A Republican for 43 years, Senator Specter has chosen to leave a party that he says has moved far to the right and join Senate Democrats as they work with President Obama to turn our country and our economy around.

Senator Specter courageously supported the President's economic recovery package -- setting politics aside to create solutions to America's problems.

Help us welcome Sen. Specter.

President Obama tells Sen. Specter we are "thrilled to have you."

Read Gov. Kaine's statement welcoming Sen. Specter with open arms

"Last night we lost a true champion for working families and a pioneer for women in politics. Catherine Baker Knoll was not just the first woman to serve as Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor, she was a tireless public servant and a true role model. Her leadership and her voice will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Lt. Gov. Knoll's family in this difficult time."

The World Series got suspended. Obama politics never stop.

Democrat Barack Obama carried on Tuesday with an outdoor rally at Widener University, outside Philadelphia, despite a cold, steady rain that made the temperature feel freezing.

About 9,000 people came out to hear the presidential contender. They stood in mud.

"I just want all of you to know that if we see this kind of dedication on Election Day, there is no way that we're not going to bring change to America," Obama told the shivering crowd.

John McCain's campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states.

According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters." The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even, once, spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots so as to hinder the Democratic ticket.

More from the Sproul file:

Indeed, Sproul's history is filled with allegations of political misdeeds. During the 2004 election, Sproul & Associates (the former name of Lincoln Strategy) was accused of attempting to destroy forms collected by Democratic voters in Nevada. That same year in Oregon, Sproul & Associates allegedly instructed canvassers to only accept Republican registration forms in addition to destroying those turned in by Democrats.

In Minnesota, meanwhile, Sproul's firm was accused of actually firing workers who brought back Democratic registration forms, while other canvassers were allegedly paid "$13 an hour, with the $3 bonus for every Bush, undecided or Ralph Nader voter registration." Similar problems related to Sproul & Associates popped up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Campaigning for Obama, Sen. Clinton tells Philly Jewish Community Center crowd that “the middle class is invisible to this president.” She adds: “we are in a financial crisis born and bred in the last eight years of failed policies of George Bush and John McCain.”

Later on, at historic farm in Horsham, she offers Democrats’ response to Republicans’ “Drill, baby, drill”: “Jobs, baby, jobs.”

McCain has bragged about supporting President Bush's failed policies 90 percent of the time, most recently chronicled in a video distributed by the Democratic National Committee earlier this week. For example, in 2005, McCain said on Meet the Press that "The fact is, that I have agreed with President Bush far more than I have disagreed" and that he agreed with President Bush on the "transcendent issues" of the day. View the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4DrL8-UA4U.

The following is a summary of events around the country:

Arlington, VA
Democratic Activists will deliver a More of the Same birthday cake to John McCain's campaign headquarters.

Denver, CO
Democrats will hold a John McCain's More of the Same birthday party at the Rialto Café on 16th Street.

Dayton, OH
Ohio Democrats will bring a hold a rally at John McCain's announcement of his running mate in Dayton. The event will feature the DNC's "more of the same" mobile billboard and a birthday cake for Senator McCain.

Youngstown, OH
Local democrats will join the county Democratic Party chair, the county treasurer, and labor leaders for a birthday party for John McCain. The event will feature the DNC's "more of the same" mobile billboard and a birthday cake for Senator McCain.

Pittsburgh, PA
The Allegheny County Executive and the chair of the county Democratic Party will host a birthday party that will feature the DNC's "more of the same" mobile billboard and a birthday cake for Senator McCain.

Washington, PA
Local labor leaders will host a More of the Same McCain birthday party that will feature the DNC's "more of the same" mobile billboard and a birthday cake for Senator McCain.

Erie, PA
Local Democratic activists will host a More of the Same McCain birthday party that will feature the DNC's "more of the same" mobile billboard and a birthday cake for Senator McCain.

Harrisburg, PA
Local Democratic activists will host a More of the Same McCain birthday party that will feature the DNC's "more of the same" mobile billboard and a birthday cake for Senator McCain.

One day, my gunner said to me, “Sir, what are we doing here?” Baghdad was a stop on a journey that began for me 15 years ago when I first put on the uniform of the United States Army. My journey took me from ROTC cadet to West Point professor to captain in the 82nd Airborne Division and eventually to the United States Congress. For me, a blue-collar kid from a row house in northeast Philadelphia, this was the chance to not only serve the country I love, but to live the American dream.

When I returned from Iraq, I realized we didn’t just need change over there, we also needed to change how we treat our veterans here at home. For eight long years, we’ve had a president who rushed to stand with soldiers at political rallies but abandoned them at Walter Reed. We’ve had a president who spent billions on private contractors but not on body armor for our troops. We’ve had a president who was there for the photo ops, but AWOL when it came to doing right by our veterans. It is time for a change.

In the Army, we have a saying: “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” It is time for a president who leads. And it’s time for a commander-in-chief who knows that leadership means serving our troops as well as they serve our country.

Barack Obama will be that commander-in-chief. With a grandfather who marched in General Patton’s army, Senator Obama understands the needs of our nation and our military. That’s why he led the fight to end the injustice at Walter Reed and end homelessness among our veterans. That’s why he led the fight to make sure that returning veterans get the mental health care they deserve. And that’s why I am proud to stand with him as he leads the fight for a smarter and tougher foreign policy, so that we can finally end the war in Iraq, go after the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and defeat them where they are strongest, in Afghanistan.

Our brave men and women in uniform and our great country cannot afford more of the same. It is time for the change our troops, our veterans and our country need. It is time for Barack Obama.

For eight years, the people of Pennsylvania have been hit hard by the Bush-Cheney economy, an economy that favors the powerful and leaves everyone else to fend for themselves. We’ve seen our jobs disappear overseas, our wages go down and the price we pay at the pump skyrocket to record highs. We’ve been hit hard, but we’re ready to fight back, and we’re ready for a president who will fight for us. That’s why I am proud to support Barack Obama for President of the United States.

In a time of danger around the world and economic trouble here at home, I know that Barack Obama will lead us, heal us and help us rebuild the country we love. I know this because I know Barack Obama. I have seen how he inspires people, including my four daughters, to believe that the failures of the past will soon give way to the change we need. I have seen his leadership up close in the Senate, bridging partisan divides and finding common ground. And I have seen him carry those same leadership skills off the floor of the Senate and into cities and towns all across Pennsylvania.

I traveled with Barack by bus and train across our state, from Pittsburgh to Paoli, from Johnstown to Downingtown. He was equally at home talking football with Jerome Bettis and Franco Harris as he was with talking jobs with the folks on the shop floor of the Erie Bolt Company, or talking sports with the guys at the bar at Sharky’s in Latrobe.

Everywhere Barack went, people who may have been asking who this guy was ended up seeing what I saw: a husband, a father of two daughters and a man of deep faith. Everywhere we went, the people of Pennsylvania gave him the highest praise they give anyone: He’s one of us too.

And Pennsylvania couldn’t be prouder of our native son, Joe Biden from Scranton. No one knows us better than Joe.

After eight years of a president who lets the oil companies and the Washington lobbyists call the shots, I say it’s about time we had a president and vice president who really know us. We are joined tonight by another great champion of working people, someone with whom I’ve worked on early childhood education; someone who conducted her campaign with rare grace under real pressure; a senator who has worked to bring our party and our country together: Hillary Rodham Clinton. When she endorsed Barack, Senator Clinton called upon us to “do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States.”

Traveling around Pennsylvania, and looking around this room, I have no doubt that is exactly what we’re going to do. So now let us work together, with a leader who, as Lincoln said, appeals to the better angels of our nature. Barack Obama and I have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion. But the fact that I’m speaking here tonight is testament to Barack’s ability to show respect for the views of people who may disagree with him.

I know Barack Obama. And I believe that as president, he’ll pursue the common good by seeking common ground, rather than trying to divide us. We are strongest when we are together. And there has never been a more important time to devote ourselves to common purpose.

The people of Pennsylvania can’t afford four more years of Bush-Cheney economics, and with John McCain, that’s exactly what we’d get. John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush 90 percent of the time. That’s not a maverick. That’s a sidekick.

The Bush-McCain Republicans inherited the strongest economy in history and drove it into a ditch. They cut taxes on the wealthiest of us and passed on the pain to the least of us. They ran up the debt, gave huge subsidies to big oil companies, and now they’re asking for four more years.

How ‘bout four more months? We can’t afford four more years of deficit and debt, drift and desperation. Not four more years. Four more months. And we can’t afford another president who will veto children’s health insurance for 10 million children, or who will keep senior citizens from seeing the doctors they trust. Not four more years. Four more months.

Governor Casey used to say that the ultimate question for those in public office is this: what did you do when you had the power? Barack Obama and Joe Biden will use that power to help the folks on the shop floor of the Erie Bolt Company, the guys at Sharky’s, and the millions of Americans just like them, struggling but ready to fight back. We know they will because as Pennsylvanians know, Joe Biden is one of us. And Barack Obama is one of us too.

After I got my first union job, my dad gave me some good advice. He said, “Stick to the union. It’s what makes a difference for working people like us.” Unions are the best all-in-one program for working families that America ever had—and it didn’t cost the government a dime.

My dad was right. Unions help ordinary people like me, like truck drivers. Nurses. And farm, factory and construction workers, who work hard to find a way to own a home. Raise a family. Send our kids to college and retire with dignity.

Our unions helped us pass on to our kids a better life than our own. And we call this legacy the American dream. But today, that dream is fading. After eight years of George W. Bush, work hours are up but wages are down. And John McCain is offering more of the same. The gap between the rich and the rest of America—it’s staggering and growing. And John McCain is offering more of the same. Nine in 10 workers have no union, while healthcare costs are exploding, pensions wiped out. Job security, a thing of the past.

Working people in this country can’t afford more of the same. But that’s exactly what John McCain’s offering—more of the same. Brothers and sisters, it is time for change, and I stand here today to tell you that working people all around this country know—Barack Obama will bring the change we need.

Barack Obama believes in an America where workers have a voice on the job and their hard work is valued and rewarded. Where health care is affordable and accessible. Where corporations pay their fair share, and workers are free to join a union without being harassed or intimidated.

Barack Obama believes in an America in which we work with each other, take care of each other and where our kids do even better than we do. Barack Obama will bring the change we need. And when he is our president, working families around this country will again know that the American dream is within the reach of everyone who calls this great country home.

The results of the Republican energy policy are plain. Back then, the price of gas at the pump was about $1.50 a gallon. Today, it’s $4 a gallon. Back then, it cost about $900 to heat your home through the winter. This winter, it’s more likely to be $2,500. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil just announced the largest quarterly profit in history. That’s not just an outrage. It’s obscene.

This happened because for the last eight years, the Bush-Cheney team stonewalled the taxing of oil company profits and prevented efforts to promote alternative energy production. And guess who voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time? Senator John McCain.

Now, as another Republican convention approaches, we are hearing more of the same: John McCain talking about alternative energy, energy independence and wind power. But if you look past the speeches, here’s what you see. Many of John McCain’s top advisors have worked as lobbyists for oil and gas companies. I guess that explains why he wants to give $4 billion in tax breaks to oil companies.

And if you look past the speeches to his record, it’s clear: John McCain has never believed in renewable energy and he won’t make it part of America’s future. For all his talk, here’s the truth: John McCain voted against establishing a national renewable energy standard. He voted against tax incentives for renewable energy companies. And for all his talk of drilling, he refused to endorse a bipartisan effort to expand domestic oil production because that bipartisan proposal would end tax breaks for big oil.

It’s clear: the only thing green in John McCain’s energy plan is the billions of dollars he’s promising in tax cuts for oil companies. And the only thing he’ll recycle is the same failed Bush approach to energy policy. We can’t afford more of the same. We need a strategy that puts America on a path to end the age of oil once and for all.

Pennsylvania knows something about energy leadership. Back in 1886, there was a Pennsylvania town that helped lead America into a new energy future when it created the nation’s first successful electrified streetcar system. It earned that town a nickname, the “electrical city.” The real name of that town is Scranton.

Today, a son of Scranton, Joe Biden, and a friend of Pennsylvania, Barack Obama, offer the change America needs to create a future free of foreign oil. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to producing enough homegrown fuel to replace every drop of the oil we import from the Middle East and Venezuela in just 10 years. An Obama administration will invest $4 billion to keep America in the car-making business and give you a tax cut so you can buy a fuel-efficient car or truck. And it will commit to getting 1 million 150-mile-per-gallon cars on our roads within six years, and make sure they are built right here in America.

It will require that within four years, at least 10 percent of our nation’s electricity comes from alternative energy, and by 2025 we hit 25 percent. It will move immediately to make the renewable energy tax credit permanent and double the amount of energy that comes from renewable sources over the next four years.

It will invest $150 billion over the next decade to grow our energy supply and put 5 million Americans to work building solar and wind farms, clean coal gasification and geothermal plants, the kind of jobs that can’t be outsourced to India or China. It will bring everyone to the table—business, government and the American people—to reduce our demand for electricity 15 percent by the end of next decade. That’s the kind of change we need.

One person who understands what this can mean is a Pennsylvanian named Troy Galloway. Troy is a 44-year-old steelworker who was laid off after working for 15 years for the same company. But today, Troy is working in Pennsylvania for one of the largest wind energy companies in the world, and he’s earning as much as he earned at the steel mill. Troy’s new employer has more than 1,000 Pennsylvanians working green-collar jobs that pay well and have a future.

Why? Because in 2004, Pennsylvania set a standard which will require utilities to produce 20 percent of their electricity from clean renewable sources.

That’s the kind of change we need. That is what the future could look like with Barack Obama as president. If we can do it in Pennsylvania, we can do it in Ohio and Florida and Texas and New York and California. We can. And with Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the White House, we will.

While Americans are facing the effects of failed Bush-McCain economic policies, McCain puts corporate profits before American jobs, from his support for failed Bush's economic policies to unfair trade agreements to business deals that hurt working Americans -- like his support of European-owned EADS over American company Boeing and entanglement with German company DHL in Ohio, which may cost Ohioans 8,000 jobs.

BUSH-MCCAIN ECONOMY A DISASTER FOR PENNSYLVANIA

NAFTA Net Displacement Was One Million Workers and a Net Job Loss of Over 44,100 in Pennsylvania. A 2006 Economic Policy Institute study found that NAFTA had displaced just over 1 million jobs in this country, and net job loss of 44,173 in Pennsylvania. [Scott, Salas & Campbell, Revisiting NAFTA, 9/28/2006; http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp173]

Income Stagnant. Median household income in Pennsylvania has only increased from $47,524 in 2000 to $48,148 in 2006, a 1.3% increase. [Joint Economic Committee Fact Sheet, 8/29/07, (Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce), jec.senate.gov]

Unemployed Up 26% in Pennsylvania. The number of unemployed workers in Pennsylvania has increased by 26% under President Bush. The number of unemployed has gone up from 262,572 in January of 2001 and preliminary figures for June of 2008 are 332,113, an increase of 69,541 workers. The unemployment rate has similarly increased from 4.3% to 5.2%. [Local Area Unemployed Statistics, (Seasonally Adjusted), Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 7/25/08, data.bls.gov]

Pennsylvania Has Over 1.2 Million People Uninsured. 1,216,260 people have no health insurance. That's 10 percent of Pennsylvanians living without any insurance. [statehealthfacts.org, accessed 7/20/08, available here: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=125&cat=3&rgn=40]

More than 217,000 kids in Pennsylvania have NO health insurance. [statehealthfacts.org, accessed 7/20/08, available here: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=127&cat=3&rgn=40]

In the First Quarter of 2008, Over 5,900 Homes in Pennsylvania Received a Foreclosure Filing. 5,901 homes received a foreclosure filing in the first quarter. [Realty Trac Press Release, 4/29/08]

BUSH ECONOMY AND TRADE POLICIES COST AMERICAN JOBS

Seven Straight Months of Job Losses in 2008. As reported by the New York Times, "The unemployment rate spiked again in July, to 5.7 percent, its highest level in more than four years and a strong signal that come Election Day millions of Americans will still be hunting for work…The nation's employers cut their payrolls for the seventh consecutive month, this time by 51,000 jobs, the government reported Friday. For millions still at work, hours were reduced, a hidden form of unemployment, and the average raise was less than enough to keep up with inflation." [New York Times, 8/2/08]

Manufacturing Jobs Have Decreased by Nearly a Quarter Under Bush. As reported by the New York Times, "When President Bush took office, nearly 13 percent of American jobs were in manufacturing. In November, that figure fell below 10 percent for the first time ever, and at last measure was 9.95 percent." [New York Times, 2/9/08]

MCAIN IS OUT OF TOUCH ON THE ECONOMY, SUPPORTS BUSH POLICIES

McCain's "Economic Plans Really Are An Extension of the Bush Administration Policies." "McCain doesn't like to hear it, but his economic plans really are an extension of Bush administration policies…When all the economic mumbo-jumbo is removed, that fact remains." [Boston Globe, Editorial, 7/9/08, boston.com ]

McCain Says Economy Has Improved. During an interview in April, McCain declared that, "you could make an argument that there's been great progress economically" [Bloomberg Money & Politics, 4/17/08]

McCain has voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time in 2007. According to Congressional Quarterly, He also has a record of heartily supporting Bush on some of his most controversial priorities, including the Iraq war and comprehensive immigration reform. In 2007, as he ramped up for his second White House run, McCain voted with Bush 95 percent of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly, which tallied votes McCain was present for on issues in which the administration took a position." [Arizona Republic, 4/6/08]

MCCAIN PUTS LOBBYISTS BEFORE AMERICAN JOBS, SUPPORTS DEALS THAT HURT WORKING AMERICANS

McCain Had Role in DHL Deal That May Cost 8,000 Jobs in Ohio. "John McCain ( http://search.politico.com/results.cfm?subject=John+McCain ) went on the offensive Thursday in a key battleground state, hoping to blunt criticism that he was indirectly responsible for the possible loss of more than 8,000 jobs in Wilmington, Ohio ( http://search.politico.com/results.cfm?subject=Ohio )." [Politico, 8/7/08]

McCain Objected to Efforts in the Senate to Hold Up DHL Deal. "McCain, of Arizona, and fellow Republican Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi objected, saying it would be unfair to keep the Pentagon from using an air carrier it might someday need. McCain, then the chairman of the Commerce Committee, also objected to using a spending bill to set military policy." [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8/6/08]
Campaign Manager Rick Davis Lobbied for DHL Deal. "In 2003, Davis lobbied the Senate to accept the proposal by DHL to buy Airborne Express for $1.05 billion. Airborne Express at the time ran the airport and package-sorting facility in Wilmington. Filings in the Senate show Davis' lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, was hired to help both companies deal with Congress, where objections over DHL's foreign ownership arose. Davis and a partner earned their firm $185,000 for the DHL-Airborne Express work that year, records show. They earned $405,000 more from Deutsche Post for work on other issues in 2004 and 2005, Senate records show." [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8/6/08]

4,000 American Jobs Are At Stake Because of John McCain and His Lobbyist Advisors. According to a June report by the Economic Policy Institute, awarding European-based EADS the $35 billion aerial refueling tanker contract will cost at least 14,000 jobs. "At least 14,000 jobs that could have been generated in the United States if the contract had gone to Boeing," found the EPI, "will not be created" if EADS receives the contract. [Economic Policy Institute, "Bailing out on America: Air Force Tanker Decision Will Ground at Least 14,000 U.S. Jobs," [EPI Briefing Paper #218, 6/5/08 (http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/218/bp218.pdf ( http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/218/bp218.pdf ))]

Current McCain Advisors Lobbied for EADS to Get $35 Billion Tanker Contract Over Boeing. "Top current advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, taking sides in a bidding fight that McCain has tried to referee for more than five years." [Associated Press, 3/11/08]

EADS Lobbying Involves at Least 4 High-Level McCain Advisors. "A $35 billion contract has been awarded to Europe's Airbus consortium to build the latest generation of tanker planes. The decision has sparked anger from Boeing's congressional supporters and critics of outsourcing. It has also focused attention on McCain's reliance on lobbyists in his campaign for president because his finance chairman and several other top advisers lobbied for Airbus last year when it was in fierce competition with Boeing for the Air Force contract…McCain finance chairman Thomas G. Loeffler and Susan E. Nelson, who left Loeffler's lobbying firm to be McCain's finance director, both began lobbying for Airbus's parent company in 2007, Senate records show. William L. Ball III, a former secretary of the Navy and frequent McCain surrogate on the trail, also lobbied for Airbus, as did John Green, who recently took a leave from Ogilvy Public Relations to serve as McCain's legislative liaison." [Washington Post, 3/12/08]

"Today is an exciting day for the Democratic Party as we adopt our national platform - 'Renewing America's Promise' - which will be presented at the Democratic Convention in Denver. Last month, together with the Obama for America campaign, the DNC launched 'Listening to America'--where for the first time, we opened up the platform process so every American could have a voice in writing this document that embodies the values of our Party.

"More than 1,600 listening sessions took place in communities in all 50 states. Nearly 30,000 Americans from all walks of life participated. And these voices are now included in our Party's Platform. We'd like to thank our hardworking staff, and the members of the Platform Drafting Committee and the full Platform Committee for their efforts to make our Party's platform a document that's truly reflective of the Democratic Party's values and priorities for the American people.

"Our Platform reflects Barack Obama's commitment to changing the way we do business in Washington and outlines clear examples on how we'll make ethics reform a priority and find new ways to use technology to open government, make it more inclusive and accountable. It recognizes the important role women play in the Democratic Party and the strength and diversity of a united party fighting for a new direction for America.

"This Platform stresses our values. It outlines how we will jumpstart our economy by investing in good paying jobs through infrastructure, education and creating green jobs. We will end our dependence on foreign oil and offer a new energy plan to create five million new jobs, not $4 billion in new tax breaks for oil companies under the McCain plan. It commits to providing every American access to affordable, portable, comprehensive health care - and it lays out principles for how we will get there. We pledge to bring the Iraq War to a responsible end and refocus our efforts on fighting terrorism in places like Afghanistan. We will confront global issues and threats head on while working with our allies and restoring America 's standing in the world. We will do right by our veterans and build a 21st Century Veterans Administration.

"As our preamble states, this is a 'defining moment in the history of our nation. We can choose to stay the current failed course. Or we can choose a path that builds upon the best of who and what we are, that reflects our highest values.' The 2008 Democratic Platform reflects our highest values. The Democratic Party and Barack Obama will carry out the policies and ideas put forth in our Platform and bring real change we can believe in."

In several states, including the traditional battlegrounds of Nevada and Iowa, Democrats have surprised their own party officials with significant gains in registration. In both of those states, there are now more registered Democrats than Republicans, a flip from 2004. No states have switched to the Republicans over the same period, according to data from 26 of the 29 states in which voters register by party. (Three of the states did not have complete data.)

In six states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, the Democratic piece of the registration pie grew more than three percentage points, while the Republican share declined.

Given the way Republicans governed over the last seven years, these kind of stories make perfect sense, but to put it into historical context, this is a major shift in the political landscape.

But for a shift away from one party to sustain itself — the current registration trend is now in its fourth year — is remarkable, researchers who study voting patterns say. And though comparable data are not available for the 21 states where voters do not register by party, there is evidence that an increasing number of voters in those states are also moving away from the Republican Party based on the results of recent state and Congressional elections, the researchers said.

“This is very suggestive that there is a fundamental change going on in the electorate,” said Michael P. McDonald, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an associate professor of political science at George Mason University who has studied voting patterns.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean said the sum is unprecedented for a presidential campaign and represents a show of Democratic confidence that Latino voters could prove pivotal in states including New Mexico and Michigan. [...]

Targets will include Florida; Western states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico; and Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, industrial battlegrounds with sizable Hispanic populations. The money will be spent on niche advertising and other outreach, along with mobilization efforts aimed at identifying, registering and turning out new Democratic voters.

Over the weekend, the campaign held a training session in Las Vegas to teach local organizers how to canvass Hispanic communities. A similar forum will be held soon in Florida, Dean said, and sessions in other states are in the planning stages.

These efforts do not bode well for John McCain. His team says "we've already been doing all that." Whatever it is they are doing, it is not working at all.

Although Republican rival John McCain represents Arizona, a state with a strong Hispanic presence, Dean cited a poll last week by the Pew Hispanic Center showing Obama's approval rating with registered Latino voters at 66 percent nationwide, compared with 23 percent for McCain.