Tuesday’s political round-up

November 6, 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:

* I don’t imagine anyone could have expected this: “On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the entire last quarter — through a Web site called ThisNovember5th.com, a reference to the day the British commemorate the thwarted [Guy Fawkes] bombing.” The total is the best single day of fundraising for any Republican presidential hopeful this year.

* In the latest national CNN poll, Hillary Clinton still enjoys a huge lead over the rest of the Democratic field, but it’s not quite as huge as it was a couple of weeks ago. Clinton now enjoys 44% support (down from 51%), Barack Obama is second with 25% (up from 21%), and John Edwards is third with 14%. No other Dem topped 5%.

* In the same CNN poll, Rudy Giuliani is still on top, but his national lead has dropped back to single digits. The former mayor is first with 28% support, followed by Fred Thompson with 19%, John McCain with 16%, and Mitt Romney with 11%. Mike Huckabee is a close fifth with 10%, and no other Republican topped 5%.

* Just as an aside, just to show how much more competitive the GOP race is, the gap between first place and second place among the Dems is 19%. The gap between first place and fifth place among the Republicans is 18%.

* Mitt Romney got a big boost yesterday when he earned the endorsement of Paul Weyrich, a religious right pioneer who helped create the Moral Majority.

* It’s Election Day in several parts of the country, including Kentucky and Virginia. Perhaps the biggest race in Kentucky’s gubernatorial contest, where conservative activists are engaged in some of the predictable dirty tricks cowards pull when they’re losing.

* It’s safe to say the right-wing media has chosen its favorite in the Republican presidential race. Not only does Fox News go out of its way to help Giuliani, but the Washington Times, the Moonie-owned conservative paper in DC, featured a banner-headline — above the fold on the front page — to report on a routine campaign stop Giuliani made in New Hampshire.

* Speaking of Giuliani, the former mayor praised his old friend and partner, Bernie Kerik, yesterday during an interview with the AP. “Sure, there were issues [with Kerik], but if I have the same degree of success and failure as president of the United States, this country will be in great shape,” Giuliani said.

* Fred Thompson backer Philip Martin, who apparently had some run-ins with the law 25 years ago, resigned as a campaign fundraiser yesterday. “I have decided to resign my position as chair of ‘First Day Founders’ of ‘The Friends of Fred Thompson,'” Martin said in a statement. “The focus of this campaign should be on Fred Thompson’s positions on the issues and his outstanding leadership ability, not on mistakes I made some 24 years ago. I deeply regret any embarrassment this has caused.”

* Joe Biden said he has no interest in being Hillary Clinton’s running mate. “If I don’t win the nomination, the likely nominee is going to be Hillary,” Biden told CNN, “and I love Bill Clinton, but can you imagine being vice president?” The former president “is such a dominant and powerful and positive force that I think the question is if you’re going to stay in public life do you want to be a contributor … I’m not looking for a ceremonial post,” Biden said.

* I haven’t heard too much from the presidential candidates about the Writers Guild strike, but a statement from Barack Obama landed in my inbox yesterday: “I stand with the writers. The Guild’s demand is a test of whether corporate media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives. I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work.”

* And speaking of Obama, CNN reported that “more than 300 former Republican voters from New Hampshire and Iowa are switching their party affiliation to actively support Obama,” and sent out a list to news outlets to prove it.

the gap between first place and second place among the Dems is 19%. The gap between first place and fifth place among the Republicans is 18%.

Considering that we’re exactly one year before election day, I can only wish that the Democrats had such a wide-open race. Why get stuck with a favorite so early? Speaking of whom…

“If I don’t win the nomination, the likely nominee is going to be Hillary,” Biden told CNN…

Biden could’ve just said “The likely nominee is going to be Hillary,” but instead he embarrassed himself with that other clause.

  • Re: the Paul November 5th haul

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but Paul’s support comes almost exclusively from individuals, none of which are corporatists or lobbyists. I think that is significant in a democracy teetering on fascism.

    The transparency and openness of the campaign’s fundraising operations should be a model for all other candidates.

  • I’m not looking for a ceremonial post,” Biden said.

    Well then. Maybe you should call Bush what he is (a criminal) and push for his impeachment. The way you talk, I would think you’d have done it already, but I guess ceremonial politicians like you are…

    Useless.

    I can’t wait to see how many Democratic politicians like Biden will eventually say that they knew Bush was a criminal.

    Traitors.
    Cowards.

  • JKap, that was pretty impressive, and perhaps most important for RP is that finally he did something the MSM can’t ignore. Not only did he raise more money yesterday that in the entire prior quarter, I would bet he got more MSM attention today than he got the entire prior quarter.

    Take it from a former Dean supporter, however, you still have to translate that to the ground on Jan. 3, and it is not as easy as it looks or sounds.

  • I don’t imagine anyone could have expected this: “On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the entire last quarter — through a Web site called ThisNovember5th.com, a reference to the day the British commemorate the thwarted [Guy Fawkes] bombing.” The total is the best single day of fundraising for any Republican presidential hopeful this year.

    They should spend it all on candy to give to underprivileged kids, for all the good it’s going to do for them.

  • Um Swan, this is a goverment that was established by the people for the people.
    Pull you head out of that dark hole. Sunlight is refreshing!!
    You underestimate the power of the people.
    Watch us shock the world.

  • Curious. Most of the type five republicans pretty much stood pat but Huckabee and Paul moved up 5 and 3%.

    Looks like Huckabee got all the Brownback supporters.
    Paul is nibbling away at everyone I guess.

    Swan is right. If Paul makes serious headway (2 to 5% in a month ain’t too shabby), the press may decide to rake Paul for some minor faux pas in order to create a dramatic story like they did with Dean and “The scream”. (Of course, Dean’s cat fight with Gephardt is a pitfall Paul can avoid if he finds himself in contender status by January.)

  • They should spend it all on candy to give to underprivileged kids, for all the good it’s going to do for them. -Swan

    …the press may decide to rake Paul for some minor faux pas… -toowearyforoutrage

    What’s the alternative? Give up? Should Paul and all the candidates not anointed by the corporate media just quit? If we’re going to dismiss any candidates other than those that 864 people pick as their top candidate then we might as well just vote for a party and forget the whole campaign.

    I’m shocked by how many so-called progressives are so quick to dismiss any candidates other than the juggernauts created by corporate media. This is nothing more than a destructive, self-fulfilling prophecy which contributes to the decline on the country.

  • I hope, for reasons both principled and tactical, that Paul does in fact “shock the world” with strong early showings. It would at least suggest that there’s intellectual life yet in the Republican Party. But I’m extremely skeptical that this will happen. They’ve had insurgencies before–Pat Buchanan in ’92 and ’96, for instance–that flare up but ultimately don’t amount to much.

    But if the Paul people can translate their big money haul into votes, more power to ’em.

  • When you look at the Republican race, is it any wonder that some folks are talking about a third party. I mean – Mr. 9/11 in first, Rip Van Thompson in second, John “someone please take my last shred of integrity” McCain in third, and the empty suit in fourth. This is the best they can offer? How about a rank-and-file person? Sure, there’s Macaca, Ric “hey I found WMD’s” Santorum, or my favorite, Marsha “Can I lick the other boot, Mr. Bush?” Blackburn. Talk about a party in decline. If any of the Democrat candidates were a Republican, they would have the nomination sewed up already.

  • I have my doubts that those 300 “former” Republican voters are truly switching parties to “support” Obama. Methinks they are doing so for other reasons.

  • I agree with RC635 in comment # 11 Those republicans are switching parties to vote for Obama, not because they support Obama, but to make it harder for Clinton…. Just like the Republicans who switched and became ‘Independents’ so that Bush could nominate republicans to the Civil Rights division, as CB mentioned in an earlier post.

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