Potomac Confidential: Virginia Elections, Georgetown Waterfront, Gilmore, Palin, Ifill

Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion by Metro columnist Marc Fisher who looks at the latest news with a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

Today's Column: Longtime Slots Lover Doesn't Like the Action in Md. and complimentary Blog Post: Slots And The Politics Of Desperation

Fisher was online Thursday, Oct. 16, at Noon ET to look at the slots debate in Maryland, the presidential showdown in Virginia and budget cuts throughout the Washington area.

A transcript follows.

Check out Marc's blog, Raw Fisher.

In his weekly show, Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

Archives: Discussion Transcripts

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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. With two and a half weeks to go, Virginia is very much a key battleground state in the presidential race, and despite polls showing Barack Obama opening up a lead in the state, Republican party officials say they think John McCain's visit to Prince William County this coming Saturday is a sign of a revived effort that should keep the contest very close.

What would it take for McCain to regain the momentum in Virginia, and what does the prospect of a big Democratic victory in the state mean for the future of the GOP there? Will Frank Wolf end up as the only Republican member of the House of Representatives from inside the Beltway? How close are Democrats to taking two Republican House seats in Maryland--the one on the Eastern Shore and Ann Arundel County being vacated by Wayne Gilchrest, and the one from northern Montgomery and Frederick counties and points northwest now held by Roscoe Bartlett?

And in the District, does Carol Schwartz's write-in candidacy to retain her at-large Council seat stand a chance? Are you seeing evidence of a campaign active enough to drive voters to write in her name?

Today's column and a blog item as well look at the slots referendum in Maryland. Most polls say slots will win, perhaps handily, but what movement there is has been toward the No side.

On to your many comments and questions, but first, let's call the Yay and Nay of the Day:

Yay to the designers of Georgetown Waterfront Park, which has finally opened after many years of planning and several years of construction. The riverfront walkway and its gentle grassy knolls and a little maze that's pure fun make for an inviting and calming oasis along the Potomac, stretching from the Key Bridge to the Georgetown Harbour development. In a city that provides far too little pedestrian access to its waterfront, this is a great step forward--you can now walk along the water from Key Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial and beyond, sort of (it still gets a little cumbersome between Georgetown Harbour and the Watergate.) The city needs more of this, but this is an excellent start.

Nay to the bosses at the newly combined Sirius-XM satellite radio, who have begun a process that looks like it will lead to the end of XM's Washington headquarters, a big blow to the emerging NoMa (north of Massachusetts Avenue) area of Northeast Washington. XM was a pioneer in creating that new office and residential cluster, and the newish Metro station there probably wouldn't exist but for XM's gamble on the area. Satellite radio is in deep trouble as a business, so some consolidation was inevitable. But the move to sack 80 or so employees at the D.C. offices and studios is a sign of bad things to come, and it's happening just when that area can least afford it.

Your turn starts right now....

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Mt. Rainier, Md.: Marc, Mr. Roberts is so very right about slots and the lottery. I have argued against both of these for years. I have no problem with individuals playing poker or betting on a team; if it adds spice to their life, cool. But now the states are getting into the action and spending sincere amounts of money to convince us to buy lottery tickets or play slots, that this is going to be a grand way to win a million. Hah! Stand out in the rain and hope to be struck by lightening first, the odds are a ton better. It is unconscionable what they are doing to the most desperate people. Rich folk DON'T play slots.

Marc Fisher: Quite right, though the pro-slots people do have a point when they argue that there is a middle class audience for slots parlors that has more money than the generally less affluent group that played the numbers when that game was mob-run, or even than the state-run lotteries. Still, there's no question but that slots appeal to a less affluent demographic than would provide those tax dollars to the government through a progressive tax structure, and that's the fairness issue at the heart of the slots debate.

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CH in Bowie, Md.: What I don't understand about the slots proponents is if there are slots allowed in W.Va., Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware and they have budget problems what does Md., think is going happen? That magically we will have budget surpluses for the forseeable future? It is irresponsible for Md., legislators and Gov. O'Malley to think that this is anything other than a political ploy and appeasement of the horseracing industry (I use the term industry) lightly. Finally, I will say that if all of the mid-Atlantic states have slots then won't there be a saturation point and all of the supposed revenue will dry up. Given the current financial woes (built around another type of gambling) I think this discussion is counterproductive and blurs the real issues and solutions.

Thank you.

Marc Fisher: The state's studies in favor of slots present an overly optimistic set of numbers that fails to take into account the dilution that would occur when all states in the region offer slots gambling, nor does Gov. O'Malley's campaign for slots account for the possibility that a gambling arms race would develop in which neighboring states move to full casino gambling to counter Maryland's move toward slots. I'm generally not one for "where does it end" arguments, but in this case, it's easy to see how state lotteries led to slots which in turn would lead to casino games.

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Palmer Park: The slots debate seems to boil down to a moral argument that gambling is evil, the poor don't know what's good for them, and slots lead to increased crime. There is no credible study of which I'm aware directly tying slots to an increase in crime. The idea that the poor need to be protected from their urges, reminds me of the 19th Century characterization of India's poor "the white man's burden." So we're left with "gambling is evil." Any comments?

washingtonpost.com: Longtime Slots Lover Doesn't Like the Action in Md. ( Post, Oct. 16)

Marc Fisher: I don't buy the "gambling is evil" argument in the slightest, and I still think slots are a dumb and immoral proposal for Maryland. Here's why: Gambling is indeed, as you say, something that people want to do, and if the state's people and elected officials think that's ok, that's fine with me. So I'd be perfectly happy to see sports gambling legalized, for example. But my objections to this slots plan are twofold:

First, I don't think government has the right to balance its budget based on sucking poor and middle class people dry. Taxation should be progressive--the rich should pay more than the poor, and slots turn that equation on its head.

Second, I don't see any reason why taxpayers should subsidize the horse racing industry. If people are no longer interested enough in that sport to support it on their own, then let the market forces prevail and let the sport fade away.

I don't buy the crime or morality arguments in the least.

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Baltimore, Md.: I am against slots and will vote no next month but I expect it to pass, as the necessary budget cutting O'Malley is carrying out will make the undecided go for the pro slots argument.

Marc Fisher: That sounds right, but isn't it sad that a governor who campaigned against slots then comes in and dishonestly presents it as the only alternative to dramatic cuts in the quality of public education?

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Alexandria, Va.: Marc -- a constant theme from you this year is that our public discourse is driven by a small but vocal minority on both sides of the political spectrum. While I don't necessarily disagree, I'd like to offer a different view. The number of ways to participate in the process these days is staggering. Between blogs, comments on news sites, local races, party precincts, county meetings, etc., there is a way to participate to fit whatever your leanings and time commitments. As a local civic association president, I can't get people to come and talk with our country supervisor when they come to our meetings. Many people don't participate simply because they can't be bothered. If they don't like the results of that, they shouldn't be surprised at the results.

Marc Fisher: Good thought--it's always important to remember that despite the fact that people like the folks who join the conversation here on the big show are considerably more involved than the average bear, and that for many, if not most, people, politics seems an irrelevant sideshow. I was reminded of this yesterday when I was visiting Northern Virginia Community College to talk to first-time voters, and in the course of three hours, I found hardly any students who were following the presidential race in anything that could be described as even a cursory manner, let alone in any depth.

I spoke to more than 100 students, and only two had watched any of the debates in anything more than the 30-second clips that might pop up on the news or on some entertainment site. Keep that in mind as we wade through the info overload in the more intensely involved world that many of us live in.

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Anonymous: Any reports on how many fradulent names have been registered to vote by ACORN in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia? I've been hearing that the actual impact on elections would be small since, for example, Mickey Mouse (one of those supposedly registered) would not show up to vote, but now Fox News says many have been able to vote. Perhaps conservatives are getting ready to, in the event of an Obama victory, charge that the Democrats stole the election? Ah, memories of 2000.

Marc Fisher: I haven't heard of any such activity by ACORN or other groups locally. It's unfortunate that the virus of elections fraud allegations has been loosed into our campaigns in this country, when the overwhelming majority of elections boards and officers throughout the country do an excellent job of running a system that is based largely on trust. The calls for paper receipts and the like are adding an element of mistrust to a system that has survived well based mainly on people coming to the polls and being who they say they are, without much of a mechanism for checking that out. There is no way to move more than a hundred million people through the polling places in a few hours with the kinds of safeguards that some partisans call for, nor should we engage in that kind of security hysteria.

It's the same as the national security issue and the phony checkpoints and safeguards that have been foisted upon us since 9/11--you either have an open society or you don't, and part of the decision to have an open society is to accept that there will be the occasional violation, which we will try to minimize, but about which we won't be crazy.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Do you think a well written Post endorsement would help seal the deal for Obama in Virginia? Usually, newspaper endorsements don't mean that much, but the imprimatur of The Post could persuade some moderate Northern Virginian residents. He may not need it, but what do you think?

Marc Fisher: I don't think newspaper endorsements have any impact on big races, whether it's Senate, governor or president. There are pretty good studies showing the lack of impact that endorsements have on presidential races. Where endorsements do matter and where they can be helpful to voters is on the smaller races, the local candidates and ballot questions on which most voters don't have the time or inclination to do much research on their own.

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Arlington, Va.: The Secret Service has now labeled the "Kill him" report as unfounded Secret Service says "Kill him" allegation unfounded ( Timesleader.com, Oct. 15)- why isn't the Post giving this report as much coverage as the original false report received?

Marc Fisher: I'm sure there'll be some further coverage of this. The latest news has the Secret Service saying both that they've been unable to confirm the original allegation of a shout of "Kill him," and that they are now investigating a second allegation along those lines. I was disappointed to hear Obama use that example in the debate last night--he ought to rise above that sort of ugliness, especially in the always-murky question of who shouted what in a big crowd. The issue between the campaigns ought to be the tone that each candidate sets, not the ravings of some lunatic in the crowd. There will always be lunatics, but how a candidate chooses to campaign is the important question.

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Arlington, Va.: I believe tough economic times require radical decisions. It's time for this country to go back to the original 13 states. California goes back to Mexico and Russia. Texas, Ariz., and N.M. back to Mexico too. Native Americans can have the rest.

And we go back the Constitution and just the Bill of Rights. No amendments.

Marc Fisher: Strip the Bill of Rights out of the Constitution and you might find that eventually a fair number of people would want to live in those lopped-off states rather than in your fantasy land of original intent.

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washingtonpost.com: Secret Service looking into Obama threat at rally ( AP)

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SilSpri, MoCo: Marc -- You have to follow up on the piece in today's paper about the widow of the cop killed in PG whose in-laws have kept his life insurance proceeds at the expense of the kids. I feel that some public shaming needs to come of this. Amazing.

washingtonpost.com: 'It's Still Day by Day,' Says Widow of Pr. George's Officer ( Post, Oct. 16)

Marc Fisher: This is the story of a widow of a slain officer whose life insurance proceeds are going to the officer's mother and brother rather than to the widow and the officer's two daughters.

It sounds like an internecine family battle royal and we don't know the half of it, I'm sure. In a perfect world, you'd want the kids to get the money, but without knowing the details of the family antagonisms, I can't say I see a clear path toward a rant.

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Clifton, Va.: Good news regular was selling for $2.98 a gallon at the Exxon in Catlett. In another couple of weeks unless something unexpected happens the price of gallon of regular should be below $3.00 in the closer in NOVA burbs.

The combination of a worldwide recession and China dumping all the gas and oil they didn't need for the Olympics is helping prices.

Marc, time for you to see the Dodge Boys and get that 2009 V10 powered 4x4 dualie pick-up you have lusted for!

The price of a barrel of oil may hit $35 before prices level off.

Marc Fisher: In Manassas yesterday, I got regular for $2.79, which is just amazing. Especially when you consider that there are still plenty of stations in the District and Maryland where regular is still bumping up against $4.

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Burke, Va.: Marc,

Nice job with the coverage of the Gilmore/Warner Senate race in Virginia. Any chance you will look at the local House races before the election? I've seen little or no coverage of the local races in either the paper or on the Web site . . .

washingtonpost.com: A Lead Like Warner's Might Make Obama More Interesting ( Post, Oct. 9)

Marc Fisher: It's coming.

I hope to get into at least a couple of the House races in the next couple of weeks, and I know we will have news coverage on some of those races as well.

The close ones are likely to be Maryland 1, the Kratovil-Harris race to succeed Wayne Gilchrest, and perhaps the Jennifer Dougherty challenge to Roscoe Bartlett in Maryland 6. In Virginia, I haven't found many on either side of aisle who think that Judy Feder stands much of a chance of displacing Rep. Frank Wolf in his Fairfax/Loudoun and points west district, but there are signs that Rep. Thelma Drake may be in some trouble from Democrat Glenn Nye's challenge in the 2nd District.

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Arlington, Va. (someone else): Marc, he said "And we go back -- to -- the Constitution and just the Bill of Rights..."

So it doesn't sound like he wants to strip out the Bill of Rights.

Marc Fisher: Ah, I missed that bit--sorry. Thanks for the correction.

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Alexandria, Va.: Slots... if people in Md., want them, that's fine.

As long as they understand that the casinos have engineered the slots to get money from your pocket into theirs in the quickest manner possible. You don't have to pull the lever any more. Most machines won't take cash or coins -- you have to load up a card and use the card at the slot machine. Once you've made the emotional commitment to put $XX cash on the card, you'll play until you've hit a jackpot, or until the card is depleted.

As long as people know that, then slots are okay.

Marc Fisher: The man I profiled in today's column, Whitey Roberts, showed me how the old mechanical slot machines could be played with some skill--like a safecracker, a savvy slots player could learn to feel the grooves of each lever, so that you could measure your pull and enhance your chances of winning. That's not remotely possible with the electronic slots machines, which are set for all different levels of payout, so that some machines pay more often (but with smaller jackpots) than other machines. It's a sucker's bet, of course, and you're far better off at the gaming tables at a real casino.

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Just as fun as playing the slots: I'd like to invite those who enjoy the slots to come over my place to throw their money into my mail slot. I'll keep a garbage can on the other side to collect. Thanks!

Marc Fisher: But you have to agree to supply the players with bells, whistles and lots of colorful lights!

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washingtonpost.com: Longtime Slots Lover Doesn't Like the Action in Md. ( Post, Oct. 16)

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Prince Frederick, Md.: Peter Franchot has been campaigning against slots all over the state, but he sponsored and wrote two bills proposing slots in Maryland (in 1998 and 2001)! Since then, he's said that he was "misinformed" back then, but now he understands the issue, which is why he's against it. My question is -- how can a legislator sponsor and write bills that he is misinformed about, and if we can't trust him to understand issues he takes a stand on, how can we trust him now?

Marc Fisher: Sounds like you're preparing for a career writing TV ads for presidential candidates!

Why would any voter care whether Peter Franchot was or wasn't for or against slots at any given point of his career, or even whether he's campaigning against slots now? Voters should make up their minds on slots based on the merits--how should government raise money for essential services? Is it right to rely on people's greed and entertainment to raise public dollars? Should states compete for gambling dollars? Those are the questions that matter, not the motives or history of any politician on any side of the issue. (And yes, that means that my carping about O'Malley and Ehrlich's switcheroos is as irrelevant as yours about Franchot's.)

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Silver Spring, Md.: I was saddened and amused to read the story in The Post this week about the hotel that put up a sign/banner in favor of the McCain/Palin candidacy. People were calling the NAACP? Sheesh, having a different viewpoint these days seems tantamount to hate speech. There does not seem to be any respect for differing opinions. This is a sad state of affairs in my estimation. People only seem to talk anymore to those who agree with them and think like them. Then, they go on to blogs where those thought processes get reinforced. It impedes open and honest communication of the differences and is a sad state of affairs that our society has backed itself into.

washingtonpost.com: Candidate Banners Can Leave Clients, Businesses Bruised ( Post, Oct. 12)

Marc Fisher: I was fascinated by that story too. Sure, people have a right to decide not to frequent a business that makes a bright public show of its support for one political cause or candidate. But to say that the business owner is wrong or bad for publicizing his viewpoint rubs me the wrong way.

Most business owners are smart enough to steer clear of partisan politics because they want all customers to feel equally comfortable coming to do business with them. But when any citizen feels compelled to take a stand and try to persuade their neighbors of that position, that's a good thing. So I applaud the hotel owners for standing up for their candidate--but they have to do so knowing that some folks on the other side will say, hey, I'm taking my business elsewhere.

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Washington, D.C.: What's your take on Michelle Rhee hiring and then firing the principal of Shepherd? I really am rooting for her to succeed for the sake of the students, but this seems to suggest some major judgment flaws.

Marc Fisher: Excellent story by The Post's Bill Turque today getting as close as we can into that decision to fire the principal that she apparently hand-picked. Rhee has chosen to live or die on the theory that getting rid of incompetents and hiring dynamic new principals and teachers is the key to improving the city's schools. So it's fair to judge her on these principal moves.

In the case of the principal she sacked from her own kids' school, it sounds as though she made the right move--even the faculty there seem to believe this principal had to go. But I think Rhee should have recused herself from any role in determining who's in charge at the school her own kids attend or even from commenting on that decision. Surely there are others in the school system hierarchy who could have been entrusted with that decision.

In the case of the Shepherd principal, it sounds like there was a failure to vet the woman properly--when the folks at her previous school were not even approached for comment, that's a problem.

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Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.: Cleveland Park Giant.

This has been almost 10 years in the making. Will we see groundbreaking or will the Cleveland Park NIMBYs prevail again?

Marc Fisher: The NIMBYs are coming out of the woodwork again on that long-delayed project. You would think that after years of life with a largely-shuttered retail strip in that tony part of the city, even the reflexively anti-development crowd would start to see that doing nothing is a bad idea. But never underestimate the desire of some urban residents to pretend they live on a farm.

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washingtonpost.com: Candidates Touch On D.C. Schools ( Post, Oct. 16)

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Falls Church, Va.: I understand your Nay of the day but seriously look at the bigger picture. 80 people laid off is not nearly as serious as 1,000's of people when a manufacturing plant closes in a small town. I do not think D.C. is as close to the edge as you think. There are many other communities that have already fallen off. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Marc Fisher: Right--if it were just 80 people, the XM layoffs would be a minor story. But if this is just the first wave and if the plan is to shut down the Washington headquarters entirely, that will have a major impact on that chunk of the city and on the development of the District as a media center. Yes, the District as a whole is better off and will survive the recession better than many other communities, but that doesn't mean it will be smooth sailing, and the XM move, if it happens, is a signal to D.C. politicians that they have to get serious about budget cuts.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Marc, do you approve of XM/Sirius minimizing music in favor of sports and talk and if so, is it because there are no commercials on the music channels?

Marc Fisher: No, I think that's a bad move strategically. The talk and news on satellite radio is for the most part programming that's also easily available on broadcast radio and TV. What's distinctive about satellite programming is the music and the sports, so even if there are no commercials on the music channels, that's what's selling those subscriptions, not the chance to hear the same old political blather from the same old talkmeisters.

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I was fascinated by that story too: I bet you would be infuriated if the situation was reversed and someone complained about an Obama sign. Of course whoever complained would be labeled as racist by The Post, because if you're not for Obama you MUST be racist, right?

Marc Fisher: I can't imagine why the story would be any different if flipped around as you suggest. The same principles apply, and the sign would have the same effect, alienating a similarly sized portion of the potential customer base.

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Montgomery Village, Md.: While I am on THIS side of the river, what is the deal with Virginia election officials saying that voters may not wear t-shirts, buttons, hats, etc., which indicate support or opposition to any candidate or cause in the polling place? It seems the ACLU or somebody will have a field day with this. Good thing Bush isn't running this time or you couldn't wear your Nats cap to the polls!

Marc Fisher: Ha!

The regulations on that are all over the map as you look across different states. The ACLU is indeed taking action to challenge the Virginia rule. The same shirt that would get you tossed from your polling place in Virginia is just fine in the District. That's our federal system, of course, but you'd think that the voting rules would reflect the fairly consistent line of court rulings on clothing as protected speech. Even schools are generally required to allow kids to wear clothes that express a political perspective, though principals do get to set rules about community standards.

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Bowie, Md.: In the debate last night Sen. McCain said that if Sen. Obama wanted to run against Pres. Bush, then he should have run 4 years ago. My question is if Sen. McCain was so against Pres. Bush's policies for the past 8 years and is such a maverick then why didn't he run 4 years ago? Wasn't Pres. Bush unopposed in his nomination in 2004?

Marc Fisher: Good one. We're writing these guys lines for them--too bad there is no fourth debate.

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"Health of the Mother": I know the Democrats have long used the overturning of Roe as a scare tactic. But I am quite confident that I am not the only woman in the country who found McCain's "health of the mother" argument last night upsetting. I was not alive before Roe. I do not know if somehow people were exaggerating claims to their lives to have an abortion. But to claim that protecting the mother's health and life in an "extreme" stance in the pro-choice movement is absurd and condescending.

Marc Fisher: I was surprised that McCain allowed himself to be pulled into an abortion debate--but apparently he feels he still needs to shore up his base. It's awfully late in the process to be still making that sale; by now, you'd think he'd be frantically tacking to the center to try to capture votes from the vast majority of Americans who don't want the government telling them whether or not they can resort to abortion.

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Chicago, Ill.:" There will always be lunatics, but how a candidate chooses to campaign is the important question"

Right, but I think that was the entire point: implying Obama is a "secret Muslim Arab" while 'explicitly' calling him someone who "pals around with terrorists" is inflammatory. "How the candidate chooses to campaign" is 'exactly' the issue.

Why pretend these things are unrelated?

Marc Fisher: The distinction I was making was between what the candidates say and do versus what random, unknown people in the crowd might say. So yes, when the folks introducing McCain and Palin on stage get into the "Hussein" business, that's a choice by the campaign and the campaign ought to be held accountable for that. But for Obama to harp on the ravings of some nut job in the crowd is to spread fear and loathing in an unacceptably low manner.

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Senior Citizens: Why are the presidential debates only moderated by old, white men? Is there not a single qualified person who is not eligible to collect Social Security qualified to moderate the debates? Maybe having Ifill do one of the presidential debates as she is none of the above, old, white or male. It just seems so incredibly behind the times to not step out of this mold. Can you imagine the rights uproar if all the debates has been moderated by African-American men in their 40s?

Marc Fisher: Why would it matter what age, race or other demographic category the moderator of a debate is? The only issue should be whether the moderator can control the debate and push the candidates off their packaged and unhelpful responses. Bob Schieffer uniquely among this year's moderators was able to do that; the others made little or no headway.

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Bowie, Md.: So I spent Sunday afternoon watching a couple of football games and was struck by the campaign ads being run. Not by the number of them, but by the fact that every single one of them was an Obama ad. He must have a MAJOR money advantage at this point. By the way, very few of the ads featured Obama, except for the "I approve this ad" section. Most feature his opponent.

Marc Fisher: This was McCain's sly way of turning around the debate last night--since Obama's ads so vastly outnumber McCain's, McCain was able to contend that Obama is running more negative spots. But of course the issue was what portion of each candidate's ads are attacks.

So here's my question: If, as the polls keep telling us, people want to hear about issues and don't like the attacks, then what is the research backing up the decision to go mainly with attacks? I'd love to see a smart piece comparing those two sets of data--the one that supports the notion that voters--and especially undecided voters--don't like attack ads, and the other that supports the consultants who sell the candidates on going with the hard attack focus.

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Woodbridge, Va.: I was in Ohio last weekend with about 30 other women and ended up spending/buying all sorts of stuff that I love but don't really need.

Do I get a gold star for the day -- helping retail sales come back? Now will the Dow rise again?

Marc Fisher: No, you'd get the star if you had done your shopping locally. But now we keep hearing that we're supposed to save, not spend. Here we were thinking after 9/11 that the patriotic thing to do was spend money we didn't have, and now all of a sudden, the nation's leaders want us to save. This is yet another issue on which the presidential candidates refuse to speak, though Obama did obliquely refer last night to the idea that we have some lifestyle changes ahead of us.

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Blue, Virginia: I wonder if the Virginia Republican party's choice of a senatorial candidate is doing to the tilt. I'm a Democrat who has voted for Tom Davis in the past -- he, like John Warner seems to try to represent all Virginians, not just the party's base. Every time Jim Gilmore opens his mouth, and the center flocks to the very competent, moderate Mark Warner, I wonder if the presidential candidate benefits.

Marc Fisher: I'm not seeing a whole lot of reverse coattails there. Mark Warner is an Obama supporter and he mentions that wherever he goes, but he's also very careful to welcome McCain-Warner voters. We had a story, I think yesterday, that noted that the Obama camp is asking Warner, Gov. Kaine and Sen. Jim Webb to step out more overtly for Obama in Virginia, and I'll be interested to see if we do get to see Warner embracing Obama in TV spots in the coming days.

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Pittsburgh, Pa.: Many voters around here are the children or grandparents of immigrants. Thus I was taken aback by John McCain's avowed pride during his closing remarks over generations of McCains having served the U.S. -- as though those of us whose families haven't been here long enough to compile such a record somehow aren't as good Americans as his family is. Did you think McCain made a misstep with this comment, or was it an intentional slap at immigrant families?

Marc Fisher: Certainly not an intentional slap of any kind. But that kind of reference to four generations of service, while obviously stated with patriotic pride, can rub relative newcomers the wrong way. Still, given McCain's courageous stand in favor of immigration and immigrants against the bulk of his own party is, I think, more meaningful than whatever implications you might have drawn from that comment in the debate.

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But you have to agree to supply the players with bells, whistles and lots of colorful lights! : I'll throw in a margarita!

Marc Fisher: Free? Very big of you.

How about a few pretzels, too? Or would you rather that your visitors be reeling from an all-liquid diet?

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Bethesda, Md.: D.C. a media center? Where in the world did you pull that idea from? Sure NPR is located in D.C. as well as outposts for the large media but c'mon if the choice is N.Y. or D.C., N.Y. is going to win every time

Marc Fisher: Of course New York is and will be by leaps and bounds the bigger and more important media capital. But XM was a powerful statement that this region has a strong secondary role to play, whether it's in the video production field, with Discovery and National Geographic being huge, if not dominant, figures in that sector, and on the journalism side as well. The presence of XM and NPR made for a powerful statement about this region's role on the audio side.

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Virginia: I'm an election official; we have been told every time I've worked a precinct that the polling place is supposed to be neutral. That's why we have the rule keeping campaign workers 40 feet away from the entrance to any polls.

We have had people show up in t-shirts with some snotty things on them (and I was for these candidates so it's not like I was taking it personally). We allowed them the option to go into the bathroom, turn over the t-shirts and get back into line. If they had on buttons, we'd ask them nicely to take them off while they were in line. Everyone was pretty cool except for one woman's HUSBAND who pretty much threatened me. I just said, "These are the rules. I didn't make them; contact your local legislator if you disagree." Luckily his wife asked him to calm down. I understand the First Amendment rights but I think the IDEA behind it is to provide people with a neutral place.

(Granted, I would be shocked that anyone could come to vote without having their mind made up. OTOH, we had people who didn't have a clue about the Marriage Law and would ask us what it was about and "how we should vote." And we'd say vote your conscience...)

Marc Fisher: Good for you for calmly enforcing the rules as they were handed to you. But if we're talking about the merits of the rules, I can't say that I see any real distinction between the impact of a partisan t-shirt in a polling place and one worn at a workplace, in a school or out on the street. The rule against electioneering at the polls is a good one; no one wants someone with an Obama or McCain sign hovering over them at the booth. But if the guy in the next booth is wearing a Nader shirt, so what?

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Shopping machines?: So, if Woodbridge, Va., (who spent the day shopping for things she didn't need) lived in Maryland, would we have to impose state restrictions on her shopping for things she didn't need since if she is lower or middle class, that is essentially a tax that shouldn't be forced to bear. Only the rich and upper classes should be able to go out shopping for things they don't need.

Marc Fisher: I love it when you folks craft these beautiful transition posts so I can easily pivot back to an earlier topic. A final few slots posts follow....

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20036: You appear to think that only the poor would take advantage of slots if they pass. Do you want to ban drinking, smoking, and the lottery because poor people engage in those vices which they really can't afford? Do you also want to get rid of upscale stores like Neiman Marcus or Saks because the poor can't afford to shop there (but they do anyway)?

Life doesn't revolve around just one group of people. Aren't we all in this together?

Marc Fisher: I don't want to ban any of those activities, and if the public consensus is that they should be legal, then let's have at it. What I do object to is the government shirking its responsibility to raise money fairly--so sure, legalize slots, legalize casinos, legalize sports gambling, just don't take any money for public functions from those sources. If as you say we are all in this together, then we should all do our part to pay for the services we collectively need from government, and that means that we don't fob that responsibility off on those who are foolish enough to waste their money on bad bets.

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It's their choice to make:" First, I don't think government has the right to balance its budget based on sucking poor and middle class people dry. Taxation should be progressive -- the rich should pay more than the poor, and slots turn that equation on its head."

However, if this is a tax, this is a voluntary tax. No one is deducting this money from their paychecks. No one is driving them to the tracks and making them put money into the slot machines at gunpoint. If they want to spend them money on a pipedream, let them. You can't stop people from wasting their money. Are you going to stop people from buying products that they can't afford? Are you going to stop lower income people from investing their money in bad investments, businesses, or services? There is only so much that we can mollycoddle people. Most of them will find a way to spend that money whether on slots here or driving to another state. Why don't we save them gas and earn the income here in Maryland where at least they'll get some small percentage of that back in state services rather than have them give that money to neighboring states?

Marc Fisher: It's not mollycoddling to tell folks that, hey, you're free to gamble away every penny you have, but we as a society are not going to choose to profit off your dumb behavior. So sure, legalize casinos and yes, tax them like any other business, but don't get the state involved as a player and don't put the state in the business of encouraging people to gamble away their savings.

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Anonymous:"It's a sucker's bet, of course, and you're far better off at the gaming tables at a real casino."

This is untrue. Unless you are proficient at card-counting in blackjack.

Marc Fisher: Right--there's skill involved in card-counting, and none in slots. (Yes, card counting is against the rules, but the point is that there is some skill involved, just as there is in blackjack without card-counting.)

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Exiled in New England: Hi Marc,

I used to work on 9th and E, and we're planning a visit back this coming weekend. We're now suburbanites with a car. Where can we park for about an hour on Friday afternoon in the vicinity of Gallery Place/Chinatown or Navy Memorial/Archives? Thank you!

Marc Fisher: There are plenty of public lots right there, including at Gallery Place itself, but you'd be a lot happier and you'd spend less money if you park somewhere outside the city or outside of downtown and took Metro to either of those stations.

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Washington, D.C.: The moderator point is very good one. It matters because it shows exactly who has great power in the media. And if it doesn't matter - then let's change the default and have Barbara Walters, Connie Chung, and Katie Couric moderate. I doubt they could do any worse than Lehrer, Brokaw, and Schieffer.

Marc Fisher: I'd far rather see the commission select unknown moderators--the choice of TV celebrities only adds to the perception that politics is about celebrity and is a game among famous people. There's no reason for the moderator to be anyone that the audience has ever seen or heard of. A good debate professor or a journalist who isn't a TV star or a reformed former politician might provide better steering for a presidential debate.

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Silver Spring, Md.: It's impossible for me to get pregnant, so it's not personal, but McCain's nastiness on the health of the mother issue closed the deal for me.

Not even Catholic hospitals these days save babies at the expense of mothers in labor.

Geesh.

Marc Fisher: We're out of time, so just a few last bits....

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Ifill on debate: Remember that she wrote a book about Obama. It was sketchy enough on the VP debate, but the conflict would be too obvious if she were moderating a presidential debate.

That's not to say she did a bad or biased job with Biden/Palin -- it's the optics.

Marc Fisher: But isn't the only thing that matters how she handled the debate?

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Washington, D.C.: Before the merger Sirius never hid the fact that consolidation would lead to the eventual suspension of operations in D.C. And even if they hadn't been forthcoming did you really think they would keep both HQs open when the entire purpose of the merger was to cut costs?

Marc Fisher: Actually, Sirius management said exactly the opposite--that the Washington operations would be maintained.

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Washington, D.C.: No commercials on the music channels? I have XM in my car, and I can think of at least 3 channels on my 16 music channel presets that run commercials or "advice" type segments (the latter on channel 24). Just like regular radio, I start pushing buttons to find something else.

Marc Fisher: The music channels programmed by XM have no commercials. A few of the music channels are programmed by outside companies, such as Clear Channel, and they do have ads.

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Union Station, D.C.: What are your thoughts on campaign bumper stickers and yard signs? I'm not sure what to make of them.

Marc Fisher: I like them as a quick, easy, if unscientific, guide to where you are and who lives there and how people are thinking. In Manassas yesterday, I got to see the debate that's going on between Obama and McCain supporters in the same downtown neighborhood, where some signs have been defaced or destroyed and people are fighting back with new signs challenging their neighbors to respect free speech.

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Virginia: In listening to Gilmore, it doesn't seem to him that he created any financial problems for the state with "No Car Tax" program. I guess I'm curious. How does he reconcile the budget problems? Obviously Mark Warner wasn't handing out money to everyone. I guess it's a rhetorical question, do these guys believe their own BS?

Marc Fisher: Some of them do, and that's scary. The ones who don't believe their own nonsense can be very entertaining, but ultimately, the gap between what they say and what they believe is even more frightening.

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Bethesda, Md.: I haven't seen any polls, but I'd be quite surprised if Roscoe Bartlett's congressional seat is in any jeopardy. Got to bear in mind that his highly-gerrymandered district includes just about every Republican-majority area in Western Maryland. Even including that little piece of Northern MoCo that habitually votes GOP.

Marc Fisher: Quite right, and I expect he survives, but people are in a definite throw-the-bums-out mood, so there are likely to be some surprises.

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Better off at the gaming tables: I am opposed to the slots referendum for two reasons.

I see no reason why gaming tables should not be allowed if slots are allowed.

Second, I am opposed to the sweetheart deals that this proposal will give to a few developers.

I would have voted for a referendum which legalized all gambling and left it up to the local governments for zoning approval.

Marc Fisher: Interesting--good points.

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Political signs at businesses: I think the point was the business put up the sign in an area where Obama supporters were prevalent and that the hotel was frequently used for Democratic functions. It would be like a hotel in Lynchburg that was often used for Republican functions putting up a pro-Obama sign.

As a free speech purist, I say go for it, but don't be surprised by the outcome.

Marc Fisher: Right.

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Baltimore, Md.: Slots -- Moral and Crime issues aside, what about the fact that the ballot initiative will be changing our state Constitution to REQUIRE us to have slots and to REQUIRE them to be placed in specific locations in the state? The fact that this is changing our constitution is why I am opposed.

Marc Fisher: Another good reason.

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Regarding the slain officer: I think the "moral" of that story is to CHECK your insurance documents, wills, etc., periodically, and ESPECIALLY if you have a change of life situation -- you get married, have a new kid or grandkid, your parent or sibling dies, etc.

I've seen too much family drama over situations where the black sheep grandkid inherited the dead kid's share of the grandparent's estate. It's also not fun when you have a relative die and all the heirs the relative named in his will are deceased too.

I'm not trying to say anything nasty about a police officer whose sacrifice I honor. But, please, check your paperwork so that the same thing doesn't happen to you.

Marc Fisher: Good advice.

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Bethesda, Md.: I'm a longtime Washington Post reader, and while I'm still undecided about this issue, I frankly have been very disappointed with The Post's seemingly slanted coverage of the slots debate. Most recently, anti-slots folks are talking about this study that questions the revenue that slots will bring in, but this study was paid for by anti-gambling interests. It claims to be objective, but I'm skeptical that the anti-slots folks didn't just get exactly what they paid for. Even if a pro-slots study emerged from somewhere like the Kennedy School of Gov't, if it had been funded by gambling interests, the Post and others would be crying foul.

Marc Fisher: Slanted in which direction? My mail accuses us of bias both for and against slots, in pretty even numbers.

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Marc Fisher: That has to kick things in the head for today. Thanks very much for coming along, and apologies to those I couldn't get to. More on the blog every day, plus more politics in Sunday's column. And fall is coming, tonight! Finally!

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