Monday’s campaign round-up

July 7, 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:

* As had been rumored, the DNC announced this morning that Barack Obama will accept the party’s presidential nomination at Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High. The stadium, home to the Denver Broncos, can accommodate more than 75,000 people. It will be the first convention acceptance speech in a stadium since JFK in 1960.

* On a related note, the NYT reported over the weekend that the Dems’ convention has, to date, been “marred by costly setbacks and embarrassing delays.” Howard Dean disputed the accuracy of the report.

* In the latest Gallup Daily Tracking poll, Obama has extended his national lead over John McCain to six points, 48% to 42%. The poll’s three-day rolling average was collected on July 2, 3, and 5.

* On Saturday, Obama thanked the National Education Association for its endorsement but reiterated his support for teacher merit pay, a policy the NEA opposes. Though his position generated some boos at the teachers’ union’s national event, the educators were far more receptive to Obama’s commitment to fix the unpopular “No Child Left Behind Act.”

* It was only a matter of time: “For the first time, the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is about to get a substantial hand from advertisements by an outside group…. Next week, Vets for Freedom — a 20,000-member, nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — plans to begin spending more than $1 million on a TV campaign that will include Ohio, Virginia and New Mexico. The group plans to spend millions more and to add other states to the roster over the next four months. The ad, the largest independent expenditure on a national-security theme in the general election so far, features a number of vets speaking about the success of the surge and the need to finish the job. ”

* As part of the McCain campaign’s effort to replace its leadership, Mike DuHaime has been brought in to serve as political director, deputy campaign manager, and director of the campaign’s field operation. DuHaime is probably best known for having run Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign.

* Charlie Black, the McCain campaign’s chief strategist, was willing to acknowledge this morning, “We don’t want to talk about his patriotism and character. We concede that he’s a patriot and person of good character. This is about big issues.”

* Hundreds of Hillary Clinton’s “Hillraisers,” individuals who raised at least $100,000 apiece for her campaign, refuse to support the Democratic ticket this year, in part to protest the media’s treatment of Sen. Clinton during the presidential primaries.

* This raised a lot of eyebrows this morning, but it doesn’t appear to be cause for concern: “While flying from Chicago to Charlotte the presumptive Democratic nominee’s airplane is unexpectedly grounded in St. Louis because of a maintenance problem.” Pilots say they realized while in the air they had “controllability issues” with the “pinch.” It’s being described as a “minor little problem.”

Hundreds of Hillary Clinton’s “Hillraisers,” individuals who raised at least $100,000 apiece for her campaign, refuse to support the Democratic ticket this year, in part to protest the media’s treatment of Sen. Clinton during the presidential primaries.

Yeah. Because the Dems control the media.

More senseless pissing and moaning from the Democratic WATBs. Is there anyway to load these oxygen wasters into a bus with their fRightwing counterparts and push it off a cliff?

Also, the link for the WSJ article doesn’t work.

And re: Obama’s plane I think that should be “Pitch” not “Pinch.”

  • * Hundreds of Hillary Clinton’s “Hillraisers,” individuals who raised at least $100,000 apiece for her campaign, refuse to support the Democratic ticket this year, in part to protest the media’s treatment of Sen. Clinton during the presidential primaries.

    They weren’t protesting back in’07, when the press had essentially conceded the nomination to Sen. Clinton, and provided her with the very ‘inevitability’ that her primary campaign relied on.

    The press is only biased, when it’s biased against you…….

  • After an eye-opening personal revelation, I’m rethinking the Hillary for Veep situation.
    Please don’t blast me, it’s a family thing.

  • These Hillraisers are willing to risk another four years of McBush just because the media didn’t fawn sufficiently on Hillary? I have to wonder about the degree of both their maturity and their understanding of the reality we’re facing if Obama doesn’t win. I guess if you’re rich enough you don’t have to care.

  • I am currently a teacher and have spent may years working with the state Department of Education. Merit pay and school choice are conceptually appealing and sensible, but both issues fall apart when devising a plan to implement them. Legislators who supported these ideas were never able to write a bill that would actually work. So I don’t hold it against anyone who is in favor of merit pay, but would be skeptical of any real plan to implement it.

  • I can’t see the link for the WSJ article, but if the point is that they’re not fundraising or donating to Obama, I can’t say I especially blame them – had Senator Clinton been the nominee, I would have ultimately voted for her but not supported her in any other way. Are they actually supporting McCain, or are they just not actively/financially supporting Obama?

  • The surge is working and they need to finish the job???? What does finish the job mean? Bet they can’t tell you. The surge was to get political reconciliation which hasn’t happened at all. Now the surge is to prevent a civil war…which means as long as there is no political reconciliation among the Parties the threat of a civil war is ever present so to “finish the job” the troops would have to stay indefinitely to continue policing the country.

    Why are combat vets so blindly misguided? Someone told them 3+3=5 and they spend millions to convince us they support this conclusion. They are so motivated to demonstrate their patriotism that when someone tells them this is how you do it they don’t even question it…just hoo-ha.

  • While flying from Chicago to Charlotte the presumptive Democratic nominee’s airplane is unexpectedly grounded in St. Louis because of a maintenance problem.” Pilots say they realized while in the air they had “controllability issues” with the “pinch.” It’s being described as a “minor little problem.”

    It’s not “pinch,” which is a typo. It’s “pitch”, which means the ability to control the angle of attack of the airplane relative to forward motion, and it’s not some “minor little problem.” Had they lost pitch control, the airplane would have gone out of control and crashed, and if they had only lost a bit more than what they did lose, they would have had a crash landing. It may be a “maintenance problem” in that the maintenance crew will fix it, but “pitch control problems” are not common enough to be called “minor.” All it would take is a mechanic on the inspection crew pulling a wire and – bingo. It would also be an assassination that would be impossible to prove.

    And anyone who thinks the Republicans wouldn’t go this far hasn’t been awake in the past eight years.

  • * Hundreds of Hillary Clinton’s “Hillraisers,” individuals who raised at least $100,000 apiece for her campaign, refuse to support the Democratic ticket this year, in part to protest the media’s treatment of Sen. Clinton during the presidential primaries!!!

    Okay, let me get this straight. It was Hillary who used the racial card, who said that ‘as far as she knew’ Obama was not a Muslim, who said ‘she’d never stay in a church where Rev. Wright was the pastor — but never was questioned about her relationship with ‘the Family’ — who argued that McCain had more qualifications fo President than Obama, who gave a speech — the night Obama clindched the nomination — in which she allowed herself to be introduced as ‘the next President of the US.’

    It was Hillary who, in the speech that she finally gave supporting Obama, never recanted her ‘McCain is more qualified’ remark (when she could have done it in one simple statement), and has never told the PUMAnuts — AFAIK — to stop using her name on sites that attack Obama, or demanded that the Republicans stop using her sound bite in their commercials. (And we all ignored the — figurative — guns to her head that Charlie Rangel among others were pointing at her and praised her for the ‘graciousness’ of her speech when she said nothing more than the minimum level of support any defeated candidate gives to a successful rival. Even then, the speech was more about what she’d accomplished than about Obama.)

    It was Hillary — at least according to rumors — who, being the great epitome of feminism that she is, demanded that if she weren’t the VP, that Obama not pick another qualified woman (like Sebelius) because it would be an ‘insult’ to her.

    It was Hillary that ran herself into debt to the tune of $30 million. And she did it because she assumed that the primary process was a coronation for her, and was totally unprepared to fight on after Super Tuesday. And how much of her debt went to pay Penn and McAuliffe, whose contributions to the primary might have been fatal to the eventual nominee were it not for McCain’s total ineptness.

    It was Obama who begged that his own supporters, mostly small contributors, should hold fundraisers to help pay off the debt she’d incurred.

    It was Obama that begged his supporters to work together with hers — at least the non-crazy non-PUMA ones — in the interest of party unity.

    And then we hear
    “* Hundreds of Hillary Clinton’s “Hillraisers,” individuals who raised at least $100,000 apiece for her campaign, refuse to support the Democratic ticket this year, in part to protest the media’s treatment of Sen. Clinton during the presidential primaries.”

    And when I said that Obama should insist on just two things — I withdrew my demand for an apology — that she specifically condemn McCain’s lack of credentials and praise Obama’s, and that she demand that the PUMA-type sites stop claimingt they were supporting her and demand that they stop using the most scurrilous of rumors against Obama — I was told that ‘this was a time for healing, not divisivness.’

    Pfui!

  • Vets for Freedom is NOT nonpartisan – they claim that, but only support pro-war candidates, and those are all rethugs. They are a 501-C astroturf bankrolled by unknowns. It could be T.Boone Pickens all alone backing it.

  • It could just be that the HillRaisers have just discovered their fifty sources have already gone over to Obama or worse, to one of Obama’s bundlers.

    No one can legally give $100,000 to a campaign. They get friends to give checks with their ‘code’ in the memo. That gives them the credit.

    And they may just not be able to claim that credit anymore. Not a great thing, when you are a bundler.

  • I’m a little tired of these rich sour grapes types who think the world is going to change because they withhold their checks. Guess what, just like when you threatened Nancy Pelosi, we don’t care, we don’t need you, we’ll raise money without you, and we’ll win without you, and you’ll be competing with Ralph Nader for first place in the Race for Irrelevancy. You don’t have any leverage, I don’t want to hear your pet issues and whining anymore, and if you’re not going to be a Democrat then to Hill with you.

    I’m working out my anger management issues. It’s called blogotherapy.

  • Two small corrections to the excellent post by Prup. Volunteer campaign Chair Terry McAuliffe (though he may be a tool) was never paid — he doesn’t need the money! Mark Penn drew the biggest salary, and so did Howard Wolfson.

    Contrast that with salaries within the Obama campaign. Howard Wolfson’s salary was more than $250,000 a month. Bill Burton, Obama’s spokesman, got just under $150,000 a year. (I’m sure David Axelrod got more, but he’s probably worth every penny.)

    Plus, Obama asked his bigger-money donors to help Clinton retire her debt. The campaign decided not to ask the smaller-money donors (and it’s a good thing they didn’t; anarchy might ensue).

    Otherwise I totally agree with the post.

  • And while I was writing the above, here comes Tom “Gotta Get My Tourette’s Syndrome Under Control” Cleaver, accusing the Republicans of deliberate attempted murder with all the assurance — and lack of facts — that the Scaife machine had when it questioned Vince Foster’s suicide.

    Tom, I don’t know if you need Librax, an extra-large bowl of Hawaiian, to enter a Trappist monastery, or need to convert to Republicanism where your style would fit much better. But whatever you need, do it!

  • Not sure if the WSJ article has been changed since you posted, but when I went to that article it said “dozens”, not “hundreds”. Which sounds more in line with everything else I’ve heard.

  • So, those “Hillraisers” (awww, ain’t THAT cute?) refuse to donate money to OBAMA…to punish THE MEDIA?

    Isn’t that like your mom punishing ME for something YOU did, even if what you did wound up benefitting me?

    Mary’s not allowed to answer that question until she answers my question: WHAT DOES OBAMA HAVE TO DO TO PROVE…*TO YOU*…THAT HE’S PATROTIC?

  • Well, I’m not Mary, but many former Clinton supporters would like Obama to prove that he gives a shit about women’s issues.

    That said, the story I read about the Hillraisers said “dozens” too. And that does sound more likely than not.

  • Mr. Nominationabber may be “patriotic” in his own half-American way, but filling a stadium with 75,000 people just to feed his overblown self-regard is another example of his stunning arrogance.

    Will they all have to bow down and swear fealty to him while they’re there? What happened to Democrats being humble servants of the needy instead of towering egomaniacs? What does this show he’s putting on do but humiliate the more qualified Democratic candidate and the far more dignified and low-key Republican candidate? If he were secure in his nomination, he wouldn’t have to prove anything – looks like he’s pretty unsure of himself.

  • Insane Fake Professor,

    HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!
    *gasps for air*
    HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

    *Stop you’re killing me! *

    HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oooh weeee… hhahahahahahahahahhahaha…

    Oh my God, you are one funny clown.

    Hahaha…

  • Hundreds of Hillary Clinton’s “Hillraisers,” individuals who raised at least $100,000 apiece for her campaign, refuse to support the Democratic ticket this year, in part to protest the media’s treatment of Sen. Clinton during the presidential primaries.

    Wow, that’ll show the media! Here they are, doing all to pull for Obama, and the Hillraisers are going to try to throw the race to McCain, who the media hates. Oh, wait…

  • This just in…
    McCain will accept the nomination at a town hall meeting with 70 seniors he had bused in on the promise of a feww lunch.

    To all the haters who want to turn this into a negative, everyone knows if Mccain had the ability to deliver a speech in a foot ball stadium, he would. If he had 70,000 people who would actually sit through him speaking he would, and lastly if he could effectively raise his own money, he would skip public financing too. I used to admire the old guy but the straight talk express is now the green with envy double talk express.

  • FWIW, Tom Cleaver is correct, the word is pitch. An airplane is typically controlled in three ways, pitch, which is angle of attack, roll, and yaw. And yes, a pitch control problem can be extremely serious, however, it does not have to be. It depends on the make and model of the aircraft and how it is being operated (what regulatory rules are being applied).

    For example, the problem could be as simple as a worn out switch on electic trim control (the principle pitch control surface is an ‘elevator’ or ‘stabilator’ (depending on tail type), but the surface itself has a tiny ‘helper’ airfoil called the ‘trim tab’). If an autopilot or electric trim is listed on the aircraft’s approved MEL, then fight termination may be the proper procedural response, etc.

    Another example, on a large jet, like a 747, or very fast jets, the control surfaces behave differently at different speeds. This makes for a fairly complex control and trim system. Minor failures are generally not catastrophic, but can be a headache for the pilots (imagine taking turns applying steady control pressure on a transpacific flight) and ground the airplane upon arrival.

    -jjf

  • On another note, I am always baffled by what folks like “Insane Fake Professor” expect. They speak as if they are making a point. But, being cursed with, say, sequentially firing neurons, the folks they are taking target at always perceive their comments otherwise. That is, instead of sharp, rapier wit, we hear random noise, like running high voltage through a cow patty until it explodes.

    I suspect that conservative sarcasm is a lot like conservative humor – hopeless. That is, until you drink the Koolaide and start finding the humor in cruelty and the misfortune of others. That is probably the same moment that Jesus is suddenly seen in a power suit and driving a BMW with a “@#$% the Poor” bumper sticker…

    What does impress me is that one can reach the point where one can profess that George W. Bush is a “great president” with a straight face, yet still retain the cognitive power required to use toilet paper. At least I presume that to be the case, since the conservatives I see in person do not have obvious feces on their hands. I suppose it is possible that they just carry a pant load instead, but I don’t want to get close enough to any of them to investigate further…

    -jjf

  • I’m working out my anger management issues. It’s called blogotherapy.

    Now dat’s sum funny shiite!

  • The link to Dean’s response re costs of the democratic convention is not working.

  • Fitz (and I think Nancy too) – Insane Fake Professor is a parody of a certain regular anti-Obama poster here. It’s funnier when you read it that way.

  • Short Fuse,

    FWIW, I got it. I was responding tongue in cheek.

    Thanks though.
    -jjf

  • They key words in that quote are “in part”. The media was only part of the problem. Obama is being punished because he is the other part.

    Suggesting that Hillraisers have no more friends who haven’t already donated to Obama ignores the reality that many former-Clinton supporters are still angry. The Hillraisers could be working on them to bring them around. The ones most aligned with Clinton, most likely to ;have already made financial contributions to her, are the same ones highly likely to be disappointed and upset. I know that I fit that category. So, if you think the Hillraisers couldn’t have made any difference, you’re not thinking very logically about this.

    I have money and I am not sending it to Obama. I take great comfort in the FACT that enough others feel the way I do that it warranted a news item.

    I’m glad CB is getting around to mentioning so many of these topics that I think are important to this campaign. Probably he would have anyway, but they need to be talked about.

    What exactly is Obama doing to reassure former Hillary supporters that he deserves their support? Well, he’s supporting merit pay for teachers again (an issue most K-12 teachers, the majority women, loathe). He’s refusing to consider mental health a valid consideration when making medical decisions and he’s failing to support a woman’s right to choose. He is calling for an increase in our troop enlistments (46,000, something that warms every mother’s heart). Silence on any of the things that matter to Clinton voters (.e.g, unions, poverty, health care, social security). I think Nader is right that Obama is more of McSame too.

  • The ones most aligned with Clinton, most likely to ;have already made financial contributions to her, are the same ones highly likely to be disappointed and upset. I know that I fit that category.

    Really? Do you really? How much did you give to Clinton?

  • Update for chris @22:

    The McCain coronation has supposedly been pre-recorded in front of a giant green screen, and Pixar will produce a computer-generated audience of approximately 250,000 cartoon people in a Baghdad carpet market. Unfortunately, a technical glitch is causing the design program to create 250,000 lifelike miniatures of George W. Bush, chanting “flipflopflipflopflipflop” in unison. Obviously, Teh McCain is not pleased….

  • Obama thanked the National Education Association for its endorsement but reiterated his support for teacher merit pay, a policy the NEA opposes

    Anyone claiming Obama will say anything to become president…

    Explain THAT one.

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