Wednesday’s campaign round-up

June 25, 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:

* The NYT notes that Barack Obama “asked his leading fund-raisers in a conference call [yesterday] to lend a hand to retire the campaign debt of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.” Clinton issued a statement expressing her appreciation for Obama’s assistance.

* Indiana has voted Republican in 16 of the last 17 presidential elections, dating back nearly seven decades. Indiana even voted against FDR in ’40. But according to a new SurveyUSA poll, Obama actually leads McCain in Indiana, at least for now, 48% to 47%.

* The Obama campaign welcomed Bill Clinton’s offer of support and said he will have a “big role” in the general election. “A unified Democratic Party is going to be a powerful force for change this year, and we’re confident President Clinton will play a big role in that,” Obama spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

* The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor organization, is poised to throw its support to Obama. The AFL-CIO had remained neutral during the primaries.

* As if Ralph Nader hasn’t done enough to destroy his reputation, he suggested yesterday that Obama isn’t talking about poverty enough, perhaps because the senator “wants to talk white.” I can’t imagine what this guy is thinking.

* Ordinarily, governors become the automatic chairs of their party’s presidential campaigns, but in Nevada, McCain doesn’t want anything to do with scandal-plagued Gov. Jim Gibbons (R). Instead, McCain has tapped Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) to serve as the Nevada campaign chairman. The only problem — Krolicki has embarrassing scandals, too.

* Sen. Gordon Smith (R) is so worried about re-election in Oregon that he’s promoting the work he’s done with Barack Obama in the Senate. The Obama campaign issued a statement reiterating Obama’s support for Smith’s Democratic opponent, Jeff Merkley.

* Speaker Pelosi suggested Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) might make a good running mate for Obama. I actually like Edwards — who happens to be Bush’s congressman in Crawford — back from my days at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Edwards was one of only a handful of lawmakers who really “got it.” (Edwards said he’d accept the gig if it were offered.)

* Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), one of Congress’ nuttier members, lost a Republican primary yesterday to former gubernatorial aide Jason Chaffetz. They were both far-right candidates, but Chaffetz benefited from an aggressive anti-immigration message.

* And the National Review has heard the McCain VP rumors, and would like to veto Crist, Ridge, Huckabee, and Lieberman.

Is Ralphie going to spread the Obama’s a Muslim rumors, too?

  • Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), one of Congress’ nuttier members

    There is a lot of competition for “nuttiest” Republican in Congress – Darrell Issa, Jean Schmidt, Dan Burton, Virgil Goode, to name a few. But if you’ve ever watched any of the House Oversight and Government Reform hearings led by Henry Waxman, you might also get the impression that Cannon is one of the most revered among his colleagues, as well as one of the most powerful members.

  • Chet Edwards does sit on some military appropriations committee or something, but that’s as far as it goes. He appears to be perfectly competent, it’s just that the consensus seems to be that Obama needs a real military or foreign policy person.

    I dunno, I’m not seeing any VPs that don’t have a significant problem with them. Wes Clark? Trading hats with war criminals? Superiors who don’t respect him enough to vote for him? And when exactly did he become a Democrat? Jim Webb’s got all sorts of problems. Sebelius – what, just to piss off Hillary?

    I assume somebody has mentioned Colin Powell, who is socially liberal and has expressed some positive things about Obama. I recently read about the fights he had within the Bush Administration, and came away impressed. No he didn’t win, obviously, but he was outnumbered by neocons about 10 to 1.

  • Obama actually leads McCain in Indiana…

    Because McCain is obviously an inferior candidate. But then, so was Bush in 2004. I wonder what’s changed.

    Former Dan: “Is Ralphie going to spread the Obama’s a Muslim rumors, too?”

    One would hope that the most prominent Arab-American this side of Paula Abdul would refrain from such attacks. (Not that all Arabs are Muslim, let alone Arab-Americans.)

  • I see Chet Edwards is also on a Veterans Affairs board, so I guess that gives him a little more credibility on the military front. It’s not overwhelming, though.

  • Speaker Pelosi suggested Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) might make a good running mate for Obama.

    Pelosi’s support is enough to make me give an automatic NO to whomever it might be. Sorry, Nanc…I trust you as far as I can throw and aircraft carrier.

    The only problem — Krolicki has embarrassing scandals, too.

    Of course he does. He is a Gooper. Don’t they all have scandals? Sure seems so.

  • I’m getting dizzy trying to keep track of the latest Obama smear — too white or too black? Pick a meme, people! If you keep up with this we’re all going to decide he’s just right.

  • Too bad Nader didn’t die 20 years ago, when he would have had an intact reputation as an icon, rather than the public image of a moron nowadays.

  • Franklin:
    Take a closer look at Sebelius. She has been a magnificent Governor of a putative ‘red’ state, has brought Republicans to her (without compromising her own positions), comes from a political family (She makes up the ‘daughter’ half of the only father-daughter Gubernatorial team in history — her father was John Gilligan of Illinois), is attractive, and will be the closest to Obama in her style of governing.

    She’s hardly being named just to ‘piss off Hillary.’ I’d accept most of the others being suggested except for Nunn or Webb (too much baggage for Webb in his books), but Sebelius would be a great choice.

    As for Nader, he’s the ‘Bobo Holloman’ of politicians. (Holloman pitched a no-hitter in his first major league start, was in the minors by the end of the year, and never made it back to the majors. If you’ve ever read Bill Veeck’s VEECK AS IN WRECK, you’ll find some delightful stories about Holloman.) He hads so consistently wrong about everything since the Chevrolet ‘no-hitter’ that if I find myself agreeing with him on anything, I assume that I either have to reexamine my own position or have probably misinterpreted where he was coming from.

  • Nader is starting to remind me of a child who screams and throws things just to get someone to look at him. He’s long ago abandoned any pretense at anything but vague self-aggrandizement.

    Chris Cannon’s defeat is sweet, not because Chaffetz will be any better ideologically, but because Cannon has been so smug in his stark raving looniness. I think he thought he was invincible.

  • Barack Obama “asked his leading fund-raisers in a conference call [yesterday] to lend a hand to retire the campaign debt of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

    Historians are going to call it the Hillary-model.
    And it has got to be one of the stupidest campaign schemes ever invented:

    Racking up millions in debt that can only be retired by tons of small individual donations that must somehow feed uphill and against the wind into the dusty coffers of a defeated campaign.

    Good luck with that, because it ain’t going to happen…
    What an embarrassingly dumb albatross to wrap around your own neck.

  • All those Obama supporters need to tell his Obama and his team, no more money as long as he supports the FISA Bill!

  • Sebelius – what, just to piss off Hillary?

    Lame. Sebelius is a find, Dems are lucky to have her.

    My only thought of the VP is how much wreckage she or he will have to clean up from Darth Cheney and his band of torturers. The toxic karmic residue alone would overwhelm an ordinary human.

  • “The Obama campaign welcomed Bill Clinton’s offer of support and said he will have a “big role” in the general election.”

    Terrible idea to let Bill Clinton open his mouth. Unless they fit him with a shock collar…

  • I assume somebody has mentioned Colin Powell, who is socially liberal and has expressed some positive things about Obama. I recently read about the fights he had within the Bush Administration, and came away impressed. No he didn’t win, obviously, but he was outnumbered by neocons about 10 to 1.

    Nope, the UN speech disqualifies him. Forever. I hate to say it – I think he is skilled, bright, and probably a fairly decent human being. But in his position, if you have doubts about that speech – and by all accounts he did – you resign rather than tell lies under pressure from Cheney’s office. His credibility and reputation for character took a huge hit that day, and he will have to live with that the rest of his days. It is a big penalty, but as a field general, he surely understands how much smaller a penalty it is than the 4000 American service men and women who died in no small part because he went ahead and vouched with his substantial goodwill for the BushCo war excuses.

  • From response #4: Wes Clark?…And when exactly did he become a Democrat?

    Here we go again. If you see reason and become a Democrat, but didn’t come out of the womb one, you must be doubted, punished and held back the rest of your life for it. Now why wouldn’t everybody want to join that party?

  • “And the National Review has heard the McCain VP rumors, and would like to veto Crist, Ridge, Huckabee, and Lieberman.”

    I guess that means another Bush. I often wondered why McCain embraced Bush at the 2004 Convention. A friend of mine told me that it was because Bush offered him his support in return for a GOP run for President in ’08 and that would include adding Jeb to the ticket…could be…

  • Perhaps it’s prejudice but I don’t want any more Texans in leadership positions for at least 30 more years.

  • “Unless they fit him with a shock collar…”

    just had a quick flashback to the episode of “south park” in which cartman was fitted with a shock collar to clean up his language. seeing bubba with one would be abso-fucking-lutely hilarious!

  • Steve – Nader is thinking that he has to do something or say something to get some type of recognition. Hell, I haven’t mentioned him on my blog. I plan on ignoring him. He knows that Barack Obama is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to poverty. If Obama begins to push the agenda that John Edwards was pushing, Obama is then seen as the “Black” candidate who is pandering to his base. Obama has gone out of his way not to be seen as the “Black” candidate but instead he wants to be seen as the Democratic candidate. I think that he has done a masterful job at this.

    Once he gets in office he can do what he wants but now, he can’t go there and Ralph Nader knows this.

  • This is a short synopsis of how my community feels about Senator Obama. We are so sick and tired of not having our voices heard. So here goes……..

    Obama, the new guy in town, is a con, a Chicago politician: Obama lacks high morals and will stop at nothing when it comes to further his ambition. He’s a fast talker speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

    He bragged about his church. He would never leave the “black” community.
    Then threw them under the bus

    Bragged about his pastor. He could never leave Reverend Wright, he’s like an old uncle.
    Then threw him under the bus

    Bragged about his grandmother then called her a “typical white person”
    She then went under the bus.

    He wrote a book about his father but now that he has been found to be a “non practicing” Muslim
    He threw his dad under the bus. Definitely had to disown him.

    His Chicago supporters consist of anti Semitics, racists, criminals or far left liberals.
    Farrakhan, Rezko, Ayers and Father Pflaeger are all under the bus too

    When it comes to Obama’s associates he has figured out that all he has to do is either denounce or reject them and then it’s okay. Sometimes he just doesn’t discuss them at all.

    He had a coworker that was a domestic terrorist, William Ayers. Obama laughed and avoided the issue,when asked about his involvement.

    Barack Hussein Obama is a fast talker that knows Chicago politics. He will do anything and destroy anyone to win this election. When the heat is on, he avoids debates, changes his mind, defends his thinking with speeches and runs from the press.

    Obama will speak few words without a script. He is poor, at best, in debates and he knows that an open speech might divulge his true character.

    The icing on the cake was to change his mind on public financing.
    Barack Obama has worked on the issue of political reform for years.
    On Larry King in Jan. 2007, he told Mr. King that the public-financing system works.

    He challenged the Republicans since Feb 2007 to limit their spending. He vowed to do so along with them if he were the Democratic nominee. In fact, a majority of his career was spent talking about how much he believed in public financing.

    He speaks so calmly but Obama has the “king or prince” title in mind. Obama’s ambition is to win, cheat and lie if he has to. This is democracy?

    Senator Obama will say whatever he has to in order to convince the public and the Democratic Party that he’s the nominee of “change”, a uniter, a man of the future. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    A naïve politician? We think not.

  • Dear Al from NJ, It appears you are one of the republican neocons that Americans should be wary off. You are totally mixed up, you dont have the foggiest idea what you are saying. Now let me ask you a few questions?
    How many politicians do you know that has not gone back on their word?
    Which natural, logical reasoning human being do you know that would not seek a convenient option that makes him/her most strengthened positions?
    Has McCain or Hillary Clinton (for that matter) never gone back on an earlier position they have taken, when it suits them?
    Which one pays the American taxpayer(s) better, a publicly funded campaign or a privately funded campaign?
    Please answer these questions and show that you can reason…

  • AJ from NJ–

    When you receive viral emails from Rush Limbaugh you’re supposed to delete them, not copy and paste them.

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