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Quinnipiac: Swing States Get Tighter more similar news »
The latest Quinnipiac polls from three critical swing states are out and they show the presidential race getting tighter over the last two months.
Florida: McCain 47%, Obama 43%
Ohio: Obama 44%, McCain 43%
Pennsylvania: Obama 49%, McCain 42%
Said pollster Peter Brown: "Eight weeks ago, Sen. Barack Obama was on top in all three of these key swing states
and that would make his election almost a sure thing. Times have changed and the election is now
very much a tossup in these states. Sen. Obama needs this convention to give his campaign a jump
start."
Tue Aug 26, 2008 more from this source»»
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Arrests Made in Plot to Harm Obama more similar news »
Authorities said "that at least three people were under arrest on firearms and drug charges in connection with a possible plot to kill Sen. Barack Obama during his speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night," according to the New York Times.
"It was not clear how well along the possible plot was, or whether the people under arrest had found a way to overcome the heavy security surrounding the Democratic convention."
Tue Aug 26, 2008 more from this source»»
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Biden's Book Flies Off The Shelf more similar news »
If you want to get your book on the bestseller list, try getting named the vice presidential nominee of your party.
The New York Times notes Sen. Joe Biden's memoir from last year "has become a best-selling title in the very brief time since Barack Obama, the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, announced that Mr. Biden would be his running mate... The book was released by Random House last summer, shortly after Mr. Biden announced he was running for president, but initial sales were unimpressive. That was then. As of Sunday afternoon, the book was at No. 31 on the amazon.com bestseller list, and No. 11 on Barnes & Noble's list."
Tue Aug 26, 2008 more from this source»»
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A Four Day Infomercial more similar news »
Walter Shapiro perfectly describes what it's like to be at the Democratic National Convention this week.
"A political convention has become an anachronism; the glory days of
smoke-filled rooms, delegates in funny hats, and suspenseful roll-call
votes are gone. Conventions are now excuses for both parties to
bludgeon the television networks into running four nights of political
infomercials. The elaborate and seemingly endless negotiations over
whether Hillary Clinton will get a full roll-call vote on Wednesday
night or whether the balloting will quickly be broken off for an
Obama-by-acclamation confetti drop illustrate how ridiculously
ritualized the whole quadrennial spectacle has become. So, in a sense,
every reporter in Denver is on the television beat. And the
journalistic danger lies in confusing the attitudes of the studio
audience (the delegates) with the sentiments of Nielsen families (the
voters)."
Tue Aug 26, 2008 more from this source»»
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All About Kennedy more similar news »
Despite an excellent speech by Michelle Obama, the first night of the
Democratic National Convention reminded all the delegates that the
Democratic Party is still best represented by the Kennedy family.
The tribute video
to Sen. Ted Kennedy was especially good. But the surprise speech by Kennedy --
especially his references to fighting for national health care --
literally brought down the house. In many ways he embodies what the delegates hope an Obama presidency will be about.
Interestingly, the only unscripted moment of the convention was when
the Obama girls took the microphone to speak to their father over a
satellite hook up after their mother's speech. It was also a reminder of President Kennedy raising a young family in the White House.
Tue Aug 26, 2008 more from this source»»
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Clinton, Obama Working On Roll Call Deal more similar news »
Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama "are working on a deal to
give her some votes in the presidential nomination roll call, but end
the divided balloting quickly with a unanimous consent for Obama," according to the AP.
"Democratic
officials involved in the negotiations say the idea is that at the
start of the state-by-state roll call Wednesday night, delegates would
cast their votes for Clinton or Obama. But the voting would be
cut off after a couple states, perhaps ending with New York, when
Clinton herself would call for a unanimous backing for Obama from the
convention floor."
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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Young Voters Stay With Obama more similar news »
A new Harvard Institute of Politics poll of young voters shows Sen. Barack Obama with a huge 23 point lead over Sen. John McCain, 55% to 32% with 13% undecided.
This lead is virtually unchanged since the last poll in the spring before the Democratic nomination was settled.
Key finding: "Overall, 62% of
young voters report that they are excited (23% very excited, 39%
somewhat excited) about the upcoming election, including 69% of 18 to
24 year olds currently in college."
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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Kennedy Will Appear at Convention more similar news »
"In a moment that is sure to bring down the house," Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy (D-MA) "is expected to attend the Democratic National Convention, most
likely to deliver a speech tonight," according to the Boston Globe.
"Buzz has built among Massachusetts politicos that Kennedy would come,
and yesterday a Bay State Democrat close to the family confirmed that
Kennedy has decided to travel to Denver, probably for an opening-night
address."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirms to Time his uncle is in Denver and will at least make an appearance at the convention.
And Ben Smith confirms Kennedy will speak to the delegates.
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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This Week Is About Democrats more similar news »
Many polls in the last several weeks note that Sen. John McCain is winning a greater percentage of registered Republicans (around 85%) than Sen. Barack Obama is getting among Democrats (around 80%). Obama is most-likely suffering from the long, tough-fought primary with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Marc Ambinder makes a good point: "Obama will try to use this convention to increase his standing among
Democrats. This convention is NOT aimed at persuading people who call
themselves independents and moderates. It's about persuading people who
lean left and call themselves Democrats but who, for many reasons,
aren't sure about Obama."
Update: Amy Sullivan notes that with all the Clinton controversy "it may come as a surprise that the Democrats who will gather around the gavel in Denver are actually more united than perhaps at any other point in the past 30 years."
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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Springstein, Bon Jovi to Perform for Democrats more similar news »
"Multiple sources confirmed to the Rocky that Jon Bon Jovi will fly in to perform two acoustic songs before Sen. Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech at Invesco Field on Thursday. After the speech, Bruce Springsteen will close out the night, presumably solo acoustic (E Street Band member Nils Lofgren told the Rocky last week that the band wouldn't be with Springsteen in Denver). "
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Remains Very Close more similar news »
A new Columbus Dispatch poll in Ohio finds Sen. John McCain just edging past Sen. Barack Obama, 42% to 41%.
Key findings: "McCain is being bolstered by Ohio voters who supported Hillary
Clinton in the state's March 4 Democratic primary and those who backed Democratic Gov. Ted
Strickland in 2006. McCain also is doing better among party loyalists: 86 percent of Republicans
back McCain, while 74 percent of Democrats support Obama."
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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Suffolk Poll: Obama Leads By Five in Colorado more similar news »
A new Suffolk University poll in Colorado finds Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain, 44% to 39%.
Said pollster David Paleologos: "With Colorado among at least seven battleground states that will swing
this Presidential election, an Obama lead here puts enormous pressure
on John McCain. Should Obama go on
to win Colorado, it would almost force McCain to run the table with the
remaining battleground states or lose the election."
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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How Biden Got the Nod more similar news »
The Wall Street Journal has the must-read piece of the day on how Sen. Joe Biden lobbied to become Sen. Barack Obama's running mate.
"When the Obama campaign's vice-presidential vetters sought financial
statements, political speeches and medical records, Sen. Biden's team
turned the grueling task into an opportunity to sell their man"
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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CNN Poll: Presidential Race Dead Even more similar news »
The first CNN poll conducted entirely after Sen. Barack Obama named Sen Joe Biden as his running mate "suggests that battle for the
presidency between the Illinois senator and Republican rival John
McCain is all tied up."
Both Obama and McCain attract 47% support in the new survey.
The pollsters speculate Obama may have lost support from some supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton since she was not picked as the vice presidential nominee.
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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CNN Forced Obama to Send Early Text Message more similar news »
Sen. Barack Obama planned to name Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate by text message at 8 a.m. ET Saturday morning, but was forced to move up the announcement when CNN broke the story after midnight.
The message instead went out just after 3 a.m. ET.
Said senior Obama aide Robert Gibbs: "Had a certain network not blown our cover at a certain time the text message would have gone out in the morning, 8 a.m. Eastern. We told people they would find out from us. When we decided it was going to get out we decided to send the text out."
Mon Aug 25, 2008 more from this source»»
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Mason-Dixon: Western States Remain Battleground more similar news »
Mason Dixon released new polls from various Western states:
Nevada: McCain 46%, Obama 39%
New Mexico: McCain 45%, Obama 41%
Arizona: McCain 47%, Obama 41%
Colorado: Obama 46%, McCain 43%
Wyoming: McCain 62%, Obama 25%
Utah: McCain 62%, Obama 23%
These polls show very good news for Obama in Colorado and Arizona; and for McCain in Nevada and New Mexico.
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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The Third Time more similar news »
Walter Shapiro: "The Democrats' last two vice-presidential picks, Joe Lieberman and John
Edwards, have not -- to put it gently -- aged well politically. But
Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden may prove that the third time in
this decade is the charm."
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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Convention Week Agenda more similar news »
The following guest post is from Dan Conley, a former speechwriter for Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Here are the things the Democrats need to get done this week:
Sell the Middle Class Tax Cut. John McCain doesn't offer one, Barack Obama does. McCain is running ad after ad saying Obama will raise taxes -- it's a lie. For the bottom 97 percent of American taxpayers, Barack Obama will cut your taxes and John McCain won't.
Pound the economic elitism storyline. McCain gift wrapped an issue for Democrats this week by not knowing how many homes he owns. He's out of touch. He thinks people who make $4 million a year are middle class. He thinks the Bush economic approach is working.
Turnaround the celebrity/cult issue. There's a real political cult stalking America, but not the one you think. The real cult is one of warrior pencil-necked geeks ... a political Fight Club for all the boys who got beat up in high school. They hold the corner offices in think tanks and dominate the op-ed pages of big city newspapers. They walk in John McCain's shadow and throw around pro wrestling words like "smackdown," thinking that the U.S. military can restore their manhood. And yes, some of them are U.S. Senators, most notably McCain's fey sidekicks Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman ...
Destroy Joe Lieberman. The Dems made a huge mistake in 2004 by not bloodying up Zell Miller in Boston before he could attack them in New York. This time, Lieberman must be annihilated. I'd use Jim Webb or Wesley Clark to twist the knife into him.
Get real. No need for flash or showbiz. No need for soaring rhetoric. America knows we can do that, they expect it. Talk about where we are, how we got there and exactly how we'll get out. Bob the Builder chants aren't enough ... turn the convention into Extreme Makeover, America Edition.
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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Biden's Seat Not At Risk more similar news »
James Pindell notes Sen. Barack Obama's selection of Sen. Joe Biden to be his
running mate "should not have a major impact on control of the U.S.
Senate."
"Biden, who is up for re-election this year, faces
nominal competition from television pundit Christine O' Donnell. A spokeswoman for Delaware's Board of Elections said this week that
Biden can run concurrently for both the Senate and vice president, just
like Joe Lieberman did in 2000."
Furthermore, it is unlikely that Democrats "will lose control of
Biden's seat in the Senate if he and Barack Obama take the White House."
CQ rates the seat Safe Democrat.
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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PPP Poll: Obama Retains Edge in Virgina more similar news »
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Virginia finds Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain by two points, 47% to 45%.
Key findings: "Obama has held a two point lead in all three of PPP's Virginia
polls. He's not having as much of a problem here as he is in some other
states with nailing down the Democratic vote- an 84-12 lead with voters
in his own party is not too dissimilar from John McCain's 89-7.
Independents are basically split with Obama leading 41-39."
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Plans Massive Text Message Blast more similar news »
"Democratic leaders plan to use Barack Obama 's acceptance speech Thursday evening as the spearhead of a high-tech effort to reach out simultaneously to millions of voters," CQ Politics reports.
"The planned effort -- which will include asking all 75,000 or so people in the audience to text message or cell phone friends across the country -- represents the latest twist in the Obama campaign's unprecedented use of communications technology."
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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Quinniapiac Poll: Colorado Remains Very Tight more similar news »
A new Quinnipiac poll in Colorado shows Sen. John McCain just edging Sen. Barack Obama, 47% to 46%.
Said pollster Peter Brown: "Colorado is one of the most important battleground states that will decide the
presidency as Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama slug it out nose to nose. If the national
election is close in November, a handful of votes in Colorado will be decisive. Right now,
independent voters are split with 46 percent for Sen. McCain and 44 percent for Sen. Obama."
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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What Obama's Pick Means more similar news »
Politico examines Sen. Barack Obama's selection of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate and says it tells us five things about the Democratic nominee:
1. He's fixing for a fight.
2. He's a lot more conventional than advertised.
3. He's insecure about security.
4. He's more worried about Lunchbox Joe than Bubba.
5. He doesn't hold a grudge -- or at least doesn't let one get in the way.
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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WP/ABC Poll: Obama Leads By Four Points more similar news »
The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain, 49% to 45%.
"The results show little movement from the last Post-ABC survey,
conducted in mid-July, before Obama embarked on a highly publicized
trip overseas and prior to a series of fierce exchanges between the
campaigns. Other recent national polls also show only limited changes
in the overall race heading into the conventions, although several of
those surveys indicate an even-tighter race."
The poll was taken before Obama named Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate.
Sun Aug 24, 2008 more from this source»»
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Early Reactions to Obama's Pick more similar news »
Just as news broke early this morning of Sen. Barack Obama's choice of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, Sen. John McCain's campaign sent out a prepared attack ad using a quote from Biden saying that Obama was not "ready" to be president. It was predictable given that the two men were primary opponents; more interesting will be the Obama campaign's response this morning.
From a purely political perspective, no presidential campaign has ever handled the announcement of a running mate so deftly. The Obama campaign set a new standard that will be studied for years.
Other reactions:
New York Times: "Mr. Obama's selection ended a two-month search that was conducted
almost entirely in secret. It reflected a critical strategic choice by
Mr. Obama: To go with a running mate who could reassure voters about
gaps in his résumé, rather than to pick someone who could deliver a
state or reinforce Mr. Obama's message of change."
Politico:
"On foreign policy and national security, an area where John McCain
regularly assails Obama's lack of experience, Democrats offer few more
seasoned practitioners than Biden."
First Read: "On the Democratic side, it was a collective 'phew.' As the days got
nearer for the pick, it was hard to find a Democrat -- even savvy
Clintonites -- who weren't hoping it would be Biden. Only the most
strident Hillary supporters appear to be upset this morning. On the GOP
side, the sound you heard was disappointed silence. Of everyone on the
short list, the candidate many Republicans least wanted to see Obama
pick was Biden."
Mark Halperin: "Balanced against all of those unmatched qualifications is one quality
that has afflicted Biden for as long as anyone can remember: a persistent
tendency to say silly, offensive, and off-putting things. Over the next few
days (and, likely, weeks) some of Biden's ungreatest hits of gab will be
recycled by the media and Republicans aiming to take the luster off Obama's
choice of running mate."
Craig Crawford: "Obama-Biden works on several fronts, A longtime sentimental favorite among the Democratic faithful, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden provides a comfort zone for labor leaders, Catholics (he is one) and national-security voters. Although Biden's poor fundraising skills doomed his presidential campaigns, he performs extremely well in debates and demonstrated considerable skill at shifting from the arcane language of the Senate chamber to the street language of the campaign trail."
David Brody: "Time will tell if Barack Obama made the right choice in picking Joe
Biden but if you look at it on paper, it makes a whole lot of sense."
Marc Ambinder: "Obama-Biden will be a formidable ticket, and a risky ticket, and not a comfort zone choice for Obama."
Jonathan Cohn: "Conservatives will blast [Biden's] record, just as
surely as liberals will (or should) celebrate it. But one of the
virtues of having Biden as the vice presidential nominee is that he
won't take those kinds of attacks lightly. He'll fight back. He'll
remind people, rightly, that being a liberal Democrat means raising the
minimum wage, making sure everybody has affordable health care,
providing strong public schools, and protecting human rights. Then,
he'll ask why conservative Republicans don't want the same things.
That's exactly the kind of political debate this country needs. By
picking Biden as a running mate, Obama has signaled that he welcomes
this argument--and intends, finally, to win it."
Sat Aug 23, 2008 more from this source»»
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Bloomberg May Fight Term Limits more similar news »
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg "has quietly approached some of the city's most powerful media figures to assess whether their publications would endorse a bid to overturn New York City's term limits, which could clear a path for him to run for re-election next year," the New York Times reports.
"Such a move would upend New York's political world and be a dramatic reversal for the mayor."
Sat Aug 23, 2008 more from this source»»
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Activity at Biden's House more similar news »
CNN -- which has had a camera trained on Sen. Joe Biden's home all day -- reports there is now "a flurry of
activity" there.
"Cars have recently pulled into the driveway -- including a police car -- and Biden's daughter, son, and wife are now believed to be inside."
First Read: "Just asking, so which news organization is going to irresponsibly go
with Biden without confirmation from Biden or the Obama campaign --
even though they all have the same information we do? Some news org who
loves credit and hits has to be itchin'..."
Sat Aug 23, 2008 more from this source»»
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It's Not Bayh or Kaine more similar news »
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) have been told by Sen. Barack Obama's
campaign they will not be his vice presidential choice, NBC News
reports.
"Speculation
about Obama's choice has centered on Bayh, Kaine and Delaware Sen.
Joseph Biden. Other names in the mix include Kansas Gov. Kathleen
Sebelius, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, New Mexico Gov. Bill
Richardson and Texas Rep. Chet Edwards."
Campaign officials told the AP that they "had taken the trouble to print material bearing the names of several
potential ticketmates -- thereby minimizing the significance of a report
that a printing company in Kansas was churning out signs bearing Bayh's
name."
The AP confirms Kaine was told he's not Obama's pick.
CNN confirms Bayh was told he's not the pick either.
Sat Aug 23, 2008 more from this source»»
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More Running Mate Hints? more similar news »
A Kansas City television station reports a local company is printing Obama-Bayh bumper stickers. The design, however, looks very unlikely. A reader also notes there's no union label on the bumper sticker.
Marc Ambinder finds a charter flight from Chicago to Delaware. More information here. Could it be Joe Biden's flight?
The New York Times asked Sen. Hillary Clinton if she wanted to be Obama's pick, and she responded: "I have never said I did. I have always said I would do whatever I can
because I feel so strongly in making sure that we elect senator Obama
our next president. I'm going to do everything I can as I did yesterday
in Florida to make sure that happens."
The Hotline staked out Biden's home in Delaware: "We have not seen the senator or his wife, leading some to wonder if he may have snuck out overnight."
Dan Balz is impressed with the Obama campaign: "So far they've orchestrated the
vice presidential roll out deftly -- delaying it until the eve of the
convention to assure that they dominate the last days before opening
night with real news, while steadily ratcheting up the frenzy of
speculation in the days beforehand."
And so is Politico: "In dragging out the announcement of his vice-presidential nominee to almost the eve of the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama has at once demonstrated his willingness to defy conventional political expectations--and to hold the news media in his thrall while doing it."
Sat Aug 23, 2008 more from this source»»
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