Results tagged “mccain”

Obama won big in Brooklyn (79%–20%) November 4th, but not in South Williamsburg, where the largely Hasidic population voted overwhelmingly for John McCain. The Brooklyn Paper reports that the three election districts populated by Satmar Hasidim voted for McCain over Obama by 84% to 16%—while nationwide Obama won 77% of the Jewish vote. What's up, Hasidim? Reporter Zeke Faux finds the landslide "ironic" because the Satmars believe the Messiah will only come after Israel falls, and McCain surrogates portrayed Obama as anti-Israel. But McCain voter Shlomo Friedman says, "Israel wasn’t a big issue. It’s more people here are not going to go with someone [Obama] who’s not so stable." Another insisted that McCain would be better "running the economy." Faux also theorizes that the McCain support could be explained by an inclination among Hasidim to respect elders.

Tonight, while you're at home baking your Yes We Cake, you may wonder where you'll be able to enjoy it tomorrow. We've got you covered with some restaurants, bars, venues and parties where you can watch the results come in.

Woah, can you believe the election is only four days away? And even though that Obama has been busy making sure the drapes match the carpet in the Oval Office, a Fox News poll shows the two candidates almost tied! So if you want to volunteer to support the candidate of your choice—whether it be the bitter old warmonger on death's door and his demagogic running mate, or the most inspiring, perspicacious American politician in generations—here are some ways you can get involved.

Last week McCain/Palin supporters outed themselves in Park Slope, and it resulted in a friendly, neighborly discussion internet bashing over at the Brooklynian message board. One republican poster claims, "I think there are more of us out there than you think, we just know to keep our opinions to ourselves around Park Slope and NYC in general. Y'all can be pretty intolerant of dissenting viewpoints." Another righty delcares, "Sorry to burst your defeatocratist bubble but a lot of us Republicans have been here a long time..pre-Reagan. Long before entitled liberals started showing up and buying their million dollar brownstones and whining for free health care. So if anyone should leave it's you." The gloves are really comin' off now! Luckily, one local served up this solution when the thread got a little heavy on the abortion topic: "Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others." Hear, hear. Have you seen any campaign signs up lately? [via NYMag]

After reporting on such freaks of nature as black McCain supporters in NYC and, um, an immaculately conceived tomato, the Times has now discovered a pocket of "real America" right in the Socialist-Terrorist Obama Hussein hotbed of Park Slope! No less than four brownstones on one block of 11th Street are displaying signs for McCain, in a district that has just 51 Republicans out of 643 registered voters. 73-year-old Betty Donohue has lived there since '60s, when her block was mostly Roman Catholic: "'Now these professionals, they both work, they have nannies and their meals on wheels,” she said, using her favorite description of restaurant deliveries. 'But lovely people. To pay these prices, you aren’t getting riffraff.'" (Just elitists.) Donohue's anti-Obama neighbor Bob Olson says, "I’m a perverse kind of guy. I was going to put up a sign that said: ‘Nobama. Keep the Change.'"

Based on financial disclosure records, Politico reports that the Republican National Committee apparently spent over $150,000 to "clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August." Some of the expenses: $49,425.74 in Saks Fifth Avenue bills in St. Louis and New York; $75,062.63 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis; $789.72 at Barney’s New York; $5,102.71 at Bloomingdale’s in New York; and $4,716.49 in hair and makeup.

18 days until the election and one day after their final debate, Barack Obama and John McCain traded zingers at the 63rd Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, held at The Waldorf-Astoria last night. (The Daily News says the event raised $2.5 million, which goes toward underprivileged children.)

The McCain/Palin campaign is having zero luck with their song choices. Following Heart, Survivor, the Foo Fighters, John Mellencamp and Jackson Browne speaking out against the two-some using their songs, Bon Jovi has now spoken up after their tune "Home" was used at a rally or two. They released the following statement today: "We wrote this song as a thank you to those who have supported us over the past twenty-five years. The song has since become a banner for our home state of New Jersey and the defacto theme song for our partnerships around the country to build homes and rebuild communities. Although we were not asked, we do not approve of their use of 'Home.'" Still, probably didn't sting as badly as when Van Halen protested the use of one of their songs being used by the campaign (Palin's son's middle name is Van, as an homage to the band).

The Zaro's in Grand Central Terminal has whipped up a political pastry whose sales are turning into an unscientific (but delicious) poll; their black & white cookies can now be purchased with the faces of the four candidates on them. That's right, all you Joe Six-packs out there can now sink your teeth into the former Miss Alaska hopeful, gosh darnit.

Meet Richard Ivory: New Yorker, blogger, black man, and John McCain supporter. He also works as a counselor to mentally ill patients, but he himself is not mentally ill—he just doesn't want another tax-and-spend Democrat to undo the proud achievements of George Bush, even if said Democrat would, you know, be America's first black president. Today the Times takes a look at what it's like to be a black Republican for John McCain living in liberal elitist New York City. Ivory (not pictured here) says he's gotten used being called "Uncle Tom, sellout, self-hater," and isn't even upset about that time a white man confronted him and a black friend at the 2004 Republican Convention to warn them that "protesters were not welcome." He tells the Times, "I always say my heart is with Obama but my brain is with McCain."

President, governor, a third term as mayor, and now add Secretary of the Treasury to the list of jobs that Mayor Bloomberg is not interested in. Amidst speculation that Bloomberg might be considered to head the nation's treasury, Bloomberg said he had no interest in the position and suggested that any recent ones from Robert Reich to current Secretary Henry Paulson would make more fitting choices. Bloomberg also responded to John McCain's comments from earlier in this week that the mayor was not a good fit for his running mate because he was "pro-gay rights." Bloomberg said, "I think that choice and gay rights are fundamental issues left to individuals. Particularly, I think if you are a conservative —you should say government should get out of the bedroom."

The Wisconsin, Washington and Hawaii primaries have been going on today, and while John McCain is expected to further solidify his presumptive nomination, the Democratic race is tight as ever, with a Gallup pole now showing Clinton closing the gap on Obama after his string of eight straight victories.

Hillary Clinton's February flop continued today as voters in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. turned out for Barack Obama by nearly two-to-one margins (in D.C. he won by 75% to 24%). According to exit polls, Obama not only did well with young voters, blacks and independents but, surprisingly, with certain demographics Clinton's been counting on: senior citizens, women and blue collar voters. Polls suggest 49% of those who voted for Obama were white and voters over sixty backed Obama by 52%.