Relative values
Updated on 02 November 2008
Barack Obama wakes up to a bout of bad news on the last Saturday of this campaign. Felicity Spector blogs from the election trail.
The polls are tightening, McCain's support appears to be consolidating, and now it's emerged that his Kenyan aunt has been living illegally in the United States for years.
The Times first broke the story that Zeituni Onyango was living in Boston public housing where she volunteers as a health advocate - and because she's a foreign citizen, had acted illegally by donating some $260 to her half-nephew's campaign. "I can't talk about it, I just pray for him" she told the paper.
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But the AP dug deeper and discovered that the woman known affectionately as 'Auntie Zeituni' in Obama's own memoirs had her request for asylum thrown out in 2004. The judge ordered her to leave the United States, but she stayed.
The information, it turns out, originated from a federal official; AP says it's not known whether anyone from the White House, or the McCain campaign was involved.
Local housing officials in Boston say they're "flabbergasted" to discover Onyango was related to the presidential contender, describing her as an 'exemplary resident'.
As for the Obama campaign, spokesman Bill Burton said the Senator "had no knowledge of her status, but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed". And her contribution to the campaign will be returned.
But all this could very easily play big: fitting neatly into perceptions of Obama as not-quite-American, with dodgy relations scattered across the world. Lets see if the Republicans - or their surrogates - run with it.
Felicity Spector's Election USA
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In fact the McCain team must be feeling pretty buoyed up this morning - post Halloween festivities. Last night's one-day Zogby poll actually puts them ahead of Obama - by 48 per cent to 47 per cent.
Zogby reports that the Republican is leading amoing blue collar workers, investors, and men - perhaps thanks to Joe the Plumber, after all.
Obama's lead among women, and independents, is also slipping, he says - "but for now, hold on". Polls are just a momentary snapshot, after all; overall Obama is still four points ahead and still way ahead in almost all the crucial battleground states.
If it's proof of anything, perhaps it shows that the $4 million or so Obama splurged on that half hour infomercial maybe wasn't money very well spent.
There is, according to Democratic pundit Bob Shrum, a whiff of "complicit conspiracy" about all this. It suits the Republicans, he says, to gee up their supporters by saying the race is narrowing - and Obama's just as eager to ward against complacency.
Expect to hear a lot of speculation about turnout - late surges - and upsets. But as for real surprises? You'll have to wait three days for that.
