I sometimes check AOL as a sample of what the middle-right, moderately-to-low-informed public is thinking. On AOL polls, McCain generally gets about 55 to 60% and Obama 40 to 45%, so when the AOL debate poll barely gave Obama a win, that's actually a significant win for him. AOL users are not completely low-information--they are at least using the internet--and they don't tend to be hyper-partisan, even if there are some obvious nut-cases in the comments. (The comments run very heavily in McCain's favor--not too many Obama supporters make comments on AOL, even though it wouldn't be a bad place, since there are more potentially persuadable people there than on the partisan sites.)
Right now there is an AOL article and poll up about ACORN. It's the same absurd hysteria that Faux News has been pushing for days now. Here are some things to note about the article and poll:
First, the article and poll continue the conflation of voter fraud and voter registration fraud. The poll (actually two polls) uses the term "voter registration fraud", which is correct, but the headline above the poll says ACORN is accused of "voter fraud", which is partly correct (some people are accusing ACORN of that), but very misleading. There is no attempt in the article to explain the difference.
Second, this moderately-low-information group is in hysteria over the issue. 73% in the poll currently think ACORN will be found guilty of fraud, and 77% think this issue is very important. The comments have to be seen to be believed.
Third, of course, there is no mention at all of the real problems of GOP voter suppression efforts, which include, ironically, their attacks on ACORN.
These are the kinds of places where I think we need to pour some reason and information over the flames of poorly-informed hysteria. As we all know here, there is no threat to elections or voting integrity from registration problems, as most of these are weeded out (many with ACORN's help, as they are required in most states to turn in all registration forms, and they try to flag bad or suspicious registrations). Moreover, fake voters do not actually go to the polls (have you seen Donald Duck in line lately?). ACORN is more the victim than the perpetrator of bad registrations, and overall what they do is very valuable, helping thousands of people vote who are otherwise often left out on election day. The reason they are being attacked is basically that progressives want everyone to vote while the right wing wants low election turnout.
I don't think this ACORN hysteria is going to defeat Obama, although we need to defend ACORN for its own sake and the sake of the real voters it is helping now and in the future. If there is anything at all that ACORN has done wrong it is trivial next to the suppression of voters and manipulation of elections by Republicans. So get out on AOL or anywhere else you choose and spread the message that this attack is bogus.