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Lieberman Being Vetted By McCain more similar news »
Top aides to Sen. Joe Lieberman "have reached out to former staffers in recent days with substantive questions' about the issue areas they focused on while working for the Connecticut senator," reports Politico.
"Without saying definitively that the information-gathering was being done to share with McCain's campaign, this source said 'it would be unusual if not in the context of being vetted.'"
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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A Few More Veep Rumors more similar news »
Palmetto Scoop: "A source inside the beltway informed me that high ranking officials
throughout Virginia were recently summoned to the governor's office for
an emergency meeting which reportedly involved discussions on the line
of succession if and when Kaine steps down to become Obama's running
mate."
Howard Fineman: "Within the last few hours I've spoken with two of the finalists for the
role of Barack Obama's running-mate, and to two other sources who are
close to the process. My bottom line is this: Barring a big
surprise or last-minute change of heart, the choice is likely to be
Sen. Joe Biden of Deleware, chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee."
Marc Ambinder: "A reader writes: What about Jack Reed of Rhode Island? A friend there says the town is
crawling with Secret Service and government plates. I don't know any
better but to trust him."
Ben Smith: "I thought it would be useful to revisit the very small store of actual information, which is: Chris Dodd, Tim Kaine, and Tom Daschle have been vetted. Sam Nunn says he has not."
Lynn Sweet: "The Obama team... will
showcase the new Obama ticket Saturday in Springfield at the Old State
Capitol, where presumptive Democratic nominee... officially kicked off his campaign in February, 2007... This does not mean that this is the time and place where Obama
announces his running mate; that could happen any time from Wednesday
morning on."
Tribble Ad Agency: "Our sources work within an ad agency that is hired by the Obama
campaign... It appears OBAMASEBELIUS.COM is owned by the Obama Campaign, and the
'hidden' registration will turn into a website after the announcement.
Our lead noted that a site is already being designed .. and advertising
agencies are always full of leaks."
Update: A Political Wire reader emails to say he owns the domain name obamasebelius.com and that he's not affiliated with the Obama campaign in any way.
The Page: "Ridge is out. A GOP strategist says the former Pennsylvania Governor is no longer being considered as McCain's veep."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Democrats, eBay Block Sale of Convention Tickets more similar news »
"Scalpers beware -- Democratic Convention organizers are keeping a tight hold on tickets to Sen. Barack Obama 's acceptance speech at Invesco Field and are working with online auction site eBay.com to keep tickets in the chosen hands," reports CQ Politics.
"According to the Illinois Democrat's campaign and eBay, the popular auction site is banning sales of tickets to the Aug. 28 acceptance speech. eBay is a common tool for reselling tickets to popular events, often well above face value -- something Democratic organizers are trying to avoid."
You can, however, get tickets to previous conventions as collector's items.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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New National Poll Coming more similar news »
The Los Angeles Times teases us with a few details from a new poll coming later today: "Suffice to say that the results will not alter the perception that -- given a seemingly sunny political climate for Democrats -- Barack Obama is under-performing nationally."
For John McCain, "the poll underscores that the more voters focus on domestic issues, the greater the challenge to his hopes of winning the presidency. And he and his aides might be a bit surprised by the findings when voters are asked whether they view Obama as 'too arrogant and presumptuous' and whether McCain could be considered 'too hot-tempered.'"
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Democrats Slam McCain on Oil Ties more similar news »
Reporters joining Sen. John McCain on a visit to an oil rig off the coast of New Orleans today received a special campaign kit from the DNC including a "limited edition Exxon-McCain '08 stress ball" in the shape of an oil drum.
From the included note: "Since we know how stressful it has been to watch your access to the candidate diminish under Steve Schmidt's new rules, we hope you'll accept this oil barrel-shaped stress ball along with some additional Exxon-McCain '08 paraphernalia. It is the least we can do."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Changes Tone more similar news »
Time: "Barack Obama seems to have gotten the message about his message. In the past few days, amid growing concerns among Democratic allies, Obama has begun campaigning in a different gear, one that is more aggressive in attacking John McCain and more focused on the economic concerns of struggling Americans ... As he prepares to name his vice presidential running mate and formally accept the Democratic nomination next week in Denver, Obama is clearly campaigning in a different mode. Where he would rarely even mention McCain in the past, Obama now openly mocks him."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Woodward's Fourth Book on Bush Coming more similar news »
The AP reports Bob Woodward's fourth investigative work on the Bush administration will be released in three weeks.
"The
War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 will be published
Sept. 8 by Simon & Schuster with an announced first printing of
900,000 copies. Simon & Schuster is keeping the book under strict
embargo -- although such embargoes are often broken -- and had even held
back the title."
Mike Allen: "The book's revelations are likely to propel a re-examination of the Iraq war into the headlines just as the fall presidential campaign is taking off."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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McCain Weighing Pro-Choice Running Mate more similar news »
The National Review "has learned that the McCain campaign has
been calling key state GOP officials around the country the last couple
of days and sounding them out about the consequences of a pro-choice VP
pick. The campaign is asking about the reaction of conservative
grass-roots activists to such a pick and whether a pro-choicer can be
sold to them."
This is seen as "an indication that the McCain campaign is serious
about the possibility of a pro-choice VP nominee and that McCain
leaving the door open to Tom Ridge last week may not have been merely a
friendly nod to a longtime supporter. In this scenario, McCain's
emphatic pro-life statements Saturday night and his pledge that he'll
run a 'pro-life administration' would have been partly an attempt to
reassure conservatives in the event of a pro-choice pick."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Quinnipiac: Obama Tops McCain by Five Points more similar news »
The latest Quinnipiac national poll shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain, 47% to 42%. Last month, Obama led by a 50% to 41% margin.
Key findings: McCain leads 46% to 41% among men and leads 65% to 25% among white Evangelical Christians. But Obama leads 53% to 39% among women and leads 55% to 36% among voters 18 to 34 years old. Independent voters now favor Obama by 45% to 39%.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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McCain Plans VP Birthday Bash more similar news »
Our earlier speculation on an errant blog posting appears to be on the right track.
According to Politico, Sen. John McCain "plans to celebrate his 72nd birthday on Aug. 29 by naming his running mate at a huge rally in the battleground state of Ohio."
The campaign "has begun building a crowd of 10,000 for Dayton, Ohio,
according to an organizer. McCain is scheduled to appear with his
running mate at a large-scale event in Pennsylvania shortly thereafter."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama VP Pick Coming Soon more similar news »
Matt Drudge says the New York Times has learned that Sen. Barack Obama has now finalized his choice for a running-mate and "set an elaborate roll-out to announce his decision that will begin with an early morning e-mail to supporters, perhaps as early as Tuesday."
Update: The New York Times says Sen. Evan Bayh, Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Tim Kaine have been Obama's main focus.
"By all indications, Mr. Obama remains likely to chose someone
relatively safe and avoid taking a chance with a game-changing
selection."
Update II: NBC News reports Biden is the leading contender "partly due to his working-class roots and foreign policy expertise."
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Someone's Not Telling the Truth more similar news »
Two different stories on the invitation Ralph Reed sent out to supporters inviting them to a fundraiser for Sen. John McCain.
McCain campaign: "A McCain campaign aide tells ABC News that Reed sent out an email solicitation on his own encouraging people to support Senator McCain, but was not invited to the fundraiser. Another McCain aide said Reed has nothing to do with the campaign, hadn't donated to it, and was not acting on the campaign's behalf in the solicitation e-mail."
Ralph Reed: "Reed told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he sent the e-mail at the request of the campaign and was given boilerplate language to use."
Update: The AP says McCain raised $1.75 million at the event.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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McCain Outspending Obama in Battlegrounds more similar news »
"The McCain campaign has outspent the Obama camp by hundreds of
thousands of dollars, and in some cases by as much as a million dollars
or more, in virtually all of the nearly dozen battleground states where
both campaigns are up on the air," TPM reports.
"McCain is advertising heavily in 11 traditional battlegrounds; Obama is
advertising in those same 11 plus roughly seven more; and McCain holds
a heavy advantage in virtually all the 11 shared states."
It should be noted that McCain is looking to spend all of his remaining cash on hand -- approximately $21 million at the start of August -- before he accepts the GOP nomination and accepts public financing.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Builds His Party more similar news »
American Prospect: "For all the talk of post-partisan 'unity,' Barack Obama has been
proving himself the most party-focused presidential candidate in recent
history -- possibly ever. Paradoxically, although Obama's success has
been more dependent on personal charisma than any recent nominee's has,
he's been leveraging that charisma to build a broader Democratic
infrastructure less dependent on the presidential nominee."
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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Edwards Used Wife's Illness to Spike Story more similar news »
When the Raleigh News and Observer was considering running a story about John Edwards having an extramarital affair with a campaign worker, Edwards pleaded with Executive Editor John Dresher to spare his wife the resulting stress because she was ill.
"Edwards told me that the allegations were not true. He said
The N&O was the paper that arrived on his doorstep every day, the
one read by friends of him and his wife, Elizabeth. He said he'd
never called before to complain or state his case. Given Elizabeth's
health -- she has cancer -- he said it was especially important to him
that the story not run in The N&O."
According to Edwards' recent confession, his wife supposedly already knew about the affair.
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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McCain Zeroes In On Ohio Running Mate? more similar news »
Marc Ambinder noticed that an Ohio Republican official wrote on his blog
yesterday that Sen. John McCain would be in Dayton, Ohio the day
after the Democratic convention -- and was looking for a "big"
venue.
Wrote Alex Triantafilou: "Sen. McCain is expected to host a rally on August 29 in
Dayton and is looking for a BIG venue and for a BIG crowd. He'll get
it. This is not yet public. I guess I just made it so."
Today, that sentence has disappeared from the site.
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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Candidates Told Some Questions in Advance more similar news »
"So it turns out that Pastor Rick Warren, in an
effort to increase the candidates' comfort level with his pioneering
format, gave each of them a heads-up on several of the hardest
questions he asked Saturday night..." A source close to Warren tells Mike Allen that Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama "knew in advance they would be asked their own greatest moral failure, America's greatest moral failure, and the three wisest people in their lives."
However, McCain may have had an even bigger advantage. The New York Times notes he was not in a "cone of silence" during Obama's questioning and could have heard some of the questions he would also be asked.
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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New Voters Put Virginia in Play more similar news »
According to the Washington Post, Virginia "has added nearly a quarter-million registered voters since
the 2004 elections, and about half of that growth came from
increasingly Democratic Northern Virginia."
"With Virginia a battleground state in the presidential race for the
first time in 44 years, the additional voters have the potential to
alter long-standing electoral patterns in some historically Republican
counties while reinforcing the Democratic tilt of others."
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama to Choose Veep Within Days more similar news »
Sen. Barack Obama "is expected to choose his running mate this week in a key decision
about the direction and narrative of his bid for the White House," according to Politico.
"A person familiar with the campaign's planning noted that Obama's
schedule at the end of this week is open, but said the announcement
could come 'as late as the weekend.'"
The Financial Times says Obama is "almost certain to make his choice in the next few days."
Marc Ambinder: "If Obama wants to hold the suspense of the press corps and the country,
he'll probably wait until the convention itself -- maybe the weekend
before, maybe the Sunday before.... maybe during the convention.
Particularly if the pick is a big name.. a name that will generate
excitement, he'd be wise to wait."
Meanwhile, the New York Times notes we're all waiting for the text message.
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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Acceptance Speeches Should Aim Low more similar news »
Gotham Ghostwriters: "Right now the speechwriters for Senators John McCain and Barack Obama
are working away at their convention speeches. They are writing for the
biggest stages of their lives. If they're like most speechwriters, they
are being tempted by hundreds of pages of collected rhetoric sitting at
their fingertips, waiting to be plumbed. But it's a temptation they
should avoid..."
"The time for poetry is January 20. The time for a careful, grind-it-out, measure-every-word juggling act is now."
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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PPP Poll: Deadlocked in Ohio more similar news »
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Ohio shows Sen. John McCain catching Sen. Barack Obama. After two months with Obama in the lead, the race is now tied at 45% each.
Key findings: "Party unity is an issue for Obama in the Buckeye State. While McCain
has an 89-7 lead with voters who identify as Republicans, Obama has a
narrower 75-17 edge with Democrats. Delving deeper into the numbers, it
appears that residual unhappiness from Hillary Clinton supporters could
be the cause. The 25% of Democrats who currently either support McCain
or are undecided are disproportionately middle aged, white, and female
or in other words prototypical Clinton voters. Ohio is one state where
some joint appearances of the former Democratic foes might do the
nominee some good."
Nonetheless, Obama "is able to keep the race tied overall
due to a 45-28 lead with independents voters."
Mon Aug 18, 2008 more from this source»»
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On Libertarians more similar news »
The New York Times runs a very good review of The Wrecking Crew by Thomas Frank, a book which "tells the story of free-market ideologues who came to Washington to start a revolution and built a lucrative lobbying empire instead."
However, what struck me was an excerpt in which Frank explains why there are so many libertarian think tanks in a country with so few actual libertarians: "The reason that we have so many well-funded libertarians in America these days is not because libertarianism suddenly acquired an enormous grass-roots following, but because it appeals to those who are able to fund ideas... Libertarianism is a politics born to be subsidized."
That's exactly right.
Sun Aug 17, 2008 more from this source»»
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Democrats Will Easily Pick Up Senate Seats more similar news »
"Even the top Republican in charge of the party's Senate campaigns concedes that the GOP will lose seats this year -- the only question is how many," Associated Press reports.
"Democrats have solid chances of winning five seats, according to strategists in both parties and public polls, and realistic shots at picking off another three to five Republican senators. Republicans have only one good opportunity for replacing a Democrat, in Louisiana."
Meanwhile, "the scent of defeat threatens to become a self-fulfilling prophecy: Republican donors are sitting on their hands, giving Democrats a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in fundraising that limits the GOP's ability to defend key seats."
CQ: Senate Seats to Watch.
Sun Aug 17, 2008 more from this source»»
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Party Leaders Want More Specifics From Obama more similar news »
The New York Times spoke to Democratic party leaders in key battleground states.
"These Democrats -- 15 governors, members of Congress and state party leaders -- say Mr. Obama has yet to convert his popularity among many Americans into solutions to crucial electoral challenges: showing ownership of an issue, like economic stewardship or national security; winning over supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton; and minimizing his race and experience level as concerns for voters.
They "say he must do more to convince the many undecided Democrats and independents that he would address their financial anxieties rather than run, by and large, as an agent of change -- given that change, they note, is not an issue."
Sat Aug 16, 2008 more from this source»»
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Many Will Still Cast Vote for Clinton more similar news »
According to Politico, half of House Democrats attending the Democratic National Convention are likely to cast their vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton.
It's now becoming clear that Sen. Barack Obama's campaign moved his nomination speech to Invesco Field so that he could pack the stadium with true Obama supporters rather than face a convention hall with nearly half the delegates being only reluctant supporters.
Sat Aug 16, 2008 more from this source»»
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The 49 State Strategy? more similar news »
The New York Times notes that Sen. Barack Obama campaign officials "have made much of their desire to expand the
traditional Democratic playing field into states like Idaho, Indiana,
Missouri and Montana and have promised they will run a 50-state
campaign."
However, the campaign has no office in Arkansas, even though the state has "a Democratic governor, an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature, two
Democratic United States senators and three Democratic Congressional
representatives out of four."
"But while Arkansas on paper might entice a Democratic candidate,
Arkansas in person is a different story, and the fact that Mr. Obama's
campaign is not yet here reveals much about his strategic approach to
turning red states blue."
Sat Aug 16, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama, McCain Will Appear at Faith Forum more similar news »
Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain "make back-to-back
appearances Saturday at an evangelical conference aimed at getting the
presidential hopefuls' views on issues dealing with leadership and
compassion," USA Today reports.
Rick Warren, the
pastor of the 22,000-member Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life, "will interview each candidate separately
for about an hour on the presidency and Constitution, the role of the
United States in the world, global poverty and, possibly, abortion."
However, in an interview with David Brody, Warren suggests he'll also ask both candidates about personal issues each has had to deal with. Expect questions on McCain's marriages and Obama's past drug use.
Fri Aug 15, 2008 more from this source»»
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McCain Has Big Fundraising Month more similar news »
Sen. John McCain raised $27 million in July, "his largest one-month fundraising haul since clinching the Republican presidential nomination," the AP reports.
McCain also had $21.4 million available to spend -- a sum he must spend before he accepts the Republican nomination during the first week of September since he accepted public financing for the general election.
Fri Aug 15, 2008 more from this source»»
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Edwards Cover Up Continues more similar news »
A front page New York Times piece investigates an elaborate attempt by John Edwards to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter, "one that is continuing even after he admitted last week that he had an
affair with Ms. Hunter but denied that he fathered her child."
"The revelations of ties among the lawyers" involved in the effort to protect Edwards "emerged through public
records and interviews with people close to Mr. Edwards and Ms. Hunter,
which suggested that their affair went on longer than Mr. Edwards
admitted and that the effort to conceal it by Mr. Edwards's inner
circle was much more extensive than has been reported."
The paper says the Edwards "went to unusual lengths" to make a final $14,000 payment Ms. Hunter. As the AP notes, the payment to Hunter "is significant because its source was
Edwards' OneAmerica political action committee, whose expenditures are
governed by U.S. election laws. Willfully converting money from a
political action committee for personal use would have been a federal
criminal violation."
Several people close to Edwards have told Political Wire that Edwards' insistence that the affair was over before he announced his candidacy -- which photos now call into question -- is important to protect him from campaign finance violations.
Fri Aug 15, 2008 more from this source»»
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Why the Tabloids Got the Edwards Story First more similar news »
Sharon Waxman nails it: "My guess is that there is a simple reason why the mainstream media is unable to confirm the Edwards-Hunter affair during these past weeks. Because very few people knew what had been going on. Edwards' staff didn't know. Elizabeth Edwards didn't know. The group may have been as small as three: Edwards, Hunter and her pal Bob McGovern. One of those, in my view (and not Edwards), sold the information."
The National Enquirer's editor talks to Cindy Adams: "We have exclusive photographic evidence, pictures, videos, hard proof
to further incriminate Edwards. He doesn't at this point know what we
have, which is why I'm asking that we don't reveal too much yet. And
which we will use unless and until he acknowledges paternity."
Fri Aug 15, 2008 more from this source»»
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Obama Planning Event in Virginia more similar news »
Marc Ambinder and Jeff Greenfield report that an Obama advance team is headed to Richmond, VA to prepare for a visit next Thursday.
"For some reason, I don't think this is IT -- THE vice presidential
announcement. It could happen somewhere else... on another day..--
Wednesday -- in another state... and not involve anything related to
Virginia. Maybe Richmond is a stop on the vice presidential tour -- a
tour that begins elsewhere the day before."
Obama's Wednesday schedule is not yet known.
Update: A Political Wire reader reports Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine canceled a planned town-hall meeting event in Williamsburg, VA this Sunday.
Fri Aug 15, 2008 more from this source»»
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Udall Leads in Colorado more similar news »
Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) holds a 6 point lead over opponent Bob Schaffer (R) in Colorado's U.S. Senate race, 44% to 38%, according to a new CBS4/Rocky Mountain News poll.
A new Rasmussen Reports poll also gives Udall a six point lead, 47% to 41%.
Thu Aug 14, 2008 more from this source»»
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