Thursday’s political round-up

January 4, 2007

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:

* The New York Times reported today on a recent meeting between Sen. Hillary Clinton and three allies from New Hampshire. According to participants, Clinton wanted to know if Gore was running again (he’s apparently inclined not to) and whether Kerry still has a base of support (not according to her sources). The NYT article also reported that Clinton views Barack Obama and John Edwards as her two strongest potential rivals for the nomination.

* Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R), trying to drum up some interest in his presidential bid, announced a new promise to visit Iowa literally every week this year. “I’m going to be here every week, at least one day every week,” Thompson told The Associated Press. “I’m close enough to be able to do that and I’m going to develop a field organization and a grass-roots campaign like you haven’t seen before.” Thompson said he’s betting heavily on his showing in a straw poll of Iowa Republicans in August.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) hired Ben Ginsberg as his presidential campaign’s attorney yesterday, which as National Journal noted, is interesting for a few reasons: “Ginsberg (a) is a very close friend of Pres. Bush’s; (b) a former national counsel to Bush in ’00; (c) was the RNC’s chief counsel at various points over the past few years; (d) argued before the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore; (e) perhaps the most prominent Republican election lawyer in the country; and (f) served for a time as counsel to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.”

* Despite some talk before November that a few Blue Dog Democrats from the South may not vote for Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, Pelosi is now expected to be supported by her entire caucus when she is formally voted Speaker of the House today. “I haven’t heard of anything to indicate that it would be anything other than a unanimous Democratic vote,” a spokesman for Pelosi said.

* The mystery behind the leak of Rudy Giuliani’s presidential playbook continues. Yesterday, Giuliani aides turned their attention on Florida Republicans, and a spokesperson for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), confirmed that a bag belonging to someone in Giuliani’s entourage was misplaced on a Crist plane, but that “nothing fishy” happened.

Three things I can’t work up any outrage about:
1. Guiliani’s campaign document.
2. The conditions of Saddam’s hanging
3. Minority rights in the Congress

  • I see that ex-Governor Romney has joined John McCan’t in hiring up the scum of the Republican’t Party’s hackery. Sad really. Ben Ginsberg is the pundit who had one, count them one segment on MSNBC on election night before being uncerimoniously dumped.

  • The NYT article also reported that Clinton views Barack Obama and John Edwards as her two strongest potential rivals for the nomination.

    So that’s what it’s looking like about a year out from the primary season, eh? Hmmm..I wonder where Clark and Richardson are seen to be. I guess the good news is that Kerry is more or less out of it at this point.

  • John Edwards knows a lot about poverty, after all, he’s helped throw a lot of people into it with:

    – his co-sponsorship of H-1b visas,

    – his support for illegal aliens,

    – his vote for MFN-China

    but what about stuff like iraq war and the patriot act?

    well, he voted for them too

    About the only thing you can say for Edwards is, he spent so much time running for president that he didnt have time to do more damage as senator

    You’ve got to ask yourself – ‘what did he do, with the power he had, when he had it?

  • Andy F’s puter must be programmed to, automatically, spew back the same message every time Edward’s name is mentioned

  • I think you have it exactly right libra.

    Andy F, I predict you’re rants against Edwards (and any other potential Dem candidate) will be ignored here until you express your preference or a ranked list from the existing known potential Dem candidates. At the very least, you can rest assured, I’ll ignore you.

  • Who is it that likes Hillary so much? Which demographic? I keep hearing how she is considered the frontrunner, and yet many Dems (myself included) cringe at those descriptions and hope it isn’t true.

  • John Edwards knows a lot about poverty, after all, he’s helped throw a lot of people into it with:

    – his co-sponsorship of H-1b visas,

    – his support for illegal aliens,

    – his vote for MFN-China

    but what about stuff like iraq war and the patriot act?

    well, he voted for them too,

    About the only thing you can say for Edwards is, he spent so much time running for president that he didnt have time to do more damage as senator,

    You’ve got to ask yourself – ‘what did he do, with the power he had, when he had it?

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