Tuesday’s winner, Wednesday’s articles

Sorry about being late with the results from Tuesday and your choices from yesterday. I spent the evening at Ignite Phoenix, talking to local social media enthusiasts and geeks. If you want to hear what people had to say, check out the videos with the Ignite Phoenix article on allvoices.

Tuesday’s results

There were only two articles up for consideration on Tuesday for the Voice of the Day. I figure that the comment attached to the blog post pretty much says it all. When one of the writers says she like the other writer’s comparison better – that’s a winner to me. Community member Therestillis - get me your mailing address so I can put you on the list for a shirt!

Wednesday’s articles

Yesterday, 5 articles were submitted that are eligible to be the Voice of the Day. There are a couple of doozies in here – be sure to read all of them. I can already tell you that today’s list looks pretty powerful too. Check back later today to see that list. 

Presidential losers often insist they will win as campaigns wind down

Berkeley :: CA :: USA

Will the words and insinuations made by Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin in this Oct. 28, 2008, Associated Press story be added to the list below by this time next week? Republican John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin told a Pennsylvania audience…

 

Palin seals McCain’s fate-admits she’s open to 2012 Presidential bid

Sioux Falls :: SD :: USA

Well who would be surprised to hear that Sarah Palin is really only worried about Sarah Palin? In an interview with Elizabeth Vargas on ABC that will air Thursday morning, Palin was asked about 2012. Her response indicated that essentially, she’s just…

 

Twelve Reasons to Reject Obama and Support Nader/McKinney

Beirut :: Lebanon

The Elections and the Responsibility of the Intellectual to Speak Truth to Power: (Twelve Reasons to Reject Obama and Support Nader/McKinney By James Petras The presidential elections in the US, once again, provide an acid test of the integrity and consequential…

 

Presidential losers often insist they will win as campaigns wind down

Berkeley :: CA :: USA

Will the words and insinuations made by Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin in this Oct. 28, 2008, Associated Press story be added to the list below by this time next week? Republican John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin told a Pennsylvania audience…

 

Georgia’s Sect. of State Channeling Her Inner Katherine Harris

Atlanta :: GA :: USA

From today’s AJC: Monday’s wait times (to vote) of six to eight hours led state Democratic Party chairwoman Jane Kidd to call on Secretary of State Karen Handel to extend advance voting to this weekend and Monday. Kidd said it appeared Handel’s…

 

The best election stories of the day

Today we have several great stories to share with you on everything from Palin’s wardrobe to foreclosure program problems, to election projections. And to start us off, we have a story on Senator Stevens’ conviction.

(Everyone who wrote today is already on the list to get a shirt. That means all you have to do is to read the articles and respond. No voting required.)

Bad News for Republican Leadership: Alaskan Senator Stevens Convicted

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was convicted of corruption charges (of lying about receiving $250K in gifts) today which could not come at a worse time Republicans with the election just over a week away. I have no allegiance to any party, but this is just

Punditty Project goes on record with state-by-state predictions: Obama wins

(If you have no interest in Punditty’s prognostications pedigree or the rationale behind his numbers and just want to cut to the chase, scroll down to “How to Read This Projection” for state-by-state and popular vote predictions.) Long before there…

Create your own McCain bumper sticker

Whether you’re bored, or need something to keep your spirits up during this long, nasty presidential election season, now you can join in the fun that before could only be had by political pundits and photoshop experts! Create your own McCain bumper sticker

No Hope for Homeowners – Foreclosure Prevention Program Falters

As banks continue to line up for the taxpayer funded handouts designed to ease their withdrawals from years of dependence on high yields derived from ridiculously reckless lending practices, homeowners continue to seek avenues to prevent the looming possibility…

How the Palin candidacy proves equal is not always better

Lately I’ve been mulling over thoughts about sexism, women’s progression in politics, and whether or not women are fairly treated in national political campaigns. Most specifically I wondered, is John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, really being treated…

Obama and McCain battle in key states won by Bush

According to the NYT, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama are planning to spend most the last week leading to the presidential election in states that President Bush won in 2004, “testimony to the increasingly dire position of Mr. McCain and…

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What’s your take on the issues of the day? Speak up and lend us your voice. That is what we are all about, after all!

Tuesday’s Voice of the Day

People voted with thier eyes on Tuesday for the Voice of the Day piece. Roxanne Webber’s piece McCain-Palin accused of activating our ‘Stone Age Brains’ had the most views. It was original content. And it got contributions from another user. And, it was GOOD. Winner all the way around! Congratulations Roxanne, I will be sending you a t-shirt!

Speaking of shirts – I will be ordering them today.  There will be other ways to get them later, but for now – If you want to get one, write something that gets choosen as the Voice of the Day!

Next order of business: The stories from yesterday…

As you can see by the poll, there were only two stories submitted yesterday for the Voice of the Day. One is from Punditty and one is from Roxanne Weber. While each of them have already won a t-shirt, I still want to make sure you read the pieces and let them know what you think.

• Election Night Helper: Guide to State-by-State Web Sites for Results
  Bookmark this report for easy reference on Nov. 4, and forward it freely to others who will be following the returns online as well as on TV. It is a very useful tool. Most if not all states will provide real-time updates of results…
• Palin tidbits – $150k on clothing, knows God will ‘do the right thing’ and more
  What can one say about the alluring Sarah Palin? At each turn she defies reasonableness, and continues to amaze

Be sure to read both stories and let me know what you think.

Today’s t-shirt – and tomorrow’s news…

First order of business: Monday’s Voice of the day

T-shirt for Monday’s Voice of the Day goes to community member  allenels for her abortion rights piece: A Letter to Pro-Life Supporters

Close 2nd went to Kuldeep for all his great video submissions. I think if there had been more text with those submissions, they would have taken the t-shirt.

And now for today’s articles…

Submissions were slightly down today. Only 11 articles on the elections. That means we are going back to a poll. Read each article, then vote in the poll, below in the comments, or on the site. Let us know what you think!

 

• McCain-Palin accused of activating our ‘Stone age brains’Early voting started in North Carolina today and already the election atmosphere at the polls appears to be divisive and angry. John McCain supporters have begun to gather in opposition of Barack Obama voters, tires are being slashed during rally events,…
• Joe the Plumber is DEAD!!!!Source: freedomanddemocracy Colin Powell on Meet the Press, October 19, 2008Press availability following his endorsement on “Meet the Press.” Destroys every McCain and Republican talking points from Ayers to “terrorist” to Rep. Bachmann’s rant to…
• Sarah Palin Now a Cartoon Parrot in New YouTube VideoA red-breasted cartoon parrot is prancing on a cartoon perch, itself balanced on a cartoon podium. But what’s this? A ‘McCain’ placard on the podium? No wonder this bird looks familiar. That huge head is that of Governor Sarah Palin, Republican nominee…
• Political Polemics in Battleground States Confuse Voters, Study SaysAdverse Ads Counterproductive, Facial Expressions Misleading, Studies Show OhioNewsBureau with John Michael Spinelli Columbus, Ohio: As the race for president winding down, you would think that spending more money on more political advertisements
• Did Powell’s endorsement finish driving in the nail?Would it still be possible for McCain to turn that hammer around and wrench the nail out that was driven by the endorsement of Barack Obama, by Former Gen. Colin Powell ? This endorsement has been quoted and pushed throughout the Media, as the…
• Palin Loses Mind: Claims The Vice President Is ‘In Charge Of The U.S. SenateYesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado. In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does, Palin erroneously argued
• Palin Set For White House Run In 2012Whatever the result of November’s Presidential race, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin won’t be leaving the big stage any time soon.I’ve learned that Republican party officials in Alaska, as well as those at the Republican National Committee, have big plans
• I can live with defeat: McCainWASHINGTON: Barack Obama raised a record $150 million last month and swamped the airwaves in the final stretch of his presidential race against John McCain. The huge haul – by far the biggest in presidential history – came as McCain gave a robust performance
• Jay-Z: “I’m voting for Barack ObamaJay-Z encourages voters to vote in the upcoming election during a concert in Detroit, MI Make sure you get involved and get out to vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. To find your polling place or for more information about election day, go to voteforchange.com
• Heavy Voter Turn Out Nationwide Could Cause Delays at Polls Election officials around the country are bracing for huge voter turnout and a big spike in early voting may not be enough to prevent long lines at the polls come November 4. A number of key swing states around the…

See how easy it is to add your opinions to the site? Get out there and add your voice to the conversation! Write about anything related to the election and I could be sending you a t-shirt!

3 shirts to give away

I never got the time to blog over the weekend, so I am going to just announce the winners from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday here. Friday’s vote got very little results – either from the poll or from emails. Knowing that the weekend’s voting numbers wouldn’t be much better, I am just picking my favorites from the most qualified pieces.

Friday’s choice was the article on the roast: McCain and Obama roast each other at Alfred Smith Memorial Dinner. This article was by allvoices team member CharJTF who joined the site earlier this October. If you didn’t read the article, you should. In my opinion, this would have been much more interesting to watch than the debate Thursday night! Close second went to Roxanne Weber’s  article and the video on McCain and Letterman’s audience.

Saturday’s choice was easy. Community member MarcusCato wrote a great piece called John McCain’s sorrows come not single spies, but in battalions. Now, I would have preferred to pick something more locally oriented, but in this case… Let’s just say that the shear number of views got it. That shear number? Over 13,000 at the time of this blog post. MarcusCato – I owe you a shirt!

(By the way – If you aren’t following MarcusCato you should be. I have said it before, I will say it again: His writing is great. His content is great. And he knows how to get eyes on his work. He just went over 200,000 views today.)

That brings us to Sunday. Sunday’s voice of the day is Roxanne Weber for her article, More Republican defectors site Palin as reason for lack of support.  I feel bad that it didn’t get more views over the weekend – it is a great piece about how the conservative base doesn’t seem much happier with Sarah Palin than the Democrats do. Once more it is a national piece, but it is definitely Roxanne’s opinions – so it takes the shirt.

Punditty Gets a Shirt – Who will get the next one?

 

First things first: Yesterday’s poll response was a little underwhelming. But by a 3 to 2 margin, the preferred article from yesterday was: Did McCain have a ‘Dukakis Moment’ on stage after 3rd debate? That means that when the shirts are ready, Puditty will be getting one in the mail.

The next order of business: Today’s poll.

You may notice that today’s poll is at the top of the post instead of the bottom. I am hoping this gets more of you to VOTE instead of emailing me. The list of articles is above, details and links for each of them are here:

Ohio’s Strickland and Brown Defend Chief Election Officer, Slam Republicans on Attempts at Voter Suppression

Columbus :: OH :: USA | Oct 17, 3:06 PM

Strickland Says Official Documents Using “Theodore and Ted” Would Make Him a Mis-Match This Year OhioNewsBureau with John Michael Spinelli Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and US Sen. Sherrod Brown, both Democrats, defended actions of Ohio…

Today’s Twitter rage – what John McCain Knows

Sioux Falls :: SD :: USA | Oct 17, 2:56 PM

Twitter can be useful as a business tool, but I think it has been far more useful this election year as a political toy. With its own election page, and hungry political junkies on all sides of the political spectrum getting hopped up for their candidates…

Letterman’s audience polite but lacking in love for McCain (VIDEO)

New York City :: NY :: USA | Oct 17, 10:58 AM

David Letterman finally got John McCain on his show, after the controversial “no show” from McCain previously. Although McCain showed a more personal side, he wasn’t getting a whole lot of love from the audience. The audience was polite, and they applauded…

Supreme Court Sides with Ohio Secretary of State in Voter Match-Up Case

Columbus :: OH :: USA | Oct 17, 12:46 PM

US Supremes Bail Out Brunner While Republicans Continue Attack on Voter Registration Fraud OhioNewsBureau with John Michael Spinelli Columbus, Ohio: The United States Supreme Court Friday came to the defense of Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner…

Obama’s Tax Plan vs. the Middle Class (who is being truthful)

San Francisco :: CA :: USA | Oct 17, 3:00 PM

Finally I have my hands on Obama’s Tax Plan. He is not being truthful on how the Middle Class will be impacted by his new plan. If we are to compare his plan to McCain’s over 3 different scenarios then you can see the true impact to the Middle Class….

McCain and Obama roast each other at Alfred Smith Memorial Dinner

New York City :: NY :: USA | Oct 16, 9:30 PM

The Alfred E. Smith dinner was held tonight at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, attended by politicos and the media. Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama both attended and spoke, roasting each other and providing compliments. (The one rule…

 

If you have read this far, I may as well let you know: You want to watch the site and the blog over the next couple of weeks. Besides having shirts and Flips to give away, we have some other big news coming about the site itself. Watch for it!

Help Choose the First Voice of the Day!

Welcome to the first Voice of the Day poll for allvoices. We want to know whose article should be today’s winner. If you are looking for great content on last night’s debate, this is the place for you. By the way, I am guessing that most days we won’t have as much national election news as we did today. In order for that to happen, some of you are going to have to head over to the site and report on local issues and elections.

That said, there was no way I could pick between today’s entries for the voice of the day. Since WordPress just announced a polling addition to the blogging engine, I am going to use this blog piece to have you help me decide who is today’s voice of the day.

 

 

There were 7 stories submitted today that met the criteria of original, thought provoking, interesting pieces on election issues. Each of these stories is eligible for today’s t-shirt.

I have purposefully removed the author’s names from the list of articles. If you want to vote on an article based on who wrote it, you will need to check each article out individually. (Which I hope you do anyway!) To help choose the winner, read the articles and then vote in the poll below.

 

Did McCain have a ‘Dukakis Moment’ on stage after 3rd debate?

Hempstead :: NY :: USA | Oct 16, 2:28 PM | Political News

Much has been made of Sen. John McCain’s body language on stage during all three presidential debates, but as this framegrab taken immediately after the final debate Oct. 15 Hempstead, N.Y., shows, McCain finally outdid himself. And he may have…

Obama fends off McCain’s spirited onslaught

Hempstead :: NY :: USA | Oct 16, 6:19 AM | Political News

After the third US presidential debate held at Hofstra University on October 15, the Democrats are heaving a sigh of relief that Senator John McCain did not score the knockout punch he needed in order to wipe out his rival…

28 Million Hate DVD Distributed in Key Swing States! (Video)

Denver :: CO :: USA | Oct 16, 5:52 AM | Political News

A DVD that plays on American’s fear that Obama is a “closet” Muslim has been distributed with 70 newsapers to millions in the key swing states of Ohio, Florida, and Colorado. Entitled “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”, the…

Ohio Plumber Drain’s McCain’s Pipe Dream for President 

Columbus :: OH :: USA | Oct 16, 1:26 AM | Political News

Case of Ohio Tradesman Unclogs Issues on Small Business Help, Taxes and Health Care OhioNewsBureau with John Michael Spinelli Columbus, Ohio: When the curtain came down on the third and final presidential debate of 2008, any pipe dreams Arizona Sen….

McCain throws baseball signals, Obama stays the course, voters remain … 

New York City :: NY :: USA | Oct 15, 9:53 PM | Political News

What was significant about the last presidential debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain? Finally, a debate that got to the heart of many issues people needed and said they wanted to hear about, but the results from Independent…

Put your punditry where the money is – Predictify’s $100,000 Election …

Berkeley :: CA :: USA | Oct 15, 7:28 PM | Political News

So you think you know electoral politics, eh? Then you might want to enter the Predicty/Rock the Vote $100,000 Election Showdown. Punditty did, and he’s pretty sure he’s going to finish in the money. Then again, he was pretty sure…

Blogger Railroaded for Exposing Sarah Palin’s Maternal Negligence 

New York City :: NY :: USA | Oct 15, 4:15 PM | Political News

According to The Hill , Susan Bruce , a campaign blogger for New Hampshire Representative Carol Shea-Porter, was recently forced to resign after she raised the legitimate concern about Sarah Palin’s abysmal public treatment of her children, including her down…

 

By the way – You may have noticed that most of those are expressing the same view. That isn’t the goal here. We want a diverse set of views. If you haven’t been posting because you are afraid we are biased toward one end of the spectrum or the other, please start expressing your views. allvoices is the place for you to express your views. We want to know what you think and what is important to you. Maybe all of tomorrow’s suggestions will be McCain backers….

Are you ready to be the Voice of the Day?

Are you ready to make your voice heard? As the US elections approach, many of us here in the US are having to make some tough decisions. One of the things we here at allvoices hope to do is to help you think about and talk about all the issues. Everyone needs a place where they can hear all the voices – not just on the big issues, but on the small ones too. There is a great saying, “think globally, act locally”.

As you prepare to vote, the big issues will be the ones that everyone is talking about – that’s the “think  globally” part. I know that the coverage of the nominees for president and vice president takes up most of the time and effort of the traditional news sources.

So far, here at allvoices, that has been the case as well. But, there are many more issues and offices you need to decide on when you go to vote in November. I am hoping to hear your voices on those issues as well. After all, the local elections are the ones that impact your day to day life – that’s the “act locally” part.

To help encourage you to share you voice, allvoices is announcing the Voice of the Day. If your voice is chosen as the “Voice of the Day”, we will help you get heard. We will publicize your piece here on the blog and elsewhere around the web. We will work with you to make sure that what is in that piece gets heard.  We will be bi-partisan. We are not pushing any specific agenda. Instead we are going to push well thought out, well communicated ideas.

Share the ballot initiatives that are up for consideration in your town. Share the issues that are influencing your choice in the local and state offices.  Share how you have come to decide what spots you will mark on the ballot. Share which local elections were easy for you to decide on and which you haven’t been able to decide on. Share what matters to you in the election. Ask for input from others around you.

Voice of the Day Criteria

1. To be considered, you must attach at least one story, image, video, and blog entry to your piece. The items must all relate to the issue you are discussing. Make them interesting and insightful.
2. Content submitted must be original. While the links may be to items that exist elsewhere and have been written by others, the main content and all images must be yours alone. We want your voice, so that means give us your words and your images. 
3. Videos can be links to YouTube videos or videos uploaded to the site. However, if the video is not your video be sure to add value to it by putting information in the description that says why people should watch it. Original videos will get you extra credit!
4. The items must be clear and well written. Spelling counts. If you want to change the world with your words, your words must be understandable.
5. Conversation improves your odds. Get people talking and commenting on your news – expressions of both sides of the issue will help keep the conversation going and enhance the chance your piece is selected for promotion.
6. You must provide a link to the story on allvoices by Private Message  or email to Kathy Jacobs, allvoices community guru.
7.  You must tag your stories with Election2008  so that they can be found easily.
8. Stories will be considered on a daily news cycle. The story to be promoted will be picked based on stories submitted before 4:00 pm California time each day. One story a day will be picked from now through the 5th of November. Once the story of the day has been picked, it will be promoted by the allvoices team. You will be informed if your story is chosen.
9. Your news item must pertain to an issue or election that will be directly voted on during the elections on November 4, 2008.

 What do I get besides views?

Each allvoices member who has a story picked as a daily story will receive an allvoices t-shirt. These shirts are being designed and created now. After the election, we will choose one of the daily winners to receive a $50 gift card.

Any other hints?

When you create your pieces, be sure to tag them with “Election2008″ so that they are picked up for any special system wide promotion we may do.  Other good tags include your location, the election issue, the people involoved, etc.

If people voice up your piece as a well written and insightful piece, that might influence the judges. Therefore, if you want us to pick your piece, you might consider having people vote it up. Remember – if  20  people register so they can voice up and comment on your piece – you could receive one of the Flips!