June 2008 - Posts
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli
THE SHORT LIST. Mike Allen says Mitt
Romney is at the top of the list, but that a lack of “personal chemistry” may be the downfall. Allen also reports that
McCain will announce his pick shortly after
Obama’s , to limit his bounce.
Adam Nogourney looks at the “tricky” timing of unveiling a running mate, given the Olympics and convention dates. “It would appear that of the two candidates, Mr. Obama has the more complicated road to navigate, given the fact that the Democratic convention opens up the day after the Olympics end. … That could mean looking to, say, Monday Aug. 4, which is Mr. Obama’s birthday.” Better still is late July, “a week or two before the Olympics.”
WHAT THEY’RE UP TO. MN Gov. Tim
Pawlenty (R) talks to
David Brody about McCain’s relationship with evangelicals, and encourages the campaign to do more outreach. “I think there are a lot of Christian leaders, evangelical leaders who haven’t yet been contacted or who haven’t been part of meetings who are feeling perhaps, are they going to reach out to me and at a minimum we want to make sure that he is speaking on issues of concern to them and I think you’ll see perhaps more of that in the summer and fall."
After loads of criticism and even a recall petition, LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) reversed course and decided to veto the legislative pay raise after all. “I made a mistake by staying out if it,” he said, adding that he knows legislators “are going to be angry I broke my word to them.” “Let them direct their anger to me and not the people of this state,” Jindal said.
The recall effort was then dropped .
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
ALLENTOWN, PA -- While
Obama used
his speech this morning to distance himself from
Wes Clark's comments criticizing
McCain's military record, the McCain campaign spent much of the morning trying to tie Clark and Obama closer together.
After a conference call in which several of his supporters implied that Clark's comments were a part of the Obama campaign's strategy, McCain answered questions about the comments at a press conference, implying that Obama and his surrogates were participating in dirty politics.
VIDEO: Robert Gibbs, Obama communications director, addresses the recent comments made by General Wesley Clark, adding that no one should question the patriotism of either candidate, but rather the judgement each possesses. "I'm proud of my record of service and I have plenty of friends and leaders who will attest to that," McCain said when asked about Clark's criticism. "But the important thing is if that's the kind of campaign that Sen. Obama and his surrogates and his supporters want to engage, I understand that. But it doesn't reduce the price of a gallon gas by one penny. It doesn't achieve our energy independence any -- make it come any closer. It doesn't help an American stay in their home who are in risk of losing it today, and it certainly doesn't do anything to address the challenges that Americans have in keeping their jobs, their homes and supporting their families."
McCain did not push for Obama to condemn the remarks, despite being asked about them several times. Instead, he said: "Gen. Clark is not an isolated incident, but I have no way of knowing how much involvement Sen. Obama has in that issue." And he said that he would "let the American people decide" if Obama was going back on his promise to practice a new kind of politics by letting Clark's comments stand.
In his speech today, Obama emphasized McCain's military service and patriotism. "We must always express our profound gratitude for the service of our men and women in uniform. Period. Full stop," he said. "Indeed, one of the good things to emerge from the current conflict in Iraq has been the widespread recognition that whether you support this war or oppose it, the sacrifice of our troops is always worthy of honor."
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Mark Murray Obama and Bill Clinton spoke on the phone today, despite reports that the former president was still upset at Obama after the conclusion of the spirited and contentious Democratic primary.
"Sen. Obama had a terrific conversation with President Clinton and is honored to have his support in this campaign," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "He has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation's great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come."
VIDEO: Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama spoke to former President Bill Clinton for the first time since the primaries, asking him for help in his quest for the White House. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. Added Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna: "President Clinton had a very good conversation with Sen. Obama today. He renewed his offer to do whatever he can to ensure Sen. Obama is our next President... The president believes that Sen. Obama has been a great inspiration for millions of people around the country and he knows that he will bring the change America needs as our next president."
Per Obama communications director Robert Gibbs, Obama and Clinton spoke for about 20 minutes during the Illinois senator's drive between Kansas City and Independence. Obama asked Bill Clinton to campaign with -- and for -- him in the fall.
"I believe the president wants to and was excited about it," Gibbs said.
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
INDEPENDENCE, MO -- No party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism,
Obama told the audience here Monday, spelling out his own definition of a concept increasingly at issue in this historic election.
Flanked by four American flags and wearing a flag pin on his lapel, the presumptive Democratic nominee used a variation of the word “patriot” some 35 times during his roughly 45-minute speech. He said the upcoming July 4th holiday was a good time to reflect on the meaning of the word, and argued it had been used “as a political sword or a political shield” since the birth of the Republic and in this election.
VIDEO: Barack Obama delivers a speech on patriotism in Independence, MO. Listen to the entire speech. “It is worth considering the meaning of patriotism because the question of who is -- or is not -- a patriot all too often poisons our political debates, in ways that divide us rather than bringing us together,” he told an audience of about 1,150 people in the
Truman Auditorium here. “I have come to know this from my own experience on the campaign trail.”
Obama said he had taken his own patriotism as a given all his life, but had seen it questioned this election season. “At certain times over the last 16 months, I’ve found, for the first time, my patriotism challenged -- at times as a result of my own carelessness, more often as a result of the desire by some to score political points and raise fears and doubts about who I am and what I stand for,” he said. “So let me say at this at the outset of my remarks. I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign. And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama is up with his second general-election ad. It focuses on work -- his own and what he plans to do for others. He talks about his time as a community organizer and mentions that "He passed a law to move people from welfare to work, slashed the rolls by eighty percent." The word "work" (or some variation) is heard five times; the word "job" is heard three times.
The ad, according to the campaign, begins airing in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro, Caroline Gransee and Alex Wall Huffington Post writes, "the campaign brought on board a man quite familiar with how these types of attacks gain legs: Bud Day, a fellow POW who was part of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth squad that had worked so hard to defame Sen. John Kerry's own Vietnam record."
Day defended Swift Boats, Ben Smith and others note. "What the Swift Boat campaign was about was to lay out John Kerry's record. John Kerry has never produced any evidence to deny that," he said. "In contrast, he said, he and others on the call had produced 'evidence pointing out that [Clark's] remarks were completely inaccurate.'"
ThinkProgress was among those who pointed out Day's involvement in February.
McCain came out against Swift Boats efforts.
From NBC’s Alex Wall and Caroline Gransee Warner (R-VA), Col. Bud Day, USAF (Ret.), Lt. Col. Orson Swindle, USMC (Ret.), Lt. Commander Carl Smith, USNR (Ret.) and McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded in a conference call to Gen. Wesley Clark’s (Ret.) most recent attack on McCain’s military experience.
The McCain campaign held the conference call in order to “keep his reputation clean” and point out the inconsistencies between the Obama camps’ actions and rhetoric.
“It is inconceivable that anyone take a shot at Senator McCain’s military experience,” Smith said. “Gen. Clark is way off base on this one.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrea Mitchell Obama will talk about McCain's military record in his noon speech on "patriotism" in Independence, MO -- and contradict Wes Clark , without naming him.
VIDEO: Responding to criticism by retired Gen. Wesley Clark, John McCain says, "I'm proud of my record of service." Listen to his entire response. Obama has frequently spoken of McCain's military record, but the campaign is making a point of it today in light of Clark's comments on Face the Nation (and similar remarks in recent weeks on Morning Joe) that "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president".
Earlier today, on Morning Joe, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs distanced the campaign from Gen. Clark's remarks.
*** UPDATE ***
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Entering the lull : This week begins what’s essentially a two-month lull in the presidential race. Later this week is the July 4th holiday, next comes the Olympics in early August, and then we have the conventions -- the Democrats’ ending on August 28 and the GOP one on September 4. Then the day after, the sprint toward the November finish line truly begins. During this two-month lull, neither Obama nor McCain can win the election. But they both sure can lose it. That happened to John Kerry in August 2004, when the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth effort began and when his campaign wasn’t spending much money (saving its millions in general election funds to begin at the same time as Bush’s kicked in after the September GOP convention). What these next two months in the Obama-McCain race are about is positioning for September 5. Obama begins that process by delivering a speech on patriotism in Independence, MO today and -- as Politico’s Mike Allen reports -- a faith-based address in Ohio tomorrow. McCain, meanwhile, hits Pennsylvania, a battleground state Republicans haven’t won since 1988. There are at least a combined four bounce opportunities: the two VP selections and the two conventions. McCain's goal for these next two months: to have this a low single-digit race by September 5. Obama's goal is more obvious: 1) to begin erasing character doubts about himself, 2) bankrupting McCain financially in the lean red states, and 3) building not only a national lead but double-digit leads in as many states as he can.
*** Patriot Games : Per his campaign, Obama today in Independence, MO -- just days after his event in Unity, NH -- will “discuss what patriotism means to him and what it requires of all Americans who loves this country and want to see it do better.” NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones notes that there haven’t been a lot of town halls lately (cue the RNC hit on Obama for not just refusing town halls with McCain but with any voters at all, but we digress), so the all-but-certain Democratic nominee hasn't been asked about flag pins or the incorrect rumors about why he doesn't believe in pledging allegiance to the flag. Those are questions he used to get (especially in Indiana and North Carolina.) Jones adds that there are still a lot of people out there who are iffy about Obama because of his name, his background, and his upbringing. It may be true that a lot of these folks are probably not Obama supporters -- still this issue is an important one to address if his campaign hopes to expand the electoral map. And this patriotism stuff isn't just about flag pins; it's about attempting to counter the real hit that may be having an effect on Obama: the "is he one of us" question.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd talks about John McCain and Barack Obama's patriotic messages this week and discusses McCain's trip to South America. ***
Patriot Games, Part II : Speaking of the topic of Obama’s speech today, it seems American presidential politics can’t quite get beyond this question: Just how big of a military hero were you? Yesterday on CBS’s Face The Nation, it was Wes Clark questioning McCain’s military record. "I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president," he said, as well as this: “[McCain] has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded -- that wasn't a wartime squadron." These comments weren’t helpful at all to the Obama campaign, as Team McCain used them -- and made sure reporters were aware of them -- by issuing this statement from retired Admiral Leighton “Snuffy” Smith: “If Barack Obama wants to question John McCain's service to his country, he should have the guts to do it himself and not hide behind his campaign surrogates. If he expects the American people to believe his pledges about a new kind of politics, Barack Obama has a responsibility to condemn these attacks." Clark, of course, was a Clinton surrogate during the primary season. What makes us think we won’t see Clark as an Obama surrogate again? Clark’s folks tell First Read that the general honors McCain’s service and would never disrespect it. However, they say that McCain is running for president “on his experience in national security, and Clark was talking about his qualifications in those terms.” It's a tricky hit. On one hand, Clark was looking like he was doing a VP audition by proving he's comfortable attack McCain. But did Clark go too far since now even Obama supporters will have to acknowledge McCain's military service honorably?
*** Does Obama have an Iraq problem? When the New Yorker is asking this question, then that means he MUST really have a problem. This isn't the Weekly Standard writing about this. “With the general election four months away, Obama’s rhetoric on [Iraq] now seems outdated and out of touch, and the nominee-apparent may have a political problem concerning the very issue that did so much to bring him this far," the New Yorker’s George Packer observes. “The relative success of the surge is one of the few issues going McCain’s way; we’ll be hearing about it more and more between now and November, and it might sway some centrist voters who have doubts about Obama." Then again, 54% in the latest NBC/WSJ poll said that victory in Iraq isn’t possible. The question on Iraq is whether Americans are paying attention to what’s going over there or whether they’ve already given up on the five-year-old conflict, no matter the progress. Still, it does seem as if more and more Americans are coming around to the "Pottery Barn" rule: If we broke it, we now own it.
*** Does McCain have a Bin Laden problem? Well, President Bush sure does, but will that carry over to the presumptive GOP nominee? The New York Times front-pages that Al Qaeda’s strength is growing in Pakistan. “[I]t is increasingly clear that the Bush administration will leave office with Al Qaeda having successfully relocated its base from Afghanistan to Pakistan’s tribal areas, where it has rebuilt much of its ability to attack from the region and broadcast its messages to militants across the world.” It's the type of national security reminder that can benefit the Democrats, even with someone supposedly as inexperienced on the issue as Obama who -- by the way -- was in the Illinois state senate on Sept. 11.
*** McCain’s pluses and minuses among Latinos : If it hadn’t been for those comments by Wes Clark, the chief political news from the weekend would have been Obama’s upcoming European and Middle tour, as well as McCain’s and Obama’s duel speeches before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). During the Democratic primary season, the CW was that Obama had a Hispanic problem. But after the first round of national polls, it’s not Obama who has this problem but McCain. Per the June NBC/WSJ poll, Obama got 62% of the Latino vote versus McCain’s 28%. McCain has strong credentials among Hispanics -- he’s from the border state of Arizona and he’s championed comprehensive immigration reform (although the DNC will be sure to remind you that McCain later walked away from supporting his own legislation). But the problem that he’s likely encountering is the Republican Party’s anti-immigration crusade of 2006 and 2007. After all, ask yourself this: To which party does Tom Tancredo belong? And what battleground state does he live in? That said, McCain’s upcoming trip to Latin America will get him lots of coverage in America's Spanish-language media. And that might help him distinguish himself from others in the Republican Party and start improving his standing among Hispanics, particularly in places like New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Florida.
VIDEO: This week, both Barack Obama and John McCain will be targeting the West, a key battleground in the race for the White House. NBC's Kevin Corke reports. ***
Speaking of western states : Both McCain and Obama targeting the west this week. McCain's doing it by heading south -- to places like Colombia and Mexico, hoping the Spanish-language media coverage gets him positive (and wall-to-wall) Spanish language media coverage. Meanwhile, Obama's spending most of his week out west, starting Wednesday in Colorado, then North Dakota on Thursday and spending the 4th in Butte, Montana.
*** Also worth pointing out : The centrist Democratic Leadership Council is holding its national meeting in Chicago. What’s interesting is that Obama isn’t attending. In addition, no Democratic presidential contender attended last year’s meeting, either. Obama might be moving to the center on some issues, but he certainly isn’t DLC-ing it….
*** On the trail : McCain makes two stops in Pennsylvania, touring and then holding a media avail at Turbine Airfoil Design in Harrisburg, and later conducting a town hall in Pipersville. Obama is in Missouri, hosting an event at the Truman Memorial Building in Independence.
Countdown to Dem convention: 56 daysClick here to sign up for First Read emails .
“Obama, looking to bolster his expertise in foreign policy, will travel to Europe and the Middle East to consult on issues like terrorism and nuclear proliferation, his campaign said on Saturday,” Reuters writes. “The trip to France, Germany, Great Britain, Jordan and Israel will take place before the Democratic convention in late August… Obama also plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan this summer as part of a congressional delegation, but the campaign would not confirm those visits would be part of the same trip and would not give the exact dates of any foreign trips.”
VIDEO: Barack Obama has announced he will be touring five European countries and the Middle East this summer. NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray reports. The
Wall Street Journal previews McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico and notes it's an attempt to look like an international statesman.
John Harwood of CNBC and the New York Times writes, "Colombia hardly constitutes a general election battleground. Neither does France nor Jordan. But Senators John McCain and Barack Obama are heading to those countries and others because votes can be won there. The votes are the reward that Americans confer for gravitas — the stature and experience that reassures them their would-be president can safeguard them from unforeseen events. What helps the candidates in this effort are the images of them consulting with foreign leaders and giving speeches on the international stage, as well as the knowledge they glean during these travels.” Obama accused McCain of walking away from comprehensive immigration reform … The two spoke separately to some 700 Hispanics attending the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference. It's the first of three such appearances each is scheduled to make to Hispanic organizations in less than a month, underscoring the importance of the nation's fastest-growing minority group.”
The Washington Post's Shear notes, "McCain's allies have seized on a new and aggressive line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, casting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee as an opportunistic and self-obsessed politician who will do and say anything to get elected." Shear adds that "the abrupt shift in tone among his paid staff members, volunteer surrogates and other Republican staples of the cable news circuit is unmistakable, and it resembles the unified message the GOP used to paint the 2004 Democratic candidate, Sen. John F. Kerry, as a flip-flopper. It also reflects a growing belief among McCain's strategists that the campaign for the White House will be won or lost based on voters' view of Obama's character."
VIDEO: The Nation's Chris Hayes discusses the McCain campaign's recent efforts to cast Barack Obama as a partisan even though he's worked on numerous projects with GOP legislators. “Targeting a politician's character flaws is a time-tested strategy, but it is a complicated argument for McCain, who has also shifted his positions in the course of the campaign. This month, with gasoline prices soaring, the Republican reversed his position on offshore oil drilling." And: “Craig Shirley, a GOP consultant and biographer based in Virginia, said substantive issues are sometimes more powerful during a campaign than a focus on character. ‘Bush tried the same thing in 1992 and Dole tried the same thing in 1996 -- trying to make the election a character issue -- both failing, of course,’ Shirley said of George H.W. Bush and Robert J. Dole. ‘If these things were simply about character, then the two war heroes the GOP nominated in 1992 and 1996 would have beaten the draft-dodging, pot-smoking womanizer.’”
"In the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk," Gen. Wes Clark (Ret.) said on CBS' Face the Nation. "It's a matter of gauging your opponents and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee and he has traveled all over the world, but he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded -- that wasn't a wartime squadron." He added, "Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.”CONTINUED >>
The New York Times looks at Obama's push to compete in the South. "Obama’s Southern strategy relies on significantly increasing black registration and turnout, as he did in the primary season. Mr. Hildebrand said that by some estimates there are 600,000 unregistered black voters in Georgia alone. The higher the black share of the vote, the lower the requirement for garnering white votes. But the Obama camp argues that it can increase its share of the white vote as well by focusing on younger, more progressive whites."
Also: "In the Republican camp, strategists say that for all the difficulties the party is facing, the South remains deeply conservative. ‘It would take an awful big shift in the electorate this year,’ said Mike DuHaime, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign. ‘It’s not like we’re talking about states that were won by one or two points last time. These Southern states, with the exception of Virginia and Florida, were double-digit wins.’”
Speaking of the South, the Wall Street Journal writes about Obama's voter registration campaign there.
The New Yorker’s George Packer writes: "In February, 2007, when Barack Obama declared that he was running for President, violence in Iraq had reached apocalyptic levels, and he based his candidacy, in part, on a bold promise to begin a rapid withdrawal of American forces upon taking office. At the time, this pledge represented conventional thinking among Democrats and was guaranteed to play well with primary voters. But in the year and a half since then two improbable, though not unforeseeable, events have occurred: Obama has won the Democratic nomination, and Iraq, despite myriad crises, has begun to stabilize. With the general election four months away, Obama’s rhetoric on the topic now seems outdated and out of touch, and the nominee-apparent may have a political problem concerning the very issue that did so much to bring him this far."
CONTINUED >>
Has Hillary Clinton worked her way back on the Obama short list? The New York Daily News’ Goodwin thinks so.
The Los Angeles Times' McManus goes through the VP process for both campaigns and notes how few leaks have come out of late, particularly from the McCain side.
VIDEO: The New York Time's Mark Leibovich discusses his take on possible VP candidates and their role in the presidential race. NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli’s wrap of the Sunday morning shows: Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) defended McCain on immigration on This Week, asking “when has Barack Obama stood up and taken on his party on anything of national significance?” “If you look at any argument that Senator McCain is an extension of George Bush, it does not hold water, in a whole bunch of categories,” Pawlenty said. “He’s the one who said we’ve got to change the conduct of the war. He’s the one that says we have to take a different approach on energy.”
Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) reiterated he wants to finish his terms as Pennsylvania governor. “Well, the national media didn’t listen,” he said on Fox News Sunday. “I said in 2011, it’s my intention to walk out the door of the capital, the Lord willing, in January of 2011. I know that disappoints some people in the capital, but that’s my intention.” “And if there was a position open that I was interested in, like energy or transportation, I’d be honored to serve in an Obama administration, but not at the beginning, not until my time is finished,” he said.
CONTINUED >>
The DCCC is going up with new radio ads in 13 GOP districts that link Republican incumbents to President Bush and high gas prices by using -- drum roll, please -- a Bush impersonator. “Wanted to thank you for continuing to support the Big Oil Energy Agenda,” the impersonator says. “‘Preciate you voting to keep giving billions in tax breaks to the big oil companies. Sure, gasoline is over four bucks a gallon and the oil companies are making record profits, but what’s good for Big Oil is good for America, right? I guess that’s why they call us the Grand OIL Party. Heh, heh, heh.” The districts: Brian Bilbray (CA-50), Charlie Dent (PA-15), Thelma Drake (VA-02), Shelly Moore Capito (WV-02), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Phil English (PA-03), Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Jim Gerlach (PA-06), Virgil Goode (VA-05), Robin Hayes (NC-08), Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Peter Roskam (IL-06), and Jean Schmidt (OH-02).
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger McCain
today met with evangelical leader Billy Graham and his son Franklin, discussing his experience during the Vietnam War and praying for “God’s will to be done in the upcoming election.”
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Billy Graham and his son Franklin,” McCain said after the meeting in Asheville, NC. “We had a very excellent conversation, I appreciated the opportunity to visit with him. Rev. Billy Graham recalled that during the Vietnam War when I was in prison, he visited my parents in Hawaii twice, and he and my father and mother prayed together for me, and I expressed my appreciation for that a long time ago.”
The 45-minute meeting was expected to be just with Franklin, who is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. But the frail elder Graham attended as well.
“My father and I were pleased to have an opportunity to meet and visit with Sen. John McCain today,” Franklin Graham said in a statement. “Sen. McCain’s office had requested a meeting in recent months, and we appreciate the effort he made to travel to my father’s home. The senator and I both have sons currently serving in the military, and also have a common interest in aviation. I was impressed by his personal faith and his moral clarity on important social issues facing America today.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
Obama promised to be a partner and champion for America’s Hispanics if he wins the White House.
In a roughly 45-minute speech and question-and-answer session at a conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Saturday, Obama highlighted his work with Latino leaders and called the Hispanics “an aspirational community that embodies the best of the American Dream.”
VIDEO: When Barack Obama and John McCain spoke at a meeting of Hispanic voters in Washington D.C., they weren't side by side. But NBC's Lee Cowan reports that didn't stop them from sniping at one another.
The presumptive Democratic nominee hopes to win over Latino voters, a key voting bloc in several states, including places like Colorado and New Mexico, red states where he is campaigning in the hopes of turning them blue. The senator plans to address League of United Latin America Citizens national convention here on July 8 and the National Council of La Raza annual conference in San Diego on July 13.CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
McCain praised Iraq’s president Saturday for “significant but fragile progress” and said he is committed to continuing the work that needs to be done in the country.
The Arizona senator met for 45 minutes with Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani in the morning, calling him an “old friend” and discussing plans for elections.
"I have the greatest respect and affection for the president," McCain said. "It's a great pleasure to get updated on the situation in Iraq.”
Talabani said the two spoke of “national unity and reconciliation, and also having this year good economy and good budgets.” He said the length of American presence in Iraq “depends on the United States” but said Iraq needs their presence.
“How much they will remain there in my personal opinion, we need to have some at least some military bases as a symbol for preventing others in interfering [with] internal affairs of Iraq,” Talabani said. “Now, with the presence of United States of America, some neighbors interfering in our internal affairs, what will happen if they leave before preparing Iraqi Army and the Iraqi police forces?”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
McCain appealed to Hispanic voters Saturday with a message against raising taxes and highlighting his patriotism alongside Latinos during the Vietnam War.
McCain told the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials it is a “terrible mistake to raise taxes during an economic downturn” and said increasing business and individual tax rates could hurt Latino businesses.
VIDEO: During remarks at a conference of Latino leaders, presidential candidate John McCain's speech is disrupted by two demonstrators. MSNBC's Alex Witt reports. “There are two million Latino-owned businesses in America, a number that will be three million in the next decade, and a number that is growing very rapidly,” McCain said. “The first consideration we should have when debating tax policy is how we can help those companies grow and increase the prosperity of the millions of American families whose economic security depends on their successes.”
McCain was interrupted four times by anti-war protesters during the speech. He joked that one was a “very familiar voice to me.” Two others carried pink banners and accused McCain of being a war criminal.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli New York Times gets to the bottom of John McCain’s standard answer on potential veeps. Insert-name-here is part of the “the next generation of leadership” for the party.
WHAT THEY’RE UP TO. Sunday shows have their fill of potential VPs, including Wes Clark (D), Joe Lieberman (I-?), Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), ex-Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH), and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA).
UNITY! Hillary Clinton referred to the combined 36 million votes for her and Obama becoming an “unstoppable force for change” now that they’re together.
ON THE RECORD. CNN has some more reaction from Portman yesterday on his potential selection: “Well, you know, I’m happy to be home,” he said. “I commuted between Washington and Ohio where we are now for 15 years, and about nine months, so I made the decision to come home and it’s been great. I’ve got three teenagers, so I’m not looking for a way back to Washington right now."
BUZZ METER. Grover Norquist called Obama “John Kerry with a tan .” For VP, he likes Jindal or Pawlenty for VP.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger CLEVELAND, Ohio -- McCain said he believes joint town-hall meetings with Obama are now “very, very unlikely.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Clinton called on the 36 million Americans who supported her and Barack Obama to join together "to create an unstoppable force for change we can all believe in", echoing the slogan of her former rival's winning campaign as the two shared a stage for the first time in months.
After battling for the Democratic Party nomination for more than a year, debating each other nearly two dozen times and trading barbs over healthcare, trade and who was ready to lead the country in uncertain times, the two hit the trail together Friday in this small New Hampshire town, chosen both for the symbolism of its name and the fact that the candidates split the votes in the January primary -- winning 107 each.
Despite several recent polls showing Obama leading presumptive Republican nominee John McCain , many in the party believed a joint event like this one was needed to begin to heal the wounds of the 18 million people who supported the former first lady.
Bill and Hillary Clinton both contributed the maximum amount of $2,300 each to Obama’s campaign, a Clinton aide said, a move that seemed aimed at highlighting the sense of a coming together. Last night, the Obama’s contributed the maximum of $4,600 together to Clinton to help retire her debt.
Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen and New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch revved up the crowd of more than 4,000 gathered in the heat outside Unity Elementary School under a cloudy sky. Young children perched on shoulders as Obama and Clinton headed for the stage, many holding signs that read "Unite for Change" and a few holding some that read "Hillary for President."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
VIDEO: Joining Hillary Clinton at a rally in Unity, N.H., Barack Obama says, "I've admired her as a leader; I've learned from her as a candidate. She rocks." Watch his entire speech. Also joining the campaign is Melody Barnes, who currently serves as the executive vice president at the progressive group, Center for American Progress. Barnes will have the title of Senior Domestic Policy Advisor.
"Barnes also served as Chief Counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee," the campaign notes in its release. "In that role, she helped to fight for civil rights, women’s health and reproductive rights, shape commercial law and religious liberties laws, and review executive branch and judicial appointments."
*** UPDATE ***
And, of course, there was health care : “By choosing to forgo a mandate, it’s not universal,” said Neera Tanden, Clinton’s policy director. “It will leave 15 million Americans uninsured. Even with a generous subsidy, millions of Americans will not get health insurance.”
From NBC's Chuck Todd A day after Obama wrote a $4,600 check to Hillary Clinton, First Read has learned Bill and Hillary Clinton have returned the favor, donating the maximum to the Illinois senator's campaign, a Clinton spokesperson says.
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger
WARREN, Ohio --
McCain brought his energy message to a General Motors plant Friday, touting green technology and new energy sources while rejecting changes to free trade agreements or a bailout for the auto industry.
McCain toured GM’s Lordstown Complex and learned how new models are getting more gas mileage than previous versions, and learned about a new Chevy Volt that will run predominantly on electricity, planned for 2010.
At a town hall meeting after the tour, McCain said the country needed to be more active in finding alternatives to gas-based vehicles, like hybrids and electric cars.
“We can lead again in the automotive industry and that can provide thousands of jobs,” McCain said.
McCain said he was opposed to limitations on free trade agreements, but said enforcement of violations could increase.
“I don’t believe that every trade agreement is totally fair, and we do have mechanisms in these agreements where you can bring suit where unfair practices exist,” he said. But, he added that trade restrictions would have a ripple effect.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro cover story of this month’s magazine on Ellen Malcolm and Emily’s List. (Kirk Victor also has a piece worth noting in the magazine called "Disbanded Brothers" about the "frayed, if not severed" ties that Kerry and Hagel "once had to John McCain." More after the jump.)
VIDEO: Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who is with a group of ten women Democratic senators attempting to prevent Hillary Clinton supporters from voting for John McCain, talks with MSNBC's Contessa Brewers. Vaida and Skalka write: “Although EMILY's List is not to blame for
Clinton's narrow loss to Barack
Obama , the group had a lot riding on her candidacy--politically and psychologically. Her defeat calls into question the very core of EMILY's List's strategy--that women will back female candidates in the interest of equality, and that gender and identity politics can trump issues, message, and personality. Clinton's failure, in many ways, is also a reflection of the divide between Baby Boomer women (the foundation of EMILY's List) and their daughters, who, according to exit poll data, came out in force in the primaries for Obama. Among women age 29 and younger, Obama routinely defeated Clinton in key primary states, even in contests that Clinton won, while Clinton overwhelmingly beat Obama among women age 45 and older.
“Clinton's fall from front-runner to runner-up capped a challenging few years for EMILY's List, which pioneered the use of direct mail and donor bundling to raise early money for Democratic women candidates. In the 2006 election, Democrats triumphed mightily, yet EMILY's List faltered, as 74 percent of the challengers it backed lost their general election contests.
“In the current campaign cycle, meanwhile, the group has drawn fire from other Democrats for employing divisive tactics--from pitting abortion-rights Democratic women against Democratic congressmen who also favor abortion rights, to feuding publicly with another high-profile abortion-rights group about its decision to endorse Obama.
“EMILY's List has won wide praise over the years for leveraging the power of women at the polls and building an unprecedented network of progressive female donors. But now some political observers say that the group's influence may be waning.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro Clinton started out her opening speech at the Obama -Clinton unity event this way:
“Unity is not only a beautiful place; it’s also a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?
“What we build in Unity will end on the steps of the Capitol when Barack Obama takes the oath of office as our next president.”
From NBC’s Cherelle Kantey was asked about today’s Democratic display of “unity” in Unity and how his campaign has tried to woo Clinton supporters.
“Well, I understand it [the Obama -Clinton event],” McCain said. “And I've been noting in the media that they are making efforts in that direction, so I don't have any additional comment except to say that I do think we are able to attract some of Sen. Clinton's supporters, not so much because of any reason than that they think that I may serve America best. I had a woman at a town hall meeting yesterday at Xavier who was wearing a Hillary hat, I was pleased that she was there and I was pleased to respond to her comments. I continue to -- I think that this election I have to get Republican votes, Independent votes and the old and new Reagan Democrats.”
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro McCain has a new ad, focusing on energy, that is "being cycled into" the campaign's current buy, the campaign says. Notably it will run on national cable and in Nevada, New Hampshire, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa.
Note that even though the ad focuses on energy, there is a new McCain campaign message that has emerged this week: "Country First." The patriotism-focused slogan appears on screen at the end of the ad next above McCain's name. "Putting country first" is one of the last lines of the ad. A campaign memo by McCain adviser Steve Schmidt echoed the theme earlier this week. The title: "Country First Vs. Self-Serving Partisanship."
Obama has fought accusations of a lack of "patriotism," including his stated opposition to wearing a flag pin. (He now often wears one.) Obama's wife, Michelle, has also been the subject of this patriotism line for her first-time-being-proud-of-her-country comments. Cindy McCain also invoked the specter of her counterpart's love of country in TV interviews by talking up how much she, in fact, loves America.
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Get your gun : Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision on the 2nd Amendment elevated an issue -- guns -- that hadn’t received that much attention until now. Remembering that the subject hurt Al Gore in 2000 and somewhat damaged Kerry’s image in 2004 (after his widely panned hunting excursion) will guns also be a problem for Obama? On the one hand, many of the swing states (actually check that, EVERY swing state) are places where the electorate tends to have pro-gun views and where the Mike Bloomberg position wouldn’t fly. On the other hand, as some have pointed out today, the Supreme Court ruling may actually help Obama because Republicans might no longer be able to argue that Democrats want to take your guns away. “The Supreme Court has said you can't do that,” Democratic pollster Geoff Garin told the Washington Post. In addition, since Gore’s loss in 2000, many Dems have moved to the center on guns. Nothing was more emblematic of that than Obama’s statement on the court’s decision yesterday. "As president, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne.” And then there’s the question of whether wedge issues like guns -- or abortion or the death penalty or gay marriage -- will resonate at all in what’s looking to be a change election. Also, McCain hasn’t been seen as the NRA’s best friend in Congress. So while the pro-gun crowd is very leery of Obama, they aren’t necessarily that fired up about McCain.
VIDEO: In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment guarantees individuals right to own a gun, outlining the Constitutional protections for the 80 million Americans who do. NBC's Pete Williams reports. ***
Moving to the center, moving to the right : Pegged to Obama’s statement on guns, there are quite a few press accounts today noting how the Illinois senator has moved to the center on several issues (guns, FISA, death penalty for child rapists). And the Republican National Committee is seizing on these moves to label him a “typical politician.” But what we find fascinating is that as Obama has moved to the center on some thorny subjects, McCain keeps on making overtures to the right. At his meeting yesterday with social conservatives in Ohio, according to participants, McCain said that he was open to learning more about their opposition to embryonic stem cell research (which he supports), that he would talk more openly about his opposition to gay marriage, and that he would listen seriously to their requests that he choose an anti-abortion running mate (bad news for Tom Ridge?). In modern politics, the formula has always been the same: You curry favor with your base in the primaries and then you tack to the center in the general election. McCain isn’t necessarily following this path. Then again, McCain didn’t win his nomination by running to the right, either. Nothing he’s done this campaign year has been conventional.
*** A “typical” attack : Going back to the RNC labeling Obama a “typical politician,” it’s worth remembering that Clinton tried this, too. The problem with trying to use this line with Obama is that the historical nature of his candidacy makes it harder for the voter to think the word "typical" when they see him. (And, of course, Clinton had her own problems on this issue.) That said, Obama continues to fuel this line of attack by making conventional decisions like ducking the town hall idea, flipping on campaign finance, trying to straddle the fence on guns, etc. And unlike McCain, Obama doesn’t have years of good will with his brand; he only really has about 18 months. McCain has made a lot of subtle shifts away from his so-called maverick independent streak. But because his brand was cemented over years, he’s been given more of a benefit of the doubt with the public. Obama’s brand reservoir isn’t as deep, and he should be much more sensitive to this collecting narrative that he isn’t what he claims.
*** We are family … get up everybody and sing : Today is finally the day: Early this afternoon, Obama and Clinton will rally together in Unity, NH. Despite reports in the press, the Clinton-Obama rift is not as wide as some might think. The people who are most upset are major fundraisers who aren't happy about their role in the Obama campaign and, frankly, about their future place in the party. Many of these folks have been major players in the Democratic Party for 16 years, living off the reflected glory of the Clintons. Now, they aren't going to be the top dogs anymore and that's been a tough pill to swallow. It's simply human nature. That said, Obama’s meeting last night with Clinton and her top donors appeared to be a mostly positive event. Yes, there were some tough questions. And, yes, some of Clinton’s top supporters are still upset that Hillary won’t be the nominee. But as one attendee told First Read, Obama was received fairly well (remember, these are her top supporters). And he, in turn, was pretty humble and magnanimous.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd talks about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's joint event in Unity, New Hampshire and discusses who needs the event more. ***
Just asking: Who benefits more from today's Clinton-Obama event? Who needs it more? Two weeks ago, the unanimous CW would have said Obama. But now, an argument can be made that Clinton needs this event as much as Obama... Considering Obama’s place in the polls, it’s clear he’s already gotten his Clinton bounce. Today’s event is about Clinton showing the country one more time that she’s a good loser. Compare what Clinton has done for Obama with what McCain didn’t really do for Bush until much later in the 2000 campaign.
*** “There are no safe GOP seats in this election” : Just how worried are House Republicans about November? The AP reports that GOP leaders -- after their losses in special elections this year in Illinois, Louisiana, and Mississippi -- have come out with a report that underscores the potential for big losses this fall and that recommends Republican candidates show “deep empathy towards the voters” and rely on local issues rather than national ones. "This is a challenging environment," NRCC communications director Karen Hanretty told the AP. "Any Republican running for office has to run basically on an independent platform, localize the race and not take anything for granted. There are no safe Republican seats in this election." The mood among House Republicans is VERY bad; it’s as if they all went into the field in their own supposedly safe districts last month and came out with bad numbers.
*** On the trail : Elsewhere today, McCain is in Ohio, holding a town hall then a media avail at a GM plant in Warren and later raising money in Youngstown and Hunting Valley.
Countdown to Dem convention: 59 daysClick here to sign up for First Read emails .
The Washington Post's Balz and Richburg write: "With yesterday's decision, the Supreme Court pushed the gun issue back to the forefront of the nation's agenda, opening a new chapter in what has been one of the most contentious and divisive debates in American politics for the past four decades. Advocacy groups braced for new skirmishes, both in courts and in legislatures. Gun rights advocates, hailing what they called a historic milestone, immediately targeted other jurisdictions with laws similar to those in the District of Columbia, whose handgun ban was struck down yesterday. Defenders of gun control took heart from language in the ruling acknowledging the constitutionality of some reasonable restrictions, but they warned of a new assault on those restrictions.”
VIDEO: On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that while gun laws can be Constitutional, the Constitution does protect an individual's right to have a gun. A Hardball panel talks about how this ruling will affect the 2008 election. “Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) endorsed the essential finding in the court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. But the gap between their past positions on gun control sparked the resurgence of a cultural debate between the presidential candidates that is likely to continue until November." More: "Some Democratic strategists saw yesterday's ruling as one that will deprive conservatives of one of their most extreme arguments -- that Democrats are trying to take away all guns. ‘Whatever you believe about the merits of the decision, it's a decision that protects Democrats from the charge that they want to ban all guns, because the Supreme Court has said you can't do that,’ said pollster Geoffrey Garin."
"Neil Newhouse, a GOP pollster, said the ruling could help McCain in Western battleground states such as Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, where there is strong support for Second Amendment rights. But Democrats said McCain could face new problems among suburban women in other battlegrounds.
Salon's Madden takes the angle that the ruling somehow makes it harder for McCain and Republicans to make the case that Obama and the Democrats can somehow take guns away. "In one sense, the Supreme Court's watershed ruling on the incendiary issue of gun control was a stark reminder of what's at stake this November regarding the nation's top court. Given the age and health of several sitting justices, it is likely that the next U.S. president will appoint at least one new member to the now conservative-leaning bench. But rather than setting off a months-long debate and stirring partisans on both sides of the political divide, the court's decision may have shoved the gun control issue further aside -- and helped inoculate Obama from it.
CONTINUED >>
The Los Angeles Times reports, "McCain, who has struggled to win the trust of evangelical voters, met privately Thursday in Ohio with several influential social conservatives who have been critical of him -- and impressed them, while telling them only some of what they wanted to hear. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told the small assembly that he was open to learning more about their opposition to embryonic stem cell research despite his past disagreements with them on the issue."
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: What does John McCain need to do to generate some momentum? “And, according to participants, he indicated that he would take seriously their requests that he choose an anti-abortion running mate and would talk more openly about his opposition to gay marriage -- a pledge he carried out later in the day by endorsing a ballot measure in California to ban gay marriage. ‘It was obvious there were a lot of changed hearts in the room,’ said Phil Burress, who led Ohio's anti-gay-marriage ballot measure in 2004. ‘We realized that he's with us on the majority of the issues we care about.’”
More: "McCain is scheduled to fly Sunday to Asheville, N.C., to meet privately with the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham. The younger Graham met this month with McCain's rival, presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, who has launched his own effort to court skeptical evangelical leaders. McCain told the activists Thursday that he also hoped to meet with James C. Dobson, founder of the influential group Focus on the Family, who has said he would not vote for McCain. ‘The senator spoke fondly of him, but believes there's probably room for some bridge-building,’ said Mike Gonidakis, head of Ohio Right to Life."
Some prominent state Democrats are getting involved with McCain's effort in New Hampshire. "Two well-known New Hampshire Democrats have endorsed the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee. Jim McConaha and Valery Mitchell, who have pledged their support to U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), will serve as co-chairs of ‘New Hampshire Democrats for McCain.’”
Unity Day is finally here in the Democratic Party. Last night, at their meeting in front of major Clinton fundraisers , the two "showered each other with praise yesterday in their first joint appearance since the end of the Democratic presidential primary season at an event in which the senator from New York urged hundreds of her top donors to get behind the party's presumptive nominee."
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel talks about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigning together Friday in Unity, New Hampshire. "Obama faced some tough questions during the event, designed to help put 18 months of hard feelings aside and allow Democrats to focus on a general-election campaign against Republican Sen. John McCain. At one point, an attendee told Obama that if he wanted to be seen as a true leader, he needed acknowledge that sexism had played a role in the demise of Clinton's campaign. Obama agreed and said that the issue should be addressed.’
The New York Times notes that Obama said that “he had written a personal check of $2,300 to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a good-will gesture intended to nudge his top donors to help ease Mrs. Clinton’s campaign debt and help the two Democrats move beyond their rivalry to focus on the fall contest… ‘I wrote my check to the Hillary for President Committee,’ said Mr. Obama, who was greeted with booming applause. His wife, Michelle, also contributed $2,300.” is depending on the former first lady to give her voters and donors a clear signal that she doesn't consider it a betrayal for them to shift their loyalty his way. … Clinton, for her part, needs the Illinois senator's help in paying down her $10 million campaign debt, plus an assurance that she will be treated respectfully as a top surrogate on the campaign trail and at the Democratic Party convention later this summer. Some of her supporters want Clinton's name to be placed in nomination for a roll call vote at the Denver convention, an effort she hasn't formally discouraged.” CONTINUED >>
Compiled by NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli… Joe Lieberman (I) brings up Jeremiah Wright during an interview with ABC . “In fairness we don't know if Rev. Wright said these inflammatory, anti-American, racial comments every Sunday, but I would not continue to go to a synagogue where that kind of rhetoric was spoken,” Lieberman said, adding, “I think it did raise questions in people's minds about why did he stay in the church that long.”
VIDEO: CNBC's John Harwood and NBC's Andrea Mitchell discuss potential running mates for Barack Obama and John McCain with NBC's Brian Williams on "Meet the Press." McCain
refused to list names on his short list , and said a decision will likely come in August. He did say that Rob Portman is part of “the next generation of leaders in our Republican Party in America, and he has earned a significant place in the future of the Republican Party.”
According to someone at the donor meeting , one Clinton donor asked Obama directly whether he was going to add her to the ticket as his vice presidential nominee. Even Sen. Clinton looked uncomfortable, gesturing to Obama to move on, which he did.
CNBC's Larry Kudlow interviewed AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R). Asked about being John McCain’s VP, she said she’d “like the opportunity to get to change his mind about ANWR.” But beyond that: “I really enjoy my job here in Alaska as governor. I believe that there’s a lot that Alaska could be and should be doing to contribute to the rest of the U.S. And I think I can do that in my job here in Alaska. And I know that, again, the other potential VPs are saying the same thing that they like where they are today. So I also have to say though that it’s really probably out of the realm of possibility to be tapped for that position, so I don’t even have to worry about it.” She tells
CNN she thinks it should be a governor on the ticket, but doesn’t think it’ll be her. But, she says she would like an opportunity to serve “on a national level.”
CONTINUED >>
The AP : “House Republicans lost three recent elections when customary campaign themes failed to sway voters and their candidates could not overcome the ‘negative perception of the national party,’ according to an internal review that underscores the potential for widespread losses this fall. GOP candidates on the ballot in November must show "deep empathy towards the voters" and rely on local rather than national issues, according to the report, ordered by party leaders after the loss of formerly safe seats in Illinois, Louisiana and Mississippi that stunned the rank and file.”
VIDEO: Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., is running a re-election ad touting his work with Barack Obama. A Hardball panel discusses whether the GOP brand is so damaged that elected officials have to boast working with their party's opponent to win. In what could have far-reaching implications practically on Senate and House races this year, the Supreme Court
struck down the millionaire's amendment, a part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation, which allowed candidates who were running against self-funders to raise money at higher increments than the current standard of $2,300 an individual. Obama, in his '04 IL SEN race, was one of the first candidates to take major advantage of this amendment in his Dem primary. He faced a self-funder in Blair Hull, and that enabled Obama to raise money in $12,000 increments at one point during his campaign.
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli
WHAT THEY’RE UP TO. Sen. Jim
Webb (D-VA)
celebrated the passage of the GI Bill of Rights.
Fred
Thompson will
attend a fundraiser for a Republican candidate for Virginia governor.
Hillary Clinton’s two public appearances today included no hint of a role as his VP, though she did indicate she’d be actively campaigning for him.
ON THE RECORD. Sebelius (D) called VP speculation “flattering and a little surreal ,” but wouldn’t say whether she’d accept. “The decision is his choice,” she said. "I'm sure he'll make a great choice for the country."
Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is asked by a local newspaper in Minnesota if he’s being considered for VP. “I have no indication of that. … There’s just speculation -- and I think it is just speculation.” He said he has not been asked to submit information for the running mate selection process, nor has he been interviewed as a possible vice presidential candidate. “I feel honored to have my named mentioned,” he said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Mark Murray Clinton and Obama are to hold a meeting with fundraisers tonight.
Most of the protestors are from Code Pink and are protesting the Iraq war. Others are from Vote Both and there is one man with a sign that says Obama is bad for Israel. He is shouting, "Obama loves Hamas."
Big donors/names so far: Henry Cisneros, Haim Saban, Chung Seto, Julian Epstein, Betsy Ebeling.
All are walking through magnometers on the first floor -- the event is in one of those mini-ballrooms on the first floor. Dozens of folks have already passed the registration tables and walked through the magnometers.
About 150 to 200 people have gone through the magnometers. Will update with a better count later.
*** UPDATE ***
MSNBC just showed video of Clinton arriving.
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger
CINCINNATI, Ohio --
McCain told conservative leaders that he would speak out more to highlight his pro-life record and views on other social issues to garner more Christian conservative support, leaders in the room said Thursday.
“He needs to find his voice a little better in Ohio,” said Mike Gonidakis, executive director of Ohio Right to Life, one of several leaders who met with McCain for more than an hour. “He pledged to us we’d hear a lot more from him and that he’d be speaking his voice on these issues.”
VIDEO: Republican strategist Ed Rollins sits down with the "Morning Joe" team to discuss why John McCain's campaign strategy isn't working, and how the Republicans can get back on the right track. The officials said they walked away impressed with McCain’s positions, and said they believed the “ship is turning” in conservative support for the Republican presidential candidate.
The group spoke about McCain’s pro-life voting record, as well as his support for state amendments banning gay marriage (though he did not support a federal one). They urged him to highlight these stances, especially in events in their swing state.
The leaders said McCain also acknowledged where they disagree, specifically on embryonic stem-cell research, which McCain has supported. The candidate received literature on new research developments which they said made use of the cells from embryos unnecessary.
*** UPDATE *** John McCain will meet with Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical leader Billy Graham, on Sunday, the campaign announced Thursday.<
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum Hagel (R-NE) avoided partisanship while outlining what the next president will he have to do. He called on the candidates to avoid “political tension” and focus on important issues instead of “glib 10-second answers and clever 30-second television ads.”
"These two candidates must not allow this reality to control the process, thereby obfuscating the serious discussion of serious and specific issues so critical to the future of America and the world," Hagel, a rumored potential Obama VP, said at the left-leaning Bookings Institution in Washington, D.C. "Our candidates should also note that the world's leaders and citizens will also be carefully listening and observing this election. As the campaign unfolds, this global audience will begin to form expectations, shape judgments, and adjust their own national strategies and policies based on what they perceive to be America's direction under a new leader."
VIDEO: President Bush says he will lift sanctions against North Korea and remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist. North Korea. Hagel offered credit to Bush for several issues, including the North Korea deal announced by the president today.
"Although more work remains to verifiably end North Korea's nuclear weapons program, this important achievement for the Bush administration, for America, and the world is the direct result of painstaking, multilateral diplomacy," Hagel said. "The President and his administration, and in particular Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill, deserve credit for their efforts and this accomplishment."
The Obama campaign put out a statement, which called this a "step forward," but cautioned that if the North Koreans do not continue to meet their obligations, the sanctions should be returned with possible new restrictions.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Two days after Hillary
Clinton's husband raised eyebrows with a tepid endorsement of
Obama , the spouse on the other side of the Democratic equation praised the former First Lady for bringing women's issues to the forefront of this election's debate.
Before a roundtable discussion in New Hampshire -- the state that relaunched the Democratic battle after Clinton's surprise win in January -- Michelle Obama paid homage to those who have dreamed of equal rights in America.
"I know that we are closer to this America than ever before," she told an audience of about 300 in Manchester. "And that's largely because of an extraordinary woman who's not in this room, but she's traveling with my husband tomorrow, and that woman is Hillary Clinton."
"Because of Hillary Clinton's work," she added, "the issues of importance to women and to working families are front and center in this election."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli, Caroline Davis, Alex Wall and Katie Mulhall WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton received another warm welcome today from a group that supported her in strong numbers during her primary campaign, telling a room full of Latino elected officials that “we all have to be united.”
VIDEO: Hillary Clinton speaks to members of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials at a gathering in Washington, D.C. “I was very honored to have so much support in the Hispanic community,” she said. “I believe this country is worth fighting for, and the best way to continue this fight is to elect Barack
Obama as president of the United States.”
She said that because President
Bush “sent our nation backwards,” and listed a host of problems facing the country from lack of affordable health insurance to unemployment to the mortgage crisis. Clinton recalled a familiar line from her campaign, saying she will continue standing up for the “invisible,” adding that the best way to help them “is to make sure that we have a Democratic president taking the oath of office.”
“And we need to elect more Democratic senators and more Democratic members of the House,” she added. “We need to show that the Democratic Party is ready to govern, to make it clear that the progress which we should take for granted in American can again be counted on.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Mike Viqueira Pelosi totally thinks that Rep. Chet Edwards would make a great running mate for Obama .
"He's one of the finest people that I have ever served with," she says of Edwards, the Democrat who represents Waco (and Crawford), Texas here in your U.S. House. Citing Edwards work on veteran's issue, Pelosi concluded: "I think he would be a great addition to the ticket."
VIDEO: MSNBC Political Director Chuck Todd weighs in on the "chess match" for electoral votes that Obama and McCain will soon find themselves in. He tells us about the options and strategies that go into selecting a vice president. It's a curious choice for Pelosi in one respect. Edwards' district went for Bush with 70% of the vote in 2004, and the district must be considered red by any measure. There may not be many Democrats who could hold that seat if the long shot were to come in and Edwards, a moderate Dem, were nominated as veep.
Pelosi prefaced her remarks by expressing her desire to see Edwards run for House leadership at some point, assuming that he isn't already ensconced up at the Naval Observatory. But Edwards has made a conscious effort to do just the opposite in order to concentrate his energies on issues important to central Texas. He is known to credit this approach to his success over the years in getting elected.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
PITTSBURGH, PA -- Ingenuity, innovation, and alternative energy sources were the buzz words at the competitiveness summit
Obama hosted here this morning to wrap up a three-week economic tour.
As he has done at every event over the course of his tour, the Illinois senator drew a contrast between his vision for America and
McCain's . “He has supported and would continue an agenda that I believe has failed to keep pace with the challenges of the 21st century,” Obama said. “I’m convinced that we must move in a new direction. If we have the courage to commit to change, the American people cannot just seize -- but shape -- the opportunities of the global economy. Together, we can author our own story. Together, we can pursue a 21st century leadership agenda that’s focused on five areas: energy, education, health care, infrastructure, and innovation.”
VIDEO: Sen. Barack Obama's communications director David Aselrod talks to "Morning Joe" about how Obama will be able to help the economy. The presumptive Democratic nominee said the government, in partnership with the American people, must do more to help keep the country competitive, repeating the phrase “this can be the moment” to spell out the goals he hopes to achieve as president -- from ending the country’s dependence on oil to committing to making higher education and affordable healthcare accessible to everyone.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- McCain called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the D.C. gun ban a “landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom” and said Obama has reversed his positions on guns.
Speaking on his bus before making a stop at Skyline Chili, McCain acknowledged the amicus brief he filed in the case and said he was “pleased with the ruling.” But he said Obama has changed his positions on gun control.
VIDEO: In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed the right for individuals to own firearms, striking down Washington D.C.'s ban on handguns. NBC's Pete Williams reports. “All I can say it’s one in a long, in a long series in reversals of positions,” McCain said. “In a few days he has gone from opposing nuclear power, to not a proponent, to willing to explore. I fully anticipate -- whether it be on his pledge on public financing or his position on the Second Amendment, or any other issues -- he is changing his positions. So it's not surprising.”
Obama released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling: “I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In her first speech since conceding the Democratic nomination to
Obama , Hillary
Clinton urged some of her strongest supporters -- nurses -- to put their energy behind the Democratic nominee.
“I have served with Sen. Obama now for nearly four years in the Senate,” she told delegates of the American Nurses Association this morning. “I campaigned with him for more than 16 months across our country. I debated with in more debates than I can remember. And I have seen his passion and determination and his grit and his grace.”
VIDEO: Mike Barnicle joins the "Morning Joe" team to discuss the effect Hillary Clinton's support will have on Barack Obama's campaign. She said the stakes were too high not to unite, noting as she did in her concession speech that Democrats have won the White House only three times in the last 40 years.
“Think of how much progress we could have made over the last 40 years with different kinds of leadership, leadership that really trusted and believed in the American people and the American dream,” she said. “On the environment, on energy, on civil rights and human rights, on health care, on so much that mattered to us. That’s why it is critical that this election summon up the very best that America has to offer.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Loverboy? Or John McCain ?Politico's Martin writes, "Since effectively capturing the Republican nomination when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on Feb. 7, John McCain has held just one public campaign event on a weekend. Instead, after workweeks full of fundraisers, town hall meetings and interviews, McCain has been, in campaign parlance, 'down' on nearly every Saturday or Sunday for 20 weeks, largely sequestered away from the news media."
But: "That isn't to say McCain is kicking back and relaxing every weekend. He’s hosted reporters and donors on separate occasions at his Arizona cabin, done a guest turn on 'Saturday Night Live' and visited troops in both Iraq and at Walter Reed hospital. Yet aside from an April rally on the steps of the courthouse in Prescott, Ariz., McCain has done little to capture media attention on weekends for nearly five months."
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama leading McCain in four battleground states.
VIDEO: NBC's Chuck Todd talks about the latest national polls which show Barack Obama's lead growing over John McCain. In Colorado, Obama is up five points (49%-44%); in Michigan, he leads by six (48%-42%); in Minnesota, the edge is 17 points (54%-37%); and in Wisconsin, it's 13 (52%-39%).
The methodology:
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Too much Clinton-Obama hype? Tonight, Obama huddles in DC with Hillary Clinton and some of her top fundraisers, who are expected to cut checks for the presumptive Democratic nominee. And tomorrow, of course, is the much-awaited joint rally in -- of all places -- Unity, NH. But is there a more over-hyped story than this Obama-Clinton event on Friday? Seriously, does Obama need the Clintons as much the media claims? Or does Obama need to get this Clinton situation behind simply so the press stops covering the story? Considering the bounce Obama's getting in some polls, it's clear that the unity issues in the party with Clinton and Obama are all inside the Amtrak corridor and nowhere else. Also, after reading today’s New York Times piece on Clinton and Obama -- which notes that some in Hillary Land are upset that Obama hasn’t written Clinton a $2,300 check, that his campaign isn’t hiring more of her staff, and that uber-lawyer Bob Barnett is negotiating things like Hillary’s role at the convention -- ask yourself this: Do you think Obama’s folks would be able to make similar complaints/demands, without getting laughed at, had the roles been reversed? Four years ago, remember, the Kerry campaign hired very few Howard Dean people, and no one batted an eyelash. Is this just another example of how Clinton folks continue to shape the campaign narrative, thanks to their personal relationships with media members inside the Amtrak corridor?
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel talks about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigning together Friday in Unity, New Hampshire. ***
Hitting Obama and Gordon Smith? McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt started the morning off -- at 6:45 am ET! -- with a memo contrasting McCain and Obama on the issue of bipartisanship. "There has never been a time when Barack Obama has bucked the party line to lead on an issue of national importance,” Schmidt wrote. “He has never been a part of a bipartisan group that came together to solve a controversial issue. He has never put his career on the line for a cause greater than himself… We don't need to trade Republican partisanship for Democratic partisanship. We need to put our country first and put our politics second. That is what John McCain has done his whole life, and that is what he will do as president." While it's not a memo that says it's designed to be a response to Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's (R) ad touting his work with Obama across the aisle, it certainly reads that way. Smith did not do McCain any favors with this TV ad, as it ends up rebutting McCain's frequent attacks on Obama that his bipartisan rhetoric is just that -- rhetoric with few actions to back it up. And now Smith's actions are getting national attention and serve as too easy of a rebuttal to Schmidt's memo. Smith's decision in Oregon (a supposed swing state, folks, not just some deep blue state) also counters the national GOP committees here in DC that have been trying to paint Obama as out of touch. The Washington Post reports that House GOP strategists are now backing off their attempts to demonize Obama; clearly some GOP senators running for re-election aren't ready to run against Obama, and that leaves McCain going it alone. Not helpful to the McCain cause
*** The Obama map: Obama manager David Plouffe gave the DC chattering class a lot to chew on yesterday with a PowerPoint presentation on where they see the state of the race. Perhaps the item that will get the most weekend attention will be the non-traditional battleground red states Obama's pledging to contest seriously -- including Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, and North Dakota. What makes tossing these six states into the supposed battleground category is that all of them are states where McCain will not return the fire. For Obama, four of the six are actually fairly cheap states to target, with only Georgia and North Carolina being truly expensive. It's not dissimilar to what Bush did with California in 2000, when he spent real money and campaign time to see if he could dare Gore to follow suit. Gore didn't and the Bush strategy almost cost him the presidency. As for McCain, the campaign clearly has no choice but to call Obama's bluff in these six states. Obama has the money to mess around; the question is whether Republicans in these states will not hit the panic button and cause McCain extra headaches. California Democrats let Gore call the bluff without too much criticism. Will Indiana Republicans or Georgia Republicans or North Carolina Republicans give McCain similar slack?
*** Is Jim Jones the new Mike Bloomberg? Today, Obama ends his three-week economic tour with a summit on economic competitiveness in Pittsburgh. In attendance will be folks like Steve Case (formerly of America Online), Andy Stern (of the SEIU), G. Richard Wagoner, Jr (of GM), and James Jones (retired Marine general). Yes, that’s right: The same Jim Jones -- whose name was leaked as a possible Obama veep and then who appeared at a McCain event a few weeks ago -- is now attending Obama’s summit today. For those that don't know, Jones and McCain are actually quite close. So considering the Schmidt memo today on bipartisanship, Jones isn't helping his friend very well by providing a bipartisan picture for Obama.
VIDEO: President Bush says he will lift sanctions against North Korea and remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist. ***
Breaking with Bush? Per NBC’s John Yang, President Bush got an early start this morning, speaking to reporters in the Rose Garden to welcome North Korea's overnight declaration of its nuclear activities. Mr. Bush said the United States would respond by taking North Korea off the list of state sponsors of terror and lift economic sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act. It’s worth watching whether McCain today will break with Bush on this issue. Also worth watching: today’s Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment and how Obama responds.
*** A different kind of campaign? Hardly: There’s a common theme running in Dan Balz’s column (which notes that the McCain-Obama contest isn’t any different from past campaigns) and James Rainey’s piece (asking why the candidates aren’t getting tough questions on Iraq). The campaigns simply aren’t being challenged -- by the press or the public. And they are acting, well, just like any other modern presidential campaign. Where's the new and different type of campaign so many folks expected?
*** On the trail: McCain holds a town hall in Cincinnati, OH. Obama, as mentioned above, is in Pittsburgh.
*** Spouse watch: Cindy McCain raises money in London. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama -- along with Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen -- holds a “discussion with New Hampshire Women” in Manchester, NH. Obama then keynotes a Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council (GLLC) Gala in New York City.Veep watch: Hillary Clinton (in the early afternoon) and Bill Richardson (in the evening) address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) meeting in DC. And Chuck Hagel, also in DC, speaks to the left-leaning Brookings Institute.
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Washington Post's Balz notes how similar this campaign is so far with previous ones. "A campaign between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain once offered enormous possibilities for something new. Instead, the two presumptive nominees have opened their campaigns for the White House with what looks and sounds like a repeat of the kind of politics both have promised to leave behind. Since Obama (D-Ill.) wrapped up the Democratic nomination a few weeks ago, he and McCain (R-Ariz.) have served up a series of indignant exchanges over foreign policy, terrorism, the economy, energy and campaign money. Their aides have gone further, with snarling put-downs in conference calls and taunting e-mails that flow constantly out of the Chicago and Crystal City headquarters."
VIDEO: Barack Obama and John McCain are in a war of words over debates, campaign finance and remarks by advisors. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the latest in the presidential campaign. More: "Gone in the early stages of this campaign is any sense of the uniqueness of the nominees. McCain is certainly no garden-variety Republican, and the historic possibilities of Obama's candidacy cannot be overstated. But those realities have been submerged beneath a tactical shouting match that feeds the cable culture of contemporary politics."
The New York Daily News covers Obama campaign manager David Plouffe’s presentation in DC yesterday. “’We simply aren't going to wake up on Nov. 4 with our campaign worried about one state,’ David Plouffe declared, reeling off possible Democratic pickups from Alaska to Florida. ‘We are going to have a lot of states in play,’ the campaign manager told reporters, boldly predicting Obama won't wind up a state short of victory like Al Gore or John Kerry. Plouffe promised his campaign was going to ‘play hard’ everywhere, targeting states President Bush won in 2004. ‘Just as important, maybe more so, is our ability to have a persuasion army out there,’ Plouffe said.”
“Eight political watchdog groups on Wednesday asked Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama to disclose more about the fundraising for their presidential campaigns, including new details about those fundraisers who "bundle" tens of thousands of dollars,” the AP says. “The groups making the request are the Campaign Finance Institute, the Center for Responsive Politics, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters of the United States, Public Citizen, the Sunlight Foundation and U.S. PIRG.”
The San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at how Latinos are seen as a potentially competitive demographic.
At a fundraiser in Michigan yesterday, President Bush said that McCain “is the only candidate ‘who knows what it takes to defeat our enemies.’” More: “Casting the 2008 election as one in which ‘the American people are going to have a clear choice when it comes to protecting our country and winning the war on terror,’ Mr. Bush opened by talking about his own experience. ‘I know a lot about the Oval Office, the daily intelligence briefings, the unexpected challenges and the tough decisions that can only be made at the president’s desk,’ he said. ‘In trying times, America needs a president who has been tested and will not flinch.’”
The Washington Post adds, “The 20-minute speech was a relatively rare public fundraising event for Bush, whose 29 GOP fundraisers this year have generally been held inside private homes. The speech also underscores Bush's increasing engagement with the presidential campaign after months in which he and his aides have sought to keep him above the fray.”
Has a month gone by without a major print news organization doing a big profile on how much money either Rick Davis or Charlie Black has made off of political connections? Today’s Washington Post looks at Davis' lobbying firm and how Davis' McCain ties over the years have helped the firm land certain clients. In addition, the Post revisits some of the complaints from now ex-McCain staffers with how Davis' new media firm has made big money off the campaign.
The AP : “Without [Christian conservatives], the less-organized and lower-profile McCain campaign is likely to struggle to replicate Bush's success. And so far, there's been scant sign that the Republican nominee-in-waiting is making inroads among these fervent believers… Family groups in Ohio outlined their doubts about the Arizona senator in a meeting with McCain's advisers last weekend. They're concerned about his record on abortion rights and on campaign finance laws that they believe limited their ability to criticize candidates who are pro-choice on abortion.”
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times looks at how the Clinton team is negotiating for debt retirement, a role at the convention, and how to settle things between Obama and Bill Clinton. "On some levels, the melding of the two operations is moving ahead relatively smoothly. Mrs. Clinton will introduce some of her top donors to Mr. Obama on Thursday night in Washington, and on Friday the two of them will appear together at a rally in Unity, N.H. Mr. Obama is in talks to hire one of Mrs. Clinton’s most prominent advisers -- Neera Tanden, her policy director -- and has hired and dispatched a few of Mrs. Clinton’s field operatives to work in Missouri and Ohio.”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: Will Clinton supporters come home to Obama? “But nearly three weeks after Mrs. Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Mr. Obama, some loyalists, especially on the Clinton side, are having trouble moving on. Some Clinton supporters are grousing that Mr. Obama has yet to make the symbolic gesture of writing a check for $2,300, the maximum allowable campaign donation, to help retire her debt of over $12 million." More: "The question of how many of Mrs. Clinton’s former associates will end up working in Mr. Obama’s campaign is another source of tension. To date, there has been no large-scale effort to recruit Mrs. Clinton’s aides. Part of this is because Mr. Obama’s campaign high command is already fully formed and because it is based in Chicago, meaning a relocation for most former Clinton workers. (Her headquarters was in suburban Washington.)"
Karl Rove, not surprisingly, goes after Obama today in his Wall Street Journal column. "McCain will be helped if he uses Mr. Obama's actions to paint his opponent as someone driven by an all-powerful instinct to look out only for himself. In a contest over who is willing to put principle above personal ambition and self-interest, John McCain, a war hero and a former POW, wins hands down. That may not be the most important issue to voters in electing a president, but it's something they will rightly take into account."
Just how will Obama's online supporters stay involved should he win the White House?
The AFL-CIO appears set to endorse Obama today.
CONTINUED >>
L.A. Times' Rainey calls on the media to demand more answers from the candidates on Iraq. "Republicans pretend Sen. Obama can't lead on Iraq because he hasn't banked enough Green Zone photo ops. The Democratic charade is that Sen. McCain, who spent five years in a Vietnamese prison, doesn't care how long young Americans die in the desert. With the primary season over and conditions shifting on the ground in Iraq, it's time for the media to bear down on these would-be commanders in chief with a few tough questions. I called half a dozen of the most thoughtful commentators on Iraq, and they agreed that it's time, to re-mint a phrase, for some ‘straight talk.’”
VIDEO: What do the presidential candidates really have to say about Iraq and energy? A Race for the White House panel discusses where candidates stand. More: "’It drives me crazy,’ said retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who led the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq. ‘There is no post-surge strategy. We are talking about staying indefinitely. We have not mobilized the country in any real way. And the military is decaying before our eyes.’ Batiste wonders why we haven't heard a coherent strategy from McCain or Obama about what happens after ‘the surge,’ the troop buildup due to expire next month.”
And: "If McCain gets credit for supporting the surge, which has helped reduce violence, shouldn't he also be pressed to explain his less prescient moments, such as predicting an easy triumph in Iraq? How, despite his supposedly superior foreign policy credentials, could he have been so wrong? Obama gets credit for opposing a war whose initial goal -- protecting the world from weapons of mass destruction -- turned out to be an illusion. Shouldn't he have to account for opposing the surge, which has enhanced the safety of Iraqis and American GIs?"
Salon takes a look at the potential of Rob Portman being picked by McCain. "Portman is getting some buzz, among the GOP governors and ex-governors who also pop up in the summer's political gossip. One Republican strategist grumbled that it's mostly Portman's buddies at the White House talking him up. ‘I think that buzz is largely coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,’ the strategist said. ‘It's like a college radio station -- the further you get from campus, the more it dies down.’”
VIDEO: NBC News/National Journal reporter Mike Memoli discusses the Democratic and Republican veepstakes with MSNBC's Alex Witt. “What might attract McCain to Portman is easy to see: He's conservative, but not a bomb-thrower on social issues. He's friendly with big business interests supportive of Republicans. His work in Congress and in the administration gives him valuable insight. ‘Rob understands government to a degree and at a level that most people don't achieve without serving as vice president or president,’ said Robert Paduchik, Bush's campaign manager in Ohio in 2004. ‘Having worked on the Hill, having been the president's liaison there, having worked at USTR and OMB -- you really understand the nuts and bolts of how things happen in government with that kind of a résumé.’”
More from NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli… Obama talked about what he’s looking for in a running mate. "I want somebody who can be a good president if anything happened to me. I want somebody who can be a good adviser and counsel to me and tell me where he or she thinks I'm wrong, not just on national security policy but on domestic policy as well." added a speech to the American Nurses Association to her schedule for today. She’ll also speak at the NALEO Conference. These are her first two public speeches since withdrawing. Meanwhile Robert Barnett is working to hash out remaining issues between Obama and Clinton. CONTINUED >>
How upset is the McCain campaign and the NRSC and NRCC with GOP Sen. Gordon Smith today? His decision to run a TV ad talking up his work with Obama is making it harder for Republicans to make the claim that Obama is bad for Democrats down the ballot. The Washington Post : "The outbreak of enthusiasm is a striking shift from the spring, when Republican advertisements from North Carolina to Mississippi to Illinois ominously painted Obama as an out-of-touch liberal bringing his brand of politics to regions of the country that should shun it.”
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon reaching out to Barack Obama and the implications this has for the McCain campaign. “National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ken Spain said the GOP will stick to that script this fall ‘on a district-by-district basis.’ But a senior Republican strategist involved in House races said that strategy is now largely dead, ‘except in rare instances, and I'm not sure it was a good idea in the first place.’ The tactic initially caused some Democrats to distance themselves from the senator from Illinois, but now most are eager to be as closely associated with his campaign as possible."
More: "In New Hampshire, Democratic Senate candidate and former governor Jeanne Shaheen will campaign in Manchester today with Michelle Obama, whom Republicans have tried to turn into a political liability. Conservative House Democrat John Barrow has persuaded Obama to cut a radio advertisement for him ahead of his July primary in Georgia. Senate campaign spokesmen for Democrats Tom Allen in Maine, Kay Hagan in North Carolina, Al Franken in Minnesota and Rick Noriega in Texas all said they have reached out to the Obama campaign and are pleading for a visit from either the candidate or his wife."
And here’s something you don’t often hear. "I'm actually pretty happy about last night's results," U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon told The Associated Press after losing his primary bid for re-election. "I think I'll be able to do many of the things I would ordinarily do in Congress on the outside without having to suffer the sort of difficulties that come with that job."
From NBC's Abby Livingston
VIDEO: NBC's Pete Williams explains U.S. Supreme Court rulings striking down the death penalty in child rape cases and curring the payment to Exxon Valdez victims. When asked about the Supreme Court ruling against the use of the death penalty in instances of child rape today at a news conference in Chicago, Obama answered, “I disagree with the decision. I have said repeatedly that I think that the death penalty should be applied in very narrow circumstances for most egregious of crimes. I think that the rape of a small child, six or eight years old is a heinous crime, and if a state makes a decision that under narrow, limited, well-defined circumstances, the death penalty is at least potentially applicable. That does not violate our constitution.”
He continued , “Had the Supreme Court said, ‘We want to constrain ability of states to do this to make sure that it's done in a careful and appropriate way,’ that would've been one thing, but it basically had a blanket prohibition and I disagree with that decision.”
Previously, The Washington Post reported that Obama is a reluctant death penalty supporter.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Jim Popkin Obama states to David Plouffe.
Speaking for an hour today in rapid-fire bursts to a room full of reporters at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, the Obama campaign manager outlined the campaign’s “path to victory in November.”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel takes a look at a map of Republican states Barack Obama plans to target in his campaign for the presidency. The Dem wunderkind tried to convince reporters that, actually, there are multiple paths to election-day success.
“We have a lot of ways to get to 270” electoral votes, Plouffe said.
Aided by a Power-Point demonstration with slides titled, “Expanding the Map: Turning Red States Blue” and “Enthusiasm Gap,” Plouffe whipped through state after state and predicted they may all be in play come November.
“We want to play a lot of offense,” Plouffe said.
His tone wasn’t cocky, but it was exceedingly confident, several reporters noted after the event.
CONTINUED >>
From MSNBC.com's Tom Curry “This session of the Supreme Court has been a winner for child rapists and terrorists.”
That is what John McCain’s best buddy in the Senate, Sen. Lindsey Graham , said in a statement today about the Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 ruling in the Louisiana death penalty case. (The two Bush appointees on the court, Roberts and Alito , were in the minority.)
The decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy , struck down the Louisiana law that permitted the death penalty for those convicted of raping a child.
The word “terrorists” in Graham’s statement was a reference to the high court’s June 12 Boumediene decision which struck down a central part of the 2007 Military Commission Act and gave prisoners at Guantanamo the right to habeas corpus.
That decision, too, was written by Justice Kennedy.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Obama manager David Plouffe was asked if he thinks a VP candidate selection could help carry a state . “I don’t think that’s going to be a factor in selection,” he said. He pointed to Al Gore and Dick Cheney as examples of not choosing based simply on electoral math.
WHAT THEY’RE UP TO. Clinton spoke to members of the House today, for 10 minutes, “stressing the importance of electing more Democrats to Congress and Sen. Barack Obama to the White House.” “I will do everything I can to ensure Sen. Obama is elected president,” she said. “This was a very difficult campaign, let’s be honest. It caused some heartburn…but we are a family. We are the Democratic Party, and we are on the same team. So let’s go out and win in November,” she concluded, to a standing ovation.
KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) predicted that Republicans would undertake "a major effort to try and frighten people about" Obama because of his race. “That has been the Republican playbook for the last eight years," said Sebelius. “‘He’s not qualified, he’s somebody who should scare you. He’s too liberal.’” She also refused to comment on VP speculation.
FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R) “evoked President Kennedy's challenge to land on the moon and called for the same dedication and innovation” in tackling climate change.
He also clarified his oil drilling stance, saying it would have to be “far enough, safe enough, and clean enough.”
Florida Democrats meanwhile wonder if Crist’s Everglades announcement was more veep posturing.
LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) released a statement saying he was “outraged ” over the Supreme Court decision on child rape. “It is an affront to the people of Louisiana and the jury’s unanimous decision in this case. … The Supreme Court is dead wrong.”
Retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones is appearing with Obama , after being on the plane with McCain.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum Crist (R) has recently come under fire for (now) supporting offshore oil drilling after McCain , whom Crist supports, called for allowing states to make individual decisions about drilling for oil in American waters.
While hosting the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change today, Crist defended his decision.
"In fact, what we're talking about is a comprehensive approach to providing the resources and fuel that our people need and doing it in a way that is safe enough, far enough from our shore, and clean enough," Crist told reporters. "So I don't think there's any problem with that so long as those three tenets are met."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew Berger LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- With the
McCain camp highlighting a new poll that shows the Republican even with Obama, McCain himself downplayed the significance of current polls, especially those that show him trailing.
"It’s good to see yourself running, for us to be, most polls show us frankly two, three, four points down," McCain said at a fundraiser Wednesday. "That’s good for this stage of the game, particularly considering the headwind we have on our economy. And I’d like to give you a little straight talk. There was a poll last week that showed me three points down from Sen. Obama and the Republican Party 19 points down from the Democrats.”
The latest Gallup tracking poll today had McCain and Obama tied at 45 percent each, a high water mark for McCain. The poll came on the same day as a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey had Obama with a 12-point lead.
McCain acknowledged the Gallup tie score at the fundraiser, but suggested polling this summer will not be significant.
“The first lesson I want you to draw is that people are really are not gonna start focusing on the campaign until the conventions,” McCain said. “So a lot of this polling data is pretty much, sort of, you know, ‘Who do you like?’ and all that.”
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain gave something of a closing argument today, summarizing the proposals of the last 10 days and giving them a new name: “The Lexington Project.”
“In recent days, I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lexington -- the Lexington Project, the Lexington Project -- remember that name,” McCain said. “Named for the town where Americans asserted their independence once before. And let it begin today with this commitment: In a world of hostile and unstable suppliers of oil, this nation will achieve strategic independence by the year 2025.”
According to McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers, “strategic independence” is when “oil is no longer the primary fuel for transportation, and when the oil cartel no longer has the ability to undermine our economy or the paychecks of the American worker.”
The parts of this project as outlined during this tour are at least seven fold. Since last Monday, McCain has proposed lifting the moratorium on offshore oil exploration; putting the country on a path to build 45 new nuclear plants by 2030; cracking down on speculation in the oil futures market; committing $2 billion dollars per year to clean coal research; a $300 million prize for the first company that can create a zero-emissions automobile battery; and a $5,000 consumer tax credit for the purchase of any zero-emissions vehicles. All of this is in addition to the cap-and-trade system he has proposed as a senator.
*** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The good news is that your elected representatives are still responsive to the concerns of average Americans. Everyone from Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell on down understands that this is an issue that has the potential to change the political dynamic this election year, and is rushing forward with proposals hoping to demonstrate that they are doing something -- or at least trying to.
The bad news is that the two sides are at present nowhere near agreement on what should be done. And ever mindful that this is an election year, they seem to be comfortable with where they are in their positions and don't mind letting the voters decide who is right in November (but not without a lot of noise along the way). In any event, on the very outside chance that they do find common ground, they are unlikely to enact anything that will affect the price of gas in the short term.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube Obama has asked for, and will soon receive, a military operational and intelligence briefing. Morrell said it will be his second such brief in recent months. The briefing, however, will be nothing more than any member of the Senate would receive.
Morrell said that McCain , as a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, receives operational and intelligence briefings more frequently, and by virtue of his position is cleared to receive more highly-classified information regarding military ops and intel. The press secretary added that McCain has requested one separate briefing in about the last six months. According to Morrell, once both senators are the official presidential candidates of their party, they will be briefed on an equal basis.
Morrell stressed that, for now, any requests for Pentagon briefings from either senator must come through their Senate offices or respective committees and not through their campaign offices.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC this afternoon if he would accept being vice president if asked, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) said, in part, It's not something you turn down. "The answer to that is 'Yes,'" he said.
VIDEO: Speaking with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, Sen. Evan Bayh says he would accept an invitation to join the Obama ticket. When asked if he was being vetted by the Obama campaign, he didn't say no, and, in fact, intimated that he is being vetted.
Here's the exchange:
MITCHELL: Let me ask you the question that Brian Williams asked Joe
Biden on Sunday on Meet the Press, if asked, would you serve, vice president?
BAYH: I don't think it's the kind of thing you say no to, Andrea. The answer to that is yes. I love my day job. I'm not looking to change, but if someone who will be leading the country comes to you and says I need your help. I want you to do this. Of course. If you care about serving your country that is the kind of thing that you do.
AM: And has the vetting begun?
EB: Well, I can't talk about that as you can appreciate, otherwise I disqualify myself from consideration [smiles]. But they have a process. That process should go forward. And we'll just see where it leads, and it's Sen. Obama's decision to make and his alone, and I think he's the one that should be allowed to speak about these kinds of things.
CONTINUED >>
From Alex Wall and Katie Mulhall Bush administration officials is calling on President Bush to issue an executive order banning the use of torture.
On a conference call today, the architects of the Statement of Principles said there were neither moral nor national security justifications for torture. The group includes six former Secretaries of State and Defense and former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum Clinton responded to statements that her husband is not enthusiastic about campaigning for Obama , telling reporters Bill "has said he will do whatever he can and whatever he's asked." Mandela's 90th birthday party today in London. And there will be a lot of work for all of us as Democrats to do, including him." Pelosi (D-CA), appearing with Clinton, commended Clinton on her run. "Because of her campaign, the Democratic Party is much more energized, is much more prepared to win in November,” Pelosi said, “and more important than that, much better prepared to govern come January."
From NBC's Mark Murray we reported on some of the findings of a focus group that was conducted here by Democratic pollster Peter Hart. Below are some more observations from the 12 likely voters (all of whom didn't support Obama or McCain in the April primary) from this important battleground state:
Hillary Clinton . Most of the participants had very positive views of the New York senator, especially the seven of the 12 who supported her in the primary. (Clinton beat Obama in York County, 55%-45%.) Words used to describe her: "personable," "experienced, "so smart," and "great first lady." Kirby, a Democrat who now says he backs Obama, noted that Clinton "knew her way around" Washington and the White House. He also added, "I think it's time for a woman president."
VIDEO: A Hardball panel debates: Will the Democrats' attacks on John McCain's age backfire? McCain's Age . The participants brought up this subject frequently, particularly when Hart asked them about uncertainties concerning McCain. Kim, who voted for
Bush in '04, backed Clinton in the primary and is undecided in the Obama-McCain contest, responded to this question with one word: "age." She even mentioned the possibility of Alzheimer's. Michelle B., who supports Obama, said: "I am looking for somebody younger."
Obama's Race . Near the end of the 2 1/2-hour focus group, Hart asked what the effect would be of having the country's first black president. William, who backs McCain, said the "world will be watching" -- in how whites, blacks, and other races react to it. Janell, the Republican who remains undecided, argued that it shouldn't make a difference (that Obama being elected should have the same impact if a white person was elected to the United States). Tony, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and supports McCain, added: "I think there is still a lot of racism in the country."
When Hart asked whether race was a barrier for Obama, Janell replied that this country needs the best candidate, regardless of color or race. Kirby answered that he's disappointed the topic even comes up, especially given that Obama's multi-racial. Terry, who won't vote for Obama, said she is fearful for the safety of Obama and his wife. "The real world doesn't do well with change." And Charles, the Hillary supporter who said he's backing McCain, said there could be riots if Obama is elected. He was the only person out of the 12 to share that opinion.
The Media . There was one universal opinion at the focus group -- shared by men, women, Republicans, Democrats, Obama supporters, and McCain backers -- the media haven't done a good job covering the election. Susan, a Democrat who's for Obama, talked about the "overkill" of analysis; Charles said there was a pro-Obama bias; and Michelle B. didn't like the constant discussion of race. Kirby put it this way: When you have 24-hour cable news, "there is not that much [else] to talk about."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Republcian Sen. Gordon Smith, of Oregon, touts his affiliation with a leader of a national party -- it's just that it's not his own.
In Smith's new ad, "Truth," the opening line: "Who says Gordon Smith helped lead the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment -- Barack Obama.
"He joined with Gordon and broke through a 20-year deadlock to pass new laws which increased gas mileage for automobiles."
AP's take : “Republicans usually demonize Barack Obama in their political advertising, but GOP Sen. Gordon Smith aligns himself with the Democratic presidential candidate in a new ad, citing legislation they worked on to improve fuel efficiency standards. Observers in both parties said it appeared to be the first time in this election cycle that a GOP Senate candidate had aligned with Obama.
"The ad, responding to an independent Democratic ad linking Smith to high gas prices, credits Obama with saying that ‘Gordon Smith led the fight for better gas mileage and a cleaner environment.’ …
"Obama's campaign said the Illinois senator appreciated that his ‘record of bipartisan achievement is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues.’ But Obama is backing Democrat Jeff Merkley in the Oregon Senate race, said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.”
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Clinton released this statement on Obama asking donors to help her raise money to pay off debt:
"Senator Clinton appreciates Senator Obama's generous efforts and is continuing her efforts to raise the monies he needs to ensure a victory in November."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Rocky Mountain News , Ralph Nader says this on Obama :
"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader said. "Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards." ...
VIDEO: Ralph Nader accuses Obama of downplaying poverty issues. "Asked to clarify whether he thought Obama does try to 'talk white,' Nader said: 'Of course. ... I mean, first of all, the number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas, and have a very detailed platform about how the poor is going to be defended by the law, is going to be protected by the law, and is going to be liberated by the law,' Nader said. 'Haven't heard a thing.'" ...
" 'He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician,' Nader said. 'He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up.'"
The Obama campaign responded to the paper this way: "We are obviously disappointed with these very backward-looking remarks," Obama campaign spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said.
From NBC's Chuck Todd
When looking at national polls, it's better to study ideology (those who identify as "conservative" or "liberal") rather than party ID ("Republican," "Independent" or "Democrat").
Just something to keep in mind when examining these national polls.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Views of Obama : Overall, however, Obama fared pretty well in this focus group, which was striking given that it was all white, that not a single person voted for him in the primary, and that it took place in a region not considered a strength for him. Five said they would vote for him, four backed McCain, and three said they were undecided. Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the focus group for the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania, said Obama benefited from a room wanting change and to move beyond Bush. What skeptics were looking for, he added, was some “meat on the bone.” The five who said they would vote for him cited his fresh ideas, intelligence, grasp of the issues, and excitement and energy. The four who opposed him -- all Bush voters, save Charles, the Hillary supporter -- stressed his inexperience and their fears of him being commander-in-chief. And of the three who were undecided, one said they wanted to know more about his health-care plans; another wanted to know more about the kind of change he would bring; and the third said she was considering Obama because of change.
VIDEO: Barack Obama and John McCain are in a war of words over debates, campaign finance and remarks by advisers. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the latest in the presidential campaign. ***
Views of McCain : As for McCain, many of the focus group participants cited his experience, his POW past, and his love of the country. But it was noteworthy that of the three undecideds, all of them voted for Bush in 2004 -- but they were unwilling to announce their support for McCain. One of them, Kim, expressed concern about the Arizona senator’s age. Another, Janell, even recalled him saying at a GOP debate that the economy wasn’t in that bad of shape, and she said that McCain must chose a running mate “I have absolute confidence in” to win her vote. Hart said the fact that a GOP voter like Janell wasn’t supporting McCain right now was telling. “If [she] isn’t a locked-in vote for John McCain, that is bad news.” What’s more, except for only the strongest Republicans in the group, the opinions of President Bush were unflattering. “Ineffective,” “deceptive,” and “disgusted” were some of the words they said to describe him. Also in the focus group, the economy was the top concern (only one said Iraq), and all of them were critical of the way the media have covered the presidential contest. We’ll have more about the focus group later today.
*** Bill's beefs with Obama : The budding rivalry between Bill Clinton and Obama is coming into clearer focus thanks to a VERY tepid supporting statement yesterday from Bill Clinton about Obama. It's been no secret in Clinton circles that the FPOTUS took the primary campaign personally, particularly on two fronts: 1) the fact that Obama was so quick to pooh-pooh the '90s and 2) the way he believes the Obama campaign turned him into a racist. While Hillary Clinton is very pragmatic about what she needs to do in this campaign now regarding Obama, Bill's just not there yet. That said, one Bill confidante recently said to us that the former president still loves to heal rifts, that he thrives on it, and that at some point he'll go on his own Obama charm offensive so that suddenly the Democratic nominee finds himself so smitten that he begins begging 42 to start campaigning for him. But when will Bill Clinton's seduction of Obama begin? Will it be in time for the convention so that Bill gets his speaking slot? Or will he be reduced to tribute video status while Hillary Clinton gets the Monday prime time slot?
*** When Juan Valdez meets Pablo Escobar : Per NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy, McCain will travel to Colombia next week. The purpose of the trip, the campaign says, is because the country “is a vital ally in our struggle against the scourge of drugs." But it also goes beyond that: Ever since the issue of NAFTA became a hot-button issue in the Democratic primary, McCain has been going out of his way to emphasize his own free-trade credentials. This includes several weeks of advocating the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, as well as last week's trip to Canada, where McCain refused to mention his opponent by name but said that Americans have "to defend [NAFTA] without equivocation in political debate." Aigner-Treworgy adds that next week's trip -- McCain will also stop in Mexico -- serves to make McCain look presidential (meeting with foreign leaders whom he calls "friends") and also provides him a forum in which he can promote his position on free trade while appearing to be above the back-and-forth partisan name-calling that takes place stateside.
*** Another incumbent bites the dust : After surviving past GOP primary challenges -- all focused on his support for comprehensive immigration reform -- Utah Rep. Chris Cannon (R) finally lost. He was defeated by challenger Jason Chaffetz, who served as Gov. Jon Huntsman’s chief of staff and also was a placekicker for BYU. Cannon becomes the third congressional incumbent this cycle (Democrat Al Wynn and Republican Wayne Gilchrist were the others) to lose a primary challenge. All the attention the presidential contest has received has buried this point, but it’s an important one to stress after yesterday’s news: The country isn’t happy with the US Congress. Indeed, just 13% in the latest NBC/WSJ poll -- an all-time low -- said they approved of the job it’s doing. No wonder the most strident activists are so eager to kick out incumbents.
*** On the trail : McCain is in Nevada, giving an energy speech and raising money in Las Vegas and then opening a campaign office in Henderson. Obama is in Chicago, where he holds a media avail in the afternoon.
Countdown to Dem convention: 61 daysClick here to sign up for First Read emails .
A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll seems to back up the Newsweek poll. This new survey has Obama up 12 points over McCain (49%-37%). More: "On a four-man ballot that included independent candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr, voters chose Obama over McCain by 48% to 33%.”
VIDEO: Newsweek's Jon Meacham comes in to talk about his magazine's poll, which has Barack Obama leading by 14 percent. He also talks with the Morning Joe crew about Obama's response to the GOP's criticism. “Obama's lead -- bigger in this poll than in most other national surveys -- appears to stem largely from his positions on domestic issues. Both Democrats and independent voters said Obama would do a better job than McCain at handling the nation's economic problems, the public's top concern. In contrast, many voters said McCain was the more experienced candidate and better equipped to protect the nation against terrorism -- but they ranked those concerns below economic issues.”
“McCain suffers from a pronounced ‘passion gap,’ especially among conservatives who usually give Republican candidates a reliable base of support. Among voters who described themselves as conservative, 58% said they would vote for McCain; 15% said they would vote for Obama, 14% said they would vote for someone else, and 13% said they were undecided. By contrast, 79% of voters who described themselves as liberal said they planned to vote for Obama."
Bloomberg News : "One bright spot for McCain, who recently abandoned his opposition to offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, is a high level of support for more drilling."
Remember those exurbs that were so good to Bush in 2004? Well, the New York Times takes a look at how the rising cost of living is making life in the exurbs harder.
Did McCain lose some of his enviro mojo with the offshore oil drilling announcement? He had a credible pro-environment reputation and clearly wants to keep that reputation, but the offshore oil drilling stance has caused him some problems, potentially.
The Washington Post: "In a speech in Santa Barbara, Calif., McCain (R-Ariz.) vowed to ‘put the purchasing power of the United States government on the side of green technology’ by buying fuel-efficient vehicles for its civilian fleet of cars and trucks and by retrofitting federal office space. The pledge comes months after Obama (D-Ill.) outlined a more detailed and ambitious proposal on the subject, virtually ensuring that the next administration will take significant steps to lower the government's output of energy and pollution."
VIDEO: Newsweek's Richard Wolffe discusses strategist Charlie Black's comments that another terror attack on the U.S. would be an advantage to John McCain. Charlie Black's comments about terrorist attack helping McCain
continue to reverberate . "Obama and his surrogates continued to criticize Charles R. Black Jr., a top adviser to Sen. John McCain, on Tuesday for saying a terrorist attack before the November election would help the presumptive Republican nominee. But behind their protests lay a question that has dogged Democrats since Sept. 11, 2001: Was Black speaking the truth?"
More: "[R]adio host Rush Limbaugh said aloud what other Republicans have been saying privately for months. Black's comments were ‘obvious,’ Limbaugh said yesterday on his program as he criticized McCain for distancing himself from them. Limbaugh said in no uncertain terms that Obama would be weak in the face of terrorism. ‘We know damn well it's Obama who would seek to appease our enemies. We know damn well it's McCain who won't put up with another attack,’ Limbaugh said.”
To this day, Kerry (D-Mass.) has blamed an Osama bin Laden videotape released on Oct. 29, 2004, for his defeat in the election the following week. And McCain, while campaigning in Connecticut for Rep. Christopher Shays that week in 2004, described the bin Laden video as a boost for Bush. ‘I think it's very helpful to President Bush,’ McCain said at the time. ‘It focuses America's attention on the war on terrorism. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but I think it does have an effect.’”
McCain held a tele-townhall with South Florida voters . "[T]he McCain campaign Tuesday night called 50,000 Democratic and independent voters who live in Broward and Palm Beach counties for a 'tele-townhall meeting' with the presidential candidate. About 4,500 people participated. The campaign says the voters were randomly selected and could ask the presumptive Republican nominee whatever they wanted, though the topics were screened. The event was part of a series of in-person and call-in meetings that McCain is hosting with Democrats and independent voters as he tries to distance himself from an unpopular Republican administration."
More: "The callers Tuesday night were all friendly and mostly complimentary. McCain fielded questions for about 45 minutes on taxes, public education and healthcare. In a nod to South Florida's large Jewish population, McCain vowed to enforce tough sanctions against the anti-Israel leader of Iran and to 'prevent another Holocaust.' He also repeated his call for the federal government to allow oil drilling off Florida's coast."
The Palm Beach Post added, "Sen. Joe Lieberman, an Independent from Connecticut who usually votes with the Democrats but has endorsed McCain, introduced the Republican candidate. Lieberman, the first Jewish candidate to run for vice president on a major party ticket, received strong support eight year ago among the large Jewish populations in Palm Beach and Broward counties. Speaking in a quiet, conversational tone, McCain recalled his recent trip to the Middle East with Lieberman – including a visit to Israel – and said he would do everything he could ‘to prevent another Holocaust.’” by visiting the South American ally ... His staff committed one mistake in announcing the trip, though, repeatedly misspelling the country as ‘Columbia.’ Nonetheless, McCain cast his support for Colombia, its leaders and its people in the friendliest of terms.”
“Obama asked members of his finance team Tuesday to help Hillary Rodham Clinton pay off at least $10 million of the debt from her failed White House bid . In an afternoon teleconference with his top fundraisers, Obama asked them to ‘do what they could do’ to help Clinton, according to a Democrat familiar with the call.”New York Post’s headline: “Passing plate for Hill.”
VIDEO: When push comes to shove, will Bill and Hillary Clinton unite with Barack Obama? Lisa Caputo, her former White House press secretary, talks to TODAY's Meredith Vieira. The
AP on Bill Clinton’s one-line endorsement of Obama: “Former President Bill Clinton, who has been noticeably reticent in his backing for Barack Obama, finally offered his endorsement yesterday, issuing a one-sentence statement through a spokesman.”
It looks like Obama survived his Hollywood fundraiser without anything embarrassing taking place.
He raised nearly $5 million at the event . The guest list included actor Jennifer Beals; Sugar Ray Leonard; Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, who created two music videos for Obama during the primary season; Singer Seal performed two songs; Don Cheadle; and Dennis Quaid. CONTINUED >>
In an interview with Newsweek's Tammy Haddad , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added a new name to the veepstakes long list: Texas Rep. Chet Edwards.
VIDEO: MSNBC Political Director Chuck Todd weighs in on the "chess match" for electoral votes that Obama and McCain will soon find themselves in. He tells us about the options and strategies that go into selecting a vice president. More from NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli… Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA)
talks about the input he gave Obama’s search committee, saying he spoke “about the merits” of Hillary Clinton, as well as Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, and John Edwards. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA): “I haven't got a clue what they're thinking.”
Chris Cillizza makes the case for Hillary Clinton. “If a vice president is meant to strengthen the presidential nominee where he is weak, Clinton is the obvious choice. The two fit together like pieces of a puzzle -- bringing different geographic and resume strengths that would make a potent combination if joined together.”
According to a
local poll , 34% of Kansans think Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be tapped as Obama’s running mate; 28% say they’d be more likely to vote for that ticket, while 35% would be less likely.
The Wall Street Journal online profiles Jindal, “a fresh face” with “conservative credentials and a reformist streak.” CONTINUED >>
After surviving tough primary challenges in recent elections, Republican Congressman Chris Cannon finally met his match in Jason Chaffetz, a former chief of staff to Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Chaffetz won the primary with 60% of the vote.
Cannon is the third incumbent to lose a primary this year. The other two were both in Maryland: Republican Wayne Gilchrest lost to a more conservative primary challenger and Democrat Al Wynn lost a more liberal primary foe. Per CQ : "Chaffetz, running in a less vitriolic campaign environment, parlayed a bit of celebrity — he was the football placekicker for Utah’s Brigham Young University in the mid 1980s — and a theme of change that resonated in a year when many voters are expressing dissatisfaction with political ‘insiders.’ Chaffetz overcame the support Cannon drew from the Republican Party establishment, including Bush and Utah’s two Republican senators, Orrin G. Hatch and Robert F. Bennett.”
“Chaffetz argued that Congress needs new blood, repeatedly stating that he wasn’t the guy for voters who want the status quo. Calling himself results-oriented, he portrayed Cannon as an incumbent who has little to show for his 11 and a half years in Congress."
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Hillary Clinton got enthusiastic applause from colleagues as she returned to the Hill. And she quickly shot down any lingering doubts that she's seeking the VP slot saying, "I am not seeking any other position." She added, "It is not something that I think about. This is totally Sen. Obama's decision and that's the way it should be."
Clinton and Barack Obama reportedly talked by phone about her debt on Sunday.
WHAT THEY’RE UP TO. Crist (R), on crutches , announced the purchase of Everglades land, calling the deal "as monumental as the creation of our nation's first national park, Yellowstone."
And the St. Pete Times reports it was, in fact, Crist’s idea.
Sen. Chuck Hagel was the featured speaker at the launch of Impact ’08 in Ohio, which was formed to “raise awareness of the global challenges and opportunities facing Ohio and America, and to encourage the 2008 presidential candidates to incorporate 'smart power' -- the strategic use of development, diplomacy and defense -- into their foreign policy platforms.”
Hagel also speaks at Brookings on Thursday.
Joe Lieberman will join John McCain on a trip to Colombia and Mexico next week.
Michael Bloomberg spoke at the opening of the new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, called “Campaigning for President.”
Jim Webb spoke to a room full of celebs at an event for the Campaign for a New G.I. Bill, which the Virginia senator “was dragging, shoving, pushing and nudging” through.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Alex Wall and Katie Mulhall Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), McCain senior policy advisor Doug Holtz-Eakin and McCain spokesman Brian Rogers railed against Obama’s remarks on energy today in Las Vegas. The trio contrasted McCain’s proposals of offshore exploration and a $300 million battery prize with Obama’s “lack of solutions.”
VIDEO: McCain proposed a $300 million bounty for inventing a new Flas Gordon-y car battery. At the same time Congress heard that gas prices could be reduced throught he elimination of loopholes that McCain economic guru Phil Gramm played a role in creating. The Nation's Chris Hayes discusses with Keith Olbermann. “It’s just very clear at this point that Sen. Obama is ‘Dr. No’ on energy security,” Rogers said in a conference call with reporters. “It was, ‘No’ on gas-tax relief, ‘No’ on expanded nuclear power and investment, ‘No’ on exploration. …We think we’re seeing a pattern here.”
On offshore drilling: Sen. Burr criticized Obama’s opposition to offshore drilling, claiming that, “Had the Congress 10 years ago opened up new exploration then, we would not be where we are today.” Burr went on to emphasize that McCain’s position on offshore drilling allows states to decide individually, but that failing to act would cripple the tourist industry that opponents of exploration are trying to protect.
“Whether you’re in the state of Florida or North Carolina, if people can’t afford to drive there, tourism is not as important,” Burr said. “[But] if any other governor says [offshore drilling] is not right for them, then that’s their right.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones
The
Obama campaign hosted a call with Florida legislators to slam
McCain as a poor candidate for South Florida who would have a big, uphill climb if he is to appeal to voters there.
On the roughly 25-minute call -- which the campaign called to discuss what it called McCain’s upcoming “tele-town hall with “Independent and Democratic” voters” -- were U.S. Reps. Debbie
Wasserman-Schultz (FL-D), formerly a staunch Clinton backer, and Robert
Wexler (FL-D).
Wasserman-Schultz said South Florida had never supported a Republican as a presidential candidate in the 20 years she had lived there and argued McCain was “not a candidate that shares any of the prior that Democratic and Independent women care about in South Florida.” She spoke specifically about his opposition to Roe v. Wade.
She also mentioned McCain advisor Charlie Black’s comment that a terrorist attack on U.S. soil could benefit his campaign. She said using terrorism as a political tool was “disgusting” and suggested McCain’s association with Black raised questions about his judgment.
The congresswoman said Obama had work to do in Florida because he had not campaigned there very much, but argued his positions on the issues of concern to the state’s voters would put him in good stead.
Wexler called McCain the “most anti-Florida candidate in modern history” citing among other things his support for lifting the moratorium for offshore drilling along Florida’s “pristine” coastline.
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones
LAS VEGAS, Nev. --
Obama kept the focus on energy at an event with green technology workers at Springs Preserve -- a site outside Las Vegas dedicated to sustainability -- arguing he offered a different vision for America’s energy future than his Republican rival.
The presumptive Democratic nominee called oil a “a 19th century fossil fuel that is dirty, dwindling, and dangerously expensive” and said a renewable energy economy was not “some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future, it is now." He said making progress toward energy independence and encouraging clean energy was one of the top three goals of an Obama administration -- along with ending the war in Iraq and reforming the healthcare system.
VIDEO: A new poll says voters give Barack Obama's energy policy an edge over John McCain's. MSNBC's David Shuster talks with Obama advisor Susan Rice and McCain advisor Nancy Pfotenhauer. “I have a very different vision of what this country can and should achieve on energy in the next four years -- and in the next 10 years,” he said. “My entire energy plan will produce three times the oil savings that John
McCain ’s ever could -- and what’s more, it will actually decrease our dependence on oil while his will only grow our addiction further.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
Tammy Dowd, secretary to the Selectmen of Unity, N.H., confirms the Clinton-Obama event will be held outside of the Unity Elementary School. Dowd says Secret Service is there now "setting up shop." The staff at town hall has been told otherwise that they'll be given information on a "need-to-know basis."
They've been getting a lot of calls from people in New Hampshire asking how to get there, and also from people in New York and Massachusetts looking for directions from the closest airports.
"I'm guessing the entire town will show up," Dowd said, which would account for about 1,700 people. As for other visitors, "I'm hoping our one store stocks up," Dowd said.
From NBC's Ken Strickland After addressing her Democratic colleagues today in their weekly luncheon, Sen. Hillary Clinton emerged with the Dem leadership at her side. She vowed to be "the very best senator I can be and to represent the greatest state in our country."
VIDEO: Hillary Clinton goes back to work at the Senate Tuesday. MSNBC's Mike Viqueira reports. In a brief Q&A with reporters, she quickly shot down any lingering doubts that she's seeking the VP slot saying, "I am not seeking any other position." She added, "It is not something that I think about. This is totally Sen. Obama's decision and that's the way it should be.
When asked about McCain's efforts to court her supporters, Clinton said, "Anyone who voted for me has very little in common with the Republican Party." She then seemed to speak directly to her supporters: "If you care about the issues I care about and the future that I outlined in my campaign, then you really have to stay with us in the Democratic Party and vote Sen. Obama to be our next president."
Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, a McCain ally and supporter, attended today luncheon. Fellow Sen. Evan Bayh told reporters that Lieberman sat at Clinton's table and the two briefly exchanged pleasantries.
"We're going to work very hard to elect Sen. Obama our president," she said. "And we're going to work very hard to add to our numbers here in the Senate... I'm just hoping that we'll have a very significant victory this November... I am rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work."
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
SANTA BARBARA, CA -- Usually
McCain's panel discussions feature a stage full of experts in a given field telling the Arizona senator how great his proposals would be for the country. But at today's discussion on energy at the Museum of Natural History here, one panelist didn't get the memo.
VIDEO: In a speech in California, John McCain says nothing is more urgent than regaining our energy security. Michael Feeney, the executive director of the land trust for Santa Barbara County and a professional land conservationist, took issue with some of McCain's environmental policies, accusing both McCain and fellow panelist Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger of being too willing to compromise on environmental standards in devising energy solutions.
"I've heard both of the elected officials here [today] say in various forms and others say that we need to solve our energy and our national security and our economic security problems without compromising or stepping back from our environmental standards," Feeney began. But he then gave several examples of proposals that McCain supports that -- in his view -- would compromise the advances this country has made in cleaning up the air and "protecting land for future generations."
"I don't understand how it's not compromising our environmental standards to propose a crash program to build more nuclear power plants when the industry has not complied with the federal law that requires there to be safe disposal for the radioactive waste," Feeney said, alluding to McCain's proposal to put the country on a path to building 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030.
Feeney also took issue with McCain's controversial proposal to lift the moratorium on offshore oil exploration: "It makes me nervous to think about those who are proposing to drain America's offshore oil and gas reserves as quickly as possible in the hopes of driving down the price of gasoline, because I think when you look at the good sources of information, were we to open up the California coast or the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, it would be 12, 15, maybe 20 years before those resources came online and got to full productions."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro Obama camp is pressing to keep the Charlie Black flap alive, but not quite asking for him to be fired. Today, the Obama campaign hit McCain and Black with a conference call with 9/11 Commission member Richard Ben-Veniste.
“Charlie Black’s statement that a new terrorist attack on U.S. soil would be a big advantage provides a candid and very disappointing glimpse into [what] one of his [McCain’s] closest advisors [thinks],” Ben-Veniste said.
Ben-Veniste demurred when asked if Black should be fired. There should be a “call for a recalibration in the thinking… staying away from the politics of fear.” He said it would be a “good idea” for McCain “to caution those … who’ve created this turmoil.”
Ben-Veniste said he was particularly disappointed in McCain, who he called “a supporter of the 9/11 commission.” “But his support of Bush’s policies,” Ben-Veniste said, adding, “put him at odds with Obama’s ‘principled’ stands.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Mark Murray Hillary Clinton returns to the Senate this afternoon. Today, she'll attend the Senate Democrats weekly Tuesday luncheon in the Capitol, which is closed to the press.
And tomorrow, she'll attend a meeting with House Democrats, according to her office.
Meanwhile, the AP has this story out today: "Former President Clinton said through a spokesman Tuesday that he is committed to helping Barack Obama become president, his first comments in support of his wife's former rival since their primary ended three weeks ago."
Relations between the last Democratic president and the candidate who wants to be the next one are still frosty -- they still haven't spoken in the aftermath of the heated campaign. But Bill Clinton extended an offer to help in a one-sentence statement from spokesman Matt McKenna. 'President Clinton is obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Senator Obama is the next president of the United States,' McKenna said."
*** UPDATE ***
She shook several hands and greeted many of them as she walked up the Capitol steps into the building. She did not address reporters.
Inside the Capitol, she was greeted by Sens. Schumer, Stabenow, and Mikulski. Mikuski said loudly, "We miss you. We need you."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro McCain camp continues to hit Obama on his declining public funding -- now with this Web video.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama's reversal on public financing, liberal bloggers like Arianna Huffington and Josh Marshall have wondered why McCain's own apparent flip flop on the subject hasn't received as much scrutiny.
Well, the Democratic National Committee is trying to change that by filing a lawsuit in US District Court in DC to force the Federal Election Commission to investigate McCain's decision to opt in the public matching funds system for the primaries, secure a loan based on those public funds, and then withdraw from the system after becoming the GOP front-runner. McCain, though, never actually received those public funds before opting out.
"The chairman of the FEC," the lawsuit states, "has already advised Sen. McCain that he is not free to withdraw unilaterally from his agreement with the FEC and to ignore the legal requirements of the Matching Payments Act, without the FEC's approval. Yet Sen. McCain cannot obtain such approval, because he already violated a key condition for dispensing with the Agreement by which he entered the matching funds program: he has pledged matching funds as collateral for a loan to his campaign."
Had McCain not opted out of the matching funds program, he would be limited in how much he can raise and spend up until the GOP convention -- which would put him at an enormous disadvantage against Obama's fundraising machine.
Republican National Committee chief counsel Sean Cairncross issued this statement in response to the DNC's lawsuit: "The law states that a candidate must actually receive public funds to be subject to the primary campaign spending limit. The McCain campaign never received any primary matching funds, and the campaign’s lending bank has made clear that no entitlements to public funds were used as collateral to secure any loan. The DNC should spend more time explaining why its candidate broke his word to the American people on public financing and less time on reckless lawsuits. We are confident the FEC will throw this meritless complaint out and that the court will recognize it as a waste of judicial resources.”
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro McCain advocated lifting the moratorium on off-shore oil driling, the campaign chose to hold an environmental event -- an "Environmental Briefing with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger" -- in Santa Barbara, Calif. Why was Santa Barbara a poor choice? Well...
VIDEO: MSNBC's Contessa Brewer talks with John McCain's domestic policy advisor Nancy Pfotenhauer about the presumptive Republican presidential candidate's support of President Bush's call to lift the ban on offshore oil and gas drilling. Per the
LA Times : "In the winter of 1969, 3 million gallons of oil began leaking from an offshore drilling site off the Santa Barbara coast. It would eventually be contained, but the incident helped spark landmark environmental legislation to protect the nation's waters and air."
Just Monday, NPR wrote, "As the presidential hopefuls debate the pros and cons of offshore drilling, natives of Santa Barbara, California remember the huge spill of 1969. Many say that disaster was the catalyst for the U.S. environmental movement."
The Santa Barbara County League of Conservation Voters is planning a protest of McCain's event today. *** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Charlie Black's gaffe: Yesterday, McCain chief strategist Charlie Black -- who already has drawn controversy for his past lobbyist work -- made one of those classic Washington gaffes, as Michael Kinsley once put it: accidentally speaking a truth that many people on both sides of the aisle believe. In an interview with Fortune, Black said that a terrorist attack would be a “big advantage” to McCain, a comment the all-but-certain GOP candidate immediately distanced himself from. Not only did the controversy distract McCain from his message of the day (that $300 million prize for inventing a new car battery), but it also resurrected the politics of 2004, which as we’ve argued before might not benefit McCain’s prospects. But for what it's worth, there's been chatter among some Democrats that the big fear Obama aides have is just what Black spoke about -- some sort of national security crisis popping up in October. This is why most Democrats who have given their two cents to the Obama VP vetters seem to come away convinced Obama will picked a No. 2 who has obvious national security credentials. That said, what the impact of a national security crisis in October is unknown for this reason: It depends on who initiates it. If it's an outside force, then Black's probably right. But if it's something that President Bush sparks, then Obama could benefit.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd gives his first read on McCain adviser Charlie Black's comment that a terrorist attack would be a "big advantage" to his campaign. ***
Off-message on offshore drilling? That Charlie Black comment wasn’t McCain’s only off-message moment yesterday. At a town hall in Fresno, CA, McCain admitted that the offshore drilling proposal he unveiled last week would probably have mostly “psychological” benefits, NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy notes. “Even though it may take some years, the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial." Uh oh. Then at a fundraiser in tony (and coastal) Santa Barbara, one attendee took issue with McCain’s offshore drilling proposal, according to the pool report. "We're really kind of goosey here about oil spills, and we're goosey here about federal drilling and oil lands, which are abundant offshore,” the attendee said. “So we ask you to look out there to the south and the southeast and remember the greatest environmental catastrophe that's hit this state and then balance that with the notion of winning California.” Today, McCain remains in Santa Barbara, where he holds a briefing on the environment with Gov. Schwarzenegger, who also opposes the offshore measure. Even though public polls show that majorities support lifting the ban on offshore drilling, McCain isn’t having an easy time with the issue when campaigning on the coasts.
*** The enthusiasm gap: Two polls in the last two days signal a big problem McCain has, and it’s perhaps why it's so important that James Dobson is going after Obama, accusing him “of distorting the Bible and pushing a ‘fruitcake interpretation’ of the Constitution,” the AP says. In the Newsweek poll showing Obama sporting a 15-point lead, the reason for that large lead had to do with the 19-point party identification gap between the Democrats and Republicans. Bottom line: All pollsters these days are finding fewer and fewer folks wanting to call themselves Republicans. And in the USA Today/Gallup poll, 61% of Democrats said they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting in November, while just 35% of Republicans said that. This goes to the heart of the two-fold problem McCain's facing: 1) unhappiness over Bush has driven some Republicans away from the GOP and into either the indie camp or even to the Democrats and 2) some conservatives are just not happy about McCain. Perhaps James Dobson's shot across the bow against Obama will, at a minimum, create uneasiness among evangelicals and move these voters back in McCain's column, even if unenthusiastically.
*** Rove as catnip: Karl Rove has become to the media this cycle what Dick Morris was for a period of time in the late '90s: media catnip. Whatever Rove says these days -- be it at an event or in a column -- it seems to carry extra cachet with members of the media. We're all fascinated with how Rove's brain works (so fascinated, in fact, a couple of reporters got book deal profiling Rove's brain). But the McCain folks, whether they are actually using Rove or not, seem to benefit every time. Rove is able to start cable conversations with some of his observations, whether it’s an over-the-top description of Obama as a country club Democrat or with his electoral maps. But then again, Rove -- even though he no longer works for him -- is tied in voters’ minds to the president with the 28% approval rating. Still, this power Rove still has with the political media is something that McCain's campaign is likely going to attempt to bottle and use at their own will. Rove's independence was helped earlier this week when he attacked both McCain and Obama on the economy.
VIDEO: John McCain has proposed weekly town hall-style debates with Barack Obama leading up to the Democratic convention, but so far Obama hasn't accepted. Should he take McCain up on his offer? A Hardball panel discusses. ***
Two just askin's: How has it Obama hasn't agreed to a town hall schedule with McCain yet? The time between now and the debate season, which begins in late September, is getting smaller and smaller… Also, with the new media narrative that there is in fact progress going on in Iraq -- see Saturday’s New York Times story, for example -- how does that impact the Obama-McCain contest? And as conservative commentator
Jennifer Rubin asks, can the McCain camp turn it to its advantage?
***
Mr. Hollywood: Later today, Obama heads to Hollywood for a fundraiser that will include, as the AP reported yesterday, Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Quaid, Cindy Crawford and Sugar Ray Leonard. Remember: It was around this time in 2004 when Whoopi Goldberg delivered X-rated insults at President Bush at star-studded fundraiser for Kerry in New York -- which turned into a distraction for the Kerry campaign. The AP says that tickets for today’s event are priced at $30,000, with the money split between Obama’s campaign and the DNC.
*** On the trail: McCain remains in California, holding a discussion on the environment in Santa Barbara and raising money in Riverside and Newport Beach. Obama is in Las Vegas, where he has a discussion on energy and the economy before hitting that Los Angeles fundraiser mentioned above.
Countdown to Dem convention: 62 daysClick here to sign up for First Read emails.
Yesterday, McCain admitted that his offshore drilling proposal would probably have mostly "psychological" benefits, NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports. At a town hall in Fresno that primarily focused on energy issues, McCain was asked a question about the price of gas and the viability of various short-term solutions.
VIDEO: Obama supporter, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and McCain supporter, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., discuss their candidates' differing views on offshore drilling with NBC's Brian Williams on "Meet the Press." "In the short term I'd like to give you a little relief for the summer on the gas tax," McCain began, referring to his controversial proposal to temporarily suspend the federal tax on gasoline. But then he made a surprisingly candid admission: "I don't see an immediate relief, but I do see that exploitation of existing reserves that may exist -- and in view of many experts that do exist off our coasts -- is also a way that we need to provide relief. Even though it may take some years, the fact that we are exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial."
The Los Angeles Times : "In a visit to Fresno on Monday, McCain did not bring up offshore drilling, instead emphasizing alternative energy sources such as alcohol fuels and announcing a $300-million challenge to develop a more efficient electric car battery. In response to a question, he said he still did not favor drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because it was pristine. When pressed, he declined to say whether the California coast was any less so, but argued that offshore drilling was safe. ‘I envision they would be somewhat further offshore but that would be, again, a decision by the people of this state,’ said McCain, who has said his views changed because of the impact gas prices are having on everyday Americans and concerns about the nation's dependence on foreign powers."
The AP : “Like two rival filling-station owners across the highway in long-bygone price wars, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain keep putting up flashy signs and offering new incentives in hopes of attracting customers battered by $4 gas prices.” More: “Yet energy experts and economists -- and even some of the candidates' own advisers -- say none of their signature proposals will have any impact on $4 gasoline or $130 a barrel oil in the near term, or even the intermediate term. Is it open season for pandering?”
CONTINUED >>
McCain chief strategist Charlie Black yesterday “said that a terrorist attack in the United States would be a political benefit to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, a comment that was immediately disputed by the candidate and denounced by his Democratic rival,” the Washington Post writes. “The comment reinjected the fear of terrorism into the campaign as both candidates had been shifting their conversation to the economy and $4-per-gallon gasoline. It also vividly recalled the 2004 contest between President Bush and Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry, in which Republicans repeatedly questioned Kerry's ability to protect the country from terrorists.”
“The comments also returned the political spotlight to McCain's advisers and, in particular, to Black, who has drawn criticism for his long lobbying career and his representation of controversial foreign governments. McCain has been criticized for surrounding himself with top advisers who were lobbyists.”
Black’s “remarks caught McCain flat-footed on a day when he focused on energy issues -- first in a speech, then at a town-hall meeting and then during a news conference as he stood beside two $100,000 electric cars,” the AP adds.
The New York Sun notes McCain's idea for a cash reward in exchange for someone who comes up with a zero emission car battery was inspired by Newt Gingrich, who has long advocated more cash rewards for new government ideas.
Cindy McCain will host a fundraiser in London Thursday. “The evening event was expected to raise more than $500,000 for the Arizona senator's presidential bid, a person familiar with the planning said Monday,” the AP says. “Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was scheduled to join Cindy McCain as a headliner of the event… John McCain was criticized for holding a campaign fundraiser in London in March, shortly after he clinched the GOP nomination, as he returned from a Senate trip to Europe and the Middle East. He reimbursed the U.S. government for part of the cost of the trip, under terms reviewed by the Federal Election Commission and the Senate Ethics Committee.”scrape he got while getting out of a car in Canada, his campaign said.
The Washington Post reports why Obama picked New Hampshire for his first joint event with Clinton. "New Hampshire is also the state in which Clinton first demonstrated her strong connection with older, working-class women, a group that Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, is now working hard to attract by lauding Clinton and depicting Obama as inexperienced."
VIDEO: With Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton agreeing to hit the campaign trail together next week, will the Democratic Party finally be united? Newsweek's Jonathan Alter discusses. NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli, who was the campaign embed covering the state of New Hampshire last year, has some notes on the town where Obama and Clinton will appear: Unity, NH:
-- The town was first incorporated as Buckingham in 1753, and now has a population of 1,715. According to a state Web site, the town was renamed Unity in 1764 after the “friendly resolution” of a land dispute.
-- According to the 2000 census, the population is 1,535. The ocasionally accurate Wikipedia says the demographics are: 99.35 percent white, 0.07 percent African American (I did the calculation, and that would be equal to one person).
-- Unity is about 60 miles from Manchester, mostly on local roads. The seldom-reliable estimate from Google Maps calls for about a 90-minute drive time.
-- By my recollection, not one candidate visited Unity during the entire New Hampshire primary campaign. Claremont, about 15 minutes away, did see its share of visitors, mostly on the Democratic side.
-- Obama and Clinton did indeed tie with 107 votes in the Democratic primary. Edwards got 78, Richardson 15, Kucinich 2, and Biden and Gravel each got 1. Chris Dodd? Nothin’ (though to be fair, he had dropped out already).
-- McCain got 81 votes on the Republican side, beating Romney who had 70. Huckabee was third with 21, followed by Rudy with 20. Duncan Hunter had 2, two more than Dodd.
The Boston Globe also notes that Unity has no high-speed Internet, no restaurants or gas stations, not even a traffic light.”
“But experts and Clinton loyalists say it will take more than a town called Unity or a coincidental tie in a primary vote to bring the two camps together,” the New York Daily News writes. “A more significant unity event is set for Thursday night when Clinton and Obama huddle privately in Washington with Hillary's deep-pocketed donors and fund-raisers.”
Obama was in New Mexico yesterday focusing on women's issues . "Obama challenged the women's rights record of his Republican rival, John McCain, on Monday as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee stepped up efforts to win over female voters. Opening a Southwest campaign swing here at a baked-goods business, Illinois Sen. Obama criticized Arizona Sen. McCain for opposing a bill that would make it easier for women to sue for pay discrimination."
CONTINUED >>
On Morning Joe, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was asked by MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski what would make him a good running mate, and he demurred. “I don’t think it’s up to me to decide that,” Pawlenty said, pivoting instead to McCain’s strengths. “He will find a vice president that will amplify his strengths.”
VIDEO: The New York Time's Mark Leibovich discusses his take on possible VP candidates and their role in the presidential race. He also called Charlie Black’s comments “inappropriate.” “I think Charlie was just trying to emphasize rightly that Sen. McCain is stronger on national security. But the way he said it was inappropriate.”
Huckabee sat down for an interview with
Reuters while in Japan and told the news service that he’d accept the veep slot if asked, but doesn’t expect to be asked. He also weighed in on the Democratic veep selection process and said he doesn’t think an Obama-Clinton ticket would happen, because of “some real tensions.”
NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli has more on the veepstakes front… The AP profiles McCain vetter Arthur B. Culvahouse. “Culvahouse has been involved in vetting people for positions at all levels of government for three decades, roles he's gotten partly because of his reputation for under-the-radar maneuvering.” Roll Call says former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge failed for nearly two years to register a $500,000 lobbying contract. New York Times looks at Jindal’s handling of the legislative pay raise. Jindal had been propelled “into the front ranks of Senator John McCain’s possible running-mate choices. But now some conservative critics are saying the pay-increase episode demonstrates weakness as well as Mr. Jindal’s unreadiness for the prime time of the vice presidency.” Miami Herald poll of South Florida voters finds Crist’s approval rating down for the first time in his 18 months as governor. head up Obama’s press shop in Indiana. denying he got special treatment from Countrywide Financial, and says the controversy won’t hurt his standing to handle the mortgage crisis. threw cold water on the rumor ” that Obama will announce Hillary Clinton as his running Friday.
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli THE SHORT LIST Marc Ambinder reports that both the Obama and McCain camps will likely announce in early August, with both aware of the Olympics starting August 8.
VIDEO: Questions are intensifying as to who each presidential candidate will pick as his running mate. MSNBC Political Analyst Howard Fineman and The Politico's Roger Simon join guest host Mike Barnicle and look at the veepstakes. WHAT THEY’RE UP TO: - Hillary Clinton is
asking supporters for help with her campaign debt.
- Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) is
addressing the U.S. Conference of Mayors
- Rob Portman (R-OH) says he’ll
decide by the end of this year if he’ll run for Ohio Governor or Senate in 2010.
- Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
convened a special session of the VA Assembly on transportation funding.
- Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)
won’t hold a traditional post-session press conference with state legislators this week, instead opting for a solo event after they’ve left town.
- Fred Thompson blogs about the Guantanamo decision at Real Clear Politics.
- Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)
will be taking viewer questions on CNN tomorrow.
ON THE RECORD: Elizabeth Edwards was asked on “GMA” about speculation her husband may be on the ticket again. “This is not a subject of conversation at our house. ... We're both going to work as hard as we can to make certain that Senator Obama is the president. And we'll let everything else take care of itself.”
BUZZ METER: Mitt Romney’s former chair in NJ, Joe Kyrillos, likes the sound of McCain-Romney, not surprisingly. He says there is now a “real warmth” between the two. Andrew Romano runs down the Pawlenty speculation, saying that despite “the faddish feel of the current Pawlenty chatter, he's long been considered a top veep possibility,” and started lobbying fellow governors in 2006. Joe Klein hears that McCain is frustrated with the process because he can’t go with his personal favorites – led by Tom Ridge.
CHATTERING CLASS: Don Frederick thinks Tim Pawlenty better stop telling jokes that include his wife.
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain is favored on national security issues and that any day that national security leads the news is a good day for McCain.
Outside McCain’s Fresno fundraiser, Black read his statement, soon to be released by the campaign, from his handwritten notes. “I deeply regret the comments -- they were inappropriate. I recognize that John McCain had devoted his entire adult life to protecting this country ... and placing its security above every other consideration.”
Fortune had reported Black said, The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an ‘unfortunate event,’ says Black. ‘But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.’ As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. ‘Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,’ says Black.”
*** UPDATE *** Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton writes in response: "Barack Obama welcomes a debate about terrorism with John McCain, who has fully supported the Bush policies that have taken our eye off of al Qaeda, failed to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, and made us less safe. The fact that John McCain’s top advisor says that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a ‘big advantage’ for their political campaign is a complete disgrace, and is exactly the kind of politics that needs to change. Barack Obama will turn the page on these failed policies and this cynical and divisive brand of politics so that we can unite this nation around a common purpose to finish the fight against al Qaeda."
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Obama launched the third week of a tour focused on the economy, an issue at the top of voters’ minds this election year, with a roundtable discussion with a group of women workers at a female-owned café here Monday.
VIDEO: Sens. Barbara Boxer, Clare McCaskill and Beddie Sabato acknowledge the difficulties both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama faced in their campaigns, and go through their list of the most important issues for women that need to be addressed by the next administration. In his brief opening remarks, he talked about his support for legislation to ensure equal pay for women, expanding family and medical leave as well as the tax credit for children and dependents and his plans to offer more after-school and early education programs. He began by talking about his appreciation for working women, noting that he was raised by a single mother, and about his grandmother who rose to become a bank vice president. He also talked about his wife.
“I am here because of my wife Michelle, who is the rock of the Obama family and who worked her way up from modest roots on the South Side of Chicago, and who’s juggled jobs and parenting with more skill and grace than anybody that I know and looks good doing it too,” he said to laughter. “Michelle and I want our two daughters, Malia and Sasha, to grow up in an America where they have the freedom and opportunity to live their dreams and raise their own families.”
Obama said women in America had come a long way but still faced obstacles, including a lack of equal pay, due in part to an federal policies that have not valued families. He argued John
McCain ’s record on women’s issues was lacking, saying he was a better choice.
*** UPDATE *** The McCain campaign responds this way:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube
Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was nominated to the rank of general and, if confirmed by Congress, will be assigned to be commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command.
The U.S. Army says that approximately five percent of general officers in the Army are women, which includes mobilized Army Reserve and Army National Guard general officers.
Dunwoody has been in the Army for 33 years, after graduating from State University of New York and receiving her commission in 1975.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro McCain , says McCain adviser Charlie Black…Obama reminds him of “the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by."Fortune : “On national security McCain wins. We saw how that might play out early in the campaign, when one good scare, one timely reminder of the chaos lurking in the world, probably saved McCain in New Hampshire, a state he had to win to save his candidacy - this according to McCain's chief strategist, Charlie Black. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an ‘unfortunate event,’ says Black. ‘But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.’ As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. ‘Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,’ says Black.”
AmericaBlog , in response, says, “John McCain really is running Bush's 2004 campaign all over again. The politics of fear are front and center.”
Then this from Karl Rove: At the Capitol Hill Club, Rove referred to Obama as "coolly arrogant," per ABC . "Even if you never met him, you know this guy," Rove said. "He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by."
Remember back in April, Rove told GQ , "Obama is coolly detached and very arrogant. I think he's very smart and knows he's smart, but as a result doesn't do his homework."
Of the latest comments, TPM's Greg Sargent writes: "It should also be noted, of course, that Rove took a man who actually is a country club denizen who makes "snide comments" about others -- that would be George W. Bush -- and turned him into a regular Joe. Meanwhile, the guy who would struggle for admittance to some of these exclusive enclaves -- Obama -- is now "the guy at the country club." Rovian up-is-downism at its finest."
*** UPDATE ***
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama advisers -- like veep-vetters Jim Johnson (who stepped down from that post) and Eric Holder (who has become their chief target now with Johnson gone).
The Democratic National Committee, however, is making sure that the public doesn't forget about McCain's own advisers and their controversies. Today, it unveiled a Web site -- dubbed "With Advisers Like These..." -- that takes aim at former US Sen. Phil Gramm , Carly Fiorina, and Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
In particular, Democrats have singled out Gramm, whom McCain has called the smartest economist and political strategist he knows , for helping to exempt energy trading from regulation and oversight -- what Obama yesterday called the "Enron loophole."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama , Clinton joint campaigning will happen in New Hampshire Friday.
The event is dubbed a "Unite for Change" rally. The Obama campaign notes in its release that both candidates got 107 votes each from the town in the New Hampshire primary earlier this.
Get the message?
*** UPDATE ***
- The town was first incorporated as Buckingham in 1753, and now has a population of 1,715. According to a state Web site, the town was renamed Unity in 1764 after the “friendly resolution” of a land dispute.
From NBC's Mark Murray USA Today/Gallup poll has Obama leading McCain among likely voters by six points, 50%-44%.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel takes a look at which supporters-John McCain's or Barack Obama's-are enthusiastic about their candidate's campaign and potential presidency. But the most revealing numbers in the survey were the ones measuring voter enthusiasm: 61% of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic than usual about voting in this year's election, while just 35% of Republicans said that.
Also in the poll, Obama's fav/unfav is 64%-31%, while McCain's is 59%-35%.
On the issues -- when asked which candidate would do a better job on each -- Obama held advantages on health care (51%-26%), the economy (48%-32%), energy/gas (47%-28%), taxes (44%-35%), and moral values (40%-39%). McCain had the edge on terrorism (52%-33%) and illegal immigration (36%-34%). And they were tied on Iraq (43%-43%).
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro The New Arms Race : As we've mentioned before, one of the more underappreciated ways that Obama defeated Clinton in the Democratic primaries is that he forced her to compete in a political arms race that she couldn't win. Think about it: Clinton raised more than $200 million, and she now finds herself $22.5 million in debt. It was Obama playing Reagan to Clinton's role as Gorbachev. Now that Obama has decided to opt out of the public financing system -- enabling him to perhaps raise $300 million between now and Election Day -- could history repeat itself? Over the weekend, via the New York Times , we learned that he’s dispatching paid staffers to all states and that he might run national TV ads tied to the Olympics, as well as targeted ones on MTV and BET. For the first time in quite a while, Republicans are going to be outspent significantly in a presidential election. Can they prove they can win when being outspent? (Have they ever done it before?) McCain having $84 million to spend between the GOP convention and November -- less than 60 days -- is a lot of money. Then again, Clinton's $200 million-plus was a lot of money, too.
VIDEO: Critics are crying foul over what they say is a suspiciously "presidential" looking logo at a recent Obama campaign event. Pundits Pat Buchanan and Peter Fenn discuss the controversy. ***
Obama’s Mixed Week : For someone who's poised to raise a considerable amount of money -- and who also is ahead 15 points nationally in a new Newsweek poll (thanks to a large party advantage), as well as in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, according to Quinnipiac surveys -- Obama's week wasn't his best. His decision to opt out of the public financing system was criticized by Republicans, liberal and conservative columnists, editorial boards, and good-government groups. (Sticking with the Cold War metaphor above, didn't Reagan's own arms build-up generate a fair amount of criticism?) He raised just $22 million in May, his worst monthly haul this year. And then there was that faux presidential seal that was affixed to Obama’s rostrum on Friday, which got mocked from all quarters. What a bizarre and dumb idea. Why do we have a feeling we won't see this again? It really feeds the arrogance narrative.
*** Does Broder Have A Point? Here’s one person who criticized Obama’s decision to opt out of the financing system: Washington Post columnist David Broder . With Obama so unknown still, is it good for him to be ducking town hall meetings and deciding to fund his campaign privately? The more he does things that give the appearance of just another politician, doesn't that undercut the delicate nature of his fresh face image? It's the talking point of the weekend by McCain surrogates, and it could be one that's effective. The Clinton campaign never could make the "he's just another craven politician" tag stick, because Clinton had the whole pot-kettle problem. But with McCain's reform image engrained with many voters -- even if it’s been dented by some reversals of his own -- Obama could see this tactic used against more effectively now than it was during the primary. Also, the Chicago Tribune wonders if Obama will get tagged with Chicago’s negative political image. Then again, as the Washington Post notes this morning, Obama is also demonstrating something with these decisions that his critics found lacking during the primaries: toughness.
VIDEO: John McCain had his best fundraising month yet, raising $21.5 million in May, but that's still $15 million less than Barack Obama had in April. A Race for the White House panel discusses. ***
Behind Obama’s $22 Million : To put Obama’s haul into perspective, do note that it came in the last month of a protracted, 17-month campaign against Clinton. And there was probably plenty of donor fatigue, especially since Obama’s campaign and supporters were pretty sure he had locked up the nomination on May 6 after the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. Clinton, for her part, raised $12.6 million. Also, Obama’s haul still exceeded McCain’s amount -- at a time when McCain was hitting nearly a fundraiser per day, when he received $4.3 million from three big joint fundraisers, and with a unified Republican Party behind him. What’s more, Obama couldn’t really begin raising money for the general election in May, given that he didn’t want to look like he was shoving Clinton out of the race. And Obama’s ability to raise money over the internet has largely depended on news events. Besides his victory in North Carolina, May included blowout defeats in West Virginia and Kentucky. To see if Obama is on pace to bring in $300 million in five months, we'll find out quite a bit next month, when the June numbers are released.
*** The Energy Fight : It looks like we know the issue that's going to drive the presidential campaign for the rest of the summer. With gas prices continuing to go up, it's not shocking but now both campaigns seem to embracing the issue and trying to for new ways to create a wedge between the two campaigns. Obama played the Enron card yesterday, while McCain -- a week after calling for offshore drilling -- gives a speech advocating innovation to replace fossil fuels. (A little ironic, don’t ya think?) “My friends, energy security is the great national challenge of our time. And rising to this challenge will take all of the vision, creativity, and resolve of which we are capable,” McCain will say, according to excerpts released by his campaign.
*** Go West, Young (Or Not So Young) Men : Over the next couple of days, McCain and Obama are both out West. Obama spends Monday in New Mexico and Tuesday in Las Vegas, while McCain spends both days in California, where he mostly raises money. McCain then goes to Las Vegas on Wednesday for yet another fundraiser. Today, McCain is California, speaking at Fresno State University and raising money near there and then in Santa Barbara. Obama campaigns in New Mexico, holding an event in Albuquerque. Click here to sign up for First Read emails .
The New York Times says Obama yesterday “proposed tightening the regulation of oil speculators in an effort to ease record high gasoline prices and address one of Americans’ top concerns. Mr. Obama proposed closing the so-called Enron loophole, a legal provision requested by that company in 2000 that exempts crucial energy commodities from government oversight.” More: “How large a role speculative investment plays in pushing up oil and other commodity prices is not entirely clear. While some analysts believe that large flows of money into largely unregulated exchanges have distorted markets and pushed up prices, most energy experts see no support for that theory.”
VIDEO: Newsweek senior Washington correspondent Howard Fineman talks with TODAY's Ann Curry about the presidential candidates' positions on taxes and energy. Reuters : The campaign also said he backed legislation that would direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the top US futures market regulator, to investigate proposals such as increasing margin requirements in the market."
"McCain hopes to solve the country's energy crisis with cold hard cash," the
AP says. "The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting is proposing a $300 million government prize to whomever can develop an automobile battery that far surpasses existing technology. The bounty would equate to $1 for every man, woman and child in the country, 'a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency,' McCain said in remarks prepared for delivery Monday at Fresno State University in California."
Excerpts of the speech on energy independence McCain will deliver in Fresno, CA: “[T]he CAFE standards we apply to automakers -- to increase the fuel efficiency of their cars -- are lightly enforced by a small fine. The result is that some companies don’t even bother to observe CAFE standards. Instead they just write a check to the government and pass the cost along to you… CAFE standards should serve large national goals in energy independence, not the purpose of small-time revenue collection.”
CONTINUED >>
Newsweek released a poll that has Obama sporting a 15-point lead. It's the largest lead in any Obama-vs.-McCain poll to date. Will it be an outlier? An important point about THIS poll: "Obama's current lead also reflects the large party-identification advantage the Democrats now enjoy—55 percent of all voters call themselves Democrats or say they lean toward the party while just 36 percent call themselves Republicans or lean that way. Even as McCain seeks to gain voters by distancing himself from the unpopular Bush and emphasizing his maverick image, he is suffering from the GOP's poor reputation among many voters. Still, history provides hope for the GOP."
VIDEO: Hardball guest host David Shuster and panel discuss the latest Newsweek poll in which Barack Obama leads John McCain 51 percent to 36 percent among registered voters. We learned a lot about Obama's summer campaign plans in the
Sunday New York Times . "Future commercials could run on big national showcases like the Olympics in August and smaller cable networks like MTV and Black Entertainment Television that appeal to specific demographic and interest groups. He is also dispatching paid staff members to all states, an unusual move by the standards of modern presidential campaigns where the fight is often contained to contested territories.”
More: "Free from the constraints of public financing, Mr. Obama’s budget for the rest of the year could exceed $300 million, campaign and party officials have said. But his fund-raising slowed in May, when the campaign raised about $22 million — almost $10 million less than in April and a large decline from the record amounts he was taking in earlier this year. The decline was evidence that he might have to invest substantial time at fund-raising to match the levels he set in the first quarter this year."
The Washington Post : "[E]ven as McCain's strategists claim tactical victories, Republicans outside the campaign worry that underlying weaknesses in its organization and message are costing him valuable time to make the case for his own candidacy. Allies complain that the campaign has offered myriad confusing themes that lurch between pitching McCain as a committed conservative one day and an independent-minded reformer the next, while displaying little of the discipline and focus that characterized President Bush's successful campaigns. Several Republican supporters of the presumptive nominee said they were puzzled by a series of easily avoidable mistakes, including sloppy political stagecraft and poorly timed comments that undercut McCain's reputation as a maverick."
"But as the criticisms mount, McCain has begun to make some changes to his operation and adapt to a general-election race against a well-funded opponent with a large and sophisticated political organization. At the request of campaign manager Rick Davis, senior adviser Steve Schmidt will leave McCain's side on the trail and return to headquarters for what a source said will be a ‘much greater operational role’ in the campaign… Former Bush communications director Nicolle Wallace joined McCain's campaign as a senior strategist in May. Last week, she spent time with McCain on his plane for the first time. Matt McDonald, another veteran of the Bush and Schwarzenegger teams, has also been added to the campaign.”
Newsweek profiled Cindy McCain and notes how badly she would like to keep her privacy. "Occasionally, Cindy has allowed some of the walls to come down. She's clearly more comfortable when her kids are near. Her daughter Meghan regularly publishes candid pictures of her mom on her blog—including photos of Cindy in the giant fuzzy slippers she wears in hotel rooms on the road, and dressed in pink polka-dot pajamas before bed. In Vietnam, Meghan teased her mother for committing a major fashion faux pas: wearing her hair in a scrunchy. ‘A scrunchy, Mom? Really?’ Meghan said. ‘What?’ Cindy said. ‘I'm not cool?’”
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Post front-pages that Obama has worked to reintroduce himself in the opening weeks of the general election. Obama “has moved aggressively to shape his campaign and offered a clear road map for the kind of candidate he is likely to become in the months ahead: an ambitious gamer of the electoral map, a ruthless fundraiser and a scrupulous manager of his own biography in the face of persistent concerns about how he is perceived. Obama's early maneuvers suggest a clear understanding within the campaign of his strengths and weaknesses.”
VIDEO: The race for the White House is entering a new stage, with the Republican and Democratic candidates outlining strategies for the general election. NBC's Kevin Corke reports. The piece also makes this point about Obama’s decision to opt out of the public financing system, which has drawn plenty of criticism. “Yet Obama's advocates also argue a positive lesson about their candidate's character can be drawn from the decision: that Obama is willing to take political risks in order to win. His toughness as a politician was often questioned during the Democratic primary, as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton cast herself as the only Democrat able to do hand-to-hand combat with Republicans. ‘People and commentators have been saying we know Barack is hopeful and that he appeals to a broad cross section of the public,’ [Obama friend and adviser Valerie] Jarrett said. ‘But perhaps people didn't know how tough he is. He's been saying all along, don't confuse hope with naivete.’”
The Los Angeles Times notes that Obama’s campaign is “quietly laying plans to draw African American voters to the polls in unprecedented numbers by capitalizing on the excitement over the prospect of electing the nation's first black president. Obama strategists believe they have identified a gold mine of new and potentially decisive Democratic voters in at least five battleground states -- voters who failed to turn out in the past but can be mobilized this time… In Florida alone, more than half a million black registered voters stayed home in 2004. Hundreds of thousands more African Americans are eligible to vote but not registered. And campaign analysts have identified similar potential in North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri and Ohio.”
But: “The strategy requires a deft touch and carries risks… Strategists say he cannot afford to appear to be exploiting race or running solely as a black candidate -- particularly as he courts moderate whites and blue-collar workers who did not support him in the primaries.”
CONTINUED >>
Biden, on NBC's Meet the Press, said of being VP: "'When I was asked that question, I thought I was still going to be president. Now - number one, I am not interested in being vice president. I've let the candidate know. If the candidate asks me to be vice president, the answer is I got to say yes. But he's not going to ask me." He continued, "If asked, I will do it," "I've made it clear I do not want to be asked." So his answer would be yes? "Of course it would," Biden said, "because if the presidential nominee thought I could help him win -- am I going to say to the first African-American candidate about to make history in the world that, 'No, I will not help you out like you want me to'? Of course . . . I'll say yes."
VIDEO: Obama supporter Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. and McCain supporter Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. discuss the vice presidency with NBC's Brian Williams on "Meet the Press." A wrap of other comments from NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli… Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R)
on CNN : "I am very happy being the governor of the state of Minnesota. [being vice president] is not something I have designs on.”
Tom Ridge on CBS: “If he asks me, we'll have a private conversation and we'll decide whether or not we ought to tell you what we said.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones The debate over how to bring down energy prices has occupied the center of the political stage in recent days, as drivers across the nation face sky-high gas prices, which in turn are driving up costs of food and other goods. Obama campaign's said today that he plans to ease the impact of rising gas prices by cracking down on excessive energy speculation through closing the so-called “Enron Loophole.”
VIDEO: What are the presidential candidates' positions on energy and taxes? NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the latest in politics, including recent polling numbers. On the 25-minute call were New Jersey Gov.
Jon Corzine , economic policy director Jason Furman, and energy adviser Elgie Holstein, who was chief of staff at the Department of Energy during the Clinton Administration. The overall theme was a common one -- that
McCain is out of touch with the concerns of working people and more in touch with those of big business. Today, they applied that argument to the issue of energy policy.
"What we’re talking about today is one very important part of Barack Obama’s overall plan, and it’s an overall plan that John McCain disagrees with. In almost every instance, he sides with oil companies and Barack Obama sides with consumers,” Furman said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and Matthew E. Berger THE SHORT LIST: a little extra bounce in Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s step” today, after his appearance with McCain last night. “Nobody has asked me for any information or to submit any information and I haven’t talked to Sen. McCain about it or anyone from his campaign about it,” Pawlenty said of the VP question. He added that he and McCain did spend some private time together, chatting about “sports, movies, politics and policy, family.”
VIDEO: CNBC's John Harwood and NBC's Andrea Mitchell discuss potential running mates for Barack Obama and John McCain with NBC's Brian Williams on "Meet the Press." WHAT THEY’RE UP TO: --
Hillary Clinton will speak in DC next Thursday at the Latino Political Leadership Conference, which the organization says will be her “first major political appearance” after suspending her campaign. It comes one day before she is scheduled to join Obama on the trail.
--
Bill Richardson will be honored by the group with the Award for Outstanding Public Service.
Obama’s
meeting with 16 Democratic governors on the economy included several veep candidates, including:
Ted Strickland (OH),
Kathleen Sebelius (KS),
Edward Rendell (PA),
Janet Napolitano (AZ.), and
Richardson .
--
Mike Huckabee again is calling on Republicans to take the high-brow approach, taking on Obama based on his ideas. “Elections ought to be about elevating the best ideas and exposing the worst ones—not engaging in character assassination with half truths, innuendoes, and disputable ‘internet facts,’” Huck writes at his
blog .
ON THE RECORD: Gov.
Tim Kaine (D-VA) tells the
Fredericksburg Free Lance Star that there is “no circumstance” under which he’d leave office early to serve in Obama’s Cabinet, but he didn’t rule out serving as VP if asked. “I’d have a tough choice to make,” he says. Here’s the
video .
The St. Pete Times delves into how Gov. Charlie Crist’s (R-FL) drilling about-face may be tied to VP hopes. In a phone interview, Crist says he believes most Floridians agree with him on at least studying the need for drilling, and discounted the McCain connection as a factor as well. "I'm not going to advocate anything that would hurt Florida," Crist said. "I'm not going to do it."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli and NBC's Cherelle KanteyMichelle Obama received a warm welcome today as she spoke about family issues to a crowd that included some of Hillary Clinton’s top backers.
She praised the effort of the National Partnership for Women and Families to expand policies like paid medical leave and equal pay. “We can work together to make a more mom- and family-friendly nation,” she said. “It’s time for the leaders of this country not only to champion these causes but to fight for the issues every single day.”
VIDEO: As the press speculates about a possible image makeover for Michelle Obama, the potential first lady is suddenly appearing everywhere. NBC's Brian Williams reports. Obama also talked about the demands that campaigning have had on the family, even if her two daughters haven’t been fazed by the attention.
“I’ve always been and will probably always been in some way, shape, or form a working mom,” she said. “I used to get up in the morning and go to an office. Now I get up and go to plane, stand before thousands of people. My kids still don’t care where I am. They’ve always known two parents to work in the household, and as long as we’re back in time for bedtime they could care less where we are.”
Obama also singled out EMILY’s List’s Ellen Malcolm -- a board member of the Partnership and a top Clinton supporter -- for her efforts to elect women across the country.
Speaking earlier, Malcolm struck a note for unity, saying that though one candidate emerged from the primary with more delegates, “both candidates emerged as winners.”
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick immediately followed Michelle Obama, whom he called a "force of nature." “I’m so proud of you, I can’t stand it," Patrick said of the potential future first lady.
Patrick quickly moved to an appeal to former Clinton supporters, using Obama-style rhetoric to unite the bloc of women voters behind Obama’s candidacy and saying he knows there are people out there who have “deep frustration” that her road to the White House has ended.
“Nothing ended this month,” said Patrick. “And nothing will unless we come together.”
Patrick complimented both candidates on their historic runs for the presidency, saying that both Clinton and Obama have the ability to inspire young people. “Thanks to Hillary Clinton, my daughters own imagination is broader,” said Patrick. “And thanks to Obama, ethnicity isn’t destiny.”
“The long march to gender equity didn’t end,” he added, rallying the group to come together to support women’s issues. “Whether we mourn one campaign, or celebrate another, the national community is not repaired.”
Patrick’s rhetoric was reminiscent of an Obama stump speech about uniting the country behind a message of hope. “The nation is ready to consider new politics,” he said. “[But] it requires all of us to reach across our differences, see a stake in our neighbor’s dreams and struggles.”
Months after the Clinton campaign accused Obama of borrowing lines from Patrick speeches, the Massachusetts governor seemed to repeat familiar themes used on the Obama trail. He remarked about the pressing need for change in Washington, similar to Obama’s line about Dr. Martin Luther King’s “fierce urgency of now.”
“People say, why are you so impatient?” he said. “I say, ‘why aren’t you?’ We don’t have time for division. Let’s get on with it.”
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum Mike Bloomberg called on those in attendance to defend Obama against a "whisper campaign" that the presumptive Democratic nominee is a radical Muslim and commended McCain for sticking up for his opponent.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain defended the North American Free Trade Agreement and notably avoided any talk of his opponent.
Speaking over lunch, McCain lauded NAFTA as the creator of 25 million jobs in the United States and more than 4 million jobs here in Canada, but rather than explicitly attacking Obama over his desire to renegotiate the agreement -- as he has done for months when speaking on the topic -- today McCain merely nodded in his direction.
“Even now, for all the successes of NAFTA, we have to defend it without equivocation in political debate, because it is critical to the future of so many Canadian and American workers and businesses,” McCain said, vaguely alluding to his opponent. “Demanding unilateral changes and threatening to abrogate an agreement that has increased trade and prosperity is nothing more than retreating behind protectionist walls.”
For much of the speech, McCain stuck to the stated intent of his trip up north, thanking Canada for its support as a partner in trade and in Afghanistan, and he assured those present that if he were to become president he would do his best “to expand these ties of friendship and cooperation between our two nations.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain's campaign issued a statement under his name, hitting Obama on NAFTA:
"For months, Barack Obama said that he would 'make sure that we renegotiate' NAFTA, demanded unilateral changes and threatened to unilaterally withdraw if he did not get his way. Barack Obama knew better. America has not had a protectionist president since Herbert Hoover, but Barack Obama held his position anyway to further his cynical political purposes in the primary campaign. Now he claims: 'I'm not a big believer in doing things unilaterally.' Barack Obama should know words matter -- especially in a campaign based on rhetoric rather than a record of accomplishment. The American people and our allies deserve better than calculated efforts to re-invent positions to sound less irresponsible."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro As expected, Brad Woodhouse is moving to the DNC.
WashingtonPost.com's Chris Cillizza reports : "The takeover of the Democratic National Committee by Barack Obama's campaign continues apace with the hiring of communications operative Brad Woodhouse at the national party committee.
"Woodhouse will share duties with current communications director Karen Finney -- a similar setup to the one the Obama campaign has put in place with other recent moves such as installing Paul Tewes as the de facto executive director of the committee but leaving current DNC executive director Tom McMahon in his job. Those familiar with the setup say that Finney will remain a spokesperson for the DNC while Woodhouse will run the day to day operations of the organization. All of the current DNC press staff will remain in place."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro It wasn't just the Obama campaign on the attack today. The McCain campaign got in a few shots of its own.
"Because of his rapid ascent and the relative lack of record from which the American people can judge, the words that Barack Obama uses deserve a level of scrutiny befitting the importance that he places on them," writes McCain message maestro Steve Schmidt in a memo to reporters (see full memo after the jump.) "But when examined closely, more often than not these words are empty of any meaning in the light of his record and reality."
VIDEO: Flip-flopping on a prior pledge, Barack Obama says he's not going to take public funding for his White House bid. His opponent, John McCain blasts the decision. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. The memo goes on to hit Obama on public financing, "running a different type Of campaign," trade, taxes, the 2005 energy bill, Iraq and Jerusalem.
Some key shots: On public financing: "This change in position comes after nearly two years of speaking to and signing his name to his commitment to the public financing system. ... Yet, in the end, Barack Obama's words were empty and he decided to break his pledge to accept public financing in the general election.
On running a different type of campaign: "The McCain campaign has made a good faith effort to reach out to Barack Obama offering to go Iraq together and hold 10 joint town hall meetings. These offers came after Barack Obama pledged to meet "anywhere, anytime" However, Barack Obama has rejected each and every offer to raise the dialogue in this campaign. As the St. Petersburg Times wrote today, Barack Obama's words come down to "cynical political calculations," not the new politics he promised.
On Jerusalem: "Obama clearly said that Jerusalem should be the "undivided" capital of Israel. Barack Obama and his advisers knew what this word would mean to his audience. ... Yet, only a day later, Barack Obama said the future of Jerusalem would have to be negotiated by Israel and the Palestinians. Barack Obama was no longer prepared to say that Jerusalem should be undivided."
And there's plenty more where that came from.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones McCain is speaking in Canada, a partner in the North American Free Trade agreement, Obama surrogates held a conference call to bash the Arizona senator on his record on trade, saying he would continue George Bush's "failed trade policies" that have hurt America's industrial heartland.
On the call were Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown , Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm . Ohio and Michigan are key battleground states that Obama is fighting to win in November and they are also states that have faced particular economic hardship, with numerous jobs lost, many of them as companies shipped them overseas.
The call coincided with the end Obama's two-week economic tour during which he delivered policy speeches and held roundtables on an issue that is at the top of voters minds this election year.
Brown talked about the job losses faced in Ohio, some 200,000 lost manufacturing jobs since Bush took office.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
While trade has been the dominant topic today with McCain speaking in Canada on the topic (and both campaign criticizing each other), the Obama campaign also took time out to hit McCain on a meeting he had with Hispanic leaders and various other perceived “flip flops” this week.
Politico reports McCain assured Hispanics that he would push for comprehensive immigration reform. To that, Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs dubbed today, “The end of pander week aboard the Double Talk Express.”
Gibbs said his stance on immigration reform is a contradiction from what he said at the Republican debate at the Reagan Library where he said, “No I would not” vote again for the comprehensive immigration reform package he had voted for the previous year. In New Hampshire, McCain called that vote a mistake after an outcry from the right.
Gibbs went on to cite McCain’s positions on off shore oil drilling and abortion. On Tuesday, McCain proposed lifting the moratorium on off shore drilling, but in 1999, “championed the off shore oil drilling ban in California,” Gibbs said. Gibbs added that McCain’s new position was a pander to the oil executives McCain was speaking to in Houston where he proposed lifting the ban.
McCain said that with gas prices at record highs it was imperative to expand energy options.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama campaign wanting to show more control over Democratic independent groups -- and maybe more importantly, those groups listening -- MoveOn.org has shuttered its 527. (See release and e-mail to supporters after the jump.)
Obama camp will likely try to take the high road on the issue of 527s, particularly if 527s ramp up efforts for McCain . Thus far, Obama has benefitted more than McCain from independent groups like MoveOn.
*** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger
In his first primary ad, “Choices,” Obama opened the ad with excerpts from his 2004 Democratic National Convention to give him instant credibility. It focused on his time as a community organizer, highlighting his community service and value in social change. It featured Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe describing him as “brilliant,” and the ad shows Obama working with a diverse community in Chicago.
As he unveils himself to general-election audiences in the new ad, “Country I Love,” Obama is more subdued. The first still image is of a young Obama in the arms of his white mother (also ran in his ad “Mother”). The script speaks not of his post-college years, but of his Kansas roots and the values he learned along the way. Instead of showing Obama in urban environment, he is surrounded in this ad by working-class people, military men and even an elderly woman.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones CHICAGO, Ill. -- The economy was the topic when Obama met with just over half the nation's Democratic governors Friday morning in the city his campaign has made a center of national party politics this election year.
The 16 governors -- there are 28 Democratic governors nationwide -- hail from blue states, red states and swing states. In attendance were Dave Freudenthal (WY), John Baldacci (ME), David Paterson (NY), Joe Manchin , III (WV), Ted Strickland (OH), Kathleen Sebelius (KS), Edward Rendell (PA), Janet Napolitano (AZ), Jim Doyle (WS), Jennifer Granholm (MI), Bill Richardson (NM), Martin O'Malley (MD), Christine Gregoire (WA), Jon Corzine (NJ), Mike Easley (NC) and Ted Kulongoski (OR).
Obama said he brought the group together in part because the unique role of governors requires a focus on solutions rather than partisanship
"I've always been struck by the essential common sense and pragmatism of governors in comparison to some of the stuff that goes on in Washington," he said in talking about his interest in working closely with governors during his campaign and during an Obama administration. "You've gotta solve problems; ultimately the buck stops with you. You've gotta balance your budget. If you've got a badly drafted piece of legislation, you're the ones who have to live with it and as a consequence you end up spending less time posturing and trying to score ideological points and more time trying to govern. We need that same approach in Washington."
*** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
NBC/NJ’s Matthew Berger , writing for National Journal takes a look at what, if any, harm former President Bill Clinton has done to his legacy:
Hitting the road for his wife's presidential campaign this year, President Clinton largely walked away from the humanitarian work he had become known for since leaving office. Through his advocacy of HIV/AIDS treatment programs in Africa and environmental projects in the United States, Clinton had burnished his image, arguably becoming the most popular Democrat in America.
But with his no-holds-barred style of campaigning for Hillary Rodham Clinton--and of lashing out against the new media, the Democratic Party, and his wife's chief rival, Barack Obama--Clinton lost some of his luster, many observers say.
Some political insiders and the ex-president's associates, though, said they do not think his behavior during the primary season will leave a lasting stain on his reputation. That's especially true abroad, where he is almost universally praised for his good works, analysts say.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro McCain and Obama are in a statistical dead heat in Georgia, according to an InsiderAdvantage poll . McCain leads 44% to 43% over Obama with the Libertarian candidate, former GOP Rep. Bob Barr, getting 6%.
The poll's results are a change from the same poll a month ago, indicating another state where Obama has benefitted from his winning the Democratic nomination. A May 20th InsiderAdvantage poll showed McCain with a 10-point lead, 45% to 35% over Obama with Barr getting 8%.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Once fierce rivals for their party's nomination, Obama and Clinton will make their most public display of unity to date next Friday.
The two Democrats will campaign together then, the Obama campaign announced. No word yet as to where they will do it or how.
The e-mail release simply stated, "Further details to be announced soon."
*** UPDATE ***
From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro Two no-brainers: Obama’s decision yesterday to opt out of the public financing system drew plenty of criticism from good-government groups, editorial pages, and the Republican Party. So did his Web video announcing the move. (Instead of raising the specter of GOP 527s, why not simply say that he owed it to his supporters to do everything possible to win in November, and that McCain would do the same thing if he had the opportunity?) But the decision was a no-brainer. As one very smart political observer told us yesterday, if Obama had stayed in the system -- bypassing the opportunity to raise about three times amount what the system offers -- then he’d question Obama’s judgment and ability to be president. Simply put, it would have been a dumb move. Likewise, McCain’s decision to accept public financing for the general seems like the smart move, too. One, $84 million is PLENTY of money to spend in two months when your goal is to hold on to the states Bush won in 2004. Two, even if McCain had opted out, it’s unlikely he’d raise considerably more than that amount. And three, this issue gives him the opportunity to play the reformer card, something he hasn’t done much of lately. Heads up: Obama’s May fundraising report to the FEC is due today. The McCain campaign already announced that it had raised $21.5 million last month, its best haul to date. What will Obama’s campaign show?
VIDEO: Newsweek's Howard Fineman discusses campaign finance politics with Countdown's Keith Olberman after the news that Barack Obama has decided agaisnt using public financing. ***
Obama’s map: The most striking thing about Obama’s first general election TV ad isn’t its content. (And don’t get us wrong, its messages of patriotism and personal responsibility, plus Obama wearing a flag pin in it, are plenty interesting.) Rather, it’s the 18 states where the ad is running. They include your usual battlegrounds of Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania -- but also some surprising states like Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota. Of course, few expect Obama to carry a state like Alaska in the general election (although as the
Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza noted, there’s a poll showing Obama trailing there by just two points). But what the ad placement suggests is that Obama is on the Electoral Map offensive, trying to turn as many red states as possible blue. By comparison, Obama isn’t airing the ad in “Lean Obama” states like Minnesota, which
we profiled here yesterday . And this is perhaps the biggest consequence from Obama’s decision yesterday to opt out of the public financing system: It enables him to play almost anywhere on the map to get to 270.
*** Oh, Canada: Today, McCain heads north of the border to Ottawa, where he gives a speech to the Economic Club of Canada and then has a media avail there. Canada and its conservative government have already played a minor role in this year's presidential race. It was about four months ago -- but it seems much longer ago than that, right? -- when NAFTA-gate exploded as an issue before the Ohio primary. That controversy erupted after someone in the Canadian government leaked word that Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee had told Canadian officials to take Obama's opposition to NAFTA with a grain of salt, something Goolsbee denied saying. Since then, we’ve learned that: 1) Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s top adviser, Ian Brodie, decided to step down from his position, although he insisted NAFTA-gate had nothing to do with it; 2) a Canadian government report concluded that its Foreign Affairs Department was wrong to email an internal report on Obama’s stance to more than 200 Canadian officials, one of whom leaked it to the AP ; and 3) Obama's opposition to NAFTA has softened somewhat. "Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified," Obama told Fortune magazine.
*** Breaking the law? Meanwhile, the Washington Post notes that “a Canadian newspaper reported Thursday that Friday's scheduled $100-a-plate luncheon speech by Sen. John McCain in Ottawa was organized in part by U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, a former South Carolina lawmaker whom President Bush appointed in 2005. Democrats pointed out the article late Thursday night, and alleged that Wilkins's actions could be construed as a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits many kinds of political activities by government employees.” More: “The McCain campaign said Wilkins did nothing more than help gather a crowd for a speech by a U.S. official, something that is well within his role as an ambassador… [A spokesman] said the $100-per-person ticket price for the event is to cover the cost of the lunch and will not benefit the campaign.”
*** Sunday’s Meet The Press: NBC’s Brian Williams fills in for the late Tim Russert to moderate Sunday’s edition of Meet The Press. The guests will be Sens. Joe Biden (D) and Lindsey Graham (R).
*** On the trail: McCain, as mentioned above, is in Canada. Obama holds an economic discussion with Democratic governors in Chicago and then heads to Jacksonville, FL, where he has a media avail. And Michelle Obama is in DC, where she speaks to the National Partnership for Women and Families.Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
The Washington Post : “Obama will become the first major-party presidential nominee to reject the public funds, passing up nearly $85 million in taxpayer money and instead looking to the 1.5 million donors who contributed to his primary campaign. Given his groundbreaking success in raising money in the Democratic primaries, estimates of how much he could collect for the general-election run to $300 million or more, a sum that would allow the senator from Illinois to compete even in traditionally Republican states.”
VIDEO: Flip-flopping on a prior pledge, Barack Obama says he's not going to take public funding for his White House bid. His opponent, John McCain, blasts the decision. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. “McCain said Thursday that he would accept public financing, meaning he will be restricted to $84.1 million in direct spending in the two months between the Republican convention and election day,” the
Los Angeles Times writes. “He accused Obama of breaking a promise to abide by the federal spending limit. ‘This is a big deal, a big deal,’ McCain said. ‘He has completely reversed himself and gone back, not on his word to me, but the commitment he made to the American people.’”
Bloomberg News notes that Obama’s decision “is likely to produce a cascade of money for unofficial campaign groups that until now have been on the wane… Republicans say the result will be that McCain supporters will be more likely to open their wallets to outside groups akin to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the organization whose efforts damaged Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry four years ago. ‘Obama not taking the public financing provides the catalyst for Republican donors to get increasingly involved,' said Stuart Roy, a one-time aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican.”
Good-government groups criticized Obama’s move to opt out of the public financing system, the Washington Post writes. Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook called $85 million ‘plenty of money’ and warned that private funding -- even in the mostly small sums that Obama relies on – ‘comes with the expectations of special access or favors.’” More: “‘Senator Obama knew the circumstances surrounding the presidential general election when he made his public pledge to use the system," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21.”
CONTINUED >>
TPM’s Greg Sargent reported, “On a private conference call [yesterday], Hillary urged her top fundraisers in no uncertain terms to throw their weight behind Barack Obama, and directly asked them in surprisingly candid terms to give or raise money to help her pay off her campaign's debt. At the same time, in a move that took some participants on the call by surprise, she also clarified that she was not asking their help in paying off her personal loans to the campaign. Interestingly, Hillary also suggested that she would soon be making public statements about the media coverage of the campaign, as well as the ways ‘women were discussed,’ saying that she would ‘be doing more on that as we go forward.’”
“‘I am going to do everything I can to ensure victory for Senator Obama,’ Hillary told her fundraisers on the call. ‘I am asking each of you to do the same. I really believe we've got to see a Democrat sworn into the White House this January.’”
That conference call came amid this news: "Clinton's fund-raising has run so dry she'll likely have to eat the entire $11 million loan she gave her campaign, sources said," the New York Daily News says. "Clinton's push to retire her debt -- more than $20 million including her loan -- is going so poorly that getting help paying it down has become a major point of negotiation with Barack Obama, who wants Clinton to help smooth things with angry Clinton die-hards, sources said."
MCCAIN: Hitting Obama on NAFTA
“U.S. Sen. Barack Obama does not understand this. He has called NAFTA ‘devastating’ and ‘a big mistake,’ characterizations that are out of touch with the reality of NAFTA in Michigan. What truly would be devastating is to jeopardize the trade expansion of NAFTA through a misguided, isolationist impulse that would inevitably and understandably alienate a key partner like Canada.”
Now, here's a campaign promise: "McCain vowed … that if he's president, Osama bin Laden will be either killed in combat or executed -- a stern response to Democrat Barack Obama suggesting Wednesday that he would put the terrorist mastermind in the equivalent of the Nazi war crime trials after World War II to avoid making him a martyr," the Boston Globe writes.another promise … "McCain assured Hispanic leaders he would push through Congress legislation to overhaul federal immigration laws if elected, several people who attended a private meeting with the candidate said Thursday." AP’s lead on McCain's Iowa trip yesterday: "An aide to Gov. Chet Culver said Thursday that Republican presidential candidate John McCain ignored the governor's request to cancel a campaign visit amid a massive flood recovery effort in the state. McCain toured flood-damaged sites in Iowa on Thursday, including the town of Columbus Junction in the southeast. Patrick Dillon, Culver's chief of staff, said the governor was concerned that McCain's trip would divert local law enforcement from the flood recovery effort to provide security for McCain."
"McCain reported raising $21 million in May, his biggest monthly haul yet," AP writes. "He spent $11.6 million during a month and reported nearly $1.3 million in debt." FEC report : $21.5 million for the month.
Coverage of Cindy McCain’s visit to Vietnam.
Here are the Democratic governors attending today’s economic meeting with Obama today in Chicago: Napolitano (AZ), Sebelius (KS), Richardson (NM), Gregoire (WA), Doyle (WI), Freudenthal (WY), Granholm (MI), O’Malley (MD), Baldacci (ME), Corzine (NJ), Paterson (NY), Strickland (OH), Kulongoski (OR), Rendell (PA), Manchin (WV), and Easley (NC).
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses Barack Obama's first general election ad. The
Chicago Tribune says, however, that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich probably won’t attend. “An Obama spokesman confirmed Thursday afternoon that Blagojevich was invited along with all Democratic governors to the Friday event. A Blagojevich spokeswoman, however, said the governor likely will be heading to the downstate Metro East area to monitor rising flood waters.”
The New York Times says Obama’s new TV ad “tries to define Mr. Obama and his life story in the face of smear e-mail and Internet innuendo about his heritage, questions about his patriotism and accusations about his liberal record. It emphasizes his devotion to work, both personally and in his record, highlighting legislation that shows his compassion for working-class Americans and veterans — and his toughness with welfare recipients.”
It also provides this fact-check: “Mr. Obama refers to three bills that passed during his time in the Illinois Senate and in the United States Senate, and he did have a hand in passing all three. But he did not actually vote on the third bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed overwhelmingly in January.”
The Boston Globe : "The 60-second spot, unveiled yesterday, shows him in an open-collared shirt and blazer, seated in a room with sunshine streaming through the doors as soft guitar music plays. It goes light on his biography as the son of a white mother from Kansas and black father from Kenya, and instead highlights his up-by-his-own-bootstraps story." CONTINUED >>
Per the AP , “Former Sens. John Edwards and Sam Nunn are on a list of potential running mates for Democrat Barack Obama, a congresswoman said Thursday, one day after she met with the team Obama has reviewing possible candidates. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, said members of her caucus asked her to forward the names of Edwards and Nunn when she met Wednesday with Obama's vice presidential search team. The team, Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder, indicated the two were on the list.”
More: “Kilpatrick said she made several suggestions during the 45-minute meeting, including former Vice President Al Gore, Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. Gore endorsed Obama on Monday… When Kilpatrick said Gore was her personal choice, ‘they had a smile on their face. They have a list of candidates. I think I may have been the first to do that. They didn't say one way or the other.’”
"Mayor Bloomberg will be in Florida Friday to go fishing - with himself as the bait. Speaking to a Jewish group in the morning and standing with President Bush's brother Jeb during an education summit at noon, Bloomberg will test his appeal in the presidential battleground as a high-profile endorser - or even a running mate - as he woos John McCain and Barack Obama from afar.”
And per NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli… John McCain said Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) has “very big place ” in the GOP’s future. He said he’s not naming a running mate and has no short list, but thanks Pawlenty for sticking with him through the primaries.
"A $186.5 billion wartime appropriations bill cleared the House Thursday evening together with new aid for the jobless and a landmark expansion of education benefits for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan," Politico's Rogers reports. "All these appropriations, plus the jobless and GI benefits, are treated as emergencies, adding close to $200 billion to the already widening budget deficit over the next two years. This latest installment of war funding brings the total commitment to President Bush's Iraq policy to more than $650 billion since U.S troops cross Into Iraq in early 2003.
The New York Times : “In allowing approval of about $162 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Democrats essentially stopped trying to use Pentagon spending as a tool to force Mr. Bush to withdraw combat troops or impose other conditions on his handling of the war. ‘The president simply will not sign such legislation,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an opponent of the war. “Our troops are in harm’s way. They need to be taken care of.”
Also : “After months of wrangling, Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress struck a deal on Thursday to overhaul the rules on the government’s wiretapping powers and provide what amounts to legal immunity to the phone companies that took part in President Bush’s program of eavesdropping without warrants after the Sept. 11 attacks.”
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli THE SHORT LIST: US News cites a top McCain source who says MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty is a focus of their search right now. Internal McCain polls say he’d help the GOP carry MN and also WI, feeding into the campaign’s rumored “Big 10” strategy.
WHAT THEY’RE UP TO: LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announced in New Orleans that National Guard will remain in the city through the rest of the year.
Jim Webb held a hearing on drug policy.
And how many times has John Kerry been on a conference call this week? Now, he says that rejecting public financing will help Obama avoid his fate, noting that the Swift Boat attack came when he “was tied to campaign finance reform and didn't have the money to respond.”
TX Gov. Rick Perry (R) took part in an RGA conference call to prebut Obama’s meeting with Democratic governors tomorrow.
On Fox, Gov. Ed Rendell (D) called a new poll showing Obama ahead in PA “good news.”
The Obama camp targeted Pawlenty in a press release asking if he’d support “McCain’s gas tax gimmick,” which they claim would cost the state $113 million for infrastructure projects. The release doesn’t mention the bridge collapse.
Last night, Tom Ridge talked about Rudy Giuliani running for governor in 2010.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Mark Murray McCain said that his campaign has decided that it will accept public financing for the general election. “We will take public financing,” Asked what his thinking was, he said, “Because we decided to take public financing.”
That will enable McCain to spend $84 million after the GOP convention.
Obama , who today rejected the public financing system, could possibly raise more than three times that amount for the general election.
From NBC’s Alex Wall Perry (R) railed against Obama’s positions on energy and taxes in a conference this afternoon sponsored by the Republican Governors Association.
Perry, who held the call in anticipation of Obama’s meeting with Democratic governors on Friday, compared Obama’s talk of “change” to the “change” that he “heard back in the 70s with [former President] Jimmy Carter .”On taxes: Perry described Obama as being in line with Carter’s policies of “high taxes” that “stifled the economy and limited investment.”
VIDEO: Presenting his plan for addressing the nation's energy crisis, Sen. John McCain exposed dramatic differences between himself and Barack Obama in the energy debate. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. “What we’ve done in Texas is placed reasonable tax laws into place,” Perry said, adding, “We are living proof that you cut taxes to stimulate productivity. Raising taxes, on the other hand, limits productivity and investment…and Sen. Obama is clearly going to raise taxes. If you look at his voting record …he is clearly in favor of raising taxes.”
On energy: Perry went on to question Obama’s approach to the energy crisis, saying he was “stunned” when Obama said, “he was happy that gas prices were at the level they were.”
Obama didn’t quite say that. And as we wrote in an earlier post , “[I]s the assertion taken out of context, and in fact, a mischaracterization?
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama has cut a radio ad for centrist Rep. John Barrow , Talking Points Memo reports. Barrow's Georgia seat has been one of the most hotly contested in the country.
TPM writes, "Barrow is loathed by the Netroots, and not without cause: During his 2006 reelection campaign he ran an ad saying that 'we can't cut and run' from Iraq. And he was one of the House Dems who sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi demanding that they be permitted to vote for the recent Senate bill giving amnesty to the telecoms. ... the Netroots are backing a primary challenger to Barrow, State Senator Regina Thomas, and Obama's ad is a blow to their efforts." (TPM also posts audio of the ad.)
It's an example of the tenuous balance Obama has to strike as he tries to expand alliances. As he tries to appeal to those swing voters -- centrists and independents -- he runs the risk of alienating the liberal base in the process. What's also interesting about running the ad for Barrow is that some Democrats in swing districts have tried to actually distance themselves from Obama, including Reps. Dan Boren and Tim Mahoney (who took over for page Instant Message flirter Mark Foley ).
Rep. Jim Marshall, also in a perennially contested seat in Georgia, said he may not attend the Democratic National Convention, since he wouldn't be needed to decide the nominee. He has not publicly endorsed Obama.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama is going up with the first general election ad of this campaign -- airing in 18 states. It's an introductory ad, as he tries to get out front of defining himself. With soft guitar music strumming in the background, Obama speaks directly into the camera and emphasizes his "Kansas heartland" values (his mother grew up in Kansas.) And yes, he's wearing a flag pin.
The 60-second ad, "Country I love," will air go up tomorrow in Alaska (!!!), Colorado, Florida, Georgia (!!!), Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana (!!!), Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota (!!!), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia.
Alaska has voted for a Democrat just once since its inception as a state in 1959. It went for for Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In modern history, North Dakota has also gone for Republicans overwhelmingly. The last time it went Democratic was also 1964. Before that, it voted for Democrats four other times 1936 and 1932 for Franklin Roosevelt and 1920 and 1916 for Woodrow Wilson. (North Dakota first voted in 1892 -- that year, it split its three electors between Cleveland, Harrison and Weaver.)
Of note, Obama is not adverising in the NBC lean states Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, or Maine.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum CHICAGO, Ill. -- In what is quickly becoming a daily occurrence, the McCain campaign held yet another conference call with a former presidential candidate to attack Obama on his national security credentials.
This morning the former candidate-of-the-day was former Sen. Fred Thompson, but the call began off topic with a brief statement on Obama’s decision to forgo public financing.
After admitting he would prefer to talk about national security, Thompson later agreed with communications director Jill Hazelbaker that Obama’s decision to opt out of the public financing system was “another example of him doing whatever’s necessary to achieve his goal.”
“He's for public financing, you know, when it looked like it was for his benefit,” Thompson said. “When the moment that it looked like it would not benefit him, he turned his back on it and then will not acknowledge what he's doing. So there's only one word for that and that's typical.”
The more pressing matter -- at least as far as Thompson was concerned -- was once again Obama’s support for the recent Supreme Court decision to afford enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay the right of Habeas Corpus
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro With the news of Obama opting out of public funding, here's a primer on how it all would work:
How much money would a candidate get this year if they opt in to public financing?
How does public financing actually work? After each party's convention, the presidential and vice presidential nominees would submit a letter to the Federal Election Commission that they have agreed to take public funding.
That request would then be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel at the FEC.
It would then be voted on by the commission, certified and submitted to the Department of Treasury. The Treasury then would issue the check to the candidate or candidates.
The Democratic convention takes place in Denver, Colo., from Aug. 25 to 28; The Republican convention will be in Minneapolis, Minn., from Sept. 1 to 4.
Where does the money come from?
SOURCE: Federal Election Commission
From NBC's Mark Murray and Chris Donovan McCain campaign quickly condemned Obama's decision to opt out of the public financing system for the general election.
VIDEO: In a video announcement on his campaign Web site, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he's opting out of the public campaign finance system. "Today, Barack Obama has revealed himself to be just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama," said communications director Jill Hazelbaker in a statement. "The true test of a candidate for president is whether he will stand on principle and keep his word to the American people. Barack Obama has failed that test today, and his reversal of his promise to participate in the public finance system undermines his call for a new type of politics."
In 2007, Obama filled out a questionnaire for the Midwest Democracy Network, in which he said he would participate in the public financing system for the general election. "In February 2007, I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election," Obama wrote. "My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. My proposal followed announcements by some presidential candidates that they would forgo public financing so they could raise unlimited funds in the general election. The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge."
"If I am the Democratic nominee," he added, "I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election."
CONTINUED >>
From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro Obama opts out: In a video to supporters that his campaign has just released, Obama has announced that he's opting out of the public financing system for the general election. This move has been widely speculated, but it's a reversal from comments he made earlier in the campaign season that he would he accept general funds -- which gives the candidates about $85 million to spend after the conventions. Assuming each of Obama's 1.5 million-plus contributors gives him $100, that comes to $150 million; if they give him an average of $200, that’s $300 million. Campaign finance issues are always debated heavily on editorial pages, but not among voters. Ask McCain how many new votes he's earned with his support for campaign finance reform. As for McCain, he has to make the choice of 1) taking the federal funds, accepting the fact he'll be outspent 3-1; or 2) opting out too and get himself bogged down at fundraisers in September instead of doing town halls.
*** Déjà vu all over again: One thing we’ve learned this presidential cycle is that history repeats itself -- sometimes in just a matter of months. Just weeks after Obama and Clinton sparred over a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax prior to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, Obama and McCain are now battling over whether to lift a federal ban on off-shore drilling. The debate is essentially the same: Obama -- joined by most experts and the New York Times editorial page -- calls it a gimmick, while McCain (who once opposed this idea and also supports the gas-tax holiday) now sees it as an important way to reduce fuel prices. It’s another hearts vs. minds debate, which had a mixed record during the primary season. According to the exit polls, voters in Kentucky and West Virginia thought it was a good idea, while those in Oregon and -- at least based on the results of the May 6 primaries (there weren’t exit polls on the question) -- North Carolina and Indiana didn’t agree. The challenges for McCain are 1) that many hearts and minds of those who live in coastal states are already made up; 2) that he doesn’t hold the same brand on the economy that the Clintons held; and 3) that the unpopular president has joined him in supporting off-shore drilling. But will the issue find support in the battlegrounds of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania? That’s the million-dollar question. Pollsters, get ready, set, go…
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: In 2008, will the terror debates favor the Democrats? ***
Cue the latest McCain conference call: Meanwhile, Republicans aren’t letting go of the terrorism issue, either. Today, they're pouncing on a comment Obama made yesterday in which he said he wouldn’t allow Osama bin Laden to become a martyr. “At a
Washington news conference after huddling for the first time with a newly formed group of national security advisers, he acknowledged that bin Laden might not be taken alive, but suggested that if he is, the Nazi war crime trials at Nuremberg after World War II would be a good model. ‘I think what would be important would be for us to do it in a way that allows the entire world to understand the murderous acts that he's engaged in and not to make him into a martyr and to assure that the United States government is abiding by the basic conventions that would strengthen our hand in the broader battle against terrorism,’ he said.” Cue the latest McCain conference call -- this time it features Fred Thompson.
*** Mending fences: After meeting with dozens of union officials last night, Obama holds a roundtable in DC with labor leaders from the Change To Win federation (which has endorsed him) and the AFL-CIO (which hasn’t yet, but is supposed to do so soon). Obama also meets privately with members of the Congressional Black Caucus today, and then the Women’s Caucus tomorrow. This is all part of a mending-fences effort, given that these groups were divided in the Obama-Clinton primary race: Labor unions like AFSCME and the International Association of Machinists vigorously backed Clinton, as did Congressional Black Caucus members such as Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Sheila Jackson Lee, and black members of New York’s congressional delegation.
*** Heading to Iowa: While Obama is in DC, both McCain and Bush will be in Iowa today to observe damage from the flooding there. But they will be in different parts of the state. Per NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy, McCain will meet with flood victims in Columbus Junction, which is between Iowa City and the Quad Cities. Bush, meanwhile, will be in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. McCain adviser Charlie Black told the New York Times that the Arizona senator will keep his distance -- literally -- from the president. “We’re not going within 30 miles of the city he’s in.”
*** Battleground watch: The next state in our occasional look at battleground states is the place where McCain visits today after his earlier stop in Iowa and where the GOP holds its convention in September -- Minnesota. But the question is whether the state is truly a battleground. On the one hand, Kerry carried it narrowly 51%-48% in 2004 and Gore won it 48%-46% in 2000. On the other hand, Amy Klobuchar triumphed there in a competitive Senate contest by a whopping 20 points in 2006, and even popular GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a top-tier VP possibility for McCain, won re-election by just a single point that year. What's more, Minnesota is the ONLY state in the union that Democrats have carried in every presidential contest since 1976. A May Star Tribune poll had Obama leading McCain here by 13 points (51%-38%), although other robo-polls have showed the race tighter than that. A second question is: If Obama is the favorite in Minnesota, would Pawlenty as veep change things?
*** Time to scratch his name off the list: A few days ago, sources leaked the name of Gen. James Jones as possible Obama veep pick. Well, it seems we can scratch that. Yesterday at his speech in Missouri, McCain said this, according to prepared remarks: “We have some distinguished guests here today. And one of them is a son of Missouri who went on to become our Supreme Allied Commander in Europe -- my friend, General James Jones.” The Washington Post notes that Jones even “flew on McCain's plane from Washington to the event, and a McCain aide said Jones was a backer of the Arizona senator.” Jones also told the New York Times that he “was appearing with Mr. McCain in his capacity as president of a year-old organization affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for 21st Century Energy… So is General Jones interested in the ticket? And which ticket? ‘I’m not even going there,’ he said.”
VIDEO: TODAY's Meredith Vieira talks to presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin about the presidential candidates' wives, Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain, and the evolving role of the first lady. ***
Cindy vs. Michelle: A day after Michelle Obama appeared on The View, Cindy McCain has trumped that by traveling to Vietnam, where she is today. Per the AP, she “visited the coastal town of Nha Trang where about 100 children born with cleft palates and cleft lips were awaiting free plastic surgery provided by the U.S. charity Operation Smile. The operations will take place on one of the U.S. Navy's floating hospitals, the USNS Mercy.” Meanwhile, a Washington Post/ABC poll shows that 48% view Michelle Obama favorably versus 39% who say the same of Mrs. McCain.
*** On the trail: McCain, as mentioned above, begins his day in Iowa and then heads to Minnesota, where he raises money in Minneapolis and then holds an evening town hall in St. Paul. Obama remains in DC.Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
A New York Times analysis examines the debate over lifting the ban on off-shore oil drilling. “Whether $4-a-gallon gasoline is producing more support for domestic drilling is hard to discern. A Gallup poll conducted last month found that 57 percent of those surveyed favored drilling for oil in coastal and wilderness areas that are now off limits, but there are no earlier data for comparison. In March, before the latest spike in gasoline prices, a Pew Research Center survey found that 50 percent opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in Alaska, while 42 percent were in favor.”
VIDEO: As gasoline and other fuel prices continue to rise, Barack Obama and John McCain are sparring over energy plans, including proposals for offshore drilling. NBC's David gregory reports. More: “The federal Energy Information Administration estimates that 18 billion barrels of oil are in the area covered by the moratorium, and the White House says that is enough to match current American production for 10 years. But a 2007 analysis by the agency concluded that opening up drilling in the moratorium area ‘would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030.’”
Politico writes that Bush and McCain “have given Republicans new ammunition in the war of words over $4-per-gallon gasoline, but their calls to lift a ban on offshore oil drilling are unlikely to break the political stalemate in Congress. The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday postponed a previously scheduled vote on Pennsylvania Rep. John E. Peterson’s proposal to lift the ban — perhaps a sign that the double-barreled push from the GOP’s leaders has left Democrats worried that the proposal isn’t the automatic loser it has been in the past. “
”But Democrats still control both the House and the Senate, and the party in power shows little interest in expanding production to confront skyrocketing gas prices — especially if doing so puts it at odds with voters concerned about the environment.”
Veepstakes watch on this issue, per NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli: Off message ? Jim Webb is co-sponsoring John Warner’s offshore drilling bill. reiterated his conditional opposition ” to offshore drilling. released a statement supporting Bush and McCain on drilling.
This energy debate has even become an issue in the Warner-Gilmore Senate race in Virginia, the Washington Post reports.
Also on the energy front : "McCain called yesterday for the construction of 45 nuclear reactors by 2030 and pledged $2 billion a year in federal funds 'to make clean coal a reality,' measures designed to reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil."
This is something we've talked about for a while, but
Politico lays it out: Obama could win the popular vote and lose the Electoral College. "Here's the scenario: Obama racks up huge margins among the increasingly affluent, highly educated and liberal coastal states, while a significant increase in turnout among black voters allows him to compete — but not to win — in the South. Meanwhile, McCain wins solidly Republican states such Texas and Georgia by significantly smaller margins than Bush's in 2004 and ekes out narrow victories in places such as North Carolina... and Indiana… One possible result: Even as the national mood moves left, the 2004 map largely holds. Obama's 32 new electoral votes from Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Virginia are offset by 21 new electoral votes for McCain in Michigan and New Hampshire — and despite a 2- or 3-point popular vote victory for Obama, America wakes up on Jan. 20 to a President McCain."
"Cindy McCain ranged far afield from the U.S. presidential campaign trail Thursday to showcase her charity work helping Vietnamese kids born with facial deformities," the AP says. "McCain has made several trips to Vietnam, where her husband, Republican Sen. John McCain, was shot down during the Vietnam War and held for more than five years as a prisoner of war. She visited the coastal town of Nha Trang where about 100 children born with cleft palates and cleft lips were awaiting free plastic surgery provided by the U.S. charity Operation Smile."
The New York Daily News looks at the other women in McCain's campaign, including his 27-year-old communications director.
The AP : "Seeking to energize party loyalists, President Bush on Wednesday gave his most extended public support to Sen. John McCain… The president said McCain is the only candidate in the race who can face tough decisions and 'will not flinch.' In a full-throated fundraising appearance for Republicans, Bush never mentioned the name of McCain's opponent in the presidential race, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. But his critiques of Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress were clear as he turned their themes of 'change' and 'hope' against them." The annual fundraiser pulled in "$21.5 million for Republican House and Senate candidates, an amount that easily topped last year's total but fell short of figures raised in earlier years."
Tonight, the McCain campaign will open its Ohio/Pennsylvania regional campaign headquarters in Columbus, OH.
The Washington Post says Obama met “last night with dozens of union leaders in an effort to mobilize their support for the general election as lingering rifts from a hard-fought primary campaign as well as broader tensions among major unions threaten to undermine organized labor's efforts on his behalf.”
In a front-page piece about how the Obama campaign is trying to tighten control of its image, the New York Times leads with the anecdote that “two Muslim women said they were prohibited from sitting behind the candidate because they were wearing head scarves and campaign volunteers did not want them to appear with him in news photographs or live television coverage. The Obama campaign said it quickly called the women to apologize after learning of the incident. ‘It doesn’t reflect the orientation of the campaign,’ said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama. ‘I do not believe that mistake will be made again.’”
The New York Post’s headline: "Obama camp's 'insult to Islam.'"
Bloomberg News notes how Obama’s candidacy is reviving the Kennedy-era excitement for two 82-year-old Democrats. The lives of Abner Mikva and Newton Minow have been intertwined since 1942, when they were 16 and competed for the editorship of their Milwaukee high-school newspaper. Now 82, they are still working together, energized by their latest passion: Barack Obama. ‘It's the first candidate I've been excited about since Kennedy,' Minow says, turning to Mikva. `What about you?' ‘Same here,' says Mikva, patting his friend's hand.”
VIDEO: Michelle Obama shows off a warmer side on ABC's "The View" as her husband's campaign looks to re-introduce her to the public. NBC's Lee Cowan reports. The New York Times reviews Michelle Obama’s appearance on “The View”: “Her performance on Wednesday was polished and all but flawless — although she did almost slip when she tried to describe her husband’s easygoing personality and said what some in the audience heard as ‘sweet and pathetic.’ As her co-hosts giggled, Mrs. Obama demurred that she had meant ‘sweet, empathetic.’”
The Boston Globe : "'I have to be greeted properly,' she told her fellow panelists. 'Fist bump, please.' It was perhaps the most newsworthy moment of the show, which says a lot about how few waves the sometimes-controversial Obama made in a friendly hour of daytime TV. That was surely the campaign's intent.”
"In the battle of potential presidential spouses, Michelle Obama, despite the attacks on her, is viewed more favorably by Americans, while Cindy McCain is less well-known, according to a poll out yesterday."
More from NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli… With McCain visiting his state today, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) gets asked the veep question. Per the Star Tribune , he “made his strongest statements to date throwing cold water on speculation” about being selected. "I'm honored to have my name mentioned. The fact is, I haven't been asked, and I don't expect to be asked,” he said. But “Minnesotans will be curious today to see how large a role” he plays when McCain comes.
Joe Lieberman says he hopes to convince Hillary supporters to back McCain, and will speak at the GOP convention. He also says it could be “dangerous” to go to the Democratic convention.
Lieberman also stops just short of calling Obama unqualified to be commander in chief during his USA Today interview. “That is the question,” Lieberman says. “I would never preclude the possibility that if he were elected that he could get himself to a point where he could be a good commander in chief. I don't want to foreclose that. I'm just saying that John McCain's whole life has prepared him to be commander in chief … from Day One.”
Bob Novak says that conversation has heightened about Joe Biden for veep, “because of word spread that Biden really wants the job. He is an old-fashioned ticket balancer juxtaposed against Obama—older, more experienced, well versed in foreign policy, and Catholic.”
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Alexander Wall Obama held three back-to-back-to-back conference calls today to discuss matters ranging from national security to offshore drilling to the gas-tax holiday McCain has proposed.
When put together, the three calls lasted longer than almost any single town hall, policy speech, roundtable or retail stop the candidate makes on any given day. In each of them, surrogates reiterated positions the presumptive nominee has expressed in recent days and weeks, and sought to paint the Arizona senator as a flip-flopper who was increasingly in lock-step with George Bush and who was taking politically expedient positions that did not make sense for working families or the environment.
VIDEO: MSNBC's Wesley Clark sits down with the "Morning Joe" team to discuss Barack Obama and John McCain's differing national security plans. At around 11:45 am ET, Obama’s foreign policy advisers Susan Rice, Greg Craig, and US Rep.
Adam Smith , hosted a call to accuse the McCain campaign of distorting Obama’s position on issues like the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Guantanamo Bay detainees habeas corpus rights.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain has made his affinity for nuclear power clear throughout this campaign, but today he got a bit more specific. Continuing his energy week with an event at Missouri State University this afternoon, McCain pledged that as president he would "set this nation on a course to building 45 new reactors by the year 2030, with the ultimate goal of 100 new plants."
VIDEO: Presenting his plan for addressing the nation's energy crisis, Sen. John McCain exposed dramatic difference between himself and Sen. Barack Obama in the energy debate. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. In a state that relies heavily on coal, McCain also pledged $2 billion annually to research and development of clean coal technology -- something he said was crucial to ending America's dependence on foreign oil.
But in a speech dedicated largely to energy, the presumptive GOP nominee also found time to criticize his opponent for having an energy plan that shows -- according to McCain -- that "the solution to every problem and the answer to every challenge is a new tax."
"For his part, Sen. Obama has a different outlook on all of this," McCain said. "Instead of new energy production, he wants new energy taxes. And he's against any tax relief to give folks a break at the pump. I've noticed a pattern here."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama sat down with members of his newly created Senior Working Group on National Security. The group's members include a Who's Who of Democratic foreign policy veterans: former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright , former Secretary of State Warren Christopher , former Defense Secretary William Perry , ex-Sens. Sam Nunn and David Boren , former Rep. Lee Hamilton , and current Obama advisers Susan Rice and Greg Craig.
VIDEO: Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, and California first lady Maria Shriver weigh in on Obama's foreign policies. The prisoner situation in Guantanamo is also debated. Asked on a conference call this morning how Obama's foreign policy might represent change given that so many ex-
Clinton Administration officials are serving on the group, Craig replied that they all have a new leader at the helm -- Barack Obama -- and he has a different approach and a different view of the world.
*** UPDATE ***
"Let me just open up by thanking this group of distinguished Americans for joining me today," Obama said. "This is the first meeting of what we're calling a senior working group on national security that I will be consulting between now and the election. Every single individual here has provided extraordinary service to our nation, in the executive branch or in Congress, the 9/11 commission. Several have been advising my campaign for some time. I'm also honored to be joined by those who were advising Sen. Clinton's campaign in the role of senior advisers. In the months to come, we expect to be reaching out to others. Today, we're going to have a wind-ranging discussion about the national security challenges facing the United States. We are fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; we continue to face great threats not only from terrorism but also nuclear proliferation, climate change and poverty, genocide and disease."
From NBC's Ben Weltman and Mark Murray Michelle Obama answered questions on several different topics, including her controversial remarks, the political attacks on her, and Hillary Clinton .
VIDEO: MSNBC's Contessa Brewer talks with political pundits Andrea Tantaros and Chris Kofinis about what some are saying is a new softer Michelle Obama. On the first-time-I've-been-proud-of-my-country remark: "Of course I am proud of my country. Nowhere in America could my story be possible. I'm a girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, my father was a working class guy who worked his shift all his life, and because of his hard work he sent not just me but my brother to Princeton... I am proud of my country without a doubt. I think when I talked about it during my speech, what I was talking about was having a part in the political process. People are just engaged in this election in a way that I haven't seen in a long time and I think everybody has agreed with that that people are focused, they're coming out."
On the political attacks on her: "I think it's a little bit of that. In this media age where the internet is so pervasive and there are 24-hour newscasts, I feel like I fill up some space. Right? I think that's a part of it. I also think it's competition, that's what politics at some point has become. And I think everybody is a little sick of that. Everybody is kind of tired of the tit for tat, and the who did what to who."
On Clinton and charges of sexism during the campaign: "I think that Hillary Clinton says she created 18 million cracks on a ceiling, and we need to keep pushing it and pushing it. Because it's only until women like her step out, take the risk, take those hits, and it's painful. And it's hurtful, but she has taken them so that my girls when they come along they won't have to feel it as badly."
On whether Clinton should be her husband's running mate: "My answer to this, and people have asked me before, I think the one thing that a nominee earns is the right to pick a vice president that they think will best reflect their vision of the country, and I just glad I will have nothing to do with it."
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli Quinnipiac numbers for three key battleground states suggest that Obama may have indeed gotten a “bounce” after Clinton’s exit left him the undisputed, presumptive nominee. Yet a closer look at the poll finds that -- at least in these states right now -- there would be no sizeable benefit for Obama to make Clinton his running mate.
VIDEO: Are Sen. Hillary Clinton's female supporters so disaffected that they would vote for John McCain for president? A Hardball panel discusses. Only 21% of Florida voters, 23% of Ohio voters, and 25% of Pennsylvania voters say they’d be more likely to support the Democratic ticket if Clinton were a part of it. In each case, a slightly smaller percentage said they’d be less likely to vote for that “dream” ticket, with a majority saying it would make no difference.
Most significantly, Quinnipiac found that independent voters in those key battlegrounds believe that the Illinois senator should not select his New York counterpart -- and by double-digit margins in two of the three.
“If Sen. Obama seriously is thinking about picking Sen. Clinton as his running mate, these numbers might cause him to reconsider,” Quinnipiac’s Peter Brown said in a release.
Sam Arora, a former Clinton campaign staffer now speaking for the “Vote for Both” movement that is pushing for an Obama-Clinton ticket, counters that Clinton boosts Obama among key demographics in these states, and questions the polling firm’s “misleading lede and prepared bytes.”
CONTINUED >>
Sens. Schumer, Clinton and Rep. Higgins introduced a resolution today to name a portion of highway near the Buffalo Bills' stadium after the late Tim Russert, NBC's Washington Bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press.
VIDEO: Byron W. Brown, mayor of Buffalo, N.Y., discusses the impact Tim Russert had on his hometown. “Though he redefined Washington for generations to come, Tim Russert was always—to his very core—Mr. Buffalo,” said Schumer. “He was a shining example of the very best in Western New York—a down-to-earth, family man with rock solid values and an irreplaceable twinkle in his eye. He always cared about the Bills, and whenever I went on Meet The Press, we’d spend a few minutes before or after the show talking about the team. By naming this portion of Route 20a in his honor, we hope that Tim Russert will never be far from the home he loved so dearly.
“Tim Russert was loved and respected throughout the halls of Washington for his journalistic integrity and trademark tenacity – but during all of his years in D.C. he remained a true Buffalonian at heart,” said Senator Clinton. “Some people may not have understood why he would sign off of a hard-hitting political talk show with a hearty ‘Go Bills,’ but if you knew Tim you knew it made perfect sense. I hope that by renaming this stretch of Route 20a near Ralph Wilson Stadium in Tim’s honor, that it will in some way bring him closer to the city and team he loved so much.”
“Whether it was talking about growing up in South Buffalo in his books or using the NBC bully pulpit to cheer on the Bills before a big game, to many, Buffalo helped define who Tim was. Buffalo was always in Tim’s heart and Tim will always live on in the hearts of Western New Yorkers. It’s only fitting that from now on, Bills fans driving down “Timothy J. Russert Highway” will always reminded of this hometown hero and personification of the 12th man.”
“The proposal to rename the stretch of U.S. Route 20a that runs next to the stadium in honor of Tim Russert is a wonderful tribute to a great man. I want to thank Senator Clinton, Senator Schumer and Congressman Higgins for their efforts to make this happen. I, like many others, was shocked when I heard the sad news of Tim’s passing. We loved Tim and he loved Buffalo and the Bills,” said Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Jr.
To view a copy of the resolution please follow this link.
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro The
Obama campaign and the DNC struck back at
Giuliani for criticizing Obama for pointing out the handling of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing trial as an example of how to deal with terrorists in American courts.
In an e-mail, entitled, “Giuliani v Giuliani: 1993 World Trade Center Bombing Case,” the Obama campaign points out that in 1993, Giuliani said at the time, per the
New York Times , March 5, 1994: “Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani declared that the verdict ‘demonstrates that New Yorkers won't meet violence with violence, but with a far greater weapon -- the law.’”
Also from that day’s
Times : “Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said he hoped that the verdicts would lessen tensions rather than increase them. ‘It should show that our legal system is the most mature legal system in the history of the world,’ he said, ‘that it works well, that that is the place to seek vindication if you feel your rights have been violated.’”
The DNC takes its shot at Giuliani with an e-mail with a title, parroting Joe Biden’s Greatest Debate Hits: “Rudy, ‘Noun, verb, 9/11’ Giuliani returns.”
“Democrats are not going to be lectured to on security by the mayor who failed to learn the lessons of the 1993 attacks, refused to prepare his own city’s first responders for the next attack, urged President Bush to put his corrupt crony in charge of our homeland security, and was too busy lobbying for his foreign clients to join the Iraq Study Group,” DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney said. “Rudy Giuliani, can echo the McCain campaign’s false and misleading attacks, but he can’t change the fact that John McCain is promising four more years of President Bush’s flawed and failed policies on everything from energy security and the economy to the war in Iraq.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro A day after the
McCain campaign accused
Obama
of having a Sept. 10 mentality, it kicked the day off hammering the
Illinois senator on the issue again. The campaign got the jump start on
the conference call circuit with an early morning (9 am ET) one with
former New York City Mayor and failed presidential candidate Rudy
Giuliani.
VIDEO: Newsweek's
Richard Wolfe discusses John McCain's comments which accuse Barack
Obama of being "a perfect manifestation of a September 10 mindset" and
of taking a "law enforcement approach" to terrorism. Yesterday, Giuliani also put out a statement
attacking Obama on the issue and went on MSNBC’s Morning Joe this
morning to echo the sentiments.
“There are very clear, dramatic,
important differences between McCain and Obama,” Giuliani said,
describing those differences as “one wanting to be on offense, the
other wanting to be on defense.”
Giuliani said he believed
Obama’s inexperience was evident because he likened how the U.S. should
handle terrorists to how those accused in the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing were prosecuted.
“These are not isolated criminal acts,”
Giuliani said. “They are a loosely defined conspiracy and an act of
war. For Sen. Obama to suggest ’93 is the best example of how to deal
with this is a good example of him wanting to go on defense.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Cheryl Gould Obama and
McCain just seated themselves next to each other at the private funeral for Tim
Russert this morning.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Now here’s the bounce : A few recent national polls -- which have shown Obama leading McCain by single digits after he essentially wrapped up the Democratic nomination -- have led some in the media to ask: Where’s the bounce? Well, here it is… Obama is now leading in three of the biggest battleground states, according to a new Quinnipiac survey . In Florida, it’s Obama 47%, McCain 43%. In Ohio, it’s Obama 48%, McCain 42%. And in Pennsylvania, it’s Obama 52%, McCain 40%. For the McCain camp, those PA numbers have to be particularly frustrating. And if Obama's getting a bounce like this in Florida now, imagine what happens after a few days of bad off-shore oil drilling press in the state for McCain.
VIDEO: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray takes a look at polls in key swing states and discusses the importance of each to the candidates. ***
Let’s do the time warp again : Anyone else think that yesterday’s back-and-forth over prosecuting terrorist acts was like time traveling back to 2004? You had McCain’s campaign accusing Obama of having a pre-9/11 mindset; John Kerry and former counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke firing back in an Obama conference call; and even Rudy Giuliani reprising his role from the 2004 convention. The only things that were missing were Zell Miller, Kerry’s Band of Brothers, and those Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. (Scratch that -- Max Cleland has just sent out an email for the DSCC attacking “smears and insinuations.”) Both sides have two great talking points that seem to resonate with voters. For Obama, it's "Why hasn't Osama been caught?" For McCain, it’s "How many people thought we'd go this long with an attack on US soil. So the Bush Administration has been doing something right, right?" But giving voters a flashback to 2004 could be a risk for the McCain camp. Yes, Bush won re-election that year. But does it help McCain to mimic his playbook when, four years later, voters aren’t all too pleased with the White House? That said, the McCain camp isn’t letting go of the issue today, as it hosts a 9:00 am conference call on the subject with Giuliani.
*** Speaking of Bush and McCain… : If you’re a candidate who’s trying to distance yourself from your party’s president on an issue like the environment -- even running a new TV ad criticizing him for not sounding the alarm on global warming -- how helpful is it when that president echoes your energy policy? Well, that’s exactly what has happened with the news that Bush will call on Congress today to end the ban on off-shore drilling, an idea that McCain proposed in a big speech yesterday. Bush makes a statement on the subject at 10:35 am ET. It’s striking that in the three months since locking up the GOP nomination, McCain hasn’t moved to the center, but to the right on numerous issues (his address on judges and his judicial philosophy; his recent speech on taxes to the National Federation of Independent Business; and his off-shore drilling proposal from Houston, the heart of the American oil industry). Of course, McCain had to shore up his support among conservatives, a group that has often hasn’t trusted him. But at what potential cost to his image from 2000?
VIDEO: The environment begins to take center stage in the 2008 election as Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change, endorsed Barack Obama. John McCain also called for an end to the 27-year-old ban on additional off-shore drilling. Newsweek's Jonathan Alter discusses. ***
Crist's switch : Of course, McCain’s support for lifting the ban on off-shore drilling is a reversal from his stance in 2000. But the most stunning flip-flopper on this issue was Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) -- one could get a case of veepstakes whiplash with how fast he seconded McCain's call to lift the ban. Some may view Crist as pandering transparently to be on the ticket; others may view it as a profile in courage to sacrifice some of his statewide good will to help the GOP; and still others might see this decision as the first crack in what has been a meteoric rise. Considering that tourism is the perceived bedrock of the Florida economy, one can envision attack ads now showing oil rigs and oil spills on the shores of Florida. These ads will either take place now or in 2010, when Crist runs for re-election. Here's what we don't understand about all this oil drilling talk: Isn't the real problem the lack of new oil refineries, not the oil itself?
*** Placating the donors : News is out that Obama and Clinton will meet at a joint fundraiser on June 26 in DC. The AP says it’s an “effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama's presidential campaign… Two people closely involved with Clinton's fundraising said the meeting had taken on added urgency after several of her money ‘bundlers’ complained that they felt their concerns weren't heard during meetings last week with Obama campaign officials in New York and Washington.” It's interesting that top Clinton donors feel as if they haven’t been treated well by Team Obama. What it shows, though, is that Obama's camp just hasn't been that reliant on big donors, and so this may not have been the priority it would have been for nominees who had raised money by more traditional means. Still, the fact that Clinton and Obama have to hold a meeting together with these donors indicates it was not an easy transition and there are a lot of donor egos that need to be dealt with.
*** Shades of another first lady? Michelle Obama co-hosts ABC’s The View today. And pegged to that, be sure not to miss today’s New York Times profile of Michelle Obama. It’s striking to us how much she seems to resemble Hillary Clinton circa ’92 -- in both the praise and criticism she’s received.
*** Not Moving On : Yesterday, one of us was very critical of the new MoveOn/AFSCME ad that uses a mother and her new baby to criticize McCain on the war. Advocates of the ad pushed back on the criticism noting: 1) it tested very well, particularly with women; 2) if Obama isn't going to challenge McCain on Iraq, MoveOn will; and 3) the group has been against the war from the beginning, and feels it has earned the right to go after McCain on this issue. All of these points we get. Perhaps the most interesting thing is the fact that the group is upset that Obama is leaving McCain’s new TV ad about the war unchallenged. How does the Obama camp feel about being second-guessed so publicly in strategy? And will Obama have to condemn the ad because he doesn't want indie groups messing with his strategy? *** CLARIFICATION ***
*** On the trail : McCain campaigns in the battleground of Missouri, holding an event at Missouri State University in Springfield. Obama is in DC, where he meets with his senior working group on national security.Click here to sign up for First Read emails .
"Seeing an opening on the terrorism issue, John McCain's campaign is bashing Barack Obama for suggesting, after last week's US Supreme Court ruling giving Guantánamo Bay detainees the right to challenge their detentions in federal court, that terrorism suspects should be prosecuted in civilian courts as criminals."
VIDEO: Responding to charges by the McCain campaign that he is in a "September 10th mindset," Sen. Barack Obama says that Republicans' "failed strategies" account for bin Laden's avoiding capture. "A defiant Barack Obama said Tuesday he would take no lectures from Republicans on which candidate would keep the U.S. safer, a sharp rebuke to John McCain's aides who said the Democrat had a naive, Sept. 10 mind-set toward terrorism," the
AP writes. "'These are the same guys who helped to engineer the distraction of the war in Iraq at a time when we could have pinned down the people who actually committed 9/11,' the presumed nominee told reporters aboard his campaign plane. 'This is the same kind of fear-mongering that got us into Iraq ... and it's exactly that failed foreign policy I want to reverse.'"
The
Washington Post : “The exchange marked the general election's first real engagement over the campaign against terrorism and demonstrated that both sides are confident that they have a winning message on the issue… The debate over whether to treat terrorism primarily as a law enforcement issue or as a military issue goes back years. Some experts argue that it is inadequate to pursue and prosecute suicidal Islamic extremists as if they were typical criminals; other experts say that doing so is precisely what is needed to puncture the aura of ‘holy warriors’ that the terrorists feed on and to deglamorize them in the eyes of other Muslims.”
The New York Times : “It was the most heated back-and-forth yet in a debate that began last week when the Supreme Court ruled that the detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to challenge their detention in federal court. Mr. Obama praised the court’s decision as a return to the rule of law, while Mr. McCain excoriated it, saying that it could make the nation less safe, although the Republican candidate’s comments were a reminder of the complexities of his own past positioning on Guantánamo detainees.”
One day after McCain proposed lifting the federal ban on off-shore oil-drilling, President Bush will call on Congress to lift the ban as well, the New York Times writes. "Even before the disclosure of Mr. Bush’s decision, the drilling issue caused a heated back-and-forth on the campaign trail on Tuesday, as Mr. McCain sought to straddle the divide between environmentalists and the energy industry, while facing accusations from his Democratic opponent, Senator Barack Obama, that he had flip-flopped and capitulated to the oil industry."
VIDEO: As gasoline and other fuel prices continue to rise, Barack Obama and John McCain are sparring over energy plans, including proposals for offshore drilling. NBC's David Gregory reports. "In laying out his energy policy, the presumptive Republican nominee sought to woo voters angry over $4-a-gallon gas and to carve out his independence from President Bush," the
Boston Globe writes. "But by saying he would lift the federal ban on offshore drilling, he dismayed many environmental groups, which had praised him as an ally on global warming and had said either he or Democrat Barack Obama could provide the presidential leadership needed for real progress. And McCain provided an opening for Democrats, who accused him of flip-flopping on the offshore drilling issue and kowtowing to Big Oil - the same moneyed interests critics say have controlled US energy policy under Bush.
Here’s a
point-by-point comparison of the two candidates' positions on energy.
The New York Daily News : "Cindy McCain cooks up more controversy." "Cindy McCain's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar again. McCain's recipe for oatmeal-butterscotch cookies, published on the Family Circle Web site earlier in the month, appears to be an almost exact replica of a Hershey's recipe. (See below for both recipes.) This is not the first time John McCain's wife has been caught up in a cooking controversy."
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times gets the first look at the Michelle Obama political makeover. From an interview, Michelle Obama addresses the rumor of the videotape that probably was discovered on the virtual grassy knoll. ‘You are amazed sometimes at how deep the lies can be,’ she says in an interview. Referring to a character in a 1970s sitcom, she adds: ‘I mean, “whitey”? That’s something that George Jefferson would say. Anyone who says that doesn’t know me. They don’t know the life I’ve lived. They don’t know anything about me.’”
VIDEO: Courtney Hazlett reports on the unusual step of celebrity weekly Us magazine going political with a Barack and Michelle Obama cover. So how did it get to this? "Barack Obama often blurs identity lines; much of his candidacy has seemed almost post-racial. Mrs. Obama’s identity is less mutable. She is a descendant of slaves and a product of Chicago’s historically black South Side. She burns hot where he banks cool, and that too can make her an inviting proxy for attack." More: "The caricatures of Mrs. Obama as the Angry Black Woman confound her, friends say. Her own family crosses racial boundaries — her mother-in-law and a sister-in-law are white — and she has spent much of her adult life trying to address racial resentment.”
“In her freshman year at Princeton, a white roommate’s mother agitated for her daughter to swap rooms. Mrs. Obama was among a handful of blacks at a prestigious Chicago law firm. As a hospital executive, she navigated the often tense line between a predominantly white-run institution and a suspicious black community. But the 44-year-old woman known even to friends as The Taskmaster sometimes speaks with a passion unusual for a potential first lady. She tells voters that ‘Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual — uninvolved, uninformed.”
CONTINUED >>
In a profile of Caroline Kennedy, the Washington Post's Romano reports that the Obama campaign will replace Jim Johnson on the veep vetting team sometime this week. "Democratic Party sources say that while Kennedy's magical name might have brought her to the table, she is a lawyer and successful author -- and wouldn't sign on to something as window dressing. Her role in this intense search, which is only just beginning, Axelrod and others say, will be to bring a broader perspective to a process that often turns into a demeaning beauty pageant for professional politicians. The campaign will name someone to replace Johnson this week, says a source close to the campaign."
Ex-DNC press secretary Terry Michael wonders why Claire McCaskill isn't getting more veepstakes love.
Here’s Gov. Charlie Crist’s (R-FL) take on drilling for the local folks: “We're a tourist state. We have to protect the beauty of Florida but we also need to have the opportunity for people to drive here. We have to be sympathetic to the pocketbooks of the people of Florida, and what they're paying at the pump for gas.”
Top Democratic strategists don’t expect Al Gore to campaign vigorously for Obama.
From NBC's Ken Strickland Obama's chief strategist addressing Senate Democrats today. "We want to work closely with them," David Axelrod said after addressing the caucus in its weekly Tuesday luncheon. "Every single person in there has a wealth of knowledge about their states and about the issues facing this country."
VIDEO: Newsweek's Richard Wolfe talks about which party- Democratic or Republican- is in better shape from a unity standpoint. Axelrod came at the invitation of Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid , who said many of the key organizers of the campaign are "are always under the radar screen" and felt it was important for members to know who he is.
Axelrod said the campaign wants "to work in partnership" with Congress. "We don't consider ourselves the repository of all wisdom," he said. "Every single person there has something to contribute and some good ideas. And we want to hear what they are."
Did he field any questions on possible veep candidates? "No one asked about it." Will the campaign replace Jim Johnson, the lead veep vetter who was chased out by his controversial Countrywide mortgage dealings? "That's not clear...We'll see what we need to do."
What was clear is that Team Obama is continuing its effort to bring the party together after a grueling primary election. "He was extremely positive about Sen. Clinton ," Reid told reporters. "And it's very obvious from all the polls that the people are moving very quickly to Obama."
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Here's what
Obama said about the ex-
Clinton campaign manager who is now joining his campaign -- as the running mate's chief of staff:
"Patti Solis Doyle I think is a terrific experienced campaign hand. She's from Chicago. Her brother and I organized on the southeast side of Chicago when I first moved to Chicago as a community organizer, so I've known the family for a very long time. I think that she will bring not only a set of skills that we're gonna need as we put our ticket together but shes going to be a terrific adviser and offer insight and judgment that will help us."
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama hit McCain on his stance on habeas corpus rights for Guantanamo Bay detainees and on off-shore drilling.
VIDEO: Sen. John McCain criticizes the Supreme Court's ruling that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have a constitutional right to appeal their detention in civilian federal courts, calling it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country." He said GOP criticism of his position on allowing GITMO detainees a day in court was just a disingenuous way of using fear tactics to try to win an election. "The question is whether or not, as the Supreme Court said, people who are being held have a chance to at least suggest, that hey you’ve got the wrong guy, or I shouldn’t be here. It’s not a question about whether or not they’re free,” he said “The simple point that I was making, which I will continue to make throughout this campaign is that we can abide by due process and abide by basic concepts of rule of law and still crack down on terrorists."
Obama added, "None of the folks that were speaking for McCain today have given us one bit of information that would suggest that as a consequence of the court’s ruling, terrorists will be able to attack America more effectively. They haven’t indicated one realistic scenario in which we would be less safe as a consequence of us simply allowing these individuals to be heard one time to find out whether they should be held or not, and so this is the same kind of fear mongering that got us into Iraq, that has caused us to be hugely distracted from the war we do have to fight against terrorism and it’s exactly that failed foreign policy that I want to reverse.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli WHAT THEY’RE UP TO: Rudy Giuliani showed up in a McCain press release on Obama /terrorism. Joe Biden did the same on the Dem side. And John Kerry joined the Obama conference call.ON THE RECORD: was asked by an 8-year-old Scholastic News reporter about picking Al Gore , and answered. New York Times has his comments: “I have just started looking through possible candidates. I haven’t made any decisions. I’m getting some recommendations... Obviously Al Gore is a great public servant. He was a great vice president. He may not want to be vice president again, since he’s already done that for eight years. But certainly he’s somebody that I’ll be getting advice from as we go forward and hopefully he’ll help me when I’m president.” Paul Ryan (D) tells WisPolitics.com that he doesn’t expect to be asked to be his party's running mate, and that he’s not pursuing the job. He cites the impact it’d have on his family. “I’m 38 years old. I don’t see that phone call coming,” Ryan said. BUZZ-METER: There’s a new Web site touting Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor (R) for veep. “Eric is a genuine conservative who is known and trusted by conservative voters, but speaks in that rare way among moderates and independents that those voters are also comfortable with him,” said Beau Phillips, one of the site's minders. Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the House. New York Times noted in its profile of Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) that his name has been mentioned in VP speculation, though Defense Secretary is more likely.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray earlier back-and-forth over Obama's remarks yesterday on prosecuting terrorism, former presidential Rudy Giuliani -- remember him? -- has now weighed in.
"Throughout this campaign, I have been very concerned that the Democrats want to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter rather than a clear and present danger," Giuliani said in a statement released by the
McCain campaign. "Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals -- a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security. In a post-9/11 world, we need to remain on offense against the terrorist threat which seeks to destroy our very way of life. We need a leader like John McCain who has the experience and judgment necessary to protect the American people."
As Politico's Ben Smith notes, both John Kerry and former counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke fired back in defense of Obama. Said Kerry: "[McCain] has fully embraced, willfully, openly, fully embraced the failed tragic policy of the Bush Administration over the last 7 and a half years, and he’s really defending a policy that’s indefensible.
Said Clarke: "I'd like them to show where in the record Sen. Obama has ever said he is in favor of a pure law enforcement approach."
Here are the Obama remarks from yesterday that Giuliani and the McCain campaign are pouncing on: "And it is my firm belief that we can track terrorists, we can crack down on threats against the United States, but we can do so within the constraints of our Constitution. And there has been no evidence on their part that we can't. And, you know, let's take the example of Guantanamo. What we know is that, in previous terrorist attacks -- for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center, we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial. They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated."
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones McCain is “out of touch” with people who struggle to pay for college, Obama told a small group of students during a town hall at a community college outside Detroit Tuesday.
Obama argued the Arizona senator cared more about helping big business than helping students pay for higher education.
VIDEO: The cost of attending college rose six percent in 2007, at a rate that surpassed rising food, medical and housing costs, according to NBC in March. “I do not accept an America where you can't achieve your potential because you can't afford it; where two million qualified students will pass up college this decade because they can't afford it,” he said. “Now, this isn't an issue that you hear Sen. McCain talk about that much, because when it comes to education, Sen. McCain, I believe, is out of touch with the situation of many hard-working Americans.
“It's not just that he doesn't have a real plan to make college affordable; it's that he's voted time and time again to stop us from making college affordable. A couple of years ago, he even voted against funding for students, so he could protect billions of dollars in corporate tax loopholes. Well, that's not the kind of change that people of Michigan are looking for. That's not the kind of change that will strengthen our middle class or make America more competitive.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro In advance of McCain's energy speech in Houston, the Obama camp attacked the presumptive Republican nominee by saying he's “flip flopped” on drilling off shore and that his energy policy “does not represent the change we need.”
VIDEO: MSNBC analyst Chuck Todd weighs in on the effects of our oil crisis on the upcoming election. He wonders if anybody can win a coastal state while trying to lift the ban on offshore drilling. The Obama campaign rolled out two more former Clinton supporters, former Iowa Gov. Tom
Vilsack and Florida Sen. Bill
Nelson , to make the points.
McCain has “flip-flopped on drilling off the coast,” Nelson said. “He used to be against it; he's for it now… drilling off shore does not lower oil prices.”
McCain is proposing a “gloss over” as a way of “pandering” and what the country needs is a long-term strategy, Vilsack said. “We need to move away from oil, not more oil,” Vilsack said.
Nelson added that the U.S. only has 3% of the world's oil and uses 25% of the world's oil. “It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know” that “you can't drill your way out of this problem,” he said.
“America has never needed an energy policy more than it needs one today,” Vilsack said, citing high gas prices, the loss of manufacturing jobs and a “shrinking middle class.”
Nelson claimed that “speculators” are the biggest problem and should be the biggest target in order to lower prices. He added, “This is the Richard Pombo plan being pulled up the shelf for his speech today. That was soundly defeated back then.”
Pombo lost his reelection bid to Jerry McNerney in 2006. Defenders of Wildlife called Pombo “the biggest anti-environmental extremist in the House of Representatives.”
*** UPDATE ***
From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy McCain campaign's top foreign policy advisor, Obama equals Clinton -- at least when it comes to fighting terrorism.
On a conference call with reporters that took place this morning, Randy Scheunemann accused the presumptive Democratic nominee of offering a renewal of what he called the failed law enforcement method of anti-terrorism offered by the Clinton administration in the 1990's.
"Sen. Obama is a perfect manifestation of a Sept. 10th mindset," Scheunemann said, going on to say that Obama's anti-terrorism plans -- and his approval of the recent Supreme Court decision to offer Habeas Corpus rights to prisoners at Guantanamo -- was a "policy of delusion."
VIDEO: Responding to charges by the McCain campaign that he is in a "September 10th mindset," Sen. Barack Obama says that Republicans' "failed strategies" account for bin Laden's avoiding capture. In a question posed toward the end of the call by Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard, the McCain campaign might have found a new talking point with which to emphasize the possible effect of the Gitmo decision. Hayes' asked if -- in the campaign's interpretation -- the Court's decision would mean that if Osama bin Laden was captured and imprisoned at Guantanamo, he too would be entitled to Habeas Corpus rights.
The McCain campaign's answer was yes.
"If Sen. Obama did receive that 3 a.m. phone call," Scheunemann said of the call so often mentioned throughout the Democratic primaries, "I guess his response would be to call the lawyers in the justice department."
*** UPDATE *** NBC's Caroline Gransee adds, The McCain campaign used the conference call today to respond to Obama's recent comments he made on terrorism and to attempt to make Obama look weak on terrorism. The McCain campaign argued that Obama's plan to "treat terrorists as nothing more than common criminals demonstrates a stunning and alarming misunderstanding of the threat we face from radical Islamic extremism."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray Obama during the primary season) and the labor union AFSCME (which backed Clinton ) have teamed up for a new provocative, hard-hitting TV ad on McCain that revisits the Arizona senator's "100 years" remark regarding Iraq.
It features a mother and her baby, Alex. "Hi, John McCain, this is Alex, he's my first," she says. "So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog. That, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can’t have him."
Per a release, the groups are spending $540,000 on this ad, and it will run in the battlegrounds of Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as on national cable.
*** UPDATE ***
*** UPDATE II ***
As mentioned above, AFSCME had endorsed Clinton in the Democratic primary, but Booth signaled his group’s willingness to work on Obama’s behalf, saying that the members understand the general election presents “a very clear choice” and that “if he puts his shoulder to the wheel, we’ll be there.” Pariser added that while the two groups supported different candidates in the primary, they both “represent the same type of people” who want to end the war and improve our economy.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro The Gore-acle finally speaketh: For months, the question wasn't if Al Gore was going to endorse Obama, but when. And would he do it at a time that was pivotal in the primary? Well, he chose not to poke the Clintons in the eye, waiting until last night to finally endorse Obama. But why was the event in Michigan? It presents risks and rewards for the Obama campaign. On the plus side, it’s obvious that Michigan has become a HUGE priority for Team Obama. After all, it has now unveiled two of its biggest endorsements in the state -- Edwards (on May 14) and Gore (last night). And those kind of big rallies enable a campaign to build up its field program. And where is Obama today? For a second day in a row, he’s in Michigan…On the other hand, Gore's stances on auto emissions are NOT popular with the auto industry. Having Gore endorse Obama in Michigan, of all places, might have been a risk for the campaign. But it was a risk it thought was worth taking.
VIDEO: NBC Deputy Political Director Mark Murray gives his first read on the political headlines of the day and takes a look back at a 2005 prediction by Tim Russert, saying that this year's electoral map may take on a different look. ***
Off-shore gambling? One day after Mr. Environment endorsed Obama in Michigan, McCain today gives a speech in Houston in which he will call for lifting the moratorium on off-shore drilling. It’s a move that's already generating plenty of criticism from environmental groups and Democrats, and it provides opponents with another example of McCain pursuing policies similar to Bush’s -- in this case, increased oil production (although McCain opposes drilling in ANWR). But McCain’s call for lifting the ban could also be seen as a pragmatic, short-term solution to high energy costs that could play well in places like Michigan, even if it’s loathed on the coasts. In fact, McCain may be gambling three things about Florida with this decision to back a lifting in the ban on offshore oil drilling: 1) the price of gas is high enough that voters are going to be more open to finding new energy sources; 2) his lead is big enough in Florida than he can afford to alienate some voters on this specific issue; and 3) forcing Obama to defend not drilling for oil on the coasts of Florida and California might give McCain a way to make Obama not look like he's trying to find a solutions to the nation's energy needs. One other thing to keep in mind: No Republicans in Florida have gotten elected statewide without endorsing the moratorium on off-shore oil drilling, so McCain's decision is going to get its share of criticism even from VP wannabe Charlie Crist. And if Crist tries to rationalize the McCain decision then we'll really find out just how much he wants on the ticket.
*** But still playing up those environmental credentials: To make sure that voters don’t see McCain’s call for lifting the off-shore drilling ban as another way in which the Arizona senator seems similar to Bush, McCain is unveiling a new TV ad that will run in battleground states and on national cable. It goes: “John McCain stood up to the president and sounded the alarm on global warming -- five years ago. Today, he has a realistic plan that will curb greenhouse gas emissions. A plan that will help grow our economy and protect our environment.”
VIDEO: Former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle will join the Obama campaign as chief of staff to his future vice president choice. A Race for the White House panel discusses. ***
Title obsessions: We're amused by all the chatter, either pro or con, regarding Team Obama’s appointment of ex-Clinton manager Patti Solis Doyle as the chief of staff for the eventual VP nominee. First, it's not uncommon for a nominee to control the staffing of a running mate -- you don’t want a competing group of folks staffing a VP candidate who ends up more loyal to the veep than to the nominee. Two, they had to put her somewhere. A chief of staff on a campaign sometimes isn’t as powerful as a chief of staff for elected officials in office. This isn’t to assume PSD is being given an inflated title with no power; it's just a reminder that it could be that. Bottom line: Too much is being made out of this decision. It signals nothing other than getting the chattering class to attempt to read in between the lines on something that is just not there. A blind man could see that.
*** When CW is wrong: There was a growing consensus during the Democratic primary season that Obama was going to struggle with Latino voters -- due to the exit polls, his race, and McCain’s immigration stance. In fact, in that now-famous conference call in which Hillary Clinton indicated that she would be open to serving as Obama’s running mate, that response was spurred by concern by New York Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D) that Obama was going to have trouble with Latinos. But it looks like that CW -- at least right now -- was wrong. In addition to our recent NBC/WSJ poll, which showed Hispanics breaking for Obama 62%-28%, a new survey of 800 Latino voters from 21 states finds that 60% of them plan to vote for Obama versus 23% for McCain. That is down considerably from the 40%-plus Bush received in 2004. It’s no longer fair to say that Obama has a problem with Latino voters; McCain does. This was a case of conventional wisdom that was never based on fact, just semi-informed speculation based on primary exit polling and bad stereotypes of Latinos.
*** On the trail: McCain is in Texas, raising money in San Antonio and giving a speech and hitting another fundraiser in Houston. Obama spends another day in Michigan -- this time meeting with students at Wayne County Community College in Taylor.
*** Bill Clinton watch: The former president, in New York City, gives a speech tonight for the Radio City Music Hall Speakers Series. Per a spokesman, Clinton will talk about how corporate philanthropy and individual action can help find solutions to global challenges. Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
A new Washington Post/ABC poll shows Obama up four points over McCain (49%-45%) among registered voters. “But Obama still has some work to do to unite the Democratic Party. Almost nine in 10 Republicans now support McCain, while not quite eight in 10 Democrats said they support Obama. Nearly a quarter of those who said they favored Clinton over Obama for the nomination currently prefer McCain for the general election, virtually unchanged from polls taken before Clinton suspended her campaign.”
VIDEO: Newsweek's Richard Wolfe talks about which party- Democratic or Republican- is in better shape from the unity standpoint. More: “McCain will be running into stiff headwinds over the next five months. Bush's approval rating hit another low in Post-ABC polling and now is 29 percent, with 68 percent saying they disapprove of the job he is doing -- 54 percent strongly. Among the dwindling number who approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 80 percent back McCain. Among the much higher number who disapprove, 26 percent support McCain. In general, 57 percent said McCain would continue to lead the country as Bush has and 38 percent said he would chart a new course.”
A Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll (conducted June 12-15, 2008 of 880 registered voters) also has Obama up by four points, 44%-40%.
And a national poll of Latino voters shows Obama leading McCain by the normal Dem v. GOP margin the parties got used to in the '90s. "The survey of 800 Latino voters in 21 states found that 60 percent planned to vote for Obama, compared to 23 percent for McCain, with 16 percent undecided. The poll, Latino Decisions, is a joint effort between Pacific Market Research and University of Washington political scientists Matt Barreto and Gary Segura. Barreto has previously overseen polls on Washington's gubernatorial race and state issues."
The AP's Alan Fram asks: "If Barack Obama's got so many issues going for him in the presidential election, from the economy to war fatigue to a national hunger for change, how come John McCain is so close to him as their race begins in earnest? Early polls suggest the contest is so competitive at this point largely because of how people view the personal qualities of Obama, the Democrat, and McCain, the Republican." Some of the factors: race, leadership and experience, ideology, likeability, political branding, the issues, President Bush, change, electricity.
So how much like Bush is McCain? The New York Times attempts to answer that question today. "A look at Mr. McCain’s 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign positions and his major speeches over the last three months indicates that on big-ticket issues - the economy, support for continuing the Iraq war, health care - his stances are indeed similar to Mr. Bush’s brand of conservatism. Mr. McCain’s positions are nearly identical to the president’s on abortion and the types of judges he says he would appoint to the courts."
VIDEO: Sen. John McCain shows similarities to President Bush once again, this time on wiretapping. Author John Dean discusses. More: "The disparities between the two are murkier on other issues. On immigration, Mr. McCain started out with Mr. Bush - at odds with the Republican mainstream - by favoring a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, then backed off and emphasized the border-security-first approach favored by a majority of his party. When it comes to dealing with terrorism suspects, Mr. McCain has supported imposing tighter rules than favored by the administration on the use of harsh interrogation techniques, but has consistently been with the president on limiting the legal rights of Guantánamo detainees… Mr. McCain has reversed himself on some issues - most notably, embracing the Bush tax cuts now after deriding them initially as fiscally risky and excessively skewed to the wealthy - and continues to adjust his positions on others. On Monday, he said he continued to oppose opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, leaving him at odds with the White House and most of his party, but said he favored giving states more flexibility to decide whether to explore for oil off their coasts."
Here are excerpts of the energy speech McCain will deliver in Houston today, in which he calls for lifting the ban on off-shore drilling. “Quite rightly, I believe, we confer a special status on some areas of our country that are best left undisturbed. When America set aside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we called it a ‘refuge’ for a reason. But the stakes are high for our citizens and for our economy. And with gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians. We have proven oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use.”
CONTINUED >>
Al Gore, NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones reports, endorsed Obama at a rally in a packed arena last night, saying it was time for the party to unite behind the Illinois senator and touching on his own experience as a presidential candidate to illustrate the idea that “elections matter.”
VIDEO: NBC's Lee Cowan reports on former Vice President Al Gore's endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president. The two have been talking for many months. "In looking back over last eight years, I can tell you we have already learned one important fact since the year 2000. Take it from me elections matter,” he said. “If you think the next appointments to our Supreme Court are important, you know that elections matter. If live in city of New Orleans, you know that elections matter. If you or a member of your family are serving in active military, the National Guard or reserves, you know that elections matter. If you’re a wounded veteran, you know that elections matter.” He also said elections mattered to those facing economic hardship and those who care about food safety and even the nation’s pets, who’ve been fed tainted pet food from China.
"It is the second time that Obama has rolled out a major endorsement in Michigan, a state he did not campaign in during the primary because its election violated the party rules," the Boston Globe writes. "Last month, he appeared with 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards in Grand Rapids, as party leaders united behind Obama as their nominee."
The Washington Post adds, “The theme of Monday night's speeches was Democratic Party unity, with Obama, Gore and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm all vowing to bring the party back together after a hard-fought primary. But the crowd was not ready to come along. It loudly booed Granholm after she mentioned Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), drawing a rebuke from Obama when he took the stage. ‘I want everybody here to be absolutely clear,’ he said. ‘Senator Clinton is one of the finest public servants we have in American life today. . . . She is worthy of our respect. She is worthy of our honor.’”
The New York Post writes up Patti Solis Doyle joining the Obama campaign. "Clinton insiders were surprised by the move, with many casting it as telegraphing that the New York senator won't be put on the ticket. Solis Doyle 'is the reason we lost,' said one Clinton insider, noting the campaign's profligate spending and other problems in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses, where the one-time front-runner came in third. Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee tried to quell the outrage, saying, 'Patti will be an asset and good addition to the Obama campaign.'"
Obama said he wouldn't wait until the sixth year of his presidency to sit down and meet with the auto industry. It turns out his criticism of Bush was off by three years; Bush sat down with the Detroit auto heads in 2003.
The New York Daily News frames Obama saying he'd go to Iraq as him, answering "Mac-call to visit Baghdad."
In a meeting with the Lynchburg News Advance , Tim Kaine “once again declined to say whether he would refuse an offer” to be veep, saying only that he doesn’t expect Obama to choose him.” But “more interestingly,” he said he’s made tentative plans if Jim Webb is picked. “Kaine would have to appoint a Democrat to serve for one year in Webb’s Senate seat and then stand for election in November 2009, the governor said. And, although he doesn’t know whom he would appoint, Kaine is taking himself out of the Senate picture.”
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd serves up his thoughts on the current veepstakes. He sheds light on the strategy that goes into selecting a vice president, saying that the focus should be on winning four or five swing states. Kaine also got
asked about the possibility during a local stop at Boy’s State: “I've always felt like it's nice to be mentioned, but not likely to happen,” he said. “I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it. I do know this, I've got a good job as governor, and the place I can be most helpful to Senator Obama is right here in Virginia.”
The Hill interviewed Tim Pawlenty, who emphasized conservative parts of his record “and defended other, less conservative aspects.” “If you look at my record as a whole, it’s clearly conservative,” Pawlenty said. “This idea that it’s moderate is, I don’t think, a very full look at it.”
Kalee Kreider, an Al Gore spokesperson, said he’s ruled out being VP , but will campaign for Obama.
Salon’s Madden writes that Chuck Hagel may be “a long shot for the job,” with interest in him “less a question of electoral math than of political metaphysics. Running with a Republican would reinforce the message that Obama is serious about changing the way things are done in Washington.” But “unless a Republican running mate would virtually guarantee Obama a win in November, it's probably not worth the risk of angering Democrats to pick one.”
CALIFORNIA: Last night, the state started marrying gay couples. The
Los Angeles Times notes that many couples are being encouraged by gay-rights activists to hold low-key ceremonies; don't give the other side visual images to mock them.
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli and NBC’s Domenico Montanaro Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut’s take on Solis Doyle being named to chief of staff for a potential VP nominee:
But Solis Doyle -- who after her firing midway through the primaries is no longer on speaking terms with much of the Clinton inner circle, including the senator herself -- has been tapped to serve as chief of staff to the future vice presidential running mate. Not exactly a signal that Obama is considering Hillary Clinton for the job. At least that's how Clinton loyalists see it.
“ ‘It's a slap in the face,’ Susie Tompkins Buell, a prominent Clinton backer, said in an interview. ‘Why would they put somebody that was so clearly ineffective in such a position? It's a message. We get it.’ She said it was a ‘calculated decision’ by the Obama team to ‘send a message that she [Clinton] is not being considered for the ticket.’
“Other Clinton insiders also seethed. ‘Who can blame Obama for rewarding Patti? He would never be the nominee without her,’ one person who has worked for both Clintons and remains close to them said. The sentiment reflected what another person in the immediate Clinton orbit described as ‘shock’ that Obama would send such a strong signal that he is not considering Clinton as his runningmate so soon.”
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama told the audience in this economically depressed town that "it falls to us to shape a new century" and that every aspect of our government should be under review.
VIDEO: In an interview with CNBC, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama suggests he might be open to deferring some tax increases, dpending on economic conditions. CNBC's John Harwood reports. The speech launched the second week of a tour meant to address voters' economic concerns. Obama spoke for nearly an hour, presenting a comprehensive set of policies focused on providing tax relief to the middle class, improving education, achieving energy security, encouraging research and innovation, investing in infrastructure, and pursing trade policies that will help America.
There were no new policy proposals. Instead the speech was more of a repackaging of several of his goals -- part of efforts to reintroduce the presumptive Democratic nominee to voters in states where he did not campaign or which held early primaries.
This is Obama's third trip to this battleground state this year after signing a pledge not to campaign in the state after it had broken party rules by moving up its primary. And it's his second visit since the party resolved the issue of seating the state's delegation at the August convention. He made a point of talking about the economic problems Michigan has faced in recent years.
"For months, the state of our economy has dominated the headlines -- and as all of you know the news has not been good. Incomes have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of health insurance and college, and record oil and food prices have left families struggling just to keep up. Of course, grim economic news is nothing new to Flint and its nothing new to Michigan."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Abby Livingston McCain campaign for the day is on energy, as today McCain announced that in his speech before oil executives in Texas tomorrow he would call for lifting the federal moratorium on oil and natural gas exploration, leaving the decision on whether to explore for oil up to the states.
VIDEO: With rising gas prices and increased demand for fuel, many are worried about running out of oil. What's going on with the world's oil reserves? NBC's Tom Costello reports. McCain has a mixed record on supporting off-shore drilling in the senate, but this decision seems to be a bit of a capitulation to the oil companies who are in favor of searching for new sources of oil. McCain is against drilling in ANWR.
“Tomorrow I’ll call for lifting the federal moratorium for states that choose to permit exploration,” McCain said. “I think that this and perhaps providing additional incentives for states to permit exploration off their coasts would be very helpful in the short term in resolving our energy crisis.”
He was also forced to address the planned fundraiser with Clayton Williams in Texas, which has been postponed but notably not canceled. McCain said his campaign was unaware of Williams' offensive statement, and he defended his campaign’s decision to keep the money -- saying the donors are supporters if his, not Williams.
“First of all, my people were not aware of a statement that he made 16 or 8 years ago,” McCain said. “I've forgotten how many years ago it was. … The people who contributed are supporters of mine, not supporters of his. So when we found out that this was planned there [at his home], we said, “No, we'll reschedule it, and we'll do it someplace else. And I understand that he's not attending.”
That statement, which he maintains those on his staff (which once included Texas politico Tom Loeffler) were not aware of, referred to rape as “It’s like the weather, if it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.”
The comment caused an almost literal overnight implosion of the Williams’ 1990 campaign for Texas governor and is often cited as the primary cause for Ann Richards’ ascension to the Texas governor’s mansion. The story was covered in the national media, making The New York Times , was used in Richards’ 1990 advertisements , and the word “rape” is in the title of the third link that comes up in a “Clayton Williams” Google search.
He reiterated his call for town halls with Obama and cited a specific meeting of La Raza in California where they will both be in attendance, and he suggested that the two candidates hold a town hall before the group instead. He commented on his meeting with Iraqi foreign minister Zabari, and said that they both agreed America was winning in Iraq.
He also called himself the “underdog” against Obama. “I know I have to out campaign my opponent in every respect, and so I do not underestimate," he said. "I consider myself an underdog, and so we have a lot of work to do organizing and energizing our grass roots support and we’re working everyday, but we really have a great deal of work to do. I wouldn’t be talking straight with you if that was not the case.”
*** UPDATE *** Bush that has failed our families for too long and only serves to benefit the big oil companies. Barack Obama’s plan offers comprehensive change that makes significant investments in alternative forms of energy to secure our energy independence, make energy more affordable for our families and protect our health and environment."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Lee Cowan and NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones Gore will endorse Obama tonight at an event in Detroit, Mich., at about 8:30pmET.
VIDEO: Al Gore says he is backing Barack Obama. NBC's Lee Cowan has the details. He even asks members of AlGore.com to contribute to Obama's campaign in a letter: "I've never asked members of AlGore.com to contribute to a political campaign before, but this moment and this election are too important to let pass without taking action. That's why I am asking you to join me today in showing your support for Barack Obama by making a contribution to his campaign today."
Here is the full letter:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama reiterated his commitment to withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq during a telephone conversation this morning with the country's foreign minister, he told reporters in a 10-minute press conference on the tarmac here.
The presumptive Democratic nominee told Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari that he looked forward to seeing him in Baghdad and told reporters he also wanted to visit Afghanistan, saying the situation there continued to deteriorate -- noting a prison break this past weekend. He declined to specify when such trips would take place, but said he would like to go before the election.
VIDEO: NBC's Richard Engel, author of "War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq" joins the "Morning Joe" team to discuss the progress of the war. The men spoke about the progress U.S. troops have made in helping to reduce the violence in Iraq but Obama told Zebari troop withdrawals must go forward.
"I emphasized to him how encouraged I was by the reductions in violence in Iraq, but also insisted that it is important for us to begin the process of withdrawing U.S. troops, making clear that we have no interest in permanent bases in Iraq," the senator said. "I gave him an assurance that should we be elected, an Obama administration will make sure that we continue with the progress that's been made in Iraq, that we won't act precipitously, but that we will move to end U.S. combat forces in Iraq in a manner that's as careful as we were careless getting in."
The need to withdraw is twofold, Obama said. Reprising an argument he has been making for months, he cited the need to encourage the Iraqi government to make the political accommodations on matters like oil revenues and provincial elections, which the surge was supposed to help happen. He argued that the progress made in the South and in Sadr City showed the need not for a longer commitment but a shorter one, because they indicate a greater capacity on the part of Iraqis to deal effectively with their security. Obama said the second reason was the $10- to-12 billion being spent each month in the country, a statistic he often cites when discussing the need to withdraw.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama said today on the campaign would be making an announcement as to when, but he said he he wanted to visit both Iraq and Afghanistan before the election in November.
"I told him that I look forward to seeing him in Baghdad," Obama said of his conversation with Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari. "You know, we'll make an announcement about that [as to when], but as I said, I'm interested in visiting Iraq and Afghanistan before the election."
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: Are Americans more patient about progress in Iraq? Obama spoke briefly (about 10 minutes) with reporters about his telephone conversation with Zebari. He said he was encouraged by the progress made in reducing the violence in Iraq, but believed troops should be withdrawn, and they should do so carefully.
Obama also told Zebari, he said, that Congress should be involved in any negotiations regarding a Status of Forces agreement with Iraq. He suggested it may be better to wait until the next administration to negotiate such an agreement.
Asked by NBC's Lee Cowan if a timetable for the status of forces agreement was discussed, Obama said, "Well he, the foreign minister, had presented a letter requesting an extension of the UN resolution until the end of this year. So that’s a six-month extension.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama campaign announced new hires and new roles within their campaigns. Three names stand out -- Stephanie Cutter as chief of staff to Michelle Obama; former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle as chief of staff to the vice presidential nominee; and Jim Messina (formerly Max Baucus' chief of staff) as campaign chief of staff.
Here's the full list of the new hires: Constituency Director: Brian Bond – formerly LGBT Outreach Director at the DNCNational Field Director: Jon Carson – formerly Obama for America Voter Contact DirectorSenior Advisor to the Campaign and Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama: Stephanie CutterIndustrial States Regional Director: Paul Diogardi – formerly Political Director for the Democratic Governor’s Association. Battleground States Director: Jen O’Malley Dillon – formerly Iowa State Director for John Edwards for PresidentChief of Staff to the Vice Presidential Nominee: Patti Solis DoyleLatino Vote Director: Temo Figueroa – formerly Obama for America National Field Director First Americans Vote Director: Wizipan GarriottNortheast Regtional Director: Eureka Gilkey – formerly Obama for America Deputy Political Director50-State Voter Registration Director: Jason Green – formerly Obama for America political and field staffCampaign Chief of Staff: Jim Messina – formerly Chief of Staff to Senator Max BaucusLGBT Vote Director: Dave Noble – formerly of the National Gay and Lesbian Task ForceWest Regional Director: Matt Rodriguez – formerly Obama for America New Hampshire State DirectorSenior Advisor: Michael StrautmanisAfrican American Vote Director: Rick Wade
From MSNBC.com’s Andy Merten last week’s news that a U.S-led airstrike killed Pakistani troops along the Afghan border, it is worth revisiting the issue in the context of the 2008 presidential campaign. It is a topic that McCain sought to attack Obama on back in February, as he moved closer to clinching the Republican nomination. when asked in a press conference to elaborate on the point, McCain stood his ground. “You make plans, and you work with the other country that is your ally and friend, which Pakistan is,” he said.CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro The latest polling out of Nevada indicates a statistical tie with McCain leading Obama 44% to 42%, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal/Mason-Dixon poll .
Bush won the state in 2004 over Kerry, 50.5% to 47.9%, or 21,500 votes. In 2000, Bush won Nevada 49.5% to 46%, or nearly 21,597 votes.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd takes a look at the "toss-up" states on the 2008 electoral map. The battlegrounds look to be independents, voters aged 35 to 49 statewide and Washoe County in the Northwestern portion of the state, bordering California.
Among independents, McCain leads by 11 points, but 25 percent are undecided; the candidates are tied among that middle age group; and McCain leads 45%-42% in Washoe.
Young voters and Hispanics bolstered Obama. Hispanics indicated a preference for Clinton in the Democratic primary, but in the NBC/WSJ poll, Obama lead 62%-28% over McCain and the presumptive Democratic nominee led by a similar margin in Nevada (53% to 28% -- about 20% are undecided). McCain led with men, 49% to 37%, and Obama led with women, 47% to 39%.
Obama does well in Clark County (where Las Vegas is), and McCain outperforms in more rural counties.
Of note, 15% of Democrats say they’ll vote for McCain, and 14% of Democrats are undecided -- for 29% of Democrats saying they are not, at this point, voting necessarily for Obama. That perhaps provides a silver lining for both sides. It shows Obama has some room for growth, but also shows McCain has already made some inroads and has the potential for more.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Mark Murray earlier , McCain met with Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari on Sunday.
And today, the Iraqi official spoke with Obama , a campaign spokesperson just said.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Remembering Tim : The three of us here -- like so many other folks at NBC and across Washington -- idolized Tim Russert. We have a recent memory of him that for us means the world: Tim had Wizards-Cavs playoff tickets, and he invited us to come to the game with him. We leapt at the opportunity. The three of us are avid sports fans, but it was also a chance to hang out with our friend, our leader, and our mentor. Watching a game with him was exciting -- everyone was shouting out at him, thanking him for his work with Meet the Press, asking him who was going to win the Clinton-Obama contest, you name it. Watching him watch the game was a blast, too. He was just so excited to see the Wizards but also to see LeBron. He was one of those good sports fans who appreciated great play. But the highlight of the night was heading to the bar with him. We got to do what everyone this weekend said made Tim seem so real to folks that didn't know him: We got to have a beer with him -- actually two. And we just BS’ed with the guy (mostly about hoops, not politics) as if we were buddies for a long time. It's what makes us feel so lucky that we had even a few private moments. The thing with Tim is that everyone in this bureau has similar memories of him.
VIDEO: A look at those who shared memories of the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," Tim Russert, who died suddenly from a heart attack. ***
WWRD : It doesn't feel right that we have to work today because, frankly, we worked for Tim. We wanted to impress him -- give him that nugget that would make say, "wow," and then immediately trigger an idea in his head for examining something in a way we hadn't thought of yet. So forgive us this week if we don't seem to have a lot to say. It's never going to be the same. One thing we do know is that What Would Russert Do will be guiding us, and many others as well.
*** The long pause : It’s not surprising that everything here paused after Tim Russert’s sudden death. But it says something about the man that everything seemed to have paused even on the campaign trail. Sure, there was an occasional email here or there that hit McCain or Obama, but one could sense that there was passion lacking in those email blasts. And that's not such a bad thing.
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd talk about the presidential race and the candidates' chances of winning toss-up states. ***
Michigan here we come : Kicking off the second week of his “Change That Works for You” tour, Obama spends today and tomorrow in Michigan. Not only is Michigan the first state where he has spent more than one day on this tour, but it's also now the first battleground state he's returning to since he began to act like the presumptive nominee. The reason: Given the fact that he didn’t really campaign in the state due to the primary calendar mess -- as well as the political mess in Detroit -- Michigan is one of McCain’s best chances to turn a blue state red. Obama has a very realistic path to 270 that doesn't include Ohio AND Florida, but he doesn't have a realistic path if he somehow loses Ohio, Florida, AND Michigan. The Michigan GOP has unveiled a
Web video asking Obama this question: What took you so long from campaigning in the state?
***
On the trail : McCain is in Texas, where he holds two fundraisers in Dallas. Obama, as mentioned above, campaigns in Michigan, where he starts his day with an event in Flint and concludes it with a rally in Detroit.
Countdown to Dem convention: 70 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 77 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 141 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 218 days
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The Los Angeles Times looks at how women are now slowly lining up behind Obama. “Now that the Democratic marathon is over, Clinton supporters like Authenreith are siding heavily with Obama over McCain, polls show. And Obama has taken a wide lead among female voters, belying months of political chatter and polls of primary voters suggesting that disappointment over Clinton's defeat might block the Illinois senator from enjoying his party's historic edge among women.”
VIDEO: A Hardball panel debates who will win the coveted women's vote in the 2008 general election. USA Today : "McCain, who is behind Obama in some national polls, has proposed a series of 10 weekly sessions leading up to the presidential nominating conventions. Obama campaign manager David Plouffe countered Friday with a plan for two pre-convention encounters: a town hall over the Fourth of July and ‘an in-depth debate on foreign policy’ in August." More: "Both campaigns say talks are at a halt, but there's considerable outside interest in bringing the two candidates together for summertime meetings. Friday, the families of former presidents Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson offered to host town hall meetings next month. The proposal calls for town hall meetings at the Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan presidential libraries in Texas and California, respectively. An audience would be chosen by an independent polling organization to ensure a cross-section of political views."
Time magazine examines McCain and those town halls. “For McCain, the town hall is more than just a chance for him to spread his message of staying the course in Iraq and cutting taxes and spending. It is itself the message he wants to deliver. ‘These town hall meetings are the most important part, in my view, of the process, because it not only gives you a chance to hear from me—and I'll try not to make you hear from me very long—but it gives me an opportunity to hear from you,’ McCain said Friday, at a town hall in central New Jersey. ‘It gives us a glimpse and an idea of your hopes, and your dreams, and your aspirations, and your frustrations today, and the challenges that you face, and better sets our priorities, and it helps me enormously.’”
A Barr-Paul ticket? “Signs are emerging of a possible alliance this fall between Ron Paul, the libertarian-minded rebel Republican, and Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee. Just before formally ending his presidential bid Thursday night, the Texas congressman praised Barr, and in a statement yesterday, Barr reciprocated.
The presumptive GOP nominee yesterday met with Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, at his campaign headquarters in the DC area. The Washington Post : “After talking behind closed doors for a half hour, McCain and Zebari invited reporters into the meeting. Both men complimented each other on their work, and expressed their faith that the war in Iraq was succeeding. Referring the Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, McCain told reporters, ‘Any agreement will be based on partnership and in the national security interests of both countries... It's very important that we not let any of this success slip away and the relationship and partnership that has led -- and the new strategy that has led to the success that it has, I am confident will continue.’”
“When asked whether he would meet with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the foreign minister said he would make time to brief the presumptive Democratic nominee during his U.S. stay. ‘We will have an opportunity to speak to Senator Obama also on this trip. Again to explain the same situation to him in Iraq,’ the foreign minister said. ‘I'd also give -- we are not a part, in fact, of the U.S. election whatsoever. I think this is a decision for the American public. But it's in our interest, in fact, to brief both candidates on the reality of the situation, the way we see it from our perspective, from people who've been at the thick of this conflict, so yes, indeed, we will have that opportunity.’”
McCain later
took the opportunity to hit Obama for not supporting the surge. "The situation on the ground is that we have made enormous success and the surge has worked," McCain said. "Senator Obama was wrong when he said it would fail."
CONTINUED >>
Kicking off the second week of his “Change That Works for You” economic tour today in Flint, MI, Obama will unveil his national competitiveness agenda, which includes 1) a commitment to education from birth until college; 2) an energy policy that reduces America’s dependency on oil; 3) encouraging innovation; 4) strengthening America’s transportation system; and 5) a commitment to “strong and smart” trade.
The New York Times offers a front-page look at Obama’s evolving management style. “Like most presidential candidates, Mr. Obama is developing his executive skills on the fly, and under intense scrutiny. The evolution of his style in recent months suggests he is still finding the right formula as he confronts a challenge that he has not faced in his career: managing a large organization.”
Also: “Mr. Obama’s style so far is marked by an aversion to leaks and public drama and his selection of a small group of advisers who have exhibited discipline and loyalty in carrying out his priorities. The departure of [veep vetter Jim] Johnson, who was brought in to provide managerial experience to the vice-presidential search, was a rare instance of the campaign’s having to oust one of its own in the midst of a messy public crisis… As the chief executive officer of Obama for America, a concern of nearly 1,000 employees and a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars, Mr. Obama is more inclined to focus on the big picture over the day-to-day whirl.”
VIDEO: Gov. Devel Patrick, D-Mass., thinks Barack Obama's homage to fatherhood on Father's Day was perfect in a country where we need family to get through any economic or cultural crisis. Obama's fatherhood speech yesterday to the black community seemed to earn plenty of accolades. We bet we'll see another speech like this sometime this fall. Per NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones, the Obama family yesterday celebrated Father’s Day at a church on Chicago’s South Side, where the presumptive Democratic nominee delivered a speech about parental responsibility and the importance of fathers to building strong families. Obama spoke at Apostolic Church of God, a black church with a congregation of some 20,000, entering with the church leaders as a large choir dressed in two-toned blue gowns sang and clapped. He and his family were introduced to strong applause as he stood on stage and his wife and daughters sat in the crowd. The senator has not attended church in Chicago in months, ever since controversy erupted over remarks made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ. He eventually denounced Wright and later left that church.
CONTINUED >>
The Boston Globe takes a look at the possibility of former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn as Obama’s running mate. “‘He sounds like he may be more open to it,’ said Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps general who served on Nunn's Senate staff for 24 years and remains in close contact with his former boss. ‘He has never before endorsed anybody. That was a surprise to me.’”
“Nunn declined to be interviewed for this story and has weighed in only once publicly on the 2008 veepstakes, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month that he thought it was ‘highly improbable’ that Obama would ask him to be vice president and ‘highly improbable’ that he would accept. Those close to Nunn, speaking on condition of anonymity, say he seems more prepared to accept a vice presidential offer this year, helping to offset Obama's lack of experience on national security and giving the Democrats a fighting chance in Georgia."
Some
bio info on Nunn.
Meanwhile, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, running for US Senate there this year, said he does not want to be considered as Obama’s No. 2. Edwards said he’s open to considering it. Fred Thompson said, "It's presumptuous for a person to turn down things that haven't been offered to them and I don't think will be offered. And it's not something that I want."
From NBC's Rehema Ellis and Patrice Fletcher
VIDEO: Byron W. Brown, mayor of Buffalo, N.Y., discusses the impact Tim Russert had on his hometown. Soon after, a West Seneca fireman showed up in a pumper truck with six barbecue chicken dinners from his department's Father's Day celebration. Then another man, who would only give us his first name, Steve, showed up with coffee and doughnuts. A few minutes later, Steve's wife brought us cold Gatorade on this 80-degree day.
It seems that Buffalo wants to make sure that Tim's NBC family is taken care of. We are the beneficiaries of their affection for him.
After videotaping people leaving flowers, flags and notes, our cameraman Steve Delmonte, said the mourners treated him like family.
"I feel like I'm an ambassador for NBC," Steve said. We told him that that's exactly what he is. It's what we all are -- stand-ins, here in Buffalo, for the man they call "Timmy."
NBC News is very saddened to report that Tim Russert has passed away suddenly after collapsing at work. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
*** UPDATE *** Following are the NBC Universal and General Electric Statements on the passing of Tim Russert. Below that, others' thoughts on Tim.
VIDEO: Tim Russert's closest friends and colleagues look back at his legacy on "Meet the Press." STEVE CAPUS, PRESIDENT, NBC NEWS:
This is a loss for the entire nation. Everyone at NBC News is in shock and absolutely devastated. He was our respected colleague, mentor, and dear friend. Words can not express our heartbreak. Our thoughts and prayers are with Maureen, Luke, Big Russ and all of Tim's family.
JEFF IMMELT, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, GENERAL ELECTRIC:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann McCain’s morning press conference for the senator to voice too strident an objection.
“I haven’t had a chance to read the opinion yet,” he said then. “It obviously concerns me.”
VIDEO: Sen. John McCain criticizes the Supreme Court's ruling that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have a constitutional right to appeal their detention in civilian federal courts, calling it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country." “The United States Supreme Court yesterday rendered a decision which I think is one of the worst decisions in the history of this country,” he said at the beginning of a town hall meeting at Burlington County College today. Later, during a press conference, McCain said that the ruling “opens up a whole new chapter in interpretation of our Constitution.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The town hall would have been on July 4th, which the McCain campaign said "likely would have resulted in less attention while Americans are on holiday. McCain told reporters traveling with him in New Jersey that was ‘a very disappointing response,’" AP reports.
Here's the statement from David Plouffe:
“It’s disappointing that Senator McCain and his campaign decided to decline this proposal. Apparently they would rather contrive a political issue than foster a genuine discussion about the future of our country.
“Senator Obama believes that the American people deserve an open and accessible debate as they choose between real change and four more years of failed Bush policies, and he welcomed McCain’s invitation to offer voters ‘the rare opportunity of witnessing candidates for the highest office in the land discuss civilly and extensively the great issues at stake in the election."
From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger Lieberman doesn't have the influence he once enjoyed in Democratic circles. But many American Jews still hold him in high regard, and are paying close attention to what he's saying on the Middle East and Barack Obama 's record. Lieberman's recent attacks on Obama could sway American Jewish voters who are looking for a security hawk. And his negative campaigning isn't sitting well with Jewish Democrats who used to see him as one of them.
CLICK FOR FULL STORY
From NBC’s Katie Mulhall, Caroline Gransee and Domenico Montanaro McCain campaigns in the Garden State today, the Obama campaign brought out New Jersey Rep. Steve Rothman , to criticize McCain again on his gas tax holiday proposal. Similarly, the Obama campaign brought out local pols Rep. Bob Brady and state treasurer Robin Weissman when McCain campaigned in Pennsylvania on Wednesday to hit him on the proposal.
VIDEO: With financial concerns a top priority for many voters, presumptive presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama spar on their economic plans. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. Rothman argued, as have others, McCain’s proposal would not provide real relief to Americans while Obama’s gas plan would provide “meaningful relief.”
Under McCain’s plan, the oil companies are not obligated to pass on the savings to the consumers, and these companies have a history of not passing these savings along, Rothman asserted.
He called this plan a “Washington gimmick” that demonstrates McCain is “wrong headed” and “out of touch” with Americans' needs.
Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan also noted that Obama’s proposal offers Americans short-term relief as well as long-term solutions to the problem of the U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Bethany Thomas, Domenico Montanaro and NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann The McCain campaign announced that it has accepted invitations from the Reagan and LBJ libraries to hold town halls there in July, set a date for its next town hall (June 19 in Minnesota) and challenged the Obama campaign anew to joint them.
McCain also spoke of the invitations at his town hall in Southern New Jersey.
VIDEO: Sen. John McCain tells a New Jersey audience that he has accepted invitations from the Ronald Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson presidential libraries to hold joint town hall meetings, and that he hopes his opponent will do the same. “As Luci Baines Johnson said in her invitation, these meetings offer an opportunity to 'deliberate the great issues of our time,'” A McCain release stated, in part. “The American people deserve a great debate about the future of our country, and we hope that Barack Obama will join us for these important events at these historic venues."
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis wrote a letter to Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, thanking him for “responding to our proposal,” but adds, “…We have proposed at least ten joint town hall meetings once a week until the week before the Democratic Convention begins. As we understand your counter-proposal, you have proposed only one town hall meeting before the Democratic Convention. …
“We will hold time on our schedule for joint town halls every Thursday night until the Democratic convention. I hope Senator Obama would reconsider his position and agree to join Senator McCain as early as next week.”
And perhaps in response to how yesterday’s town hall was received (or just a revelation into the Obama-McCain negotiations on these town halls): “However, at this moment, we fear that our negotiations over joint town hall meetings are turning into a debate about process. That is exactly what we have always hoped to avoid, and why we proposed a town hall format that would render many of these process issues moot. As Senator Obama has said, he is prepared to meet "anywhere, anytime" for a town hall.
Wonder if McCain camp or the RNC will start another Obama Watch Countdown -- with the number of days, hours, minutes since McCain proposed town halls and Obama has yet to agree...
Full letter to Obama campaign:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Jodie Evans, the Code Pink founder, is listed on
Obama’s Web site as a “bundler” who is “raising from $50,000 to $100,000.”
But she’s not exactly completely in line with Obama. On why she supports Obama, Evans writes the following on her Obama
blog profile : “I want to stop Hillary, I am impressed with his ideas and ideals and that he has an amazing wife and listens to her. He plays it a bit too safe for me and I hate his lack of leadership on the war. But no one is perfect. I trust him more than anyone else in the race.”
Martin writes that the GOP is shopping research on Evans, quoting her as “saying that women were better off in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, ‘Men are dying in their Hummers in Iraq so you can drive around in yours’ and, my favorite, that the invasion of Iraq amounted to ‘global testosterone poisoning.’” (A few examples of what the right wing blogs are saying here and here and here .)
Martin continues, “Evans, though, is not just a single-issue crusader. She's worked in politics and liberal causes for decades, including stints working for Jerry Brown during his years as governor and in his 1992 White House run. That an activist liberal is raising money for Obama isn't all that surprising. But in a campaign that has been dominated as much by the associates of candidates as the candidates themselves (Jeremiah Wright, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush), Evans is a reminder that what may not have mattered much in a primary has the potential to be resonant in the general.”
From Evans’ Code Pink bio : “In 1991, she came back together with her friend Jerry Brown to run his campaign for President which was based on political reform and a $100. contribution limit. The innovations she began in his campaign have become the standard in all campaigns.” In Brown’s administration, she “held a cabinet post as Governor Brown's Director of Administration,” according to one Web site .
From NBC’s Abby Livingston McCain and New Hampshire have shared a love affair.
New Hampshire picked up McCain in the 2000 Republican primary and stayed true to him in 2008. It was fitting, then, that McCain concluded a Nashua event yesterday with the 1976 Orleans' hit celebration of monogamy, "Still the One."
Well, almost fitting.
Proving that campaign vetting should extend beyond vice presidential contenders (or those vetting the potential veeps), McCain sparked the ire of the song's co-writer, the founding member of Orleans and current New York congressman, John Hall .
VIDEO: In the Hardball Big Number, Chris Matthews talks about the eight percent of donors who gave to President Bush and now John McCain. "This is yet another example of John McCain not learning anything from George Bush's mistakes,” Hall wrote First Read in an interview over e-mail. “First, McCain adopted Bush's failed policy of an open-ended war in Iraq, then he wrapped his arms around the failed Bush economic policies that have put the squeeze on middle class families. Now, he's making the same mistake George Bush made illegally using a copyrighted song without asking either the writers or the performers for permission."
This sort of story has a history of springing up in presidential politics, most notably when, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan misinterpreted Bruce Springsteen's critical "Born in the USA" lyrics for jingoism.
Hall, in fact, who was elected to Congress in 2006, demanded Bush to stop using his song in 2004, issuing cease-and-desist letters to the sitting president’s presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee.
"What is at issue here is Senator McCain's use of the song to try and advance an agenda that I do not support without respecting copyright law and intellectual property," Hall continued.
This isn’t McCain’s first run-in this cycle with a liberal rocker. An irked John Mellencamp asked the Arizona senator to delete his music from the campaign event shuffle.
In the waning days of the 2004 presidential campaign, Hall was watching television when he heard his song used at a Bush-Cheney rally.
"George Bush was busy campaigning on an 'ownership society,' yet never asked me, the band, or the publishers for permission," Hall said. "The next day attorneys for the band, the writers and the publishers all sent cease-and-desist letters to the Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney ’04 Campaign. By 2 p.m. that day the campaign sent out a spokesperson who said, 'In deference to Mr. Hall, we will stop using his song.'
"I hope we don't have to resort to the same actions to get Sen. McCain to stop using the song."
*** UPDATE ***
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro The week that was: Phew, so the first week of the Obama-McCain general election is now over. What did we learn? So far, neither campaign is good at driving their own message of the day (did you know that this was economy week for Obama?), but both campaigns are proving pretty good at putting the other on the defensive. The polls indicate Obama's gotten a good, but not great, bounce; of course, it may take another week or two to truly measure the size of Obama's post-primary bounce. Meanwhile, Obama has given his critics more fuel on the, "is he ready" charge since he couldn't vet his vetter nor could he stand by him out of loyalty. So he can get hit for either being unprepared or lacking a spine, neither are good. Meanwhile, McCain's campaign also is struggling to drive a daily message, having the most success yesterday by being able to get on the offense a bit on the gas tax issue. The problem McCain's going to struggle with is that even friendly members of the media (see Peggy Noonan today) are framing the basic narrative of this campaign as "old" vs. "new." But if this week is a sign of things to come, expect to have a campaign that's dominated by the success of the two campaigns to point out mistakes rather than drive the agenda.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd talks about John McCain and Barack Obama's reactive campaigns, discussing how neither is controlling policy agendas. ***
Ham-handed...: So did McCain get what he wanted out of last night's Fox town hall? On the one hand, it appears the campaign was trying to send the message to Republican activists and insiders that he can put together a compelling visual campaign; everything looked great and McCain was clearly in his comfort zone. But because Fox News ended up criticizing the makeup of the audience by the campaign, have the McCain's folks lost their opportunity to produce future town halls in conjunction with networks on exclusive basis in the future? Most news organizations like to have editorial control, and judging by last night, more will demand it if choosing to air these solo-candidate town halls on an exclusive basis. Frankly, we're surprised the campaign didn't include more opponents in their cherry-picked audience last night, because McCain handles that stuff about as well as any pol; doing what they did came across as a bit ham-handed for a candidate who boasts of straight talk. McCain's core strength with voters is his authenticity; getting criticized by Fox News on the authenticity front is not good day for the campaign. By the way, is this another example of those thought to be friendly to McCain having no qualms about challenging him publicly, while Obama continues to enjoy a relatively amiable relationship with his base.
***
Just asking: How would the liberal blogosphere be responding if the Clinton campaign had essentially descimated the DNC and moved it part and parcel to its Arlington HQs? No one should be surprised that Obama as nominee wants to have complete control over the DNC; McCain, for instance, has completely taken over the RNC; it's what nominees do. But the Obama takeover is striking in that he's physically moving most of the staff to Chicago. Frankly, it's not clear to a lot of folks what the role of the DNC will be, particularly since it appears the Obama campaign doesn't want the DNC to operate an independent expenditure operation. As one Dem operative told "First Read" yesterday, this is either a brilliant move by the Obama or one of the dumbest things any nominee's ever done.
***
Ensign of the times: Speaking of straight talk, reporters got a lot of it from NRSC Chair John Ensign at a Christian Science Monitor lunch yesterday. Ensign was very direct about the party's chances in Senate contests this year. Perhaps the headline for some was the acknowledgement by Ensign that he's now pitching the idea to donors that the last best hope of the Republicans to stop a President Obama and Speaker Pelosi agenda is to make sure the Republicans can filibuster in the Senate. Ensign said his goal is to have at least 45 GOP senators in '09 (that would mean a net loss of four), so that the Senate GOP leadership could always count on at least 41 votes to stop Obama-Pelosi legislation. According to Ensign, the stop Obama-Pelosi pitch is starting to work with donors as the pace of their fundraising as picked up this year. Will the McCain campaign be happy that the Senate GOP is presuming a McCain defeat? As for a bellwether race about whether the Republicans had a survivable night or a bad night on Election Day: look no further than Al Franken. In Ensign's opinion, if Franken beats Norm Coleman in Minnesota, then the GOP has probably had a horrendous night around the country. There's just one Dem seat Ensign is targeting, the one currently held by Mary Landrieu in Louisiana. As for Obama coattails: He believes Obama helps in a place like Oregon, but hurts Dems in Southern races; While not talking about where McCain hurts, he believes McCain could be a big help in rescuing John Sununu in New Hampshire. Though, as NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann reported yesterday, Sununu, who sang the praises of the presumptive GOP nominee yesterday, "at no point shared the stage -- or the space of a camera frame -- with McCain."
***
I’ll see your Johnson-Holder and raise you a Fiorina: Now that Jim Johnson is out (after a GOP firestorm), McCain is going after Eric Holder and his pushing Bill Clinton to pardon exiled financier Marc Rich. But the Democrats have found their own Johnson-Holder… former HP CEO Carly Fiorina and her ties to Iran. Just asking… when does all this tangential guilt-by-association end when there really ARE such major issue differences?
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel takes a look at Barack Obama's latest attempts to fight the smear campaign against him. ***
'Fight the smears': To fight the rampant e-mail and Internet rumors that have attempted to "Swift Boat" his campaign, Obama camp launched a "Fight the Smears" Web site to head these off. The CW is that attacking these issues head on is smart. Kerry and Dukakis admit they ignored rumors for too long before addressing them. In this minute-by-minute news cycle, attacking rumors head on is necessary. The only potential problem… rumors that normally wouldn’t be picked up by the mainstream media may now at least be referenced, perpetuating the rumors for the casual observer. The real challenge will be with the media and its decision about whether they need to pivot from reporting what's true to deciding whether it's necessary to report what's NOT true. It's a brave new world...
***
On the trail: McCain is in New Jersey, where he holds a town hall meeting in Pemberton. Obama -- along with Michelle -- takes his "Change That Works for You" economic tour to Columbus, OH and later heads to Philadelphia for a fundraiser there.
Countdown to Dem convention: 73 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 80 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 144 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 221 days
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The economy is the No. 1 issue and “a new CNN/Opinion Research poll found 50% of registered voters believe Obama would best guide the economy, compared with 44% for GOPer John McCain. But the Republican has the upper hand on foreign policy, with a 54%-to-43% edge.” Iraq is No. 2.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel heads deep inside the numbers of the latest NBC News/WSJ poll. Peggy Noonan gives her lay of the land after week one of the general election, and it's not the friendliest McCain narrative. "The lay of the land? Mr. Obama is ahead 47% to 41% in this week's Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, and no one is surprised. Everyone knows he's ahead. Everyone knows this is a Democratic year. But I think there are two particular subtexts this year, or perhaps I should say texts. One, obviously, is youth versus age. This theme is the clearest it's been since 1960, when the old general who'd planned the Normandy invasion found himself replaced by a young man who had commanded a rickety patrol torpedo boat in World War II. You know that on some level, at some moment, Dwight D. Eisenhower looked at John F. Kennedy and thought: Punk.
“But 2008 will also prove in part to be a decisive political contest between the Old America and the New America. Between the thing we were, and the thing we have been becoming for 40 years or so. (I'm not referring here to age. Some young Americans have Old America heads and souls; some old people are all for the New.) Mr. McCain is the Old America, of course; Mr. Obama the New."
CALIFORNIA: Ok, CA, is not a battleground, but you want to know why Arnold Schwarzenegger would be seen as a favorite for any office he ran for in 2010 (watch out Sen Boxer), because his marriage is
so publicly bipartisan with Maria Shriver on the Obama bandwagon and Arnold with McCain.
On McCain criticizing now the choice of Eric Holder on his veep search committee, the Boston Globe writes, “At this rate, only Caroline Kennedy will be safe.” McCain on Holder: "Mr. Holder recommended a pardon for Mr. Rich, and all of those things should be taken into consideration by the media and the American people. Especially when you are entrusting these individuals with one of the most important decisions that a presidential candidate can make before he’s elected, and that is who his running mate is." AP profiles the third member of Obama’s veep team. “As part of Barack Obama's vice presidential search team, Kennedy must function with the utmost secrecy in what is sure to be one of the most closely watched endeavors of this year's presidential campaign. The daughter of President Kennedy has sought and treasured privacy since her father's assassination in 1963.”
VIDEO: Radio talk show host Rachel Maddow talks about how lobbyist connections forced the resignation of Jim Johnson from Barack Obama's V.P. search committee and Arthur Culvahouse, the head of John McCain's V.P. search committee whi actually is a lobbyist. “…Republican activists scored the bigger win this week when they forced a top Obama adviser to step down,” AP writes. “They are vowing to use it as a blueprint to hammer Obama on other issues.... Their carpet bombing cleared the way for McCain to jump in Thursday, when reporters in Boston asked him about Johnson and Holder. …McCain's surrogates may have had the better week because of Johnson's resignation. But Obama's friends are bringing new firepower to his hometown of Chicago, where his campaign is headquartered. The Democratic National Committee said Thursday its political and field operations are relocating there, making it easier to coordinate the effort against McCain.” helps the middle class ? “The presumptive Democratic nominee will go in armed with a study that suggests that his proposals would give families making between about $38,000 and $66,000 a year an average tax cut of $1,042 -- three times more than the $319 in savings they would get from the tax cut plans of Republican John McCain.study , Obama’s tax proposal -- with all things considered -- would increase taxes on seniors on average by about 2%, even those “with incomes less than $50,000, his plan would raise taxes for almost 10 million senior households. …seniors in the bottom two quintiles of the income distribution would see an average tax cut of almost 1.0 percent of income, while those in the top quintile would experience an average tax increase equal to 3.8 percent of income. Taxes would increase by an average 9.3 percent of income for the 390,000 seniors in the top 1 percent.
CONTINUED >>
The New York Times pens the big talker of the day: did sexism play a role in Clinton's campaign demise? CNN's Candy Crowley set the terms of the debate as well as anyone in the piece: "Candy Crowley, covering the campaign for CNN, said that for the most part, she did not see a drumbeat of sexism in the daily reporting, “but I certainly did see it in the commentary.” Still, Ms. Crowley said, “it was hard to know if these attacks were being made because she was a woman or because she was this woman or because, for a long time, she was the front-runner.”
VIDEO: Gail Collins of The New York Times sits down with the "Morning Joe" team to discuss Hillary Clinton's failed presidential bid. Another important quote: “Jeff Greenfield, a political correspondent for CBS News, said that charges of sexism often came through a political prism. ‘Throughout this campaign, people’s perception of the press has been in line with what they wanted to happen politically,’ Mr. Greenfield said. ‘If my person lost, the press did a bad job.’”
Never say never : “Though Clinton folded her campaign last Saturday and endorsed Obama, a few Hillary activists still hope to somehow convince superdelegates to award her the nomination at the Aug. 25-28 convention in Denver. Others want a Clinton write-in campaign for the November ballot. Some plan to sit the election out. And then there are those now behind Republican John McCain. …
“Will Bower, an ardent Clinton supporter and co-founder of PUMA, which stands for "Party Unity My A--," recently helped launch Just Say No Deal, a coalition of 80 groups nationwide dedicated to defeating Obama. Bower, 36, of Washington, said he still harbors some hope Obama won't officially be crowned the nominee in Denver, but, meanwhile, he's urging voters to back McCain.”
McCain foes are, unsurprisingly, jumping on the fact that the senator's town hall tonight wasn't exactly the gritty, contentious, free-wheeling style that John McCain claims to love, NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann reports. An average town hall meeting, as evidenced by today's earlier event in Nashua, N.H., is peppered with colorful back-and-forths, rambling questioners, and frequent interruptions. Last night’s event at Freedom Hall in New York City, however, was populated mainly with McCain fans; aides to the campaign said that tickets were distributed to McCain supporters, the office of Mayor Bloomberg and "independent groups."
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: What will we learn from John McCain and Barack Obama's joint town halls? The warmth of the audience was evident in the reaction and some of the comments from attendees. McCain won big applause for slams on Obama like this one: "He wants to raise your taxes in very difficult times. I don't think you should raise people's taxes in any time."
And then there was lavish praise from some questioners. "When I looked at your record in particular, Senator, that energized me. I was a McCain guy well before this campaign."
And, after McCain had responded to an earlier compliment about his military service by saying that he does not see himself as a hero: "The only thing that I disagreed with you on tonight is that I think that many people in the room -- including myself -- do believe that you ARE a hero."
The DNC jumped all over it (and attached a clip of
FOX's "critique" ). "Once again John McCain's campaign is trying to mislead the American people," DNC chair Howard Dean said in a statement. "Senator McCain should understand that after seven years of a President who has divided Americans and pursued a scorched earth policy full of misleading propaganda campaigns, we need a leader who understands he is the President for all Americans not just his supporters. Copying the Bush campaign model of stacking events with his prescreened supporters is not the transparency Americans are looking for. If that is Senator McCain's idea of straight talk, the American people are in for a long and disappointing campaign season."
CONTINUED >>
“Obama, dogged throughout the presidential race by Internet-driven smears, launched an aggressive campaign yesterday to fight them head on, betting that the political benefit of debunking damaging rumors outweighs the risk of making them more visible,” the Boston Globe writes, adding, “Obama's decision to counterattack reflects a determination not to be defined by political opponents, as past Democratic nominees have -- most recently in 2004 when Senator John F. Kerry was ‘swift boated’ by critics who attacked his war record.
VIDEO: Countdown's Keith Olbermann talks about possible smears against Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, and the new Web site the campaign has set up to refute false attacks. More: “Launching the website breaks what has been a conventional mindset in American politics: that giving attention to rumors only dignifies and broadcasts them to more voters. But the rising influence of blogs -- and the attention more mainstream media outlets now pay to them -- makes it increasingly untenable for candidates to ignore swirling speculation, even if it's baseless.”
From inside an Obama fundraiser, NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones passes on the “print pool” report (a report from a rotating wire or newspaper reporter allowed in.) “At one point, Mr. Obama looked around the room for Rick Fizdale, a contributor who five minutes earlier had quietly slipped outside and left. Mr. Fizdale, a former Leo Burnett executive, had left wearing a homemade nametag bearing the words ‘Rick Hussein Fizdale.’ (Everyone else wore printed nametags.)
“They have these wonderful stickers that said, ‘Rick Hussein Fizdale,’” Mr. Obama said. “The theory was, we’re all Hussein.” He went on: “But that accurately captures, I think, the strategy. Come on. They’re going to try to make me into a scary guy. They’re even trying to make Michelle into a scary person. Right? And so that drumbeat -- we’re not sure if he’s patriotic or not, we’re not sure if he is too black. I don’t know, before I wasn’t black enough. Now he might be too black. We don’t know whether he’s going to socialize -- well, who knows what.”
The candidate is in Ohio today where he'll hit McCain on Social Security. Some excerpts per the campaign: "A secure retirement is no longer a guarantee for the middle class. It’s harder to save and harder to retire. People are losing their pensions. If we do not act, the promise of Social Security will grow harder to keep. That’s why I will fight every day to extend the promise of a retirement that is dignified and secure when I am President of the United States. It starts with protecting Social Security today, tomorrow, and forever. For millions of Americans, Social Security is the difference between a comfortable retirement and the risk of poverty. We have an obligation to secure the future of one of the most successful programs in our history. And that starts with talking straight to the American people about the challenges that lie ahead."
On McCain: "Now, John McCain’s ideas on Social Security amount to four more years of what was attempted and failed under George Bush. He said he supports private accounts for Social Security -- in his words, “along the lines that President Bush proposed.” Yesterday he tried to deny that he ever took that position, leaving us wondering if he had a change of heart or a change of politics. Well let me be clear: privatizing Social Security was a bad idea when George W. Bush proposed it. It's a bad idea today. It would eventually cut guaranteed benefits by up to 50%. It would cost a trillion dollars that we don’t have to implement on the front end, permanently elevating our debt. And most of all, it would gamble the retirement plans of millions of Americans on the stock market. That’s why I stood up against this plan in the Senate, and that’s why I won’t stand for it as President."
CONTINUED >>
VEEPSTAKES: Dodd off the list?DODD: Rut-ro: If Countrywide loans were enough to get Jim Johnson kicked out of the vetting process, doesn't this mean Chris Dodd is now a total non-starter as a potential running mate?
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel debates: What does Sen. Barack Obama need most in a vice presidential candidate? “Two influential US senators got ‘
VIP’ loans from a leading subprime mortgage lender that saved them tens of thousands of dollars, it was reported last night. The Democratic pols, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Kent Conrad of North Dakota, both received the highly favorable loans under the designation ‘Friend of Angelo,’ a reference to embattled Countrywide head Angelo Mozilo, Condé Nast Portfolio reported.” Dodd chairs the Senate Banking Committee.
MILITARY LEADERS: Time profiles some of Obama's military leader VP options, including Jim Jones, Wes Clark, Hugh Shelton, Tony McPeak and Jim Webb.
CRIST: So is FL Gov. Charlie Crist
talking up McCain's need to carry Florida because he believes or because he wants to be on the ticket?
CANTOR: The
NY Post’s Hurt makes the case for Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) as McCain’s veep. “The perfect fit is a congressman little known outside political circles but highly admired by political heavyweights and bankrollers in key states. Eric Cantor, 45, is from Virginia, which is one of the top red states on Obama's list to pick off. The fourth-highest-ranking Republican in the House, Cantor is credited with some of the Republicans' more sensible legislative efforts, such as applying market-based reforms to government programs and clamping down on the willy-nilly issuing of driver's licenses that gave cover to the 9/11 terrorists for so long.
“He is well liked by GOP colleagues, many of whom are far from eager to support McCain because of his bombastic nature and past dalliances with Democrats. The only Jewish Republican in the House, Cantor has developed powerful connections in key states such as Florida.”
MORE OH EIGHT: Please, don’t go
The Boston Globe bills Ron Paul’s statement last night as him dropping out of the race to be the GOP nominee. "With the primary season now over, the presidential campaign is at an end. But the larger campaign for freedom is just getting started," Paul told supporters in a letter posted on the website of the new group, Campaign for Liberty. "We will be a permanent presence on the American political landscape," added Paul, who announced his move during a rally coinciding with the Texas GOP State Convention in Houston. "That I promise you. We're not about to let all this good work die. To the contrary, with your help we're going to make it grow -- by leaps and bounds."
“The 72-year-old Texas congressman won 24 delegates during the Republican primaries, but was the last remaining challenger to John McCain, the party's presumptive nominee. Paul raised more than $34 million, much of it online, and had more than $4.7 million in hand at the end of April that he could use to fund Campaign for Liberty.” Paul also won more than a million votes, “and in the final three contests on June 3 he finished second to McCain, with 22 percent of the vote in Montana, 17 percent in South Dakota, and 14 percent in New Mexico. His new book, ‘The Revolution: A Manifesto,’ was a best-seller.”
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann McCain is not worried about losing the occasionally inaccurate-economist vote.
At a town hall here today, McCain sought to steer his message toward high gas prices, the issue-du-jour being debated by both campaigns today.
VIDEO: Brian Williams interviews Sen. John McCain about the state of the U.S. economy, courting Sen. Hillary Clinton's supporters and his position on the war in Iraq. Noting that economists almost universally panned his support for a summer gas-tax holiday -- one that was shared by but ultimately unfruitful for Hillary
Clinton -- McCain had some uncomplimentary words for the egghead-y money maestros.
"You know the economists?" he said. "They're the same ones that didn't predict this housing crisis we're in. They're the same ones that didn't predict the dot-com meltdown. They're the same ones that didn't predict the inflation that's staring us in the face today."
Cracking a joke, he added, "I'm reminded of the old line that if you took all of the economists in the world and put them end to end, you wouldn't reach a conclusion."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones and NBC's Mark Murray Obama used humor at a town hall on tax policy today to paint his Republican rival as out of touch with middle-class concerns and as a flip-flopper on the matter of tax cuts.
VIDEO: Republican presidential nominee John McCain talks exclusively to TODAY's Matt Lauer about his plans to shape up the economy, warning that gas prices are unlikely to come down. The presumptive Democratic nominee is hoping to push back early on against the "tax and spend liberal” tag Republicans have often used to define Democrats in the past. And he sought to show the audience of about 2,500 that was packed into a high school gymnasium here that both he and
McCain were in favor of tax cuts -- but the one he proposes are better.
“No matter what he says, both of us favor tax cuts. The difference is that Sen. McCain wants to continue a Bush tax code that rewards wealth, and I want to reform our tax code so that it rewards work,” he said to applause.
He went on to cite, as his campaign did in a conference call this morning, a study that showed a typical middle-class family would get three times more relief from his tax cut than the one McCain has proposed and that the Republican's plan would only help the very rich.
“I want everybody to listen to this carefully: The tax cut that John McCain has proposed, nearly a quarter, nearly one-fourth of his tax cuts go to households making more than $2.8 million every year,” he said as murmurs of “Ohhh” and “Whoa” rippled through the crowd.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum and Domenico Montanaro Obama refined his attack on McCain during a town hall in Kaukauna, Wis., in response to the Arizona senator's TODAY show comments.
VIDEO: After facing criticism for a remark he made on the TODAY show yesterday about troops staying in Iraq, John McCain says that his position on the war in Iraq "is very very clear." "First of all, that means he's not thinking about the extraordinary burden that families are under on two or three or four tours of duty. But he's also not thinking about taxpayers who are spending $10- to $12 billion a month in Iraq. And that's money that could go to rebuilding Wisconsin and putting people back to work right here in the United States of America."
Context: Obama was answering a question about transportation and said he would pay for more mass transit by ending the war in Iraq.
McCain’s campaign fired back.
“First of all, Barack Obama is entirely wrong about what was said in the interview,” writes McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. “Secondly, for Senator Obama to say that John McCain doesn’t understand the ‘extraordinary burden’ military families are under is so naïve and callous that it demonstrates the weakest type of leadership -- which is just what we’ve come to expect from Senator Obama. It proves Barack Obama just isn’t ready to be commander in chief.”
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro McCain campaign held a conference call to hit Obama on his stance on gas prices, accusing him of having said in an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood that Americans should “somehow get used to higher gas prices.”
VIDEO: The presumptive Democratic nominee discusses gas prices, taxes, the housing crisis and other matters with CNBC's John Harwood. “Clearly the country is in shock when they see escalating gas prices,” Republican Virginia congressman Eric
Cantor said. “It’s time for us to act. What we heard yesterday was Barack Obama indicate he is out of touch.” He added that “Somehow the American people should sort of somehow get used to higher gas prices … reflects that he just doesn’t get it.
That people would “just have to get used to them is just out of touch,” Cantor said.
But is the assertion taken out of context, and in fact, a mischaracterization?
When asked by Harwood if higher gas prices were an incentive to shift to alternative means of energy, Obama said the U.S. has "been slow to move in a better direction when it comes to energy usage." When Harwood followed up and asked if the higher prices then could actually help, Obama responded this way:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann McCain said he hasn’t read the opinion yet, but said the ruling “obviously concerns me."
“We should pay attention to Justice Roberts,” McCain said, adding, "It is a decision the Supreme Court has made and now we need to move forward.”
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell talks with Sam Brownback about the Supreme Court's ruling on Guantanamo Bay and whether he is interested being vice president. He reiterated his support for closing Guantanamo Bay.
On Jim Johnson/Eric Holder, McCain says the media and political observers will make the decision, but says “it is a matter of record” that Holder recommended the pardoning of Mark Rich.
“All of those things will be taken into consideration," McCain said, "especially when you’re entrusting individuals with one of the most important decisions” --selecting a vice president.
*** UPDATE *** The Obama campaign also released a statement from the senator on the ruling.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Pete Williams , at the U.S. Supreme Court
VIDEO: Enemy or not, the Supreme Court has ruled that foreign terror suspects have the constitutional right to challenge their detentions. NBC's Pete Williams reports. The court's five-member majority also says that for now, things at Guantanamo will go on as they are, that the current military commission systems there "remain intact."
But what this does mean is that all the detainees there have the right to get lawyers who can go into the federal courthouse here in Washington and argue that each of them is wrongly held.
So today's ruling is not a get out of jail free card, nor does it change the situation on the ground in Guantanamo. But for the first time since these detainees were captured and transferred to Guantanamo, they will now have the legal -- constitutional -- right to get federal judges in the U.S. to review their cases. For that reason, today's ruling is a game-changer.Pentagon to respond; has said ruling would be a setback From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski , at The Pentagon The Pentagon plans to issue a response later to today's Supreme Court decisions which say detainees held at Guantanamo Bay have the right to challenge their detentions in U.S. courts.
Pentagon officials had said such a ruling would be a serious setback to the military commission hearings, and would essentially freeze the trial process for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and 4 other 9/11 defendents arraigned only last week in a mlitary commission hearing at GTMO.
Perspective from the Senate , on Capitol Hill In September of last year, a majority of senators voted to allow Guantanamo detainees to challenge their detention in court, similar to today's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. But because Senate rules required 60 votes for the measure to proceed -- proponents had 54 votes -- the amendment died.
Leading the charge to grant the detainees habeas corpus rights were Sens. Pat Leahy (D-VT) and and Arlen Specter (R-PA), the bipartisan leaders of the Judiciary Committee. Other republicans who joined the Democrats were Dick Lugar (R-IN), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-MA) and John Sununu (R-NH).
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
VIDEO: As the unemployment rate experiences its biggest monthly increase since 1986, NBC's Brian Williams talks with CNBC's Jim Cramer for some insight. Yesterday the House rejected a similar measure. But it was considered under special rules that require a two-thirds majority for passage. It fell three votes short.
Today, it is being considered under normal rules that require a simple majority of the House to pass. No problems are expected.
Many Republicans have opposed the extension. They object to the idea that even states with relatively low rates of unemployment are included, and say that the work requirements are too lax.
From NBC's Scott Foster Mullen today defended Tuesday night's U.S. attacks on the Afghan-Pakistan border, saying the operation went "by the book," but adding details are "still not clear."
"Every indication I have is that this operation was executed in accordance with procedures -- by the book -- that's what I know now," Mullen said.
VIDEO: Outraged Pakistan officials say that a U.S. airstrike aimed at a Taliban outpost near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border killed at least 11 soldiers and wounded dozens more. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports. While Mullen couldn't say definitively who was killed in the strike, he called the potential deaths of Pakistani military forces "regrettable."
A US military official conceded those killed could have been Pakistani troops "caught in the cross-fire" or Pakistani forces "gone bad," fighting with the Taliban.
Speaking at a National Press Club breakfast hosted by Government Executive Magazine, Mullen said the US needs to improve security on what he called a "porous" border.
NBC's John Yang adds, White House National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan has met with the Pakistani foreign minister about yesterday's incident.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray latest NBC/WSJ poll , Obama leads McCain by six points (47%-41%) among registered voters. While polls can't accurately gauge an election five months out -- after all, so much can still happen -- it's worth putting Obama's lead into this perspective: Bush never trailed Kerry in the 2004 NBC/WSJ polls that measured registered voters' preference for Bush, Kerry, and Nader . And Bush's lead was never bigger than four points.
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell discusses the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, the first that matches up John McCain and Barack Obama since the primaries ended. Bush won that presidential election by three percentage points, 51%-48%.
Here were the NBC/WSJ trial heats from March 2004 (when Kerry pretty much locked up the nomination) to late October 2004:
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro Obama conference call hit on McCain : McCain would not help the middle class; Obama would.
Obama surrogates Sen. Claire McCaskill (MO) and New Hampshire congressman Paul Hodes said Obama’s middle-class tax cut would be three times larger than what McCain is proposing and that a quarter of the tax cuts McCain is proposing are for those making about $3 million a year.
VIDEO: New York Times columnist Bob Herbert discusses the lack of mobility, and the overall struggle of the average, middle-class American, in the current economy. He also offers suggestions for John McCain's campaign. McCain is “more of the same on steroids,” McCaskill said, adding, “The sooner the American public gets to the facts; they’ll realize finally they’ll have a champion” in Sen. Obama. She added that McCain's plan would help those at the very top of the economic ladder, the "thinnest sliver" of people.
McCaskill called Obama middle-class tax cut “massive” and stressed that those making “under $150,000 a year would see no tax increase of any kind” -- not payroll tax, not capital gains, “not a single tax,” Hodes said.
“I want to clear up any misconception that Sen. Obama is proposing an across-the-board capital gains tax,” Hodes said, adding that only those making $250,000 or more a year would see a capital gains tax increase. Hodes said for families making up to $100,000, they could expect to see a $1,300 decrease in their taxes.
Read more from NBC/NJ's Athena Jones.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama camp is going to try to make sure the Internet is on balance a help to the campaign rather than a source of harm: a "fight the smears" Web site .
VIDEO: The Barack Obama campaign launches a Web site to fight smears. MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell talks with Time Magazine's Michael Duffy. Obama's campaign has mastered the use of the Internet for fundraising. His backers have used viral videos like the "Yes we can" mash-up and the 'Empire Strikes Barack'-style videos to rev up supporters. But there have also been instances where the Web has hurt Obama, like the Rev. Wright playing on a loop on YouTube. There have also been numerous emails about Obama being a Muslim and a man who refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance and most recently messages accusing his wife Michelle of uttering a racial epithet at Obama's former church. (The first two are demonstrably untrue, and
Michelle has denied the latter and Obama himself has challenged anyone with video of his wife making the remarks to produce it.)
This Web site appears aimed at harnessing the Internet "for good" in the campaign's eyes to refute any rumor circulating on the Web.
Time magazine has more on the site.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Obama’s Bump: Days after becoming his party’s presumptive nominee and receiving Clinton’s endorsement, Obama has opened up a six-point advantage over McCain (47%-41%) in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, which is up three points from Obama’s lead in April. Perhaps the most fascinating numbers are in the crosstabs, and some of the numbers will surprise folks who memorized every exit poll from the Democratic primaries. Obama leads McCain among African Americans (83-7), Hispanics (62-28), women (52-33), Catholics (47-40), independents (41-36) and even blue-collar workers (47-42). Obama is also ahead among those who said they voted for Clinton in the Democratic primaries (61-19). Meanwhile, McCain is up among evangelicals (69-21), white men (55-35), men (49-41), whites (47-41), and white suburban women (44-38). However, Obama has a seven-point edge (46-39) among all white women. How important is that lead? NBC/WSJ co-pollster Neil Newhouse (R) explains that Republican candidates always expect to win white men by a substantial margin, but it’s white women that usually decide the race. “If a Republican wins among white women, we usually win that election,” he says, noting that George Bush carried that group in 2000 and 2004. The poll was conducted of 1,000 registered voters from June 6-9 (Clinton endorsed Obama on June 7), and it has a +/- 3.1% margin of error.
VIDEO: NBC's Deputy Political Director Mark Murray discusses the new NBC/WSJ poll and the battle for the suburban voters. ***
How a veep can help: So you are McCain or Obama, and you've decided our poll is the Rosetta Stone for figuring out what demographic groups you need to win the presidency. So what did you learn regarding your potential needs that could be filled by a potential veep? If you are Obama, there are two things that stand out: 1) a female running mate could certainly help turn around the narrow deficit you face among suburban white women; 2) a perceived old, competent hand on foreign affairs could go a long way to convincing white men that even if you aren't up for the job, you'll have someone on your team who is. If Obama goes the woman route, he may not have any chance of talking to these white men; if he goes the experienced white male VP route, he's hoping that women eventually come back to the Dems. If you’re McCain, meanwhile, there isn't much more you can do on the male front, but that potential swing voting bloc of suburban white women has to be tempting, meaning the idea of putting a woman on the ticket has to get more serious consideration on the GOP side, right?
*** The 200-pound ball and chain: We hate to sound like a broken record, but just how bad is the political environment for McCain and the Republican Party? Let’s start with Bush, whose job approval rating is just 28%, up one point from his all-time low. Then add this: 54% say that they’re looking for a new president who would bring greater changes to current policies, even if that person is less experienced and tested. By contrast, 42% say they’d rather have a more experienced and tested person become president, even if that means fewer changes to current policies. “The 200-pound ball and chain around McCain’s foot is George W. Bush,” says NBC/WSJ co-pollster Peter D. Hart (D). “Unless he figures out a way to cut it loose, he’s going to be dragging it throughout this election.” Newhouse adds: “Voters are not convinced that McCain represents the change they want and that he’ll be all that different from Bush.” Indeed, according to the poll, 48% say it’s likely that Obama will be real change to the country. Just 21% say that of McCain.
VIDEO: VoteVets.org's Brandon Friedman discusses the reactions of U.S. troops and veterans to John McCain's "not too important" remark. ***
If a tree falls in a forest...: But one of the other oddities of this survey is the improved outlook voters seem to have with Iraq, an issue over which the two campaigns engaged yesterday. By the narrowest majority yet, voters are basically evenly divided over the idea of troop withdrawal beginning in 2009 (49%) vs. waiting until there's stability (45%). That said, 54% still believe that victory in Iraq ISN’T possible, but the electorate appears to be a tad more patient on the issue. This should be good news for McCain who has been preaching patience. And it could be one piece of evidence why the Democrats -- who believe they got an opening yesterday with McCain's rather blunt assessment of the importance of withdrawing the troops -- could be overplaying their Iraq hand. But unlike 2005 and 2006, when Iraq was the driving issue dragging down the GOP and Bush, it now appears the economy has become the new anchor.
*** Three months wisely spent? One of the more talked-about debates in political circles is: Did McCain put his three-month head start to good use? Naysayers might find some fodder in the NBC/WSJ poll. In March, after McCain wrapped up the GOP nomination, his fav/unfav stood at 49%-27%. Later that month, it was 45%-25%. In April, it was 40%-30%. And now in our latest NBC/WSJ poll, it’s 39%-34% -- that’s a drop of 10 points in his fav rating. How did McCain, who had no one running a campaign against him during this time, somehow lose ground with the public? A one-word answer may suffice, as we mentioned above: Bush. But still, he should have been able to improve his standing some in this down period. Four months from now, he may view the period between April and June as a missed opportunity.
*** Congress' new low: The most underreported number out of the new NBC/WSJ poll is going to be Congress' job rating. A miniscule 13% of those surveyed approve of the job Congress is doing, compared with 79% who disapprove. Both are all-time records in this poll. But despite the relatively low standing in which Congress is held, the majority party is not being punished. Consider that in the generic congressional ballot: Democrats lead by a whopping 19 points, 52%-33%. Also, the Democratic Party has a fav/unfav of 43%-32%; the GOP’s is 28%-47%. So what gives? Our pollsters believe Congress is suffering from the overall negative view the country has from the country in general. How can you approve of Congress' job when you believe the country is headed in the wrong direction? More importantly for this exercise, why can't Republicans benefit? The other answer is Bush. Clearly, the country isn't happy with the president, but now they are angry that there is a branch of government that appears to be doing nothing about it either.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses the resignation of Jim Johnson from the Barack Obama vice presidential search team. ***
That didn't take long: One thing Obama is getting a reputation for is that when the going gets tough, throw that person under the bus. OK, so we just mangled two different metaphors, but it's amazing how unshocked politicos are by the news that Obama dumped Jim Johnson from the VP vetting process. It was a matter of when -- not if -- for those who have grown accustomed to watching Obama deal with drip, drip issues. Then again, in this hyper-charged, guilt-by-association political environment, this is something all candidates have done this cycle. Obviously, someone didn't serve Obama well on this front since apparently no one bothered to do even the quickest Google search on Johnson and his relationships with various corporate boards. So now what of the veep process? Johnson will likely turn over all of his work to Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy but neither have done this before. Holder, meanwhile, should expect a mini-frenzy on the Marc Rich pardon now that vetting the vetter is going to be an "in" thing to do for a few days. No word yet on if the Obama campaign will add a third member to the vetting team.
*** On the trail: McCain holds a media avail in Boston before heading to town halls in New Hampshire and then New York City. Obama continues his “Change that Works for You” economic tour in Kaukauna, WI before going back to Chicago for a pair of fundraisers.
Countdown to Dem convention: 74 days
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The Wall Street Journal on the latest NBC/WSJ poll: “Sen. Obama leads Sen. McCain by 47% to 41%, a spread that is twice the edge he had in the previous poll… Still, that lead is significantly smaller than the Democratic Party's 16-point advantage, 51% to 35%, when voters are asked, without candidates' names, which party they want to win the White House. The record unpopularity of President Bush and the Republican Party, combined with economic worries among voters and a broad desire for change, would normally make this ‘the single best year for an Obama-type candidacy, and the single worst year for a McCain-type candidacy,’ says Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducts the Journal/NBC poll with Republican Neil Newhouse.”
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel takes a look at the results of the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll regarding the 2008 general election. “But Sen. Obama continues to do poorly among white male voters, according to the poll. More ominous is his weakness among white suburban women, who generally are open to Democratic candidates and whose votes could be decisive. While Sen. Obama has a slight lead among white women generally, a plurality of suburbanites prefer Sen. McCain. Some good news for the likely Democratic nominee: Despite suggestions during the nomination contest that many Hispanics and Hillary Clinton supporters wouldn't support him, the poll shows both groups overwhelmingly do.”
Here’s our write-up of the poll on MSNBC.com .
Obama also has a six-point lead (48%-42%) in Gallup’s survey.
The Washington Post takes a look at how Obama and McCain are reaching out to women voters. "Polling data suggest that women are more likely than men to hold unfavorable views of McCain and to say they support Obama over McCain. But a Pew Research Center survey in late May suggested that the Democratic nomination battle may have had consequences for Obama. That poll found Obama just slightly ahead of McCain among women, 47 to 42 percent, while the two were nearly even among men, 47 percent for Obama to 46 percent for McCain."
CONTINUED >>
“The presidential campaigns clashed Wednesday over strategy in Iraq as advisers to Senator Barack Obama seized on remarks by Senator John McCain to accuse him of being insensitive to the sacrifices being made by American soldiers,” the New York Times writes. “In an interview on the NBC ‘Today’ show, Mr. McCain was asked whether, if the troop escalation he had long advocated in Iraq was working, he had ‘a better estimate of when American forces can come home.’”
VIDEO: NBC's Richard Engel discusses Sen. John McCain's controversial comments regarding the surge and bringing American troops home. “‘No, but that’s not too important,’ Mr. McCain replied. He then went on to say, as he has many times, that the most important goal is reducing casualties in Iraq, and that American troops were still in South Korea, Japan and Germany without any fear of harm… The Obama campaign jumped in with a conference call for reporters, with Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2004, and two Obama foreign policy advisers. ‘It is unbelievably out of touch with the needs and concerns of Americans, particularly of the families of the troops that are over there,’ Mr. Kerry said. “To them it is the most important thing in the world.”
USA Today : “Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama heaped criticism on Republican opponent John McCain for saying it was ‘not too important’ when American troops are withdrawn from Iraq, as Democrats leapt at the chance to attack the Arizona senator's position on the unpopular war. But Obama also took a public relations hit Wednesday when Jim Johnson, a manager of the Illinois senator's vice presidential search team, resigned under criticism over his personal loan deals.
“They may not be falling in love, but they're falling in line,” the AP writes. “Prominent supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton are embracing Barack Obama, literally and figuratively, even though some remain bitter about her loss in a presidential primary process that they feel treated her unfairly. In several key states this week, Obama is being joined on stages by top Democrats who, a few weeks ago, were working to deny him the nomination.”
VIDEO: Barack Obama lost the women vote to Hillary Clinton and polls show he has a lot of work to do against John McCain with a key group: suburban women. A Hardball panel discusses. But with Obama campaign manager scheduled to meet with some of Clinton’s top fundraisers today, not all Clinton supporters are falling in line, the
New York Times says. “While it appears that many Clinton backers are poised to begin immediately raising money for Mr. Obama … several categorically ruled that out in interviews. Others said they drew the line at collecting cash for the Democratic National Committee, whose chairman, Howard Dean, angered many Clinton donors over how he handled the dispute over whether to seat convention delegates from Florida and Michigan.”
And don’t miss this from Lanny Davis: “Lanny Davis, a former special counsel to President Bill Clinton and a Hillraiser, made clear that he was willing to do whatever he could to raise money for Mr. Obama, but he said he wanted the opportunity to ask Mr. Obama about what Mr. Davis described as ‘personal characterizations he made about Senator Clinton.’”
“‘It’s something called closure,’ Mr. Davis said.”
Much was made yesterday -- including by us -- over Oklahoma Rep. Dan Boren (D) not endorsing Obama. Well, according to The Hill , at least 14 GOP senators and members of Congress haven’t yet backed McCain. “Many of the recalcitrant GOP members declined to detail their reasons for withholding support, but Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) expressed major concerns about McCain’s energy policies and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) cited the Iraq war… Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.).”
It's clear Joe Lieberman is no Zell Miller, particularly on the issues. His loyalty to McCain is deep, but just how will Democrats handle watching their 2000 veep nominee, say, giving the keynote at the GOP convention? Or speaking at the GOP convention? What keeps the Senate Dems from booting Lieberman from the caucus is this fact in the Los Angeles Times : "Lieberman said that on most issues, he's been a good ally of Senate Democrats. Democratic leaders tend to agree."
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses the tactics being used by the presidential candidates now that the general election has kicked off. McCain
reeled in $2 million at a Boston fundraiser. "I know this is a tough state for us to win in. I'll give you some straight talk; it's a tough state for us to win in,” McCain said of Massachusetts. “But I want to go everywhere.” McCain added: "I want to be president of everybody. There is nothing we need more now than a little bipartisanship and a little working across the aisle."
The
AP looks at the advantages and disadvantages for each candidate in a side-by-side town hall setting. “Look for an empty chair Thursday to symbolize Obama's absence from a McCain town hall in New York's Federal Hall.”
CONTINUED >>
Per Obama spokesman Bill Burton, Obama will stump today in Kaukauna, WI, where he will discuss his middle-class tax plan. “Obama,” Burton says in an email, “will also meet with the first in a series families who will help to demonstrate the relief American families will get from his plan as opposed to the policies of President Bush and John McCain. The event comes on the heels of a new Tax Policy Center report showing that one quarter of the tax benefits in John McCain’s plan benefit people making more than $2.8 million, and that Obama’s plan offers three times as much tax relief for the middle class.”
McCain’s campaign is pre-butting Obama’s stop today in Wisconsin. "Barack Obama's assertion that the only problem with higher gas prices is that they've gone up too fast -- saying he'd prefer a 'gradual' increase instead -- shows how clearly out of touch he is with Americans struggling with record gas prices,” McCain spokesman Tucker bounds said in a statement. “At a time when Americans need relief at the pump, Barack Obama's support for higher gas prices and higher energy taxes is just another example of his weak economic judgment."
VIDEO: Jim Johnson, a member of Barack Obama's vice presidential search team has resigned, after details of personal loans became public. NBC's Mike Viqueira reports. The
New York Times front-pages Jim Johnson stepping down from Obama’s veep selection committee: “Mr. Johnson’s departure deprives Mr. Obama of decades of experience and access to Washington’s power elite. Mr. Johnson has been a fixture in Washington political and legal circles for three decades, and he led the vice-presidential search team for Senator John Kerry, the Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2004.” More: “His resignation highlights the difficulties for Mr. Obama’s campaign in trying to live up to his promises to remain independent of the Washington establishment and the special interests that populate.”
As does the Washington Post : “[T]he Obama campaign found itself on the defensive after the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the former Fannie Mae chief had received millions of dollars in home loans -- some of which may have been below average market rates -- from Countrywide Financial, a partner of Fannie Mae and a leading purveyor of subprime mortgages. The Washington Post reported yesterday that alleged accounting manipulations for 1998 had resulted in maximum payouts to Fannie Mae's senior executives -- $1.9 million in Johnson's case -- when the company's performance that year would have yielded no bonuses. Even after he left Fannie Mae in 1999, Johnson received millions of dollars in guaranteed consulting fees and perks that included an office, two secretaries and a car and driver for himself and his wife.”
CONTINUED >>
In what appears to be the
Boston Globe’s ongoing series on vice presidential possibilities, today’s front page features Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D): “Governor Tim Kaine is probably the least well known of the trio of rising Democratic stars from Virginia. The others -- US Senator Jim Webb, the flame-throwing author and former Navy secretary, and former governor Mark Warner, the wealthy venture capitalist who briefly flirted with a presidential run -- are regularly listed as vice presidential possibilities. But Kaine's biography and political resume fill many of the perceived gaps in Obama's profile, making him for some analysts a dark horse in veepstakes 2008.”
“For the first time in 24 years, Senator John Kerry faces a Democratic primary challenge. For that, he blames Hillary Clinton,” the Boston Globe’s Vennochi writes. “Some of Clinton's Massachusetts supporters are still displeased about Kerry's decision to back Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign. To send him a message, some helped Gloucester lawyer Ed O'Reilly get 22.5 percent of the delegate vote at last Saturday's Democratic Party convention, either by voting present or voting outright for Kerry's opponent. …
“A Kerry campaign official said that ‘definitely the Hillary Clinton factor’ accounts for some of O'Reilly's showing. But, the official, who did not want to be named, acknowledged that ‘some people, frankly, are not happy with John Kerry.’”
From NBC's Mark Murray
The rest of the poll will come out at 6:30 pm on NBC Nightly News and MSNBC.com.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid delivered a blunt, broadside attack on McCain’s temper in an interview this afternoon with MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell.
McCain, he said, “doesn’t have the temperament to be the president of the United States. Everyone who’s ever worked with John McCain knows of his temper. It’s explosive to say the least.”
Reid went more macro and accused Republicans, in general, of using “Orwellian dialect.” “Whatever they say, believe the opposite,” he said.
*** UPDATE ***
From NBC's Lisa Myers Obama campaign announced that Jim Johnson was stepping down from the candidate's vice presidential selection committee.
In choosing Johnson, Obama ran squarely into his own rhetoric, given that the Illinois Democrat has criticized lavish pay packages given CEOs.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd discusses the resignation of Obama vice presidential vetter Jim Johnson. "When you've got CEOs making more in 10 minutes than ordinary people are making in an entire year, something is wrong, something has to change," Obama has said.
You see, Johnson -- once dubbed "Mr. Generosity" -- was a symbol of that culture because of the large pay packages he bestowed on CEOs as head of corporate compensation committees.
Examples: $1.4 billion in stock options for the CEO of United Health and $232 million in compensation over 3 years to the CEO of KB Homes. Both men later had to give some of the money back.
In 2006, a top labor official had called for Johnson's "resignation," charging that his record was "replete with compensation abuses."
Obama, in fact, had specifically criticized a bonus granted earlier this year -- and approved by Johnson. "The homebuilding company KB Homes, they lost nearly one billion dollars last year," Obama said in Indianapolis in April. "But their CEO walked away with 6 million dollars in cash bonuses on top of his $1 million base salary."
Johnson, who parlayed an impressive political pedigree into great wealth, also benefited from accounting manipulations while CEO of Fannie Mae, though was never accused of wrongdoing. And the Wall Street Journal reports he may have received preferential rates on mortgages from Countrywide, though Johnson's lawyer disputes.
On Tuesday morning, Obama dismissed the criticism. "Everybody, you know, who is anybody who is tangentially related to our campaign, I think, is going to have a whole host of relationships. I would have to hire the vetter to vet the vetters."
Tuesday night, the campaign provided a statement to NBC News, saying: "Jim Johnson has volunteered his time to perform a specific task for the campaign, one he has performed many times for many candidates before, that has nothing to do with advising the campaign in the development of policy."
By Wednesday, Johnson was gone.
From NBC/NJ’s Carrie Dann and NBC's Lauren Appelbaum McCain defended the Arizona senator against a chorus of criticism from Democrats, who jumped on McCain's comment this morning that an estimate of when troops may be withdrawn from Iraq is "not too important."
Sens. Joe
Lieberman (I-CT) and John
Thune (R-SD) said that the Democrats' furious circulation of the comment lacked both context and attention to the more important issue of responsible strategies for ending the war.
Lieberman complained of "reflexive attacks," saying that opponents are engaged in "another partisan attempt to distort John McCain's words."
Lieberman said McCain emphasized what was important -- to get Americans out of harm's way and come home with honor and victory. He also accused the Obama campaign of trying "to distract the American people from the fact that John McCain has been courageous and right about the surge in Iraq, and Barack Obama has been wrong."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones Obama held a roundtable Wednesday to discuss credit card debt and predatory lending, an event he had planned to hold in neighboring Iowa but which he was forced to cancel due to flooding in the region.
Obama also hit
McCain for what he called a lack of proposals for helping people hit hard by the credit card debt.
“We were planning to do this in Iowa, and they have been devastated by flooding,” Obama told a small crowd gathered in a large room at the Illinois Institute of Technology. “There’s been flooding in Iowa and Wisconsin, Illinois and all across the Midwest, so we didn’t want to divert state resources from going to directly to flood relief.
“My heart goes out to the families that are struggling with having to flee their homes, leaving their businesses and communities behind. Many of them are wondering when they’re gonna be able to return, and whether they’re -- and what they’ll find when they get there.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama conference calls with reporters today attacking McCain hard with tough rhetoric from high-profile surrogates.
VIDEO: With financial concerns a top priority for many voters, presumptive presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama spar on their economic plans. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. In response to McCain’s speech in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign rolled out congressman Bob
Brady and state treasurer Robin Weissman to hit McCain on his gas tax holiday proposal. While they were at it, they gave a peek into the Democrats’ Pennsylvania strategy.
“It’s so bogus, it’s unbelievable,” Brady said of the gas tax holiday proposal. He called it nothing more than “a feel good.” “First of all, it can’t happen,” Brady continued. “What happens to our infrastructure … He’s right when he said he doesn’t understand the economy. … [it] Would cost Pennsylvania millions.”
Weissman, a Clinton supporter during the primary said, “I really do appreciate the need … that there are so many people who feel like they want something done [about gas prices]. But I think this short-term effort really does nothing to create a long-term solution. We have to develop a long-term energy policy.”
Clinton had proposed a gas tax holiday and said she would pay for it from a oil company windfall profits tax. McCain said money would come out of the general fund.
Hey Pennsylvania, ‘Status quo or do you want to move forward?’
In response to McCain’s speech in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign rolled out congressman Bob Brady and state treasurer Robin Weissman to hit McCain on his gas tax holiday proposal. While they were at it, they gave a peek into the Democrats’ Pennsylvania strategy.
“It’s so bogus, it’s unbelievable,” Brady said of the gas tax holiday proposal. He called it nothing more than “a feel good.” “First of all, it can’t happen,” Brady continued. “What happens to our infrastructure … He’s right when he said he doesn’t understand the economy. … [it] Would cost Pennsylvania millions.”
Weissman, a Clinton supporter during the primary said, “I really do appreciate the need … that there are so many people who feel like they want something done [about gas prices]. But I think this short-term effort really does nothing to create a long-term solution. We have to develop a long-term energy policy.”
Clinton had proposed a gas tax holiday and said she would pay for it from a oil company windfall profits tax. McCain said money would come out of the general fund.
Hey Pennsylvania, ‘Status quo or do you want to move forward?’
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama's VP search committee, has stepped down from the campaign.
VIDEO: Jim Johnson, who had been leading Barack Obama's vice presidential search committee, has stepped down from the campaign. "Jim did not want to distract in any way from the very important task of gathering information about my vice presidential nominee, so he has made a decision to step aside that I accept," Obama said in a statement. "We have a very good selection process underway, and I am confident that it will produce a number of highly qualified candidates for me to choose from in the weeks ahead. I remain grateful to Jim for his service and his efforts in this process."
*** UPDATE *** NBC's Chuck Toddadds ,Kerry . He had plenty of institutional knowledge in place like, for instance, on a person like Evan Bayh .
In the macro sense, it also allows McCain to push the idea that Obama is inexperienced and mistakes like this will happen, potentially, when the stakes are higher.
But this also is a good reminder that what Obama wants to do -- keep lobbyists and corporate types out of his potential administration -- is difficult, since so many supposedly qualified people have ties to corporate boards or lobbying firms. You can't run a government based academics alone.
*** UPDATE 2 *** "Jim Johnson's resignation raises serious questions about Barack Obama's judgment," writes McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "Selecting the vice presidential nominee is the most important decision a presidential candidate can make and one even Barack Obama has said will 'signal how I want to operate my presidency.' By entrusting this process to a man who has now been forced to step down because of questionable loans, the American people have reason to question the judgment of a candidate who has shown he will only make the right call when under pressure from the news media. America can't afford a president who flip-flops on key questions in the course of 24 hours. That's not change we can believe in."
*** UPDATE 3 ***
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro and NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones Kerry defended Obama veep vetter Jim Johnson, calling him
“I will say this about Jim Johnson -- Jim Johnson is a very experienced, very discreet, very capable individual who is performing a voluntary function without pay, without any interest,” Kerry said. “He’s not seeking a job and he is acting completely independently to gather information about somebody, and that’s it.
“That is the full measure of this, and it seems this is one of those sort of, you know, Washington grab stories where people try to make something out of something that’s not.
“He hasn’t been proposed for a confirmable position. He’s not in a position to do anything except provide information to somebody who wants information and he’s proven himself somebody who has a great skill gathering that information and keeping it personal and private. You will recall there were zero leaks from my process.”
Kerry added that those who were on his short list had no complaints, since Johnson kept “very sensitive” information private, nothing was ever made public.
“He did an outstanding job in that capacity,” Kerry said.
Johnson has come under fire for having received favorable terms on loans from beleaguered mortgage lender Countrywide Financial after his departure as CEO of Fannie Mae.
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones, Carrie Dann and NBC's Domenico Montanaro Obama campaign, the Democratic Congressional leadership, and unofficial Democratic dean Sen. Joe Biden have all weighed in, condemning McCain as “out of touch” with the wishes of the American people and their military leaders.
VIDEO: Republican presidential nominee John McCain talks to TODAY's Matt Lauer about troop levels in Iraq. The Obama campaign -- with surrogates Sen. John
Kerry , foreign policy adviser Dr. Susan Rice and former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig -- held a conference call Wednesday morning to argue McCain was “confused” about foreign policy, misunderstood the conflict in Iraq and was out of touch with the concerns of American families with loved ones serving there.
The call was held to respond to John McCain’s comments this morning in an interview on NBC’s TODAY in which he told Matt Lauer it was “not too important” when American forces could come home from Iraq and that, “What’s important is the casualties in Iraq. Americans are in South Korea; Americans are in Japan, American troops are in Germany. That’s all fine.”
Kerry said McCain’s statement was “out of touch and inconsistent” with the concerns of American families with troops in Iraq and argued the Arizona senator had continued to articulate a policy for staying in the country even though American generals have said the military could not sustain forces at the current levels. The former Democratic nominee said he had a message for McCain: "It is important when they can come home. It is important when we can revitalize our military.”
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Biden, who was not on the call, issued a blistering statement during it, calling McCain's choice of words "evidence that he is totally out of touch with the needs of our troops and the national security needs of our nation."
Majority Leader Harry Reid -- also not on the call -- referred to the phrase as "a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course." And the Obama campaign launched a morning conference call headlined by Sen. John Kerry to discuss the comment.
DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen released the following statement: “The American people want change and John McCain’s stunning comment today that bringing our troops home from Iraq is 'not too important’ is further proof of his intention to serve George Bush’s third term and make his policies even worse. In fact, if it was up to Senator McCain, he would leave our troops in Iraq indefinitely, spend countless billions more without seeing sufficient Iraqi political progress, and ignore the growing threat Al Qaeda poses in Afghanistan. Democrats are committed to responsibly redeploying our troops from Iraq, taking care of them when they come home with a new G.I. Bill, and finishing the job in Afghanistan.”
DNC Chairman Howard Dean also weighed in. "Senator McCain is wrong. One of the most important questions in this campaign is when and how Senator McCain would bring our troops home from Iraq. Senator McCain stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that the American people do not want our brave troops in Iraq for 100 years under any circumstances. They want a president who will end the war responsibly." (*** UPDATE *** Web video attacking McCain on it.)
CONTINUED >>
Who will be McCain and Obama’s VPs? Can Obama or McCain really expand the electoral map? Can turnout really jump 20 percent and who would that help?
Have a burning question for Chuck Todd? You can ask them today at 3:30 p.m. ET on Newsvine where Chuck Todd will be answering questions .
From NBC's Mark Murray
VIDEO: A Hardball panel debates: How can the Clintons be most effectively used to help Barack Obama win the presidency. For more on the poll -- the match up between
McCain and
Obama , whether adding
Hillary Clinton to the ticket helps or hurts Obama -- tune into NBC Nightly News tonight or click onto MSNBC.com at 6:30 pm ET.
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro Analyzing the turnout: After crunching numbers for the last several months during the Clinton-Obama contest, we’ve been experiencing mathematical withdrawals now that the Dem race is over. In a word, we have the shakes. So to calm our nerves, we got out our abacuses and did some initial fooling around with projected popular vote. Using the 2004 results as a baseline, we were curious as to which states would swing to Obama if he does raise overall turnout by 20% (approximately another 22 million voters) and wins those new voters by a 60%-40% split. Assuming an even distribution -- which we know is potentially a flaw in this estimate, so back off! -- a 20% turnout increase breaking 60%-40% for Obama would swing four states from red to blue (Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, and Ohio). If Obama wins the new voters by a 65%-35% margin, two more states come over (Colorado and Florida), with another (Virginia) essentially too close too call. We're going to crunch these numbers a number of ways over the next few weeks, including using the 2000 election as our baseline (since many folks believe 2004 over-estimates the GOP electorate); seeing what would happen if Obama runs a 50-state campaign but McCain runs a 17-state one; and finding out what the realistic maximum population vote advantage Obama could have while losing the electoral college. In the meantime, have fun with this model.
VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel discusses the tactic being used by the presidential candidates now that the general election has kicked off. ***
Shameless promotion time: Beyond turnout, which presidential candidate -- McCain or Obama -- has the clear advantage right now heading into November? Be sure to tune into NBC Nightly News or click onto MSNBC.com at 6:30 pm ET for the answer from our newest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.
*** Breaking away: No matter whether Obama or Clinton ended up with the nomination, there would have been congressional Democrats like Dan Boren -- who yesterday told the AP that Obama was the “most liberal senator” and that he wouldn’t endorse him -- going public with their unease running with the person at the top of the ticket. Only a John Edwards probably would have made a Boren (or a Lincoln Davis in Tennessee) feel comfortable with the national profile of the Democratic Party. But then again, the RNC might have turned even Edwards into an East/West Coast liberal. The question is: How many other Dan Borens are out there? So far, it doesn’t seem as many Dems are fleeing Obama like they did Kerry in 2004. The one big difference between McCain and Obama is that there are more Democrats who will publicly come out and say they are uneasy with Obama than there are Republicans who will say the same about McCain. On the other hand, there are not many Dems who will complain that Obama is not liberal enough; there are plenty of Republicans who will say McCain isn't conservative enough. And McCain's campaign doesn't mind losing a DeLay to Bob Barr, as that plays well with moderate Republicans. But losing a Hagel or a Powell isn't helpful…
*** William Tecumseh Strickland: Within minutes of the Boren news, NPR released its transcript of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland making a Shermanesque statement about the veep slot. The RNC could not have been happier with the timing: Strickland's comments gave the appearance that moderate/centrist Dems were fleeing Obama left and right. But that impression is wrong. As the Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder points out, Strickland said the exact same thing after he endorsed Hillary in November 2007. Here’s the Columbus Dispatch from last year: “Strickland repeatedly has said he is not interested, even invoking the famous quote from Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman: ‘If nominated, I will not accept; if drafted, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve.’” It seems that Strickland just doesn’t want to be veep. After all, the vetting process can be ugly and a lot of candidates end up taking themselves out because they don't want the hassle. But the timing of Strickland's comments was not good for Obama. In fact, Strickland probably owes the Illinois senator. When Obama stumps in Ohio on Friday, will we see Strickland give Obama a fist pump?
VIDEO: Is Barack Obama's vetting team trying to send a message to Hillary Clinton and her supporters by floating names of ex-military leaders as potential running mates? Dan Abrams discusses. ***
Speaking of veepstakes: As we reported yesterday morning, congressional Dems are meeting with Obama veep vetters Jim Johnson and Eric Holder -- and not surprisingly, a lot is leaking out. The big leak was the floating of former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Jones, an unknown in political circles, but a military guy whom everyone on both sides of the aisle seem to have a high opinion of. In addition, our reporting indicates that Strickland (who now wants off…) and Biden dominated the initial conversations. But realize, folks, that sometimes this stuff leaks on purpose. And the floating of Gen. Jones, for instance, could simply be an attempt to raise his name recognition, so that when he endorses Obama over McCain, the endorsement means something. And don’t forget to vote in
MSNBC.com's interactive Veepstakes tournament . Voting for the Dems began yesterday, while the GOP field has been cut to the Elite Eight. It's HOURS of fun, so start clicking!
*** The first attack ad of the general? Here’s an excerpt of the radio spot that McCain is running in South Florida: "As someone who has survived the harsh conditions of the Vietnamese prisons, John McCain knows that freedom in Cuba won't be achieved with concessions to dictatorships." OK, so it's not a direct attack, but the implication is there and Cubans who listen to talk radio (a huge bloc of Cuban influentials in South Florida) will know exactly who is being talked about in this ad. Obama has a position on Cuba that potentially could split the Cuban community along generational lines, no wonder McCain wants to get going on this issue first and define the terms of the debate to cut Obama's potential to pick off younger Cubans.
***
Obama's bad answer on Jim Johnson: Obama's response on this issue yesterday was odd. "Well, look ... first of all, I am not vetting my vice presidential search committee for their mortgages," Obama answered. "I mean this is a game that can be played -- everybody you know who is anybody who is tangentially related to our campaign I think is going to have a whole host of relationships… These aren't folks who are working for me. They are not people, you know, who I have assigned to a job in the future administration.” He basically said Johnson was a volunteer. While technically true, isn't he volunteering for arguably the most important job on the campaign right now: helping select Obama’s vice president? Seriously, this may be the worst answer Obama has ever given in print. Overall, the campaign seemed surprisingly unprepared for the vetting of the vetter.
*** On the trail: McCain gives a speech in Philadelphia later this morning and then heads to Boston for a fundraiser. Obama, after cancelling his event in Cedar Rapids, IA due to the flooding there, has a town hall in Chicago, where he’ll talk about credit cards and predatory lending with debt expert Elizabeth Warren.
Countdown to Dem convention: 75 days
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The New York Times takes a broader look at the economic back-and-forth between Obama and McCain. “It is a battle between Republican supply-side economics and a Democratic tradition that uses government levers to try to reduce inequality and spur the economy.” The paper says that McCain, “who once opposed the Bush tax cuts in part because they favored the wealthy, has now made extending those cuts a central plank in his economic plan, which is based largely on the Republican credo that tax reductions stimulate the economy. And he is pushing another strain of fiscal conservatism that has not been much in evidence of late: a call for smaller government and a vow to cut pork-barrel spending.”
As for Obama, he “speaks of the traditional liberal goal of trying to redistribute the tax burden to reduce economic inequality, and at least in his public pronouncements has not emphasized the market-friendly, deficit-reduction aspects of the economic approach credited to former President Bill Clinton and former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin in the 1990s. Mr. Obama’s plan would raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 by allowing Mr. Bush’s tax cuts on top earners to expire, and he has signaled that he would consider increasing the current cap on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax.”
VIDEO: Republican presidential nominee John McCain talks to TODAY's Matt Lauer about his plans to shape up the economy, warning that gas prices are unlikely to come down. More: “Experts say that both the McCain plan and the Obama plan would increase the deficit, and that neither man has adequately explained how his proposals would be paid for. But several analysts have said they believe that Mr. McCain’s plan would increase the deficit more, because of the size of the tax cuts he is seeking.”
The Washington Post makes a similar point: "The rhetoric suggests that, despite assertions by both candidates that they would take non-ideological approaches, their views on the economy will mirror the divides of most recent presidential races. Obama's criticism of McCain for backing tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations at the expense of the middle class is traditional Democratic language, while McCain is assailing Obama for proposing tax increases and excessive spending, a charge Republicans have launched against Democrats for decades.”
The Post also fact-checks the GOP claim that Obama is going to increase taxes. “The McCain camp is attempting to persuade Americans that their taxes will increase dramatically with Barack Obama as president. The presumptive Republican nominee has repeatedly said that Obama would enact ‘the largest tax increase since the Second World War.’ A surrogate, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, insists that Obama has not proposed ‘a single tax cut’ and wants to ‘raise every tax in the book.’”
CONTINUED >>
THE GENERAL: The generation gap
“The Web is like a busy, massive, maze-like grocery store, and Obama has been more effective than McCain in ensuring that he's on various aisle, trying to attract specific demographic groups."
Remember when McCain was the first mainstream presidential candidate to really make it online (that was 2000)? Now he looks like he's old school…
IOWA: The
AP writes that Obama is favored in the Hawkeye State. “A political infrastructure that pushed Barack Obama to victory in the Iowa caucuses and an increase in Democratic voter registration make him the favorite in the state in November, but an intense catch-up effort could put Republican John McCain back in the game, veteran political strategists in both parties say.” More: “The campaign for the Democratic nomination also led to a surge in voter registration. Democrats now have 664,031 registered voters, compared to 577,914 registered Republicans, according to the state. Another 685,106 registered without declaring a party preference.”
OHIO: Democrats are already organizing and canvassing the Ohio exurbs. “National Democrats, sensing an opportunity, have started sending campaign workers into these fast-developing areas, where Democrats got blown out in 2004… Tim Prindle, a music store manager in the downtown, said the election returns are going to hinge on things other than what the Democrats do. A Democrat who voted for Obama in the primary that Clinton won, he said, ‘I just saw a bumper sticker that said, 'When Bush took office, gas was $1.47.' Right next to an Obama sticker.’”
In an exclusive interview with NY1 , prospective First Lady Cindy McCain said she would have a limited role in her husband's White House, telling political reporter Michael Scotto: ‘I do not ever envision myself as being involved in the McCain administration.’”
The
Boston Globe says McCain “is using his first major television ad of the general election to show his dovish side.” “‘Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war,’ McCain says over mournful strings against a bleak backdrop, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. ‘I hate war, and I know how terrible its costs are.’”
“It is a far different tone than McCain took during the primaries, when he launched a ‘No Surrender’ tour to highlight his involvement in the Bush administration's ‘surge’ strategy in Iraq. A high-profile ad then used McCain's credentials as a prisoner of war to vouch for him as he fierily exhorted a crowd to ‘Stand up. We're Americans. We're Americans and we'll never surrender; they will!’ The ad, in the view of some political analysts, is evidence of McCain's defensiveness about being portrayed by Obama as a warmonger -- and also an example of the tremendous opportunities his unique biography affords him to assert distance from an unpopular administration's handling of Iraq.”
EMILY's List head Ellen Malcolm will join the Center for American Progress in a conference call today to speak out against McCain's attempts to woo Hillary supporters.
The New York Times’ Leibovich writes about the supposed “enemies list” the Clintons and their friends have kept after this primary season. “Philippe Reines, a spokesman for both Clintons, said neither kept any specific catalog of those believed to have wronged them. ‘There is no list,’ Mr. Reines said. The lists maintained by supporters tend to be less formal documents than spoken diatribes, with offenders’ names spat forth in rants, gripe sessions and post-mortems.”
VIDEO: Mark Leibovich stops in to talk to the Morning Joe crew about the secret list that the Clintons are keeping. “Several names and entities are common among various list makers. The lineup invariably begins with A-list members like Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico; Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the House Democratic whip; Gregory B. Craig, Mr. Clinton’s lawyer in his impeachment and trial; David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s chief strategist; Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri; and several Kennedys. Some members of the Democratic Party’s rules committee, the state of Iowa and the caucus system in general are also near the top.” Also: “The news media have already focused on some list entries, including the online gossip purveyor Matt Drudge (who had the nerve to show up at Mrs. Clinton’s departure speech on Saturday), Todd S. Purdum of Vanity Fair (the author of a recent profile of Mr. Clinton) and the cable network MSNBC (whose hosts Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are charter list members, Clinton associates said).”
Just whom did Obama meet with on the religious front yesterday? CBN's Brody notes: "Obama is meeting with influential mega-pastor TD Jakes and pro-life Catholic constitutional law professor Doug Kmiec. ... That's a big deal. A really big deal. The fact that these two conservative men are meeting with Obama may be a signal that Obama's campaign is ready to break down the traditional wall of separation between conservatives and liberals when it comes to religious talk. ... Folks, this is an important development. It shows that the game has changed. Old rules don't apply. We're in uncharted territory. John McCain's religious outreach team has to now step to the plate and work hard for faith voters. It's not automatic."
VIDEO: Keith Olbermann truth-squads allegations by the Republican Party that one of Barack Obama's V.P. search team members, James Johnson, has received some questionable loans from Countrywide Financial. The Jim Johnson stories keep coming in … The
Washington Post : "For Republicans seeking to tarnish Obama's image as a squeaky-clean outsider hoping to clean up Washington -- not to mention divert attention from questions about lobbyists working in Sen. John McCain's campaign -- Obama's embrace of Johnson has been a gift." More: "Responding to questions yesterday about that article, Obama said: ‘I am not vetting my VP search committee for their mortgages. These aren't folks who are working for me. They're not people who I have assigned to a particular job in a future administration.’”
The New York Times : "Johnson was also involved in some of the more controversial executive compensation decisions in recent years, serving on the board of five companies that granted lavish pay packages to their executives -- and often playing a key role in approving them. One of the more well-known cases involves UnitedHealth Group, a Minnesota company, where Mr. Johnson was a board member and later head of the compensation committee. The company came under fire after the chief executive was granted more than $1.4 billion in stock options -- some $618 million of which was returned as a result of settlements with federal regulators and shareholders. The executive, William McGuire, resigned, but he kept $800 million from the package.”
“Because of cases like UnitedHealth Group, Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, introduced legislation in the Senate last year to restrict runaway compensation."
The New York Times’ Tom Friedman writes that by simply nominating Obama, America's image around the world has already improved. "This column will probably get Barack Obama in trouble, but that’s not my problem. I cannot tell a lie: Many Egyptians and other Arab Muslims really like him and hope that he wins the presidency. I have had a chance to observe several U.S. elections from abroad, but it has been unusually revealing to be in Egypt as Barack Hussein Obama became the Democrats’ nominee for president of the United States.”
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Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland was asked by NPR's Norris about Obama's ability to win in rural or Appalachia Ohio. "Well, I have been asked if there may be a racial element to this and let me just be real candid about that. I think race involves everything that happens in this country, wherever it occurs -- large city, small towns, or any region of our country. But I can also tell you that there are two ways to run statewide in Ohio: you can use the John Kerry approach or you can use the Ted Strickland approach. And I have suggested to Senator Obama’s campaign leadership that they need to use the Ted Strickland approach. Now, what is that approach? That approach is recognizing that Ohio is big and diverse, that there are different economies in Ohio, and that it is important to reach out to all of Ohio. And I believe Barack Obama can and will carry Ohio because I think he’s going to understand that you can’t just appeal to the large metropolitan areas and ignore or neglect the rest of the state.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd takes a look at Sen. Barack Obama's "short list" of potential running mates and discusses Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland expressing no interest in the position. MS. NORRIS: If you’re out campaigning with Barack Obama with the fervor that you have just described in the course of this interview, should we see that as a bit of an audition for you?
STRICKLAND: Absolutely not. If drafted, I will not run; nominated, I will not accept; and if elected, I will not serve. So I don’t know how more crystal clear I can be.
NORRIS: Don’t they all say that, though?
STRICKLAND: No, I don’t think they all say that. I’ve heard people say, ‘you know, if I was asked, it would certainly be something I would have to consider.’ That does not mean that I am any less committed to helping Barack Obama become the next president.”
The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder writes: “Gov. Ted Strickland's strict and unequivocal statement about his lack of interest in being vice president or accepting a nomination was news to most of the media, and to me. But not to Ohioans. It seems that Strickland has said the exact same thing for a year. Didn't matter whether Hillary Clinton was the presumptive nominee. Here's Strickland in November of 2007.”
First Read reported yesterday on Gen. James L. Jones (ret.) being discussed. AP writes, “A running mate from the military ranks could help address concerns that Obama lacks foreign policy experience, having served just three years in the Senate. It could also provide a counterpoint to the military bonafides of the GOP ticket, which will be led by Vietnam War hero John McCain.”
Politico looks at Jim Webb's affinity for the Confederate history.
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Yesterday's congressional primaries were fairly quiet affairs, but the most contentious primary was in our backyard where Democrat Leslie Byrne finally has more losses than wins, as she came up short against longtime local Democratic insider Gerry Connolly, who is vying to replace Republican Tom Davis in Congress.
Will there be a glimmer of hope for the Senate GOP in New Jersey? A new Quinnipiac poll has Dem Frank Lautenberg leading Republican Dick Zimmer by single digits. More importantly for the GOP, a majority believes Lautenberg is too old to serve. But can Zimmer use the issue due to the McCain issue?
From NBC's Abby Livingston
At the DNC this afternoon, party leaders held a press conference to stress a message of post-primary party unity.
Flanked by Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid and DNC Chair Howard Dean , Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Women and blue-collar workers, whatever their race, have the most to gain by the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States and the most to lose by the election of John McCain .”
Two Clinton primary supporters seized the opportunity to exhibit a consensus for Sen. Obama.
“We all worked hard,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan said. “It takes a little while. You have to take a deep breath. But the reality is, there is no doubt in my mind that there is such a clear difference and so much at stake for our country, that people are going to rally around Sen. Barack Obama.
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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Ron Paul's campaign is planning an event at a "large venue" with a "sizable" crowd Sept. 2 -- the Tuesday of convention week -- in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area a couple of miles from the convention site.
Paul spokesman Jesse Benton confirms this is certainly in the works but details are being worked out and not yet finalized. He wouldn't divulge the specific location because contracts have not yet been signed, though
this report indicates Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota.
Paul hopes to fill the arena the day before the vice presidential nominee would speak. On that Thursday,
McCain will officially be selected as the nominee.
The impetus for the mini convention of sorts was, in part, not getting a spot to speak at convention, but it "goes a lot deeper than just an invitation to speak," Benton said.
"We have said from the beginning that we are going to have a presence in St. Paul," Benton added. Paul "has said he’d be honored to have an invitation to speak. He's not holding his breath; he's not expecting one. ... No invitation was extended. We’re fine with that, so we’re going to go ahead and have our own event."
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