Monday’s political round-up

January 15, 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:

* Barack Obama may announce his presidential plans as early as this week, according to several published reports. Bob Novak reported that Obama “informed a major Democratic financial contributor that he probably will announce formation of a 2008 presidential exploration committee” this week, with a formal campaign announcement at a later date. There’s additional speculation that Obama may kick off his campaign on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.

* It looks like Hillary Clinton’s and John Edwards’ teams are subtly trading barbs. Edwards offered veiled criticism of Clinton, chastising those who fail to “speak out” against the war in Iraq. “Silence is betrayal, and I believe it is a betrayal not to speak out against the escalation of the war in Iraq,” Edwards told a crowd at Manhattan’s Riverside Church, where Martin Luther King had declared his opposition to the Vietnam War. Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson responded, “In 2004, John Edwards used to constantly brag about running a positive campaign. Today, he has unfortunately chosen to open his campaign with political attacks on Democrats who are fighting the Bush administration’s Iraq policy.”

* Newt Gingrich told the Washington Times that the GOP has to move away from Karl Rove’s strategy of winning elections exclusively through the base. “A base-motivation party inherently, in the long run, drives away the non-base,” Gingrich said. He said he prefers wedge strategies, focused on issues like the Pledge of Allegiance.

* A series of presidential candidate forums and debates in Nevada will kick off on February 21. That’s just five weeks away. Nevada, of course, is scheduled to hold its caucus after Iowa, but before New Hampshire’s primary.

* And Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, formally created a presidential exploratory committee on Friday afternoon. Hunter, who is serving his 14th term in Congress, originally announced last October that he was “making preparations to run for president in 2008.”

Those politicians who do not speak out against this war ARE NOT doing their jobs of serving and protecting the American people. If Senator Clinton thinks this is negative campaigning, then she has hired the same spinmaster the Republicans have been using.

  • The Democrats Don’t have anybody except Al Gore. If Al Gore doen’t run, it’s over. The Republicans will hold the presidency by default. It’s sad but true.

    Help us Al! Run!

  • He said he prefers wedge strategies, focused on issues like the Pledge of Allegiance.

    Newt must be high. Wedge issues are pretty much the hallmark of their base.

    Also, Haik, I’m sorry, but Al’s not running, and we’ve got plenty of other good candidates. Try to be a bit positive and give someone who is actually running a chance.

  • Not that I dispute their respective progressive-Democrat credentials, but to hear Edwards and Hillary exchanging “more-anti-war-than-thou” barbs in a premature presidential campaign is infuriating to all of us who knew exactly what was looming in 2001-2003.

    Do they think that we don’t remember that both of them voted to give Bush the authority to invade Iraq? That somehow we don’t remember that it was 100% obvious to most of us (but not to them apparently) when they gave Bush this carte blanche, that Bush was 100% going to use this authority to invade Iraq?

    As far as I’m concerned, Clinton and Edwards are equally culpable in this carnage and my advice to both of them is that they shouldn’t try this particular line of attack against the other one, to attempt to climb to a somewhat higher perch-of-shame regarding the Invasion of Iraq.

    When the tow of them work me up over this issue, it makes me want to vote for whoever did NOT vote Commander Codpiece this authority for war (Russ, please come back!). There are a few declared (and soon-to-be-declared) Democratic candidates who didn’t vote emergency war powers to Bush and the Neocons.

    When these two enablers start posturing on the backs of the dead, injured, and crushed people that THEY’RE significantly responisible for, they make the not-Edwards and not-Clintons look like heroes in this sad story.

  • “…and we’ve got plenty of other good candidates…

    I’d like to be more positive, doubtful #3, but I don’t know who these “good candidates” you’re talking about are.

    I see: Obama: Too Green. Edwards: Too Green. Clinton: Too DLC & too much Baggage. Biden: Too much bagage, weird looking teeth. Kerry: Forget it. Wes Clark: Maybe, except he’s never won an election.

    The only Dem I see on the horizion with a real shot is Bill Richardson.

    President’s don’t come from Congress. They come from the Governor’s office.

    We need to stop fucking around with Clinton and Obama. Neither has a prayer. Let’s look for a winner here, people. We don’t have time for these stupid games.

  • This is how it starts.

    From the W.T. article: Mr. Gingrich noted polls showing conservative advantages on values issues such as the Pledge of Allegiance — “the right to say ‘one nation under God’ is supported by 91 percent of the American people” — and “overwhelming” opposition to human cloning.

    So Dems are about to become the Pro Cloning party. I don’t recall any outpouring of support for human cloning by Dems but Gingrich will catapult that propaganda out there. How this malicious, self adoring demagogue gets a reputation for being some kind of conservative intellectual is incomprehensible.

    I would think any real support for human cloning would come from the right so they can create incubators for creating an endless supply of perfect warriors to line up and march into their endless wars.

  • Here’s a question that should be asked at every presidential forum through 2008: Which five Bush Administration executive policies would you reverse in your first day in office?

    I would especially like to hear this answered by Republican contenders.

    doubtbul: “Newt must be high. Wedge issues are pretty much the hallmark of their base.”

    That’s what I thought at first. But maybe it’s a semantic difference. Gingrich defines “the base” as something other than voters who reflexively push the GOP button when flags & such on their minds. That is, the Pledge of Allegiance could have a wider resonance, whereas “Under God” is peculiar to “the base.”

  • I think Edwards assessment of Hillary Clinton is correct. Granted, since Edwards lacks the weight of office on his shoulders he hasn’t had to play political games for the last several years, but Clinton has showed no resolve, no leadership and no spine. She’s been very good at keeping her head down and playing things safe. Why should anyone vote for a candidate who is so afraid of sticking out her political neck?

  • I agree with petorado completely. I don’t expect a politician to be perfect, never to make a mistake. My expectation, though, is that he/she learn from mistakes, to admit to making them, and to avoid them as best possible. Avoiding mistakes is not the same as not sticking out his/her political neck. Thoughtful action rather than silence…..

  • “Barack Obama may announce his presidential plans as early as this week” – Wednesday if the rumor I heard is correct. We’ll see…Oh MAMA OBAMA!

    “Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, formally created a presidential exploratory committee on Friday…” – I thought Hunter was being measured for an orange jumpsuit and ‘fixin’ to share a cell with “The Dukester.”

  • If I were to list the top 100 issues facing the country — issues I’d want to campaign on — the Pledge of Allegiance wouldn’t be in the first 1,000. Newt thinks the PoA would be great. One of us is insane.

  • Edwards had the opportunity to expose Cheney as a pathological liar and a venal hypocrite during the 2004 campaign debate series. Instead he weakly chided Cheney for voting against Head Start.

    Edwards does not have the stones to be President or Vice President.

    Go home, John.

  • “John Edwards used to constantly brag about running a positive campaign.”

    I’m glad Edwards got wise to the realities of politics in America during these post-Rovean days. He seems to have learned that subtlety and politeness won’t penetrate our boob-tube thickened brain pans. You sometimes have to kick nuts, even Hillary’s.

  • Newt is still the evil loser. The only thing he and his divisive ilk can offer humanity is the life on Omega IV.

  • Edwards is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, plain and simple.

    Stop for a minute, and consider what he’s actually done, and not his talk.

    While many members in congress wisely voted against the Iraq war, Edwards not only voted for it, he co-sponsored the disastrous resolution with neocon Joe Lieberman, that made it possible.

    Edwards also co-sponsored and voted for the massive increase in H-1b visas, that dumped 195,000 foreign workers on the job market, destroying perhaps hundreds of thousands of American tech careers.

    Edwards voted for normal trade relations with China, making American workers have to compete with Chinese labor standards, which of course they can’t.

    Edwards voted for the DREAM act, forcing states to give in-state tuition (a subsidy) to illegal aliens, when there are poor Americans in these states who can’t afford to send their kids to college, partially because illegal immigration drove down their wages. This act, of course only encourages more illegal immigration because it extends even further the taxpayers obligations to those who break our laws to come here.

    But what about civil liberties? Here again, Edwards voted to the Patriot act, perhaps the greatest risk to civil liberties, ever.

    Edwards supporters don’t want Edwards to be held accountable for these facts. Yet, Edwards made himself extremely wealthy holding others (such as doctors) accountable – while doctors malpractice premiums rose so much as to make many obstetricians leave their specialty. More illegal alien taxpayer payed births, and fewer obstetricians – could that be why health care costs are skyrocketing?

    One simple question – 10 years ago, if you did your job, the way Edwards performed as Senator, do you think he would he advocate that you get a big promotion?

    Or do you think he would he have sued you and taken you to the cleaners?

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