Campaign Finance Reports — 8 Day Primary Edition

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The 8 Day Campaign Finance reports were due in to the Department of Elections on 5 September, covering the period from 8/13 through 9/3 for all candidates. Want to take a look? Following the money is always fun and sometimes instructive. We posted up a thread for folks taking a look at the 30 day reports, and here is your chance to post up what you find for candidates AND their PACs.

Friday Open Thread [9.7.12]

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Friday! It was the longest short week in memory. But it is the first day of the last weekend before the Primary, so your mailboxes will be overflowing, your message machines will max out from the robocalls and I hope that many of you are working with your favorite candidates for the final work of GOTV.

Who Won The Battle of the Conventions?

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Pandora commented in a thread with the following smart thought:
One of the biggest things the average voter will take away from these conventions is the chatter surrounding them – and the positive chatter surrounding the DNC will influence people. Of course, this feeling can be lost at any time before the election, but as it stands now the DNC won the battle of conventions.

Obama’s addition to the Democratic hymnal

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Since before his inauguration I, like many Democrats, had been waiting for President Obama to make his mark on our Democratic psyche. John F Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt before him used their eloquence to help us understand who we are as a party and a people. They left us with words and phrases that became part of our Democratic identity and our national identity. After eight years of the aspirational desert of George Bush, that responsibility fell squarely and heavily on the shoulders of Barack Obama. Perhaps feeling untested, and that the words might seem insincere, he passed on the opportunity during his inaugural address. But last night I heard the words that will endure. I heard the words that form a bulwark against the greedy and grasping brutality that Republicans envision for our future.

Presidential Debate Question

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How in the world is Mitt Romney going to handle the Presidential debates?  He has run his entire campaign on avoiding detailed policy discussions, so how does this translate into a debate?  Will he simply say, "I love freedom" over and over again? Health Care, Afghanistan, Taxes, Medicare/Medicaid, Abortion, Budget Cuts, Unions, the Economy, Foreign Policy, etc. - all these topics, and many, many more, will be on the table.  How does Mitt Romney respond to these issues, or is there a way he can avoid them and continue to say nothing?