Wednesday’s campaign round-up

July 23, 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:

* Despite the latest web video from his campaign, John McCain said yesterday he does not believe he’s been subjected to unfair media treatment. I guess it’s a good-cop/bad-cop routine.

* There was at least one poll showing Barack Obama leading McCain by a comfortable margin in Ohio, but Rasmussen shows the opposite — McCain leads Obama by six, 46% to 40%.

* Public Policy Polling (D) may be out of step on Ohio, but it’s latest poll out of Virginia is consistent with most of the available data — Obama leads McCain by two, 46% to 44%.

* Rasmussen shows Obama continuing to lead McCain in Colorado by three, 50% to 47%.

* Obama campaign manager David Plouffe is scheduled to meet today with House Democrats, “the first meeting of a top Obama campaign staffer and the entire House Democratic Caucus…. The appearance by Plouffe is expected to be followed at some point by a visit from Obama himself to one of the House Democrats’ regular weekly meetings.”

* McCain’s campaign volunteers apparently aren’t impressed with McCain’s campaign staff.

* New Obama radio ad: “Obama launches a Spanish language radio spot (.mp3), ‘Bootstraps,’ which casts Obama as the son of an ‘immigrant’ and a woman from a “humble, middle class family” who worked his way up.”

* Ron Paul is still making news: “The former Republican presidential candidate announced he is also changing to a larger venue for his three day ‘Rally for the Republic’ event in Minneapolis that overlaps for one day with the Republican National Convention in neighboring St. Paul, Minn., in early September. The grassroots event will mark the official launch of Paul’s latest political effort ‘Campaign for Liberty’ which, in part, seeks to elect more Republicans in his mold to office. The event has been in the works for months, but the original venue at the University of Minnesota couldn’t accommodate all the people interested in attending, so they’re moving to the Target Center, which will accommodate up to 15,000 attendees.”

* And Mark Begich’s Senate campaign in Alaska has a clever new TV ad, which is likely to resonate — it’s called, “Car Wash.”

Newest Rasmussen poll out of Florida puts it at 46-45, Obama, or 49-47 with leaners included. It was 48-41 McCain as of late June’s poll (June 22). This, despite a 57-32 lead in the question of whether Floridians approve of offshore drilling.

49% of voters say econ issues are most important and Obama leads those 63-27. 19% say national security (that’s 2nd-most important); McCain has those 79-18. I don’t have crosstabs, so dunno how many of those are GOPers to begin with.

Either way, it also suggests that if Obama can narrow the gap on national security — if only by a bit — in part because of this overseas trip, it’ll help.

  • Begich’s ad is very clever: references Ted Stevens without naming him.

    Can’t help but make the comparison between Obama/McCain and Begich/Stevens. Young/old, fresh/entrenched. Both Obama and Begich favor transparency in government while McCain and Stevens favor the fat cats.

    Time for a change!

  • Sorry, last post on this thread… sent to me by a friend:

    GWB Library to Open in 2009

    The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages.
    The Library will include:

    The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.

    The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won’t be able to remember anything.

    The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don’t even have to show up.

    The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don’t let you in.

    The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don’t let you out.

    The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has been able to find.

    The National Debt room which is huge and has no ceiling.

    The ‘Tax Cut’ Room with entry only to the wealthy.

    The ‘Economy Room’ which is in the toilet.

    The Iraq War Room. After you complete your first tour, they make you to go back for a second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth tour.

    The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location,complete with shotgun gallery.

    The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty.

    The Supreme Court’s Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.

    The Airport Men’s Room, where you can meet some of your favorite
    Republican Senators.

    The ‘Decider Room’ complete with dart board, magic 8-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.

    The museum will also have an electron microscope to help you locate the President’s accomplishments.

  • I saw a picture of Plouffe today. Now I’m wondering since when do they let kids run political campaigns. 🙂

    Juan Cole shares my concerns about Afghanistan

    Obama is saying the wrong things about Afghanistan

    He hit the right notes during his swing through Iraq, but his plans for that other war could mean trouble.

    Where’s Obama’s withdrawal timetable from Afghanistan?

  • Hannah said:

    Bob Novak hits pedestrian, tries to flee:
    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11985.html

    Tip: if you’re in Washington DC, beware the black Corvette.

    Novak is hit and run like his column. I don’t want a 77 year old driving a corvette or a 72 year old running a country.

    If Novak had gotten away it would have been a Bonfire of the Vanities.

  • Dale, how do you draw a timetable for Afghanistan when we (Obama) is working with a murky slate. Should he provide a timetable – at this point in time – it would be completely arbitrary and, to me, pointless and misguided.

  • HA!!!

    Anyone who thinks McCain is dead from the neck up…

    Check out the McCain Volunteer video and pay attention at 0:39.
    A big honking horsefly lands on his head and crawls around for a good 5 seconds and he doesn’t feel a thing!

    Kinda creepy-funny-disturbing.

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