Wednesday’s campaign round-up

July 16, 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 Obama campaign is jumping all over John McCain’s confusion over Afghanistan policy.

* Sparking a new round of scuttlebutt about possible running mates, Barack Obama will be joined today by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) for a national security roundtable at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

* MoveOn.org released a solid new ad today, going after McCain for his opposition to a withdrawal timetable for U.S. troops in Iraq. The ad, which will run on national cable, notes that Americans and Iraqis want a timetable, but McCain would continue to spend “hundreds of billions” to keep our troops in Iraq for “years and years.”

* And speaking of new ads, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is taking advantage of McCain’s hilarious non-response to questions last week about health insurance covering Viagra, but not birth control.

* Good for Howard: “Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is set to embark on a cross-country voter registration tour this Thursday. The bus tour, called ‘Register for Change,’ will act as a mobile campaign office as the party seeks to build upon the record voter turnout during the primary season. The tour kicks off in President Bush’s hometown of Crawford, Texas and coincides with the DNC’s 50-state strategy to hold forums across the country.”

* SurveyUSA shows McCain leading Obama in North Carolina by just five points, 50% to 45%.

* Public Policy Polling (D) McCain leading Obama in South Carolina by just six points, 45% to 39%.

* McCain’s attacks against Obama continue to get sloppier.

* The McCain campaign seems anxious to pretend they don’t know Phil Gramm anymore, but as of this morning, he’s still listed as a National Campaign General Co-Chair for McCain’s “National Leadership Team.”

* Good news out of Alaska: Mark Begich (D) outraised Sen. Ted Stevens (R) by over $250,000 in the 2nd quarter.

That link to the Halperin column on Afghanistan really sucks. 2 lines on the Obama call and a link to an entire McCain rebuttal that goes on for paragraphs attacking Obama’s “ideology and inexperience”.

What a friggin’ joke. I hope that when Halperin received his payroll check from the McCain camp on Tuesday, he didn’t spend it all on sprinkled donuts.

  • Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.)

    Please God, no.

    If you want a change election, you have to have, you know, change.

    Bayh is Mr. Status Quo.
    Nunn is Mr. Used-to-be-Status-Quo-a-decade ago.
    Hell, might as well give the VP slot to Stuart Symington.

  • What a friggin’ joke. I hope that when Halperin received his payroll check from the McCain camp on Tuesday, he didn’t spend it all on sprinkled donuts.

    Really! Halperin can go take a flying fuck at a sprinkled donut.

    Davis X. Machina said:
    Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.)

    Please God, no.

    Agree. Let’s leave those skeletons in the Democratic closet.

  • Now that Jane Mayer’s book “the Dark Side” has implicated top leadership of the Democratic congress as enabling Bush to use torture and commit other war crimes; and then with the Military Commissions Act provided him and themselves with immunity for these war crimes, we should all be really excited at a chance to vote for more Democrats this fall and bring “change that we can believe in” to Washington.

    I hope the folks at The Hague are giving a close read to Mayer’s book.

  • The Carpetbagger Report now has a highlighted link to CB’s “Official McCain Flip-Flop List.” It’s right there above the “Recent Entries” list.

    It’s a great resource. Thanks, CB, for all you do.

  • Bayh was one of those who voted for the Protect America Act, like McCaskill and Webb. This should be enough of a reason to exclude them. (I still defend the FISA vote, but voting for the PAA was different. This did what many of you were afraid that FISA might do.)

    Btw, thanks for the permanent McCain Flip-flop list. Nice idea.

  • That link to the Halperin column on Afghanistan really sucks.

    Fixed. Halperin is a fucking tool.

  • Bayh was one of those who voted for the Protect America Act, like McCaskill and Webb. This should be enough of a reason to exclude them. (I still defend the FISA vote, but voting for the PAA was different. This did what many of you were afraid that FISA might do.)

    You are a good Obmaman! If he was revealed tomorrow to have the largest collection of child pornography in the world you would say “hey, the man loves art, he’s a sensitive soul.”

  • If Nunn is chosen VP, there goes the gay vote. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was his idea, and he spent the rest of his time being an obstructionist to the Clinton administration from within the party. A small guy, in more ways than just stature.

    Evan Bayh is Mr. DLC and had nearly as much to do with the Bankruptcy Bill as Grassley of Iowa. If he has any influence, there goes all hope for reform.

    If this is the way Obama is moving, he might as well armwrestle McCain for the the privilege of having Joe Lieberman as his VP. It’s not like they lack good choices, so why are they sniffing around these moldy yesterdays? I thought the guys in the Obama campaign were supposed to be smart.

  • Bayh and Nunn aren’t my first choices, but Purdue is my Alma Mater. So that’s cool.

  • It’s not like they lack good choices, so why are they sniffing around these moldy yesterdays? I thought the guys in the Obama campaign were supposed to be smart.

    Why are we assuming that Obama talking to them about security issues means he’s eyeing them for VP? As near as I can tell, it’s only scuttlebutt supporting the notion that these two are being seriously considered.

  • I think that would be more salient Maria if it were two current members of congress. Nunn seems too far removed to be relevant in any context other than a potential VP.

  • Yes, but security and defense are his bailiwicks, doubtful.

    I dunno. Maybe I’m trying to talk myself away from the horror of Sam Nunn or Evan Bayh as VP…

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