Politics on the Hudson

Think you can work a connection to Hofstra into an invite to next week’s third and final presidential debate? Think again. Newsday reports that the college expects to hand out only about 150 tickets for the roughly 1,000 seats in the room; about 6,800 students entered the bidding for those spots. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi is hoping for two tickets, but that’s all. Most are controlled by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the official presenter of the event.

The McCain-Palin campaign today turned to Yonkers City Councilman and Republican candidate for the state Senate’s 35th District, John Murtagh, to jab Barack Obama on his connection to one-time Weather Underground radical William Ayers. The campaign issued the following press release:

So, if tonight’s presidential debate leaves you wanting more, you can carry on the discussion tomorrow (Oct. 8) at 7:15 p.m. as a panel at Manhattanville College dissects the candidates’ platforms on key issues.

The free event is open to the public at the East Library in the Castle on the campus at 2900 Purchase Street in Purchase, NY.

The forum is sponsored by the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action.

For Information  call: (914) 323- 7156.

A group called Vets For McCain & Iraq Vets For Congress plan a rally for the Republican presidential candidate and for Kieran Michael Lalor of Peekskill, an Iraq Vet who is challenging U.S. Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains.

Radio show host Steve Malzberg will MC the Oct. 11 rally scheduled to run from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Riverfront Green Park near the Peekskill train station.

Admission is free but donations of nonperishables for the “Food Fight for Vets” food banks in Montrose and Castle Point are encouraged.

 Republican presidential nominee John McCain is pulling his resources out of Michigan amid polls showing Democrat Barack Obama building on his lead in the state, according to the Detroit Free Press.

“McCain campaign manager Rick Davis called former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to tell him of the decision just before Romney got on a conference call with reporters today,’’ according to Free Press reporter Todd Spangler. “Romney was holding the call with McCain strategist Doug Holtz-Eakin to raise claims that Obama’s policies are no good for Michigan’s struggling economy.’‘

A Michigan Republican Party source earlier told the Free Press on background that McCain was pulling out of the race in the state and moving workers to Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida.

Meanwhile, recent polls have found Obama’s his lead in Michigan is in the double digits.

Did anyone ever seriously thing New York would be a battleground state in this year’s presidential election?

The Siena Research Institute poll out today that found Democrat Barack Obama with a 22 percentage point lead over Republican John McCain highlights why Democratic and Republican activists from around the Empire State are heading to states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Hampshire to volunteer for the two campaigns.

The poll, as reported on this blog earlier this morning, found Obama leading McCain in New York by 58 percent to 36 percent.

Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden are stepping into the ring tonight for what is sure to be a political slugfest (are you as sick of pundits using sports references as I am?) and what better way to watch tonight’s debate than by throwing a jammin’ party.

I wrote up a few debate party suggestions on 25 Sense, Lohud.com’s blog for hipster dorks young professionals.

Fifty one percent of Americans surveyed Tuesday said they approve of Democrat Barack Obama’s handling of efforts to pass a Wall Street financial rescue plan compared to only 42 percent who approve of Republican John McCain’s role.

The findings are part of a new USA Today/Gallup national telephone survey of 1,021 adults. The sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.

McCain received a 42 percent disapproval rating for his role while Obama’s disapproval rating was 10 percentage points lower at 32 percent.

Those surveyed gave a 45 percent disapproval rating to Republican congressional leaders and a 43 percent negative rating to Democratic congressional leaders.

President Bush fared the worse, with a 57 percent disapproval rating for his role.

The House members who voted against the legislation Monday received only a 37 percent disapproval rating. In fact, 47 percent of the people surveyed indicated they approved of the action taken by lawmakers who helped defeat the bill.

But Americans think Congress does need to act.

Only five percent of those surveyed said the economy can survive without any major problems if Congress fails to pass a rescue package. Twenty two percent said a failure to act could lead to a depression. Thirty four percent indicated it would result in a severe and prolonged recession and 31 percent said it would cause “major problems.’’

Only 16 percent said their personal financial situation has not been impacted by the events of the last two weeks.

A new batch of polls released this morning by Quinnipiac University finds Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has gained momentum since Friday’s presidential debate and has reached the 50 percent mark in the key battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Florida poll found Obama ahead of Republican John McCain 51 percent to 43 percent, up from a 49 percent to 43 percent lead before the debate.In Ohio, Obama led McCain 50 percent to 42 percent, improving his earlier lead of 49 percent to 42 percent.Obama led McCain 54 percent to 39 percent in Pennsylvania compared to a 49 percent to 43 percent lead before the debate.

The survey also found support lagging for McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.The pollsters said their pre-debate survey ended an hour before Friday’s 9 p.m. debate and the post-debate polling occurred Saturday through Monday.Eighty four percent of those surveyed in the three states said the debate didn’t sway their choice.

“It is difficult to find a modern competitive presidential race that has swung so dramatically, so quickly and so sharply this late in the campaign,’‘  said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.  ‘’In the last 20 days, Sen. Barack Obama has gone from seven points down to eight points up in Florida, while widening his leads to eight points in Ohio and 15 points in Pennsylvania.”

The six separate polls—two in each of the three states—had a margin of error of up plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Sen. Barack Obama will return to Washington for tomorrow evening’s Senate vote on a $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan, his campaign has announced.

No doubt Obama’s Republican opponent—Sen. John McCain—will suspend his presidential campaign to also be on hand.

Both presidential candidates have said they will vote in favor of the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced this evening that the bill will include a new provision that would increase FDIC deposit insurance from the current $100,000 to $250,000. It also will be packaged with legislation to renew several popular tax breaks that would otherwise expire.

The tax legislation includes a provision to prevent millions of affluent Americans—especially in states such as New York—from being subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax next year.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.,  called the two changes announced by Reid “a brilliant move’’ that would “help pick up votes on both sides of the aisle.’’

The House reconvenes at noon Thursday, but leaders of that chamber have not yet announced when they will vote.

This time they are expected to line up the necessary votes for passage in advance.