The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08 &#187; Endorsements

THE LIL’EST BLOGGER

Dan Lehr — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:51:27 +0000

Above: A 7-year-old political blogger (!) gets a letter from the President-elect.

Check out his site.

His account of how he arrived at the candidate whom he supported should be an example to us all (& I mean the process of reaching his conclusion, regardless of whether you agree with him):

“My mom told me that I shouldn’t base my election analysis on “feelings” (I like him/her) or “beliefs” (I share his/her beliefs) but on logical arguments. She asked me to create my own rational explanations for my support of Obama. Here is one of my arguments:

McCain and Palin are not be qualified to be President / Vice President of the U.S. The President’s job is to do good for the country and the world. To do good for the country, the President must make smart decisions on important situations.

Governor Palin believes the world is 6000 years old. This is absurd. This is not a rational belief. This is a mistake. Scientists, experiments and evidence have shown this to be completely false. Therefore, she is not rational. If she is not rational, she should not be allowed to be President or Vice President.”

This is a good example for the single-digit set.

Now, click here for the other side of the coin.

VOTE08’s GREATEST HITS

Dan Lehr — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:30:59 +0000

Urging Conservatives to Eat Their Peas

All the way back on February 8th, long before he had the nomination wrapped up, I made a case to conservatives that John McCain was the only GOP candidate that had a shot at the White House this year.

Fantasy BBQ

Click here for a photo montage of our daydream about attending a BBQ with all of this year’s presidential candidates.

The Platters That Matter

Click here for a Vote08 post of Obama & McCain’s top 10 favorite songs, with accompanying videos for each.

Whom Would Fonzie Vote For?

Click here for my musings on how not just the Fonz but the entire Happy Days cast would choose for president in 2008.

.
Click here to view the embedded video.

3 DAYS OUT

Dan Lehr — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:46:19 +0000

Reminder: You Have Until 5pm Today to Vote Early in North Carolina

Early voting’s been extended, too; read more about it here.

Obama in Nevada

Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video.

McCain & Ah-nold

Above: Columbus, Ohio, last night.

Palin in Pennsylvania

Above: a home-video from Latrobe, last night.

Biden Home-State Stumping

Above: Joe Biden in Delaware, at his alma-mater

Chutes & Ladders in the Senate

The Tennessee Senate race (between Alexander & Tuke) has nowhere near the excitement as Georgia’s or North Carolina’s on Tuesday night.

But you should pay close attention to the degree of GOP losses in the Senate.

The more losses there are, the more freshman Tennessee Senator Bob Corker has to gain on the Senate hierarchical ladder. He has the potential to climb a few ‘bonus’ rungs if experienced GOPers like Alaska’s Ted Stevens or NC’s Elizabeth Dole or KY’s Mitch McConnell find defeat.

Unintentionally Transparent?

Senator Saxby Chambliss, (R) Georgia, yesterday:

“There has always been a rush to the polls by African-Americans early,” he said at the square in Covington, a quick stop on a bus tour as the campaign entered its final week. He predicted the crowds of early voters would motivate Republicans to turn out. “It has also got our side energized, they see what is happening,” he said.

Careful with that “our side,” Senator.

Check the latest polls in the GA Senate race here.

How He’ll Win, by McCain’s Chief Strategist

Read Rick Davis’ memo here, with Marc Ambinder’s observations in italics.

McCain’s Horrible Month

Charles Blow recaps.

Any Surprises Left?

Several pollsters weigh in here.

Keep in mind the impact of any “late surprise” is diminished by early voting.

A McCain Endorsement the Obama People Were Happy to Disseminate

Above: Dick Cheney stumps for McCain in Wyoming.

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 23rd

Dan Lehr — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:51:44 +0000

(above: with his maternal grandfather)

Today’s Episode: Stumping in Virginia…the Libertarian case for Obama.. the Conservative case for Obama…Karl Rove’s Warning…(yet again) the birth certificate story

Above: in Richmond, Virginia, yesterday. Obama will have his wife Michelle sub for him over the next two days as he visits his ailing grandmother, who broke her hip.

The Libertarian Case for Obama

Radley Balko:

“…the GOP needs to lose. American voters need to send a clear, convincing repudiation of these dangerous ideas.

If they do lose, the GOP would be wise to regroup and rebuild from scratch, scrap the current leadership, and, most importantly, purge the party of the “national greatness,” neoconservative influence. Big-government conservatism has bloated the federal government, bogged us down in what will ultimately be a trillion-dollar war, and set us down the road to European-style socialism. It’s hard to think of how Obama could be worse. He’ll just be bad in different ways.”

“Conservatives for Change”

Karl Rove, in the Wall Street Journal:

Above: a new ad campaign is unveiled.

Rove: Obama’s Still Vulnerable on Taxes

“Mr. Obama’s proposal to redistribute wealth is a warning of indifference or hostility to enterprise. Mr. Obama’s health-care plan is a warning that government will have more, not less, to say about your health care if he has his way. Mr. Obama’s dismissal of offshore drilling and opposition to nuclear power are warning signs for an economy whose growth depends on affordable energy. Mr. Obama’s commitment to withdraw our troops from Iraq without regard to conditions on the ground is a warning sign that Mr. Obama is dangerously wrong-headed and ideological on national security.

There’s more: The absence of a single significant instance in which Mr. Obama cooperated in a bipartisan manner in the Senate is a warning sign. So is his failure to dirty his hands by working hard on any major legislative challenge since entering Congress. And so is his refusal to break with his party or its interest groups on any issue of substance.

Mr. McCain has only one hope: to drive home doubts about Mr. Obama based on his record, and share as much as he can about his own values and vision to reassure voters.”

Birth Certificate Issue Still Bubbling (Among Obama’s Foes, That Is)

There is really only one issue that recent anti-Obama callers to NewsChannel 9 want us to focus on, & that’s the birth certificate question, which we dealt with in great detail here.

I need to say again: if this is a valid issue, why hasn’t John McCain mentioned it at all? He’d better do it now, or do it never. Take my advice & follow the GOP nominee’s lead on this one.

JOHN McCAIN: OCTOBER 23rd

Dan Lehr — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:30:28 +0000

(above: McCain as a baby)

Today’s Episode: Essential reading about McCain’s campaign behind-the-scenes…new footage surfaces of McCain as a POW…McCain tells country he’s not Bush…Al Qaeda website claims its rooting for a McCain win..a new ad touting Joe the Plumber

Click here to see McCain appear with Palin in an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams.

Above: At St. Anselm’s college in New Hampshire yesterday.

Behind the Scenes: Finding a Narrative

Check out this absolutely essential reading from the New York Times magazine that looks at the behind the scenes strategy sessions that brought the campaign to where it is today, including the decision-making process behind choosing Palin, the suspension of his campaign the week of the first debate, & much, much more. Don’t miss it.

New POW Footage Released

Above:the French National Archive releases this footage from McCain’s time as a POW. Like the article above: essential viewing.

“I Am Not Bush”

In an interview with the Washington Times, McCain lambasts the current administration:

“Spending, the conduct of the war in Iraq for years, growth in the size of government, larger than any time since the Great Society, laying a $10 trillion debt on future generations of America, owing $500 billion to China, obviously, failure to both enforce and modernize the [financial] regulatory agencies that were designed for the 1930s and certainly not for the 21st century, failure to address the issue of climate change seriously,”

The Endorsement No One Wants

The Washington Post:

“”Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,” said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the “failing march of his predecessor,” President Bush.”

Read more about the McCain campaign’s (understandably) somewhat panicked response to this story here.

I’m Spartacus! No, I’m Spartacus!

Above: a new ad that says we’re all Joe the Plumber.

& just for fun, as a segue…

What do you think?

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 22nd

Dan Lehr — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:14:41 +0000

TODAY’S EPISODE: Campaigning in Virginia & talking foreign policy…a stump speech from Florida…an endorsement from a conservative that might mean more than Colin Powell’s

Campaigning in Virginia Today

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Barack Obama is in Virginia today, as he continues his assault on John McCain’s economic proposals.
But he’ll introduce national security differences into the final-stretch mix.
Obama and Joe Biden will meet with a group of national security advisers to the campaign. And Obama plans to talk publicly about his approach to world affairs, and how it differs from McCain’s.
Obama also will hold events in Richmond and Leesburg that will focus heavily on the financial woes gripping the nation.
Yesterday, in Florida, he criticized McCain for offering little more than “willful ignorance, wishful thinking, outdated ideology” to an economy in crisis.

Read comments delivered in Virginia here.

Above: In Miami yesterday.

Foreign Policy “Wonk Session”

RICHMOND (AP) - Barack Obama has gathered together a panel of foreign policy and military luminaries in Virginia, to talk about what he describes as “urgent issues” facing the country from overseas.
Obama is hoping to push aside the renewed charge that he is too untested for the White House. John McCain and Sarah Palin have seized on comments from Joe Biden, who said Obama would face a “generated crisis” within months of taking office because adversaries would want to test him. Biden says Obama would do well when tested, because he’s “got steel in his spine.” But McCain says Biden’s warning of a test shows the danger of electing Obama.
Obama got a huge boost on the foreign policy front over the weekend when Colin Powell endorsed him.
Obama says he doesn’t want the financial crisis to overshadow the many serious foreign policy problems the nation faces.
He’s spending the week bouncing from one patch of Republican turf to another.

Arguably a More Powerful Endorsement Than Powell’s

Above: Ken Adelman, lifelong conservative Republican. George Packer gives his background:

“Campaigned for Goldwater, was hired by Rumsfeld at the Office of Economic Opportunity under Nixon, was assistant to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld under Ford, served as Reagan’s director of arms control, and joined the Defense Policy Board for Rumsfeld’s second go-round at the Pentagon, in 2001. Adelman’s friendship with Rumsfeld, Cheney, and their wives goes back to the sixties, and he introduced Cheney to Paul Wolfowitz at a Washington brunch the day Reagan was sworn in.”

Adelman also (in)famously predicted that the war in Iraq would be “a cakewalk.”

In an e-mail exchange with Packer, Adelman explains why he’s pulling the lever for Obama this time around:

“Why so, since my views align a lot more with McCain’s than with Obama’s? And since I truly dread the notion of a Democratic president, Democratic House, and hugely Democratic Senate?

Primarily for two reasons, those of temperament and of judgment.

When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.

Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.

That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.

I sure hope Obama is more open, centrist, sensible—dare I say, Clintonesque—than his liberal record indicates, than his cooperation with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid portends. If not, I will be even more startled by my vote than I am now.”

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 21st

Dan Lehr — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:17:58 +0000

[above: with his maternal grandparents]

Today’s Episode: Rushing home to visit his grandmother…more on who his grandmother is…attacking McCain on healthcare in a new ad…making economic proposals in Florida…debating the meaning of the Colin Powell endorsement..a stump speech in Florida

Rushing Home to See ‘Toot’

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Barack Obama is canceling nearly all his campaign events Thursday and Friday to visit his gravely ill grandmother in Hawaii.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs says Madelyn Dunham “has always been one of the most important people” in Obama’s life. She turns 86 Sunday.
Obama says Dunham taught him values “straight from the Kansas heartland.”
Obama recognized his grandmother when he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. In that speech, he said she taught him about hard work and that she was the one “who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself” so he could have a better life.
On Friday, Michelle Obama will sub for her husband at campaign rallies in Ohio.

Read Obama’s grandmother’s Wikipedia page here.

Conservative blogger (& Obama supporter) Andrew Sullivan says:

“Toot” was a formative figure - she brought him up with her husband during some critical years. Her death would be the death of his last parent. Reading about her again tonight, you can see where Obama’s personal social conservatism comes from. There’s a lot more Kansas in Obama than most people on the right seem to think.

New Ad: “Erratic”

Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video.

Laying Out Economic Proposals

Read prepared remarks he made today at an economic summit in Lake Worth, Florida here. Or watch those remarks below:

Above: An interview on the Today show that aired this morning in which he talks about the Powell endorsement.

FURTHER READING ON THE POWELL ENDORSEMENT:

“The Power of Powell’s Rebuke” - Eugene Robinson, the Washington Post

“Powell’s Lame Case for Obama” - Rich Lowry, the National Review

Why Liberals Should Be Queasy about the Powell Endorsement - Ken Silverstein, Harpers

Below: Obama stumping in Tampa, Florida yesterday

OBAMACAN

Dan Lehr — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:54:10 +0000

Above: former Secretary of State Colin Powell announces he’s endorsing Barack Obama.

This is the only endorsement left this year that has any chance of making a difference with voters.

More from Powell outside the NBC Studios.

EARLIER ON VOTE08:

“MR. UNDECIDED” - September 16th

“ZOGBY: POWELL WOULD BOOST OBAMA’S CHANCES” - July 18th

“COMPUTER SAYS IDEAL VP FOR BOTH DEMS & GOP IS THE SAME GUY” - July 1st

“POWELL HINTS AT OBAMA ENDORSEMENT” - June 13th

“OBAMA’S VICE-PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH” - June 11th (in which we hint Powell might be a good Obama VP)

“COLIN POWELL ON BARACK OBAMA” - April 10th (check this clip out if nothing else)

What do you think?

SARAH PALIN: OCTOBER 18th

Dan Lehr — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:24:34 +0000

For the 1st time in its history, the Chicago Tribune has endorsed a Democratic candidate for President. This paper has endorsed Republicans literally all the way back to Abraham Lincoln [read the endorsement here].

There’s one quote I’d like to pull from this right-leaning editorial board as a way to get into the meat of this post [emphasis mine]:

“McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate–but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin’s exposure to the public. But it’s clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment’s notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country.”

The last few days have been busy & I haven’t touched on the latest tidbits coming from “Campaign Sarah.” But they’re worth pointing out.

We are, as of today, 17 days out from the election. Sarah Palin has been the Vice-Presidential candidate for 51 days. & as of today, a man who has been on the campaign scene for just four days, “Joe the Plumber,” has given more news conferences than Sarah Palin has.

Yes, she’s done “sit-down” one-on-one interviews, with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, & Katie Couric. She’s also done phone interviews with radio talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh, Neil Boortz, & Hugh Hewitt.

The thing is, if you notice, is that the majority of the media personalities I list above are predisposed to treat her favorably. To say the least.

Other things about Palin’s media strategy I’ve found troubling this week:

1. Her staffers apparently shield her from most of the news about her. In North Carolina she said:

“At those times on the campaign trail when sometimes it’s easy to get a little bit discouraged, when, you know, when you happen to turn on the news when your campaign staffers will let you turn on the news,” she said, prompting laughter from the group. “Usually they’re like ‘Oh my gosh, don’t watch. You’re going to, you know, you’re going to get depressed.’”

2. Incredibly, the Secret Service has “started preventing reporters from leaving the press section to interview people in the crowd.” (don’t they have more important things to worry about?)

-WCSH, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine, had to refuse an interview with Palin after the McCain campaign insisted on hand-picking the reporter who would do it. You’d better believe that NewsChannel9 would treat this situation the exact same way.

This insularity only damages our system of democracy.

& before you move on from this post & call me a member of the “liberal elite media,” let me take you through an exercise that may change your thinking:

Let’s pretend for a moment that the tables are turned, & it’s Joe Biden who is behaving this way. He only does interviews with media types he considers “favorable.” He refuses to do a press conference. & he keeps the secret service from letting media types interview members of the crowd at his rallies.

Do you think the GOP would sit on their hands & let this happen? No, not for a second.

If you are a supporter of Palin, then you have to believe that she is ready for the job of Vice President of the United States. You have to believe that she has the grit it takes to stand up to all kinds of different challenges. Approving of this media-shy behavior only implicitly bolsters the perception that the candidate ‘can’t take the heat.’

This has to stop.

Sarah Palin appears on Saturday Night Live tonight, in an effort to fight the “Tina Fey effect.” But the appearance, I’m predicting, will be supremely anti-climactic, & do nothing to measurably improve her image.

A press conference, on the other hand - facing the media, warts & all - would measurably help her image, not to mention strengthen our democracy.

Come on, Sarah. If nothing else, do it for your country, which would be damaged if this historical precedent is allowed to continue.

JOHN McCAIN: OCTOBER 17th

Dan Lehr — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:23:55 +0000

Endorsed by the Reform Party & NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

McCain returned to the David Letterman show last night. This after he cancelled an appearance last month. McCain encountered air traffic gridlock in Philly yesterday & rented a helicopter to make sure he reached the Letterman show on time.

Like Obama, McCain cracked wise at the Al Smith Memorial Dinner last night:

Joe the Plumber in New McCain Ad

Latest GA Poll Has McCain Up By 6

Read about it here.

The same poll has Saxby Chambliss leading by 2.

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 17th

Dan Lehr — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:19:31 +0000

Endorsed by the Washington Post & the New Yorker.

He appeared (like McCain) last night at the Al Smith Memorial Dinner in Manhattan to crack wise:

New Ad: “It Gets Worse”

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 13th

Dan Lehr — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:10:46 +0000

Obama calls for 90-day moratorium on foreclosures

Democratic Barack Obama on Monday called for more immediate steps to heal the nation’s ailing economy, proposing a 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures at some banks and a two-year tax break for businesses that create new jobs.

The presidential candidate also proposed allowing people to withdraw up to $10,000 from their retirement accounts without any penalty for the remainder of the year and 2009.

Read more about it here.

Read prepared remarks here.

The Nashville Tennesseean newspaper has endorsed Obama:

“Obama has managed to put a tone of optimism in his campaign at a time it would be very easy to be downhearted, worried and pessimistic. That characteristic alone goes a long way in demonstrating the kind of leadership the nation needs.”

Dan Balz says Obama should face more (& tougher) questions from the media in these final days.

“The presidential race is not over, but at this point, Obama has a better chance of becoming president than McCain, and as a result, the questions ought to be going toward him as much or more than McCain — questions not of tactics but of substance.”

ISSUES, IDEAS & OPINIONS

Dan Lehr — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:52:09 +0000

An absolutely essential read from “pointy-headed conservative” David Brooks on how the Republican party’s decades-long campaign against “the elite” has turned into a serious anti-intellectual drag on its own success, Palin being the most recent manifestation:

“What had been a disdain for liberal intellectuals slipped into a disdain for the educated class as a whole. The liberals had coastal condescension, so the conservatives developed their own anti-elitism, with mirror-image categories and mirror-image resentments, but with the same corrosive effect.

Republicans developed their own leadership style. If Democratic leaders prized deliberation and self-examination, then Republicans would govern from the gut.

…

The Republicans have alienated whole professions. Lawyers now donate to the Democratic Party over the Republican Party at 4-to-1 rates. With doctors, it’s 2-to-1. With tech executives, it’s 5-to-1. With investment bankers, it’s 2-to-1. It took talent for Republicans to lose the banking community.

…

…no American politician plays the class-warfare card as constantly as Palin. Nobody so relentlessly divides the world between the “normal Joe Sixpack American” and the coastal elite. She is another step in the Republican change of personality.

…

Once conservatives admired Churchill and Lincoln above all — men from wildly different backgrounds who prepared for leadership through constant reading, historical understanding and sophisticated thinking. Now those attributes bow down before the common touch.

And so, politically, the G.O.P. is squeezed at both ends. The party is losing the working class by sins of omission — because it has not developed policies to address economic anxiety. It has lost the educated class by sins of commission — by telling members of that class to go away.”

I couldn’t agree more.

It wasn’t always like this. I’ve been reading a collection of letters from author & ultra-left leaning Norman Mailer (who died this year) in last week’s New Yorker; I want to reprint one of them, to conservative icon & ultra-right leaning William Buckley (who also died this year). The two had engaged in a series of debates in the 1950s; but their differences of opinion didn’t keep them from being civil to each other, as this letter demonstrates:

To William F. Buckley, Jr.

April 20, 1965

Dear Bill,

What a marvelous girl Joan Didion must be. I think that’s one conservative I would like to meet. And who would ever have thought that the nicest piece [review of “An American Dream”] I am to read about myself four weeks after publication should come in the National Review. Well, this is the year of literary wonders. What do you think the odds would have been for a parlay of good reviews in National Review, Life, the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Paul Pickrel at Harper’s, and the Chicago Tribune. One hundred fifty million to one, or would we have picked it by light-years?

Anyway, I write you this letter in great envy. I think you are going finally to displace me as the most hated man in American life. And of course that position is bearable only if one is number one. To be the second most hated man in the picture will probably prove to be a little like working behind a mule for years, which brings me to your address before the police department’s Holy Name Society. I missed all of it at the time; I was in Alaska, and got my first inkling in the New York Post that some sort of bomb had gone off. At any rate I was not surprised when I read your speech today to find that it was literate, moderate in relation to your own position, and felicitously phrased. And of course I don’t agree with your fundamental premise. On that I think you’re all wrong. I’m not the cop-hater I’m reputed to be, and in fact police fascinate me. But this is because I think their natures are very complex, not simple at all, and what I would object to in your speech if we were debating is that you made a one-for-one correspondence between the need to maintain law and order and the nature of the men who would maintain it. The policeman has I think an extraordinarily tortured psyche. He is perhaps more tortured than the criminal, and so as you can see I can hardly concur with the valuations you put on these matters. At the same time there’s no doubt in my mind that the newspapers misquoted you shamefully and the net result of that is to deepen one’s sense of an oncoming disaster; for I think humanly it could only drive you further into some of your own most charming surrealisms, such as bombing China’s atomic plants. Truly you amaze me, Bill. Did it ever occur to you as a good Christian that it is immoral to destroy somebody else’s property?

But listen, I think our public debating days are probably over—for a time at least. As wrestlers we are not both villains, and that excites no proper passions. Still, it may open something interesting—which is that the two of us have a long careful private discussion one night, because I think in all modesty there’s much in your thought which is innocent of its own implications, and there’s much surplus in mine which could profitably be sliced away by the powers of your logic. . . .

Incorrigibly yours,

Norman

One can disagree with someone without being disagreeable. If you are of the school of “thought” (a word I use loosely) that liberals/conservatives aren’t worth even speaking to, it’s my belief that you’re contributing to the decline of the United States of America. Please stop. Please open your heart & your mind to those who don’t share your views. Here at NewsChannel 9, there are plenty of differing opinions. But each & every one of us has respect for the others’ way of thinking.

Please understand that the myriad differences of opinions & outlooks makes America stronger, not weaker.

E pluribus unum.

Update: Bill Buckley’s son has endorsed Obama.

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 8th

Dan Lehr — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:29:50 +0000

Above: Obama in Indianapolis today.

Below: Obama interviewed by Charles Gibson of ABC News:

Guess who’s back: Oprah Winfrey says she’s going to headline a fundraiser this weekend in Chicago.

EARLIER ON VOTE08: Two posts that show how Oprah’s endorsement of Obama earlier this year may have helped him, but certainly didn’t help her.

THE GROUND GAME: OCTOBER 6th

Dan Lehr — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:06:52 +0000

Report on New GA Voter Registration Shows Black “New Voter” Surge

From the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:

“Secretary of State Karen Handel is on record saying that there is no giant surge of voter registration in Georgia — and in the largest context, she’s right.

Newly released figures from her office show that 406,379 new voters registered between Jan. 1 to Sept. 30. Four years ago, the number was 371,932.

Overall, that’s a 9 percent increase from ’04 to ’08 — hardly surprising in a presidential race with no incumbent. Barack Obama or no Barack Obama.

But this is far from the whole story. Those same numbers show that 164,859 of those new voters are African-American. And 176,570 of those new voters are white.”

ALSO: Musician Ralph Stanley has a recorded a radio ad running in southwest Virginia that endorses Barack Obama. Click here to listen to it.

BARACK OBAMA: OCTOBER 3rd

Dan Lehr — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:21:26 +0000

The Boss Wants Obama As Boss

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Bruce Springsteen is calling the Bush presidency “a disaster” and says many Americans have “justifiably lost faith” in the American dream.
The New Jersey rocker interrupted a seven-song acoustic set at a voter-registration rally in Philadelphia today to praise Barack Obama and bemoan the crises facing the next president. Springsteen said America remains a house of dreams for some, but that too many people have given up on the promise of fairness and equality.
The rally, planned by the Obama campaign a week ago, drew tens of thousands of people to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and came just days before Monday’s voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania.
“The Boss” also plans to perform at Obama gatherings in Ohio tomorrow and Michigan on Monday. On October 16th, he will join Billy Joel at an Obama fundraiser in New York City.

MR. UNDECIDED

Dan Lehr — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:23:55 +0000

His endorsement is truly the only one left that has a chance of making a difference with voters.

But it appears Retired General Colin Powell remains squarely on the fence.

From CNN:

“Former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that he has not yet decided which candidate to back in this year’s presidential race.

The election of an African-American president “would be electrifying,” Powell told a George Washington University audience, “but at the same time [I have to] make a judgment here on which would be best for America.

“I have been watching both individuals, I know them both extremely well, and I have not decided who I am going to vote for. And I’m interested to see what the debates are going to be like because we have to get off of this ‘lipstick on a pig’ stuff and get into issues,” he said.

…

Earlier this year, Powell told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he was weighing an endorsement of a Democrat or independent candidate. “I am keeping my options open at the moment,” said Powell.

“I have voted for members of both parties in the course of my adult life. And as I said earlier, I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job for America, whether that candidate is a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent,” he added.

Powell also offered praise for Obama, calling him an “exciting person on the political stage.

“He has energized a lot of people in America,” said Powell, who briefly weighed his own run for the White House in the mid-1990s. “He has energized a lot of people around the world. And so I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for.”

Last month, a Powell adviser told CNN that “he likes and admires John McCain, and that would be a factor in anything he does if he decides to get more involved.”

Another source close to Powell said that he has known McCain for more than three decades “and likes him, and is looking for a reason to vote for him. He hasn’t found it yet.”"

Who’s he gonna pick? McCain? Obama? No one? All guesses are welcome in the comments section!

WHAT BUSH & CHENEY THINK OF PALIN

Dan Lehr — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:38:41 +0000

from the AP:

ROME (AP) — There’s nothing stopping Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin from serving well in the White House, according to the men who now hold the nation’s highest offices.

“She’s had executive experience, and that’s what it takes to be a capable person in here in Washington, D.C. in the executive branch,” President Bush said in an interview to air Tuesdsay on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends.”

“John McCain made an inspired pick,” Bush added.

Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney told reporters in Rome on Monday that he “loved” Palin’s speech to the Republican National Convention, which he watched “with great interest.” Cheney laughed when he recounted her line about the difference between hockey moms and pit bulls being a coat of lipstick.

“I thought her appearance at the convention was superb,” Cheney said. Asked whether he thought Palin could handle the No. 2 job under a president John McCain, he added:

“Everybody brings a different set of experiences to the office and also a different kind of understanding with whoever the president is,” Cheney said during remarks at the residence of U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ronald P. Spogli.

“Each administration is different. And there’s no reason why Sarah Palin can’t be a successful vice president in a McCain administration,” he added. Such a White House, he said, “won’t look exactly like the Bush administration or the first Bush administration, the Ford administration. It’ll be relatively unique to this president and this time that they’re in office.”

A spokesperson said Cheney had met Palin before and called to congratulate her shortly after McCain named her as his running mate.

Thank goodness Bush & Cheney currently have high approval ratings! Just think what an endorsement like this would mean if they were unpopular! It would certainly give the electorate pause!

What do you think?

THE POWER OF O

Dan Lehr — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:44:18 +0000

A fascinating new study from two economics professors at the University of Maryland claims that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama translated into one million extra votes for him during the primary season. Read it here.

EARLIER: Back in April we showed you a study that the Oprah endorsement had a negative effect on her popularity. Read it here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

WELCOME BACK TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, PRESIDENT BUSH

Dan Lehr — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:27:25 +0000

..the 1st President Bush, that is.

Glad to see that the GOP is not afraid to trot out the oldest living Republican president. For a while, he seemed to be radioactive, & that was a shame. I’ve long felt that our current president overcompensated for his father’s mistakes - leaving us in the mess we’re in now.

[update: okay, this has been called "amateur psychoanalysis" elsewhere, & while I admit I'm a total amateur, let me elaborate: it is no secret that the 1st President Bush has essentially been shut out of providing proper advice to his son in the last 8 years. He (through surrogates such as James Baker & Brent Scowcroft) advised that the Iraq misadventure be applied with far more caution &, to use an unfortunate word, prudence than was actually used. There's also the quote from W when he was interviewed by Bob Woodward for his book "Plan of Attack:"

“I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, ‘Well, no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “Then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, ‘He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, ‘There's a higher Father that I appeal to.’"

Call it amateur if you want, but for the current president to actually consciously say that on the record says a lot about what he thinks of his father & his presidency.

Far more on the psychology of the father-son relationship in the Bush household here.]

One of the ways “HW” & I are alike is that we’re both voracious digesters of the political media. As I’m doing the cheap Comcast option of 11 channels ($8.70 a month), my diet is a bit more substantial than Bush’s likely cable-tv appetite.

This appearance with the 1st Bush is a plus for McCain in what’s generally been a bad week for him.

SHE’S ON BOARD — NOW IT’S HIS TURN

Dan Lehr — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:58:45 +0000

ON THE ONE HAND:

(CNN) — Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe assured CNN’s Candy Crowley that former President Bill Clinton and presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama will be discussing Clinton’s role in the campaign within the next two days.

“I believe that in the next 24 to 48 hours they will talk and off we will go,” McAuliffe stated on Sunday’s Late Edition.

ON THE OTHER HAND:

“Mr Obama is expected to speak to Mr Clinton for the first time since he won the nomination in the next few days, but campaign insiders say that the former president’s future campaign role is a “sticking point” in peace talks with Mrs Clinton’s aides.

The Telegraph has learned that the former president’s rage is still so great that even loyal allies are shocked by his patronising attitude to Mr Obama, and believe that he risks damaging his own reputation by his intransigence.

A senior Democrat who worked for Mr Clinton has revealed that he recently told friends Mr Obama could “kiss my [3-letter word beginning with 'a']” in return for his support.”

UPDATE: “Senator Obama had a terrific conversation with President Clinton and is honored to have his support in this campaign. He has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation’s great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.”