Now that both parties have presumptive nominees, general-election polls have grown considerably more salient. Voters now have a clear, one-to-one choice, between two candidates, two parties, and two worldviews. And at the starting line, a new CBS/NYT poll shows Obama with an edge. Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama holds a six point lead over his […]
Given the excitement of the prolonged Democratic presidential race, John McCain hasn’t had a whole lot to do the past couple of months. Sure, he’s raised some money and launched the occasional attack, but in general, McCain has been pushed to the side, just to the right of the national spotlight. The problem, though, is […]
In her speech on Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton told supporters she would take some time to consult with her advisors and party leaders in order to determine “how to move forward.” Apparently, Clinton wanted to take a moment to take the party’s temperature — hear from her allies on the Hill, gauge the level of […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Howard Dean, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic Governors Association Chair Joe Manchin have told the remaining uncommitted superdelegates that they have until Friday of this week to “make their decisions known.” I’m not sure why anyone would need more time anyway. * House Ways and Means Committee Chairman […]
Joe Lieberman, fully embracing his role as a Republican attack dog, took the lead in a GOP conference call this morning to attack Barack Obama’s Middle East policy. On the call, organized by far-right Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Lieberman argued, weakly, that Obama holds the U.S. responsible for Iran’s strength in the region. “Senator Obama […]
Last night, Barack Obama called Hillary Clinton to congratulate her on her win in South Dakota. Voicemail messages were exchanged and a connection was dropped before the two were actually able to talk at all. And when they did speak, it was kept brief, in part because of some less-than-ideal technical issues. There’s a campaign […]
Once in a great while, we can point to just one thing that ruined a presidential campaign. For Joe Biden in ’84, it was the controversy surrounding plagiarism. For Gary Hart in 1988, it was a scandal in his personal life. But in most instances, when campaigns come up short, it’s a wide variety of […]
The issue of presidential debates can be contentious, which is why there’s a Commission on Presidential Debates, which is supposed to take some of the politics out of it. The CPD has already picked four locations and dates (three for the presidential candidates, one for the VP candidates), which were selected long before anyone knew […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Yesterday was a key campaign day for reasons that have nothing to do with the presidential race, with plenty of down-ballot primaries to watch. In New Mexico, for example, Rep. Steve Pearce […]
In every presidential race, in every cycle, party leaders worry about primary rivals going too negative and giving the other side fodder for the general election. Drawing contrasts is one thing, but it’s best for everyone when candidates restrain themselves from making things easier for the competing party. But looking back, this doesn’t seem to […]