Monday’s campaign round-up

May 19, 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:

* There was some additional movement on the delegate front over the weekend, with Obama picking up Maryland superdelegate Greg Pecoraro, and add-on delegates in Colorado and Kansas. In California, Clinton picked up three add-on delegates, and Obama got two. In all, Obama had a net gain of two (five for him, three for Clinton) over the weekend.

* Obama got one more this morning, with support from Washington State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz.

* When Obama drew a crowd of 35,000 in Philadelphia last month, I assumed that would be the biggest political rally of the year. It never occurred to me that 75,000 people would show up for an event in Portland, Oregon, but they did. (If you haven’t seen the pictures, they are quite a sight.)

* The DNC launched a very worthwhile project today: “McCainpedia.org is a wiki run by the DNC’s Research, Communications, and Internet teams. The goal is to centralize research material, allowing the general public to use it as they see fit. Unlike some wikis, McCainpedia is read-only and can’t be edited by the public. This allows us to fully validate all of the information that appears, ensuring accuracy and reliability.”

* Last week, the Tennessee Republican Party went after Michelle Obama. Today, Barack Obama expressed his displeasure. “If they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful, because that I find unacceptable — the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family,” he said. Obama added that the attack was “low class.”

* The latest polls from Suffolk University show Clinton leading big in Kentucky, and Obama with a narrow lead in Oregon.

* Mike Huckabee would love to be John McCain’s running mate. What a surprise.

* McCain isn’t doing too well on the fundraising front, so he’ll be relying on the Republican National Committee for support for the rest of the campaign.

* McCain’s self-deprecating jokes about his age on “Saturday Night Live” may not have been a great idea.

* Greg Sargent reports on some of the behind-the-scenes talks that led to John Edwards’ withdrawal from the race in January. [corrected]

* On a related note, Elizabeth Edwards rejected speculation yesterday that she might endorse Clinton.

* Jim Webb didn’t rule out the VP slot during a “Meet the Press” interview yesterday, but he didn’t sound like he’s interested, either.

* The latest Minneapolis Star-Tribune poll shows Sen. Norm Coleman (R) continuing to lead Al Franken (D) in one of the year’s key Senate contests, 51% to 44%. (thanks to B.D. for the heads-up)

* In other Senate news, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) leads Sen. Ted Stevens (R) in the latest Rasmussen poll in Alaska, 47% to 45%.

I, Hillary Huckabee, did not major in math, I majored in miracles!!!

  • The 75K crowd will seem small by the time this is over. I think people are getting the sense that they are participating in something historic. This sense will grow as it becomes apparent that Obama will win the election. We’ll see crowds of 500,000+ in places like New York and Chicago.

  • My brother in Alaska says so many Alaskans are embarrassed by their legislators, when they should be embarrassed about their fellow Alaskans. Look at those numbers, Stevens almost neck and neck with his challenger after the FBI all but dragged him away in irons. I’ve heard of giving a guy the benefit of the doubt, but even his son and his staff are knee-deep in corruption. I guess Stevens will have to kill a puppy on stage (a Malemute, of course) before the other half of the Alaskan electorate will wake up and smell the roses.

  • Hey Bobs, Mission Aint Accomplished Yet!!!

    Hilldawg is bringing home the bacon to Bubba!!! When you count Florida and Michigan (which will count), my girl is still winning.

  • That Oregon poll just seems off from what I’ve heard. I’d say Obama wins by more like 9-10%.

  • For me the big political news over the weekend was Rep. Tom Davis’ statement on “Political Capital with Al Hunt.” I’ll quote just the opening — the whole thing is at
    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=apnLbCHEm.tw

    Hunt asks him what the Republicans can do to turn things around.

    Davis: Well, two things — number one, they’ve got to get some separation from the president. The president is the face of the party. He is absolutely radioactive at this point. And they’re seen as just in lock-step with him on everything. They’ve got to go back and establish — I’m talking about congressional Republicans at this point and McCain, to a certain extent.

    Hunt asks about Rove’s statement that they should align themselves with the President.

    Davis: They’ve done that. I mean, they’ve done that on SCHIP and they’ve done it on stem cell and they’ve done it on the war. And, in every case, they’ve walked down an alley where they’re 30 percent of the electorate. And that makes you a permanent minority.

    Even during Watergate, I never recall a politician — as contrasted to a columnist or commentator — making a similar statement. Then add the (very un-Bush like) new American Families Agenda.

    The Republican ship has sunk, and people are trying desperately to make rafts from the debris. Unfortunately, they are still stuck with the weight of the Republican Party Platform that will be locked around their ankles.

  • In 1971 Clinton interned for a law firm that defended Black Panthers and other radicals. Strange she never mentioned that when she tied Obama’s very tenuous relationship to a weatherman who was active when he was 8yrs. old. That’s the kind of BS she is pulling on folks with her I’m just a regular working class white biggot!

  • I’m a little worried about those polls coming out of Oregon. I hope the Obama campaign hasn’t been taking the state for granted. I just hope tomorrow doesn’t bring another New Hampshire-style surprise.

  • “If they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful, because that I find unacceptable — the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family,” he said.

    What attack on his wife? They’re attacking Obama himself for his choice in spouses. How many mornings did he sit at the breakfast table and listen to his wife’s America-hating rants??? If it had been me, I would’ve divorced her in a microsecond — because I love America that much!

    BTW, I’m thinking that Al Franken is feeling the effects of Jesse Ventura Fatigue.

  • Re: 75K in Oregon

    Wow! Wow! Wow!, indeed

    Stay focused, don’t get stupid, and don’t take it for granted, and I think we’re going to romp in November. Sen. Obama has the discipline and can take that to heart, the party…well, I don’t know.

    Still, wow!

  • Re Al Franken: per my cousin who lives in MN, he may be hurt by some sloppy business practices (unpaid workers comp ins. and other) and that some people don’t feel he’s “paid his dues” by first serving in state office. But I hope he’ll pull it out.

  • Anyone concerned about Obama getting complacent viz the Oregon polls probably doesn’t want to hear that tomorrow – possibly before the Oregon results are even known, Obama will be having a rally in Iowa to “end the primary race where it began” (essentially a victory lap).

    Grumpy #11, I wish it were Ventura fatigue, but I think the real problem is fatigue with the slow drip of bad news about Franken’s company not paying taxes in a number of states. The good news is – as long as we’ve heard the last of it – it came out and was addressed early; still a good chance for Franken to come back. Also some local commenters on the Star Trib story were noting that Franken’s primary opponent’s supporters may have skewed the poll to help their guy in the primary.

  • How many mornings did he sit at the breakfast table and listen to his wife’s America-hating rants??? If it had been me, I would’ve divorced her in a microsecond — because I love America that much!

    Coffee all over the monitor. Thanks for the guffaw.

  • HillaryHuckabee (4) said: Hilldawg is bringing home the bacon to Bubba!!! When you count Florida and Michigan (which will count), my girl is still winning.

    Nice to see the moron wing of the party is still represented – see how tolerant Democrats are??

    Sadly, HH, even if you take off your shoes and socks to count beyond 10 (which you probably can’t do), this is not true. Your girl has lost.

    Do you notice the press isn’t paying any attention to her? The race is over, little one. Even with Florida and Michigan.

  • KatyHill said In 1971 Clinton interned for a law firm that defended Black Panthers and other radicals.

    Actually, Katy, this is one of those e-mail tales that’s as accurate as the one about Obama being a secret Muslim.

    Go check http://www.snopes.com and search “Hillary Clinton and the Black Panthers”

    I really like your spirit Katy, we need it, but since you are retired and have the time, you really need to learn how to do research – on the internet, it’s easy. Sadly, a strong spirit without accurate information just comes off as a shrill idiot. Put that strong spirit with accurate information, and you’re a mover and a shaker.

  • Re Portland: I am amazed, but OTOH not, that 75K people came to this event.

    Chuck Butcher, who (unsuccessfully) ran for the Democratic nomination for Oregon’s 2nd District Congressional seat in 2006* and is very involved in the Democratic party has a great report from Obama’s event in Pendleton OR last night on his website:

    http://chuckfor.blogspot.com/2008/05/barack-obama-in-pendleton-oregon.html

    You should check it out. Chuck is quite the character, gun and car fan, blue collar (be sure to read his bio). He lives in a large town (Baker City) in NE Oregon and traveled 200 miles round trip to see Obama in Pendleton.

    *(we had four very good Dem candidates; the eventual nominee lost to incumbent R Greg Walden :-p)

  • Oh, and for those who don’t know it – Carl Bernstein is even less believable than Woodward is nowadays – fir different reasons but a similar result. It’s why he’s mostly retired.

  • Obama just got two more: Sen. Robert Byrd and Kansas Democratic Party Chair Larry Gates. That’s 3-0 so far today.

  • Chuck is quite the character, gun and car fan, blue collar (be sure to read his bio).

    You must be mistaken! No self-respecting blue-collar gun fan would vote for Obama! Why, everyone knows this.

    Chuck probably has a PhD in French Romantic poetry or African American grandma you don’t know about.

  • I live in Portland and was at the rally yesterday. It was crazy. Just wall to wall people that stretched for half a mile not counting people on boats in the water, lined up on the bridge, and people listening across the river. Obama does have a lot of support here in Oregon. I have a friend who volunteers for the campaign in a small town about an hour and a half outside Portland that is known for being a bit of a “good ol’ boy” city. The Hillary Clinton campaign did not even have their campaign office up and running until a couple of weeks ago while the Obama office has been going for well over a month.

  • Katy Hill, from her other posts, isn’t satire.

    (Patiently) No, Tom, she’s not. But Hillary Huckabee very obviously is, particularly at #1.

  • Re: #2

    The 75K crowd will seem small by the time this is over. I think people are getting the sense that they are participating in something historic. This sense will grow as it becomes apparent that Obama will win the election. We’ll see crowds of 500,000+ in places like New York and Chicago.

    That would be awesome, but for the time being I’m proud I got to be part of that crowd, even though I couldn’t see Obama at all, trees were in the way, and even though I missed the Decemberists. That little pixel way in the back, that’s me 🙂

  • I’m a bit concerned about Oregon too; Obama’s lead was comfortably in the double digits last week. Any ideas why it’s narrowed so abruptly?

  • I could easily be wrong about Franken, but he’s struck me as arrogant and a little disingenuous about his convictions.

    I don’t trust him.
    I can’t say way and I hope he wins anyway.

  • I’m a bit concerned about Oregon too; Obama’s lead was comfortably in the double digits last week. Any ideas why it’s narrowed so abruptly?

    SUSA has him at 55 to her 42 today. It’s possible the Suffolk poll is an outlier.

  • It’s possible the Suffolk poll is an outlier.
    Could be, but there’s an American Research Group poll reported at RealClearPolitics that has Obama up by only 5. Still, the Survey USA result is reassuring.

  • Could be, but there’s an American Research Group poll reported at RealClearPolitics that has Obama up by only 5.

    Ooh, right you are; I hadn’t seen that. Hmmm. We’ll be watching…

  • Sorry–that last one was Obama 58, Clinton 39.

    I’m posting and I can’t shut up!

  • * The DNC launched a very worthwhile project today: “McCainpedia.org is a wiki run by the DNC’s Research, Communications, and Internet teams. The goal is to centralize research material, allowing the general public to use it as they see fit. Unlike some wikis, McCainpedia is read-only and can’t be edited by the public. This allows us to fully validate all of the information that appears, ensuring accuracy and reliability.”

    wi·ki – The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 19 May. 2008.
    n. pl. wi·kis
    A collaborative website whose content can be edited by anyone [emphasis added] who has access to it.

    A “read-only” wiki also allows someone to publish non-validated information, or exclude information that would detract from the overall message, which is clearly to attack John McCain. Now that’s a perfectly reasonable thing for the DNC to do, but calling it a “wiki” is ridiculous.

  • Last week, the Tennessee Republican Party went after Michelle Obama.

    Not to worry, the best is yet to come. Probably about the middle of October, if the Tennessee contest is close, you can count on a ‘Harold Ford’ commercial with overlays of Obama and a pretty, young, WHITE woman.

    Personally, I want to see counter advertising about McCain’s wife who went on national television and admitted to being a junkie and thief!!!

  • Hannah, thanks for posting the Chuck blog. His report gave me that Chris Matthews chill-up-da-leg, especially the part when Obama admitted straight up he didn’t know the particulars of a local issue.

    SadOldVet: I really hope we can rise above that sort of slinging. Same shit different flies. I mean, Cindy McCain could easily take the Betty Ford road rising above it all and we’d look like idiots. On the other hand, she could, without provocation, get caught smack in the midst of the campaign, all doped up and slurring and we’d come out smelling like the White House Rose Garden.

    Stranger things have happened.

  • A worry for me is that Hillary Clinton cant read/understand statistical information. She seems to be able to reinterpret data to suit her own point of view. Im not sure that being either statistically inept or is it biased are the criteria best suited for a President of the USA. If she is right and this is a job interview I would not give her a job that requires the understanding of data.

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