September 2007 - Posts
From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
CONCORD, N.H. -- Sen. Barack Obama may still shy away from directly attacking Sen. Hillary Clinton by name, but in Concord today, he referenced her husband to distinguish his experience from those who have spent too many years in Washington.
"I remember what was said years ago by a candidate running for President." He said, “The same old experience is not relevant. You can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience."
"Well that candidate was Bill Clinton. And I think he was absolutely right."
Obama toughened his lines on why "playing the game in Washington" was detrimental, tying those who taut their beltway credentials to the deaths of thousands of American troops in iraq.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck ToddFormer Speaker Newt Gingrich has decided not to run for president. Gingrich spokesperson Rick Tyler said the conservative icon was given legal advice yesterday that said a presidential campaign would have jeopardized the 527 status of American Solutions should Gingrich had remained involved. Exploring a run for president and continuing his work with American Solutions were legally incompatible and Gingrich chose his American Solutions project. All work that was supposed to go into the presidential exploration has been permanently halted.
While Tyler didn't say it, Gingrich basically was prevented from running for president by John McCain since the McCain-Feingold campaign finance regulations have made mixing political projects very difficult.
From NBC/NJ's Mike MemoliLONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Mike Huckabee let his bass guitar do the talking as he kicked off a weekend trip to the Granite State by jamming at a local bar here.
Huckabee traded his band, Capitol Offense, for local rockers Mama Kicks Friday night as he played before a crowd mixed with supporters and curious onlookers. "Would you like a president who has pardoned Keith Richards?" asked Fred Bramante, Huckabee's state co-chairman, as he introduced the former Arkansas governor. "Would you like a president who knows how to rock?"
The performance at Whippersnappers was a limited engagement; Huckabee played seven songs, including "Born to Be Wild," "Jailhouse Rock" and "Sweet Home Alabama." He didn't know the set list before he got on stage, but seemed to have no trouble keeping up. "I just had to follow them," he said.
Huckabee was joined on stage for three songs by former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau. Boston's Tom Scholz was also on hand. "I couldn't believe I met those guys," Huckabee said after. "I was like speechless. I really was like a little kid."
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
It's not every day that a hunky actor leaves a message on my cell phone.
TV actor and noted eye candy James Denton, better known as the plumber from hit series Desperate Housewives, recorded an audio message for supporters of John Edwards, who he'll be stumping for this weekend along with Edwards' daughter Cate. Per my voice mailbox, he's in Iowa this weekend, and he'd "love to meet" me (and everyone else on the phone list) "along the way."
"It's so important that we have a president who actually listens to the American people," says Denton in the recording, "and who has the backbone to stand up to special interests and fight to make sure every American has the opportunities he had."
"John's has been doing this all his whole life, and that's exactly what he'll do as our president."
Oh, and he looks forward to meeting me this weekend.
Okay, Jim. But I have to be home by ten-thirty or my dad will KILL me.
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
Huckabee has just added a stop on his New Hampshire tour this weekend. He's taking Concord hair salon owner David Holden up on his offer to get a $400 haircut, with the proceeds going to autism research. Holden had invited all campaigns to take part after Edwards' expensive grooming was made public earlier this year. Holden said another candidate had expressed interest in coming, but Huckabee will be the first to actually stop by his Main Street Avenue salon when he comes Saturday morning.
"We're pretty excited to have a national candidate come," said Holden, owner of Hair Biz Salon. "We're not interested in poking fun at John Edwards ... The issue really is about giving exposure to the candidates and about giving exposure to autism research." Debra Vanderbeek, Huckabee's New Hampshire campaign manager, said she doesn't know whether Huckabee actually needs a haircut, but wanted to make a contribution.
From NBC’s Joel Seidman
Prosecutors, in their continuing influence-peddling investigation of convicted super lobbyist Jack Abramoff, have issued subpoenas to California Republican Rep. John Doolittle and five of his staff members, seeking office records dating back more than 10 years.
Doolittle's attorney David G. Barger argued that the U.S. Constitution protects Members of Congress from legal inquiries into legislative acts. "These efforts raise serious Constitutional issues going to the very core of our separation of powers created by the Founding Fathers," Barger said in a statement.
Barger said the prosecutors wanted "virtually every record including legislative records for the congressman for the past 11 years."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli and NBC's Chuck Todd
The New Hampshire filing period has just been announced and it is Oct. 15 to Nov. 2nd. This doesn't mean we know what the primary date will be; it simply means that Nov. 2nd is the last day Al Gore or Newt Gingrich can file.
*** UPDATE *** It will likely be another month until we know the date of the New Hampshire Primary.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner announced this afternoon that the filing period for the primary will begin Monday, October 15, and end Friday, November 2. That means Gore and Gingrich, if they want to participate in the first-in-the-nation primary, must make up their mind in the next month.
NH law calls for the filing period to be the first Monday through the third Friday of the November. That’s when it was in 2003, for the primary held January 27, 2004. Gardner said in a phone interview this afternoon that moving the filing period up three weeks does not necessarily indicate that the primary would move likewise. “Nothing will happen now at least until the filing period begins,” Gardner said of his timeline for an announcement.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Tricia Miller
In a memo obtained by NBC News/National Journal, Edwards campaign manager David Bonior tried to reassure supporters that the campaign made the decision to accept public financing on principle, not because it was struggling financially.
"It became clear if we didn't lead by example, no one would," Bonior wrote.
An aide to the campaign expounded: "He's been thinking about it for a while now and watching Clinton on the Sunday shows talk about how public financing was the answer to all this, [we] figured we'd call her bluff."
In the memo, Bonior explained that Edwards would still operate comfortably within its four-state strategy, which the campaign has previously said would cost $40 million.
"This in no way handicaps us in the early primary states, and it does not put us at a disadvantage going into the general election," he wrote.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The Lombardo Consulting Group, of DC, put together pretty comprehensive look at this election based on publicly available survey data since 2005.
Some bullet points from LCG’s report:
-- Hillary Clinton has taken command of the Democratic nomination for President.
--The Obama campaign is becoming less and less relevant with each passing day.
--Rudy Giuliani is running a general election campaign built on his “electability” and no-one on the Republican side is challenging this premise.
--Romney’s advertising-fueled, early lead in Iowa and NH is eroding.
--Thompson may regret going on Leno instead of debating in NH.
--If McCain is to come back from the dead it will happen in New Hampshire.
--The Giuliani campaign won the award for best tactical maneuver in September
--Polling indicates that Republican primary voters are substantially more satisfied with the GOP candidates they have to chose from then they were in July.
--On the other hand, voters still know very little about the candidates.
--A just released CBS News survey shows that job approval rating for the Democratic-controlled Congress is at 27% which is 6% BELOW the President’s job approval rating.
--Michigan matters and the media will amplify this.
--Every eventual GOP nominee since 1980 has won South Carolina. (Yes, they also won either NH or Iowa but the fact is that South Carolina may be more important than either of those two early states.)
From NBC’s Andy Merten
Obama spoke this afternoon at Howard University here in Washington to lay out his policy proposals to address the disparities in America’s criminal justice and voting systems. He was met by a wildly enthusiastic audience at the historically black university’s fall convocation ceremony, and called for new measures to advance civil rights.
“It’s not enough just to look back in wonder of how far we’ve come -- I want us to look ahead with a fierce urgency of how far we have left to go,” Obama said, citing Thurgood
Marshall, Martin Luther
King, Jr., and the everyday people who participated in the Civil Rights Movement.
But on top of the strong and lofty rhetoric that has become a trademark of Obama’s “hope” and “change” message, the Illinois senator used his forum today to present a list of policy proposals to tackle today’s civil rights shortcomings. His approach is five-pronged: (1) rid the Department of Justice of “political cronies” and instead staff the civil rights division with qualified attorneys; (2) create a voting rights division within the DOJ to track and prosecute voter fraud and intimidation; (3) recruit more qualified public defenders by providing college and law school loan compensation as incentives for new attorneys; (4) close the disparity between punishment for crack-cocaine and powder cocaine; and (5) review mandatory minimums, offering first-time, non-violent drug offenders the chance to serve their sentence in rehab instead of jail, when appropriate.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
When veteran field organizer Moses Mercado joined Obama’s campaign, but his hire is “making waves,” the Washington Post reports, because of his “other line of work -- as a lobbyist with Ogilvy Government Relations who is registered to represent several dozen big-name clients, including the National Rifle Association, the Carlyle Group, the Blackstone Group, Monsanto, Pfizer Inc., United Health Group, Sempra Energy and Constellation Energy.”
More: “His resume seems to contradict one of Obama's central themes on the campaign trail -- that as an outsider he can fend of the powerful business interests that he has argued have contributed to the income gap between rich and poor and has frustrated attempts to address issues such as high prescription drug costs and global warming.”
The campaign’s response: “They have not settled on exactly what role Mercado will play, but he will not take on any job until he has ceased his lobbying work. Obama aides said yesterday no one can work on the campaign and still be registered on behalf of clients as a lobbyist, and Mercado will not be exempted from that requirement.”
From NBC/National Journal’s Aswini Anburajan
HANOVER, N.H. -- In a speech to students at Dartmouth University Wednesday, Obama's New Hampshire's State Director told students that a win in the Granite State could be decided by the youth vote. "If we can get two to three thousand extra votes from you guys that could be four to five, six, seven percent of the vote," Matt Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez pushed students to register and vote in New Hampshire and to encourage their friends and dorm mates to do the same. His speech reflected a campaign strategy to increase turnout among young voters in New Hampshire. Obama's campaign has five dedicated college organizers to get out the vote on campuses across the state. Their efforts appear to be paying off at least at Dartmouth, where Obama signs and t-shirts are ubiquitous across the picturesque New England campus.
But the Obama campaign's emphasis on campaigning among college students and young voters has raised eyebrows, especially in Iowa where the youth vote is not seen as a constituency that can be relied upon to turnout. "If it's a battle between
Hillary and Barack, it doesn't take a lot to win -- 30,000 votes,” Rodriguez said. “Think about what a few thousand young people would mean.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro
Check out the "Senator A" vs. "Senator B" sidebar in this column by National Journal’s Jonathan Rauch.
Here are two quotes. One by Clinton, one by Obama. Can you tell which senator said what?
Senator A: “The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year -- now."
Senator B: "It is long past time that the president ended American combat involvement in Iraq's multisided, sectarian civil war.... It is time to begin ending this war. Not next year, not next month, but today."
Very interesting. This is just one example. There is a whole column of these. Certainly says a lot about how Clinton has blurred the lines and how Obama has not distinguished himself.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Check out American Spectator’s Jennifer Rubin’s take on last night’s GOP PBS forum:
“The GOP candidates don't just avoid Tavis Smiley. With the exception of the omnipresent John McCain and Mike Huckabee (who never met a talk show host he didn't like), the presidential contenders do not frequent the Sunday talk shows, go on network news or subject themselves to interrogation by CNN or MSNBC reporters outside the few debates they have done.
”This is a mistake. Simply put, GOP candidates are ignoring Willie Sutton's advice. Sutton of course was the prolific bank robber who was said to have replied "that's where the money is" when asked why he robbed banks. Likewise, the GOP contenders would be wise to go where the voters are, especially voters they are losing.”
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro
Check out Giuliani's latest spin on the phone call with his wife per an interview with CBN’s Brody:
Brody: Do you care to clear that up?
Giuliani: "Sure. My wife calls me when she gets on a plane. We’d just gotten back from England, hadn’t had much sleep. I knew she was going to take a plane, but I didn’t know which one she was going to take back to New York, and quite honestly since Sept. 11 most of the time when we get on a plane we talk to each other and just reaffirm the fact that we love each other. Sometimes if I’m in the middle of a very, very sensitive meeting, I don’t take the call right then I wait. But I thought it would be kind of nice if I took it at that point, and I’d done that before in engagements, and I didn’t realize it would create any kind of controversy, I would be insulted by it?? I’d done it, usually when I do it I put her on the phone and I have her say hello, but she was rushing to get on the airplane at the time, so I started to put her on the phone, but then I realized she was trying to get on the plane. I think she was at Regan Airport, and she was trying to get to her plane, so I gave her regards. I’d probably don that a half a dozen times before.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Isn’t this statement -- and audio recording -- from Dodd on Dems not ruling troops in Iraq until 2013 two days late:
"I think it is shocking that so-called frontrunners of this race for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency cannot tell the American people without any qualification that they would end this war by 2013. It's indefensible that they would allow this war to go on for another six years and become the longest war in American history, at tremendous cost in terms of human life and to our treasury.
"As President of the United States, I will certainly end the war by 2013, as I said last evening, but we cannot afford to wait until then, or even 2009 for that matter. I think we need to end this war now. That's why I'm fighting to use Congress' power of the purse to stop financing this disastrous policy. It hurts our country, keeps us less safe, more vulnerable, more isolated in the world. By every measure this war has made us far less secure as a nation. I understand that, the American people certainly know that, but I am deeply disappointed that my colleagues, my opponents for the Presidential nomination, apparently do not."
From NBC’s Mike Viqueira
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the president this morning and let him know that she was "hoping and praying" that he would change his mind and sign the children's health insurance bill.
Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid appeared at a ceremony to sign the completed legislation and hand it over to the House Clerk, who in turn is charged with sending it down the Avenue to the president's desk. The leaders were flanked by a boisterous group of toddlers and older kids who were goo-goo-ing and ga-ga-ing throughout. The kids were said to be beneficiaries of the SCHIP program.
A certain veto awaits. Nevertheless, Pelosi says she "called to tell him that he is in my prayers." She described the conversation as "friendly" and that "the hand of friendship was extended to each other." The president, according to the speaker, told Pelosi that he "admires people who don't give up." Pelosi aides said that the speaker called the White House without warning and that she was immediately connected to the president.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Athena Jones
Every baby born in America should receive money that can later be used to pay for college, Clinton told the crowd at the Congressional Black Caucus annual legislative conference in Washington on Friday.
"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so when that young person turns 18, if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college," Clinton said, calling it one way to give young people a chance to save money tax free.
Clinton also said the GI bill should be expanded and talked about the importance of making college affordable for everyone. She touched on the need to end discrimination in hiring practices, so that when people graduate college, they can make a decent living. She added that politics should be about giving young people the opportunities to live up to their potential. "Everything we do, I believe, is about young people," she said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro
***
Match game: Edwards has struggled to remain in the so-called top tier of Democratic candidates ever since Clinton and Obama both doubled and then tripled Edwards fundraising over the last 9 months. Well, that struggle became even greater yesterday with the campaign's decision to accept matching funds. While the campaign is desperately spinning that this decision means they'll have $20 million to spend at the start of the year, it means the campaign has no long-term strategy. They are going for a quick knockout blow.
***
Knock down, drag out: But Clinton and Obama both will have the resources to drag out this contest if necessary. Edwards has foreclosed that option because accepting matching funds means accepting a fundraising and spending limit that the campaign will likely reach by the end of January. It's exactly what happened to him in ’04. He ended up having to pick and choose where to play after the early states. This decision will make it easer to dismiss Edwards as a first-tier candidate, particularly when both Clinton and Obama triple his fundraising... again Sunday.
***
Clinton vs. Clinton: One of the developing stories from Wednesday night's debate is Clinton v. Clinton. Or more specifically, the growing demand the media and the Clintons’ opponents are putting on the frontrunner to distinguish herself from the FPOTUS. Bill Clinton added some fuel to the fire yesterday by answering a question that his wife didn't answer at the debate. On the issue of donor transparency, Bill Clinton both answered the question and provided a loophole around disclosure saying he anticipates disclosing all donors to his various foundations (including the library) but only beginning in the future. They will not go back in time and release those donors.
***
Expectations, expectations: This week seems to be a day where everyone on the GOP side is trying to re-calibrate expectations, and it should be no surprise since Sunday is the last day of the 3rd quarter fundraising period. It all started earlier this week with Giuliani when he let go of his finance chair (potential sign that he'll report an underwhelming number for a frontrunner?).
***
Re: Slipping? Then there's the Romney campaign memo, which is trying to explain away why they won't budge in the national polls despite still polling well in Iowa and New Hampshire. Also, don't miss the fact that the Romney camp seems to embracing the idea that Giuliani has caught them in New Hampshire. They'd love to make a New Hampshire victory more meaningful again.
***
A tale of two knives: Speaking of expectations, we're curious to see by how much Thompson outraises McCain this quarter. Does he double him or are the two much closer? The two may seem like allies, but are both going in opposite directions on policy. McCain is sharpening his policy knife, drawing real distinctions with the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Thompson is still struggling on issues. He appeared stumped again in Tennessee on a local issue. How long can Thompson get away with not knowing about controversial local issues?
***
On the trail: Clinton and Obama participate in the Congressional Black Caucus' issue forum in DC. Clinton appears at 9:00 am ET, Obama at 1:15 pm ET. Romney speaks to the Council for National Policy in Salt Lake City; Dodd speaks in Iowa on rural economic development; Edwards speaks on economic fairness and attends a bluegrass concert in New Hampshire. He also holds a low-dollar fundraiser with a local plumbers union in Ohio; Giuliani and Gravel campaign in California; Huckabee delivers a foreign policy speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and raises money in DC. He’ll also be playing bass guitar with a local rock band, Mama Kicks, in New Hampshire; Obama delivers Howard University’s Opening Convocation address; and Paul campaigns in Massachusetts.
Countdown to LA GOV election: 22 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 39 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 50 days Countdown to Iowa: 108 days Countdown to SC GOP primary: 113 days Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 130 days Countdown to Election Day 2008: 403 days Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 480 days
BIDEN: Biden scored his 10th Iowa state legislative endorsement yesterday.
Biden’s hometown paper, the
Wilmington NewsJournal praises him in an editorial for passing his Iraq legislation, saying it “marked a successful day in his presidential campaign … and has also made Sen. Biden stand out from the rest of the Democratic presidential candidates as the only one to have a specific idea to implement.”
CLINTON: Is Hillary presidential? That’s what
Salon’s Tim Grieve asks in an article about Wednesday night’s debate: “We thought Hillary Clinton finally came off like the front-runner that she is in Wednesday night's Democratic debate in New Hampshire. John Edwards and Barack Obama both looked worn down and thin, and neither scored anything like the knockout blow that must be feeling increasingly necessary.”
CONTINUED >>
The first question at last night's debate forced the candidates to react to the decision by the four frontrunners to not show. Huckabee said he was "embarrassed." Brownback said it was a "disgrace." The other candidates didn't use as harsh of language.
Des Moines Register's Yepsen called the entire GOP a "loser" for its frontrunners deciding to skip the event. "For a party already in minority status in much of the country, it defies political logic to just brush off these constituencies. Republicans don’t need to win the votes of everyone in those groups, but they must carry a big enough slice to deny victories to Democrats in close contests."
The
Washington Times notes, "The first 10 minutes of the debate were dedicated to bashing the four no-shows and, in some cases, Republicans as a whole."
BTW, the GOP candidates are being offered a second bite at the
Univision debate apple, on Dec. 9.
CONTINUED >>
The
Washington Times looks at the difficulty the religious right is having rallying around one candidate. "Many of the top leaders on the religious right privately say it's impossible to name a top-tier, declared Republican hopeful who can pass the "straight face" test as someone social conservatives can honestly say they would trust if elected."
In California, It appears the GOP effort to put a ballot initiative on the state's ballot that could split up California's electoral votes is
coming apart. Two of the campaign's top consultants have quit the effort.
The
Washington Post's Baker looks at Bush's decision to begin taking on the challenge of global warming as a sign he's looking to improve his legacy.
From NBC's Andy Merten
After about 20 minutes of acknowledgements -- which should really be done before the cameras start rolling -- and ending the debate nearly ten minutes early, Smiley was able to get in about only an hour worth of actual time with the candidates. By our count, he got in only eleven questions.
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroWe were a little distracted here... The Daily Show's crew, like we said, is on site, and we might wind up in a couple of these shots. They want to know where all the journalists are, which is something we noted earlier.
From NBC's Andy Merten
Tancredo came out pretty strong against yesterday's passing of the Biden-Brownback bill in the Senate, which suggests a three-region partition of Iraq, by Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. He said Congress can chose to authorize war, fund a war, or not fund a war, but added, "You cannot micromanage it from the Congress of the United States." It's too bad the format of this forum doesn't really allow for rebuttals between candidates -- it'd be interesting to see Brownback's response to this.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The questions have ranged so far from illegal immigration, now Iraq, health care. The forum is slow, but we knew that coming in. Same old stuff, but it says something at least that these candidates have showed up, but we've noted that already.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Note Hunter has now three time mentioned the "barrio." What is his point with this?
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
It's not surprising, since Huckabee has clearly proved his ability on the stage, that he has the most cogent, competent and most unifying answers.
He had a great line on crimes committed either because someone was high or drunk or wanted to get high or drunk.
From NBC's Andy MertenLast week, a bill to grant Washington, DC a voting seat in the House of Representatives failed cloture in the Senate, so it's not a surprise that this topic came up tonight. Tancredo has said that he would not grant a seat to the District because it's not a state -- instead, it should be ceded back to Maryland and Virgina. Hunter seemed to assert that DC residents should be given less stringent gun-owning laws before a vote. Keyes suggested those wanting a vote should just pick up and move out of the city.
Huckabee has broken from the crowd, saying, "I think the people of DC should have the right to vote; I don't care how they vote, they should be allowed to vote." Brownback, on the other hand, supports a constitutional amendment: "There's a way to do it; there's a way not to do it."
Also, all answered that they do support voter photo identification laws.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Alan Keyes talked about blacks being the ones most affected by illegal immigrants taking jobs. It's interesting to hear him talk about this, because in some neighborhoods there is a real tension that exists. In East Harlem, for example, the nonprofit group Tepayac has complained that Mexicans are treated "like ATMs." Many are illegal and they say they are robbed by blacks and scared to tell the police for fear of being deported. Some blacks say they are stealing jobs blacks could have. In other cities -- Los Angeles and Houston, for example -- so-called black-brown tensions have manifested in violence. I can't remember hearing someone, especially not a presidential candidate, seem to discuss this with a tone of division and anger as Keyes has.
From NBC's Andy MertenWe noticed earlier today that during July's NAACP forum in Detroit, where Tancredo was the GOP's only participant, the organizers decided to put up extra podiums for the no-shows. It made for a great picture, seeing Tancredo stand in the middle of a long line of empty spots. While it's not quite as dramatic tonight, this forum is televised -- many more viewers will see those wide shots of a sparsely-populated stage.
From NBC's Andy Merten
Alan Keyes was the first participant to get cut off by the moderator. Smiley seemed to physically ushered the woman who asked the question away from the podium so he could get to the microphone to tell Keyes his time was up.
Maybe we'll start a count of the number of times Keyes is cut off, tonight.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Political Unit's Andy Merten and I are here liveblogging the forum for your enjoyment. It was a long drive and then walk to get on campus, but we got here before the debate went off. The spin room and press filing center is fairly empty but for a few journalists and Larry Wilmore and John Oliver from The Daily Show. Clearly the laugh lines and news hook is the same: the candidates who didn't show up.
But Tavis Smiley wasn't laughing -- or smiling for that matter -- in his introduction. He -- as well as Tom Joyner who spoke earlier -- railed against the candidates that didn't show: McCain, Romney, Giuliani and Thompson.
Smiley said that the four candidates had suggested publicly that "this audience" would be "hostile" to Republicans.
"Since we're on PBS...I can't tell you what I really think of those comments."
He then thanked Ken Mehlman and Newt Gingrich who are in attendance. Gingrich complained prior to the forum that the candidates who were skipping the forum were making a mistake.
The candidates were no kinder to those who skipped out (except, ugh, Alan Keyes).
HUCKABEE: "I'm embarrassed for our party and embarrassed for those who did not come....We've come a long way, but we have a long way to go....I'm honored to be here." He added, he hopes hey can take up the time of those not in attendance and "make up their ground."
BROWNBACK: "I apologize for those not here." Called it a "disgrace." Railed against those not in attendance.
KEYES: "Unfair to assume" that those have not showed up sends a negative message to the black community.
From NBC’s Abby Livingston
The warrior in John McCain emerged today in New York City, as he took seemingly subtle swings and not-so-subtle swings at friends and foe alike.
Taking aim at the Democrats, when he presented a sort of domino retreat theory among those who advocate a withdrawal from Iraq when he said, "How long will it take before the same advocates of surrender in Iraq begin demanding an end to our mission in Afghanistan and a quote surge in diplomacy aimed at a negotiating stalemate with the Taliban?"
Alluding to Romney he said, "Tough talk or managerial successes in the private sector aren't adequate assurances that their authors have the experience or qualities necessary for such a singular responsibility."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
John Edwards told CNN before the MTV dialogue that he will accept public financing, and Kate Bedingfield, Edwards' New Hampshire press secretary, confirmed the report.
"It's sort of about walking the walk," she said. "You should not be able to buy your way into the White House."
She claims the decision is not a reflection of this quarter's fundraising success or failure and that the campaign is still on track with its $40 million, four-state strategy over four quarters.
"The influence of money is rampant in politics to the point that it dominates the race," Bedingfield said. "The decision is about principle."
In a release, Edwards also called on Clinton to do the same.
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew Berger
Giuliani reiterated that he would not raise taxes as president today, after the Club For Growth said they were concerned about his tax policy. The organization said in an open letter Wednesday that they were concerned about comments Giuliani made in an Associated Press article, which said Giuliani would not rule out raising Social Security taxes to deal with the program’s insolvency.
Giuliani surrogate and one-time flat-tax presidential candidate Steve Forbes countered today, saying that in the interview Giuliani made clear he opposes all tax hikes when asked specifically about Social Security.
“Based on the mayor’s record as a tax cutter and fiscal conservative -- unparalleled in the Republican presidential field -- we should not find this position unusual,” Forbes said in a letter to Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “He opposed tax increases and believes they are not the solution. There are many ways to say it, but it’s clear Rudy ruled out tax increases.”
Giuliani also told reporters today that he said in the AP interview at least twice that he would not raise taxes as president.
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew Berger
As Giuliani raised funds in California today, he was being questioned about his ties to a group pushing a proportional distribution of the state’s 55 electoral votes. Take Initiative America is looking to change California’s electoral college allotment, and its leader, Charles “Chep” Hurth III, has donated $2,000 to the Giuliani campaign, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Hurth, a Missouri attorney, has also been tied to efforts to garner Republican support in 2004 for adding Ralph Nader to the presidential ballot in key states. Hurth’s law firm partners have also donated to the Giuliani campaign.
The Democratic National Committee Thursday said Giuliani should explain his ties to “a shadowy front group financing the effort to rig the Electoral College in California.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann and NBC's Domenico Montanaro
This morning, the Quad City Times reported that Michelle Obama said last night that "it's over" if her husband does not win in Iowa.
AUDIO: Michelle Obama tells a crowd about the important of Iowa to her husband's presidential campaign (Note: Audio can be difficult to understand.).
But Michelle Obama did not, in fact, say "it's over." What she did tell supporters (and we have it recorded) is, “Iowa will make the difference. If Barack doesn’t win Iowa, then it's just a dream. If we win Iowa, then we can move to the world as it should be. And we need your help in making that happen. If we win Iowa, then we can move to the world as it should be. And we need your help in making that happen."
The gist is the same -- Michelle Obama clearly implied that a poor showing in the state means the end of the road for Obama. And saying, "win" instead of the usual moderate-expectation-setting "do well," is significant. But the ultimatum of "it's over" was not uttered.
The Quad City Times corrected its reporting this afternoon.
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From NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Christina Jamison
Bill Clinton was asked at a Global Initiative news conference about
Hillary Clinton's refusal in last night's debate to commit to disclosure of his library and foundation contributors. He responded extensively saying, in part, "She couldn't answer that question last night because we don't believe in one set of rules for us and another set for everybody else."
He then pointed out that Hillary is sponsoring a bill to require disclosures in the future and said, "If she becomes president I will treat it as if we are covered by that and i will disclose all the donors to our library and activities."
Why didn't she answer that last night?
He bristled noticeably: "She just thinks I'm entitled to speak for myself just like I think she is entitled to speak for herself. And she has got no business being asked to speak for me in a presidential debate just like I don't try to speak for her unless i know what her position is."
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From NBC’s Mike Memoli
McCain advisers said on a conference call this morning that his New Hampshire ad buy is meant to build on what they feel has been a good month for the campaign, as evidenced by the latest poll showing him closing in on Romney and Giuliani.
"From our perspective we sensed this progress was occurring and wanted to capitalize on that, and continue to wage an aggressive and robust campaign by putting these ads up," said campaign manager Rick Davis.
Both new TV ads include footage of a wounded McCain being interviewed in a Hanoi prison. McCain media strategist Mark McKinnon said that the campaign wanted to draw more attention to McCain's "rich and compelling life story." "We made a lot of assumptions about the fact that voters know the story when in fact they really don't," McKinnon said.
*** UPDATE *** From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The campaign calls this "a significant statewide ad buy" running on radio and TV on WMUR. CLICK MORE FOR FULL TRANSCRIPTS OF THE THREE ADS.
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From NBC’s Joel Seidman
Attorneys in the Office of General Counsel of the House of Representatives filed a motion Wednesday in federal court to quash subpoenas served to 12 senior House members by defense attorneys representing Brent Wilkes, the former defense contractor charged with bribing now imprisoned ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.
House lawyers argue that the information and testimony sought by Wilkes' attorney Mark Geragos from the members is protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Speech or Debate clause protects Member of Congress "not only from the consequence of litigation's results but also from the burden of defending themselves," so long as legislators are ''acting in the sphere of legitimate legislative activity.''
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From NBC/National Journal’s Tricia MillerHANOVER, N.H. -- In a morning question-and-answer session with about 400 sixth- through eighth-graders at a Hanover
