election snapshot

Today’s front front page of the New York Times gives a nice snapshot of where the election is heading.

First of for the members of the “reality based community” and also a reason why Republicans are panicky:

The economy grew more slowly in the third quarter than at any time since early 2003, held back by a deflating housing market.

The Commerce Department reported this morning that the nation’s total output of goods and services expanded at an annual rate of just 1.6 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30. That preliminary estimate compares with a revised rate of 2.6 percent in the second quarter and the robust 5.6 percent rate recorded in the first. The figures are seasonally adjusted. New York Times

And now The Issueâ„¢ that Republican strategists hope will scare voters into the election booth:

The divisive debate over gay marriage, which played a prominent role in 2004 campaigns but this year largely faded from view, erupted anew on Thursday as President Bush and Republicans across the country tried to use a court ruling in New Jersey to rally dispirited conservatives to the polls.

Wednesday’s ruling, in which the New Jersey Supreme Court decided that gay couples are entitled to the same legal rights and financial benefits as heterosexual couples, had immediate ripple effects, especially in Senate races in some of the eight states where voters are considering constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage.
New York Times

The only way Republicans can win this thing is to distract voters from story A by gay bashing enough to make voters focus on story B. Rinse. Repeat. (Story B is non-story really. In what other western country would a ruling that essentially says “gays are humans too” cause such a stink?)