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The Money Is On Biden more similar news »
For what it's worth, the political futures markets are converging Friday afternoon on Sen. Joe Biden as the most likely running mate for Sen. Barack Obama.
Of course, they're trading on the same unsubstantiated rumors that everyone else hears.
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Turnout Among Unmarried Women Key for Obama more similar news »
A new Greenberg Quinlan Roser survey finds unmarried women overwhelmingly backing Sen. Barack Obama for president, 58% to 29%,
"but their commitment to voting lags behind
the rest of the country."
Key finding: "It is almost impossible to understand the 'women's vote' without
understanding the role marital status plays in political
decision-making. Marital status not only drives how women vote, but
whether they vote."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Senate Republicans Fail in Fundraising Effort more similar news »
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), the head of the Senate Republicans' campaign effort, said his colleagues "have not heeded his calls
for contributions to contested races, threatening advertising on behalf
of GOP candidates," CQ Politics reports.
Said Ensign: "It has become clear that my call has gone largely unanswered. I have no control over the timing or
content of (independent) ads, but I have had no choice but to decrease
the total budget for our (independent expenditures) unit.
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Edwards Said to Be On Short List more similar news »
The Associated Press reports that Sen. Barack Obama "is hours away from naming his running mate, as
little-known Texas congressman Chet Edwards is emerging as a finalist."
"Democratic officials say that Edwards was one of the few Democrats
whose background was checked by Obama's campaign, and he was a finalist
for the job."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Makes the Calls more similar news »
Sen. Barack Obama "called some people on his short-list for the vice
presidential slot Thursday night to tell them he had not selected them
as running mate," a highly placed Democratic party source told CNN.
The source did not say which people got the call.
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Why McCain's Homes Matter more similar news »
Sen. John McCain's inability to tell a reporter how many home he owns became a major issue in the campaign last night, with segments on all three network news programs.
Chris Cilliza nails why it matters: "In politics, there is nothing worse than appearing out of touch."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Weighed Change vs. Experience in Pick more similar news »
We know Sen. Barack Obama has made his choice for a running mate, and a source tells CNN Obama was "very hung up on the experience versus change" and how his message of change may conflict with a longtime Washington insider.
"The source doesn't know who Obama ultimately chose, but confirms Sens. Joe Biden and Evan Bayh, along with Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine are all in the running."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Kaine Allies Don't Think It's Him more similar news »
Marc Abminder: "Virginia Democrats close to Gov. Tim Kaine read a lot into Kaine's body
language during the day yesterday. He seemed... to know. Apparently,
he doesn't have much of a poker face. From his mien, we've all
concluded that Obama told Kaine he wouldn't be picked and that Kaine
was wearing the rejection."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Detroit Free Press: Obama Jumps to Lead in Michigan more similar news »
A new Detroit Free Press poll in Michigan gives Sen. Barack Obama a seven point lead over Sen. John McCain, 46% to 39%.
Key findings: "Obama has significantly more support among voters younger than 35
and an 11-point lead among women statewide. Among men, the two
candidates are virtually tied."
"Still, the numbers could move.
Nearly one-third -- 31% -- of those polled said they could be persuaded
to change their minds by Election Day Nov. 4."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Biden Family Gathers in Delaware more similar news »
In anticipation of Sen. Barack Obama's announcement of a running mate, NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports that one of Sen. Joe Biden's sons was flown in a private plane from Maine to the Senator's home in Delaware on Wednesday. Biden is "gathering the clan."
Another report said Biden has stopped talking to the media again.
Jonathan Alter thinks it's Biden "for some of the very reasons that were thought to disqualify Biden."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Romney? more similar news »
Mark Halperin has two Republican sources who say Sen. John McCain will pick Mitt Romney as his running mate.
Update: He took down the report with no explanation.
Update II: Marc Ambinder reports there are "hints" of a major McCain rally being planned in Michigan "on or about 8/31."
Fri Aug 22, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama to Highlight McCain's Houses more similar news »
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign, "moving rapidly to exploit what they see as a major opportunity, is deploying high-profile surrogates in 16 states across the country today to highlight John McCain's uncertainty yesterday about how many houses he owns," according to Politico.
"Governors, members of Congress and state legislators will hold conference calls and press conferences in front of homes to draw attention to the issue."
CNN quotes Obama today on the campaign trail: "Now think about that -- I guess if you think that being rich means you
gotta make five million dollars, and if you don't know how many houses
you have, then it's not surprising that you might think the economy is
fundamentally strong," he continued. "But if you're like me and you've
got one house -- or you were like the millions of people who are
struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don't
lose their home -- you might have a different perspective..."
The Obama campaign even put up a new ad on the topic.
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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Nothing Has Changed, Race Is Still Close more similar news »
The following guest post is from Charlie Cook, publisher of the Cook Political Report.
In recent days, it has been killing me to watch over-caffeinated journalists, bloggers and cable networks talk about the Presidential race tightening up. The bottom line: Obama has been pretty consistently in the lead by 2-4 points since March. The gap between Democrats and Republicans on generic presidential and congressional ballot tests has narrowed ever so slightly, but it's hard to imagine that Democrats could hold such leads as the campaign begins in earnest.
The media cycle is oh-so-predictable. One poll comes out with a wider margin than the average. The 'Excitables' then push the "Obama is pulling away" mantra, despite the fact that the poll was an outlier from most of the others. Then that same polling organization (the same ones often provide a disproportionate share of the outliers) will come out with a new poll, close to the average, and the new mantra is "Obama's lead is evaporating." Meanwhile, very little, if anything, has happened.
This race, in my opinion, has been close, is close and hasn't changed much. Republicans have firmed up a bit but that is to be expected. Obama still is underperforming in his party, a sign that should be worrisome to Democrats. But, again, that is not new.
If you see the Pollster.com trend estimates or the Real Clear Politics averages get to dead even and stay there for a few days, or Obama widen his lead to six for more than a few days, you know the race has changed. But until then, avoid over interpreting outlier polls.
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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MPR Poll: Obama Holds Double-Digit Lead in Minnesota more similar news »
A new Minnesota Public Radio poll in Minnesota shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain by 10 points, 48% to 38%.
However, the poll indicates the race is still very fluid and suggests McCain could close the gap, and possibly win in Minnesota, if he picks Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) as his running mate.
Key findings: "The results show deep disapproval of President Bush's job performance and a view that the country is heading in the wrong direction. Both of those factors are helping Obama and hurting McCain. Age appears to be a negative for McCain, and lack of experience is hurting Obama."
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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NPR Poll: Obama, McCain Run Close in Battleground States more similar news »
A new NPR poll of likely voters in 19 battleground states finds Sen. Barack Obama edging Sen. John McCain, 46% to 45%. President Bush won 14 of the 19 states surveyed in the 2004 presidential election.
Key findings: "Fifty-one percent of the likely voters surveyed thought Obama was too
risky, compared with 38% for McCain. The Arizona senator had an
advantage of 10 percentage points when it came to being seen as a
strong leader."
"But the campaign has also exposed weaknesses for McCain. Asked which
candidate is independent -- once his stock in trade -- 42% of
those surveyed said McCain, while 46% said Obama."
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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Debates Finalized more similar news »
The Obama and McCain campaigns released a joint statement today noting their agreement on three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. All four debates will begin at 9pm ET, and last for 90 minutes.
First Presidential Debate -- September 26 at the University of Mississippi
Topic: Foreign Policy & National Security
Moderator: Jim Lehrer
Staging: Podium debate
Answer Format: The debate will be broken into nine, 9-minute segments. The moderator will introduce a topic and allow each candidate 2 minutes to comment. After these initial answers, the moderator will facilitate an open discussion of the topic for the remaining 5 minutes, ensuring that both candidates receive an equal amount of time to comment
Vice Presidential Debate -- October 2 at Washington University (St. Louis)
Moderator: Gwen Ifill
Staging/Answer Format: To be resolved after both parties' Vice Presidential nominees are selected.
Second Presidential Debate -- October 7 at Belmont University
Moderator: Tom Brokaw
Staging: Town Hall debate
Format: The moderator will call on members of the audience (and draw questions from the internet). Each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond to each question. Following those initial answers, the moderator will invite the candidates to respond to the previous answers, for a total of 1 minute, ensuring that both candidates receive an equal amount of time to comment. In the spirit of the Town Hall, all questions will come from the audience (or internet), and not the moderator.
Third Presidential Debate -- October 15 at Hofstra University
Topic: Domestic and Economic policy
Moderator: Bob Schieffer
Staging: Candidates will be seated at a table
Answer Format: Same as First Presidential Debate
Closing Statements: At the end of this debate (only) each candidate shall have the opportunity for a 90 second closing statement.
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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McCain Will Not Pledge to Serve One Term more similar news »
Sen. John McCain "stated unequivocally" in an interview with Politico that he "would not pledge to serve only a single four-year term, rejecting a suggestion that some allies believe would allay questions about his age and underscore his non-partisan message of putting country first."
"There has been speculation that McCain, 71, could couple a single-term
promise with an untraditional running mate such as
Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) to make
the case that he would shove political interests aside and run a
consensus-oriented government with the Democratic-held Congress."
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Drops Hints About Veep more similar news »
Despite saying he wouldn't talk about his running mate until he made his announcement, Sen. Barack Obama "offered some clues as to how he is approaching the decision, and... a sense that he had pretty much made up his mind."
Karen Tumulty speculates: "All that put together, if I were to guess who it would be based
strictly on what Obama himself has said, I would say the pick is either
Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana (low profile, both executive and foreign
policy experience, but a supporter of the Iraq War), or a surprise
whose name has not been circulating on the pundits' short lists."
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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White House Still Missing Emails more similar news »
"The White House is missing as many as 225 days of e-mail dating back to
2003 and there is little if any likelihood a recovery effort will be
completed by the time the Bush administration leaves office," according
to an internal White House draft document obtained by the Associated
Press.
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D-IL) criticized how the problem has been handled: "The
White House that wants to keep track of all your e-mail and phone
records can't even keep track of their own."
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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What Late Veep Pick? more similar news »
The following guest post is from Stuart Rothenberg, publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report.
I thought it odd last month when there was a flurry of talk about Senators Barack Obama and John McCain possibly announcing their running mates. Make a selection more than a month before the conventions, thereby eliminating the big reason for getting excited in late July and most of August? It seemed like a crazy idea to me.
Now, with the announcements near, some again are wondering why Obama and McCain have waited so long to announce their picks.
Let's be clear: Early picks are the exception, not "late picks." Most selections over the past 25 years have taken place the week before the conventions, so if Obama's and McCain's picks are "late," it's only because the conventions are late. Blame the International Olympic Committee, if you must.
1980 Bush (R) -- July 17, during the Convention (July 14-17)
1984 Ferraro (D) -- July 12, the week before the Convention (July 16-19)
1988 Quayle (R) -- Aug. 16, during the Convention (Aug. 15-18)
1988 Bentsen (D) -- July 12, the week before the Convention (July 18-21)
1992 Gore (D) -- July 9, the week before the Convention (July 13-16)
1996 Kemp (R) -- Aug. 10, two days before the Convention (Aug. 12-15)
2000 Lieberman (D) -- Aug. 7, the week before the Convention (Aug. 15-17)
2000 Cheney (R) -- July 25, the week before the Convention (July 31-Aug. 3)
2004 -- Edwards (D) -- July 6, three weeks before the Convention (July 26-29)
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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Congresswoman Dies more similar news »
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) died Wednesday after suffering an aneurysm, according to officials at the hospital where she was being treated, CQ Politics reports.
Tubbs Jones represented OH-11 since 1999 and was chairwoman of the House's
ethics committee. She was 58.
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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WSJ/NBC Poll: McCain is Negative But It's Working more similar news »
By a nearly six-to-one margin, voters say Sen. John McCain is running a negative campaign against Sen. Barack Obama, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
"Nearly three in 10 voters, 29%, pointed to McCain as the candidate
running a negative campaign, compared to just 5% who said Obama is
running a negative campaign. McCain's 29% rating is the highest of any
one candidate in the previous two presidential elections."
In a head-to-head matchup, Obama now leads McCain by just three points, 45% to 42%, down from six points just a month ago.
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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NYT/CBS Poll: More Proof McCain Attacks are Working more similar news »
Sen. John McCain has cut Sen. Barack Obama's nationwide lead in half, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll. Obama is now ahead by three points, 45% to 42%, down from six points two weeks ago.
Key finding: "A majority of voters say McCain is spending more time attacking Obama
than explaining what he would do as president. Obama, by better than
two to one, is viewed as running a positive campaign."
Thu Aug 21, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Advance Teams Sent to Indiana more similar news »
The Nashville Post "has learned that senior campaign officials from the Barack Obama
Presidential campaign are being dispatched from various locations
around the country and are converging in Indianapolis for a 'major
event' to take place on Saturday."
"Saturday is the same day that
Obama is expected to make his first public appearance with his yet to
be announced vice presidential running mate. Indiana is the home state
of Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, widely considered to be on the short
list of Democratic vice presidential contenders."
Of course, Obama plans a tour of battleground states with his running mate and Indiana may simply be a stop on that tour.
Update: An Obama aide tells the Washington Post "unequivocally that the report of a planned Indiana trip is untrue."
Wed Aug 20, 2008 more from this source»»
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Americans Seek a New Patriotism more similar news »
A new Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll finds that more Americans rate Sen. John McCain as patriotic (74%) than
Sen. Barack Obama, (56%).
However, when Obama "frames his idea of patriotism in
terms that call on America to live up to its ideals and promise,
respondents prefer his patriotism-centered argument over McCain's more
traditional patriotic framing by 11 points."
Wed Aug 20, 2008 more from this source»»
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Cronkite-Eight Poll: McCain Leads By 10 in Arizona more similar news »
The latest Cronkite-Eight poll in Arizona shows Sen. John McCain leading Sen. Barack Obama by ten points, 40% to 30%.
The Obama campaign notes McCain has not been able to crack 40% support in his home state.
Said pollster Tara Blanc: "Obama will most likely benefit from a higher turnout. Whether that's enough for him to win Arizona, probably not. But it
could impact the percent by which McCain would carry Arizona."
Wed Aug 20, 2008 more from this source»»
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GWU Poll: Obama Loses National Lead more similar news »
The new GWU Battleground poll shows Sen. John McCain just edging Sen. Barack Obama, 40% to 39%.
Democratic analysis: "For most of the summer, these dynamics combined to afford Obama a narrow, though consistent lead. At this point in the contest, however, after a continued and largely unanswered negative campaign on the part of McCain, the race is a statistical dead heat (47% for McCain to 46% for Obama). Underneath the more modest movement in the overall vote from our last poll, however, is a larger shift among independents that is of particular concern for Obama. In May, Obama led among independents by 14 points; today, McCain is winning these voters by 10 points."
Republican analysis: "The 2008 presidential campaign is far from over. As this survey reveals, of the 13 attributes tested between the two candidates, John McCain enjoys an advantage on half of them. Indeed, McCain has seen improvement on every comparative attribute repeated in this study save one - and it is the one in which McCain enjoys his most commanding lead (the war in Iraq). This positive re-evaluation of John McCain (in comparison to Barack Obama) is the untold story of the last three months of this election."
Wed Aug 20, 2008 more from this source»»
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