightwing Republicans have been making it clear an Obama victory will be a victory for terrorism, socialism, communism and gangsterism, all legitimate targets, in their minds, for vigilantism.

Let’s hope they’re too busy dealing with their own financial problems to actually do anything extreme. But I do not put it past them.

You've read a variety of ideas here. Can you see why I picked these out as my favorites of the day? Ultimately, blogging is about ideologies and these blog posts speak to the heart of the matter. Thoughts? Post a comment below!

In today's round up, we learn about a Canadian who confesses to know more about the US election than that of her own country, a new Tennessee father going out of his way to show support to the McCain-Palin ticket and a UK student who spent time volunteering in the Obama campaign.

1) Blog becomes confessional

Canadian blogger of Two Chicks Nest confesses that she knows more about U.S. politics than that of her own country.

“This is not an informational post, but rather a confessional. I'm calling myself out. I've lived in Canada for a year and I don't understand Canadian politics. I follow U.S. politics like it's my (part time) job, but I barely even notice what's going on in the country that I am living in. Tsk tsk. Canadians are very interested in U.S. politics. The Canadian news broadcasts the vice presidential debates, for god's sake! How is it that we have 24-hour news cycles in the U.S., but we barely ever mention anything beyond the U.S. border? Americans, have you heard anything about the Canadian national election that took place yesterday?”

The blogger then asks for advice on how to become better informed on Canadian politics.

“So how do I bone up on Canadian politics? Does anyone have any reading recommendations? I'd prefer some books that can give me a historical context of how the parties developed, etc. I should probably ask my tween nieces for some lessons in Canadian government and politics.”

2) Father names baby “Sarah McCain Palin”

In a recent USA Today article, a new father in Tennessee named his baby “Sarah McCain Palin” in support of the Republican ticket. Asian American blogger Diana comments on the supportive gesture.

“What a gesture! And a clever and beautiful name, to say the least! I think, however, a unique spelling (Hollywood-style) of the “surprise” moniker would be more appropriate. How about: D-I-V-O-R-C-E?”

3) UK student visits the States

Raf Sanchez, a student in the United Kingdom, recently visited the U.S. and worked on the Obama campaign. He comments on the emotions of Obama supporters.

“Voter registration was easily the most rewarding part of my work on the campaign. It’s here that you really feel how much Obama’s candidacy means to people, especially many African-Americans old enough to remember the Civil Rights struggle. People don’t just agree with him. He is cherished. His “improbable” success is something people draw personal pride and happiness from, as a parent might from the success of a child. To be allowed in on a little bit of the solidarity people feel for the man is incredibly empowering.”

He then writes about his rare opportunity to meet the man he was campaigning for:

“On my last day before leaving for the UK I met Obama on a tiny airstrip in New Hampshire. His jet, adorned with his mantra of ‘Change’, looked comical amongst the Cessnas and Piper Cub light aircraft. He seemed tired but glad to see us. He asked me about Virginia, nodding in quiet approval as I told him about our field work there. He is more substantial, tougher looking than his trademark slim suits make him appear on television. There is a swagger as he walks. He thanked us for our work and within minutes his jet roared off. For those of us left on the runway it was a moment on which we would giddily compare notes until hours later. For him it was just one more campaign stop on a long and difficult road to the presidency.”

Don't forget to send us links to your faves too!

1) Immigration in the nation

It's Columbus Day in the United States today, and pro-migrant “Guatemala-inspired” blog Citizen Orange can't help remembering the “ethnic cleansing and genocide”, linking to several Native American websites. About the election, Citizen Orange writer “symsess” is wondering why neither Barack Obama or John McCain have addressed immigration in the presidential debates so far, given the importance of Latino votes. He rounds up links to others who are wondering the same.

2) Cabpoll 08

In Australia, a Sydney cab driver with a very cool video blog happens upon a Kansas native who now works with Democrats Abroad in Sydney. Adrian Neylan of Cablog writes:

Yesterday I chatted with Brendan, a Democrat Abroad volunteer living in Sydney. I started proceedings by giving ‘ol John McCain a friendly back-hander before we moved onto the Democrats absentee voting campaign and Sydney's strong support for Obama.

Here's the first of three videos from the Cablog post:

3) Did he have to be French?

My last pick isn't really election focused, but on a day when everyone is talking about the Nobel Prize in Economics for New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, it seems relevant to link to Superfrenchie's post complaining about an American pundit who accuses the Nobel award committee of being “euro-centric”:

So an American doesn’t win this year’s Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, and some pundit declares the awarding committee “biased” and “euro-centric”!

Euro-centric? For the record, the U.S. has 308 Nobel Prizes. More than any other country (France has 57). My guess at the time was that the fact that a Frenchie won bugged them real bad.

I soon got confirmation when Frenchman Le Clezio won the Literature Prize.

Can't get enough of Voices without Votes!