Collective sigh of relief that no major last minute scandal was "revealed"

[jazzjunkysue]

The time to worry is over.

[rucky]

1. This just in:

obama's estranged father's half-sister is a feriner!

[Th1onein]

2. Americans are "scandaled out." We've reached the saturation point.

And beyond. We're through with the bullshit. These fuckers have stolen our wallets. THAT'S when Americans pay attention and vote for change. Only then.

Yeah, I'm cynical.

[PretzelWarrior]

4. same here. why does it have to GET TO THIS before we get

things in the right direction? I hate, hate, hate, hate Bush and all he represents.

[Th1onein]

6. Because we are too busy paying for shit that we are told that we have to have,

to pay any attention to what is right or wrong. If it's wrong for others, we say fuck it--or many of us do, anyway. Not until it touches our own lives do most Americans bother to pay attention to what is going on in the world around them. They are more concerned with THINGS, and more specifically, with THEIR THINGS, than with anyone else.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. No Al-Queda "Endorsement" of Obama either

Despite the seemingly endless (and sickening) speculation by the pundits.

However, I wouldn't necessarily say that there weren't ANY "October surprises", just not any major "game changers" and nearly all of them seemed to hurt McBush.

Just some off the top of my head:

1.)Bill Ayers: Epic fail. Found to have had links to plenty of well-respected Republicans as well as to Obama and other Democrats and Independents and all during present day and NOT during his violent anti-war activism- when Obama was 8 years old.
2.) Debate #3: Obama won the third debate (all three of them actually) handily even among independents and increased his vote margin
3.) Ashley Todd: MAJOR HOAX apparently perpetrated by a group of College Republicans or at least a very sick McCain supporter (oh but if it had only been true)
4.) Joe The Plumber: A FRAUD -who wasn't "vetted" properly and turned out to be somebody who isn't an "independent" voter, who was planning to vote for McCain anyway, who doesn't have an active plumber license, owes back taxes, is nowhere near having enough money to purchase a plumbing company, somebody who would actually benefit from Obama's tax plan, and, most importantly, isn't even named JOE. Despite all of this, he has been shamelessly exploited by the McCain/Palin campaign and he in turn has exploited his place in the limelight to advance his own "career" and to help McCain smear Obama)
5.) "Auntiegate": Feds are looking into this one to see who leaked the information. Gee, WHO could it possibly have been?
6.) Dick Cheney's public "endorsement" of McCain/Palin: The political "kiss of death" as far as I'm concerned. McBush did NOT need this.

To be evenhanded, I DO think Obama made at least one major "gaffe" during the past month that might have hurt him, at least slightly:

Obama's use of the phrase "spread the wealth" which seemed to launch the whole JTP "phenomenon". As with Kerry's "terrorist nuisance" comment in 2004 Obama's comment was another one those dangerously misquotable comments that always seems to get hyper-magnified and distorted beyond all recognition by right-wingers. WE all know what Obama is talking about and don't honestly believe for one second that by electing Obama we will be ushering in an end to our capitalist system (fat chance of that) but the right-wingers seem to live for raking us over the coals for ANY comments that suggest that we should have more economic fairness in our country. It was an inartful comment by him IMHO but thankfully it doesn't appear to have done any significant damage to him AFAIK.

[City of Mills]

5. Breaking hard on Drudge: Bat Boy Endorses Obama!

Blood sucking bat boy endorses Obama, proving he's evil! Don't vote for evil! Yeeearrrgghhh!!

[FreeState]

7. McCain = the boy who cried wolf to many times to be believed n/t

[yardwork]

8. They tried. There was B-girl in Pennsylvania - fail.

There was Joe the Plumber - fail.

There was "palling around with terrorists" - fail.

Reverend Wright - fail for the second time.

Michelle Obama eats at luxury restaurant - fail, accompanied by larger fail of Sarah Palin's shopping spree.

"Obama is a secret Muslim" - fail fail fail.

[xanadu1979]

9. It's only 2:00 PM

The Bin Laden tape can come out at any moment. Good thing is, that won't make any difference.

[Phoonzang]

10. But but but...there's still a few hours for the Whitey tape to come out. nt

[noonwitch]

11. Or to prove that his birth certificate is a fake!

Or whatever else they pull out of their asses.