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:
* A new WSJ/NBC poll found that registered voters, by a 13-point margin (50% to 37%) say they would prefer a Democrat to be elected president in November. That’s the good news. The less good news is that when actual names are added to the mix, Obama leads McCain by three (47% to 44%), while Clinton leads McCain by two (47% to 45%).
* Presumably in response to Clinton challenging him on his credentials to be commander in chief, Obama hosted an event in Chicago yesterday at which he was flanked by 10 former generals and admirals who are supporting his campaign. Asked about Clinton’s questions about his readiness, Obama said, “Here’s the one good thing about it: This issue would have come up in the general election anyway. So, we might as well surface it now. I didn’t expect Democrats to be making these arguments against fellow Democrats. They typically come from Republicans against Democrats.”
* The AFL-CIO will apparently make every effort to dog John McCain for the next several months: “The AFL-CIO said Wednesday it will have union protesters follow GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain around the country to demand explanations on his positions on economic and labor issues…. In addition to the protests, the nation’s largest labor federation also plans to devote part of its record-setting $53.4 million grass-roots mobilization campaign funds to criticizing McCain through workplace leafletting, volunteer door-knocking, telephone calls, e-mail, direct mailings and an anti-McCain Web site.”
* The latest from Florida: “Florida’s Democratic Party has proposed a combination mail-in vote and in-person election on June 3. ‘The plan would be inclusive of all Democratic voters,’ according to a memo of the draft plan obtained by CNN that was sent to party leaders…. The estimated cost of the proposal would be between $10 million and $12 million, according to the memo which was sent to party leaders Wednesday night.”
* Obama talked to Al Gore last week. This seems to have excited campaign reporters, but we probably shouldn’t read too much into it.
* The latest from Michigan: “A proposal now being considered for the Michigan primary is that the mulligan primary would be an otherwise normal, state-run contest, but with the state Democratic Party reimbursing the state for roughly $10 million needed to run it. This idea had previously been viewed as unfeasible, but the Detroit Free Press says it was given new life when Govs. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Ed Rendell (D-PA), both Hillary Clinton supporters, offered to help raise the money for new contests in Florida and Michigan.”
* The McCain campaign seems a little worried about what its supporters might say and do next: “After being forced to respond to three separate incidents in recent weeks of conservatives alluding to Barack Obama’s middle name, John McCain’s campaign manager today sent a memo to top supporters urging them to stick to the campaign’s preferred message — and to avoid taking gratuitous shots at their Democratic rivals.”
* In case there were any doubts about who enters Pennsylvania as the favorite, a new poll from Strategic Vision, a Republican firm, shows Clinton leading Obama by 18 points, 56% to 38%. In a general-election match-up, Strategic Vision shows McCain beating both Dems, though Obama fares slightly better than Clinton.
* TNR has an interesting item showing that Republican voters were very helpful to Clinton in Ohio. She almost certainly would have won the state without GOP voters, but by a smaller margin.
* And Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who’s uncommitted, wrote a letter to Clinton and Obama yesterday: “While you trade barbs, McCain is uniting the Republican Party around his thinly disguised right wing agenda. In the next six weeks, McCain can sit back, amass his war chest, concentrate his base and delight as you deconstruct each other.”