Media-Whore D'Oevres

"I did something this weekend that renewed my faith in this country, and made me feel great about being an American. I reached out to my 'neighbor' about this election – although the neighbor lived 1000 miles away. I went to Gallipolis, Ohio – a village on the Ohio River, where Ohio borders West Virginia. I took myself from New York City into the 'battleground' of this election, and listened and talked to the people who are going to decide it. (As most of you know, there are 6 battleground states ... and in most of those states, there are a handful of counties and precincts that are going to sway this election.) ... Political campaigns tend to forget this part of America. The Obama organizer in Gallia County (a Harvard senior from rural Connecticut who gave up his first semester for Obama) told me 'This is where Gore and Kerry lost Ohio.' When someone from a campaign walks up to someone's door, there's surprise, then a little bit of ranting (as in 'well, finally someone's listening, let me hit them with everything you’ve got'), and then ... real talk. 'Sit down on the porch' talk." (Fred Graver)

"Brooke Hayward and Peter Duchin have been together for 27 years. 23 of them they’ve been married. They’re one of the most authentically glamorous American couples any of us oould ever know. It was a joint heritage is a uniquely eclectic background of the upperclasses of big American life in the 20th century: show business, society, brains and culture, and always great fun to be around ... Sounds too good to be true? Evidently, for in the past couple of months there have been rumors abounding on both Coasts – and specifically in their neighborhood (Litchfield County) and that neighborhood out east called The Hamptons, that the Duchin marriage was on the rocks. And that Peter had been seen frequently, out and about, in the company of one particular woman who heretofore, an old friend of the couple ... However, that said, he and this old friend – a very nice woman, incidentally, and a long standing member of her set – have been seen together so often that another old friend finally called Brooke to express her condolences. 'About what?' Brooke asked the friend. 'About Peter and ...' ;This is the first I’ve heard,' Brooke replied." (NYSocialDiary)

"Voters say the economy is their number one concern — and in nearly every poll Barack Obama enjoys a substantial, but not commanding, 10- to 15-point advantage on economic issues. He’s doing better than John Kerry or Al Gore did on the economy, he fares best in battleground states. A Democracy Corps survey taken during the GOP convention gave Obama an 11-point edge on the economy nationwide but a 15-point lead in swing states including Ohio, Nevada, Florida and Virginia. But Obama hasn’t been able to translate that advantage into big leads over McCain in the states hit hardest by the economic downtown. In fact, the race has tightened in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and hard-hit Michigan — despite McCain’s support of unpopular free trade agreements, his less-than enthusiastic support of the housing bailout, his own profession of ignorance on economic matters and ample connections to Big Oil. Race and class issues are probably sapping Obama’s support." (Politico)

"Joe Biden has one job this election: to get the Bitters in Pennsylvania to vote for a black Muslim. That is literally all he has to do. Maybe Ohio, too, but mostly Pennsylvania, because he was of course born there! In Scranton, the famous town where Happiness goes to die. On Friday, he went to Northeast Philadelphia — 'The Scranton of Philadelphia' — to meet some old white folks and tell ‘em about Barry." (Wonkette)