Tuesday’s campaign round-up

August 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:

* Encouraging registration shift: “Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level. For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all.”

* John McCain hung out at the 68th annual Sturgis Rally in South Dakota yesterday, and I suspect McCain’s religious right buddies won’t be thrilled with his choice in company: “One woman wore little but a deep tan. Tattoos reigned, as did black leather. The emcee praised America for its ‘beautiful roads, beautiful bikes and ice-cold beer.'”

* McCain called a Wisconsin woman who lost her delegate seat at the Democratic National Convention because she’s vowed to support the Republican after Hillary Clinton ended her presidential campaign. McCain told the woman, “Perhaps your reward will be in heaven — not here on Earth.” My hunch is, if Obama had said those exact same words, we’d be hearing quite a bit about it.

* I found this absolutely fascinating. The Boston Globe’s John Schwenkler compiled a graphic showing which words appeared the most frequently on the official McCain campaign blog and the official Obama campaign blog. As it turns out, one word appeared the most often on both: “Obama.”

* SurveyUSA shows McCain leading Obama in Florida by six, 50% to 44%.

* Rasmussen shows McCain leading Obama in Alabama by 18, 55% to 37%.

* Rasmussen shows Obama leading McCain in Connecticut by 15, 51% to 36%.

* Rasmussen shows Obama leading McCain in Massachusetts by nine, 47% to 38%.

* Rasmussen shows McCain leading Obama in Arizona by 16, 52% to 36%.

* The Republican Party of Delaware expelled its Senate candidate from the party because he was spotted at an Obama rally.

* Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R), occasionally rumored as a possible McCain VP, was surprisingly complimentary of Obama’s energy policy.

* Joseph Romm described Obama’s energy policy as “easily the best energy plan ever put forward by a nominee of either party.”

* If House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is named to the McCain ticket, let’s not forget some of the insane lies he’s told about Obama.

* Like Eve Fairbanks, I prefer Kathleen Sebelius to Tim Kaine on the Democratic ticket.

* Would Dick Cheney skip the Republican convention? It looks like he very well might.

The Palin Press Release is a very very clever way to respond to the lowlife and desperate tactics of the Obama Campaign which knows that Palin as McCain’s VP means Obama’s defeat in November.

Anyway, how LOW can Camp Obama GO vis a vis Sarah Palin!!! First, Obama Campaign operatives led by Alaska State Sen Hollis French gin up a frivolous ‘troopergate scandal’ and launch a biased ‘investigation’ endeavoring to bring Gov Palin down (which is already backfiring against the Dems bigtime). Next, Obama himself appropriates in his ‘energy’ speech — without crediting Palin — as being HIS issue Palin’s Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline accomplishment with Canada. And finally, the Obama Campaign even appropriates the PalinforVP’s McCain/Palin slogan, “New Energy for America”. (Of course, McCain can still continue to differentiate, as per his recent ad: “Don’t just HOPE for new energy, VOTE for new Energy!”)

  • At the bike rally McCain suggested that his wife participate in the beauty contest, “Miss Buffalo Chip”. Apparently, this contest is famous for the contestants frequently being topless (or sometimes totally nude). I know the up-roar we would hear from the media if Obama had suggested such a thing for his wife.

    I am sure the MSM will go after McCain on this. Have to go now. I believe I just saw a pig fly by my window.

  • We should all be driving Hummers. And if the tires are flat, so be it! It’s our God-given right as Americans to burn up the planet and screw our children.

    Go ahead, “Vote for new Energy”.

  • Dick Cheney probably couldn’t get the delegates to the Repub convention to arrive two hours early, sit for two hours after he leaves, and forego bathroom visits, just to hear him quack.

    Re Obama and Palin – Palin was mayor of a community of fewer than 1,000 people before becoming governor (two years ago). She would never be seriously considered for the McCain ticket – that would take away the whole argument about Obama’s experience.

    The Democrats did not “gin-up” an investigation into Sarah Palin’s actions. She fired a respected public safety official and her and her family’s small-minded and tawdry pursuit of her brother-in-law’s head came out in the ensuing media attention Her unelected “First Dude” husband used the Governor’s office in meetings he arranged with state officials to try to get his ex brother-in-law fired. Palin tried to force the Commissioner of Public Safety to fire the brother-in-law although his transgressions had been dealt with during the previous administration in the regular personnel process and the matter was closed.

    I have never met Mr. Monegan, the commissioner Palin fired, but he has a fine record in law enforcement and deserves not to have his reputation sullied by the petty vindictivness of a small town mayor who just got some big britches.

    The vote of the Alaska Legislature’s Legislatiive Council, which is half Republican and half Democrat, to launch an investigation into the possible misuse of her office by Sarah Palin, was unanimous, with 12 of 14 members present.

  • Joseph Romm described Obama’s energy policy as “easily the best energy plan ever put forward by a nominee of either party.”

    Sure, should anyone hear about it. There’s dollar bills and Paris Hilton to be talked about.

  • Ted, as a Democrat, let me just say that we’d be *thrilled* to have Sarah Palin be McCain’s VP choice.

    She’s young and inexperienced, so that largely negates a McCain talking point about Obama. She comes from a reliably Republican state and has little name recognition, so she wouldn’t add much. And she’s currently under investigation for abuse-of-power charges in Alaska.

    So, yes, pretty please, put Palin on the ticket. It’d be better if you could add Ted Stevens, but he’ll likely be in jail by November. So someone who’s merely under investigation and getting torn apart in the press will have to do.

  • * Would Dick Cheney skip the Republican convention?

    The extension cord won’t reach all the way from his “undisclosed location.” Without it, his polar-ice heart would melt, shorting out all of his Borgish implants….

  • TR @ 9 responded to Ted @ 1 ,,,…So, yes, pretty please, put Palin on the ticket. It’d be better if you could add Ted Stevens, but he’ll likely be in jail by November….

    You better be careful, you mentioned Ted Stevens – Ted @ 1 may very well be Stevens; who’s been teaching himself to use the ‘tubes’ from his second story balcony, courtesy of the illegal contributions received by him.

    —
    CB said: “The Republican Party of Delaware expelled its Senate candidate from the party because he was spotted at an Obama rally.”

    Maybe he was doing some opposition research? They’re sure getting paranoid.
    On the other hand, isn’t that what the Gestapo and Stazi Police did? Spying on their own people. After all, shouldn’t the people who spotted him and reported on him be expelled from the party as well? They had to be there too, unless they belong to the GOP’s secret service, just like a good old fashioned Fascist State.

  • Knee Jerk Reactions:

    – Those Florida numbers are slightly troubling. Obama’s turnaround on NASA’s Constellation program isn’t helping, even worse it muddles his position. Last November he wanted to cut CX budget and move it to Education, now he wants to support it more than Bush does.

    – Religious Right is getting into bed with McCain no matter what. They only have to hear the words “Reverend Wright” and they quickly leap into the arms of the Maverick.

    – It might not hurt Obama to engage with a rough crowd like Sturgis. He needs to knock a little starch out of his collar and find a way to connect with those in the Rust Belt. Claiming to be from “the streets of Chicago” just isn’t working.

    – Kathleen Sebelius would drive a wedge between two large Dem groups that would take years to remove. Obama supporters are free to hate the Clintons all they want, but they have to find a way to respect that wing of the Dem party. Yes, it’s not fair, Clintons are the root of all evil, yadda yadda but that’s just the way it is. Sebelius doesn’t offer anything that you can’t find in another VP choice. Don’t pick at that scab unless there really is no other alternative.

  • Steve, the Wisconsin story wasn’t that big, but another part of the article referenced was. Apparently McCain claimed that Obama requested one billion dollars in earmarks in his first term, but that he (McCain) has never asked for even one earmark. Seems like I heard that one was not exactly true.

  • As it turns out, one word appeared the most often on both: “Obama.”

    That’s what happens when you run a negative campaign. It becomes more about voting against the other guy. This is proof positive that Obama’s campaign is cleaner than McCain’s [duh.].

  • More Knee Jerk Reactions

    – Since the Dems have had a majority in Congress, the dollar has tanked and energy prices have skyrocketed. Even IF those things were caused by shortsightedness of the R majority, the Dems took no action to fix that. Conclusion: Dems WANT high energy prices because it allows them to force their preferred Central Planning down the throat of Americans, because they are in the pocket of Big Environment.

    – dfx is dead on with his assesment of Obama in point 3

    – if the Dems cannot win this election with all of the advantages inherent in Obama vs. McCain as candidates (ignore positions, it seems like most of America does), I think that they really need to consider if the country cares about their message, especially on the environment in an era of cooling global temperatures.

  • Joseph Romm described Obama’s energy policy as “easily the best energy plan ever put forward by a nominee of either party.”

    Oh, really? That says only that both nominees’ energy policies are lousy, not that Obama’s is great. Clean coal, the ludicrous cap & trade, more oil and gas drilling, and those vaporous new technologies sure to be invented: this is an energy policy? Please! Romm is hardly an authority. I think the last good thing he wrote was The Hype About Hydrogen. Since then it’s all been downhill.

  • I just hope that in addition to registering voters, the Democrats are making sure, as well, that they have state-issued photo IDs, because as sure at the sun coming up in the morning, Republicrats will push something through in every red state requiring them.

  • Palin was mayor of a community of fewer than 1,000 people before becoming governor (two years ago). She would never be seriously considered for the McCain ticket – that would take away the whole argument about Obama’s experience.

    You’d think so, but Bobby Jindal was apparently seriously considered.

    Anyway, McCain’s not going to pick a woman. And why should he? He’s got the PUMA vote wrapped up with his assurances that Jesus wants the less-able-to-let-go Clinton supporters to vote for McCain. Now that’s an irresistible argument.

  • – Since the Dems have had a majority in Congress, the dollar has tanked […] — Aaron, @16

    Sorry bud, but you’re all wet on this one. Don’t know whether it’s because you haven’t been watching the dollar or because you’re shilling for McCain’s golf gear and lying through your teeth… And it doesn’t matter, really, *why* you’re wrong; all that matters is that you *are*.

    It so happens that I still have family back in old Europe, whom I try to visit every 2-3 yrs, especially if I can tie such a visit to a (lace) workshop — “two birds with one plane ticket” kind of thing. It also happens that, to keep up with what’s happening in my area of interest, I need a lot of books and magazines on the subject and almost all of those are published in Europe, too. So I am paying *close* attention to how much my dollar is buying; have been, for the past 20 yrs.

    Just so that you know: the dollar dipped — albeit slightly — the moment Bush was elected; Europe had much less faith in him than our Supreme Court did. It went up a bit, though not to the previous level, as people decided he might not be the calamity his record predicted. It dived after 9/11, then recovered slightly. But, since our invasion of I-wreck, it has been on a *relentlessly downward* path and hasn’t gotten any better until just the past week or so (which change has not yet been reflected in the prices I have to pay for the materials and their shipping).

    Throughout — until Jan ’07 — we *did not* have a Dem majority in Congress, as you claim (although we did have a promise of one, following Nov ’06). The tanking of the dollar can be laid, *directly*, at the Repub door, like an unwanted baby left on the church steps.

    In fact, it was the dollar tanking that first alerted me to the fact that something was rotten and creepily crawling in the Republican woodpile. My husband, who’s far less dependent on dollar’s value than I am, didn’t, at first, think it would matter; thought I was nuts to raise alarm. Afterall, most of us dealt in dollars, so the rate of exchange wouldn’t affect us. And it might not have had, except for the *global* market and for the fact that US’s economy is big enough to drive it…

    So, please, go and peddle your ignorance/lies somewhere else.

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