In a week when Joe the Plumber is the catchphrase of the Republican campaign, the Democrats are buoyed by a prominent Republican crossing party lines, says Anayat Durrani

In the final hours, the Republican campaign appears not wholly uncomfortable with racist slurs against Obama, writes James Zogby

Victory looks increasingly likely for Obama and the Democrats in general, predicts David Dumke

Analogies with the Great Depression abound, notes Gamal Nkrumah

Subsidies for the rich or aid for the poor? There is no clear answer following the financial crisis, concludes Eva Dadrian

The decline of democracy in North America was starkly illustrated in the recent Canadian elections, laments Eric Walberg