Nader plans whirlwind tour of Massachusetts
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Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader announced yesterday his own marathon, a sprint through 21 cities and towns across Massachusetts on Saturday in what his campaign says will be the most stops ever in one day by a presidential candidate.
Nader also unveiled his first radio ad, in 22 markets in 14 states. In the ad, the longtime consumer activist criticizes the $700 billion bailout for the financial system that both Barack Obama and John McCain voted for as a sop to big corporations.
Nader is on the ballot in 45 states and the District of Columbia, and his campaign said he could be "the deciding factor" in key swing states, including Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado. Many Democrats certainly hope not, still blaming Nader for costing Al Gore the presidency in 2000.
Nader also announced that he'll take part in a debate tonight in Washington, D.C., for third-party and other presidential candidates.
FOON RHEE
The trends aren't that much different from those displayed by the electorate as a whole, the study's authors said. But the intensity of the support for Obama - and the increased participation by 18- to 30-year-old voters in recent elections - means young voters are likely to be a critical part of Obama's support Nov. 4.
Obama was favored by 56 percent of young voters interviewed in an Internet survey from Sept. 12 to Oct. 6, right after the economic crisis exploded. The GOP nominee, John McCain, had just 30 percent support among the age group, falling further behind since the institute began doing head-to-head comparisons earlier this year.
But most significantly for Obama, young voters are far more enthusiastic about his candidacy than they were for Democratic nominee John F. Kerry in 2004, said John Della Volpe, director of the poll. Kerry beat President Bush by just 9 percentage points among 18- to 30-year-old voters, according to the institute's studies, while Obama has a 26-percentage-point edge.
SUSAN MILLIGAN
The Project for Excellence in Journalism said yesterday that since the national party conventions, the coverage has "not so much cast Barack Obama in a favorable light as it has portrayed John McCain in a substantially negative one."
Its study found that while the level of coverage has evened out over the past six weeks, from decidedly in Obama's favor, its tone has tilted further to the Democratic nominee.
Of the stories about Obama, 36 percent have been mostly positive, 35 percent mixed, and 29 percent negative, the study said.
Of the coverage of McCain, only 14 percent was generally positive, while 29 percent was mixed, and 57 percent was negative.
FOON RHEE
Joe the plumber, also known as Joe Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio, confronted Obama about his tax cut plans and said that they would kill his dream of owning a small plumbing business.
The spot opens with the much-played clip of Obama telling Wurzelbacher, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
Then a series of people repeat, "I'm Joe the plumber," then others complain of paying more taxes.
Independent analyses, however, have shown that the vast majority of small business owners would not pay higher taxes under Obama's tax proposals because he says he would raise taxes only on individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families earning more than $250,000.
Obama is pushing against McCain on taxes.
"He's not fighting for Joe the plumber," Obama said yesterday. "He's fighting for Joe the hedge fund manager. He's in cahoots with Joe the CEO. . . . Don't let them hoodwink you."
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