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Monday’s campaign round-up

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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 schedule for the Democratic National Convention is coming together, and according to a press release sent out yesterday, Michelle Obama will speak on Monday night, and Hillary Clinton will speak on Tuesday night. It appears Bill Clinton will speak on Wednesday night, the same night as Obama’s running mate. (This should, in all likelihood, end the speculation about Clinton joining the Obama ticket.)

* Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, the co-chair of the convention, also announced that the convention’s overall theme “will be ‘America’s Town Hall’ with each night having a focus and time for voters’ pre-submitted questions.”

* The Obama campaign will release a new book on Sept. 9 — similar to a strategy used by Clinton in ’92. The Politico reported, “‘Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama’s Plan to Renew America’s Promise’ includes a campaign photo album from the road, a collection of seven of the hit speeches by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and new essays outlining his policy proposals. Since everything Obama is selling well these days, that means the senator’s picture and policies will be in the front of most bookstores in America throughout the heart of the general-election campaign.”

* John McCain had dinner last night with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R), sparking at least chatter about Ridge as a potential running mate. Given that Ridge is pro-choice, one has to assume the Republican base would be more than a little upset.

* Late last week, tickets became available for Obama acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver. The campaign set aside half of the 60,000 seats for the general public, and all of the tickets were snatched up within 24 hours.

* Hillary Clinton was absolutely on message at an event near Las Vegas on Friday: ”Anyone who voted for me or caucused for me has so much more in common with Sen. Obama than Sen. McCain,” Clinton told her cheering audience in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson. ”Remember who we were fighting for in my campaign.” She added that ”we may have started on two separate paths, but we are on one journey now.”

* On the other hand, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) are very much off-message.

* Rasmussen shows Obama leading McCain in Michigan by seven, 47% to 40%.

* Rasmussen shows McCain leading Obama in Missouri by seven, 48% to 41%.

* Rasmussen shows Obama leading McCain in Washington state by 12, 52% to 40%.

* In an awkward move, Howard Wolfson, the Clinton campaign’s former communications director, told ABC News that if John Edwards’ affair had come out sooner, Hillary Clinton would have won Iowa and the nomination.

* Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)

Compra Levaquin Online

, still recovering from the effects of a brain hemorrhage, is running for re-election, but announced that he will not be able to participate in campaign debates. “I have been open and honest about my recovery. While my speech continues to improve it is not yet 100 percent and I have not yet reached a point in my rehab where my participation in a debate would accurately reflect my capabilities,” Johnson said in a statement. “Therefore I will not participate in traditional political debates during this campaign.”

Comments

  • Maria

    says:

    Given that Ridge is pro-choice, one has to assume the Republican base would be more than a little upset.

    This dilemma of McCain’s is really delicious. He needs every bit of the base–including the religious right–to win. He needs moderates–decidedly not the religious right–to win. He cannot serve these two masters simultaneously. It cannot be done. Which way will he go?

  • Republican 4 Family Values

    says:

    Late last week, tickets became available for Obama acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver. The campaign set aside half of the 60,000 seats for the general public, and all of the tickets were snatched up within 24 hours.

    Um. Er. That’s just because The Decemberists will be performing in Denver on the same day. Really.

    Uh. Look! Paris Hilton!

    We are so screwed.

  • Franklin

    says:

    “Howard Wolfson … told ABC News that if John Edwards’ affair had come out sooner, Hillary Clinton would have won Iowa and the nomination.”

    If, if, if. If Mark Penn was not retarded, Hillary also would have won. If Wright’s sermons had never hit YouTube, Obama would have slaughtered Hillary. What exactly is the point of this exercise? Wishing that your side had won due to a random extramarital affair involving a guy who was an opponent to both Obama and Hillary is just stupid.

    Also, most Edwards people actually seemed to prefer Obama, so he is wrong on that point …

  • Shalimar

    says:

    Given that Ridge is pro-choice, one has to assume the Republican base would be more than a little upset.

    McCain is their enemy for so many other reasons, will it matter if he adds one more? I suspect what unites the Republican base more than any of their professed values is hatred of liberals, communists, mudlims and all the other enemies Rush has brainwashed them to loath. We will see in November, McCain is the ultimate test of that theory.

  • CJ

    says:

    …Howard Wolfson, the Clinton campaign’s former communications director, told ABC News that if John Edwards’ affair had come out sooner, Hillary Clinton would have won Iowa and the nomination.

    I doubt it.

  • JRD

    says:

    I agree with Franklin. Caucusers in Iowa were voting against Hillary, who at the time still enjoyed a presumption of inevitability, as much as they were voting for Edwards or Obama. I tend to think that Obama would have benefitted more from an early Edwards flame-out than Clinton would have.

  • John McCain

    says:

    Late last week, tickets became available for Obama acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver. The campaign set aside half of the 60,000 seats for the general public, and all of the tickets were snatched up within 24 hours.

    See? He’s just a celebrity!

    Besides, if you want a serious campaign instead of a celebrity party, I could fill that hall with 60,000 bikers, all I gotta do is tell my cunt/trollop wife Cindy to strip naked and eat a banana on stage. She’ll do it, too, because we ARE family values! We have eight homes, and I got two marriages, don’t tell me about family values!

  • serena1313

    says:

    Although I do not recall who wrote the article, it pointed out McCain is in a precarious situation. On one hand he cannot move to the far right without alienating the independents [who think he is moderate] or move to the middle because he’ll lose the far right. Perhaps that explains his confusion ! 😉

    BTW McCain was warned by the far right not to choose someone pro-choice as his veep. If I re_member correctly, isn’t Tom Ridge pro-choice?

  • Oppressmenot

    says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ENwej0fpc

    Here is McSame, in yet another exciting episode of his increasing and never-ending series of brain-farts and bu$hspeak.

    For the record McBush, Putin is NOT the president of Germany. If you continue to want to show off your worldly knowledge and “foreign relations expertise”, you may want to get the German president’s name right. It’s Horst Köhler, moron.

  • libra

    says:

    “He would be very original,” Feingold said. (about McCain)

    Isn’t “original” a commonly accepted euphemism for “stark, raving, mad”? Usually applied to an old uncle that a family keeps locked in the attic, out of sight of “polite society”?

  • joey (bjobotts)

    says:

    Here is a copy of the viral email I received from my right wing family members that is circulating in Mo and Texas right now. I wrote a five page response to it which I am still working on to send to all but I don’t know how to get this to the Obama campaign so maybe someone here can help This is really sick:

    From: “C. David McGinnis”
    Cc: “Wilson, Aaron and Vonnie”
    Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 3:32 PM
    Subject: [ Important!]

    >
    > Subject: Fw: Important!
    >
    >
    >> Please carefully consider your decision this election
    >> year for the good of our country and for our children. Thanks…..
    >> This is not a party choice but a Christian choice.
    >> GOD IS GOOD…..ALL OF THE TIME…………
    >>

    >> I was very dismayed when, recently, a family member of
    >> mine said to me with great resignation that Obama will take the
    >> presidency. These words came from someone who in the past has been a
    >> great prayer warrior. What is happening was my question??? Why
    are
    we
    >> Christians settling and not issuing a battle cry and falling to our
    >> knees and taking our country back? We allow ourselves to be stripped
    of
    >> the right to pray at school functions and in school, we have the 10
    >> commandments removed from government places and are told we cannot
    pray
    >> in school, all the while providing public prayer places for Muslims.
    >> What in the world is going on and why are we being apathetic? Why
    >> aren’t we praying? Our God is a mighty God who is waiting
    patiently for
    >> us to raise our voices to heaven to stop the tide of the anti-Christ
    >> actions in our world today. Now we find we have a charismatic
    candidate
    >> for president who does not respect our flag and refuses to wear one on
    >> his lapel except when it becomes politically expedient and whose own
    >> wife and pastor that he loves
    profess to have strong anti-white
    >> feelings, and we sit back and say “it is a given, we can do
    nothing.”
    >> There has never been a time in 2000 years that we can do nothing,
    never
    >> a time that we must sit back and allow the evil in men’s and
    women’s
    >> hearts to take over our world. We should be very afraid because our
    >> apathy is leading us to perdition.
    >> It is time for all Christian Americans to raise the
    >> battle cry and take our nation back. Maybe McCain on his own cannot
    >> defeat Obama, but our God can and He will if we take to our knees in
    >> prayer and raise a mighty cry to the heavens to “Save us O
    Lord.” We
    >> have the power to change the course of this election and to keep a man
    >> as suspect as Barak Obama from leading our country to who knows where
    >> with his message of “change” – a change which I fear
    will be
    away from
    >> our Christian ideals and away from Christ and further away from one
    >> nation under God to one nation under Allah.
    >>
    >> We are great at passing stories and pictures around the
    >> internet, but where are our prayers and prayer warriors praying to
    stop
    >> Barak Obama? God parted the red sea, Jesus raised himself
    >> from the dead, and we can bring our country back to its Christian
    roots
    >> and stop the move to the rise of Muslims in our country. We can stop
    >> our country from being “under Allah,” but we must begin to
    pray, to pray
    >> as if our country and our lives depended on it, because they do. We
    can
    >> stop all these atrocities against God’s commands that have taken
    root in
    >> our country through something as simple as sincere prayer, a call to
    God
    >> to deliver us, to forgive us our
    sins of apathy and to protect us from
    >> the evil that is upon us.
    >>
    >> Okay prayer warriors, here is your challenge, start
    >> those prayer chains. Get the spiritual power working on our behalf
    and
    >> stop Barak Obama the proper way, by calling on our God to save us from
    >> the deception that charismatic preaching is using to lead us on the
    >> wrong path. Stop those who would take God out of our country and our
    >> goverment. Raise up good men to lead us and protect us. George Bush
    is
    >> being buffeted because he has fought a holy war against the evils that
    >> attack us and we should not be surprised because a prophet is not
    >> honored in his own country. But we should not rest on our laurels and
    >> allow ourselves to be taken further off the path of Christianity and
    to
    >> have God removed from our presence in our
    schools, courts, government
    >> and businesses. Invite God into the fray. Ask that His power rest
    upon
    >> us and give us the victory. Ask him to raise up a might army to
    defend
    >> us and to protect our country as he did in days of old. Let us be
    >> victorious beginning NOW. The battle is His but we must call on Him
    >> without ceasing and unite our voices and hearts in prayer and fasting.
    >>
    >> Please pass this around to all people of prayer that you
    >> know and maybe, just maybe a more eloquent person of prayer will write
    >> something better and more inspiring and even the rocks will shout that
    >> Jesus is Lord and our Mighty God is with us, bringing the victory for
    us
    >> and ultimately for Him.
    >> —
    >> “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all
    >> circumstances, for this is God’s
    will for you in Christ
    Jesus.” I Thes
    >> 5:16-18

    This is what a retired Physician family member forwarded to me. It insulted my intelligence but must face the fact that as long as it begins with “Let us pray” then it is acceptable to these people. Caring loving people so easily mis lead by “Christian hypocrites”. How can I make Obama aware of this email??

  • slappy magoo

    says:

    So, Joey, your physician family member has nothing bad to say about the “war hero” who cheated on his first wife after she got injured and a little chubby, and got the marriage license for the second wife while he was still married to the first? Not wearing a flag pin is evil, but bigamy is OK?

  • JS

    says:

    The situation in Georgia has more to it than we are hearing, the US has been training the Georgian troops, has also been trying to bait Russia, one way was to have them thrown out of the G-8. McCain & his campaign person have been lobbying for Georgia to be a part of NATO, and apparently have pledged US support for them, now they have actually started this war, what are McCain and Bush doing, they are too chicken to support Georgia, they must know that Russia has become pretty powerful of late, having more friends than we have these days. This must be compared to Bush 41, when he pledged support for the Kurds if they would rise up against Saddam, when they did, he let them be slaughtered. I’m having trouble getting my head around all of this, can anyone out there put me straight????

  • SHI

    says:

    Joey – you have a tough job ahead of you. These e-mails (and some even worse) USED to come my way too. The last one I received was about 2 months ago from a “friend”. I “replied to all” to never send me another e-mail that was nothing more than a hate-filled diatribe. I included Obama’s website address if anyone wanted some facts (fat chance) and factcheck.org., etc…guess what, it worked. No more e-mails from this person in ages. It has done wonders for my mental health too!
    People are going to believe what they WANT to believe. Just stand your ground and refuse to be a part of the lies and hypocrisy and LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU DON”T FEEL THE SAME WAY THEY DO. Maybe they will get the message.

  • Bruno

    says:

    Republican 4 Family Values

    What Republican Family Values are you talking about? Please indulge us…

    Is it Senator Larry Craig with his wide stance?
    Is it Representative Mark Foley chasing 16 year old boys?
    Is it Senator Vitter who enjoys spending his money with the DC Madame?
    Is it the Representative in Florida who wanted to bribe the police officer with a BJ?
    Is it Senator Ted Stevens who enjoys pork so much?
    Is it Tom Delay?
    Is it Rick Santorum with is man on dog fantasies?
    Is it any one of the many many Republicans currently serving time in prison or under indictment for corruption?
    The list is way too long to name all the crooked republican operatives…

    It’s a fact that Republicans love sex and money just as much as any other voter, except that they refuse to admit to it Why don’t you accept your ways, and you’ll be so much happier. If you don’t have to hide it, then you don’t get in trouble.

    GOP: party of hypocrites.

  • barkleyg

    says:

    ‘Change We Can Believe In: Barack Obama’s Plan to Renew America’s Promise’ includes a campaign photo album from the road, a collection of seven of the hit speeches by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and new essays outlining his policy proposals.

    For the Obama book: Include a DVD of his most important speeches. Obama’s words are impressive, videos of these speeches are more impressive because they show an intelligent, charismatic leader who is able to convey legible thoughts in a
    eloquent and convincing manner.

  • barkleyg

    says:

    REPUG 4 Family values( the do as I say, not as I do party!)

    Um. Er. That’s just because The Decemberists will be performing in Denver on the same day. Really.

    At least get an original line! One of McSames white female shills said that the only reason Obama drew 200,000 was because there were rock bands there. What an utterly stupid and petty line that was. And here you are repeating the same REPUG BS line.

    SOOO, on this note, how comes your boy Johhny McSame draws a crowd in the hundred last week in Florida with a country rock star. Are you blaming country r0ck for your bum’s huge crowd, or just admitting that McSame probably couldn’t even draw flies to feces? McSame wants townhall because he can’t draw a thousand people on his own, besides crowds of 30,000(Phil), 75,000( Portland), 200,000(Germany), and in 2 weeks 60,000 + in Denver. Why don’t Johnny boy try having an outdoor event; is he AFRAID no one will come?

  • Lance

    says:

    “Given that Ridge is pro-choice, one has to assume the Republican base would be more than a little upset.”

    Trying for Pennsylvannia? JSMcC*nt must be seeing internals on the other [red] states that are making him very nervous.

    Only to the good.

    Racer X said: “Keith nailed it on the head. It’s the war [vote that sunk Clinton’s campaign], stupid.”

    I honestly think Hillary would have had NO chance in the General if she hadn’t voted for the AUMF. I thought that in 2002 and I think that now. If, as you say, that caused her campaign to fail, then it was a Catch 22 (aka, a Morton’s Fork).

  • Blaidd Drwg

    says:

    I wonder when the Obama campaign is going to start selling “OBAMA 08” umbrellas?

    Sounds like a perfect marketing tool. And they can be useful even if it doesn’t rain during Obama’s acceptance speech: You can always find a FotF member, shove the umbrella into some uncomfortable orifice in their holier-than-thou body, and open it.

  • Texas Aggie

    says:

    Joey,

    I have an aunt who a few years ago sent me a Xmas card with a message saying that everyday, she and my uncle thanked the Lord for giving us a president who protects us against terrorists. I sent her a year’s subscription to Jim Hightower’s Lowdown, and since then her Xmas letters have left out the praises of Dear Leader. You might do the same for your extended family. At $15.00 a shot, it isn’t too bad.

  • SHI

    says:

    Joey – you can also go to Obama’s Fight the Smears page and forward the email to them. There is a section on the right side of the page under Members of the Faith Community Are Fighting Back. Good Luck….