Wednesday’s political round-up

September 26, 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:

* According to the latest fundraising tallies, the DCCC has $22.1 million in the bank, and $3.1 million in debt, for a total of $19 million. It’s Republican counterpart, the NRCC, has $1.6 million in the bank, and $4 million in debt, for a total of negative $2.4 million. That’s just astounding. No wonder House Republicans are freaking out.

* A new WMUR poll conducted in New Hampshire shows Hillary Clinton with a big lead, earning 43% support, followed by Barack Obama with 23% and John Edwards with 12%. That gap may soon narrow a bit — Obama launched his first New Hampshire TV ads of the season just this week.

* Rudy Giuliani distanced himself last week from a lawsuit he personally helped launch against gun manufacturers during his tenure as mayor. The move drew a rare rebuke from Michael Bloomberg this week. While Giuliani told the NRA that the lawsuit had “taken several turns and several twists that I don’t agree with,” Bloomberg explained that the case had “not changed at all” since its inception.

* Obama, who could really use a boost in Iowa, is nevertheless skipping the annual Johnson County Democrats’ Fall Barbeque on October 6. Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, and Dodd will be there. The announcement comes shortly after Obama was criticized for skipping an AARP candidate forum in Iowa last week.

* And speaking of Iowa, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), who has struggled to break through all year, will apparently put his campaign on the line in the Hawkeye State: “Word out of the Biden campaign Tuesday tonight is that he is dispatching almost all of his senior national staff to the state for the final months before the state’s caucuses, which are expected to go off some time in early January…. Larry Rasky, communications director for the campaign, confirms that the decision to move senior staff en masse into Iowa means Biden is in the race until at least the caucuses — quieting rumors (for now) that the Delaware senator might drop his candidacy before the end of the year.”

I’m not sure who is advising Obama. Iowa is the closest of the early states; HRC does not have a commanding lead (and in some polls she is not even leading) in Iowa. The AARP debate was a huge mistake because the average age of caucus goers is overwhelmingly in the AARP membership qualifications. Johnson County is just as bad — it should be one of Obama’s best counties (home of University of Iowa). None of this makes the slightest bit of sense. And he had been running such a good campaign, too.

  • the DCCC has $22.1 million in the bank, and $3.1 million in debt, for a total of $19 million. It’s Republican counterpart, the NRCC, has $1.6 million in the bank, and $4 million in debt, for a total of negative $2.4 million. – CB

    Somehow this just seems to say so much about the two parties approach to fiscal responsibility.

    Perhaps the NRCC should try using supply side economics to reduce it’s debt. If they reduce their fundraising attempts maybe debt would go away.

  • Two points…

    1. That CNN/WMUR poll is unlike any other — and has a very high margin of error (The pollster acknowledged that the margin of error makes it possibly no different than the earlier one).

    But regardless, it’s certainly getting big play in the media. I’d wait until the next set of NH polls before attaching any significance to it.

    2. Obama declared quite a long time ago that he would not be agreeing to appear at any more “forums.” Why each missed appearance is being reported as something newsworthy is confusing to me. Why not simply say “as per his earlier pledge to limit forum appearences, Obama will not be attending.”

    This may be bad politics on Obama’s part (and including the way each event being missed is somehow “news”), but a more accurate description of the “why” of his absences seems necessary.

    However, after seeing what a snoozer the AARP forum was without Obama. And how it allowed Biden, Richardson, and Dodd to stand out next to Clinton and Edwards suggested at least a little bit of method to Obama’s madness.

  • Kucinich may skip the Johnson county fall barbecue also because he is a vegetarian. He has agreed however to send the other candidates a memo of his thoughts for the week so they know what to say on the issues and which plans they can borrow from him since they usually run about 2wks behind on following his lead. It usually takes Clinton a few days to remove the “Been there and done that…signed Kucinich” signs before speaking out or unveiling plans. Thank God for Kucinich…the only candidate who will bring real change.

    Kucinich/Edwards ’08…the truth ticket

  • Here’s one for the nutpicking rightwingers:

    “WHY DOES RUDI GIULIANI HATE GUN MANUFACTURERS?”

    I think Rudi would do well if he had a lifeboat to climb into right now. He will, of course, not get one….

  • I was disappointed that Obama didn’t go to the AARP debate. It was the first debate I’d had a chance to see on TV (no cable, & missed an earlier opportunity), and I’d like to have compared him directly to the other candidates.

  • I think Biden is the best choice for President. He recently got both Democrats and Republicans to agree on his bill, which proves he can bring both partys together (which we need) to get anything done! Biden also as the most knowledge out of all of the candidates when it comes to the War, and most important how to get out of it.I think all the top tier Democrats are good but they all have problems I can’t stop seeing. Clinton has too many enemys in the Republican party and with the Independent voter to get to be President and if she happens to get elected nobody will want to work with her too much bad blood. Obama just doesn’t have the experience we so desperately need at this time with our involvement in this war.Edwards seems like a very nice man but he like Obama just dosen’t come across with enough experience. Biden in all the debates comes across as a straight shooter who has a command for all subjects that we are dealing with (expecially the war). I think it would be a pity to not have him as our President. I do think all 3 top tier democratics would be great thou in his Cabinet or as his Vice President if he gets elected President

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