October 28 - 30

1. Republican Strategy in Blue States (Koran Jakarta 10/28, p.1; report by Tri Subhki Rahmatullah, participant of the Emerson program)

The Republican campaign team does not want to waste time wooing voters in blue states, like Massachusetts. Instead, they tend to woo potential voters in battleground states like New Hampshire, Massachusetts’ neighbor to the north. “I often call people who live in New Hampshire. I make about 50 calls in a few days,” said Joanne Atkinson, a Republican campaign volunteer in Boston, Massachusetts. There are many other Republican volunteers like Atkinson in Boston. According to Jane Inman, McCain’s campaign coordinator in Boston, there are 25 volunteers working in her office. She said that her office was visited by 30 to 50 people daily. But there were not that many names in the guestbook. I did not know why she exaggerated the number. The guestbook certainly shows that it is not easy to woo supporters in your opponent’s zone.

2. Situation Can Change (Kompas 10/29, p.10; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

A week prior to November 4, U.S. Election Day, competition became fierce with both candidates attacking each other. Barack Obama continues to lead in various polls, but Democrats are trying to stay away from complacency, whereas Republicans hope they can change the situation. The economy has become the most decisive issue in the U.S. election. Obama says he will raise corporate taxes and lower taxes for 95 percent of Americans in order to encourage income redistribution, one thing that is supported by U.S. economists. The majority of U.S. media, including Forbes magazine, CNN and ABC, predicted Obama’s triumph. But, “these surveys will not make us complacent. We will continue to deliver the message of change in the next week,” Michelle Obama said in Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.

3. Neo-Nazi Plot to Kill Obama (Kompas 10/29, p.10; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

Two Neo-Nazi skinheads from Tennessee were arrested by the FBI on Monday (10/27) for allegedly planning to kill several black people before assassinating the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. An FBI agent said that Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, were arrested while planning for an armed robbery in a Tennessee town. They were said to have plans to kill 88 people. According to Professor Gregory Payne – a white man from Emerson College – the skinheads constitute only a small number, and are not supported by the majority of whites in the U.S.

4. Shade of Racism in Republicans’ Nest (Koran Jakarta 10/29, p.5; report by Tri Subhki Rahmatullah, a participant of the Emerson program)

Though many observers might deny the existence of racism in this year’s U.S. presidential election, there have been indications of racism in this election. Early this year, Reverend Jeremiah Wright said that Obama would be a president that represents the blacks. Obama firmly denied this and called on Americans from various religious and social backgrounds to make changes in the U.S. Then recently, when Koran Jakarta visited the Republican campaign office in Boston, Massachusetts, there was this campaign banner that says Sarah Palin is twice the man Obama is. The banner had a red background and white letters, with the exception of the word ‘Obama’ that was written in black!

5. Obama Gains Early Success (Kompas 10/30, p.11; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

A recent poll by the Pew Research Center indicates that U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is leading his Republican opponent John McCain by 53 percent to 34 percent among early voters. The poll was conducted among some of the 12 million voters who have already cast ballots six days ahead of the Election Day on November 4. 32 U.S. states allow their voters to cast a ballot before Election Day, while 15 other states (including Washington DC) permit early voting only for those who will be away on November 4.

6. Behind Covering the Election (Kompas 10/30, p.11; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

“If you haven’t had the chance to cover wars and the U.S. presidential election campaign, your experience as a journalist is not yet complete,” Professor Carole Simpson told Indonesian journalists in Boston, Sunday (10/26). War and the U.S. presidential campaign are two unique opportunities for journalists to cover; they require sacrifice and at the same time guarantee a good reputation [for journalists that cover them]. If journalists risk their lives in covering war, then U.S. presidential election forces them to sleep and eat less. They would be so busy they barely have time to go to the restroom. The coverage activity itself is far from convenient since candidates receive tight security protection. “Though journalists that cover the presidential campaigns are very well-known, the [security] agents won’t care about their suffering,” said Simpson, who covered the activities of President George W. Bush in the past eight years.

7. Competition in Two States (Seputar Indonesia 10/30, p.9; report by Alvin Masrifah, participant of Emerson program, and Irawan Nugroho)

Senator Barack Obama and Senator McCain yesterday fought fiercely to gain votes in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Around 12,000 Obama’s supporters crowded into James Madison University stadium at Harrisonburg, Virginia, while 8,000 supporters were forced to remain outside the stadium due to limited space inside. With the majority of supporters from university students, Obama made use of the opportunity to differentiate him from McCain in terms of age and generation. Obama, 47 yrs gains big supports from young generation in various polls while McCain, 72 yrs gains less support from the young. On the contrary, not far from Obama’s campaign location, McCain had to cancel his campaign because of rain. Both candidates fight fiercely to win Pennsylvania with 21 electoral votes.

8. David Paleologos, Pollster in the U.S. (Seputar Indonesia 10/30, p.1, report by Alvin Masrifah a participant of Emerson program)

Polling has become part of David Paleologos’ life. He is one of the reliable pollsters in the U.S. The polling he conducts usually matches with the real situation in the field. Will it be Barack Obama or McCain that will win the U.S. presidential election? What qualifications make a candidate the favorite choice? What issues are around them? Such questions are common questions asked in such polling. The answers to those questions are very influential, not only for the people that will vote, but also for the candidates. The candidates need poll results to decide strategy to win the election. In conducting polling during the U.S. presidential elections, Paleologos focused himself on swing states, or purple states, a term that refers to states in the U.S. that have no tendency to either parties, Democrats and Republican. Creating polls has brought a unique enthusiasm to him. He was often involved directly in questioning the respondents in order to know their reactions.