Charlie Crist

If the Obama campaign prevails in Florida, where polls show him clinging to a narrow lead, a crucial factor will be the high volume of early votes cast. Which, in turn, could make the state’s Republican governor, Charlie Crist, a bit of a hero for the Democrats. (It was Crist who ordered that early voting hours be extended to accommodate what looks to have been record turnout.)

According to one of Obama's advisers in Florida, who spoke to me on background, Crist’s behavior is a very good sign for the campaign’s chances there. The adviser subscribes to the Crist-as-barometer theory of Florida politics. Which means that the governor’s Obama-friendly position on the voting, along with his less-than-full public embrace of the McCain campaign’s tactics, is a sign of the way he see things going.

As the adviser put it: "They call him a popularist, not a populist.”

MIAMI—John McCain is about to appear at a rally in a packed gym here at Florida International University, where a giant American flag is hanging over the stage like a canopy between two big blue banners, one reading “Florida” the other “Victory.” Pro-McCain signs are written in Spanish and English, and a large Cuban contingent in the crowd is cheering and waving “Cubans for McCain” placards. Most everyone is waving blue and red pompoms. Also, there are cheerleaders.

The first speaker was Florida G.O.P. chair Jim Greer, whom the McCain campaign forced to book his own travel arrangements around the state after he criticized Sarah Palin’s very poor performance in the Katie Couric interviews.  read more »

ST. PAUL—The latest word is that Hurricane Gustav has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm and that water levels in New Orleans are receding – strong and encouraging signs that the Crescent City and the rest of the Gulf Coast will be spared tragedy and destruction on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.

And now, at the Republican National Convention, the effort is underway to portray this good news as a triumph of Republican leadership.

Just before 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.), with the scoreboards in the Xcel Energy Center prominently displaying the words “Country First,” First Lady Laura Bush was called to the stage, where she spoke of the human toll that the storm threatened to exact and the need for support from all Americans for any recovery effort.  read more »

Suddenly, after running well ahead of him for months, John McCain has fallen four points behind Barack Obama in Florida, at least according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday. This should be cause for alarm among Republicans, even if it is sharply at odds with other recent surveys in the state that have given McCain double-digit leads over Obama.  read more »

But one big-name McCain supporter was probably (secretly) thrilled with the poll, because as far as Charlie Crist's vice presidential prospects are concerned, bad news for McCain in Florida only makes the state's popular Republican governor more attractive as a potential ticket-mate.

John Turnbull, the owner of Windows We Are, Inc. in Bay Ridge, where John McCain is set to deliver a speech with an introduction by Michael Bloomberg, just told me he's a Democrat and voted for Al Gore in 2004 2000.

But being a Democrat in Bay Ridge is sort of like being a Republican on the Upper West Side.

When I asked if he thought Bloomberg would make a good vice presidential candidate, he smiled politely and said he didn't know.  read more »

Rudy Giuliani stands by his support of publicly funded abortions.

Giuliani met with Florida Governor (and McCain ally) Charlie Crist.

Hillary Clinton's blogger Peter Daou is pushing her petition urging the President not to veto legislation meant to speed the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

There may be problems with the city Education Department's new computer system.

John Podhoretz thinks the gaudy Democratic fund-raising numbers could portend disaster for the GOP in 2008.

New York wineries can bet up to $1,000 to improve their websites.

The Daily News has a blog all about Astoria.

John McCain has set a date to "announce" that he's a candidate for president.

Critical Mass is clashing with the NYPD again.

The mayor of D.C. has won preliminary approval to take control of the school district there.

And pictured above is the guy that Jay Golub wants to see as mayor.

-- Azi Paybarah