Thursday’s campaign round-up

February 28, 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:

* After a couple of weeks of speculation about his intentions, Georgia congressman and civil rights pioneer John Lewis officially switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. In a statement issued by his office, Lewis said, “Something is happening in America. There is a movement, there is a spirit, there is an enthusiasm in the hearts and minds of the American people that I have not seen in a long time, since the candidacy of Robert Kennedy.”

* Clinton is offering a plan this afternoon on reducing childhood poverty, including a “‘comprehensive’ early education initiative that starts with nurse’s visits for pregnant women, lets children begin the Head Start program earlier and calls for universal pre-kindergarten programs. The New York senator also says she would deal with childhood hunger by putting in place a food safety net, and give children ‘greater access to healthy, fresh food.'”

* Feel like we haven’t heard as much from former President Clinton lately? “‘The Clinton campaign is sending Bill to safe places, to small cities where a visit by a former president is a really big deal,’ said Darrell West, a professor of political science at Brown University in Providence, R.I. The Clinton campaign won’t comment on its Bill strategy, but the numbers and the fallout from some of his public appearances earlier in the campaign suggest why West’s view, one widely shared by other analysts, makes sense.”

* Obama picked up another Senate endorsement yesterday, earning the support of North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan (D). Dorgan said he joined colleagues such as Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius who are “really anxious to have a candidate on the top of the ticket who isn’t going to give up on a state before it begins.”

* The Children’s Defense Fund Action Council released a new congressional scorecard, measuring lawmakers on their votes affecting children. While plenty of Republicans fared well — Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Gordon Smith (R-OR) received 70% rankings — John McCain received a 10% rating, the worst in the chamber. (His score was depressed by a series of missed votes.)

* Adelfa Callejo, a prominent Clinton campaign supporter in Dallas, raised a few eyebrows yesterday when he told a local TV station that Obama would have trouble gaining Latino support because he “simply has a problem that he happens to be black.” The campaign later issued a statement: “After confirming that they were accurately portrayed, Senator Clinton, of course, denounces and rejects them.”

* Speaking of Texas, a new Rasmussen poll shows Obama ahead in the Lone Star state, 48% to 44%. About a week ago, Rasmussen showed Clinton ahead in Texas, 46% to 45%.

* The Obama campaign is stepping up its advertising in the LGBT communities in Ohio and Texas. The Advocate reported, “According to Obama LGBT steering committee member Eric Stern, the campaign has just completed an ad buy with queer newspapers in the four largest LGBT markets of those two states — Columbus, Cleveland, Dallas, and Houston. Full-page ads will appear starting this Friday in Outlook Weekly of Columbus, the Gay People’s Chronicle of Cleveland, the Dallas Voice, and OutSmart, which is Houston-based.”

* Leon Panetta, a prominent Clinton backer and former WH Chief of Staff, expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the Clinton campaign in an interview with the New York Observer this week, complaining about underestimating Obama, and the Clinton camp’s overall lack of planning. Panetta was especially rough on Clinton pollster Mark Penn, whom he described as “a political pollster from the past.” Panetta concluded, “I never considered him someone who would run a national campaign for the presidency.”

* Adelfa Callejo, a prominent Clinton campaign supporter in Dallas, raised a few eyebrows yesterday when he told a local TV station that Obama would have trouble gaining Latino support because he “simply has a problem that he happens to be black.” The campaign later issued a statement: “After confirming that they were accurately portrayed, Senator Clinton, of course, denounces and rejects them.”

Doesn’t the Clinton campaign realize that “denounce and reject” is now a punchline that’s already going stale? Can’t wait for Mark Penn’s “Hillary Clinton has more cowbell” ad. I’m sure it’s being focus-grouped as we speak.

  • “…there is a spirit… that I have not seen in a long time, since the candidacy of Robert Kennedy.”

    That’s very magnanimous, considering that RFK as AG basically screwed Lewis and the other Freedom Riders. For example, he arranged for them to be arrested in Jackson, MS, in exchange for police protection.

    Time heals wounds, I suppose.

  • A candidate on the top of the ticket who isn’t going to give up on a state before it begins?

    That’s just crazy talk.

  • “Something is happening in America. There is a movement, there is a spirit, there is an enthusiasm in the hearts and minds of the American people that I have not seen in a long time, since the candidacy of Robert Kennedy.”

    Exactly.

    As to the LGBT communities in Texas, I keep asking my oldest friend from kindergarten why he picked Dallas over a much better place – Austin – and he says he likes the place. Go figure…. Houston and Dallas: two more reactionary places you can’t find outside of Alabama or Mississippi.

  • A candidate on the top of the ticket who isn’t going to give up on a state before it begins?

    That’s just crazy talk.

    Seriously. When has the 12-state strategy ever failed us?

  • The Panetta article is quite surprising. He even compares Penn to Rove. I don’t think you can describe Panetta as a former disgruntled associate, either. He did, after all, contribute $2000 to HRC’s campaign.

  • As to the LGBT communities in Texas, I keep asking my oldest friend from kindergarten why he picked Dallas over a much better place – Austin – and he says he likes the place. Go figure…. Houston and Dallas: two more reactionary places you can’t find outside of Alabama or Mississippi.

    1) You obviously have never been to Tulsa.

    2) For Gay adults, Houston and Dallas are much better places to live and work than Austin. Austin is good for an occasional weekend trip, but nothing special if you are Gay.

  • Clinton is offering a plan this afternoon on reducing childhood poverty, including a “‘comprehensive’ early education initiative that starts with nurse’s visits for pregnant women, lets children begin the Head Start program earlier and calls for universal pre-kindergarten programs. The New York senator also says she would deal with childhood hunger by putting in place a food safety net, and give children ‘greater access to healthy, fresh food.’”

    Here comes the kitchen sink….

  • Can anyone remember a campaign that has suffered more damage from its own employees than Hillary’s? I can’t, either.

  • “While we celebrate America as a place where an individual’s circumstances at birth should not determine his or her life chances, the fact is that economic mobility is now in decline in America. Children born in poverty are likely to live in poverty their whole lives.”

    Did Barack Obama say that? John Edwards? No, it’s Hillary. This may be a case of too little too late, but Hillary’s childhood poverty program is something good. The part about universal pre-K programs will be a joyous sound to most parents of young kids, since many market-based programs run as much as college tuition. That would be a huge burden off of parent’s backs and a great way to get kids away from electronic babysitters that setback childhood development.

  • For Gay adults, Houston and Dallas are much better places to live and work than Austin.

    My wife’s cousin and his partner moved to Dallas from Long Island a few years ago, and they absolutely love it there.

  • “Adelfa Callejo, a prominent Clinton campaign supporter in Dallas, raised a few eyebrows yesterday when he told”

    Not to be ticky tacky, but Adelfa is a woman.

    “For Gay adults, Houston and Dallas are much better places to live and work than Austin.”
    As a resident of Austin I can’t think of city, outside of San Fran, that is more accepting of the GLBT lifestyle than Austin. Anyone who has lived or visited Austin cannot deny the laid back and liberal feel of the city.

  • Interesting how Lewis has timed his announcement for maximum impact in the next set of primaries. Almost as if Obama had asked him to delay it. Is that smart or is it dirty? You tell me.

  • Mary, it’s incredibly smart politically. I know you’re a Clinton fan, but this was a coup and the timing was great.

    Hillary’s early childhood plan is very good, I hope the Dems add it to their convention platform. She’s got some great ideas.

  • I can’t think of any way it could possibly be dirty. Do you have a suggestion for how? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do in a good campaign, time announcements for maximum benefit?

  • * Clinton is offering a plan this afternoon on reducing childhood poverty, including a “‘comprehensive’ early education initiative that starts with nurse’s visits for pregnant women, lets children begin the Head Start program earlier and calls for universal pre-kindergarten programs. The New York senator also says she would deal with childhood hunger by putting in place a food safety net, and give children ‘greater access to healthy, fresh food.’”

    This is fantastic. And if Obama wins the nomination, I hope he would not only include this in his policy platform, but actively engage with Senator Clinton on getting this legislation passed.

  • Yes, lets take all of Clinton’s good ideas and add them to Obama’s planning (or the party platform without her as the nominee), without giving her credit. But, that’s not plagiarism because nobody owns ideas, right? This is what so many women face in the workplace — coworkers who steal their ideas and get promoted using them while the women who originate them are passed over as insufficiently qualified to be promoted themselves. And, they generally get to coach or train the guys promoted ahead of them (e.g., Clinton should promote this in the legislature if Obama becomes president on the strength of it). Old as time.

    Delaying Lewis’s endorsement may be smart but it is also dishonest. Haven’t we had enough lying and manipulation from the Repubs? Bush withholding info about terrorist arrests or alerts until strategic times to whip up fear for election purposes. Bush withholding govt reports until Fridays or until they are needed to camouflage some other event in the news cycle. Bush using sockpuppets to voice points in support of some coordinated conservative initiative. But when Obama does something similar, that’s OK cause he’s your guy.

  • Yes, lets take all of Clinton’s good ideas and add them to Obama’s planning… -Mary

    No one suggested that Obama take her ideas or take credit for them. Wow. What a way to spin someone praising Clinton’s good work into a negative for your screed against the treatment of women in the workplace.

    No matter who the nominee is, Clinton is a Senator right now, and a power player in the Party. When she has great ideas, it only makes sense that the rank and file want to add them to the Party platform. There is nothing preventing her from introducing legislation now or in the future.

    If you’re suggesting she take her ball and go home, then it reminds me of McCain’s mythical plan to catch Bin Laden that he’ll only share with the lowly voters if he is elected.

    And, please, if you have any evidence of wrongdoing concerning the timing of Lewis’s announcement, then let’s see it.

  • Now here’s an issue which the several Presidential candidates should be asked about.

    What issue is that? Poppy cultivation? Can’t figure that out at all. But if I might make a suggestion about your web site? Those lousy light gray fonts instead of using black or something else with contrast can be a real pain to read. Since bloggers like to have people read their stuff, I think you might turn fewer people off if you use black. Just my 2¢.

  • #21, the fonts are the least of that site’s problems. The way it loads, the multiple issues on a page with no reference to which one, and often incoherent writings. I’ve gone to it a few times always to only be disappointed.

  • There’s not much point in asking the candidates about poppy cultivation, because there isn’t much they can do about it. They could try spraying aerial herbicides, but that will only piss the farmers off (and probably give them cancer and their children birth defects). Afghanistan’s agricultural land is not exactly a bread basket, but two crops do quite well: cannabis and opium. Both are basically native plants at this point. Both do very well under adverse conditions. Neither needs much care or feeding. And they both have a huge market in the developed world. Afghan poppy production has actually taken leaps forward in recent years. It used to be that Afghanistan exported raw opium, but they’ve gone to processing in country. More profit stays in Afghanistan, and heroin is easier to move than opium. Chance are that a great deal of it trucks through Russia, but i would imagine that a fair amount of it is put right onto US cargo planes and flown into Europe.

  • Regarding poppy cultivation, it seems to me that the USA and European countries could buy all of Afghanistan’s production and use it for legitimate medical needs. I’m not aware of the numbers here, but just look at all the synthetics opiates, from Demerol to Oxycontin, that are sold and used around the world. Why not use real opiates? It would create legitimate conduits for poppy growers to market their wares, thus cutting into the illicit trade big-time. And by cutting out the middlemen, to a great degree, the farmers could still probably get as much or more per pound than they do now. Even if it turned out to be more costly for the pharmaceutical industry, what would amount to a subsidization by the governments of the western world would be a small price to pay for the benefits that could be reaped. Am I missing something here? Why encourage this giant illegal industry while we manufacture synthetic versions of the same drugs that we need for medical purposes anyway?

  • Here is one of the statements above suggesting that Clinton’s ideas be added to the party’s platform:

    “This is fantastic. And if Obama wins the nomination, I hope he would not only include this in his policy platform, but actively engage with Senator Clinton on getting this legislation passed.”

    There were a few others. I realize that people are talking about after the nomination, but why should Obama be nominated and then run on Clinton’s ideas? If Clinton has good ideas she should be recognized for them by votes now, not by appropriating those ideas later in the platform. She isn’t running to give good ideas to Obama, but to be elected herself.

    My complaint was not a screed. It was pointing out a dynamic that occurs frequently wherein women’s ideas are appropriate for the good of all, then they are accused of not being “team players” when they complain that their accomplishments are attributed to others (or unacknowledged). When you fail to vote for the person with the good ideas, you are overlooking them. When you then turn around and use those ideas, you are doing something wrong, in my opinion, and I am pointing it out in advance.

    My suggestion about Lewis is based on the fact that we all started seeing announcements that he was switching his vote two weeks ago (in places like HuffPost and TPM), but it is only officially announced now, so close to the election date (close enough to do Obama good but too close for Clinton to do much about it). It would be naive to think this was an accident.

  • YOU MIGHT BE AN IDIOT:-)

    If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose 😉 husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

    You Might Be An Idiot!

    If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..

    Best regards

    jacksmith…

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