Tuesday’s political round-up

May 8, 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:

* Following a series of staffing changes in April, John McCain’s presidential campaign continues to change the players at various positions. Yesterday, Michael P. Dennehy, McCain’s national political director, stepped down from his job, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

* Barack Obama delivered a surprisingly stern message to the auto industry yesterday, giving a speech at the Detroit Economic Club on using government incentives to modernize U.S. car companies. “I’m making this proposal here today because I don’t believe in making proposals in California and giving a different speech in Michigan,” he said. His goal “is not to destroy the industry, but to help bring it into the 21st century,” he said.

* Kentucky state Treasurer Jonathan Miller (D) withdrew from the state’s gubernatorial race yesterday and threw his support behind his rival, former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D). Miller said he wanted to avoid a situation in which Democrats chose a candidate “whose baggage would be picked apart and exploited’ by Republicans.”

* The New York Post reported today that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) may say he’ll be done with politics at the end of his second term, but he’s reportedly interested in taking on Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) in 2010.

* The Nation’s Ari Berman wrote a very unflattering profile on Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton’s pollster and chief strategist. Berman asks, “Is what’s good for Penn and his business good for Hillary’s political career? And furthermore, can she convincingly claim to fight for the average American with Penn guiding strategy in her corner?”

* And the Washington Times reports that about half of Al Gore’s top 25 fundraisers have not donated or publicly committed to any other presidential candidate, prompting speculation that they may be waiting for a certain former VP to decide what to do about 2008.

Gore, Obama, Clinton Richardson, a rock, a goldfish, Frankenstein…I’ll vote for whoever the Dems nominate. I mean- voted for Kerry last time (In the general) and he was terrible.

“Dated Dean, Married Kerry…stuck with Bush.”

  • Following up on an item I mentioned yesterday, some Alaskan oil industry executives who pleaded guilty to bribing state legislators have pretty much implicated US Sen. Ted Stevens’ son, Ben. The younger Stevens was a state senator until January, and collected “consulting fees” from the corporate bosses. The bosses say, Yeah, those were bribes. Ben Stevens has not been charged, though.

    Also implicated, beyond state senators and representatives, is an unnamed “state elected official.” Probably because calling him “Governor X” would be a dead giveaway.

    Furthermore, one of the legislators arrested on Friday was back at work at the capitol Monday, openly weeping. But not necessarily because of the whole “I’m a crooked politician” thing; rumor has it his Russian bride has left the country. Which may or may not be worse than his co-defendant, who fell off his boat and nearly froze to death last month.

  • Mark Penn: the classic pinstriped Clintonista pimp. We need these guys in the Democratic Party the way we need guidance from George W. Bush.

  • Shorter Obama:
    Don’t expect bailouts when the Asian auto industry crushes your heads.

    A solid set of proposals with the bonus of watching ReThuglicans trying to say it would be a bad thing as gas prices soar. “Bu-but gas guzzling SUVs are safer! Especially if you can’t drive them because you decided you’d rather eat than fill up the tank!”

    McCain’s national political director, stepped down from his job, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

    Will the McCainiac hold this up as proof he is pro-family? Will anyone be surprised if he does? Will anyone be surprised if his response is: “Whuzzat? Dennhey? No thanks I’m not hungry. Whoops! I crapped my pants again!”

  • But CB, it would look a lot better if it were written thus:

    Following a series of political death-throes in April, John McCain’s presidential campaign continues to bleed out from an exit wound the size of Flagstaff. Yesterday, Michael P. Dennehy, McCain’s national political director, stepped into one of the few remaining lifeboats, saying that his family is more important than staying aboard a sinking ship with a Darth Sidious look-alike.

  • Obama’s policy shop is beginning to churn some bold solid stuff. Me likee.

  • A blogger at the HuffPo quotes a line from Obama’a speech, “And as the Senator later added: ‘expensive to do is not an excuse not to do.'” Good for Obama. Someone needs to tell CEOs only watching out for Wall Street’s bottom line is a great way to kill your company and industry. And just when we thought accountability moments were only for politicians, Obama up and gives one to the auto industry.

  • Obama’s speech in Detroit struck me as cleverly disguised purchasing of votes with public money. Sure, he chastised the auto industry for not being better citizens, but in the next breath offered billions to do what they should have done anyway, if only for competitive reasons. I’ve always owned American cars (to the extent there is such a thing anymore) for reasons of my own, but the fact is the decline of the US auto industry has been going on for 35+ years and neither automakers nor the unions did much to thwart it. In the case of fuel economy, they’ve done everything they can to fight improvements. Certainly, reducing US oil consumption is critically important and long overdue, but to suggest that automakers can’t do it without government help — or that increasing fuel economy is going to revitalize the industry ignores a whole slew of factors. It’s nieve and disingenuous.

  • It’s nieve and disingenuous. . . and yet miles ahead of what any of the other announced candidates of either party have put out there so far.

  • For informational purposes, Obama’s idea laid out in Detroit was first introduced by him some time ago as legislation that, because the Republicans were still in the majority, got no attention at that time. You can find the information on his senate web-site.

  • That Bloomberg “scoop” is, per usual for the Post, a pile o’ poop:

    http://www.observer.com/2007/bloomberg-says-hes-not-running-governor

    Bloomberg said he never got a call about the story, called it “made up” and said he thought Governor Spitzer was doing a great job.

    Bloomberg and Spitzer have generally gotten along well, and they seem to respect if not like each other. That said, Bloomberg has a long list of “asks” from Albany, and it wouldn’t totally shock me if he wanted to put a sliver of doubt in Spitzer’s head with the prospect of a self-funding liberal Republican opponent who’s enormously popular downstate. IOW, if this is about anything, it’s about the state doing right by us in the city… for once.

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