July 31, 2008
From Obama spokesman Bill Burton:
This is a race about big challenges--a slumping economy, a broken foreign policy, and an energy crisis for everyone but the oil companies. Barack Obama in no way believes that the McCain campaign is using race as an issue, but he does believe they're using the same old low-road politics to distract voters from the real issues in this campaign, and those are the issues he'll continue to talk about.
-- Evie Stone
1:58 PM ET
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07-31-2008
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The McCain campaign just came out with a statement condemning Barack Obama's comments yesterday in Missouri that he's being painted as "risky" because he's "got a funny name" and "doesn't look like the other Presidents on the currency."
Writes the McCain press office:
Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong.
ABC's Jake Tapper picked it up immediately , posting this last night:
While I have no doubt there will be a bunch more racist, xenophobic, and other ignorant drek coming our way courtesy of the Internet and perhaps the occasional cable news network, it's important to determine where it's coming from. Is it from a specific campaign or party? A third-party group? A third-party group with direct ties to establishment figures? This all matters.
What I have not seen is it come from McCain or his campaign in such a way to merit the language Obama used today. Pretty inflammatory.
Tapper asked the Obama camp for an explanation, and says they claimed "he was talking about his 'opponents' in general, writ large, the talk radio hosts and smear artists and such," and not about McCain himself.
The remarks themselves are pretty ambiguous, and do seem to imply race-based fearmongering from the McCain campaign. Read/watch them for yourself after the jump and let us know what you think.
-- Evie Stone
Continue reading "McCain Camp Accuses Obama of Race-Baiting" »
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07-31-2008
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NPR's Martin Kaste -- currently in Alaska covering the Sen. Ted Stevens imbroglio -- reports that one of Stevens' opponents in the seven-way August 26th Republican primary didn't waste any time exploiting the incumbent's indictment on corruption charges.
Long-shot Vic Vickers moved to Alaska earlier this year from Florida, where he was a registered Democrat. In a new ad, he stands in front of Stevens' Girdwood, AK home (which allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in in free renovations in return for political favors), calling for an end to political corruption. Click on the thumbnail to watch the ad.
Stevens, the longest-serving Republican Senator in history, maintains his innocence and is still favored in the primary (though the general election matchup against popular Anchorage mayor Mark Begich is another story ).
He will be arraigned at 1pm today.
-- Evie Stone
11:44 AM ET
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07-31-2008
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Good morning.
This morning's political news can perhaps be best-characterized as a referendum on McCain's attempt to paint the election as a referendum on Obama. Yesterday's "Celeb" ad threw more fuel on that fire and has liberal op-ed writers' drawers in a twist wondering where John "Respectful Campaign" McCain disappeared to. Even (disgruntled) former McCain strategist John Weaver hopped on the bandwagon, telling Marc Ambinder that the ad is "childish" and "tomfoolery." The Obama campaign is taking a scolding line as well with this response ad that shows footage of McCain standing next to President Bush and accuses him of the "same old politics, same failed policies." (Hey, that's kind of negative too...) Obama himself told an audience in Missouri:
John McCain and the Republicans, they don't have any new ideas, that's why they're spending all their time talking about me.
Continue reading "Thursday Morning: A Referendum Within A Referendum; McCain Still Finessing Tax Issues; and HRC Will Speak Tuesday at DNC " »
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07-31-2008
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July 30, 2008
Obama's tough primary contest against Hillary Clinton revealed he's got work to do to win over rural white voters. But if two guys standing on the side of the road in Rolla, Missouri right now are any indication, the Illinois Senator is making progress. They're holding a "REDNECKS for OBAMA" sign high and proud, with Obama ready to arrive in this town of 16,000 within the hour.
-- David Greene
3:22 PM ET
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07-30-2008
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Rapper and Obama supporter Ludacris (aka Christopher Bridges) has released a new song called "Politics: Obama Is Here."
The lyrics champion Obama's groundbreaking campaign in a way that seems designed to create controversy:
So get off your ass, black people, it's time to get out and vote!
Paint the White House black and I'm sure that's got 'em terrified
Ludacris also attacks politicians who he thinks have "hated on" Obama -- including Hillary Clinton, whom he discribes as an "irrelevant b*tch" and John McCain ("McCain don't belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed"), as well as Jesse Jackson and President Bush.
To put it mildly: heads are exploding in Chicago and the right-wing blogs are having a field day.
Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton issued this rapid-fire response:
As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn't want his daughters or any children exposed to. This song is not only outrageously offensive to Senator Clinton, Reverend Jackson, Senator McCain, and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics.
Ludacris and Obama have a history. They met privately in 2006 to discuss AIDS awareness, and Obama recently told Rolling Stone that he has Ludacris songs on his iPod and considers the rapper a "great talent and businessman" -- a compliment Ludacris cites in the song.
Maybe he'll be Obama's next baggage-laden friend on the RNC's BarackBook .
-- Evie Stone
2:37 PM ET
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07-30-2008
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The Republican National Convention is expected to generate a whopping $148 million in revenue for Minneapolis/St. Paul, raising almost $10 million in tax money.
So how can you rip through some cash at the RNC? Here are a few of the highlights, c/o MinnPost's Doug Grow...
1) Zubaz Pants ($30)
Don't remember Zubaz pants ? This photo should jog your memory. Popularized by former MN Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura and buffed-out weight-lifters, the pants peaked in 1991 before succumbing to the grunge era fashion police. But this spring, the official retailer of the convention asked Zubaz if they would fire up the sewing machines again and produce a line of red, white, and blue pants exclusively for the convention. Jackpot! The pants were all the rage at an official pre-convention fashion show. A pair of the patriotic pants will set you back $30.
2) Scotch ($525/shot)
No joke. If you're looking to drop some serious coin, check out the St. Paul Grill. You can buy a shot of 55-year-old Macallan scotch for -- gulp -- $525 . Turns out the owner bought four of the only 400 bottles in existence just for the convention crowds. Anyone who happens to get the last shot in a bottle gets to keep the $750 vessel (and then sell it on eBay a month later). If you like what you're drinking (or you're drunk), you might also consider buying a whole bottle... for a cool $12,500. But hop to it -- Grill customers have already thrown back half the collection.
3) Bike ride with Mayor Rybak (free)
After waking up in your new Zubaz pants with a very expensive hangover, consider befriending Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. He plans to lead attendees on a bike ride to the Xcel Center every day. A thousand donated bikes will be available free of charge. Rybak's office is also organizing a "triathlon", comprised of a jaunt along the river, a frolic in a local lake, and a run around another lake. "I'm going to make those Republicans sweat,'' says Rybak, who apparently enjoys the unofficial distinction of being "America's most fit mayor.''
-- Sean Bowditch
1:45 PM ET
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07-30-2008
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While most of our election unit colleagues are busy gearing up for the Republican and Democratic Conventions next month, we're preparing for a different kind of adventure. Come convention-time, we will pack our clothes and microphones and embark on that greatest of American traditions: the cross-country road trip.
And where will we go? Thus far, we only have a rough draft. We'll begin in Chicago, Barack Obama's hometown, and slowly make our way to Phoenix, John McCain's hometown. Our trip is premised on the idea that every hometown has a leader. So while McCain and Obama are accepting their party nominations, we want you to take us to your leader.
Who is it that makes a difference in your community? Is it your congressman, an activist, an elementary school teacher, Boy Scout headmaster, the textile magnate, pastor, rabbi, or the 6 o'clock news anchor? Is it the high school football star who was drafted into the NFL, the financial advisor who helped you avoid foreclosure, the union boss who stood up for higher wages, or the woman who saved downtown by opening that new burger joint? Or is it your brother, your aunt, or your mom?
We leave in three weeks and want to hear from you. We may not immediately respond, but believe us, we're taking notes.
--Thomas Pierce & David Greene
12:48 PM ET
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07-30-2008
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The McCain campaign has released a new anti-Obama ad called "Celeb":
Offshore drilling has been at the center of the back-and-forth between the campaigns for weeks, but "he'll raise taxes on electricity" is new. The press release that came with the ad backs that claim with a Texas newspaper interview in which Obama said "what we ought to tax is dirty energy, like coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas." The Obama campaign says the candidate was talking about a cap-and-trade plan.
In a conference call with reporters, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis called Celeb "the most entertaining thing I've seen on TV." (Apparently he didn't catch the "MILF Island" episode of 30 Rock.)
Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor's response:
On a day when major news organizations across the country are taking Senator McCain to task for a steady stream of false, negative attacks, his campaign has launched yet another. Or, as some might say, 'Oops! He did it again.'
Hilarious Britney references aside, this is the third negative ad from McCain in the past two weeks -- and as we wrote this morning, he's being taken to task by the press for claiming the high road and then hitting low. But as the NYT's Jim Rutenberg wisely points out , these hit jobs are a great investment for the cash-strapped McCain campaign because they get so much free publicity from the media feeding frenzy. You know, the same frenzy we're contributing to right now...
-- Evie Stone
12:23 PM ET
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07-30-2008
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Happy hump day, gentle readers.
Oppo-emailers at the DNC and Obama HQ are having an easy day of it. Both the Washington Post and the New York Times write up McCain's recent pivot to negative camapign tactics against opponent Barack Obama. The Post focuses on the dustup over the cancelled military hospital visit in Germany, and concludes that the McCain camp's repeated accusations that the stop was cancelled because Obama couldn't bring photographers "lack evidence." The Times looks at the bigger picture of recent negative ads and McCain's new not-angry-just-disappointed tone, and says "some Republicans" think it's a risky tactic for McCain to stay in a reactive posture and allow the election to be a referendum on Obama. The NYT visits the meme on its editorial page as well, accusing McCain of taking the "low-road express ." In an article titled It's All About Obama , Politico writes that "McCain's bitterness, frustration and near-obsession with Obama are on plain display." And the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page hits McCain from the right on his claim over the weekend that "nothing's off the table" with regard to Social Security reform -- including raising the payroll tax cap. Tough morning! What was that Media Matters was just saying about the press's love affair with McCain?
A hint of balance comes from the Post's Dana Milbank, who zings Obama thusly...
Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee.
Continue reading "Wednesday Morning: McCain Under Fire, Obama's Alleged Ego, and a Ted Stevens Ripple Effect?" »
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07-30-2008
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The McCain campaign distributed this to reporters late Tuesday:
ARLINGTON, VA -- Michael Yardley, Chair of Public Affairs at the Mayo Clinic, today issued the following statement:
"Senator McCain visited the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, yesterday for a routine check of his dermatological health. The biopsy that was performed did not show any evidence of skin cancer. No further treatment is necessary."
-- Evie Stone
8:46 AM ET
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07-30-2008
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July 29, 2008
From Will Evans of the Center for Investigative Reporting . Will is working on the Secret Money Project with NPR's Peter Overby .
According to the latest numbers, this month independent conservative groups are spending much more on TV ads criticizing Democrat Barack Obama than liberal groups are spending on anti-McCain spots.
It's quite a turnaround from June, when Moveon.org and a government workers union dominated the airwaves with an estimated $500,000 in ads attacking Sen. McCain's Iraq strategy.
Now there's a new ad from Citizens United , which is promoting a film critical of Obama (the group had an anti-Hillary film set to go, but had to rush out the Obama version when he bested Clinton in the primaries). And Let Freedom Ring , a religious conservative advocacy group, has unveiled new ads calling Obama "worse than a flip-flopper."
Those two, combined with Vets for Freedom 's ads (this one , for example), which back McCain's approach to the war in Iraq, puts conservative airtime power at about $1.4 million in July, according to estimates by the Campaign Media Analysis Group . An assortment of lefty groups, in contrast, scrambled up a comparatively paltry $243,000 in ad buys for the same period.
That's a change McCain can believe in.
-- Evie Stone
5:25 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Statement from Alaska Senator Ted Stevens
-- Evie Stone
4:53 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Ted Stevens (R-AK) has been charged with seven counts of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms from 1999 to 2006. The indictments allege he accepted $250,000 in gifts and renovations on his house in Girdwood, AK from oilfield service company VECO Corp. That house was raided by the FBI last year in an earlier phase of the investigation.
Stevens is the first Senator to be indicted since 1993. He is the longest-serving GOP Senator in U.S. history and is up for re-election this year.
You can read more here .
-- Michael Olson
2:13 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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The GOP has launched a mock-Facebook site called BarackBook , complete with faux-profile pages for Obama's controversial associates (William Ayres and Tony Rezko make the list -- though curiously there's no Jeremiah Wright page....yet). There are also links to donate to the Republican National Committee and an opportunity to create a "myGOP" account.
BarackBook is also available as an application on the real Facebook. Suffice it to say, so far it has not been a big hit. Discussion threads as of 1:15 pm included "We should blow this site up"; "Leaders lead, this just sucks"; and the pithy "This site is lame"...along with a few more topic titles that aren't appropriate for a family blog.
But perhaps the best evidence that the site isn't attracting the crowd the GOP might have hoped for? The targeted ad on the Facebook discussion page: free Obama bumper stickers, courtesy of moveon.org.
-- Evie Stone
1:14 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Having gotten good play with their JV badges last week, the McCain camp is on a roll. Today's press credentials for an event in Reno, NV feature a photo of the cast of Comedy Central's Reno 911!
Not sure how the real cops helping with security will feel about that.
-- Scott Horsley
1:06 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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NPR's Ari Shapiro confirms that Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) is about to be indicted. The DOJ is holding a press conference at 1:40 PM.
Reuters reports that there are 7 criminal counts against Stevens related to his holding of office.
Stevens is up for re-election this year.
-- Michael Olson
12:50 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Pixels and LCD screens in Ohio are sizzling with images of presidential candidates. The ad-monitoring group CMAG has published the following Top 5 list of cities with the most political ads aired since McCain and Obama wrapped up their parties' nominations:
1. Cleveland, Ohio
-- Michael Olson
12:49 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Sorry for the posting delays today, folks. NPR is having a few technical difficulties.
-- Vox Politics
12:05 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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G'day.
In continuing Vice-Presidential speculation Politico the WP reported late yesterday that VA Gov. (and Terry McAuliffe recommendation ) Tim Kaine is on the shortest of lists to be Barack Obama's running mate. From Politico :
Kaine's circle is "under the impression that he's being looked at very, very seriously but he's not the only one," said one of the two Democrats close to Kaine.
"The third floor is definitely focused on this in a real way," said the other Virginia Democrat, referring to Kaine's Capitol offices. "They've been talking about what would happen if he had to leave; they're very keyed up on it."
Kaine has a lot going for him: popularity in a red state that has a chance of turning blue in November; fluent Spanish and cred in the Latino community; appeal to Catholic voters...and he suits the "outsider" criteria Obama outlined on Meet The Press this weekend . But as an almost-one-term Governor it's unclear that Kaine has the foreign policy resume to alleviate voters' concerns about Obama's lack of experience.
This chatter seems awfully leaky coming from Obama's usually-airtight campaign. Is someone talking way out of school?
Continue reading "Tuesday Morning: Tim Kaine in the Spotlight, Evangelicals Warn Against Romney, and Polls by M.C. Escher" »
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07-29-2008
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July 28, 2008
For those of you fascinated by convention minutia, I give you this RNC production. Transforming the Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN:
Oddly entertaining. The Dems are taping their renovations as well. But they're waiting until just before the convention to release it -- when they will have amassed 700 hours of construction footage. You know, the element of surprise...
-- Sean Bowditch
4:32 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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John McCain has had a small, mole-like spot removed from his face. A campaign aide called the procedure "precautionary." McCain has a history of skin cancer. Since 1993, he's had four malignant melanomas removed -- the last from his left temple in 2000.
Speaking in front of reporters in Bakersfield, California this afternoon, McCain talked about the procedure, saying the spot would be biopsied -- just in case. He also urged Americans to have any mysterious spots and blemishes checked out. His remarks today echoed his address to a cancer summit last week sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation in Columbus, OH. There, he said that his experience with skin cancer has made him very aware of the harmful effects of the hot, Arizona sun:
-- Thomas Pierce
3:37 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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Moveon.org is spending $150,000 to air this ad on MTV and Comedy Central. It's the winner of the "funniest" category from Moveon's "Obama in 30 Seconds" contest. Featured performers: Amber Benson, whom you may remember as Tara from Buffy, along with Boy Meets World's Shawn, aka Rider Strong (amazingly, that is his real birth name).
While we here at Vox Politics love a mock-PSA as much as the next blog, we are inclined to question the wisdom of an implied parallel between Barack Obama and, oh say, herpes. But we did enjoy the 80s anti-drug ad reference and the cute, fluffy chick at the end.
Just wondering, though...who is this ad supposed to attract? Will it really appeal to anyone who's not already demographically inclined to be on-board with Obama? And/or will it be distasteful to the broader audience of (somewhat older, maybe less irony-drenched) swing voters that will have to be wooed to secure an Obama victory?
-- Evie Stone
1:50 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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The Chicago Sun Times reports that columnist Robert Novak has been diagnosed with a brain Tumor.
Novak issued this statement:
"On Sunday, July 27, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I have been admitted to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where doctors will soon begin appropriate treatment. "I will be suspending my journalistic work for an indefinite but, God willing, not too lengthy period."
1:23 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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Is Florida in play? Maybe so. Analysts who not long ago gave McCain a comfortable lead in Florida now are calling the state a tossup. Pollster John Zogby has changed the state on his electoral map from red to purple. Even Karl Rove now lists Florida as a tossup .
However, an Obama victory in Florida may depend on African-American turnout. The Washington Post reports this morning that "he can win Florida if he increases black turnout by 23 percent over 2004, assuming he performs at the same levels that Democratic candidate John F. Kerry did with the other voters that year."
Getting new voters to the polls requires more volunteers -- and more staff. Every day we get a new press release from the Obama campaign listing new members of their Florida "leadership team." Look at the numbers: McCain has something like 60 paid staff members in Florida. Obama has 200. Reporters like Adam Smith of the St. Pete Times are joking there may soon be more campaign press handlers than there are press covering the race in Florida.
-- Greg Allen
11:10 AM ET
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07-28-2008
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Attention campaign button collectors: An Obama for President campaign button in Idaho was supposed to feature the Illinois Senator and Democratic nominee alongside the Idaho Democratic Senate hopeful Larry LaRocco . The AP reports that the button instead features the other Larry from Idaho: the alleged-bathroom -cruising Republican Senator Larry Craig. Get your button now... and if you come across any extras, I'm sure Ken Rudin will pay handsomely for any that would come his way.
--Michael Olson
10:16 AM ET
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07-28-2008
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Happy Monday morning, folks.
After struggling to gain traction with the debate over the surge last week, John McCain's campaign found what they consider to be a meatier issue to use against Barack Obama: his cancelled visit to injured troops at Landstuhl hospital in Germany last week. Over the weekend, the two campaigns filled reporters' inboxes with crossfire over the issue, much of which was back-and-forth over this McCain ad called "Troops." It's pretty snarky to accuse Obama of only wanting to visit the wounded servicemembers for a photo-op and then bailing after "the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." The Obama campaign's counter-claim is that the very reason he didn't go to the hospital was because the visit would be considered a photo-op and he didn't want to politicize the troops. (Irony!)
The ad is McCain's toughest hit yet on Obama's character, and the claims in it may or may not sway voters (for one thing, as many in the blogosphere have pointed out, it accuses Obama of ignoring the troops while showing footage of him playing basketball with, um...troops). But on the other hand, if everyone is writing about McCain's ad -- even if they're tearing it apart -- they're by definition NOT writing about Obama's 200,000-person crowd in Berlin, or Nouri al-Maliki's agreement with Obama on a US troop withdrawal timeline, or McCain's variety of gaffes last week. So if nothing else, the ad provides a useful distraction.
Meanwhile, the chattering classes are back to rampant veep speculation.
Continue reading "Monday Morning: McCain Stays Negative; Veepstakes Back To the Fore; and New GOP Fundraising Tactics" »
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07-28-2008
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July 25, 2008
From French President Nicolas Sarkozy's opening statement at today's joint presser with Barack Obama (via the Federal News Service's translator):
Of course, it's not up to the French to choose the next president of the United States of America. Whomsoever that may be, we will work with him happily and gladly. But I am especially happy to be meeting with the senator I met back in 2006 when we talked in such impassioned terms about Darfur, what was happening there. And there were two of us in that office, and there were two of us in my office. (Laughter.) And one of us became president. Well, let the other do likewise. Well, I mean, that's not meddling.
NPR's Obama campaign road warrior Don Gonyea followed up:
President Sarkozy, your opening statement sounded a great deal like an endorsement. Was it that, and if so, have you conferred with your good friend President Bush about this?
Obama responded by warning Sarkozy to "be very careful" with his answer to that question.
Sarkozy's response:
Well, sir, the Americans will choose their president, you know, not I. Americans will make the choice. And I think you're old enough to have an idea or two of your own.
This awkward exchange is a reminder of Obama's delicate task on this trip, especially in France. He's trying to paint his potential administration as one that would rebuild relationships with America's allies...but he doesn't want to look too cozy with the Frogs just yet. Don't forget the RNC's attempts to tarnish John Kerry's chances in 2004 by saying he merely looked FrenchLe Figaro put it : "his huge popularity in our country could ill serve him with a part the American centrist electorate."
-- Evie Stone
2:18 PM ET
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07-25-2008
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A new episode of everyone's favorite podcast is available for your listening pleasure. NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin compare the candidates' weeks. Barack Obama visited Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Israel before flying to Europe, where he gave a speech to 200,000 Germans in Berlin yesterday. Meanwhile, John McCain took a golf cart ride with the 41st President; canceled a trip to an oil rig because of an untimely hurricane and oil spill; and had lunch at a German restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. But despite McCain's relatively lackluster week, he hasn't sunk the polls. In fact, he's even crept ahead in a few battleground states. Ken and Ron have a few theories:
Or maybe you'd rather download the podcast .
-- Thomas Pierce
11:51 AM ET
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07-25-2008
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Forget the cost of running -- or in the media's case, of covering -- a protracted presidential campaign.
The Associated Press is reporting that even the Secret Service needs extra money to work the campaign trail -- $9.5 million to be exact. The extra cash would offset the added costs of overseas trips such as Sen. Obama's whirlwind adventure through Europe and the Middle East this week. Sen. McCain has also taken expensive international jaunts to Colombia, Mexico and Canada this campaign season.
The money would also go toward protecting Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where he will accept the nomination in an open-air stadium that seats roughly 76,000 people.
Obama picked up Secret Service protection in May 2007 -- earlier than any other presidential candidate in history (with the exception of Hillary Clinton, who as a former First Lady already had a detail in place when she launched her campaign). At the time, officials said it wasn't because of any threats -- although concerns remain about his safety as the first African-American presidential candidate.
This campaign season has lasted five months longer than any other in Secret Service history. In 2004, protecting the candidates cost $73.3 million. This year, they've budgeted $106.65 million...and counting.
-- Nancy Cook
10:33 AM ET
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07-25-2008
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Happy Friday, everyone!
And no one is probably happier than John McCain that this week is almost over (including us, and we are spending the weekend at the beach ). The week has been a tough slog for the GOP nominee-to-be, with a string of bad-news stories, media eye-rolling, and unfortunate visual contrasts with Barack Obama's bombastic overseas swing. The NYT's Elisabeth Bumiller says it all with this description of a moment in Pennsylvania on Wenesday:
"I am again deeply disappointed that Senator Obama would not recognize the fact that the surge has succeeded," Mr. McCain said in typical, now-daily comments before the refrigerated case of cheese in Bethlehem, Pa.
That's right: the refrigerated case of cheese. That was on the day Barack Obama visited Yad Vashem and met with Israeli leaders about the peace process and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Continue reading "Friday Morning: McCain's Rough Week; No Bounce for Barack; and McAuliffe Changes His Tune" »
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07-25-2008
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July 24, 2008
House ethics rules are apparently about to get new teeth. Not all that sharp, but still.... Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner today unveiled names for the six-person panel to lead the new Office of Congressional Ethics.
More simply put: These are the six people who will recommend if cases should go to the House ethics committee (officially, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct ) for full-blown investigations.
As watchdog group Common Cause points out, the Office of Congressional Ethics will take some decisions about ethics enforcement out of the hands of Congress itself.
This change will spare lawmakers the agony of casting the first stone -- an act they've assiduously avoided in some big cases. If you think of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, whose payoff price list, on congressional letterhead, helped prosecutors put him in prison, or current Rep. William Jefferson, indicted on bribery charges after FBI agents found $90,000 neatly bagged in his freezer, or a variety of lawmakers and staffers linked to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, you've got the idea. Members of Congress don't rush to judgment.
Nor did they rush into this new ethics process. The concept of an independent office has been around for years. Democrats talked it up when in the 2006 campaign, and after they took over Congress that fall, ethics reformers have been lobbying for it. The House passed it this past March. The Senate wasn't interested.
The names of the ethics panelists are after the jump.
Continue reading "Ethics, Capitol Hill Style" »
4:02 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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From McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds:
While Barack Obama took a premature victory lap today in the heart of Berlin, proclaiming himself a 'citizen of the world,' John McCain continued to make his case to the American citizens who will decide this election. Barack Obama offered eloquent praise for this country, but the contrast is clear. John McCain has dedicated his life to serving, improving and protecting America. Barack Obama spent an afternoon talking about it.
-- Evie Stone
3:40 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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There is no more imported beer on the Straight Talk Express-jet.
When McCain had a chartered Jet Blue plane, it was usually stocked with Heineken (among other fine European selections).
But last night when I inquired -- for research purposes only -- I was told the new plane (several weeks old actually) stocks only Bud and Bud Light. Those are, of course, the beers Cindy McCain's company distributes. I told the flight attendant I hope they add Stella once the In Bev deal closes...but that may not happen before election day.
For a candidate who says American workers can compete with anyone, this seems like an oddly protectionist bar menu.
-- Scott Horsley
3:38 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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In a highly-anticipated speech in Berlin this afternoon (evening, Berlin time), Barack Obama put out a call for greater cooperation between the US and Europe, and challenged his audience to bear "the burdens of global citizenship...to protect our common security and advance our common humanity."
The speech reportedly drew a crowd of more than 200,000. That's more than double Obama's previous turnout record, an estimated 75,000 in Portland, Oregon back in May. The most notable visual: the number of Old Europeans waving American flags.
Obama invoked the 1948 Berlin air lift as a symbol of the beginnings of hope for post-war Germany, along with the dawn of the Marshall Plan and the rise of NATO (perhaps as a metaphor for the potential of a postwar Iraq?). And he echoed and broadened Ronald Reagan's famous 1987 call to tear down the Berlin wall:
[T]the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another. The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christians and Muslims and Jews cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
Obama called on both Europeans and Americans to "help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East," to combat global warming, nuclear proliferation, and terrorism, and to address poverty, AIDS, and oppression worldwide. Adapting a refrain from his stump speech, he presented the crowd with a call to action: "people of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment. This is our time."
-- Evie Stone
3:10 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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At www.gop.com , the Days Since Barack Obama Visited Iraq clock has now stopped -- but it still reads "925 Days, 01 hours, 07 minutes."
Somebody at the RNC might want to push the reset button.
-- Martin Kaste
3:02 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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A few convention notes from Denver...
The Rocky Mountain News reports that, for months, the city of Denver has allowed DNC hosting committee staffers to fuel up their vehicles at city pumps , thus giving them a pass on gas taxes. The Colorado Attorney General indicated that the practice "would seem" illegal. City officials announced yesterday that the freebie would no longer be offered and that the DNC is expected to pay up.
The Denver City Council, at the urging of local law enforcement, has given its initial approval to an ordinance that would make it illegal to carry items such as chains, padlocks, weighted PVC pipes, quick-drying cement, and noxious substances including "feces bombs" during the convention. City councilors took up the measure after police began seeing a sharp increase in internet chatter from groups who hope to disrupt the DNC. The ordinance now goes to the public safety committee for a final vote.
It turns out Denver Police are not buying any high tech weapons for the convention as was speculated by the ACLU of Colorado. They are, however, spending $2 million on "personal protection equipment" and $738,000 on "crowd control equipment". No details are given.
And the qualifications of Andrea Robinson, the DNC's first-ever Director of Sustainability and Greening, have come under some scrutiny . In her official bio, the DNC touts her "more than 25 years in the environmental field" . But she's only 38 years-old. When the Rocky Mountain News dug a bit more, they found that she had, in fact, started an environmental non-profit at the age of 13. But that was apparently omitted on her resume. Also omitted was her extensive acting career. From 2001 to 2004, she starred opposite Billy Ray Cyrus in the TV show "Doc" . Her most recent gig: portraying a "cyber-lebrity" in a 2007 episode of "CSI: Miami".
-- Sean Bowditch
2:43 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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Voting rights advocates filed suit today in Albuquerque to challenge a state law they call "one of the most chilling and restrictive voter registration laws in the country."
The 2005 law requires volunteers who want to participate in registration drives to pre-register and submit an affidavit to the state; register no more than 50 voters at a time (unless they get special permission to take more registration forms); and turn in completed forms within 48 hours of picking them up at local election offices. Volunteers who knowingly break the rules can be slapped with fines or jailtime.
The plaintiffs say there is little or no evidence of voter fraud in New Mexico, and that the restrictions will severely limit the registration efforts of independent groups and disproportionately reduce voter participation in the communities they focus on: minorities, low-income voters, and the disabled.
New Mexico promises to be hotly contested this November. Bush narrowly carried the state in 2004; Gore won it by a tiny margin in 2000. A few thousand more registered voters could tip the balance.
-- Evie Stone
2:10 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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From the McCain campaign:
Senator McCain, tomorrow, will meet with the Dalai Lama in Aspen, Colorado.
-- Evie Stone
1:18 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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While Obama is overseas getting his picture taken with respected world leaders like Netanyahu, Merkel and Maliki, the McCain campaign has put out a new web-ad that pairs a picture of Obama and a not-so-popular world leader: Fidel Castro. HuffPo has details on the ad , which includes a Castro quote praising Obama as "the most advanced candidate."
This isn't the first time the Republican party has used that particular Castro quote as political ammunition. It's also not the first time they've done a little photoshop work on images of the Illinois Senator and the former Cuban dictator. In May the Florida GOP emailed out a doctored picture of Castro holding an Obama campaign poster -- with a link to an article that used the same quote as evidence of an endorsement.
Politifact checked out the email and had this to say about the Castro interview that produced the quote in question:
In the article, Castro actually spends most of his words criticizing a speech Obama made to the Cuban American National Foundation in Miami just a few days before, on May 23. In that speech, Obama pledged that if elected, he would immediately allow unlimited family travel to Cuba and family members to send money to relatives in Cuba. Obama reiterated his position that he would meet with the leaders of enemy nations without preconditions. But the thing that really raised Castro's ire was Obama's vow to maintain the embargo as "leverage" to encourage Cuba to "take significant steps towards democracy."
So did Castro endorse Obama? Politifact's truth-o-meter gives that claim a "pants on fire" rating. Castro did not endorse Obama.
The new web-ad is being used in South Florida. And even though it's misleading, it could still be damaging among the large population of Cuban exiles there.
-- Thomas Pierce
12:36 PM ET
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07-24-2008
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Fresh numbers from the Pew Hispanic Center this morning show that Latino voters are breaking for Obama in a big way . They now favor the presumptive Democratic nominee over McCain by a three-to-one margin. During the Democratic primaries, Obama's opponent Hillary Clinton enjoyed broad support from Latinos, fueling speculation that Hispanics were reluctant to vote for an African American candidate. Today's Pew data seems to debunk that theory.
32% of respondents said being black would help Obama, while only 11% said it would hurt. And 53% said it would make no difference. In contrast, when asked about the role of McCain's race, 24% said that being white would hurt him among Latino voters, while only 11% said it would help. The majority (58%) said it would have no bearing.
Obama also takes the lead on favorability: 76% rated him positively, compared to 44% for McCain. And among those Latinos who said they initially backed Clinton, three-quarters of them have now thrown their support behind Obama, while only 8% say they will now vote for McCain.
The survey also reveals a few trends about voter participation that are worth keeping an eye on in the coming months. Pew's findings, which are based on state exit polls from the Democratic primaries, indicate that Latinos made up a greater percentage of voters in several states compared to past elections -- most notably in California and Texas. And among the registered Latino voters who were polled, 17% said they were voting for the first time.
For Latinos, pocketbook and family issues are top priorities. Respondents listed education (93%), cost of living (92%), jobs (91%), and healthcare (90%) as most important. Interestingly, the Iraq War (75%) and immigration (75%) trailed the pack.
This new data bodes well for the Democrats, especially in states like Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Florida where the fight for Latino votes is likely to be fierce. And with 65% of Latino voters now identifying with the Democratic Party -- the largest number in a decade according to Pew -- Obama appears to be in the driver's seat. But, as always, the key to success in November is turnout, turnout, turnout.
-- Sean Bowditch
10:01 AM ET
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07-24-2008
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Good morning, all. The nation's capital is drying out after a 2.5-inch deluge last night that also brought a much-needed break in the heat. Hallelujah!
Barack Obama departed Israel early this morning after a pre-dawn visit to the Western Wall where he was warmly greeted by a few dozen fans but loudly heckled by one man who repeatedly yelled "Jerusalem is not for sale." The Washington Post sums up the full Israel/Ramallah swing thusly:
Sen. Barack Obama stepped gingerly through the intractable politics of the Middle East on Wednesday, offering resolute support for Israel's security, warning that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would be a "game-changing" event for the world, and pledging to make peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians one of his highest priorities if he becomes president.
Continue reading "Thursday Morning: Obama to Berlin, McCain Goes Domestic, and No Hula Hoop Photo Ops" »
10:00 AM ET
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07-24-2008
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July 23, 2008
Setting expectations is a tricky business for politicians. You want to appear confident, because it makes you look strong and intimidating...but not TOO confident because then you seem cocky and risk publicly falling short of your goals.
So at a press briefing today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the respective heads of the committees working to elect (and re-elect) Democrats to the Senate and the House, were endeavoring to toe that line. While they touted their party's unprecedented field operations, vastly improved early voter contact strategy, solid fundraising, and progress in the polls, Van Hollen warned against "irrational exuberance" among House candidates and Schumer cautioned that the Senate map is one of the "reddest...in a very long time" -- i.e. many of the contested seats are in majority-Republican states.
Nonetheless, Schumer's assessment of the Dems' chances were pretty darn optimistic. He repeatedly speculated that while it would be "very hard," Democrats have a chance of achieving a filibuster-proof majority of 60 Senators. (They currently hold a slim majority of 51, including two Independents who caucus with them.) It's a pie-in-the sky idea that Schumer cast as being about as likely as picking up 6 Senate seats was in 2006. Which, you'll recall, they did .
Schumer also gave a remarkably candid breakdown of where those pickups might come from (of the 35 Senate seats at stake this year, 23 are currently held by Republicans). His calls:
Likely Dem Pickups: Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska
You can compare Schumer's assessments with those of NPR's political soothsayer Ken Rudin on our interactive Senate map .
-- Evie Stone
3:10 PM ET
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07-23-2008
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Columnist and talking head Robert Novak hit a pedestrian with his Corvette this morning in downtown Washington. The victim was a man in his 60s who was taken to George Washington Medical Center with minor injuries.
TMZ reports that Novak was listening to NPR's Morning Edition when he struck the pedestrian around 10 a.m. Presumably tuning to member station WAMU , Novak would have just heard the tale of a Chicago man seeking $30,000 in damages from a tattoo parlor that misspelled "tomorrow" when they inked his arm.
Call it a Drive-Off-The-Road Moment.
--Laurel Wamsley
3:03 PM ET
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07-23-2008
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When a campaign wants to gin up some attention for their latest ad, they usually e-mail a transcript to the media. But today, when the Obama camp announced its latest Spanish-language radio spot, it sent out two transcripts.
According to the campaign, the first one was sent out in error. It was, apparently, an older version. Here's the new one, they said, in a subsequent e-mail.
Political junkies love moments like this. It affords us a rare glimpse into the secret world of message-massage. Why does the campaign go with certain phrases? What did the campaign consider saying, then discard? Little mistakes like this offer some insight.
I was an English major, and so in the spirit of those useless old Lit classes, I offer this close reading of the two versions -- a side-by-side textual analysis of the changes.
OLD VERSION
His father was an immigrant. His mother from a humble, middle class family... Obama never pulled people down as he made his way up...
NEW VERSION
He grew up without a father - raised by his mother with the support of his grandparents... Obama never forgot his roots...
Hmmm... If I had to speculate wildly about authorial intent -- which is what English majors do --my thesis paragraph might look something like this:
The writer's original impulse is to forge a bond with the readers (e.g., Latino immigrants) by identifying the candidate as a fellow immigrant and by sympathizing with their anger over anti-illegal immigrant sentiment ("Obama never pulled people down on his way up..."). But in the subsequent version, the writer backs away from this approach, realizing it might be a stretch to call Obama's father -- a Kenyan studying in America -- an immigrant, and that the "pulling people down" phrase might go a little too far in identifying the candidate with the immigrants rights movement.
Of course, my term paper would probably come back marked up in red pencil: Speculative!
Here's the new ad:
But in the ad itself, the Spanish announcer says this: "He fought to extend the G.I. bill, and bring our heroes home."
I have no theories on that one.
-- Martin Kaste
1:47 PM ET
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07-23-2008
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The Department of Justice is trying to get police and activists in St. Paul, MN to play nice at the upcoming Republican National Convention. The Star Tribune reports that DOJ has invited both groups to attend special counseling sessions this week in an effort to reduce conflict. The newspaper says various activist groups have vowed on their websites to "shut down" the Convention and city officials are growing concerned.
The police have agreed to take part, but the activists are having none of it. One demonstrator quoted in the Star Tribune story said she was contacted directly by a "conciliation specialist" from DOJ and asked if she planned to attend. When she declined the invitation, the official screamed at her and muttered something about the police department's recent purchase of Tasers. The DOJ rep denied the outburst.
Protestors in the Twin Cities were already feeling a tad grumpy. Last week, a federal judge rejected a request by a St. Paul group that had asked to use a specific protest route that nearly encircled the Xcel Center. The judge also said marches near the Center could only take place between noon and 3pm. And on the same day, the Minneapolis City Council approved a new resolution that spells out appropriate police behavior during RNC protests, but left off several clauses that would have given protestors greater protection. Several groups are crying foul, calling the policy "watered down" and "vague" and arguing that it gives police more leeway to get rough.
A coalition of Twin City activists, peeved by the limitations on their ability to demonstrate, has organized a mass protest for Friday in front of City Hall.
-- Sean Bowditch
1:10 PM ET
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07-23-2008
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In the category of questions someone, somewhere thought to ask, we have a new telephone poll finding that 22 percent of Americans say a state or region of the country should be able to leave the union.
Wasn't this question settled, and fairly decisively , a few years back?
Evidently not to the satisfaction of the Middlebury Institute, a New York group that explores such questions and hired Zogby International to do the poll.
Zogby says those most likely to support the right to secede are Hispanics, African Americans and liberals. But old habits die hard, and respondents in Dixie were more likely to back secession locally.
In fairness, this isn't just a glance back at the Stars and Bars. Middlebury ties the secession question to modern concerns as to whether our current two-party system still works. The secession questions didn't exactly resonate with respondents. But a serious 44 percent of them said yes, the two-party system can't fix what's wrong with "the United States' system."
(The Middlebury Institute website is down right now. You can read Zogby's press release, with links, here .)
-- Peter Overby
12:40 PM ET
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07-23-2008
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Front: In English
Scott Horsley, NPR
Back: En Francais
Scott Horsley, NPR
Scott Horsley shares photos of McCain's new press badges...specially designed for the "JV Squad" of political reporters covering McCain in Rochester, NH and Wilkes-Barre, PA as their colleagues traipse across Jerusalem and Berlin with Obama.
We're particular fans of the cheese-eating surrender monkey on the back of the pass. Nice beret!
-- Evie Stone
10:28 AM ET
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07-23-2008
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Good day.
John McCain can't catch a break this week. He seemed to be getting some traction criticizing Barack Obama's original opposition to the troop surge in Iraq (and continued tepidness about how much of the progress there can be attributed to the surge). Katie Couric's tough interview with Obama on the subject last night could have provided McCain with another opportunity to draw a distinction on Iraq strategy:
OBAMA: Katie, as ... you've asked me three different times, and I have said repeatedly that there is no doubt that our troops helped to reduce violence. There's no doubt. ...
COURIC: I really don't mean to belabor this, Senator, because I'm really, I'm trying ... to figure out your position. Do you think the level of security in Iraq would exist today without the surge?
OBAMA: Katie, I have no idea what would have happened had we applied my approach, which was to put more pressure on the Iraqis to arrive at a political reconciliation. So this is all hypotheticals
But any news that questioning may have generated was drowned out when (apparently unnoticed by CBS, as it was edited out of the version of the interview that aired), McCain messed up a key element of the surge timeline in his own Couric interview . The Obama campaign noticed. (So did Keith Olbermann .) Via the AP :
"Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening," McCain said, referring to the U.S.-backed revolt of Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida in Anbar province. "I mean, that's just a matter of history."
The problem with McCain's statement -- as Obama's campaign quickly noted -- was that the awakening got under way before President Bush announced in January 2007 his decision to flood Iraq with tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to help combat violence.
Continue reading "Wednesday Morning: McCain's Gaffes, Obama in the Holy Land, and Novak Punk'd" »
10:00 AM ET
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07-23-2008
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July 22, 2008
Ron Paul expects as many as 15,000 supporters to attend a rally he's holding on day two of the Republican National Convention in September. Our friends at Minnesota Public Radio are reporting that, due to the anticipated turnout, Paul's moving his "Rally for the Republic" from an arena on the University of Minnesota campus to the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Once upon a time, NPR's Martin Kaste covered former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura for MPR. He has these fond memories of the rally's new venue:
The Target Center has a rich history of outsider politics. It used to be Governor Jesse Ventura's "house." That's where he held his rock-and-roll style inaugural ball, where he refereed (quite controversially) a WWF match, and where he -- perhaps most memorably -- rappelled down from the arena's rafters during an NBA playoff game.
The venue is the home of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Paul announced plans for his alternate convention in June when there was no indication that he'd be invited to speak at the main event (A.K.A the GOP Convention) down the street.
-- Thomas Pierce
4:30 PM ET
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07-22-2008
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What a difference four years makes, even for a billionaire like T. Boone Pickens.
It was four years and four days ago that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth logged in a $100,000 check from Pickens. The group had just finished shooting a TV ad that accused Democrat John Kerry of inflating his Vietnam war record. When the ad ran -- during the Democratic National Convention -- it knocked Kerry's presidential bid off the rails. Pickens went on to give Swift Boats a total of $2 million.
And today? Pickens isn't financing attack ads. Instead, the Texas oilman was on Capitol Hill, telling a Senate committee that it's time for America to take the plunge on wind, solar and natural gas. And last week he laid out $6.3 million for a TV ad to promote that goal .
That puts Pickens at the top of this week's list for independent political advertisers on television. While NPR follows the candidates, our Secret Money Project is tracking these non-affiliated players, watching where their money comes from and how they spend it. Last week, aside from Pickens, 10 groups had 14 spots airing.
Also on the air: dueling veterans, as we reported last week . The conservative Vets for Freedom spent roughly $768,000 to air its pro-surge ad more than 2,000 times. The AFL-CIO, with a Veterans Council, spent less than one-tenth that much for its own ad, in which a Vietnam veteran criticizes Republican John McCain's Senate record.
Health Care for America Now, a new coalition of liberal groups, hit the airwaves in its campaign against insurance companies.
Most of the groups were aiming at the presidential race. Just one, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, weighed in on a Senate campaign. Its ad promotes Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and targets Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota for his support of legislation that would make it easier for unions to win organizing votes.
And a tip of the reportorial fedora to Will Evans of the Center for Investigative Reporting , who analyzed our data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group and works on the Secret Money Project.
-- Peter Overby
4:23 PM ET
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07-22-2008
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Picture it: a tarmac in Amman, Jordan. The press corps is sitting on the plane awaiting Barack Obama's arrival after a dinner with King Abdullah II at the royal palace.
A grey Mercedes races up the tarmac and screeches to a halt at the bottom of the airplane steps. King Abdullah hops out on the driver's side; Obama from the passenger seat. The men say a friendly goodbye, and Obama boards the plane.
Says NPR's Don Gonyea , who has covered the Bush White House for 8 years and has been on quite a few of these overseas trips: "I've never seen a head of state drive before. Well, I once saw Putin drive a golf cart. But that's it."
Apparently King Abdullah does not subscribe to the Harry Burns theory of rides to the airport.
-- Evie Stone
2:57 PM ET
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07-22-2008
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The New Yorker satirized Obama , and America couldn't decide if it was funny.
Then The Nation satirized The New Yorker's satirization of Obama .
Next The Seattle Post-Intelligencer imagined what it would look like if The National Review had satirized McCain the same way The New Yorker satirized Obama.
Now Vanity Fair has satirized McCain, again .
Surely someone's laughing by now?
-- Thomas Pierce
2:29 PM ET
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07-22-2008
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The media has a high-school crush on Barack Obama. So says John McCain. And he doesn't care. Not one bit. I swear. But he is doing the campaign equivalent of passing notes in class. McCain's web site is showing two versions of a video documenting the press and the punditocracy, and asking the rest of the kids to check their favorite.
The first choice is set to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". The second -- same footage, same singer, different song, "My Eyes Adore You."
We here at NPR are scrupulously objective on such matters --- though objectively I have to say the "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" is by far the punchier pick. And it was leading at about 85 percent of the vote when last checked.
Continue reading "The Summer of Love" »
1:29 PM ET
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07-22-2008
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The number of Americans who believe the press is in the tank for Obama is on the rise. The latest Rasmussen poll shows that 49% of respondents think reporters will tailor their coverage to help Obama, up from 44% a month ago. (And the McCain camp seems to agree, as evidenced by this new video .) In contrast, only 14% think journalists are going out of their way to help McCain.
I haven't seen any polls looking into the influence of the confectionery industry in this election, but it's worth noting that Kai's Candy Company of Haverton, PA is selling a special Obama gift set, complete with hand-painted Obama lollipops. Though they do throw in a strawberry-flavored "Lick McCain" version, you might be sensing an agenda here. So where's the McCain gift set? There isn't one. It turns out there was a production glitch. In the first batch of suckers, the image of McCain apparently came out looking too wrinkled . The new and improved version is expected to be available in August.
And as if you needed any more encouragement to place your order, their website declares: "Our candies are much tastier than the average McCain and Obama buttons and bumper stickers!" While that very well may be, you won't catch us licking a campaign button.
-- Sean Bowditch
11:54 AM ET
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07-22-2008
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Obama is in Amman, Jordan this morning and just finished the first press conference of his trip to Afghanistan and Iraq. Standing in front of the Citadel -- a maze of ruins on a hill above the sprawl that is Amman -- he answered questions about the political situation in both countries.
Yesterday, the Senator took a helicopter ride with Gen. Petraeus above Baghdad to survey the progress there. Obama told reporters today that he understands why Petraeus is opposed to a timetable -- because as the commanding general on the ground, flexibility is key. In fact, Obama said, with Petreaus' job he'd probably feel the same way. But as President, Obama continued, his job would extend beyond Iraq.
Obama on his conversations with Gen. Petraeus:
Obama on the surge:
Obama on options in Iraq:
Tom Bullock , he picked a good spot, where the sounds from all the surrounding mosques converge at times of prayer.
The call to prayer came shortly before Obama began.
-- Thomas Pierce
11:36 AM ET
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07-22-2008
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Good morning, all.
Barack Obama is in Amman, Jordan after touring Iraq yesterday. His visit to the war zone included a helicopter tour with General David Petraeus -- an opportunity not just for catching up on ground conditions in Iraq, but for swashbuckling photos that made opponent John McCain's Kennebunkport golf cart ride with former President George H.W. Bush look pretty minor...and, well, a little geriatric.
So far it would be difficult to characterize Obama's overseas trip as anything but successful. The Iraqi government's re-confirmation of their desire for a timeline that would phase out the US troop presence by 2010 and the Bush administration's diplomatic meeting with the Iranians would seem to bolster positions of Obama's (phased withdrawal from Iraq, negotiating with enemies) that McCain has derided during the campaign.
But the McCain campaign continues to exploit a weakness in Obama's Iraq postion: that he opposed the troop surge that has by all accounts dramatically lessened violence in Iraq. During his visit with the 41st President in Kennebunkport, McCain called Obama "completely wrong" on Iraq, and pointed out that his opponent has "no military experience whatsoever." Then yesterday Obama provided the McCain camp with a helpful sound bite on that front in an interview with ABC's Terry Moran, who asked if, knowing what he knows now, he would still support the surge. Via Jake Tapper :
"No," Obama said. "These kinds of hypotheticals are very difficult. Hindsight is 20/20. But I think that what I am absolutely convinced of is at that time we had to change the political debate because the view of the Bush administration at that time was one that I just disagreed with and one that I continue to disagree with is to look narrowly at Iraq and not focus on these broader issues."
This is a toughie for Obama: either stick to his guns despite evidence that the surge has provided progress in Iraq or admit that his judgment was wrong. Both scenarios cause headaches...he can either be stubborn, or he can be a flip-flopper. So far, he's opted for stubbornness.
And yesterday the blogosphere was busy after Drudge reported that the New York Times had rejected a McCain op-ed on Iraq to counterbalance Obama's from last week. Times op-ed editor David Shipley said the McCain piece was too reactive, and didn't provide new information about McCain's policies:
The Obama piece worked for me because it offered new information (it appeared before his speech); while Senator Obama discussed Senator McCain, he also went into detail about his own plans.
It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama's piece. To that end, the article would have to articulate, in concrete terms, how Senator McCain defines victory in Iraq. It would also have to lay out a clear plan for achieving victory -- with troops levels, timetables and measures for compelling the Iraqis to cooperate. And it would need to describe the senator's Afghanistan strategy, spelling out how it meshes with his Iraq plan.
But First Amendment advocates need not fear, as the New York Post has generously stepped in and published the McCain piece as originally penned. In some ways, the final shakeout went about as well as possible for McCain: his column attracted much more attention than it would have received if the NYT had published it in the first place, with the added bonus that he got into a public dustup with a paper that's reviled by the right. Double happiness!
Coming up today: Obama holds a news conference at the Citadel overlooking Amman, Jordan before heading to Israel. McCain holds a town hall meeting in Rochester, NH.
-- Evie Stone
10:00 AM ET
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07-22-2008
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July 21, 2008
NPR's Adam Davidson recently explained on Morning Edition that despite widespread efforts to find a scapegoat, it's impossible at this point to tell who's at fault for the recent high gas prices.
The McCain campaign begs to differ:
Now, there is certainly a debate to be had about whose policies would do more to help lower gas prices in the future . But the idea that Obama is personally responsible for the current situation strikes us as a bit of a stretch.
-- Evie Stone
UPDATE: The Obama campaign's response after the jump
Continue reading "McCain Ad Blames Obama for Gas Price Spike" »
12:11 PM ET
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07-21-2008
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McCain and Obama have agreed to appear together before the conventions begin in August -- but not in one of the town hall meetings proposed by McCain last month. The New York Times is reporting that the Rev. Rick Warren has convinced the two presidential candidates to briefly appear together before back-to-back interviews at Saddleback Church, his megachurch in Lake Forest, California:
"I just got to thinking, you know what? These guys have never been together on the same stage, it would be a neat way to cap the primary season before they both go to the conventions and things go dark for a couple of weeks," he said. "I've known both the guys for a long time, they're both friends of mine, and I knew them before they ran for office, so I just called them up."
He said that both had readily agreed, perhaps reflecting how each candidate is courting the evangelical audience to whom Mr. Warren ministers.
I asked NPR's Religion Correspondent, Barbara Bradley Hagerty , for her take on this development. She says that if any evangelical leader could bring the candidates together, it's Warren -- mainly because of his appeal to both conservative and liberal factions of the evangelical movement. He's pro-life, for example, but he also believes that the church should play an active role in combating AIDS in Africa. As Pat Robertson and James Dobson lose influence, Warren is becoming America's pastor.
Two months before Obama announced he was seeking the Democratic nomination, Warren invited the Senator to speak at a global AIDS summit at this church in California. Obama accepted.
-- Thomas Pierce
11:21 AM ET
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07-21-2008
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NPR's Don Gonyea fills us in on the newly-remodeled Obama plane, which has been emblazoned with the slogan "Change We Can Believe In" and the rising-sun "O" logo on the tailfin. Don writes:
This 757 campaign plane is larger and features something the previous plane did not: a wall separating staff (and candidate) from the press corps. It's one of those partitions that separates 1st class from coach on commercial flights. The TV folks and photographers really dislike it because it will make it all but impossible for them to shoot casual pix of Obama interacting with staff.
Likely we'll hear that again as we fly into Berlin.
-- Evie Stone
10:40 AM ET
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07-21-2008
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Good day.
Barack Obama (accompanied by Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-NE and Jack Reed D-RI) arrived in Iraq early this morning after spending the weekend in Afghanistan and Kuwait . He'll reportedly meet with US commanders including General David Petraeus, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The visit caps off a whirlwind weekend of Iraq policy news. First, on Friday afternoon the White House announced a potential shift in Iraq policy:
[I]mproving conditions should allow for the agreements now under negotiation to include a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals.
But before you start wondering whether a "general time horizon" is anything like a timetable (which PM Maliki seemed to call for earlier this month), the story gets even more complicated. Maliki was quoted over the weekend in the German magazine Der Spiegel accidentally emailed the press corps the Reuters clip that broke the story in the US, headlined "Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan." Maliki's office later backed off the Spiegel quotes, calling them "misunderstood and mistranslated ," though they did not specify which parts of the interview inaccurately represented Maliki's position. According to The Trail , the clarification came after a call from officials at the US Embassy. The AP posits that Maliki's interview was part of a concerted effort to "play U.S. politics for the best deal possible over America's military mission." But the Pentagon pushed back in the form of a Fox News Sunday interview with top military officer Adm. Michael Mullen, who told Chris Wallace that "the consequences could be very dangerous" if the US sets a specific timeline.
John McCain endeavored to stay in the news despite the extensive coverage of his opponent's overseas trip. He devoted his weekly radio address , a press release , a reporter conference call this morning, and a round of appearances on the network morning shows to pushing his own Iraq policy. McCain particularly emphasized his longtime support of the successful troop surge, which Barack Obama opposed. But there's no question that this was a tough weekend for McCain, who also saw the resignation of controversial economic adviser Phil Gramm. And on the "holy moly" front, Politico is reporting that Obama's $52 million in June fundraising included $25 million in one day . It was the last day of the month, which always features a big push from the campaign...but nonetheless that's a staggering number.
His one-day haul represents nearly half of his monthly total and more than Republican rival John McCain generated for the entire month. During the month, McCain did not have a single day in which he raised a million dollars.
Yowzers.
-- Evie Stone
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July 18, 2008
Just a few random notes to close out the week...
* There are now multiple reports -- first broken by Marc Ambinder -- that a company connected to a member of Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign staff has purchased the web domain "HRC2012.com". Apparently, it is registered to a well-known Democratic operative from Florida.
* The Denver Post speculates that Bruce Springsteen will open for Obama at Invesco Field. Their proof: The Boss' tour takes a short breather between August 24 and August 30. Makes sense. Obama's love for the rocker is no secret .
* According to the Rocky Mountain News , the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless plans to distribute 500 movie, zoo and museum tickets to homeless people around Denver. The time frame: late August. Some are crying foul, saying it's simply a way of getting rid of them during convention time. The Coalition says it's a humane way to help folks out.
* The folks over at Patchwork Nation (a blog affiliated with the Christian Science Monitor ) put together an interesting experiment to see how effective each campaign has been in using email as a promotional tool.
* !!Gaffe alert!! In an interview on MSNBC this morning , former CBS anchor Dan Rather mistakenly referred to Barack Obama as "Osama Bin Laden" when answering a question about Jesse Jackson's recent comments. Yes, he used the full name. And no one even flinched.
* Quote of the week, c/o Senator Larry Craig (R-ID): "Let America produce once again. And when we do, our economy will strengthen, the American family will fear less, our national security will be more assured, and we won't let the Venezuelas or the Nigerias or the Saudi Arabias or the Irans jerk us around by the gas nozzle the way they are doing it now."
-- Sean Bowditch
5:33 PM ET
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Today is the second day of Netroots Nation in Austin , the annual confab formerly known as YearlyKos. Once again they've pulled in some of the Dems' big dogs: Howard Dean, Wesley Clark, and Nancy Pelosi. Barack Obama is not on the schedule, though a "mystery guest" has been rumored for Saturday.
The organizers are offering a stunning number of panels and sessions , called "caucuses" (remember the two-stepping Obamakins!). Among the offerings today are sessions for rural bloggers, Latino bloggers, profane bloggers , a number of films, and a panel called "How the Media Learned to Bend Over Backward to Please the Right."
They have Obama Girl, too, who did about as well talking Democratic platform points as S.C. Governor Mark Sanford did for the Republicans a few days ago on CNN .
And just to keep Austin weird, Texas's conservatives decided to descend on Austin the same weekend with their own Defending the American Dream Summit . Organizers there have promised speeches from Barry Goldwater, Jr., Robert Novak, and Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr.
Perhaps responding to articles like this one from The Nation suggesting that Texas is in play, the DAD Summit implores supporters to "join us to defend Texas's honor and protect taxpayer interests!"
Fingers crossed for a Sunday night platform showdown at the Hat Tip Corral...
--Laurel Wamsley
4:47 PM ET
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07-18-2008
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The McCain campaign has released a new ad called "Troop Funding." The 30-second spot hits Obama on his vote against funding the war in Iraq and on not convening Senate hearings about Afghanistan. It also revisits the now-familiar (and soon-to-be obsolete) talking point that Obama hasn't visited Iraq since 2006. The announcer continues: "Now Obama is changing to help himself become President." On the other hand, says the ad, "John McCain has always supported our troops and the surge that's working."
The ad will air on national cable and in several battleground states.
-- Evie Stone
4:09 PM ET
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07-18-2008
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The satirists at The Onion send up pro-Obama media bias.
-- Evie Stone
3:24 PM ET
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07-18-2008
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Yesterday the McCain campaign released a nearly 8-minute video "documentary ," complete with trippy background music, of Barack Obama's evolving positions on the Iraq war. Today Politico's Jonathan Martin writes that they've followed up with a 17-page PDF critiquing Obama's foreign policy positions, which they emailed to members of the press who will be on Obama's overseas trip.
In comparison, earlier this week the Obama campaign circulated its own video depicting McCain's changing Iraq rhetoric. It clocked in at a whopping 42 seconds.
While we appreciate the classy production values of the longer McCain vid, we suspect some of those watching at home will find Obama's effort a little more...digestible.
-- Evie Stone
2:34 PM ET
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07-18-2008
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To quote a dear friend : Happy Friday.
Barack Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe continues to dominate the news, and it hasn't even happened yet. Yesterday, even though Obama didn't have any public events, the news turned to what John McCain (and his staff) were saying about Obama's trip. This morning's USA Today reveals that while Obama and his press entourage are overseas, McCain will tour a few swing states to talk about domestic issues. Although...
"If they want us to respond to what he's doing over there, I'm sure we could make the time," [McCain adviser Charlie] Black said wryly, noting that ABC, CBS and NBC are sending their television anchors overseas to trail Obama. Black said the McCain campaign will ask for equal time if the networks run interviews with Obama.
Seems like this is tricky territory for McCain. If he spends his opponent's trip giving response interviews, he allows the Obama campaign to stay in control of the conversation. But if he goes about his own business, he risks falling off the media radar.
The AP reported late yesterday that the DNC is establishing an independent spending operation that will make ads on behalf of Barack Obama. There are federal limits ($19 million) on how much money the Obama campaign and the DNC can coordinate on spending, but this new group would allow them to funnel off additional money as long as they don't oversee the product.
The RNC already has its own version of this up and running . These groups may be especially influential this year since both campaigns have vocally discouraged third party ad efforts.
And over at Politico , David Paul Kuhn throws some cold water -- or, shall we say, common sense -- on the rampant speculation about a McCain/Lieberman or Obama/Hagel pairing. Even though these two Senators -- Lieberman and Hagel -- have parted with their own parties when it comes to Iraq policy, they fall in line with their respective caucuses on just about every other issue. Look no further than Lieberman's 100% rating from NARAL or Hagel's A-grade from the NRA and you'll see why crossing party lines to select either of them as Veep would make for a couple of very hairy conventions.
Finally, approval ratings for both the President and Congress are in the tank . According to Gallup , President Bush is at 29%, his lowest approval yet, and Congress tips the scales at a measley 14%. Gallup's Linda Saad says this all seems hauntingly familiar:
2008 now looks an awful lot like 1979, and for some of the same reasons: mounting inflation, record-high gas prices, and a looming recession. Public approval of President Jimmy Carter in mid-July 1979 was 29%, very similar to Bush's current 31%. And approval of Congress was also comparable: 19% in June 1979 vs. 14% today.
-- Evie Stone
10:00 AM ET
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July 17, 2008
A new episode of everyone's favorite podcast, It's All Politics , is available for download. On the show this week NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin talk about what summer is really all about: sunshine, vacations, and candidates pandering to conventions held by special interest groups who'd like to hear those candidates tell them exactly what they'd like to hear. Accordingly, Sen. McCain spoke at the NAACP Convention yesterday and had kind words for Sen. Obama. Plus, the infamous New Yorker magazine cover: was it funny? And more importantly, are there any funny Obama jokes out there to tell?
Ken and Ron tackle all this and more. Listen here:
download the podcast .
-- Thomas Pierce
6:46 PM ET
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07-17-2008
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Bragging rights are on the line in tonight's Congressional baseball game , and this year's installment of the "mid-term classic" pits a confident Republican squad against a Democratic side that is looking to break out of a 7-year slump. On the other hand, a GOP victory tonight would give them a perfect 8-0 record during the Bush administration.
It will almost certainly be an up-hill (get it?) battle for the Dems, as the Republicans return starting pitcher Rep. John Shimkus (IL 19th), who is a perfect 6-0 in previous partisan pitching duels. The Democrats are expected to counter with Rep. Joe Baca (CA 43rd), a former semi-pro shortstop. It's technically a bicameral affair, but each party will only be fielding one Senator apiece: Sherrod Brown (OH) in the outfield for the Left, and John Ensign (NV) a shortstop/relief pitcher on the Right.
After a successful debut, GOP Skipper Rep. Joe Barton (TX-6th) returns for another go-round, while Democratic Boss Rep. Mike Doyle (PA-14th) looks to improve on his 0-2 record with the team.
This year's contest also comes hot on the heels of the Steroids in Baseball hearings, but with 4 members of the Oversight Committee participating, it's unlikely there will be any juicing from either side of the aisle.
--Josh Figueira
4:07 PM ET
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The hopes of a younger guard of black politicians were not realized in Tuesday's primary in Georgia; two challengers gave Rep. John Lewis (D-5th District) his first primary challenge in 16 years but failed to come close to defeating Lewis, let alone pull him into a runoff. Their beef with the longtime civil rights icon: his initial endorsement of Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, which they argued showed he was "out of touch."
Continue reading "House Primaries in Black and White" »
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07-17-2008
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Good morning.
Today's news is full of juicy bits -- which are especially welcome after yesterday's barrage of charts and graphs.
The Obama campaign released their June fundraising numbers this morning -- a cool $52 million that does not quite meet the campaign's $55 million high water mark from February. But it does come pretty darn close. Average donation: $68. While Obama's $52 million might make John McCain's $22 million June haul -- no shabby sum in any other year -- look paltry, Obama's fundraising bar is higher since he didn't take public financing. And while the DNC's financial cupboards had been looking pretty cobwebby compared to the RNC's this cycle, the Dems finally seem to be catching up. The Obama campaign later contacted reporters to correct Plouffe's email indicating a nearly $30 million GOP advantage -- turns out DNC + Obama are almost neck-and-neck with RNC + McCain in terms of cash on hand.
On the oppo front, the NYT uncovers a link to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff in the recently-released list of McCain's bundlers ; the Chicago Sun-Times lists grant recipients from Obama's IL Senate days; and the WP finds links to both campaigns from Fannie and Freddie.
Even MORE polling data shows voters are most concerned about the economy.
And all three network anchors (Williams, Gibson, and Couric) will be hopping Barack Obama's plane to the Middle East and Europe (dates/itinerary still a mystery, but the scuttlebutt is any day now), and will be hosting their broadcasts from the road...thus creating a multi-day period that John McCain could spend riding a unicycle, juggling, and eating a rubber tire to the tune of "Flight of the Bumblebee" without attracting much media attention. NPR's esteemed Don Gonyea will be along for the ride as well. We look forward to his stories from the press charter almost as much as his reports on the actual news events...
Today: Al Gore calls for major action on climate change at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, and President Bush speaks at Tony Snow's Memorial Service.
And finally: another unfortunate development in this week's Jesse Jackson dustup.
-- Evie Stone
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July 16, 2008
The City of Denver and the Secret Service have until tomorrow to disclose how demonstrations will be handled at the Democratic Convention next month. The Denver Post reported that a lawsuit filed back in May by the ACLU of Colorado forced law enforcement officials to reveal that demonstrators would be cordoned off in specific areas by chicken wire or chain-link fence . When that came to light, the ACLU promptly filed an amended complaint, arguing the policy is unconstitutional. And they say the designated areas will be out of sight and earshot of delegates entering the two venues. These are the issues the ACLU hopes to resolve tomorrow.
The delicate balance between maintaining security and respecting rights came into sharp focus following the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston. There, authorities created a controversial "demonstration zone" that was encircled by concrete barricades, fencing, plastic sheeting, and topped with razor wire. The judge in the case said the comparisons to an internment camp were "an understatement". And the move infuriated First Amendment advocates. Convention planners now tend to be very cautious about protestors after the 1968 Convention in Chicago, when police and protestors clashed in the streets for days .
And the ACLU of Colorado has another lawsuit pending in district court as well. They are demanding that the City of Denver disclose how it has spent the $50 million in federal money it was awarded to beef up convention security. The city says $18 million has been put towards equipment, but have been mum on the specifics. Several reports, including this CNN story , have speculated that the expenditures might include new-age, non-lethal devices such as ray guns, slime machines, and a contraption that causes you... well... to lose control of your bowels. A ruling is expected in early August.
-- Sean Bowditch
3:58 PM ET
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The ads are rolling in fast and furious today. Don't the ad wizards know we're busy reading polling data?
This morning Planned Parenthood got the ball rolling , keeping alive last week's dust-up about insurance plans covering Viagra but not birth control. For those who missed it, McCain economic adviser and speculative VP contender Carly Fiorina raised the issue at a breakfast with reporters. McCain was later asked about the flap, and PP was nice enough to immortalize his deeply awkward response . (via Ben Smith )
Next up: MoveOn, with an ad calling on McCain to endorse a timeline to get out of Iraq -- in accordance, the ad says, with the wishes of American and Iraqi citizens and the Iraqi Prime Minister.
In neat counterpoint, an independent group called Vets for Freedom launched this ad today in several swing states. The spot, featuring a series of Iraq veterans, doesn't mention either candidate by name but states flatly that "the surge worked" after saying "some in Washington" (cue screen quotes from Obama, Harry Reid, and Chuck Hagel) were naysayers about the surge all along. The vets go on to beseech the next President to "finish the job" in Iraq. (via The Caucus )
(These both drop hot on the heels of this morning's WP editorial accusing Obama of a "foolish consistency" for sticking with the timetable idea despite the progress that has resulted from the surge. The changing facts on the ground may continue to confound both candidates, who want to appear to be paying attention to developments in Iraq, and for that matter on the economy, but avoid being branded flip-floppers. Remember the drama that resulted from Samantha Power's heretical statement that Obama would reasses Iraq with the Generals if he's elected, rather than sticking rigidly to the plans he made as a candidate? MADNESS! Or...actually that makes perfect sense.)
And just a few minutes ago, the Obama campaign dropped its second spot in two days: this one tidily linking renewable energy initiatives to the war on terror, and once again citing Obama's work on legislation aimed at securing loose nukes.
-- Evie Stone
1:42 PM ET
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07-16-2008
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This from Will Evans of the Center for Investigative Reporting . Will and NPR's money-and-politics maven, Peter Overby, are working together on the Secret Money Project , an investigation of the outside groups that want to influence voters.
Here's something that doesn't happen everyday: a political advocacy organization giving back money.
Progressive Media Action has reported returning $2 million in contributions it had received to do battle with Republican presidential candidate John McCain. It's quite a turnaround for a group that had loudly announced a $40 million campaign to influence the 2008 election.
Headed by right-wing-attack-dog-turned-left-wing-attack-dog David Brock, the non-profit Progressive Media USA and affiliated political organization Progressive Media Action morphed out of another big-money operation, the modestly titled Campaign to Defend America , which we covered back in March. But after the big roll-out, PMA pulled its own plug when Democratic candidate Barack Obama made it known he doesn't approve of independent efforts -- an edict that chilled liberal donors.
Now, Progressive Media has given back $1.5 million to film producer and Hollywood playboy Steve Bing; half a million dollars to a government employees union, and $100,000 to Win McCormack, an alternate Obama delegate from Oregon. Did Brock not know how to spend the money? Calls to his organization were not returned.
-- Evie Stone
12:40 PM ET
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07-16-2008
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We are swimming in numbers today... The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press has come out with some intriguing new data that looks at voters' perceptions of Obama's religious beliefs. It shows that more than 1 in 10 voters believes he is Muslim, a figure that has held steady in recent months despite the strenuous efforts of the Obama campaign to debunk that myth . Interestingly, virtually an equal number of Democrats, Republicans and independents hold that view. However, believing Obama is a Muslim isn't necessarily a show-stopper. Among that 12%, 51% back McCain and 37% plan to vote for Obama. These numbers are reversed among those who believe Obama is a Christian: 52-39. But a large number of voters say they're not sure or have heard conflicting reports about his religious affiliations (has the recent New Yorker cover
On CNN's Larry King Live last night, Obama attempted once again to squash the rumor that he is Muslim . But he was quick to follow with this comment, one that we only seldom hear from him:
This is actually an insult against Muslim Americans, something we don't spend a lot of time talking about. And sometimes I've been derelict in pointing that out. There are wonderful Muslim Americans all across the country who are doing wonderful things and for this to be used as sort of an insult or to raise suspicions about me I think is unfortunate. And it's not what America is all about.
-- Sean Bowditch
11:59 AM ET
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07-16-2008
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Good day, everyone.
It's a poll-tastic Wednesday morning in our nation's capital, and despite yesterday's feisty back & forth on Iraq and Afghanistan, it appears that voters are most concerned about the economy. An NPR/Kaiser/Harvard poll in the crucial swing states of Florida and Ohio finds that more than 7 out of 10 voters call the economy a top issue. And get this:
[M]ore than three-quarters of people in Florida said they were facing at least one serious economic problem; half said they were struggling with three or more. The big ones? It's jobs, gas prices, housing and health care.
A second wave of data from the national poll from the Washington Post and ABC News (we wrote about the first wave yesterday ) echoes those findings, with about half of voters ranking economic concerns at the top of their list, followed by gas/energy prices, and Iraq in third place.
Meanwhile, a New York Times /CBS News poll finds that despite Barack Obama's groundbreaking candidacy, many African-Americans say they have seen little progress on race relations in the past few years. The poll also indicates racial divisions in the perception of Obama as a candidate:
Black voters were far more likely than whites to say that Mr. Obama cares about the needs and problems of people like them, and more likely to describe him as patriotic. Whites were more likely than blacks to say that Mr. Obama says what he thinks people want to hear, rather than what he truly believes. And about half of black voters said race relations would improve in an Obama administration, compared with 29 percent of whites.
Those findings are...not terribly surprising. But according to ABC's Jake Tapper, the Obama campaign is already pushing back .
Georgia held its state & local primaries yesterday, and despite yesterday's WP article about a younger generation of black politicians challenging incumbents with civil rights-era cred, longtime Democratic Rep. John Lewis cruised to an easy victory in his first contested primary since 1992.
Coming up today: for all you Veep watchers out there, Barack Obama appears in Indiana today alongside Sen. Evan Bayh and former Sen. Sam Nunn -- two names that have been bandied about by VP speculators. And John McCain addresses the NAACP. Not an altogether common stop for a GOP candidate, and maybe especially tricky today given the timing of the NYT poll. He's expected to focus on education.
And finally, JibJab has a new video portraying Barack Obama bounding over hill and dale on a pink unicorn, surrounded by woodland creatures, as John McCain rips out an IV and hops into a tank.
-- Evie Stone
10:00 AM ET
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July 15, 2008
With his high-profile visit to Europe and the Middle East coming up, Obama sharpened his national security message during a speech this morning at the Reagan Building in Washington DC.
Drawing on the words of post-WWII guru George Marshall -- "What is needed? What can best be done? What must be done?" -- Obama chastised the Bush Administration for what was not done after 9/11 and for creating a "distraction" in Iraq. He then laid out what he called a "tough, smart, and principled national security strategy". His priorities: ending the war in Iraq responsibly; finishing the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban; securing all nuclear weapons and materials from terrorists and rogue states; achieving true energy security; and rebuilding alliances to meet the challenges of the 21st century. He concluded:
Our moment is now. This must be the moment when we answer the call of history. For eight years, we've paid the price for foreign policy that lectures without listening, that divides us from one another and the world, instead of calling us to a common purpose. A politics that focuses on our tactics in fighting a war without end in Iraq instead of forging a new strategy to face down the true threats we face. We cannot afford four more years of a strategy that is so out of balance and out of step with this defining moment. I recognize none of this will be easy. But we have faced great odds before.
Not to be outdone, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain also took on national security today. At an event in Albuquerque that was supposed to focus on the economy, he promptly refuted Obama's position that Iraq has been a distraction from the central front in Afghanistan:
Senator Obama will tell you we can't win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backwards. It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan. It is by applying the tried and true principles of counter-insurgency used in the surge -- which Senator Obama opposed -- that we will win in Afghanistan. With the right strategy and the right forces, we can succeed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I know how to win wars. And if I'm elected President, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory.
-- Sean Bowditch
5:05 PM ET
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07-15-2008
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Thanks to the wonderful folks at Google, our job just got a little easier when it comes to tracking down video of the candidates .
On behalf of political producers everywhere: Google, I love you.
But this gadget isn't just for producers, of course. It's for anyone interested in digging through all the speeches and campaign ads. The videos posted to Youtube by the campaigns have been indexed and transcribed, so you can search a specific word or phrase. For example, has Barack Obama mentioned donuts at all while on the trail? The answer: yes, 11 minutes into a speech in South Carolina, if you're interested.
-- Thomas Pierce
1:47 PM ET
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07-15-2008
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The ad touts a bipartisan effort between Obama and Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) to secure loose nukes...handily tying in bipartisanship, national security, the war on terror, and the quest to make America a "beacon of light" in the world again.
The buy comprises the now-familiar list of 18 states the Obama campaign has been targeting recently, including several that President Bush carried very handily in 2004: Montana, Georgia, North Dakota, Alaska...and Indiana, which in this case appears to be the most salient.
The last Democrat to carry Indiana was Lyndon Johnson, and NPR's political soothsayer Ken Rudin still marks it as "leaning GOP." But the Obama folks see an opening with the Hoosiers. Not only does the state's shared border with Illinois provide a boost, but an unpopular Republican Governor and frustration with GOP-favored free trade agreements could help Obama in November. So it's no coincidence that Dick Lugar is featured in this ad, or that longtime Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton introduced Obama before his Iraq speech in DC this morning, or that Obama is headed to Indiana for a "Summit on Confronting 21st Century Threats" tomorrow.
-- Evie Stone
UPDATE via First Read : Lugar, a McCain supporter, was asked about the Obama ad today at a press conference on Pakistan. He called the ad "accurate" and added "I'm pleased we had the association Sen. Obama describes."
12:45 PM ET
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07-15-2008
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After failing to convince Jesse Ventura to enter the Minnesota Senate fray, Dean Barkley told MPR "I plan on going down and filing [for the race] this afternoon."
Gov. Ventura sent Barkley to Washington in 2002 to serve the final two months of Senator Paul Wellstone's term after Wellstone was killed in a plane crash shortly before the midterm elections. Barkley will run as a candidate with the Independence Party against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and presumptive Democratic nominee Al Franken.
The Barkley bid, which could cut into Franken's anti-incumbent support, is the second batch of bad news this week for the author/comedian and talk show host. Although Franken has been endorsed by the DFL (Minnesota's Democratic Party), on Monday he received a new challenger for the state's September Primary: Priscilla Lord Faris, a personal-injury lawyer from St. Paul. Faris told the StarTribune "I've been a (Franken) supporter; I think he's a great guy, but I don't see much changed in the polls , and my passion is to see that we have a new Senator who represents all Minnesotans."
NPR's Ken Rudin says that even though Coleman is "very vulnerable" he classifies the race as leaning Republican.
--Michael Olson
11:59 AM ET
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07-15-2008
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Good morning, everyone.
A Washington Post /ABC News poll out this morning has some interesting data. Respondents are almost equally divided over which of the two major candidates they trusted to handle the war (McCain 47%, Obama 45%), but when asked whether they thought each candidate "would be a good commander-in-chief" 72% thought McCain would fit the bill and only 48% thought Obama would.
Meanwhile, Obama is pushing his Iraq policies hard this week after last week's flip-flopping accusations . This morning at 10:45 he'll follow yesterday's New York Times op-ed with what his campaign is billing as a "major policy address" on Iraq and National Security. (N.B. President Bush has scheduled a (rare) news conference on the economy at 10:20...and it's almost certain to overlap with Obama's speech. What's a network to do??) All this as lead-up to Obama's pending trip to Iraq -- his first, as the McCain campaign is fond of pointing out, since 2006. McCain, for his part, will swipe at Obama today for pushing policy prescriptions before he sees the facts on the ground.
Opening the door: our own David Welna's piece on the unusual position of Independent-Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman, who still caucuses with the Dems but openly supports John McCain's candidacy. Noteworthy: Lieberman says he doesn't have any intention of leaving the Democratic caucus "before the end of this session of Congress." No word on what he'll do in the 111th.
And after tantalizing us with the possibility of a Senate run, former MN Governor and pro wrestler Jesse Ventura told CNN's Larry King last night that he's not up for another foray into politics...unless he gets a sign from God that compels him to change his mind before the 5pm (CDT) filing deadline. Which would be especially notable since he also told Larry, "God's never spoken to me once, never."
And in the wake of the New Yorker cover blowup , the NYT takes a look at comedy writers' struggles to come up with decent jokes about Obama. Quoth one frustrated writer: "The thing is, he's not buffoonish in any way." How disappointing...
-- Evie Stone
10:30 AM ET
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07-15-2008
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10:03 AM ET
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(Actually, no one has asked any of these questions. But we imagine some of you might be thinking them.)
Continue reading "Frequently Asked Questions" »
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Welcome to Vox Politics, NPR's new political blog. We, your bloggers, are NPR's election unit: producers, editors and reporters who have been following the 2008 election almost to the point of dangerous fixation for the past eighteen (18!) months. This blog is the latest outlet for our reporting and analysis of the big news, curious happenings, and entertaining flaps of election season. We hope you'll read, comment, offer tips...and, you know, link to us.
-- NPR Election Unit
10:00 AM ET
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07-15-2008
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Listen to the best political stories of the last few days in one podcast, including the latest from the battleground states and analysis from NPR.
