Now I know how President Bush feels, minus the whole being president part. It is like I am here – but also not.

But anyways, the beat goes on. News from the model city of Cleveland that isn't Brady Quinn / LeBron James / (generic Indians player) / home foreclosure / Jimmy Dimora / crime / Detroit comparison related.

PD: Cleveland could be among the first cities in the nation to name a school in honor of President-elect Barack Obama if a city councilman has his way. But officials will have to act fast to claim that distinction.

City Councilman Zack Reed called on fellow members at Monday's council meeting to join him in urging the Cleveland Municipal School District to rename a school in honor of the nation's first black president.

Unfortunately for the always attention seeking Reed, he was tardy on getting in on this idea. That school in Long Island beat him to the punch. Just like the school in New York pushed aside Dr. Charles Ludlum for The One, Cleveland will be doing the same to Nathan Hale if Reed gets his way. Hale is considered America's first spy. He was captured by the British and is remembered for his speech before being hanged following the Battle of Long Island. Before he was killed Hale said, "I only regret that I have but one life to give my country."

If people like Reed want to start naming buildings and what not after someone who currently only holds a make believe office, go ahead I suppose. I would say it might be more prudent to wait until he is actually in office and see what happens, but that is just me. But how about naming things that you know, need names, instead of just plastering over the old with the new? Nathan Hale and Dr. Ludlum will probably be among the many who disappear into history to make way for Obama. Look, I understand the symbolic victory Obama achieved. He wasn't my guy, but I respect what he has accomplished and wish him well. However, Americans from our past who achieved great things and had the honor of something being named after them don't deserve to be relegated to the trash bin of history.

If Reed is successful, and who knows if he will be, Obama will join the illustrious Michael R. White in getting a Cleveland Municipal School named after him.

Minnesota Update: Because the post has rolled off the front page, here is what is going on in the recount between Senator Norm Coleman and unfunny comedian Al Franken. With 82% of the vote counted, Coleman has an unofficial lead of 231 votes. Coleman has challenged 1,853 votes and Franken has challenged 1,773. I am starting to feel a little more optimistic here.

The former Senate Minority turned Majority turned Minority turned Majority turned Minority Leader then out of a job Daschle will be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. When he is confirmed by his former friends and enemies in the Senate, Daschle's responsibilities will include the FDA, Medicare and Medicaid programs, and what goes on at the National Institutes of Health (home of my favorite subway stop on the DC Metro). He will repalce Mike Leavitt. Daschle was defeated in his reelection bid in 2004 by John Thune, but he stayed around town and saddled up to Obama early on hoping for a position like this. Gamble paid off. He gets a dream job of heading a huge bureaucracy and telling people how to live their lives by being smarter than them and making decisions for them.

The Washington Post adds: More significantly, Daschle has positioned himself as Obama's central adviser on efforts to dramatically expand health-care coverage next year, while at the same time lowering costs. During the campaign, Obama promised to reduce the average family's medical bill by $2,500.

Yes, Tom Daschle will be one of the leaders in the push to force universal health care down our throats; another huge entitlement we don't need. How laughable will that $2,500 figure look? I wonder how many Republicans (admittedly not a lot of them left) remember how impossible Daschle was to work with when he led the Senate Democrats during the first Bush term. He made Harry Reid look like a true bipartisan figure. They should be eager to work with him.

First up: Ted Kennedy's leagcy bill.

Will anyone that is actually a change of any sort be chosen to be in the Obama Cabinet? Stay tuned.

It is an interesting think about the impact of a president issuing short YouTube videos to communicate with the people regularly. It bypasses the media and allows the president to speak directly to the people. Just about every article I've read has made the comparison to FDR's fireside chats (so there is my token reference). President Bush did a weekly radio address that nobody listened to. President Obama will hopefully do a weekly YouTube video, which will be required watching for all political junkies like us. I'd expect the Obama administration to have a much larger communications staff than the previous administration to create the kind of quality online content that powered their campaign. It will be exciting and give bloggers plenty to work with over the next four years.

Related: The NYT had a great article yesterday on Obama's Blackberry obsession and how he might have to give it up now that he will be President. Like many of us, he's used to sending and receiving information 24/7 from his hip. Apparently security concerns among other issues are being debated and the jury is still out on whether Obama will have to give it up. In addition, the article reports that Obama will be the first President to have a laptop in the Oval Office. Imagine how hard computer companies must be lobbying to get their product on that desk?

To my Republican friends, I know this is a tough day. There are still a couple Senate races out there that look like they will break your way, but I'm sure that is little consolation. The good news for you is your party will be better in the long term and make adjustments. You have a deep stable of qualified candidates and will run a better campaign next time. Ben and I spoke on the phone last night for about 15 minutes. I could hear in his voice the frustration that I felt four years ago. I took no satisfaction in it. I know that next season can't come soon enough and it will be here before you know it.

Newest Mason-Dixon polls: Ohio M 47 O 45, Florida O 47 M 45, Nevada O 47 M 43, Colorado O 49 M 47, Missouri M 47 O 46, North Carolina M 49, O 46, Virginia O 47, M 44. Pennsylvania is included in the chart, even though it was released a couple days back; it had Obama up 4. Mason-Dixon is one of the best state pollsters, if not the best. Their 2004 record was pretty damn good. They don't really push undecideds, as you probably notice. I see good news for McCain in these polls. If he gets most of the late deciders (I think he will get at least 65%) he is really in pretty good shape.

Today's trackers shifted towards McCain a little bit. He still needs to get closer. I was not one of the people touting Zogby's Friday poll that had McCain up. He makes stuff up to grab headlines. In the last three days his samples have been (approx.): Obama up 9, McCain up 1, Obama up 10. So there are three options here: A) Obama's two great days were outliers, B) McCain's one great day was an outlier, C) John Zogby is a bad pollster who manipulates data to get attention. No real tracking poll should show swings like that.

Senator Government: I will bankrupt you if build a coal plant. Way to look out for America. I hope people in Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania hear that. Would he also bankrupt those who currently operate coal plants, which produce over a third of our electricity? I assume yes. You think energy prices are high now? Obama wants prices higher to punish us for "bad behavior." What else has this guy said in San Francisco that he thought none of us peasants would ever hear?

Senator Government: No press conferences until Wednesday, when he presumes he will have won. Not a surprise, he doesn't do them anymore. Of course neither does Joe the Dumber. You know who does talk to the press? Governor Palin. Thank you, Senator Obama for being so gracious for talking to us then. We will all wait.

Senator Government: I didn't know my aunt who defied a deportation order and donated to my campaign was in the country illegally. The only question seems to be how this information got out; the fact about her being an illegal is of no consequence. Ladies and gentlemen, our media!!! I wonder if it would have taken the MSM to find out if Sarah Palin's cousin's ex-boyfriend had overstayed his work visa. Probably we would have known sometime in late September.

Thought this was good: Those who believe Obama's claims that he will reduce 95 percent of Americans' taxes, while he pays for near-universal health care, subsidizes clean energy, expands our military commitment in Afghanistan, adds to mass transit and highway infrastructure, etc., etc., are living in a dream world.

Final Senate picks tonight. Final Electoral Map late, late, late Monday night.

Part I – We discuss the vice-presidential candidates, final stretch polling, and Ohio.

Part II – We discuss local races and what to look for on Election Day.

Ben and I would like to take a moment to personally thank Ray Horner for his support of our work on this site by having us on his program. He is a class act and an Akron original. Thank you Ray and keep up the good work.

This is the best closing argument ad I have seen from the Obama campaign. It helps respond in general to the desperate attacks of Republicans continuing to throw anything at Obama hoping it will stick.

You've seen/heard it everywhere, so why not here!

Wake up, America. We have one week left. Don't let this guy run out the clock to victory.

LOL: Obama's biggest Senate cheerleader, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, tries to say that he was just talking about a middle class tax cut! She is serious!

Yesterday on Fox News Sunday, "Master Strategist" Karl Rove gave his electoral predictions one week out and he has Barack Obama with 317 electoral votes even if he loses all toss-up states. The sea of blue on his map across the Midwest is remarkable when you consider the source. He has Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana all going for Obama. The margin in Ohio is 4.5%. I believe the organizational strength of the Obama campaign's organization is going to flex is muscle over the next week and be the difference maker in the election to deliver that kind of margin in our state. If Obama wins Ohio by over 4%, then Democrats pick up two congressional for seats for sure (Kilroy, Boccieri) and have a strong chance to unseat three other Republican districts (Chabot, Schmidt, LaTourette). Looking across the rest of the map, Rove has Obama winning Colorado, Minnesota, and New Mexico. Using Rove's map, Obama can afford to lose the toss-up states of Florida, North Carolina, and Missouri and still win comfortably. Again, this is a map endorsed by Karl Rove.

Live Blog Wednesday: Join us Wednesday night to live blog Barack Obama's prime-time address at 8:00pm EST.

Coming down the pipeline in a potential Obama Administration.

Washington Times: From his sickbed, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has secretly been orchestrating meetings with lobbyists and lawmakers from both parties to craft legislation that would greet the new president with a plan to provide affordable medical coverage to all Americans, a measure he has called "the cause of my life."

Mr. Kennedy's goal, his aides say, is to introduce a universal health care bill as soon as the new Congress convenes next year and to push quickly for its passage – a much-accelerated timetable compared with the last time that a health care overhaul was on the agenda, at the start of the Clinton administration.

"He sets aside several hours each day. He's calling senators. He's working tirelessly," Mr. Pollack said. "He's making things happen."

Sigh. First of all, I don't think it is accurate to say this has been the "cause of his life," but whatever. Sorry, some might find this in bad taste, but if a United States Senator is not "working tirelessly" then they should step aside so someone who can will. That includes Ted Kennedy. Mr. Pollack makes it sound like he is some hero for doing his job while he is sick. Governor Patrick in Massachusetts could appoint one of a score of liberals who would vote the same way as Kennedy. Anyways.

This seems like a great idea. Our country is drowning in debt (President Bush as much to blame as anyone for refusal to veto anything) so why not take on what will be another huge entitlement. Right? And then for good measure, just jam it through Congress as soon as humanly possible just so Ted Kennedy can have a legacy bill in his name before he dies. Again, who cares, right? As long as as a senator gets a ruinous bill named after him everyone in DC can pat themselves on the back. I wouldn't be damn surprised in the least if the GOP just rolled over and said okay. Of course, they may not be in a position to do anything about it. Then we can all wait 7 months to see a dentist or 16 weeks for an MRI while some Obama appointed bureaucrat in some basement in DC decides if Uncle Sam will pick up the tab. I can also only assume that any bill Kennedy crafts will also guarantee "free" healthcare for illegals. Oh better not say that, it makes me a terrible person to question anything for the "greatest good."

I am so sick of this. Free this, free that. I don't have a lot of money. That is of my own choosing. If I wanted more money I could get a second job, though I don't know why I would want to work harder so other people can just live off me. I don't expect federal tax cuts when I don't pay federal income tax. It is government welfare. Period. I don't expect free health care. You know what I do? I send money to a company every month for health insurance that I have never used and hopefully never will. I pay all of my bills on time every month. I don't look to others or blame them because they have more than me. I suppose I could just not have health insurance and know that someone else will pay for my care if something happens like a lot of people do. All of this isn't free. The money has to come from somewhere. Don't people realize that? Or is it they just don't care?

Starting with the bailout, every day it seems we get closer and closer to government run everything. What is even going to be the motivation for anyone to do anything productive? "Free" money, "free" health insurance, bailouts for bad decisions, etc. I spent $6 tonight on a football game where I froze and had a miserable time. Can I get a refund from the federal government as some sort of "recreational spending bailout?" What ever happened to self-responsibility? All Hail Washington I guess. Time to go to bed before I write something I will regret.

This afternoon I sat down with Scott Knowles and Kevin Egan. They teach Political Science at Drexel University and closely follow Pennsylvania Politics. I wanted to get their take on the state of the presidential campaign in Pennsylvania. In this clip, they discuss the impact of Sarah Palin, the coal belt between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, McCain surrogates, how Obama wins, and how Drexel University students are engaged in this election.

In the Democratic Primary, the weeks of the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries were certainly a high point of the tension between the Obama and Clinton camps. At that point in the primary, Senator Casey backed Obama, Governor Rendell backed Clinton, and Rush Limbaugh's operation chaos was in full swing. Democrats everywhere were split right down the middle as the primary fight continued to escalate. Since then, the Democratic Party has come together behind Senator Obama and Senator Clinton has become one of the Obama Campaign's best weapons.

Today, I'm traveling to Philadelphia to participate in a "Media and Elections" panel at Drexel University. The timing of the trip turns out to be perfect with McCain focusing on the state, the Phillies in the World Series, and Penn State scheduled to get upset by Ohio State this Saturday. While on the road, I hope to snag a couple interviews to see if there is any validity to McCain's efforts.

Fox News Sunday With McCain In Ohio
Chris Wallace took his Sunday show to Columbus today for an interview with Senator McCain. McCain was looking to give a pep talk to conservatives and let them know that he is not out of it yet. McCain tried to make the case that the presidential debate last week was a turning point in the campaign with the emergence of Joe the Plumber as the voice of the small business owners. Other than that, McCain had nothing new to say and seemed irritated by most of the questions. I give Chris Wallace credit for conducting a tough and fair interview. It looks like the McCain campaign has nothing new for the closing stretch of the campaign. Good.

Last night, three of Akron biggest bands came together to play a benefit concert at Akron's Civic Theater for the Summit County Democratic Party and to support Barack Obama. Congressman Tim Ryan, Attorney General Candidate Richard Cordray, Akron City Council President Marco Summerville, Summit County Executive Russ Pry, and other prominent Democrats addressed the crowd in between musical sets. Best speech was given by Tim Ryan as he fired up the crowd. The theater was packed and people were excited to be there. It was a mix of people proud to be Democrats in Akron. These are my kind of people.

The Black Keys opened. They are really tight live and played a great set. In between songs they talked about their Akron roots. It was a perfect opening act. Chrissy Hynde played an acoustic set with another guitarist. She doesn't really need a band because her voice is so good. Chrissy got a little more political than The Black Keys and talked about the need to elect Barack. It wasn't any deep policy discussion, but was still an enthusiastic endorsement. I had no clue what to expect from Devo. They were really good and so energetic. They jumped all over, had coordinated costume changes, and sounded great. It was clear they were happy to be playing in their home town. The show ended with all the bands playing together. My sources tell me the show raised at least $60,000 and that number will go up as the final receipts are totaled.

President Clinton spoke yesterday at a rally for Senator Obama in downtown Cleveland. I tried to find the full speech online, but the best I could do is a report from WKYC in Cleveland. The important thing is that Bill Clinton comes to rev up Cuyahoga County and NE Ohio and Barack Obama is earning votes in southern and rural Ohio. The fact the Obama campaign is using surrogates rather than Obama himself up here right now (especially with this ACORN garbage in the press) is smart. Clinton gave a short, but vigiorous speech. Hopefully he was heading to some local fundraisers to help raise some money. It was pretty neat to see Clinton in an open park on a cool fall day in Cleveland.

President Clinton was introduced by one of the local Union leaders. He talked about Joe the Plumber and asked the crowd if any of the Union guys out there were making $250,000.There was a big group of Union guys next to the press area. Some guy yelled that he was making $255,000. It was funny and got a good laugh from the crowd.

This post hurts me to the core. From TV Week: Major League Baseball has moved back the scheduled start time of game six of the World Series so Fox can join CBS and NBC in airing a half-hour Barack Obama advertisement on Oct. 29, network and league sources said. A network spokeswoman confirmed the buy and said MLB had agreed to the network’s request for the delay. Fox now joins CBS and NBC in airing the half hour program, the content of which the Obama campaign has declined to describe.

Yes, I know that the NFL moved up their opening game to accommodate the RNC this year. That was a political convention, not an infomercial. But if you want to accuse me of being a whiny hypocrite, go ahead. Hey Fox, remember when Obama and those other Democrat also rans wouldn't appear on your news network for a debate? No? I guess not.

If there is a Game 6, I am strongly considering boycotting watching the game on television and just listening on radio – and my favorite team is going to be in the World Series. Maybe Obama is going to announce that he will take money from the players and "spread it around." Or "instead of the 7th inning stretch tonight we will be showing pictures from an Obama family gathering on the scoreboard."

Obamanation. Shame on Fox.