Politics 2000

I’ve heard about a lot of people getting annoyed but the high number of robocalls they’ve been receiving as Election Day draws nearer. At first, I imagine hearing some actor or politician’s voice on tape might be fun. Unfortunately, the thought of feeling special is fleeting. Especially once one realizes the calls are coming not because he is popular but because he fits a target demographic.

Plenty of children enjoyed trick-or-treating as part of Halloween tonight. Since Daylight Saving Time was extended this year until Nov. 2, dusk didn’t come until 6 p.m. Halloween fell on a Friday this year so the ghosts and firefighters could stay out a bit longer. Still, by 9 p.m., the streets were clear. There certainly won’t be any doorbells ringing this weekend.

I can’t say the same for telephones. There will be plenty of them ringing tomorrow. Anything to draw people to the polls Tuesday.

I don’t watch Dancing with the Stars often. I noticed last week that each pair was assigned a toll-free number at the start of the season and the number never changes. That setup was unusual to me. American Idol is more typical of reality shows in that each contestant gets a different number each week that supporters must use.

In addition, American Idol keeps the phone lines closed until moments before the weekly performance episode ends. People may vote until two hours until the program has aired in their time zone. Dancing with the Stars opens the phone lines as soon as the weekly performance show begins and closes 30 minutes after the episode ends.

In other words, American Idol fans must wait until everyone has performed before they cast votes. The Dancing with the Stars audience may cast their weekly allotment of votes before anyone has actually danced.

Early voting in many states has begun. Millions of Americans are taking advantage of the opportunity to cast their ballots as quickly as possible. I suppose they are saying they’ve heard enough and don’t want to think about their choices any more. I know my dad is tired of watching commercials from supporters and opponents of various California propositions. He’s certainly not alone.

However, he and I will wait until Election Day to cast absentee ballots. Something might happen. Probably not in the presidential race but definitely in the down-ballot contests.

I wonder how the throngs of people who stood on line for hours voted for the House and city council. I’ll be going through all the mailers I’ve gotten from local interests this weekend. The campaign has lasted two years so another few days’ thought won’t bother me.

The combined effect of the half-hour paid program aired tonight on Fox, Univision, CBS and NBC with his first joint campaign appearance with retired President Bill Clinton will keep the media attention on Sen. Barack Obama. Reports say that Obama may have spent as much as $5 million for the blanket coverage. He’ll happily pay $5 million a night until Election Day to keep the focus away from Sen. John McCain.

McCain needs to reclaim independents in addition to grabbing the remaining undecided voters. Everyone knows his campaign war chest is dwarfed by his opponent’s money. Therefore, he is depending on non-paid media. Some call it “free;” others refer to it as “earned.” Either way, McCain won’t do it by staying low-key. He tried to mock Obama’s massive buy by telling a rally audience that he wouldn’t ever delay a World Series game with an infomercial.

You mean, tonight’s Game 5? The one delayed by rain? The first-ever World Series contest to be suspended? The game that took three days to play? Thanks to Fox, the scheduled first pitch all week was 8:37 p.m. eastern. Play tonight started at 8:40 p.m. eastern.

McCain needs more than three minutes to gain a foothold. Sure, Obama didn’t know when he bought the airtime that the weather would drastically affect the World Series. Perhaps though, the Illinois senator is charmed.