In two late-September polls of Kansans, John McCain enjoyed a double-digit lead on Barack Obama. But what to make of the difference in the size of McCain’s lead? Rasmussen Reports had him ahead by 20 percentage points, up from 15 points a month earlier. SurveyUSA put McCain 12 points ahead of Obama, down from the 23-point lead a month earlier (its results are the opposite among 18- to 34-year-olds, by the way, with Obama now on top by 13 points).
Rasmussen Reports also put Sen. Pat Roberts 20 points ahead of Democratic challenger Jim Slattery, up from 19 points in August.
The “Saturday Night Live” skit on the vice presidential debate noted the drinking games built on Sarah Palin’s repeated use of the word “maverick.” At tonight’s town hall-style debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, viewers might want to listen for the Republican’s references to Iraq surge architect Gen. David Petraeus (in photo), who got seven mentions by McCain at the first debate. “When was the last time a serving U.S. military officer was made to play such a large role in a presidential campaign, even if involuntarily? There may be no modern precedent,” wrote Jackson Diehl in the Washington Post. He concluded: “by employing the general so heavily in his rhetoric, McCain is doing a disservice to a commander whose skills the next president will sorely need – especially if he is Obama.”
There truly is no accounting for voters’ taste: Nine-term Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., finished ahead of six other Democrats in Saturday’s primary for his seat, positioning him well for both the Nov. 4 runoff election against political newcomer and former TV reporter Helena Moreno and the Dec. 6 general election. Jefferson, whose freezer was infamously found to contain $90,000 in alleged bribe money, is to be tried in December on charges of bribery, money laundering and misuse of his congressional office for business dealings.
Meanwhile, the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, continues in Washington, D.C., with prosecutors nearing the end of their case. Stevens hopes the trial will deliver him an acquittal in time for voters to send him back to the Senate next month.
The Wichita City Council’s agenda for today’s meeting includes the creation of a Wichita Transit Advisory Board, an ongoing panel of nine members to be appointed by council members with input from the city manager and the city’s access advisory board. The transit panel would make recommendations on city bus service, paratransit services, and licensed or franchised private transportation. It’s a welcome addition to the city’s public input process, especially after the recent funding dispute with groups that provide paratransit bus services for people with disabilities. And because bus ridership has increased along with pump prices this year, city leaders should prepare now to respond to increased demand for local bus service long term.
