Obama's "Communistic" origins-- it all started in Kindergarten

At his Sarasota campaign rally Thursday afternoon, Barack Obama poked fun of claims he was a "socialist" or communist by the John McCain Camp.

" They've started to say people should worry about my supposed communistic tendencies because they found out I liked to share my toys in Kindergarten, because I split my P.B. and J sandwich with my friend in the sixth grade," Obama said chuckling.

Most in the crowd got a rise out of the comment, not sure how well it will go over in Miami where many Cuban-American McCain supporters liken him to a "Young Fidel Castro."

Obama in Sarasota : "McCain might be worried about losing this election...I'm worried about you losing your job."

SARASOTA  --Capping off a two-day, three-city trip through Florida, presidential nominee
Barack Obama stumped in GOP-friendly territory, trying to shore up support in the crucial
swing state.
   "John McCain might be worried about losing this election, but Florida, I'm worried about you losing your job, your house,'' Obama said to roaring cheers from the crowd.
   A capacity crowd of 10,000 supporters flooded into Ed Smith Stadium, while outside a
line estimated by local authorities as six blocks long awaited entry.
  Obama focused much of his speech on explaining his economic plan and trying to knock down notions that he is a socialist as dubbed by the McCain campaign.Obama also made sure to remind the crowd of his appearance last night with former President Bill Clinton in Orlando."You have eight years of Bill Clinton's policies, you have eight years of George W. Bush's policies,'' Obama said. "It's pretty straightforward.''
   Obama was introduced to the crowd by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (pictured below working the crowd), who talked up Obama and VP pick Joe Biden's foreign policy experience. "What you're seeing here … this energy, this enthusiasm … is all over Florida,'' Nelson told the crowd, urging them to vote early.

Amid the attacks, Crist brings positive spin to McCain TV

Here's the widely anticipated TV ad that Gov. Charlie Crist cut for John McCain. No mention of Barack Obama whatsoever.

Down to the wire, Taddeo gets 'personal'

In a last push to court voters before Tuesday's election, congressional hopeful Annette Taddeo is up with a new, all-positive TV ad looking to strike an emotional chord.

The 30-second spot, titled "Personal Really," features Taddeo talking about growing up with health insurance that covered 19 surgeries to fix her cleft lip. "I really understand what families face when they don't have insurance," she says in the ad. "For me it's not political -- it's personal."

Taddeo has attacked Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- who is not mentioned in the ad -- for voting against expanding a state children's health insurance program. Ros-Lehtinen has said the program has not been run properly in some states and an expansion would allow adults to benefit from the insurance.

Another Crist problem: 797,000 uninsured kids

Gov. Charlie Crist's poll numbers have remained high despite the drip, drip, drip, flood of bad economic news. How long can it last? As long as he tries to work on problems, his allies say.

Here's a new one for him, according to a press release from Families USA:

"There are 797,000 uninsured children in Florida, more than one out of six (18.8 percent) children in the state, according to a new report released today by Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers.

The report, based on new Census Bureau data, shows that the number of uninsured children continues to grow in the state. The most recent data are for the three-year period 2005-2007 and therefore do not reflect the worsening economic situation in 2008."

Also, we're getting word that ACS, the vendor in charge of the subsidized health program for the working poor/lower Middle Class had mistakenly booted kids off the KidCare rolls. And the state's third-party administrator projected Medicaid rolls mistaken projected a decrease of recipients - something that flies in the face of common sense when the economy worsens.

Even in GOP-friendly Sarasota, it's standing room only for Obama

SARASOTA _ The capacity inside of Ed Smith Stadium is 10,000, but with seats almost filled just an hour before Barack Obama is set to take the stage, whether the six blocks of supporters snaked around the stadium get in remains to be seen.

Among those that took the day off work to see the presidential hopeful was Luz Corcuera of Bradenton. "I identify with him because he is a community organizer like me," said Corcuera, who is part of the area's Latino Community Network that conducts out reach to the area's migrant farmworkers. "He has stirred an energy with voters unseen in years."

Corcuera said more than 400 volunteers have been pushing Obama's name in the largely Republican city. "It's going to be a tight race, but I see him pulling through," she said.

-- LAURA FIGUEROA

Would you get on a plane with someone who has never flown?

From the Washington Post blog:

The latest ad from the Republican National Committee's independent expenditure unit continues the GOP's harsh attacks on Barack Obama's experience.

"Would you get on a plane with a pilot who has never flown?" the ad's announcer asks. "Would you trust your child with someone who has never cared for children? Would you go under with a surgeon who has never operated? Can you hand your nation to a man who has never been in charge of anything? Can you wait while he learns?"

"Surgeon" was scheduled to begin airing this morning morning in Miami, Tampa and Orlando.

Al Gore and Tipper too

We've seen Bill and Hillary Clinton, now here comes Al and Tipper Gore to headline rallies tomorrow in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

"Nobody knows better that every single vote counts -- especially in Florida -- than Vice President Al Gore, who will be encouraging Florida voters to early vote in record numbers, so no amount of chads, butterflies or undervotes can stand between Floridians and the change we need,'' said Steve Schale, director of Obama's Florida campaign.

Mario: We need more McCain

John McCain told Radio Mambi listeners Wednesday that he didn't know "two finer members of the US Congress" than Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart.

But Mario complains that McCain's campaign has not answered Barack Obama’s barrage of attacks against the Republican presidential nominee on Miami's Spanish-language radio and TV stations.

"It shows up in the polls," Diaz-Balart told Politico. "It’s having an impact." Asked whether it affects his own tight race, Diaz-Balart said: "It clearly does."

Sabato's crystal ball: Lincoln loses

Political prognosticator Larry Sabato says Democrats will pick up between 26 and 35 House seats, including the one held by Lincoln Diaz-Balart. He rates brother Mario-Diaz Balart's seat a "toss up."

He's also predicting Barack Obama will take Florida, and Republicans will also lose Central Florida GOP House members Ric Keller and Tom Feeney.

He's predicting two bright spots for GOP'ers: they'll hold onto Vern Buchanan's Sarasota seat and pick up Rep. Tim Mahoney's Palm Beach County seat -- one of just three Republicans pickups in the country.

Of course, the University of Virginia Center for Politics director's predictions come with a warning: "Use caution with Sabato's Crystal Ball, and remember: 'He who lives by the Crystal Ball ends up eating ground glass!' "