Wednesday’s political round-up

May 9, 2007

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:

* It didn’t take too long for Rudy Giuliani’s rivals to jump on his Planned Parenthood contributions. John McCain’s top campaign strategist told the LA Times, “He’s well outside the mainstream of rank-and-file Republicans on this issue, not only as someone who is pro-abortion, but someone who has supported one of the most radical pro-abortion groups in the country.” Expect more of this.

* While most of the nation’s Democratic governors have so far steered clear of endorsing presidential candidates, two high-profile governors are poised to throw their weight behind Hillary Clinton. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) will endorse Clinton at an event in Annapolis today, followed by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), who will announce his support next week.

* CNN: “Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Tuesday that he worked for a hedge fund to learn more about financial markets and their relationship to poverty in the United States. Edwards won’t disclose how much he got paid as a consultant to Fortress Investment Group, but said he did keep the money. ‘It was primarily to learn, but making money was a good thing, too.'”

* The media seems to be having quite a bit of fun ridiculing Barack Obama for overstating the death toll in Kansas’ recent tornadoes. Obama told an a Virginia audience that “10,000” people had died. He meant to say, “10.”

* Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) announced yesterday that he will challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) next year, in what should be one of the most closely-watched statewide contests in the country. Allen was the DSCC’s top choice for the race, and no other Dems have announced.

* And reader C.W. was on hand for John McCain’s recent appearance at Google headquarters and relayed some of the highlights. During the Q&A, someone brought up the senator’s recent Daily Show appearance and his suggestion that “if no one’s winning in Iraq, we can’t possibly be losing.” McCain apparently liked the line so much, he repeated it: “You at Google, you’re pretty logical people: if someone’s losing, someone else has to be winning; it’s just common sense.” C.W. told me, “There were a lot of baffled, ‘um, what?’ looks going around the audience.”

I think you mean “Susan Collins (R-Maine)”, right, CB?

Unless she suddenly switched sides. 😉

  • Really, McCain? Is Planned Parenthood “one of the most radical pro-abortion groups in the country”? How many anti-abortion offices have they bombed?

    Since I didn’t see the Obama gaffe video, I’d appreciate if someone told me if he goes off, “Ten thousand dead! This is the worst disaster ever!” or if he merely interjects the word “thousand” by mistake.

  • A little wishful thinking by CB, Curmudgeon.

    I want to ask McCain’s strategist if there are any “pro-abortion” groups he would consider non-radical, just to see if I can make his head explode.

  • John McCain’s outside the fucking human mainstream for saying he’d sign a bill banning abortion even in cases of rape/incest, or to preserve the health of the mother.

    Can we hear more about that? Or does the entire GOP want to sign onto Bill Napoli’s “sodomized virgin” exception to abortion bans?

    Can someone start asking Republicans about that?

  • Man, there are a lot of things that irritate me, and the term “pro-abotuion” is a big one.
    Are the anti-abortion people “pro-coathanger?”
    In the same vein, are the pro-war people “pro-slaughter of women & children?”
    Are anti-evolution people “anti-intellectual theocratic facists?”

    Well, yes.
    We are just too nice to say it often.

  • I think you mean “Susan Collins (R-Maine)”, right, CB?

    Yep. Good catch; it’s fixed now.

  • “You at Google, you’re pretty logical people: if someone’s losing, someone else has to be winning; it’s just common sense.”

    Sounds like McCain was “fooled by a googly” like DUBYA was.

  • Grumpy,

    He merely states “10,000 dead” and later (looks like toward the end of his speech) he says “there will be times when I get tired. There will be times when I make mistakes,” supposedly in reference to his ‘10,000’ gaffe earlier, though its not clear.

    IF this is the best the media can do in smearing him…big deal.

  • Walnuts sez: “You at Google, you’re pretty logical people: if someone’s losing, someone else has to be winning; it’s just common sense.”

    Uh, no. In real life (unlike Risk) there can be more than just the simple “I win, you lose” scenario, but I guess it would be too much to ask him to figure that out.

  • “…someone who has supported one of the most radical pro-abortion groups in the country.”

    Ah yes. How well I remember that terrible summer of ’05. The dread hordes of the Zygote Destruction League ran amok across America, launching wave after wave of surprise abortions against innocent civilians regardless of gender and then selling the poor little pre-babies to the unholy Snow Flake Baby Murdering Stem Cell Researchers Front.

    “…if someone’s losing, someone else has to be winning; it’s just common sense.”

    Yes of course Sinator McCainiac! But only if you include War Profiteers in the list of possible winners and losers.

    Can we please stick a fork in Mr. Deflated Soccerball Head? He is so done.

  • Gridlock and Grumpy (two names that go great together) –

    Still, that was a pretty stupid thing for Obama to say. It’s not like he said “I had a Coke the other day” and meant to say Pepsi.

  • McCain’s comment at Google is typical of Republican politics these days. For some reason with a clever enough turn of phrase Republicans think they can get away with anything.

  • How well did that hedge fund rationale go over at the Politico?

    Just curious, does he ride in limousines so he can get a feel for the lives of auto mechanics? (The free champagne in the ice bucket is nice too.)

    Dangit, John. We know it’s hard to be poor and run for president, so running hedge funds kind of comes with the territory, but stop trying so hard to pass yourself off as one of the little people. It’s getting about as bad as Rudy Giuliani trying to be a devout fundamentalist Christian.

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