The Choice

On October 8, 2008, BartCop.com commented on the second presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain held a day earlier: "Did you hear grumpy old Gramps call Obama "that one," last night? He treated Obama like an object - because he's half-Black?"

Mr. Obama has battled "the other" label throughout his life. Award-winning documentary producer Michael Kirk delves deeper on this topic in The Choice 2012, a PBS-Frontline presentation that premieres Tuesday, October 9, 2012. As noted in promotion for the program, the documentary "journeys into the places, people, and decisive moments that made the men who are competing for the presidency."

Winning, Losing

At this time in 2008, the Obama campaign was surging, Wall Street was in crisis, and the McCain/Palin campaign was desperately attacking Obama's character and personal contacts ("palling around with terrorists"). It was beginning to look like the end for McCain.

Today, Mitt Romney is hoping to move up in the polls after a strong debate performance against an inexplicably "passive, distracted" Barack Obama on Wednesday night. But Nate Silver's Five Thirty Eight forecast still shows Obama with a strong lead in the electoral vote and an 87% chance of winning.

Fargo, Yes; West Wing, No

In 2008, the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin was held in St. Louis on October 2. Howard Fineman, writing for Newsweek, initially thought it would be the longest 90 minutes of Palin's life. But after acknowledging that she did not win the debate, he noted that his original assessment was "ridiculously wrong" and that the debate was no fun for Biden. "Palin grew up a hunter in Alaska. ... She learned to stalk and bag her prey. Here ... she was stalking a pinstriped senator."

As preparations continue for tomorrow's presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, pundits are already predicting winners and losers. Roger Simon of Politico offers this: "There are three things Mitt Romney must do to win the first presidential debate on Wednesday. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are."

The Grouch

In 2008, John McCain was struggling in the Iowa polls as the presidential race wound to the finish. McCain stopped by the Des Moines Register for a lengthy chat on the last day of September. As reported by The Washington Monthly, "It didn't go well. ... the transcripts alone don't convey just how angry and sarcastic McCain became when challenged."

Today, there is no end to the advice presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are receiving in advance of Wednesday's first debate. Many say that style will be more important than substance: looking and acting presidential will be paramount.

In a recent The Huffington Post article, political strategist Hilary Rosen offered this advice for President Obama: "Stay nice. ... One of the greatest gifts America has is a president who is kind and warm with a big smile and compassionate heart.  That is the president who will win the first debate."

Debating Expectations

In 2008, TIME columnist Mark Halperin graded the first Barack Obama / John McCain presidential debate, giving Obama an "A-" and McCain a "B-." Halperin said Obama was solid and consistent and that he "avoided mistakes from his weak debate performances during nomination season."

The first debate of 2012 comes this Wednesday, October 3. Both candidates are furiously lowering expectations. The Obama campaign notes that Mitt Romney has been sharpening his skills through 20 recent GOP primary debates. The Romney campaign cites Gallup polling showing that Obama was the clear winner of all the 2008 presidential debates.

The debate will be held in Denver, Colorado. Jim Lehrer of PBS will moderate.

Repeal, and then Replace

On September 9, 2008, the Las Vegas Sun posted a summary of presidential nominee Barack Obama's views on health care: "His plan includes leaving Medicare for the elderly, but providing those who are uninsured or unhappy with their health insurance an affordable plan..."

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. The law has been a target for Republicans eager to thwart the president. In 2012, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has repeatedly said that if elected he would "repeal and replace" what has come to be known as "Obamacare."

But today on Meet the Press with Dick Gregory, Romney said he would keep two popular features of the health care program - coverage for young adults and persons with pre-existing conditions - despite his repeated promises to repeal Obamacare on "Day One" of his presidency.

Bickering and Bouncing

On September 8, 2008, David Remnick of The New Yorker wrote of the historic significance of the Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton Democratic Primary campaign: "No banality of cable news commentary - not even the mad bickering among the anchors on MSNBC - could eclipse the meaning and the emotion of their prolonged race, the Party's dramatic reconciliation, and Obama's fiercely eloquent acceptance speech."

In 2012, the Dem and GOP campaigns and party nominations are less historically significant, MSNBC had no bickering anchors (although Chris Matthews made some news), GOP presenters promoted themselves more than their candidate, and the media is abuzz with charges that President Obama's speech was "flat."

Post-convention poll numbers are already rolling in, and as of Friday, September 7, Gallup shows President Obama with a 4-point lead over Mitt Romney, 49% to 45%.

The Bounce

In 2008, the Republican National Convention wrapped up on September 4. Although the Gallup Daily Poll had shown Barack Obama leading John McCain prior to the GOP convention, the McCain-Palin ticket took a 3 to 5 point lead coming out of their convention.

The Obama-Biden ticket regained the Gallup lead in mid-September 2008 and did not relinquish it going into the election.

Today, the Gallup 7-Day Rolling Average shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney 47% to 46%. It appears that Romney received little-to-no poll "bounce" from his convention. Whether or not the Obama-Biden ticket receives a bounce from their convention (which ends today) will become apparent early next week.

It's Still the Economy

In 2008, John McCain accepted his party's nomination for president on September 4. The next day, CNN's Bill Schneider lauded McCain's sincere speech, but said, "it did not seem to answer the question, 'What are you going to do about the nation's terrible economic problems?'"

Today, GOP candidate Mitt Romney claims to know what to do about the economy, but has given few specifics.

Former President Bill Clinton speaks tonight at the Democratic National Convention; he is likely to reference his own presidency when the country enjoyed a surplus instead of a deficit, and the nation prospered. President Obama speaks tomorrow and will no doubt reference the economy as well. How specific he will be is the question.

Organizing the Vote

The 2008 Republican National Convention was held the week after Labor Day. In speeches by several participants, Barack Obama was roundly mocked for his experience as a "community organizer."

On September 4, 2008, Barry Crimmins wrote: "Just as Palin wants to turn the entire nation into a paranoid and intolerant small town, Obama must continue his work to turn American voters into a very large, organized community."

Today, President Obama is in a very close reelection race with Mitt Romney, and he will need the votes of a very large, organized community to win.

BHO Leads Gallup Poll

The Gallup Poll conducted September 2 - 4, 2008 showed Barack Obama leading John McCain, 48% to 44%.

Today, Gallup's 7-day rolling average shows Obama leading Mitt Romney, 47% to 46%.

The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina begins its 3-night run tomorrow, Tuesday, September 4, 2012.

Truth and LIes

On September 2, 2008, David Brooks, writing in the New York Times, worried about John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. "She shares McCain's primary weakness - that she has a tendency to substitute a moral philosophy for a political philosophy."

Today, Mitt Romney's GOP running mate, Paul Ryan, is under some scrutiny for misstating the truth in his nomination acceptance speech last week, and for a false description of his running time in a marathon.

The New York Daily News posits: "In his brief period on the national stage, Paul Ryan has demonstrated an uneasy relationship with the truth. His acceptance speech on Wednesday night was one of the most dishonest political speeches in recent U.S. political history. … Ryan’s incessant lying, including about marathon times, is actually pretty important."

Satire Anyone?

On August 31, 2008, political news was abuzz with John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin to be his running mate. In a hilarious New York Times column titled Vice in Go-Go Boots, Maureen Dowd used a chick-flick theme to satirize the GOP ticket, and lamented: "Why do men only pick women as running mates when they need a Hail Mary pass? It’s a little insulting."

Today, political news is abuzz with the GOP-RNC decision to allow actor Clint Eastwood free reign with an empty-chair satire during broadcast TV prime time last night, an odd appearance that is getting as much press as candidate Mitt Romney's convention acceptance speech.

Biden's the One

In the wee hours of Saturday, August 23, 2008, the Barack Obama campaign sent a text message to supporters announcing that Joe Biden would be the VP nominee. A rally had already been scheduled for the same day, with Obama and Biden appearing outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

In 2008, use of a text message for an important political announcement was innovative for its time. In 2012, the Romney campaign used a smartphone app to make the VP announcement.

Smartphone and social media applications were in their infancy in 2008 compared to 2012. Today, apps like Twitter, Facebook, and others are changing the political landscape. An article in USA Today notes the impact of social media on the upcoming GOP and Democratic conventions.

Happy Birthday PBO

Today is Barack Obama's 51st birthday. According to The New York Times, he'll be celebrating at his home in Chicago with a group of people who made donations to his campaign.

Obama was 46 years old when he began running for president in 2007. His opponent John McCain was 71 years old.

Obama's 2012 opponent is Mitt Romney, who is 65 years old. ABC News reported that Romney declined to enroll in Medicare when eligible last March.

Global Citizenship

On this day in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama continued his Middle East and European tour, making a surprise visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall wearing a yarmulke and placing a prayer in the wall. Then he was off to Berlin where he met with Chancellor Merkel before speaking to a crowd estimated at 200,000 in front of the Victory Column. Stressing the "burdens of global citizenship," Obama told the crowd: "Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity."

President Obama is staying stateside during the summer of 2012, but his opponent Mitt Romney leaves today for London where he will kick off a week-long trip to Britain, Israel and Poland. Before leaving U.S. soil, Romney spoke to the VFW and delivered - according to the Los Angeles Times - "a scathing indictment of President Obama's defense and foreign policies." National polls however, show the public giving the president good marks on his foreign policy record.

Middle East Peace

Continuing his July 2008 Middle East and European tour, Barack Obama visited Sderot, an Israeli city near the Gaza border that sustained frequent rocket attacks. In a news conference, Obama warned of the danger if Iran obtained nuclear weapons. Obama also visited with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Abbas in the West Bank, pledging his commitment to the peace process.

Later this week in 2012, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will visit with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Although the relationship between Obama and Netanyahu has been strained, Netanyahu has promised to receive Romney with "the same openness that I received another presidential candidate, then-Sen. Barack Obama [in 2008]."

In the Tank?

During the 2008 presidential elecgtion, a Rasmussen Reports survey showed that, "49% of voters believe most reporters will try to help the Democrat [Obama] with their coverage, up from 44% a month ago. Just 14% believe most reporters will try to help McCain win, little changed from 13% a month ago. Just one voter in four (24%) believes that most reporters will try to offer unbiased coverage."

Conservative blog Redstate thought that voters would "correct for reporters' cheerleading" to the benefit of John McCain.

A related flap occurred recently when it was reported that major news agencies were giving "quote approval" to the Obama and Romney campaigns. Public distaste with the practice has led news organizations to reconsider. Read more about it at The Huffington Post.

Campaign Finance

Fundraising reports for June 2008 showed that Barack Obama held a 2 to 1 advantage over John McCain, with Obama raising $52 million in June.

For June 2012, Obama and the Democratic National Committee raised $71 million. Mitt Romney, along with the Republican National Committee, brought in $106 million for June.

In an email to supporters, President Obama said, "I will be the first president in modern history to be outspent in his reelection campaign, if things continue as they have so far.

Poll Data

In a July 2008 Washington Post-ABC News poll, Barack Obama topped John McCain on economic matters and other areas of domestic policy. Obama held an 8-point advantage overall.

Today, an average of all recent polls shows Obama with a 2.1% advantage over Mitt Romney. The economy is still a top issue, but unlike 2008's concern with gas prices, unemployment and jobs drive the narrative of the 2012 campaign.

For more polling data:

• View an archive of Washington Post-ABC News Polls.
• Check the Real Clear Politics polls and averages here.
• And Gallup polling data is here.