Tuesday’s campaign round-up

July 29, 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:

* Following up on an earlier item, Marc Ambinder reports that there is “independent evidence” that the Obama campaign’s VP search committee is “taking a serious look” at three people: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Ambinder noted, is also under serious consideration, “although he is not being subjected to the same level of vetting.”

* The speculation about Kaine has reached a fever pitch, but the Virginia governor remains coy.

* We haven’t seen too much of her lately, but Hillary Clinton is prepared to embark on extensive travel on behalf of the Obama campaign. “I don’t like to relay conversations between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton — I know they have an extensive travel schedule for her,” Terry McAuliffe said.

* John McCain told Newsweek, “The majority of women in America, in my view, respect the rights of the unborn.” In our reality, most American women are pro-choice.

* In light of the latest budget deficit numbers from the Bush administration, McCain is starting to hedge on one of his campaign promises. “As President, I have committed to balancing the budget by the end of my first term,” McCain said in a written campaign statement. “Today’s news makes that job harder.”

* The Obama campaign’s operation in Florida is “months ahead organizationally of Gore/Kerry.”

* MoveOn.org has a clever new ad in support of Obama, which will air on MTV and Comedy Central.

* Public Policy Polling (D) shows McCain leading Obama in North Carolina by three, 47% to 44%.

* The AFL-CIO is helping push back against the bogus notion that Obama is a secret Muslim.

* Obama is raising more money than McCain in Idaho? That’s a pleasant surprise.

* And in light of the attention focused on McCain’s minor facial surgery yesterday, Michael Crowley has the line of the day: “Nothing promises to lift your campaign out of the doldrums quite like a new wave of stories about your melanoma!”

Sebelius for VP, please. Bayh and Kaine, meh – color me unimpressed, particularly with Kaine.

  • Sebelius would be cool with me. Bayh would be alright too. I really don’t know much about Kaine, but from the little I’ve read, on balance he would be ok. Personally, I still like Richardson or Clark.

  • “Nothing promises to lift your campaign Mitt Romney out of the doldrums quite like a new wave of stories about your melanoma!”

    Fixed.

  • MoveOn.org has a clever new ad in support of Obama, which will air on MTV and Comedy Central.

    Preaching to the choir.

    Run it on MSNBC, CBS, FOX even. Get it on the majors where you might reach someone who doesn’t already agree with you.

  • so. moveon.org is showing clever new ads — on mtv and comedy central? isn’t this like mccain showng clever new ads on fox and christian broadcasting network? it’s silly!

    also, i’m not enamored of any of obama’s veep picks. all unknown quantities on the national stage. i believe he needs someone to boost his national security cred; not the likeable but unknown govenor from virginia. what are they thinking?

    really — i do wonder about the decision making process behind the selection.

  • Want to read something scary? Republicans are purging the voter rolls again.

    http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/28/4727/23178/316/558035

    There’s a big difference between paranoia one the one hand, and recognizing that someone is out to get you on the other hand.

    Impossible? That’s what we would have thought about the Alberto Gonzales / Kyle Sampson / Monica Goodling evildoings.

    We have to fight back on this, and we can’t wait.

  • Personally, I still like Richardson or Clark.

    I have a sneaking suspicion those two are headed for an Obama cabinet. Clark I would not want to be hamstrung by VP duties in the Senate, he is too valuable.

  • I guess its time to stop routing for Clark, I dont even have a vp I can route for anymore, my candidate lost, my vp isnt going to be on the ticket. Wow bummer. Good news is i think McCain is just about done, I wouldnt doubt the GOP ditch him at the last second and run a younger more charasmatic charachter. They could site his Cancer scare as the reason. I dont doubt that they will, Becuase he is becoming more unelectable by the day, with gaff after gaff. Did you see him knock all that stuff off the shelf at the supermarket. the video is at http://www.mccanes.com all the while barack obama is looking like an NBA super star, (arrogence and all) even taking time to stop and have a cigar break video at http://www.theobamaplan.com I mean really what is the GOP going to do. McCain cannot win at this point and we havnt even started the debates.
    You could go to a site http://www.veeppeek.com to sign a petition for your favorite veep. and see where your veep stands in realation to the other veeps. Tim Kaine isnt a bad choice I guess, just not my pick.

  • Bayh is a center-right moderate and if Obama truly has a vision of changing this country, Bayh will not help him do that. Also, I don’t want any Senators, period, because we need every one we can get to stay in the Senate. But if Obama really wanted a Senator, there are several more impressive than Bayh…to say the least. I like Dodd, for one. I really like Gov. Bill Richardson. The guy has plenty of cred and experience: U.S. Representative from the New Mexico’s 3rd congressional district: 1983–1997; United States Ambassador to the United Nations: 1997–1998; United States Secretary of Energy: 1998–2001; Governor of New Mexico: 2003–Present.

  • among Kaine, Biden, Sebelius and Bayh, Kaine easily has the best upside.

    Sebelius and Kaine are similar in weaknesses – neither showed much in the responses to the State of the Union, neither is well-known nationally, neither adds extensive experience in areas where Obama is vulnerable. The big difference is that Sebelius is far from assured of bringing in Kansas, and requires a country that may be ready for a minority or a woman as President to accept both. Kaine on the other hand likely puts Virginia over the top and into Obama’s column.

    Biden and Bayh each give up a Senate seat, which is a problem. Delaware should go Obama anyway, and Biden is a loose cannon. Bayh likely cannot flip Indiana (although if he could, that would make Obama automatic) and will annoy the more-left segments of the party which, strictly electorally speaking, may not be all bad.

    If those are the only 4 options, setting aside my personal politics and thinking solely as an operative, I’d rank them Kaine, Bayh, Biden, Sebelius.

    And I’d still take Clark, Schweitzer, or Richardson over any of the 4 of them.

    * * *

    Changing subjects, in a thread below I criticized Team Obama for not fighting back enough, so it is only fair to give a compliment where due as well. Let me add to the post about Obama being more organized in Florida than Kerry and Gore: in Iowa, Obama has 15 offices to McCain’s 3, and Obama is already doing canvassing in numerous communities every Saturday – McCain simply wouldn’t have the infrastructure to do that if he wanted to. It appears that, as they did in the primaries, they are able to largely ignore day-to-day polls and stories and simply keep their eye on implementing a plan that they trust and that attends well to electoral details.

  • Shall we stop using the word “gaffe” and just say what they are? Mistakes. Boo boos. Lies.

  • “As President, I have committed to balancing the budget by the end of my first term,” McCain said in a written campaign statement. “Today’s news makes that job harder.”

    Indeed, who could have predicted that the budget deficit would have increased this year? McCain’s “I don’t have a crystal ball” is about as plausible as Bush’s “I don’t have a magic wand.”

  • The MoveOn ads are on MTV and Comedy Central to counter recent deceptive ads placed there by McCain.

    McCain’s melanoma gave him the opportunity to take a courageous straight-talking maverick stand for being pro-sunscreen and for regular check-ups with your doctor (assuming you’re not trying to do it on the public’s dime).

  • Why does “Jane” keep copy-pasting the same text into every discussion? Trying to get clicks on those links?

  • Coming from Indiana, I want to throw in two cents on Bayh. That would be a massively disappointing choice.

    Bayh talks a good game, but his voting record is sadly lacking. He is pretty much a corporate stooge and wouldn’t really support the “change” message very well.

    -Chris

  • I sort of like Kaine, but I remember when he gave his response to Bush’s SOTU speech a few years ago, his left eyebrow was jumping up and down uncontrollably. I found that to be very distracting and bothersome. I was so focused on his eyebrow that I had a hard time hearing his words.

    Does anyone know whether that was a temporary problem?

    (I’m being serious here. I don’t want to hear Republican propagandists, Republican rank-and-filers, late-night TV talk-show hosts, and others ridiculing Kaine’s left eyebrow for three months.)

  • Bayh is a worthless republicrat. Bayh is a worthless DLC type dimocrat. Bayh is a worthless ‘whichever way the wind blows’ politician who talks a lot and never says anything. Bayh is a worthless piece of dung who would not take a meaningful position on anything that has any variation of controversy to it. Bayh is disliked and/or despised by most republicans in Indiana and by the few progressives in the state.

    The ONLY reasons that Bayh was ever elected to anything are Daddy’s name and the ability to raise so many corporate $$$ that no serious challenger is ever presented for his runs for reelection. Indiana may or may not be in play in November, but Bayh will not change that by any significant amount of votes.

    Bayh has no serious credentials for either domestic or foreign policy. He is a worthless know-nothing.

    To select Bayh as his running mate, Obama will need to alter his message from ‘Change’ to ‘Dull’. Plus Obama would need to alter the role of the v.p. candidate from ‘attack dog’ to ‘sheep dog’.

    Yours truly,

    JustAnotherProgressiveStuckInIndiana
    Senior V.P. – Progressives For Change In Indiana

    P.S. We have more senior positions available in the ‘Progressives’ movement in Indiana. All four of us are flexible in giving up positions if we can find a fifth progressive in the state to join us.

  • It wouldn’t surprise me if the Obama campaign was floating these names to mislead both the media and the oppo researchers. My money’s on retired USMC General James Jones. Jones is a four-star who was Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Commander of the United States European Command. He was previously Commandant of the Marine Corps. After retirement, Jones served as Chairman of the Congressional Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq and was appointed by the Secretary of State as a special envoy for Middle East security. He declined an appointment to Deputy Secretary of State.

  • Hey McCain!

    My unborn(and as yet preconceived, but that doesn’t matter does it?) son is going to be the future Emperor of the World. Does that mean you respect his rights and future authority? I don’t see how you can’t with statements like that.

    I guess I need to start acting on his behalf huh? Just because he’s ‘unborn’ doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist.

    What about my dead relatives? They’re not dead, they’re ‘un-alive’ and therefore still have rights! What are you doing to protect the rights of my ‘un-alive’ relatives?

  • Meh, I don’t like any of those names either. I like Dodd but Obama-Dodd must never be run together in a campaign commercial or the Grand Old Xenophobes will have a field day! I think Chris Dodd is an honorable public servant and perfect to bring balance to the ticket. I hope that the other names are indeed distractions and of course I wish the Jesus shit wasn’t so prevalent in either candidates rhetoric.. Wishful thinking indeed.

  • Detest Bayh. Biden (Senator – Master Card) would be a horrible choice.

    I still like Sebelius or Napalitano of Arizona.

    If Kaine would assure Obama carrying Virginia, he could be part of a major rout of McSame.

    What we do not need is a sitting Senator. What we do not need is a DLC type. What we do not need is someone who could not be viewed as a part of a change of the way of doing business in D.C.

  • Dodd is a decent guy (my first choice going into the caucuses actually), but was unable to attract even 1% of the vote in the primaries, is an older northeastern liberal, received favorable treatment from the now-radioactive Countrywide Mortgage, and to the annoyance of progressives voted wrong on the bankrupty (i.e. enrich the credit card companies at the expense of the middle class) bill. wont happen.

  • McCain ignoring the religious right and considering raising taxes to balance teh budget and bring the debt under control…

    In another alternative universe, I could vote for a Republican like that….

    Alas, in this one, he’s up against a progressive Democrat and he’ll say he’s for drowning witches and cutting yacht taxes next week.

    Has anyone stuck a fork in him lately?

  • I did a little of my own research on women’s opinions on abortion, and as far as I can tell current statistics are much less clear than the 2003 poll you cited. It is surprisingly difficult to find polls of just women, but it looks like these days it’s pretty split. It still seems presumptuous of McCain to say most woman “respect the rights of the unborn” (notice he hedged his bet by not coming out and saying “pro-life”), but I still take some issue with your number.

  • toowearyforoutrage said:
    McCain ignoring the religious right and considering raising taxes to balance teh budget and bring the debt under control…

    OMFG, you mean use tax revenue to pay for government programs and services? What a CRAZY idea!

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