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The Obama Campaign Makes History of a Different Kind
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The Obama Campaign Makes History of a Different Kind

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Barack Obama's fundraising is boggling the minds of political pros in both parties. He's on track to raise more money all by himself than the record of $700 million combined set by Bush and Kerry four years ago. We debate public financing today, update the early voting, and talk to a skeptic about the integrity of voting systems around the country. Also, oil prices heading back up, and comparing what human beings are doing to the Earth to the global economic recession. 

Making News

Oil and Gas Prices Heading Back Up? ()

After peaking at $147 a barrel in July, oil prices yesterday were at their lowest since 2007, $63 a barrel.  Today, they started back up again. Neil King is International Energy reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

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  • Neil King: International Energy Reporter, Wall Street Journal
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Main Topic

Money, the Campaign and Voting Integrity ()

In 2004, George Bush and John Kerry raised $700 million combined for their presidential campaigns. That was a record.  A year ago, Barack Obama promised to limit himself to public financing, but changed his mind. This year, he alone has raised $650 million, and is outspending John McCain on TV in battleground states by a margin of four to one. Tonight, Obama will address the nation for 30 minutes in prime time on CBS, NBC, Fox, MSNBC, Univision and BET, all paid for by his campaign. But big money's not the only big story of this campaign. There are massive problems with early voting, especially in southern states. There are also questions about the integrity of the electoral system, like those in the 2004 elections, in which many states' official results did not coincide with surveys taken of voters as they were leaving the polls.

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Reporter's Notebook

Overextended on Our Ecological Credit Card ()

Just as the global economy is recklessly burning up wealth, the world's population is burning up natural resources.  The World Wildlife Fund, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network are reporting today that human demands on natural resources are over-reaching what Earth can sustain by almost a third.  They call it a kind of global recession.  James Leape, Director General of World Wildlife Fund International, has more on the "ecological credit crunch."

Guests:
  • James Leape: Director General, World Wildlife Fund International

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