Wednesday’s political round-up

May 30, 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:

* Several news outlets report this morning that Fred Thompson will enter the presidential race soon. Thompson apparently dropped the pretenses during a conference call with supporters yesterday, urging 100 potential donors to each raise at least $50,000. He will reportedly create an exploratory committee next week, in advance of a formal launch sometime over the next month or so.

* Hillary Clinton picked up a major endorsement yesterday when Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) announced his support for her campaign. The NYT noted, “In a telephone interview yesterday, Mr. Villaraigosa described a lengthy courtship by both Clintons, starting with a phone call from Mrs. Clinton on the January morning when she announced her presidential candidacy. The mayor also recalled conversations with her at his Los Angeles home and at his office; two private dinners in Washington; and several phone conversations.” The formal announcement is expected today in L.A.

* Mitt Romney raised a few eyebrows yesterday when he announced that, if elected president, he would give his salary away. While governor of Massachusetts, Romney, who became a multi-millionaire as a venture capitalist, declined his $135,000 annual salary.

* Joining what appears to be every other state in the Union, Georgia and Alaska pushed their presidential primaries up to Feb. 5. The date has become a de facto national primary.

* And the American Spectator put the rumor mill in motion yesterday with a report on Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) weighing a presidential campaign. A few hours later, Coburn’s office shot down the rumors. “He has no intention of running for president,” Coburn spokesman John Hart said. He chalked up the buzz to “effective rumor planting by powerful donors who want to see a wholesale shake-up in the GOP.”

Re: Fred Thompson – other news is that Tim Griffin – the guy who replaced Bud Cummins as USA in ED Arkansas, the oppo research and caging whiz and Karl Rove’s BFF – is being talked about as joining the Thompson campaign…

Pretty much says all you need to know about Thompson, especially when you add Thompson’s support of Scooter Libby to the mix.

  • Strictly speaking, Alaska is moving its caucuses to Super Duper Tuesday; the state’s primary election isn’t until August. But still… February 5th. Wow.

  • “Powerful Donors who want to see a shake up in the GOP”

    Powerful donors. Is this not an admission that American Politics are bought and sold like commodities? How is it that “Donors” have more influence than the electorate?
    If only a “powerful donor ” is capable of influencing our political structure, where does that leave the rest of us?

    Democracy my ass!

  • “effective rumor planting by powerful donors who want to see a wholesale shake-up in the GOP.”

    Say, wouldn’t those donors be the oil/gas and utility industries that are shit scared that the Dems will win in 08? The same ones who have their hands jammed up his ass and telling Okie’s shame what to say about global climate change?

  • I got a question:

    I heard some talking heads opining yesterday about the campaign starting so early and that with summer vacations and all, nobody is really paying attention, etc, and that maybe Gingrich has the right idea by holding off until September , etc. But my question is – has anyone paid any attention to the filing deadlines for the varous primary races that are being moved forward? In previous years, filing deadlines have occasionally taken on some significance. I would think that there is going to get to a point, really early, where anyone who is interested can’t afford to sit on the sidelines anymore and still be able to get on the ballot in the Feb 5 Tsunami Tuesday states.

  • A national primary on February 5. That’s 6 weeks (42 days exactly) after Christmas. Just freaking wonderful. Every last Christmas special on the television will now be interrupted by political attack ads.

    ‘Tis the season to be grinchy—fa la la la la, la la la humbug. this is going to make Dickens’ “Ebeneezer Scrooge” look like Mother Theresa….

  • Someone once told me that people who (“nobly”) refuse to accept pay, a la Romney, should not be hired. They tend to not take the job seriously after a short period of enthusiasm.

  • I can’t help but wonder why an employer should continue to pay a salary when 100% of it goes to the employee’s favorite charity. It’s one thing for the employee to share a salary with a charity; it’s another for there to be an up-front understanding that the salary will be a de facto subsidy.

  • So Villaraigosa takes the step any upwardly-ambitious politician takes and makes the “safe choice.” Hillary.

    Just another reason among the many to regret my second vote for him as mayor. He manages every day here to prove that a Latino Democrat can be just as big a moron as a white Democrat (his predecessor). At least it took till the third campaign for the various smells in Bradley’s governance to waft out the windows.

  • As much as I didn’t like Iowa and New Hampshire getting to make choices for the rest of us all the time, the Superdooper Tuesday primary seems like a solution that’s worse than the problem. Counldn’t we have a saner and more prolonged time frame for primaries combined with a rotating schedule so that every state gets a chance to go early in the schedule every now and again?

  • I’d rather that office-holders be prohibited from accepting outside income (especially investment income) and be forced to live on their government salaries. Put their assets in a blind trust.

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