Wednesday’s campaign round-up

July 2, 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:

* If the McCain campaign wants to do more to distance McCain from Bush, it probably shouldn’t send out pictures of McCain and Bush standing side by side.

* McCain blasted Barack Obama yesterday for not having voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. When McCain learned that Joe Lieberman had also voted against Alito’s confirmation, McCain decided it was time to change the subject. Imagine that.

* Was Obama hinting about his VP intentions yesterday? “I love Kathleen Sebelius,” Obama said. “I think she is as talented a public official as there is right now. Integrity. Competence. She can work with all people of all walks of life, but I promised that I am not going to say anything about my vice president until I actually introduce my vice president.”

* Why is McCain accepting major financial support from an accused sponsor of terrorists? “The co-host of a recent top-dollar fundraiser for Sen. John McCain oversaw the payment of roughly $1.7 million to a Colombian paramilitary group that is today designated a terrorist organization by the United States.”

* It looks like reports of Obama’s difficulties with Latino voters have been greatly exaggerated: “Hispanic registered voters’ support for Barack Obama for president remained consistent and strong in June, with Obama leading John McCain by 59% to 29% among this group.”

* A new CNN/Opinion Research national poll shows Obama leading McCain by five, 50% to 45%. (The same poll, by the way, found that 90% of Americans consider McCain patriotic, while 73% said the same of Obama.)

* One of the fastest growing groups on Obama’s website is made up of more than 7,000 supporters calling on him “to reverse his decision” on the pending FISA “compromise.”

* The polls out of Florida have been all over the place, but in the latest survey from Public Policy Polling (D), Obama enjoys a narrow edge over McCain in the Sunshine State, 46% to 44%.

* Speaking of Florida, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) won’t be up for re-election until 2010, but his numbers at this point look awfully weak.

* Public Policy Polling (D) also shows McCain leading Obama by four in North Carolina, 45% to 41%.

* Quinnipiac shows Obama crushing McCain in Connecticut, 56% to 35%.

* Rudy Giuliani still seems to believe he’s better qualified for the presidency than McCain.

* McCain’s campaign has decided to stop advertising on vehemently anti-Obama websites, including one that compares the Democratic candidate to Hitler.

* Hillary Clinton’s team has decided to pull its anti-Obama ads from its campaign website and YouTube.

* The only Senate Democrat who’s worried about re-election this year, Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu, is holding onto a modest lead over Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy, 46% to 40%.

“I promised that I am not going to say anything about my vice president until I actually introduce my vice president.”

That rules out Sebelius, considering that Obama said something about her.

This does narrow down the field, though. Who has Obama not been talking about?

  • “Why is McCain accepting major financial support from an accused sponsor of terrorists? “The co-host of a recent top-dollar fundraiser for Sen. John McCain oversaw the payment of roughly $1.7 million to a Colombian paramilitary group that is today designated a terrorist organization by the United States”

    Not convinced there’s much to this story. It sounds more like the money was extorted from him. Check w/John Cole at Balloon Juice for more on this.

    Better to keep the attacks on McCain focused on clearer issues — there’s no shortage of them.

  • The polls out of Florida have been all over the place…

    If Florida is anywhere near close and the Clintons could do help even a little down there, seems like it’d be a good way to show their support for Obama.

  • While I agree the FISA thing sucks, there is a bigger issue. The Patriot Act. That is the piece of crap legislation that broke down the barrier between a FISA warrant for intelligence gathering, which was not admissable in civil courts. After the Patriot Act, evidence gathered with a FISA warrant could be used in a civilian criminal case…even though you have absolutely zero ability to see the warrant or the reasons why you were targeted or the “evedience” used to justify tapping your phone or whatever. Nope…its all top secret national security stuff…you don’t have, nor never will, the security clearance to view said evidence. THAT is the biggest single break down of our Fourth Ammendment rights. Prior to the Patriot Act there was a “wall of separation” between intelligence gathered via a FISA warrant and civilian courts.

  • Re 1:

    I don’t know if she’s been ruled out. If anything, I take his comments as she’s definitely on the VP shortlist.

    If nothing else, Obama thinks very highly of her. She certainly sounds qualified. My concern is whether she can help in the election (I place her in pretty much the same category as Richardson. That is they certainly can do the job, but whether they can effectively campaign is an issue). I wasn’t too impressed with her SOTU response, but perhaps she’s had time to sharpen her public speaking/debate skills …

  • Kathleen Sebelius is too tame and polite for the VP spot. Watch her after Bush’s SOTU address. She would find it difficult to respond to political attacks. I mean here McCain is calling for Obama to cut Clark lose and denounce him and I just couldn’t imagine her doing anything but saying ok.

    Cut Clark lose from what? Especially since it is a republican smear and lie that Clark ever even attacked McCain…he didn’t. And there is no evidence that he did.

    It’s like watching someone clap their hands and all of the Fox Noise and CNN reporters and pundits fall on the ground screaming they’d been shot. Rolling around screaming bloody murder for days. One has to laugh but after a point it is just ridiculous.

  • Hon. Sen. McCain, via CBS [h/t: TPM]:

    McCain became visibly angry when I asked him to explain how his Vietnam experience prepared him for the Presidency.

    “Please,” he said, recoiling back in his seat in distaste at the very question.

    […]

    McCain then collected himself and apologized for his initial reaction.

    “I kind of reacted the way I did because I have a reluctance to talk about my experiences,” he said, noting that he has huge admiration for the “heroes” who served with him in the POW camp and said the experience taught him to love the U.S. because he missed it so much.

    “I am always reluctant to talk about these things,” McCain said.

    The question I have is: what percentage of the Senator’s ads are devoted to the subject he supposedly is “always” reluctant to talk about? How about the brouhaha with Hon. Sen. Obama’s support of the Webb-Hagel amendment?

  • You know who’s on Obama’s VP short list? Me. Because Obama isn’t saying anything about me, just like he promised he wouldn’t.

    Vote Grumpy!

  • Though this is not mentioned in any of the “topics” highlighted in this thread, I thought it relevant to the discussion of economics in this campaign. Re: Starbucks is closing a total of 600 company-owned stores and laying off 8,000 full & parttime employees: their stock went up 5% on this announcement. So, investors are happy when 8,000 people get laid of because the corp is saving money by cutting jobs and closing locations. So, this pretty much tells you where people are ranked in the overall scheme of things. Bringing it back to the campaign, how would McCain explain the economics of increasing unemployment and thus raising the value of a stock? With more people out of work and, perhaps, drawing taxable unemployment compensation at a lower rate than their salaries, how does this help the economy? They are not going to be shopping as much, buying as much gasoline, taking vacations, visiting their local Starbucks, which is now closed, or contributing to local charities or political campaigns. So, again, how does this help the economy? Why did their stock go up? Oh, I forgot: the economy is doing fine and just in the midst of a correction and all of these people will be just fine. Perhaps they can join the military and earn experience toward a presidential run; God knows, they couldn’t possibly qualify without their military bona fides.

    Enough said.

    I am committed to Oneness through Justice and Transformation
    peace,
    st john

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