$286 Million

That’s the amount spent on TV ads for the presidential candidates since June 3. In Grand Rapids, McCain and Obama spent over $2.1 million each. 

Reaction, Reporting the GR Rally

From the Associated Press:

The race’s changing dynamics also appear to be giving Obama’s supporters confidence. He drew a large crowd in downtown Grand Rapids that extended beyond the Secret Service checkpoints, despite temperatures in the 40s and the fact that the city is located in the heart of GOP territory.

From MLive:

Grand Rapids police estimated that 15,900 people attended the downtown rally, said Lt. Patrick Dean.

From the NY Times:

The turmoil in the markets seems to have buoyed the Obama campaign. Thousands turned out despite a gray chill, and when he began saying, “If I’m president,” they chanted, “When.”

He demurred. “I’m superstitious, folks.”

In case you missed the GR Rally

A link to the speech, both prepared and extemporaneous remarks, is here. 

GR Rally for Obama – Know Hope

Quite a turnout for Barack Obama this morning, and your humble blogger’s son managed to get some great pics from 20 feet away. . . more to post later tonight.

Obama’s GR Rally

So, who’s going? If you get there, I’d love to hear about your experience. Pictures are welcome, too. This goes for former Lit Loungers in East Lansing, where the senator makes an appearance after his rally in GR.

And if you have pics from the McCain/Palin town hall meeting from two weeks ago, I’d love to see them as well!

Obama returns to GR

Field trip, anyone? 

Stump The Candidate

I missed most of the McCain/Palin townhall meeting yesterday, but tuned in just in time to hear this:

“If you want specifics with specific policies or countries go ahead and you can ask me. You can even play stump-the-candidate if you want to.”

That’s Gov. Palin’s response to a question about her perceived lack of foreign policy experience. Sounds like it’s time for the press to lock and load. What question would you ask if you had the chance?

A Pair of Op-Ed Picks

From the WaPo, Jamie Gorelick’s take on news that Justice Department officials screened applicants for conservative tendancies (and favored them). One GR-based US attorney believes she was fired as a result. Why does this matter?

“(A lawyer’s) ability to give that assurance has hinged on both the public perception — and reality — that the career assistant U.S. attorneys, line prosecutors and lawyers who work at the department are picked on their merits and proceed without regard to politics.”

And from David Brooks of the NY Times, why education policies should be a focus of the November election. Key quote:

“The skills slowdown is the biggest issue facing the country. Rising gas prices are bound to dominate the election because voters are slapped in the face with them every time they visit the pump.But this slow-moving problem, more than any other, will shape the destiny of the nation.”

He refers to education as “human capital policies.” Nice.