Wednesday’s campaign round-up

March 5, 2008

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:

* How’s that delegate race shaping up? According to an MSNBC analysis aired this morning, Clinton “could net anywhere from seven to a bit over 10 delegates. This, obviously, is hardly major progress, given Obama’s overall pledged delegate lead of roughly 150 or more. But it’s more than some commentators were predicting she’d gain.”

* Be prepared to hear a lot about John McSame: “We’ve just obtained a copy of the new ad that the 501c4 issue-advocacy group Campaign to Defend America is running against John McCain in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It says that McCain offers more of the ‘McSame as Bush,’ on issues from Iraq to health care, and repeatedly superimposes Bush’s head atop McCain’s body…. The Campaign to Defend America — which will be running ads on issues like Iraq, the economy, energy, and health care, from a bent that appears to be pro-Democratic — is spending more than $1,000,000 on the buy, the group tells me.”

* One of the Democratic Party’s most powerful couples — both of whom are superdelegates — have decided to back different candidates. Don Fowler, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a member of the DNC from South Carolina, is backing Clinton. As of yesterday, his wife Carol Khare Fowler, chairwoman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, is backing Obama.

* Statistic of the Day: “2,833,000 Texans voted for John Kerry in the 2004 general election, but 2,857,000 people voted in last night’s Democratic primary.”

* Mike Huckabee may be plotting his next career: “As Mr. Huckabee’s campaign plotted a concession speech on Tuesday, some analysts suggested that viewers would see the longshot Republican presidential candidate on television again very soon. On the MSNBC program ‘Morning Joe,’ the Republican strategist Mike Murphy predicted Mr. Huckabee would ‘suspend his campaign, hire excellent agents, and begin negotiations for a cable TV talk show, all within the next 10 days.’”

* Yesterday morning, Terry McAuliffe, one of Clinton’s highest ranking advisors, was asked about Mark Penn downplayed his role in the Clinton campaign. “People ought to quit talking to the press,” McAuliffe told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, adding, “When we get through with Texas and Ohio, I’ll go talk to Maggie Williams, our campaign manager, about that.” We may not be hearing quite as much from Penn in the immediate future.

* I’m still not quite sure what anyone expects Howard Dean to do. “If these attacks [between Clinton and Obama] are contrasts based on policy differences, there is no need to stop the race or halt the debate,” Donna Brazile, a superdelegate, said. “But, if this is more division, more diversion from the issues and more of the same politics of personal destruction, chairman Dean and other should be on standby.”

* Dennis Kucinich faced four Democratic primary opponents yesterday, but managed to save his congressional career. Kucinich appears to have won with about 52% support.

* And on a related note, Ron Paul held back his intra-party challenger in his House district, winning his GOP primary with nearly 70% of the vote. “Some Washington insiders would have you believe that Republicans no longer believe in the principles our country and party were founded upon, but the voters in my district have once again proven them wrong,” Paul said, in a statement.

“Dennis Kucinich faced four Democratic primary opponents yesterday, but managed to save his congressional career. Kucinich appears to have won with about 52% support.”

Good for Kucinich…he’s a good man.

  • Can’t Dean influence the superdelegates and John Edwards? If he has Edwards’ pledged delegates and the superdelegates pile on Obama, he can finish the race more quickly than it otherwise would.

    I’m not saying he should do that now, I’m just saying that it’s something he CAN do.

  • “2,833,000 Texans voted for John Kerry in the 2004 general election, but 2,857,000 people voted in last night’s Democratic primary.”
    How many were republicans voting for clinton? Has anyone seen any numbers on this? How many were indies voting for Obama? or vice-versa.

  • “John McSame” – that’s good. Beats hell out of “McCanine,” my previous fave. It says it all in one word. Good f or the Campaign to Defend America.

  • I was going to ask Rick(#3)’s question. I’d like to know how many Republicans crossed over, not because they changed affiliation but because Limbaugh told them to in order to screw over Obama.

  • Both Dean and Pelosi — who, as Chair of the Convention has already announced she’ll rule against admitting Mich. and Florida and has said the one with the most delegates won should get the nomination — have considerable influence of the SuperDelegates, especially the ‘Class of 2006″ who know they wouldn’t have won if the party had supported the Carville/Begala/Clinton strategy. They have to be careful how they use it, but they have it.

  • “John McSame” – that’s good. Beats hell out of “McCanine,” my previous fave. Tom Cleaver

    And way better than my John McFuckingLiar.

  • I have to hand it to the Democrats, they are on the verge of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory, again.

    I and many others have predicted that Sen. Clinton will win by hook or crook (or any other cliche’ you want to put in there) and in the process make the Republicans look like saints. Sen. McCain’s victory speech set just the right tone in contrast to the knife fight that will be the Democratic nomination process. In the mean time Sen. Obama’s supporters will be discouraged or angered, the so called “independent ads for the Democrats will look rovian in aspect (there is no need for the Republicans to go negative right now, the Democrats will do it for them), and in the end McCain will be seen as the sane one who will guide us out of the mess that the Democrats got us into.

    McCain’s speech held onto all the Republican talking points while disavowing him from the present administration – he agreed with the war but not the prosecution of the war – and he can appeal to various issues of security and the economy with enough credibility that most non-wonks will think he is on target.

    If the Democrats don’t get this finished soon they will continue in their losing ways. How can you respect a party that is so incompetent?

  • I liked John McCain’t.

    I’d be almost as uncomfortable with arm-twisting by Dean and Pelosi as I would with Superdelegates making the deciding difference.

    I’ve got this irrational, unshakable feeling that the majority should rule in our party.

    For the record, I’d also support June 8th primaries for Florida and Michigan.
    Like immigrants, those who act illegally…. you’re welcome to come, but… get to the back o’ the line, friends. Candidates not approved by Florida and Michigan have, at best, a tainted claim to the popular will. Clinton getting unopposed delegates from Michigan is tainted far worse. It MUST be a rematch.

  • Rick (3) I have been trying all day to find the answer to that question. The best I can find is that in both Ohio and Texas about 25% voters were Independents and 10% were Republicans (via CNN). In Texas Obama won a small majority of the combined Ind/Rep vote (Politico).

  • Clearly, republican women were voting in the democratic primary in Texas. “If I vote for Hillary today can I still vote for a republican president?” was heard over and over. I have no idea how organized they were but they were clearly not planning to vote for a democratic presidential nominee in November.

  • I find Rush to be so funny.

    He is claiming a major victory in that he convinced a lot of voters to vote for Clinton.

    What I find so funny is that he tried to convince people NOT to vote for McCain or Huckabee.

    So, he has a huge amount of sway over the Democrats but he couldn’t change the outcome in the Republican side.

    Rush is a funny man.

  • Dean probably holds the power necessary to shift “the Machine” in Obama’s favor. As the primary moves closer to completion, and as the numbers continue tilting in Obama’s favor, it may become mandatory for him to “drop the house” on Clinton—if for nothing else than to stop the bloodletting. He hasn’t a thing to lose in this: his term is nearly complete, and he’ll always be remembered for his 50-State strategy.

  • And way better than my John McFuckingLiar.

    Oh, I don’t know, doubtful, that has a lovely, truthful ring to it. I kinda like it. 🙂

    …begin negotiations for a cable TV talk show

    Swell, another Pat Buchanan…albeit more personable.

    Kucinich appears to have won with about 52% support.

    Good. Let’s send him good wishes in the general.

    (sorry, playing with tags here)

    McSame: Ain’t love grand?

  • Neil Wilson @12 – The problem that Rush, as well as all the other rightwing establishment people had was that they didn’t have anyone to promote. It’s not enough to tell people to not vote for McCain if they can’t decide who they ARE supposed to vote for. When Fox News was pimping Giuliani, the Republican Establishment was backing Romney, and the wingnuts backing Thompson (all three with sketchy resumes); McCain and Huckabee could pick up the slack. There’s a reason McCain lost so many of the early contests; he was the only guy left after everyone else petered out.

    It’s not the same with Rush telling people to support Hillary. There was no one else for these people to vote for, and Rush threw his hefty weight against one particular candidate. I don’t know if this worked, but in Texas, it wouldn’t have taken much.

  • Rudy McRomney was always my favorite. Not only did it showcase that all three candidates were identical, but it also made the Republican Party sound like the marketing machine it is. McDonald’s sells a brand; not burgers. Same with these jerks. They sell the Republican brand; not candidates or policies.

    McSame is pretty good too, though.

  • McCain distancing himself from the administration yet going to the White House to have another smooch with W. Isn’t that like being a ‘made man’ in the mafia? A kiss on both cheeks, and whoila now you’re part of the club – not that McCain hasn’t been.

    OTOH, there just doesn’t seem to be any end to the stupidity of the Democrats. This really is getting worse than merely frustrating or depressing. If they can’t put together a winning ticket in 2008, and if the Rethugs aren’t relegated to some small corner of hell where they definitly belong, the the future is indeed bleak, and unpromising. And HOPEless.

  • 18 DR BioBrain

    It is not true that Rush didn’t have anyone to support.

    Look at the candidates

    1) Romney- used to be a moderate and still a Mormon
    2) Huckabee – used to be a Christian so he had done some ‘liberal’ things in the past
    3) McCain – not a perfect conservative
    4) Giuliani – used to be a moderate
    5)Paul – libertarian
    6)Fred Thompson – almost perfect conservative credentials
    7)Duncan Hunter – almost perfect conservative credentials
    8) Gilmore – almost perfect conservative credentials
    9)Brownback – almost perfect conservative credentials
    10) Tancredo – almost perfect conservative credentials (OK he is nuts)
    11) Tommy Thompson – almost perfect conservative credentials

    6 through 11 are almost perfect textbook conservatives

    And the republicans claim that they didn’t have a true conservative running?

  • Neil @21 – Fred Thompson?? An actor. Right. Rush “Hates Hollywood” Limbaugh is going to throw his support behind the Law & Order guy. Besides, the guy was a complete idiot who couldn’t even fake it. While Rush might play dumb all the time, he’s not. He’s not going to back a losing horse, which also explains why he won’t back McCain, because McCain is supposed to lose this race. He might try to win, but the Republicans just want him to bloody up the Democratic president before he takes office. Limbaugh said as much when he told his people to support Hillary. They want Obama crippled and Hillary’s helping them all the way.

    And none of the other candidates stood a chance of winning. That was always their problem. Anyone who is conservative enough to satisfy them is too crazy to win a general election and would probably be trounced. As Huckabee would have been. That’s been one of the lies about conservatives: They’re not actually popular. It wasn’t just that Bush was a good candidate for them. Bush was the ONLY candidate they had. They need someone with the credentials to satisfy their base, but who doesn’t have a strong conservative record. Hiring a “born again” Texan named “George Bush” satisfied the base, and his short experience in a figurehead governorship was perfect. Unfortunately, they only had one of those guys around, which explains why they ran out of candidates this time.

  • Neil Wilson (re #12) – Rush is a “funny man” the same way that some families have “funny uncles” that no one allows the children near.

    McBush says it for me. Some explanation may be necessary for McSame, and I’d like to reach everyone, even our metaphorically challenged friends. McCainus is great for the printed communication (similar to faux “news”).

    Of course there are so many terms of endearment, like “that crooked Republican that wants to keep us in Iraq for 100 years & bomb Iran.”

  • Why should it matter that a ‘true conservative’ had little chance of winning?

    The base of the Republican Party COULD have picked a ‘true conservative’. The fact is that they DID NOT pick a ‘true conservative’.

    Doesn’t that mean that the Republican Party didn’t pick a ‘true conservative’ even though they COULD have?

  • The base of the Republican Party COULD have picked a ‘true conservative’. The fact is that they DID NOT pick a ‘true conservative’.

    But the Republican leadership doesn’t want a true conservative, which is why they can’t have one. Ron Paul is a “true conservative”. Reading his material makes me feel like I’m in a timewarp back to the 90’s, before Republicans rediscovered their love of government power without oversight. And Rush Limbaugh doesn’t want a “true conservative” either. He wants winners. That’s why none of the “true conservatives” could get any traction; the establishment hates them and just wanted them to go away. Many of them outright said that after Huckabee won Iowa.

    Look, the entire Republican Party is a giant prank played on conservatives of all stripes. It’s not about small government, or religion, or preserving America, or guns, or any of that hogwash. Republicans are about money and power, period. That’s it. And they want it all for themselves. Anything they say is just part of the con they’re running on the rubes. Huckabee, Tancredo, and the rest of them are poison to the party; at least in a presidential election. The last thing they want people to know is how truly unpopular real conservatives are, and nothing would show that better than a humiliating defeat in a presidential election.

    McCain is likely to do no worse than 45% and will probably do better. Huckabee would have had trouble getting 40%. That’s not a loss; that’s a game-changing humiliation that would destroy the Republican Party’s entire con game. They want defeat this year, but they don’t want people to hear what real conservatives actually say. There’s a reason why Bush ran as a moderate twice. Even he wouldn’t say half the stuff a real conservative says every day. The only things Republicans want from conservatives are money, votes, and loyalty; but they can keep their leaders.

    • Comments are closed.