Saturday= 10 hours of sleep + College Football

Here are my picks for this weeks College football:

I will always assume that Cal will win, so there's no reason to think my pick with this amazing school will ever change.

#4 Oklahoma over Cincinnati 

#5 Florida over Miami

Michigan over Miami (OH)

#19 Penn State over Oregon State

Mississippi over #20 Wake Forest

#12 Texas Tech over Nevada (sorry friends)

#15 Arizona State over Stanford 

(though if there is a possibility that both teams would lose in this match, I would prefer that)

The Great Divide

After going through two weeks of raw-raw politics, where the parties continue to ramp up their base and get independents off the fence, Democrats have to go back into the real world and face some important issues. One of my favorite West Wing actors talks about one the issues right here.

Most importantly, I think Democrats shouldn't be worried. They have come this far with a candidate who is a one term senator and is African-American. Additionally, along this remarkable path, not only did they beat a skilled and well oiled political family they also beat senator Clinton while she and her surrogates repeatedly used the gender card. If there is one campaign that has been able to swim through the bullshit and come out breathing it's the Obama, run by David Plouffe and David Axelrod, campaign. Congress can help by rolling out numerous issues that can prove that McCain's voting record has not been in the best interest of women.

Last, there shouldn't be any doubt in anyone's mind that many new western states are in play during this election. A September 1, 2008 article details the new political dynamics in battleground states like New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Montanta. Recent polling also shows the Obama campaign and Democrats from the West have a lot of work to do in order for their strategy to succeed. 

Republican Response

McCain advisers would like a rebuttal to Abinder's NYT piece, right here.

Economy: Dems v. Republicans

Alan Binder drops an interesting article comparing the history of the two right here

Palin o Palin

Here's another good round of analysis about Palin

here, here, and
here